EQT’s acquisition of a 60% stake in a new company formed to own and operate Wind Tre’s fixed and mobile network assets promises innovation and growth for the Italian telecoms sector. While the deal is still awaiting regulatory approval, it highlights a broader trend in infrastructure monetization and strategic partnerships, paving the way for sustainable market competition.
CRTC’s recent ruling mandates Canada’s major mobile network operators to provide MVNO access to regional competitors, aiming to accelerate competition and affordable options. However, this hybrid MVNO approach excludes smaller players without spectrum ownership or networks.
Juniper Networks, a supplier of secure, AI-driven networks, announced that Virgin Media O2, one of the UK’s major fixed and mobile service providers, has updated its IP core backbone network in conjunction with Juniper. The upgraded network can accommodate 800G and is part of Virgin Media O2’s long-term strategy to invest in sustainable infrastructure capable of supporting continuous data growth and bandwidth needs. This investment will allow the company to quickly launch revenue-generating services while also lowering power, cooling and space usage expenses. In order to implement this strategic update, Virgin Media O2 selected Juniper as its technology partner for a number of reasons. Prior to their joint venture in 2021, Virgin Media and O2 had used Juniper for more than 10 years as their primary networking provider. Additionally, Juniper was able to provide Virgin Media O2 with a compelling economic proposition by protecting their long-term investment. This…
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…
Ericsson has once again raised its year-end estimate for global 5G subscriptions to 220 million, while predicting that more than 1 billion people will have access to next-generation coverage over the same period. The company foresees that four out of ten mobile subscribers will be using 5G services by 2026. In their November 2020 Mobility Report, Ericsson predicted real 5G traction, as well as the progress in the deployment of new features in network and device areas, regardless of the concerns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ericsson believes that 15% of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, will live in an area with 5G coverage by the end of 2020. They expect that number to grow to 60% or 3.5 billion consumers by 2026. Ericsson has also added another 30 million to the end-of-year estimate of the number of 5G subscribers, having previously announced the…
The French telecommunications provider Iliad, that provides fixed and mobile telephony services, prepaid phone cards, Internet access and hosting services, has signed a new $356 million loan deal with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to help the Iliad Group finance its mobile network deployment in France, in particular to consolidate its 4G network and deploy its 5G network. Since 2009, the EIB has financed Iliad, and with this new loan the total financing exceeds $1.3 billion. Having helped finance the development of the Iliad fixed network for more than a decade, the EIB is once again working with the group to provide financial support for the company’s latest generation of mobile networks. There was little information on what exactly the latest loan would be used for, but Iliad said it is devoted to providing digital coverage to the whole of France, including most rural areas. Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President…
