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Mobile World Live
Canada-based Telus struck a CAD2.9 billion ($2.2 billion) deal to acquire employee well-being company LifeWorks as part of a move to scale up and expand the global footprint of its existing digital health division. Telus stated the proposed tie-up will significantly accelerate its vision of employer-based healthcare and the companies aim to collaborate to rapidly deploy next-generation capabilities to benefit staff around the world. By combining LifeWorks and Telus Health, the joint company will have thousands of corporate clients across Canada, the US and in more than 160 countries. LifeWorks positions itself as offering digital and in-person well-being products covering mental, physical, financial and social scenarios, operating a cloud-based platform. It uses its capabilities to improve businesses through workforce engagement and productivity. The company has around 7000 employees and 25,000 clients. Poor mental health Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus, explained the rationale behind the move in a conference call, stating pandemic-related pressures had created a “tsunami of burnout" and “poor mental health”. “We’ve seen an unprecedented shift in what is required to support employers in addressing the evolving health and well-being needs of employees, including a greater focus on supporting mental health,” he said. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions. It has been approved by LifeWorks’ board and shareholders.
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12:30
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Mobile World Live
Yemen operator Y-Tel completed what it claimed was the country’s first mobile video call, employing a new 4G network to deliver what it branded a major technical milestone and departure from its legacy 2G infrastructure. In a statement, Y-Tel explained it previously operated a 2G network for voice and SMS only, but its network suffered from patchy coverage and significant instability. The Yemeni government granted 4G telecoms licences to the company in line with reconstruction projects across the Middle Eastern country following a civil war. Y-Tel stated the video call marks the commencement of operating a network which will deliver stable voice services along with mobile data capabilities. The operator plans to debut the 4G service in the city of Aden before a phased national deployment over the remainder of 2022 and into 2023. It claims its new network is also "5G-ready," although 5G licenses have not yet been awarded. According to GSMA Intelligence the operator is the smallest player in a four-carrier market. Market leader Yemen Mobile has 6.9 million connections compared to Y-Tel's 3.1 million. The Y-Tel 4G network is the culmination of an eight-month long network transformation project overseen by system integration and consultancy company Digis Squared. Digis Squared COO Ahmed Zain said "the connectivity we are delivering will truly transform lives and improve the functioning of society”.
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Mobile World Live
Honda Motor took its latest step into the transportation mobility sector, penning a deal to form a joint venture with Sony Group to produce electric vehicles and related technologies. The companies expect to form Sony Honda Mobility later this year with initial vehicles and mobility services due in 2025. The 50:50 JV is set to have capital of JPY10 billion ($74.2 million) and a six-member board. Sony Group representative corporate executive officer, chair, president and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, stated the partnership with Honda advances the electronics giant’s mobility initiatives spanning “safety, entertainment and adaptability”. The executive explained the JV would combine Honda’s expertise in “environmental and safety technologies, mobility development”, bodywork manufacturing and sales nous “with our expertise in imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment”. Honda and Sony assert the combination will deliver a range of mobility-related technologies and services which “are closely-aligned with users and the environment, and continue to evolve”. Honda teamed with SoftBank Corp [1] in 2021 to trial standalone 5G for cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) uses, while rival Japanese automotive giant Nissan turned to US operator Verizon [2] for a similar trial. Toshihiro Mibe, director, president, representative executive officer and CEO of Honda, explained it will benefit from Sony’s “strengths in advanced digital technology” through the JV. [1]
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12:26
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Mobile World Live
Mike hits the Las Vegas strip for Cisco Live, to hear all about the company's cloud and car ambitions. Away from the event, he also got to check out Las Vegas Raiders' brand new NFL stadium. In London, Amiya has the headlines, including big solar-power news from Vodafone on its attempts to bridge the UK’s digital divide.
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9:41
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Mobile World Live
Singtel lined up another private network customer, with Hyundai Motor Group selecting the operator’s 5G campus infrastructure with mobile edge core (MEC) for a local innovation centre. Hong Bum Jung, CEO of Hyundai’s innovation centre, noted in a joint statement the facility will feature the group’s first deployment of a 5G network for vehicle manufacturing, with plans to deploy cloud-based centralised robot management. He added by creating a digital-twin of a real factory, Hyundai would be able to “test-run a factory virtually”, allowing it to “calculate the optimised plant operation and enable plant managers to solve problems without having to physically visit the plant”. The company aims to introduce new forms of mobility products and services in Singapore, with the site serving as a testbed for human-centred intelligent manufacturing, Hyundai stated. Singtel Enterprise Business MD Lim Seng Kong said its “5G network and MEC solutions will overcome the performance limitations of Wi-Fi to deliver the promise of digital twins and eventually metaverse for advanced manufacturing operations”. The operator stated its “all-in-one platform for managing 5G networks, edge computing management and services orchestration, will enable the factory to manage and analyse the manufacturing process and performance of the networks” in real time. Last month, US chipmaker Micron Technology appointed Singtel to deploy a mmWave 5G network with a localised edge core at its flash memory plant in the city-state.
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9:24
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Mobile World Live
Samsung unveiled a digital platform designed to integrate with its Pay and Pass apps to allow Galaxy smartphone users to store and access digital keys, IDs, boarding passes and payment in a single app secured by Samsung Knox. Jeanie Han, head of Digital Life at Samsung's MX Business, stated the vendor aimed to boost the capabilities of the wallet by working closely with partners and developers. The app allows users to add digital home door keys along with those covering some models of car. Samsung stated users can monitor their cryptocurrencies by using the Galaxy ecosystem to integrate with Samsung Blockchain Wallet. The Samsung Wallet also can give users one-swipe access to their Covid-19 (coronavirus) vaccination documents, loyalty and gift cards and, later this year, official identification cards. Samsung launched the app in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US. Samsung Pay has been the vendor's main payment option on many of its mobile devices. Samsung Pass is its password manager.
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9:15
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Mobile World Live
Thai government agencies partnered with private-sector organisations to establish the Thailand 5G Alliance to promote the use of next-generation applications in driving economic growth across multiple sectors including public health, education, transportation and agriculture. The launch was announced at Thailand 5G Summit 2022 by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (pictured), who said the alliance is designed to aid the nation's drive to become a digital centre for the ASEAN region. Prime Minister Prayut explained the goal is to encourage collaboration between the public and private sectors to "commercially drive Thailand's 5G technology development in every industry and elevate" the country's competitive advantages. He added the collaboration will expand technology and digital innovation and increase economic competitiveness which will promote Thailand as an investment hub. The alliance is led by the country's Digital Economy Promotion Agency, with representatives from AIS, True Corp, Huawei, the Office of the Digital Economy and Society Commission, the National Broadcast Telecommunications Commission, the Federation of Thai Industries, the Thai IoT Association and the Telecommunications Association of Thailand. Thailand's government tasked the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to create a policy framework and action plans to promote 5G applications and manage the telecoms infrastructure which supports the technology. Julian Gorman, head of the Asia-Pacific region for GSMA, noted the partnership is "a significant milestone for Thailand" as it is the first alliance to develop a 5G ecosystem in Southeast Asia. GSMA Intelligence data showed operators ended March with 5.7 million 5G connections. The government auctioned 5G spectrum [1] in February 2020, with AIS launching commercial service that month on 2.6GHz spectrum. [1]
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Mobile World Live
In a contemporary job market with ever diverging career paths and shiny new higher education options vying for the attention of students and new starters, it seems the AI industry is emerging lacklustre. Research by BT Group in conjunction with Yonder Consulting into AI careers revealed 38 per cent of higher education students believe a career in the field is boring, with 59 per cent wholly unaware of relevant courses when making their degree choices. As a student at King’s College London, I have witnessed the sheer deluge of options for university courses, degrees and classes today which render them nearly unintelligible. The mundane titles and descriptions of degrees like data science, computer engineering, data analytics and computer programming, for example, sound almost indistinguishable. So unfortunately, it is unsurprising awareness about AI in higher education is getting lost along the way. Zoe Webster, director of data and AI solutions at BT, told Mobile World Live the lack of clarity in educational communication needs to be addressed. “If you’ve got all these different terms, I imagine it can be quite confusing. I think we need to help people have a common understanding that if you go into any of these areas, you can have a career in AI.” Yet, BT asserts there is no shortage of AI talent in the UK owing to efforts by the government, universities and businesses to offer bursaries and conversion courses. However, it seems the problem persists beyond the university level. The operator’s research revealed a plethora of shortcomings in how employers offer AI jobs: vague job titles and responsibilities, dull descriptions lacking purpose and clarity, convoluted application processes, a daunting emphasis on coding, and a weightage of qualifications over potential. Students in today’s technologically-saturated world face a vastly different job landscape than before. As I near the end of my higher education, I am certainly daunted by breaking into a new career, with the endless barrage of application portals, online tests and phone interviews. And if all of that isn’t challenging enough, we students are flooded with vague job advertisements and early entry jobs demanding experience career starters practically can’t have. This has indeed shaped misconceptions about AI which lead 46 per cent of UK students to believe careers in the field are “out of their reach”. BT’s research further found that women and students from non-STEM backgrounds are the least likely to be aware of AI courses. “There is this perception that AI is a very insular activity. This could be quite off-putting, particularly for girls or women. This seems strange to me because it’s highly collaborative in reality,” Webster added. Changing perceptions The reputation of a career in AI being solitary and coding-intensive seems to be a hyperbolic reflection of an industry minority, believes Webster. “Typically, if done well in business, AI is highly collaborative and relies on different perspectives: the data, legal, and commercial perspectives, or the identification of business and user needs. And that’s all before you get to the technical side,” Webster explained. It then seems the AI and higher education industries must jointly focus efforts on raising awareness about careers in the field beyond the limited scope of coding, a stereotype which presently pervades college course pamphlets and industry panels. However, there are some drawbacks, particularly for women, the industry must address. The typical perception of AI as a fast-changing field is one to be challenged, Webster argues. “It’s the tools and the platforms that change rather than the fundamentals,” she said. A fast-changing environment could indeed be off-putting if a person has to pause their career due to caring responsibilities, making it “feel challenging to get back in”. To mitigate this, Webster suggests reskilling and retraining programmes for women who already possess the core requirements for an AI job, such as a law or mathematics degree. Efforts need to be directed towards “getting them into the industry by training them on the tools”. But what draws new talent to the industry? BT’s research identified key job characteristics to attract career starters as salary levels, training from more experienced team members, and career progression opportunities in the organisation. Organisations in all industries can offer such prospects, but it seems AI needs to revamp and attractively repackage its job offerings. Crucially, AI job roles must be revised to reflect the variety and multifaceted roles the industry offers. Nevertheless, the research reveals AI students are motivated by a desire to make a positive impact, with 87 per cent seeking to make a difference and be empowered in their career. A relatively new industry, AI has overcome turbulent funding over the decades to take on an increasing number of tasks and integrate deeper into our lives. Professionals including Webster want to make sure it does this “safely and well”. This makes the incorporation of a breadth of diverse perspectives and new talent integral to the industry and its rapidly advancing technologies. As a Culture, Media and Creative Industries student hoping to break into journalism, AI has always seemed an overtly technical, impassable world away. Writing this, however, has made me view the industry as more approachable, one with room for a host of opportunities. The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members.
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13:38
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Mobile World Live
La directrice général d’Orange Christel Heydemann a profité du salon Viva Technology 2022 (Paris) pour évoquer les ambitions du groupe en matière de soutien aux start-ups, tout spécialement celles engagées dans une démarche d’inclusion et de développement durable. A la tribune, Christel Heydemann a rappelé l’existence d’un fonds de 350 millions d’euros destiné à soutenir les start-ups par le biais d’Orange Ventures, la filiale spécialisée du groupe. Sur cette somme, 50 millions sont destinés à des entreprises africaines et 30 millions sont réservées pour des start-up considérées comme à fort impact, notamment celles qui travaillent dans le domaine de l’environnement. « Nous partageons la responsabilité de faire des nouvelles technologies les outils les plus appropriés et les plus puissants pour construire un monde meilleur, plus durable et plus inclusif, a expliqué la directrice générale, ajoutant qu’Orange était « profondément convaincu que les start-ups sont de grands partenaires dans ce projet ». Soulignant le rôle important joué par Orange Ventures et les collaborations en cours avec de jeunes entreprises dans différents secteurs, Mme Heydemann a affirmé que « nos connexions avec les start-ups et leur futur est parfaitement naturelle. Elles fournissent les outils qui serviront à construire le monde de demain, et nos réseaux offrent la porte d’entrée essentielle qui leur permet d’exister puis de grandir ».
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Mobile World Live
Start-up Nothing unveiled the design of its first smartphone which it hopes will mount a challenge to Apple and Samsung, ahead of the device going on sale later this year. CEO Carl Pei, who also founded Chinese brand OnePlus, showed off the device on Twitter, with the smartphone set to be the company’s second product following the launch of wireless earbuds in July 2021. [1] Nothing is due to hold an official event showing off the Phone (1) smartphone on 12 July. Pictures of the device show a transparent back revealing components typically hidden in rival devices. It also has light strips on the side of the rear. Phone (1) will run the Android OS and a Snapdragon processor. Nothing has now raised more than $200 million from backers including Alphabet’s EQT Ventures and former Apple designer Tony Fadell, comprising $144 million in equity funding and a $65 million revolving line of credit from its sales partners. It is working with O2 in the UK, Deutsche Telekom in Germany and Flipkart in India to sell the device, with ambitions to expand into the US depending on sales globally. Tough task Pei told Financial Times “people are yearning for something new”. The executive, however acknowledged the task in front of him, stating manufacturers are reluctant to work with newcomers in the market after being burnt by low sales from start-ups. He also pointed to component constraints, which are exacerbated by the lower volumes involved. Pei said it had shipped 530,000 earbuds since its launch, which helped it to raise more money to build its first smartphone. [1]
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Mobile World Live
Chinese internet giant Baidu reportedly entered talks on selling a majority stake in iQIYI, a deal which could value the video streaming platform at about $7 billion and help fund the company's development of emerging technologies. Reuters reported Baidu plans to sell all its holdings in the platform. The internet group owns 53 per cent of iQIYI and more than 90 per cent of its shareholder voting rights. Potential buyers are said to include China Mobile, which owns streaming service Migu Video, and Hong Kong-based private equity firm PAG. Baidu reportedly tapped Bank of America to work on a potential deal. iQIYI sent a statement to Reuters describing the reports as “purely market rumour”. The news agency noted while iQIYI produced several hit drama series over the years, it has struggled for profitability during its 12-year history. Revenue from the platform fell 9 per cent [1] year-on-year to CNY1.2 billion ($178.7 million) in Q1, with the average daily number of subscribing members dropping from 105 million to 101 million. Reuters noted iQIYI posted a profit in Q1 for the first time since 2016, when it started to report quarterly earnings. In a statement on the recent results, iQIYI CEO and founder Yu Gong noted the platform had improved its operating efficiency, “leading to margin expansion and profits”. Baidu is said to have deemed iQIYI a non-core asset as it shifts focus to developing AI and autonomous vehicle technologies. [1]
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11:56
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Mobile World Live
Qualcomm won an appeal against a €997 million fine imposed by the European Commission (EC) four years ago, marking a setback to European Union (EU) regulators tackling big tech companies over market abuses. The General Court of the EU indicated annulled the EC’s decision because it found faults in how the case was handled. In a statement, the court explained a “number of procedural irregularities” affected Qualcomm’s rights of defence and “invalidate the Commission’s analysis of the conduct alleged against Qualcomm”. The US chipmaker was hit with the fine in 2018 [1] after the EC said it abused its dominant position in the market by paying Apple to exclusively use its chips in iPhones and iPads. At the time, EC Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (pictured) said Qualcomm had “illegally shut out rivals from LTE baseband chipsets for over five years”, between 2011 and 2016. Qualcomm is also in the process of appealing another EC fine: in 2019, it was penalised €242 million for breaches related to 3G technology [2] dating back to 2010. In 2020, the chipmaker reveale [3]d it was the subject of an ongoing EC competition investigation related to the sale of 5G equipment, with a potential penalty of 10 per cent of annual revenue or business restrictions if found guilty. For Vestager and the EC, Wednesday’s court ruling on the Qualcomm fine is their second major defeat this year after the General Court partly annulled a €1.1 billion fine levied against Intel [4] in 2009 over alleged attempts to exclude rival AMD. The court is due to rule on a Google challenge to [5] a record €4.3 billion fine [6] related to its Android operating system in September. [1]
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11:38
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Mobile World Live
US regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found material deficiencies with two-thirds of reimbursement applications for removing equipment from Chinese companies deemed to be a threat to national security, kicking the claims back to operators. In a letter to Congress, FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel explained the regulator had received 181 applications, mostly from rural operators, of which 122 were not sufficient to be considered under a reimbursement programme. The FCC announced the rip and replace programme in July 2021, offering a pot [1] totalling $1.9 billion to operators serving less than 10 million customers for replacing equipment from Huawei and ZTE after the vendors were labelled a security risk. Its initial deadline for applications [2] was 14 January. The FCC noted applicants now have 15 days to fix their submission, with the process expected to be completed by mid-July. While the pot on offer amounts to $1.9 billion, the US regulator estimates it will actually cost around $5.3 billion to replace the vendors’ equipment, with rural operators in the particular feeling the pinch in having to overhaul their infrastructure. Rosenworcel added the FCC would prioritise operators with a customer base of 2 million or less, noting all but one applicant so far falls within this group. [1]
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10:47
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Mobile World Live
Singtel looked to benefit from growth at AIS, committing to invest SGD330 million ($237.5 million) to increase its stake in Intouch Holdings, the largest shareholder in the Thai operator. In a statement, Singtel explained subsidiary Singtel Global Investment boosted its interest in Intouch Holdings from 21.2 per cent to 25 per cent by acquiring about 121 million shares from Temasek’s Anderton Investments. Singtel group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon stated the increased investment is "part of our strategy of actively recycling capital to invest for growth and shareholder returns". Yuen said Intouch had registered "good returns supported by consistently strong execution from AIS in one of the region’s most attractive markets". "Our increased investment deepens our partnership with Intouch’s largest shareholder Gulf Energy [1]." The transaction is expected to be completed by end-June. Singtel first invested in AIS in 1999 and is the second largest shareholder in Intouch after Gulf Energy. [1]
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10:21
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Mobile World Live
State-owned Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) and equipment supplier Ericsson claimed a first in Malaysia after completing a voice over New Radio (VoNR) call on a live 5G network, as the duo ramp a nationwide wholesale network. David Hagerbro, head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, explained in a statement 5G VoNR calls are a basic capability needed for future standalone (SA) NR deployments. The calls were made using Oppo's Find X3 Pro over a cloud-native SA network. Compatible 5G VoNR devices don’t need to switch to a 4G network for calls, which Ericsson asserts "significantly reduces network switching for devices running on" the next-generation networks. Without VoNR, audio and video calls "rely on existing LTE networks". DNB CTO Ken Tan noted "5G VoNR can be a key enabler of next-generation immersive applications" combining HD audio and high data rates. The special purpose company was established by the government [1] to manage a single 5G wholesale network and later selected Ericsson [2] as the exclusive equipment supplier. DNB previously stated it is expanding 5G coverage, expecting to reach 37.9 per cent of populated areas by the end of this year. Telekom Malaysia and YTL Communications agreed to use DNB’s 5G infrastructure. The other four major mobile players have until end-June to sign up. YTL Communications launched 5G service in some areas in late May under the Yes brand. [1]
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Mobile World Live
A GSMA study revealed a slowdown in the number of women accessing mobile internet in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), contrasting with enduring high growth rates for men. The company’s annual Mobile Gender Gap Report 2022 on digital inclusion showed 59 million additional women started using mobile internet in LMICs during 2021 compared with 110 million in 2020. Previously, the report showed an annual decrease in the mobile internet gender gap, from 25 per cent in 2017 to 15 per cent in 2020. However, the latest findings suggest women are now 16 per cent less likely than men to use mobile internet, representing the first time GSMA has recorded such a downturn. The digital gender divide seems to have worsened in South Asia, a region which traditionally had the most pronounced mobile internet gender gap, with a reduction from 67 per cent in 2017 to 36 per cent in 2020 reversed in 2021 when the gap stood at 41 per cent. The GSMA’s research suggests mobile is the primary means for women to access the internet in LMICs. The findings come at a time following the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, when the role of mobile in staying connected, and accessing health information, government support and income-generating opportunities was heightened. GSMA director general Mats Granryd warned “far more needs to be done to prevent women being left behind in the digital economy.” “Institutions, corporations and governments around the world need to focus on the importance of inclusion, and actively seek to combat such inequalities,” he added.
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Mobile World Live
FROM VIVA TECHNOLOGY 2022, PARIS: Orange CEO Christel Heydemann (pictured) outlined an ambition for the company to continue to push its level of engagement with start-ups, with a specific focus on those related to sustainability and inclusivity. In a keynote the executive highlighted a €350 million pot [1] established to support new companies through its Orange Ventures arm. Of this, €50 million is destined for businesses in Africa and €30 million set aside for what she described as impactful start-ups, including those working in the environmental field. “We share the responsibility of making new technologies the greatest and most powerful tool to build a better world, a more sustainable and more inclusive one,” she said, adding Orange was “deeply convinced start-ups are great partners in that project”. Pointing to the critical role in this aim played by Orange Ventures and existing work with young companies across several sectors, Heydemann added. “Our connections to start-ups and their future is only natural as they provide the tools to build the world of tomorrow, our networks are the essential gate for them to exist and then scale. “It is through future networks we can ensure more and more services can be provided to more and more people and start-ups will continue to be our partner in that”. [1]
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Mobile World Live
FROM VIVA TECHNOLOGY 2022, PARIS: The CEOs of Qualcomm and automotive giant Renault Group highlighted the benefits of cross-industry collaboration on connected vehicle developments, as the latter predicted software would help used vehicles retain value. In a panel session, Qualcomm president and CEO Cristiano Amon (pictured, left) and Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo (pictured, right) made the case for joint development, as car companies continue to add more computing elements to vehicles. Amon noted the automotive industry was at the point of “an incredible opportunity” with connected technology set to create new business models around services. He added Qualcomm had seen a change in the nature of its relationships with the automotive industry. “Car companies want to have direct relationships with the technology companies,” he said. “That didn’t exist before, you had many different companies in the chain. Through that direct relationship it enables us to understand what the needs of the car companies are and develop in a way that meets the demand”. De Meo noted Renault “can’t do everything alone". "We need the expertise of people, but it also cannot be a classical [relationship] between customers and suppliers. Technology is evolving and integration of technology into a car is not an easy thing, so you need a deeper collaboration.” Value Among the advantages of various connected vehicle technologies, Amon highlighted the immediate opportunity to bring assisted driving technology across vehicle price points, whereas de Meo pointed to a change in the value of vehicles themselves. “Today software represents 10 per cent of the value of the car. In 2030 it will be 40 per cent,” de Meo added. “Cars will become intelligent, they will learn from the driver,” the Renault chief noted. “Probably in three years your car will be better than [on] the first day because it knows you.” “Having a car that is better at the end of its lifecycle than the beginning will probably solve one of the big bugs that our business has: after three years a car you pay €30,000 for is worth €15,000,” he added. “You clearly see that if you have a car that gets better the impact on residual value will be huge and it will change our business.”
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Mobile World Live
Sur un plateau du salon Viva Technology 2022 de Paris, les pdg de Qualcomm et de Renault ont choisi d’illustrer les bénéfices de la collaboration entre différents secteurs de l’industrie au bénéfice du développement de véhicules connectés, le constructeur annonçant notamment que le logiciel va permettre de conserver la valeur des voitures d’occasion. Dans le cadre d’un débat, le pdg de Qualcomm Cristiano Amon et le pdg du groupe Renault Luca de Meo ont souligné l’importance de mener des développements conjoints, alors que l’informatique prend de plus en plus d’importance dans les véhicules. Cristiano Amon a noté que l’industrie automobile est sur le point de profiter d’« opportunités incroyables » alors que les technologies connectées permettent de créer de nouvelles activités centrées sur les services. Il a ajouté que Qualcomm a changé la nature de ses relations avec le secteur des transports. « Les fabricants d’automobiles veulent des relations directes avec les entreprises de technologie, a expliqué M.Amon. Ce n’était pas le cas auparavant, car il y avait beaucoup de sociétés intermédiaires dans la chaîne. Cette relation directe nous permet de mieux comprendre les besoins des constructeurs de voitures et de développer des produits qui répondent à cette demande. » « Nous ne pouvons pas tout faire tout seuls, a renchéri Luca de Meo. Nous avons besoin d’expertise extérieure, mais pas seulement dans le cadre d’une relation classique entre client et fournisseur. La technologie évolue et son intégration dans une voiture n’est pas une chose facile – il faut donc une relation approfondie. » Valeur Parmi les perspectives offertes par les différentes technologies de véhicules connectés, Cristiano Amon a pointé l’opportunité immédiate d’intégrer la conduite assistée dans toutes les gammes de prix, tandis que Luca de Meo a prédit un changement dans l’évolution de la valeur des véhicules eux-mêmes : « Aujourd’hui, le logiciel représente 10 % de la valeur de la voiture. En 2030, ce sera 40 %. Les autos vont devenir intelligentes, elles seront capables d’apprendre de leur conducteur. Dans trois ans, votre voiture sera meilleure qu’au premier jour parce qu’elle aura appris à vous connaître. » « Profiter d’une voiture meilleure à la fin de son cycle de vie qu’au début va probablement résoudre un des plus gros problèmes que rencontre notre activité, a repris Luca de Meo. Après trois ans, la voiture que vous avez payé 30 000 euros n’en vaut plus que 15 000. On voit bien que si votre auto s’améliore, l’impact sur sa valeur d’occasion va être énorme et qu’il va changer notre industrie. »
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13:40
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Mobile World Live
European smartphone shipments declined 12 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, data from Counterpoint Research showed, with the company forecasting further challenges ahead due to a deteriorating macroeconomic and geopolitical environment. Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor service registered 49 million shipments in Europe during Q1, the lowest in the region since the opening period of 2013, caused by a number of factors including ongoing component shortages, Covid-19 (coronavirus) related lockdowns in China, deteriorating economic conditions and the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war. Commenting on the decline, Counterpoint Research’s associate director Jan Stryjak believes the factors causing the fall “have been exacerbated by new economic and geopolitical challenges”. “Rising inflation levels across the region are impacting consumer spending,” he said, noting Samsung and Apple, which were Russia’s first- and third-ranked smartphone vendors respectively, halted all shipments into the country in March 2022. Stryjak added both vendors make up around half of Russia’s overall smartphone shipments, but account for only 6 per cent of total European shipments. “The consequences of their withdrawal are, therefore, still relatively small on a regional scale. However, the impact of the war may develop wider ramifications if it leads to a drop in availability of new materials, a rise in prices, further inflationary pressure and/or other vendors withdrawing from Russia," said Stryjak, Recession Counterpoint Research expects the overall situation to get worse before it gets better, also citing the threat of recession in many countries. Annual shipments are expected to decline “for the next few quarters”, noted the research company, especially in Q2. Samsung topped European shipments during the opening quarter, with a 35 per cent shipment market share, down 16 per cent. Apple was in second place with 25 per cent, a 6 per cent decline and Xiaomi rounded out the top three, hitting 14 per cent market share, a 36 per cent shipment share decline.
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13:13
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Mobile World Live
India unveiled plans to hold an auction of 5G-enabling spectrum by the end of July and indicated some frequencies will be reserved to enable enterprises to establish private mobile networks. In a statement, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced it had approved a proposal of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to auction a total of 72GHz of spectrum spanning frequencies from 600MHz to 26GHz, with a validity period of 20 years. Reuters reported India's government agreed to set a reserve price of INR3.2 billion ($40.6 million). However, the plan to set aside spectrum for what the government termed “captive non-public networks” has proved controversial and somewhat divisive. It is opposed by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents major operators including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, but the Broadband India Forum (BFI), which speaks on behalf of tech companies including Amazon, Google and Meta Platforms, supports the plan. In a tweet, the COAI wrote allocating spectrum to industry verticals for private networks “isn’t justified as licensed access service providers are fully capable of providing all customised solutions”. The cabinet explained it decided to enable private networks to support “a new wave” of industrial applications in sectors such as automotive, healthcare, agriculture, energy, and more. Those interested in participating in the auction are invited to submit their applications by 8 July with the process due to start on 26 July.
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Mobile World Live
Une nouvelle étude de la GSMA montre un ralentissement de la progression de l’accès à l’internet mobile chez les femmes dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire, alors qu’une croissance forte se maintient chez les hommes. Le Mobile Gender Gap Report 2022 de la GSMA sur l’inclusion numérique montre que 59 millions de femmes supplémentaires ont gagné un accès à l’internet par le biais de leur mobile en 2021, contre 110 millions en 2020. Par le passé, le rapport avait montré une réduction des inégalités liées au genre en matière d’accès mobile au net. L’écart avec les hommes est ainsi tombé de 25 % en 2017 à 15 % en 2020. Mais il est remonté à 16 % en 2021, dans un retournement de tendance encore inédit depuis le début des études de la GSMA. La fracture liée au genre semble s’être spécifiquement creusée en Asie du Sud, région où les inégalités étaient les plus flagrantes. L’écart défavorable qui était de 67 % en 2017 s’était réduit à 36 % en 2020, mais il est repassé à 41 % en 2021. Le rapport de la GSMA suggère que le mobile est le premier moyen d’accès au net pour les femmes dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire. Or, l’accroissement des inégalités intervient dans la foulée de la pandémie de Covid-19, alors que mobile a joué un rôle clé dans le maintien des relations avec les proches ainsi que dans l’accès aux informations liées à la santé et aux aides pratiques et financières offertes par les gouvernements. « Il faut faire beaucoup plus pour que les femmes ne deviennent pas des laissées pour compte de l’économie numérique, insiste Mats Granryd, le directeur de la GSMA. Les institutions, les entreprises et les gouvernements du monde entier doivent se concentrer sur l’importance de l’inclusion et chercher à combattre activement de telles inégalités. »
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Mobile World Live
LIVE FROM CISCO LIVE, LAS VEGAS: Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins (pictured) outlined a vision to power the vendor’s full networking portfolio from the cloud as part of an effort to simplify its services and applications. Cisco is building more cloud-based management tools to help customers track and oversee their networks. It unveiled new cloud management capabilities which provide a unified experience across a trio of its units dealing in switching technologies. The capabilities allow use of a common dashboard to deliver visibility across networks. It also announced Cisco Network Cloud, an SaaS platform for managing data centre technology and multi-clouds which it plans to launch later this year. Motoring During his keynote, Robbins stated Cisco’s goal includes having the same look and feel across the various applications by enabling single sign-on and simplifying its licensing strategy. Cisco also announced the launch of AppDynamics Cloud, a cloud-native observation platform employing network telemetry to provide a full-stack view across the entire IT landscape to deliver insights on application performance and security. Robbins shared the keynote stage with a virtual call-in from Ford Motor Company CEO and president Jim Farley made a virtual appearance to discuss automotive use cases for Cisco's Webex platform using LTE connectivity, including alerts covering traffic and pedestrians. Farley noted Cisco’s software was enabling his company's engineers to create new features once a model is launched, enabling continuous improvements over its lifecycle and eliminating previous development programmes which could span four years and up to $1 billion, depending on the vehicle. “Having software will be the big differentiator,” Farley stated. “It’s going to completely change the game for Ford. In fact, it is so fundamental, I would say it's a refounding of the company”.
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Mobile World Live
Dish Wireless claimed to have met a US government deadline to cover 20 per cent of the population with its cloud-native open RAN 5G network by 14 June after expanding availability to more than 120 cities. The fledgling operator today (15 June) stated it had expanded availability in the weeks after launching the delayed 5G service [1] in Las Vegas, Nevada to meet a government-mandated coverage target. Dish Wireless EVP of network development Dave Mayo claimed the company was the only US operator running a cloud-native network, highlighting this as the only global infrastructure "built primarily with" domestic vendors. The company yesterday (14 June) updated its consumer-facing website to reflect the broader coverage. At the time, the Project Genesis site listed the service as an invitation-only beta programme. Dish Wireless is now required to cover 70 per cent of the population by June 2023. The company added a $20 per month data-only hotspot plan to an existing $30 mobile service tariff. Dish Wireless is offering a 1GB Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro hotspot for $349.99 and added Samsung's Galaxy S22 to its mobile device line-up priced at $400, a move apparently forming part of a $1 billion deal [2] announced with the South Korean vendor last month. The operator also detailed plans to expand availability of the Motorola 5G Edge+ smartphone offered in its launch market for $899. [1]
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11:36
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Mobile World Live
Vodafone UK commenced a trial of what it claimed was the nation's first wind and solar-powered mobile phone mast, an initiative it hopes could be deployed across the country to boost connectivity in remote areas. The self-powered 4G mast is located in Wales, and was produced in partnership with turbine technology specialist Crossflow Energy and mobile infrastructure company Cornerstone. Vodafone claimed a major selling point is the mast's ability to run without connection to the national electricity grid, a prominent financial and logistical issue which has challenged operators when installing traditional infrastructure. The operator noted the mast could bridge the UK's rural digital divide by bringing mobile and internet services to remote communities, boosting local economies and tackling isolation. Vodafone further pointed to the fact the mast can be installed without digging trenches or laying electric cables, making it easier and faster to deploy than traditional infrastructure. The mast is fitted with a Crossflow Energy wind turbine capable of generating power in light winds, solar panels and on-site battery storage. It is also designed to be recognised and avoided by radar and wildlife, while also producing minimal sound to render it viable for sensitive natural sites. Vodafone also pointed to the benefits of minimising carbon emissions, as part of its goal to achieve net zero UK operations by 2027. The trial will run for two years, during which data will be gathered on the operation of the tower and to determine suitable sites. If the trial is successful, Vodafone predicts potential national deployments in areas with little or no coverage.
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Mobile World Live
New Zealand's government detailed how an NZD60 million ($37.4 million) budget for improving rural connectivity would be allocated, with the lion's share to be used to upgrade network capacity and speeds in underserved areas. In a statement, Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications David Clark noted NZD43 million is earmarked to boost connectivity in some of the hardest to reach areas of New Zealand including settlements in the Far North, Gisborne, the Manawatu-Whanganui region, Taranaki, Southland and the Waikato. “We are currently working towards having 99.8 per cent of the population able to access new, or improved broadband by the end of next year," he stated. Coupled with rural capacity upgrades announced in February focused on improving existing towers and building new ones, Clark said the government allocated more than NZD90 million towards expanding the capacity of rural networks over the next three years. In addition, NZD15 million of the funding will go towards a new Remote Users Scheme, which aims to provide broadband services in some of the country’s most remote locations, those with no coverage or with only voice and text messaging services. The funding includes an additional NZD2 million for extending the Marae Digital Connectivity initiative for up to two years. Work is underway to finalise details of the scheme, which Clark intends to launch later this year.
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Mobile World Live
Les livraisons de smartphones en Europe ont décliné de 12 % au premier trimestre 2022 par rapport à la même période de 2021. Les données publiées par Counterpoint Research montrent en outre que les constructeurs doivent s’attendre à de sérieuses difficultés en raison de la détérioration de l’environnement macroéconomique et géopolitique. Selon Counterpoint Research, 49 millions de smartphones ont été écoulés en Europe pendant les trois premiers mois de l’année, le chiffre le plus bas enregistré sur le Vieux Continent depuis le premier trimestre 2013. Parmi les facteurs du déclin, le cabinet d’analyse cite la pénurie de composants, les mesures de confinement liées au Covid-19 en Chine, des conditions économiques difficiles et le début de la guerre Russo-Ukrainienne. Pour Jan Stryjak, directeur associé de Counterpoint Research, les raisons qui ont causé le repli « ont été exacerbées par les nouveaux défis économiques et géopolitiques ». « L’inflation qui progresse dans la région impacte les dépenses des consommateurs », précise Jan Stryjak. Samsung et Apple, respectivement 1er et 3e en Russie début 2022, ont cessé toutes leurs livraisons dans le pays en mars. Les deux fabricants représentent environ la moité des livraisons de smartphones en Russie, mais leurs livraisons combinées dans ce pays ne représentent au total que 6 % du total européen. « Les conséquences de leur retrait n’ont de ce fait qu’un impact relativement mineur à l’échelle continentale, commente l’analyste. Reste que l’impact de la guerre risque de s’étendre s’il entraîne une pénurie de matières premières, une pression inflationniste accrue et/ou le retrait d’autres fabricants de Russie. » Récession Counterpoint Research s’attend à une aggravation de la tendance, à la lumière des risques de récession évoqués dans plusieurs pays. Le déclin va continuer sa lancée « pour encore quelques trimestres », suggère le cabinet de recherches, spécialement au T2 2022. A noter que si les ventes de Samsung ont enregistré une chute de 16 % d’une année sur l’autre, le constructeur sud-coréen reste premier en Europe avec 35 % de parts de marché, soit 2 % perdus par rapport au T1 2022. Apple, dont les ventes baissent de 6 %, garde la seconde place et gagne un point de part de marché, à 25 %. Xiaomi, en troisième position, voit ses livraisons dévisser de 36 % et perd 5 % de parts de marché pour tomber à 14 %.
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Mobile World Live
Singtel named the head of its enterprise division as CEO of a regional data centre business established in 2021 to drive growth in the business outside of Singapore, another step in a decentralisation strategy [1]. Bill Chang (pictured) takes over as chief of the venture on 1 July and will remain CEO of Singtel's enterprise portfolio. Chang stated Singtel’s data centre expertise, digital infrastructure and experience as a connectivity provider enables it to offer integrated services to enterprises. “We’re well-placed to capture the exciting growth opportunities across this region.” In February, Singtel forged a deal with mobile operator AIS and power supplier Gulf Energy Development to build and operate data centres in Thailand and in April signed an agreement with Telkom Indonesia to develop and acquire facilities in Southeast Asia. Gulf Energy is the largest shareholder of Intouch Holdings, which holds a 40.4 per cent stake in AIS. Singtel holds a 23.3 per cent interest in AIS and 35 per cent of Telkom Indonesia’s mobile unit Telkomsel. [1]
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Mobile World Live
Singtel transferred management of its Optus Enterprise division to Australia, as it continues a strategy introduced in 2021 to decentralise its organisational structure [1] to boost its financial resilience. In a statement, Singtel explained placing the enterprise business in the hands of Optus management would deliver direct accountability and boost the Australian operator's autonomy. The move takes effect from 1 July. Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon (pictured) noted since its "strategic reset" in 2021, the group had evolved its "operating model to stay relevant". "By adopting a decentralised opco-driven structure, we can empower our businesses to exploit commercial synergies and capabilities to drive growth." Yuen added this is vital "in today’s volatile macro-economic environment where business units need greater independence and agility to better navigate the market". Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin stated the change will enable it "to better meet the localised need of our business customers and bring solutions to market more quickly". Singtel spun off its B2B digital services unit NCS from its enterprise business in 2021, with the division since expanding into Australia and diversifying away from its public sector client base. The company noted digital revenue had grown to account for almost half of overall sales in the year to end-March. [1]
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Mobile World Live
T-Mobile US hailed further progress in its mid-band 5G service after completing a carrier aggregation (CA) trial covering three channels on its live network using a commercial Samsung smartphone. The US operator stated the trial delivered data rates in excess of 3Gb/s using a Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone. T-Mobile combined two 2.5GHz channels with one 1900MHz, a union it claims provided an effective 210MHz 5G channel. T-Mobile already employs CA capabilities in its network, with some areas able to access a tie-up of the two 2.5GHz bands. It plans to add the 1900MHz channel to the 5G mix later this year, albeit only for Samsung owners initially before being expanded across its “network and to additional devices”. President of technology Neville Ray branded the CA trial as “another huge step forward” for T-Mobile’s standalone (SA) 5G plans. The operator launched Voice over New Radio [1] in some cities earlier this month. In a separate announcement, T-Mobile revealed it teamed with network technology provider Oceus to supply 5G products and services to some US government departments. T-Mobile cited AR and VR, maintenance and logistics, training and "active operations” as initial focus areas for the US military, tapping its 5G network and Oceus’ “experience with massive MIMO” and software-defined network orchestration, among other fields. [1]
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Mobile World Live
A dozen advocacy groups banded together to voice their opposition to Elon Musk’s proposed deal to buy Twitter by launching a campaign that asserted he would roll back the social media platform’s basic safeguards against hate, harassment and harmful disinformation. The Stop the Deal campaign stated the billionaire’s ownership of Twitter would provide a megaphone for “extremists who traffic in white nationalism, hate, disinformation, and harassment—further endangering marginalised communities.” The campaign’s website also warned that Musk’s ownership of Twitter “would reinstate Twitter accounts of public figures who were banned for inciting violence and spreading dangerous disinformation,” but didn’t mention former President Donald Trump by name. “Our safety and democracy should not be at the whim of unaccountable billionaires – whether it’s Elon Musk or anyone else. We cannot allow Elon Musk to own such a large part of our information ecosystem.” The campaign website included a call-to-action tweet that stated advertisers such as Coca Cola and Kraft should discontinue their advertising on Twitter if Musk doesn’t #StopTheDeal. The campaign counts non-profit advocacy groups such as MoveOn, Accountable Tech, Friends of the Earth, Center for Countering Digital Hate, GLAAD and MediaJustice as some of its members. The Stop the Deal campaign was the latest salvo in an ongoing war to block Musk’s $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. Last month [1] investors announced a lawsuit against Musk and Twitter over the handling of his proposed takeover of the social media company. That lawsuit accused the billionaire of violating corporate laws, market manipulation and wrongful conduct. [1]
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8:30
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Mobile World Live
Telefonica Hispanoamerica struck a deal with US software vendor Mavenir to use its IP Multimedia System (IMS) Core technologies to update fixed and mobile networks in Mexico, Colombia and Chile. Telefonica Hispanoamerica (Hispam) is a Telefonica division that offers services across Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Central America. The deal built upon previous deployments of the same technology at O2 Telefonica in Germany and Virgin Mobile O2 in the UK. Virgin Mobile O2 is a joint venture between Telefonica and Liberty Global. The IMS Core solution will be deployed on TCloud which is Telefonica’s private telco cloud infrastructure. Mavenir said its cloud-native IMS core suite uses zero-touch network automation (ZTNA) and that it was purpose-built for fully automated cloud environments. It also provides a fully containerised environment to enable improved agility and scaling as mobile operators migrate from 4G to 5G by using a microservice-based architecture. Alejandro Ghianni, Planification and Engineering Director at Telefónica Hispam, stated core network functions needed to be modernised to support network evolution, and virtualised architectures need software that supports both VoLTE and 5G voice services. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
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Mobile World Live
Samsung Electronics teamed with South Korean Internet giant Naver to switch on the nation’s first private 5G network to power cloud-based autonomous mobile robots for use in a building. Naver Cloud, the IT infrastructure and enterprise subsidiary of Naver, worked with Samsung to develop the private 5G network that will launch later this month. The private 5G network was designed to support and secure data-intensive mobile applications within a specific area. It will be used in Naver’s second headquarters building which is called 1784. The service connects to 40 robots throughout three stories of building with plans to expand to hundreds of robots traveling around all 36 floors later this year. The robots provide services, such as delivering packages, coffee and lunch boxes, to the company’s employees. Cloud Instead of using built-in chipsets, the cloud acts as the “brains” of the robot. The private 5G network serves as the neural network that connects the robots and the cloud, enabling the cloud to control and support tens of thousands of robots in real time. The robots navigate throughout the building using digital twins, 3D and HD mapping and AI technologies. Digital twins create a virtual space that replicates the real world. The commercial private 5G solutions powering Naver Clouds’ network include Samsung’s Compact Core and 5G radios supporting 4.7GHz and 28GHz spectrum, both of which are dedicated for private 5G networks in Korea. Naver Cloud has a license for private 5G dedicated spectrum on those bands which were granted by South Korea’s Science Ministry in late 2022. Samsung stated its private network radios feature New Radio-Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) technology which enables devices or end users to connect to mid-band and millimeter wave technology simultaneously. Samsung Electronics and Naver Cloud signed a memorandum of understanding in March to formalise their private 5G network partnership. Sangyoung Han, Executive Director of Cloud Strategy and Planning at Naver Cloud, stated the two companies would continue to develop new private 5G network business models.
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18:47
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Mobile World Live
US operator AT&T tested 5G network capabilities on its drones to provide faster connectivity to the public and first responders during natural disasters or other events. AT&T is in the process of retrofitting its drones for 5G, which will take about a month, before they are deployed as needed. AT&T has previously used 4G LTE [1] connectivity on its Flying COW (cell on wings) drones, but the mobile operator has laid claim to being the first to provide 5G network speeds. Ethan Hunt, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Principal Program Manager, AT&T, stated other companies have used 5G for the command and control of drones, or to stream video, but not to provide a 5G network. In addition to faster speeds, the 5G Flying COW can connect to a larger number of devices while providing service to rural or underserved areas across the US. The 5G Flying Cow drone underwent a test flight in April in an open field in rural Missouri. Hunt explained there was an intermittent, weak LTE signal in the area prior to the launch of the 5G Flying COW. The tethered drone flew about 300 feet up prior to transmitting 5G coverage across approximately 10 square miles. Art Pregler, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program Director, noted the mobile operator was currently working through technical challenges to expand the capabilities of its 5G Flying COW. The to-do list includes autonomously flying the drones minus the tethers for months without landing by using solar power. [1]
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Mobile World Live
Telenor Myanmar rebranded its operations 'Atom' following the closure of the sale [1]of the unit by Telenor Group in March 2022 to M1 Group for $105 million. In a brief statement, Telenor Myanmar explained the change reflects the "post-transaction situation", noting that, other than the new name, there will be no impact on the range of services and products offered. Telenor Myanmar is controlled [2] by M1 Group affiliate Investcom, which is 49 per cent owned by local partner Shwe Byain Phyu. Norway-headquartered Telenor stated in March it was working with M1 Group to ensure a smooth transition for customers, partners and employees after the sale. The business has a transition service agreement with Telenor for six months. Following political instability in early 2021, Telenor moved to find a buyer [3] for the unit in July, noting at the time the current environment made it impossible to “conduct an ordinary sales process”. In Q1 that year it booked an impairment loss [4] of NOK6.5 billion ($686.5 million) on its operations in Myanmar. Telenor stated earlier it invested a total of NOK5.3 billion into the unit since launching in 2014, with it turning cash flow positive in 2017. [1]
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8:36
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Mobile World Live
Taiwan-based operators Far EasTone and Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) revealed plans to swap spectrum, as the two prepare to merge their operations to create a company with more than 9 million mobile connections. In a stock market filling, Far EasTone said it will trade 25MHz of 2600MHz spectrum for a 10MHz block in the 700MHz band held by ATP. Far EasTone will pay APT TWD300 million ($10.2 million) to make up the difference between the fair market value of its spectrum, calculated at TWD1.4 billion, and APT's airwaves valued at TWD1.7 billion. In February 2022, the two companies agreed to merge in a stock-swap deal, which they expect to close in September after securing approval by the National Communications Commission and the Fair Trade Commission. Far EasTone earlier acquired an 11.6 per cent stake in APT through a private placement. Data from GSMA Intelligence showed Far EasTone closed March with 7.1 million connections, while APT had 2.1 million. The two operators in September 2020 agreed to share spectrum [1] in the 3.5GHz band, which Far EasTone acquired in an auction in January. It introduced commercial 5G service [2] using the band in July 2020. Rivals Taiwan Mobile and Taiwan Star Telecom agreed at the beginning of 2022 to merge their operations [3], which will create the country’s second-largest operator with 9.8 million subscribers. Market leader Chunghwa Telecom ended Q1 with 10.4 million connections. [1]
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8:32
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Mobile World Live
Singapore operator StarHub named Ayush Sharma (pictured), previously head of Rakuten Americas' metaverse and edge platforms business, as CTO focused on digital transformation and new products. In a statement, StarHub noted Sharma, who started on 1 June, will work with Chong Siew Loong, CTO of network operations, with both executives reporting directly to CEO Nikhil Eapen. Eapen said Sharma will play a key role in pushing StarHub beyond its traditional telecoms focus to become a digital services provider of connectivity and entertainment services, as the company moves forward in its five-year transformation strategy. "I'm confident Ayush's passion for disruptive innovation will make a tangible impact" on its transformation objectives, he added. Sharma has more than 20 years of experience and led design and technology adoption programmes for more than 30 fixed, satellite, mobile and cloud networks globally. He was founder and CEO of MotoJeannie, a start-up delivering rich-media interactive streaming, gaming, and XR-based experiences. Before that, he held leadership positions at Ericsson, Huawei and Cisco. The operator kicked off its strategic transformation plan [1] in October 2018, with savings of SDG210 million ($154.1 million) at end-2021. [1]
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Mobile World Live
Meta Platforms COO Sheryl Sandberg announced on Facebook she will step down later in 2022, after 14 years as founder Mark Zuckerberg’s second in command. Sandberg stated she will continue to serve on Meta Platform’s board of directors. “Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honour and privilege of a lifetime. Mark is a true visionary and a caring leader,” she wrote. Sandberg said she wasn’t sure on her next role, but her plans include getting married, and focusing on her foundation and philanthropy. The COO explained said she joined Facebook in 2008 with the anticipation that she would be with the social media company for five years. Facebook was a fledgling company when Sandberg joined in 2008 after previously helping build Google’s advertising business. Zuckerberg responded praising Sandberg's work building Meta Platform's advertising business "hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company”. In 2021, Meta Platforms recorded revenue of almost $120 billion, up 27 per cent on 2020. Bloomberg reported Javier Olivan, chief growth officer and VP of Cross-Meta Products and Infrastructure, was mooted as Sandberg's replacement.
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23:43
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Mobile World Live
Meta Platforms COO Sheryl Sandberg announced on Facebook she will step down later in 2022, after 14 years as founder Mark Zuckerberg’s second in command. Sandberg stated she will continue to serve on Meta Platform’s board of directors. “Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honour and privilege of a lifetime. Mark is a true visionary and a caring leader,” she wrote. Sandberg said she wasn’t sure on her next role, but her plans include getting married, and focusing on her foundation and philanthropy. The COO explained said she joined Facebook in 2008 with the anticipation that she would be with the social media company for five years. Facebook was a fledgling company when Sandberg joined in 2008 after previously helping build Google’s advertising business. Zuckerberg responded praising Sandberg's work building Meta Platform's advertising business "hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company”. In 2021, Meta Platforms recorded revenue of almost $120 billion, up 27 per cent on 2020. Bloomberg reported Javier Olivan, chief growth officer and VP of Cross-Meta Products and Infrastructure, was mooted as Sandberg's replacement.
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23:23
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Mobile World Live
T-Mobile US and Verizon took the gloves off this week, as each issued press releases attacking the other’s pricing strategies to convince wireless consumers they offered the best deals. US operators T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T have each increased the prices or fees of some of their wireless services over the past month or so, starting with AT&T [1] raising the prices on several legacy mobile plans. A few weeks later, Verizon [2] took a different tack by announcing it was adding administration fees to monthly bills of $1.35 per single voice line up to $3.30 for four lines. Yesterday (31 May), T-Mobile announced its Carrier Callout Throwdown, which included offering up to $1,000 to customers switching from AT&T or Verizon. T-Mobile noted in its press release that Verizon’s extra charge would “generate $100 million more per month" for its rival. The operator's initial salvo at AT&T and Verizon’s increases was a Price Lock announcement which promised not to raise the cost of some its plans. T-Mobile has literally made a living off being the underdog ever since its days as the nation’s third-largest carrier. Hidden fees But Verizon wasn’t taking T-Mobile’s latest attack lying down, responding with a pledge not to "sit on the side-lines" while it's rival "continues to hoodwink consumers by dazzling them with one catchy announcement after another”. Verizon outlined what it said were increases in taxes and fees after T-Mobile announced it would no longer charge them. T-Mobile raised prices and fees on consumer and data lines in January which Verizon noted “seems like a lot of fees for a carrier that cut them out a few years ago". News site T-Mo Report wrote T-Mobile plans to implement an “assisted support charge” and an “upgrade support charge” of $5 for new accounts or additional lines on an existing account. Verizon highlighted customers' "plan price may not change, but your admin fee has gone up and it now costs $35 for support?" After the three US mobile operators added 9 million new phone subscriptions across prepaid and post-paid in 2021, subscriber growth looks to be slowing in 2022 [3] which means companies are looking to boost revenues by other means. In addition to offsetting supply chain costs and inflation, the increased fees and rates by the operators will bolster their bottom lines. A report by LightShed Partners analysts Joe Galone and Walter Piecyk noted administrative fees by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile generated around $8 billion to $9 billion of revenue per year. [1]
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23:23
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Mobile World Live
T-Mobile US and Verizon took the gloves off this week, as each issued press releases attacking the other’s pricing strategies to convince wireless consumers they offered the best deals. US operators T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T have each increased the prices or fees of some of their wireless services over the past month or so, starting with AT&T [1] raising the prices on several legacy mobile plans. A few weeks later, Verizon [2] took a different tack by announcing it was adding administration fees to monthly bills of $1.35 per single voice line up to $3.30 for four lines. Yesterday (31 May), T-Mobile announced its Carrier Callout Throwdown, which included offering up to $1,000 to customers switching from AT&T or Verizon. T-Mobile noted in its press release that Verizon’s extra charge would “generate $100 million more per month" for its rival. The operator's initial salvo at AT&T and Verizon’s increases was a Price Lock announcement which promised not to raise the cost of some its plans. T-Mobile has literally made a living off being the underdog ever since its days as the nation’s third-largest carrier. Hidden fees But Verizon wasn’t taking T-Mobile’s latest attack lying down, responding with a pledge not to "sit on the side-lines" while it's rival "continues to hoodwink consumers by dazzling them with one catchy announcement after another”. Verizon outlined what it said were increases in taxes and fees after T-Mobile announced it would no longer charge them. T-Mobile raised prices and fees on consumer and data lines in January which Verizon noted “seems like a lot of fees for a carrier that cut them out a few years ago". News site T-Mo Report wrote T-Mobile plans to implement an “assisted support charge” and an “upgrade support charge” of $5 for new accounts or additional lines on an existing account. Verizon highlighted customers' "plan price may not change, but your admin fee has gone up and it now costs $35 for support?" After the three US mobile operators added 9 million new phone subscriptions across prepaid and post-paid in 2021, subscriber growth looks to be slowing in 2022 [3] which means companies are looking to boost revenues by other means. In addition to offsetting supply chain costs and inflation, the increased fees and rates by the operators will bolster their bottom lines. A report by LightShed Partners analysts Joe Galone and Walter Piecyk noted administrative fees by AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile generated around $8 billion to $9 billion of revenue per year. [1]
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19:20
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Mobile World Live
LightShed Partners research found despite investments of more than $200 billion in 5G networks by US operators, consumers have shown little interest in switching between service providers based solely on the technology. In addition to failing to spur switching between operators, analysts Joe Galone and Walter Piecyk also noted 5G hasn’t been a motivating factor for subscribers to upgrade to higher-priced tariffs with their existing provider. The analysts stated wireless consumers were struggling with the impact of inflation which in turn has created a difficult economic environment for T-Mobile US, AT&T and Verizon. “We think that will challenge their ability to bolster their primary growth engine: post-paid phone revenue, thereby limiting overall industry growth to low single digits,” LightShed stated. Growth The analysts’ new estimates marginally increased T-Mobile’s five-year total service revenue growth from 2.8 per cent to 3 per cent compared with AT&T (1.9 per cent) and Verizon (0.8 per cent). Wireless service revenue growth for T-Mobile was tipped at 3.3 per cent, AT&T 3 per cent and Verizon 1.8 per cent “T-Mobile might be the fastest grower among their peers, but it’s marginally better and that growth is not fast”. LightShed added while the wireless industry experienced a growth spurt in 2021 with the addition of 9 million new phone subscriptions across prepaid and post-paid, the trend isn’t expected to continue this year. “We expect a reversion to normalised levels of 5.5 million subscriber net additions this year, dropping by more than a third." Compared with 3.3 per cent growth in 2021, the analysts predicted a 2 per cent gain this year and around 1 per cent in five years. Post-paid, which represents 75 per cent of total service revenue, remained the primary driver for growth. The analysts estimated that in 2022 post-paid phone revenue would kick in 260 basis points of the 3.4 per cent industry growth they forecast, with 220 basis points of an expected 3.2 per cent increase in 2023. “Without post-paid phone revenue growth, these companies have major growth challenges”. Instead of counting on 5G to boost revenue, LightShed argued US operators could generate additional sales from wireless home broadband and wholesale services, and IoT.
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Mobile World Live
LightShed Partners research found despite investments of more than $200 billion in 5G networks by US operators, consumers have shown little interest in switching between service providers based solely on the technology. In addition to failing to spur switching between operators, analysts Joe Galone and Walter Piecyk also noted 5G hasn’t been a motivating factor for subscribers to upgrade to higher-priced tariffs with their existing provider. The analysts stated wireless consumers were struggling with the impact of inflation which in turn has created a difficult economic environment for T-Mobile US, AT&T and Verizon. “We think that will challenge their ability to bolster their primary growth engine: post-paid phone revenue, thereby limiting overall industry growth to low single digits,” LightShed stated. Growth The analysts’ new estimates marginally increased T-Mobile’s five-year total service revenue growth from 2.8 per cent to 3 per cent compared with AT&T (1.9 per cent) and Verizon (0.8 per cent). Wireless service revenue growth for T-Mobile was tipped at 3.3 per cent, AT&T 3 per cent and Verizon 1.8 per cent “T-Mobile might be the fastest grower among their peers, but it’s marginally better and that growth is not fast”. LightShed added while the wireless industry experienced a growth spurt in 2021 with the addition of 9 million new phone subscriptions across prepaid and post-paid, the trend isn’t expected to continue this year. “We expect a reversion to normalised levels of 5.5 million subscriber net additions this year, dropping by more than a third." Compared with 3.3 per cent growth in 2021, the analysts predicted a 2 per cent gain this year and around 1 per cent in five years. Post-paid, which represents 75 per cent of total service revenue, remained the primary driver for growth. The analysts estimated that in 2022 post-paid phone revenue would kick in 260 basis points of the 3.4 per cent industry growth they forecast, with 220 basis points of an expected 3.2 per cent increase in 2023. “Without post-paid phone revenue growth, these companies have major growth challenges”. Instead of counting on 5G to boost revenue, LightShed argued US operators could generate additional sales from wireless home broadband and wholesale services, and IoT.
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17:08
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Mobile World Live
Analyst house IDC slashed worldwide smartphone sales projections for 2022 on global uncertainty, lockdowns and weaker demand, tipping a 3.5 per cent year-on-year fall in shipments to 1.31 billion units. Its latest figures compare to a previously forecast 1.6 per cent growth in shipments on 2021 numbers. The worsening outlook follows three consecutive quarters of declines [1] and comes after manufacturers of various sizes [2] have bemoaned supply and demand problems, including those caused by covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdowns in China. IDC tips the market for recovery in 2023 on expectations current challenges facing the industry will ease. Assuming there no further problems it anticipates 5 per cent year-on-year growth in 2023. The largest regional drops in 2022 are expected in Central and Eastern Europe (22 per cent down compared to 2021) and China (11.5 per cent). IDC worldwide mobility and consumer device trackers research director Nabila Popal noted although the industry had already been hit by weaker demand, inflation, geo-political tension and supply constraints, the impact of the latest round of lockdowns in China was “far greater.” “The lockdowns hit global demand and supply simultaneously by reducing demand in the largest market globally and tightening the bottleneck to an already challenged supply chain,” she added. “As a result, many OEMs cut back orders for this year, including Apple and Samsung.” [1]
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17:08
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Mobile World Live
Analyst house IDC slashed worldwide smartphone sales projections for 2022 on global uncertainty, lockdowns and weaker demand, tipping a 3.5 per cent year-on-year fall in shipments to 1.31 billion units. Its latest figures compare to a previously forecast 1.6 per cent growth in shipments on 2021 numbers. The worsening outlook follows three consecutive quarters of declines [1] and comes after manufacturers of various sizes [2] have bemoaned supply and demand problems, including those caused by covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdowns in China. IDC tips the market for recovery in 2023 on expectations current challenges facing the industry will ease. Assuming there no further problems it anticipates 5 per cent year-on-year growth in 2023. The largest regional drops in 2022 are expected in Central and Eastern Europe (22 per cent down compared to 2021) and China (11.5 per cent). IDC worldwide mobility and consumer device trackers research director Nabila Popal noted although the industry had already been hit by weaker demand, inflation, geo-political tension and supply constraints, the impact of the latest round of lockdowns in China was “far greater.” “The lockdowns hit global demand and supply simultaneously by reducing demand in the largest market globally and tightening the bottleneck to an already challenged supply chain,” she added. “As a result, many OEMs cut back orders for this year, including Apple and Samsung.” [1]
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13:47
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Mobile World Live
IHS Towers finally achieved its aim of acquiring 5,701 towers from MTN Group in South Africa, after apparently meeting stringent conditions [1] imposed by the regulator. MTN stated the cash consideration for the transaction, which was announced [2] in November 2021, amounted to ZAR6.4 billion ($412 million). Ralph Mupita, MTN president and CEO (pictured), confirmed “regulatory approvals and all conditions precedent to the deal” had been finalised, allowing the operator to “deliver on our asset realisation programme, strengthening the balance sheet and improving returns”. New York-listed IHS Towers will own 70 per cent of the South African towers business, with the remaining 30 per cent to be held by a Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) consortium. The achievement of 30 per cent black ownership within 24 months was a key requirement set by the Competition Commission. IHS Towers also confirmed it is providing power and related services to around 13,000 MTN sites in the country. Chairman and CEO Sam Darwish observed IHS Towers is “now South Africa’s largest independent tower operator”. IHS Towers stated it now has an operational footprint in 11 emerging markets, with seven in Africa and four in Latin America and the Middle East, and operates close to 39,000 towers. MTN has been considering a sale [3] of its tower assets in South Africa since 2020 as part of a shift in its focus into strategic initiatives, including around securing spectrum [4]. [1]
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13:47
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Mobile World Live
IHS Towers finally achieved its aim of acquiring 5,701 towers from MTN Group in South Africa, after apparently meeting stringent conditions [1] imposed by the regulator. MTN stated the cash consideration for the transaction, which was announced [2] in November 2021, amounted to ZAR6.4 billion ($412 million). Ralph Mupita, MTN president and CEO (pictured), confirmed “regulatory approvals and all conditions precedent to the deal” had been finalised, allowing the operator to “deliver on our asset realisation programme, strengthening the balance sheet and improving returns”. New York-listed IHS Towers will own 70 per cent of the South African towers business, with the remaining 30 per cent to be held by a Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) consortium. The achievement of 30 per cent black ownership within 24 months was a key requirement set by the Competition Commission. IHS Towers also confirmed it is providing power and related services to around 13,000 MTN sites in the country. Chairman and CEO Sam Darwish observed IHS Towers is “now South Africa’s largest independent tower operator”. IHS Towers stated it now has an operational footprint in 11 emerging markets, with seven in Africa and four in Latin America and the Middle East, and operates close to 39,000 towers. MTN has been considering a sale [3] of its tower assets in South Africa since 2020 as part of a shift in its focus into strategic initiatives, including around securing spectrum [4]. [1]
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13:35
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Mobile World Live
Industry association GSMA [1] appointed Lara Dewar as CMO to lead its global marketing and communications strategy effective from today (1 June). Dewar previously served as the GSMA’s global head of PR and Communications for more than two years, delivering corporate information during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. [2]Dewar (pictured left) will report to GSMA Director General Mats Granryd and be tasked with identifying and delivering the association’s marketing strategy along with promoting its global event series including MWC Barcelona, the world’s largest mobile tech event. Before joining the GSMA in January 2020, Dewar worked at humanitarian aid organisation World Vision, where she held positions including chief marketing and development officer, and partnership leader. Dewar replaces Stephanie Lynch-Habib, who left the GSMA CMO role earlier this year following three years and is now CRO at InterCloud. [1]
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13:35
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Mobile World Live
Industry association GSMA [1] appointed Lara Dewar as CMO to lead its global marketing and communications strategy effective from today (1 June). Dewar previously served as the GSMA’s global head of PR and Communications for more than two years, delivering corporate information during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. [2]Dewar (pictured left) will report to GSMA Director General Mats Granryd and be tasked with identifying and delivering the association’s marketing strategy along with promoting its global event series including MWC Barcelona, the world’s largest mobile tech event. Before joining the GSMA in January 2020, Dewar worked at humanitarian aid organisation World Vision, where she held positions including chief marketing and development officer, and partnership leader. Dewar replaces Stephanie Lynch-Habib, who left the GSMA CMO role earlier this year following three years and is now CRO at InterCloud. [1]
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13:06
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Mobile World Live
Operator group Telia gained a welcome boost to its coffers with the completion of previously announced deals to sell a 49 per cent stake in its Swedish towers unit and 100 per cent of its enterprise-focused unit in Latvia. The group raised SEK5.5 billion ($562.5 million) from the divestment of a minority stake in its domestic towers business to a consortium comprising a unit of Brookfield Asset Management and Alecta. The deal was announced in [1] January and came after the closing of similar deals in Finland and Norway in December 2021. Following the three transactions, Telia now owns 51 per cent of Telia Towers, with the remaining 49 per cent held by Brookfield Asset Management and Alecta. The newly-created tower company has an enterprise value of around €2.6 billion ($2.9 billion). Over in Latvia, the group completed a deal it struck in January [2] to sell its enterprise-focused unit in the country to Latvian fixed provider Tet for €10.8 million. The B2B company, Telia Latvia, was sold through an open auction process launched in Q3 2021. Tet provides fixed and TV services to consumers and enterprises. Its majority shareholder is the Latvian state which holds a 51 per cent stake. Telia subsidiary Tilts Communications is the only other shareholder. Alongside its interest in Tet, Telia owns a controlling share in Latvian mobile operator LMT. Telia has now completed a number of divestments [3] as part of efforts to streamline its business [4]. [1]
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13:06
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Mobile World Live
Operator group Telia gained a welcome boost to its coffers with the completion of previously announced deals to sell a 49 per cent stake in its Swedish towers unit and 100 per cent of its enterprise-focused unit in Latvia. The group raised SEK5.5 billion ($562.5 million) from the divestment of a minority stake in its domestic towers business to a consortium comprising a unit of Brookfield Asset Management and Alecta. The deal was announced in [1] January and came after the closing of similar deals in Finland and Norway in December 2021. Following the three transactions, Telia now owns 51 per cent of Telia Towers, with the remaining 49 per cent held by Brookfield Asset Management and Alecta. The newly-created tower company has an enterprise value of around €2.6 billion ($2.9 billion). Over in Latvia, the group completed a deal it struck in January [2] to sell its enterprise-focused unit in the country to Latvian fixed provider Tet for €10.8 million. The B2B company, Telia Latvia, was sold through an open auction process launched in Q3 2021. Tet provides fixed and TV services to consumers and enterprises. Its majority shareholder is the Latvian state which holds a 51 per cent stake. Telia subsidiary Tilts Communications is the only other shareholder. Alongside its interest in Tet, Telia owns a controlling share in Latvian mobile operator LMT. Telia has now completed a number of divestments [3] as part of efforts to streamline its business [4]. [1]
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12:37
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Mobile World Live
Orange Business Services launched network tools employing AI to help enterprise IT personnel proactivity monitor their interconnected network services and applications. Service Manage-Watch works across Orange- and third-party services. It also interfaces with customers' current monitoring tools. It gathers information across key network areas to ensure services and applications are performing at optimal levels to meet customers’ business needs. Services and applications have become spread out across various clouds, edges and device endpoints, all of which makes monitoring them more difficult for IT staff. The company explained it developed Service Manage-Watch to group all monitoring results onto a single dashboard for real time viewing of end-to-end networks rather than a siloed approach. Correlated information is analysed by AI to generate alerts. Orange Business Services experts work with IT service desk agents to tailor correlation tools to customers' requirements.
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12:37
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Mobile World Live
Orange Business Services launched network tools employing AI to help enterprise IT personnel proactivity monitor their interconnected network services and applications. Service Manage-Watch works across Orange- and third-party services. It also interfaces with customers' current monitoring tools. It gathers information across key network areas to ensure services and applications are performing at optimal levels to meet customers’ business needs. Services and applications have become spread out across various clouds, edges and device endpoints, all of which makes monitoring them more difficult for IT staff. The company explained it developed Service Manage-Watch to group all monitoring results onto a single dashboard for real time viewing of end-to-end networks rather than a siloed approach. Correlated information is analysed by AI to generate alerts. Orange Business Services experts work with IT service desk agents to tailor correlation tools to customers' requirements.
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12:28
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Mobile World Live
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an initial investigation into a BT Group proposal to merge its sports broadcasting business [1] with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Eurosport platform in the country. Its probe is already underway and will involve the regulator taking an initial look at the floated deal with a deadline of 28 July. At that stage it can either declare there are no issues or open a second phase investigation to make a more detailed assessment into any competition implications. Seemingly playing down the development, a BT representative noted the CMA "routinely looks at any proposed joint venture of this sort, so this is a normal part of the process”. After months of speculation [2] about the future of its sport broadcasting unit, BT announced last month it would form a 50:50 joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery and combine its offering with Eurosport UK. Should the deal complete with current licences in place, it would be able to provide consumers with coverage of a range of major events including: English Premier League football, European football competitions, WWE wrestling, Premiership Rugby, the Summer and Winter Olympics and tennis Grand Slam events. Announcing the proposed merger earlier this year BT Consumer CEO Marc Allera said the deal would allow its sports broadcaster to achieve “the next stage of its growth”. [1]
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12:28
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Mobile World Live
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an initial investigation into a BT Group proposal to merge its sports broadcasting business [1] with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Eurosport platform in the country. Its probe is already underway and will involve the regulator taking an initial look at the floated deal with a deadline of 28 July. At that stage it can either declare there are no issues or open a second phase investigation to make a more detailed assessment into any competition implications. Seemingly playing down the development, a BT representative noted the CMA "routinely looks at any proposed joint venture of this sort, so this is a normal part of the process”. After months of speculation [2] about the future of its sport broadcasting unit, BT announced last month it would form a 50:50 joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery and combine its offering with Eurosport UK. Should the deal complete with current licences in place, it would be able to provide consumers with coverage of a range of major events including: English Premier League football, European football competitions, WWE wrestling, Premiership Rugby, the Summer and Winter Olympics and tennis Grand Slam events. Announcing the proposed merger earlier this year BT Consumer CEO Marc Allera said the deal would allow its sports broadcaster to achieve “the next stage of its growth”. [1]
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11:48
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Mobile World Live
A US judge ruled IBM must pay BMC Software $1.6 billion for replacing the company's software with its own on AT&T’s mainframes, Bloomberg reported. After a seven-day trial concluded in March, the judge ruled IBM owed BMC for fraud and contract violations. AT&T was a mutual customer. In 2015, IBM and BMC agreed to several amendments including an Outsourcing Attachment (OA) prohibiting the former from moving such customers to its own software. BMC sued IBM for violating the agreement and other claims in 2017. In a conclusion issued on 30 May, the court explained it had found "clear and convincing evidence that IBM fraudulently induced BMC into entering the 2015 OA so that it could exercise rights without paying for them, secure other contractual benefits, and ultimately acquire one of BMC’s core customers”. “IBM did this intentionally”, it added. Bloomberg reported AT&T shed BMC's products for its own reasons, which IBM claimed was fair game under its pact. IBM told Bloomberg the verdict was “entirely unsupported by fact and law" and it planned an appeal. Patrick Tagtow, SVP and general counsel at BMC, told Mobile World Live the company is “pleased with the court’s ruling that establishes a foundation for BMC and our partner ecosystem to focus on customer success". "The integrity of our business and contracts is critical to being a strategic vendor and partner to our customers.”
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11:48
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Mobile World Live
A US judge ruled IBM must pay BMC Software $1.6 billion for replacing the company's software with its own on AT&T’s mainframes, Bloomberg reported. After a seven-day trial concluded in March, the judge ruled IBM owed BMC for fraud and contract violations. AT&T was a mutual customer. In 2015, IBM and BMC agreed to several amendments including an Outsourcing Attachment (OA) prohibiting the former from moving such customers to its own software. BMC sued IBM for violating the agreement and other claims in 2017. In a conclusion issued on 30 May, the court explained it had found "clear and convincing evidence that IBM fraudulently induced BMC into entering the 2015 OA so that it could exercise rights without paying for them, secure other contractual benefits, and ultimately acquire one of BMC’s core customers”. “IBM did this intentionally”, it added. Bloomberg reported AT&T shed BMC's products for its own reasons, which IBM claimed was fair game under its pact. IBM told Bloomberg the verdict was “entirely unsupported by fact and law" and it planned an appeal. Patrick Tagtow, SVP and general counsel at BMC, told Mobile World Live the company is “pleased with the court’s ruling that establishes a foundation for BMC and our partner ecosystem to focus on customer success". "The integrity of our business and contracts is critical to being a strategic vendor and partner to our customers.”
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11:13
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Mobile World Live
Smartphone shipments in the Philippines contracted year-on-year in Q1 due to tepid consumer demand, with IDC forecasting continued supply constraints could prevent vendors from hitting their full year targets. IDC Philippines market analyst Angela Medez stated ongoing supply disruptions are expected to challenge vendors, but noted the market could see some improvements towards the end of the year. “The silver lining could be the acceleration of 5G smartphones, as vendors focus on their 5G portfolio to drive growth.” Shipments dropped 7.1 per cent to 3.9 million units: 5G smartphones accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the total. Medez highlighted a 16.3 per cent drop in shipments of 4G Android devices, with models priced under $200 "impacted the most". Realme maintained top position with a 20.2 per cent market share, down 1.1 percentage points, with shipments falling 11.6 per cent. Transsion jumped from fourth to second with a 19.8 per cent share. Samsung remained third, with a 16.8 per cent share up from 14.5 per cent in Q1 2021 driven by 7.6 per cent shipments growth, while Xiaomi was fourth with a 20.8 per cent increase in shipments boosting its share to 14.2 per cent from 10.9 per cent. Oppo fell from second to fifth, as shipments declined 37 per cent and its share declined from 15.3 per cent to 11.2 per cent.
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11:13
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Mobile World Live
Smartphone shipments in the Philippines contracted year-on-year in Q1 due to tepid consumer demand, with IDC forecasting continued supply constraints could prevent vendors from hitting their full year targets. IDC Philippines market analyst Angela Medez stated ongoing supply disruptions are expected to challenge vendors, but noted the market could see some improvements towards the end of the year. “The silver lining could be the acceleration of 5G smartphones, as vendors focus on their 5G portfolio to drive growth.” Shipments dropped 7.1 per cent to 3.9 million units: 5G smartphones accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the total. Medez highlighted a 16.3 per cent drop in shipments of 4G Android devices, with models priced under $200 "impacted the most". Realme maintained top position with a 20.2 per cent market share, down 1.1 percentage points, with shipments falling 11.6 per cent. Transsion jumped from fourth to second with a 19.8 per cent share. Samsung remained third, with a 16.8 per cent share up from 14.5 per cent in Q1 2021 driven by 7.6 per cent shipments growth, while Xiaomi was fourth with a 20.8 per cent increase in shipments boosting its share to 14.2 per cent from 10.9 per cent. Oppo fell from second to fifth, as shipments declined 37 per cent and its share declined from 15.3 per cent to 11.2 per cent.
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10:34
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Mobile World Live
Singtel Group tapped Australian property company Lendlease Group to redevelop its headquarters in Singapore into a SGD3 billion ($2.2 billion) sustainable workplace, creating a new asset to deliver long-term recurring revenue. In a statement, Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon explained the redevelopment is a strategic move which will strengthen its financial position. He added the project is in line with its capital recycling strategy "to unlock the latent value of our assets and invest the proceeds in growth areas where we can achieve higher returns". Under the terms of the agreement, the companies agreed to form a joint venture with Singtel taking a 51 per cent share. The JV will pay SGD1.6 billion to Singtel for the cost of the land in or around 2024. Lendlease will provide development, construction, and ongoing property and asset management services. As anchor tenant, Singtel expects to occupy about 30 per cent of the 20-storey building with a gross floor area more than 110,000 sq m. The operator stated the net-zero energy development will be built using carbon neutral construction principles. It added Kohn Pedersen Fox, a well-known US architecture company is among the team of architects, with the building expected to be completed in 2028.
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10:34
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Mobile World Live
Singtel Group tapped Australian property company Lendlease Group to redevelop its headquarters in Singapore into a SGD3 billion ($2.2 billion) sustainable workplace, creating a new asset to deliver long-term recurring revenue. In a statement, Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon explained the redevelopment is a strategic move which will strengthen its financial position. He added the project is in line with its capital recycling strategy "to unlock the latent value of our assets and invest the proceeds in growth areas where we can achieve higher returns". Under the terms of the agreement, the companies agreed to form a joint venture with Singtel taking a 51 per cent share. The JV will pay SGD1.6 billion to Singtel for the cost of the land in or around 2024. Lendlease will provide development, construction, and ongoing property and asset management services. As anchor tenant, Singtel expects to occupy about 30 per cent of the 20-storey building with a gross floor area more than 110,000 sq m. The operator stated the net-zero energy development will be built using carbon neutral construction principles. It added Kohn Pedersen Fox, a well-known US architecture company is among the team of architects, with the building expected to be completed in 2028.
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10:03
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Mobile World Live
Optus urged Australia’s competition watchdog to reject a plan for Telstra and TPG Telecom to share mobile infrastructure [1] in regional areas, claiming the tie-up would lead to higher prices and lower-quality services. In a statement, Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin (pictured) insisted if the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) approves the sharing deal, regional Australia will be worse off by further strengthening Telstra’s dominant position. She insisted the deal “massively advantages” the incumbent player, risks creating a regional monopoly and “is not in the best interest of Australian communities”. Rosmarin said the under the agreement Telstra will be paid to face less competition and will “gain unprecedented control” over the nation’s spectrum assets. TPG Telecom announced plans to decommission more than 700 towers as part of the sharing arrangement, which she said would lead to less resilient communities as they will have fewer alternatives to rely on in an emergency. In February Telstra and TPG Telecom agreed to share parts of their 4G and 5G networks for a decade. The agreement is subject to approval by the ACCC, which is expected before the end of the year [1]
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10:03
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Mobile World Live
Optus urged Australia’s competition watchdog to reject a plan for Telstra and TPG Telecom to share mobile infrastructure [1] in regional areas, claiming the tie-up would lead to higher prices and lower-quality services. In a statement, Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin (pictured) insisted if the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) approves the sharing deal, regional Australia will be worse off by further strengthening Telstra’s dominant position. She insisted the deal “massively advantages” the incumbent player, risks creating a regional monopoly and “is not in the best interest of Australian communities”. Rosmarin said the under the agreement Telstra will be paid to face less competition and will “gain unprecedented control” over the nation’s spectrum assets. TPG Telecom announced plans to decommission more than 700 towers as part of the sharing arrangement, which she said would lead to less resilient communities as they will have fewer alternatives to rely on in an emergency. In February Telstra and TPG Telecom agreed to share parts of their 4G and 5G networks for a decade. The agreement is subject to approval by the ACCC, which is expected before the end of the year [1]
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17:58
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Mobile World Live
The development of 5G Advanced leaves the next-generation technology primed to take several large steps up the evolutionary ladder, extending its reach across new industries, locations and devices. 3GPP first standardised 5G elements in its Release-15 followed by Release-16 and Release 17, the latter of which was finalised in March of 2022. The beginning stages of the 5G Advanced era began with 3GPP Release-18, the scope of which was finalised in December 2021 with initial meetings kicking off this month. 3GPP ironed out the capabilities and specifications of Release-18 and now vendors and operators are in the process of deciding which elements they’ll develop and implement. Qualcomm SVP of Engineering John Smee told Mobile World Live (MWL) 5G Advanced would extend across Release-18, -19 and -20, with a final freeze expected in late 2023 or early 2024 ahead of 6G availability around 2030. “It's an important design trade off to make sure that 5G Advanced is making improvements for mobile broadband but also providing vertical expansion for the operators who've invested in their 5G networks into new types of 5G devices,” Smee explained. He noted operators are “going to continue to see improvements in core mobile broadband. At the same time, 5G will further expand into other industries through 5G Advanced”. Release-18 is chock-full of features which expand on Release 17, such as sidelink to enable communication between different types of new consumer and enterprise 5G devices including wearables, as well as introducing improvements in the technology's end-to-end system foundation, advancement of green networks and better spectral efficiency. Smee noted the scope of 5G Advanced also includes improvements across downlink and uplink MIMO as well as tapping into AI and machine learning to optimise energy savings and improve network performance. It’s also tackling improvements for air interfaces needed for AI along with the use of full duplex and sub-band full duplex. Novel uses In addition to having long-term research baked into it, Release-18 will unlock high-precision location, presence and timing technologies for the first time. Smee stated the location capabilities would be used by drones or automated guided vehicles (AGVs) inside of factories. Metaverse-based extended reality (XR) is often cited as one of the drivers for 5G Advanced. While AR applications are available today, Smee said the user experience was currently limited across smartphones, laptops and headsets due to connectivity issues. In a blog, Nokia Bell Labs fellow Antti Toskala explained 5G Advanced will improve uplink coverage for XR by using better random access channel coverage. Jane Rygaard, head of Dedicated Wireless Networks at Nokia, told MWL XR’s potential goes beyond consumer applications to the digitalisation of physical industries by creating digital twins for verticals such as IoT applications and factories. In the latter example, a worker would don a VR headset and be coached on how to fix something on a factory floor using an XR application. She said XR has global implications across Europe, North America, Japan and North Korea, all of which have 5G networks deployed, in industries such as mining, manufacturing and logistics. “Then the debate becomes how do we deploy these networks in various parts [of the world] and what needs to come with them? But we can’t do any of this at the cost of the energy efficiency,” Rygaard stated. "We can't afford to miss our commitments to the climate change and sustainability goals." By extending capabilities that are currently being developed in Release-17 and setting the stage for 6G, 5G Advanced is the next big thing for the industry, With operators at different stages of monetising their next generation networks, 5G Advanced provides them with a flexible framework to support massive use cases, such as millions of sensors for industrial IoT, while catering to specific types of traffic profiles including XR. The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members.
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17:58
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Mobile World Live
The development of 5G Advanced leaves the next-generation technology primed to take several large steps up the evolutionary ladder, extending its reach across new industries, locations and devices. 3GPP first standardised 5G elements in its Release-15 followed by Release-16 and Release 17, the latter of which was finalised in March of 2022. The beginning stages of the 5G Advanced era began with 3GPP Release-18, the scope of which was finalised in December 2021 with initial meetings kicking off this month. 3GPP ironed out the capabilities and specifications of Release-18 and now vendors and operators are in the process of deciding which elements they’ll develop and implement. Qualcomm SVP of Engineering John Smee told Mobile World Live (MWL) 5G Advanced would extend across Release-18, -19 and -20, with a final freeze expected in late 2023 or early 2024 ahead of 6G availability around 2030. “It's an important design trade off to make sure that 5G Advanced is making improvements for mobile broadband but also providing vertical expansion for the operators who've invested in their 5G networks into new types of 5G devices,” Smee explained. He noted operators are “going to continue to see improvements in core mobile broadband. At the same time, 5G will further expand into other industries through 5G Advanced”. Release-18 is chock-full of features which expand on Release 17, such as sidelink to enable communication between different types of new consumer and enterprise 5G devices including wearables, as well as introducing improvements in the technology's end-to-end system foundation, advancement of green networks and better spectral efficiency. Smee noted the scope of 5G Advanced also includes improvements across downlink and uplink MIMO as well as tapping into AI and machine learning to optimise energy savings and improve network performance. It’s also tackling improvements for air interfaces needed for AI along with the use of full duplex and sub-band full duplex. Novel uses In addition to having long-term research baked into it, Release-18 will unlock high-precision location, presence and timing technologies for the first time. Smee stated the location capabilities would be used by drones or automated guided vehicles (AGVs) inside of factories. Metaverse-based extended reality (XR) is often cited as one of the drivers for 5G Advanced. While AR applications are available today, Smee said the user experience was currently limited across smartphones, laptops and headsets due to connectivity issues. In a blog, Nokia Bell Labs fellow Antti Toskala explained 5G Advanced will improve uplink coverage for XR by using better random access channel coverage. Jane Rygaard, head of Dedicated Wireless Networks at Nokia, told MWL XR’s potential goes beyond consumer applications to the digitalisation of physical industries by creating digital twins for verticals such as IoT applications and factories. In the latter example, a worker would don a VR headset and be coached on how to fix something on a factory floor using an XR application. She said XR has global implications across Europe, North America, Japan and North Korea, all of which have 5G networks deployed, in industries such as mining, manufacturing and logistics. “Then the debate becomes how do we deploy these networks in various parts [of the world] and what needs to come with them? But we can’t do any of this at the cost of the energy efficiency,” Rygaard stated. "We can't afford to miss our commitments to the climate change and sustainability goals." By extending capabilities that are currently being developed in Release-17 and setting the stage for 6G, 5G Advanced is the next big thing for the industry, With operators at different stages of monetising their next generation networks, 5G Advanced provides them with a flexible framework to support massive use cases, such as millions of sensors for industrial IoT, while catering to specific types of traffic profiles including XR. The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members.
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17:19
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Mobile World Live
Honor launched the 70 Series smartphone in China, incorporating a host of features designed to appeal to social media content creators along with a triple main camera set-up. Key among these is Solo-Cut Vlog Mode, a function Honor CEO George Zhao pitched as tapping a growing trend of younger users shooting mobile video content. The feature produces portrait vlogs, simultaneously records two HD videos and can tracks a specific individual in group shots. Honor's 70 series features a 54MP IMX800 main camera and Sony’s flagship 1/1.49-inch IMX800 sensor, which is equipped to capture detailed, brighter images in backlit and night settings. The Honor 70 Pro model also offers three-times optical zoom and up to 30-times digital zoom capabilities, along with electronic and optical image stabilisation. Honor 70 pro runs a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset which the company stated provides “power efficiency, innovative gaming and powerful 5G connectivity”. The Honor 70 uses a MediaTek Dimensity 8000 chipset and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 778G Plus 5G Mobile Platform for “superior communication, gaming, audio, and more”. It features a 4500 mAh battery capable of being charged in 30 minutes, a 6.67-inch OLED with a 58-degree curve, and comes in black, white, green, gold, and silver. The Honor 70 along with its pro and pro+ versions retail in China [1] with a starting price of CNY2,699 ($404.65), CNY3,699, and CNY4,299 respectively. Honor is taking orders now, with the devices due on sale on 7 June. [1]
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17:19
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Mobile World Live
Honor launched the 70 Series smartphone in China, incorporating a host of features designed to appeal to social media content creators along with a triple main camera set-up. Key among these is Solo-Cut Vlog Mode, a function Honor CEO George Zhao pitched as tapping a growing trend of younger users shooting mobile video content. The feature produces portrait vlogs, simultaneously records two HD videos and can tracks a specific individual in group shots. Honor's 70 series features a 54MP IMX800 main camera and Sony’s flagship 1/1.49-inch IMX800 sensor, which is equipped to capture detailed, brighter images in backlit and night settings. The Honor 70 Pro model also offers three-times optical zoom and up to 30-times digital zoom capabilities, along with electronic and optical image stabilisation. Honor 70 pro runs a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset which the company stated provides “power efficiency, innovative gaming and powerful 5G connectivity”. The Honor 70 uses a MediaTek Dimensity 8000 chipset and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 778G Plus 5G Mobile Platform for “superior communication, gaming, audio, and more”. It features a 4500 mAh battery capable of being charged in 30 minutes, a 6.67-inch OLED with a 58-degree curve, and comes in black, white, green, gold, and silver. The Honor 70 along with its pro and pro+ versions retail in China [1] with a starting price of CNY2,699 ($404.65), CNY3,699, and CNY4,299 respectively. Honor is taking orders now, with the devices due on sale on 7 June. [1]
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16:50
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Mobile World Live
Ford Motor Company became the latest automotive-industry notch on patent pool Avanci’s belt, with a licensing deal covering a stack of standards essential mobile patents which reportedly scuttles the threat of a block on production [1] in Germany. Avanci pitches itself as something of a one-stop shop for wireless patents for the automotive industry, pooling IP held by various other companies. The deal with Ford covers 2G, 3G and 4G patents for its connected vehicles held by 49 companies currently involved in Avanci’s pool, along with owners which may join in future. Specialist blog Foss Patents reported the agreement puts paid to a threatened injunction on Ford production in Germany which was imposed as part of a dispute between the company and Avanci, along with infringement cases filed in the US. Avanci noted Ford is the fifth US-based automotive player to licence patents in its pool and the 41st in total. [1]
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16:50
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Mobile World Live
Ford Motor Company became the latest automotive-industry notch on patent pool Avanci’s belt, with a licensing deal covering a stack of standards essential mobile patents which reportedly scuttles the threat of a block on production [1] in Germany. Avanci pitches itself as something of a one-stop shop for wireless patents for the automotive industry, pooling IP held by various other companies. The deal with Ford covers 2G, 3G and 4G patents for its connected vehicles held by 49 companies currently involved in Avanci’s pool, along with owners which may join in future. Specialist blog Foss Patents reported the agreement puts paid to a threatened injunction on Ford production in Germany which was imposed as part of a dispute between the company and Avanci, along with infringement cases filed in the US. Avanci noted Ford is the fifth US-based automotive player to licence patents in its pool and the 41st in total. [1]
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16:40
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Mobile World Live
TIM Group IoT business Olivetti beefed-up its smart city play with the purchase of platform provider Mindicity from Fabbricadigitale, a move designed to widen its offer to public administrations. Mindicity has already collaborated with TIM on projects including the deployment of a smart control room in Venice, which processes data from sensors across the city to assess levels of crowding, types of boats on canals and movement of all types of traffic. Following the acquisition, Mindicity’s platform will be rolled into smart city product TIM Urban Genius. In its statement, TIM explained its expanded smart city offer would provide the ability to optimise services such as mobility, safety and enhancement of tourist attractions; measure environmental projects; and manage emergencies. TIM's chief enterprise and innovative solutions officer Elio Schiavo said the move was a “milestone in the group's new strategy to offer high value-added solutions to large customers and public administration”. He added it was part of an aim to provide the “complete range of digital services and solutions”. The company did not disclose the financial terms.
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16:40
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Mobile World Live
TIM Group IoT business Olivetti beefed-up its smart city play with the purchase of platform provider Mindicity from Fabbricadigitale, a move designed to widen its offer to public administrations. Mindicity has already collaborated with TIM on projects including the deployment of a smart control room in Venice, which processes data from sensors across the city to assess levels of crowding, types of boats on canals and movement of all types of traffic. Following the acquisition, Mindicity’s platform will be rolled into smart city product TIM Urban Genius. In its statement, TIM explained its expanded smart city offer would provide the ability to optimise services such as mobility, safety and enhancement of tourist attractions; measure environmental projects; and manage emergencies. TIM's chief enterprise and innovative solutions officer Elio Schiavo said the move was a “milestone in the group's new strategy to offer high value-added solutions to large customers and public administration”. He added it was part of an aim to provide the “complete range of digital services and solutions”. The company did not disclose the financial terms.
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14:32
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Mobile World Live
Telecom Italia (TIM) escompte tirer 20 milliards d’euros de la vente de son réseau fixe à des investisseurs et à la Cassa di depositi e prestiti (CDP), l’organisme de financement nationalisé qui détient déjà le réseau Open Fiber, estime Bloomberg. L’agence de presse américaine explique que ce chiffre reste préliminaire et qu’il est appelé à évoluer. Telecom Italia souhaiterait utiliser les fonds pour réduire son endettement et financer le plan de réorganisation proposé au début de l’année par le pdg Pietro Labriola. Reuters précise pour sa part que la CDP pourrait prendre une part de 70 à 77 % dans la nouvelle entité chargée de fusionner le réseau de TIM avec celui d’Open Fiber. Le fonds américain KKR détiendrait 12 à 15 % et l’investisseur australien Macquarie Asset Management les 10 à 13 % restants. Les analystes consultés par Reuters valorisent le réseau fixe de Telecom Italia entre 15 et 20 milliards d’euros. Ces évaluations chiffrées sont délivrées deux jours après la signature par TIM et CDP d’un accord préliminaire en vue d’une fusion de leurs réseaux fixes. L’accord a reçu l’assentiment de KKR et Macquarie Asset Management, qui détiennent respectivement des parts dans FiberCop, la filiale de TIM, et dans Open Fiber. Au début de l’année, Pietro Labriola avait présenté un plan destiné à séparer les activités de Telecom Italia en deux entités, l’une destinée à abriter les infrastructures et l’autre les services.
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14:32
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Mobile World Live
Telecom Italia (TIM) escompte tirer 20 milliards d’euros de la vente de son réseau fixe à des investisseurs et à la Cassa di depositi e prestiti (CDP), l’organisme de financement nationalisé qui détient déjà le réseau Open Fiber, estime Bloomberg. L’agence de presse américaine explique que ce chiffre reste préliminaire et qu’il est appelé à évoluer. Telecom Italia souhaiterait utiliser les fonds pour réduire son endettement et financer le plan de réorganisation proposé au début de l’année par le pdg Pietro Labriola. Reuters précise pour sa part que la CDP pourrait prendre une part de 70 à 77 % dans la nouvelle entité chargée de fusionner le réseau de TIM avec celui d’Open Fiber. Le fonds américain KKR détiendrait 12 à 15 % et l’investisseur australien Macquarie Asset Management les 10 à 13 % restants. Les analystes consultés par Reuters valorisent le réseau fixe de Telecom Italia entre 15 et 20 milliards d’euros. Ces évaluations chiffrées sont délivrées deux jours après la signature par TIM et CDP d’un accord préliminaire en vue d’une fusion de leurs réseaux fixes. L’accord a reçu l’assentiment de KKR et Macquarie Asset Management, qui détiennent respectivement des parts dans FiberCop, la filiale de TIM, et dans Open Fiber. Au début de l’année, Pietro Labriola avait présenté un plan destiné à séparer les activités de Telecom Italia en deux entités, l’une destinée à abriter les infrastructures et l’autre les services.
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14:30
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Mobile World Live
Olivetti, filiale IoT du groupe Telecom Italia (TIM), renforce sa présence sur le marché de la ville intelligente en rachetant Mindicity, fournisseur de plateformes spécialisées, à Fabbricadigitale. L’opération vise à étoffer l’offre d’Olivetti en direction des administrations et organismes publics. Mindicity a déjà travaillé avec TIM sur des projets comme le déploiement à Venise d’une salle de contrôle destinée à traiter les données issues de capteurs installés partout dans la ville pour évaluer le niveau de fréquentation, le type des embarcations sur les canaux et les mouvements de tous types. Après le bouclage du rachat, la plateforme de Mindicity sera intégrée dans la gamme de produits Urban Genius de TIM. Dans un communiqué, TIM explique que son acquisition va lui permettre d’optimiser sa gamme de services appliqués à la mobilité, la sécurité et l’amélioration des attractions touristiques. L’ajout de la plateforme donnera en outre la possibilité d’évaluer des projets liés à l’environnement et suivre des interventions d’urgence. TIM n’a pas donné de détails sur les termes financiers de l’opération.
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14:30
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Mobile World Live
Olivetti, filiale IoT du groupe Telecom Italia (TIM), renforce sa présence sur le marché de la ville intelligente en rachetant Mindicity, fournisseur de plateformes spécialisées, à Fabbricadigitale. L’opération vise à étoffer l’offre d’Olivetti en direction des administrations et organismes publics. Mindicity a déjà travaillé avec TIM sur des projets comme le déploiement à Venise d’une salle de contrôle destinée à traiter les données issues de capteurs installés partout dans la ville pour évaluer le niveau de fréquentation, le type des embarcations sur les canaux et les mouvements de tous types. Après le bouclage du rachat, la plateforme de Mindicity sera intégrée dans la gamme de produits Urban Genius de TIM. Dans un communiqué, TIM explique que son acquisition va lui permettre d’optimiser sa gamme de services appliqués à la mobilité, la sécurité et l’amélioration des attractions touristiques. L’ajout de la plateforme donnera en outre la possibilité d’évaluer des projets liés à l’environnement et suivre des interventions d’urgence. TIM n’a pas donné de détails sur les termes financiers de l’opération.