Some 40 homes on the remote Scottish Isle of Coll, which is home to around 200 people, have been left without broadband until at least Monday because Openreach’s engineers cannot safely reach the island by boat in order to repair their niche Wireless-to-the-Cabinet (WTTC) network. Some homes have now been offline for 3 weeks. Between […]

News

The Department of Justice (DoJ) revealed that the two Chinese intelligence agents had been arrested and charged for trying to steal files related to an ongoing investigation into Huawei

This week, the DoJ has unsealed documents relating to the arrest and charging of two Chinese nationals believed to be intelligence officers for the Chinese government.

The document alleges that two individuals, Dong He and Zheng Wang, employed by Huawei in the US, were planning to steal sensitive information pertaining to an ongoing investigation into Huawei from the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

According to the government documents, beginning in 2019, Dong He and Zheng Wang attempted to recruit a US government employee, tasking the individual with sharing confidential information related to an ongoing investigation into Huawei.

In September 2021, they urged the employee to report on confidential meeting being held with US prosecutors, with a particular interest on which Huawei employees had been interviewed by the US government in relation to the case, as well as the prosecution’s evidence and strategy.

One month later, the employee sent Dong He a single page of what was supposedly an internal strategy memorandum from the US Attorney’s Office, for which Dong He paid the employee $41,000 in bitcoin.

A second payment of $20,000 in bitcoin was sent to the employee by He in September 2022 as a “reward”

However, unbeknownst to both Dong He and Zheng Wang, the government employee was working as a double agent on behalf of the FBI and the document had been fabricated.

Now, arrest warrants have been issued for the two men; if prosecuted, Dong He could face up to 40 years in prison and Zheng Wang could face 20 years.

“Today’s complaint underscores the unrelenting efforts of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] government to undermine the rule of law,” said US Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “As alleged, the case involves an effort by PRC intelligence officers to obstruct an ongoing criminal prosecution by making bribes to obtain files from this Office and sharing them with a global telecommunications company that is a charged defendant in an ongoing prosecution. We will always act decisively to counteract criminal acts that target our system of justice.”

The US government has been fighting legal battles with Huawei since 2018, ultimately deciding in 2020 to ban the use of US government funding for procuring, extending, or renewing contracts with the Chinese vendor.

Since then, the relations between the two parties have remained tense, catalysed in part by the lengthy trial of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s CFO and daughter of fonder Ren Zhengfei. Meng was detained and placed under house arrest in Canada, having been charged with fraud by the DoJ, who sought her extradition to the US. A deal was eventually struck that allowed Meng to return to China late last year.

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 DoJ charges Chinese spies in relation to Huawei investigation first appeared on Total Telecom.

Press Release

Nokia this week announced the extension of its existing relationship with the world’s largest power utility, State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), with the selection of its Optical Transport Network (OTN) solutions

SGCC will deploy Nokia’s optical technology across Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, creating a world-class OTN backbone with the capacity, operational efficiency and intelligence required to support the Chinese power grid and provide highly-reliable service to its broad customer base.

SGCC supplies electrical power to more than 1.1 billion people across 26 provinces, covering 88% of Chinese national territory. As power utilities such as SGCC adopt the Internet of Things (IoT) in the creation of smart grids, both bandwidth and complexity increase. The Nokia solution, which consists of Nokia’s family of 1830 Photonic Service Switch-x (PSS-x) P-OTN, enables SGCC to swiftly transition to this new reality, improving overall reliability of the power grid and achieving a significant reduction in daily operating costs. Through automation, the utility is able to monitor electrical power production and distribution status in real time, using IoT sensors throughout their infrastructure. SGCC is also able to harness new energy sources such as solar, water and wind by connecting and monitoring these energy generation and storage systems across its wide geography.

With a cost-effective small footprint and low power consumption, the portfolio’s design plays a critical role in realizing China’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. The Nokia optical transport portfolio provides scalable WDM capabilities from 100G to 600G per wavelengths, which eliminates the need for costly, disruptive replacements and minimizes product waste.

Markus Bochert, President of Nokia Greater China:“The Nokia solution is one of the most agile and efficient optical transport networks available today. With this mission-critical network, the State Grid Corporation of China now has the flexibility to transition beyond 100G when and how it chooses, leveraging unmatched operational and environmental efficiencies as it automates and modernizes across its geographies.”

Nokia has deployed mission-critical networks to more than 2,200 leading enterprise customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, webscale, and public sector segments around the globe. It has also extended its expertise to more than 515 large private wireless customers worldwide across an array of sectors and has been cited by numerous industry analysts as the leading provider of private wireless networking worldwide.

The post first appeared on Total Telecom.

VIEWPOINT

The 5G ecosystem continues to grow, with the service providers expanding the 5G network and more service providers beginning to offer 5G services. There are now around 230 5G networks and 800 5G phone models in the world, catering to more than 760 million 5G subscribers.

There has been a definite acceleration in the business success of the service providers from 2021 till now. At the recent Huawei MBBF 2022, Peng Song, President – ICT Strategy and Marketing at Huawei, elaborated on the key success factors of 5G in his speech on 5G Business Success is Accelerating.

“G.U.I.D.E. is a strategy for operators who strive for success. It aims for efficient Gbps experience to 5G networks, cross-generational experience, automatic Operation & Maintenance(O&M), on-demand customization, and green network,” says Peng Song in his speech.

Huawei introduced the G.U.I.D.E. model some time back which stands for Gigaverse Initiative, Ultra-automation Speed-up, Intelligent Computing & Network as a Service, Differentiated Experience On-demand, and ESG More Bits Less Watts. It is designed to build ubiquitous gigabit connectivity, accelerate automation, and provide intelligent computing and networks as a service, offering differentiated experiences and enabling sustainability with green ICT.

The second factor is 5G user migration for large-scale business development. 5G can help the service providers boost Data of Usage (DOU) to ensure better profits. Further, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) also gives service providers more growth avenues. The services can further boost this growth by exploring new use cases in 5G to consumer, 5G to Home and 5G to Business scenarios.

Boosting 5G toC monetization

With the accelerated development of 5G toC in the past year, leading operators have finetuned their strategy to monetize their 5G investments. While the telcos have been using data as the primary way to monetize Mobile Broadband (MBB) since 4G, 5G offers new opportunities to monetize their investments.

Peng Song elaborated on the new ways in which telcos can improve revenues. “In today’s era of live streaming, charging by uplink speed is also a significant strategy. For instance, German operators offer special tariffs to ensure a seamless live-streaming experience. On the other hand, a Chinese operator has tariffs to monetize low latency sought after by gamers,” says Peng Song.

Peng Song, President – ICT Strategy and Marketing at Huawei

Further, the 5G ecosystem allows the service providers to monetize new content and applications. Nearly 45% of 5G operators include OTT content in their 5G packages to improve their attractiveness.

The service providers can further boost revenue by feature content bundling. Peng Song shared the example of South Korean operators who are going into 5G XR content production. Typically service providers are focusing on XR and metaverse for better monetization of 5G networks. However, there are other ways as 5G is transforming traditional services.

“5G has transformed traditional voice, SMS, and RBT into 5G call, 5G message, and 5G VRBT. These services are quickly monetized thanks to the exceptional experience they provide to their massive user base. When we look at video, traditional formats have also transformed into higher definition, spatial, interactive formats that fascinate consumers. New business models such as freeview streaming have been released in multiple markets,” elaborated Peng Song in his speech.

Seizing 5G to Home Opportunity 

Another crucial market for 5G services is 5G to the home, which is growing at breakneck speed. The number of 5G FWA users will reach 7 million by 2022 and 65 million by 2026, with a CAGR higher than 65%.

“Compared with 4G FWA, 5G FWA differentiates into two scenarios. One is Premium Home, which provides concurrent gaming and high-quality video. In addition, operators monetize multiple network capabilities including downlink, uplink, and latency,” says Peng Song.

Growing the revenue from enterprise segment 

In the 5G to business segment, the private network revenue of the telcos continues to grow. The 5G private network revenue of the Chinese operators will exceed CNY9 billion or USD1.3 billion.

“Apart from widespread deployment inside China, 5GtoB has grown quickly overseas. There are over 100 mobile private networks deployed by operators out of China, and this number has doubled compared with last year,” says Peng Song. Today, 5G private networks are widely launched in over 10 vertical industries, and the virtual private networks with slicing technologies can bring down the time to market are particularly apt for energy, logistics and smart city applications.

As a technology, 5G is growing at a much faster rate than 4G. Since 5G was commercially launched three years ago, 5G to consumer users have grown seven times faster than 4G. 5G has covered more population, and there are more 5G devices compared to 4G in the same period. Similarly, 5G FWA subscribers will reach seven million with a CAGR as high as 65%, and 5G toB subscribers will also continue to grow exponentially. All this represents new opportunities for the service providers.

 

The post 5G monetization opportunities continue to grow first appeared on Total Telecom.

VIEWPOINT

Industry partnership together with some carriers, universities, research councils etc., jointly released Research on the Trends of Data Communication Network for 2030 (White paper for short) at UBBF 2022.

This white paper proposes the vision of Net5.5G industry development, facilitating business success in the Net5.5G era. This helps global carriers improve service quality, expand service scope, and obtain more business opportunities in the era of enterprise digital transformation, thereby maintaining sustainable business growth.

“The White Paper is comprehensive in scale, covering key next generation applications and the fundamental network and technology building blocks required to achieve the 2030 vision. The 2030 advanced technology includes multi-domain AI, highly resilient, low latency performance,  ipv6 enhanced and a heterogeneous IoT environment. And networks must be high trust with very low power consumption per bit.”  Ian Redpath, Research Director, Omdia.

Net5.5G, as the vision of intergenerational network innovation and infrastructure evolution, uses E2E IPv6 enhanced networking to upgrade key network capabilities, Wi-Fi 7 access, E2E 800GE, deterministic networking, and application/computing awareness. The white paper highlights the role of network infrastructure is shifting from “information superhighways of the physical world” to a “neural system” that connects the physical and virtual worlds due to booming developments in ubiquitous AI computing, the metaverse, and digital twin applications. Meanwhile, the key scenario of technology innovation is extending from consumer Internet to all-industry industrial Internet, enabling smart manufacturing and industrial Internet applications in the intelligent connectivity of everything and inter-sensing of everything era. Net5.5G is responsible for bringing network infrastructure innovation into the digital world. It provides carriers enhanced private line services with additional functions, such as cloud-based trusted network, automated networks, committed SLAs, and value-added services such as LAN/WAN convergence, enabling new application scenarios such as AI, digital twin, and industry metaverse, thereby safeguarding the journey to the intelligent world.

The digital economy is driving unprecedented network changes, with heightened consumer and vertical industry expectations about digital applications enabled by networks for the next decade. New applications such as AI, metaverse, and industrial Internet require network infrastructure to provide new capabilities such as end-to-end deterministic experience, flexible multi-cloud interconnection, ubiquitous trusted access, and intelligent O&M. As networks expand in scale, their architecture become more complex. It is imperative to upgrade networks to meet the requirements from diversified digital scenarios.

Net5.5G is in line with the innovation vision of 2030-oriented networks in the data communication field. The whole industry should collaborate to build a thriving Net5.5G ecosystem by advancing the implementation of related technical standards and scenario-specific innovations. This will help global carriers to tap into new network scenarios and take their business to new sources of revenue streams.

 

The post White Paper Released at UBBF 2022, Facilitating the Evolution of Data Communication Networks to Net5.5G first appeared on Total Telecom.

Cityfibre has today revealed that they’ll invest £17 million over the next few years to ensure that “almost every home and business” in the Leicestershire (England) market town of Loughborough is covered by their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network. Construction work on the full fibre network is due to start in the Storer area, […]

Broadband ISP and Pay TV provider Octaplus (Octaplus Supercharged), which initially launched via MS3’s gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network in East Yorkshire during September (here), has now officially become “available in all locations” across CityFibre’s network where homes are ready for service. At present Cityfibre is investing £5bn+ to cover up to 8 million premises – […]

Press release

Enterprises deploying private networks set to benefit from software agent to automate IoT SIM and eSIM connectivity into and out of their network.

International connectivity and global IoT enabler BICS has partnered with Able Device, a pioneer in SIM-based mobile device application technology. The partnership will add SIMbae™, Able Device’s software agent for SIM and eSIMs, to BICS’ ecosystem of IoT services to make it easier for devices to switch between private and public networks on a global scale.

This technology will be invaluable to enterprises as they look to deploy private networks. Traditionally, devices moving between a private and public network would have to switch networks manually – often causing performance issues for M2M and IoT applications. Instead, SIMbae™ – an applet – sits on top of a SIM or eSIM and expands its capabilities to include things like swapping to stronger connections automatically as well as additional security features such as debugging and encryption.

“This partnership is another exciting development in the enterprise IoT space”, says Divya Ghai Wakankar, VP Enterprise Market and Marketing. “BICS’ IoT solution already makes device activation and connection effortless for its enterprise customers. Now the powerful combination with Able Device’s applet software harmonizes seamless mobility of next generation connected devices”.

Historically, SIMs have had limited value by nature of being passive processors that require external input to trigger a predefined function. SIMbae™ on the other hand represents a new generation of SIM cards, transforming them into active processors in IoT systems that don’t rely on external input. For enterprises, this is a unique technology piece that automates the more technical telecommunications aspects of the IoT and private networks – reducing the barriers to implementation.

“We’re very proud to be to be working with BICS to address the global market for enterprise mobility solutions”, said Roger Dewey, CEO of Able Device. “Our agreement illustrates the benefits and utility of SIMbae across the connected device solution value chain.”

BICS’ all-in-one IoT solution helps businesses reduce complexity when deploying global IoT solutions by managing the connection, control, and optimization of the SIM ecosystem through its “SIM for Things” platform. BICS supports IoT connectivity and roaming with its backbone network across over 200 countries, making it easy for businesses to connect IoT devices anywhere in the world.

As the use of connected devices by enterprises grows increasingly global and complex, BICS and Able Device aim to remove complexity for businesses and improve the performance of IoT applications through intelligent applications and an open global ecosystem for SIM and eSIM technology.

About BICS

As a leading communications platform company, BICS is connecting the world by creating reliable and secure mobile experiences anytime, anywhere. We are a global voice carrier and the leading provider of mobile data services worldwide. Our solutions are essential for supporting the modern lifestyle of today’s device-hungry consumer – from global mobile connectivity, seamless roaming experiences, fraud prevention and authentication, to global messaging and the Internet of Things. We are headquartered in Brussels, with a strong presence in Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Middle East.

For more information visit www.bics.com

About Able Device

Able Device is a provider of technology for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), IoT Service Providers, and mobile IoT device OEMs. Its flagship product SIMbae™ (short for “SIM based application engine”) enables hosting of IoT device controls and applications on standard SIMs. In this new architecture, the SIM is transformed to an intelligent independent processor. Based in Raleigh, NC, Able Device serves a global customer base.

For more information visit www.abledevice.com

Matteo Gatta, CEO of BICS will be joining the opening keynote panel at Total Telecom Congress on 1st November on “Building the modern telco”. Able Device will also be showcasing their innovative solutions on the Exhibition Floor. To find out how to join Matteo, Able Device and 1,000 senior connectivity leaders in London, head to the event website.

The post BICS and Able Device partner to simplify enterprise IoT first appeared on Total Telecom.

News

Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has struck a new partnership with the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre to explore the use of 4G and 5G drones to deliver emergency services in remote locations

The UK’s national parks are some of the most celebrated locations in the country, attracting millions of visitors every year to bask in their natural glory. But despite their popularity, many of these regions are lacking in crucial connectivity, particularly in some of their most mountainous areas, where deploying infrastructure is a challenge. This lack of connectivity represents a significant challenge for emergency services, with visitors often unable to contact help when lost or injured in the parks.

The scale of this problem should not be underestimated. Recent research from VMO2 indicates that 73% of British people have walked or hiked in a national park in 2022, with 31% saying they feared being unable to contact anyone if they got lost. The study also suggested that the number of Brits visiting these parks could soon increase, with 36% of respondents saying they would consider visiting a national park due to its inexpensive nature during the cost-of-living crisis.

Now, VMO2 is joining forces with the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre to test the latter’s ‘Dragon’ Unmanned Aircraft System as a potential flying base station, able to deliver 4G and 5G to visitors and emergency services.

The Dragon drone will not only be a relatively cheap and environmentally friendly way to provide connectivity to visitors but will also help provide emergency services with more precise location data for visitors in need of rescue, as well as picture sharing and video call capabilities. In some cases, this will allow lost visitors to be guided back to safety without the need to send out rescue personnel.

“Mountain Rescue is a volunteer service and there is only so much resource we have available to us. With more and more people visiting Snowdonia each year, a drone with mobile connectivity would be a powerful tool for the search and rescue teams to understand and assess a situation immediately, saving crucial time in life-threatening situations,” explained Paul Terry a Police Sergeant in the North Wales Police Drone Unit and Mountain Rescue volunteer.

“This project is a further example of how 5G technologies can provide real societal benefits for people around the UK, wherever they are. This trial could transform how emergency services operate and react to life-threatening situations, and make people feel safer while enjoying national parks,” explained Kirsty Bright, Director of Network Innovation and Transformation at VMO2. “We’ve already run our first successful test flights at the Llanbedr airport with the Snowdonia Aerospace team and look forward to demonstrating how it can support mountain rescue teams across Snowdonia.”

This drone project is currently funded by the Innovate UK Future Flight Challenge and a Department for Transport Drone Technology Research and Innovation Grant. In addition to VMO2 and Snowdonia Aerospace, the project also includes SwiftFlight Avionics, Wavemobile, and the Welsh Government.

VMO2 has been testing drones in an emergency services context for a while now, last year partnering with Swiss company Fotokite to trial 5G-connected tethered drones. These drones do not need a specialist operator and can fly 45 metres above an emergency site, providing emergency responders with live video feed of the surrounding area.

What role will 5G play in enabling drones for emergency services and beyond? Join the operators in discussion 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 VMO2 to test emergency services drones in Snowdonia first appeared on Total Telecom.

Broadband ISP and mobile operator Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has teamed up with the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre in Wales to trial 4G and 5G connected drones, which in an emergency could be deployed to help create a temporary airborne mobile network for both visitors and emergency services (Mountain Rescue). The trials are exploring how […]