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The IMDEA Networks Institute, in collaboration with Telefónica, NEC Corporation and BluSpecs, is proud to announce the launch of the ENABLE-6G project. This ambitious initiative aims to address the challenges that will be faced by future 6G networks, such as increased connectivity, higher performance demands, and advanced object and environment detection and communication.This project is funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, in the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR).
As 5G technology continues to be the driving force behind edge computing and autonomous vehicles, researchers and industry experts are already looking towards the future and the development of 6G technology. With challenges in capacity, energy efficiency, latency, and data security and privacy, the development of the ENABLE-6G project has become crucial. It’s necessary for 6G networks to become more adaptable and intelligent to enable the realization of a future vision that will contend with greater levels of complexity, contextualization, and data traffic while consuming less energy and offering stronger security and privacy measures. Such advancements are crucial to instil the necessary level of trust required for widespread implementation of next-generation devices and nodes.
One of the main objectives is to ensure advanced privacy protections are built into the architecture, as precise mapping and sensing, data privacy and security have become major concerns, and has also become a major benefit for new use cases. Another strategic objective is the design and implementation of software-defined networks that can operationalise optimized edge-to-cloud
processing to facilitate time-critical and geo-distributed network orchestration (e.g., via the application of control-task algorithms). The ENABLE-6G project represents a major step forward in the
new technologies into 6G to improve wireless communications, provide environmental sensing and significantly reduce the energy footprint per device to avoid a large overall increase in network power consumption. We are excited about the potential impact of this project and look forward to collaborating with our partners to bring it to fruition.
Telefónica is one of the leading private R&D centers in Spain, aiming to explore and develop new technologies and solutions that can improve the company’s existing products and services, as well as identify and create new business opportunities in the telecommunications and technology sectors. One of the big companies joining this project is NEC Corporation, with a great capacity has a strong commitment to research and development and invests heavily in new technologies and innovative solutions. ENABLE-6G counts on the excellent IMDEA Networks scientists, one of the best innovation and development centres in Spain, with a variety of experts from all over the world. Finally, this project will count on the consultancy of BluSpecs, facilitating the digital transformation of private and public organisations through the application of knowledge, data, and methodologies in the field of strategy, implementation of new technologies and innovation.
Also in the news:
Connected North 2023: The story in pictures
China Mobile mulls HKBN acquisition as it closes in on 1 billion subscribers
Smart lighting: Vodafone leans on IoT for energy savings
After a trip through restructuring, GTT is officially back. The company looks a lot different now, with a streamlined set of assets and a new focus on providing managed network and security services to the global enterprise marketplace. A year ago we talked with former COO Don MacNeil about the path forward, and today we are joined by CEO Ernie Ortega. Ernie is of course an industry veteran, having started his career with MCI back in the day. He has done stints with the likes of XO, Cogent, Colt, and TowerStream, and took over the CEO role at GTT near the beginning of the restructuring process before shepherding the company through the pandemic period. Here he’ll offer his take on the road ahead. … [visit site to read more]
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This week saw the second edition of Connected North take place live in Manchester, bringing together the leading voices in local government, enterprise, and telecoms to discuss some of the biggest issues surrounding Northern connectivity.
Over 1,600 people took part in the event over two days, exploring topics big and small, from the ongoing controversy surrounding Equinox 2 to the neverending challenge of collaboration between the public and private sector.
Below you can see some of our highlights from the two days, including the vibrant keynote presentations, packed track rooms, and a bustling exhibition space.
We’re already preparing for Connected North 2024, so please check out the website and get in touch to join us next year in Manchester!
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A lot of headlines have been generated in the Indian press by the news that billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla has returned to the board of Vodafone Idea less than two years after leaving the mobile service provider – but how significant is this appointment?
To begin with, Birla rejoins in a different role. He is an additional director (non-executive and non-independent). Birla was formerly a chairman at the giant operator. He joined the board on 20 April, according to an exchange disclosure.
Secondly, Vodafone Idea’s net debt remains astronomical. It stood at 2.23 trillion rupees (about US$27.18 billion) before the Indian government in February converted the nearly US$2 billion of dues that it was owed into equity, becoming the company’s biggest shareholder.
However, Vodafone Idea is still trying to manage a vast debt and the company needs to find funding for network upgrades and 5G rollout. That issue is unlikely to change with Birla’s appintment, though, interestingly, Birla was in the news recently after he suggested on Indian TV that Vodafone Idea would begin its 5G rollout soon.
Nevertheless, Birla is a big name, not least because he also serves as the chairman of Aditya Birla Group, which reportedly holds an 8.36% stake in Vodafone Idea. A global conglomerate, the Aditya Birla Group businesses operate in a wide range of sectors – metals, pulp and fibre, chemicals, textiles, carbon black, cement, financial services, fashion retail, renewable energy and, of course, telecoms.
Will Birla’s appointment make a difference? It looks like we’ll have to wait and see. In any event, the market seems to like the news. According to the Economic Times news service, shares of Vodafone Idea rallied nearly 10% in Friday’s trade after the appointment was announced.
This week, anonymous sources have told the media that China Mobile has sent a request for proposal to a small group of banks, seeking a partner to help oversee the acquisition of Hong Kong’s HKBN.
According to sources, China Mobile is currently receiving approaches from various investment banks and has yet to decide on a formal offer.
Any deal would likely carry a price tag of over $1 billion, with HKBN having been valued at around $1.7 billion last year.
HKBN, one of the Hong Kong’s largest fixed broadband providers with around 37% broadband market share, has been receiving takeover interest for some time now. Last year, the company received separate offers from a trio of private equity firms – KKR, PAG, and Stonepeak, all of whom have a growing presence in the international telecoms market.
Ultimately, however, no deal was ultimately struck as a result of unresolvable issues surrounding the stock’s valuation and the unstable nature of the global economy.
More recently, in March this year, infrastructure investor I Squared Asia Advisors submitted a non-binding letter of interest to the telco.
Thus, potential interest from China Mobile could spark something of a bidding war for HKBN, particularly if sources suggesting that PAG also remains interested in the operator at to be believed.
However, the veracity of these reports about China Mobile remain to be seen, with some Chinese media sources denying the operator is interested in purchasing HKBN.
In somewhat related news, China Mobile released its latest financial report this month, noting that its mobile subscriptions had now reached 983 million – just a stone’s throw away from making the operator the first in the world to reach the
The operator said its active 5G subscribers has reached 363 million, almost a third of its overall subscriber base.
The company’s first-quarter profit was up 9.5% to CNY 28.1 billion ($4.08 billion).
Keep up with all of the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter
Also in the news:
New study highlights a massive funding gap for a full fibre US
TIM shares slide as company receives new bids for fixed network assets
EE delivers monster upgrades to Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme
This week, Vodafone Business has announced a partnership with service integrator Serveo to rollout an innovative urban lighting management project known as LayN.
This urban lighting management project will see IoT sensors added to streetlights, the data from which will then be used to help optimise energy resources and analyse mobility patterns.
Initial analyses will take place on large sets of anonymised customer location data from Vodafone, thereby measuring the real usage needs of each lighting installation.
According to Vodafone, the IoT sensors installed within the streetlamps will use 4G, 5G, and edge computing to control the lighting, while data analytics will be provided by the Vodafone Analytics tool help the sensors to understand where and when lighting is needed.
In this way, LayN will help to enhance existing urban lighting control mechanisms, as well as guide the efficient deployment of future streetlights.
In total, the companies estimate that deploying this intelligent lighting solution will allow for energy savings of roughly 30%.
“LayN represents the best combination of technological excellence applied to the sustainability of intelligent urban management, something that Vodafone has already adapted to areas such as mobility, but which has a long history in other many areas such as water management or lighting, among others,” said Daniel Jiménez, director of Vodafone Business.
LayN has already been tested in one of the cities operated by Serveo in Spain, with further deployments expected to take place in the near future.
Keep up with all of the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter
Also in the news:
New study highlights a massive funding gap for a full fibre US
TIM shares slide as company receives new bids for fixed network assets
EE delivers monster upgrades to Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme
This Industry Viewoint was authored by Ken Kennedy, COO and President of Revenue Management & Digital Monetization at CSG
In today’s digital world, the ability to survive as an enterprise has become an arms race. If an enterprise becomes complacent or fails to keep an eye on the future, it’ll quickly be outpaced by a more sophisticated competitor. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but to be the leader of the pack in a tight … [visit site to read more]
