News 

The trial focussed on powering down 5G sites when not in use, dramatically reducing their energy consumption 

This week, Vodafone UK and Ericsson have announced the successful completion of a new trial in London that puts 5G and 4G sites ‘to sleep’ when not in use. 

The trial focused on making better use of network downtime, introducing features that power down equipment when demand is low and reactivate it when needed. It aims to lower energy costs and carbon emissions without compromising network performance.  

The trial focussed on three power-saving elements: 

1. 5G deep sleep: Allows radio units to switch to a low energy mode during quieter periods, cutting power use by up to 70%.
2. 4G cell sleep mode: Optimises when 4G sites power down, improving efficiency without affecting coverage.
3. Radio power efficiency map: Identifies sites where power savings can be made.

Vodafone also confirmed it is looking at new mast designs that could reduce the number of physical sites and street-level cabinets needed in some areas. 

“By working with Ericsson to successfully apply these innovative software solutions to our network, we’re able to significantly improve energy efficiency without impacting the service our customers receive,” said Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer & Network Director at Vodafone UK in a press release. 

“Reducing power consumption at our trial sites is a big win – both financially and environmentally – and shows we can continue to improve the efficiency of our network as we build 5G coverage across the UK,” he continued. 

Vodafone is not the only operator to be exploring the benefits of powering down unused mobile sites. Last year, rival operator EE (BT) said it had commercially deployed similar technology at various sits across the country, suggesting it could save 4.5 million KWh of energy per year. 

Keep up to date with the latest telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom newsletter  

Also in the news:
EY launches suite of AI agents for telcos
Discussing the fate of the BEAD Program with Dr. Nathan Smith
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison Becomes First Mobile Operator in Southeast Asia to Deploy AI-RAN with Nokia and NVIDIA 

News

The Indian operators are the latest in a growing list of telcos to lean on SpaceX to cover hard-to-reach customers

This week, India’s two largest mobile operators, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, have announced partnerships with SpaceX to use its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation Starlink.

The deals will see the operators leverage Starlink’s roughly 7,000 satellites to deliver satellite internet services across India, potentially offering connectivity to the nearly 600 million people in India that do not have internet access.

The operators say they will begin selling Starlink terminals in their retail stores, as well as providing installation support.

“Ensuring that every Indian, no matter where they live, has access to affordable and high-speed broadband remains Jio’s top priority,” said Mathew Oommen, Group CEO, Reliance Jio. “By integrating Starlink into Jio’s broadband ecosystem, we are expanding our reach and enhancing the reliability and accessibility of highspeed broadband in this AI-driven era, empowering communities and businesses across the country.”

“This collaboration enhances our ability to bring world-class high-speed broadband to even the most remote parts of India, ensuring that every individual, business, and community has reliable internet,” Bharti Airtel’s managing director Gopal Vittal in a separate statement.

The deals represent a surprising compromise between the Indian operators and Starlink, which had been clashing over the governments satellite spectrum policy.

SpaceX had argued that the spectrum should be directly allocated to relevant parties by the regulator, as had is traditional for satellite service providers in most markets around the world. Airtel and Jio, on the other hand, said that the spectrum should be auctioned like typical mobile spectrum since they are providing telecoms services.

In October last year, the government indicated that it would directly allocate the spectrum, though the telcos continue to argue against the decision.

The move also marks a move away from the telcos’ previous satellite internet strategies. Bharti Airtel, for example, already has a satellite broadband deal with Starlink’s LEO sat rival Eutelsat, a company in which it holds a minority stake. Jio, on the other hand, launched its own satellite broadband service, JioSpaceFiber, in 2023, leveraging various satellites from SES, with whom it has a joint venture, Jio Space Technology Limited.

The exact reason behind these strategic U-turns is unclear but is likely indirectly related to SpaceX owner Elon Musk’s growing role in US government. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met with Musk in Washington late last month, reportedly discussing numerous topics including space policy and technology.

In the same vein, the deals probably foreshadow an acceleration of regulatory approval for Starlink, which has been battling through the administrative process since 2021.

The approval process has been heavily delayed due to numerous regulatory squabbles, including earlier this year when Starlink’s technology was found to be being used by insurgents an drug smugglers in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Keep up to date with the latest telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
EY launches suite of AI agents for telcos
Discussing the fate of the BEAD Program with Dr. Nathan Smith
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison Becomes First Mobile Operator in Southeast Asia to Deploy AI-RAN with Nokia and NVIDIA

This marks an important step for Telness Tech in the U.S. market. By using Telness Tech’s software with T-Mobile’s 5G network, MVNOs can streamline operations, automate processes, and improve customer experiences.

Martina Klingvall, CEO and Founder of Telness Tech, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration saying: “Working with T-Mobile is a significant milestone for Telness Tech as we expand our international presence. This association combines our automation-first platform with T-Mobile’s advanced 5G network, helping MVNOs succeed in the competitive world-wide telecom market.”

Telness Tech’s services are paving the way for MVNOs to enter the market with flexibility, scalability, and customer-centricity all on the T-Mobile network.

Dan Thygesen, SVP T-Mobile Product, Partnerships & Growth and head of Wholesale & Innovation, added: “Working with Telness Tech highlights T-Mobile’s commitment to innovation and supporting MVNOs with advanced tools and infrastructure. Together we’re enabling MVNOs to harness the power of America’s largest 5G network, setting the stage for excellent connectivity and customer experiences.”

A couple contract wins and two bits of expansion news from around the globe this week: … [visit site to read more]

Today’s update is a bit late due to a few technical difficulties, but better late than never. … [visit site to read more]

News 

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said that the investment would “cement the UK’s leadership in advanced connectivity and support projects delivering real, tangible change for people and businesses across Britain” 

This week, the UK government has announced a £23 million investment in telecoms research and development, covering a wide range of topics including 5G, quantum computing, and drone technologies.  

The new funding will impact seven technology projects led by local governments across the UK: 

• Belfast City Council – Belfast City Region 

• West Midlands Combined Authority 

• Glasgow City Council – Glasgow City Region 

• The Council of the City Of Sunderland – North East Combined Authority 

• North Ayrshire Council – Ayrshire Growth Deal Region 

• West Sussex County Council – Sussex (East and West) 

• Shropshire Council – River Severn Partnership 

Around £7 million of this funding will support projects that integrate 5G into businesses and public services, with the remaining £15 million going into AI and cloud computing research.Among the organisations set to receive new funding is the Northeast Combined Authority, which has secured an additional £1.9 million for a variety of projects. These include the further development and extraction of smart port solutions into other sectors, as well as improving transport efficiency between Nissan and the Port of Tyne.  

In the local agriculture sector, the funding will enable the deployment of wireless sensors for soil and methane monitoring, helping to boost automation and improve sustainability.  

The projects aim to establish the Northeast as a national hub for 5G innovation and deployment across multiple sectors. 

Other funding injections include £1.3 million to Belfast City Council to boost the adoption and commercialisation of advanced wireless technologies and £1 million to the West Midlands Combined Authority for Industry 4.0 technology amongst others. 

“By 2035 we could see a whole new Britain emerge, harnessing the power of technological development, from engineering biology to AI, semiconductors and cyber security, or quantum and future telecoms for a stronger economy and better lives for all in the UK,” said Peter Kyle in the announcement’s press release. 

Join us at Connected North, 23-24 April in Manchester. Get discounted tickets here! 

Also in the news:
18,000 companies affected as NTT stung by data breach
New Telefonica chairman begins to remould exec board with new COO
Vodafone and AST spacemobile launch European satellite broadband company

Intelsat and MaxIQ Space are expanding efforts to deliver Intelsat’s Africa Space STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) Program to schools in four different countries across Africa.

The program, now in its fifth year, aims to increase to a total of 12 schools and expand to include in-person learning for students in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal. Participants will receive in-person, in-community learning with subject matter experts on Space STEM curriculum mixed with innovative STEM kits, hands-on training, and exclusive resources to integrate space science, sustainability and IoT education into their classrooms.

The newly adapted 2025 program is focused on empowering schools and educators to build a lasting impact on African education systems, ensuring thousands of students gain the skills and inspiration needed to thrive in STEM careers. STEM skills build a future-ready workforce, advancing national development goals and boost technological capabilities.

“As a pioneer in satellite technology, Intelsat remains committed to maximizing its contribution by inspiring the next generation and connecting African students to real-world applications of space technology,” said Rhys Morgan, RVP of the EMEA region for Intelsat.

“With Africa emerging as a key frontier for space infrastructure, it is essential to equip future leaders with the knowledge and skills to drive this transformation. We are honoured to play a role in preparing the young generation for this future,” said Judi Sandrock, program manager at MaxIQ Space.

During MWC 2025 in Barcelona, IDATE held the Green All-optical Network Forum themed « AI-Centric All-Optical Network for New Growth ». More than 200 industry leaders from the European telecom regulator BEREC, the FTTH Council, carriers, and device vendors all gathered together to discuss the opportunities as well as challenges coming from all-optical networks in the AI era, from policies to markets, from services to network architecture, and from technology innovation to business models.

They reached a consensus that « F5.5G all-optical networks are the ideal choice for carriers to provide ubiquitous 10 Gbps access, deterministic user experience, and premium computing access and computing interconnection in the AI era. New opportunities are already upon us ».

Jean-Luc Lemmens, IDATE CEO, noted that fibre networks are entering a new generation driven by AI. European operators which have successfully implemented 10G PON have recorded up to 10% ARPU increase. Fiber-to-the-Room solution is peaking up in Western Europe with all size operators launching the service.

Leading carriers, such as MasOrange (Spain), Zain (Saudi Arabia), Turkcell (Türkiye), and CTM (Macao), also shared their own digital/intelligent transformation strategies. The core of these strategies lies in reinforcing computing with network connectivity, powering networks with intelligence, and exploring new services with network advantages. Topics cover all-round network innovation practices, including FTTR, 10G/50G PON, OTN to edge, E2E OXC, 400G/800G, intelligent management and control platform, as well as service innovations such as FTTR+X-based smart home and computing private lines based on 1 ms metro optical networks. At the forum, China Unicom shared its business development concept of « China Unicom, Smart Home » and launched world-leading FTTR optical broadband. It continues to expand smart services such as smart connection, control, sharing, and security, and remains committed to building an open and shared smart home ecosystem. In addition, it has been working with all parties to build a smart home ecosystem, and explore a clear roadmap for home network construction and smart home service development in all industries. The sharing met with loud applause.

Kim Jin, Vice President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line, released Huawei’s four innovative solutions at the forum. « Facing the historical opportunities and challenges brought by AI, Huawei continues to innovate together with operators, launching a series of 50G PON OLT products, single-wavelength 2T solution for metro, DC-oriented OTN platform for backbone, and AI-based intelligent management and control system, » Kim Jin said in his speech. He went on to say, « These innovations will help operators build an AI-centric F5.5G all-optical network and embrace a win-win intelligent era. »

There are four types of awards for this forum: home broadband service, all-optical network architecture, intelligent service innovation, and sustainable development. These awards were presented to leading carriers from Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa to recognize their excellent practices and outstanding contributions in green all-optical network technology innovation, home broadband, and computing network services.

The Green All-Optical Network Forum has been successfully held by IDATE for four sessions. It has been exploring the industry’s future development based on industry consensus and technology innovation, with an aim to help industry members worldwide to embrace new opportunities. AI is becoming increasingly popular. Building an AI-centric.5G all-optical network will lay a solid foundation for AI growth and prosperity.

Three regional projects and one international: … [visit site to read more]

WALTHAM, MA and RIYADH, KSA   — March 4, 2025 — Zain KSA announced today that it has completed a large-scale digital transformation program with Netcracker Technology. The complex BSS/OSS transformation across all lines of business was successfully achieved in less than three years.

With the new cloud-based BSS/OSS in place, Zain KSA will further enhance customer experiences and scale up its business ecosystem and expansion across adjacent markets, including fintech, IoT and cloud computing services. The transformation also supports enhanced operational efficiencies, demonstrated through a 50 percent decrease in product development time and customer line activation time.

Zain KSA partnered with Netcracker on a comprehensive, full-stack, AI-driven IT transformation based on Netcracker Digital Platform, the foundation for a cloud-native digital BSS and OSS, as well as Netcracker’s comprehensive suite of managed services. The project included replacing Zain KSA’s existing IT stack and migrating customers to the new cloud-based systems.

Executive VP of Information Technology at Zain KSA, Eng. Maha Al Qernas, stated: “Transitioning into a cloud-based BSS/OSS is a new milestone for Zain KSA’s advanced digital ecosystem. This transformation, achieved through our strategic partnership with Netcracker, aligns with Zain KSA’s goal to create fully digital journeys for our individual and enterprise customers. We are proud that we have leveraged the market’s demand for 5G standalone technology. Our cloud-based systems support a broad range of innovative use cases, enriching our capabilities in 5G, and setting a new benchmark in connectivity and enabling transformative experiences for customers across the Kingdom and beyond to continue to empower a tech-enhanced quality of life in Saudi Arabia.”

“We are extremely honored to play a role in this significant transformation program with a leader in the 5G space and a disruptor in the market,” said Benedetto Spaziani, GM at Netcracker. “Zain KSA has been at the forefront of adopting new technologies and bringing innovative services to customers, and we look forward to being part of its ongoing success.”

Zain KSA started updating its BSS/OSS systems in late 2021. The initiative aims to enhance customer experiences and improve cybersecurity, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 and the nationwide digital transformation.

About Netcracker Technology
Netcracker Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, has the expertise, culture and resources to help service providers around the world transform their businesses to thrive in the digital economy. Our innovative solutions, value-driven services and unbroken delivery track record have enabled our customers to grow and succeed for more than three decades. With the latest technological advancements in key areas including 5G monetization, AI, automation and vertical industries, we help service providers to reach their transformation goals, advance their telco to techco evolution and realize business growth and profitability. To learn more, visit www.netcracker.com.

Media Contact

Anita Karvé
Netcracker Technology
MediaGroup@Netcracker.com