News 

Following new technological developments, the firm plans to release new 5G smartphones within the year, according to reports 

Recent technological advancements from both Chinese chip firm Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co (SMIC) and Huawei’s own semiconductor design capabilities means that Huawei are now able to procure their 5G chips domestically, according to sources at unnamed research companies.  

This could allow Huawei to establish a reliable supply chain without involvement from US-based companies, with sources suggesting the company could release a 5G-capable version of its P60 smartphone later this year.   

New 5G smartphone models are expected to be announced next year. 

Huawei has been banned from engaging in business with the US since President Donald Trump issued an executive order in May 2019. The ban, which is still in place, extends to all international firms that the US government deems a national security risk.  

As a result of the order, Huawei’s US business with firms such as Google, Microsoft, and Intel quickly dried up, denying the company access to its vital American chipmaking partners. Without these partners, Huawei was unable to produce its most advanced phone models and therefore compete with market leaders like Apple and Samsung. 

Since the ban, consumer business revenue nosedived from 483 billion yuan ($67 billion) in 2020 to almost half that the following year, leaving Huawei struggling to keep their head above water in the smartphone market.  

Last year, Huawei reported their biggest annual profit decline on record, with their $5.18 billion in profits down 69% year-on-year. 

But while these new domestic 5G chip manufacturing capabilities are surely a positive sign, questions are being raised about the extent to which their quality can be compared to premium chips manufactured by the likes of Qualcomm and Intel.  

Additionally, critics such as research company Radio Free Mobile argue that as long as the US trade ban is still in place, Huawei’s lack of access to Google technology will make it difficult for their new phones to gain traction in markets outside China. 

Although the news may be a considerable progression for Huawei, whether it could result in them regaining their once dominant position in the global smartphone market remains to be decided. 

How will the tensions between China and the US affect the global telecoms market? Join the discussion at this year’s Connected Britain

Also in the news:
Concerns raised over government transparency relating to Huawei
Huawei’s European future in jeopardy as EU mulls blanket ban
China Mobile Ningbo leads the way in building 5G infrastructure for business growth 

News

A report from the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the Home Office still had no “realistic plan” for the new Emergency Services Network (ESN), with the delay costing the UK’s emergency services millions of pounds every year

The government’s plan to create the new 4G-based ESN was first announced in 2015, initially aiming to launch the system in 2017 and completely replace the existing Airwave network by 2019. At the time, the project was expected to cost around $5 billion.

However, progress on the ESN has been glacial. Eight years have passed, and the government still does not know when the system will be in place, with some reports estimating it will not be operational until 2029.

The government has reportedly spent around £2 billion so far on developing the ESN with no tangible progress, while the initiative’s projected budget has swelled massively to over £11 billion.

Today, the PAC has announced the results of its fourth inquiry into the ESN’s delays, being highly critical of the lack of progress or planning on the part of the Home Office.

“The ESN project is a classic case of optimism bias in Government,” said the committee chair Dame Meg Hillier. “There has never been a realistic plan for ESN and no evidence that it will work as well as the current system.”

“Assertions from the Home Office that it will simply ‘crack on’ with the project are disconnected from the reality, and emergency services cannot be left to pick up the tab for continued delays. With £2 billion already spent on ESN and little to show for it, the Home Office must not simply throw good money after bad,” she added.

The report itself detailed the costs the UK’s emergency services are facing in keeping the existing Airwave system running.

The ambulance service said it had spent £9.5 million towards making the transition, while the fire service had spent £6 million, along with an additional £2 million for early versions of the ESN which had since been replaced.

The police force, meanwhile, estimated that purchasing additional Airwave devices had cost them £125 million since 2018 and would cost them a further £25 million by 2026.

It is worth noting here that Airwave’s parent company, Motorola, was originally contracted to help deliver the ESN itself, but withdrew from the project at the end of last year. The US-based mobile device company seemingly feared that it would be forced to sell Airwave by the UK Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), after a recent CMA consultation estimated that Motorola stood to make excess profits of £1.3 billion from the Airwave system over a decade.

The Home Office is now in the process of finding a new supplier to replace Motorola.

The PAC closed their report by recommending the Home Office appoint an Independent Assurance Panel to oversee progress on ESN. The Home Office has until the end of the year to produce a suitable outline for the ESN project and must create a new business case in Q1 2024.

How is the UK telecoms market evolving in 2023? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Connected Britain conference

Also in the news:
Netomnia passes half a million premises with full fibre
Telefónica sells majority share of Peruvian fibre network to KKR
5G NTN-mobile market revenue to hit $18bn by 2031

VIEWPOINT

Fiber-based connectivity is emerging as a key driver of economic growth in the post-pandemic era as people carry out more and more tasks on digital platforms. Be it shopping, working, learning or staying in touch with your loved ones, digital platforms have become our preferred mediums for executing professional and personal tasks. Further, it is not possible to deploy fiber in remote and difficult-to-reach areas.

Adopting an Innovation-Oriented Approach

Jordan’s FiberTech has adopted an innovative approach to making fibre-based connectivity to a greater number of people in the country. Founded in 2019, the company is working with the vision of providing access to affordable but quality broadband to every household in the country, irrespective of economic feasibility. It is Jordan’s first wholesale Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network committed to providing ultrafast internet to Jordanians.

“FiberTech is a collaboration between two industries, the energy industry and the telecommunications industry, because we use legacy electricity poles to bring broadband to every Jordanian home and business in the area where we operate,” says Sami Jarrar, CEO of Jordan FiberTech during an interview with Shaun Collins, Executive Chairman at CCS Insight.

“Another innovative thing about FiberTech is our business model, which is based on infrastructure sharing. We believe this is more cost-effective as well as environment-friendly. Our model is based on the wholesale model. So, as owners of the infrastructure, we enable our clients, who are ISPs and telecom operators, to take care of their customers and provide the best possible service,” he adds.

FiberTech was established as a joint venture between Jordan Electrical Power Company (JEPCO) and Umniah Mobile Company. FiberTech provides reliable connectivity at affordable rates and endeavours to connect 1.4 million homes and enterprise premises in Amman, Zarqa, Madaba and Balqa. FiberTech signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Huawei to boost the infrastructure and operational efficiency of its network.

 

Focusing on Marketing and Training to Maintain a Business Edge 

Besides engineering and technology, the company is also focusing on carrying out promotions and marketing campaigns to deliver delight to the users.

“Apart from engineering and technology, it is the promotions with which we approach the public. We know the means of the public. So, we make propositions that are balanced so that the end user can enjoy the benefits of broadband,” says Sami Jarrar.

The outbreak of the pandemic made people aware of the vast potential of broadband as people were dependent on using digital infrastructure for professional as well as personal tasks. This awareness created a strong foundation for FiberTech to create relevant products for its customers.

FiberTech also believes in providing required continuous training and exposure opportunities to its employees to ensure the company continues to innovate and is always able to maintain a competitive edge.

Setting Robust Foundation for Economic Growth

Commenting on the value FiberTech brings for the economic progress of the country, Sami Jarrar says, “If we’re talking about digitization today, we’re talking not just about the digitization of services provided by the private sector, but also about the services delivered by the government. And for digitization to become a reality, broadband has to become itself a reality. Broadband has to be at the fingertips of all users of these services. Unless people have access to quality broadband, digitization cannot fly. So, we see ourselves as enablers for the digitization drive within our aspiring country.”

As the digital economy continues to move from strength to strength, FiberTech is playing a crucial role in improving the digital infrastructure of Jordan. This will lead to the overall social and economic growth of the country while enabling Jordanians to grow their profile in the all-pervasive digital economy.

Homes and businesses in the Northumberland (England) town and civil parish of Blyth have been named as some of the next to benefit from Grain‘s (Grain Connect) ongoing roll out of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network – using Point-to-Point (PTP) architecture. Grain says they’ve already started work on their latest addition of […]

The Comms Council UK, which represents the United Kingdom’s national Unified Communications and Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) phone industry, has today published their annual shortlist of finalists for the organisation’s 2023 industry awards event. Eli Katz, Chair of Comms Council UK, said: “It is very exciting to be celebrating CCUK’s 15th Awards this year, and it is […]

The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) has just published their latest biannual UK Customer Satisfaction Index (July 2023), which finds that Tesco Mobile (ranked 7th), Sky Mobile (ranked 16th) and giffgaff (ranked 34th) were the only telecommunications providers to make their table of the top 50 organisations. The research reflects the results from a large […]

A new Which? survey conducted by Yonder has claimed that 7.2% of households missed a bill or housing payment during June 2023 and, among those who missed one or more bills, 32% struggled to pay for broadband and / or TV, rising to 42% for energy bills, 40% for council tax and 38% for water. […]

News

The regulator is aims to ensure that Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) customers are not being disincentivised from changing to another service provider due to onerous termination procedures

Today, UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced an investigation into Virgin Media O2 following complaints from customers about the company’s cancellation practices.

Ofcom rules require that VMO2 ensure that the conditions or procedures for contract termination do not act as disincentives for customers against changing their communications provider.

Customer complaints made to the regulator, however, spoke of the difficulty in cancelling their contract, noting trouble connecting to an agent on the phone, calls dropping during conversation staff, and being placed on hold for long periods of time. Others also complained that they had made repeated attempts to cancel after their initial requests were not actioned.

The announced investigation will seek to verify the legitimacy of these complaints, as well as assessing whether VMO2 had made it clear to customers that they could take disputes to an independent ombudsman after eight weeks if their complaints had not been satisfactorily resolved.

If found to be in breach of Ofcom’s rules, VMO2 is likely to face a fine and instructions to change its procedures where appropriate.

“Our rules are there to protect people and make sure consumers can take advantage of cheaper deals that are on offer. That’s particularly important at the moment as households look for ways to keep their bills down,” said Ofcom’s chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive. “We’re taking action today, on behalf of Virgin Media’s customers, to investigate whether the company is putting unnecessary barriers in the way of those who want to switch away.”

In it’s online statement, Ofcom noted that VMO2 scored below average for call waiting times and satisfaction with complaint handling in their annual customer satisfaction report.

In a statement, VMO2 defended itself, said it is “committed to providing our customers with excellent service” and pointing out that complaints related to customers having difficulty leaving their contracts have halved over the past year.

It is worth noting here that the UK’s ISPs are currently wrestling with instructions from Ofcom to implement One Touch Switching (OTS), a system that would theoretically allow customers to jump from one network to another at the click of a button.

Ofcom made the decision to introduce OTS back in September 2021, saying it would to allow customers to switch ISPs quickly and painlessly, as well as helping them avoid paying for two services simultaneously during the transition period between two services.

However, implementing OTS across all of the UK’s broadband networks is a significant technical challenge, hence the regulator gave the nation’s ISPs until 3 April 2023 to make the requisite arrangements.

Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that this deadline was overly ambitious, with estimates suggesting an industry co-developed OTS platform would not be ready for service until 2024. The April deadline came and went without OTS being implemented, with Ofcom subsequently launching an investigation into the industry’s failure.

Once OTS is finally implemented, it is likely that a large portion of the complaints for which VMO2 is currently being investigated will be a thing of the past. How long consumers will have to wait for these capabilities, however, remains to be see.

Will OTS have a major impact on the dynamics of the UK ISP sector? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Connected Britain conference

Also in the news:
Netomnia passes half a million premises with full fibre
Telefónica sells majority share of Peruvian fibre network to KKR
5G NTN-mobile market revenue to hit $18bn by 2031

News

Optus, Australia’s second largest telco, will use Space X’s low latency satellite constellation to provide mobile connectivity to 100% of Australia 

Optus’s terrestrial mobile network coverage currently covers 98.5% of Australia’s population (around 25.5 million people). However, due to Australia’s unique geography, the vast majority of these people are located in a small number of dense urban centres, such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, leaving vast swathes of the outback largely untouched by mobile connectivity. In fact, around 60% of the country’s landmass has no mobile connectivity at all. 

Covering these relatively unpopulated areas with terrestrial networks is economically unviable, hence operators are looking to emerging technologies to help solve this challenge.  

That is why Optus has this week partnered with SpaceX, aiming to make use of the latter’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation Starlink to provide direct-to-mobile connectivity to consumers in hard-to-reach areas.  

“Australia’s vastness and terrain can make it difficult for any operator to provide mobile coverage everywhere it is needed – especially in remote or hard-to-reach locations,” said Matt Williams, Marketing and Revenue Managing Director at Optus. 

“Our work with SpaceX aims to bring the coverage capabilities of satellites direct to compatible mobile handsets without the need for customers to buy additional equipment. This partnership builds on our proud history of satellite innovation in Australia.” 

Testing of the satellite-to-phone service is underway, with the connectivity services be rolled out in stages, SMS services beginning in late 2024, and data and voice services the following year. 

“This is a truly innovative model for Australia – connecting satellites to standard mobile phones – and a significant evolution beyond the services SpaceX has provided in Australia to date. It will create a unique experience for Optus customers,” added Williams. 

The deal comes just weeks after Optus’s largest rival, Telstra, also signed a Starlink deal. However, as opposed to direct-to-mobile coverage, Telstra’s partnership with the satellite operator will focus on providing fixed broadband services. 

Starlink currently has around 4,000 satellites orbiting Earth at a height of around 550km, with the aim of increasing this number to 12,000 in the near future.  

How is the growth of the LEO satellite industry impacting the global telecoms sector? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live in Amsterdam 

Also in the news:
New Zealand’s Spark partners Lynk for satellite-to-mobile connectivity
Satellite spectrum struggles: Elon Musk’s Starlink urges India to ditch airwave auction
Vocus launches drone to serve as an emergency mobile tower in Australia 

Openreach (BT) has confirmed the next batch of 18 UK exchanges under ‘Tranche 13‘ of their project to move away from older copper-based analogue phone (PSTN / WLR etc.) services and on to a new all-IP network, which in this case will also occur once over 75% of premises in each area are able to […]