As Poland launches its long-awaited 5G spectrum auction in the 3.5GHz band, all four national mobile operators are joining the race. With COVID-19 delays and governmental cybersecurity amendments posing uncertainties, the stakes remain high in Poland’s quest for competitive 5G capabilities. As the process evolves, international eyes are keenly watching the influence of these audacious moves on the global telecommunications landscape.
NEC Corporation has obtained O-RAN Certification from Japan OTIC (Open Testing & Integration Centres) for its MB5450 5G base station radio unit (RU), certifying that the RU conforms with the O-RAN Fronthaul Interface Specifications established by the Open Radio Access Network Alliance (O-RAN ALLIANCE). This RU has been delivered to Rakuten Symphony and is being deployed globally.
Unveiling a fresh milestone, the UAE’s TDRA has concluded phase two of its 5G Advanced trials, achieving a staggering 10 Gbps speed. This development, achieved in collaboration with operators e& and du, utilized the full potential of the 400 MHz bandwidth in the 6 GHz band. This accelerates the data transfer rate, vastly enhancing capacities for IoT, smart city projects, and metaverse evolution.
Significant strides are being made in Slovakia’s telecommunications sector with O2 Slovakia and Slovak Telekom finalizing an eagerly anticipated network sharing agreement. Ultimately expected to lower costs and enhance service quality, this move notably excludes Bratislava and Košice, with both operators maintaining their separate networks in these areas.
Deutsche Telekom and MIRA dive into an ambitious project crafting the ‘shuttle service of the future’ in Bonn, using the premise of teleoperation or remote driving. Facilitated by speedy 5G data transmission, this experiment highlights the necessity of ‘network slicing’ and ‘quality on demand’ for autonomous vehicles. Yet, governmental restrictions on remote-controlled travel present a hurdle. Despite the challenges, both firms remain hopeful, envisioning a driver-free automobile future.
In a strategic move, 1&1 penetrates the German 5G market through a new agreement with Vodafone, leaving Telefonica potentially at a loss. Details of the agreement, such as leveraging on Vodafone’s robust 5G, 2G, and 4G networks, and potential future technologies, raise various possibilities for 1&1’s continued growth.
Despite the seemingly lagging global investment in standalone 5G networks, promising trends in the telecom sector indicate an upcoming surge. With minimal progress indicated by Global Mobile Suppliers Association’s statistics, the industry pins hopes on major moves from operators like New Zealand’s Spark and Vodafone. Meanwhile, the increasing adoption of 5G SA in private networks for various sectors shows an encouraging forecast. The journey towards profitable 5G investments seems complex, yet strides are being made in the right direction.
As T-Mobile launches its 5G SA network slicing beta, it offers a unique window of opportunity to developers, aiming to improve video calling applications. With the rising demand for such apps in the remote work era, developers leveraging the tailored network slices could unlock applications showcasing faster speeds, decreased latency, and better reliability. As some experts express high hopes for the potential of network slicing, could this move revolutionize telecommunications amidst the surge in hybrid work?
Telephone company Veon has announced a significant infrastructure initiative with Rakuten Symphony, aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s telecommunications framework. This strategic move will involve an extensive roll-out of Open RAN enabled 5G networks, forming the backbone for new digital services. Veon’s $600 million commitment signals confidence in Open RAN’s transformative potential and Rakuten’s proven commercial implementation acumen.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) plans to invest £40m in converting local and regional authorities into ‘5G Innovation Regions.’ The funding will support regions with solid strategies to leverage 5G and wireless tech for sectors such as agriculture and transportation. One potential application is using 5G-powered drones to gather field data, enabling farmers to make efficient, informed decisions.
