Tele2 and Nokia to provide SA 5G core network Tele2 has partnered with Nokia to provide its domestic market with a standalone (SA) 5G core network prior to the country’s spectrum auction, which prohibits operators from using ZTE or Huawei infrastructure. Nokia’s triumph over Ericsson’s comes as the company undergoes a comprehensive restructuring in order to focus on key business areas and get back in the global 5G retail market. The operators stated that the contract also covers the installation of the SA 5G core and the facilities for the transmission of voice-over-5G in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The deployment of the infrastructure is expected to start later in 2021. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5pxfu4l Telefónica has agreed to sell its tower portfolio The Spanish telecommunication giant Telefónica has come to the decision to sell its tower portfolio in Europe and Latin America to passive infrastructure specialist American Tower for €7.7…
The two companies, Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier and Orange International Carriers, have announced the successful completion of a Proof of Concept (PoC) project to improve IPX services using blockchain technology. According to the statement, they were able to validate that blockchain can be used by operators to expedite the automatic transaction of end-to-end network KPIs between providers. This provides operators with an opportunity to offer improved quality of service (QoS) and enhance network performance forecasting and incident management. The cooperation between the carriers for this initiative was announced back in June. IPX systems are fundamental components for enabling international and domestic roaming services. Also, full-service level agreements (SLAs) on critical IPX networks are essential for ensuring that mobile operators can provide the best network quality. The companies said the results of the study will be presented to the GSMA. Emmanuel Rochas, CEO of Orange International Carriers, said:…
TIM, Telefonica and Claro take over Brazil’s Oi mobile assets in $3.2 billion bid On Monday, TIM Participacoes, Telefonica Brasil SA and America Movil SAB de CV’s Claro won an auction to acquire the mobile operations of Brazil’s Oi SA with a joint bid of $3.23 billion. According to the announcement, TIM will be taking over 40% of Oi’s customers (around 14.5 million people), more than half of the company’s spectrum allocation (49 MHz), and 49% of its mobile sites (around 7,200 locations). As a result, it paid the largest portion of the bid, around $1.44 billion. For $1.08 billion, Telefonica is gaining 10.5 million customers, 43 MHz of spectrum, and 2,700 mobile sites. Claro’s $710 million gained the company around 11.6 million customers and 4,700 mobile sites, but no spectrum. TIM, Telefonica and Claro have also offered Oi a long-term contract to rent its telecom infrastructure. Read more at…
Ericsson has once again raised its year-end estimate for global 5G subscriptions to 220 million, while predicting that more than 1 billion people will have access to next-generation coverage over the same period. The company foresees that four out of ten mobile subscribers will be using 5G services by 2026. In their November 2020 Mobility Report, Ericsson predicted real 5G traction, as well as the progress in the deployment of new features in network and device areas, regardless of the concerns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ericsson believes that 15% of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, will live in an area with 5G coverage by the end of 2020. They expect that number to grow to 60% or 3.5 billion consumers by 2026. Ericsson has also added another 30 million to the end-of-year estimate of the number of 5G subscribers, having previously announced the…
European Commission staying out of O2 UK and Virgin Media UK merger Typically, the European Commission, or one of the myriad other state-owned organizations that are a part of the EU, would be involved in the proposed merger between O2 UK and Virgin Media UK. However, in this case, these organizations are steering clear of this deal. The theory is this: because the UK will no longer be part of the EU from the beginning of next year, the EU will no longer be interested in what UK companies do. Even if the EU had not made this decision now, it is likely that they would have just waited until 2021, when its jurisdiction over UK matters comes to an end. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y2n84cgn Telia Carrier expands its connectivity in US Telia Carrier is expanding its coverage in the US, while increasing the diversity and range of its routes.…
The French telecommunications provider Iliad, that provides fixed and mobile telephony services, prepaid phone cards, Internet access and hosting services, has signed a new $356 million loan deal with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to help the Iliad Group finance its mobile network deployment in France, in particular to consolidate its 4G network and deploy its 5G network. Since 2009, the EIB has financed Iliad, and with this new loan the total financing exceeds $1.3 billion. Having helped finance the development of the Iliad fixed network for more than a decade, the EIB is once again working with the group to provide financial support for the company’s latest generation of mobile networks. There was little information on what exactly the latest loan would be used for, but Iliad said it is devoted to providing digital coverage to the whole of France, including most rural areas. Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President…
CallTower delivers Native Microsoft Teams Cloud Contact Center CallTower, a global provider of cloud-based, business-class unified communications and collaboration solutions, announced that it is offering a Native Microsoft Teams Cloud contact center through its strategic partner Five9. The integration of Five9 and Microsoft Teams enhances the customer experience by leveraging the collaboration capabilities of the Teams platform and integrating it into the Five9 Intelligent Cloud Contact Center solution. In addition, Five9 recently announced their CallTower “US Reseller of the Year 2020” initiative as part of the Five9 2020 Global Partner Awards. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yy8klgy5 Cellnex wants to acquire Hutchison towers The Spanish operator Cellnex is eyeing the acquisition of CK Hutchison’s entire European tower portfolio for over $10 billion. It was first reported that CK Hutchison was looking to sell a smaller stake in its European tower unit back in July, but Cellnex plans to buy the whole package…
NEC Corp., a major Japanese information technology company, has agreed to support the development of the UK’s fifth-generation wireless networks across the country, as reported by the British government. The announcement came after Japan and the United Kingdom signed a bilateral free trade agreement following Brexit. Details of the deal are currently unavailable. Since the UK has banned Huawei from deploying its 5G network and has decided to fully remove Huawei’s equipment altogether by 2027 because of potential security issues, the question of who can intervene to fill the empty space left by the Chinese seller has remained open. While European giants Ericsson and Nokia were obvious choices, other candidates also made an appearance. The UK government asked Japan to help deploy 5G networks in the country back in July. British officials then told colleagues in Tokyo that the Japanese technology companies NEC and Fujitsu could be the…
8×8 partners up with Pax8 8×8, the provider of a leading integrated cloud communications platform, announced that Pax8, a cloud solutions platform, has become a strategic partner and has joined the 8×8 Open Channel Program. In accordance with the agreement, Pax8 is now offering their US partners an 8×8 Open Communications Platform that combines voice, team chat, meetings and a contact center in one solution, allowing organizations to move to the cloud. According to Pax8, the two companies will work together to support their partners as they help customers accelerate their digital transformation efforts, ensure business resilience, and improve employee experience and engagement. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y3xg4fu4 Telefónica aims at partnership with Allianz According to Spanish media reports, the telecommunications giant Telefonica is seeking to partner with a private equity subsidiary of the German insurance company Allianz, to launch a fiber-optic joint venture worth about $5.8 billion. The joint venture,…
SIPTrunk Inc announces SIPTRUNK Platform SIPTrunk Inc. has announced the launch of managed IP telephony services through its SIP trunking reseller platform, SIPTRUNK. The SIPTRUNK platform allows service providers to manage multiple customers and service delivery via a practical interface based on cloud support and Tier-1 networks. SIPTRUNK meets the market’s need for a SIP trunk management and provisioning platform in order to support businesses, governmental agencies, telecommunications providers and telephone companies. According to the company, it is expected that by 2025, expenditure in the SIP trunking market will reach $28.8 billion. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y835ctxf UK’s fiber startup Lumenisity enters the market The UK start-up company Lumenisity has entered the market and released its first commercial products. Lumenisity was created to promote breakthroughs in the creation of hollowcore optical fiber. According to the company, data moves 50% faster in a hollowcore fiber, as the light travels through the air…