Rural UK broadband ISP Gigaclear has announced that their ongoing £38m investment to expand their UK Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network into Buckinghamshire (England), which has already covered around 19,000 premises, is being extended to reach 1,700 homes in the village of Great Missenden. But they’re not alone. The first deployment work in Great Missenden is due […]

Press Release

BT Group’s Digital Unit today announces it is working with Kyndryl on a cutting-edge program to move a number of the Group’s mainframe applications which service its legacy copper business and consumer broadband products to the cloud.

The unique and complex project will see the Digital unit move critical legacy applications that cannot be shut down in the short term to the cloud, allowing it to operate its copper broadband infrastructure in a modern way. The ten-year partnership, which draws on Kyndryl’s hyperscaler capabilities and partner ecosystem, will allow BT Group to reduce mainframe operating costs and energy consumption by 70%, leading to savings worth more than £17m a year by 2026.

“We like thinking out of the box to solve complex problems – like how to move off mainframes given the prohibitive increase in legacy infrastructure cost – without rewriting decades-old applications,” explains Harmeen Mehta, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at BT Group. “With that mindset, working with Kyndryl, we figured out how to turn legacy mainframes into modern digital apps and run them at a fraction of the cost.”

Kyndryl, which currently runs BT Group’s mainframe estate, extends its partnership with BT to deliver the transformation project by 2026, accelerating the drive to reduce cost and open up data insights within these key applications. As part of the project, some applications are being “retired” (contributing to the Group’s target to get to fewer than 500 strategic systems by 2027, simplifying its technology estate), “refactored” (redeveloped into BT Group’s existing strategic systems and architecture) or rehosted (repackaged to operate in a cloud environment).

In moving to the cloud, the applications will become more “digital” with application programming interface (API) and micro-services capabilities developed to help integrate the value of data across wider BT Group systems and drive innovation through automation, while lowering costs. Applications will be hooked into BT Group’s service management platform, and support its “AIOps” self-healing IT estate model, reducing the risk of downtime and accelerating and automating fixes. It will enhance other applications’ ability to call on data and capabilities within the mainframe applications, giving rise to more seamless customer experiences, supporting customers with the migration to modern fibre services as the legacy copper networks are retired in the years ahead.

“It’s exciting to be partnering with BT Group on such an ambitious and critical programme. Migrating from mainframes to cloud extends the usefulness and lifespan of these applications in a modern, micro-services led, cloud-centric way and helps unlock intelligent data insights. We’re excited to draw on our deep knowledge, ecosystem of partners and community of industry leading experts to help deliver this transformation,” comments Petra Goude, Global Practice Leader, Core Enterprise & zCloud, Kyndryl.

From cloudification to sustainability, join the operators in discussion around the hottest topics in telecoms at this year’s live Connected North conference

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News

The vendor says its continued investments will help it to gain market share when demand begins to rise again next year

When the coronavirus pandemic first struck back in 2020, it quickly wreaked havoc for production lines around the world. For the slow-moving juggernauts of the semiconductor industry, the impact was dramatic and immediate, forcing the closure of various fabs and creating a vicious supply crisis, the reverberations of which can still be felt to this day.

Now, roughly three years on, the semiconductor crisis is gradually easing for many customers, aided in no small part by favourable policies and subsidies promoted by governments, who increasingly view chip production as a key element of technological sovereignty.

Indeed, in South Korea, the world’s second largest semiconductor producing nation, chip manufacturers are now, ironically, facing a new challenge: oversupply.

Since the global economic downturn last year, demand for electronic goods has decreased dramatically, leaving the nation’s chipmakers with a significant surplus of memory chips.

At the end of last year, the South Korea’s chip production decreased for the fourth consecutive month, leading many manufacturers, including SK Telecom’s chip unit SK Hynix, to slash their manufacturing spending in response.

But Samsung, it seems, views this supply crisis reversal as an opportunity, saying they will continue to invest heavily in their semiconductor conductor business this year in anticipation of future demand.

The company spent around $38.8 billion on its semiconductor business in 2022 and said they would aim to do similarly in 2023.

“The market conditions this year are not favourable as consumer sentiment weakens and companies prioritise financial soundness amid inflation and higher interest rates,” said Samsung’s executive vice-president Jaejune Kim during an analyst call. “But this gives us a good opportunity to thoroughly prepare for the future. We will continue to invest in infrastructure to meet mid-to-long-term demand.”

Samsung says it expects demand to rise again towards the end of this year.

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News

The operator disputes the legitimacy of the $773 million tax bill forced upon it by the Ghana Revenue Authority

At the start of this year, the Ghanaian tax regulator announced that it was issuing MTN Ghana a bill of roughly $773 million, including penalties and interest, claiming the operator had underpaid its taxes for multiple years the previous decade.

The announcement came following the Ghana Revenue Authority’s audit of the operator’s finances for the years 2014–2018, with the regulator finding that MTN had under-declared its revenue by around 30% during this period.

“The base component of the assessment (that is, excluding penalties and interest), on MTN Ghana’s analysis, infers that MTN Ghana under-declared its revenue by approximately 30% over the audit period,” explained the regulator in a statement.

MTN “strongly disputes” these findings, saying they are inaccurate and made use of a flawed methodology.

“It is important to also emphasise that we believe MTN Ghana has paid its due taxes during this period under assessment,” MTN’s CEO Ralph Mupita told analysts at a meeting earlier this month.

Legal proceedings are ongoing to resolve the situation.

This week, however, the South African government has begun to weigh in on the dispute, urging the two parties to find an ‘amicable solution’ to the conflict.

The international relations and cooperation minister Dr Naledi Pandor called for fairness in resolving the legal battle, arguing that greater cooperation was needed between the two countries, especially in the telecommunications sector.

“Our common destiny, as outlined in the Agenda 2063 aspirations, depend on win-win intra-African collaboration and cooperation,” she said.

Agenda 2063 is a set of initiatives currently under implementation by the African Union, aimed at improving the continent’s economy and promoting closer collaboration between nations. The plan includes numerous flagship projects, ranging from the establishment of a high-speed continental rail network to the creation of a Great African Museum.

Crucially, many of these projects are directly tied to the telecoms industry, such as the creation of a pan-African digital data network, collaboration on cybersecurity, and the establishment of an open, digital Pan-African University.

In related news, it should also be noted that Ghana is currently experiencing a major economic crisis, with inflation rising above 50% and the government seeking financial aid from the International Monetary Fund. If ever there was a time when the government could do with a financial windfall, this is undeniably it.

Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom daily newsletter

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Openreach recently began a new Shallow Build Trial in Great Britain (excluding N.Ireland) for their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which we think could make it possible for the operator to expand their network into areas that might normally be too challenging due to high deployment costs and risk. The trial was actually first announced […]

Network operator and UK broadband ISP Lit Fibre, which aims to reach 500,000 homes by 2026 with their 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, has today announced that they’ve added the towns of Watford (Hertfordshire) and Basildon (Essex) in England to their rollout plan. The provider, which started their deployment in 2021 and is being backed […]

News

The operator says it is the first US operator to make such a commitment

This week, T-Mobile has announced its latest sustainability goals, aiming to reduce its emissions to net-zero across its entire carbon footprint by 2040.

Crucially, this new goal encompasses not only Scope 1 and 2 emissions – those generated directly by the company’s own operations and indirectly by the company’s purchased electricity – but also Scope 3 emissions, those caused by the company’s wider supply chain, its employees, and its customers.

These Scope 3 emissions currently account for two-thirds of the company’s carbon footprint.

The goals have reportedly been validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) using their Net-Zero Standard framework.

“While T-Mobile’s net-zero goal is a decades-long endeavor, we know how important it is to take definitive actions now to reduce our environmental impact for future generations,” said Janice Kapner, chief communications and corporate responsibility officer at T-Mobile. “We’re committed to measurable progress and holding ourselves accountable with strong governance practices, consistent and transparent reporting, and ongoing collaboration with leading sustainability experts.”

In addition to announcing their new net-zero goals, T-Mobile also revealed that that they have signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reaching net-zero 10 years ahead of the timeline set out by The Paris Agreement. As part of this pledge, the company has agreed to measure and report its greenhouse gas emissions regularly, implement various decarbonisation strategies, and eliminate any remaining emissions with “additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial offsets”.

It is worth noting here that T-Mobile’s progress towards this goal is already well underway, with the company having used nothing but renewable energy for around a year now.

T-Mobile’s largest rivals, AT&T and Verizon, meanwhile, have announced their own sustainability targets, though neither of them have announced plans to eliminate Scope 3 emissions.

Verizon, is aiming to reach net-zero operational emissions by 2035, including a 53% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions between 2019 and 2030. It is also aiming for half of its total energy consumption to be derived from renewable sources by 2025.

Since December 2019, the operator has announced numerous Renewable Energy Purchase Agreements, amounting to roughly 2.6 GW, with the latest deal being struck earlier this year.

AT&T has similar goals, aiming for carbon neutrality across its own operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2035. The operator said it would achieve this target by focussing on using renewable energy, bolstering energy efficiency, and reducing fleet emissions through optimisation and the introduction of hybrid and electric vehicles.

Are US operators doing enough to reduce their carbon footprint and promote a more sustainable future? Join the experts in discussion at this year’s live Connected America conference

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The trial aims to validate Stratospheric Platforms Ltd (SPL)’s High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) antenna technology’s viability to provide 4G and 5G connectivity over BT’s network

Today, BT has announced the company’s latest step towards providing non-terrestrial network connectivity, testing the capabilities of SPL’s latest antenna to connect to BT’s terrestrial mobile networks.

This antenna, if successful, will ultimately be deployed on a HAPS vehicle: essentially a flying mobile base station that will operate from the Earth’s stratosphere, above commercial air traffic but below satellites. From this advantageous position, HAPS will theoretically be able to deliver high quality mobile connectivity over a wide area.

In SPL’s case, the company claims its technology will be able to provide speeds of up to 150Mbps across a range roughly 15,000 square kilometres – the same coverage as roughly 450 terrestrial mobile masts.

Naturally, this far-reaching connectivity will be primarily used to deliver connectivity to hard-to-reach areas where conventional infrastructure is too difficult or expensive to deploy. However, HAPS aircrafts’ pilotable nature also offers a high level of flexibility, allowing for rapid deployment to areas with a temporarily high need for connectivity, such a during a music concert or in the wake of a disaster relief.

While the concept of HAPS connectivity has been around for many years, to date the technology remains largely unproven, a fact that BT and SPL are seeking to rectify.

For this trial, however, the duo will not be taking to the skies just yet.

The test, which will take place at BT’s Adastral Park HQ, will involve deploying SPL’s phased array antenna on a tall building, simulating it being located on a HAPS. From there, the technology will be connected to BT’s 5G network via the company’s Open RAN testbed. The test will include supporting multiple user groups and different potential use cases, concurrently on the same network.

The trial builds on a demonstration by SPL last year which saw one of the company’s masts deployed on a civilian aircraft, from where it facilitated 5G video calling and messaging for around five hours.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with SPL to start realising the huge potential of HAPS aircraft to further strengthen our UK 4G and 5G network technology leadership,” said Tim Whitley, Managing Director Research and Network Strategy at BT Group. “This highly innovative and transformative project has the potential to further enhance our UK 4G and 5G footprint, which is already the largest and most reliable in the UK, to connect unserved rural areas and enable exciting new use cases for private users.”

How long it will take for the partnership between BT and SPL to realise commercial value, however, remains to be seen.

SPL is currently developing its own hydrogen-powered HAPS vehicle, Stratomast, which it claims will be able to fly continuously for over a week once completed. The company has previously said it would target a commercial launch for this vehicle by 2026.

It is worth noting, however, that SPL is not the only company exploring the use of HAPS for mobile connectivity. Earlier this month, Airbus announced it was preparing to spin off its own HAPS development unit, dubbed Aalto, calling for new investors to help scale up the business.

In contrast to Stratomast, Airbus’s solar-powered Zephyr HAPS vehicle has already demonstrated over 26 days of continuous flight, aiming to increase this figure to six months before commercialisation. The company says Zephyr is already “at the final design stage” and should be ready for commercial operations by the end of the year.

As the race to rollout 5G draws to a close, could a race to the skies be next?

Keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

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Mobile operator Three UK has today launched a new range of ‘Three Your Way‘ plans, which allows new customers to choose to pay for their device over a 12, 24 or even 36-month period, as well as to choose one of three, 12 or 24-month Airtime plans, each of which comes with their own range […]

VIEWPOINT

In order to keep up with all the changes that are happening in the telecommunications industry, you need to be vigilant and flexible, to be the first notice changes and then adjust the activities of your telecom business to accommodate them. Comarch has been supporting companies in their efforts to optimize and facilitate processes since 1992. Discover our experts’ predictions about the industry in 2023.

Why is it important to be future-oriented?

If you want to be one step ahead of your industry competitors, you should focus on anticipating trends that may happen in a given period of time, for example, in one year. Thanks to this, you can plan your business easily, and estimate  costs and workforce and expert requirements more precisely. The last aspect is particularly important due to the decreasing availability of employees with experience and knowledge. This shortage slows down the process of teaching new specialists, which in turn may limit access to their valuable skills.

As you can see, proper planning of company activities, not only in the telecommunications industry, can protect you from stress and prevent you from acting blindly.

Telco predictions for 2023

Take advantage of the help of experts who spend a lot of time observing and analyzing changes in the market. Thanks to this, they are able to predict what trends will emerge in 2023. These include the wider use of AI, the growing role of digital twins, and OSS systems modernization.

Taking advantage of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the areas that will gain the most value in 2023. Its role will increase especially in the case of chatbots. It is no longer surprising that communication in virtual space can take place without the participation of a human on the other side. Experts predict that 2023 will be a breakthrough in terms of the use of AI in communication on the business to business (B2B) market.

Have you already met digital twins?

The concept of digital twins is to develop both digital and physical entities that are synchronized with each other in real time.  This presents a huge challenge for CSPs, who need to expand their activities and offer more attractive operations. Therefore, 2023 will be an opportunity for development – but one that only telecoms truly oriented towards the future can handle.

Trust your smartphone

Nowadays, a smartphone can be considered as a third hand. We perform many operations in private and professional life from these small devices. Zero-touch provisioning and AI/ML-based assurance are not enough. The changes are essential to be able to serve more complicated areas, such as updating data on the fly or browsing processing tasks.

Want to find out more predictions for the telecommunications industry for 2023?

Don’t hesitate to download Comarch’s free eBook, entitled “To the Future! Predictions for 2023 in the Telco Industry”. Let’s shape the future together!