News

Apple’s investment is set to boost Globalstar’s network expansion for enhanced satellite services 

Globalstar has expanded its partnership with Apple, in signing an updated agreement to deliver enhanced satellite services through a new mobile satellite network (MSS), according to a recent regulatory filing. 

The upgraded network will feature a fresh satellite constellation, expanded global ground infrastructure, and additional satellite service licensing to support Apple’s connectivity needs. 

Under the new terms, Apple will prepay up to $1.1 billion to fund network development, including satellite construction and launch costs. Apple will also invest $400 million to acquire a 20% passive equity stake in a Globalstar special-purpose entity (SPE) that will hold assets for the MSS network. 

Globalstar will retain full control of the network’s operations and continue to serve other satellite customers, while dedicating 85% of the network’s capacity to Apple’s services. 

The agreement also allows Globalstar to retire its outstanding 2029 debt, using part of Apple’s prepayment. Globalstar will earn additional service fees from Apple, including payments tied to network milestones, performance incentives, and licensing fees. Apple’s equity stake includes repurchase options, allowing it to redeem its investment once prepayment obligations are met.  

This updated partnership is projected to double Globalstar’s revenue in the first year of the MSS network’s launch. Globalstar will host an investor day in December 2024 to share more details about its future plans and network capabilities. 

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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

Telecoms and broadband giant BT Group has reportedly begun the process of making their ‘Global’ division available for sale, either in whole or in pieces. The international arm of the business, which is overseen by Business CEO Bas Burger, typically sells internet, phone and other business solutions to over 1,000 multinational corporate clients worldwide.

According to This is Money, BT Global has suffered a fall in profitability over recent years and is claimed to be difficult to value, with the division generating around £2.4bn in revenue last year and £500m in earnings, but little cash flow (they sell a lot of legacy services that aren’t super profitable). BT’s CEO, Allison Kirkby, is said to now be strongly in favour of selling the business, which is an approach that has been on the cards as one potential option since earlier this year.

Industry analysts have previously pointed toward several potential suitors, such as US rival Verizon, as well as technology giants like Amazon and Microsoft. But it could also be sold in pieces, with some reports indicating that Macquarie-backed Viatel was sniffing around BT Ireland, while Telecom Italia is said to have expressed an interest in the remnants of BT’s Italian business. BT said: ‘It could be one transaction, whichever option maximises value.’

The sale of their global division would no doubt help to support the operator’s UK plans, such as with their ongoing roll-out of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband technology across the UK and their related deployments of 5G based mobile networks for EE.

Some customers of mobile network provider giffgaff, which is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on O2’s UK platform, appear to be experiencing a mix of two problems, including delays to new SIM activations and delays to transfers (ports) of mobile numbers – both in to or out of their network.

In terms of the delays to new SIM activations, the operator’s technical team recently confirmed (here) that SIMs ordered on or after the 21st of October have been impacted by the activation issue, with some having delays or being unable to activate. But other customers report that the issue has been going on since around late September 2024 and have become frustrated with the limited support they’ve received (or not received, in other cases).

Customers have also been complaining, for the past few weeks, about delays to transfers (ports) of mobile numbers (here), which a spokesperson for giffgaff said occurred following “an essential system upgrade to improve the overall network services“. The operator is trying to resolve this and has said they’re “automatically compensating” members impacted by the delays via credit to their account.

A spokesperson for giffgaff told ISPreview:

“Following an essential system upgrade, a small number of members have experienced issues. We’re working hard to resolve them as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”

Some of giffgaff’s responses to customers suggest that many of these issues relate to third-party systems, such as those run by O2, as well as the system that Ofcom makes all of the mobile operators use for things like Porting Authorisation Code (PAC) requests, number transfers, SIM swaps and so forth. As a result, giffgaff has had to wait for some of the other parties involved to resolve their issues first.

The mobile operator’s community forum is filled with many hundreds of related complaints about these issues.

Gigabit broadband ISP Hyperoptic, which has already extended their full fibre (FTTP / B) network to cover “more than” 1.73 million UK homes in parts of 64 towns and cities (mostly MDUs), has today announced that they’re kicking off their Black Friday deals early with some modest price cuts.

The provider, which pledges no mid-contract price hikes, is currently also offering a price match guarantee should customers find the same package being offered for less elsewhere (available within a customer’s first 30 days of service). This means that if you find the same package for less elsewhere, they’ll match it.

As usual, new customers can expect to receive unlimited data usage, symmetric speeds (except on their 50Mbps plan where the upload is 5Mbps), 24/7 customer support and an included “HyperHub” wireless router. But a £19 one-off activation fee does apply. The full offers, which are available until 2nd December 2024, include:

Hyperoptics 2024 Early Black Friday Broadband Deals

24-month deals

50Mb £27 a month (£30 thereafter)

150Mb £27.50 a month (£40 thereafter)

500Mb £33 a month (£53 thereafter)

1Gb £38 a month (£63 thereafter) + £50 Amazon gift card

12-month deals

50Mb £28 a month (£30 thereafter)

150Mb £32 a month (£40 thereafter)

500Mb £36 a month (£53 thereafter)

1Gb £39 a month (£63 thereafter) + £30 Amazon gift card

News 

The partnership aims to meet the rising demand for 5G while supporting sustainable, digital growth across Spain 

Ericsson has partnered with newly merged MasOrange, Spain’s largest telco, in a five-year project to upgrade its network with Open RAN technology. 

Announced this week, the collaboration aims to make MasOrange’s network one of Europe’s most modern and powerful 5G networks, the companies said. 

Under the deal, Ericsson will help integrate the networks of Orange Spain and Masmovil, creating a stronger, more efficient system. The network will use sustainable technology and energy-saving equipment from Ericsson to reduce costs and improve performance.  

Part of the plan includes rolling out 5G Standalone (5G SA) in rural areas of Spain, which will expanding high-speed internet access to more communities. 

The upgraded network will feature Ericsson’s advanced antennas and computing systems, which will boost data speeds and allow MasOrange to offer new, improved services. This includes the use of Massive MIMO technology, which uses multiple antennas to send and receive data faster and improve user experience. 

“This collaboration with Ericsson represents a decisive moment not only for MasOrange, but also for European telecommunications industry as a whole and for the Spanish market, as we lead the development of Open RAN and we lay the foundation for an open and programmable mobile infrastructure that will drive technological advances and sustainable growth,” said MasOrange’s CEO Meinrad Spenger in a press release. 

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Also in the news: 

News

The 19,000km cable system is set to connect Malaysia to the US

This week, Philippines operator Globe Telecom has announced that it has been selected to build and manage the local section of the MYUS cable system, including building a landing station at Davao City.

The $720 million MYUS cable system is set to span roughly 19,000km, heading from Sedili, Malaysia, to Florence, Oregon, USA, via the Philippines and Guam. Branching units will also link the cable to Indonesia at Batam, Jakarta, and Balikpapan.

The cable will have 16 fibre pairs, capable of delivering a minimum capacity of 15 Tbps.

According to Hexa, the company in charge of the cable project, Globe had been selected in part due to their experience with the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network.

“Our cable landing facilities offer diverse route connectivity to global and regional carriers…Access to customers using our robust state-of-the-art network should give confidence to operators looking to interconnect with domestic and international constituents. Davao is a critical hub for subsea fiber optic cables, which are the backbone of today’s Internet,” said KD Dizon, head of Globe Business told the Manila Standard.

The submarine cable industry is evolving rapidly. Join the discussion at the world’s leading subsea cable conference, Submarine Networks EMEA

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

News  

Lit Fibre customers will be unaffected by the change of ownership  

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full-fibre network provider, has sold its ISP subsidiary Lit Fibre consumer internet service back to its co-founders, Tom Williams and Ben Bresler.  

CityFibre, which initially acquired Lit Fibre in May 2024, aims to complete integration of Lit Fibre’s 10Gbps network by year-end, bringing up to 300,000 more premises onto its network. 

As a wholesaler, however, CityFIbre is seemingly uninterested in retaining the company’s ISP unit, hence the sale for an undisclosed sum. 

“Our strategy has always been to be the wholesale provider of choice, building a nationwide, full fibre network that enables all of our partners to access market-leading products, pricing and service and gives consumers a greater choice of full fibre ISPs. We are really pleased to see Lit Fibre continue with its co-founders, who are passionate about the business, and we look forward to continuing to partner with Lit Fibre across our network,” said Greg Mesch, City Fibre CEO in a press release. 

“As the nation’s third digital infrastructure platform, we continue to evaluate potential acquisition opportunities alongside accelerating CityFibre’s build to reach at least 8 million premises across the UK,” he continued. 

Catch CityFibre at next year’s Connected North, 23-24 April in Manchester. Get tickets here! 

Also in the news:

Press Release

After building out 5G networks, communications service providers (CSPs) are ready to further harness the benefits of this technology. Today, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) unveils seven 5G Advanced software products designed to empower CSPs with high-performing programmable networks. These innovations will elevate performance, enhance user experience, and drive revenue growth and operational efficiency, opening up new possibilities for the industry.

Ericsson 5G Advanced brings new radio access network (RAN) software capabilities that significantly boost performance and develop programmable networks that add value to connectivity. These capabilities are based on open network architectures, AI and automation, and intent-driven networks. They make it easier for CSPs to steer the network to meet business and sustainability goals by measuring and matching different performance levels to service-level agreements (SLAs).

Ericsson’s suite of 5G Advanced software includes transformative technologies such as:

• AI-powered RAN – uses artificial intelligence and automation for real-time data processing and intelligent decision-making.
• Intent-driven networks – allow CSPs to simply state their objectives while the RAN handles complex processes and actions.
• Service-aware RAN – adapts to various connectivity needs, ensuring real-time adjustments and observability to meet service requirements and proof of delivery.

Mårten Lerner, Head of Product Area Networks at Ericsson, says: “Our customers have invested significantly in building 5G networks across the globe, and now around 50 percent of the world’s mobile 5G traffic outside China is carried over Ericsson-powered networks. With our 5G Advanced software, we are empowering service providers to move more rapidly towards high-performing programmable networks and achieve their business objectives. By leveraging these new software products, we are not only raising the bar on connectivity but also paving the way for innovative applications and services that will transform industries and improve lives around the world.”

The seven new 5G Advanced products or subscriptions are:

• Real-time AI-powered automation – enables CSP to scale network automation even in complex scenarios, with maximum network performance and efficiency thanks to AI and real-time coordination with RAN features.
• Outdoor Positioning – allows CSPs and enterprises to introduce location-based services with or without GPS support on the 5G Standalone architecture.
• Mission Critical Services – enables CSPs to support new sectors requiring high resilience under heavy load and have specific needs for service continuity in public safety, defense, first responders, and railways.
• RAN Differentiated Connectivity – enables CSPs to take advantage of the network’s ability to ensure SLA compliance for various and multiple services simultaneously.
• Energy Efficiency and Management – Ericsson innovation and intent-driven approach that optimizes energy performance and lowers operational expenses. This helps scale energy management via automation.
• Premium Network Performance – Ericsson innovations and advanced performance features that enable more coverage and capacity in the most traffic-loaded scenarios. Improves customer loyalty by ensuring an exceptional experience for flagship devices.
• Device Battery Performance – allows CSPs to enhance the battery performance of any 5G device, including smartphones, wearables and AR/VR glasses with intelligent network features that save battery power.

The new software products will be commercially available between the third quarter of 2024 and first quarter of 2025 as software subscriptions. This software suite is compatible with Open RAN, Cloud RAN and purpose-built RAN. It also builds on earlier launches of 5G Advanced capabilities such as Critical IoT and Ericsson Reduced Capability (RedCap).

Rob Soni, VP, RAN Technology, AT&T, says: “AT&T is at the forefront of exploring new business opportunities and taking another step in laying the foundation for monetizing new services through enhanced capabilities with Ericsson 5G Advanced. By integrating these cutting-edge solutions, we can enhance our network performance and achieve operational efficiencies, all with the goal of better serving our customers.”

Kent Wu, Optus Vice President Access Network Strategy, Planning and Quality, says: “Optus is committed to providing our customers with an excellent network experience at a great value. One of the keys to delivering this is working with partners who are equally as committed to driving innovation and the customer experience as Optus is. As we continue to invest in and elevate our network for our customers, Ericsson’s advanced and innovative 5G technology will play an important role in that going forward. We are excited to work with Ericsson as they continue to advance the capabilities of 5G.”

Sri Amirthalingam, Wireless Engineering Executive, Telstra, says: “Telstra has already started down the path toward autonomous networks and we aim to introduce AI and autonomous mechanics across many of our network functions to better anticipate customer requirements, optimize network resources, and uplift customer experience. The new 5G Advanced software announced here by our key partner Ericsson, with its promised benefits to elevate performance, enhance user experience, and drive revenue growth and operational efficiency, is both timely and welcome for our ambitions and the industry overall.”

John Saw, EVP and Chief Technology Officer, T-Mobile, says: “The next wave of 5G innovation is here, and we are expanding T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G SA network to support 5G Advanced as soon as the end of this year. Together with Ericsson, we’re spearheading the development and adoption of 5G Advanced with capabilities like L4S, 5G RedCap, and up to six-carrier aggregation. These enhancements create new opportunities for businesses and customers by improving uplink speeds, lowering energy use and delivering a faster, more reliable experience.”

Rémy Pascal, Senior Research Manager Mobile Infrastructure, Omdia, says: “Communications service providers are keen to monetize their 5G investments. However, new revenues will stem from new services which, in turn, require more advanced network capabilities. Ericsson’s 5G Advanced software products such as Outdoor Positioning and Mission Critical services provide these revenue-generating capabilities. Additionally, the software offers solutions that enhance user experience and reduce costs through Premium Network Performance and Real-time AI-powered automation. Given their focus on optimizing resources, service providers must prioritize network features that support their business objectives.”

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

Viewpoint

At the 10th Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF) 2024, the Autonomous Driving Networks (ADN) Summit was held under the theme of “Advancing Toward AN L4: Empowering Superior UBB Operations.” At the forum, Yue Wei, President of Huawei’s NCE Optical Network Domain, delivered a keynote speech titled “Intelligence Empowers F5.5G Premium All-Optical Network.” In the speech, he shared how innovative practices of Huawei’s F5.5G premium all-optical network solution, guided by “Network Aware User” and “User Aware Network”, is steering carriers towards ADN L4 and ushering in a new era of experience-driven operations.

Yue Wei, President of Huawei’s NCE Optical Network Domain

With the advent of the “experience first” era, optical network O&M is evolving towards the user experience-centric mode. In home broadband scenarios, O&M is still driven by user complaints and rely on a large amount of manpower for passive rectification, resulting in high investment and low satisfaction. For example, a provincial company in China needs over 4,500 engineers to manage more than 16,000 complaints related to home broadband services from 19 million subscribers every day. Despite such a huge investment, the subscriber churn rate remains over 10%. Similarly, in optical transmission scenarios, potential risks such as fiber, cable, and node sharing cannot be proactively identified, resulting in 40% of trouble tickets and at least 4 hours of troubleshooting. It is arguably impossible for any users to accept such long service interruption caused by the inefficient processing mode.

To address these issues, Huawei’s premium all-optical network solution introduces a “twin-turbo” methodology combining “Network Aware User” and “User Aware Network” to improve user experience and O&M efficiency. Specifically, “Network awareness user” refers to proactive experience assurance that helps prevent user complaints and “User awareness network” refers to automatic fault diagnosis and efficient complaint handling. The solution will bring revolutionary value improvement to carriers through both premium broadband and premium transmission scenarios.

Value Leap of Premium Broadband

 In terms of “Network Aware User”, the innovative home broadband Customer Experience Index (CEI) model is constructed by leveraging the BLOA algorithm based on big data across three layers and from eight dimensions. It can accurately measure the actual user experience and present the results in the form of CEI scores. After obtaining global user experience data, the proactive assurance agent can proactively take specific actions and provide targeted service marketing. It identifies low-scoring subscribers and resolves network issues before faults are reported, reducing complaints by 60% and laying a solid foundation for user satisfaction and loyalty.

In terms of “User Aware Network”, the fault diagnosis copilot, leveraging global expertise, can automatically resolve more than 34 common faults in an E2E manner within 60 seconds for call centers, reducing home visits by 30%. Additionally, the HomeCare app helps frontline engineers query information about more than 30 fault scenarios without NOC support, reducing on-site troubleshooting duration from 1 hour to 10 minutes. With the support of remote automatic closed-loop and efficiency improvement of onsite diagnosis, the O&M and response efficiency in home broadband scenarios will be greatly improved.

Efficiency Boost of Premium Transmission

 From the perspective of “Network Aware User”, the proactive assurance agent in the transmission domain implements proactive awareness of network and SLA risks based on digital twin technology, helping to accurately display fault locations and facilitate fault rectification. Through proactive awareness, demarcation, locating, and rectification, the agent can reduce trouble tickets by 40% and effectively ensure user SLA.

From the perspective of “User Aware Network”, the innovative optical-electrical collaboration algorithm is used to associate alarms across different layers. This enables the system to automatically aggregate more than 90% of alarms and locate the root causes, achieving “one ticket for one fault”. In addition, the fault diagnosis copilot can work with Huawei’s OMD and eOTDR hardware to locate fiber faults with meter-level precision. With the preceding technologies, the fault locating duration is reduced from 4 hours to 15 minutes, and the number of troubleshooting teams required for a single fault is reduced from 3 to 1.

Yue Wei noted that the proactive assurance agent implementing “Network Aware User” and the fault diagnosis copilot enhancing “User Aware Network” are expected to further improve customer value throughout the lifecycle of the premium broadband “A-PRIME” and premium transmission “T-AUTO” scenarios. Looking ahead, the intelligent F5.5G premium all-optical network will guide carriers towards ADN L4, ushering in a new era of experience-driven operations.

The HM Government of Gibraltar, which is a British overseas territory on Spain’s south coast, appears to have triggered a competition spat with the privately owned broadband operator, GibFibre, after it made amendments to the Communications Act 2006 that could create a “monopolistic environment within Gibraltar for Gibtelecom” (the state-owned mobile operator).

GibFibre states that the amendment to the Act would prevent the issuing of any radiocommunication’s licence in respect of mobile public telephone networks in Gibraltar after the operative date, which the operator claims would “create a monopolistic environment within Gibraltar for Gibtelecom as the only existing active mobile network operator.” Two Government ministers currently serve as directors of Gibtelecom.

Gibfibre notes that the Minister for Inward Investment, Sir Joe Bossano, told Parliament that it intended to “grant an exclusive license to a single mobile network operator in Gibraltar to ensure that we can continue to have a stable and reliable access to mobile services of the future.” But GibFibre clearly fears it would also prevent new entrants, such as themselves, from setting up mobile services for consumers on the rock.

GibFibre Statement

There is, as far as Gibfibre is aware, no evidence in the public domain of any immediate plans for international operators such as Vodafone to enter the Gibraltar mobile telecommunications market. The presumed intention of the Amendment is to curtail the ability of local operators, including Gibfibre, to offer innovative and affordable services which could be highly beneficial to consumers.

Gibfibre has made no secret of its intention to move into the mobile market shortly. It has spent considerable time preparing itself to launch a mobile network offering, preparation for which has involved very significant costs and expense involving, for example, the employment of staff, acquisition of sites and offices, purchase of equipment, feasibility studies, completing town planning processes and site and network configuration.

Gibfibre fundamentally disagrees with the Government’s view that the Amendment is “essential for the telecommunications in Gibraltar to be able to keep on growing and keep on improving”. In Gibfibre’s view, the Amendment has been designed to prevent it from entering the mobile network business in Gibraltar and to ensure that Gibtelecom has a monopoly in this market.

The Communications Act 2006 itself was originally designed to transpose the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), an EU-derived measure which Gibraltar was then required to implement. But the government of Gibraltar argues that many aspects of this law are “no longer suitable for a small jurisdiction like Gibraltar” and they instead want to adopt a similar approach to those seen in other small jurisdictions, such as Andorra and Monaco, or the Falkland Islands.

Statement by the HM Government of Gibraltar

As further announced in Parliament, one of the changes which the Government intend to make is to grant an exclusive licence to a single mobile network operator in Gibraltar, to ensure that we continue to have a stable and reliable access to mobile services for the future. Hence the need for the paving Bill introduced in Parliament last Thursday.

All this was explained during the course of the debate in Parliament.

Further, there is is absolutely no question of the legislation as drafted being incompatible with the Constitution.

The Government of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Savings Bank, and taxpayers collectively hold a substantial investment in Gibtelecom, amounting to tens of millions of pounds, supporting 142 local jobs. GibFibre employs less than 15 Gibraltarians.

In making public statements, GibFibre has an obligation to ensure that information provided is accurate, complete, and balanced.

Gibtelecom has a long-standing presence in Gibraltar, has never shied away from fair competition and continues to compete fairly in the market. Most recently, the Supreme Court of Gibraltar dismissed a Competition law claim against it by GibFibre.

However, equally, it is crucial to ensure that competition is conducted on a level playing field. As the Chief Minister highlighted in Parliament, Gibtelecom operates within legal boundaries offering legitimate satellite services, and does not rely on unauthorised or pirated services to attract consumers. Such practices would distort the market, undermine legitimate business and ultimately harm consumers, who may be lured by unsustainable offerings that could jeopardise the reliability of services offered.

The Government remains committed to lawful, reliable, and high-quality service provision for the benefit of all Gibraltar residents.

The final reference to “unauthorised or pirated services” is interesting, and we believe it’s a reference to a separate dispute, which saw Gibtelecom file a lawsuit against rival GibFibre. Gibtelecom claimed that GibFibre (inc. sister company GibSat) was illegally providing English language TV services without a licence (here). Prior to that, GibFibre and Gibtelecom were also engaged in a dispute over access to crucial data centres in Gibraltar.

Suffice to say that there’s no love lost between these two, although it’s also important to remember that Gibraltar is a small territory and one that is rarely out of the news, not least due to the endless disputes over sovereignty with Spain.