New Zealand’s government collaborates with leading telcos Spark, 2degrees, and One to allocate 3.5-GHz spectrum for 5G services, improving mobile coverage nationwide. With funds supporting rural connectivity, both parties anticipate better service quality and seamless network access for users.
Global mobile roaming data revenue is predicted to reach $10 billion in 2024, driven by 5G demand among travelers. Telecom operators face challenges in balancing costs with customer protection, as eSIM adoption and travel mobility services expand, intensifying competition.
MTN Considers Axian Telecom Bid MTN is considering a bid from Axian Telecom for its operating units in West Africa, specifically Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, and Liberia. The potential deal is aligned with MTN’s ongoing efforts to reshape its portfolio, and the three units collectively account for 6.1 million of MTN’s customers and contributed to 0.7% of EBITDA. MTN’s first quarter financial results reported an 8.6% EBITDA growth and revenues of ZAR52.8 billion ($2.8 billion), a 15.6% YoY increase. With discussions with Axian Telecom still at an early stage, any announcement on a final agreement might not be expected soon. Read the full article. Deutsche Telekom Sees Q1 Success Deutsche Telekom (DT) has raised its earnings guidance for 2023 to around €40.9bn, up from its previous forecast of €40.8bn. This follows strong Q1 results, with the group’s US business T-Mobile US a key driver behind the raised forecast, having recently raised its…
Messaging apps urge UK government to rethink online safety bill The heads of messaging apps including WhatsApp and Signal have written an open letter urging the UK government to reconsider its proposed internet law. The Online Safety Bill, which is presently being debated in the House of Lords, would provide the government with broad powers of censorship over all digital speech and information. The letter says that the measure might damage end-to-end encryption, allow indiscriminate monitoring, and fundamentally destroy communication security. The top executives of the firms say that there can be no “British internet,” and that the measure should be revised to encourage more privacy and security. Read the full article. AT&T to be the exclusive mobile carrier for US MVNOs The US National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC) has signed a deal with AT&T making it the exclusive mobile carrier for almost 700 small and mid-sized independent cable…
Rogers Communications Inc. has announced plans to offer full 5G connections to Toronto’s subway system, including 911 access for all users. The telecom corporation has agreed to buy BAI Canada. BAI has had exclusive rights to establish the Toronto Transit Commission wireless network since 2012. Rogers will now be able to make the investments needed to develop a comprehensive and reliable 5G network for the entire TTC subway system as a result of this transaction. 5G network construction is projected to take about two years. Rogers will collaborate with the TTC on a phased deployment strategy, including network design, architecture, and rollout logistics, for both network enhancements and growth in stations, concourses, and all subway tunnels. Extensive fiber network and radio equipment improvements are required to update the network and boost the cellular capacity of the present 3G and 4G networks. In addition, they are required to improve service…
Ericsson to be the sole RAN vendor for T-Mobile Netherlands T-Mobile Netherlands has appointed Ericsson as a sole supplier for the renewal of its 5G network. Soren Abildgaard, CEO of T-Mobile Netherlands, stated, “I am confident that with the support of Ericsson we will continue to offer our customers the best mobile telecom experience. We have been leading in 4G for many years and we are and will continue to be so with 5G. In recent years, we have built a globally acclaimed 4G network.” According to the Dutch mobile operator, the choice was preceded by an intensive selection process that assessed, among other things, quality, equipment performance, innovation, sustainability and costs. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/4szfd6m4 Nokia and LG U+ collaborate for 5G Advanced and 6G The South Korean mobile operator LG U+ has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nokia to cooperate on the next generation of wireless…
UK telecoms sector agrees to help customers in need The UK government and operators have approved a new deal to help customers who are struggling to pay their broadband and mobile bills. Andrew Glover, chair of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA), stated, “The telecoms sector knows that people are facing real challenges with the cost-of-living crisis. Our members are determined to do what they can to help their customers through this period and, together with the government, we will work to raise greater awareness of the support available.” Among other measures, telcos have agreed to allow vulnerable customers to switch to cheaper tariffs without charge or penalty, or adjust their plans to make payments more manageable. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/msjxsp2f Sinch achieves HIPAA compliance for its voice, fax and UCaaS services Sinch has announced that it has successfully achieved third-party validation of its compliance with the Health Insurance Portability…
WOW! partners with Reach Mobile Wide Open West (WOW!) has teamed up with the MVNO aggregator Reach Mobile to launch a wireless service. WOW! mobile, powered by Reach, will be accessible in a few markets this spring, and the business is currently working on determining the initial launch sites. It is intended that the mobile product should be expanded to all of WOW! markets shortly after the launch. WOW! will be able to bring a mobile product to market rapidly by relying on their operational efficiency, a full-featured platform, and a fantastic customer experience in a lower-cost operating model by employing Reach Next. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2smnm38n Audi taps Verizon for 5G vehicles Audi of America and Verizon have launched a new cooperative venture, with the goal of utilizing Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband connection within Audi automobiles. Their offering will encompass augmented mobile services and new driving-assistance technologies, paving the…
The new UK joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica officially became operational on 1 June, merging the two household names to form Virgin Media O2 (VMO2). This joint venture has committed to providing a unique choice to consumers and has also promised to boost the UK economy. While, at the moment, the company is not changing any of its current services, later this year it plans to offer seamless broadband, entertainment and mobile services all in one place. The Liberty Global-Telefónica merger is devoted to investing at least £10bn in the UK over the next five years. This investment will help businesses further contribute to the UK Government’s goals of connectivity, upgrading infrastructure all around the country, creating stiffer competition and providing a wider variety of choices for customers. The merger instantly makes the new business one of the largest in the UK, with 47 million…
IBM and Telefónica Argentina (Movistar) have announced a live, fully operational Open RAN network that will act as a proof of concept (PoC) for the delivery of commercial mobile services to the city of Puerto Madryn, Argentina, covering 81,000 urban residents. The launch allows for the testing of live, commercial traffic and provides an early proof point for the technology as it continues to develop. IBM has led the system integration process, assembling components and systems from a number of software and hardware vendors, including Altiostar, Red Hat, Quanta, Gigatera and Kontron, from pre-integration all the way through to full deployment. Open RAN is a state-of-the-art radio access network technology that enables interoperability for transforming a radio network into an open cloud environment in which multiple vendors can participate to create a better and more efficient service network. When using Open RAN, operators can combine hardware and software…
