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Tag: telecom

  • eSIM and its impact in an hyperconnected world

    eSIM and its impact in an hyperconnected world

    Powered by 5G, eSIM or embedded subscriber identity module is a rising technology that is threatening to replace traditional SIM cards. With 5G revolutionizing connectivity, eSIM emerges as a seamless way to harness greater connectivity between a future of billions of IoT devices. Instead of relying on physical SIM cards, eSIM is the embedded alternative that uses remote SIM provisioning (RSP) to download a user’s profile onto a device, to provide users full control of connectivity management and the ability to switch networks as desired.

    Last year, eSIM adoption grew in the wake of the pandemic. In the coming years, this trend will continue to persist. According to recent findings from Juniper Research, the number of eSIMs embedded in connected devices will more than double from 1.2 billion this year to 3.4 billion in 2025. Of which, 94% of global eSIM installations in 2025 can be attributed to the consumer sector.

    In the consumer market, eSIM is deployed in tablets, smartphones, laptops, and wearables. Some smartphones from Apple, Google, Huawei, and Samsung are already supporting eSIM, though they continue to allow for physical SIM. Last year, Motorola released the world’s first eSIM-only smartphone.

    With IoT on the rise, connectivity is one of the important considerations when developing future-proof tech solutions. Across industries, automotive is one of the areas that fuel eSIM deployment. For instance, Tesla’s electric vehicles use eSIM to power in-car connectivity. Juniper Research predicts that other industries such as oil and gas, manufacturing, and logistics industries will also experience a hike in eSIM adoption to power connectivity, with eSIM installations growing from 28 million to 116 million by 2025.

    For many, it is becoming clear that eSIM is the future for IoT connectivity as it offers a level of flexibility not provided by traditional SIM. Since all IoT subscriptions and connectivity can be carried out through a single embedded source, this significantly simplifies SIM management for as many devices across geographies. For enterprises or governments, eSIMs can also be used for asset tracking, with each IoT device being remotely and automatically provisioned to an optimal carrier profile.

    For consumers, eSIM is the seamless management of subscriptions whereby they no longer need multiple SIM cards for different connections. In this pandemic, eSIM offers the advantage of subscribing to a connectivity service without having to physically purchase a SIM.

    For MVNOs, tech giants, and device manufacturers, eSIM is the ideal avenue to generate new revenue streams. For device manufacturers, for instance, it means the ability to create smaller products without a SIM card and an opportunity to optimize supply chain processes.

    Of course, more entrants into the mobile market is unsettling for network operators that fear disruption and stiffer competition in addition to having to build costly cellphone towers to support 5G networks. At the same time, telecom operators cannot ignore the fact that future IoT devices will be better served with eSIMs. With brands like Apple and Google, which have massive followings offering eSIM, operators are pressured to catch onto the eSIM fad to avoid being displaced.

    According to GSMA, about 175 mobile operators launched eSIM for smartphones across 69 countries by the end of last year. Amongst these operators, Vodafone Group leads in eSIM roll-out.

    In Asia, Singtel and China Unicom launched an eSIM network swap service last December to allow devices equipped with China Unicom eSIM to automatically switch profiles to Singtel’s in Singapore. In India, the three largest telecom operators Airtel, Jio, and Vi have started to offer eSIM functionality for supported devices. For operators, eSIM roll-out achieves customer churn, creating opportunities for up-selling and cross-selling services and packages.

    To stay ahead, Tata Communications is going beyond connectivity to expand competency in mobility and IoT. Last October, Tata Communications partnered with Micron for a cloud-based eSIM business. In December, the company acquired a majority equity stake in a France-headquartered eSIM technology provider. The acquisition was motivated by enterprises’ heavy reliance on mobile devices to operate and access data in the cloud and an upward trend in machine-to-machine (M2M) connections worldwide.

    According to Ecosystem, Asia-Pacific is poised to lead in IoT by 2023. With connectivity becoming more pervasive in our everyday lives, there is no doubt that eSIM will play a pivotal role in ushering in a new era in consumer and enterprise applications.

  • One day we might use wireless 5G signals to provide power to electronic devices

    One day we might use wireless 5G signals to provide power to electronic devices

    We know that mmWave 5G spectrum delivers the fastest download data speed despite some drawbacks; these signals do not travel far, nor are they able to easily penetrate buildings. But what they can do is create energy that one day could replace batteries and other sources of power.

    Researchers at Georgia Tech have created a concept wireless power grid that runs on 5G mmWave frequencies. This is done via the use of a sticker-type device that captures the electromagnetic energy created by 5G base stations. Currently, this energy is being used to transfer data.

    Manos Tentzeris, Ph.D. is a professor of flexible electronics at Georgia Tech and he led the schools’ research team which created a specialized lens to capture the power generated by mmWave 5G signals. The Rotman lens “rectenna” is a small device that collects the energy sent out by 5G wireless networks. But one thing that is characteristic to 5G signals makes it perfect for powering an electricity grid and that is the ability to focus power.

    Georgia Tech alum Jimmy Hester is serving as a senior lab advisor to the group working on this development. Hester says that 5G base stations operate at high frequencies allowing them to “focalize power.” In other words, “What we’re talking about is more of an intentional energization of the devices, themselves, by focalizing the beam towards the device in order to turn it on and power it.”

    The key to this whole project is the Rotman lens, a flexible lens that helps collects energy from multiple directions. It is the same technology used in military surveillance systems that can identify targets in various directions without having to move the antennas. Aline Eid, a Ph.D. student and senior researcher says, “The same way the lens in your camera collects all of the light waves from any direction and combines it to one point…to create an image, that’s exactly how this lens works. The lens is like a tarantula … because a tarantula has six eyes, and our system can also look in six different directions.”

    With the Rotman lens, the field of view for the energy collecting “sticker” device increases from a 20-degree “pencil beam” to 120 degrees. This makes it easier to collect mmWave energy in the 28GHz band. Eid states that if you placed a sticker device on a drone, you would be able to collect energy from 5G base stations all over a city.

    Still, this system is in its early days and right now the rectenna stickers can collect only 6 microwatts of energy, enough to power up small IoT devices from a range of 180 meters (590.55 feet) away. In lab tests, the device has been able to collect 21 times that amount.

    Tentzeris says that his team is looking for funding and is especially interested in working with wireless carriers. This way the wireless providers can place the stickers throughout cities at the same time that they’re building out their 5G networks. Manos adds, “In the beginning of the 2000s, companies moved from voice to data. Now, using this technology, they can add power to data/communication as well.”

    Looking at the future, the rectenna sticker could end up embedded inside a wearable or stitched into clothing. As far as the financial aspects of producing the stickers is concerned, Tentzeris states that each unit costs only a few cents which means that money might not prevent this from becoming a legitimate method for delivering power.

    The Georgia Tech professor says, “Scalability was very important, you’re talking about billions of devices. You could have a great prototype working in the lab, but when somebody asks, ‘Can everybody use it?’ you need to be able to say yes.”

    Perhaps someday in the future, 5G signals will provide your phone with the power it needs to run all day-every day in addition to the connectivity these signals deliver.

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  • India’s mobile data service revenue to record 14.7% CAGR over next five years

    India’s mobile data service revenue to record 14.7% CAGR over next five years

    Mobile data service revenue in India is expected to rise from US$6.3bn in 2020 to US$12.5bn in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7% driven by the continued rise in smartphone subscriptions and the subsequent surge in mobile data consumption, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    GlobalData’s India Mobile Broadband Forecast reveals that mobile Internet subscription penetration will increase from an estimated 47.3% in 2020 to 81.4% by the end of 2025 owing to heavy investment in telecom network development across remote areas in the country.

    The average monthly data usage is forecast to increase from 9.2 GB in 2020 to about 14.7 GB in 2025 accelerated by the increase in the consumption of bandwidth-heavy services like mobile video and social media on the mobile networks.

    Kantipudi Pradeepthi, Research Analyst of Telecoms Market Data & Intelligence at GlobalData, comments: “4G will remain the leading technology in terms of subscriptions in India through the forecast period while 2G will see its subscription share fall from 36.5% in 2020 to 3.5% by year-end 2025. Moreover, Airtel & Vodafone Idea plan to shut down 3G services and use the infrastructure to improve 4G connectivity.

    “Reliance Jio led the mobile services market in India in terms of mobile subscriptions in 2020, followed by Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Reliance Jio will retain its leading position through 2025, driven by its continuous expansion of 4G network and promotional discount offers.”

  • ZTE records more than RMB 45 billion in patented technology value

    ZTE records more than RMB 45 billion in patented technology value

    ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, has been included among major participants and setters of the global 5G standards for leading the world in 5G technology, patents, standards, industries, and terminals, according to the latest report “Challenges and Prospects for China’s Telecommunications Industry and Intellectual Property Market” by established investment management company Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).

    According to the report, ZTE has also been ranked in the first tier of global patent layout in recognition of its contribution to the research and standard settings of the global 5G technology. To date, ZTE’s patented technology value has exceeded RMB 45 billion.

    Committed to creating value for customers through the accumulation of high-quality patents and aimed to be a “digital economy road builder”

    With the advent of the digital economy era, a new generation of mobile information technology like 5G, has developed into a key driving force for the digital transformation and upgrading of the entire society. Enhancing independent technological innovation and strengthening the cultivation and layout of high-quality patents are playing an important role in the development of China’s enterprises. As a major contributor to the global 5G standards, ZTE insists on building its stronger core competence and continues to research and develop in key technologies and basic sciences. The company has invested more than RMB 10 billion on a yearly basis in the R&D over the past years. In 2020, its R&D spending reached RMB 14.8 billion, accounting for 14.6% of its operating revenue.

    As 5G technology becomes mature and gains increasing popularity, major global manufacturers are building their core competitiveness in the iterative patent layout. ZTE has launched a high-quality patent layout in many 5G-related fields. The company constantly strengthens its innovative R&D capabilities to maintain its competitive advantages in the domestic and international markets. Furthermore, by virtue of its global strategic layout,the company continues to bring its customers innovative products and high-quality services, and is committed to creating value for its customers as a “digital economy road builder”.

    ZTE, backed up with its high R&D spending and continuous technology accumulation, has filed over 80,000 global patent applications by March 2021, and accumulated more than 38,000 granted patents globally, including 4,270 chip patent applications and more than 1,800 granted patents. According to the latest report “Who is leading the 5G patent race?” published in February by IPlytics, ZTE has been included global top 3 for its sustainable leadership in 5G declared Standard-Essential Patents(SEP) to ETSI.

    Efficient operation strategies effectively driving the conversion of innovation achievements, boosting high-quality growth of the intangible assets

    With the significant improvement of the innovation and creation capabilities, ZTE has been constantly strengthening the utilization of intellectual property (IP). In addition to reinforcing the cultivation and layout of high-value patents, ZTE proactively promotes the application, conversion and implementation of patents under highly efficient operation strategies. On the one hand, it makes efforts to increase the alignment of patent applications and technology R&D with market demand, while continuously improving the quality of patent applications. On the other hand, with the establishment of a management system across the entire IP life cycle, IP management is performed in all workflows including R&D, marketing, procurement, production design and sales and so on. In this way, a well-conceived and efficient patent protection network is built to promote the high-quality growth of the commercial value of the company’s intangible assets.

    “As one of China’s high-tech companies in global competition, ZTE is fully aware of the value and significance of independent R&D and technological innovation. The company has maintained powerful investment in R&D for decades and has accumulated a large number of innovative technological achievements,” said Hu Yi, Vice President and Head of the Intellectual Property Department at ZTE Corporation. “Some of these achievements have been transformed into high-tech products to help ZTE expand overseas markets like Europe and North America, and some of them have developed into intangible assets including intellectual properties, such as patents.”

    “With the progress of the times and the development of the industries, ZTE actively seeks how to further explore and leverage the value of intangible assets. The company reaches patent cross-licensing with mainstream companies in the telecoms industry, thereby achieving rapid iteration of new technologies and products through commercial interactions and promoting telecoms industry technologies to further impact vertical industries.”

    “Besides, we collect reasonable R&D investment through transfers, licensing, and other management methods to build a closed-loop of sustainable development of “Innovation – Operation – Re-innovation”. In the past few years, ZTE’s intellectual property income has grown steadily, which has brought cash benefits to the company and will continue to create predictable benefits. It is estimated that our intellectual properties will bring nearly RMB 4.5-6 billion revenue to the company during the period from 2021 to 2025.” added Mr Hu Yi.

    As the best practitioner of global innovation and intellectual property commercial value, ZTE has always regarded intellectual property as the core strategy for enterprise development. Moving forwards, ZTE will continue to improve its core competence by enhancing the quality of intellectual property creation, and the efficiency of utilization and management of IP. While achieving a good balance between technological innovation investment and intellectual property return, ZTE will join forces with all partners to promote high-quality development of the IP ecosystem, and empower the digital and intelligent transformation and upgrading of society.

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  • China is home to world’s largest 5G network

    China is home to world’s largest 5G network

    With 260 million 5G mobile connections, China boasts the world’s largest 5G mobile network, according to Liu Liehong, vice minister of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in a press conference this week.

    As of the end of February, China reported having 792,000 5G base stations, with 5G SA networks covering all prefecture-level cities, while 5G terminal connections reached 260 million.

    This year, China is planning to build more than 600,000 5G base stations to broaden the country’s 5G coverage and strengthen its digital competitiveness. 5G is viewed to be critical to the advancement of tech innovations and accelerating industry digitalization to boost the nation’s industrial capacity.

    In the country’s fourth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) held in early March, China emphasized on building up tech reliance through national policies and R&D spending.

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  • Nokia chosen by Chunghwa Telecom to expand 5G network in Taiwan

    Nokia chosen by Chunghwa Telecom to expand 5G network in Taiwan

    Nokia has announced that it has been chosen by Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) to expand the operator’s 5G network in Taiwan. The deal aims to support CHT’s objective of achieving 80 percent population coverage as well as boost 5G subscriptions to over 20 percent of its current subscriber base. The expansion will leverage products from Nokia’s AirScale portfolio to deliver enhanced connectivity for people and businesses in the southern and central areas of the country.

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  • Australia More Telecom acquires Powercom Pacific

    Australia More Telecom acquires Powercom Pacific

    More Telecom announced its acquisition of national internet and phone provider, Powercom Pacific, substantially increasing the company’s SME customer base. More Telecom is one of Australia’s most successful and longest-running NBN providers with a sister retail business, Tangerine Telecom.

    Powercom Pacific owns several brands including Powercom, Montimedia and QTelecom and all customers will be migrating to More Telecom.

    All Powercor Pacific staff will be moving with the business and maintain ongoing employment with More.

    More Telecom General Manager, Andrew Branson, said the acquisition strengthens the More business which is expanding in both customer numbers and product offers.

    “The More business consistently seeks exciting expansion opportunities and with Powercom, we identified a business with complementary cultural and business models.

    “The Powercom customer base consists of long term, loyal, small business owners who want excellent service and we are confident we can deliver on this front,” said Branson.

    More Telecom has also expanded its SME reach via the launch of other business services such as More Payments and More Bookkeeping.

    More Telecom has also invested in building a strong business offering a full white label solution to other telcos and IT firms and has become Australia’s top white label NBN provider.

    The More Telecom and Tangerine Telecom business model works on a B2B/B2C business model delivering more efficiency and faster speeds due to the balanced bandwidth loading between the business peak hours during the day and the consumer peak hours during the evening.

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  • Nepal to debut Internet and telecom services on international airlines

    Nepal to debut Internet and telecom services on international airlines

    The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), an autonomous telecommunications regulatory body, together with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has approved international airlines to use Nepal’s Internet and telecom services for its passengers.

    Airlines would need to apply to NTA, on top of obtaining permission from the International Civil Aviation  Organisation to tap into internet and telecom services above 10,000 feet in Nepal.

    Nepal is the latest country in South Asia to allow such services to passengers, following the footsteps of India and Afghanistan. Last September, Vistara was India’s first airline to offer in-flight Wi-Fi Internet connectivity onboard international flights.

  • Nokia demonstrates record Optus’ 5G mmWave capabilities

    Nokia demonstrates record Optus’ 5G mmWave capabilities

    Nokia and Optus announced that they achieved a record-breaking aggregate site throughput of 10 Gbps during a downlink speed demonstration using 800 MHz of millimeter Wave (mmWave) spectrum at a live 5G site in Brisbane. Powered by Nokia AirScale Radio, the site demonstrates the huge potential of 5G as it is introduced across future spectrum bands. Once deployed, the speed and a capacity boost from the 5G mmWave layer will unleash lightning-fast speeds for consumers and enterprises alike to support a range of new low-latency, high-bandwidth services.

    The recent demonstration showcased the capabilities of Nokia’s 5G mmWave technology and the benefits of adding it on top of an existing 5G/4G site. The demonstration showed how Nokia’s 5G mmWave technology delivers on the promise of super-fast data rates by boosting the site capacity to 10 Gbps and beyond.

    Nokia’s 5G mmWave technology will allow Optus to focus on scalability, automation, and performance by supporting services that utilize the full capability of 5G. Leveraging Nokia’s solutions, Optus can also harness 5G mmWave to serve the enterprise market and explore new use cases in healthcare, mining, port operations, and smart manufacturing, among other industries.

    The decision to select this mixed commercial and industrial area of Brisbane was made keeping these new use cases in mind as they sought to showcase the many real-world benefits of mmWave to the enterprise; thereby gaining early insights into this new exciting technology before wider rollout in the future.

    This achievement further strengthens the long-standing and collaborative partnership between Nokia and Optus. In early 2019, Optus became the first operator globally to deploy Nokia’s FastMile 5G indoor gateway in a live 5G network. Recently, the two companies also successfully launched 5G services at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.

    Lambo Kanagaratnam, Managing Director of Networks at Optus, said: “We’re committed to keeping Australia connected and at the forefront of 5G. By partnering with global technology leaders like Nokia, we’ve taken an exciting step towards unlocking the massive potential that 5G mmWave will bring to the consumers, enterprises and industries in Australia. Reaching 10 Gbps per site is a crucial step in our 5G development and validates the progress we’ve made with the technology together with Nokia.”

    Anna Wills, Head of Oceania at Nokia, said: “This is another milestone in the development of 5G services and demonstrates the confidence operators have in our 5G solutions. Today’s achievement with Optus shows the potential of mmWave deployments, particularly at a time when connectivity and capacity are so crucial. We’re proud of our long-standing relationship with Optus and the great strides we continue to make together in this new era of connectivity.”

  • Ooredoo Group Announces USD750 million Deal for Sale of More Than 4,200 Telecoms Towers in Indonesia

    Ooredoo Group Announces USD750 million Deal for Sale of More Than 4,200 Telecoms Towers in Indonesia

    Ooredoo  today announced that its Indonesian operating company, PT Indosat Tbk. (“Indosat Ooredoo”), has signed a sale and leaseback agreement with PT EPID Menara AssetCo (“Edge Point Indonesia”) for more than 4,200 telecommunications towers.

    PT EPID Menara AssetCo is an Indonesian subsidiary of Edge Point Singapore, which is wholly owned by Digital Colony, a leading global digital infrastructure investor with extensive experience owning and operating cellular towers.

    Indosat Ooredoo has agreed to sell this portfolio of towers in a transaction valued at USD 750 million, including a supplementary offer, making it one of the largest deals of its kind in Asia. The sale will unlock capital to create value for shareholders and continue to build Indosat Ooredoo’s strong growth momentum through improvements to network performance and the launch of innovative new digital solutions to enhance the customer experience.

    The sale is part of Ooredoo Group’s strategy to move to a more efficient and flexible asset light model and unlock the trapped value of its infrastructure portfolio. Prior to this deal, Ooredoo had a global portfolio of approximately 27,000 owned towers, representing an infrastructure portfolio of significant value for the Group. Monetising these assets to create more value for both shareholders and customers is a key focus of Ooredoo’s current strategy.

    Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Managing Director of Ooredoo Group, said: “Congratulations to Indosat Ooredoo on this sale and leaseback agreement with Edge Point Indonesia, which aligns perfectly with our new strategy and its focus on creating more value for shareholders and customers. This strategy incorporates a shift towards an asset-light model that will help us unlock significant capital and enable us to focus on our core mission of delivering outstanding digital and enterprise services to our customer base. I extend our gratitude to the Government of Indonesia for its progressive policies that leave a positive impact on the industry, its operators and its people.”

    Edge Point Indonesia was declared the winning bidder of a competitive tender process conducted by Indosat Ooredoo. The transaction is expected to close in Q2 2021 subject to customary conditions, including shareholder approval by Indosat Ooredoo at an EGM, which is planned to be held on May 6th. Indosat Ooredoo will lease back space on the towers for a period of 10-years to meet its ongoing requirements.

    President Director and Chief Executive Officer of Indosat Ooredoo, Ahmad Al Neama, added: “I am delighted that Indosat Ooredoo has agreed this deal, which furthers our strategy to create more value from our infrastructure assets. The deal marks the third and final sale of assets from our high-quality tower portfolio and continues our transition into a leading digital telecoms company. We are confident the leaseback agreement, with its attractive terms, will continue to meet our ongoing tower needs, while the capital that we have unlocked will provide further fuel to power our growth momentum. Indosat Ooredoo and Edge Point Indonesia will work closely together going forward and build a strong and long-lasting strategic partnership.”

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  • Singtel and Hyundai Motor to develop Singapore’s smart manufacturing and mobility technologies

    Singtel and Hyundai Motor to develop Singapore’s smart manufacturing and mobility technologies

    Hyundai Motor Company and Singtel today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on a range of ventures to support smart manufacturing, connectivity for electric vehicle battery subscription service. The MOU follows Hyundai Motor Group’s announcement in October 2020 that it is setting up a new state-of-the-art Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS) to conduct studies on future mobility and explore innovative solutions, services and disruptive technologies to revolutionize commuters’ transport experience.

    Hyundai Motor will combine its expertise in developing innovative automotive and manufacturing solutions with Singtel’s capabilities in 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and next-generation info-communications technologies and solutions to develop Industry 4.0 advanced digital solutions to   transform the way vehicles are currently manufactured. The parties will develop and pilot a 5G-enabled smart factory use case for HMGICS’ intelligent manufacturing platform, and potentially scaling it up for deployment across Hyundai’s manufacturing plants globally.

    “Hyundai is delighted to work with Singtel, implementing next-generation communication solutions that will enhance mobility experiences for our customers,” said Hong Bum Jung, Senior Vice President of HMGICS at Hyundai Motor Company. “We also hope to explore future innovative solutions and business opportunities with Singtel to help realise Singapore’s Smart Nation vision.”

    Hyundai and Singtel will also work together on an IoT communications solution for the batteries powering Hyundai’s electric vehicles (EVs) in Singapore. The IoT system enables Hyundai to monitor the telemetry, or automatic data transmission, of the batteries’ real-time status and performance.

    The data-driven insights can enhance the EVs’ reliability, advancing Singapore’s EV ecosystem and Smart Nation vision of connected and sustainable mobility solutions.

    Andrew Lim, Managing Director, Government and Large Enterprise, Group Enterprise at Singtel said, “Our collaboration with Hyundai Motor is timely given the Singapore Government’s decision to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040 and the recent Budget announcement on new policies to encourage more Singaporeans to switch to driving electric vehicles. By pushing the boundaries of what is possible with 5G, IoT and other advanced technologies, we also want to build up Singapore’s smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 capabilities and strengthen its innovation ecosystem.”

  • Nokia deploys first 5G standalone RAN in Southeast Asia to M1-Starhub JV in Singapore

    Nokia deploys first 5G standalone RAN in Southeast Asia to M1-Starhub JV in Singapore

    Nokia announced the first 5G standalone (“SA”) Radio Access Network (“RAN”) Sharing network in South East Asia. The company has been selected by Antina Pte. Ltd. (“Antina”), a joint venture formed by mobile network operators M1 and StarHub, following a competitive tender process, to deploy 5G SA networks across Singapore. The commercial deployment of a 5G SA network will introduce compelling new use cases and cater for the growing data demand in the country, putting Singapore at the forefront of 5G standalone technology in the region.

    The partnership will enable Antina’s customers – M1, StarHub and other mobile service providers on wholesale arrangements – to benefit from a game-changing ultra-high speed, low-latency and highly secure 5G SA network that will reduce complexity and increase cost efficiencies. It will also enable new use cases across entertainment, cloud gaming, transportation, education and healthcare.

    Nokia will provide equipment from its comprehensive AirScale portfolio and CloudRAN solution to build the Radio Access Network (RAN) for the 5G SA infrastructure, utilizing the 3.5GHz spectrum band. Nokia will supply 5G base stations and its small cells solution for indoor coverage, as well as other radio access products. Nokia’s 5G SA technology will provide Singaporean enterprises with the opportunity to explore multiple new use cases due to the network’s higher bandwidth, higher uplink speeds and lower-latency.

    Nokia CloudRAN solution is designed to enable Antina to build a more agile business, meet new traffic demands, make better use of spectrum as well as optimize performance and mitigate costs. Nokia’s CloudRAN technology is expected to provide Antina with the flexibility to meet customer demands in the evolving 5G era. Nokia’s NetAct network management, CloudBand Application Manager and CloudBand Infrastructure Software will streamline operations and securely manage Antina’s networks.

    The commercial launch of this 5G SA network in Singapore will underpin the infrastructure for a vibrant 5G ecosystem.

    Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks, Nokia, said: “This is an important win for Nokia that demonstrates our leadership in commercial-grade Cloud RAN as well as mobile operators’ trust in our capabilities for rapidly transitioning to 5G standalone networks. We look forward to supporting Antina in the deployment of a successful rollout of the 5G SA network in Singapore which aligns with the country’s vision of creating a world-class 5G infrastructure. We hope other global markets considering making the move to 5G SA will take note of Antina’s success.”

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  • SK Telecom, Shinsegae Group among bidders for eBay’s Korean business

    SK Telecom, Shinsegae Group among bidders for eBay’s Korean business

    South Korea’s SK Telecom, retailer Shinsegae Group and private equity firm MBK Partners were among those that entered non-binding, preliminary bids for the sale of eBay Inc’s South Korean business, the telecom company, and two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

    EBay Korea operates open market e-commerce platforms Gmarket, Auction and G9, and was South Korea’s third-largest e-commerce firm in 2020 with 12.8% market share, according to Euromonitor.

    The sources declined to be identified as not authorized to talk to the media. MBK Partners, Shinsegae Group, and eBay Korea declined to comment.

    Seoul-based analysts said that eBay hopes to fetch up to 5 trillion won (S4.42 billion) with the sale.

    However, they said the actual sale price may be lower, due to its recent drop in market share compared to rivals such as Korea’s No. 1 e-commerce firm Coupang, and disadvantages of the unit’s traditional “open market” form of e-commerce which simply connects sellers with buyers.

    EBay Korea’s market share has been overtaken in recent years by Coupang, which directly handles inventory, differentiated itself with speedy delivery and raised around $4.6 billion in a blockbuster New York listing earlier this month, as well as Naver Corp, which operates South Korea’s dominant online search portal.

    EBay Korea’s 2020 revenue was estimated to be about 1.3 trillion won, with a 5.3% on-year increase in transactions, compared to a 19% growth in South Korean e-commerce market, KTB Investment & Securities analyst Kim Jin-woo said.

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  • ZTE joins China Mobile in Xinfengming Group’s 5G intelligent manufacturing upgrade

    ZTE joins China Mobile in Xinfengming Group’s 5G intelligent manufacturing upgrade

    ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the Mobile Internet, in partnership with China Mobile, has upgraded Xinfengming Group’s 5G intelligent manufacturing, following the completion of the test and verification of the “i – wireless 5G intelligent and one-stop local network” project.

    Leveraging ZTE’s NodeEngine solution, this Xinfengming 5G manufacturing platform has been upgraded to accelerate the comprehensive digital transformation. This is the first commercial deployment of NodeEngine solution by ZTE and China Mobile.

    Aiming to better serve manufacturing with 5G technologies and to offer enterprises with flexible and fast local services, ZTE, China Mobile Research Institute and the Zhejiang Branch of China Mobile have teamed up to provide industrial parks with the innovative solution, featuring functions of PRB resources reserved hard slicing, intelligent and simple local distribution, EdgeQoS service management and control, and enterprise self-service portal and more, based on the concept of i- wireless 5G intelligence and simplification. The NodeEngine solution is simple to deploy, quick to the commission, and excellent in performance and cost-effectiveness.

    In the 5G network of Xinfengming Group, most of the production equipment is dedicated to Xinfengming, such as AGV trucks, visual detection devices, and automatic assembly devices. PRB resources reserved hard slicing and local traffic offloading provide Xinfengming the 5G private network capability in a short time, enabling the access of this dedicated equipment and the local traffic offloading and clearly separating common mobile users from businesses, which ensures the access and network performance of different types of terminals. Compared with the existing solutions, this solution enables time delay improvement by 20%.

    ZTE’s NodeEngine solution also serves as an exclusive local O&M portal for enterprises, with which, the network can be dynamically adjusted to satisfy different application requirements. Meanwhile, the network performance can be viewed in real-time, thereby ensuring flexible management and control.

    In addition, ZTE’s NodeEngine solution provides sophisticated EdgeQoS management and control. With this, the QoS requirements of local services, on the one hand, can be intelligently identified and distributed through edge AI to trigger network adjustment parameters to match service requirements. On the other hand, according to the service model, the resources such as bandwidth, latency and reliability are dynamically scheduled to match and guarantee real-time requirements, thus realizing differentiated local network services.

    Through the sophisticated management and control of EdgeQoS, networks can truly be flexibly adjusted according to services, greatly improving the perception of private network services and the efficiency of network resources.

    Committed to empowering traditional industries with 5G, ZTE has made remarkable achievements in 5G industrial manufacturing. Besides the Xinfengming Group digital transformation, the Nanjing Binjiang Smart Manufacturing Base and Changsha Smart Factory, developed by ZTE also, have become the models in the industry. In addition, ZTE has built typical 5G applications together with leading manufacturers such as SANY Group and SUPCON.

    Moving forward, ZTE will be committed to helping industrial manufacturing develop towards a green ,low-carbon, digital, and intelligent future.

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  • Huawei launches “Make any room a data center” products

    Huawei launches “Make any room a data center” products

    In his opening remarks, Brandon Wu, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Huawei’s Asia Pacific Enterprise Business Unit, emphasized the need to ensure enhanced resiliency across all industries, given the impact of the global pandemic.

    Wu explored the key trends emerging in edge computing, namely: better-connected infrastructure, increased resiliency through the use of edge computing, and enhanced reliability through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    According to the estimation by Gartner, within four years, 75% of data generated by enterprises will be processed at the edge. Demand for real-time interaction is driving businesses to bring computing power closer to end-users.

    • Small and edge data center are therefore making an appearance in several industries and scenarios:Retail: Small and edge data centers can exist within retail outlets as retailers close the gap between online and offline sales.
    • Manufacturing: Edge data centers deployed in distribution warehouses are capable of managing growing volumes of inventory and shipping data; in factories, such data centers manage data generated from sensors as well as communications between equipment, contributing to a growing IIoT.
    • Telecoms: Central offices of telco companies are being converted to computing rooms and used as edge data centers to make networks more dynamic.

    Mahesh Choudhary, Solution Architect for the Huawei Digital Power Line, launched the new solution directly from the Huawei Digital Power Innovation Experience Center, offering a real-life demonstration for event attendees. Changing the game with SmartLi inside —Huawei’s smart lithium battery Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) —now any room can be made into a data center.

    With far lower requirements placed on ceiling height, the Huawei Modular Data Center Solution has no need for a traditional raised floor design. Instead, air conditioner pipes and strong-and weak-current cables are routed from top-down, meaning that equipment can be accommodated in ceiling heights as low as 2.6 m, far below the 3 m minimum height required for a traditional data center.

    At the Smart Modular Data Center Product Launch, Huawei’s partner — NetCraft Information Technology (Macau) Co., Ltd. — shared its experiences cooperating with Huawei. Benjiman Wong, the company’s Sales Director, said: “With the Huawei Modular Data Center Solution, all required components are modular. An easy way for customers to understand this solution is to consider that each component is like a building block: you can build up your castle by adding different blocks together, so you can add more blocks in the future when needed.”

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