IBM and Airspan Networks target increased European adoption of 5G-enabled Open RAN

IBM has partnered with Airspan Networks in a bid to accelerate the adoption of 5G-enabled Open RAN technologies across Europe.

Open RAN delivers hardware and software that are based on interoperable and open standards—delivering greater choice and lower costs for operators while preventing vendor lock-in and enabling innovative new players to break the market hold of the handful of established players.

One of those emerging players is Florida-based Airspan...

21 September 2021 | 5G

ITU and Vodafone launch initiative to connect 3.4B unconnected

United Nations agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has partnered with Vodafone to launch an initiative to connect 3.4 billion people.

An internet connection is increasingly vital in the modern world to unlock opportunities. Faster connections can mean even greater opportunity, but any connection is better than none.

According to research (PDF) by the ITU last year, of the 3.7 billion people who are not connected to the internet, 3.4 billion live within the...

20 September 2021 | Operators

Huawei CEO wants global experts to figure out 6G in Shanghai campus

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei wants to attract global experts to the company’s Shanghai campus to get an early lead in 6G.

Speaking during an internal company meeting, Ren said that its Qingpu, Shanghai campus is “beautiful and suitable for foreigners”. Furthermore, he said: “If there are 700 or 800 foreign scientists working here, they will not feel they are in a foreign country.”

China is already the leader in 6G patents, something that the country’s national...

16 September 2021 | 6G

Google’s subsea cable Grace Hopper delivers a ‘new generation’ of transatlantic connectivity

Google has announced that its subsea cable Grace Hopper has landed in the UK, bringing with it a “new generation” of transatlantic connectivity.

The new subsea cable is one of the first to be connected between the US and UK since 2003 and stretches from New York, US to Bude, UK and Bilbao, Spain.

With its 16-fibres, Google bosses claim Grace Hopper has 340 Tbps of capacity—equivalent to approximately "17.5 million people streaming 4K video...

15 September 2021 | Networks

The key to complete online independence is through crowdsourced VPNs

Geolocation is a key pillar of how the internet functions. Previously founded on the egalitarian principle of complete transparency and total openness is now routinely altered by geolocation services. Simply put, this means that users can access various sets of websites based on where they are surfing the web from. This results in online information silos, which have negative consequences such as restricting knowledge sharing, limiting cultural interchange, and allowing political discourse...

14 September 2021 | Telecoms

Ookla posts analysis of UK 5G performance in H1 2021

An Ookla analysis covering H1 2021 has found that 5G networks in the UK are getting faster and boosting consumer sentiment.

Early in the deployment of any new mobile network generation, it’s not clear to the wider public of the benefits. This is especially true as go-to metrics like download speeds aren’t initially as pronounced as often expected. However, those same people now share the sense of dread even when dropping from 4G to 3G.

Out of the gate, 5G speeds were...

14 September 2021 | 5G

LightBox releases a US broadband map while the FCC fixes its own

The FCC’s more accurate US national broadband map is expected to be a year away, but LightBox is providing one in the meantime.

A previous map of broadband availability used by the FCC was criticised as being inaccurate and greatly overestimating both the coverage and speeds available to Americans.

The inaccuracies – hindering critical decisions like funding allocations – were due to a reliance on data from ISPs themselves who were incentivised to overstate their...

9 September 2021 | Broadband

Deutsche Telekom and Tele2 sell T-Mobile Netherlands for €5.1B

Deutsche Telekom and Tele2 are selling T-Mobile Netherlands to WP/AP Telecom Holdings, a consortium jointly controlled by Apax and Warburg Pincus.

A strategic review of T-Mobile NL was launched by Deutsche Telekom in May. The deal, worth an enterprise value of €5.1 billion, marks the completion of the review.

Deutsche Telekom believes that it’s leaving T-Mobile NL in safe hands to “a consortium with long-standing experience and differentiated strategic value add in...

7 September 2021 | Operators

Qualcomm will reportedly continue helping Huawei to skirt US sanctions with 5G-less chips

A tipster claims that Qualcomm will offer more 5G-less versions of its chips that enable Huawei to skirt US sanctions.

Huawei is among the Chinese companies sanctioned by the US. The sanctions predominately stop Huawei from accessing American products relating to 5G and limit the company’s ability to make its own Kirin silicon.

Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chips feature 5G, leaving Huawei – typically a key Qualcomm customer – out in the...

6 September 2021 | 5G

Apple’s new iPhones could feature emergency satellite communications

Apple is reportedly developing at least two features that will enable users to communicate using satellites in a rural emergency.

If you’re high up a mountain, or in the middle of the ocean or dense forest, the likelihood is you don’t have a cellular signal. However, there’s a good chance you’ll be in the range of several satellites—especially if 1,000+ launches per year becomes the new norm.

Cupertino has been exploring the use of satellite technology since at...

31 August 2021 | Networks