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Two interesting expansion projects, a significant upgrade project, and some bit R&E bandwidth: … [visit site to read more]
Cambodia’s Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Chea Vandeth, has announced government plans for a submarine cable connection from Hong Kong to Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh in 2024.
It will replace an earlier version – much earlier; it was connected more than a decade ago.
The funding for the new submarine cable will involve a loan from the Chinese government. In ten years’ time, the minister suggested during his announcement, the sale of internet services will repay the entirety of the loan. The project is to be implemented for 30 years, “so in addition to repaying the loan, we will make a profit”, he added.
In addition to connecting the submarine cable, he said that the telecommunications ministry is working to install up to 1,000 internet expansion antenna masts in several of Phnom Penh’s districts. It will also dismantle internet booster and repeater devices, which the ministry considers disruptive to internet speed.
As you might expect, Cambodian demand for internet services increased dramatically following the Covid-19 pandemic and yet the country has been dependent on infrastructure that was connected up to 15 years ago. Making Cambodia’s internet services faster and cheaper is certain to be popular, therefore.
According to figures cited by the Phnom Penh Post, as of February, Cambodia had more than 17 million registered SIM cards (a little more than the population, estimated at 16,891,245) and more than 310,000 fixed internet users.
The country has 38 internet service providers, and five onshore and submarine fibre optic infrastructure operators. There are an estimated 640 kilometres of submarine fibre optic cable in Cambodian waters.
This week, Ericsson has announced a new partnership with Telia to deploy the Baltics’ first enterprise 5G network at Ericsson’s own Estonian supply factory, located in the capital city, Tallinn.
According to Ericsson, this deployment will not only drive “productivity, agility, and sustainability” for the factory’s operations, but will also provide the foundations for numerous connected use cases, including asset condition monitoring and management, computer vision, digital twins, collaborative robotics, and 5G precise indoor positioning.
The site itself plays a key role in Ericsson’s overall supply chain, accounting for nearly half of the new product introductions; i.e., the process of turning R&D projects into viable, scalable commercial products.
According to Ericsson, since its activation on May 2, the private network is already having a significant impact on the factory’s operations, bringing improvements in terms of automation, safety, and agility.
“The implementation of Ericsson Private 5G at our Supply Site in Tallinn is a testament to our commitment to connected manufacturing and emerging data-driven technologies – after all, in today’s highly competitive manufacturing environment, keeping up with the latest technological capabilities is essential to stay ahead of the curve,” said Sirli Männiksaar, Country Manager of Ericsson Estonia. “Our 5G private network enables advanced use cases such as real time video analytics, immersive technologies, digital twins, collaborative robotics and multiple mobile equipment tracking and control capabilities that empower our daily operations. As a leading adopter of advanced cellular technologies supporting Industry 4.0 implementations, Ericsson’s Supply Site in Tallinn is proud to play a key role in the industry’s continued growth and success, delivering new products and smart solutions to customers worldwide.”
Ericsson will be hopeful that this is the first of many collaborations with Telia in the industrial space. Earlier this year, the two companies announced a joint 5G programme called NorthStar, aiming to help various industrial businesses embrace the benefits of 5G connectivity, particularly via private network deployments.
The programme will reportedly target customer innovation and R&D units in numerous verticals, with the automotive industry the initial focus.
In fact, Ericsson’s private 5G momentum already appears to be building, with today’s announcement the latest in a string of enterprise private 5G network deals the company has signed over the past few months. These include a deal with systems integrator Comsol to provide connectivity for a South African mining operation and with Mugler to develop private campus networks in Germany.
Just two weeks ago, Ericsson announced the latest hardware and software enhancements to its private 5G offering, offering improved visibility and management, as well as increased coverage of over 1,000,000m2.
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Also in the news:
Vodafone and Three UK closing in on merger
Bell partners with Air Canada for in-flight Wi-Fi
Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation launch apprenticeship scheme
Three interconnection expansions, one new data center, and one restructuring financial move: … [visit site to read more]
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
This week, TIM has announced a new PPA agreement with independent renewable energy firm ERG via the latter’s subsidiary Telenergia.
The new nine-year agreement will see ERG provide the operator with an additional “baseload” 200 GWh/year of renewable energy.
TIM first signed a deal with ERG for renewable energy back in May 2021, securing 340GWh/year for ten years over the 2022–2031 period.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed
As a result of this deal, around 34% of TIM’s energy purchases will come from renewable sources via PPAs.
“We are the second biggest Italian energy consumer and therefore it is crucial to make choices with the goal of resolving environmental issues,” explained TIM CEO Pietro Labriola. “The new agreement signed with ERG will help us to reach the ESG targets we have set ourselves, while at the same time stabilising costs in a context of continued macroeconomic uncertainty. The agreement confirms, once again, the importance of forging robust partnerships which share an industrial vision as well as consideration of the environment.”
TIM aims to use only renewable energy by 2025 and to generate Net Zero carbon emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3) by 2040.
Also in the news:
Vodafone and Three UK closing in on merger
Bell partners with Air Canada for in-flight Wi-Fi
Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation launch apprenticeship scheme
Two data center expansion projects, a big bandwidth trial, and some SASE. … [visit site to read more]
The new Nokia Middle East and Africa (MEA) Mobile Broadband Index research report is out. It confirms that the Middle East is far ahead of Africa in terms of 5G adoption, and that many operators in Africa are still developing their business models around 4G.
Voice traffic still relies on 2G and 3G networks in many parts of the region.
That said, 5G is forecast to increase steadily and will contribute to the growth of the mobile broadband subscriber base, which is expected to grow with a CAGR of 6% in MEA.
According to the report, 4G networks in MEA account for 79% of overall data traffic today. However, by 2027, 4G and 5G will together account for 90% of data traffic. In the same year, 4G subscribers will reach 1,214 million (53% of total subscribers) whereas 5G adoption is estimated to reach 380 million subscribers (17% of the total).
Yearly ARPU is estimated to increase at US$3.4 in 2027, and total data traffic is expected to increase at a CAGR of 32% from 2022 to 2027.
The report shows that in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, 5G adoption is the fastest, and that 5G subscribers are expected to reach 75% by 2027, mainly driven by Saudi Arabia.
In non-GCC Middle Eastern countries, and in Africa, 4G will continue to expand and remain dominant until 2027, while 5G deployment is at a nascent stage today and poised to gain more and more momentum over the coming years.
The report suggests that 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) in the GCC countries and 4G FWA in the rest of the MEA region are among the most attractive use cases, with a significant opportunity for operators to drive incremental revenues.
It also argues that 5G networks are more energy-efficient than previous radio network generations, helping operators reach their sustainability targets.
The data center provider Prime is taking on a new market. They have unveiled expansion plans into the state of Arizona with a new data center campus in the Phoenix metro area, an infrastructure market whose star continues to rise. … [visit site to read more]
