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Tag: cellcos

  • Japan’s cellcos to invest over $45.5b in 5G

    Japan’s cellcos to invest over $45.5b in 5G

    Japan’s three major mobile operators plan to invest a combined 5 trillion yen ($45.5 billion) towards deploying 5G services nationwide, with NTT DoCoMo targeting nationwide coverage by as early as 2023.

    The Nikkei Asian Review reports that DoCoMo, KDDI and Softbank all plan to spend heavily on the commercialization of 5G, and are expected to work together on deployment to expedite the process.

    The report states that DoCoMo parent NTT has proposed to share 5G base stations with Softbank and KDDI to reduce the costs of a rollout. The two rivals are expected to agree, and particularly favor infrastructure sharing in urban areas.

    Meanwhile the three operators have a long-standing target of commercializing 5G in parts of Tokyo in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The operators also plan to start investing in 5G base station and related equipment as early as the 2019 financial year.

    The report notes that DoCoMo, KDDI and Softbank together spent over 6 trillion yen deploying 4G networks, but that the cost of the 5G migration will be less because some existing 4G base stations can be converted to 5G.

    The aggressive approach to rolling out 5G is reportedly motivated by slowing subscriber growth and growing competition from low-cost carriers.

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  • Cellcos to spend $21b on 5G NR by 2025

    Cellcos to spend $21b on 5G NR by 2025

    Mobile operators will spend more than $21 billion on standardized 5G NR (New Radio) infrastructure by the end of 2025, according to SNS Research.

    Despite the lack of sufficient LTE coverage in parts of the world, mobile operators and vendors have already embarked on R&D initiatives to develop 5G.

    According to the GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association), in the first quarter alone at least 25 operators from 15 countries have demonstrated 5G technologies, or announced 5G tests or trials.

    Last week, South Korea’s KT said it is in the final stages of testing for the 5G trial network that will support next year’s Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, while Japanese counterparts KDDI and China Mobile also announced trials on pre-5G technologies.

    With pre-standard 5G network deployments well underway, the research firm in March released an estimate, predicting mobile operators worldwide will spend more than $250 million on pre-standard 5G network rollouts by the end of 2017.

    Although 2020 has conventionally been regarded as the headline date for 5G commercialization, the very first standardized deployments of the technology are expected to be commercialized as early as 2019 with the 3GPP’s initial 5G specifications set to be implementation-ready by March 2018.

    Between 2019 and 2025, SNS Research expects the standardized 5G NR infrastructure market to aggressively grow at a CAGR of approximately 70%, eventually accounting for over $21 billion in annual spending by the end of 2025.

    The market will be complemented by additional investments of over $7 billion on NextGen (Next Generation) core and transport (fronthaul/backhaul) networking infrastructure, the research firm estimates.

    SNS Research notes that 5G is expected to provide a single network environment to deliver not only existing mobile broadband and internet of things services, but also new innovations such as self-driving cars, cloud robotics, 3D holographic telepresence and remote surgery with haptic feedback.

    The 3GPP agreed in March to accelerate some elements in the 5G NR timeline to allow operators to speed up deployment of 5G services.

    The standard body set a December 2017 deadline to complete the non-standalone 5G NR specification process and finalize the spec by March next year. The move means non-standalone 5G NR products could be launched as early as 2019.

    Non-standalone 5G NR mode will be designed to anchor a connection in LTE, using 5G NR carriers to improve data rates and reduce latency.

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  • Global telecoms service revenues due to rebound

    Global telecoms service revenues due to rebound

    The global telecommunications services market is on track to rebound after a long period in decline, reaching $1.3 trillion by 2021, MarketLine has projected.

    The market has declined at a negative CAGR of 3.4% between 2012 and 2016 due to downward price pressure motivated by intensifying competition, MarketLine analyst Nicholas Wyatt said.

    “4G mobile internet is now standard in many markets, particularly developed ones, so the only way lots of mobile operators can differentiate themselves from the competition is on price,” he said.

    “This has forced prices down and negatively impacted a market that has reached saturation point in many countries.”

    MarketLine estimates that the wireless segment contributed around $775 billion in sector revenues during 2016, or 64.9% of the $1.2 trillion total market value.

    Growing demand for mobile data is expected to help stimulate a 2.2% CAGR in the market between 2016 and 2021, driving the total market to a value of $1.3 trillion.

    Growth is expected across all regions, with APAC growing slightly higher than the US and Europe due to the region’s relatively lower saturation level.

    “Subscription volumes have plateaued in recent years, but a slight uptick is expected as populations expand and businesses require increasingly mobile staff,” Wyatt said.

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  • Cellcos to spend $250m on pre-standards 5G networks by year-end

    Cellcos to spend $250m on pre-standards 5G networks by year-end

    Mobile operators will spend more than $250 million on pre-standards 5G network rollouts by the end of 2017, according to SNS Research’s latest report.

    Despite the lack of sufficient LTE coverage in parts of the world, mobile operators and vendors have already embarked on R&D initiatives to develop 5G, the next evolution in mobile networks.

    5G is expected to provide a single network environment to deliver not only existing mobile broadband and IoT services, but also new innovations such as self-driving cars, cloud robotics, 3D holographic telepresence and remote surgery with haptic feedback.

    In fact, many mobile operators are betting on 5G to diversify their revenue streams, as conventional voice and data service ARPUs decline globally.

    At present, the 3GPP and other SDOs (Standards Development Organizations) are engaged in defining the first phase of 5G specifications. However, pre-standards 5G network rollouts are already underway, most notably in the United States and South Korea, as mobile operators rush to be the first to offer 5G services.

    Although 2020 has conventionally been regarded as the headline date for 5G commercialization, the very first standardized deployments of the technology are expected to be commercialized as early as 2019 with the 3GPP’s initial 5G specifications set to be implementation-ready by March 2018.

    Between 2019 and 2025, SNS Research expects the 5G network infrastructure market to aggressively grow a CAGR of nearly 70%, eventually accounting for $28 billion in annual spending by the end of 2025.

    These infrastructure investments will be complemented by annual shipments of up to 520 million 5G-capable devices.

  • Vietnam grants 4G licenses to three cellcos

    Vietnam grants 4G licenses to three cellcos

    Vietnam has granted 4G licenses to three of the market’s major mobile operators – MobiFone, military-run Viettel and state-owned VNPT.

    The operators have been granted permission to roll out LTE services over the 1800-MHz band.

    Each of the three operators have been piloting LTE and LTE-Advanced services in multiple cities, with Viettel launching a trial in late 2015, VNPT testing services since January this year and MobiFone commencing a pilot in July.

    The licenses will be allocated as part of Vietnam’s government-approved telecommunications development plan, which includes a target of covering 95% of the population with 3G and 4G services by 2020 as part of efforts to ensure nationwide coverage of broadband infrastructure.

    According to the report, major operators have indicated they will be ready to launch LTE soon after receiving the licenses. They will be valid until 2024.

  • Thai cellcos must register SIMs or lose licenses

    Thai cellcos must register SIMs or lose licenses

    Thailand’s telecoms regulator NBTC has warned operators that they will have their operating licenses immediately revoked if they fail to register prepaid SIMs sold from now on.

    The regulator has also warned that operators may be fined if phones with an unregistered SIM are sued for illegal activity.

    According to the NBTC, the regulator still gets new entries to its online customer information registration system that state “not registered,” despite introducing mandatory SIM registration more than a year ago.

    NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith has stated that there will be “no more warning messages from now on,” and that operators allowing prepaid customers to use services without registering their details will have their licenses revoked immediately.

    The warning comes in the wake of a spate of recent bombing attacks in the south of the nation, and follows a meeting between the NBTC and more than 20 mobile operators and MVNOs to discuss the issue.

    According to a source quoted for the report, there were 36 mobile numbers involved in the recent bombing, and three of these had not been registered.

    Regulators are also proposing introducing special tracking SIMs for foreigners as part of Thailand’s SIM registration policy.