The MoU was signed in Riyadh by Eng. Salman Al-Badran, CEO of Mobily, and Adel Hamed, Managing Director, and CEO of Telecom Egypt.
The agreement explores various new ways to connect international capacity to Europe in the west, through Telecom Egypt’s network, and to the GCC in the east, through Mobily’s network, which is made possible by expanding the two companies’ networks and connecting them to neighboring countries…

The MoU was signed in Riyadh by Eng. Salman Al-Badran, CEO of Mobily, and Adel Hamed, Managing Director, and CEO of Telecom Egypt.

The agreement explores various new ways to connect international capacity to Europe in the west, through Telecom Egypt’s network, and to the GCC in the east, through Mobily’s network, which is made possible by expanding the two companies’ networks and connecting them to neighboring countries. 

The establishment of the new cable system aims to meet the rising communication traffic and the large demand for such services between KSA and Egypt.

« By adopting cutting-edge technologies, we continue to expand our infrastructure and scale our capabilities across the KSA and the wider region, » said Eng. Salman Al-Badran, CEO of Mobily. « We are confident that our strategic partnership with Telecom Egypt will help achieve our goals. »

Thamer A. AlFadda, Senior Vice, President Wholesale & Carrier Services, said: « The MoU is part of Mobliy’s efforts to enhance its global infrastructure, aiming to establish the KSA as a leading international hub for communication services and data traffic, which contributes to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. »

Adel Hamed, The Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, added: « We are pleased to build this strategic collaboration with Mobily, which helps increase the scale and reach of our networks, and adds more connections with the KSA. »

Seif Allah Mounib, Vice President, Chief International & Wholesale Officer at Telecom Egypt: « The MoU lays the foundation of a fruitful and growing collaboration with Mobily, as well as adding to our cutting-edge international infrastructure. »

Mobily follows a leading approach aiming to empower the digital economy and offer advanced digital solutions in-line with Saudi Vision 2030. This further cements Mobliy’s reliability, agility, and competitiveness, it also contributes to the company’s efforts to bolster the growth of the communication sector and digital economy in the Kingdom. Telecom Egypt is the preferred partner for subsea cable owners worldwide, offering advanced infrastructure both locally and globally, with +140 landing stations across +60 countries.

Mobliy also continuously focuses on scaling subsea cables using cutting-edge technologies, which is reflected clearly by investing in subsea cables, in addition to recently joining two new consortiums to increase global capacity and presence, and cement the leading position of the Saudi communication sector globally.

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Also in the news:
BT and Ericsson target UK industry with private 5G partnership
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Take a byte: VMO2 and Greggs offer families free mobile data

In recent years, numerous European telcos have been making moves to reduce their debt and generate a positive cash flow in the wake of intense competition, typically through the monetisation of high value infrastructure. 
 
Indeed, in October last year, Telefonica said it was considering the sale of a minority stake in its Spanish fibre network…

In recent years, numerous European telcos have been making moves to reduce their debt and generate a positive cash flow in the wake of intense competition, typically through the monetisation of high value infrastructure. 

At the time, Telefonica’s entire fibre network, which covers roughly 26.1 million people, was valued at around €15 billion.

While this broader sale has yet to come to pass, by February 2021, Telefonica was preparing to set up a separate unit for its rural fibre network, seeking investors to purchase a stake of up to 45% in the business. 

This network, valued at around €2 billion, already connects roughly 2.5 million homes in rural, semi-rural and towns with less than 20,000 inhabitants, with Telefonica seeking to increase this number of homes passed by a further two million.

Both of these investors would seem natural partners for Telefonica, who is already working with Allianz via a fibre wholesale joint venture in Germany, and CDPQ via a similar arrangement in Brazil. In both of these markets, Telefonica aims to reach a market penetration of 97% by 2024.

According to the sources, French venture capital company Vauban and Dutch pension fund PGGM are also reportedly interested in partnering for a bid. 

Spain remains one of the most competitive markets in Europe. With some of the best fibre coverage in Europe and a wealth of mobile players, telcos’ profits have been slim for years, with numerous parties calling on regulators to help promote market consolidation. 

Now, however, this consolidation is finally beginning to take place, with Orange announcing a merger with MasMovil earlier this year. 

IBM has lost a major court battle against rival BMC Software this week, with a US court ordering the technology specialist to pay $1.6 billion to BMC in reparations. 
The case relates to the two companies’ relationship with US telecoms giant AT&T, with BMC accusing IBM of stealing the operator as a client, breaking various agreements in the process.
Back in 2007, BMC struck a deal with AT&&…

IBM has lost a major court battle against rival BMC Software this week, with a US court ordering the technology specialist to pay $1.6 billion to BMC in reparations. 

The case relates to the two companies’ relationship with US telecoms giant AT&T, with BMC accusing IBM of stealing the operator as a client, breaking various agreements in the process.

Back in 2007, BMC struck a deal with AT&T to provide software services for the operator’s mainframe computers. At the same time, AT&T was already partnered with BMC’s rival, IBM, for mainframe servicing.  

As a result, in 2008, IBM and BMC signed an agreement to govern their business relationship, which was amended in 2015 to include a clause disallowing IBM from moving mutual clients to its own software.

Despite this agreement, however, later that year AT&T began what was called Project Swallowtail, migrating from BMC’s software to IBM’s.

BMC accused IBM of deliberately stealing the AT&T account in direct violation of their agreement and took legal action in 2017.

Now, five year’s later, US District Judge Gray Miller has ruled heavily in favour of BMC, saying that IBM had induced BMC to sign the 2015 amendments in order to gain an advantage in luring AT&T to migrating to their services.

« The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that IBM fraudulently induced BMC into entering the 2015 OA so that it could exercise rights without paying for them, secure other contractual benefits, and ultimately acquire one of BMC’s core customers, » wrote Judge Miller. « IBM did this intentionally. »

The judge noted that IBM’s close access to BMC software being used by AT&T, giving them insights into how to win over the client.

« IBM’s scheme to defeat BMC’s contractual rights cheated BMC – a software company wholly dependent on the licensing of its intellectual property – out of hundreds of millions of dollars it was entitled to receive under the contract in exchange for the rights IBM exercised. Based on all the foregoing facts, the court finds that IBM’s conduct in this case was both fraudulent and malicious, » Miller said.

BMC had initially sought $791 million for IBM’s breach of contract and an additional $104 million in lost business from the AT&T account.

In his ruling, however, Judge Miller awarded BMC $717.7 million in contractual damages, $168.2 million in prejudgement interest, and a further $717.7 million in punitive damages. 

“IBM’s business practices — including the routine eschewal of rules — merit a proportional punitive damages award,” he said. 

IBM says that the verdict is “entirely unsupported by fact and law” and will appeal the decision.

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Also in the news:
BT and Ericsson target UK industry with private 5G partnership
SKT consortium bids to become South Korea’s first flying car operator
Take a byte: VMO2 and Greggs offer families free mobile data

Today, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) and UK bakery chain Greggs have announced a new partnership that will see them work together to provide free mobile data to families struggling to pay bills during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. 
The programme, facilitated by the Greggs Hardship Fund, will see VMO2 provide free O2 SIM cards and voucher codes to families…

Today, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) and UK bakery chain Greggs have announced a new partnership that will see them work together to provide free mobile data to families struggling to pay bills during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. 

The programme, facilitated by the Greggs Hardship Fund, will see VMO2 provide free O2 SIM cards and voucher codes to families, providing up to 15GB of data. Eligible families will be able to access these resources through their schools, with VMO2 hoping to 255,000 people get connected by the end of 2023.

As of today, the project is being trialled in Scotland, the North East, South East, and the Midlands, with other regions of the UK potentially to be added in future.

The scheme is being conducted as part of the wider National Databank project, in which both Vodafone and Three are also participating. Described as a ‘food bank for data’ and operated by the Good Things Foundation (GTF), the project allows operators to donate free SIMS and data which is then delivered the people in need via GTF’s community partners network. 

“We’re proud to see the National Databank go from strength to strength, providing free mobile data to people who need it. We’re delighted to welcome the Greggs Foundation, so we can support more families across the UK and help connect the disconnected,” said Nicola Green, VMO2’s Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer.

Numerous operators in the UK have been taking notice of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, noting its potential for deepening the digital divide in the UK and furthering inequality for decades to come. Last month, Vodafone noted that the crisis was driving up the demand for connectivity, citing data from foodbanks obtained via their partner the Trussell Trust.

Earlier this week, five UK ISPs announced they were forming a consortium called the Rebel Alliance to campaign for the industry to make broadband services more affordable and accessible, particularly through offering social tariff, noting that existing discount tariffs were greatly under-subscribed.

Today, BT and Ericsson have announced a new partnership that will see them work together to provide private 5G networks for Industry 4.0 customers. 
 
The deal will see BT use Ericsson technology to provide private 5G networks to partners in various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and transport and logistics, focussing on enabling valuable solutions like asset tracking, predictive maintenance, and automation.
 
The specifics of the multi…

Today, BT and Ericsson have announced a new partnership that will see them work together to provide private 5G networks for Industry 4.0 customers. 

The deal will see BT use Ericsson technology to provide private 5G networks to partners in various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and transport and logistics, focussing on enabling valuable solutions like asset tracking, predictive maintenance, and automation.

The specifics of the multi-million-pound deal were not revealed, though we are told the terms are for multiple years.

“This UK-first we have signed with Ericsson is a huge milestone and will play a major role in enabling businesses’ transformation, ushering in a new era of hyper-connected spaces,” said Marc Overton, BT’s Managing Director for Division X, Enterprise. “We have combined our skill and expertise at building converged fixed and mobile networks with Ericsson’s leading, sustainable and secure 5G network equipment, to offer a pioneering new proposition that will be attractive to many industries. 5G private networks will also support smart factory processes and the advancement of Industry 4.0 which can realise significant cost savings and efficiencies for manufacturers. 

Overton noted the versatility of private 5G networks, being configurable to the enterprise customer’s specific requirements, as well as providing “the foundation to overlay other innovative technologies such as IoT, AI, VR and AR”.

Now, two years later, the operator is keen to showcase the project’s success, holding it up as a poster child for a private 5G deployment in real-world setting and an enabler of numerous additional technologies.

“We’re now into phase two of the project and this includes various use cases such as teleoperation of heavy plant machinery, artificial reality (AR) for remote maintenance, as well as enhanced video AI analytics and the use of drones for surveillance and inspections,” said Overton.  

In addition to Belfast Harbour, BT has other private 5G network projects currently underway with Ericsson, including at the Worcester Bosch factory, where the technology is being used to enable IoT, edge computing, and autonomous robots. 

Regardless, it is clear that interest in private 5G networks for industry partners is growing and we should expect to see more deals of this sort announced in the near future as operators move to make their private network solutions more accessible for potential customers. 
 

Earlier this year, the South Korean government launched its government’s K-UAM Grand Challenge programme, seeking to identify the country’s first operator of urban air mobility (UAM) services. 
Launched by the Ministry of Transport, the project seeks to bring together various industry players, including aircraft developers, airspace designers, and air traffic management operators, to help develop the UAM ecosystem and commercialise UAM in central Korean cities by 2025.
Since the programmes launch in February, companies have been invited to submit applications to participate, with selected parties then set to demonstrate their UAM capabilities for the government and potentially be selected as the country&’…

Earlier this year, the South Korean government launched its government’s K-UAM Grand Challenge programme, seeking to identify the country’s first operator of urban air mobility (UAM) services. 

Launched by the Ministry of Transport, the project seeks to bring together various industry players, including aircraft developers, airspace designers, and air traffic management operators, to help develop the UAM ecosystem and commercialise UAM in central Korean cities by 2025.

Since the programmes launch in February, companies have been invited to submit applications to participate, with selected parties then set to demonstrate their UAM capabilities for the government and potentially be selected as the country’s first UAM operator.

The end of May marks the deadline for submissions and today The Korea Herald has reported that South Korea’s largest telco, SK Telecom (SKT), is at the helm of a major bid to take part in the Challenge. 

According to the report, SKT will lead a consortium including Hanwha Systems, Korea Airports Corp., and the Korea Transport Institute, leveraging its 5G and 4G networks to establish the vital real-time communications needed for UAM vehicles to operate succesfully.

Crucially, Hanwha Systems has already conducted UAM aircraft tests last year with their US partner Overair, featuring a prototype of an air taxi called ‘Butterfly’, featuring electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL).

The government has also received additional proposals from car-maker Hyundai, Korean IT firm Kakao Group, and conglomerate Lotte Group, each of which is backed by their own expansive consortium of diverse partners. 

Evaluation and due diligence of the various proposals will now take place until mid-October, with the participants officially selected in November this year. Developmental testing, including demonstration flights, are scheduled to take place until up to March 2024 at the latest, after which a winner will be selected.

The Challenge’s schedule remains very flexible due to a variety of factors, “including changes in government policy, the status of infrastructure construction, domestic and international conditions, and natural disasters”, according to the K-UAM Grand Challenge Website.

The winner of the Challenge will work with the South Korean government over the next few years on further demonstrations and validation tests, before being allowed to operate their own service in urban areas in 2024, with commercialisation planned for 2025.

According to the Ministry of Transport, initial services being prioritised will include airborne medical services, such as flying ambulances, and cargo delivery to underserved communities. Less critical applications, such as tourist trips and even UAM theme parks, are also being considered in the longer term.

As you might imagine, this is a huge economic opportunity for the winning bidder, with financial firm Morgan Stanley predicting the burgeoning UAM sector will be worth up to $1.5 trillion by 2040.

The timeline, with its 2025 commercialisation date, however, seems somewhat optimistic. Even with early commercialised services only allowing the eVTOL flights through pre-designated, fixed corridors, there is still an enormous amount of complex regulations and infrastructure that must be legislated and deployed to make this project viable in a real-world setting.

Many of the challenges of standardisation and regulation mirror those facing the drone industry, another rapidly growing sector in which the telecoms operators and their connectivity have a key role to play. In the UK, for example, Vodafone has been particularly active in supporting drone projects supported by its mobile connectivity, including delivering NHS supplies to remote locations during the pandemic. 

Earlier this year, a consortium announced its plans for Project Skyway, the world’s largest drone corridor in the UK, spanning 165 miles. Dubbed by consortium leader, Altitude Angel, as the most ambitious transport project proposed since the advent of the railway network, the project is far greater in scale than Project XCelerate, the UK’s first and only commercial drone corridor so far, which is largely being used for drone trials. 

A timeline for Project Skyway has yet to be announced, with the regulatory infrastructure surrounding such a large project requiring considerable investigation by the government and other stakeholders.

Nontheless, from drones to UAM, facilitating airborne connectivity is clearly an enormous opportunity for telcos and it should come as no surprise that SKT, one of the most innovative operators in one of the most advanced markets in the world, should be staking a claim to a key role in the sectors’ development.

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