Wireless Networks

Bharti Airtel, one of the leading operators in India, has announced the successful completion of what is described as India’s first open radio access network (open RAN)-based live 5G network validation in partnership with network software provider Mavenir.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of at least $500 billion, and Saudi telecommunications company STC Group have signed a joint venture agreement to establish a new company specializing in the Internet of Things (IoT).

Cloud networking provider GTT Communications has partnered with Arc Solutions to consolidate and expand its service reach across the Middle East.

Vodafone Oman and Ericsson have announced the deployment of a 5G indoor system at the Vodafone Experience Hub in Muscat’s Mall of Oman as well as the Vodafone Oman headquarter offices.

Bosnia-Herzegovina’s BH Telecom is upgrading its core network with Ericsson Nikola Tesla.

Chile’s WOM has launched commercial 5G services across several regions of the country.

Indian multinational information technology services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is ready to put in place a 5G network for any telecom operator across the globe on any given day and the company is working in India on a country-specific gear for the network.

West African solar-based internet service provider Tizeti has partnered with Microsoft Corp to roll out high-speed internet infrastructure in Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria.

TIM Brasil has claimed that it is the first operator in Latin American to launch Core 5G standalone (SA), meeting the requirements of regulator Anatel and allowing it to offer networks and services using the 3.5GHz spectrum.

Algeria is in the process of clearing and optimising radio frequencies to be used for 5G as it prepares for a widespread launch of the technology “soon”, according to Telecoms Minister Karim Bibi Triki.

A war of words seems to have begun between Angola’s mobile market leader Unitel and new entrant Africell Angola over infrastructure sharing.

China aims to build more 5G base stations in 2022 to bring the total number to over two million for the further development of the 5G network, said Minister of the Industry and Information Technology Xiao Yaqing.

Brazil’s Telefonica Vivo is deploying a simplified and automated, 5G-ready IP network for its converged mobile and fixed networks as part of the Fusion Network Project in Brazil using solutions from Cisco and NEC Corporation.

From the start of this week, the users of Crnogorski Telekom in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica have had access to a 5G network in a number of locations, making the company the first operator in Montenegro to put a 5G network into commercial operation.

Altan Redes, the Mexican public-private initiative that seeks to expand mobile communications coverage in remote areas of Mexico, has been granted an extension of its coverage target timescale.

Hard on the heels of last week’s trial announcement with Nokia, Saudi Arabian operator STC has announced another major partnership, this time involving a carrier aggregation proof of concept with Ericsson.

Hard on the heels of a busy MWC for both companies, Ooredoo Qatar and Ericsson have highlighted the successful implementation of what is described as the world’s first 5G indoor shareable solution in Qatar, achieving speeds of 1.5 gigabits per second (Gbps).

Saudi Arabian operator Zain KSA has announced its launch of a 5G local area network (5G LAN). This, it says, makes it the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa to adopt the technology. It made the announcement during MWC 2022.

High-altitude platform systems (HAPS) are again in the news after UK company Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL), a partner of German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom, successfully trialled pioneering technology that provides 5G network coverage from the stratosphere in Saudi Arabia.

Indoor coverage is a challenge for telcos or system integrators: whether small or medium sites, the work of RF design, device tuning, antenna installation, cable laying, and various passive components must be set in the right correctly to be easily positioned for future maintenance, resulting in continued project maintenance.

Cambodian operator Smart Axiata saw a significant uptick in Fixed Wireless Access users during 2021, with the service attracting more than 100,000 registered users for that year.

ZTE Corporation joined hands with Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), to deploy the service provisioning of TM’s IP CORE network of the NGN (Next-Generation Network), marking an important milestone of the project.

Vanu, a provider of equipment, tools and services that enable mobile network operators to profit by serving off-grid communities, has announced that, working with a local deployment partner, it has brought mobile network base stations to several communities in Nigeria.

mmWave’s superwide band and narrow beam offer significant advantages for use in modern 5G networks, broadband satcom systems, and satcom and radar systems.

Cisco, a leader in technology that powers the internet, and Rakuten Symphony, which offers a modern, industrial-scale automation platform built specifically for telecom, have announced a strategic agreement at MWC Barcelona.

With more and more 5GNR networks in use, avoiding shadow coverage areas is becoming an important consideration to highlight the advantages of 5GNR. Repeaters and BDAs (bi-directional amplifiers) will continue to play a vital role, just as in the 3G/4G eras.

Orange has announced suppliers for its 5G standalone (5G SA) networks in Europe, including networks in Poland and Slovakia.

Sivers Semiconductors has announced multiple new products for licensed 5G bands at MWC 2022 resulting from its recent acquisition of mmWave company MixComm.

Nokia today announced the world’s first deployment of 5G Edge Slicing on a live commercial network with mobile operators, Cellcom and Telia.

MTN Namibia has tapped Canadian firm NuRAN Wireless to deploy a minimum of 150 rural and suburban network sites over the next two years.