Wireless Networks

While it may not be entirely clear how operators in particular are going to monetise 5G, there is certainly no shortage of announcements involving 5G rollout. Among the latest are three from the UAE, Iran and Sri Lanka.

Huawei launches the industry's first intelligent metro router series, NetEngine 8000, at MPLS+SDN+NFV World Congress 2019.

PCCW Global, the international operating division of Hong Kong’s HKT, has completed a major Internet infrastructure upgrade in Mozambique.

Ericsson has been selected by Batelco to commercially deploy 5G across Bahrain.

Zain Saudi Arabia (Zain KSA) has signed an agreement to sell and lease back the passive physical infrastructure of its mobile tower portfolio to IHS Holding Limited (IHS) in a deal worth SAR 2.52 billion (USD 672 million).

Tower leasing firm PT Solusi Tunas Pratama (STP) has partnered with NTT Docomo to test a new site inspection service named docomo sky.

Cambodian enterprise ISP SINET has chosen Nokia to launch new, high-speed broadband services in the country.

Vodafone Idea has partnered with Nokia to roll out its next generation future-ready LTE network across multiple service areas.

Indonesian operator XL Axiata is using equipment from Ericsson to build out its 5G-ready transport network.

Jazz and Nokia have signed a contract to support Jazz's expansion of its 4G network to provide better coverage and a superior subscriber experience.

Indosat Ooredoo (Indosat) has chosen Nokia to upgrade its IP/MPLS network to meet fast-growing subscriber demand for fixed and mobile broadband services.

Telecom Egypt has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nokia to introduce 5G network and test use cases.

Avanci has announced that China Mobile has joined its Internet of Things patent licensing platform. China Mobile will license its entire global portfolio of 2G, 3G and 4G standard essential patents to the IoT market through Avanci’s marketplace. The Avanci licensing platform now includes 21 patent owners.

Ooredoo Group announced today at Mobile World Congress 2019 that it is accelerating its 5G network transformation across the Middle East, North Africa, and South East Asia with Artificial Intelligence solutions from P.I. Works.

Ericsson has been selected by Etisalat to deploy a 5G radio network in the United Arab Emirates to help position the UAE at the forefront of 5G network deployment globally. The deal is part of a strategic partnership which will also see Ericsson and Etisalat working together to explore 5G opportunities.

Rain and Truphone have partnered to launch eSIM in South Africa. Truphone’s eSIM remote SIM provisioning platform will allow Rain to provide its customers with seamless and efficient SIM provisioning experience – directly through their devices –becoming the first carrier in South Africa to do so.

Ericsson has been selected by Tele2 Russia to upgrade its network with the 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System, including software. More than 50,000 base stations will be deployed across the country as part of the five-year network modernisation deal.

Huawei has released a rural network solution, RuralStar Lite, that is tailored to cost-efficiently bring voice and mobile broadband services to rural villages with a population of 500 to 1,000 people.

Hammer Fiber Optics Holdings Corp (HMMR) and WCI have announced the signing of their second Letter of Intent (LoI) to provide fixed wireless, mobile data, voice and SMS services in Jamaica.

Ericsson and China Unicom are developing a 5G smart harbour at the Port of Qingdao in China. The news follows a successful technical solution verification at the port.

Etisalat and Huawei have formed a strategic partnership to deploy an end-to-end 5G network in UAE in 2019.

Uruguayan telco Antel and Tata Communications have joined forces to serve mobile and IoT providers in South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The partnership will act as the foundation for next-generation mobile and IoT services in sectors such as retail, utilities, construction, IT and banking.

Telefónica, Facebook, IDB Invest and CAF (Development Bank of Latin America) are launching Internet para Todos (IpT) Peru, an open access wholesale rural mobile infrastructure operator which aims to help bridge the digital divide in Latin America.

Ericsson has been selected by Ooredoo Qatar to make its ‘Supernet’ fully 5G-enabled and enhance the digital lives of people, enterprises and industries across Qatar.

Nokia and Saudi Telecom Company (STC) have signed a deal to set up a 5G network first in the western and southern part of Saudi Arabia, including the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. The rollout phase is already ongoing and is expected to be completed by end of 2020.

Kazakh mobile operator Kazakhtelecom JSC and Swedish teleccom giant Ericsson have announced plans to cooperate for the development of 5G in Kazakhstan.

Nokia has mounted a successful field trial of its Cloud RAN architecture on the China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) live 5G NSA network in Shanghai.

Turkcell and Airspan have announced the first deployment of AirDensity to deliver coverage and capacity to the most constrained indoor locations in Turkey.

Bolivia’s Telecommunications and Transport Regulation and Control Authority - ATT - reports that, at the end of 2018, there were 11,445,830 mobile connections in the country. This represents a penetration of just over 100%.

Nokia has announced that Bharti Airtel will trial its homogenous fronthaul solution which can support 4G, 5G and enterprise services through a common platform.

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has chosen Fontech software to deliver public Wi-Fi connectivity. The deal includes Fontech’s Wi-Fi Service Management Platform (WSMP) and Connection Manager.