News

The deal extends their initial core partnership, which first began back in 2020

Ericsson and Telefónica Germany have agreed to extend their core network partnership. 

The company’s dual-mode 5G Core and cloud infrastructure solutions already provide mobile connectivity to 45 million O2 Telefónica subscribers, covering 5G Standalone (SA), 5G non-Standalone (NSA), 4G, and 2G.  

The agreement, the companies say, will allow them to increase innovation and functionality in the core network in preparation for future demand. 

“With Ericsson, we have embarked on a cloud-native transformation journey and are now going to develop it further by expanding our portfolio and capabilities towards network slicing, automation, and API access. This allows us to roll out new features faster and without temporary maintenance breaks – an important step towards the network of the future,” said Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer of O2 Telefonica in a company press release. 

“Our deep partnership with O2 Telefónica in Germany has been a significantly rewarding one from the start,” added Daniel Leimbach Ericsson’s Western Europe Head of Customer Unit. 

“Meeting its challenge to deliver a cloud-native core network for its 45 million subscribers while ensuring it was flexible enough to evolve in line with its strategy meant breaking new ground across a range of disciplines,” he continued. 

According to the companies, the existing core network partnership between the two companies is already delivering exciting new benefits for customers. For example, back in May, the two companies completed a world-first with their In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) of network functions in the core network’s user plane. This essentially allows the network’s software to be upgraded without any downtime or service disruption for customers – something previously unthinkable without a cloud-native core.  

Speaking of being cloud-native, last month, Telefonica Germany announced a monumental deal to move 1 million of the company’s 5G customers to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud. In doing so, it will become the first operator in the world to move its 5G core network to AWS’s cloud infrastructure. a 

Join us at this year’s Connected Germany event, 5-6 November in Munich. Get discounted tickets here! 

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Three bits of regional connectivity news from around the US worth catching up with at midweek: … [visit site to read more]

MTN South Africa and Huawei co-hosted the IP Day Summit themed « Net5.5G Network Development.”

The summit brought together top experts from MTN’s network planning and Huawei’s data communications teams. They discussed global network construction concepts, latest innovative technologies, and business insights in the IP field, aiming to further improve MTN’s network resilience and service experience.

At the summit, MTN and Huawei signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for strategic cooperation on Net5.5G. Through this MoU, they will jointly promote the large-scale application of key capabilities of Net5.5G, such as 400GE, SRv6, slicing, and the Network Digital Map, to continuously improve MTN’s service experience and network availability in the mobile and B2B fields, and improve its O&M efficiency.

Rami Farah, CTO of MTN SA, said that innovation is important for MTN and forms a key pillar in MTN network strategy.

Zoltan Miklos, General Manager of Access Planning and Architecture, MTN SA, said that healthy and stable networks have long been the focus of MTN. He pointed out that the application of SRv6 and Network Digital Map has helped MTN build an IP transport network with optimal experience. He also noted that in the cloud and 5G era, MTN still faces a range of challenges in terms of service and network operations, security, reliability, and other areas, and that MTN looks forward to deepening cooperation with Huawei.

Feng Su, President of Huawei’s IP Marketing and Solution Sales Dept., emphasised that Net5.5G is the future of IP networks and that Huawei has made long-term investments in ultra-broadband products, network servitisation, network intelligence, and more. He added that Huawei looks forward to helping MTN build a leading IP transport network featuring ultra-broadband, high reliability, and ultimate experience so as to help MTN achieve greater business success.

Xu Huan, Vice President of Metro Router Domain of Huawei’s Data Communication Product Line, said Huawei will work with MTN to accelerate the commercial use of the next-generation IP transport network under the guidance of the Net5.5G target network.

According to the MoU, MTN and Huawei will continue to define the Net5.5G target network and support the sustainable development of MTN’s mobile, enterprise, and home broadband services. The cooperation between MTN and Huawei will set a good example in the region, accelerate the implementation of new technologies and applications, and drive the sustainable development of regional carriers.

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Smartphone shipments have for the first time surpassed feature phone stock in Africa,  showcasing the rise in adoption of more advanced handsets across the region.

Analyst house IDC detailed in its report smartphone units grew 17.9% year-on-year reaching 20.2 million units in the first quarter of this year, as feature phones declined 15.9% to 18.8 million units.

IDC senior research analyst Arnold Ponela noted South Africa and Nigeria, the largest smartphone markets in Africa, drove growth due to popularity of Chinese brands. Kenya was the third-largest smartphone market in Africa by driving sales growth with financing schemes.

Transsion, which houses the Tecno, Itel and Infinix smartphone brands was the leading smartphone vendor in Africa due to its “compelling entry-level portfolio” that are “tailored” to the African market. However, Samsung and Xiaomi gained market share on the previous quarter, driven by mid-range ($200 to $400) models. Market share numbers were not broken down by IDC.

Shipments of mid-range smartphones increased in Q1 while sub-$100 devices declined, “indicating a growing consumer preference for feature-rich models”.

Looking ahead for this year, IDC predicted the smartphone market in Africa will see 5.7% YoY growth in 2024. Growth is expected to sustain over the next five years.

« Africa remains a market with a high share of feature phones, although they are expected to gradually decline as the transition to smartphones gains momentum, » said IDC Research Manager, Akash Balachandran.

“This shift, coupled with rising demand, will be the key driver of overall growth in the smartphone market. Persistent inflationary pressures and escalating macroeconomic uncertainties may cause short-term fluctuations but will not impede the long-term transition. »

There was an interesting M&A in the infrastructure space this morning.  Lightpath has announced the acquisition of the assets of United Fiber & Data.  The deal takes Lightpath south all the way to Ashburn in one fell swoop. … [visit site to read more]

Indonesian operator Telkomsel says it has completed the first validation of Wi-Fi 7 in Indonesia together with the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) as it makes plans to adopt the technology for its fixed broadband services.

Telkomsel said on Thursday that it has carried out trials of Wi-Fi 7 with Kominfo and several unnamed global technology partners, which it says opens up opportunities for internet speeds of up to 10 Gbps, as well as more user capacity, lower latency, and better energy savings.

“In trials along with Low Power Indoor (LPI) device specifications, the functionality and capabilities of Wi-Fi 7 have demonstrated performance and stability that can significantly improve the network experience and exceed expectations,” Telkomsel said.

Wi-Fi 7 (a.k.a. 802.11be) promises theoretical peak download speeds of over 40 Gbps. Like its predecessor, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 uses the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz and 6-GHz bands. Unlike Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 allows wider bands for 5 GHz and 6 GHz, as well as multi-link operation that enables channels to be combined for faster speeds and more efficient performance. However, while Wi-Fi 7 is backwards compatible with Wi-Fi 6E, users need WiFi 7 routers and devices to get the full benefits of the latest version.

Telkomsel VP of Technology Strategy and Consumer Product Innovation Ronald Limoa said Wi-Fi 7 was a core technology that can complement home internet network solutions by increasing smoothness and efficiency to provide a better network experience in homes or offices.

While Telkomsel says it’s completed the first validation of Wi-Fi 7 in Indonesia, it’s not the first service provider in the country to announce it will adopt it. On May 30, multinational ISP MyRepublic teamed with Chinese vendor ZTE to launch what they said was the first Wi-Fi 7 product in Indonesia. ZTE and MyRepublic said they would collaborate to promote commercial implementation of Wi-Fi 7.

MyRepublic Indonesia, which is owned by Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas, first launched services in the country in 2015 and currently offers ISP services in 45 cities and 61 regencies.

News

A report from engineering firm TXO says that over $7 billion-worth of unused copper cabling could be recovered in the next decade

In most developed markets around the world, copper telecoms networks are increasingly becoming a thing of the past, replaced by much more effective fibre optic cables.

But while this copper is unlikely to find reuse in major telecoms networks, it is growing increasingly important in other sectors, such as for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure. In fact, the value of copper has soared by over 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels, spurred by growing demand and reduced mining outputs. Experts predicting that demand for the metal will continue to increase steadily, increasing by more than 50% by 2040.

Now, a new report from engineering firm TXO has shed light on just how much money the telcos’ legacy copper networks could be worth. According to the report, the telecoms companies could expect to recover up to 800,000 tons of copper by 2035, worth up to $7 billion at today’s prices.

The scale of this opportunity is certainly not lost on the telcos, which have been accelerating their recovery efforts in recent years. Openreach in the UK, for example, says they will recover 200,000 tons of copper over the next 15 years.

Unearthing the cables and preparing them for sale can be a time-consuming and costly endeavour, but with copper prices this high it remains highly profitable.

“Recovering the copper cables generates a net income, even after the costs of extracting the cables and processing them,” Openreach told Bloomberg in an emailed statement.

It is worth noting that digging up network copper also represents a huge opportunity for thieves, one that costs telcos around the world millions of dollars every year. While this issue is shrinking as networks transition to fibre, it remains a major challenge in less developed markets.

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