France invests €750 million in 6G R&D For research and development projects in advanced network generations such as 5G and 6G, France has announced a €750m grant program. In order to produce sovereign solutions, especially with the pandemic and global trade disputes, the country is focusing on virtualization, open interfaces for access networks, edge computing, security, and AI and machine learning integration. The scheme is part of Macron’s France 2030 strategy. It is a €30 billion plan aimed at modernizing the economy and positioning France as a world leader in future network technologies. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4jr922dn T-Mobile in talks to acquire MVNO Mint Mobile T-Mobile is apparently in discussions to buy Mint Mobile, a pre-paid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) backed by Ryan Reynolds. Mint Mobile has grown in popularity since its launch as Mint SIM in 2015. It has been touted as a cheaper alternative to major mobile…
The UK government has announced a £110 million investment in research and development for next-generation wireless technology and telecoms security, with a focus on 5G and 6G. This investment is intended to enhance the UK’s position as a global leader in telecoms research and development. As part of this investment, three top UK universities – the University of York, the University of Bristol, and the University of Surrey – will each receive £28 million to collaborate with major telecoms companies such as Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung to develop and create future networks such as 6G. This follows Ericsson and Samsung’s recent announcement to establish 6G research labs in the UK. The investment will also aid in the deployment of ultrafast 5G by making it easier for new companies to enter the market. The universities will work with world-class UK academics and industry players to ensure that future network…
Amazon Web Services awarded $724M cloud contract The US Navy has issued a single contract to Amazon Web Services (AWS) potentially worth $723.9 million. Under a five-year enterprise software license (ESL) agreement, AWS will provide the Department of the Navy access to AWS’ commercial cloud environment, including training, certification courses and professional services from the cloud provider. The ESL includes work to be performed from December 2022 through to December 2028. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5ynmx3at Infovista unveils its 360° Assurance solution for VoLTE and VoNR Infovista, a global leader in network lifecycle automation, has introduced its 360° Assurance for VoLTE/VoNR solution. This advancement will equip mobile voice service providers with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution to ensure a better customer experience when using voice services. Infovista’s 360° Assurance for VoLTE/VoNR solution is designed to address specific problems that service providers face when assuring VoLTE and VoNR services, including detecting and resolving one-way…
InterDigital, a technology research and development company, announced that it has been granted funding to support five Horizon Europe 6G Flagship research projects, each of which is distinctively devoted to empowering innovative technology advancement and exploratory infrastructures in 6G. InterDigital is one of the most well-known research and development specialists in mobile technology, so their involvement is not a huge surprise. It also gives us an idea of the kind of things Europe thinks are deserving components of the future generation of mobile technology, because being invited to contribute to no less than five projects was deemed a triumph worthy of a special announcement. The flagship projects entrusted to InterDigital are part of a portfolio of 35 research, innovation, and trial projects selected by the EU’s Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU). The SNS JU, co-led by the European Commission and the 6G-IA industry organization, is in…
Startup Nothing debuts with its first smartphone Phone 1 Nothing’s first phone, the Nothing Phone 1, was finally launched this week. The Nothing Phone 1 is one of the most intriguing newcomers to the smartphone market in recent years. Carl Pei, a former OnePlus co-founder, established the startup less than two years ago. The company has showcased several of the Phone 1’s most important features in the weeks building up to the launch event, including the inclusion of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus CPU and the Android-based Nothing OS software. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yc2bmksu Nokia will lead German 6G project Nokia has announced that it will lead 6G-ANNA, a German government-funded 6G lighthouse project, that began on July 1, 2022. Nokia will lead and drive 6G research and standardization in collaboration with the 29 partners, including industry members, subject matter experts, start-ups, research organizations, and universities in Germany. The project…
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…
Nokia, DOCOMO, Fujitsu, NEC, and NTT have established a collaboration to design and develop critical 6G technologies. In proof-of-concept (POC) experiments, next-generation mobile technologies will be focused on the sub-terahertz band and AI-enabled interfaces. The partnership will concentrate on two proof-of-concepts for upcoming 6G technologies: an AI native air interface and sub-THz radio access. These seek to prove that an AI-based 6G air interface outperforms a traditional air interface in terms of performance, and that high-data-rate beamformed access can be obtained in a high frequency band at 140 GHz. Nokia thinks that 6G will not only improve on existing technologies and systems, but will also expand and revolutionize the capabilities of a network. It will bring together the human, physical, and computer realms in order to unleash the full human potential. Nokia has identified six important technologies that will be critical components of future 6G networks in order…
With 5G networks still being deployed around the globe and 4G and even 3G networks still in use in many parts of the world, the term 6G is already a huge topic in the industry. 6G is the name for what will be the sixth generation in cellular technology, with a particular focus on increasing the capabilities and reducing the latency of wireless and edge networks. These are early days in the life of 6G and thus far this technology is only a theoretical discussion. The networks of the future will be a key component in virtually all areas of our lives, society and industry, meeting the communications needs of people and intelligent machines. So, let us dive into the world of 6G and explore what possibilities it holds. What will 6G be? 6G will be the sixth generation of mobile communications. It is still obscure what the final form…
GCI to expand capacity for rural areas GCI, an Alaskan service provider, has signed a $150 million contract with Intelsat to increase the telecommunications service capacity in rural areas. GCI has been providing geosynchronous (GEO) satellite communications for 35 years to supply the state with data, video and voice services. The latest transaction gives GCI continued access to C-band and Ku-band capacities, which are already a part of GCI’s satellite services portfolio, and also provides new access to state-wide Ka-band capacity. Furthermore, Intelsat will provide the multi-satellite solution through a new and improved managed station platform and C- Ku- and Ka-bands networks. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/w52yht6u South Sudan launches Digitel Network South Sudan has announced the launch of Digitel Network, the country’s first telecommunications company, which was introduced to celebrate 10 years of independence of the country. South Sudan has so far had the services of only two international mobile…
Nokia launches iSIM Secure Connect Nokia has released new software to help operators cope with the provisioning of cellular IoT devices and subscription management. The software, called iSIM Secure Connect, relies on embedded SIM (eSIM) and integrated SIM (iSIM) technologies combined with reliable digital identification, allowing telecom service providers to quickly and securely authenticate and manage cellular IoT devices. The software is vendor agnostic and can be installed in a variety of network and cloud environments, providing a myriad of IoT use cases and business models. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/42kf2tu8 Lumen strikes a deal with Microsoft Lumen Technologies has announced that it has entered a long-term partnership with Microsoft to take advantage of the Azure cloud platform. The duo plans to integrate Microsoft’s Azure stack with Lumen’s bare metal edge computing service, allowing customers to run Azure-based applications wherever the edge network can reach. Lumen will also use the cloud…