The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today proposed to update their Earth Station Networks (ESN) licence so that the new generation of Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) platforms (e.g. Starlink and OneWeb) can be used at sea to “deliver improved maritime connectivity.” Every network operator delivering Fixed Satellite Services (broadband) to UK based satellite […]

CityFibre has confirmed that they’ve started the national UK rollout programme for the XGS-PON technology upgrade to their existing GPON based full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which among other things will enable them to support symmetric broadband speeds of up to 10Gbps (9.953Gbps to be exact). The work forms part of CityFibre’s wider effort […]

The Local Government Association, which represents councils from across England and Wales, has published a “new” report that warns of how poorer households are being left behind in the “broadband slow lane“, with access to fixed broadband being 15 percentage points lower in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived. The study, which […]

A new report from telecoms analyst firm Umlaut, which analysed geographic 5G mobile coverage across the UK’s Combined Authority areas, has identified the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) region as being the best connected in the UK, with 65% of locations having access from at least one operator. The figure for the West Midlands also […]

News

The two firms continue to deepen ties, saying they will work together on technology, procurement, and creating joint solutions for customers

This week, Vodafone has announced that the CEO of its largest stakeholder, e&, will be joining its board as a non-executive director.

e& CEO Hatem Dowidar’s new seat at the table is reportedly ensured provided the Emirati operator group retains at least its 14.6% stake in Vodafone, with the option of nominating a second non-executive director if the stake is increased to 20%.

This possibility could become reality in the relative short term, with e& telling investors in recent weeks that it was interested in increasing its stake in Vodafone to between 20% and 25%.

The seats on the board have been made available due to the announcement that three of Vodafone’s non-executive directors – Valerie Gooding, Sir Crispin Davis, and Dame Clara Furse – will not seek re-election at the company’s annual meeting.

Alongside e&’s influential board position, the announcement also revealed the extent to which Vodafone and e& will begin working more closely together. The duo will reportedly focus on a number of key areas, including offering cross-border digital services and solutions to multi-national customers, joint procurement, and wholesale and roaming.

The duo will also work more closely together from a technological perspective, particularly when it comes to further developing OpenRAN.

“Our investment in Vodafone is anchored by Vodafone Group’s established position and worldwide reputation as a prominent industry player that provides cutting-edge connectivity and digital services. This aligns with e&’s vision of becoming a global telecom and technology player,” said Dowidar

e& first took an interest in Vodafone in May last year, paying $4.4 billion for a 9.8% stake in the business. At the time, the Emirati telecoms group said it had no interest in taking over Vodafone, suggesting the deal was an excellent opportunity to “enhance and develop” their international portfolio and expand the company’s reach.

The purchase appeared relatively opportunistic, with Vodafone’s management at the time embroiled in a tussle with disgruntled shareholders over the company’s poor financial performance and depressed share price.

Indeed, e& was not the only company to swoop in and take a stake in the faltering operator group over the past year, with both French billionaire Xavier Niel and Liberty Global taking stakes in Vodafone Group.

e& itself has gradually increased its stake to its current 14.6% holdings over the last six months.

Ultimately, Vodafone’s CEO, Nick Read, resigned at the end of 2022 after failing to make meaningful progress in reversing the company’s fortunes. Since then, the company has been headed up by the group’s previous head of finance, Margherita Della Valle, who was permanently awarded the role of CEO last month.

“We extend a warm welcome to Margherita Della Valle as Vodafone’s newly appointed Group Chief Executive Officer, and we have full confidence in her leadership abilities to steer the company toward growth. We are convinced that our strategic relationship will unlock opportunities for both companies to explore the swiftly expanding global telecom market and next-generation technologies,” said Dowidar.

Also in the news:
Vodafone and Three UK closing in on merger
Bell partners with Air Canada for in-flight Wi-Fi
Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation launch apprenticeship scheme

Press Release

Nokia and Claro Colombia have announced the deployment of an industrial-grade private 4.9G wireless network and edge computing solution at Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Bahía in Cartagena, Colombia, using the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC), including the Nokia MX Industrial Edge, designed to meet the mission-critical wireless connectivity and on-premises OT data processing needs of an array of industries such as port terminals.

The new pervasive private wireless 4.9G network, powered by Claro Colombia, delivers high bandwidth and low latency and improves network predictability in piers and yards. It will reliably and securely connect hundreds of workers, sensors, equipment, vehicles and cargo.

Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Bahía, in the Bay of Cartagena, is the most modern multipurpose maritime terminal in Colombia, handling various types of cargo, mainly general cargo and hydrocarbons, being the largest private hydrocarbon terminal in Colombia. In its general cargo division, it handles Ro-Ro, project, and bulk cargo. It also provides logistics and offshore exploration services, among others. Puerto Bahía is the Ro-Ro cargo leader in the country, handling 95% of the Caribbean coast market and more than 50% of the Colombian market.

Nokia DAC will be the key enabler of Puerto Bahía’s digital transformation journey, which will begin with automation in the hydrocarbons terminal area. One of the more innovative use cases to be implemented is the tracking of up to 20,000 vehicles at peak capacity. Nokia DAC will also provide connectivity between TOS (Terminal Operation Systems) and personnel, and between cranes in docks and yards to optimize operations.

Rodrigo Torras, President of Puerto Bahía, said: “Innovation is at the heart of Puerto Bahía. Our aim as a company is to implement technological tools that help us position ourselves as a Smart Port 4.0. With Claro and Nokia deploying an industrial-grade network, we are undoubtedly setting a great scenario for the optimization of our logistics and the development of various use cases that will lead us to a more effective operation and benefit our customers, suppliers and collaborators.”

Carlos Zenteno, President of Claro Colombia, said: “At Claro we work every day to build a better world and this joint development is an example that when we invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure, we are strengthening advancements in technology, and enhancing safety and port efficiency to promote digital transformation in one of the country’s most prominent ports. With this reliable, high-performance and low- latency private wireless network, we will achieve the goal of supporting Puerto Bahia to become an Industry 4.0 port.”

Osvaldo Di Campli, President Latin America, Nokia, said: “Industrial-grade Nokia Private Wireless networks are the cornerstone of ports’ digital transformation journey. With this project, Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Bahía confirms its leadership in the digitalization of port operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. We thank Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Bahía and Claro Colombia for their trust in Nokia and our solutions. We are excited about our further collaboration.”

Nokia has deployed mission-critical networks to more than 2,600 leading enterprise customers in the transportation, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, web scale and public sector segments around the globe. We have also extended our expertise to more than 595 private wireless customers worldwide and have been cited as the leading provider of private industrial grade wireless networking worldwide by numerous industry analysts.

Also in the news:
Vodafone and Three UK closing in on merger
Bell partners with Air Canada for in-flight Wi-Fi
Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation launch apprenticeship scheme

The CEO of mobile and broadband ISP Vodafone UK, Ahmed Essam, has joined other retail internet providers in publicly calling on Ofcom to approve Openreach’s proposed “Equinox 2” discount scheme for their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based products, which is being challenged by alternative networks (AltNets). At the end of 2022 Openreach confirmed that it planned to […]

VIEWPOINT

Recently, China Unicom Chongqing announced the successful completion of the world’s first trial commercial use of “Alps-WDM+OSU”.

China Unicom Chongqing and Huawei Complete the World’s First Trial Commercial Use of “Alps-WDM+OSU”

The innovative Alps-WDM technology is reported to have improved network capabilities and customer experience in the following aspects:

Improved bandwidth supply capabilities: The bandwidth of integrated access sites increases 10 Gbit/s to 100 Gbit/s. Multiple areas share the bandwidth resource pool, and resources can be obtained on demand.
Lower network latency and improved flexible grooming capabilities: One-hop transmission at the optical layer and flexible grooming at the electrical layer reduce E2E latency to milliseconds.
Optimized O&M efficiency, accelerating response to market demands: The Digital Optical Label technology enables one-click automatic planning, deployment, and maintenance for quick responses to customer requirements.
Green and low-carbon development: Through architecture and technological innovation, Alps-WDM improves the site integration of integrated access equipment rooms and reduces both footprint and power consumption by more than 50%. This helps to better support the green, low-carbon, and high-quality development of China Unicom Chongqing.

This trial commercial use of Alps-WDM has also integrated the OSU technology. The test results show that “Alps-WDM+OSU” supports flexible pipe resource scheduling, lower node latency, and intelligent management and control, thereby reducing costs and improving network service quality. The successful application of “Alps-WDM+OSU” technology enables All-Optical Transport Networks to provide higher-quality services for more industry users. In the future, China Unicom Chongqing will use ROADM+OTN as the all-optical transport capacity foundation to connect to enterprises, homes, and other scenarios. With “Alps-WDM+OSU”, resources can be obtained on demand and made available with one click to facilitate the development of four premium networks[1], providing better services for various industries and homes and promoting digital construction.

[1] Four premium networks refers to China Unicom’s solutions published on 2022: the premium 5G network, premium broadband network, premium enterprise network, and premium computing power network

The Welsh Government has put out a Prior Information Notice (PIN) on a future project for “Extending High Speed Broadband Reach in Wales“, which indicates that they’re preparing to procure a contract worth around £70m (state aid) to upgrade broadband for 84,000 premises (i.e. those that can’t yet get “superfast” speeds of 30Mbps+). The new […]

London-focused broadband ISP CommunityFibre, which aspires to roll out a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to cover 2.2 million premises in the UK’s capital city by the end of 2024 (currently at 720,000 premises passed), has launched a “60 Day Satisfaction Guarantee” for all new customers. In short. If at any point within the first 60 […]