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Category: Telecom

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Telecom & Telco news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Huawei launches intent-driven network solution

    Huawei launches intent-driven network solution

    Huawei has launched a new industry-oriented intent driven network (IDN) solution at CEBIT 2018, targeted at vertical industries including ISPs, retailers and government customers.

    The new solution aims to drive in-depth integration of ICT infrastructure, AI and industry-specific production systems to help customers accelerate digital transformation.

    Huawei’s IDN solution is customized to the needs of various verticals and applications. For high-performance AI computing, the solution incorporates an ultra-high-speed lossless Ethernet AI fabric to shorten AI training times by up to 40%.

    For the finance industry, the solution has been designed to help financial services organizations build ultra-large cloud data center networks scalable to up to 100,000 servers per cluster system.

    For retailers, the solution converges Wi-Fi and IoT technology to allow all-wireless support for both networks, while for government and enterprise campus networks, the solution provides full lifecycle cloud based management leveraging big data analytics and AI.

    Meanwhile Huawei has also announced an upgrade to its CloudFabric solution designed to make it easier for customers to adopt intent-driven networking for their data centers.

    The intent-driven networking for CloudFabric solution helps enterprises identify intent to implement automatic network configuration, predictive analysis, and intelligent operations and maintenance with continuous verification and optimization, the company said.

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  • 3 HK calls for transparent 5G spectrum roadmap

    3 HK calls for transparent 5G spectrum roadmap

    Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings’ (HTHKH) mobile division 3 Hong Kong has joined the call for reforms to the market’s spectrum policy and roadmap to expedite the launch of 5G services.

    In a submission to the government’s consultation on arrangements for the allocation of spectrum in the 3.4-GHz to 3.6-GHz band, 3 Hong Kong urged the government to introduce a transparent and long-term spectrum policy with a 10-year rather than 3-year spectrum supply plan.

    The operator raised concerns about issues including the Communications Authority’s proposal to establish large scale 5G restriction zones to minimize interference to the satellite services operated in the band for satellite remote testing, tracking and control.

    3 Hong Kong said such zones would have a negative impact on both 5G communications and the deployment of M2M connectivity across Hong Kong, which will be a key component of the HKSAR government’s smart city ambitions.

    Mobile operators have proposed a number of alternatives to the restriction zones, including relocating the telemetry, tracking and control station from Tai Po Industrial Estate to a remote area, adding shielding coverage to telemetry stations and optimizing radiation from mobile base station antennae.

    The operator also opposed a suggested spectrum cap of 100MHz at the upcoming auction, citing concerns it may lead to a scenario of only two successful licensees dominating 5G markets.

    Meanwhile the reserve price should be set at a minimal level to encourage 5G infrastructure investment, the submission states.

    Finally, 3 Hong Kong joined HKT in urging the government to provide operators with a right of access to enter buildings, shopping malls, MTR premises and road tunnels to install 5G equipment.

    But in its own submission, Asia’s top satellite operator AsiaSat has expressed significant concerns about the proposal to reallocate the C band to 5G services, and argued that the proposed exclusion zones are not an adequate solution.

    The C-band provides a variety of services including contribution and distribution of TV services, broadcasting data and information such as meteorological data, maritime/aeronautical related safety, disaster relief and emergency communications services, AsiaSat said.

    Reallocating the band will significantly limit Hong Kong and Greater China’s satellite operators’ ability to control and monitor their satellite fleet and earth stations, the submission states.

    Links for safe monitoring and operation of satellites may be lost and numerous satellite TV dishes mounted on buildings across Hong Kong would need to be readjusted.

    AsiaSat has recommended that the government require operators to find alternative mitigation methods to minimize interference, and that operators should bear the cost of implementing these methods.

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  • GCX, BMC UK facilitate live broadcast of World Cup

    GCX, BMC UK facilitate live broadcast of World Cup

    Reliance Communications’ Global Cloud Xchange (GCX) subsidiary and Broadcast Media Communications (BMC UK) have teamed up to deliver end-to-end connectivity for the live broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2018 to audiences around the world.

    The tournament kicked off in Russia on June 14. This event will be carried across GCX’s network, via BMC, from Frankfurt to the London Broadcasting House of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and used exclusively by BBC Sport to broadcast the matches to British audiences.

    GCX’s end-to-end network solution will provide fast, dedicated and reliable connectivity, enabling BMC to deliver live video contributions into BBC’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup, as well as active monitoring of the transmission over GCX’s global network, ensuring consistent broadcast quality for global audiences.

    FIFA World Cup matches are among the most watched and followed sporting events in the world, especially important for soccer fans across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. It is, therefore, critical for us to provide these fans with smooth, uninterrupted access to the game,” said Lee Russell, operations director at BMC UK.

    “With GCX’s expansive Global Network and its proven media capabilities, we are confident that we will once again deliver an unrivaled viewing experience to our viewers.”

    “We are delighted to partner with BMC UK again to provide high-quality connectivity, enabling live broadcasts of the FIFA World Cup to global viewers who can enjoy this highly anticipated event,” said Mark Russell, managing director, GCX International.

    “The broadcast from Frankfurt to BBC London Broadcasting House is being facilitated through the integration of GCX’s privately-owned Global Network with BMC’s resilient Media Quality Network, tailored to meet the high-quality connectivity standards of sports, news and special broadcast events.”

    GCX’s privately-owned global network offers geographic coverage and the ability to provide both subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the globe, optimized for the high-performance delivery and distribution of content, typically required by media and broadcasting companies.

    The FIFA World Cup concludes with the Finals being held at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on July 15, 2018.

  • AT&T completes acquisition of Time Warner

    AT&T completes acquisition of Time Warner

    Well, they certainly wasted no time. Two days after a federal judge nixed the federal government’s objections to the deal, AT&T has completed its acquisition of Time Warner.

    The final purchase prices was $42.5 billion in cash plus 1,185 million shares of AT&T’s common stock. AT&T now expects $1.5 billion in cost synergies by the end of year 3, as well as another $1 billion in revenue synergies.

    AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson will lead the combined company, while John Donovan will lead the US communications side, John Stankey will lead the media business, Lori Lee will lead the international business, and Brian Lesser will head up the ad and analytics business. Time Warner’s now former CEO Jeff Bewkes will remain on for a transition period as a senior advisor.

    The deal significantly reshapes the content and network markets, combining AT&T’s fixed and wireless network reach with the likes of Warner Bros, HBO, and CNN. Mixing content and distribution like this is of course the hot topic of the year, but there are dangers alongside the opportunities.

    The communications side will have to keep the focus on network quality and investment even as the headlines go where they’ve been tending to lately, to the content side of things.

    Attention will now shift to the next potential mega deals, with Comcast’s bid for Fox taking its turn in the spotlight. But I suspect the integration process at AT&T may be the key action to watch over the next few quarters.

    There are a lot of synergies to achieve, and most of them involve finding a new balance between very different business cultures. It’s one thing to say that the federal government shouldn’t stand in the way, and an entirely different thing to prove that the whole shebang was a good idea in the first place.

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  • Singapore telcos expect partner ecosystem boom

    Singapore telcos expect partner ecosystem boom

    Half of communications service providers in Singapore expect to improve revenue by at least 16% in just two years by leveraging partner ecosystems, according to a new study from BearingPoint.

    Over 80% believe that partner ecosystems can help them remain competitive and 70% expect that ecosystems can improve the customer experience.

    But most operators are yet to embark on the execution of ecosystem strategies due to a series of technological challenges, including lacking  the right technology in place to manage monetization across the partner ecosystem.

    Other significant challenges include overcoming complex IT environments that may not be able to support minimum viable products and having the right technology to manage the partner ecosystem.

    Only 30% of operators in Singapore have embarked on partner system execution, while 40% are about to do so, 10% are analyzing their options and 20% are at the very start of their journey, the survey found.

    “Based on our research, companies leveraging digital platform-based business models have already doubled their growth rate compared to businesses that have stayed stagnant in their CSP transformation efforts,” BearingPoint Asia Pacific senior representative Dr Chris Stephenson said.

    “That only a fifth of CSPs appear to be in the initial stage is a matter of concern.  A lot of CSPs today continue to rely on rapid product commoditization rather than proactively taking steps to create new more compelling products that will drive profits now and in the future.”

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  • Huawei tests 3GPP R16 standards

    Huawei tests 3GPP R16 standards

    Huawei has announced it has completed verification testing for a series of new technologies and functions due to be introduced in the 3GPP Release 16 5G phase 2 standards.

    The company has tested and verified ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC) scenarios including cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X), as well as massive machine type communication (mMTC) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB).

    The C-V2X test involved a roadside unit and mobile edge computing technologies in a self-driving vehicle scenario including reacting to a car in front conducting an emergency lane change.

    Video signals were sent to a vehicle-to-everything control center to make a decision such as implementing a lane change or braking, and transmitted back to the vehicle as instructions.

    Meanwhile mMTC involved using 5G NR for uplink to enable video enabled services over 5G networks as well as 5G-enabled AI on university campuses.

    “Currently, the formation of 5G standards is at a critical juncture. June 2018 is a pivotal moment in history with the formation of standalone (SA) standards and the release of R15,” Huawei said in a statement.

    “It also serves as a great starting point for researches on R16 study items and work items. December 2019 is expected to see the completion of a full set of 5G standards meeting all ITU. Huawei is fully committed to preparing for the finalization of R16 standards and supporting the standardization of 5G enhanced technologies.”

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  • Telenor Myanmar to offer free iflix access

    Telenor Myanmar to offer free iflix access

    Telenor Myanmar has teamed up with streaming entertainment service iflix to offer customers with unlimited streaming access to promote the operator’s new fixed broadband offerings.

    Access will be provided to customers on Telenor’s 5Mbps, 10Mbps and 15Mbps broadband plans at no additional cost, giving customers the ability to consume thousands of hours of movies, TV shows and original programming.

    Myanmar subtitles are available in both Zawgyi and Unicode and the content selection and marketing will be tailored to local audiences.

    The iflix service is now available to over 1 billion customers throughout Asia and the MEA, with a focus on emerging markets.

    In Asia-Pacific iflix is currently available in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Nepal.

    “Data demand is growing in Myanmar and people especially in major cities are accessing educational and entertainment content online more,” Telenor Myanmar head of fixed broadband and wholesale Tan Sian Tuang said.

    “With Telenor’s broadband service, currently available in Yangon and Taunggyi, our customers can enjoy most consistent experience without worrying for data. Enriching our customers’ digital lives is a key part of our focus in Myanmar, and the partnership with iflix complements our efforts in delivering digital entertainment services that our users love.”

    Telenor Myanmar has started introducing fiber-based home broadband services to augment its mobile offerings in the market.

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  • COAI appoints Vodafone India’s Sunil Sood as chairman

    COAI appoints Vodafone India’s Sunil Sood as chairman

    Indian telecoms industry body COAI has appointed Vodafone India managing director and CEO Sunil Sood as chairman and Bharti Airtel COO Ajai Puri as vice chairman.

    Sood was vice chairman of the industry body for the last two years. He succeeds Bharti Airtel MD and CEO for India and South Asia, Gopal Vittal.

    Puri has been with Bharti Airtel since 2004 and has held several senior leadership positions.

    The new leadership was announced at COAI’s annual general body meeting for the financial year held on June 8.

    On the appointments, COAI director general Rajan S Mathews said: “We would like to thank our leadership for their guidance and support during one of the most challenging periods in the telecoms sector and further express confidence in their ability to steer the association and the sector towards long term health and stability. “

    Ina Lui joins AsiaSat as VP of business development and strategy

    Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat) has named Ina Lui as vice president of business development and strategy, a role responsible for driving new business and strategic initiatives for the company.

    Liu has more than 25 years of experience in the satellite, telecommunications and technology sectors, covering areas in sales, marketing, product and business development.

    She has worked in Singapore, South China and Hong Kong, and has held senior management positions at ABS, Intelsat, PanAmSat and Hong Kong Telecom.

     

    NTT Com names global business planning director and Korean operations chief

    NTT Communications, the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, has appointed Takuya Enoshima as its director of planning, global business.  Enoshima currently serves as president of NTT Korea.

    Hideaki Niikura, who currently serves at NTT Singapore, will replace Enoshima as president of NTT Korea.

    Both appointments takes effect June 11, NTT Com said.

  • 3GPP freezes standalone 5G NR specifications

    3GPP freezes standalone 5G NR specifications

    The 3GPP has approved the completion of standalone Release 15 specifications for 5G at the Technical Specifications Group’s 80th plenary meeting.

    The meeting brought together more than 600 representatives of the world’s major operators and network, smartphone and chipset vendors to witness the historic freeze of standalone 5G new radio (5G NR) specifications.

    It flows the release of the 5G NR specifications for non-standalone operation in December, and paves the way for the expected launch of the first 5G mobile broadband networks in the US later this year.

    The new standard introduces a brand new end-to-end architecture for mobile network and will facilitate the introduction of new business models and an era of unparalleled connectivity.

    “The 5G System specification has now reached its official stage of completion, thanks to the intense efforts of hundreds of engineers over the past three years,” 3GPP TSA chairman Erik Guttman said.

    “A special acknowledgment is due to those who led this remarkable effort in diverse committees. 5G promises a broad expansion of telecommunications, as an ever more central component of our economies, societies and individual activities.”

    Telecoms industry representatives at the meeting included delegates from China Mobile, APT, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), China Telecom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, KDDI, KT, LG Uplus, NTT Docomo, SK Telecom, Softbank,  Vodafone.

    Multiple equipment vendors were also represented, including Ericsson, Huawei, Fujitsu, LG Electronics  Lenovo, NEC, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Mobile Communications, Xiaomi and ZTE.

    Meanwhile Ericsson, Intel, the China Mobile Research Institute and China Mobile Jiangsu have announced the completion of the first live 3GPP compliant standalone 5G new radio interoperability tests.

    The tests, which were completed based on the shared physical layer specifications of the non-standalone and standalone 5G NR standards, used Ericsson’s 5G NR base stations and Intel’ 5G mobile trial platform in a live network operating on 100MHz of 3.5-GHz midband spectrum.

    “Successfully completing the first 3GPP-compliant Standalone 5G NR call marks another milestone with our ecosystem partners on the path to 5G commercialization, building on our years of research and standardization,” Ericsson EVP and head of networks Fredrik Jejdling said.

    “Together, we’re delivering on our commitment to realize a standard-compliant and easily deployable technology that will bring benefits to our customers and end users.”

  • MyTel reaches 70% population coverage

    MyTel reaches 70% population coverage

    Myanmar’s MyTel has announced it has achieved 70% population coverage with its 4G network mere months after launch.

    MyTel, the joint venture between Vietnam’s Viettel and a consortium of local technology companies, launched services in March in Nay Pyi Taw, eastern Bago and Kayin State.

    Now the operator’s network covers nearly all townships in the Yangon Region, citing comments from the company’s chief external relations officer Y Zaw Min Oo.

    Meanwhile the operator has signed on around 100,000 users and distributed three million SIM cards. These 4G SIMs are available at 50 dedicated MyTel shops and 50,000 distribution retail outlets.

    In the past year MyTel has also laid a total of 30,000km of fiber backhaul, accounting for 50% of fiber deployments in the country, the report adds.

    MyTel has previously announced a target of attracting 2 million to 3 million customers this year. The operator also plans to become the market’s first operator to offer nationwide 4G services and to deploy 7,000 4G base stations in its first year of official operations.

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  • Huawei releases SAP HANA TDI solution

    Huawei releases SAP HANA TDI solution

    Huawei has launched a tailored data center integration (TDI) solution for SAP HANA designed to meet the data center and business consolidation needs of large enterprises.

    The HANA TDI solution is based on Huawei’s all-flash high performance storage platforms, and has been designed to support up to 200 SAP HANA nodes, each expandable to 32TB.

    The solution is designed to allow SAP HANA databases to be seamlessly integrated into existing data enter infrastructure to improve flexibility, reliability, management and maintenance and allow for the reuse of existing data center IT investments.

    Dedicated management plugins allow the solution to work with the SAP Landscape Management platform.

    The solution is also capable of automatically manage SAP applications, databases, networks and IT infrastructures, and uses Huawei storage snapshots to greatly improve setup speeds.

    “Huawei’s all-flash storage meets the storage requirements of enterprise-class applications such as databases, virtual desktops, and server virtualization. This allows it to effectively meet solid-reliability and high-performance standards in SAP HANA scenarios,” Huawei president of storage products Meng Guangbin said.

    “This allows it to effectively meet solid-reliability and high-performance standards in SAP HANA scenarios. Huawei will work with SAP to build a high-performance data processing platform that helps enterprises accelerate core data processing.”

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  • FCC’s C-Band plan prompts fresh concerns

    FCC’s C-Band plan prompts fresh concerns

    Those with a vested interest in C-Band spectrum, which is being eyed for terrestrial wireless use, continue to cite concerns about harmful interference if the US FCC decides to change the rules.

    Comcast and NPR are two of the more recent entities to reiterate concerns with the FCC. In separate meetings and filings, they’re talking about the central role that C-Band spectrum plays in their distribution networks.

    NPR executives who met with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on June 5 discussed concerns about possible changes to the commission’s rules regarding the use and licensing of C-Band spectrum—the 3.7-GHz to 4.2-GHz band—on which the public radio system depends for reliable distribution of programming to the 475+ public radio earth station downlinks.

    They also explained that sharing of individual C-Band frequencies with commercial wireless services can’t be accomplished without causing harmful interference.

    “There is no panacea for the interference created by wireless mobile devices, whose roaming, dynamic signals cannot be coordinated with the fixed, low-power downlinks on which public radio stations depend,” NPR said in an ex parte filing(PDF), echoing previous statements (PDF).

    “Instead, opening up C-band frequencies for co-frequency sharing by wireless broadband devices will result in widespread interference that will disrupt public radio broadcasts and could significantly impair the PRSS [Public Radio Satellite System] as a reliable, cost-effective means of program distribution across the nation.”

    NPR has recommended that the FCC subdivide the C-Band rather than enforce co-frequency sharing to ensure a portion for exclusive use of fixed satellite service without harmful interference. It also suggests reserving a portion of C-Band spectrum exclusively for PRSS.

    For its part, Comcast says (PDF) it receives the majority of the primary signals of its cable channels via C-Band spectrum—about 84%—but it also has agreements with 11 programmers, in addition to NBC Universal, to receive their primary content via fiber. In those situations, the programmers continue to use C-Band for redundant delivery of the content to their systems.

    Pai has said he will put the C-Band item on the FCC’s agenda for July 12, with the aim of making more intensive use of the 500 MHz of spectrum, including seeking additional input on making it available for commercial terrestrial use.

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  • Nokia completes 4G/5G dual connectivity data call

    Nokia completes 4G/5G dual connectivity data call

    Nokia has announced the successful completion of a 5G New Radio (5G NR) data call based on 4G/5G dual connectivity during a demonstration in China.

    The demonstration, conducted as part of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) 5G R&D trials, involved a dual connectivity call conducted using a 5G NR system on the 3.5-GHz spectrum band as well as LTE in the 2.1-GHz frequency band.

    Nokia said the successful demonstration is an important step in the verification of 5G in sub 6-GHz frequency bands, which will be required for wide-area coverage.

    The data call used the Nokia AirScale Cloud RAN, Nokia AirScale baseband unit, Nokia 5G Massive MIMO Active Antenna, Nokia Cloud Packet Core and Nokia home subscriber service. PRISMA Telecom Testing provided a 5G end user equipment simulator.

    As well as the 3.5-GHz trials, Nokia also plans to work with the MIIT to trial 5G in the 4.9-GHz frequency bands.

    “We are pleased to showcase our end-to-end capabilities in 5G in this successful call and trial with MIIT,” Nokia president of mobile networks Marc Rouanne said.

    “Nokia is ready to support dual connectivity with the AirScale radio access portfolio as it is upgradeable via software to 5G and provides single RAN support for 4G, 4.5G Pro and 4.9G as well as legacy technologies. As a result we can help our customers meet their early 5G deployment schedules and initial coverage demands.”

  • BlackBerry to secure operations centers for G7 Summit

    BlackBerry to secure operations centers for G7 Summit

    BlackBerry is collaborating with the government of Canada to modernize their operations centers during international ministerial meetings and the 2018 G7 Summit.

    Using BlackBerry AtHoc, a crisis communication platform that includes AtHoc Alert for mass notification and AtHoc Collect for field reports, the operations centers are able to efficiently mobilize and secure the flow of critical information by delivering updates to targeted lists of recipients in real-time.

    “We are honored that the government of Canada has chosen BlackBerry to support their operations,” BlackBerry AtHoc SVP and GM Sanjay Saini said.

    “Whether in times of crisis or during a high-profile event like the G7 Summit, reliable and secure communications are crucial. BlackBerry AtHoc technology enables real-time information exchange across organizations, their people and devices, providing them with the necessary details to make informed and safety-critical decisions.”

    Additionally, BlackBerry is one of the companies that has been selected to demonstrate its innovative solutions at the 2018 G7 Innovation Showcase.

    Many G7 government departments and agencies, including the Parliament of Canada, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Defense and New Zealand Parliamentary Service, use BlackBerry security software.

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  • Juniper Networks unveils 5G-ready routing platform

    Juniper Networks unveils 5G-ready routing platform

    Juniper Networks has announced plans to launch a 5G and IoT ready routing platform to help operators, cloud providers and enterprise customers manage the growing complexity of next-generation service delivery.

    The MX Series 5G Universal Routing Platform will support extensive feature programmability, as well as hardware accelerated 5G control and user plane separation (CUPS) functionality.

    The 3GPP CUPS standard is designed to allow customers to separate the evolved packet core user plane and control plane to allow operators to scale each independently as needed.

    Juniper’s new Penta Silicon chipset will power the new platform. The company said the new chipset supports both MACsec and an IPsec cryptography engine, and can originate and terminate thousands of IPSec sessions without sacrificing performance.

    According to Juniper Networks chief product officer Manoj Leelanivas, research from the company found that operators consider the cost and complexity of orchestrating a distributed network to be among the top challenges associated with being able to offer 5G and other next-generation network services.

    “Cloud is eating the world, 5G is ramping up, IoT is presenting a host of new challenges and security teams simply can’t keep up with the sheer volume of cyber attacks on today’s network,” Leelanivas said.

    “One thing service providers should not have to worry about among all this is the unknown of what lies ahead. That’s why we’ve continued innovating our flagship MX platform to deliver more speed, flexibility, programmability and security capabilities, giving our customers the peace of mind they need as a variety of demands continue to put pressure on the network.”

    The first router products powered by the new platform are expected to launch during the second half of the year.