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.

VIEWPOINT

At this year’s Mobile World Congress, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (Indosat) CEO Vikram Sinha told journalists the merger was a case of being ‘at the right place at the right time’.

Vikram Sinha, President Director & CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison

When Indosat Ooredoo and Hutchison 3 Indonesia first announced their $6 billion merger back in September 2021, the news was met some scepticism by analysts, who noted the challenges the two companies would face when it came to integrating their networks creating a unified company culture.

Now, however, one year on from the merger’s competition, and these doubts have been silenced, with Indosat going from strength to strength.

In the last year, Indosat has seen its subscriber base increase by six million people, generating an increase in its organic net profit of 76.2% year-on-year.

Speaking to journalists at this year’s MWC, the company CEO Vikram Sinha explained that the merger had given the company the scale it needed to reach millions of additional customers, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas that were previously not economically viable.

In fact, over the next four years, Indosat is reportedly aiming to connect 21 million customers that have never been connected to the internet before, focussing on largely underserved areas like Papua.

But beyond reaching new customers, Sinha notes that a key growth component for the company will be its engagement with the millions of micro- and small enterprises that make up the backbone of the Indonesian economy.

When asked how  Indosat planned to engage with these businesses, Sinha made clear that the challenge lay not only in providing coverage to these businesses, but in encouraging them to join the digital economy.

“Connecting is the first step, but we must help them to enter and grow in the digital marketplace,” he said, noting access to money lending and digital banking services. “Once they can make $10, they will be more than happy to give us $1 for connectivity services.”

Naturally, a large part of connecting these new customers and businesses will centre around the rollout of existing technologies, like 4G and fixed wireless access (FWA), but the eventual rollout of 5G is also set to play a key role in  Indosat’s future growth.

Currently, the company has around 400 commercial 5G sites live in six cities across the country, with Sinha noting that the company was fully prepared for C-band spectrum to become available in the upcoming auction before it expands in earnest.

The date for such an auction has yet to be announced by the Indonesian regulator.

Sinha said that the company would benefit from studying the 5G developments currently taking place in neighbouring countries like India and the Philippines, allowing them to be better prepared when the time comes.

He also made clear, however, that  Indosat was not waiting for the advent of 5G when it comes to ushering in the era of Industry 4.0. Sinha explained that the operator was already in discussions with various vertical industries, including mines and ports, to better understand their technology needs.

“We need to get the ecosystem involved right now,” he said. “The key message is: there is a lot of opportunity here.”

For Sinha, the merger has been a resounding success, presenting a clear path to future growth for years to come. The main challenge moving forward – as is always the case for Indonesia’s telecoms sector – is the nation’s geography. With a population spread across around 18,000 islands spanning an area the size of Europe, achieving widespread coverage is difficult, even more so when trying to do so in a cost-effective and profitable manner.

This is perhaps why Sinha closed his press conference with the phrase ‘Gotong Royong’, an idea central to Indonesian culture that focusses on communal work for communal success.

“We need successful partnerships to bring the major benefits to customers and to enterprises,” said Sinha. “We have to build consumer trust and bring them simple and transparent products. For this, we need partners that share our vision.”

To learn more about Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, please click here.

VIEWPOINT

For telecoms to create new revenue streams, enhance customer experiences, and lead their digital transformation, Huawei launches future-oriented IT infrastructure architecture. It is an evolution journey from CT to ICT

There has been a massive change in the way businesses and customers interact over the last few years. Due to the increased use of digital services, carriers’ networks have experienced extremely high traffic levels. According to IDC, investments in IT infrastructure would expand at a 14.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2021 and 2026. Between 2021 and 2025, according to IDC, carriers’ digital transformation will accelerate and their spending on it will rise at a CAGR of 17%.

Predictions indicate that IT infrastructure will rank as the second-largest area of investment for international telecom operators. However, for telcos to fully benefit from their digital transformation projects, they must have a future-oriented IT infrastructure that is cloud-native, 5G and IoT ready, secure, and equipped with AI and automation capabilities.

The modern consumer demands a top-notch network with unique services. It’s also an opportunity for telcos to expand on the transformation of their primary line of business, connectivity. As a result, it has become crucial for them to have strong capabilities that can support the delivery of innovative services, expansion into new industries, reduction of costs, and augmentation of revenues.

Presenting the future-oriented IT infrastructure architecture

There is an old saying in Chinese that “to get rich, build roads first”. IT infrastructure paves the way for digital transformation. Developing a future-oriented IT infrastructure design is the only way to build new revenue streams beyond connectivity and provide a superior user experience, even though telecom operators have been pursuing digitization and cost transformation for years.

At MWC 2023, Huawei focuses on the theme of “+IT, Grow Together” and unveils its future-oriented IT infrastructure design for carriers for the first time, recognizing the necessity and filling up the critical gaps. The solution enables carriers to transition from CT to ICT by acting as the IT basis for that change. The strategy is based on the premise that IT infrastructure is at the foundation of telco digital transformation. Huawei has developed intelligent, reliable, efficient and collaborative IT infrastructure to accelerate the digital transformation of the carriers, so both Huawei and its customers can grow together.

So, what is the future-oriented IT infrastructure architecture need of carriers?

Data, Networks, and Applications (DNA) are the three main telecom assets that carriers have. A future-oriented, unified IT infrastructure design based on the carriers’ core asset DNA must be created to optimize its value in order to support carriers’ digital transformation. It should help them achieve orchestration, cloud-network synergy, and cloud-edge synergy.

Data (D): In the modern world, data is regarded as the new growth point for all businesses. Data is being produced at an exponential rate since there is so much happening online at a pace never previously witnessed. Effective data management is essential for telcos because it allows them to channel their resources by creating smart predictions and analyses, meet network latency, boost customer retention, and ensure great user experiences. Data management needs to be efficient, adaptable, and secure. Sensitive data must be stored locally, not in the cloud or network. Storage resource management and provisioning must be carried out efficiently and swiftly. This can be achieved through solutions such as Huawei OneStorage unified storage resource pool, which can improve resource utilization efficiency and accelerate resource provisioning.

Network (N): In order to facilitate accelerated investment monetization, differentiated network experiences, flexible resource scheduling, and rapid service supply, carriers need a new transformative IT infrastructure. The need is for a network that supports quick intelligence and multi-cloud, strengthens agility, and speeds up innovation while also making their services more dependable. Huawei has business in both cloud services and networks. Huawei Cloud and Huawei transport network are pre-integrated. NCE supports unified scheduling of cloud and network resources and allows for one-stop provisioning of cloud network premium package (with unified cloud-network end-to-end SLA assurance), helping carriers monetize their network assets.

Application (A): There are distinct considerations when moving common services to the cloud than when moving critical telecom applications. Most core telecom applications are steady-state, locally deployable, low-latency, and highly reliable, with carriers having complete control over such programmes. Agile apps tend to be new services and do not have high-reliability requirements. However, they require fast rollout, quick iteration, and elastic scaling. Therefore, deployment on the public cloud is the best choice. Huawei’s distributed cloud supports flexible deployment of telecom services on and off the cloud, meeting carriers’ deployment requirements for different applications.

The future-oriented IT architecture design must be implemented using the synergies between CT and IT, on-premises and online, and software and hardware. IT infrastructure investments employ networking to hasten value recovery.

The Huawei distributed cloud is considered the best option for carriers regarding internal business transformation and ToB business expansion. The key services are put in place on-premises for increased security and dependability, while non-critical services are implemented on public clouds. The most senior cloud services are available on-premises with Huawei Cloud Stack, which is also the only cloud that reuses installed base storage. The most significant data infrastructure foundation for carriers is OneStorage which offers multi-clouds integration, enhanced security, reliability, and sustainability.

Huawei, the only ICT company in the world with business in cloud, storage, and diversified computing power, has taken a giant stride by building system-level competitiveness on the customer interface with seemingly standalone products.

 Click here to learn more about the future-oriented IT Infrastructure architecture for carriers

Intracom Telecom, a global telecommunication systems and solutions vendor, has announced the launch of its new millimetre wave (mmWave) MU-MIMO Terminal Station, the WiBAS G5 GigaConnect. The company is displaying the product at its stand during MWC  2023.

Operators can now offer high-end wireless Gigabit connectivity services to more homes in suburban and rural areas thanks to the improved modem technology of the system, while gaining higher channel bandwidth utilization and denser networks (point-to-multipoint / PMP). The WiBAS G5 GigaConnect is ideal for service locations requiring cost-effective and rapidly-implemented FWA networks as it enables state-of-the-art IP connectivity in zero-footprint installations.

This terminal delivers download speeds of 1 Gigabit/s, increased operational convenience, reliable performance and power-saving features, while its MU-MIMO technology facilitates high spectrum utilization in parallel with fast and reliable connections. It also offers advanced networking features, extended coverage and leading PMP radio technology in the 24.25-29.50GHz area-licensed bands, while its zero-touch provisioning capabilities enable effortless network deployment.  

John Tenidis, Marketing Director of Intracom Telecom’s Wireless Networks Solutions portfolio, noted: “With the commercial launch of the WiBAS G5 GigaConnect terminal station we deliver our promise to our customers for a device that, apart from the gigabit download speeds it offers, is backwards compatible and forward interoperable with the WiBAS G5 dual-BS and G5 smart-BS base station devices, providing 100% reuse of the existing network investment”.

Dimitrios Pantelopoulos, R&D Director of Intracom Telecom’s Wireless Networks Solutions Division added: “The MU-MIMO WIBAS technology of the GigaConnect terminal enables maximum exploitation of the available spectrum and the provision of wide coverage of rural areas with 1 Gbps service.”

Vertiv, a provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has announced a distribution agreement with TechAccess, a leading information technology company based in South Africa. This agreement, targeting customers in sub-Saharan Africa, allows TechAccess to distribute Vertiv’s integrated rack solutions portfolio designed for the enterprise sector and to support critical infrastructure systems.

VIEWPOINT

The much-awaited MWC 2023 has kicked off, and Huawei’s 5G ToB booth attracted an influx of visitors. The 5G Remote Control Solution, in particular, garnered attendees’ interest. Although terms such as “mining trucks, shovels, drilling rigs, slopes” displayed at the booth may be unfamiliar to some carriers, the exhibition of remote unmanned automation of large devices demonstrated the vast possibilities and potential changes that 5G technology could bring to the mining industry.

The audience is visiting the booth of ToB at MWC2023

Meanwhile, in the 100-meter Zhulan Iron Mine of Pangang Group Mining Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Pangang”) in Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, in southwest China, the scene depicted at the MWC booth is currently unfolding under the miner’s lamp.

Large mining equipment, such as mine cards, electric shovels, and drilling rigs, operate in a highly organized way, without human intervention, which starkly contrasts traditional mining methods. The remote-control center, located 3 kilometers away from the mine, is where the intelligent and digital capabilities enabled by 5G technology make this transformation in mining operations possible.

On entering the remote-control center of the mine, Yao Shijian, the operator of Pangang’s shovel, takes his place in a remote seat reminiscent of a game controller. With skill and precision, Yao operates the shovel, expertly excavating ore from the pile and transferring it to the mine truck. “Initially, I felt like it was a bit surreal, but after a few times, it felt just like being on-site,” Yao said. As the 5G mining system became a norm production, Yao Shijian and his colleagues transitioned from working under the sun and wind to sitting in a climate-controlled room, moving from “grey collar” to “white collar.”

Li Yibing, the project’s lead, said, “This project represents a new production mode that revolutionizes the mining industry and sets it apart from previous technological improvements. Unmanned mines have increased mining efficiency by over 10 percent. Particularly through unmanned mines, we’ve been able to capitalize on the difference in electricity price between day and night to increase our production capacity during the night. This has saved almost one million RMB in monthly electricity bills, and all made possible through the low latency, high bandwidth, and high reliability of 5G networks.”

Yao Shijian’s operating the machine remotely for mining

For Zhulan Iron Mine of Pangang, a pioneer in metallurgical mining in China, implementing remote control technology was a formidable challenge. The biggest challenge for 5G remote control was signal freezing and delay, which could impact the work experience and lead to accidents. However, with the reliable and low-latency capabilities of 5G networks, workers like Yao Shijian can control the forklift’s robot arm movement with precision and without delay. The project team worked for three months to design the optimal network configuration, including the 5G base station location and network optimization parameters, to meet the communication requirements of vehicles, shovels, and drills. This enabled the optimal air interface delay and prevented data from traveling over public networks by deploying 5G core network devices in the edge data center of the mining area.

To accelerate the rollout of the remote-control system, Huawei collaborated with partners to pre-install network, computing, and security devices and remote-control applications in a “container” data center. Onsite installation took only two weeks. Additionally, Huawei used “video stitching” technology to combine multiple cameras into seamless large-angle images, improving the forklifts’ maneuverability and control efficiency.

Huawei’s innovative solution integrates workers’ professional experiences and scientific and technological support into the production process, fundamentally changing the operation mode of traditional open-pit mines. In the future, 5G technologies will be introduced into underground mines and factory workshops, further improving production safety and working environments for employees and contributing significant value to the digital transformation of the industry.

One of the newer entrants into the data center development space is PowerHouse Data Centers, a division of AREP.  Via a joint venture with Harrison Street, they already have three properties in northern Virginia under development, with plans for more in the works.  With an approach to sustainability that touches on many levels, PowerHouse is looking to meet the long term demands of hyperscalers for the right kind of facility in the right locations.  With us today to talk about their fresh approach and future plans is Luke Kipfer, Vice President, Data Center Development & Construction. … [visit site to read more]