EdgeConneX® announces the launch of Voltera. Rising from the EdgeConnex history of space and power innovations, Voltera builds, owns, and operates charging facilities that enable electric vehicle (EV) deployment and operation at scale. Voltera has equity backing from EQT Infrastructure, which plans to invest several billion to address the challenges around fleet EV charging that include delivering scalable power in strategic locations…

EdgeConneX® announces the launch of Voltera. Rising from the EdgeConnex history of space and power innovations, Voltera builds, owns, and operates charging facilities that enable electric vehicle (EV) deployment and operation at scale. Voltera has equity backing from EQT Infrastructure, which plans to invest several billion to address the challenges around fleet EV charging that include delivering scalable power in strategic locations. Voltera has a team with deep experience deploying charging infrastructure, and is uniquely positioned to help solve EV infrastructure challenges as the world prepares for a more sustainable future.

“As a pioneer in the digital infrastructure industry, EdgeConneX has solved many of the same challenges EV fleet operators and automakers face – acquiring, permitting, powering and operating sites in strategic locations, while ensuring customers’ speed to market,” says EdgeConneX CEO Randy Brouckman. “It’s a highly logical and practical application of our long-developed data center innovations to solve another very real and significant challenge. Voltera will advance the transportation industry like EdgeConneX did digital infrastructure. It’s really all a part of our commitment to sustainable innovation.”

Voltera’s customers are companies that have a pressing need to power EVs at scale. That includes fleet operators looking to electrify without disrupting operations or investing significant time and upfront capital to install EV charging infrastructure, as well as automakers looking to deploy charging infrastructure to support EV sales. Siting, acquiring, powering, building, and operating strategically located, fit-for-purpose charging facilities, Voltera is the full-service partner these companies rely on to support EV deployment and operations at scale.

“Fleet operators, automakers, and consumers alike are adopting electric vehicles at a rapidly accelerating pace. Lagging far behind, though, is the power infrastructure needed to support EVs at scale,” says Voltera CEO Matt Horton. “We have to bridge that gap if we’re going to make zero-emission transportation a reality. That’s what Voltera is doing, and it’s why I’m so excited to be part of this team.”

EQT Infrastructure has made several investments in clean transportation and was looking for opportunities to help develop the EV charging infrastructure necessary to support vehicle electrification. “Through our work with EdgeConneX, we understand that the capabilities needed to deliver critical infrastructure for transport electrification at scale are similar to the capabilities EdgeConneX developed as a leading data center provider,” says EQT Partner Jan Vesely. “In Voltera, EQT sees an opportunity to partner with a company that can drive positive change, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions by developing EV infrastructure, and we are excited to back their expansive ambitions.”

At the end of 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concluded the first phase of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) broadband subsidy auction, allocating $9.2 billion to wide range of connectivity providers seeking to deploy high-speed internet infrastructure throughout rural America. 
The RDOF had received huge interest from across the US telecoms industry, drawing bids from over 300 operators of various shapes and sizes. 
Among the largest winners were tower operator LTD Broadband ($1.3 billion)…

At the end of 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concluded the first phase of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) broadband subsidy auction, allocating $9.2 billion to wide range of connectivity providers seeking to deploy high-speed internet infrastructure throughout rural America. 

The RDOF had received huge interest from across the US telecoms industry, drawing bids from over 300 operators of various shapes and sizes. 

Among the largest winners were tower operator LTD Broadband ($1.3 billion), Charter Communications ($1.2 billion), the Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium ($1.1 billion), and SpaceX’s Starlink ($885.5 million).

Since then, however, the FCC has been slow to authorise the funds to the various winners, with the Commission carefully considering whether the bidders can live up to their obligations. So far, the fund has provided over $5 billion for new deployments in 47 states, reportedly bringing broadband infrastructure to over 2.8 million locations, while leaving the remaining $4 billion in limbo. 

Now, the FCC has announced that it has denied authorisation for the Starlink bid, saying that they questioned if the technology in its current form could deliver the speeds promised.

The regulator noted that recent reports from Ookla showed a decline in the speeds Starlink was able to provide in 2022, suggesting they could not provide the 100/20 Mbps service they had promised to deliver to around 643,000 locations in 35 states.

The FCC also noted that Starlink customers would be required to purchase a $600 terminal to receive services, a sizable investment that could limit uptake given the global economic crisis.   

“Starlink’s technology has real promise. But the question before us was whether to publicly subsidize its still developing technology for consumer broadband,” explained FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

In the same announcement, the FCC similarly ruled out the $1.3 billion in subsidies won by LTD Broadband, the largest winner at the RDOF auction. 

The FCC said that it judged the tower operator could not successfully deliver on its pledge to provide gigabit broadband infrastructure to 528,000 locations in 15 states.

“We must put scarce universal service dollars to their best possible use as we move into a digital future that demands ever more powerful and faster networks,” said Rosenworcel. “We cannot afford to subsidize ventures that are not delivering the promised speeds or are not likely to meet program requirements.”

The FCC had last year ruled that LTD had failed to demonstrate its status as an eligible telecommunications carrier in the states of California, Kansas, and Oklahoma, forcing the operator to default on the portion of the subsidy package relating to those states.

In its ruling this week, the FCC said that both Starlink and LTD had provided inadequate proof that they could comply with requirements. 

« I don’t believe the FCC fully appreciated the benefits LTD Broadband would bring to hundreds of thousands of rural Americans. We are continuing to review the letter and are evaluating our next steps, » LTD CEO Corey Hauer told Reuters. 

The FCC says that the funds that would have been allocated to Starlink and LTD will be retained by the Universal Service Fund, potentially being reallocated for other federal projects in future. 

In related news – and in stark contrast to the roadblocks being encountered for rural broadband subsidies – subsidies for the US semiconductor industry are set to be forging ahead, with the government yesterday signing the $52 billion CHIPS Act into law. The Act seeks to help develop the US’s domestic semiconductor manufacturing capability, thereby reducing the country’s technological reliance on China and Taiwan. 

Total Telecom are keeping track of the latest news from the USA as billions of dollars pour into developing internet access for all. If you are interested in a more in-depth look at how progress is being made, check out our new Connected America event.
10 August 2022
New York’s MTA announces wireless connectivity plan for entire subway – telecompaper
9 August 2022
America’s Two Biggest Cable Broadband Monopolies Failed To Add Any New Customers Last Quarter – techdirt
States are Making Their Own Broadband Maps to Challenge the FCC’s Data – BroadbandBreakfast 
8 August 2022
$30M Fiber-optic Broadband Infrastructure Project Coming to Holland, MI – Inside Towers
7 August 2022
Affordable Connectivity Program&’…

Total Telecom are keeping track of the latest news from the USA as billions of dollars pour into developing internet access for all. If you are interested in a more in-depth look at how progress is being made, check out our new Connected America event.

10 August 2022
New York’s MTA announces wireless connectivity plan for entire subway – telecompaper

9 August 2022
America’s Two Biggest Cable Broadband Monopolies Failed To Add Any New Customers Last Quarter – techdirt

States are Making Their Own Broadband Maps to Challenge the FCC’s Data – BroadbandBreakfast 

8 August 2022
$30M Fiber-optic Broadband Infrastructure Project Coming to Holland, MI – Inside Towers

7 August 2022
Affordable Connectivity Program’ for broadband internet services offered to ND households – KFYR

4 August 2022
Congress Proposes Broadband Plan 2.0 – Multichannel News

Brightspeed Announces Initial Fiber Build Markets for Tennessee – PRNewswire 

3 August 2022
Quantum Fiber launches multi-gig service, delivering symmetric 8 gigabit internet speeds in select cities – PR Newswire

2 August 2022
20 Providers Offering $30-a-Month High-Speed Internet Access – AARP

27 July 2022
The Fiber Broadband Association Recognizes More All Fiber Networks Across North America – Press Release

26 July 2022
La. state leaders announce major investment in broadband internet expansion, digital literacy program – WAFB9

22 July 2022
Rural US wireless carriers ask for more 5G subsidies – LightReading

19 July 2022
State of Indiana and AT&T Collaborate on Plan to Deliver Fiber-Powered Broadband to Portions of Nine Indiana Counties – Press Release / Cision

18 July 2022
Home Telecom supplies 1,400 homes with better internet with $2M grant – Live 5 NewsWire

United Communications secures $130M credit facility to support broadband grants – Williamson HomePage 

16 July 2022
How Washington state could use federal infrastructure money to close the digital divide – Geek Wire

Peninsula Fiber Network Plans To Improve Internet Service – Radio results Network

FCC Chair Rosenworcel Proposes 4X Increase in Minimum Broadband Speeds – tvtech

14 July 2022
Despite External Challenges – RAN Still Expected to Surpass $40b by 2026 – PR Newswire

13 July 2022
AT&T claims first with 20 Gbps symmetric speeds in production network – Telecompaper

13 July 2022
Shentel Awarded Grant to Bring its Glo Fiber High Speed Network to Frederick County, Maryland – PR Newswire

13 July 2022
Arelion expands its long-haul network in Atlanta – Fierce Telecom

13 July 2022
All 50 States on Board for BEAD, Digital Equality Broadband Funding Programs – Telecompetitor

13 July 2022
Mesa, Arizona selects 4 fiber providers inlcuding SiFi Networks and Google Fiber – Fierce Telecom

13 July 2022
FCC Awards More Than $266M in ECF Program – Telecompetitor

13 July 2022
Starry adds record subs in Q2 as total nears 81,000 – LightReading

12 July 2022

12 July 2022

12 July 2022

11 July 2022

11 July 2022

1 July 2022
FCC Awards Almost $159m in ECF Funding – Telecompetitor

30 June 2022
Construction Begins at Quantum Loophole’s Frederick Data Center Campus – Inside Towers 

29 June 2022
Sen. Marklein: The battle for better broadband continues – WisPolitics

28 June 2022
Verizon delivers faster connections to 64 Native American reservations in 13 states – LightReading 

27 June 2022
Clearwave Fiber Begins Buildout of Fiber Internet in Lansing, KS – PR Newswire 

24 June 2022
Broadband internet provider Conterra expanding, investing nearly $10M now, $12M later in Union County – WRAL TechWire 

Connectbase welcomes NYC’s Skywire Networks to Connected World platform – telecompaper 

22 June 2022
Highline Commences Next Phase of Fiber Internet Expansion in Lumberton, Texas – Telecompetitor 

20 June 2022
FPB wins $8 million in grants to fund broadband for unserved – The State Journal (Kentucky)

State of New York unveils broadband map – Inside Towers

18 June 2022
Hargray Fiber expands fiber Internet to Hinesville, GA – TelecomLead.com

17 June 2022
Biden aims to train more broadband workers to fend off labor crunch – Fierce Telecom

Washington County, Pa., Approves $3.2M for Internet Expansion – Government Technology

16 June 2022
Shentel Expanding its Glo Fiber High-Speed Network to Delaware – KLTV

Texas Broadband Plan Could Connect 2.8M Unserved Households – Government Technology

13 June 2022
Ohio State hosts first meeting for statewide broadband and 5G partnership – Ohio State News

11 June 2022
West Virginia Working To Avoid Past Broadband Mistakes – The Intelligencer

Connected America brings together the people and companies redefining the future of US connectivity and unites the leading stakeholders from the entire value chain. Join us in Dallas, 28-29 March 2023

This week, Korea Telecom (KT) has announced it has signed a new strategic agreement with Turkish state-run operator Turk Telekom, seeking to mutually develop their 5G capabilities and explore the technology’s commercialisation.
 
As part of the deal, the partners will co-develop a private 5G platform for to Türk Telekom’s customers…

This week, Korea Telecom (KT) has announced it has signed a new strategic agreement with Turkish state-run operator Turk Telekom, seeking to mutually develop their 5G capabilities and explore the technology’s commercialisation.

As part of the deal, the partners will co-develop a private 5G platform for to Türk Telekom’s customers, coinciding with the operator’s broader 5G launch scheduled for 2023.

Beyond 5g, the deal will also see the operators explore joint investment opportunities, particularly in technology start-ups, with Türk Telekom looking to support a number of KT’s various tech subsidiaries. 

The agreement also covers content sharing, with content produced by KT offered to Türk Telekom’s customers via the latter’s Internet TV and over-the-top service platform. Reciprocal content exchange may also be explored at a later date. 

KT itself has already found considerable success in its newly created subsidiary, KT Studio Genie, which has produced the currently most-watched non-English TV series on streaming platforms, ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’. SK Telecom, meanwhile, has established its own streaming service, Content Wavve Corp., in 2019, and LG Uplus has recently invested in children’s animation studio SAMG Entertainment.

“We are embarking on an exciting journey with Korea Telecom, the world’s leading technology company, to implement joint R&D projects in the field of 5G, to invest in start-ups, an area we value very much, and to exchange content for our TV platform. I believe that this cooperation will yield very successful results,” said Türk Telekom CEO Ümit Önal.

The formal agreement follows the two companies signing a collaborative Memorandum of Understanding at Mobile World Congress back in March. 

This week, DITO has announced it has filed two complaints against Globe Telecom and PLDT (Smart) with the Philippine Competition Commission, claiming that the two larger telcos are exploiting their dominant market position to prevent DITO from competing fairly.
The operator alleges that Globe and Smart have failed to follow the standards of the National Telecommunications Commission…

This week, DITO has announced it has filed two complaints against Globe Telecom and PLDT (Smart) with the Philippine Competition Commission, claiming that the two larger telcos are exploiting their dominant market position to prevent DITO from competing fairly.

The operator alleges that Globe and Smart have failed to follow the standards of the National Telecommunications Commission, which requires all mobile operators to ensure good interconnection between rival networks. 

« Out of 100 calls that DITO makes to reach out to one of these telcos, only 30 are able to get through. Seventy out of 100 calls are unable to interconnect. For the other one, it’s even worse, out of 100 calls, only 20 are able to interconnect, » said DITO’s Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano.

DITO Telecommunity launched its mobile services in the Philippines in March 2021, aiming to break up the duopoly of Globe and Smart. 

The Philippines had been seeking a third mobile entrant since at least 2019, with then-President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly blaming the country’s bipartite mobile market for the Philippine’s relative lack of infrastructure development compared to its international neighbours.  

As a result, the launch of DITO was met with much fanfare, with the new operator saying it would aggressively take on the existing operators, pledging to invest $6 billion in its new network and aiming to capture 30% of the market. 

Since then, the company has indeed gained subscribers rapidly. By the end of 2021, roughly nine months after launch, the company had reached five million subscribers. Today, that figure stands at around 11 million, with DITO saying it is aiming to reach 12 million by the end of the year. 

DITO says that its rapid customer acquisition is due to their competitive pricing and high-quality service.

But while this growth is no doubt impressive, it still leaves the newcomer utterly dwarfed by both Globe and Smart, which have around 87 million and 71 million mobile subscribers, respectively. 

« We are alleging abuse of dominant position. Obviously Globe and Smart are in a dominant position. They’re giants. Our market share for the entire market is at most 5 percent, » said Tamano, who said that DITO’s growth would be “much, much higher if interconnections were okay”.

Globe and Smart have yet to officially respond to this announcement.

The DoD has launched three new 5G projects this week, hoping to capitalise on public and private sector collaboration to help develop relevant 5G technologies. 
The first of these three projects is Open6G, looking to pair universities with the private sector to co-develop 6G Open RAN systems…

The DoD has launched three new 5G projects this week, hoping to capitalise on public and private sector collaboration to help develop relevant 5G technologies. 

The first of these three projects is Open6G, looking to pair universities with the private sector to co-develop 6G Open RAN systems. Open6G will reportedly serve as the DoD’s “hub for development, testing, and integration of trusted enhancements, supporting an industry and federal government NextG ecosystem pursuing 6G technology goals”.

IB5G has awarded $1.77 million to the project, which is being overseen by the Northeastern University’s Kostas Research Institute via agreement with the Army Research Laboratory. 

Secondly, IB5G has awarded $1.64 million to Zylinium Research to further develop its Spectrum Exchange Security and Scalability project. 

The company recently demonstrated dynamic spectrum allocation on the Platform for Open Wireless Data-drive Experimental Research (POWDER) at the University of Utah. The DoD says that its new funding will help Zylinium to further leverage blockchain technology to provide scalability.

Lastly, IB5G is collaborating with Nokia Bell Labs on their Massive Multi-Input/Multi-Output (MIMO) from MHz to GHz project, providing $3.69 million in funding. The effort will explore key technology components that enable scaling MIMO technology across different bands/bandwidths and DoD-oriented use cases.

 “The DoD has a vital interest in advancing 5G-to-NextG wireless technologies and concept demonstrations,” explained Dr Sumit Roy, IB5G Program Director. “These efforts represent our continuing investments via public and private sector collaboration on research & development for critical Beyond 5G technology enablers necessary to realize high performance, secure, and resilient network operations for the future warfighter.”

How is government investment in wireless technologies set to impact the sector at large? Find out from the experts at next year’s inaugural Connected America conference 

Also in the news:

Today, international mobile operator Veon has announced that it has sold its 45.57% stake in Omnium Telecom Algeria, the company that owns Djezzy, Algeria’s second-largest mobile provider. 
 
The deal will reportedly net the company around $682 million…

Today, international mobile operator Veon has announced that it has sold its 45.57% stake in Omnium Telecom Algeria, the company that owns Djezzy, Algeria’s second-largest mobile provider. 

The deal will reportedly net the company around $682 million, increasing Veon’s liquidity to $3.1 billion. 

The buyer is the Algerian National Investment Fund (AIF), which was set up in 2021 as a collaboration between the Bank of Algeria and the External Bank of Algeria. The AIF has already been investing in Algerian start-ups alongside Algeria’s public start-up accelerator, Algeria Venture.

For Veon, the deal will help continue to simplify the company’s portfolio and focus on other markets that exhibit stronger growth. 

VEON offers services to customers in 12 markets including Russia, Italy, Algeria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Laos. Of these, Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan are viewed as ‘growth engines’, while Bangladesh and Algeria were described as ‘frontier markets’ in Veon’s Q1 results presentation back in 2021. 

Veon sold its operations in Armenia, a market of similar size and slim margins, back in 2020. 

“The regulatory environment in Algeria was very restrictive in that sense […] infrastructure sharing and monetisation is also restricted,” explained Veon Chief Executive Kaan Terzioglu. “We built a beautiful enterprise. But when the strategic aspirations don’t meet, we thought it would be the best thing for us to sell our shares to the government.”

Back in April, TIM agreed to sell a 12.4% indirect stake in INWIT to a consortium led by French private equity firm Ardian. The sale would leave Ardian with a 90% stake in the holding company Daphne 3, which in turn holds a 30.2% stake in INWIT. TIM will retain a 10% stake in Daphne 3…

Back in April, TIM agreed to sell a 12.4% indirect stake in INWIT to a consortium led by French private equity firm Ardian. The sale would leave Ardian with a 90% stake in the holding company Daphne 3, which in turn holds a 30.2% stake in INWIT. TIM will retain a 10% stake in Daphne 3.

Ultimately, this means that the Ardian consortium will control around 27% of INWIT and TIM just 3%. Vodafone remains INWIT’s largest single shareholder with 33%.

As a result of this shift in the company’s balance of power, reports have been circulating since the start of the month that CEO Giovanni Ferigo was set to leave his position within the company as part of a full board reshuffle, with Vodafone and Ardian lining up their own suggested candidates for the board. 

Today, INWIT has announced that Ferigo has indeed resigned, as have four additional board members: non-executive directors Giovanna Bellezza, Sabrina Di Bartolomeo, Rosario Mazza, and Agostino Nuzzolo. 

Per the company’s bylaws, this mandates a total board reshuffle. 

Reports suggest that INWIT will begin the process to select a replacement board as early as next week, with an extraordinary general meeting planned for August 9.

Sources suggest that the new CEO will likely be Vodafone’s preferred candidate, while the chairperson role will be given to Ardian’s candidate.

INWIT is Italy’s largest mobile tower operator, controlling over 22,000 towers across the country. It was created by TIM spinning off its tower unit back in 2015 and has since grown in size, considerably, most recently in 2020 through its merger with Vodafone Towers Italia. 

This week, Vodafone Group has reportedly agreed the sale of its 70% stake in Vodafone Ghana to smaller African player Telecel.
 
Telecel currently owns and operates a number of mobile operators in African and Europe, as well as providing wholesale, enterprise, and digital security services to other operators and businesses worldwide. The company has already made investments in Ghana as part of the Africa Startup Initiative Program “ASIP”.
 
While the financial terms of the deal are so far undisclosed…

This week, Vodafone Group has reportedly agreed the sale of its 70% stake in Vodafone Ghana to smaller African player Telecel.

Telecel currently owns and operates a number of mobile operators in African and Europe, as well as providing wholesale, enterprise, and digital security services to other operators and businesses worldwide. The company has already made investments in Ghana as part of the Africa Startup Initiative Program “ASIP”.

While the financial terms of the deal are so far undisclosed, sources suggest that Telecel plans to invest around $500 million in the first three years to bolster the Ghanaian company’s network.

There were initially rumours that the sale would be partly funded by the potential sale of Vodafone Ghana’s tower infrastructure, though this has since been debunked by Telecel.

« The acquisition is fully financed by Telecel Group and its partners. Telecel confirms that the potential sale of Vodafone Ghana Towers is not part of the acquisition funding,” said the company in a statement. 

Vodafone itself had acquired its 70% stake in what was then Ghana’s state-run telco, Ghana Telecom, back in 2008, paying the government $900 million. To this day, the government retains the remaining 30% stake.

But for Vodafone Ghana this plan never materialised, and it now seems a stake sale to a fully independent party could be more appealing. 

However, getting regulatory approval for the takeover is proving problematic. 

Speaking on the local Asaase Radio channel earlier this week, Ghana’s Communications and Digitalisation minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said that the acquisition had been denied approval earlier in the year, saying that she was “surprised at the news going around.”

“The law requires that they get regulatory approval from the National Communications Authority (NCA), and we’ve had a series of discussions with them. We were concerned that [Telecel] were a very small operator and didn’t have the technical and financial muscle to be able to take on the challenging environment that we have in the telecom sector here in Ghana.”

In a statement, the NCA noted that they had not blocked the deal, as such, but rather concluded that the sale did not meet regulatory requirements in its current form. As such, Telecel and Vodafone say they are in ongoing negotiations with the regulator. 

“We have received their responses which have not granted the approvals yet and Telecel is willing to re-engage soon after putting together the necessary clarifications,” said Telecel in a statement. “Telecel and Vodafone have been in touch with Ghana’s Ministry for Communications, Bank of Ghana, and the National Communications Authority, to finalize all the regulatory requirements related to this transaction.” 

At the end of 2021, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) completed its most recent spectrum auction, offering 16 lots in the 850 MHz and 900 MHz bands and raising over AU$2 billion.
Telstra and Optus were the only bidders in the auction and did so following relatively divergent 5G strategies: Telstra targeted the 850 MHz band, picking up the four available lots for roughly AU$615 million, while Optus won all the 900 MHz spectrum available for roughly AU$1…

At the end of 2021, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) completed its most recent spectrum auction, offering 16 lots in the 850 MHz and 900 MHz bands and raising over AU$2 billion.

Telstra and Optus were the only bidders in the auction and did so following relatively divergent 5G strategies: Telstra targeted the 850 MHz band, picking up the four available lots for roughly AU$615 million, while Optus won all the 900 MHz spectrum available for roughly AU$1.4 billion.

The licences won at the auction will come into force on July 1, 2024, and last for a 20-year term. 

Naturally, this is quite a delay for the operators, who are keen to begin making use of the spectrum as soon as possible. As such, the ACMA quickly announced that it would authorise PMTS (public mobile telecommunications service) Class B licences – essentially ‘early access’ licences that would allow the operators to make use of the spectrum at specific, registered locations.

In cases where a PMTS licence would clash with existing spectrum licences, the ACAM said it would allow whoever registered first to be given priority.  

This decision represented something of an opportunity for Telstra. The operator still owns 900 MHz spectrum that it had previously used for its now retired 2G network. Registering for PMTS licences would allow Telstra to make use of this largely unused spectrum for the first time since 2016.

As a result, Telstra quickly registered 206 additional sites to use 900 MHz spectrum, on top of the 109 sites it currently had registered. 

“We identified an opportunity to reduce congestion in a small number of places by moving 3G traffic onto our 900 MHz spectrum, given it is unused and we own until 2024. At the same time this would free up 850 MHz spectrum to meet the growing demands of our 5G customers,” explained Telstra.

However, the ACCC suggested that these deployments could hinder competition with Optus, noting that could interfere with the latter’s national 5G rollout. 

“[The registration] had the substantial purpose or likely effect of lessening competition by Optus, as Telstra knew of the importance of this spectrum band to Optus’ 5G rollout plan,” said ACCC commissioner Liza Carver.

While Telstra disagrees with this assessment, the operator has subsequently agreed to deregister 153 of the sites, leaving just 162 still registered. 

“While we do not agree with the ACCC’s view, these cases can be drawn out, costly and time-consuming, and risk distracting us from providing better service to our customers, including customers in regional Australia,” said Telstra. “To avoid that we have filed an undertaking to deregister sites in areas Optus demonstrates it will use the spectrum in its 5G rollout.”

This clash over mobile site licences is taking place against the backdrop of a far larger struggle between Telstra and Optus, with the latter decrying the network sharing agreement Telstra struck with TPG earlier this year as uncompetitive. Optus has said that the deal is “uniquely one-sided” and will largely serve as a merger disguised as a partnership. Earlier this month, Telstra struck back, accusing Optus of ‘scaremongering’ and suggesting that parts of the deal have been “twisted intentionally” to “mischaracterise” the arrangement. 

Also in the news: