An industry agreement intended to address industry digitalisation and automation in private networks across Indonesia has been signed by wireless transport and access solutions company Aviat Networks, and mobile operator Smartfren Telecom.

The partners aim to deliver high speed, ultra-reliable wireless connectivity, private wireless indoor and outdoor networks, and industry digitalisation and automation services to private network customers across Indonesia.

As private LTE and 5G network growth continues, this partnership will, we are told, leverage the capabilities of both companies to deliver IoT technology, 4G/5G private networks, and ICT solutions to Indonesian private networks and enterprises including hospitals, agriculture, mining, buildings, oil/gas companies, factories, smart cities and other vertical industries.

The objective of the agreement is to capture this market opportunity by enhancing the companies’ competitive positioning, and better serving Indonesian clientele through pre-sales and solution engineering, joint sales and market opportunity development, and integrated customer service and support.

As a result of its recent acquisition of NEC’s wireless transport business, Aviat says it is now the leading wireless transport provider in the Indonesian market and offers a comprehensive portfolio of wireless transport and access solutions, along with a local presence throughout the country.

Aviat will serve as solutions provider for all equipment and services related to Smartfren’s private networks offering.

With approximately 36 million subscribers at the end of 2022, Smartfren is the number four mobile operator in Indonesia and one of the ten largest in Southeast Asia.

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has sent a letter to Congressional leaders confirming that the Affordable Connectivity Programme (ACP) will run out of funding in April without congressional intervention 

The FCC is expected to begin winding down operations for the ACP soon if additional funding cannot be secured. 

The ACP was launched in December 2021 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with an initial budget of $14.2 billion. 

The programme helps almost 23 million households around the US to access high-speed internet. It provides eligible households with a $30 discount per month towards internet services, or a $75 discount for households on qualifying tribal lands.  

Without the funding, not only will new households not benefit from assistance in the future, but millions of households currently supported by the programme will be cut off. 

If this happens, the US’s historic $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) would be undermined, says Rosenworcel. 

The letter states that, “the Administration requested an additional $6 billion to extend the ACP as part of its domestic supplemental funding request to Congress, which, alongside program changes, would extend the program through the end of calendar year 2024.” 

Rosenworcel is not alone in her campaign to keep the programme running. In November, 26 American governors wrote a letter to congressional leaders, emphasising the programme’s importance: “There is broad agreement across the political spectrum that affordable high-speed internet is a necessity in today’s world, whether it’s for education, work or health care.” 

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Also in the news: 
Brookfield to acquire ATC India for $2.5 billion
T-Mobile announces six carrier aggregation success
Mayor of London explores free city-wide Wi-Fi network

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The company has become a champion of B-Corppration certification over the past year, with its B23 initiative aimed at helping many other local Cornish businesses to also achieve the CSG milestone

Today, Cornwall-based fibre network builder Wildanet has announced it is now a certified B-Corp – the first UK altnet to achieve this distinction.

But what exactly is a B-Corp?

“B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials,” explains the company website, noting that this designation recognises both corporate social responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments.

Criteria to be awarded the certification includes demonstrating high social and environmental performance by achieving a score of 80 or above on B-Lab (the non-profit behind B-Corp certification)’s B Impact Assessment and passing a risk review; changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders; and allowing B-Lab to publicly display the results of their performance, as measured against B-Lab’s standards.

The requirements for certification scale alongside company size, with larger companies forced to make grander commitments.

Wildanet itself has been focussed on achieving this feather in their cap for almost a year now and, notably, they are not doing it alone. Keeping in spirit of going beyond profit and serving their local community, Wildanet last year launched its B23 initiative, pledging to carry 23 local Cornish businesses with them on their B-Corp certification journey – specifically by guiding them through the B-Corp business assessment process.

For this initiative, Wildanet notably took home the Sustainability Award at the 2023 Connected Britain Awards.

“We are delighted and very proud to be recognised as a Certified B Corp and to be leading the way for UK AltNets. Wildanet’s founding mission, our ethos and operation is steeped in responsibility and sustainability. It is about working with and supporting communities in Cornwall and the South West, seeking to balance looking after the environment, looking after people, and growing a successful and profitable long-term business,” said Helen Wylde-Archibald, CEO of Wildanet.

“Achieving B Corp certification acknowledges this and reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire Wildanet team in ensuring we not only bring transformational broadband and digital connectivity services to the communities we serve but do so as a sustainable business delivering wider benefits for society and our environment.”

Is the UK telecoms sector doing enough to build a fairer and more sustainable world? Join the ecosystem in discussion at this year’s Connected Britain and Connected North conferences

Also in the news:
Brookfield to acquire ATC India for $2.5 billion
T-Mobile announces six carrier aggregation success
Mayor of London explores free city-wide Wi-Fi network

Press Release

The Un-carrier is picking up speed. T-Mobile has announced it achieved the world’s first six-carrier aggregation call using sub-6 GHz spectrum on its live production 5G network. Working with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., the Un-carrier reached mind-blowing speeds above 3.6 Gbps in the test – fast enough to download a two-hour HD movie in less than 7 seconds!

“We are pushing the boundaries of wireless technology to offer our customers the best experience possible,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “With the first and largest 5G standalone network in the country, T-Mobile is the only mobile provider serving 10s of millions of customers to unleash new capabilities like 5G carrier aggregation nationwide, and I am so incredibly proud of our team for leading the way.”

5G carrier aggregation allows T-Mobile to combine multiple 5G channels (or carriers) to deliver greater speed and performance. In this test, the Un-carrier merged six 5G channels of mid-band spectrum – two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G, two channels of PCS spectrum and two channels of AWS spectrum – creating an effective 245 MHz of aggregated 5G channels.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G, delivering the country’s largest, fastest and most awarded 5G network. The Un-carrier’s 5G network covers more than 330 million people across two million square miles — more coverage area than AT&T and Verizon combined. 300 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G with over 2x more square miles of coverage than similar offerings from the Un-carrier’s closest competitors.

Join the movers and shakers of the US telecoms scene live in Dallas for this year’s Connected America conference

Also in the news:
Reunited: Dish Network and EchoStar complete merger
How 5G standalone can help our shift to Net Zero
Telefonica agrees 3,421 job cuts with Spanish trade unions

News 

The move marks ATC’s exit from the Indian market after almost 17 years 

Canadian firm Brookfield Asset Management has announced today that it will buy American Tower Corporation (ATC)’s Indian operations for $2.5 billion, a move which will make it India’s largest telecom tower operator. 

ATC launched operations in India back in 2007 and currently has around 75,000 sites across the country. 

These will be combined with Brookfield’s existing Indian digital infrastructure assets – namely Summit Digitel, Crest Digitel, and Roam Digitel – all of which are managed by Brookfield’s Digital Infrastructure Trust.  

Summit Digitel is a towerco controlling around 177,000 towers, while Crest Digitel is focussed on small cells and in-building connectivity infrastructure. Real Digitel, a new venture formed late last year, is reportedly expected to focus on tower acquisition and construction. 

If ATC India’s towers are combined with Summit Digitel’s, the latter will boost its portfolio to over a quarter of a million tower sites, making it the second largest independent tower company in the world. 

“We look forward to expanding and enhancing our existing telecom tower portfolio in India, which enables a broader array of solutions for our customers and partners. Through strategic acquisitions like ATC India, we remain deeply committed to empowering digital connectivity and transforming the telecom infrastructure landscape across the region,” said Arpit Agrawal, Managing Director, Head of Infrastructure in India and the Middle East, at Brookfield in a statement. 

The transaction is subject to government and regulatory approval and is expected to close in the second half of this year. 

The sales comes after ATC completed a strategic review of its Indian operations, which they began in early 2023. This was in part due to the fact that s top client, Vodafone Idea, has faced profitability struggles for many years and has recently written down the value of the company by $322 million. Since the launch of Reliance Jio in 2016, the company has also failed to secure significant new investment as it fights for market share. 

The telecoms industry in India is the second largest in the world, with over 1 billion subscribers. As such, the market is highly attractive for digital infrastructure investors. Indeed, this deal is the third of Brookfield’s acquisitions in the India telecommunications industry. In 2019, they purchased Reliance Jio’s tower assets for $2.66 billion. Later, in 2022, the firm acquired 5,000 small cell sites and business solution sites to advance 5G coverage countrywide. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter  

Also in the news:
Nokia won’t reach end of year financial targets for 2023 
How 5G standalone can help our shift to Net Zero 
BT misses Huawei equipment removal deadline 

News 

HCS, an Irish IT, cybersecurity, and digital transformation services company has announced that it will invest €1.1 million to launch its new telecoms arm, HCS Telecom

The new business unit will help businesses move from legacy phone systems to cloud-based communications. 

The demand for the service, say HCS has come from the large increase in hybrid working, and the replacement of copper wiring with fibre.  

“With this new division, we aim to address this challenge and enable more organisations to work from anywhere, safe in the knowledge that they are supported by a range of reliable and secure solutions,” said Mick Foley, Head of Telecom Solutions at HCS. 

“We have deep expertise in IT and telecoms, and we are leveraging our experience and skillsets to cement our offering for customers. HCS Telecom is a modern solution to a modern challenge and we look forward to helping our clients to continue to grow in an ever-evolving business landscape.” 

HCS expects the new business to turn over €1.3 million in revenue and employ eight people by the end of the year. 

The news follows HCS’s acquisition of business telephone supplier Fixaphone last year for an undisclosed amount, which added around 750 customers to the HCS portfolio. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
Nokia won’t reach end of year financial targets for 2023 
How 5G standalone can help our shift to Net Zero 
BT misses Huawei equipment removal deadline  

The government of Pakistan has established what it calls the Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal, an entity aimed at swiftly addressing and settling disputes within the telecoms sector.

The new body, which has come into being via the Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal Ordinance of 2023, will be composed of three members, including the chairperson, who must either be a judge of a high court or an advocate with 15 years’ experience in the field. One of the members must possess a master’s level professional degree in an area of technology. The other member should have a similar qualification in finance, economics or a related subject.

They can all serve a four-year term, with provisions for reappointment, ending either at the age of 68 or when a term is not renewed.

All ongoing appeals and cases related to the IT and telecom sector being dealt with in the high courts will be transferred to the Telecommunication Appellate Tribunal within a month. Appeals against any decisions made by the Tribunal must be filed at the Supreme Court within sixty days.

The Express Tribune news service says that the establishment of the Tribunal has been a longstanding demand of the telecom sector.

Its duties will include deciding on approved appeals from operators against the decisions of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The hope is that this will happen within a 90-day period, as opposed to the slow process of going through the High Court.

This tribunal concept already exists in the country; one has been established to handle disputes in the power distribution sector.

This is an interesting and potentially positive initiative but, of course, only time will tell if the new system, as is hoped, addresses historical inefficiencies and sets a precedent for efficient dispute resolution.