Huawei launches HarmonyOS Huawei has officially released its HarmonyOS operating system for all devices. It looks like HarmonyOS will be available on almost all Huawei devices in the coming years, and the company will describe it as an upgrade. As a next-gen smart device operating system, HarmonyOS provides a common language for connecting and collaborating across different devices, giving users a more user-friendly and secure experience. The OS uses distributed technology to meet the diverse needs of all the different devices in a single system, allowing for flexible deployment. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mj8j4j99 Vodafone and CityFibre expand their partnership Vodafone and CityFibre have expanded their partnership to offer Vodafone Ethernet services for business customers. In this new partnership, Vodafone will use CityFibre’s Ethernet infrastructure to provide local access to its customers. Therefore, businesses in 12 UK cities and towns will have an alternative and cost-effective High Bandwidth Ethernet service. Under…
Five of Europe’s leading mobile operators – Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, Telia and Vodafone – have teamed up to update and launch a new industry-wide Eco Rating system and motivate vendors to minimize the impact that their devices have on the environment. The Eco Rating labelling scheme is designed to supply detailed and accurate information to retailers on the effects that manufacturing, usage, transportation and disposal of smartphones have on the environment. This Eco Rating will encourage operators and customers to rate phones more extensively and underline the need for more sustainable electronic devices. From June 2021, mobile operators will start introducing Eco Rating at points of sale in 24 European countries, including the UK. The labeling system will label phones with scores to show how ecological and environment friendly the appliances are in their lifecycle. The score will be from 0 to 100, the higher the score,…
Deutsche Telekom (DT) has announced that it is investing an undisclosed amount in the blockchain payment platform Celo. The company also purchased an unspecified amount of Celo digital tokens to be used on the platform. Deutsche Telekom will be the first telecommunications company to join the Celo Alliance for Prosperity. Celo is an open-source blockchain ecosystem that focuses on making decentralized financial (DeFi) systems and tools accessible via the smartphone. The Celo ecosystem includes a decentralized, proof-of-stake blockchain technology package, a native asset (CELO), two stablecoins (cUSD and cEUR) and the Celo Foundation Alliance of Prosperity. The company was launched in 2017 and has maintained a low profile in the crypto market. However, this has changed in recent months, in part due to the recent $20 million funding raised by blue venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz. This move by DT represents their initial foray into and testing…
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…
Google and Intel team up on 5G and edge network solutions Google Cloud has announced that it is working with Intel to establish reference architectures and integrated solutions for communications providers to help them deploy 5G and edge network solutions. To achieve the cloud native 5G goals, the partnership encompasses a full suite of telecommunications, along with application providers, carriers and communications service providers, hardware vendors and global telecommunications networks, with the goal of the cost and time to market required by the telecommunications industry. Intel is already the most powerful participant in the data center hardware market, but is keen to repeat that success with edge infrastructure. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/34fv5aps Deutsche Telekom tests solar panels to power mobile sites Deutsche Telekom (DT) has announced that in the second half of 2020, the company was testing the use of solar panels to power its mobile infrastructure. In a new…
Nokia announced on Monday that Deutsche Telekom (DT) has chosen the Finnish multinational telecommunication provider to convert DT’s optical network into a service-oriented platform. The transformation will allow Deutsche Telekom to provide its customers with an improved service quality experience, by upgrading the existing network to an expansive and automated one. The use of automation will help the operator to simplify and organize operational tasks to make more efficient use of network resources. Deutsche Telekom will adapt Nokia’s optical transport portfolio to become a higher-capacity, self-regulating network that meets residential and Industry 4.0 requirements. This gives Nokia the opportunity to promote its ‘Wave’ Brand optical transport portfolio: the Nokia WaveFabric service-ready platforms and the Nokia WaveSuite software portfolio, that includes the Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) provided by the PSE- V family of coherent DSPs (digital signal processors). This solution will revolutionize Deutsche Telekom’s optical backbone network…
Verizon Business announces a new bundle Verizon Business has announced a new bundle offer for small businesses covering security, broadband and LTE services. As more small businesses are moving to virtual settings, Verizon Business now offers the Complete Business Bundle. With this new offering, small businesses receive a 15% discount on monthly service fees with a 50 Mbps tier. LTE Business Internet, which includes a router as part of the package, is giving businesses the ability to connect to 4G LTE using a plug-and-play installation. The Complete Business Bundle also includes One Talk desk phones with more than 50 business-class features and dedicated 24/7 technical support. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4xy7nyw DT and Samsung succeed in standalone 5G Deutsche Telekom and Samsung have successfully completed the SA 5G test in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Together the companies have tested the efficiency of Samsung’s MU-MIMO technology on Deutsche Telekom’s network and recorded excellent…
Nokia and China Mobile trial 5G RAN AI Nokia and China Mobile have announced that they have successfully tested Nokia’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) over China Mobile’s 5G network. As alluded to in the name of the Nokia product, the focus is less on RAN itself, but more on its automated control, thereby eliminating expensive human labor from the process. Pasi Toivanen, Head of Nokia’s Edge Cloud Platform, said: “We are excited to have worked with China Mobile on this project to advance RAN network intelligence.” Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yxu3komy Deutsche Telecom’s Access 4.0 FTTH is live Deutsche Telekom has introduced its Access 4.0 platform to the market, with the first customer using the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) line in Stuttgart, Germany. The transition to more cost-effective and flexible distributed networks has taken many years, but Deutsche Telekom’s deployment of Access 4.0 is proof that it is serious about implementing this…
Tele2 and Nokia to provide SA 5G core network Tele2 has partnered with Nokia to provide its domestic market with a standalone (SA) 5G core network prior to the country’s spectrum auction, which prohibits operators from using ZTE or Huawei infrastructure. Nokia’s triumph over Ericsson’s comes as the company undergoes a comprehensive restructuring in order to focus on key business areas and get back in the global 5G retail market. The operators stated that the contract also covers the installation of the SA 5G core and the facilities for the transmission of voice-over-5G in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The deployment of the infrastructure is expected to start later in 2021. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5pxfu4l Telefónica has agreed to sell its tower portfolio The Spanish telecommunication giant Telefónica has come to the decision to sell its tower portfolio in Europe and Latin America to passive infrastructure specialist American Tower for €7.7…
It has been announced that Deutsche Telekom, a German telecommunications company, is looking to sell its Dutch subsidiary T-Mobile Netherlands for approximately €5-6 billion. The company is aiming to sell the Dutch mobile phone operator to private equity investors. In 2015, Deutsche Telekom was unsuccessful in trying to sell T-Mobile Netherlands in an attempt to reduce its debt and raise funds to help acquire spectrum for T-Mobile US. Six years ago, the company considered leaving the Dutch market and had seen interest from Liberty Global. Nonetheless, the potential sale did not go through and Liberty Global later merged the Ziggo cable unit with Vodafone Netherlands. Since then, the Dutch unit has grown. Instead of seeking another buyer, Deutsche Telekom decided to expand its operations in the country. In 2017, the company published a €190 million merger with Tele2’s local branch. At the time, Deutsche Telekom said it wanted to…