Wireless Networks

Orange Egypt has selected NEC to install additional units of its outdoor, integrated, ultra-compact E-Band microwave radio system throughout 2021.

Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has said that it has developed home-grown 5G Radio integrated with its 5G core network.

Latvia’s Bite has deployed a further six 5G base stations in Riga to expand its coverage in the capital.

Saudi Arabian operator Mobily, alongside vendor Nokia, is claiming a first: the first-ever network slicing trial on a live commercial network.

India’s Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (TAIPA) has written to the country’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), hoping to get speedy implementation of recommendations on infrastructure sharing policy. 

Recent publicity from Equatorial Guinean operator Getesa has confirmed that it is now offering 4G/LTE smartphone services.

Turk Telekom and Juniper Research struck a partnership agreement to develop Open RAN 5G technologies, a move to accelerate innovations and ecosystems in the technology.

In another example of how operator business models are changing as we approach wide-scale 5G rollout, Vodafone Romania has transferred its passive infrastructure to another Vodafone company.

Given the reported uncertainty surrounding spectrum availability, the news that Iran will see the launch of 5G this year may come as a surprise to some readers.

Ooredoo Group, an international telecommunications company headquartered in Qatar, and Ericsson have announced the signing of a five-year strategic 5G agreement.

Ooredoo has launched commercial 5G services in the Maldives, with the initial rollout covering a large percentage of the capital city of Malé, including key business hubs, hospitals and public spaces.

Ukrainian operator Kyivstar has announced plans to launch voice over LTE (VoLTE) on its network by 2021.

Parallel Wireless, an open RAN company delivering software-defined end-to-end 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G open RAN solutions, is to be part of a partnership to deliver rural communications in Nigeria.

MWC Shanghai 2021, taking place from 23 to 25 February next year, will not only explore how technology and connectivity can lead the global recovery – it aims to be an example of that recovery. MWC Shanghai is going to be a physical event.

More details have been revealed about the roll out of public Wi-Fi in India via what is called the PM WANI scheme, which aims to increase the penetration of broadband connectivity across India.

Russian operator MTS has launched an outdoor pilot 5G network zone in partnership with Ericsson and Qualcomm.

The GSMA and the World Bank have developed what they call an innovative, ground-breaking study on the impact of mobile broadband on welfare and poverty reduction. It uses data from Nigeria – the largest mobile market and economy in Africa – and its findings are fascinating.

The Indian cabinet has agreed to an ambitious public Wi-Fi plan that could bring broadband data connectivity to anywhere in the country – even places that at present have no mobile coverage.

Colombian operator WOM is deploying 125 cellular backhaul sites in partnership with Axess Networks as it seeks to connect rural areas as part of its nationwide build-out.

Rohde & Schwarz has been awarded a contract by Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI) to deliver voice over IP (VoIP)-capable air traffic control (ATC) communications and a remote monitoring and control solution (RCMS) from its CERTIUM portfolio.

Alphabet subsidiary Loon announced its internet-beaming balloons will now be piloted using reinforcement-learning (RL) AI, an advancement it claimed will simplify processes and provide reliable and constant connectivity.

Philippines operator Smart Communications has announced plans to upgrade 40 per cent of its sites to 5G by the end of 2021.

As expected, Viettel has now become the first 5G carrier in Vietnam, after the launch of a 5G commercial trial following a period of technical tests.

Ukraine’s Kyivstar has extended its 900MHz 4G LTE services to all 25 regions in the country four months after launching the offering.

Leading operator Telefonica Movistar Argentina has deployed a complete traffic management solution from telecommunications software company Enea to help it handle the high consumption of data being experienced in Argentina due, in part, to the ongoing pandemic.

Zain KSA – the Saudi Arabian operator and part of Kuwaiti mobile telecommunications company the Zain Group – has announced the expansion of its 5G network coverage in Saudi Arabia to Dammam’s Second Industrial City.

A1 Bulgaria’s 5G network is now live in the country’s capital of Sofia.