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TIP and WBA to create new 6GHz Wi-Fi backhaul options for mobile

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When fibre falls short of the base station, there is another route

New software being created for wi-fi devices could give mobile operators extra spectrum options for creating backhaul networks.

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) have announced a new joint mission to rationalise the 6GHz band and make better use of this precious resource. Their solution is to automate the coordination of frequencies, allowing outdoor equipment to operate in the 6GHz band without affecting native users. 

The announced plan includes jointly developing software that creates a cohesive frequency allocation system for Wi-Fi devices.

WBA helps mobile operators with Wi-Fi 

One of the WBA’s stated aims is to help mobile network operators integrate and provision Wi-Fi. Its participation in TIP’s Open AFC Software Group could speed the creation of a reference open-source version of an automated frequency coordination (AFC) system, it’s claimed.

The 6GHz band, approved for Wi-Fi use by 41 countries, currently lacks co-ordination of its various frequencies. Cohesion is needed, otherwise outdoor devices could disrupt the functioning of fixed microwave links that are already actively using the spectrum.

These links are used by public safety systems, utilities and mobile network operators. The latter will often them as an option for backhaul base stations and other sites lacking access to fibre. 

Unfettered OpenRoaming

The collaboration builds on a recent adoption of the WBA’s OpenRoaming standard by TIP. The system lets users roam across Wi-Fi networks without logging in or supplying passwords.

AFC’s OpenRoaming makes it easier to use outdoor access points in the 6GHz band and lends itself to TIP’s OpenWiFi initiative, which aims to use open-source code to create a culture of interoperability between equipment. Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said Open AFC will benefit networks that have adopted OpenRoaming. 

Wi-Fi can be great outdoors 

“AFC is critical to the future of 6 GHz Wi-Fi,” said Chris Szymanski, TIP Open AFC Software Group Co-Chair and Broadcom’s director of technology strategy, “Wi-Fi devices can operate at higher powers, provide greater coverage and operate outdoors. This fits well within the focus area of the WBA, an organisation that is highly focused on improving operator provisioned Wi-Fi.”

The WBA Board includes Airties, AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Broadcom, BT, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Deutsche Telekom AG, Google, Intel, Reliance Jio, SK Telecom and Viasat.

 

New Nokia SaaS platform to launch CSPs into the cloud fully fit for 5G

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Network functions on demand and beefed-up security too

Nokia claims it has re-worked its network operations and re-engineered its software applications to make it easier for CSPs to run its systems in any environment, be it edge, public or private.

The comms equipment maker says its newly unveiled software as a service (SaaS) for CSPs offering is a natural progression to ‘everything-as-a-service’ and a key element in its strategy to boost mobile operators along the ‘customer-centric pathway’.

CSPs want software online, not in a box

Nokia says the demand for software services among CSPs and enterprises will be worth $3.1 billion between 2021 and 20205, with an annual growth rate of around 25 per cent. It’s in talks with CSPs around the globe who want to use its SaaS services, it says.

Nokia is combining these independent services into three suites focused on, respectively, Digital Engagement, Marketplaces and Networking. Some SaaS services within these suites, such as security, will cross over into all domains.

Can’t run 5G on legacy

No CSP can fully exploit 5G without ditching its legacy practices, says Nokia. Customised software for analytics, security and network management doesn’t sit well with on costly, complex, on-premise infrastructure, it says. The lifeblood of any system, the data, has been congealed in legacy systems.

The Nokia Data Marketplace (NDM) aims to simplify and secure the CSP’s access to data. It was launched earlier this year ‘as a service’ says Nokia but it’s now available with better automation, efficiency and scalability to CSPs. The data relates to a variety of industry verticals, including energy, public sector, transportation and smart cities.

5G needs tight security

With 5G creating more access points in networks, CSPs are asking for automated security that will solve multiple problems. They need to shrink the ‘dwell time’, the period it takes to eject a cyber attacker once detected, minimise their manual tasks and quicken their responses. Nokia’s answer, the NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome, will available from early 2022. The machine learning service Nokia Anomaly Detection, which uses Nokia Bell Labs technology, will be available early 2022 along with ‘other’ unspecified services. This webinar might offer more details.

Nokia said it has ‘other’ SaaS for CSP services that will be announced in early 2022.

Pay as you grow or you’ll be too slow

“SaaS is nascent in the telco market today but our research shows that leading operators are waiting for vendors to respond,” said Caroline Chappell, Research Director at Analysys Mason, “It is good to see a mainstream vendor like Nokia making an early move into SaaS-based delivery.”

This will position Nokia well to serve operators that need to switch to cloud technologies like 5G, IoT, edge computing and AI. CSPs must transform themselves to capitalise on these technologies and Nokia’s SaaS model will help them, Chappell said.

Nokia has been laying the groundwork and its SaaS delivery framework is in a very strong competitive position, according to Raghav Sahgal, president of cloud and network services at Nokia. “This is a multi-year journey and we are going at it aggressively,” said Sahgal.

 

 

American Tower to Acquire CoreSite for $10.1 bn

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The towerco craze continues on both sides of the Atlantic

American Tower Corporation and CoreSite Realty announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for American Tower to acquire CoreSite for $170.00 per share in cash.

The total consideration for the transaction, including the assumption and/or repayment of CoreSite’s debt at closing, is about $10.1 billion (€8.837 billion). The transaction was unanimously approved by both boards of directors of both companies.

CoreSite’s assets

As of Q3 2021, CoreSite had 25 data centres, 21 cloud on-ramps and over 32,000 interconnections in eight US markets and generated annualised revenue and Adjusted EBITDA of $655 million and $343 million, respectively, in Q3 2021.

CoreSite has averaged double-digit annual revenue growth over the past five years and apparently its “seasoned management team…has established leading positions and a critical presence with cloud service providers, positioning the business well for future organic growth”.

American Tower expects “to leverage its strong financial position to further accelerate CoreSite’s attractive development pipeline in the US, while also evaluating the potential for international expansion in…data center[s].”

American Towers hopes the transaction will transform its mobile edge compute business ahead of the proliferation of 5G low-latency applications throughout the cloud, enterprise and network ecosystems.

The plan is to establish a converged communications and computing infrastructure with distributed points of presence across multiple edge layers.

Greater scale

With greater scale and a more comprehensive offering, American Tower and CoreSite expect the combined company will be well placed to address evolving customers’ needs including network and cloud providers, service integrators and enterprise customers.

Tom Bartlett, American Tower’s CEO, stated, “As the convergence of wireless and wireline networks accelerates and classes of communications infrastructure further align, we anticipate the emergence of attractive value creation opportunities within the digital infrastructure ecosystem.”

CoreSite’s CEO, Paul Szurek, piped up, “The combined company will be ideally positioned to address the growing need for convergence between mobile network providers, cloud service providers, and other digital platforms as 5G deployments emerge and evolve.

He continued, “We expect the enhanced scale and further geographic reach to provide a platform for the combined company to accelerate its growth trajectory and expand into additional US metro areas, as well as internationally, leveraging American Tower’s extensive presence across the globe.

Swiss operator Salt launches GoMo brand budget service

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Pricing shows how operators might adapt to lockdowns

Swiss mobile operator Salt has launched a budget mobile service GoMo. It promoted the cheap alternative with a temporary offer of unlimited local calls and data for less than CH10 francs per month. Salt hailed the launch of GoMo as the most important event in the Swiss telecom space in 2021, according to finance news site Moneyland. It proclaimed the new offering as the most digitised Swiss mobile service with the most cutting-edge offers, according to analyst Ralf Bayeler. 

Self service minimises costs

Costs are minimised as every part of customer service is automated as much as possible. The plan is offered exclusively on the operator’s website. Enrolment and accounts are also managed online and customer service is provided by chat. GoMo is the second budget brand from Salt, following in the wake of Das Abo.

The flat fee plan includes unlimited local data within Switzerland and unlimited local calls and SMS messages. The introductory price is 9.95 francs per month. This price applies to the first 50,000 customers to sign up for the plan.

Other mobile brands may follow suit

However Salt is accused of a lack of communication over the plan’s standard price and even the financial analyst struggled to get details. “The limit on how many people can get the plan at the promotional price is very large, so the current introductory price should apply for some time,” said Beyeler.

GoMo is an interesting trend setter as it’s a brand built for local use. This might be useful to subscribers who are unlikely to travel during the pandemic. If you do not use your phone while traveling abroad, the GoMo offer is very attractive, said Beyeler. “It is only a matter of time before other budget brands, such as Swisscom subsidiary Wingo and Sunrise subsidiaries Yallo and Lebara, are forced to follow suit,” said Beyeler.

Swiss market consolidated in numbers

Salt, formerly Orange Communications, was bought by French entrepreneur Xavier Niel from buyout firm Apax in 2014 for 2.8 billion Swiss francs. The telecoms entrepreneur benefited from dividend payments and streamlined the business through deals like Salt’s sale of its telecoms towers to Cellnex.

Switzerland’s telecommunications sector has consolidated in recent years and Liberty Global’s 6.8 billion Swiss franc takeover of Sunrise Communications closed in late 2020, reducing the number of large players to three from four.

Earlier this year, Salt struck a fibre-optic partnership with Swisscom, which will enable Salt to provide fibre-to-the-home connections to 3 million customers by 2025.

 

 

NTT Docomo and Airbus demo shows HAPS can move over mountains for 5G and 6G 

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High altitude platform stations (HAPS) extend range of 5G and 6G

Airbus and Japan’s NTT Docomo have shown they can deliver wireless broadband with a high-altitude platform station (HAPS) using a solar powered radio transmitter.

The success of the trial has encouraged aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus and mobile operator NTT Docomo that they can proceed to create communications services in mountainous areas, remote islands and maritime areas where radio waves are difficult to reach. HAPS will extend the range of both 5G and 6G, NTT Docomo said. 

Solar powered radio transmitter

In 18-day stratospheric flights the UK-built solar-powered Zephyr S radio transmitter succeeded in providing a datalink, as testers simulated future direct-to-device connectivity. Tests were run using a variety of bandwidths in order to approximate the type of direct-to-device service that could run from the HAPS to the end users when using low, nominal and high throughput.

The demonstration confirmed the viability and versatility of the 2 GHz spectrum for HAPS-based mobile comms services. It is also an endorsement of the viability of using narrow (450 MHz) band to create connections at a range of up to 140km.

HAPS will enable the apps 

The exercise was a measure of the effectiveness of HAPS, said Docomo’s Takehiro Nakamura. Direct communication to smartphones, through long-term propagation measurements using ‘actual HAPS equipment’, was a particularly important outcome, Nakamura said. Based on the success of these trials, Docomo is keen to investigate further into the practical application of HAPS in 5G evolution and 6G. 

“Docomo believes that HAPS will be a promising solution for coverage expansion in 5G evolution and 6G,” said Docomo’s Takehiro Nakamura.

 In October 2020 NTY Docomo was the first  mobile operator in the world to demonstrate a working example of 5G carrier aggregation in a multi-vendor RAN.

Ericsson’s Intelligent Automation Platform designed to cover all RAN bases

The Swedish vendor says platform in line with Open RAN principles but also works with existing 4G and 5G nets

Ericsson has launched an Intelligent Automation Platform which it says is an open service management and orchestration (SMO) product. It is designed to help communications service providers (CSPs) optimise network performance, improve operational efficiency and provide customer experience.

The vendor is not exactly in the vanguard of Open RAN development, but claims this platform’s service management and orchestration functionalities are “in line with Open RAN principles, taking automation forward with support for diverse vendors and multiple radio access network technologies”.

Open scepticism

Neil McRae, MD Architecture & Strategy, BT Group Chief Architect, has openly expressed scepticism regarding some claims about the potential cost savings that can be derived from Open RAN any time soon

He is cited by Ericsson saying, “I’m pleased to see that Ericsson is launching the Intelligent Automation Platform for automating networks, based on the O-RAN Alliance Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) concept.

“Ericsson’s vision to extend that SMO concept to support both Open RAN and existing 4G and 5G networks, using a single operational pane-of-glass is an innovative approach.”

Rakuten Mobile, which is looking to massively disrupt the Japanese mobile market, has made dramatic claims about how much Open RAN could save operators – 40% on normal capital expenditure and 30% on typical operating costs.

At the moment though, it is racking up huge losses. Quarterly operating losses across the parent Rakuten e-commerce empire were JPY39.8 billion (306 million) at the end of Q3, up from JPY7.5 billion (57.6 million) a year earlier.

Rakuten Mobile itself reported losses of about JPY105 billion (€80.6 million) at the end of Q3, up by more than 70% since the corresponding quarter last year but sales were only 20% higher – about JPY55 billion (422 million).

Nothing daunted, but in fairness, starting from a very different base, fellow European operator groups Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, TIM and Vodafone signed an MoU earlier this year to demonstrate their commitment to Open RAN, which they followed up with a technical specification for it.

Japanese competition

Toshikazu Yokai is Executive Officer, Chief Director of Mobile Technology at KDDI, which directly competes with Rakuten Mobile. He is also quoted by Ericsson and goes further: “KDDI recognises the importance of…SMO and automation to achieve optimal network operations across multi-vendor, purpose-built RAN and Open RAN environments.

“SMO combined with an open software-development toolkit (SDK) has the potential to drive application (rApps) innovation and diversity, unleashing CSP, telecommunications vendor and third-party software provider innovation to optimise network performance, improve operational efficiency and drive superior customer experiences.

“KDDI expects SMO and the Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT-RIC) to fine-tune RAN behaviour and to assure [service level agreements] dynamically based on slice specific service requirements. KDDI looks forward to collaborating with Ericsson to explore the potential of these solutions.”

Analyst’s view

Sue Rudd, Director Networks and Service Platforms, Strategy Analytics, adds, “Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform brings scalability, performance and operations simplicity to the increasingly complex environment of mobile networks, including purpose-built and Open RAN.

“Ericsson’s long-demonstrated expertise in radio networking and end-to-end network slicing, in parallel with its active participation in the O-RAN Alliance and leadership in ONAP network automation, have enabled it to create this powerful platform to assist customers to maximize their ROI through smart delivery of high-quality services to their end-customers.

“Ericsson’s proven record of multi-vendor service orchestration and open operations automation make it an excellent partner for rApps developers and systems integrators who can leverage this unique toolkit and development environment.”
 
 
 

Eir overcharged 71,000 mobile customers by total of €4.7m

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Court hears operator blames incorrect billing, regulator says overcharging is widespread and ongoing

In the last few years Eircom Ltd, trading as the mobile operator Eir, has overcharged customers nearly five million euros, Eire’s Commercial Court has heard.

The allegation came from the Irish communications regulator Comreg which said the ‘widespread and ongoing basis’ meant that 71,000 accounts collectively overpaid €4.7 million. Eircom, for its part, admitted to ‘incorrect billing’.

Extraordinary legal circumstances 

Comreg brought proceedings against Eircom Ltd under a legal mechanism which allows it to apply to the court to put an end to overcharging, reports The Irish Independent. The condition for extraordinary court proceedings comes into play when it is alleged the practice has been ‘ongoing’ and ‘where there is provision for a penalty of €11.5m or an amount set by the court’.

So far, Eircom has denied the claims. While there has been incorrect billing, it says, it is not on the scale alleged by Comreg.

Is allegation of overcharging exaggerated? 

The case was fast tracked for the Commercial Court after an application by barrister Eileen Barrington, senior counsel acting for Comreg.

According to Barrington there is a mechanism in Irish law under which Comreg can apply to end overcharging. The alleged malpractice has been consistent since 2015 and in that time there have been four sets of convictions for overcharging.

Devil is in the details

Senior counsel for Eircom Jonathan Newman said his client agreed to admit the case to the commercial list in order to expedite proceedings. The claims are in dispute however. There was incorrect billing but not on the scale alleged. Newman will also question if fair procedures have been applied by Comreg.

The judge, Mr Justice Denis McDonald, was satisfied enough to admit the case to the commercial list. The criteria for doing so include ‘a significant level of overcharging alleged’. He also ruled that a hearing would be in the interest of the public, Eircom and its competitors.

One week until the case will begin

The case was adjourned for a week as the proceedings of the case are discussed.

Comreg is seeking orders under the Communications Regulation Act 2002 that Eircom ceases its contraventions of the Act, including those in relation to charging customers more than the charges set out in their contracts. It also seeks that it refrain from charging customers where they have requested their service cease and from charging early termination fees.

In November 2018 the UK regulator Ofcom fined mobile operator EE £6.3 million and cable operator Virgin Media £7 million for breaking consumer protection rules. Both were found guilty of overcharging customers and penalising those who wished to leave their contracts early.

Vodafone’s CEO wants more collaboration and consolidation in Europe

Nick Read said in a Sunday Times interview that he’d consider buying Three UK, the country’s smallest mobile operator.

Nick Read stepped up to the Group CEO role from Group CFO in 2018. Since then, the share prices has fallen by 24%, although this is largely due to factors way beyond his control.

They include:
• lost roaming revenues due to Covid lockdowns
• huge debts accrued from his predecessor, Vittorio Colao, buying cable assets in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Romania from Liberty Global for 18.4 billion which added to the debt pile which stood at €27 billion at 31 March 2019
• multi-billion euro shenanigans in the Indian market where, from Vodafone’s point of view, the regulatory and legal goal posts have proved highly unpredictable and newcomer Jio destablised the market
• huge investments in spectrum and 5G infrastructure, and fibre, and
• it will cost billions to strip Huawei kit out of the UK’s infrastructure to comply with the legal requirement to do so.

Duplicating infra is daft

Read also points on that returns on capital for telcos in Europe has halved over the last 10 years, and this is exacerbated by competitors duplicating infrastructure, because as the Danish Strand Consult has often pointed out, the European Union’s telecoms policy is primarily concerned with giving users’ choice, high speed connections and the best possible prices due to competition to the detriment of much else.

This has led to the situation, as Read pointed out, that markets as big as the US, China and India have three major mobile operators whereas there are more than 100 in Europe, making for a fragmented patchwork that, by definition, lacks the economies of scale.

Close collaboration

Like other group CxOs (see our exclusive interview with Telefonica’s Group CTIO, Enrique Blanco and Orange Business Services’ Group CTO, Philippe Ensarguet, for example) Read extolled the virtues of telcos working together in the Sunday Times interview (subscription needed).

And they are. For instance, Vodafone Group, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and TIM signed an MoU to promote their commitment to Open RAN early in the year, followed by publishing their technical requirements for it.

Read has struck collaboration deals across many Vodafone’s markets: in the UK, last week Vodafone extended its deal with alternative fibre network provider, CityFibre, and it also has wholesale deal with BT’s access arm Openreach.

He suggested Vodafone could co-invest in rival Virgin Media’s roll out of fibre and even merge with its smallest UK competitor, Three, although a merger between Three UK and O2 UK (which is owned by Telefonica and merged with Virgin Media earlier this year) was blocked by the EU Competition Commission in 2016.

However, that decision was overruled, rendered null and severely criticised in May 2020 by the General Court of the European Court of Justice for being based on principles rather than facts, after Hutchison, Three UK”s owner appealed the decision. It maybe the European Competition Commission will recognise that consolidation in the European market is not only desirable but inevitable.

Telenor signs digitalisation deal with Google Cloud 

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Operator partners cloud provider to strengthen its core and create new services

Telenor has appointed Google Cloud to digitise its global operations, Reuters reports.

The Norwegian mobile operator and the public client service arm of Alphabet will digitalise the telco’s infrastructure and explore ways to jointly offer services to customers, the two companies said.

As Google Cloud’s services fine-tune the mobile operator’s IT and network, Telenor’s customers will use more of Google’s digital tools, the respective chief executives said.

Telenor has global reach

Oslo-based Telenor serves 172 million customers with half its revenue coming from Asia and half from the Nordic countries.

The digital project aims to create a massive transformation of Telenor, which helps it fulfil its ambition for new revenue streams, according to Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke.

“The future for telcos is to move beyond connectivity and to create value on top of connecting customers,” said Brekke.

Telecoms is run by software says Google

With networks increasingly reliant on software, Telenor needs to build a cloud-based business, Brekke said. Google’s capacity for data management, machine learning and artificial intelligence makes it a good fit.

“To digitalise our operation is to make it smoother,” Brekke said. “You can predict outages before they happen. When you’re displacing some of your backend processes, you can smooth out customer experiences and make them better,” Brekke added.

Flexible core lets you do more

Digitising the core operations of an operator the size of Telenor is a new challenge for Google Cloud, as will be the joint customer offerings, said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian: “This not just about optimising data centres and moving data centres to the cloud.”

Among the first services promised will be a platform to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) transform their own digital operations. “The work that we’re doing with SMEs [shows] we are not just a technology supplier but building a joint offering to a customer segment,” said Kurian.

 

VMware expedites Vodafone’s 5G SA roll-out in UK with Telco Cloud

New functions will be deployed 40% quicker, at half the price says Group CTO Wibergh

VMware is to expedite the roll-out of Vodafone UK’s new digital services by integrating them into one big, scalable system to run all its networks and IT systems across Europe. This, it claims, will empower Vodafone UK to instantly get any new management software, apps and processes running across any mobile infrastructure and any cloud.

The first priority for the common platform will be the creation of a 5G standalone (5G SA) network, says Vodafone. With a 5G SA in place, the mobile operator will be able to automatically install and manage new applications of this technology in multiple countries all at one go. 

5G will make the virtual a reality

Once this exercise has worked, the orchestration of other new services will quickly follow. The second wave will include enriched voice services over data, the connection of many more IoT devices, next generation video conferencing and virtual and augmented reality.

With 5G SA at the core and in the cloud, Vodafone says it can quickly give dedicated slices of its high-speed network, on a grand scale. This will support critical applications that need ultra-low latency connectivity, such as connected vehicles and industrial machinery that runs on split milli-second timing, such as some lasers that require feedback within femtoseconds. 

Telco cloud makes it much simpler

Vodafone’s vision is that all elements of the network use 5G, rather than the common compromise method of overlaying 5G equipment on a core 4G network infrastructure.

Working with VMware and its Telco Cloud Platform has helped Vodafone to virtualise its entire non-5G core network infrastructure across its European operating companies, comprising 21 markets in total. This means Vodafone can install new functions 40% quicker, for half the price, it said.

One cloud will cover 11 countries

VMware’s full Telco Cloud Platform is allowing it to standardise across its European markets. The Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania and the UK are now ready and 11 of Vodafone’s European markets will eventually be as one, according to its CTO Johan Wibergh.

“Having launched the first 5G standalone network in Europe, we are now putting all that power into a single cloud-based platform to simplify operations and rapidly respond to customer’s needs across Europe and Africa. It starts with 5G at the core, but the possibilities are limitless,” said Wibergh.

All service providers need a single platform to automate and streamline delivery of multi-vendor network functions across network core, RAN and edge, according to said Sanjay Uppal, VMware’s general manager for service providers and edge computing. The VMware telco cloud platform provides this, said Uppal.

 

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