Telefonica partners with Oracle Telefonica Spain has signed a multi-year agreement with Oracle to accelerate the transfer of its business processes to the cloud in order to improve agility and expand its capacity to create new digital services. Oracle will deploy and operate an on-premises version of its Exadata Cloud Service in Telefonica’s data centers as part of the arrangement. The operator will be able to combine its mission-critical systems while still fulfilling data residency and latency requirements. Telefonica intends to migrate its Oracle database systems, as well as its OSS and BSS applications, business intelligence systems, CRM, billing, and revenue management systems, to the new platform. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3darh7jd NTT Docomo targets net zero emissions by 2030 NTT Docomo said that by 2030, it intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero. As part of that effort, Docomo has announced the launch of a new ecosystem called…
The BMW Group is the first premium vehicle manufacturer to incorporate the 5G mobile radio standard into a globally available production car with the BMW iX, and Vodafone is the first company to sell a 5G mobile radio contract for such a vehicle. As a result of this collaboration, iX drivers will be able to sign up for a contract that will enhance their mobile connectivity, while also allowing the iX to communicate with other vehicles on the road. Participating drivers must have a current Vodafone multi-SIM contract that can be extended with the Vodafone One Number Car option, which activates their personal eSIM in the vehicle. According to BMW, this turns the automobile into another networked gadget for consumers, similar to a smartwatch. For the first time, Vodafone and the BMW Group will use a personal eSIM and the Vodafone One Number Car program to link the…
AT&T has established a Connected Climate Initiative (CCI), which aims to bring together partners and academics to further cut carbon emissions. The firm has set an industry-leading goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 1 billion metric tons by 2035. A gigaton is equivalent to roughly 15% of US greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 3% of worldwide energy-related emissions, or 1.6 billion flights from Los Angeles to New York. The company intends to convene the brightest minds from leading technology companies, AT&T Business customers, universities, and nonprofits through the newly formed Connected Climate Initiative to identify best practices, develop innovative new products and use cases, and scale the innovations of startup partners building future’s 5G- and other broadband-enabled climate solutions. At the heart of this initiative is a push to persuade business IT firms to use more renewable energy sources, as well as to move more application…
On July 30, 2021, Ariane 5, a European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency, successfully launched its first flight in nearly a year. The aim of the mission is to deploy a pair of geostationary communications satellites for commercial operators in Brazil and France. One of the satellites, called the Star One D2, will be operated by Embratel, a Brazilian telecommunications company. The Star One D2 will give Embratel the ability to expand its broadband coverage to new regions in Central and South America, supply Internet access to those in under-serviced areas, and increase X-band payload for government use in the Atlantic region. The second satellite, named Eutelsat Quantum, which was developed as part of an ESA partnership with satellite operator Eutelsat and major manufacturer Airbus, has an active antenna, a first for the European commercial telecommunications industry. This revolutionary…
The GSMA has announced that the mobile industry will need an average of 2 GHz mid-band spectrum to meet the data speed requirements of the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The study evaluated 36 cities around the world and concluded that policymakers should license the spectrum of mobile operators in harmonized bands such as 3.5 GHz, 4.8 GHz and 6 GHz to meet ITU requirements by 2030. According to their claims, the additional spectrum will make it possible to use 5G to its full potential. As claimed by the global study, achieving this will reduce the environmental impact and costs for 5G users, as additional spectrum will lessen the carbon footprint of networks by two to three times, strengthening the sustainable development of mobile communications at the same time. In addition, the availability of mid-band frequency spectrum will also improve Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). The research shows that…
In recent years, 5G technology has been deployed around the world at a staggering pace, and the rollout is predicted to continue in the upcoming years. Despite the fact that 5G technology is still in its early stages, the telecom industry is already envisioning and trying to define what the next generation of mobile technology, 6G, will look like. The 5G Infrastructure Association (5GIA) has published a white paper with the title “European Vision for the 6G Network Ecosystem”, which covers key areas of 6G research from technical, societal, policy and business perspectives. As stated in this white paper, 6G will participate in making headway towards achieving more united digital, physical and personal worlds. The key features of the next-gen technology include intelligent connected management and control functions, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, energy footprint reduction, reliable infrastructure, scalability and affordability. 5GIA says that 6G will usher…
European Commission proposes new AI regulations The European Commission is proposing new rules that would allow it to ban any type or deployment of AI that it considers high-risk. The organization also proposes much stricter rules and limitations on the use of biometric data, such as law enforcement using face recognition. Violation of the rules may result in fines of up to 6% of the offending company’s total global turnover. For the biggest tech companies, that sum could reach billions. The commission’s digital chief, Margrethe Vestager, said: “On artificial intelligence, trust is a must, not a nice-to-have.” Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5e8wcufu Cisco to invest $100 million to combat climate change Cisco has unveiled plans to invest $100 million over the next 10 years to help fight climate change, using the fund in its name for initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and educating communities. Cisco’s efforts will be global, and funding…
Spain approves entry for MWC participants The organizers of the Mobile World Congress 2021, which will take place in Barcelona this summer, have received much-needed good news from the Spanish government. Spain currently bans “non-essential” travel to and from non-EU/Schengen countries. But the GCMA, which manages the MWC, has announced that people who have registered for the event will be classified as “highly skilled workers” and therefore will be excused from this restriction. The GSMA intends to provide the Spanish authorities with details of all registrants and registrants will also be provided with a confirmation of participation. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/35z7nub5 Lumen signs a deal with T-Mobile US Lumen Technologies has taken a major step in expanding its latest edge computing service with a new deal with T-Mobile US. This agreement will allow Lumen to receive access to the operator’s 5G network to reach more of the company’s customers. The…
Telefonica announces creation of a new Brazilian fibre company Telefonica has announced the establishment of a new Brazilian fiber company called FiBrasil. The company will be a joint venture between the operator and the Canadian Pension Fund CDPQ (Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec). Telefonica’s 50% stake will be divided equally between Telefonica Brasil (Vevo) and the Group’s infrastructure division Telefónica Infra. FiBrasil will initially install and operate fiber optic networks in several medium-sized cities throughout Brazil outside São Paulo. Telefonica itself will be the key manager of the company. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/53vt7s3k Samsung beats 5G speed record again Korean technology giant Samsung claims to have set a new 5G speed record. During the test, 5.23 Gbps was achieved on a single device, with the testing being performed under laboratory conditions using commercial equipment. These details are crucial when it comes to the 5G speed record, as Samsung…
The Vodafone Foundation has announced an investment of €20 million to fund digital skills and education initiatives across Europe and the UK. It is expected that by 2025, the programs sponsored by this investment will reach 16 million learners. The programs run in partnership with charities and NGOs, and will allow people to develop their knowledge and skills in using digital technologies. The €20 million investment is said to be spread over the next five years. The program aims to reach millions of primary and secondary school learners, those who are not students, employed or in training, and the elderly. This announcement happened to coincide with International Education Day. According to Vodafone, countries such as Albania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey and the UK will receive funding for advancing digital skills. Nick Read, CEO Vodafone Group, said: “Vodafone…


