All articles by Ken Wieland – Page 13
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Financial & PerformanceVodafone, ABG keep funding taps closed for beleaguered Indian JV
Vi shareholders wash their hands of JV’s plight. Insist that private investment is the only way for Vi to remain going concern. Vi CEO Ravinder Takkar claims private investors are more put off by India’s floor pricing than AGR dispute.
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Network & InfrastructureEuropean Aviation Network charts 5G NSA flightpath
5G NR backwards compatibility with existing Evolved Packet Core main attraction over standalone variant. Allows EAN to simultaneously support existing aircraft fleets using 4G, and 5G fleets when onboard equipment becomes available.
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Network & InfrastructureJoosub fears Telkom will put spanner in SA spectrum works
Vodacom CEO hopeful that operator dialogue with ICASA can solve impasse on 4G/5G spectrum. However, Joosub thinks Telkom has a propensity to “delay or play games”.
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PremiumDeutsche Telekom cranks gears for Dutch exit
TMNL sales process reportedly whirs into action; several private equity players circling. Mixed signals on valuation.
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Network & InfrastructureVantage Towers CEO dismisses bond proxy tag
Vivek Badrinath enthuses about “exciting business model”. Sees scope for innovation and expansion through greater non-operator engagement. Always on the lookout for M&A opportunities, but existing markets take priority if going down consolidation route.
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Products & ServicesMobiledgeX updates platform, switches on revenue taps
Deutsche Telekom edge compute spinout unveils MobiledgeX Edge-Cloud 3.0. Latest platform iteration aimed at enabling greater collaboration between telcos and hyperscalers. DT–Mavenir tie-up demos cloud-native 5G user plane function to support MEC applications. CEO Hoffman says MobiledgeX making money; aims to increase number of operator “installations” from 18 to ...
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Suppliers & SCMTelefónica says continuity vital in 5G SA supplier selection
Operator confirms longstanding network partners Ericsson and Nokia as 5G SA radio suppliers. CTIO claims provider has the “best technology partners” that can help develop 5G “at the highest level of quality”.
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Public AffairsUzan family sues Vodafone and others for $68bn
Turkish clan of business tycoons claims its assets were illegally seized and sold by the state. Vodafone’s 2005 acquisition of Telsim among the family’s grievances. Group denies all allegations of contributing to defraud the Uzans.
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M&ADrahi cites Brexit for BT swoop
Co-founder of Altice telecoms group pays UK government ministers a visit about newly acquired 12.1% BT stake. Claims Brexit and relatively low FTTP rollout makes UK ripe for investment. Some in BT reportedly think overtures to government might be part of a grand takeover plan.
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PremiumDT launches open RAN in Germany with massive MIMO
Operator switches on O-RAN Town in Neubrandenburg. Dell, Fujitsu, Intel, Mavenir, NEC, and Supermicro all part of vendor mix. DT emphasises automation as “must have” to manage complexity. “Vendor-independent” service management and orchestration framework developed. DT heavily involved in NGMN work at plugging R&D “industry gap” in determining best ...
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Network & InfrastructureBT bags first UK customer win as neutral host provider
Bruntwood SciTech, a property provider to the science and tech sector, signs on the dotted line. EE, as part of the deal, leverages parent company’s indoor neutral host solution at Cheshire’s Alderley Park.
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Network & InfrastructureBT, STL push for legacy support in SDN migration
Two companies working within Broadband Forum to help define standardised and open interfaces to support legacy assets as operators embark on SDN migration. Fisher pointedly remarks that network and technology investment cycles are typically between seven and twelve years.
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PremiumBT flags hollow core fibre trial with Lumenisity, Mavenir
BT optical networks guru Lord hails technology as “truly remarkable”, but large-scale deployments unlikely anytime soon. Shorter latency times of up to 50% and lower 5G rollout costs among perceived benefits.
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Innovation (R&D)T-Labs scoping out quantum computing apps for DT
Group’s R&D arm initially exploring five use-cases of relevance to Deutsche Telekom as part of government-backed project. T-Systems follows T-Labs’ lead and joins PlanQK construction. D-Wave, Fujitsu, and IBM among vendor partners.
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Suppliers & SCMEricsson targets African gains on back of Vodafone reorg
Swedish vendor has been punching below weight within Vodafone’s African operations. Tech 2025 organisational changes and geopolitical flux could create openings to grow regional account.
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Suppliers & SCMVPC’s Wilson says Tech 2025 bringing clarity
Wilson expects speedier decision-making, faster onboarding of new suppliers, and a stronger drive to standardisation across Group OpCos. Ericsson says it will be “happy” to pass on greater cost efficiencies to Vodafone. Swedish vendor targets African gains on back of tech reorg.
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Network & InfrastructureTelefónica España sticks by Ericsson, Nokia for ‘real’ 5G
Scandinavian duo reportedly selected for 5G SA rollout. No real surprise as Ericsson, Nokia already ensconced in 5G NSA RAN. Spanish government offers sweeteners for rescheduled 700MHz spectrum sale.
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Network & InfrastructureBT puzzles over end-to-end quantum security
Optical expert optimistic about upcoming commercial availability of QKD and “global” satellite distribution of crypto keys. How to protect the terrestrial “bit in the middle” against quantum-computing hacks still uncertain. Due diligence needed on Arqit’s QuantumCloud. Lord confident UK can tap into EU funding, despite Brexit.
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Suppliers & SCMNokia supplies “final piece” in Spain’s IP Fusión jigsaw
Telefónica España apparently on home straight to complete “end-to-end” IP network transformation. Latest Nokia kit deployment aimed at extending 5G, FTTH coverage to rural and remote areas.
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PremiumO2 Germany updates on turbo-charged 5G
Doubles the number of cities with 5G to around 60 in space of six weeks. Launches standalone 5G core in Munich; nationwide deployment slated for summer 2021. 5G carrier aggregation sees lift-off in Munich.