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June 10, 2021
18:28
European IoT spend tipped to hit $200B in 2021
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IDC predicted IoT spending in Europe would hit $202 billion this year, driven by a boost in the consumer sector especially in the field of home automation offerings. The research company forecast growth in the market would continue despite the impact of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, albeit it at a slower rate than previous years. Offerings allowing consumers to “enhance the living experience” by remotely monitoring and control devices and systems in their homes are expected to be the most profitable in the IoT industry. IDC noted while manufacturing was “of the most impacted industries” in 2020, it employed IoT to remotely track, monitor and maintain industrial manufacturing devices as part of the production value chain. The company expects the European IoT market continue registering double-digit growth until 2025, with healthcare offerings set for the fastest adoption. “Even with Covid-19 changing the investment plans of many European enterprises, the IoT market continues to be attractive for many industries such as healthcare and retail, where IoT can support evolving multichannel retail strategies to provide a seamless consumer experience through any shopping channel”, IDC research analyst Alexandra Rotaru said. However, other verticals including construction and consumer services are set for slower demand in the coming years as they will focus efforts in other business priorities.
13:51
Ofcom asks Alexa for new CTO
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UK regulator Ofcom announced general manager for Amazon’s Alexa Smart Home International division Sachin Jogia as its incoming CTO, with the new tech boss set to take on the role in October. In his current role at Amazon, Jogia oversees development of voice activated services under the Alexa brand. He has worked for the tech giant for almost nine years, with previous roles including a stint at AOL. Ofcom’s previous CTO Mansoor Hanif stepped down in November 2019, with its director of strategy and research Yih-Choung Teh taking over responsibility for the role on an interim basis. The regulator noted Jogia would lead its role supporting innovation across the sectors it oversees, including wireless and other telecoms services. Noting the regulator’s role in improving online safeguards, Jogia said: “I look forward to partnering with all tech platforms to secure greater accountability, while enabling innovation to thrive across the sector for UK citizens.”
13:41
Nigeria steps up social media crackdown
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Nigeria’s government reportedly fleshed out plans for social media companies operating in the country to register a local entity and obtain a licence, following a crackdown which led to a ban [1] on Twitter last week. Reuters reported Information Minister Lai Mohammed laid out plans to implement new rules, setting conditions for social media companies to continue operations. “We are insisting that for you to operate in Nigeria you must first be a Nigerian company and be licensed by the broadcasting commission,” he said. Mohammed indicated some social media companies had already been given notice of the government’s requirements, but it was yet to give any hard deadlines for registration and licensing. He added Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram had not been suspended. It is unclear whether the parent company will be subject to the new rules. Corporate existence Mohammed’s comments comes after the company imposed an indefinite ban on the use of Twitter, a move made in response to the removal of a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari. At the time, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture of Nigeria said it moved to remove access to Twitter after deeming the platform was being used to “undermine Nigeria’s corporate existence", among other factors. [1] [https:]
13:19
Altice buys £2B BT stake, backs management team
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Altice’s UK unit acquired a 12.1 per cent stake in BT Group, worth around £2 billion, with the former's billionaire owner Patrick Drahi backing the operator’s strategy and dismissing any prospect of a full takeover. The stake puts Altice UK a few shares ahead of Deutsche Telekom as BT’s largest shareholder, based on data from a number of share analysis websites including MarketScreener, which placed the German incumbent's stake at also around 12.1 per cent. Altice UK is a legally separate company from its affiliates in the US and Europe, the latter of which owns French operator SFR among other telecoms assets across several markets. Drahi also owns Altice Europe after taking the company private earlier this year [1]. Explaining the investment, Altice UK pointed to BT’s opportunity to expand high-grade broadband connectivity, adding the country provided a “sound environment for substantial long-term investment”. Drahi said BT had "a significant opportunity to upgrade and extend its full-fibre broadband network to bring substantial benefits to millions of households across the UK. We fully support the management's strategy to deliver on this opportunity”. In its statement, BT explained it welcomed "all investors who recognise the long-term value of our business and the important role it plays in the UK. We are making good progress in delivering our strategy and plan”. [1] [https:]
13:04
Elliott partner leaves Twitter board
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Twitter lined up Mastercard executive Mimi Alemayehou to replace Elliott Management partner Jesse Cohn, who departed the social media giant's board after the hedge fund helped to shake up the business. In a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Twitter revealed Elliott Management remained one of its largest shareholders would continue to engage with members of its senior management team following Cohn's resignation. Elliott Management has a history [1] of buying large stakes in technology companies and demanding strategy revamps to drive up share price. It first revealed it invested $1 billion for a 4 per cent stake in Twitter in 2020. It pressed for changes at the top, even seeking the removal of Jack Dorsey as CEO before backing down as part of a compromise allowing Cohn to take the board seat. Elliott Management's influence on Twitter has been telling: the company’s share price has doubled since 2020 and it introduced a range of new services to attract users and advertisers, including the introduction of its first subscription-based product [2] Twitter Blue. Last month, Elliott Management reportedly increased its Twitter stake by more than $200 million, [3] betting on the platorm's potential to reach a goal to double annual revenue by 2023. Its progress was slowed in recent months by the impact of Covid-19 (coronavirus) on advertising revenue. Alemayehou currently services as SVP of public private partnerships at Mastercard. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:]
12:46
Telefonica backs Monogoto for private IoT boost
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Telefonica took part in a $11 million funding round by Israeli cloud-based mobile network Monogoto, as the Spain-headquartered operator seeks to boost its play in global deployments of private LTE and 5G networks. Through its Tech Ventures unit, Telefonica invested an undisclosed amount in Monogoto, securing a seat on the Israeli company's advisory board alongside obtaining preferential access to its technology and a test environment for VPNs. Monogoto, which was founded in 2018, provides IoT and M2M connectivity through API-based technology it states enables enterprises and developers to develop and integrate their own connectivity applications. Telefonica explained it saw opportunities for “numerous new use cases” based on Monogoto’s offerings, predominantly spanning Industry 4.0, healthcare and utilities in the short-to-medium term. “The technology proposal developed by Monogoto will be key to deepening our value proposition in the deployment of private LTE/5G networks worldwide”, Telefonica IoT and big data tech CEO Gonzalo Martin-Villa said. He explained the investment will enable Telefonica to introduce products which are “more tailored” to global market needs and “take advantage of the capabilities provided by 5G and edge computing for digital transformation”. The operator has been actively focused on strengthening its position in the IoT space, with moves including a tie-up with cybersecurity company Fortinet [1] and a collaboration to develop a 5G blockchain IoT module [2]. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
11:46
China Mobile and ZTE complete first VC-OTN upgrade and cross-vendor interoperability
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PRESS RELEASE: ZTE Corporation together with the Zhejiang Branch of China Mobile, has completed the upgrade of the Virtual Container-Optical Transport Network (VC-OTN) in China Mobile’s existing networks in Wenzhou and Taizhou of Zhejiang province, China. Also, they have achieved the cross-vendor interoperability of enterprise services, accelerating the construction of all-optical networks and intelligent MAN of China Mobile in Zhejiang. This is the first time for China Mobile to implement the upgrade and the cross-vendor and cross-regional VC-OTN. In the VC-OTN upgrade solution of China Mobile, ZTE interconnects its devices with those from other mainstream Chinese vendors to verify the VC functions and test the interoperability based on the OTN platform. The VC-OTN upgrade and deployment in the entire Zhejiang province, including the two cities of Wenzhou and Taizhou, enables efficient delivery of enterprise services. ZTE’s CPE OTN box devices, featuring small size, low power consumption, flexible installation, and automatic service provisioning, are deployed on demand at the end access node in the existing networks to provide flexible service access of different rates. ZTE offers an intelligent management and control system to work together with the Super Controller of the operator, enabling minute-level end-to-end provisioning in VC-OTN , cross-vendor protection switching and high-reliability transmission. Besides, the network supports evolution towards automation and intelligentization, so as to assist China Mobile in better serving the enterprise customers. Moving forward, ZTE will keep working with the Zhejiang Branch of China Mobile to further satisfy the needs of enterprise customers for optical networks, thereby boosting the development of their optical networks.
11:24
Biden orders fresh reviews of Chinese apps
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US President Joe Biden restarted scrutiny of potential security threats posed by China-based software companies, reigniting the possibility the nation could seek to ban leading apps including TikTok and WeChat. In an executive order issued yesterday (9 June), the president warned of a continued threat to US national security from non-domestic software, and called on the Department of Commerce (DoC) to evaluate potential threats. The president expressed concern about growing use of services provided by "persons owned or subject to the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary", including China. In addition to security, he has worries about the impact on the US economy. President Biden did not single any companies out, instead calling for the DoC to conduct "rigorous, evidence-based analysis and address any unacceptable risks" by issuing recommendations on ways to protect sensitive US data within 120 days of the start of the probe. The DoC is also tasked recommending additional executive and legislative actions to address the risk associated with "foreign adversary connected software applications". Former US President Donald Trump cited national security concerns in moves to ban TikTok [1] and WeChat [2]. The actions were ultimately blocked by courts following legal challenges from the apps' parent companies, ByteDance and Tencent. Alongside ordering a fresh review, President Biden withdrew executive orders prohibiting transactions with eight other communications and fintech apps including Alipay, WeChat Pay, QQWallet and Tencent QQ. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
10:45
SK Telecom targets November for equity spin-off
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SK Telecom (SKT) set 1 November as the date it will complete a spin-off of its semiconductor and e-commerce operations into a new investment company, after its board approved a move proposed in April [1] to fuel growth. The spin-off plan will involve SKT’s shares being divided 60:40 between its core telecoms business and the investment company, which is tentatively named SKT Investment. This business will control 16 companies including chipmaker SK Hynix, e-commerce arm 11st, app market One Store, T Map Mobility and security unit ADT Caps. SKT holds a 20 per cent stake in SK Hynix. The move will be up for shareholder approval on 12 October. SKT explained the two businesses will seek a listing on 29 November, following a month-long suspension in trading running until 26 November. SKT plans to move ahead with a five-for-one stock split at the same time it completes the spin-off, which will double the number of shares to 72.06 million. The company explained its telecoms business will focus on accelerating growth with a focus on digital infrastructure and AI initiatives. It also plans to invest in data centres, mobile edge computing and cloud businesses. [1] [https:]
June 09, 2021
17:55
AT&T wins $725M US military veterans deal
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AT&T scored a second major government deal in the span of a month, securing a $725 million, 12-year network modernisation contract from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The operator will be tasked with delivering secure and reliable infrastructure, and transforming the VA's current data network to deliver innovative capabilities including WAN, VPN and managed services. AT&T explained it would work to deliver a "highly secure, scalable, highly available and resilient technology infrastructure that can enable rapid cloud adoption”. It added the VA requires a high-speed, resilient and high-capacity data network to provide a range of services, including delivery of healthcare and benefits to approximately 18 million veterans and their families. AT&T stated it will work to transform “a broad array of data-based and data intensive processes”, such as enabling care providers to access a veteran’s healthcare records in almost real time on a connected device. Chris Smith, AT&T VP of civilian and shared services, said it will deliver "an advanced data communications platform and capabilities that will power VA’s mission for years to come”. In May, AT&T was selected by the US Department of Transportation [1] to upgrade voice and data networks for the next 12 years, in a $175 million deal. [1] [https:]
17:16
Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa in EC crosshairs
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The European Commission (EC) warned about the growing market power of Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, flagging concerns the voice assistants were being used to promote anti-competitive practices. In conclusions issued following a year-long investigation into consumer IoT sector, the EC predicted revenue from smart home appliances would double between 2020 and 2025 to €40 billion. The Commission sought input from more than 200 companies of various sizes in Europe, Asia and the US into the consumer IoT market. EVP Margrethe Vestager explained in a statement it commenced the probe due to the fast development of the sector, with the EC seeking to ensure “all firms in the growing sector" had the "opportunity to innovate and bring new products and services to market”. However, Vestager said the EC saw early indications some practices may lead to the emergence of gatekeepers and, if confirmed, these “could lead to new competition cases being opened in the future”. Concerns The Commission found operating systems and voice assistants played a “central role” interconnecting different smart devices and services, with respondents flagging the potential for providers of the services “to engage in behaviours that negatively affect competition”. In the EU, the regulator said Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri were the leaders, while all three also operated the main OS for smart home and wearable devices. The enquiry raised four main concerns, Vestager said: attempts to restrict the number of voice assistants accessible on smart devices; potentially taking over direct relationships with users by implementing default settings to give prominence to specific services; data collection; and interoperability. Vestager invited all businesses, interested citizens and stakeholders to share feedback on its preliminary findings, all of which will provide “guidance” and feed into its regulatory work. "We must make sure that our digital markets, including the consumer IoT, are open and fair for consumers, with room for businesses of all sizes to innovate and grow.”
16:38
Huawei reclama un enfoque unificado de ciberseguridad
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El presidente de turno de Huawei, Ken Hu (en la foto), ha instado a los gobiernos a formar coaliciones más estrechas para desarrollar una comprensión unificada de los cambiantes desafíos de ciberseguridad, al tiempo que respondía a las medidas para restringir el acceso a los equipos fabricados en China. En el acto de inauguración del séptimo Centro Global de Transparencia de Protección de Privacidad y Ciberseguridad de la compañía en Dongguan, China, Hu ha afirmado que los organismos de normalización y los suministradores de tecnología deben colaborar más estrechamente para desarrollar un enfoque coordinado basado en estándares que abarque el conjunto de la industria, particularmente con respecto a la gobernanza, capacidades técnicas, certificación y colaboración. “Éste debe ser un esfuerzo internacional. Necesitamos establecer objetivos compartidos, alinear responsabilidades y trabajar juntos para construir un entorno técnico confiable que cumpla con los desafíos, tanto los de hoy como los del futuro”. Hu ha señalado la idea errónea de que el país de origen determina el grado de seguridad de los equipos y la tecnología de las redes. "Esto simplemente no es cierto, no aborda los desafíos reales y nos impide formar un enfoque unificado". La idea es que tanto la confianza como la desconfianza deben basarse en hechos, “no en sentimientos, especulaciones ni rumores infundados”, afirmó. “La ciberseguridad es un desafío complejo y en evolución que requiere una estrecha colaboración e intercambio de información. Necesitamos desarrollar capacidades juntos. Ninguna organización puede abordarlos todos, desde los estándares hasta la gobernanza y la verificación ". Hu asegura que, dado el aumento de los ciberataques, todas las industrias se están tomando la ciberseguridad más en serio, y señala que se han aprobado nuevas leyes en 151 países. A lo largo de los últimos diez años, Huawei ha instalado centros de ciberseguridad similares en Europa, América del Norte y Oriente Medio.
16:36
Nuevos chips Samsung de 8 nm para aumentar la eficiencia de la 5G
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Samsung ha desarrollado una tecnología de proceso de 8 nanómetros (nm) para chips de radiofrecuencia (RF). La novedad se considera un gran impulso para la potencia y la eficiencia de las comunicaciones 5G. El proveedor explica que su división de fundición ha trabajado en aplicar la tecnología de 8 nm a la creación de un chip único que se pueda utilizar en los diseños de antenas multicanal y multichip para las redes 5G. Según la firma, el hallazgo refuerza su "liderazgo" en el mercado de los semiconductores para 5G, desde las aplicaciones sub-6GHz hasta las mmWave. Samsung asegura que la extensión de la plataforma de RF de 8 nm proporciona hasta un 35% de aumento en la eficiencia energética y la misma reducción en el área lógica respecto a su solución de RF de 14 nm. La compañía también tiene chips de 28 nm y afirma haber despachado 500 millones de chips de RF para teléfonos inteligentes premium desde 2017. Samsung considera que sus continuos avances en los nodos han mejorado el rendimiento, el consumo de energía y el tamaño de los circuitos digitales en comparación con los bloques analógicos y de RF, pero esto último había perjudicado el rendimiento de la amplificación de la frecuencia de recepción, junto con un mayor consumo de energía. Para superar estos desafíos, Samsung ha creado una arquitectura dedicada para 8nm que "puede mejorar significativamente la RF consumiendo menos energía". Según Hyung Jun Lee, responsable de desarrollo de tecnologías de fundición, asegura que a medida que crezca el uso de 5G sobre mmWave, "la RF de 8 nm de Samsung será una gran solución para los clientes que buscan dispositivos móviles compactor con una larga duración de la batería y una excelente calidad de señal". Este nuevo desarrollo de Samsung se suma a un impulso reciente en torno a su negocio de semiconductores: en marzo reveló que destinará 17.000 millones de dólares a incrementar la producción de chips en una de sus plantas en los EE. UU.
16:34
Alianza entre investigadores finlandeses y japoneses sobre 6G
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Dos entidades de tecnología móvil en Japón y Finlandia han acordado colaborar en el desarrollo de tecnologías 6G con el objetivo de hacer contribuciones significativas a los estándares globales y desarrollos regulatorios. El Consorcio de Promoción Beyond 5G del Ministerio del Interior y Comunicaciones de Japón y el programa de investigación 6G Flagship dirigido por la Universidad de Oulu han sellado el acuerdo en la Cumbre Digital Global 2021 celebrada el 8 de junio en Tokio. El director de 6G Flagship, Matti Latva-aho, considera que la colaboración es importante para la investigación finlandesa sobre la tecnología del futuro. El grupo agrega que la importancia de la alianza se ve subrayada por la decisión del gobierno japonés a principios de este año de invertir 2.000 millones de dólares en el desarrollo de tecnologías 6G. Según Nikkei Asia, Nokia se unirá al proyecto de investigación. Entre los miembros del Consorcio de Promoción Beyond 5G se cuentan la Universidad de Tokio, NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank Group y Rakuten Mobile. Creciente interés Si bien la tecnología 6G tardará varios años en disponer de especificaciones formales, va adquiriendo impulso porque los principales actores de la industria apuntan a lanzamientos en 2030. En un informe técnico reciente, el Grupo de Promoción IMT-2030 (6G) de la Academia de Tecnología de la Información y la Comunicación de China predijo que la tecnología 6G emplearía frecuencias de terahercios junto con el espectro 5G existente, informó China Daily. Los expertos del gobierno y de la industria chinos describieron en marzo un plan para hacer avanzar la 6G entre 2021 y 2025. En febrero, se anunció un proyecto de investigación sobre 6G en el que participan importantes operadores europeos, mientras que los operadores estadounidenses se comprometieron anteriormente con Next G Alliance, un grupo que desarrolla y define la tecnología.
16:25
ZTE obtains CC EAL3+ certificate for its 5G RAN solution
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ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet, has successfully passed the Common Criteria (CC) EAL3+ certification for its 5G RAN solution. The certification makes ZTE the first telecommunications vendor in the world that has obtained the CC EAL3+ certificate for a whole system solution consisting of a series of 5G RAN products. Also, the certificate verifies that the security of ZTE 5G RAN products has achieved a leading level in the industry. The Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation is an authoritative widely-recognized international standard based on the IEC/ISO15408. By now, there are 31 nations participating in mutual recognition of the CC certification, and mainstream international telecoms operators value the CC certification in their procurement projects considering its high quality and impartiality. The CC certification defines seven evaluation assurance levels (EAL) for a target of evaluation (TOE) upon completion of certification, among which EAL3 (methodically tested and checked) is so far the highest level achieved by a system-level product in the telecommunications field. The EAL3+ means that the TOE meets the EAL3 and other augmented requirements for the evaluated security functionality. The certificate obtained by ZTE is the first CC EAL3+ certificate in the industry for a system solution, which comprises 15 5G RAN products, such as AAU/RRU, BBU, Unified Management Expert (UME) and so on. The solution interfaces with User Equipment (UE) and implements such functions as radio resource management, data stream IP header compression and encryption, user plane data routing, data scheduling and transmission, and mobility management. The UME is used to manage the system via web interface. The accredited CC evaluation lab SGS Brightsight from the Netherlands performed the evaluation, which covers security in the full product lifecycle, including product design, development, testing, production, and delivery. The certification body TÜV Rheinland Nederland B.V., under the Netherlands Scheme for Certification in the Area of IT Security (NSCIB), issued the certificate to ZTE and declared that the evaluation meets all the conditions for international recognition of the CC Certificate. With the advent of the 5G era, ZTE regards the cybersecurity as the top priority for its product R&D and delivery, and the company continuously enhances security practices in both security technology and security governance. Moving forward, ZTE will be committed to providing global customers with secure and trustworthy products and services to jointly build reliable telecommunications networks. For the CC certificate, please visit the CC portal: [https:] [1] (Under the category of Network and Network-Related Devices and Systems) [1] [https:]
16:21
ZTE: To Be a Driver of Digital Economy
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PARTNER FEATURE: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people live and work, and accelerated the pace of digital and intelligent transformation of enterprises. 5G has become the core engine of industrial digital transformation. It is commonly agreed in the industry that standalone (SA) is the target architecture of 5G. With the maturity of industry chain and successful commercial use in leading markets, SA will be deployed on a large scale in 2021 to maximize 5G value and its industry application potential. ZTE is devoted to becoming a driver of digital economy. Starting from typical industry scenarios and real pain points, ZTE aims to explore the mechanism of deep integration of 5G and the industry, to create 5G industry application products and solutions with innovation, ingenuity and perseverance, and to empower digital and intelligent transformation for thousands of industries. The pain points faced by different industries are diverse and differentiated, such as: Harsh working environment, high risk and heavy workload: Some industries including mines, ports and metallurgy face problems such as harsh working environment, high risk and heavy workload, which makes it difficult for enterprises to recruit workers. Therefore, they urgently need the transformation to less-manned and unmanned operation. Low production efficiency and high manpower costs: Some manufacturing enterprises are faced with problems such as low automation, low production efficiency, large fluctuations in the skill level of employees, and high manpower costs. Therefore, the transformation to automation and intelligence is imminent. Limited capabilities of traditional telecom technologies: Incumbent telecom technologies fail to meet the industry-specific needs, such as the mobility requirements of AGVs and drones, the millisecond-level delay and nearly 100% reliability requirements of automatic driving and industrial control, the millisecond-level delay and high precision timing requirements of smart power distribution network, and the above 100 Mbps uplink bandwidth requirements of industrial machine vision and train-to-ground communication. Lack of facility mobility and inflexible deployment: Industries such as live video streaming and emergency communications face the challenges of facility mobility and flexible deployment. Therefore, services need to be provisioned quickly anytime, anywhere. Unable to smoothly evolve existing telecom equipment: The existing private network equipment has entered the later stage of its life cycle, and the industry chain is about to break, facing the difficulties of smooth evolution of PMR, DMR, P25, TETRA, GSM-R and so on. What kind of 5G network can meet the differentiated and fragmented requirements of different industries, different scenarios, and different applications? The 5G network needs to have the following characteristics: On-demand network coverage: Where there is information, there is a network. The network needs to provide the performance required by the business, and it moves with the information. Deterministic network performance: Network performance needs to be highly deterministic and highly reliable. Enterprises can schedule, configure, predict, monitor, manage, and evaluate network performance by themselves. Intelligence and agility: Computing resources can be flexibly moved, configured and adjusted. Network components are modular and can be called and combined freely. In response to the problems faced by the industry and the requirements of enterprises for 5G networks, ZTE focuses on four aspects that involve ultimate 5G network, precise cloud network, special solutions, and open cooperation. Lead by Innovation to Create Ultimate 5G Network ZTE has never stopped its innovation in developing an ultimate 5G network including the simplest network architecture, the highest spectrum efficiency, the best performance, the lowest energy consumption, and the most intelligent OAM. It has rolled out the UniSite+ solution that supports the simplest 2G/3G/4G/5G site deployment and coexistence, the SuperDSS solution that supports 2G/3G/4G/5G dynamic spectrum sharing, the Massive MIMO and SSB 1+X solution that further improves vertical coverage in complex scenarios by 30%, and the eDAS solution that realizes uplink/downlink multi-stream MIMO transmission to improve indoor 5G experience at low costs through the reuse of the old DAS system and software upgrade. ZTE has also developed the PowerPilot solution that saves about 20% energy consumption by introducing Big Data and AI technologies. Its AI-based AIVO solution improves OAM efficiency at each stage of network planning, construction, and maintenance. Reshape Capabilities to Build Agile and Precise Cloud Network To meet the differentiated and fragmented requirements of vertical industries, ZTE has proposed the precise cloud-network integrated solution that decouples key technical features from scenario features, extracts them into components with common capabilities, and forms a building-block component library. Various application scenarios can be supported through a flexible and efficient combination of components. Through the trials of components in the application scenarios, the component library can be iterated and optimized continuously. Distributed precise cloud features on-demand creation, lightweight, flexible deployment, and fast iteration. At the IaaS layer, the computing power is evenly distributed on the end, edge, and cloud. At the access edge, a NodeEngine solution can be deployed to provide edge computing only by adding a functional board to 5G BBU. At the convergence edge, more powerful computing can be achieved by deploying the cloud-network integrated cabinet embedded with general servers. At the city edge, a standalone network cabinet or cloud cabinet can be deployed to provide more powerful computing. At the PaaS layer, the cloud decouples network architecture horizontally into finer-granularity components and vertically into the technical service layer and the general service layer. The resources are optimized cyclically between the technical service layer and the underlying layer, while the general service layer can iterate with application scenario innovation. Regarding the software, the TECS Cloud Foundation (TCF) is compatible downwards with various IaaSs and provides upwards service-oriented interfaces that shield upper-layer applications from cross-platform details. The deterministic precise network synergies with the cloud and achieves precise network capabilities customization and deterministic SLA guarantee by accurately distinguishing industry characteristics and business types and accurately allocating network resources. ZTE has encapsulated key network technologies as network atomic capabilities such as large bandwidth, low latency, high reliability, end-to-end slicing, high-precision positioning and local offloading, which can be flexibly and quickly adjusted and combined to deliver customized 5G private services for different scenarios. In terms of end-to-end network performance guarantee, the radio access network, bearer network, and core network coordinate with each other based on the network resource orchestration and SLA strategy. Global resource scheduling can be achieved through slicing, URLLC, TSN, FlexE, and radio resource scheduling algorithms, so as to provide a precise 5G network for industry customers. In terms of full service process guarantee, the most appropriate resources and functions can be allocated and scheduled for 5G applications in vertical industries through precise planning, precise slicing, precise identification, precise scheduling, precise measurement and precise OAM. This provides precise service guarantee and lays a solid foundation for 5G applications in thousands of industries. Implement Integration to Offer Adaptive Products and Scenario-Based Solutions ZTE has actively advocated to find demands, carry out R&D, and innovate on the front line. It has worked with enterprise customers to focus on the pain points, mechanisms, and processes of 5G integration with vertical industries, and embed the most appropriate 5G products and solutions into the value chains of vertical industries. ZTE has also insisted by itself on using industry innovation first. For example, it has used 5G+ industrial internet technology in the Nanjing Binjiang manufacturing base to practice manufacturing 5G with 5G. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has enabled 30,000 R&D personnel to quickly resume their work on the cloud and conduct R&D collaboration on the cloud. ZTE has carried out widespread application practice in 15 industries including media, industry, power, mining, transportation, ports, medical care, cultural tourism and agriculture, and has developed a large number of industry-specific products, solutions and features. It has customized the 5G ATG solution for the civil aviation industry, explosion-proof base stations and core network for the mining industry, the site-level edge computing platform NodeEngine for campus applications, the 1D3U frame structure to meet industry’s ultra-large uplink bandwidth needs, the small-granularity hard slicing functions such as PRB for high security applications, and the high-precision timing functions for differential protection of power distribution networks. ZTE has won 23 awards and 4 first prizes in the third “Blooming Cup” 5G Application Collection Competition sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. Open and Cooperate to Build a Symbiotic Ecosystem ZTE has actively cooperated with industry alliances, integrators, leading enterprises, telecom operators, and upstream and downstream industry partners to share experience and achievements in different technical fields and industries in terms of requirement identification, standard coordination, innovative products, end-to-end solutions, and capability exposure, and to jointly promote the prosperity and development of 5G industry applications. The low-tech threshold enabling platform ZTE has specially developed for industry customers and ecological partners can output an industry component library formed by common core technological capabilities such as big video, big data, IoT, industrial control, and remote office to the partners to accelerate application innovation and ecological creation. ZTE has developed more than 500 cooperative partners in 15 industries including manufacturing, transportation and energy. They have jointly explored over 100 innovative 5G application scenarios and successfully carried out more than 60 demonstration projects worldwide. Facing the opportunities and challenges of 5G industry applications, ZTE will as always, be down-to-earth, continue to innovate, build agility, and be a driver of digital economy to empower industrial digital transformation and upgrade. In response to the problems faced by enterprises for 5G networks, ZTE focuses on four aspects that involve ultimate 5G network, precise cloud network, special solutions, and open cooperation. Zhang Wanchun, Senior Vice President of ZTE Corporation
14:02
Ericsson tips continued surge in online service reliance
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Growth in use of digital services spurred by Covid-19 (coronavirus) was tipped by Ericsson to continue in the years to 2025, though the vendor noted consumers would become more vigilant about online privacy and security. A survey of up to 2,000 consumers across 31 markets, which Ericsson said was representative of the views of 2.3 billion people, pointed to ongoing increases in the number of services used and time spent online. Ericsson explained the largest consumer study it has conducted indicated users would begin using at least two more online services each day by 2025, continuing a pandemic-related rise in use of remote work, learning, healthcare and grocery shopping offers. The rising dependence on web-based options will add an average of ten hours to the time consumers spend online each week, the vendor stated. While 75 per cent of respondents expect broader use of online services to bring greater convenience to their lives, many noted this would also require them to be more conscious of security to ensure this did not adversely impact their privacy. And it explained many of the benefits of online life will only be delivered if there is an increase in the availability and affordability of connectivity. It argued urban planning must begin to prioritise such concerns to ensure digital inclusion, which is “paramount to rebuilding resilient, sustainable and equitable societies”.
13:16
KPN suitors walk away due to lack of interest
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Private equity companies EQT and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners abandoned attempts to takeover Dutch operator KPN [1] after it rebuffed an approach they made earlier this year, business newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) reported. Citing sources at the two investment companies, the newspaper noted the parties had shelved the ambition after concluding the business couldn’t be taken over without the cooperation of KPN's management or supervisory board, neither of which they achieved with their approach. Interest in acquiring KPN is nothing new with several parties linked to efforts [2] to buy it over the years. The EQT and Stonepeak approach in April valued KPN at around $15 billion, Bloomberg reported. In May, KPN rejected two separate unsolicited takeover approaches [3], including the joint bid by the two investment companies, on grounds neither added value to its growth strategy. The other suitor was investment company KKR. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:]
13:06
Huawei pushes for unified approach to cybersecurity
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Huawei rotating chairman Ken Hu (pictured) urged governments to form tighter coalitions to develop a unified understanding of the evolving cybersecurity challenges and took a swipe at moves to restrict access to China-made equipment. Speaking at the opening of the company's seventh Global Cyber Security and Privacy Protection Transparency Centre in Dongguan, China, Hu said standard bodies and technology providers need to work closer together to develop a standards-based coordinated approach across the industry, particularly regarding governance, technical capabilities, certification and collaboration. "This must be an international effort. We need to set the shared goals, align responsibilities and work together to build a trustworthy technical environment that meets the challenges of today and tomorrow." Hu pointed to the common misconception that country of origin affects the security of network equipment and technology. "This simply is not true, and it doesn't solve the real challenges and prevents us from forming a unified approach." The idea is that both trust and distrust should be based on facts, "not feelings, not speculation and not baseless rumours", he stated. "Cybersecurity is a complex, evolving challenge requiring close collaboration and information sharing. We need to build capabilities together. No organisation can tackle them all, from standards to governance to verification." With increasing cyberattacks, he said all industries are taking cybersecurity more seriously, noting new laws have been passed in 151 countries. Over the past ten years, Huawei set up similar cybersecurity facilities in Europe, North America and the Middle East.
13:04
Samsung boosts 5G power with 8nm chip tech
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Samsung developed 8-nanometre (nm) process technology for radio frequency (RF) chips, a move claimed as a major boost for the power and efficiency of 5G communications. The vendor explained its foundry division worked on the 8nm approach to enable a single chip covering multi-channel and -chip antenna designs for 5G technology. It stated the move expanded its “leadership” in the 5G semiconductor market from sub-6GHz to mmWave applications. The 8nm RF platform extension provides up to a 35 per cent increase in power efficiency and the same reduction in logic area compared with its 14nm RF solution, Samsung explained. The company also has a 28nm chip, and said it had shipped a total 500 million mobile RF chips for premium smartphones since 2017. Samsung said continued advancements in nodes had improved the peformance, power consumption and size of digital circuits compared with analogue and RF Blocks, with the latter resulting in degraded amplification performance of reception frequency, along with higher power consumption. To overcome these challenges, Samsung said it had created a dedicated architecture for 8nm which “can significantly improve RF while using less power”. Hyung Jun Lee, master of Foundry Technology Development said as use of mmWave 5G grows, “Samsung’s 8nm RF will be a great solution for customers looking for long battery life and excellent signal quality on compact mobile devices”. Samsung's latest development adds to a recent drive around its semiconductor business: in March, it revealed a $17 billion budget [1] for a plan to increase chip production at a plant in the US. [1] [https:]
12:36
SoftBank eyes global drive with space alliance
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SoftBank Corp unveiled plans to push a collection of non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity systems across the globe, combining stratosphere-based services from its HAPSMobile subsidiary with those provided by satellite partners OneWeb and Skylo Technologies. The company said its NTN solutions would combine HAPSMobile's high-altitude connectivity [1] with Skylo Technologies' Geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) NB-IoT services and a Low Earth orbit (LEO)-based platform from SoftBank Group-backed OneWeb [2]. Specific deployments will be tailored to each connectivity type. The Japan-based operator noted the Skylo Technologies service would provide low-cost NB-IoT for industries including mining, shipping and fishing. OneWeb services will target consumer, business and government applications requiring lower latency than those provided by Skylo Technologies' GEO satellites, while HAPSMobile will address provision of consumer LTE and 5G services to mainstream handsets. SoftBank aims to provide the services globally, noting they will enable “advanced and seamless connectivity services and digital transformation solutions”. Hidebumi Kitahara, VP and head of global business strategy at SoftBank's technology unit, said many "analogue industries around the world" lack "sufficient access to communication networks". "Providing internet access is the first step to digitally transform these industries, and we believe our NTN solutions will be extremely effective technologies to achieve this goal.” NTNs are the focus of a new report from Mobile World Live's analyst partner GSMA Intelligence. Check out more details here [3]. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:]
12:20
IBM flags 5G business case lag
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Research by IBM's Institute of Business Value found most operators have not yet developed a business case for 5G applications, though executives were optimistic on the prospects for edge-computing as a revenue generator. A survey of around 500 operator executives revealed 7 per cent of new services are expected to be uniquely enabled by 5G. IBM found that the highest performing operators by key financial metrics were most likely to be prioritising 5G and more than twice as likely to have developed relevant business cases. Among these operators, executives tipped network edge as offering the greatest potential future value in terms of delivering new revenue opportunities. Craig Wilson, VP of global telecom industry at IBM, told Mobile World Live the survey highlighted operators are "at a crossroads" and must decide if they are going to realise the potential of 5G and edge computing by becoming platform providers. "We see the industry very much at an inflection point", Wilson said. "There's such promise of the network really being the fuel or the engine to enable edge computing". Beyond edge-computing, some executives also cited core networks as offering the greatest potential future value, predicting lower operating costs would be the key benefit of 5G.
11:42
Samsung expands vRAN capability to C-Band
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Samsung claimed a world first after extending 5G virtualised RAN (vRAN) capability to its C-Band Massive MIMO radios, achieving data rates of more than 1.5Gb/s during a laboratory trial in South Korea. The test combined 40MHz of 4G and 100MHz of 5G C-Band spectrum (3.7GHz to 4.2GHz), expanding the compatibility of Samsung's vRAN from the low- to the mid-band. Samsung added field trials are underway and it aims to commercialise the upgraded vRAN this year. Lee June-hee, EVP and head of R&D at Samsung's Networks Business, said the demonstration is "a significant breakthrough, increasing throughput tenfold, improving user experience and showing our leadership in virtualised technology". GSMA Intelligence head Peter Jarich said operators consistently indicate RAN virtualisation is a priority as they look to accelerate 5G network deployments, noting the demonstration signals the approach is a viable option, delivering performance on par with purpose-built hardware. In April 2021, Samsung released a complete C-Band portfolio, covering macro and micro radios, indoor components, network optimisation tools and Massive MIMO radio. Its vRAN was deployed on low-band spectrum in the US in 2020.
11:11
Finnish, Japanese research groups forge 6G alliance
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Mobile technology organisations in Japan and Finland agreed to collaborate on the development of 6G technologies with the goal of making significant contributions to global standards and regulatory developments. The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium and the University of Oulu-led 6G Flagship research programme signed the agreement yesterday (8 June) at the Global Digital Summit 2021 in Tokyo. Director of 6G Flagship Matti Latva-aho stated the collaboration is significant for Finnish research into the future technology. The group added the importance of the partnership is underlined by a Japanese government decision earlier this year to invest $2 billion in the development of 6G technologies. Nikkei Asia reported Nokia will join the research project. Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium members include the University of Tokyo, NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank Group and Rakuten Mobile. Growing interest While 6G technology won’t have formal specifications for a number of years, momentum is growing as major industry players target launches in 2030. In a recent white paper, the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology's IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group predicted 6G technology would employ terahertz frequencies alongside existing 5G spectrum, China Daily reported. Chinese government and industry experts outlined a plan [1] in March to advance 6G between 2021 and 2025. In February, a 6G research project [2] was announced involving major European operators, while US operators previously committed to the Next G Alliance [3], a group developing and defining the technology. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:]
10:30
Pangilinan retires as PLDT CEO
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Long-serving PLDT chief Manuel Pangilinan (pictured) stepped down as CEO during its annual shareholders' meeting, replaced by head of its mobile unit Alfredo Panlilio. Pangilinan will remain chairman of the Philippines-based operator: he stated the decision to retire was made less difficult by the choice of Panlilio as CEO, citing the mobile chief's long experience with PLDT. Panlilio's tenure means he will "be able to take my place, without interruption or detriment to the progress of PLDT", Pangilinan explained. The new CEO joined PLDT in 1999, was appointed chief revenue officer in 2019 and later named president and CEO of Smart Communications. He retains the chief revenue officer role. Pangilinan replaced Napoleon Nazareno as PLDT's president and CEO in 2016, his second time in the chief executive position following an earlier stint commenced in 1998. Over the last five years, he oversaw the company's digital transformation programme, and modernisation of its networks and IT platforms. In 2020, it recorded its highest full-year revenue, despite the impact of the Covid-19 (coronvirus) pandemic.
10:11
Radar Partner Interview: SoftBank
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With around half the world’s population still offline, SoftBank’s Hidebumi Kitahara and GSMA Intelligence’s Tim Hatt discuss the impact Non Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology will have on providing aerial coverage to bridge the digital divide. The discussion complements a new Radar report on the topic – download the report here [1]. [1] [https:]
10:09
Dell eyes 5G acceleration with innovation lab
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Dell Technologies unveiled new services and an innovation lab designed to simplify and speed deployments of 5G networks, as part of its latest move to unlock fresh revenue opportunities for operators. The company highlighted the launch of a cloud-native network infrastructure aimed at supporting deployment and maintenance of open, industry-standard infrastructure at scale. “An open, cloud-native approach is the answer to quickly capture” opportunities in network infrastructure evolution, “and move beyond the hype of 5G to the reality of a resilient next-generation network”, Dennis Hoffman, SVP and GM of the company's Telecom Systems Business (pictured), said. As part of the move, Dell also unveiled Project Metalweaver, a software product to make cloud-native infrastructure “automatically manageable, to enable zero-touch provisioning and upgrading”, Hoffman explained. It will achieve this by letting operators select, deploy and manage thousands of multi-vendor devices across multiple locations. A new Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab in Texas, presented by Dell, will deliver a space for exploration and collaboration on future telecom technologies and applications. “This is really the area that we are making it possible for everyone, from independent hardware vendors, software vendors, systems integrators, standard bodies and various consortia, the existing network equipment vendors and a range of other service providers, to come together, test, certify, work on problems and develop solutions that can be delivered”, Hoffman said. Dell also introduced new reference architectures, spanning telecom core, edge and open RAN environments, built on top of services from VMware and Red Hat. The launches follow a series of edge compute products [1] the company unveiled in 2020 to target operator needs. [1] [https:]
June 08, 2021
21:43
Google bows to EC pressure on Android search options
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Google pledged to allow competing search engines to appear for free on the home screens of new Android phones from September, following ongoing pressure from the European Commission (EC). The company is abandoning its practice of auctioning spots [1] on a screen enabling users to select their default search engine, after discussions with the EC spanning two years on how to boost the options available on Android. In 2018, the EC fined Google €4.3 billion [2] for requiring device makers to include its apps on their devices. Google explained in a blog it will retain control over what users of new Android devices will see after opening access to the screen where the selection is made. Users will be presented with "a continuous scrollable list comprising a choice of up to 12 eligible general search services", displayed in a random order. The list of search engines a user sees will vary by country, with the top-five in a given nation included. Bloomberg placed Google's share of the mobile search market in Europe at 97 per cent, while web analytics company Statcounter ranked Android's share of the region's mobile OS sector at 68.4 per cent. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
18:11
Telefónica se desprende de otro activo
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Telefónica ha alcanzado un acuerdo para vender su participación en la plataforma Nubico de libros electrónicos por una suma no revelada, como parte de la estrategia a largo plazo del operador para transformar su negocio. La aplicación sueca de libros Nextory, que opera en toda Europa, ha notificado el acuerdo con Telefónica y el grupo editorial Planeta para hacerse con el control de Nubico. Telefónica era propietaria del servicio de libros electrónicos al 50% con Grupo Planeta desde 2013. Nextory asegura que mantendrá alianzas estratégicas con ambas empresas. La adquisición de Nextory convierte a España en el noveno mercado de su aplicación de libros. La firma ha indicado que ofrecerá a los usuarios españoles un servicio de suscripción para acceder a 300.000 audiolibros y libros electrónicos. Según el consejero delegado y fundador Shadi Bitar, el acuerdo constituye un avance en sus ambiciosos planes para expandirse internacionalmente y lo coloca "en el mapa global". Más ventas La venta de Nubico se produce poco después de que Telefónica haya formalizado la venta de su filial de torres Telxius, cuyos activos en Europa y América Latina ha vendido a American Tower. Estas ventas de activos van de la mano de la estrategia de modernización anunciada a finales de 2019 para centrar su atención en los mercados principales y gestionar activamente activos y negocios basados en la creación de valor. Sin embargo, es poco probable que la venta de Nubico tenga tanto efecto como la de Telxius, la cual ha permitido a la operadora reducir miles de millones de deuda neta.
18:02
Nokia, Qualcomm, UScellular boost mmWave range
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Nokia, Qualcomm and UScellular claimed a world record after transmitting data over a distance of more than 10 kilometres (kms) on a live mmWave network, potentially addressing a key stumbling block for the spectrum. The companies reported average downlink speeds of approximately 1Gb/s during trials in the 28GHz band across multiple locations on UScellular's network in the city of Grand Island, Nebraska. During one line-of-sight test, the trio transmitted data 11.14 kms at a rate of 748Mb/s in the downlink and 56.78Mb/s up. Extending the range of mmWave will enable UScellular and other operators to use the high frequency spectrum for fixed wireless access (FWA), the companies said. FWA is of interest to US operators which want to use the technology to deliver broadband internet to underserved rural areas. Tommi Uitto, president of Mobile Networks at Nokia (pictured), said the tests show how distances can be extended for 5G mmWave "without sacrificing speed or latency". The tests were conducted using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 5G modem-RF system and QTM527 mmWave antenna module, along with Nokia’s AirScale baseband and mmWave radios. UScellular recently announced an agreement to add 5G capabilities to its network in the 24GHz and 28GHz spectrum bands using Nokia's AirScale portfolio. Last month Nokia's rival Ericsson was part of a trial with UScellular [1] that claimed to have extended 5G fixed wireless coverage range to 7 kilometres on UScellular’s commercial network in Wisconsin. At the time Ericsson said the connection sustained average downlink speeds of roughly 1 Gb/s, average uplink speeds of about 55 Mb/s and instantaneous peak downlink speeds above 2 Gb/s. [1] [https:]
May 21, 2021
14:22
Snap eyes AR boost with new smart glasses
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Snap introduced its latest AR wearable, targeting content creators as it looks to boost its portfolio and tap advertising revenue opportunities as the battle for user engagement hots up. At its annual Snap Partner Summit, CEO Evan Spiegel introduced the fourth generation Spectacles smart glasses, which he described as its first to bring AR to life. The wearable is only available to select developers and content creators, offering the ability to overlay Lenses, Snap’s feature for animated objects, onto the physical world and send their creations to contacts directly. Spectacles sport dual 3D waveguide displays and a 26.3-degree diagonal field of view, delivering “immersive Lenses experiences” which Spiegel said felt like they are “naturally overlayed” on the world. [1] The displays adjust to different environments, with brightness of up to 2000nits of brightness. Spectacles also feature two RGB cameras, four microphones, two stereo speakers and a touchpad controls. Spiegel explained the smart glasses offer a “multi-sensorial experience that redefines the way we interact with and see the world”. The device is powered by a new Snap Spatial Engine, with six degrees of freedom, and hand and surface tracking claimed to deliver a realistic representation of digital objects. Lenses are set to appear quickly and accurately in a person’s field of view through a 15millisecond motion-to-photon latency. Once started through a phone, the glasses can operate on their own for approximately 30 minutes on a single charge. Spiegel said Snap aimed to aid creators build and interact with their Lenses in real-time through a full integration with AR platform Lens Studio. In Q1, the company noted accelerated adoption of AR across its advertisers “out of necessity” due to global Covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdowns. Its move comes in time of increased rivalry by social media companies to boost original content and incentivise creators on their platforms, including Twitter [2] and Telegram [3]. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:]
14:00
Mobile Mix: AI, Android and open RAN
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Mobile Mix makes a long awaited comeback this week! First off, Kavit has the lowdown from Google's I/O event, featuring an AI chat with a paper aeroplane. Yanitsa has all the details from Qualcomm's 5G summit, where the focus turned to open RAN, and Michael has an update on MWC21 Barcelona in the news bulletin.
12:47
Liberty Global eyes edge move with Digital Colony JV
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Liberty Global and investment company Digital Colony unveiled plans for a joint venture to take advantage of increasing demand for data centre facilities serving 5G, IoT, gaming and edge compute applications in Europe. The new company is expected to begin operation in Q3 subject to regulatory approval and will be known as AtlasEdge. Initially it will have more than 100 active sites contributed by the communication business units. Liberty Global will move some of its digital infrastructure assets in Europe into the venture and supply “strategic and operational support” while Digital Colony will contribute its expertise and capital to fund what the two describe as a “significant growth and consolidation opportunity in edge co-location services across Europe”. The business will initially serve Liberty Global’s businesses interests in four of its European markets: Virgin Media in the UK and Republic of Ireland; Sunrise-UPC in Switzerland; and UPC in Poland. The intention is for AtlasEdge is to then tap into demand from cloud providers, streaming services and enterprises to support applications at the edge of mobile networks. Digital Colony CEO Marc Ganzi said the venture would unlock “the growth potential of Liberty’s digital real estate holdings and capitalise on the emerging demand we are seeing for edge compute across Europe”. Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries added: “Since several of our operating companies will become anchor tenants, Liberty Global customers will also benefit from better and more responsive services.” Financial terms or make-up of the joint venture were not disclosed. Digital Colony is a digital infrastructure investment company, which has been striking deals [1] with a operators and technology companies for towers, data centres and other assets in recent years through various subsidiaries. Earlier this year it agreed to buy [2] DAS and Wi-Fi specialist Boingo Wireless for $854 million. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
12:32
Google taps retail with NYC store
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Google announced plans to open its first physical retail store, located in New York City, as the technology giant steps-up visibility of its hardware products including Pixel smartphones. The company stated the first ever Google store would offer consumers the chance to try its hardware and services, including Pixel phones, Nest devices, Fitbit wearables and laptop PCs. The store is scheduled to open later this year. Google explained it chose the Chelsea neighbourhood as a “natural extension” to its longtime commitment to the city, with more than 11,000 employees located in New York. Consumers also have the option to buy products online and collect in-store. Retail gamble Google has toyed with establishing a retail presence in the past, setting up pilots to showcase its products, but opted to focus on its online presence. Major rival Apple has a strong retail offering, with 510 stores spanning 25 countries. However, the play has not been as successful for everyone: Microsoft, for example, in 2020 announced the closure of all its retail outlets, 11 years after opening its first.
12:01
Subscriber, ARPU gains drive Indosat profit
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Indosat Ooredoo returned to profit in Q1 on the back of double-digit growth in mobile and enterprise revenue, as well as strong gains in subscribers and ARPU. President director Ahmad Al-Neama hailed a strong start to the year, particularly in the face of Covid-19 (coronavirus) challenges. "Our growth momentum has continued to build, reflected in consecutive double-digit revenue growth”. He said its strategy of offering simple and relevant products, and network upgrades “translated into an accelerating gain in cellular market share and a strong rebound in our enterprise business". Net profit of IDR172 billion ($11.9 million) overturned an IDR605.6 billion loss in Q1 2020, attributed to a combination of top-line growth and cost discipline. Revenue increased 12.6 per cent to IDR7.3 trillion, with mobile rising 12.5 per cent to IDR6 trillion and enterprise up 17.1 per cent to IDR1.3 trillion. Data traffic increased 46 per cent. It ended March with 60 million mobile subscribers, up 7 per cent, and ARPU grew 11 per cent to IDR32,700. The company said it expects to increase capex this year, with a focus on developing mobile coverage in high-growth areas, and improving quality and coverage of its existing network.
12:01
Ericsson, Volvo handoff cars between 5G networks
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Ericsson and Volvo Cars hailed key progress towards delivering 5G connectivity in vehicles after a trial in which they passed cars off from one compatible network to another. In a trial at a Swedish race track, moving vehicles were handed off between a pair of 5G networks. The technology was used to provide up-to-date HD maps to drivers, with edge computing employed to provide contextual information about the destination or environment around the vehicle. The handoff could prove a key step towards enabling cross-border connectivity in vehicles, a feature tipped as critical to the success and safety of 5G in the global automotive manufacturing sector. “Sharing an updated map with other cars is a latency-sensitive task and requires high network performance within and across multiple networks”, said Mikael Prytz, Ericsson research director in business area Networks. Ericsson added for 5G vehicles to realise their potential, autonomous and connected cars will need to behave as clusters rather than individual units. The test Ericsson conducted with Volvo was part of 5GCroCo, a European Union-funded project to trial the next-generation technology in a corridor connecting France, Germany and Luxembourg. Ericsson is also active in the 5G Automotive Association and the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium, a cross-industry association working to build the connected car ecosystem.
12:01
Tencent boosts investment in high-growth verticals
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Tencent chairman and CEO Pony Ma laid out plans to up investment in various verticals where it sees expanding opportunities, alongside a CNY50 billion ($7.8 billion) investment in an organisation handling the company's corporate social responsibility and charitable activities. In its Q1 earnings statement, Ma explained a global digital transformation remained nascent and Tencent plans investment in areas with the greatest long-term potential. These sectors include business services, enterprise software, games and short-form video. President Martin Lau stated Tencent is upping staff numbers and infrastructure to drive uptake of business services, and making long-term investments to develop large-scale, high-production value games. Funding for the new Sustainable Social Value Organisation will be covered by investment gains and focus on areas including basic science, education innovation, rural revitalisation and carbon neutrality. Q1 Net profit increased 65 per cent year-on-year to CNY47.8 billion, driven by what Ma branded “meaningful value appreciation” in its investment portfolio, and growth in its gaming and fintech units. Revenue rose 25 per cent to CNY135.3 billion. Mobile games revenue climbed 19.4 per cent to CNY41.5 billion; PC client games was flat at CNY11.9 billion; online advertising increased 23 per cent to CNY21.8 billion; and fintech and business services rose 47 per cent to CNY39 billion. Monthly active users of messaging service WeChat and Chinese version Weixin grew 3.3 per cent to 1.24 billion, while the number accessing messaging platform QQ on a phone fell 12.6 per cent to 606.4 million.
11:22
Google renueva Android y muestra novedades en IA
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En su certamen anual Google I/O, la empresa ha presentado el nuevo diseño de su sistema operativo Android, ha lanzado nuevas herramientas de colaboración para el teletrabajo, detallado una integración con Samsung y mostrado un sistema de inteligencia artificial llamado LaMDA. Google afirma que el rediseño de Android hace que el sistema operativo sea más expresivo, dinámico y personal. La expresividad se logra mediante botones más grandes, una característica que puede no ser universalmente popular porque puede reducir el número visible en la pantalla. El dinamismo se manifiesta, según Google, en unos tiempos de respuesta más rápidos y más animación. El futuro Android 12 también contará con control de voz, que permite a los usuarios realizar llamadas o leer texto manteniendo presionado el botón de inicio. Las opciones de personalización le dan a cada teléfono una apariencia única al usar los colores de la imagen de fondo de la pantalla de inicio como punto de partida para ajustar el aspecto de los botones, las aplicaciones y los widgets. [youtube [https:] Además del nuevo diseño, Google asegura haber reducido el tiempo de CPU necesario para los servicios centrales de Android, lo que resultará en una mayor duración de la batería. Google, que ya había declarado anteriormente que sus empleados podrían seguir practicando el teletrabajo, ha profundizado en la integración entre sus servicios de reuniones y de documentos para permitir que los participantes en una videollamada colaboren en tiempo real sobre en el mismo papeleo. La compañía también ha revelado que sus ingenieros están colaborando estrechamente con los desarrolladores de Samsung, el mayor fabricante de teléfonos Android, con el fin de combinar el sistema operativo Wear OS de Google con la plataforma Tizen de Samsung para dispositivos ponibles. Uno de los momentos más intrigantes de la presentación de Google I/O ha sido la demostración de su inteligencia artificial LaMDA, que mantuvo dos conversaciones habladas con personas reales, aplicando una cadencia, una expresión y un contenido enormemente realistas. Google officially announces #LaMDA [1] 🔹A review of its Artificial Intelligence designed 🔹Ensures more natural conversations 🔹Pretend to be things 🔹Uses information from Google search to enhance the conversation 🔹Currently works with texts only#GoogleIO [2] #GoogleIO2021 [3] pic.twitter.com/GuZNffTrpk [4] — Piyush Bhasarkar (@IndianTech_1) May 18, 2021 [5] [https:] [6] Google ha señalado que la seguridad es uno de los ámbitos en que la IA está ayudando más a las personas, recordando que su servicio Gmail detecta y rechaza automáticamente cada día 100 millones de correos electrónicos de phishing. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:] [4] [https:] [5] [https:] [6] [https:]
11:22
GameBench confirma las ventajas de la banda media 5G en los juegos para móvil
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Un estudio realizado por GameBench concluye que el espectro 5G de banda media ofrece una mejor experiencia en juegos que el de banda baja, y que su rendimiento en los juegos en la nube es comparable al de una conexión de banda ancha mediante Wi-Fi. La firma produce software para medir el rendimiento de las aplicaciones. En una prueba efectuada con el juego Destiny 2 en la plataforma de nube Stadia de Google, en Los Ángeles, ha concluido que el espectro de 2500 MHz ofrece el mejor rendimiento general, por encima de la banda ancha móvil que usa 600 MHz y la banda ancha de línea fija a la que se accede por Wi-Fi. En las pruebas de juegos se ha utilizado el smartphone Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G de Samsung. Usando el espectro de banda media, GameBench ha logrado una tasa de animación típica de 59fps, igual a la de la banda ancha fija. El peor resultado ha sido de 57fps, claramente superior a los 40fps de la opción Wi-Fi. Esta última también se ha visto eclipsada por el espectro de banda baja, que ha ofrecido 42fps en su peor momento y una media de 54fps. La variabilidad de la tasa de imágenes ha sido cuatro veces peor en el espectro de banda baja que en el de banda media. Por otra parte, GameBench ha calificado la banda media y el Wi-Fi como “ultra” en lo que denomina experiencia de fluidez en animación, mientras que considera que la banda baja es “buena”. En la clasificación de la experiencia de latencia en el juego, ninguno de los tres medios de conectividad se sitúa en la categoría ultra, si bien el Wi-Fi ha superado a las dos opciones móviles.
11:22
Foxconn y Stellantis se alían en coches conectados
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Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) se ha asociado con el fabricante de automóviles Stellantis para colaborar en el desarrollo de cabinas digitales para automóviles. Las dos empresas prevén que tal colaboración acelerará el lanzamiento de tecnologías avanzadas para vehículos y coches conectados. La empresa conjunta que han decidido crear, Mobile Drive, se centrará en el desarrollo de plataformas de infoentretenimiento, telemática y servicios en la nube, y la 5G y la IA serán piedras angulares de su estrategia. Si bien Stellantis es una de las principales firmas de automoción en todo el mundo, creada en 2021 mediante la fusión de Fiat Chrysler y PSA Group, Mobile Drive quiere hacer negocios con múltiples empresas. Foxconn participa en la nueva firma conjunta a través de su filial FIH Mobile, la misma que fabrica los iPhones de Apple. La empresa ya contribuye a la iniciativa Airflow Vision de Stellantis para la creación de vehículos Jeep híbridos. Carlos Tavares, consejero delegado de Stellantis, señala que las funcionalidades incorporadas a los vehículos que “mejoran la vida del cliente” son ahora tan importantes como “un diseño bonito o una tecnología innovadora”. El acuerdo llega en buen momento para Foxconn. La GSMA prevé que el mercado de vehículos conectados alcanzará un valor de 200.000 millones de dólares (casi 164.000 millones de euros) en 2025.
11:21
Rakuten Mobile desarrolla sus alianzas con Fujitsu y NEC
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La operadora japonesa Rakuten Mobile se ha aliado con suministradores nacionales para trabajar en RAN abierta. Mediante dos declaraciones distintas, ha indicado que colaborará con Fujitsu y con NEC para desarrollar y comercializar en los mercados mundiales su plataforma de comunicaciones móviles, nativa en la nube y virtualizada en su integridad. Rakuten indica que Fujitsu desarrollará unidades de radio 4G y 5G para la Plataforma de Comunicaciones Rakuten (conocida por las siglas inglesas RCP) y que se van a establecer planes de lanzamiento conjuntos para todo el planeta. Fujitsu ya suministra pruebas de evaluación para la verificación de las interconexiones en entornos con varios proveedores, así como de corroboración de la calidad del hardware. Tareq Amin, director de Tecnología de Rakuten Mobile, ha declarado que “al contar con la calidad japonesa y una estructura de costes sumamente competitiva como principales diferenciadores, nuestros esfuerzos conjuntos con Fujitsu podrían aportar un valor incremental significativo a nuestros clientes y socios en el mundo entero”. Amin afirma que existe una fuerte demanda de radios de elevado rendimiento, rentables y de alta calidad para LTE y 5G, basadas en la RAN abierta y virtualizada. Rakuten Mobile explica en otra declaración que su acuerdo con NEC amplía la alianza establecida en 2020 para desarrollar una red troncal 5G autónoma, y proporciona radios y servicios de ingeniería para sistemas de RAN abierta que aceleran el despliegue de la RCP fuera de Japón. Atsuo Kawamura, vicepresidente ejecutivo de NEC, explica que el acuerdo reforzará la contribución de las empresas a las redes móviles abiertas y virtuales. Rakuten Mobile seleccionó a NEC [1] como proveedor de equipos 5G en 2019. [1] [https:]
11:20
La GSMA reclama el uso de la banda de 6 GHz para la 5G
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La asociación industrial GSMA ha pedido a los gobiernos que abran una cantidad suficiente de espectro de 6 GHz a la concesión de licencias de 5G, y advierten de que en caso contrario las perspectivas de dicha tecnología en todo el mundo podrían empeorar. La GSMA destaca que las redes 5G solo alcanzarán su velocidad y capacidades plenas mediante el espectro de banda media de 6 GHz, y ruega a los gobiernos que reserven por lo menos el espectro de 6425-7125 MHz para la 5G sujeta a licencia. Así mismo, la entidad ha afirmado mediante una declaración que la banda de 6 GHz es esencial para que las operadoras proporcionen una “conectividad mejorada y asequible”, y también para el desarrollo de ciudades, transportes y fábricas inteligentes, porque permite acceder a las velocidades de datos y la capacidad de la 5G. También ha citado a Coleago Consulting, que estima que las redes 5G necesitarán 2 GHz de espectro de banda media para aprovechar todo su potencial durante la próxima década. John Giusti, director de Regulación de la GSMA, explica que la 5G “podría incrementar el PIB mundial en 2,2 billones de dólares (aproximadamente 1,8 billones de euros)”, pero añade que dicho “crecimiento podría peligrar si no se dispone de suficiente espectro de 6 GHz”. Coordinación en torno a los 6 GHz La Asociación insta a los gobiernos a coordinarse para la concesión de licencias de espectro de 6 GHz y ha señalado que existen divergencias, porque China planea utilizar la totalidad de los 1.200 MHz disponibles en la banda, mientras que Europa solo le dedicará la franja superior, y Estados Unidos y la mayor parte de América Latina estudian su utilización en Wi-Fi y otras tecnologías no sujetas a licencia. Además, afirma que las autoridades también deberían proteger los servicios de backhaul y, en función de las necesidades de los países, abrir el espectro de 5925-6425 MHz en régimen de exención de licencia, manteniéndose neutrales en cuanto a la tecnología usada.
11:10
Vantage augura nuevas fusiones y adquisiciones de torres en Europa
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Vivek Badrinath, consejero delegado de Vantage Towers –filial del grupo Vodafone–, ha señalado que se esperan nuevas operaciones en el mercado europeo de infraestructuras durante los próximos 12 meses, porque las operadoras siguen estudiando qué pueden hacer con sus activos pasivos. En la primera teleconferencia sobre resultados anuales efectuada desde que la empresa salió a bolsa, se le ha preguntado a Badrinath por una posible alianza con otros pesos pesados europeos como Orange o Deutsche Telekom. El directivo ha respondido que varias operadoras están estudiando qué hacer con las torres de telecomunicaciones que poseen en Europa. Si bien ha aclarado que su firma “no tiene ningún acuerdo sobre la mesa” con Orange o DT sobre sus respectivos activos, ha reconocido que circulan rumores sobre la posibilidad de que dichas firmas estén abiertas a un acuerdo. Pero ha añadido que ambas deberían empezar por “finalizar lo que comenzaron” con sus propios activos en torres. Aparte de posibles fusiones y adquisiciones, el directivo ha señalado las oportunidades de ingresos derivadas de la subasta de espectro que se está llevando a cabo en Portugal y de la nueva firma que entrará en el mercado como consecuencia, así como del proceso de asignación de frecuencias que ha culminado recientemente en la República Checa. Badrinath ha destacado que Vantage Towers tiene un papel clave en hacer posibles los despliegues de la siguiente generación en Europa y la califica de “superanfitrión de la 5G” en el continente. Ha añadido que está bien preparada para sacar partido de las tendencias digitales en la región europea. “La transformación digital de Europa se acelera y somos fundamentales en su desarrollo.” “Las operadoras de telefonía móvil amplían sus redes para gestionar el creciente tráfico de datos y valoran la calidad de nuestra red.” Una de las áreas de crecimiento prioritarias de la empresa es el suministro de “soluciones duraderas para cobertura 5G en interiores”. En su cuarto trimestre fiscal (hasta finales de marzo), ha firmado un acuerdo con la firma húngara Delta, especializada en integración de sistemas, que trabaja sobre todo en productos DAS y redes privadas para la industria.
11:09
Twitter prepara un modelo de suscripción con varios niveles
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Twitter prepara un servicio de suscripción de pago con un modelo de precios por niveles, en el marco de sus esfuerzos por ampliar las fuentes de ingresos y compensar la desaceleración prevista en el crecimiento del número de usuarios. Jane Manchun Wong, investigadora especializada en seguridad, que se dedica a hallar nuevas funciones en las aplicaciones antes de su confirmación oficial mediante reversión de código, ha revelado que dicho servicio de suscripción ofrecerá funcionalidades diversas según el nivel de precio. Según Wong, el servicio se llamará Twitter Blue y cree que sus precios partirán de 2,99 dólares (unos 2,5 euros) mensuales. Según parece, Twitter Blue permitirá a los usuarios revertir la publicación de sus tuits y guardarlos agrupados en colecciones, entre otras opciones. Wong pronostica un servicio prémium con noticias sin anuncios, aludiendo a la reciente adquisición de la empresa de eliminación de ventanas emergentes Scroll por parte de Twitter. Jack Dorsey, consejero delegado de la firma, anunció en junio de 2020 que se estaba sopesando un modelo de suscripción, entre otras opciones para incrementar los ingresos.
11:08
Samsung invertirá otros 28.000 millones de euros en chips lógicos
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Samsung ha destinado una inversión adicional de 38 billones de wones surcoreanos (unos 27.500 millones de euros) a reforzar la investigación en chips que no son de memoria y a construir una nueva planta de producción, elevando con ello su inversión total prevista en dicho sector a 171 billones de wones surcoreanos (casi 124.000 millones de euros) de aquí al año 2030. La firma también ha anunciado que empezará a construir en Pyeongtaek una línea de producción de DRAM de 14 nm y semiconductores lógicos de 5nm. Se prevé que entre en funcionamiento para el segundo semestre de 2022. Kim Ki-nam, director de la división Device Solutions de Samsung, ha explicado en una declaración que el sector de semiconductores “se enfrenta a un momento decisivo”, lo que implica que ya es hora de “trazar un plan de estrategia e inversión a largo plazo”. La inversión citada parte del compromiso adoptado por Samsung en 2019 de inyectar 133 billones de wones surcoreanos (más de 96.000 millones de euros) a sus divisiones System LSI y Foundry, con el objetivo de convertirse en el principal fabricante mundial de chips lógicos para 2030. Samsung explica que ha trabajado en estrecha colaboración con académicos, diseñadores de semiconductores y fabricantes de componentes y equipamiento a fin de avanzar hacia sus objetivos. Kim ha anunciado que la empresa seguirá efectuando inversiones preventivas que la ayuden a conservar el liderazgo en la industria de chips de memoria. Los principales fabricantes de chips de todo el mundo están tratando de incrementar su capacidad de producción para aliviar la escasez de chips que afecta a varios sectores. Samsung advirtió recientemente [1] de que dicha escasez seguiría afectando a sus beneficios en el trimestre en curso. [1] [https:]
11:00
La GSMA detalla su plan para el MWC21
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John Hoffman, consejero delegado de GSMA Ltd (en la foto, a la derecha), ha asegurado que la organización será pionera en la industria acogiendo a más de 35.000 asistentes en el MWC21 que tendrá lugar en Barcelona el mes próximo. También ha dado a conocer la intención de donar 300.000 euros a las iniciativas de la ciudad para combatir el Covid-19. En el curso de una conferencia de prensa junto al director general de la GSMA, Mats Granryd (a la izquierda de la foto), Hoffman ha pronosticado que el MWC21 será el certamen presencial más concurrido que haya tenido lugar desde hace más de un año, ya que se espera que asistan entre 35.000 y 50.000 personas. En él participarán físicamente más de 300 expositores, a los que hay que añadir entre 300 y 400 más del certamen paralelo 4YFN para empresas incipientes. Al tratarse de un certamen híbrido, también habrá “miles” de personas más viéndolo y participando a través de internet, lo que hace que sea “tan histórico estar de vuelta como reunir de nuevo a tantas personas para hacer negocios”, ha declarado Hoffman. Los directivos de la GSMA también han elogiado los esfuerzos de los socios locales para traer de vuelta el certamen tras la cancelación del mismo en 2020 debido a la pandemia, y han desvelado la iniciativa Give to Get Back dirigida a los profesionales de una serie de industrias verticales locales. En el marco del plan, la GSMA ofrece a 30.000 personas que trabajan en 11 sectores empresariales locales, entre ellos la banca, el transporte, la educación y la manufactura, la oportunidad de asistir al congreso por 21 euros. Los beneficios que se obtengan con ello, hasta un máximo de 300.000 euros, serán donados a los fondos locales de lucha contra la Covid-19. Según Hoffman, la iniciativa se enmarca en el deseo de la GSMA de "combatir la Covid-19" junto a Barcelona y garantizar una presencia activa de los profesionales locales en el certamen. Protección Granryd ha indicado "la seguridad es la zona cero" del MWC21 y que la empresa confía en su plan de pruebas para garantizar un desarrollo del certamen en condiciones seguras. GSMA ha optado por no depender de las vacunas debido a las diferencias entre los diversos programas actualmente en curso en el mundo. En su lugar se ofrecerá un entorno seguro mediante el uso obligatorio de mascarillas, ventilación reforzada, pruebas a los asistentes, distanciamiento social y un entorno completamente exento de contacto. Según Granryd habrá 600 ponentes a lo largo de la semana, de los que 300 serán nivel directivo o superior. La mayoría (70%) intervendrán en persona. Tanto Granryd como Hoffman han asegurado "comprender" que firmas tan importantes como Ericsson y Nokia hayan optado por no asistir [1], indicando que las empresas han tomado las decisiones que debían tomar. “No tenemos nada que decir al respecto. También hay muchas otras empresas interesantes e innovadoras que sí van a asistir”, ha dicho Granyrd. La conferencia de prensa de GSMA sobre el MWC21 ha tenido lugar al día siguiente de que la IFA 2021, prevista para septiembre [2] en Berlín, fuera cancelada debido a "nuevas incertidumbres sanitarias en el mundo". [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
10:25
Australia operators warned on ID check failures
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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) warned Telstra, Optus and Medion Mobile over failures to adhere to subscriber verification rules, breaches which could cost the operators AUD250,000 ($193,599) apiece. ACMA stated Optus failed to follow the regulations one time, with 53 breaches by Medion Mobile and 52 Telstra during checks in mid-2020. The operators failed to verify customer's identities before transferring their phone number from other service providers. The regulator introduced a new standard [1] requiring operators to implement multifactor authentication before transferring a phone number to help curb phone scams. ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin explained the rules "help prevent scammers from taking control of people’s identities to commit serious financial crimes". “Historically it has been too easy to transfer phone numbers from one telco to another. All a scammer needed to hijack a mobile number and access personal information like bank details was a name, address and date of birth.” ACMA added reports of fraud have fallen since the rules were implemented. [1] [https:]
9:03
Don’t miss! New #MWLThemedWeek
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Don’t miss! New #MWLThemedWeek
May 20, 2021
17:52
India threatens action over WhatsApp privacy change
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India's government reportedly warned it would take steps against WhatsApp if it failed to address a request to withdraw an updated privacy policy introduced less than a week ago. The Times of India stated the Facebook subsidiary had seven days to reply to a notice issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asking for the policy to be abandoned over claims it violated national laws. The government also plans to consider various options to counteract the update, claiming user choice and privacy rights were undermined by the change. In March, the Competition Commission of India initiated a probe [1] into the update. WhatsApp told The Times of India the update did not impact private messages and instead focuses on providing information on options for users to contact businesses. The change caused controversy due to concerns it granted WhatsApp parent Facebook access to users' private data, along with a warning from the messaging unit of service disruption if users did not accept the updated terms. This resulted in a delay [2] in introducing the change, which was originally scheduled for February. WhatsApp eventually implemented the change on 15 May. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
17:34
ByteDance CEO steps aside for fellow founder
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ByteDance co-founder and CEO Zhang Yiming revealed plans to quit as chief at the end of the year, with long-term business partner Liang Rubo set to take the reins. In a letter to employees Zhang said the move would allow him to focus on long-term initiatives at the company rather than day-to-day tasks, pointing to a desire to investigate future technologies and drive social initiatives. He admitted there had been a lack of movement on his existing aims of pursuing strategic opportunities, organisational management and social responsibility at the business. In the frank note, the executive said he wanted to avoid falling into the trap of being an “overly central" CEO who spent his time "listening to presentations, handling approvals, and making decisions reactively”. “This leads to an over-reliance on existing ideas already in the company, and results in knowledge structures being slow to iterate,” he added. Zhang said there are “still many things that we need to improve, and I think someone else can better drive progress through areas like improved daily management”. “The truth is, I lack some of the skills that make an ideal manager,” Zhang added. “I'm more interested in analysing organisational and market principles, and leveraging these theories to further reduce management work, rather than actually managing people.” New chief Liang co-founded ByteDance with Zhang in 2012 and is currently head of HR. He will take over fully after a six-month transition period. ByteDance runs a number of apps including TikTok [1] and Chinese variant Douyin, along with enterprise platform Lark. [1] [https:]
15:43
La GSMA finalise ses préparatifs pour le MWC21 de Barcelone
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Dans le cadre d’une conférence de presse, Mats Granryd et John Hoffman, respectivement directeur général de la GSMA et pdg de GSMA Ltd, ont présenté le MWC21 de Barcelone comme le plus grand salon organisé en présentiel depuis plus d’un an, avec 35 000 à 50 000 participants attendus. Plus de 300 exposants seront physiquement présents, auxquels s’ajouteront 300 à 400 autres inscrits pour l’événement parallèle destiné aux start-ups, 4YFN. Le MWC21 étant proposé sous un format hybride, des milliers d’autres participants pourront assister et participer à l’événement en ligne, marquant « un retour historique », selon John Hoffman. John Hoffman et Mats Granryd ont loué par ailleurs les efforts des partenaires locaux de l’association pour renouer avec la longue série des MWC de Barcelone après l’annulation de l’édition 2020 pour cause de pandémie. Les deux cadres de la GSMA en ont profité pour présenter une nouvelle initiative en faveur de l’industrie locale, baptisée Give to Get Back. Dans le cadre de ce plan, la GSMA offre à 30 000 personnes travaillant dans 11 secteurs différents (banque, transports, éducation, fabrication…) une chance d’assister au MWC21 pour 21 euros. Les 300 000 euros attendus de l’opération seront versés à des fonds locaux voués à la récupération économique. John Hoffman explique que l’initiative souligne le désir qu’à la GSMA de « combattre la Covid-19 » avec Barcelone tout en s’assurant d’une forte présence locale à l’événement. Protection Mats Granryd a rappelé que la « sécurité est le fondement » du MWC21 et l’association a confiance dans son plan de test pour assurer un déroulement parfaitement sûr. M.Granryd précise que la GSMA a décidé de ne pas baser son plan sanitaire sur la vaccination, en raison des grandes différences constatées d’un pays à l’autre. Les garanties nécessaires en matière de sécurité seront basées sur le port obligatoire du masque, une ventilation renforcée, les tests réguliers des participants, la distanciation sociale et un environnement sans contact tactile. M.Granryd a ajouté que 600 personnes prendront la parole pendant la semaine, dont 300 cadres supérieurs. La majorité (70%) seront présents en personne. Les deux dirigeants de la GSMA ont par ailleurs pris note de la décision de grandes sociétés comme Ericsson et Nokia de ne pas être présentes, expliquant que les entreprises ont leurs raisons, mais que quantité d’autres sociétés intéressantes et innovantes seront présentes. La conférence de presse de la GSMA s’est tenue un jour après l’annonce de l’annulation de l’IFA 2021 de Berlin prévue en septembre « à cause des incertitudes portant sur la situation sanitaire mondiale ».
14:24
Telecom Italia confident on hitting annual goals
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Telecom Italia expressed confidence in achieving its full-year targets despite revenue remaining flat at €3.8 billion in Q1, citing moves to accelerate digital transformation and strategic agreements reached during the period. It highlighted a new Beyond Connectivity strategy, covering the period to end-2023, as a main driver of digital services, and agreements made in the consumer and business markets. During the period it completed an acquisition of Italian ICT services provider Noovle [1] and a deal covering its fixed broadband unit FiberCop [2]. Telecom Italia also noted stabilisation in its fixed service revenue and “greater satisfaction and loyalty in the mobile market”, with churn at its lowest level in 14 years. The operator recorded a 30 per cent growth in revenue linked to cloud and IT services, driven by a partnership with Google Cloud [3]. Service revenue rose in Brazil due to a “strong commercial performance” in the customer base and average price fields. Financials Telecom Italia booked a decline of nearly 9 per cent year-on-year in operating costs in its home market. Domestic revenue was flat at €3.1 billion, with Brazil up 3 per cent to €658 million. Overall service revenue was €3.4 billion, down 2.5 per cent. It fell to a net loss of €216 million compared with a €560 million profit, citing costs associated with job cuts planned for the current quarter. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:]
14:09
Deutsche Telekom eyes 5G, fibre lead
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Deutsche Telekom outlined a five-point action plan to accelerate growth by 2024, focusing on 5G investment, fibre and driving digitalisation across Germany. At its Capital Markets Day, the company said it was targeting revenue growth of between 1 per cent and 2 per cent, profit increases of between 3 per cent and 5 per cent, and free cash flow of more than €18 billion, compared with €6.3 billion in 2020. It aims to increase shareholder dividend from €1.20 to more than €1.75. To achieve its targets, the company said it wanted to become the number one player in fibre and 5G, with an expectation the latter will cover 97 per cent of Germany’s population in three years time. Another objective is to boost the number of households in Germany and its European segment on combined fixed and mobile packages. It is also targeting leadership in B2B, increasing sustainability efforts by becoming climate neutral on emissions by 2025, and driving digitalisation to transform network, technology, IT and operations. “We step up our efforts,” said CEO Timotheus Hoettges. “We want to outperform the strong development of the last few years and lead the group into the future with sustainable growth.”
14:01
Operators back Qualcomm role in open RAN path
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Global operators welcomed a push by Qualcomm [1] around open RAN 5G networks, highlighting the importance of the approach for broader vendor choice and enhanced network capabilities. At Qualcomm’s annual 5G Summit, Vodafone Group head of network architecture Santiago Tenorio (pictured) cited a recent move with the US chipmaker covering joint development of open RAN reference designs [2] as a key step. “Now, for the first time, we are not just competing in catching up with the incumbent architecture. I think we have a reasonable chance to actually overtake the performance of the incumbent architecture and come up with solutions that are open RAN-based and perform better”, Tenorio explained. He noted Qualcomm aimed to accelerate 5G Massive MIMO, a step required to roll out open RAN and enter dense urban deployments. Collaboration NTT Docomo EVP and CTO Naoki Tani said the company partnered with Qualcomm as part of a coalition formed [3] in February. The operator has “high expectations” for Qualcomm’s plans to deliver “radio unit platforms with Massive MIMO capabilities”. He said those are needed in scenarios of high capacity, such as in dense urban environments. “It’s important for operators to swiftly and flexibly provide the infrastructure, settings and the quality to meet” diverse customer demands, the Docomo executive added. Deutsche Telekom SVP of group technology innovation Arash Ashouriha explained the company was exploring ways to incorporate Qualcomm’s technology within its open RAN strategy. He noted the “software and hardware decoupling” with open RAN will create “a much richer ecosystem”, and thus had formed a fundamental part of the operator's strategy for some time. Deutsche Telekom planned to test the approach “in the real life” by launching the first phase of an “open RAN town” in Germany in the next few months. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:]
13:00
GSMA lays out plan for MWC21
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John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd (pictured, right), claimed the organisation will be an industry trailblazer as it prepares to host more than 35,000 attendees at MWC21 in Barcelona next month, while revealing plans to donate €300,000 to the city’s local Covid-19 (coronavirus) recovery effort. Hosting a press conference alongside GSMA director general Mats Granryd (pictured, left), Hoffman predicted MWC21 would be the largest face-to-face event taking place in more than year, with 35,000 to 50,000 expected to walk through the doors. More than 300 exhibitors will participate physically, with 300 to 400 more in the sister start-up event 4YFN. As a hybrid event, "thousands" more will also be watching and participating online, making it “historic to be back, historic how many people will participate, back together to do business”, Hoffman said. The GSMA executives also hailed the efforts of local partners to bring the event back following cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic, unveiling a Give to Get Back initiative targeting local industry sector verticals. As part of the plan, the GSMA is offering 30,000 people working in 11 local industry verticals including banking, transportation, education and manufacturing the chance to attend the event for €21. The proceeds of this, up to €300,000, will then be donated to local Covid-19 recovery funds. Hoffman said this was part of the GSMA’s desire to “fight Covid-19" with Barcelona, and ensure a vibrant local presence at the event. Protection Granryd said “safety is ground zero” for MWC21 and the company was confident in its testing plan to ensure a safe event. He said GSMA opted not to rely on vaccines due to differences in global programmes. Instead, a safe and secure environment would be delivered through mandatory wearing of face masks, layers of ventilation, attendee testing, social distancing and an entirely touchless show. Granryd said there would be 600 speakers across the week, with 300 of director level or above. The majority (70 per cent) will attend in-person. The pair said they were "fine" with recent decisions by high-profile companies including Ericsson and Nokia not to attend, stating businesses had made decisions they needed to take. “We cannot say anything. There are plenty of cool, forward leaning companies that are attending,” said Granyrd. GSMA’s MWC21 press conference comes a day after IFA 2021 in Berlin, scheduled for September, was cancelled due to “new global health uncertainties”.
11:51
Telefonica, Liberty Global to finalise UK merger
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Telefonica and Liberty Global pressed-on with plans to complete a massive UK tie-up by the start of June, after receiving the final go-ahead from the country’s competition regulator. In a joint statement, Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries and Telefonica CEO Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete called the clearance of the deal a watershed for the UK market, and reiterated aims to up investment and competition [1] in fibre and 5G. The comments came after the UK Competition and Markets Authority gave its final nod for the deal today (20 May), having announced its decision without conditions in April [2]. Initially its judgement was open to any final comments from interested parties before the case formally closed. Under the agreement, Liberty Global’s Virgin Media UK fixed and broadcast unit will be combined with Telefonica’s O2 UK with 50:50 ownership between the parent companies. The companies expect to achieve £6.2 billion in net synergy savings after integration costs and have claimed the new business will become a “national connectivity champion”. They expect to close the transaction “by 1 June”. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
11:38
AT&T pushes cybersecurity to public sector
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AT&T targeted growing security requirements created by public agency moves to shift operations and workloads to the cloud with a new cybersecurity platform compliant with the latest US government criteria. The operator's Threat Detection and Response for Government platform offers federal, state and local authorities compliance management, threat detection and incident response capabilities. AT&T noted the platform can be used to achieve compliance with the Federal Risk and Authorisation Management Programme, a scheme covering cloud security. The platform is purpose-built in the AWS GovCloud, but can be integrated with other IT and security tools. It offers interfaces for monitoring critical assets in the cloud and on premises including endpoints, networks, and cloud apps running in other cloud environments. AT&T based the platform on its current private sector offering built, in part, from assets attained when the operator acquired Alien Vault [1] in 2018. The US operator has worked to increase its visibility with public sector customers since winning the contract to deploy FirstNet public safety network: it noted more than 15,000 agencies and organisations have now subscribed to the service. In March, AT&T won a 12-year $231 million contract to provide cybersecurity services and network upgrades for the US treasury, which it followed with a $175 million network upgrade contract [2] for the Department of Transportation. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
11:00
ACMA fines Lycamobile over database breaches
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Australian MVNO Lycamobile paid a fine of AUD604,800 ($467,413) for failing to provide customer information to a database used by emergency services and not conducting the required ID checks for signing up new subscribers. In a statement, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) the fine formed part of an ongoing effort to maintain the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) in the interest of public safety, and follows action against several other operators since 2019. Its investigation into Lycamobile found “prolonged and large-scale customer data failures”, with inaccurate details for 245,902 subscribers and a failure to adequately verify the ID of 4,207 prepaid customers. The IPND is used by police, fire and ambulance services to respond to emergency calls from the public. Lycamobile is also required to implement changes to its systems and processes, based on the outcome of an independent audit. ACMA noted it could initiate court proceedings if the MVNO fails "to comply with its customer data or prepaid ID check obligations", with potential penalties of up to AUD250,000 per incident.
10:25
Optus lights first mmWave sites
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Australia-based Optus turned on its first 5G mmWave sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane using the 800MHz of 26GHz spectrum acquired in an auction [1] last month. The new sites cover four locations in Sydney, and one each in Melbourne and Brisbane: Optus stated more will be added in the coming weeks. Lambo Kanagaratnam, MD of networks, said it has been testing the new band for "many months", adding "mmWave is set to blow current mobile and home internet speeds out of the water, with the potential for multi-gigabit speeds which is much faster than what Australians are used to getting today”. Optus has more than 1,200 total 5G sites including the mmWave sites, and more than 1 million compatible devices on its network. Matt Williams, MD of marketing and revenue, said "demand from our customers for 5G capable devices has surged in recent months, with eight out of ten handsets" sold compatible with the technology. Optus secured mmWave licences in 116 blocks across the country for AUD226.2 million ($175.6 million) in the country’s first auction of the spectrum. The operator launched a dual-band 5G network [2] in Sydney on the 2300MHz and 3500MHz bands in early 2020. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
May 19, 2021
21:15
Deutsche Telekom, SoftBank tipped for T-Mobile trade
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Deutsche Telekom (DT) entered talks with SoftBank Group about buying the Japanese company's stake in T-Mobile US as the German incumbent considers increasing its ownership of the business, Bloomberg reported. The German operator currently owns 43 per cent of T-Mobile US and has a right to acquire up to 51 per cent of the company by purchasing the stake currently held by SoftBank. SoftBank gave Deutsche Telekom the option to purchase its shares last year. The Japanese operator has also given Deutsche Telekom the right to vote its shares, meaning that Deutsche Telekom has a controlling interest in T-Mobile US already. Deutsche Telekom has been T-Mobile US's controlling shareholder since acquiring the company in 2001. According to T-Mobile US, any acquisition of additional shares by Deutsche Telekom does not change T-Mobile US’s existing governance structure, which is already spelled out in a stockholders agreement. It could, however, give Deutsche Telekom a larger portion of T-Mobile US's profit. T-Mobile US has proven to be a top-earner [1] for DT, contributing more than half of its income in Q1. Deutsche Telekom could also pick up the extra shares at an attractive price. According to Bloomberg, SoftBank gave Deutsche Telekom the option to buy some of its shares for roughly $100 each. T-Mobile US stock is currently trading at around $135. [1] [https:]
May 17, 2021
19:28
Serie A, Google give piracy apps the boot
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Italian football league Serie A teamed with Google to combat piracy by seeking out Play Store apps which sidestep copyright rules by unlawfully reproducing content. The pair will use tools to monitor cases of copyright infringements by apps on the digital marketplace to increase protection on the platform. Serie A and Google acted after “a continuous and incessant battle” against audio-visual piracy which had already resulted in the removal of services from the Play Store following reports of illegal reproduction of the football league's content. Google VP and MD for Italy Fabio Vaccarono described the fight against piracy as a “constant commitment”, with the company developing “ad hoc” technologies and programmes to protect content owners. The league pledged to continue its own campaign agaisnt piracy. Other ongoing moves by Google to keep the Play Store clean include screening new apps for malware [1] and moves to clarify subscription terms [2]. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
19:17
GSMA seeks 6GHz boost for 5G
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Industry association GSMA called on governments to open sufficient amounts of 6GHz spectrum for licensing 5G, warning failure to do so could impede the future of the technology on a global level. The Association highlighted the full speed and capabilities of next-generation networks relies on 6GHz mid-band spectrum as it called for governments to make at least the 6425MHz to 7125MHz range available for licensed 5G. In a statement, the GSMA described the 6GHz band as essential for operators to provide “enhanced affordable connectivity” and also for the development of smart cities, transport and factories by unlocking the data rates and capacity of 5G. It also cited estimates by Coleago Consulting that 5G networks will need 2GHz of mid-band spectrum in the next decade to deliver on its full potential. GSMA chief regulatory officer John Giusti stated 5G "has the potential to boost the world’s GDP by $2.2 trillion", but added there is a "clear threat to this growth if sufficient 6GHz spectrum is not made available”. Approach to 6GHz The Association urged governments to align their approaches to licensing 6GHz spectrum, noting there is already divergence, with China planning to use the full 1200MHz available in the band; Europe considering the upper portion only; and the US and most of Latin America exploring uses for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed technologies. It added authorities must also protect backhaul services and, depending on countries’ needs, to open the 5925MHz to 6425MHz portion on a licence-exempt basis with technology neutral rules.
13:17
Twitter tipped for tiered subscription model
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Twitter was tipped to be readying a tiered pricing model for a paid subscription service being developed as part of efforts to expand revenue streams and offset a predicted slowdown in user number [1] growth. Front-end engineer and security researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who discovers new features in apps before they're officially confirmed through reversing code, disclosed the subscription service will offer various features depending on the tier. Wong wrote the service would be named Twitter Blue. Pricing is expected to start at $2.99 per month. Options within Twitter Blue are tipped to include allowing users to unpublish posts and save tweets into collections. Wong predicted a premium-tier service would offer advert-free news, citing a recent acquisition of pop-up removal company Scroll by Twitter. In July 2020, the company CEO Jack Dorsey revealed the company was considering a subscription model [2] among other options to increase revenue. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
12:59
Vantage chief prepared for further European tower M&A
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Vivek Badrinath, CEO of Vodafone Group spin-off Vantage Towers, outlined an expectation of further movement on deals in Europe's infrastructure market in the next 12 months, as operators continue to mull the future of their passive assets. Responding to a question on a potential tie-up with fellow European heavyweights Orange or Deutsche Telekom (DT) posed during the company’s first annual results call since its IPO [1], Badrinath said several operators were considering what to do with their towers in Europe [2]. Though clarifying there was “no deal on the table” with either Orange or DT on their respective assets, he acknowledged there were rumours both were open to a potential arrangement. But he added the companies would need to “complete their journeys [3]” with their tower assets first. Outside of potential M&A, the executive pointed to revenue opportunities resulting from an ongoing spectrum auction in Portugal [4] and its resultant new entrant, alongside a recently-completed frequency allocation process in the Czech Republic. Badrinath noted Vantage Towers was a key enabler for next-generation rollouts in Europe dubbing it the continent’s “5G super host”, adding it was well poised to take advantage of digital trends on the continent. “Europe’s digital transformation is accelerating, and we are central to its growth.” “Mobile operators are expanding their networks to manage increasing data traffic, and they value the quality of our grid.” Among the company’s priority growth areas is in the delivery of “future-proof 5G indoor coverage solutions” after signing a deal in its fiscal Q4 (to end-March) with Hungarian systems integrator Delta, focused on DAS products and private networks for industry. [1] [https:] [2] [https:] [3] [https:] [4] [https:]
12:32
Telenor advances multi-vendor SA 5G
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Telenor Group teamed with Enea to deploy its cloud-native data management system in the operator’s multi-vendor standalone (SA) 5G core initiative, seeking to boost network slicing use cases for telecom and enterprises. The Swedish cloud-native software provider stated it joined Telenor's SA 5G core effort, which spans multiple vendors and includes a proof-of-concept for a secure network being developed in partnership with operators and enterprises to boost innovation, reduce cost of ownership and cut time to market for new services. Telenor and Enea said the system is already being trialled by the Norwegian armed forces and is “a pioneering use case of network slicing in action”. Enea's cloud-native data management system includes its operator-grade fully secure Unified Data Manager (UDM), capable of supporting up to 10 billion data entries at a rate of 1 to 500,000 transactions per second. It explained the set-up delivers automated end-to-end encryption from the edge to the core. To provide data privacy, the UDM includes a built-in Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUCI) safeguarding user data. Sue Rudd, director of networks and service platforms at Strategy Analytics, said the collaboration demonstrates the “service flexibility” SA 5G can offer with end-to-end network slicing to unleash the economic potential for operators and enterprises. Telenor’s multi-vendor system also consists of systems from Oracle, Casa Systems, Kaloom and Red Hat.
11:31
Globe asseses satellite internet options
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Globe Telecom outlined efforts to use satellite technologies to connect rural areas where wired services aren’t available as part of an effort to deliver nationwide internet access. In a statement, the head of Globe Telecom’s broadband business explained satellite was a promising model with particular benefits in rural areas. Darius Delgado noted rural areas tend to have little “household density”, posing challenges to the rollout of wired services. The Philippines-based operator revealed it held discussions with suppliers of alternative broadband technologies using low and high-orbit satellites. It acknowledged the overall cost structure of building sites anchored on satellite services is a limitation, noting prices need to come down to be financially viable for serving the masses. Delgado argued speed is not the only factor in providing a good customer experience: “It’s really about having something relevant that we can serve up reliably to address customer needs.” The operator more than doubled its mobile site deployments in Q1 to 318, and upgraded more than 7,000 sites to LTE.
11:03
Samsung boosts logic chip investment by $34B
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Samsung earmarked an additional KRW38 trillion ($33.5 billion) investment to accelerate research of non-memory chips and build a new production facility, taking its total planned outlay in the segment to KRW171 trillion by 2030. The company also announced it is starting constructing a production line for 14nm DRAM and 5nm logic semiconductors in Pyeongtaek which is scheduled to come online in H2 2022. Kim Ki-nam, head of Samsung’s Device Solutions division, used a statement to explain the semiconductor industry “is facing a watershed moment”, meaning the time is right to “chart out a plan for long-term strategy and investment”. The investment builds on a commitment Samsung made in 2019 to pump KRW133 trillion [1] into its System LSI and Foundry units to become the leading manufacturer of logic chips by 2030. Samsung said it worked closely with semiconductor designers, component and equipment manufacturers, along with academia to progress its goal. Kim said it will continue to make pre-emptive investments to continue to lead the industry in memory. Major chipmakers globally are looking to ramp production capacities to ease chip shortages affecting several industries. Samsung recently warned of a continued impact [2] of the shortages to its earnings in the current calendar quarter. [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
10:37
True loss widens on spectrum, forex costs
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Thailand-based True Group booked a higher loss in Q1 due to greater foreign exchange losses and 5G spectrum costs. Net loss of THB581.4 million ($18.4 million) was up from THB161 in Q1 2020, on revenue of THB35.4 billion, up 1.7 per cent. Mobile service revenue was flat at THB19.9 billion and device sales were down 2.5 per cent to THB4.9 billion. The company stated post-paid subscriber acquisition remained strong, with 1.6 million added for a total of 10.2 million. Prepaid declined 3.3 per cent to 21 million. Blended mobile ARPU was stable at THB213. Broadband revenue increased 10.1 per cent to THB7.2 billion and pay-TV fell 1 per cent to THB2.59 billion. The operator noted its digital unit continued to strengthen its competitive edge and ecosystem, with media platform TrueID reporting video views per month increased to 240 million from 141 million and content subscriptions grew 55.4 per cent to 435,000. In the enterprise segment, True Digital Solutions connected more than 406,000 IoT endpoints and devices, up from 242,000.
10:17
AT&T agrees big Discovery media tie-up
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US operator AT&T agreed to combine its WarnerMedia unit with pay-TV broadcaster Discovery, a deal the pair claimed will create a global leader in entertainment. The companies jointly stated the deal involves combining WarnerMedia's premium entertainment, sports and news assets with similar Discovery businesses to create a standalone company. This new business will offer the "most differentiated content portfolio in the world". AT&T will receive $43 billion (subject to adjustment) comprised of cash, debt securities and WarnerMedia's retention of certain debt, while the operator's shareholders receive stock representing 71 per cent of the new company. Discovery shareholders will hold the remainder. The boards of both companies approved the move. AT&T and Discovery expect to accelerate plans to lead the direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming sector globally through combining leadership teams and content creators to deliver diverse programming. It will create a new rival to content giants Netflix and Disney by bringing together more than 100 brands such as HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, DC Comics, CNN, Cartoon Network, Food Network, the Turner Networks, Eurosport and Animal Planet. A name for the new entity will be unveiled within the next week. The new company is projected to bring in revenue of approximately $52 billion in 2023: there is also an expectation of at least $3 billion in cost synergies annually. AT&T added the deal was designed to unlock media assets, capitalise on streaming trends and position it as "the best capitalised 5G and fibre broadband" company in the US. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav will lead the new company, with its board initially comprising seven members appointed by AT&T and six by the pay-TV outfit. The deal is expected to close in mid-2022, subject to approval from Discovery shareholders and customary closing conditions. No vote is required by AT&T shareholders. Media moves AT&T completed an $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner [1] in 2018 and steadfastly defended its logic for the move, stating its wireless broadband and entertainment businesses are synergistic. The operator launched its HBO Max streaming service in May 2020 and later planned to issue new Warner Bros. Pictures films on the wireless service for a month as they were released in cinemas. Figures for Q1 show the streaming strategies appear to be paying off, with WarnerMedia revenue up almost 10 per cent year-on-year and its DTC subscription sales around 35 per cent higher. In February, AT&T detailed a spin-off of its DirecTV satellite business [2] into a company co-owned with private equity group TPG Capital which is expected to complete in H2 and net the operator $7.6 billion in cash. Additional reporting by US contributing editor Martha DeGrasse [1] [https:] [2] [https:]
May 16, 2021
13:14
ZTE NodeEngine Solution, Helps Small and Medium Enterprise to Embrace 5G Industry Transformation
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PARTNER FEATURE: Industrial private network has become one of the hottest applications of 5G technology, as it enables the kinds of latency, reliability, security, and capacity that previous infrastructure could not provide. To better support 5G in industrial applications, ZTE proposed the Precise RAN solution. Its core idea is through properly applying the radio network functions and reasonable allocating radio resources, industrial private 5G network can precisely match the diversified service requirements from different application scenarios. While ensuring high service quality, it also maintains a high efficiency of radio resource utilization. In this way, Precise RAN solution enables private 5G network with the necessary commercial competitiveness. Private 5G networks help industry customers to enable a lot of new use cases which will leverage industry automation and accelerate digital transformation. Though it is desirable for many industries, but the ordinary solutions available on the market can hold enterprise users back, especially medium- and small-sized ones (SME), due to their concerns about economic feasibility and management convenience. They require a private 5G network solution with lightweight deployment cost, fast service commissioning and adaptive SLA guaranteed. This is why ZTE NodeEngine solution was launched – the industry’s unique base station with built-in computing engine, featuring private network capability with just one additional board, thereby providing a cost-effective private 5G network solution. NodeEngine product is ZTE’s innovative practice of Precise RAN solution for SME category. It has enabled a greater number of SMEs and organizations from different industries to benefit from 5G technology. NodeEngine solution is developed on top of ZTE IT BBU platform which features all-RATs large capacity process. With just one additional board into BBU cabinet, a traditional BBU will be activated as the wireless brain of 5G industrial private network, providing local traffic offloading, local service identification, adaptive scheduling orchestration, visualized operation & maintenance, and other value-added services such as positioning, inter-connectivity between campus terminals. Compared with other private network solutions, such as edge UPF, slice based virtual private network, or dedicated physical RAN plus miniaturized 5GC, NodeEngine solution is especially desirable for SMEs. Following is a list of capabilities and advantages provided by NodeEngine solution: Simple deployment: NodeEngine deployment is based on operator’s public network. Just insert one board into existing BBU cabinet, no engineering survey or reconstruction, and no requirement of inter-operability between NodeEngine and core network, so to save tremendous time and efforts for IoT. Short lead time: With one board, one fiber, two IP address, NodeEngine service can be rapidly turned on within one hour. Precise SLA (Service level agreement) guarantee: With the capability of computing, storage and application acceleration, NodeEngine can satisfy the requirements of different applications through accurate QoS (Quality of Service) guarantee. Taking transmission of video streaming as an example, end-to-end video latency can be minimized to less than 100ms, meaning a latency reduction of around 80% with the NodeEngine’s video acceleration service. Self-operation and self-maintenance: After being authorized by operators, enterprises can manage the private network themselves. Self-service includes real-time monitoring of local applications and the configuration of network QoS parameters. Through the self-service portal, enterprises can manage the experience of key applications in the campus. Since the launch of NodeEngine solution in November 2020, ZTE have already incubated successful deployment across several commercial cases in China. The application scenarios covered a wide range of sectors including smart manufacturing, community security, smart mining and smart hospital. In addition, ZTE is actively negotiating with businesses in a range of industries, including steel factories, ports and stadiums, to expand the 5G usage. One of these examples is the smart manufacture project with Xin Feng Ming Group in Zhejiang. ZTE NodeEngine solution and 5G Standalone network provides customer with the private network in the factory and enables local applications. Using ZTE technology, they have successfully deployed automated guided vehicle (AGV), which is one of the typical applications for the transportation of goods indoors, and visual inspection to improve the efficiency and accuracy rate of chemical fiber inspection. Throughout the whole process, the deployment was simple within only one hour. In addition, the application can be transmitted over the private 5G network quickly and they can subscribe to guaranteed QoS for different applications according to their needs through the self-service portal. With NodeEngine solution, mobile edge computing power has never been so smoothly integrated into the current 5G networks. It effectively reduce the deployment and operation cost of 5G private networks. We believe NodeEngine will be a powerful tool in the digital transformation of vertical industry, and ZTE will continue to work with operators and vertical customers to accelerate digital transformation and build a global digital ecosystem.
13:09
ZTE Scores High Marks for BSIMM Assessment of Its 5G Products
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PRESS RELEASE: ZTE Corporation has completed the Building Security In Maturity Model 11 (BSIMM11) assessment of its full series of 5G products with Synopsys. ZTE, compared to all the BSIMM11 participants, achieves excellent performance in 10 out of 12 practices with well-above-average marks, indicating that its software security capability has attained the international leading level. BSIMM is one of the best security practice models in the industry. It was jointly developed by Synopsys and the BSIMM community in 2008 to help enterprises plan, execute, evaluate and improve their software security initiatives (SSIs). To date, the model has iterated up to 11 versions. It continuously summarizes and presents the latest insights into the implementation of SSIs from the industry perspective. BSIMM11 data comes from 130 participating organizations, mostly from the well-represented industries, including financial services, independent software vendors, healthcare, Internet of Things (IoT) and so on. As a driver of the digital economy, ZTE paves the way for industrial upgrades with innovation, ingenuity and patience, to empower all industries to accelerate their 5G digital transformation. Moving forward, ZTE will be committed to the security system and security practices, to provide global customers with secure and trustworthy products and services.
May 14, 2021
16:56
Orange set to trim Spanish staff
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Orange indicated it was set to begin negotiations with employees in Spain over plans to cut almost 500 jobs, stating structural changes were essential for it to compete against the numerous low-cost players in the market. In a translated statement, Orange Spain explained its plan would impact a maximum of 485 employees, equivalent to around six per cent of its total staff based on figures published alongside the operator group's Q1 results. “The telecommunications sector has been experiencing loss of income for years as a result of the hyper-competitiveness of the market and the number of low-cost players,” it added. “This poses a great challenge for the company that has been assuming intensive investments for more than 20 years and that needs to continue doing so in an environment of technological transition.” Changes will take place over the next two months following negotiations with employee representatives. Its move follows several financial statements where the company has cited fierce competition in Spain [1] for hampering group performance. Last month Orange CEO Stephane Richard said its recovery in the market was a priority. Spain is Orange’s second-largest market behind its home country of France in terms of revenue and mobile connections, with the operation contributing almost as much to group top line as the rest of its European units combined (excluding France) in Q1. [1] [https:]
16:50
AT&T, Verizon make separate asset tracking moves
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US operators AT&T and Verizon each launched connected equipment to track high-value assets, moves with the potential to tap higher demand stemming from restrictions in supply chains across multiple industries. AT&T worked with Sony Semiconductor Israel to create an adhesive label which connects to the operator's LTE-M network and sends data to the cloud to enable decisions while packages are in transit. The connection activates when the label is attached to a package. The label is the result of work between AT&T and Bayer's Crop Science Division, which sought a system to track agricultural seeds in the distribution channel. Now the operator is targeting the pharmaceutical, logistics and retail industries, among others. AT&T stated its own IoT professional services organisation can manage integration and deployment for customers. Verizon created an asset tracker device for customers of its Connect Reveal fleet management software. The operator stated the compact connected device can be installed by customers and is suitable for generators, trailers, storage containers and other equipment. The device works with Verizon's Connect Spotlight app and has a replaceable battery. Verizon noted the device is also easy to conceal, making it easier to track stolen equipment as thieves are less likely to discover the unit.
15:48
Samsung ups blockchain game on Galaxy
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Samsung moved to increase accessibly to blockchain technology, issuing a software update to add compatibility for decentralised apps (DApp) and virtual currencies on its Galaxy smartphones. The South Korean vendor explained in a statement it was now allowing Galaxy users to explore DApps, which use blockchain technology to authenticate the exchange of digital assets. It will also provide access to the services in fields including social media, finance and security, offering recommendations across a variety of categories. Samsung noted it added methods to make it easier for blockchain and Galaxy devices users to access and process transactions of cryptocurrencies from third-party hardware. It stated the update will allow users to import virtual assets stored on “cold hardware wallets” to the Samsung blockchain wallet, available on most Galaxy smartphones, giving users a consistent experience of managing everything from one location. The vendor said the new mobile experiences are covered by its Samsung Knox security platform. It will use private keys for DApps and cryptocurrency, which are encrypted and stored in an area isolated from the main Samsung Blockchain Keystore operating system. This is further protected by a secure processor and can only be accessed through the owner’s pin or fingerprint. As part of the move, Samsung also opened access to its blockchain ecosystem with developers.
14:13
Dish picks Oracle cloud-based control plane
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Oracle joined a growing list of vendors working with Dish Network to deploy a 5G network in the US, being tasked with providing a service-based architecture for the operator's core. Service-based architecture is part of the 3GPP 5G standard, covering automated coordination of network functions to speed the launch of new features for enterprise customers. Dish EVP and chief network officer Marc Rouanne explained Oracle's systems would enable the operator's customers "to consume software on demand" while enabling "advanced core functions required to power a truly automated network". Oracle's Policy Control Function is among the systems covered by the Dish deal, a boost for the company's ambition to add 5G to current 4G deployments of the product. Other systems covering network slicing and security are also included. Oracle could give Dish an advantage in the enterprise sector due to its deep relationships across a range of industries and its targeted software, which may deliver a boost in terms of integrating with a businesses' current set-up. Consultancy umlaut predicts the enterprise sector will be a key target in terms of generating revenue from 5G, the latest to forecast the market is on track to surpass consumer sector sales. Oracle SVP and general manager for networks, Andrew Morawski, proclaimed Dish "is completely disrupting the wireless industry" and would enable "digital transformation journeys across many diverse industries". The Oracle deal is the latest in a string of arrangements made by Dish as it moves towards launching its service, with a recent agreement with AWS [1] covering network hosting. [1] [https:]

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