The CTO of network operator O2 (Virgin Media), Jeanie York, has today become the first UK mobile provider to set out their plans for withdrawing the old 2G service, which will see the first customers beginning to be moved off that platform in 2025. But they won’t be switching 2G off completely, at least not for a long time.

The UK government and all major mobile operators have so far agreed to phase-out existing 2G and 3G signals by 2033 (here), which will free up radio spectrum bands so that they can be used to further improve the network coverage and mobile broadband speeds of more modern 4G and 5G networks, as well as future 6G services. The switch-off will also reduce the operators’ costs and power consumption.

Last year saw O2 (VMO2) become the final operator to reveal their plan for switching off the old 3G mobile (mobile broadband) network, which unlike their rivals is a process that won’t actually begin until 2025. The withdrawal will then occur in phases, with completion by the end of that same year. Vodafone and EE have largely already gone through this process, while Three UK expects to complete by the end of 2024.

However, the situation around 2G is more complicated, not least because older 2G signals remain useful as a low-power fallback (they’ll be sticking around for a lot longer) and are still necessary for some rural areas, as well as for particular applications (e.g. many Smart Meters and other Internet of Things (IoT) / M2M services are dependent upon 2G). Conversely, this means that 3G is going before anybody even starts to scrap 2G.

Suffice to say that, until now, none of the major UK mobile operators have given any solid details on their plans for sunsetting 2G services. But that just changed.

Jeanie York, CTO of VMO2, said:

“With [the 3G switch-off] work progressing well, we’re now assessing the future of our older 2G network. Currently, less than 1% of our customers use 2G-only devices, and the network carries less than 0.1% of data traffic. All mobile operators have agreed with Government to phase out 2G networks over the next decade. With future-proof networks now in place and ongoing investments helping to further expand them, next year we’ll start work to move almost all remaining traffic away from the 2G network.

Unlike our 3G network, we won’t be turning 2G off completely. In fact, we expect to continue operating it for several years and it will play an important role in carrying emergency calls in more remote areas without 4G coverage. We’ll also use it to support data traffic for smart energy meters, contributing to the UK’s transition to a lower-carbon economy.

By redirecting most ‘human’ traffic to newer, faster and more energy-efficient networks while reserving the older slower network for some data-light ‘machine’ communications, our customers will get the best possible experience whether they are calling, messaging or using data on the go.

For most customers, these changes will happen seamlessly in the background, and they won’t notice any change. However, a small proportion of customers will need to look out for messages from us telling them what they need to do – either because they’re using a very old device which won’t work on 4G, need a new SIM or because they need to turn on 4G calling.

We’re committed to helping those who may need additional support such as those very small proportion of customers still using older devices. We will be directly contacting any our customers who need to take action, guiding them through the process and explaining the steps they need to take.

As a technology business we’re forever changing and upgrading; standing still would mean failing our customers and not being prepared for future needs. From London and Cardiff to rural parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, we are committed to keeping our customers connected and delivering not only the services needed for today but ensuring we’re ready for the technologies of tomorrow too.”

At this point it’s important to highlight that the 3G switch-off did expose a few weak areas of 4G coverage, where some customers of different operators and in certain locations found they were only able to access a 2G service after the old 3G one was withdrawn.

Complaints like those above are in the minority, but we have seen a few of them. Suffice to say, operators will need to be particularly cautious with the 2G switch-off, as a tiny proportion of people may have no fallback if 4G isn’t improved first. Likewise, as expressed by Jeanie above, some people still use old 2G-only handsets and supporting their transition will be a key focus.

Finally, Jeanie York added that VMO2 invest £2m every single day into their mobile networks and have already brought 5G to over half of the UK, while 4G is available to 99% of the population with continued work taking place to address rural blackspots through the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme and boosting capacity. Jeanie added that they also “remain on track to switch off the [3G] service next year.”

The UK telecoms regulator has announced that, following a request from BT, it has launched a review of the annual licence fees they charge mobile network operators (EE, Vodafone, Three UK and O2) for use of three popular mobile spectrum bands – 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz – supporting 2G, 3G and 4G (mobile broadband) services.

As regular readers will already know, the cost of Annual Licence Fees (ALF) can be a highly divisive subject. Mobile operators often complain that hikes in this area can mean price rises for consumers and less investment going toward their networks. The horrifically overpriced 3G auction that netted a staggering £22bn in 2000, but which also hobbled the roll-out and network investment in related services, is just one such example.

In recent years, Ofcom and the Government have worked somewhat more effectively to address the issue of spectrum pricing, although some grumbles will always exist. But the cost of such licence fees can also be influenced by other factors, such as the ongoing removal of 3G services, as well as the desire to make modern 5G services available via the same bands.

Suffice to say that the market regulator has now decided to launch a review of the annual licence fees they charge for use of the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands.

Ofcom’s Statement

Annual licence fees (ALFs) are fees we charge mobile network operators to use certain spectrum bands. They typically come into effect after a mobile operator’s licence won at auction has come to the end of the initial licence period. The fees are designed to ensure that the spectrum is used efficiently. We currently charge ALFs for three mobile spectrum bands (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz).

On 28 March 2024, BT wrote to Ofcom to request a review of the ALFs we charge for 1800 MHz spectrum. We have now considered BT’s request, and we consider that the evidence suggests that a fee review is justified. As a result of the commonalities in the formula we use to set ALFs, we have decided to begin a review of all of the ALFs we currently charge (that is, ALFs for 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum).

At this stage there’s not a lot of official detail on the context for Ofcom’s decision and BT’s request, although we hope to have an update on this later. The regulator currently aims to report their “initial findings” by the end of 2024.

Viewpoint

Shanghai, China, June 26, 2024: During MWC Shanghai 2024, Mr. Victor Rodrigo Nilo Poyanco, service delivery manager of Chile Entel, delivered a keynote speech at the F5G-A All-Optical Network Summit on ” Lighting Up Digital Chile With F5G-A Optical Network “. As the largest telecom operators in Chile，Entel has consistently introduced new innovative technologies, is building F5G-A optical network, lighting up digital Chile.

Entel is the largest mobile operator in Chile and is developing fixed broadband and enterprise services. Its FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) subscribers have increased by four times in the past three years. Meanwhile, as the digital hub between South America and Asia- Pacific and the largest cloud service providers in Chile, Entel’s backbone network traffic have increased by nine times in the past five years, bringing an annual network traffic growth of over 50%. To cope with the ever-changing service requirements, Chile Entel is building F5G-A optical network to construct a digital foundation.

First, in terms of network architecture, Chile Entel changed the multiple layers traditional network to unified mesh network. It is like a 3D bridge to balance traffic without congestion, and support network 10 years evolution. Secondly, 400G/800G rate to enlarge network capacity and reduce cost per bit. High-performance 400G and super C+L band can be provided nationwide transmission without regeneration, and reducing transmission cost per bit by 30%. Single wavelength 800G is also introduced in Santiago metro network to provide a capacity of nearly 100 Tbit/s per fiber, meeting the requirements for massive data traffic in the future. Thirdly, all-optical switching can built flatten and mesh architecture covering national backbone and Santiago metro network, and reduce the equipment room space by 90% and power consumption by 40% for core nodes. In addition, all-optical one-hop connections between users and DCs and between DCs will be implemented, building a 1ms intra-city and 5-18ms inter-city low latency circle, enabling low latency and ubiquitous connections for thousands of industries.

At last, Mr. Victor said, “Entel is proud to have one of the world’s most advanced F5G-A optical network, using industry-leading 400G/800G technologies to provide premium connection to Chilean customers, accelerating industry digitalization and enabling digital Chile strategy.”

Press Release

Nokia today announced that it has successfully completed its first 5G non-standalone (NSA) Cloud RAN trial with Bharti Airtel (Airtel) in India.

The project supports Airtel’s strategy of delivering a superior customer experience using high-performing networks. It is expected to deliver higher levels of service innovation, higher network automation, flexibility and efficient scaling of resources to support end-user services.

The trial took place in an over-the-air environment utilizing 3.5 GHz spectrum for 5G and 2100 MHz for 4G. Data calls were successfully performed with commercial user devices over Airtel’s commercial network achieving a throughput of over 1.2 Gbps. The trial utilized Nokia’s RAN Software for virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) and virtualized Centralized Unit (vCU) running on x86 Hardware with a CaaS layer. The trial also used Nokia’s L1 acceleration that will enable enhanced power efficiency and support Nokia’s anyRAN benefits of using common RAN software with the purpose-built part of the network. This will enable common functionality and performance across the hybrid network.

The trial marks a significant milestone in Airtel’s overall cloudification journey and supports the operator’s ambition of bringing cloud networking benefits, such as scalability and agility, to their network.

Nokia’s anyRAN is an open approach to building future-ready radio access networks together with an ecosystem of best-in-class industry partners. It’s designed to give mobile operators and enterprises a collaborative advantage by offering them more flexibility in their choice of cloud infrastructure software, hardware, and technology suppliers. Operators can evolve their networks to a hybrid RAN approach with both Cloud RAN and purpose-built RAN deployments co-existing, delivering a consistent, high-quality performance.

Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer at Bharti Airtel, said: “This successful Cloud RAN trial is a significant step forward in our consistent efforts to integrate the latest and most efficient technologies into our network and leverage these to deliver brilliant customer experiences. This partnership with Nokia has enabled us to pioneer innovative solutions to upgrade our capabilities in 5G.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “This successful trial with our long-term partner, Bharti Airtel supports their ambitions for building scalable, agile and highly automated networks. Nokia’s approach to Cloud RAN means that our customers can flexibly evolve to Cloud RAN with choices in Cloud infrastructure and data center hardware. This will drive efficiency, innovation, openness, and scale in their RAN evolution.”

Also in the news:
Power play: Thailand’s biggest telco to merge with energy giant
Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services

News 

The unrest centres around student protests over government job availability 

Bangladesh has entered the fourth day of a near-total internet shutdown following th outbreak of widespread student protests, in which 114 people have so far lost their lives. 

The unrest relates to the reintroduction of Bangladesh’s quota system for government jobs. The system reserves a third of government positions for relatives of veterans who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. This controversial system was scrapped in 2018 following pressure from the Student Quota Reform Movement but was reintroduced earlier this year after a court ruled the change to be unlawful. 

Following the quota’s reinstatement, student protests quickly erupted, which have since grown to include hundreds of thousands of people. Protests are still ongoing despite the Bangladeshi government backtracking and reducing the quota, meaning that now 93% of government jobs should be open to candidates based on merit. 

In an effort to curb the unrest, the country’s government has imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, a tactic that has been used by the country before.  

Telecommunications minister, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, said social media has been “weaponised as a tool to spread rumours, lies and disinfor mation,” according to the Guardian. 

“The government has temporarily suspended mobile internet services in the light of the ongoing situation in the country,” a spokesperson for Robi, the second-largest mobile operator in the country, told Rest of World in a statement. 

Palak said on Saturday morning that “government is trying to get the internet back but only after ensuring people’s physical and digital security.” 

The current protests and violence reflect broader dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, which is accused of authoritarian practices and suppressing differences in opinion.  

Despite government efforts to stop the unrest, including ordering schools and universities to close indefinitely, the demonstrations are continuing with students demanding justice for those killed and an apology from the Prime Minister.  

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

Also in the news: Also in the news:
Australian Government and AWS Collaborate to Strengthen country’s Cybersecurity
Solving congestion challenges in FTTP deployment
Vodafone Invests £120m in AI Chatbot ‘SuperTOBi’
 

Press Release

Altnets look to rapidly extend their wholesale offering to new ISPs through streamlined provisioning automation 

Strategic Imperatives, the UK market leader in SaaS provisioning, connectivity and monetisation solutions for the telecom industry, has today announced that UK Altnets Trooli and OFNL have joined its Fibre Café platform. This move enables both companies to leverage the platform’s unified interface into the UK’s growing FTTx ecosystem, gaining a strategic advantage and unlocking new opportunities in the wholesale market. 

Trooli and OFNL join a growing list of Altnets and service providers utilising The Fibre Café to streamline access to the UK’s FTTx ecosystem at a national level. Together, Trooli and OFNL collectively bring an additional 500,000 premises to The Fibre Café platform.  

Wail Sabbagh, Managing Director at Strategic Imperatives, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Trooli and OFNL to The Fibre Café and look forward to supporting their wholesale growth as a key partner. By joining the platform, both network owners gain a significant competitive advantage through streamlined onboarding, enhanced automation, and direct access to a rapidly expanding pool of service providers.” 

Having focused its own FTTx rollouts in rural and semi-rural postcodes, Trooli has captured hundreds of thousands of premises to date. Joining The Fibre Café marks the first step in Trooli’s wholesale strategy headed up by Wholesale Director, Rhiannon O’Neill, following her appointment to the role last year.  

Andy Conibere, CEO at Trooli, said: “We are delighted to be joining The Fibre Café which enables us to further deliver upon Trooli’s wholesale strategy, by enabling smooth interoperability between us and our wholesale partners, partners who will already have access to 370,000 Ready for Service Premises, with more to come on the Trooli network! With The Fibre Café becoming the de facto standard for supporting scalable connections between network owners and service providers, we are excited to be working in partnership with Strategic Imperatives as we enter this next phase of our wholesale strategy.”  

As the first independent company to own and operate fibre networks for the delivery of residential broadband services in mainland UK, OFNL specialises in ultrafast fibre networks on new-build housing and commercial developments which are ready the day the occupier moves in. Founded as an open-access wholesale operator from its inception, OFNL is always looking to automate the Lead To Cash process with its existing ISPs and welcome new ISPs through the streamlined access provided by The Fibre Café.  

Andrew Robinson, Managing Director at OFNL, commented: “At OFNL, our wholesale-first strategy has already attracted over 80 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to offer a wide range of residential and business packages on our network. We look forward to working with The Fibre Café to empower our ISPs to automate their provisioning process and further streamline the onboarding process for new ISPs joining our expanding network.” 

Join Strategic Imperatives at Stand 133 at Connected Britain 2024, the UK’s leading digital economy event

Also in the news:
Power play: Thailand’s biggest telco to merge with energy giant
Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services

San Jose, Calif. – July 22, 2024 – Infinera (Nasdaq: INFN) announced today that SECOM is modernizing its middle-mile and business Ethernet access network using Infinera’s XTM Series optical transport solution to bring new multi-gigabit broadband services to rural southern Colorado communities previously underserved. SECOM’s enhanced network provides connectivity for thousands of customers, including homes, schools, libraries, government entities, telecoms, and businesses.

SECOM, the wholly owned broadband subsidiary of Southeast Colorado Power Association (SECPA), a rural electric power cooperative, is one of the largest telecommunications service providers in the region, with a fiber network spanning around 2,000 miles throughout southeastern Colorado.

With Infinera’s XTM Series, SECOM is expanding the capabilities of its middle-mile network to deliver multi-gigabit Ethernet services driven by the bandwidth growth of large enterprises and industrial parks, as well as the 100G/400G broadband transport needed to aggregate thousands of broadband services offered in newly created fiberhoods. This middle-mile network modernization project provides SECOM the network flexibility, reliability, and reach needed to maximize the region’s economic and social development opportunities and close the digital divide in the most remote and rugged locations.

The XTM Series provides SECOM with a temperature-hardened and low-latency packet optical middle-mile network that is ideally suited to the combination of residential, business, and Carrier Ethernet traffic in the network and the demanding operational environment at the edge of the network.

“Infinera’s XTM solution was easy to deploy,” said Elijah Quinn-Ridgwell, Chief Technology Officer at SECOM. “We have a vast and mostly rural service area, which benefits from Infinera’s edge-optimized platform, enabling us to aggregate larger amounts of traffic from more varied and remote locations. Upgrading the network with Infinera’s XTM solution maximized our broadband and Ethernet capabilities across our network, creating a more robust and scalable infrastructure that will allow us to continue to grow well into the future.”

Infinera worked with its partner World Wide Technology (WWT) on the network design and deployment for SECOM.

“We are pleased to work with WWT to upgrade SECOM’s network, bringing vital fiber and mobile broadband connectivity to underserved communities in rural Colorado,” said Nick Walden, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales at Infinera. “Modernizing SECOM’s middle-mile network ensures southern Colorado keeps pace with the rest of the world.”

Infinera technology experts will be at FiberConnect July 24-28 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. To schedule a meeting or to learn more about Infinera’s solutions for rural broadband networks, contact sales@infinera.com.

Contacts:

Media:

Anna Vue

Tel. +1 (916) 595-8157

avue@infinera.com   

Investors:

Amitabh Passi, Head of Investor Relations

Tel. +1 (669) 295-1489

apassi@infinera.com

About Infinera

Infinera is a global supplier of innovative open optical networking solutions and advanced optical semiconductors that enable carriers, cloud operators, governments, and enterprises to scale network bandwidth, accelerate service innovation, and automate network operations. Infinera solutions deliver industry-leading economics and performance in long-haul, submarine, data center interconnect, and metro transport applications. To learn more about Infinera, visit www.infinera.com, follow us on X and LinkedIn, and subscribe for updates.

Infinera and the Infinera logo are registered trademarks of Infinera Corporation.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the operational and performance benefits of Infinera’s XTM Series optical transport solution. These statements are not guarantees of results and should not be considered as an indication of future activity or future performance. Actual results may vary materially from these expectations as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Information about these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that affect Infinera’s business, is contained in the risk factors section and other sections of Infinera’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Fiscal Quarter ended March 30, 2024 as filed with the SEC on May 24, 2024, as well as any subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. These reports are available on Infinera’s website at https://www.infinera.com and the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies and can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and “would” or similar words. Infinera assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements.

News

The proceeds from the 10% stake sale will help reduce the company’s debt pile

Today, Vodafone has announced the sale of a further 10% stake in Oak Holdings, the infrastructure joint venture that controls its mobile tower spin-off Vantage Towers.

The stake’s buyer is Vodafone’s partner in Oak Holdings, a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners ad KKR, who have agreed to pay the operator €1.3 billion.

Back in 2022, Vodafone shifted its 81.7% stake in Vantage Tower to the newly formed Oak Holdings, saying it would gradually sell down its stake in the joint venture until it had achieved ownership parity with the consortium. By doing so, Vodafone explained at the time, the operator aimed to retain control over its critical passive infrastructure whilst also raising funds to reduce its debt.

Follow the 10% stake sale today, Vodafone has now achieved the desired 50:50 ownership split with Oak Holdings. The operator is not planning any further divestment.

Including today’s announcement, the formation of the joint venture and subsequent stake divestment has seen Vodafone raise €6.6 billion in the last two years.

Funds raised from the stake sale will reportedly go towards reducing Vodafone’s debt, which stood at €33.2 billion as of March this year.

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

Also in the news:
Power play: Thailand’s biggest telco to merge with energy giant
Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services

London, 22nd July 2024 – Cerillion (AIM: CER), a leading provider of BSS/OSS-as-a-Service solutions to the telecoms industry, today announced further details of a new five-year contract with a leading provider of connectivity solutions in Southern Africa, first announced in May. Cerillion will implement its pre-integrated BSS/OSS suite to support a wide range of B2B and B2C services including 5G Standalone, fibre and satellite, in one convergent solution.

With a network spanning seven countries across the region, the multi-service operator is growing rapidly and now needs to consolidate its operations on a unified BSS/OSS platform with a strong digital engagement layer and end-to-end order-to-cash integration. Key to choosing Cerillion was the company’s proven track record of supporting multi-country operators with a fully convergent solution, with all customer types and service types managed on one unified platform.

Built around a common technology framework using industry standards including TM Forum Open APIs, Open Digital Architecture and the 3GPP charging specifications, Cerillion’s BSS/OSS suite and SaaS delivery enables rapid implementation with ease of integration, maintenance, and upgrades through its evergreen software programme, ensuring customers always have access to the latest product features.

“We are delighted to be working on this exciting new multi-country project in Southern Africa,” commented Louis Hall, CEO of Cerillion. “Faced with stiff competition and an extremely thorough selection process, the benefits of our pre-integrated product suite and the quality and flexibility of our delivery team have shone through once again, providing the certainty of outcome the customer needs for this mission-critical transformation project.”

– ends –

Notes to Editors

About Cerillion plc Founded in 1999, Cerillion (AIM: CER) is a leading provider of billing, charging and customer management systems delivering its solutions across a broad range of industries including the telecommunications, finance and utilities sectors. The Company has a global customer base, with c. 80 customer installations across c. 45 countries and customers include Liberty Global, KDDI and Proximus. For more information visit: www.cerillion.com

IVT Communications FZE LLC’s recent unveiling of afina, a cutting-edge data monetization platform, is truly remarkable and forward-looking. The introduction of afina marks a significant advancement in the telecom industry, poised to revolutionize telecom operators’ revenue streams and address the longstanding challenge of entering the advertising market.
afina distinguishes itself through its utilization of sophisticated machine learning algorithms, enabling it to deliver highly targeted promotions tailored to each individual subscriber. This emphasis on personalized advertising aligns seamlessly with the industry’s growing emphasis on data-driven strategies.
What truly sets afina apart is its dedication to fully leveraging subscriber databases available to telecom companies. In a landscape where annual advertiser budget growth surpasses 20%, this feature becomes particularly enticing. Furthermore, afina goes above and beyond by offering a complimentary launch and handling 90% of the setup process, underscoring the user-friendly and convenient nature of their approach.
afina offers telecom operators rapid market launch capabilities, enabling them to swiftly seize new opportunities. The platform assists operators in refining their promotional strategies through the provision of proprietary modules for hypothesis testing. Co-founder Rostislav Ringer emphasizes that afina empowers operators to maximize revenues while delivering promotions that truly resonate with subscribers.
With features like transparent financial reporting, data-centric advertising, and a guided integration process, afina showcases its commitment to arming operators with a competitive edge. This platform is a vital resource for both MNOs and MVNOs as they navigate the dynamic telecommunications industry landscape.
afina’s Features:
ML-based Monetization: afina utilizes machine learning algorithms to deliver highly targeted promotions, boosting ARPU by up to 5%.
Rapid Market Launch: The platform enables swift deployment, allowing telecom operators to capitalize on new opportunities promptly.
Proprietary Modules for Hypothesis Testing: Exclusive modules assist operators in testing hypotheses and refining promotional strategies.
Guided Process: Operators are seamlessly guided throughout the entire integration process.
Transparent Financial Reporting: afina provides comprehensive financial reporting, offering operators valuable insights into the success of their promotional campaigns.
The platform’s innovative features, commitment to data-driven strategies, and potential for significant revenue growth make it a formidable player in the market.
For further details on afina and its transformative capabilities, interested parties can visit afina’s official website: afinadmp.com

About IVT Communications FZE LLC:
IVT Communications FZE LLC emerges as a leading provider of advanced AI solutions. With a team of experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning, the company develops cutting-edge technologies that drive innovation and optimize business processes.