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Tag: telco

  • Vietnam to close 2G services by 2022

    Vietnam to close 2G services by 2022

    Vietnam plans to bring the number of 2G subscribers to under 5 percent by 2022 so that it can stop this service and push the development of higher-technology cellular networks.

    There are 24 million 2G subscribers in the country or 18.5 percent of the total, and the Ministry of Information and Communications aims to bring the figure down to 5-7 million, or around 5 percent by early 2022 towards stopping the 2G service by then.

    Closing 2G will leave more bandwidth for 3G, 4G, and the upcoming 5G network and help accelerate the establishment of a digital economy, the ministry said.

    It is working to boost the sales of low-cost smartphones so more people will be familiar with 3G and higher networks, it added.

    Among 24 million 2G subscribers, 12.4 million are using feature phones. Hoang Minh Cuong, head of the telecommunications department under the ministry, said these are the users that telecom operators need to help transition to smartphones.

    The number of 2G subscribers has dropped by 6 million since last year, showing that the goal to bring the ratio to under 5 percent is possible, he added.

    The telecommunications department plans to lower the rates of regular phone calls, which will reduce their revenues to telecom operators and urge them to rely more on data calls.

    It also plans to require all smartphones produced or imported into Vietnam to support 3G network or higher.

    There are 630,000 2G subscribers age 70 or more, and some say this group of people lack the tech-savvy needed to use smartphones.

    However, Cuong said Vietnamese companies were capable of making 4G feature phones for around VND600,000, and these would serve this user group.

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  • Huawei welcomes a thorough examination of its 5G technology to prove it’s not a security threat

    Huawei welcomes a thorough examination of its 5G technology to prove it’s not a security threat

    Since 2012, Chinese phone and networking equipment manufacturer Huawei has been considered a national security threat. Perceived ties with the Communist Chinese government have the current administration concerned that Huawei collects personal and corporate data using back doors placed inside the company’s handsets and networking gear. Even though this has never been proven and has been denied by the company, President Donald Trump cited “security” for placing Huawei on the Entity List last year preventing the firm from accessing its U.S. supply chain.

    Being placed on the Entity List forced Huawei to scramble to find replacement suppliers for some of the key parts it needs to build phones and networking gear. Losing the ability to license the Google Mobile Services version of Android also meant that Google’s Android apps like Search, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, Drive, and others could not be installed on Huawei phones. In China, where Google’s apps are banned anyway, the absence of these apps wouldn’t affect sales of the manufacturer’s phones. But outside of the firm’s home country, sales of the International Models were reportedly impacted by Huawei’s inability to license Google’s Android ecosystem.

    On the first anniversary of its placement on the Entity List, the U.S. tightened the screws a little more by changing certain export rules. Now, a foundry anywhere in the world must obtain a license before shipping chips made with U.S. technology to Huawei. That includes new cutting-edge 5nm Kirin 9000 semiconductors that are supposed to power Huawei’s most technologically advanced phones this year, the Mate 40 series. These chips are also vital to the production of two-way radios and other gear required for the firm’s 5G networking equipment. The number one provider of such equipment worldwide, the U.S. had asked its allies last year not to use Huawei gear for their 5G networks. Some countries followed the U.S. request while others, like Britain, did not. But now Britain is feeling buyer’s remorse and is thinking about stripping Huawei’s parts out of its new networks.

    According to Reuters, the head of Huawei’s Italian unit, President Luigi De Vecchis, said that the company is ready and willing to have its facilities examined with a fine-tooth comb to prove that its technology does not create a security risk to those countries that use Huawei’s gear in their 5G networks. In Rome on Wednesday, De Vecchis spoke at the opening of the company’s new cyber-security center and stated, “We will open our insides, we are available to be vivisected to respond to all of this political pressure. I am speechless that a country the size of the United States attacks another country through the demolition, via groundless accusations, of a company of that country.”

    Coincidentally, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Italy to begin a two-day visit to the country at the same time that Huawei was opening its cyber-security center. De Vecchis added that the company will not leave the Italian market and in fact is looking to create products for the country in different fields including the energy industry. The Huawei executive said, “It’s extremely unlikely Huawei will leave the market because of the current situation.”

    The U.S. continues to put pressure on Chinese tech firms. U.S. companies now need a license to export certain materials to SMIC, China’s largest foundry (SMIC). And the Trump administration is thinking about adding SMIC to the Entity List as well. Of course, we’ve been closely following what is going on between the White House, short-form video app TikTok, and the latter’s parent ByteDance. Once again it comes down to the same fear over the safety of personal data belonging to American consumers and corporations. And yet, there has been no smoking gun to date.

  • MobiFone offers customers free data, calls to make up for disruption

    MobiFone offers customers free data, calls to make up for disruption

    Telecom operator MobiFone has promised free data, calling, and text credit to customers affected by a network error lasting hours on Tuesday. It will offer 7.5 gigabytes of data for free to subscribers using smartphones and 1,000 minutes of calls in case of feature phones.

    On Tuesday many subscribers complained they were unable to make phone calls, send text messages or access the Internet from around 4.30 p.m. The issue was fixed the same evening. A spokesperson for the state-owned company said Wednesday it was still trying to determine how many subscribers were affected by the issue.

    Many people have expressed indignation that the problem occurred and the fact the operator was slow in notifying them about it. They were unable to contact the operator either during the disruption. In 2005, 2010, 2011, and 2016 too similar problems occurred.

    On December 6, 2018, many MobiFone subscribers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were unable to connect to the Internet. MobiFone is the third-largest network operator in Vietnam behind Viettel and VNPT.

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  • Samsung to manufacture Qualcomm’s upcoming 5G chipset for premium phones

    Samsung to manufacture Qualcomm’s upcoming 5G chipset for premium phones

    Samsung is the sole manufacturer of Qualcomm’s upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 chipset, South Korean media reports. Apparently, the South Korean giant is about to ink a deal with the US chipset maker for the manufacture of the premium chipsets that will power flagships launching in 2021 and beyond.

    The deal worth about $1 billion elevates Samsung from a relatively large chipset supplier for the smartphone market to a major position. Reports claim Samsung’s offer was slightly better than TSMC’s, but no numbers were revealed in the report.

    Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 875 chipset (tentative name) is manufactured using a 5-nanometer process and it’s aimed at premium smartphones. The new chipset is expected to be unveiled in December, but the first devices powered by Snapdragon 875 won’t be ready until next year.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 and other flagships from Xiaomi and Oppo will be among the first to pack Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 875 processor, which also includes 5G support. Samsung Electronics has already started the mass production of the new chipset at its foundry line in South Korea.

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  • Huawei says that it will release a HarmonyOS phone next year

    Huawei says that it will release a HarmonyOS phone next year

    Last year, after the U.S. Commerce Department banned Huawei from its U.S. supply chain, the Chinese phone and networking equipment manufacturer scrambled to find new sources. The one stateside supplier that it missed the most was Google since the ban prevented the latter from delivering the Google Mobile Services version of Android to Huawei. While it didn’t matter in China where most of Google’s Android apps are banned, not being able to equip its international models with the Google ecosystem might have cost the manufacturer some sales.

    In August of 2019, Huawei announced that it had developed a new operating system called Harmony. Many assumed that this new operating system would be immediately used by Huawei to replace Android. This turned out not to be the case. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer group, pointed out that Harmony is based on a microkernel allowing it to be used on a wide range of devices such as smart speakers, tablets, smartwatches, computers, autos, and smartphones. Huawei also noted that HarmonyOS will work on devices equipped with a small amount of RAM and those requiring hundreds of gigabytes of memory. Thus far, Harmony OS has been available for consumers only on television sets.

    Mr. Yu said today that in 2021, Huawei will ship its first handset powered by HarmonyOS. What set off this announcement by the long-time Huawei executive was the word that the company plans on introducing a second version of Harmony OS this coming Thursday, September 10th, during the 2020 HDC Developers Conference. Several new devices powered by the operating system will soon be announced and this year Huawei says that its new smartwatches will be driven by HarmonyOS.

    Yu did admit that Huawei has been sitting on a phone running HarmonyOS, but the company has had to wait because of an agreement it has with Google. But that doesn’t mean that the company doesn’t have high hopes for the platform in the future. The executive says that HarmonyOS will eventually become a worldwide platform.

    In a previous speech, Yu said that the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 series will be powered by a new series of 5nm Kirin chips, the Kirin 9000. Not only will these components be produced using the new 5nm process, but they will also have more powerful 5G and AI capabilities, CPUs, and GPUs. But a new export rule put into place by the U.S. prevents foundries from shipping chips to Huawei that were made using U.S. technology. Yu notes, “Unfortunately, under the sanctions of the United States, TSMC only accepted orders before September 15th. By September 15th, it will not be able to produce chips for Huawei. So Kirin 9000 may be our last generation of Huawei Kirin high-end chips.”

    Huawei was TSMC’s second-largest customer after Apple last year but the world’s largest individual foundry will not be allowed to ship to the Chinese manufacturer after September 14th. Until that date, TSMC is reportedly running its assembly line 24 hours a day to produce as many as chips that it can until it isn’t allowed to ship to Huawei. China’s largest foundry, SMIC, is not a viable replacement since it is several process nodes behind TSMC. Chip designer Mediatek has reportedly been seeking permission to develop cutting-edge chips for Huawei. It would seem unlikely for the company to get that permission from the U.S., especially considering that Mediatek relies on TSMC to produce its chips. Additionally, administration officials in the U.S. have complained about Huawei’s ability to skirt the Entity List ban.

    Assuming that Huawei has been able to stock up on 5nm chips, the company has a little time-not much mind you-to find a new source of 5nm SoCs.

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  • Huawei is retreating from a key market

    Huawei is retreating from a key market

    Troubles continue to mount for Huawei as India joins the US and Europe in banning Chinese firms over espionage fears. The company has reportedly slashed its revenue target in India by 50 percent for the current year and is also laying off up to 70 percent of its staff in the country. The manufacturer will apparently be retaining employees in research and development and the Global Service Centre.

    Tensions between the two countries have been rising ever since a border clash resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers. Consumer sentiment has turned sour against China and there all calls to boycott goods such as smartphones originating from the country.

    Another setback for Huawei’s 5G plans

    The Indian government has already stopped state-run carriers from getting equipment from Huawei and ZTE and is seemingly requesting private telecoms to do the same. They have supposedly been requested to phase out Chinese equipment gradually so that consumer services are not disrupted.

    Reliance Jio, the country’s largest mobile network, sourced components from Samsung for its 4G network. The other two dominant companies, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, got their equipment from various vendors including Huawei. According to research, the Chinese giant’s gear makes up 40 percent of Vodafone Idea’s network and around 33 percent of Bharti Airtel’s existing network.

    All of these telecom companies have submitted applications to carry out 5G tests with different manufacturers including Huawei.

    Whether Huawei will make the cut remains to be seen, but it seems highly unlikely. According to an insider, the company currently has no new projects in India and there is no clarity on any new business from carriers.

    Huawei was earlier expecting India to generate nearly $700-800 million in revenue in 2020, a far cry from sales of $1.2 billion posted in 2017. Now, it has revised those expectations and is only forecasting sales of around $350-500 million.

    As grim as the situation may sound, experts believe it would be an uphill task for India to disengage from China as the later’s influence in investments, trade, and technology has grown significantly over the years. Per an estimate, Huawei’s India unit employs nearly 700 people and this figure doesn’t include the hundreds of people working for the company through third-party firms.

    That said, telecommunication is one sector where alternatives are available and thus Huawei will probably not be included in India’s 5G rollout.

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  • Forget 5G, Samsung says that now is the time to begin work on 6G

    Forget 5G, Samsung says that now is the time to begin work on 6G

    Just when you’ve finally been able to wrap your mind around 5G and understand the difference between sub-6GHz and mmWave airwaves, and know why low-latency is better than high-latency (which puts you way ahead of the average consumer by the way), Samsung throws you a curveball and releases a “White Paper” about 6G. A “White Paper” is supposed to make a complicated issue easier for the public to understand.

    The paper, titled “The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All,” says that the company’s goal is to bring 6G “to every corner of life.” Samsung sees 6G standards completed by 2028 with mass commercialization starting two years later. While 5G is based on performance goals, Samsung says that three requirements must be met for 6G service to become available: For example, to be called 6G the download data speed must be no lower than 1,000 Gbps. As a comparison, Open Signal says that in the states Verizon currently has the fastest average 5G download data speed just shy of 500Mbps. With 6G, latency is expected to be less than 100 microseconds or one-tenth the latency of 5G.

    Samsung says that by 2030, the number of connected devices (500 billion) will exceed the human population (8.5 billion) by a factor of 59. Mobile devices will include AR glasses, VR headsets, and hologram devices. These screens will be connected to 6G networks and these networks will be built for machines rather than humans. The dominant users of 6G will be machines and Samsung’s report states that “the capability of human eye is limited to a maximum resolution of 1/150° and view angle of 200° in azimuth and 130° in zenith. On the other hand, machine vision capability is not constrained by such limitations, since it can take advantage of many cameras with various functions. Considering such high capabilities of machines, the performance requirements for the 6G system could be extremely high for relevant service scenarios.”

    6G will help the world by addressing social issues with its hyper-connectivity according to Samsung. “A wide deployment of 6G will reduce differences in regional and social infrastructure and economic opportunities and thereby provide alternatives to rural exodus, mass urbanization, and its attendant problems. We expect, in summary, that 6G mobile communications will…tremendously contribute to the quality and opportunities of human life.”

    The White Paper discusses technologies that are not available now due to the limitations of today’s technology. Truly Immersive XR, which combines AR, VR, and mixed reality, will be an important tool for entertainment, medicine, science, education, and manufacturing. But current mobile devices do not have the current processing power required and battery capacity needed.

    High-Fidelity Mobile Holograms will require data speeds hundreds of times faster than 5G is capable of delivering. Even at 5G’s peak data speed of 20Gbps, faster rates are required and 6G will be able to deliver this. In addition, a full-sized human hologram requires a large number of pixels. The paper also mentions Digital Replicas. Samsung explains what this is by saying, “With the help of advanced sensors, AI, and communication technologies, it will be possible to replicate physical entities, including people, devices, objects, systems, and even places, in a virtual world.” These are called digital twins and users will be able to interact with them using VR devices or holographic displays.

    Samsung says that improvements in technology have allowed standards for each new generation of wireless to be created in only eight years down from the 15 years that it used to take. The report says that as soon as next year, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) could start working on its 6G vision. You might think that this is all crazy talk considering that 5G is far from finished. The company explains in its conclusion that it is actually the right time to start preparing for 6G.

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  • Britain close to final decision on whether to ban Huawei from its 5G networks

    Britain close to final decision on whether to ban Huawei from its 5G networks

    Despite constant pressure applied by the U.S. not to allow Huawei’s networking equipment inside Britain’s 5G networks, in January the British announced that it would not heed the warning. Gear from the world’s largest networking equipment supplier would be used on the country’s 5G networks although the parts would be placed away from sensitive areas. At the time, a spokesman said, “The United States is disappointed by the U.K.’s decision.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson felt that there was no other decision he could make because of Huawei’s technological and financial advantages over the competition.

    But according to the U.S. government, Huawei is a national security threat because of its rumored ties to the communist Chinese government. Huawei, of course, has denied this repeatedly. The U.S tried to convince Britain that it wouldn’t be able to pass along the intelligence to its allies if Huawei was involved in the country’s 5G network. And finally, there were some cracks in the prime minister’s resolve. Johnson could announce as soon as this coming Tuesday’s National Security Council meeting that Huawei equipment will be banned from British networks before the end of next year.

    In the U.S. Huawei products, including both phones and networking gear, are banned from use by the military and by telecom firms. Some rural wireless providers have Huawei equipment in their older networks which the current administration would like to see removed.

    While the U.S. did apply enough pressure to get the ball rolling in Britain, what really convinced the Brits to think twice about Huawei’s presence in its 5G networks was the recent export rule change by the U.S. Under the new rules, a foundry using American technology to produce chips cannot ship any product to Huawei without a license from the U.S. As a result, Huawei could be forced to use “untrusted” chips which greatly lessens the security of any 5G network that employs Huawei’s gear. A review in Britain concluded that under these conditions, the country will not be able to control the security of its 5G networks.

    The Conservative Party that Prime Minister Johnson belongs to has been pushing for a reversal of the decision to allow Huawei equipment to be used. Bob Seely, a member of the Conservative Party, praised the U.S. sanctions for getting Britain to revisit its initial decision. “The sanctions have changed the dynamic, he said. “The government is listening, and it’s important to give them credit for trying to do the right thing.” Seely said that Members of Parliament want a “no new kit date” and a “rip out date.” After the former date, no company would be able to install Huawei equipment in Britain. By the latter date, all Huawei equipment would have to be removed in the country. The politician would like to see the “no new kit date” set for late 2021 while there is a debate over where the “rip out date” should fall on the calendar. The range under consideration is a date between 2023 and 2025.

    Some Conservatives aren’t pushing for such draconian terms. Neil O’Brien said he wasn’t so concerned about the timing of the removal of Huawei gear and is also not terribly worried about the removal of equipment from older networks. That’s because the latter “will come to the end of its life over a couple of years.” That mirrors the comments made by Damian Green who also isn’t worried about older equipment. He simply wants to see a new equipment ban “in this parliament by 2024.

    The next generation of wireless connectivity, 5G will deliver download data speeds up to ten times faster than 4G LTE. Not only will it allow users to download movies in seconds instead of minutes, but it should also help to create new technologies and businesses.

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  • Ooredoo Group Extends Working from Home until End of Year, Supports a More Agile Operational Culture

    Ooredoo Group Extends Working from Home until End of Year, Supports a More Agile Operational Culture

    In a pilot initiative aiming to adopt and support a more agile digital culture, Ooredoo Group has extended its Work-From-Home procedures, allowing employees whose work doesn’t require them to physically be in the office to continue working remotely until the end of 2020

    The company is one of the first in the region to make such a decision, paving the way to an innovative working environment that could reshape the contemporary workplace.

    Ooredoo Group employees and contractors will have the option to agree more flexible working arrangements from home or the office, subject to individual agreement and at management discretion. As for the Group’s operating companies around the world, each will have the flexibility to test more localized working arrangements in a way that works best for them and in line with the regulations and directions of the countries in which they operate.

    Based on key lessons learned in the recent period, the Group management team believes that this “experiment” will foster the creation of more agile and modern work culture. As a leader in technology and telecommunications, the Group aims to leverage the insights of the recent period into a competitive advantage.

    Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo, said: “Amid the COVID-19 situation, we are presented with a real opportunity for taking our digital transformation journey to a whole new level, which will see our company leverage digital solutions to ultimately adopt a more holistic digital culture. This will transform the organization and how we work. If colleagues found the combination of working off-site and socially distancing a challenge at first, we have emerged from this disruption empowered, able to get things done as a team – even when not sharing the same physical space, and even more dynamic. I’m both very excited and optimistic about the coming period.”

    Ooredoo Group has led the way among regional tech companies by providing a supportive environment for colleagues working from home. As business returns to normal, these new workplace relationships can be repurposed to strengthen the enterprise in its ability to meet the needs of its customers and the societies they live in.

    While the company will seek to incorporate and build upon the potential for improved work practices discerned in recent months, it will continue to operate within official public health guidelines, against a backdrop of rigorous emergency and business continuity planning. This will allow for changes of direction should the medical situation change.

    “All this requires commitment, responsibility, and accountability — but given the positive experience of the past few months, I’m convinced that together we can further transform the Ooredoo culture,” reflected Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani.

    Enforced changes saw hundreds of staff members working from home since March — an unprecedented scenario that can now be built upon leading to a positive outcome. Ooredoo is now testing these exciting new ways of working going forward, amid the economic and medical uncertainties accompanying the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

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  • France won’t ban Huawei gear from its 5G networks but will ask carriers not to install it

    France won’t ban Huawei gear from its 5G networks but will ask carriers not to install it

    Huawei is the world’s largest supplier of networking equipment although some countries like the U.S. are worried about how close the company is to the communist Chinese government. Just the other day we told you that England is now looking to stop the installation of Huawei gear in its 5G networks and also plans on pulling out the company’s equipment that has already been installed. The New York Post published a story about how France is going to handle the use of Huawei’s industry-leading technology in the country’s 5G pipelines.

    Guillaume Poupard, who runs French cybersecurity agency ANNSI, says that the country won’t “totally” ban Huawei from 5G networks in France although it will try to get French carriers not to use the Chinese manufacturer’s gear. Poupard said to a French newspaper, “What I can say is that there won’t be a total ban. (But) for operators that are not currently using Huawei, we are inciting them not to go for it.” He also said, “For those that are already using Huawei, we are delivering authorizations for durations that vary between three and eight years.”

    Earlier this year, sources told Reuters that while France wouldn’t ban Huawei, it would try to keep its gear out of the country’s core mobile networks. These networks carry the personal data belonging to customers of the country’s wireless companies which means that keeping Huawei equipment from these networks is of paramount importance. That’s because Huawei has been accused of using its networking gear to spy on consumers and corporations and send the data to Beijing. No evidence of this has ever been discovered and Huawei has repeatedly denied the allegations.

    What France decides to do will be critical to half of the country’s four major wireless providers; about 50% of the networks employed by carriers Bouygues Telecom and SFR use Huawei’s technology. Orange, which is controlled by the French government, has decided to use equipment supplied by Huawei rivals Nokia and Ericsson.

    The head of ANNSI said that starting next week, wireless operators who have yet to receive authorization to use Huawei equipment for their 5G networks should consider a non-response to be a rejection of their request. Poupard stated, “This is not Huawei bashing or anti-Chinese racism. All we’re saying is that the risk is not the same with European suppliers as with non-Europeans.”

  • Singtel Adds Insurance Savings to E-Wallet

    Singtel Adds Insurance Savings to E-Wallet

    Singtel is adding financial services to its mobile wallet Dash, in the form of offer an insurance savings solution underwritten by Etiqa.

    The Dash EasyEarn savings insurance is designed for investors who want to start saving regularly for their future but who may be concerned about cash flow, Singtel said in a statement on Monday announcing its launch.

    The insurance plan has a minimum initial premium of S$2,000, up to a maximum of S$20,000. Policyholders are automatically covered with a 105 percent death benefit of the account value.

    Other benefits include up to 2-percent per annum returns for the first policy year, no lock-in period and unlimited withdrawals with zero penalties. Customers can purchase, top-up and make withdrawals on their EasyEarn plan via the Singtel Dash app on their mobile phone.

    The offering represents the next steps for Dash as it grows to become a more inclusive everyday app that will play a bigger part in enabling our customers’ digital lifestyles, Gilbert Chuah, head of mobile financial services, International Group, Singtel, said.

    Dash is among the largest non-bank mobile wallets in Singapore. Since its launch in 2014, the app has expanded beyond payments and mobile remittance to include lifestyle services like restaurant bookings and travel insurance. The app now has over 1 million registered users.

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  • Huawei opens its largest flagship store in Shanghai

    Huawei opens its largest flagship store in Shanghai

    The new Huawei Shanghai store, the Chinese smartphone and electronics brand’s largest yet, opened its doors this week. The three-story Huawei Shanghai flagship covers 50,000sqm – equivalent to the size of a small to medium shopping mall. It houses the full product range, experience zones and an exhibition area

    Construction of the flagship began during February and is said to have cost more than US$42 million to complete.

    Taking over the space once housing a giant Forever 21 store, the Huawei Shanghai flagship is built in an art deco-style building, incorporating modern design while preserving its original form.

    The store is adjacent to Apple and neighbor to Samsung and Gucci on the city’s oldest commercial street. Its location is part of the current Nanjing Road extension project, connecting the pedestrian mall to the Bund.

    Consumer products can be found on the first floor spanning 12 categories, from phones to smart wearables. Some 220 consultants work in the store, with skillsets including music, dance and v-logging. The theory is that by sharing common interests and hobbies with customers, they can offer suggestions on product use and technical support.

    Staff are able to provide services in more than 10 languages, including the local Shanghainese dialect. There are 19 checkout counters and 12 repair stations

    The second floor features a “Seamless AI Life Zone” encompassing smart experiences in different scenarios such as a smart home, mobile office, fitness and health, travel and entertainment. Products are placed in settings to enable guests to experience the Internet of Things paired with Huawei’s proprietary 5G technology.

    Meanwhile, the upper floor debuts a multi-functional experience zone as an exhibition space for films, paintings and art. Customers can also view Huawei’s first smart vehicle, HiCar.

    The flagship houses many public spaces with the patio of the building functioning as an atrium. Customers are invited to relax and roam around the store, socialise with friends and chat to consultant experts as part of the brand’s community-building initiative.

    More than 60 lectures every week will be available free, covering topics including video production, programming, fitness, and music. Creators and technology experts from around the world, as well as local artists, will be invited for art salons, sharing meetings, and developer talks every month.

    “Our relationship is not just a buyer-seller relationship. We have a deeper bond with our customers,” explains Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer business group. “The flagship store is a place for consumers, customers, and developers to get together.”

    Tony Rong, global retail director of Huawei has hinted that more flagship stores will open in other major Chinese cities, including Beijing and Guangzhou. The brand will also soon debut in Germany, Russia and the UAE.

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  • SoftBank sells T-Mobile shares at a 4 percent discount

    SoftBank sells T-Mobile shares at a 4 percent discount

    Back in July 2013, the battle between SoftBank and Dish Network over Sprint was won by SoftBank as the latter paid $21.6 billion for 78% of the company. Over time, SoftBank hiked its stake to 80% of Sprint and when T-Mobile closed on its purchase of Sprint on April 1st, SoftBank ended up with 304.6 million shares of T-Mobile.

    Perhaps at a different time, SoftBank might have held on to the 24.7% of T-Mobile’s stock that it received following the merger. But the company has been having difficulties; during its most recent fiscal year SoftBank was drowning in $13 billion worth of red ink. Positions it held in WeWork and Uber produced disastrous results and SoftBank had even considered selling as much as $11.5 billion of its stake in Chinese tech firm Alibaba.

    As part of the transaction, former Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure will purchase 5 million T-Mobile shares in a stock purchase that Claure will fund via a loan provided by SoftBank. Interestingly, Claure happens to be the current CEO of SoftBank Group International and is also a director on T-Mobile’s board. Not adding to its holdings in T-Mobile is Germany’s Deutsche Telekom. The latter owns a 43% stake in T-Mobile and some analysts expected it to add the additional 7% that would put it near the 50% mark. Instead, Deutsche Telekom has two options to purchase 101.5 million T-Mobile shares. If it exercises all of the options it has, the German telecom giant would own 51.8% of T-Mobile. Both options expire on June 22nd, 2024.

    SoftBank is selling as many as 198 million T-Mobile shares or 65% of its stake via the carrier. 133.5 million is going to the general investment public while the underwriters get a total of 10% to cover over-allotments. Existing T-Mobile holders get a crack at 19.75 million shares and 30 million more are being sold to a public trust. The transaction had an interesting effect on T-Mobile’s stock price over the last few days with increasing volatility. Today, with most shares getting hit by coronavirus fears in several states, the broad market was taking it on the chin. But after early weakness, T-Mobile moved ahead for the day and closed at $108.43 for a gain of $1.27.

    So what does the future hold for T-Mobile? With its cake-based 5G setup consisting of low-band 600MHz airwaves that travel great distances and penetrate buildings better than other signals; the 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum it acquired in the Sprint merger providing faster than expected 5G download speeds; and mmWave spectrum delivering zippy fast download data speeds, some believe that the carrier will end up as the fastest 5G wireless provider in the country. It is important to note that the number of T-Mobile shares outstanding will not increase due to the transaction which is actually positive for the carrier’s current stockholders.

    A week from today, on July 1st, Dish Network will close on its purchase of Boost Mobile and 14MHz of 800MHz spectrum for $6 billion. Dish will then sign a seven-year MVNO agreement with T-Mobile that will allow it to offer wireless service while it builds a standalone 5G wireless network. The goal is to make Boost the nation’s new fourth-largest wireless carrier replacing Sprint which was swallowed up by T-Mobile. The Justice Department was concerned that reducing the number of major carriers by 25% would lead to higher prices for consumers.

    The complex financial dealings happen to mark the end of the T-Mobile career of long time Chief Financial Officer Braxton Carter. The latter first became T-Mobile’s CFO back in 2005.

  • Korean telcos developing unmanned stores

    Korean telcos developing unmanned stores

    Major South Korean telcos are looking to launch unstaffed outlets as they try to provide business services without face-to-face contact amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the sources, SK Telecom Co, the nation’s top mobile carrier, is planning to offer unmanned services at a store in Seoul in October.

    Instead of opening a new store without clerks, the company is likely to implement the system at existing stores and operate it during certain time periods, such as late at night, the sources said.

    At the unmanned store, customers will be able to select pay plans and a device through kiosk machines and use their mobile service. When entering the store, customers will need biometric certification.

    For those who struggle to use the store on their own, the company plans to provide a video chat with sales clerks, according to sources.

    “We are reviewing our plans to set up a new type of retail channel that can meet the social needs in the era of non-face-to-face life,” a SK Telecom official said.

    Other mobile carriers said they are also planning to expand unmanned services using their technologies.

    LG Uplus said it will provide more kiosk machines to its stores in the second half so that customers can handle mobile services, such as changing monthly pay plans, on their own.

    KT Corp said it is currently running kiosks at stores in major cities. It plans to expand stores with “contactless zones,” where customers can experience their services without sales clerks’ help.

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  • Comprehensive new report highlights the pretty terrible state of US 5G networks

    Comprehensive new report highlights the pretty terrible state of US 5G networks

    We were warned well in advance of the world’s first 5G rollouts not to expect the game-changing wireless technology to, well, instantly change the game in terms of widespread download speeds, but obviously, some progress was made over the last year or so pretty much everywhere around the globe.

    Because not all 5G mobile networks are created equal and many countries haven’t even started the transition from 4G LTE, you shouldn’t be surprised to find out there are major geographical differences to report as far as everything from raw speeds to video experience and the availability of the “outdated” aforementioned cellular standard is concerned.

    While it’s clearly not easy to collect enough data to get a full and accurate picture of the way everyday smartphone users regularly connect to 4G LTE and 5G networks worldwide, especially during a pandemic, OpenSignal impressively managed to perform more than 87 billion measurements on over 43 million devices between January 1 and March 30, 2020.

    After comparing all that information with similar data gathered in the first three months of last year, the mobile analytics company released an in-depth report full of interesting findings and detailed examinations of regional differences. Here are just a few of the conclusions that captured our attention:

    While all 20 “leading” 5G countries assessed by OpenSignal for its latest report saw their download speed “experience” index grow between Q1 2019 and Q1 2020, said growth was far from impressive in places like Kuwait, Romania, the UK, Spain, and… the US.

    Due to T-Mobile’s initial nationwide focus on low-band 5G technology, which is barely faster than 4G LTE across many areas, and the modest footprint covered by Verizon’s blazing fast mmWave 5G network, it’s hardly surprising to see the US ranked below Germany, Sweden, Finland, Qatar, UAE, Denmark, Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Japan, and South Korea in this key metric.

    Believe it or not, US users are getting less than half the average 5G download speeds of their South Korea-based counterparts, although for what it’s worth, the 26.7 Mbps score is 25 percent higher than the regional speed result from the same period last year.

    If you thought ranking 12th out of the aforementioned 20 leading 5G countries for download speed experience was bad, wait until you see where the US is positioned in OpenSignal’s latest 5G video experience chart. With 56 points (on a scale to 100), the “land of the free” managed to edge out Puerto Rico and finish the global competition second to last.

    Although the 56 score does technically put the US in the “Good” category, 5G users in seven countries enjoyed an “excellent” average mobile video experience during the first quarter of 2020, while another 11 countries earned a “very good” rating.

    Adding other countries into the equation paints an even more embarrassing picture for the US wireless industry, as the nation sits in the 73rd spot of the overall top 100 charts for mobile video experience, making far too little year-on-year progress to raise any hopes for short-term future improvement.

    Canada doesn’t need widespread 5G connectivity to rule the general download speed hierarchy, incredibly jumping from 42.5 to 59.6 Mbps in the space of 12 months and totally crushing the 26.7 Mbps US score, which saw a modest surge from 21.3 Mbps a year ago.

    If it makes you feel any better, the US did manage to defeat two G7 countries (Italy and the UK) in download speeds while ranking dead last in the group as far as the video experience is concerned. Overall, the US sits in the 25th spot out of 100 countries in the download speed experience chart, which is a little better than the nation’s abysmal video performance.

    On the other hand, the US continues to shine when it comes to 4G availability (which is not the same as coverage, mind you), with a remarkable 96.1 percent score that’s only surpassed by Japan and South Korea. At least in theory, that should allow the nation’s largest wireless service providers to deploy a 5G signal faster than carriers in many other countries. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to also guarantee remarkable nationwide speeds… yet.

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