Vodafone is expanding its devotion to Open RAN technology, joining forces with Nokia in a progressive venture in Italy. The initiative aligns with Vodafone’s Open RAN directive, largely centered in the UK, and extends influence to the Italian telecom landscape. With this first commercial 5G Open RAN pilot in Italy, they aim to prove Nokia’s Open RAN solution matches the functionality and quality of traditional RAN. With an eye on promoting automated, adaptable networks for the ever-growing demand of responsive 5G services, such innovation bolsters the EU’s digital sovereignty and global competitiveness.
As Nokia unveils its latest collaboration with Brazil’s Jacto for a new private network, we see industry lines blur, with telecom revolutionizing agriculture. As expected, automation will dominate, revolutionizing production lines in Jacto’s massive smart factory. A key player in this transformation – 4.9G/LTE and 5G connectivity, allowing various aspects of manual labor to be automated. A ground-breaking stroke, this could signal the advent of a new era in Latin America’s agriculture-tech crossover. Moreover, Nokia’s innovative compact DAC private wireless offering reveals the company’s flexibility and adaptability.
HMD Global sets a new bar in smartphone manufacturing with the Nokia XR21, claiming ‘military-grade durability’ and localized data storage for improved security. Remarkably, this sturdy device boasts a chassis made from 100% recycled aluminium, affirming the company’s commitment to sustainability. As an added boon, it has moved its manufacturing to Europe, enhancing the product quality control. This move hints at the potential appeal of a ‘Made in Europe’ smartphone in an overwhelmingly Asian-dominated market.
Nvidia aims to convince telecoms to use its GPUs in 5G networks, citing NTT Docomo’s recent GPU-accelerated 5G launch in Japan. Yet, the role of Nvidia’s GPUs in telecom remains unclear. Meanwhile, the FCC breaks a two-year deadlock, reigniting net neutrality debates. Telefonica Germany partners with Skylo for global IoT connectivity, expanding options for businesses and consumers. Nokia explores rugged 5G devices for harsh environments, catering to specialized industries with challenging conditions.
Nokia intensifies focus on AI and machine learning enhancements with the advent of their new Open Innovation Lab in Dubai. This facility is set to target telecommunications operations in Middle East and Africa, potentially bolstering business for Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The lab’s agenda encompasses three key areas: cloud RAN collaboration, promotion of private wireless and industrial networks, and acceleration of AI-driven network automation. The lab’s existence could pave the way for increased productivity, overall network efficiency and novel revenue opportunities in the region.
Welcoming Nokia’s latest innovation — the 25G Passive Optical Network (PON) starter kit. Aimed at enhancing 10Gbs+ deployments, the kit empowers operators to expedite high-speed connectivity for diverse businesses. With the capacity to connect up to ten businesses, this move is amplifying the importance of 10Gbs business connectivity globally. Utilizing existing fiber assets, it offers unique prospect for delivering exceptional speeds to different enterprises, from schools to farms. Discussing the transformation this 25G PON technology brings, we delve into the views of industry insiders and parallel innovations in the works.
Nokia’s revamped home wifi software suite, now known as Corteca, promises to revolutionize in-home connectivity management and user experience. This holistic solution boasts advanced features like Corteca Cloud for network management and Corteca Device Software for device administration. More intriguing is the upcoming Corteca Marketplace, offering ‘try-before-you-buy’ applications, potentially opening new revenue horizons. Despite the anticipation, the question remains – will this alleviate users’ connectivity woes and truly enhance their in-home broadband experience? Stay tuned as the story unfolds.
Nokia, TPG and Mediatek are collaborating to showcase the power of carrier aggregation technology in live-streaming 360-degree broadcasts, a key element for future metaverse applications. The demonstration at Nokia’s 5G Futures Lab used multiple sub-6 GHz frequency bands to maximize 5G uplink speeds, enabling real-time transmission of high-quality video. The technology could revolutionize the viewing experience for TV, movies, sports and industrial metaverse scenarios such as remote-controlled robots performing hazardous tasks.
In a recently revealed Q2 report, Nokia showed flat sales at €5.7 billion year over year, suggesting reduced capital expenditure by operators. Interestingly, while a 5% sales growth in Nokia’s Mobile Networks unit occurred, a troubling 6% decline at the Network Infrastructure division offset this boost. With stark contrasts across regions, North American sales notably dropped by 42% as 5G deployments slowed, while energetic 5G deployments in India couldn’t adequately balance the losses. Mirroring these figures, Ericsson too reported a 9% year over year decrease in Q2 revenue. A gloomy yet realistic outlook from Nokia’s CEO Pekka Lundmark, coupled with analyst firm Dell’Oro’s forecast on the shrinking RAN predictions, suggests telecommunications could be in for a turbulent few years.
Virgin Media O2 Plans Job Cuts Virgin Media O2 is reportedly planning job cuts, with anywhere between 800 and 2,000 jobs at risk of elimination. The company has rescheduled an imminent pay rise for staff to avoid including it in redundancy packages. This news disappoints staff who were led to believe they would have the opportunity to transfer to different departments, but anonymous sources suggest suitable alternative roles may not be available. The job cuts are part of the ongoing integration process between O2 and Virgin Media, following their merger in 2021, and are expected due to real estate consolidation and eliminating overlapping roles, common methods in mergers. Read the full article T-Mobile and Bellevue Pilot Road Safety Tech T-Mobile US and the city of Bellevue, Washington, are partnering to pilot Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology, aimed at enhancing road and pedestrian safety through real-time information. T-Mobile will provide 5G connectivity,…