IDC: Wi-Fi product shipments will grow to 4.1B in 2024

A report by IDC suggests that Wi-Fi products will see a surge in demand in 2024 following a lacklustre two years.

Pandemic-driven market changes caused an 8.6 percent growth in Wi-Fi-enabled product shipments in 2021, but this growth didn't last long.

In 2022, the decline in smartphone and PC shipments affected overall shipments for Wi-Fi-enabled products, causing them to fall for the first time in Wi-Fi's decades-long history. IDC’s data showed that Wi-Fi product...

Vodafone demos flying real drones in the metaverse over 5G

Vodafone has demonstrated how real-life drones can be piloted in the metaverse over a 5G network.

The low-latency aspect of 5G enables new use cases that were not possible over previous generation networks.

One early 5G application was cloud gaming. Longer-term, 5G combined with advancements in robotics will enable remote surgery when a patient isn’t expected to make it to a hospital or when a specialist is based elsewhere in the country (or even the...

CUJO AI: 67% of home networks are targeted every month

CUJO AI’s latest cybersecurity report states that over two-thirds of home networks are targeted by online threats every month.

The cybersecurity firm uses AI-powered software to protect networks. CUJO AI bases its annual reports on anonymised data from the 1.8 billion real-world devices that it defends.

Between 1 May 2002 and 1 November 2022, CUJO says it blocked over two billion threats. The average number of blocked threats swelled to 8,000 per...

CMA launches probe into Viasat-Inmarsat merger

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a probe into the merger of Viasat and Inmarsat.

Viasat first announced its intention to acquire Inmarsat for $7.3 billion in November 2021. To no surprise, the proposal attracted plenty of attention.

The combined entities would operate a fleet of 19 satellites that are currently in service. An additional 10 spacecraft are under construction and planned for launch within the next three years.

The...

BT inks deal with Ericsson to provide commercial private 5G networks

BT has inked a multi-million pound deal with Ericsson to provide commercial private 5G networks in the UK.

The agreement – the first of its kind in the UK – will combine BT’s expertise in building converged fixed and mobile networks with Ericsson’s 5G network technology and enterprise solutions.

Katherine Ainley, CEO of Ericsson UK & Ireland, said:

“This groundbreaking agreement with BT means we are together taking a leading role in ensuring 5G...

How 5G URLLC and edge computing can make smart factories smarter

5G has brought a lot of hopes and dreams to the telecommunications industry, promising communication and digital service providers a way to open up new revenue streams and monetization models. Yet, for most CSPs, this hasn’t come to fruition.

Now, this can change. Thanks to 5G URLLC and edge computing, telecoms can become the main enablers for manufacturing automation based on 5G networks with the use of intent-driven orchestration, realizing the smart factory...

Truphone will use EE’s network after signing deal with BT

UK-based MVNO Truphone will use EE’s network after signing a five-year deal with BT Wholesale.

Truphone’s customers will benefit from EE’s network which, according to independent tests, is the best overall in the UK for coverage and speeds. At present, Truphone is operating on O2’s network.

Ralph Steffens, CEO of Truphone, said:

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with BT Wholesale, the clear market leader in the UK, on this important relationship...

Juniper Research: 5G will account for 77% of operator revenue by 2026

Analysts from Juniper Research forecast that 5G will account for 77 percent of global operator revenues by 2026.

The analysts found that 5G service revenue will reach $600 billion by 2026.

Despite the ongoing chip shortage, Juniper claims that 5G adoption has been driven by strong uptake of capable devices and “attractive” subscription pricing models.

Charles Bowman, co-author of the research, commented:

“Device vendors are capitalising on...

Nokia uses 5G SA to accelerate the digital transformation of Finnish mining

Nokia is deploying a 5G SA (standalone) network in its homeland of Finland to accelerate the digital transformation of mining.

The vendor is working with mobile operator Telia and its partner Digita to deploy the network for Agnico Eagle Finland Oy.

Agnico Eagle operates the Kittilä mine in northern Finland which is the largest primary gold producer in Europe. The 5G SA network will support Industry 4.0 use cases at the mine.

Tommi Kankkunen, General Manager...

Ericsson: 5G is ‘fundamental’ to Europe achieving its climate targets

A study commissioned by Ericsson has deemed 5G connectivity “fundamental” if Europe is going to achieve its climate targets.

As the world looks to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, UK for some global leadership on the issue, the report highlights the importance of 5G in achieving carbon emission reduction targets across the wider continent.

The EU has set a target of reducing carbon emissions by 40 percent compared to 2017 levels by 2030. The target...