Historically a niche segment of the wider wireless telecommunications industry, private LTE and 5G networks – also referred to as NPNs (Non-Public Networks) in 3GPP terminology – have rapidly gained popularity in recent years due to privacy, security, reliability and performance advantages over public mobile networks and competing wireless technologies as well as their potential to replace hardwired connections with non-obstructive wireless links. Their expanding influence is evident from the recent use of rapidly deployable private cellular network-in-a-box systems for professional TV broadcasting, enhanced fan engagement and gameplay operations at major sports events, including Paris 2024 Olympics, 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, North West 200 Motorcycle Race, 2024 World Rowing Cup III, New York Sail Grand Prix, 2024 PGA Championship, 2024 UFL Championship Game and 2024 NFL International Games, as well as the Republican and Democratic national conventions in the run up to the 2024 United States presidential election.

Other examples of high-impact private LTE/5G engagements include but are not limited to multi-site, multi-national private cellular deployments at the industrial facilities of Airbus, BMW, Chevron, John Deere, LG Electronics, Midea, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Walmart and several other household brand names; Aramco’s 450 MHz 3GPP network project in Saudi Arabia and ADNOCS’ 11,000-square kilometer private 5G network for connecting thousands of remote wells and pipelines in the UAE; defense sector 5G programs for the adoption of tactical cellular systems and permanent private 5G networks at military bases in the United States, Germany, Spain, Norway, Japan and South Korea; service territory-wide private wireless projects of 450connect, Ameren, CPFL Energia, ESB Networks, Evergy, Neoenergia, PGE (Polish Energy Group), SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric), Tampa Electric, Xcel Energy and other utility companies; and the recent implementation of a private 5G network at Belgium’s Nobelwind offshore wind farm as part of a broader European effort to secure critical infrastructure in the North Sea.

There has also been a surge in the adoption of private wireless small cells as a cost-effective alternative to DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) for delivering neutral host public cellular coverage in carpeted enterprise spaces, public venues, hospitals, hotels, higher education campuses and schools. This trend is particularly prevalent in the United States due to the open accessibility of the license-exempt GAA (General Authorized Access) tier of 3.5 GHz CBRS spectrum. Some examples of private network deployments supporting neutral host connectivity to one or more national mobile operators include Meta’s corporate offices, City of Hope Hospital, SHC (Stanford Health Care), Sound Hotel, Gale South Beach Hotel, Nobu Hotel, ASU (Arizona State University), Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University), University of Virginia, Duke University and Parkside Elementary School.

SNS Telecom & IT’s “Private LTE & 5G Network Ecosystem: 2024 – 2030” report predicts that global spending on private LTE and 5G network infrastructure for vertical industries will grow at a CAGR of approximately 20% between 2024 and 2027, eventually accounting for more than $6 Billion by the end of 2027. Close to 60% of these investments – an estimated $3.5 Billion – will be directed towards the buildout of standalone private 5G networks, which will become the predominant wireless communications medium to support the ongoing Industry 4.0 revolution for the digitization and automation of manufacturing and process industries. This unprecedented level of growth is likely to transform private LTE and 5G networks into an almost parallel equipment ecosystem to public mobile operator infrastructure in terms of market size by the late 2020s. By 2030, private networks could account for as much as a fifth of all mobile network infrastructure spending. For more information, please visit: https://www.snstelecom.com/private-lte

Press Release

The Xantaro Group, Europe’s leading solution provider for high-performance networks, IT security solutions and managed services, today announced the integration of the nicos group. The aim of the transaction is to significantly expand the enterprise division and to strengthen the managed services portfolio with a Service and Security Operations Centre (SOC) that has global reach, among other things.

The nicos group employs around 200 people who monitor, operate and protect more than 4,300 network solutions at over 2,200 customer sites worldwide. Its customers are mainly global companies such as Dr. Oetker, ebm-papst, KfW, MUBEA or EMAG.

With the integration of nicos, the Xantaro Group is also expanding its circle of technology partners to include Cisco Systems. Other nicos partners are Fortinet and Cato Networks – both also partners of Xantaro.

The nicos companies will continue to operate under their existing company names, with the addition of “Member of the Xantaro Group” once the transaction has taken effect. The Xantaro Group had already taken over the IT security specialist NetDescribe GmbH, Munich, in August 2024 and is continuing its announced expansion course with the acquisition of nicos.

Gerold Arheilger, CEO Xantaro Group: “The integration of the nicos group is an ideal complement to Xantaro’s managed services portfolio and strengthens our position in the strategically important enterprise market. Our brand claim ‘connecting the world’ also perfectly reflects the services offered by nicos. In addition, the partnership between nicos and Cisco significantly expands our bandwidth. We will combine the competencies of nicos with the know-how of the Xantaro and NetDescribe teams, offering our customers added value in the areas of network and security automation, private wireless solutions and AI-based platform and managed services. The acquisition is the next milestone in our strategy of strengthening the Xantaro Group with leading providers.”

Axel Metzger, CEO of nicos AG: “We are pleased to take the next step in the development of our 25-year-old company as part of the Xantaro Group. With around 200 employees of the international nicos group, spread across three continents, we are responsible for more than 4,300 network solutions at over 2,200 customer sites worldwide. During our transaction discussions with Xantaro, both sides have identified numerous opportunities and great potential for how we can jointly create unique added value for our respective customers and convince new customers of our future portfolio. Our customers, who are mainly globally active medium-sized companies, appreciate the fact that nicos takes full responsibility for their network and security infrastructure: from migration, configuration and operation, to dispatching and managing local service providers for on-site conversion, companies are in good hands with us – 24/7, 365 days a year. With Xantaro, these companies now also have access to hardware consulting and procurement, security automation, AI-based and private wireless solutions. As part of the Xantaro Group, we continue to pursue ambitious goals and are convinced of the expansion course.”

How is the German connectivity landscape changing in 2024? Join the ecosystem in dicussion at this year’s Connected Germany conference live in Munich

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Press Release

UK leading full fibre broadband provider, brsk, has announced that work is underway to upgrade connectivity to 11,000 homes and businesses in Colne, Lancashire to world-class infrastructure that will provide symmetrical speeds up to 2Gbps. 

This network deployment is part of brsk’s mission to transform digital connectivity in underserved areas, giving those without access to full fibre technology the chance to enjoy faster speeds and reliability at competitive prices, on a superior service compared to the existing copper connections still serving some premises today. 

Brsk recently released a 2Gbps product to the market following a trial with a selected number of customers, which received very positive feedback. This exciting product expansion will see customers on the brsk network able to enjoy some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK, with pre-existing customers now able to upgrade their services.  

Speaking of the rollout, brsk Lancashire Regional Head, Darryl Nieuwenhuizen said, “We are thrilled to be bringing cutting-edge technology to Colne. Access to fast and reliable broadband is crucial in today’s digital age, and we are committed to ensuring that smaller towns in the county like Colne get the connectivity they deserve.” 

Having passed 126,000 premises in Lancashire already, including Burnley, Blackburn with Darwen, Bacup and Rossendale, to name a few, Colne is the latest area to benefit from brsk’s investment. 

Anyone wanting to check their full fibre coverage can do so at www.brsk.co.uk  

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Leader in eSIM technology, Mobilise has successfully partnered with digital mobile operator Gist Mobile to upgrade its operations, adding new functionalities and improved UX to the business. Through Mobilise’s digital business support system (BSS) platform, HERO, Gist Mobile now offers eSIM data connectivity packages, advanced VoIP functions and a host of back-end upgrades.

Founded in 2020, Gist Mobile started as a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider, offering virtual numbers, voice and SMS features to help customers stay connected from anywhere in the world. Building upon its initial success, Gist Mobile sought to elevate its offerings by improving user experience through a revamped UI and incorporating data connectivity into its repertoire to offer affordable data worldwide. To enable this, Gist has partnered with Mobilise to introduce eSIMs to its mobile application through HERO, Mobilise’s digital BSS platform.

Mobilise has extensive expertise in developing digital-first telco propositions having worked with 40+ Service Providers across ten countries. Its digital-first patented platform, HERO, delivers a cloud-native modular platform that gives the flexibility to seamlessly integrate with existing systems and third-party services.

HERO simplifies the management of complex digital services, offering comprehensive control to seamlessly coordinate all components of the digital ecosystem and, in many cases, compensating for legacy systems and infrastructure unable to deliver on today’s digital technology requirements. And that includes eSIM.

The integration of eSIM technology into Gist Mobile’s platform signifies a shift in how its customers will engage with mobile connectivity. With the introduction of HERO, Gist Mobile now offers in-app eSIM activation on Android devices, and QR code eSIM activation on iOS, creating a suite of services tailored to the travel segment. Gist’s data connectivity packages are available in combo bundles, putting them at a price point competitive with local operators internationally.

Additionally, Mobilise’s HERO platform has upgraded the back end of Gist’s operations, with the introduction of a robust CRM system. It empowers the Gist team to see all their customer tickets at a glance, including all plan information, transaction history and customer activity. This better equips the team to manage customers and access analytics to improve their quality of service.

“Through this incredible and impactful partnership with Mobilise, we have built a user-friendly and highly engaging mobile app that allows travellers access to data and phone plans in over 180 countries using their existing smartphones without the need of local SIM cards,” explained Aramide Adebanjo, co-founder of Gist Mobile. “Users can now travel and feel like a local in Gist Mobile’s coverage countries, with access to convenient, affordable, and flexible mobile plans.”

“Travel eSIMs are a growing market — our own survey revealed that over 73 per cent of travellers consider remaining connected abroad on their mobile device, using mobile data, an important part of travelling. And in particular, Gen Z and Millennials are keen to find a cost-effective, simple way to achieve this,” explained Hamish White, CEO of Mobilise. “Our work with Gist has created an app that is a game changer, offering high-quality global connectivity at competitive prices with unique bundles tailored to their needs.”

To learn more about Mobilise’s eSIM services, and how the team can support your business to launch connectivity services successfully, please visit the website to schedule a free demo.

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Mobile operator and broadband ISP EE (BT) has today announced that they’ve extended and expanded their strategic partnership Sky UK, which among other things means that Sky Stream will launch in EE retail stores, via the their website, and telesales from 15th October 2024; it can also now be taken alongside EE’s home broadband and mobile services.

The move is interesting because Sky’s internet-based TV and streaming service, Sky Stream, is technically a competitor for EE’s own TV product. But now, for the first time, EE’s customers will be able to order Sky Stream alongside EE home broadband, “enhancing EE’s TV portfolio by offering customers a wider choice of viewing options and bringing the benefits of Sky into the homes of millions more“.

Clearly, EE sees the move as “giving customers a choice of viewing platform“, which they say will build on their longstanding relationship since 2017 – supporting their strategy to partner with leading consumer electronics and entertainment providers to offer customers a wide range of options.

Marc Allera, CEO at EE, said:

“As part of our strategy for new EE, we’re continually looking to partner with some of the world’s leading brands to provide our customers with the very best in entertainment. Extending our partnership with Sky allows us to give customers even greater choice, so they can take a TV service that best suits their lifestyle, matched with EE’s great new home broadband offering.”

Sophia Ahmad, Chief Consumer Officer at Sky, said:

“Sky Stream offers a transformative viewing experience, making it even easier for customers to access Sky’s market-leading entertainment offer, with no dish required. We’re excited to be partnering with EE to take the benefits of Sky Stream into the front rooms of even more customers, bringing them one of the highest standards in viewing experience combined with great live sport and award-winning Sky Originals all in one place.”

It’s easy to forget that, not so very long ago, BT was still spending big in order to try and build up its presence in the Pay TV market and weaken the hold on premium content and services that Sky was perceived as having. But BT has long since retreated from that effort and today’s market is a lot more complex, with a plethora of streaming platforms and wide scale content fragmentation.

Alternative network operator and ISP Brsk, which has already built their 2Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to cover “over” 676,000 UK homes and is in the process of being merged with Netomnia (here), has today announced that their full fibre service is being extended to cover 11,000 premises in the Lancashire town of Colne.

The town of Colne already has access to gigabit-capable broadband from Virgin Media (O2), while Openreach have also expanded their own FTTP across much of the area and Brsk will thus be the third gigabit network to operate in the same location. All of this should complement the 126,000 premises in Lancashire that the operator has already reached, including in Burnley, Blackburn with Darwen, Bacup and Rossendale, to name a few.

New customers of the service currently pay from just £19 per month on a 24-month term for symmetric speeds of 150Mbps, then £25 for 500Mbps, £30 for 900Mbps and £55 for their top 2Gbps (2000Mbps) tier. The packages all include free installation, a router and a pledge of no mid-contract price rises.

Darryl Nieuwenhuizen, Brsk’s Lancashire Regional Head, said:

“We are thrilled to be bringing cutting-edge technology to Colne. Access to fast and reliable broadband is crucial in today’s digital age, and we are committed to ensuring that smaller towns in the county like Colne get the connectivity they deserve.”

After some false starts in the past, residents of the tiny coastal Pembrokeshire (Wales) village of Dale can now finally start enjoying access to a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network, which is thanks to a deployment by local ISP Voneus that was funded by the government’s gigabit voucher scheme.

The original deployment for Dale was actually planned several years ago as part of Broadway Partners involvement with the local authority’s Digital Connectivity Programme (DCP), although that ended up running into difficulties after Broadway fell into administration in May 2023. But hope for a solution began to return after Voneus acquired the operator’s network a few months later of that same year (here).

The good news today, as spotted by Thinkbroadband (via the council’s website), is that much of the Dale area, including the whole village, has now finally been connected to gigabit-capable broadband. New customers will thus be able to take speeds of 250Mbps (symmetric) from just £29.99 on a 24-month term, which rises to £59.99 if you want a 900Mbps service (includes free installation and a router). The first month of service is free.

Cllr Paul Miller, Deputy Leader, said:

“Connecting our rural communities is a significant step in the digital infrastructure of Pembrokeshire.

Along with our partners, this extensive programme of work has transformed full fibre connectivity and will futureproof the network in our county. “The commitment from this authority will ensure our communities won’t be left without connection.

There is more to do, but thanks to a proactive approach by the County Council, full fibre will be offered to more and more communities all the time.”

We should add that other operators, such as Openreach, also appear to have tentative plans to deploy FTTP around some of the same area by 2026.

Mobile and broadband ISP Vodafone appears to be preparing to launch a new range of Wi-Fi 7 capable routers and wireless mesh extenders for their fixed line customers in the future, including the Ultra Hub 7 Fibre (FG4278VF), Super Wi-Fi 7 (RP761BVDF) and Ultra HUB7 (DG4278VF). But the details are currently wafer thin.

In case anybody has forgotten, Vodafone only recently introduced a new range of Wi-Fi 6 / 6E capable routers and extenders – the ‘Power Hub‘ router and ‘Super Wi-Fi 6 Booster‘ (here). Prior to this, they had also become the first UK ISP in 2022 to launch a 6E capable router – the ‘UltraHub‘ (here), which is pictured above but only bundled alongside their premium Pro II plans.

However, EE, Zen Internet and BeFibre recently became some of the first ISPs to launch new routers using the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) standard. This introduces various new features, such as using the extra 6GHz channel with 320MHz of channel bandwidth for much broader capacity (Wi-Fi 6E is 160MHz), as well as Multi Link Operation (MLO), which allows data to be sent over multiple bands simultaneously, and 4K QAM, which offers up to 20% increase in peak data transmission performance (plus other enhancements).

The good news is that it looks like Vodafone are preparing to catch up. One of our readers (credits to Scott) recently spotted that the operator has put three new devices through the WiFi certification process between July and early September 2024, including the Ultra Hub 7 Fibre (FG4278VF), Super Wi-Fi 7 (RP761BVDF) and Ultra HUB7 (DG4278VF). But this doesn’t reveal much about their capabilities, other than support for WPA3 encryption and WiFi 7.

The recent certification doesn’t mean that these devices are due for an imminent launch, as there will usually still be development work and testing that needs to be done on the software and production side first. Often such work can take several months, and so a launch is perhaps more likely to occur during 2025 than 2024. The future launch may also be staggered, meaning that we might see the Ultra Hub 7 Fibre launch before the others.

A spokesperson for Vodafone told ISPreview: “We don’t have anything to say on that right now. We will continue to sell our Vodafone’s Pro II Plan, powered by Ultra Hub.”

News 

Authorities are still working to discover exactly what data may have been obtained by the hackers 

A Chinese hacking group, reportedly connected to the country’s government, has breached several US telcos in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday citing sources familiar with the matter. 

The sources suggest that telcos and broadband providers, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen, were among the targets of these attacks.  

Investigators believe these hackers may have gained access to confidential data, via wiretap requests from federal agencies. 

The full scope of the breach is still being assessed, with major tech firms like Microsoft and Mandiant supporting the investigation.  

The hacker group responsible for breaches, known to cybersecurity professionals as “Salt Typhoon”, is known to have links to the Chinese government. 

The incident adds to growing concerns over cyberattacks linked to China, with tensions already strained between the two countries over espionage and security issues. According to sources in the Wall Street Journal report, data accessed by the hackers could include that related to both criminal and national security matters. 

The Chinese Embassy in Washington has denied the claims, calling them a “a distortion of fact” and a political attempt to “smear” China.  

The affected telcos, along with agencies such as the FBI and Justice Department are yet to comment. 

Geopolitical tensions between the US and China have intensified in recent years, with IT technology becoming a key battleground, encompassing telecommunications, semiconductors, AI, and more. The US government is particularly concerned about the implications of Chinese advancements in technology that could impact national security, intellectual property, and economic competitiveness.  

President Trump launched the first major move against Chinese tech in 2019 with sanctions against Huawei. Here, US companies were banned from doing business with the Chinese giant without a licence. President Biden then upheld the sanctions, and tightened restrictions on the sale of semiconductors for 5G devices. 

Back in June, the US government launched an investigation into Chinese telcos China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom due to concerns that the firms could provide US data to the Chinese government via their US cloud and wholesale routing services.   

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

Also in the news: 
Vodafone and Three defend merger amid CMA warnings
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Interview

At Connected Britain 2024, we caught up with Sitetracker’s Global Product Lead Michael Roach to discuss how the company is using the latest technologies to make planning and deploying fibre networks simpler, faster, and more cost effective.

From leveraging Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to equipping engineers with computer vision capabilities, Roach explains why building a unified platform is key to harnessing the wealth of deployment data now available to telcos.

You can watch our full interview from the link below.

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