Press Release

Verizon Business and Audi AG today announced a partnership to build a state-of-the-art private wireless network and tech-testing environment at Audi’s automotive test track in Neustadt, Germany. The dynamic, multi-core wireless network is designed to duplicate network conditions in key markets around the world, with custom-built replicas of Verizon’s U.S. public network, local European networks, and the roaming network of Audi’s MVNO partner in Asia-Pacific. Audi and other brands from the Volkswagen Group have access to the track and network.

As the automotive industry continues its evolution toward software-defined vehicles, the geographic flexibility of the Neustadt test-track network gives Audi a competitive advantage in the global market by streamlining its multi-territory R&D test cycle, better replicating driver/passenger experiences around the world, and providing access to the latest network and application technology. Testable applications include voice, video, safety, autonomous mobility, vehicle-to-cloud communication, OEM-customer interactions, cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) features and functionalities, and more.

To achieve this blend of geographic flexibility and technological capability, Verizon Business tapped into a robust ecosystem of partners. The network uses a dual 5G and LTE Modular Private Wireless platform from Nokia, C-V2X and private MEC infrastructure utilizing AWS Outposts from Amazon Web Services, and real-time video and data-transmission technology from Smart Mobile Labs (stream management and distribution, full HD streaming, push to talk, push to video, stream recording, et. al.).

“Our needs for this test track were complex and multi-dimensional, encompassing many technologies, geographic network conditions, and industry trends. Verizon Business was able to provide a complete solution that will take time and cost out of the testing cycle and give us a competitive advantage in the global marketplace,” said Petr Kozak, Head of Development Infotainment, Connectivity, Data Management and Artificial Intelligence, Audi AG.

“This is about much more than equipping a work site with a private network. This is about bringing network conditions from around the world to one test facility, allowing Audi to exceed the already lofty demands of the mobility market looking years into the future,” said TJ Fox, SVP of IIoT and Automotive, Verizon Business. “Increasingly, vehicles are not just about transportation, but a means of communication, entertainment, education, and work — effectively, rolling cell phones and high-powered computers. That means the vehicle of the future will be packed with technology that needs to work under many different sets of network conditions, and Audi and Verizon Business are solving for those needs with this state-of-the-art facility.”

Verizon Business has end-to-end responsibility for the delivery and support of the high-performance, stable and secure private LTE/5G network, which can be adapted to the developments of the 3GPP standard over time.

Want to keep up to date with all of the latest developments in the German telecoms market? Join the industry in discussion at Connected Germany live in Munich

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News

The growth of Dish’s 5G coverage masks the company’s ongoing struggles, including customer acquisition, leadership stability, and $26 billion in debt

This week, Dish Network has confirmed that 5G voice services are now available to over 200 million American’s nationwide, with the company hailing the achievement as another step towards becoming the bona fide fourth national mobile operator.

Dish has so far spent around $6 billion on expanding its 5G network across the US since 2019, seeking to catch up with the enormous scale of the country’s dominant mobile trio: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

“At DISH, we firmly believe in the transformative power of communication, and as the 4th nationwide wireless network, we are bringing competition to the wireless industry and more choice to U.S. consumers,” said John Swieringa, president of Technology and COO, EchoStar. “We are proud to now offer 5G voice to over 200 million Americans nationwide, as we continue to expand, optimize, meet milestones and advance the Boost Wireless Network buildout in alignment with our network development plan.”

It should be noted, however, that of more than 200 million potential customers, Dish is currently serving only 7.5 million. In fact, this number is down around 1.5 million from the 9 million customers the business inherited from its purchase of Sprint’s wireless business Boost Mobile back in 2020 as part of the Sprint–T-Mobile merger.

In fact, this news of network expansion actually comes at quite a troubling time for the company, which is facing major challenges not only with customer acquisition and retention, but with debt financing and even leadership.

Dish’s wireless retail chief, Michael Kelly, notably resigned at short notice earlier this week, having been in the role less than a year. He is the latest in a number of executives to jump ship, including Stephen Bye (chief commercial officer), Dave Mayo (chief technology officer), and Jonathan Sipling (chief marketing officer), all of whom left since the start of 2023.

With no clear path to profitable growth for Dish, the company owner Charlie Ergen made the move to recombine Dish with its parent company EchoStar at the start of this year, with Ergen suggesting the move would “generate significant cost and revenue synergies”. Onlookers, however, felt that the merger was more likely related to mitigating the impact of looming maturities on Dish’s $26 billion debt pile.

In conclusion, while Dish’s 5G network continues to grow steadily, its ambitions of becoming a fully-fledged fourth national mobile operator are beginning to look overly optimistic.

Want to keep up to date with all of the latest developments in the US telecoms market? Join the industry in discussion at Connected America live in Dallas

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O2 (Virgin Media / VMO2) has today become the second major UK mobile operator, after Vodafone, to switch-on a commercial 5G Standalone (SA) network in the UK, which will deliver faster mobile broadband speeds (inc. latency) and more service flexibility. The service has initially gone live in parts of 14 cities and comes at “no […]

Mobile operator and UK ISP EE (BT) has today given a first sneak peek of their next generation Qualcomm-powered and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be – Extremely High Throughput) capable home broadband router, which was first hinted at in 2023 (here) and is set to launch sometime this year (possibly by around mid-2024). In case anybody has […]

The LCR Connect network, which is a £32m joint venture that has rolled out a new 214km long full-fibre (broadband and Ethernet) network across much of the Liverpool City Region, has today become fully operational and made multi-gigabit speed internet connections available to more than 28,000 businesses. Construction of the new “resilient fibre backhaul” network, […]

A new internet provider and alternative network builder called Brighton Fibre, which spent most of 2023 operating at a small scale in stealth mode, has finally decided to go public with more information about the new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network that they’re deploying in East Sussex. Much as the name might suggest, Brighton Fibre […]

Network operator nexfibre, which shares the same parentage as Virgin Media (VMO2), has this morning published a new quarterly (Q1 2024) progress update on their work to deploy a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) broadband ISP network across up to 7 million UK premises. Just to recap. Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital […]

News 

The rollout will allow for widescale efficiency and cost-savings in a variety of industries 

This week, BT has announced the launch of its new Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network to aid its development of UK smart cities. 

The network, which according to BT covers 97% of the population, is underpinned by EE’s mobile network and will allow for widescale IoT use across various industries, such as agriculture and manufacturing. 

A NB-IoT network is a type of low power wide area network specifically designed to connect low power IoT devices, such as streetlights, sensors, or meters. According to BT, this will allow IoT devices to be managed automatically over a smart network, enabling, for example, broken streetlights to be automatically identified, thereby increasing energy efficiency and reducing costs.  

BT says that the new network will enable it to “fast-track” smart cities’s development, enabling new use cases focussed on monitoring and optimising energy use, storage, or distribution. 

“Growing numbers of businesses are beginning to realise the benefits of IoT applications, and our UK-wide NB-IoT network opens up a wide range of connectivity solutions for monitors, sensors, and other smart devices,” said Chris Keone, BT’s MD of Division X in a press release.  

“Whether it’s building the smart cities of the future or reducing carbon emissions, our network will provide customers with the reliability and efficiency they need,” he continued. 

This NB-IoT network will not only find use in urban settings. In fact, BT is already trialling the technology for the agricultural industry, using sensors to monitor haystack temperature and prevent fire risks, and safekeeping of livestock through gate sensors. 

Catch BT at this year’s Connected North, 22-23 April in Manchester – book your tickets now! 

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 Versa Networks, the global leader in AI/ML-powered Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), today announced its release of Versa SASE on SIM™ for Mobile Operators. The patented solution leverages SIM-based identity for authentication and access control – enabling Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) to seamlessly deploy SASE services and enforce advanced security policies at the mobile network edge. 

 

The Need for SASE in Mobile Networks 

MNOs and MVNOs are increasingly challenged to grow their businesses in a market where basic connectivity services are becoming commoditized. Many MNOs are introducing new value-added services to expand revenues, improve customer retention, and diversify their revenue streams. They see security services as an opportunity but are unable to deliver them at scale cost effectively. As the workforce has become more mobile and remote, traditional architectures delivering security services are insufficient.  

 

SASE has enabled delivery of cloud-based security services at scale for traditional IT users. It offers a more dynamic and context-aware security approach, ensuring that mobile and remote users have secure access to applications and data, regardless of their location.  

 

Many of the devices connecting to mobile networks cannot easily accommodate security clients and introduce lifecycle management complexity. This is a challenge for deploying SASE into mobile networks.  

 

What’s New? 

Versa SASE on SIM for Mobile Operators blends the capabilities of SASE with SIM-based identity for authentication and access control in their mobile networks. By extending SIM-based identity to SASE services, MNOs can: 

 

Offer value-added security services to build network security and Zero Trust offerings into mobile services for IoT and IT devices without the need for an agent.
Deliver scalable private network services by eliminating the need to provision private APNs per enterprise.
Simplify operations by avoiding lifecycle management and monitoring across multiple agents, operating systems, and end-user devices.

 

“With the launch of our SIM-based SASE solution, we are setting a new standard for security and connectivity in mobile networks,” said Apurva Mehta, Versa Co-Founder and CTO. “Our patented technology not only simplifies the deployment of SASE services for mobile operators but also marks a significant step forward in advanced, seamless authentication methods. This innovation underscores our commitment to delivering unparalleled value to our partners worldwide.” 

 

How Clientless SASE Works 

Many types of endpoints in mobile networks are unintelligent, such as cameras, sensors, and thin clients. As these endpoints attach to the MNO’s field radio network, Versa SASE gateways use the subscription ID (e.g. IMSI) in the device’s SIM card, along with the IP address information, for tenant and user identification. With Versa SASE gateways integrated into the mobile network data path, SASE services can now be applied to these endpoints.  

 

To learn more, register for Versa’s “Unlocking the Future of Mobile Network Security: Versa SASE on SIM” webinar on Thursday, March 7, at 8 am PST, at https://versa-networks.com/resources/webinars/unlocking-the-future-of-mobile-network-security-versa-sase-on-sim/, or contact Versa at https://versa-networks.com/contact/.  

By automatically reacting to changes in the network, updating and re-configuring cell parameters without manual intervention, Magenta Telekom Austria moves one step closer towards a ‘zero-touch’ network operation.

FAIRFAX, VA., USA – February 22, 2024 – TEOCO, the leading provider of analytics and optimization solutions to over 300 communication service providers worldwide, is helping Magenta Telekom Austria, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, to optimize its radio network operations through automation. SmartCM, TEOCO’s industry-leading configuration management platform, now includes an automation framework that allows Magenta Telekom to not only monitor and adjust how its radio network is configured without any human intervention, but also create automated responses to changing network conditions.

“Mobile networks require constant fine-tuning,” said Robert Schneider, Senior Manager Mobile Engineering & Lifecycle Management of Magenta Telekom. “Monitoring hundreds of millions of cell parameters is an important but time-consuming, labor-intensive task. SmartCM detects discrepancies and adjusts cell parameters instantly and automatically, helping Magenta Telekom provide superior network coverage in a more scalable, cost effective way. The new framework moves us a step further, allowing engineers to define enabling workflows that react to external triggers and automatically take corrective action.”

Magenta Telekom began using TEOCO’s SmartCM solution in 2018 to help configure its 5G radio network. The SmartCM automation framework enables Magenta Telekom to inject data, services, and existing and proven optimization algorithms into an automated end-to-end process to speed up a variety of tasks. For instance, if traffic exceeds a particular threshold, the algorithms will detect this and automatically adjust cell parameters to help balance the load. The new framework can be customized to automate a variety of network optimization tasks for immediate cost savings, while also improving network performance.

“Magenta Telekom has always been an industry innovator that’s willing to think outside of the box,” stated Atul Jain, CEO of TEOCO. “These new automation capabilities will allow them to optimize their network operations for the many opportunities that lie ahead. We are looking forward to working on more exciting projects with them in the future.”

About TEOCO

TEOCO is a leading provider of analytics, assurance, planning, and optimization solutions to over 300 communication service providers (CSPs) worldwide.  Our solutions enable the digital transformation of CSPs while enhancing their network QoS, improving their customer experience and reducing their operational costs.

Through advanced analytics, TEOCO products provide actionable and measurable insights into network and customer behaviour. This includes the optimization, effective monetization, and delivery of new and existing services, such as 5G.

Our commitment to network flexibility and agility makes TEOCO the obvious choice for CSPs looking to maximize the revenue potential of 5G investments and capitalize on new opportunities tied to the emerging Internet of Things (IoT).

For more information please visit: www.teoco.com

About Magenta Telekom

Magenta Telekom (T-Mobile Austria GmbH) is a leading provider of internet and mobile communications, entertainment, and business solutions in Austria. The company has around 2,500 employees and generated revenues of 1.391 billion Euro in 2022.

As part of the Deutsche Telekom Group, the company benefits from the innovative strength and financial stability of the Group, one of the world’s largest players in the telecoms market. In the 2022 financial year, the Group generated revenue of 114.4 billion Euro. Magenta Telekom acts as a competence center for the Internet of Things (IoT) for the entire Deutsche Telekom Group.

For more information, visit www.magenta.at