Wireless Networks

Lenovo, which claims the world’s widest portfolio of technology products, and operator Etisalat UAE are planning to build a new 5G edge solution. This, they say, will enable the rapid roll-out of 5G connectivity for a wide range of edge-of-network deployment scenarios.

Brazilian capital Brasilia is to lead the way in the country’s 5G rollout with the launch of  a 3.5GHz 5G network on Wednesday 6 July.

While government and industry in another major economy, India, are still debating how and when to enable private 5G networks, in Brazil steel producer Gerdau and Embratel, a major player in both voice and data communication, have already announced an agreement to roll out a dedicated 5G and LTE private network.

China Mobile-backed Pakistani operator Zong has partnered with ZTE to implement a dual-band (1800MHz and 2100MHz) FDD Massive MIMO upgrade on its 4G network.

Chilean operator Entel claims to have extended its 5G coverage to all regions in the country, with the deployment currently 83% complete.

Is Kenya aiming to encourage an end to roaming charges in Africa? If reports from the local press are true, the country’s ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru may be hoping to pursue this course.

Etisalat UAE, the telecoms pillar of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), has announced the successful deployment and testing of mobile network slicing through 5G in collaboration with Huawei.

Hungary’s Magyar Telekom has stated that its 3G network “will no longer be available anywhere from 1 July”, with phased shutdowns already in effect.

Ericsson and Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) have successfully demonstrated a 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) call over the operator’s 5G network.

Ukraine’s Kyivstar is using 2300MHz TDD frequencies to boost the capacity of its 4G/LTE network in cities where demand is escalating due to increased migration.

Latvian operator LMT has selected Nokia’s 5G Standalone (SA) Core to help deliver 5G services including network slicing, enhance its network experience and reliability, and more quickly monetise its network assets.

Angolan operator Unitel has signed a three year partnership agreement with Chinese vendor Huawei.

Two Brazilian MVNOs have reportedly been the winners of a tender process to provide mobile connectivity to up to 700,000 students via the public network across the country – the first time that MVNOs have won a bid from the federal government to provide mobile connectivity.

NEC Corporation and Juniper Networks have partnered with Algeria Telecom to deploy the operator’s nationwide IP metro commercial network.

Wireless broadband technology Curvalux has announced a collaboration agreement Brazilian ITC Consultancy Tree Net to bring highspeed Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions to Brazil.

stc Bahrain has launched a 5G Standalone network which it claims marks a first for the Kingdom.

Malaysia’s controversial shared network access approach to 5G may have received another setback with rumoured demands for a bigger stake and reviews of the plan from the four largest Malaysian operators, Celcom Axiata Bhd, DiGi Telecommunications, Maxis Bhd and U Mobile.

Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Casa Systems to explore 5G capabilities and pave the way for next-generation network services in Vietnam.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has selected Nokia’s DWDM solution in the access layer to upgrade its network to 5G for meeting future service capacity and reliability needs.

Viettel Cambodia – which operates as Metfone – has signed a credit package agreement with MB Cambodia to upgrade its domestic network.

A new analysis of 5G across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has been published by industry association the GSMA. It has revealed wide disparities in 5G readiness across the region.

France-based Sigfox has secured a buyer for its operations in the form of fellow IoT communications service provider Unabiz for an undisclosed fee, as the bankrupt company looked to protect its assets. 

STC, Nokia and MediaTek have revealed a joint effort to verify 3 Component Carrier Aggregation (3CC-CA) in a 5G standalone network for the first time in the Middle East, a method to optimally combine spectrum assets to enhance 5G experiences.  

Digital infrastructure services provider Summit Digitel has announced that it has signed an agreement with Indian operator Bharti Airtel to provide its tower infrastructure for Airtel’s wireless network rollouts.

Parallel Wireless is conducting an Open RAN field trial over the 2600MHz band in Brazil, in partnership with local operators and organisations.

Batelco and Ericsson have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on next-generation 5G technologies.

In a major boost for the TETRA radio standard, MacroAsia Corporation (MAC), a leading provider of aviation-related support services in the Philippines, says it has relied on Teltronic, a designer and manufacturer of mission-critical radio communications, to deploy a TETRA communication system that services six airports in the country.

Operator Telma Madagascar and vendor Ericsson say they have deployed Ericsson’s Radio 6626 three-sector dual-band radio across five major sites in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo.

Celcom Axiata, Digi Telecommunications, Maxis and U Mobile have confirmed that they are in continued discussions with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) over the terms of access to the country’s wholesale 5G network.