Samoa’s Office of the Regulator (OOTR) has reportedly placed a temporary ban on imports of Starlink kits until SpaceX’s application for a licence to offer LEO satellite broadband services to consumers in Samoa is approved.

According to a report in the Samoa Observer, the OOTR issued the ban following reports that a number of residents have purchased Starlink services via overseas markets like Australia and New Zealand, and brought Starlink kits into Samoa to use the service at home or at their business.

People who import Starlink units generally say they do so because it’s cheaper, faster and available compared to local broadband services, the report said.

Regulator Lematua Gisa Fuatai Purcell said that anyone found to be bringing Starlink kits into Samoa will have their equipment confiscated at the border. For people who imported Starlink kits prior to the ban for business purposes, they will be required to bring them to the OOTR for type approval, after which they’ll be given a licence to use the kit for business for a period of 12 months, the report said.

Part of the problem also lies in last month’s news that Starlink received clearance from the cabinet last month to operate in the country.

According to another report from Talamua Online News, OOTR held a public forum earlier this week clarifying that Starlink’s clearance from the cabinet to operate in Samoa is only to provide connectivity for healthcare and education facilities via a partnership with local service provider Bluwave Wireless.

Purcell confirmed that SpaceX has submitted an application for a license to operate in Samoa, and that the application is being processed and likely to be approved, the report added. She also said Starlink had selected Bluwave as its local agent for other satellite services beyond the healthcare and education sector.

Until that happens, use of Starlink services by individuals remains illegal in Samoa. Anyone who doesn’t being their kits in for type approval and continues to use them before Starlink is officially licenced to offer services in Samoa will face prosecution, the report said.

News

The deal is the first major investment by a new and outside entrant since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022

French billionaire and owner of European telco group iliad, Xavier Niel, has announced today that he will acquire Datagroup-Volia, Ukraine’s leading fixed telecom and pay TV provider, through his investment firm NJJ.  

According to NJJ’s press release, the acquisition, which is for an undisclosed sum, has already received regulatory approval. 

Datagroup-Volia is 96.13% owned by a fund managed by US private equity firm Horizon Capita and 3.87% by Datagroup-Volia CEO Mykhaylo Shelemba. 

Once acquired, NJJ will merge Datagroup-Volia with Lifecell, the country’s third-largest and fastest-growing mobile operator, pending the regulatory green-light on the latter’s acquisition. 

The newly combined company will then be led by Shelemba and will provide mobile connectivity to 10 million Ukrainians.  

Its fixed network will cover four million premises across the country. 

Back in January, NJJ confirmed the acquisition of Turkcell’s various Ukrainian units (including Lifecell), for $500 million. This deal is still subject to regulatory checks, including the go-ahead from the Ukrainian competition authority. 

In a statement this week, Xavier Niel described the move as “a significant step towards the creation of a national Ukrainian telecom champion.” 

“Ukraine is home to an impressive tech sector with innovation in artificial intelligence, a high degree of digitalisation and technological affinity. We are confident that our landmark transaction will serve as a signal to others that the time to invest in Ukraine is now, to support the rebuilding of the country and realize its potential,” he continued.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
Digi Spain sells 6m FTTH accesses to Onivia
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Broadband poles no problem for Brits says new study

Interview

At Connected America 2024, we met with Rick Cimerman, VP, External & State Affairs Lead at NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, to discuss the pivotal role of federal funding in advancing broadband connectivity across the United States

Highlighting the implications of the Broadband Equity and Access and Deployment (BEAD) Act, Cimerman underscored the importance of targeted investment and strategic partnerships in addressing the nation’s connectivity gaps. Cimerman also stresses the need for efficient deployment, regulatory clarity, and workforce development to maximize the impact of these funds.  

Through collaboration between federal, state, and industry stakeholders, Cimerman outlines a pathway towards achieving comprehensive broadband access for all Americans. 

Highlights:   

• State proposals for funding allocation are currently under review, with implementation expected to start by early 2025. 
• It’s important to keep the focus on expanding to unserved areas before underserved areas.  
• The best path forward is to partner with experienced cable broadband providers who have the experience and knowledge to deliver projects on time and on budget.  
• Federal government agencies need to reduce deployment barriers while avoiding new regulatory burdens like net neutrality rules. 
• It will be critical skill shortage through workforce development and training programs. 
• Broadband expansion holds transformative potential for communities nationwide. 

Cimerman emphasised the urgency of getting broadband expansion right and the profound impact it can have on communities across the nation. Through strategic investment, regulatory clarity, and collaboration, stakeholders can bridge the digital divide and ensure equitable access to broadband for all Americans.  

You can watch our full interview with Rick from the link below:

What impact will BEAD funding have in creating a more connected America? Join the discussion with the cable operators at this year’s Broadband Communities Summit live in Houston, Texas

Vietnamese telecoms firm Viettel reportedly inaugurated its new data centre in Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Hanoi on Wednesday, claiming it to be one of the largest such facilities in Vietnam to date.

According to the state Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the new Viettel data centre has racks “with a capacity of three times higher than the average in Vietnam”. The report also said the Hoa Lac data centre connects to five subsea fiber cable lines, and is the first data centre in Vietnam to commit to using renewable energy for 30% of its electricity consumption. The data centre also complies with TIA 942 standards, and features five layers of physical security, the report said.

While the report provided no details on capacity or power, it does say the new Viettel data centre is designed to handle the compute and capacity demands of artificial intelligence (AI) apps and services.

Viettel has been delving into AI for several years now. In July 2022 it joined Nvidia’s Partner Network via an MoU, under which Viettel is accessing Nvidia resources to accelerate research and implementation of its AI technology in robotics, computer vision, natural language process, digital twins, and other areas.

The Vietnamese government is also looking at promoting the country as a regional hotbed for AI development. On Thursday, VNA reported separately, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) proposed that the government approve a national strategy on AI research, development and application by 2030. In February, the Vietnamese government approved a national data strategy that it says will serve as a foundation for domestic AI development.

Viettel chairman and general director Tao Duc Thang said that with the launch of the latest data centre, Viettel now owns and operates a total of 230,000 servers in 11,500 racks using 81,000 square meters of floor space and 87MW of electricity.

He also said Viettel plans to invest an additional VND10 trillion (US$400.88 million) to expand its combined data centre capacity to 17,000 racks by 2025, and another VND40 trillion to reach 34,000 racks by 2030, the report said.

News

The new Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology could open the door for a greater integration of IoT devices with existing 5G networks

Telefonica Deutschland has revealed it has successfully trialled 5G RedCap devices in its commercial 5G network in Munich.

RedCap, a key part of standardisation body 3GPP’s Release 17, is aimed at supporting the IoT over mobile networks.

It has three major advantages over existing IoT connectivity technologies (such as 4G LTE or NB-IoT):

• higher peak data rates, able to support data hungry IoT devices like video surveillance cameras or smart grid monitoring;
• lower latency, perfect for IoT devices that need near-real-time data transmission;
• and improving the battery life of devices thanks to improved efficiency and reduced complexity.

To access this benefits, IoT devices will need to be equipped with 5G RedCap-compatible radio module. The 5G network itself, on the other hand, will not need any modification – thought 5G standalone (SA) architecture will be required.

Telefonica itself launched 5G SA in Germany in October last year, saying the upgraded 5G network already covers 90% of the German population.

“5G RedCap can bring new momentum to the Internet of Things. The technology closes a gap between the previous 4G network and high-performance 5G applications in the IoT sector,” explained Mallik Rao, Chief Technology & Information Officer of Telefonica Deutschland.

“O2 Telefónica has successfully trialled the integration of 5G RedCap devices in the network. With our network, we are creating the technical prerequisites for connecting millions of devices efficiently and cost-effectively. It will be crucial to see how the market, the product world and digital applications develop.”

Telefonica says that it is already working with device and module manufacturers to help accelerate the development of the 5G RedCap-capable IoT device ecosystem. These devices are expected to be commercially available in 2025.

Will 5G RedCap prove a catalyst for growth in the German IoT industry? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Connected Germany event live in Germany

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Several items from European operators of note from early this week: … [visit site to read more]

Interview

We spoke with Luis Uribe, the CTO of Entel, to share his experience and insights on the latest optical transport technology and how is digitally transforming Chile in F5G (Fixed 5^th Generation)-Advanced era

Watch the full interview from the link below.

When it comes to digital services, Entel is a highly diverse telecoms company, offering mobile, fixed broadband, and enterprise services to customers throughout Chile and Peru.

“Our optical transport network builds a solid foundation for mobile services, broadband services, and enterprise leased line services. It offers ultra-large bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and simplified architecture to meet business requirements for up to a decade. It is an essential part of Entel’s strategy,” said Uribe.

But as the demand for these digital services increases, so too does the pressure on the network to be faster, more resilient, and more powerful. Networks must evolve to meet these increased demands and, as such, last year ETSI released its F5G-Advanced standard, a shift that will take existing networks capable of 200G networks to 400G and even 800G.

In fact, Entel’s own backbone network in Chile is closely mirroring this evolution. Launching their 10G Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) system back in 2005, Entel began upgrading the network to 100G nationwide in 2017, and 200G in the capital area in 2022. Now, they are launching the country’s first 800G optical network.

“In the future, we will not only build out the 400G/800G backbone network to cover the whole country,” said Uribe. “We believe a green all-optical architecture will help us to build the best fixed broadband and mobile broadband services in Chile.”

The deployment of this 800G network – known as the Galileo Project within Entel itself – will provide a solid foundation upon which Chile can develop as a digital economy, in line with the government’s 2035 Digital Strategy.

“This deployment will provide state-of-the-art network coverage in all major cities from Arica to Puerto Montt with capacities of up to Nx800 Gbps in 1+0, 1+1, 1+R, and 1+1+R redundant. It is prepared to deliver high-capacity with very high availability, up to 99.999%,” explained Uribe. “This will be present at the national level including extreme areas. Entel believes Chile’s 2035 digital transformation will rely on such high capacity, nation-wide coverage, and ultra-high reliability network.”

Also in the news:
Digi Spain sells 6m FTTH accesses to Onivia
Vodafone’s 5G standalone network now connects around half the German population
Broadband poles no problem for Brits says new study