India’s state-owned operator BSNL has reportedly started 5G trials in the country ahead of its imminent launch of 4G. However, mobile market leader Reliance Jio is looking much further ahead – to business cases that could monetise its (already launched) 5G network.

BSNL is said to be working with India’s Centre for Development of Telecommunications (C-DoT) to test 5G technology. C-DoT is also providing the network core for BSNL’s 4G network, a core that can be used for 5G.

BSNL is still pushing to launch 4G services in India, with the technology set to go live next month and hopes that it will boost a market share estimated at a mere 7.4% (86.3 million customers) as of May. According to local news reports, delays in launching 4G rollout have adversely affected BSNL subscriber numbers. The government has reportedly given BSNL a subscriber market share target of 25% to reach by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile India’s race to introduce 5G has already been won by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. Both carriers launched their networks in October 2022. Third-placed operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) is still working towards its own launch.

However, Reliance Jio is even further ahead, already loooking on new approaches to monetising 5G. It has been reported by the Indian press that premium smartphone maker OnePlus and Reliance Jio have conducted a successful demonstration of 5G network slicing technology at their 5G innovation lab in India.

Using the recently launched OnePlus Nord 4 Android smartphone with network slicing technology, the R&D teams are said to have demonstrated how different applications can get access to dedicated network slices for enhanced 5G experience.

5G network slicing divides a physical network into several virtual networks, each tailored to specific needs. These virtual networks can have distinct features such as speed, bandwidth, security, and reliability based on user needs. It is one of the business cases considered particularly relevant for 5G and areas like private networks.

Both companies will now work on finalising the details to prepare for commercial deployment in the coming months. How the other two private networks will respond we’ll no doubt find out soon. BSNL meanwhile needs to get 4G up and running.

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Italian company Sparkle, an international telecoms service provider, has signed an agreement with Airtel Business, the B2B arm of Indian service provider Bharti Airtel, for additional capacity on a diversified low-latency route between Asia and Europe.

Under the agreement, Sparkle will provide capacity on the Blue and Raman submarine cable systems which will connect India to Italy. With this additional capacity Airtel will further diversify its global network across multiple international submarine cable systems to serve the growing demand for data services in India and neighbouring countries. 

The two companies will also work together on the development of new business opportunities and projects in the Indian subcontinent, leveraging their respective cable infrastructures.

Described as India’s leading and most trusted provider of ICT services, Airtel Business offers strategically located submarine cables, satellite networks and global networks across 50 countries and five continents. With more than 1,200 global carrier partnerships, the company says it enables its customers to connect across the world including hard-to-reach areas.

In India, Airtel Business offers a wide range of solutions that include secure connectivity, cloud and data centre services, cybersecurity, IoT and cloud-based communications to enterprises, governments, carriers, and small and medium businesses.

Vani Venkatesh, CEO of Global Business at Airtel Business, says: “We are happy to partner with Sparkle as we further consolidate our leadership in global connectivity. This partnership will further diversify our network with large integrated capacities to meet the ever-growing connectivity needs and data demand of our customers.”

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Regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has introduced a device management system (DMS). The NCC DMS is described as a comprehensive central equipment identity register (CEIR) aimed at managing and regulating mobile devices accessing the country’s communication networks.

The initiative is designed to ensure stricter control over mobile devices, to enhance security, and to promote compliance with established regulatory standards.

It will act as a central database for tracking devices across all mobile network operators (MNOs) in Nigeria.

By registering and monitoring device access, the NCC says it seeks to curb the use of unapproved devices and prevent issues such as phone theft and fraudulent activities involving mobile devices.

The regulator explains that the NCC-DMS will acquire the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of all devices on the communication network and synchronise with international databases of IMEI repositories. Thus the NCC-DMS will maintain a registry of all communication devices available in the country.

All MNOs in the country are legally obliged to connect to the system. A registration fee structure will be applied to every device registered.

News resource Nairametrics says the NCC first announced plans to deploy the DMS in 2021. Among the reasons given were “to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance national security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce the rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, and facilitate blocking or tracing of stolen mobile phones and other smart devices”.

Every reported IMEI for stolen and illegal mobile phones and other smart devices will be blacklisted and shared with all operators across all networks, meaning the blacklisted devices will not work in any Nigerian network.

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Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), a state corporation that transports, stores and delivers petroleum products to consumers, but that also has a network infrastructure license, says it has onboarded a leading Tier III internet service provider (ISP), Syokinet Solutions, to activate 1.6 terabits per second (Tbps) data capacity on KPC’s fibre optic cable which runs from Mombasa to Nairobi.

The new high-capacity fibre link will, it is claimed, bring fast gigabit internet speeds and unparalleled reliability to homes, businesses and community networks in Kenya’s two largest cities, representing a major advance in Kenya’s digital infrastructure and connectivity goals.

Managing Director Joe Sang says the launch « represents a new milestone for KPC as we strive to expand and upgrade our fibre optic cable in line with our long-term business diversification strategy”.

He suggests that the strategic partnership with Syokinet will unlock additional connectivity and offer high-speed internet services for homes and businesses between Nairobi and Mombasa.

Indeed, the partnership with Syokinet will provide increased backbone capacity on KPC’s fibre, with benefits that include faster gigabit connectivity to households as well as expanded reach for public Wi-Fi services through hotspot and community network growth.

The new fibre link will also see increased diversity and resilience for enterprise data centres, and greater bandwidth availability for local ISPs and community networks in both Mombasa and Nairobi.

The connectivity launch aligns with the Kenyan government’s Digital Superhighway Project via which it aims to increase broadband connectivity across the country through laying 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable, establishing 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots in market centres across Kenya, and creating 1,450 digital hubs in every ward.

KPC obtained a Network Facility Provider (NFP) – Tier 2 network infrastructure license in 2018 from regulator the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to lease fibre optic cable along its pipeline network in Kenya from Mombasa to Nairobi – Nakuru – Kisumu and Eldoret towns.

Over the years KPC says it has signed lease agreements with all the country’s leading operators and ISPs to use its fibre optic cable network.

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In a rather unusual turn of events, a Kenyan lobby group has apparently filed a lawsuit against operator Safaricom, along with regulator the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), and Kenya’s Competition Authority, demanding that they allow satellite operator Starlink access to the Kenyan market.

We reported in late August that Safaricom had apparently written a letter to the Communications Authority of Kenya complaining that Starlink posed a threat to the telecoms market and should be required to partner with local operators rather than compete with them.

However, the lobby group, Kituo cha Sheria, had a different take on the move, suggesting that Safaricom’s allegations were unsubstantiated and that it is in fact apprehensive about the entry of Starlink into the market due to its competitive pricing which appears to undercut Safaricom’s internet service.

Kituo cha Sheria also suggests that that this move would block Kenyans from accessing faster internet speeds and maintain high costs.

Safaricom is said to charge KES6,000 (US$46.52) for its internet service; Starlink offers 50GB of internet for just KES1,800 (about US$14). Of course equipment also needs to be purchased for the Starlink service, although we noted recently that there is now a rental plan in Kenya for Starlink’s equipment.

Kituo Cha Sheria-Legal Advice Centre describes itself as a national non-governmental organisation established in 1973 to empower the poor and marginalised and to enhance equity and access to justice for all.

It is seeking a court declaration that Safaricom’s letter is unconstitutional and wants the court to affirm that internet access is a socio-economic right. The lobby group also requests a permanent injunction preventing the CA from acting against parent company SpaceX or restricting its devices in Kenya.

Further south, Starlink is having fewer problems. The company officially turned on service in Zimbabwe just before midnight, on 6 September 2 just a few days after neighbour Botswana also went live.

ITweb Africa reports that Starlink high-end kit’s one-time pricing of US$350 and monthly service fee of US$50 is far less than the charges offered by the country’s three main operators.