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Telecom News

SoftBank and KDDI to invest in 5G boost

By Aiste Kryzanovske November 5, 2020

Two Japanese telecommunications providers, SoftBank and KDDI, have drawn up a plan to invest a total of $38 billion in fifth-generation wireless networks in Japan over the next 10 years. The country is seeking to close the gap between itself and its neighbors, China and South Korea, who have taken the lead in rolling out this ultra-fast technology. The 5G technology is expected to provide a large-scale boost to the country’s economy, benefiting a variety of industries, from Internet services to the automotive industry. Currently, 5G coverage across Japan remains very limited, mainly focused on Tokyo and other major population centers. Both operators plan to invest $19 billion each. For Japan’s 5G network, SoftBank plans to build 350,00 base stations nationwide, of which 50,000 are expected to be completed by March of 2022, and 200,000 more by 2025. Meanwhile, KDDI, which currently has less than 10,000 base stations,…

Telecom News

SK Telecom launches blockchain wallet

By Aiste Kryzanovske October 29, 2020

SK Telecom, the South Korean wireless telecommunications giant, with the approval of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, has announced the launch of a new blockchain-based wallet for digital document storage. This major step could prompt South Korea to rapidly digitize state-issued documents. As claimed by SK Telecom, the wallet will be driven by blockchain technology and will work together with the Government24 Digital Initiative program, which endorses the issuing and distribution of certificates digitally. This initiative is especially relevant as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread worldwide. The company’s blockchain-powered wallet will work in conjunction with the Government24 app, sharing documents seamlessly between these endpoints, as well as with local and government institutions, banks and insurance providers. Citizens will be able share documents such as immigration certificates, copies of resident registration cards, health insurance documents using the mobile app managed by the blockchain. As reported by…

Telecom News

Cellnex and Everynet partner up to deploy IoT network

By Aiste Kryzanovske October 6, 2020

Cellnex Telecom, a Spanish wireless telecommunications infrastructure and services company, and Everynet, a leading LPWA pioneer and network operator, have signed an agreement to deploy IoT networks in Italy, the UK and Ireland based on LoRaWAN technology. The IoT networks will utilize the Cellnex infrastructure in these three countries, and will be dependent on the Everynet network solution. Cellnex not only provides towers, but also has its own IoT management platform. For data collection, Cellnex will provide an integrated IoT platform for real-time management and diagnostics, and the platform also includes the ability to immediately act predictively or preventively, manually or automatically. In addition, Everynet will be responsible for providing and managing the LoRaWAN network infrastructure. Both companies have stated the network will be available for a wide range of IoT devices and use-cases, including industry 4.0 services for asset tracking or monitoring, as well as smart cities…

Did 5G cause COVID-19?

By Aiste Kryzanovske September 28, 2020

5G has been a target of conspiracy theorists for as long as it has been around, just as with 4G and 3G before it. It is not the first time, and it will not be the last, that technological progress has caused fear generated by uncertainty about the risks of new technology. The remarkably disruptive COVID-19 pandemic, which has coincided with the worldwide introduction of 5G, the latest standard in wireless networking technology, has exacerbated the situation. People have begun to link 5G to COVID-19 in various ways, saying that the technology weakens the immune system, that it is responsible for the direct transmission of the virus, or that the lockdown is a cover-up for deploying even more 5G towers. Let us take a look at some of the theories out there. 5G is the cause of COVID-19 Back in March of 2020, a video of a US…

Telecom News

Iliad to purchase Polish telecom Play

By Aiste Kryzanovske September 22, 2020

French telecommunications service provider Iliad S.A. has agreed to buy the Polish telecommunications company Play Communications S.A. for $2.6 billion as it expands across Europe. The deal will make Iliad the sixth largest mobile operator in Europe. In an announcement on Monday, the companies revealed that Iliad had offered $10.35 per share for Play and received binding commitments from two controlling shareholders for a 40% stake, which would give it the majority of seats on Play’s board of directors. Iliad also hopes that the deal will allow the company to enter the growing Polish telecommunications market and boost Play’s growth in the mobile sector. With the addition of Play, Iliad will have 41 million subscribers in France, Poland and Italy. However, the transaction still needs to be approved by the relevant regulatory authorities, and a notification of the proposed acquisition has to be submitted to the European Commission.…

Telecom News

Vodafone still in talks to sell its Egypt unit to STC

By Aiste Kryzanovske September 15, 2020

Vodafone Group, a British multinational telecommunications company, and the Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications provider Saudi Telecom Company (STC) are continuing discussion over a 55% stake sale of Vodafone shares in its Egyptian business, despite the expiry of the initial offer deadline last week. The two parties agreed in separate statements on a “misalignment” on Vodafone’s side in preparation for a $2.4 billion transaction of its Egyptian stake. STC said that the non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire the stake had ended without an agreement, but negotiations with Vodafone would continue. Furthermore, the British telecom company commented: “Vodafone now looks to STC and Telecom Egypt to find a suitable agreement to enable the transaction to close.” The MoU was announced in January of this year when STC offered $2.4 billion for the major part of a stake in Vodafone Egypt, which was expected to close at the end of…

Telecom News

TIM brings high-speed connection to underserved areas

By Aiste Kryzanovske August 18, 2020

TIM, also operating under the name Telecom Italia, is the largest Italian telecommunications services provider, offering telephony and mobile services as well as DSL data connectivity. The company has made every effort to maximize coverage in its fibre-optic rollout, bringing ultrabroadband to underserved areas and covering more than 2,000 districts in about 5 months. This increase in infrastructure is a key advancement in Italy’s growing need for connectivity in rural and sparsely populated areas across the country. As a result of this deployment, approximately 65% of households in these areas now have access to a high-speed connection, and in a short period, this initiative has taken an important step in bridging the digital divide in the country that TIM aims to fill by 2021. The fibre network currently covers 86% of the Italian population and it TIM aims to increase this figure to 90% by December, 2020. Although…

Telecom News

T-Mobile deploys the world’s first standalone 5G across the US

By Vilija Simkiene August 6, 2020

As 5G technology continues to mature, leading global wireless carriers are competing to be the first to advance from the non-standalone (NSA) mode of 5G, in which a 4G LTE core is combined with 5G capabilities, to a standalone architecture (SA) 5G network. T-Mobile US, one of the largest carriers providing wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, has announced the launch of its SA 5G network. The operator claims to be the first in the world with nationwide coverage using this next-generation wireless technology. In a news release, T-Mobile said that the launch expands its 5G coverage by 30 percent and will cover nearly 250 million people in more than 7,500 cities and towns throughout the US. With faster speeds, lower latency and huge connectivity capabilities, SA 5G signifies the launch of a 5G core network, ending the reliance on legacy LTE architecture. T-Mobile said SA…

Telecom News

FCC approves Amazon’s 3,000+ satellite project

By Vilija Simkiene August 4, 2020

Amazon, the multinational technology company, has received the approval from America‘s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deploy 3,236 internet satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) and to provide the US with satellite-based broadband services. The project, named Kuiper, was first announced last spring with the intent to build a LEO satellite constellation that would have the potential to provide cost-effective broadband services to unserved and underserved communities around the world. A project of this magnitude requires a great amount of resources, therefore Amazon will invest more than $10 billion in the project. This investment will not only provide broadband services, but will also create workplaces and infrastructure around the United States. Dave Limp, senior VP at Amazon, commented: “There are still too many places where broadband access is unreliable or where it doesn’t exist at all. Kuiper will change that. Our $10 billion investment will create jobs and…

Market Trends

Telecom sector in the midst of Covid-19

By Aiste Kryzanovske August 3, 2020

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted industries and businesses all across the globe and has brought the world economy to a halt, with millions of people placed under lockdown. With most of society working and studying from home, the need for technology has increased considerably, and the significant rise in the use of digital tools during social distancing has put the telecommunications sector at the forefront in facilitating the situation. What kind of impact has Covid-19 had on the telecom sector? Now that the global supply chain has been thrown into chaos and the work-from-home concept has become the “new normal“, the need of remote communication has risen significantly so as to ensure business continuity. The telecommunication sector is witnessing significantly higher demands, as they play a key role in facilitating the connectivity required by customers implementing these essential digital tools . Rise of demand for Telco services…