This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Richard Brandon, VP of Strategy at RtBrick

The 2024 Trump vs. Harris election presents numerous polarizing issues that teeter headlines daily, including how federal spending should be allocated. Funding within the telecom and broadband space has been an issue of contention for years, most recently playing out in political moves like Trump’s rip-and-replace program, which aimed to eliminate outdated systems, and Biden’s BEAD program, meant to aid the digital divide. … [visit site to read more]

The government of Ghana said that it has implemented free roaming with Benin and Togo, enabling residents of all three West African countries to use their mobile services without having to pay international roaming charges.

According to a statement from Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) on Wednesday, mobile users from Ghana, Togo and Benin can send voice calls and text messages – either locally or internationally – at local rates for 30 consecutive days when they travel within all three countries. Incoming calls and SMSs will be free of charge.

Internet access is also charged at local data bundle rates, although users outside of their home country won’t be able to purchase new data plans.

In a speech at a press event in Accra, Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalisation Charles Acheampong said the initiative would encourage more travel and create a more unified and interconnected region.

“This initiative will allow our citizens to stay connected seamlessly, without the burden of high roaming charges or the inconvenience of multiple SIMs,” he said.

Michel Yaovi Galley, director general of Togo’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications (ARCEP Togo), said that mobile operators from Ghana, Togo and Benin were all committed to the success of the project.

The agreements are part of the Free Roaming Initiative launched by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

While the initiative was signed in 2016, ECOWAS member states have struggled to implement it, not least because of ongoing political and economic instability in the region, as well as the COVID pandemic. It was only in June 2023 that the first free roaming agreement was launched between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

Apart from Ghana, Togo, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire, other ECOWAS members include Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, Acheampong urged the NCA to set clear metrics to gauge the success of the roaming initiative.

“Only by measuring our progress can we ensure that we are delivering on the promises made to our citizens and achieving the intended outcomes,” he said.

Operators Brisanet, Ligga/Sercomtel and TIM have been declared the winners of Brazil’s first reverse mobile auction, held by the Ministry of Communications, the regulator Anatel and Seja Digital, the group involved in effecting the transition to digital TV broadcasting in Brazil, which, in turn, has opened up 4G spectrum.

The winners of the first 100% digital auction to choose operators to install and operate telephony and mobile internet antennas in 59 unserved remote locations were announced earlier this week.

Brisanet, Ligga/Sercomtel and TIM will operate in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Paraíba, Maranhão, Pernambuco, Rondônia, Tocantins and Ceará. They will have 90 days, which may be extendable, to install and operate the infrastructure.

The auction was held in the reverse format, in which the participants who gave the lowest bids for each location won. The event had a ceiling of BRL108.8 million (about US$19.5 million) and was concluded with a 41% discount. The difference will be allocated to other stages of the project, with at least one more round of reverse auction planned. Cloud2u and Claro were also bidders.

The investment will be BRL64 million (about US$11.46 million), a saving of 41% compared to the auction reference value.

Telephone operators were able to choose one or more locations from the list and make a single bid for each one, below the limit stipulated in the notice. The company that adopted the lowest subsidy amount won.

According to Carlos Baigorri, president of Anatel, the first edition of the auction was considered a success. It will be a pilot for others to be carried out in order to use the remaining balance of BRL250 million (US$44.76 million) in available resources.

Four projects of regional and metro scope to talk about today: … [visit site to read more]

Technology innovation giant Nokia and Furukawa Electric LatAm, a communications infrastructure solutions manufacturer, have announced plans to expanded their partnership, which was established in 2022, to immediately bring high-performance solutions in data centre automation to Brazil.

The two companies say they will also continue to offer advanced passive optical network (POL) technologies to the Latin American business market.

Security and automation designed for the artificial intelligence (AI) era are the focus of this new phase of the partnership, which is designed for data centres of all sizes in Brazil.

Solutions immediately available for the Brazilian market bring together Nokia’s modern data centre automation platform and Nokia DDoS attack detection and mitigation software.

Furukawa will now offer Nokia’s Data Centre Fabric solution, which includes high-performance data centre switching platforms, running Nokia SR Linux, which is described as a uniquely open, extensible and resilient network operating system.

The Data Centre Fabric solution is managed by Nokia Event-Driven Automation (EDA), a modern data centre network automation platform that, Nokia says, combines speed with reliability and simplicity and provides guardrails that detect errors caused by automation.

Roberto Kihara, General Sales Manager for Furukawa Electric LatAm, describes the POL market as “very hot” in Latin America and notes that the companies have a lot to achieve together in the region’s data centre market. “Brazil is a promising market and exemplary in terms of investment volume and demand for automation solutions,” he adds.

Juan Pablo Anadon, Head of Enterprise, Webscale and Partners Sales for Latin America, Network Infrastructure at Nokia, describes the new EDA platform as “developed for the AI era” and says it simplifies data centre management and can cut down operational efforts by up to 40%. He continues: “Part of our Data Centre Fabric solution, EDA is now available in Brazil just two weeks following its global launch, allowing us to work towards our goal with Furukawa to support and advance data centre networks in Latin America.”

Four bits of teamwork from around the world putting next generation infrastructure to work: … [visit site to read more]

iBASIS, a provider of communications solutions for operators and digital players worldwide, and TelEm Group, one of the leading mobile networks in the Caribbean island of Saint Maarten, have announced a five-year exclusive partnership to manage TelEm’s international voice services in key markets.

TelEm group will reportedly partner with iBASIS as exclusive provider for international voice termination across the Netherlands, Saint Maarten, Antilles, Saba and Sint Eustatius.

Explaining the partnership, Randell Hato, TelEm Group CFO says: “Cost efficiency is critical to our customers. iBASIS provides the perfect balance of affordability and reliability. In the initial phase, we expect a 20% reduction in opex costs. The iBASIS model will also enable us to rapidly roll out new services to stay competitive and foster growth. »

iBASIS cites Data Bridge Market Research, which indicates that the global voice termination market, valued at US$41.50 billion in 2024, is projected to grow to US$26.94 billion USD by 2031, with a compound 15% annual growth rate (CAGR).

An important consideration in this partrhsip is that regional operators like TelEm face increasing challenges including security threats, pricing pressures, and operational complexities. iBASIS says that its managed voice services offer a comprehensive solution covering infrastructure, capacity, security, regulatory compliance, and operational consulting.

Edwin van Ierland, iBASIS COO say that, looking ahead, “TelEm can also leverage iBASIS’s mobile, messaging and bandwidth services to enhance its offerings across the Caribbean islands. »

Some items of regional interest worth keeping up with: … [visit site to read more]

Four bits of last mile news, three from the northeast and one from the southeast: … [visit site to read more]

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