We’ve lost count now of how many times ISPreview has had to say this over the years, but there are still far too many broadband ISPs in the UK – particularly larger players – that fail to clearly inform their customers of how much their package will cost post-contract. As a result, consumers often feel […]

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VIEWPOINT

With an average age of only 30.2, and explosive growth of unicorns, Asia Pacific has entered the golden time of digital economy and ICT infrastructure development, driven by sustained demand for ICT infrastructure and abundant digital content for consumers.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has sped up digitalization in Asia Pacific. Since the gradual opening up, major countries in the region are expected to maintain good recovery momentum in 2023, with GDP growth forecasts over 4%, leading to an upgrade in telecom consumption.

The communications industry is expanding at an incredible pace in the Asia-Pacific. The need for connectivity in ICT infrastructure is growing rapidly as businesses and industries advance their digital transformation initiatives and millions of devices become connected thanks to 5G. While this change has given businesses many new opportunities, it has also presented several challenges.

In certain 5G areas, where breakthroughs and deployments are showcasing increasingly fascinating application scenarios and metaverse applications, 5G development is gaining even greater traction. With the advent of 5G, telcos will have a tremendous opportunity to fully realize the promise of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Edge and develop new sources of revenue.

It becomes imperative that 5G networks continue to advance and evolve in order to meet this challenge because rapid development also places increasing demands on the network’s capabilities. Here, based on region-specific 5G network deployment stages, global telco solution supplier Huawei has been closely collaborating with the sector and assisting Asia-Pacific telcos in getting ready for a new era of connectivity.

Diverse deployments

The features offered by 5G enhance the secure remote execution of mission-critical communications (such as industrial automation and remote healthcare), high-speed video streaming and connecting a vast number of sensors. However, the challenge for telcos is all regions of Asia Pacific are at different stages of 5G deployments.

While some are working to increase 4G speeds and services, others have jumped into 5G deployments to expand coverage. There are many who, while waiting for favourable government policies and rising customer demand to build the 5G infrastructure, nevertheless wish to enhance 4G LTE capabilities.

“The challenge for the industry, is that various countries are at different stages of 5G deployment; some are further along than others. Some nations are still utilizing 4G technology and are working to increase the network’s capability. Although 5G is popular, operators must contend with varying levels of device penetration,” says Abel Deng, President, Carrier Business Group – Asia Pacific Region, Huawei. He was speaking in conversation as part of a roundtable at Mobile World Congress 2023.

Deng continues by stating that there are three ways to the 5G installations. Massive base station deployments for 5G are part of it, and other nations are still building 5G-ready networks and LTE, respectively.

Development of 5G and 5.5G

It is essential that 5G networks continue to develop and advance if they are to completely realize their potential and satisfy the continuously expanding connectivity needs of users. To completely improve network connectivity, switch from connectivity-based development to full-service enablement, and working with industry partners to transition to an intelligent society, Huawei has been actively working on the concept of 5.5G Core, which may significantly boost new application scenarios and services.

” broadband  speed acceleration and latency reduction are one of the important features of 5.5G.  5G and 5.5G will enable the industries digitalization. For example, to get the automation going, low latency is important, which need 5G or even 5.5G to get higher precise manufacturing; M2M requires high uploading rates, which 5.5G can perfectly meet this demand;” Deng says.

The evolution to 5.5G, which will be characterized by improvements in enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and Massive Machine-Type Communications (MMTC), as well as new capabilities for sensing, passive IoT, positioning, and intelligence, is being driven by emerging 2C and 2B applications, which call for further advancements in 5G capabilities.

But is 5.5 G a whole new network? “The idea is to upgrade the existing network but will need to be done on a case-by-case basis,” Deng clarifies.

Improving the infrastructure for connectivity

Several cutting-edge products and services have been offered by Huawei (H) to the Asia Pacific region. It sets aside over 25.1% of its 2022 annual income for R&D. The company’s market-leading technologies, such as Blade AAU and META AAU, which have been used by some of its most significant clients, may increase customer satisfaction and capacity while reducing energy usage by up to 30%.

It is helping APAC telcos gradually evolve from traditional networks to “autonomous networks” to achieve high-quality 5G development and intelligent O&M (NSOC O&M Mode).

Huawei, one of the few in the market to offer a full suite of ICT solutions with ‘cloud-pipe-device’ synergy, combining the physical and digital worlds, has established more than 160 Smart Cities in more than 100 nations and regions. Particularly in the Asia Pacific, its solutions have assisted Pattaya in reducing traffic bottlenecks by more than 30%, increasing travellers by more than 10%, and boosting operators’ profits through high-value connections.

Another example for Asia-Pacific is its collaboration with SCG, a leading conglomerate that runs its operations in accordance with ESG criteria to create autonomous driving systems using 5G technology. The self-driving capability has helped SCG reduce energy consumption by more than 50% and improves transportation efficiency by 8%.

Deng asserts that utilizing digital technologies, especially 5G, is expanding prospects. The industry must always consider how things will be in ten years, and Huawei is taking steps to modernize our networks and embrace the chances. “We are working with various carriers to build amazing 5G application cases. ” says Deng.

 

 

Software and internet technology giant Microsoft have today announced an expanded 10-year partnership with broadband ISP and mobile giant EE (BT). This is said to reflect a “commitment in cloud gaming to bring PC games built by Activision Blizzard, following the acquisition, and Xbox” to customers of the UK telecoms provider. At the time of […]

Press Release

OneWeb, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, announced today that it has been selected for two trials to connect remote communities for the UK government’s Very Hard to Reach Premises connectivity programme, which aims to connect the UK’s most remote homes and businesses.

As part of the programme, OneWeb’s high-speed, low latency LEO network will deliver connectivity for trials through its partners BT and Clarus. Trials will take place in the Shetland Islands and on Lundy Island, near the north Devon coast. These trials build on OneWeb’s strong track-record of delivering community broadband to sites in remote locations such as Canada, Greenland, and soon to British territories in the South Atlantic.

“Our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out our plan to ensure everyone, no matter where they live, can reap the benefits of improved connectivity. With the help of companies like OneWeb, we are committing £8m to provide satellite connectivity for our most remote communities so that no one is left behind, while ensuring all populated areas in the UK will be served by what I call ‘5G-plus’ technology by 2030,” said Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. “This package of measures turbocharges our progress towards becoming a science and tech superpower with a substantial initial investment in the future of telecoms.”

“We are excited to demonstrate the impact of LEO connectivity through these trials. From the beginning, OneWeb’s mission has been to bridge the digital divide for communities, but there are still countries around the world where reliable access to connectivity is unattainable,” said Neil Masterson, CEO OneWeb. “Working with the government, alongside our trusted partners and customers, OneWeb can help to bring connectivity to the communities and businesses that need it most, in underserved regions in the UK and around the world.”

Having recently completed its 18th launch, OneWeb now has a constellation of 618 LEO satellites, enabling the roll-out of global coverage later this year. This enhances OneWeb’s existing connectivity solutions, which are already live in regions north of 50-degrees latitude and delivering connectivity to previously unconnected and underconnected communities, businesses and local governments.

OneWeb has 400 staff today based in the UK, the majority of which are in STEM roles, making a significant contribution to the upskilling of the UK economy and building a new industry in the UK.

Is the UK broadband industry doing enough to ensure that every part of the UK receives high quality coverage? Join the community in discussion next week at Connected North

Also in the news:
Telkomsel to merge with Indonesia’s largest fixed broadband operator
French operators head to court seeking compensation for forced Huawei removal
US wireless operators move to allay 5G aviation fears

News

With the cost of launching new chip fabs in the US ballooning alongside inflation, semiconductor giants are growing concerned over the conditions attached to receiving CHIPS subsidies

Back in 2022, US President Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS Act, a programme providing $280 billion in funding to boost domestic research and production of semiconductors. Of this total, around $39 billion was set aside to subsidise manufacturing that took place on US soil, hoping to entice chip giants like Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSCM) to set up shop in America.

CHIPS effectiveness was quickly apparent, with TSMC, Intel, and Samsung all having committed to new semiconductor fabrication plants in the US. Combined, these new sites are worth more than $100 billion.

However, the subsequent downturn of the global economy, with rising inflation and numerous supply chain woes, have left these chipmakers uneasy about the exploding cost of their planned investments; Samsung, for example, says that its planned $17 billion chip fab in Texas, announced in 2021, will in fact likely cost them $25 billion.

More recently, concerns have also started to be raised about the conditions attached to the CHIPS subsidies. Recent guidelines from the US Commerce Department including sharing excess profits with the US government and potentially revealing sensitive cost structure information.

“All of this is confidential information. The most important thing in chips is cost structure. Experts will be able to tell our strategy at a glance,” explained an anonymous source speaking to Reuters.

Since this revelation, the various chipmakers have been communicating with the US government over these stipulations, with TSMC suggesting that the conditions in their current form “cannot be accepted”.

The US Department of Commerce, meanwhile, is attempting to allay concerns, saying that all confidential business information will be protected and that the sharing of excess profits will only occur when projects significantly exceed projections.

The exact size of the subsidies being sought by the semiconductor firms has not been revealed.

The resolution of this issue is especially pressing for TSMC, which missed its sales target for the second straight quarter earlier this month, citing lukewarm demand.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these discussions are also of great interest to the Taiwanese government, for whom TSMC is at the heart of one of its largest and most geopolitically important industries.

“The Taiwan government and industry have a very close understanding [of what is going on] and hope that the details of the relevant subsidy legislation will not affect industrial cooperation between the two sides and costs for industry-related construction,” said Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua earlier this week.

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Also in the news:
Telkomsel to merge with Indonesia’s largest fixed broadband operator
French operators head to court seeking compensation for forced Huawei removal
US wireless operators move to allay 5G aviation fears

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