Press Release

The CampusDynA consortium, comprising of German industry leaders such as Gestalt Robotics, T-Systems, OSRAM, Fraunhofer, and Werner-von-Siemens Center for Industry and Science, has chosen IS-Wireless as the provider of the 5G network based on the Open RAN model. It will be deployed in Berlin later this year.

The consortium focuses on exploring the potential of Open RAN private networks in industrial applications, including autonomous mobile robotics and optimization of energy use in production plants. IS-Wireless will support these activities by delivering a complete Radio Access Network including O-RU (radio units), DU (distributed units) and CU (centralized units). The company will also provide near-RT RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) with xApps ensuring the necessary network performance needed in the demanding use case of connected and autonomous mobile robots. Successful CampusDynA private 5G deployment in Berlin is of prime importance for the consortium members to reach the project goals:  gaining insights on the potential of Open RAN technology for industrial applications.

Gestalt Robotics, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jens Lambrecht (Managing Director): “We are pleased to be able to work with IS-Wireless in the future. A stable private 5G network creates the basis for novel edge-controlled AMRs that communicate with our NavigateSYS software. Our primary goal in the research project is to achieve an optimal allocation of capacity in the network and thereby use the bandwidth more efficiently. In this way, we are working on making future AMR models much more intelligent. We are proud to be part of this project.”

Lutz Schneider, Product Owner Autonomous Logistics at T-Systems says: “With the test field at the Werner-von-Siemens Centre for Industry and Science in Berlin, we have the opportunity at an early stage to practically test the latest technology trends such as Open RAN based campus network in interaction with our robotics platform ‘Autonomous Logistics’ and demonstrate them to our customers at the point of value creation.” 

“With the Open RAN network from IS-Wireless we have a great value add to our industrial infrastructure used for research projects with our partners” said Peter Höhmann, project manager at Werner-von-Siemens Centre for Industry and Science.

“We are happy to deliver Private 5G based on our latest technology” said Slawomir Pietrzyk, CEO and Founder at IS-Wireless. “The fact that we were selected among tough competition indicates a good direction we took with our product development. It’s both the functionality and quality that matters a lot, especially in the Industry 4.0 applications”.

For more on this, join Total Telecom for Connected Germany – 5 – 6 December 2023 | International Congress Center Messe München

News

The annual report into the risks posed by Huawei – and in particular software it produces – to the UK’s national infrastructure has remained unpublished since 2021, raising concerns about a lack of government transparency.

The Telegraph newspaper article said that the report overseen by the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) – otherwise known as the ‘The Cell’ – has been in existence since 2010, but in 2021 the then-culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, decided to not to make it publicly available.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology did not comment on the decision, leading to suggestions that the government “let Huawei off the hook.” It is not clear if the report is still being produced as the work of ‘The Cell’ continues at its Banbury HQ.

In 2020 Total Telecom reported that the same watchdog report had found numerous flaws during its investigations, including one vulnerability deemed “nationally significant”. HCSEC said at the time that it “continues to reveal serious and systematic defects in Huawei’s software engineering and cyber security competence”.

Connected Britain will examine the issues around securing critical infrastructure at this year’s conference. Join us at ExCel London in September – REGISTER HERE

Alternative network provider County Broadband, which aspires to cover 500,000 premises across the East of England with their gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network by the end of 2027, has revealed that the specialist team they created to help reach the most remote homes has now completed 200 connections. The full fibre provider, which is being […]

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today opened an investigation into the Quality of Service (i.e. minimum standards for repairs and new line provision) targets that they impose upon some of Openreach’s (BT) broadband and Ethernet products, which comes after the regulator found that the operator had fallen short in several areas. As an operator […]

Network builder and ISP Quickline, which is currently rolling out their new gigabit speed full fibre (FTTP) infrastructure to 96 rural locations (55,000 premises) across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, has launched a new “zero cost, zero conditions broadband deal” to help attract new customers away from rivals in their patch. The provider, supported by […]

Broadband provider Yayzi appears to have quietly become the first ISP on CityFibre’s national Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to launch a symmetric speed 2.5Gbps package for UK consumers, which will set you back just £45 per month on an 18-month term (inc. free wireless router). Now that’s cheap. The change, which was spotted yesterday by ISPreview’s […]

Credible sources have informed ISPreview that broadband ISP and mobile operator EE, as part of BT’s ongoing work to turn the provider into their “flagship brand for our consumer customers” (here), are preparing to rebrand the BT TV service to EE TV and re-launch it alongside free multi-room support, while also adding YouTube. The move, […]

News

The GSMA have announced the addition of China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom to the Open Gateway initiative, a global network of operators using Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs) to provide universal access to operator networks.

The aim is to help developers and cloud providers enhance and deploy services more quickly across operator networks via single points of access. Early test programmes have centred on areas including online financial crime and more immersive gaming experiences.

Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA said “This will help unlock further value from 5G connectivity which will flow into the global economy and strengthen future investments, bringing transformational benefits of connectivity to all,”

Li Jun, EVP, China Telecom, said “We believe collaboration and common frameworks between mobile operators, developers and cloud providers will create new opportunities and drive forward new industries and experiences.”

Whilst Gao Tongqing, EVP, China Mobile, said they were “committed to opening up network capabilities and driving positive contributions to promoting the development of the digital economy.”

Launched earlier this year, there are now 29 signatories to the MoU including America Movil, AT&T, Axiata, Bharti Airtel, BT Group, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Du, e& Group, KDDI, KPN, KT, Liberty Global, MTN, Omantel, Orange, Singtel, Swisscom, STC, Telecom Argentina, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, TIM, Veon, Verizon and Vodafone.

The National Farmers Union recently published the results of their latest annual survey of 814 members across England and Wales, which among other things found that 36% can now access “supefast broadband” (24Mbps+) speeds (up from 20% two years ago), while 80% had access to 4G on their mobiles and 10% could get 5G. Naturally, […]

NEWS

The Italian incumbent is set to enter exclusive negotiations with KKR over sale of its network assets, with private equity firm outbidding rivals CDP & Macquarie

The operator’s board gave the green light for CEO Pietro Labriola to begin exclusive negotiations with US investment fund KKR last Thursday, regarding the sale of the telco’s fixed line networks business , which is to be spun off into a new entity dubbed NetCo. KKR, who hold a stake in TIM’s last-mile operator FiberCop, have been given until September 30 to submit a binding offer. KKR’s earlier non-binding bid for €23bn was accepted ahead of the rival bid from CDP and Macquarie.

While this would seem to draw the protracted sale one step closer to completion, the bid is still subject to both regulatory and governmental approval, while shareholder Vivendi, who hold a 23.75% stake in TIM, plans to block the move due to the offer ‘undervaluing assets’ in reports published in the Financial Times. The French conglomerate have previously valued TIM’s assets at €31bn, and while reports in Italy have suggested that this could drop to €26bn, this is still higher than the non-binding bid previously submitted by KKR.

While Vivendi’s opposition is a significant block to the deal, TIM has noted that any transaction involving NetCo remains subject to regulatory approval and also the government’s ‘Golden Power’ authority, which allows it to have a say on the fate of assets considered to be of strategic national importance as well as antitrust approvals. TIM’s description of KKR’s bid as being “preferable in terms of executability and timing,” suggests some confidence in getting the deal through the regulatory process. However, as Vivendi’s reaction shows, we still have some way to go before we can describe the NetCo sale as completed.