Wireless Networks

Reliance Jio, the front-runner among the big three operators in India, can now claim another leading position: the use in a 5G field trial network of its own indigenously developed 5G equipment and technology in Mumbai.

Veon’s Georgian mobile operator Beeline has chosen Nokia’s cloud-native software to modernise its core network throughout Georgia and to strengthen customer services, network performance and security as it extends its 4G network with 5G-ready equipment.

Bharti Airtel has turned on its 5G trial network in Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub in the Millennium city, reports local media outlets.

The mobile operator Tele2, together with Nokia, launched a 5G test zone in the Kazan Metro, which thus became the first fifth-generation network in the Russian metro.

Colombia’s WOM announced that it has connected its 700MHz 4G network to 525 previously unserved rural areas.

America Movil's Claro Uruguay unit began technical tests in 5G in the 28 GHz band in the country after receiving authorization from the Communication Services Regulatory Unit (URSEC).

A 5G will be pilot launched in Kyrgyzstan by the end of 2021, according to Talant Kalykov, director of the State Communications Agency.

A1 Bulgaria has chosen Nokia as the main equipment supplier for its radio access network (RAN).

Ooredoo Oman said it recently recorded downlink speeds of more than 5 Gbps on a commercial 5G Massive MIMO single sector, one of the first such tests in the region.

Vodafone Idea signed an agreement with Huawei to expand its 4G network shortly ahead of the Indian government’s March announcement that operators must procure all equipment from trusted providers.

Indonesia’s Telkomsel has extended its 5G coverage to the cities of Bandung, Batam, Denpasar, Makassar and Surabaya.

Russian operators VimpelCom (Beeline), Rostelecom, and Megafon have agreed they will own equal stakes in their joint venture New Digital Solutions aimed at the collaborative development of radio frequencies for establishing and operating 5G mobile networks.

Orange Botswana has announced the launch of a new TD-LTE network for consumers and enterprises, branded as Konnecta Max.

Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has announced it has spent R100 million (US$7.3 million) to build 84 new base stations for previously unconnected areas of the coastal South African province.

Russian integrated telecommunications operator Megafon has started testing Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) in the city of St Petersburg.

PLDT wireless arm Smart Communications, the first to launch 5G in the Philippines, has fired up more than 3,000 5G sites across the country as of May.

Operator Orange Bissau has announced the launch of a programme to modernise its mobile access network and extend its rural coverage to more than 1,000 new villages in Guinea Bissau.

China Telecom reached a new milestone as its 5G Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) user base grew to more than 100 million.

Chinese telecommunications major ZTE Corporation has built a base station and completed several kilometres of wireless coverage around the station at the K2 base camp for the world’s second-highest peak, intending to build a strong communication network for climbers.

Fresh off revealing an ambitious expansion plan for its VoLTE network, Indonesia’s Telkomsel has announced that it aims to launch a commercial 5G network this week.

Filipino newcomer DITO Telecommunity has selected Nokia to deploy 5G services on the island of Mindanao.

A fascinating announcement from Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) indicates that Peru and Korea are to cooperate on a project involving the sharing of telecommunications infrastructure.

Rain, an operator that offers a data-only 4G and 5G service to a number of South African cities, has announced ambitious coverage growth plans for its 5G network.

There are 40 countries/territories worldwide with private network deployments based on LTE or 5G or LTE or 5G-suitable private network spectrum licence.

What is claimed to be Thailand’s first 5G open RAN smart city is on the way, courtesy of the country’s National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT) , 5GCT, a local partner specialized in delivering end-to-end 5G smart cities, networking company Cisco Systems (Thailand), and end-to-end, cloud-native network software provider Mavenir.

Mobile TeleSystems Belarus (MTS Belarus), in cooperation with the state-owned infrastructure operator beCloud, is expanding its 4G network in the Minsk region.

The Russian operator VimpelCom (Beeline trademark) announced the launch of the VoWiFi (Voice over Wi-Fi) service in Moscow and the Moscow region in a pilot mode.

Tele2 Russia has selected Ericsson to upgrade its network with the 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System, including software. The partners will jointly deploy 50,000 base stations across the country in 27 regions including Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Travellers, employees and retailers at Brazil’s São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) are now able to access the world’s first at-airport Wi-Fi 6 network using OpenRoaming.

Ecuador’s state-owned provider CNT (Corporacion Nacional de Telecomunicaciones) has formed an Automatic National Roaming agreement with Telefonica’s local Movistar unit which will see 4G coverage expanded within 18 provinces.

The launch of 4G in Liberia’s Grand Cape Mount County by operator Lonestar Cell MTN is undoubtedly going to boost coverage to a number of underserved towns and villages.

The state-owned telecommunication service provider Nepal Telecom (NTC) has commenced the official trial of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) service in Nepal.