Press Release

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Ericsson proudly announce the successful deployment of the world’s first full-stack Digital Monetization Platform (DMP), marking a significant milestone in Indonesia’s digital transformation journey for telecommunications. This collaboration aligns with Indosat’s larger purpose of empowering Indonesia by raising digital telecommunication standards, supporting economic growth, and enabling real-time monetization and flexible service development to drive industry growth.
The DMP stack included the seamless migration of prepaid subscribers, demonstrating an impressive advancement in Indonesia’s digital capabilities. As the first of its kind, the platform is part of Ericsson’s Telecom Business Support System (BSS) portfolio and equips Indosat to enhance digital services such as 5G readiness and advanced B2B solutions. By enabling real-time monetization, the platform allows Indosat to meet diverse customer demands while paving the way for future business models that capitalize on 5G advancements, such as network slicing, to provide tailored connectivity for consumer and enterprise markets alike.

The Digital Monetization Platform is designed to serve around 100 million Indosat subscribers across Indonesia. A key milestone in this deployment was the rapid migration of millions of prepaid subscribers in just 18 days, including a highly intensive 48-hour period—completed seamlessly without any disruptions.

Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, said, “The successful deployment of the DMP was a testament to the spirit of ‘Gotong Royong’—a collaborative effort uniting all stakeholders toward our common goal. This partnership with Ericsson will assist Indosat to elevate the quality of services and provide marvelous experience to our customers. Through real-time monetization and a highly adaptable platform, we are enabling new business models that will fuel growth across the industry.”

Krishna Patil, President Director of Ericsson Indonesia, stated, “As a global ICT leader, Ericsson is committed to supporting Indosat in enhancing its digital offerings by providing the latest innovations with world-class technology. We are confident that, by deploying a full-stack DMP, Indosat can improve customer services while ensuring a smooth transition to the 5G network. Our long-standing partnership supports Indosat’s transformation and accelerates digitalization across the country.”

This achievement reflects Indosat’s commitment to fostering Indonesia’s digital journey by leveraging cutting-edge technologies that bolster national connectivity and economic progress. By building a more resilient, efficient telecom infrastructure, Indosat is creating a stronger foundation for digital inclusion, enabling Indonesians to benefit from advanced connectivity in all aspects of life.

Future Collaboration in AI-Driven Innovation
In conjunction with the DMP launch, Indosat and Ericsson signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during Innovate Asia 2024 in Bangkok. The MoU outlines a commitment to co-develop innovations in Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) and Machine Learning (AI/ML) within the DMP and BSS ecosystems. This initiative aims to accelerate monetization efforts, streamline time-to-market, and introduce advanced AI-driven products that enhance revenue growth.

Through this pioneering project, Indosat and Ericsson demonstrate a shared vision for a digitally empowered Indonesia, charting a course toward a robust, connected future.

Both Indosat and Ericsson are finalists for the 2024 World Communication Awards – you could meet them in London on the 10 December 2024. Find out more at worldcommsawards.com

Network operator FullFibre Limited (Fibre Heroes), which has already built their open access Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to cover 380,000 UK premises, has today announced that they’ve improved their internet security features by adopting Gigabit IQ’s FamilyGuard+ and CyberGuard+ services.

The announcement, which somewhat confusingly came via retail ISP BeFibre, requires some additional context because Gigabit IQ is also the new name of alternative rural broadband ISP Grayshott Gigabit, which has deployed FTTP around rural parts of East Hampshire (e.g. the Surrey Hills and surrounding areas). But they don’t only build their own rural FTTP networks, and have also developed the FamilyGuard+ and CyberGuard+ services.

The Over The Top (OTT) style services are designed to offer features like Parental Controls with age-based content filters to block harmful content and social media apps, as well as providing an array of cybersecurity features to help defend against web threats like malware and viruses.

So far as we can tell, this deal appears to mean that other UK ISPs on FullFibre’s broadband network will now have the additional option of being able to offer the FamilyGuard+ and CyberGuard+ services to their own customers.

Paul May, Head of Channel Management at FullFibre, said:

“We’re really excited to be partnering with Gigabit IQ, who deliver even more choice and value added services to customers looking to connect to the FullFibre network. A big part of our ethos at FullFibre is to level the digital landscape across the UK, and Gigabit IQ’s innovative offerings are helping us fulfil this ambition”.

Mashood Ahmad, Managing Director at Gigabit IQ, said:

“As part of our mission, Gigabit IQ is committed to empowering communities with quality, high-speed internet while prioritising online safety. By leveraging FullFibre’s robust network, we’re thrilled to connect more families with services that put safety and speed first.”

The move is interesting, as we would normally expect wholesale providers to focus on just providing connectivity solutions, while leaving value-added extras like those mentioned above up to the retail providers to sort out for themselves. But in this case, FullFibre seems to be taking a deeper approach by providing optional solutions closer to the retail level too.

Network operator Openreach (BT) has announced that engineers working for alternative UK broadband networks (altnets) have finally gained a limited ability to replace existing copper drop wires with fibre optic lines on their telecoms poles. Previously, altnets had to wait on the incumbent’s own engineers before this work could be done.

One of the problems with poles is that they can only handle so many cables and related kit before weight becomes a problem (example), which can create a localised capacity issue that may also cause delays with connecting new customers (this can sometimes require the deployment of additional poles). One way of balancing this is by removing an old copper line as you add in a new fibre.

Openreach’s Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product also allows altnets to run their own fibre via existing cable ducts and poles, but it does have limits. For example, until now, it hasn’t allowed altnets to replace existing copper drop wires with fibre. This is understandable (copper is not part of an altnet’s network), but it can slow some deployments while the altnet waits for Openreach to do the work.

A couple of years ago CityFibre requested a change to this approach, which would allow their own engineers to conduct this work too. In response, Openreach launched a drop wire replacement trial, which aimed to help reduce failed installations caused by a pole being deemed defective (‘D’) after an order has been accepted.

“[This] should ensure no end customer is left waiting for the six months or so it can take for Openreach to replace a defective pole,” said Sarah Parsons in 2022, CityFibre’s then Director of Compliance. The good news is that this has finally left the trial stage.

Openreach Statement

This briefing is to inform PIA established CPs that we are moving the current drop wire replacement trial to business as usual (BAU). Moving the trial to BAU enables PIA CPs to replace existing Openreach drop wires with fibre drop wires on Openreach poles where it is necessary and would qualify as a Network Adjustment, where the poles are classed by Openreach as either a ‘Policy D-Pole’ or ‘Non Policy D-Poles which are at full loading (as defined in the Overhead Engineering Principles CP08).

The process will also be applied reciprocally, i.e. where Openreach needs to remove a CP drop wire under the same engineering circumstances. The corresponding CP must adhere to the same process.

This will be available to PIA CPs from 1 November 2024.

As above, this only covers situations where a Network Adjustment will be needed to allow a drop wire addition in normal circumstances of a defective pole, which means it’s impact will be fairly limited.

Macquarie-backed telecoms operator and UK ISP KCOM, which is deploying a gigabit broadband (FTTP) network across East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, has today become the latest internet provider to announce that they will “shortly” be adopting Amazon’s eero 6+ mesh Wi-Fi routers for their service.

According to KCOM, the eero 6+ devices that they will be making available to their customers in Hull and beyond should deliver “world-class connectivity, enhanced broadband experience, new security features and mesh technology for complete home Wi-Fi coverage“.

The provider clarifies that customers signing up for their 500Mbps or faster home broadband packages will automatically each receive two eero 6+ devices for “free“, while all packages under 500Mbps will receive one eero 6+ device from mid-December 2024.

Neil Bartholomew, KCOM’s Consumer Managing Director, said:

“This new collaboration with eero demonstrates the scale of our ambition to redefine the in-home broadband experience for customers on our network across Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

eero devices come with an intuitive app that will give our customers the power to pause, prioritise and personalise the connectivity in their homes, allowing them to customise their internet experience and enjoy seamless streaming, surfing, working, gaming and everything else they love to do online.

As well as being fast and reliable, customers will benefit from enhanced security, monitoring connected devices, troubleshooting and managing online access for children. The new tech means that with multiple eero devices our customers can say goodbye forever to dead spots, drop-offs, and buffering – even when the whole family is online.”

However, by modern standards the eero, which is fast approaching 3 years of age, is starting to look a bit dated and is rather short on LAN ports (2). More advanced users may not consider it to be particularly appealing, although KCOM’s consumer focus is clearly more on the mass market than those who might be looking for superior kit.

Low-cost mobile operator iD Mobile (Currys), which harnesses Three UK’s national 4G and 5G network via a virtual operator (MVNO) partnership, has today celebrated another significant milestone by reaching a total of 2 million subscribers (up by 488,000 in the year) and ahead of its original projections.

Despite facing some calls from Curry’s investors who want to see the mobile operator sold (here), iD Mobile has continued to pick up various awards over the past year for their budget offerings and earlier this year launched a refreshed set of fixed price SIM Only plans with a pledge of no annual price hikes (here).

Rohit Vedi, MD of iD Mobile, said: “Reaching 2 million subscribers is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team. The success has been driven by improvements to the service and proposition, combined with our strong partnership with Three UK and the benefits of being part of the Currys Group. We remain committed to providing customers with the best value on the latest technology as we continue to strive for excellence in everything we do.”

Customers of the operator can choose between 1, 12 and 24-month minimum contract terms, with the cheapest plans currently starting at £6 per month (15GB of data + unlimited calls/texts) and rising up to just £15 for unlimited data on a 24-month term. The plans also include EU roaming with a fair usage cap of 30GB.

However, it will be interesting to see whether iD Mobile can maintain this sort of pricing, particularly after the price protections under Three UK and Vodafone’s proposed merger run out in 3 years’ time (here).

After launching their commercial 5G Standalone (SA) mobile network during February 2024 (here), O2 (Virgin Media) has today followed that up by claiming to have become the “first UK operator to switch on 5G standalone small cells“. Customers in Birmingham city centre will be the first to benefit from the faster mobile broadband kit (up to 300Mbps).

Small cells are like mini shoebox sized mobile (radio) base stations, which have been designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around +/- 100 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy urban areas and specific sites – it’s not uncommon to find these discreetly sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or old payphone cubicles (i.e. they can be more cost-effective than building new street assets or trying to secure wayleaves on buildings).

However, most small cells can only support up to Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G, which means they are still partly reliant upon older and slower 4G infrastructure. But SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for IoT devices, support for Voice over New Radio (VoNR or Vo5G) and increased reliability and security etc.

The big news today is that O2 (VMO2) have been able to shrink 5G SA down to the size of small cells, which have initially gone live to serve customers with increased mobile capacity (faster speeds) in the “exceptionally busy areas” surrounding Birmingham’s Broad Street and Fleet Street.

The new 5G SA small cells have been delivered in partnership with Ontix and Alpha Wireless, using MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology. O2 claims the first kit has been delivering speeds of up to 300Mbps to those nearby, which is pretty good by small cell standards, if not exceptional for 5G more widely (issues of backhaul capacity and spectrum frequency play a big role here, which will vary from place to place).

Jeanie York, CTO of VMO2, said:

“Small cells are playing a vital part in our mission to bring reliable mobile coverage to all customers and improve services in the busiest areas.

Having already turned on our cutting-edge 5G standalone network in more than 300 towns and cities, available to customers at no extra cost, we’re working hard to ensure all our customers consistently receive an exceptional network experience wherever they are and even at the busiest times.”

The deployment forms part of VMO2s broader network upgrade strategy, which has seen them investing £2 million every single day to “future-proof” their mobile network and meet the increasing demands of customers for seamless connectivity. This comes against a backdrop of rising demand, with the amount of mobile broadband data consumed by O2 customers increasing 26% in 2023.

O2’s wider 5G SA network went live, at “no extra cost” to customers, across busy parts of Manchester, Liverpool, London, Lincoln, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, York, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham and Slough earlier this year. The operator’s latest update states that it is now available in over 300 towns and cities. But as usual, you’d need a compatible device in order to benefit from this.

News 

The two companies first signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the cable in 2022 

Saudi Arabian telco Mobily has partnered with Telecom Egypt to launch the first submarine cable connecting Saudi Arabia and Egypt through the Red Sea. The new cable, which will be wholly owned by Mobily, aims to improve connectivity and meet the growing demand for internet services in both countries. 

The cable will land at two stations: Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt and Duba in Saudi Arabia. The connection will allow Mobily to link the Arabian Gulf and neighbouring countries to Egypt, enhancing access to various international networks. 

“The new cable represents a significant milestone in strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position as a leading international hub for telecommunications services and data traffic, in alignment with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030,” said Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Badran, Mobily’s CEO. 

“Complementing the newly established landing station in Sharm El Sheikh, we are developing new crossing routes to connect Sharm El Sheikh to the Mediterranean Sea. Telecom Egypt is dedicated to advancing the international telecommunications infrastructure by enhancing the geographical diversity of the global subsea cable networks. We are confident that this commercial agreement will be a valuable addition to our ongoing efforts to support this critical sector and cater to the rising demand for capacity and connectivity,” added Mohamed Nasr, Managing Director and CEO at Telecom Egypt.

In October last year, the Red Sea saw a rise in paramilitary activities, with Yemeni Houthi forces attacking commercial vessels, reportedly in response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.  

By February, the situation, dubbed the “Red Sea crisis,” escalated to a critical issue for global telecommunications as damage to submarine cables in the area severely disrupted data traffic across Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is unclear whether or not this damage was deliberate.  

A report from network service provider RETN last month, said that the cable cuts impacted up to 70% of Europe–Asia data traffic – far greater than the 25% previously estimated. 

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

Also in the news:
CMA set to approve Vodafone–Three merger
Event highlights: Broadband Communities Summit West
Freedom Fibre and Zen Internet ink network sharing deal 

Mobile and broadband operator Sure, which serves the English Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, has announced the completion of their move to acquire rival Airtel Vodafone. The deal also signals the start of their pledge to invest £48m into building a new “world-class” 5G mobile network across the islands.

The deal, which only became possible after the States of Guernsey recently voted to temporarily suspend local competition law in order to allow the pair to merge (here), will also require Sure to make several legally binding commitments to help protect local competition, which among other things includes a requirement to launch a new virtual (MVNO) mobile operator with the Channel Island Co-Op (Coop Mobile) within the next 12-months.

Sure has also agreed not withdraw any Sure and Airtel tariffs that are active as at the date of clearance of the merger. This is designed to protect today’s prices for consumers for the 36 months following completion of the transaction, after which time Coop Mobile should be fully established and competing with Sure and JT.

Finally, Sure has promised to continue to offer unlimited data plans for at least the next three years, although in this modern age it would be quite a shock if they ever ended up scrapping those.

Sure’s Group CEO, Alistair Beak, said:

“The large investment we’re making will lead to significant improvements to customers’ connectivity, speeds and coverage, as well as value for money through innovative products and services. The new mobile network, complemented by our extensive fibre network, will mean we can stay ahead of future demand driven by our increasingly digital lifestyles.”

In terms of the coverage improvements, Sure said they will start to take place during 2025 and be completed in 2026. But otherwise there won’t be any immediate changes for Airtel or Sure customers.

News

The announcement comes after the company joining the Telco AI Alliance earlier this year 

SK Telecom has announced a new initiative to expand its AI capabilities by creating an “AI Infrastructure Superhighway.” The national network will rely on advanced data centres, cloud-based GPU services, and Edge AI technology. 

CEO Ryu Young-sang outlined his vision for the project at the company’s recent SK AI Summit 2024, explaining that SK Telecom aims to position South Korea as an AI leader in the Asia-Pacific. Earlier this year, SK Telecom became a founding member of the Global Telco Alliance, along with Singtel, Deutsche Telekom, e& and SoftBank. The five companies have agreed to develop Large Language Models (LLMs) that are specifically designed to meet telco needs, in areas such as improving customer interactions via digital assistants and chatbots. 

The company plans to build large AI data centres (AIDCs) in key regions, powered by renewable energy sources such as hydrogen, solar, and wind. SK Telecom intends to leverage SK Group’s energy-efficient technologies to make these centres regionally and globally connected, supported by submarine cables. 

In December, SK Telecom will open an AIDC testbed in Pangyo, featuring state-of-the-art cooling systems, AI semiconductors, and energy optimization tools. This facility will demonstrate next-generation AI infrastructure for industry experts and partners. 

To meet South Korea’s GPU demands, SK Telecom will introduce a cloud-based GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) model, providing NVIDIA GPUs for AI development. This service will allow companies to create AI applications affordably, strengthening Korea’s AI ecosystem. 

Additionally, SK Telecom is working on “Edge AI,” which integrates mobile networks with AI computing to reduce latency and improve security. The company is running trials in areas like healthcare, robotics, and CCTV to explore specific uses for Edge AI. 

“So far, the competition in telecommunications infrastructure has been all about connectivity, namely speed and capacity, but now the paradigm of network evolution should be changed,” said Ryu Young-sang at the event. 

“The upcoming 6G will evolve into a next-generation AI infrastructure where communication and AI are integrated.” 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter  

Also in the news:
CMA set to approve Vodafone–Three merger
Event highlights: Broadband Communities Summit West
Freedom Fibre and Zen Internet ink network sharing deal 

News  

Network upgrades and price protections have been proposed by the CMA to keep the market competitive 

The Competition and Markets Authority has given the Vodafone–Three merger the provisional green light, if both companies commit to major network upgrades and customer protections, according to a new press released published this week. 

Back in September, the CMA had released its provisional findings, which raised concerns that the deal could lead to higher prices and reduced service quality for millions of UK mobile customers. It also warned of the impact on MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) who rely on Vodafone and Three’s networks, with Sky  Mobile and Lyca Mobile being named specifically. However, the CMA now believes that, with a legally binding commitment from Vodafone and Three to invest in the UK’s mobile network, including a significant expansion of 5G, these issues could be addressed. 

“We’ve carefully examined the potential effects of this merger. While it could improve network quality, the potential cost to customers and smaller providers is significant,” said the CMA in a statement. “We will now work to address these concerns while ensuring future network investments.” 

Key conditions would require Vodafone and Three to improve network quality across the UK over the next eight years, maintain certain mobile plans for at least three years, and offer competitive terms to smaller network providers. According to CMA inquiry leader Stuart McIntosh, these steps could encourage competition in the long term while protecting customers during the integration period. 

“We believe this deal has the potential to be pro-competitive for the UK mobile sector if our concerns are addressed,” said Stuart McIntosh, chair of the inquiry group leading the investigation in a press release. 

“Our provisional view is that binding commitments combined with short-term protections for consumers and wholesale providers would address our concerns while preserving the benefits of this merger,” he continued. 

The CMA is seeking public feedback on these proposed measures, with a final decision due by 7th December. 

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

Also in the news:
Nokia and Lenovo forge partnership to drive AI and automation in data centers
UK govt announces £22m investment in ‘smart data’
“We’re on track to close the loop”: Adtran talks data, AI, and network automation at Connected Britain