SpaceX has informed customers that they’ve launched a new variant of their Starlink for RVs (Recreational Vehicles / Motorhomes) product via their constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) based ultrafast broadband ISP satellites, which includes new hardware that enables the service to be used while in-motion. Starlink’s network currently has around 3,200 LEO satellites in […]

With traditional revenue streams failing to deliver substantial growth, telcos must leverage their networks to find new opportunities beyond their normal scope – but where does the hunt begin?

In this age of 5G and gigabit fibre, the dynamics of the telecoms industry are rapidly evolving. New technologies are offering new opportunities, enabling use cases and business models that were unthinkable just a few short years ago. From the rise of private networks, allowing telcos to offer bespoke solutions to enterprises and industries, to the emerging field of extended reality, there are no shortage of new revenue streams for telcos to maximise.

But as the opportunities for telcos increase, so too does their competition. Hyperscalers, cloud players, software specialists, hardware vendors – all of these and more are moving circumvent the telcos, increasingly offering their own solutions directly to enterprise customers.

So, how can telcos differentiate themselves and bring customers more meaningful, personalised services? Ultimately, how can they go beyond simple connectivity to better engage their partners and customers?

On the morning of Day 2 of Total Telecom Congress, the opening keynote panel session will discuss these fascinating topics, exploring the lessons from the industry’s successes so far and what must be done to ensure success in the future.

“The session will be incredibly valuable to attendees because it’s about what we need to do now in practice to be successful in 2023 and beyond. And it is not just ‘more of the same’”, explained Andrew Collinson, Executive Director & Chief Research Officer of STL Partners and moderator of the upcoming session.

“This is a critical time for the industry. Customers face urgent challenges in the global economy, in security and sustainability. Telecoms can take key roles beyond connectivity in addressing these challenges, and others too – but it is a choice. My view is that if they don’t choose to do more, they will become increasingly marginalised as the industry becomes increasingly modular and cloudified, and other players will do more of the things that customers value. And the world will be a worse place for it, too.

I am excited about finding out from the presenters (and attendees) what key steps we need to take now – and what lessons they’ve learned that helped them succeed.”

Panellists

Willem Brinkert, Co-Founder, RegioHELP

Henri Korpi, EVP International Digital Services, Elisa

Shaima Alhamed, Chief Commercial Officer, BNET Bahrain Network

Antonio Ivankovic, Chief Commercial Officer, GO Plc

 

Total Telecom Congress will take place in the Business Design Centre, London, on the 1st–2nd November. Check out the agenda and book your place today.

 

The post Going beyond connectivity: A Total Telecom Congress keynote teaser first appeared on Total Telecom.

News

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has awarded an operating licence to Malcel, with the new mobile player eying a commercial launch in October 2023

With only two mobile network operators (MNOs), Airtel Malawi and Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM), the Malawi telecoms sector has been struggling to introduce competition for almost 20 years.

This week the hunt for a third operator is finally over, with MACRA officially licencing Malcel to provide mobile services throughout the country.

The new operator, founded by CEO Bonface Ndawala, says it will invest over $280 million into the country in the next five years, aiming to roll out over 1,300 sites in both urban and rural areas during this period.

The infrastructure rollout itself will begin later this year, with the company targeting a commercial launch is for October 2023.

Malcel is majority owned (60%) by Eferio Communications, a Scandinavian telco group focussing on launching local mobile network operators, mobile virtual network enablers, and mobile virtual network operators in Sub-Saharan Africa. The remaining 40% equityis split between investment firm Bedrock Holdings (30%) and local and international stakeholders (10%).

“Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Malcel for successfully acquiring the mobile network licence, it is my hope that this will induce competition in the telecommunications industry which will level the playing field and yield effective communication services for the ICT consumer,” said Malawi’s Minister of Information, Gospel Kazako. “I urge Malcel to roll out their services with speed as consumers are anxious to see new services […] My plea to Malcel is that you must not get into the trap of concentrating your operations in urban areas because rural people also need ICT services.”

The company has also registered the mobile money firm MCASH within the country, presumably indicating Malcel’s intent to fight for a share of this burgeoning market against its rivals existing services, TNM Mpamba and Airtel Money Malawi.

In related news, MACRA has also awarded an operating licence to SpaceX’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite subsidiary Starlink, with the company having applied for permission back in February.

Malawi will join Nigeria and Mozambique among the first African nations to give the LEO satellite service the green light.

As connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to improve, the role of the continent’s telcos is becoming more diverse, from providing mobile banking services to business support. Join the operators in discussion on the intricacies of the African market at this year’s live Total Telecom Congress

Also in the news:
How smart city technology is transforming Sunderland
Vodafone announces flurry of Open RAN partnerships
Saudi Public Investment Firm seeks majority stake in STC towerco

The post Newcomer Malcel set to break mobile duopoly in Malawi first appeared on Total Telecom.

Broadband ISP and mobile operator EE UK has today moved to improve the online and offline security of their internet connected customers by introducing a number of new products, including a new Norton powered online “Cyber Security” solution and a “Smart Home Security” (alarm etc.) system powered by Verisure. The first product we’re going to […]

The parents of ISP Virgin Media (Liberty Global) and mobile operator O2 (Telefonica) are reportedly considering a sale of their 50% stake in mast operator Cornerstone, which is part of a network sharing agreement with Vodafone (Vantage Towers). The extra funding would be used to help fuel their UK rollout of full fibre (FTTP) broadband. […]

The World Broadband Association (WBBA), which is a multilateral and industry-led association, recently published a new white paper that predicts residential broadband packages will be offering connection speeds of “up to” 50Gbps (Gigabits / sec) by 2030, while enterprise speeds will be “up to” 3.2Tbps (Terabits / sec). The report (Next-Generation Broadband Roadmap), which acknowledges […]

Fern Trading-backed broadband ISP Giganet (Cuckoo), which is investing £250m to build a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across the South of England, has today confirmed that they’re investing £20m to reach more than 18,500 homes in Hurstpierpoint and Storrington (West Sussex). The operator’s current plan is to cover a total of 300,000 premises […]

The Perth & Kinross Council (PKC) in central Scotland has announced that they’re seeking “expressions of interest” from suppliers (ISPs and network builders etc.) to help extend the benefits of gigabit-capable broadband connectivity to “nearly” 10,000 homes and business premises across the city. The plan appears to be based around opening up access to the […]

Interview

As telcos look to expand their portfolios and improve their offerings to customers, many are looking to space and how satellite connectivity can bolster their propositions. BT’s Space Strategy Lead, Mauro Mortali shares his take on the satellite opportunity for the telco sector.

Can you tell us about your role at your BT?

I wear two hats – I lead on Public Sector Strategy within BT Enterprise, our UK B2B Customer Facing Unit, where I am responsible for strategy development across BT’s Public Sector segments of Central & Local Government, Health, Public Safety & Justice, and Defence.

I am also BT’s Space Strategy lead, where I am responsible for our strategy for exploiting the commercial opportunity from Space, and taking a lead role in supporting the UK Space Agenda. 

What does it mean to be a modern telco according to BT?  

We operate in a rapidly changing environment. By understanding key trends we can take advantage of opportunities as they arise and act quickly to reduce risks where necessary. Growing demand from customers and for digital workspaces means a growth on the reliance of connectivity. All of this means that seamless, ‘always on’ connectivity and greater data consumption are here to stay too.

Shaping how customers interact with the digital world by always pushing forward the next generation of networks and technology. In the UK, 5G and full fibre rollout continues at pace and high capacity, high speed networks will support greater consumption of connectivity. These technologies open up new opportunities for BT like 5G private networks.

Digitalisation and the shift to cloud technology is changing the way our customers live. Businesses are continuing to digitise, with communication and collaboration tools, and with shifts to cloud technology, AI and machine learning, which are a critical part of new solutions and BT’s operations.

BT places a focus on connection through our devices, machines and sensors, each aspect plays an ever increasing role in our homes and in our workplaces. Alongside this, edge computing is changing how people and machines connect and what can be done with these connections.

Traditional telcos and new entrants in the consumer and enterprise connectivity markets continue to drive intense competition. Competitive markets are ever present in all our active markets and as connectivity and digital service markets intertwine, we continue to face a larger and wider set of competitors – big and small.

Furthermore, we care about our impact environmental and socially, as consumers, companies and other entities have an expectation that we uphold our social responsibilities and trust that we will aim to make positive environmental changes. As well as our social and environmental impact, we have to adapt to the continuous uncertainty present in our current economic climate. We have to work to deliver the best results we can during times of inflation, investment loss and smaller budget costs.

Lastly, a key part of being a modern telco like BT is having an increased focus on data privacy and the threats posed by cyber security. Every day, consumers, businesses and regulators want more insight and transparency on how and where their personal information is being used and why it’s being kept. An ever-growing amount of cyber-attacks and data breaches in the past year highlight the importance of having a trusted provider like BT to help prepare, identify, mitigate and manage threats.

As the Space Strategy Lead for BT, what is the opportunity? And do you foresee any potential barriers?  

Space is a very exciting area now – there is significant public and private investment going into the sector. Much lower cost access to space is democratising space, so we are seeing lots of interesting start ups coming to market in areas beyond traditional satellite connectivity, e.g. in space manufacturing. 

Additionally, technical limitations around latency are being removed through the emergence of Low Earth Orbit satellites and High Altitude Pseudo Platforms, so these are becoming more viable options for remote / rural connectivity as well use for cases around resiliency. 

We are also seeing an ever increasing convergence between terrestrial and non- terrestrial connectivity, facilitated by 5G 3GPP standards, which will make it easier to integrate satellite into fixed and mobile networks.

The main barrier remains that of cost of satellite capacity – the removal of technical limitations is a significant step forward, but cost can still be prohibitive. 

You’re speaking in the closing keynote panel about the need to collaborate and re-align the communications eco-system. Can you give us some insight into your views on this subject when approaching it from a satellite connectivity perspective rather than terrestrial?  

In a world of Internet of Things, network coverage goes beyond population coverage to geographic coverage, and there is no one silver bullet for rural / remote connectivity. It will be about bringing together the most appropriate earth, air and space based technologies and integrating them seamlessly to be able to deliver end to end services for both consumer and business customers. 

In a country like the UK with very high levels of terrestrial coverage, air and space based technologies will only ever be a small part of an overall solution, but none the less they will play a critical role both in terms of connecting hard to reach locations and providing additional resilience.

What are you looking forward to at Total Telecom Congress next month? 

Seeing and meeting my peers in person. Being inspired.

Mauro and 1,000 senior global connectivity leaders will be meeting in London on 1st and 2nd November for Total Telecom Congress 2022. Head to the event website to find out how to join.

The post The sky’s the limit for BT first appeared on Total Telecom.

NEWS

The government has rejected the proposed remedies initially offered by the two Canadian telcos, suggesting further measures are needed to maintain market competition

Back in March 2021, Rogers Communications agreed to purchase its rival Shaw Communications for $21 billion including debt, a move that would reduce the Canadian mobile market from four players to three.

The deal was immediately controversial, with detractors arguing that the merger would lead to less choice and higher prices for consumers.

Rogers and Shaw, meanwhile, held that the merger would not lead to higher prices for consumers, would create roughly 3,000 jobs in Western Canada, and accelerate the national rollout of 5G technology. They also suggested that the move would generate roughly C$1 billion in synergies.

While the deal quickly received the green light from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, approval from the national Competition Bureau was less forthcoming. Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell said that the deal threatened “to under the significant progress [the Commission] has made introducing more competition into an already concentrated wireless services market”.

As such, remedies to this regulatory quagmire have been sought throughout 2021, most of which being centred on the future of Shaw’s mobile unit, Freedom Mobile.

In May, Shaw and Rogers proposed divesting in some of Freedom’s wireless assets, but when this was rejected, the duo pivoted quickly to sell the unit in its entirety. By June, the pair had struck a deal with Quebecor, owner of wireless operator Vidéotron, who had offered to purchase the unit for C$2.85 billion – at a price significantly below analyst estimations.

However, this too has proved insufficient to placate the regulator, with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, this week saying that yet more conditions will be needed if approval is to be granted.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Champagne said that Vidéotron must commit to holding the Freedom Mobile unit for a minimum of 10 years, as well as pledging to offer their new customers in Western Canada prices similar to those offered in Quebec.

“I would expect to see prices for wireless service in Ontario and Western Canada comparable to what Videotron is currently offering in Quebec, which are today on average 20% lower than in the rest of Canada,” said Champagne.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Quebecor’s CEO, Pierre Karl Péladeau, said the company would comply with these stipulations, saying they were “in line with our business philosophy”.

The news will come as something of a blow to Shaw and Rogers, who had initially hoped to transfer all of Shaw’s spectrum licences to Rogers as part of the deal. This was always highly optimistic, however, with the government indicating very early on in the regulatory process that it was loathe to allow the new entity such a dominant market position.

“Earlier this year, I stated that I would—under no circumstances—permit the wholesale transfer of wireless spectrum licences from Shaw to Rogers,” said Champagne in a statement this week. “Today, I officially denied that request, which had been pending before me.”

Also in the news:
How smart city technology is transforming Sunderland
Vodafone announces flurry of Open RAN partnerships
Saudi Public Investment Firm seeks majority stake in STC towerco

The post Canadian govt applies more conditions to Rogers­–Shaw merger first appeared on Total Telecom.