Alternative network provider Quickline, which is building a mix of Full Fibre (FTTP) and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) based broadband networks across parts of Lincolnshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire in England, has appointed Craig Fairey as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to help grow the business alongside its new rollout plans. Mr Fairey is said to bring […]

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Reports suggest the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite telecommunications firm has closed its Alaskan test site, with locals bemoaning its services as expensive and unreliable

This week, a report from the Telegraph indicates that UK-backed satellite operator OneWeb has closed its vaunted test site in the village of Akiak, Alaska, following complaints from the Alaska Telecom Association (ATA) and local internet providers.

Akiak was one of OneWeb’s first test sites and was notable for being a keystone the company’s marketing campaign, designed to show that the LEO satellite constellation could provide internet services to one of the most remote communities in the US.

Less than a year since activation, however, and it would seem that the test site is failing to live up to expectations.

According to sources, the ATA and local providers have written to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to complain that the “service is too costly to adopt” and had been discontinued “due to ongoing technical difficulties”.

The nature of these technical troubles has not been revealed.

While this closure is surely something of a blow to OneWeb’s image, given Akiak’s prominence in its marketing campaign, the material impact to the company is likely small. While OneWeb has significant ambitions in the consumer broadband segment, its focus to date has been largely centralised on government, maritime, and enterprise broadband needs.

Furthermore, according to the operator, other rural Alaskan test site are still up and running with positive results, perhaps suggesting that the Akiak site is simply an anomaly.

Nonetheless, such a closure has shone a worrying light on the challenges OneWeb may eventually face in the consumer space, particularly given the meteoric rise of rival SpaceX’s Starlink constellation in the US and beyond.

Starlink launched commercial services to consumers in Alaska in November last year and is seemingly gaining a growing market share in remote locations. The service already covers Akiak and has reportedly been well received by residents.

In a somewhat ironic twist, after OneWeb’s loss of access to Russian Soyuz rockets last year due to the war in Ukraine, SpaceX has been contracted to launch OneWeb satellites. This week marked the companies latest launch collaboration, which saw SpaceX put an additional 40 OneWeb satellites into orbit.

In total, OneWeb now has 502 LEO satellites floating above the Earth, having said they will require 648 for full global coverage. The operator expects its constellation to be fully launched by the end of the year.

What role will satellite play in expanding broadband access to the most remote US communities? Join the telecoms experts in discussion at this year’s upcoming Connected America conference

Also in the news:
Orange opens European solar farm to boost access to renewable energy
Bullitt: Two-way satellite messaging will be available this quarter
Cox launches mobile services to bolster fixed line offerings

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There is a growing urgency in the telecom industry to reduce energy consumption by adopting sustainable and environment-friendly practices.

The recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report says that the world will experience an increase in temperature of more than 1.5°C by 2040 unless and until there is a concerted effort to bring down carbon emissions.

Turkcell, a converged telecom and technology service provider in Türkiye since 1994, is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and becoming a carbon-neutral company by 2050. The rising electricity costs are also making it imperative for the company to bring down its energy use.

“Turkcell is keenly focused on sustainability goals and environmental responsibility.  Our strategy involves implementing best practices and policies that minimize the impact on the environment, such as reducing waste and emissions, conserving resources and using renewable energy. Within the framework of our sustainability approach, Turkcell commits to meet 100% of its energy needs from renewable resources by 2030, and to be a completely carbon neutral company by 2050. In order to achieve these goals, Turkcell is the first GSM operator that has ISO 50001 Energy Management System and ISO 14064 international standard for quantifying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions certificates in Turkey.” Elif Yenihan Kaya, Network Capabilities Director, Turkcell.

Teaming with Huawei

To accelerate its efforts to realize the target of carbon neutrality by 2050, Turkcell teamed up with Huawei earlier this year. Together the two companies incubated Huawei’s Green Site solution in Antalya. The project was designed not just to help Turkcell reduce the environmental impact but also to bring down its electricity costs.

In April 2022, Turkcell and Huawei jointly incubated the Green Site target network solution, designed to benefit the operator and the environment. Huawei’s Green Site solution is based on the philosophy of ‘More Bits, Less Watts’. First, it helps the Turkcell reduce power consumption, thus directly leading to savings in operational expenses. Further, the improved energy efficiency supports the migration of 2G and 3G users to 4G and 5G services. Lastly, the telcos’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint positively impact the environment, helping them better fulfil their social responsibilities.

“We decided to work on the mutual project for green sites with Huawei.  In April 2022, based on our assessment and design, Turkcell and Huawei implemented the first AI-based green site solution in Antalya. Basically, solar panels provide green energy for the site. What’s more, the AI-based smart system manages excess solar energy generated by sunlight into the lithium batteries and supplies power to the site at night, thus maximizing the use of clean energy generated by sunlight. Solar energy accounts for more than 70% of the site’s energy consumption, reducing carbon emissions and saving electricity costs. The energy saving and carbon reduction effect of a single site exceeded our expectations. ” says Elif Yenihan Kaya.

Huawei has introduced a three-layer solution to help Turkcell boost the green efficiency of their networks and operations. This solution is designed to ensure a carbon emission and OPEX reduction.

Industry first-released NCIe indicators to measure the carbon emission intensity of the entire network

Huawei’s Green site solution provides NCIe (Network Carbon Emission Intensity), an energy efficiency indicator system proposed by Huawei and already approved by ITU-T SG5. It encompasses three layers: Radio Access Network (RAN), the site, and the equipment (BBU/RRU/antenna). The carbon emission per unit traffic is measured and tracked to evaluate how much data traffic is transported per kWh.

Comprehensive solutions to minimize the carbon emission and energy costs

Huawei Green Site solution helps bring down the operational expense for the Turkcell. It is a simplified, renewable and intelligent solution.

The all-in-one cabinet replaces the traditional shelter, thus bringing down the high energy consumption of the air conditioners and improving the site energy efficiency. Further, blade power guarantees enough space for future evolution.

The solution uses solar energy, which provides enough renewable energy sources for daily consumption. Further, anti-shadow helps in generating 10% extra electricity. Huawei’s Green site solution leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) which provides greater visibility and control, thus leading to improved overall management. The use of AI makes it possible to calculate backup hours based on weather, thus enabling solar synergy with lithium battery to avoid peak solar waste.

Professional service to improve return on investment 

Firstly, multi-dimensional evaluation service-based NCIe indicators enable the implementation of low carbon RAN strategy and focus investment in areas with the most “green” impact. Secondly, the optimal solution is simulated, and benefits are calculated through the digital design platform. Finally, the operators must use the solution for the green modernization of the entire network to maximize the impact.

In Antalya, Turkcell uses Huawei’s end-to-end Green Site solution, a high-efficiency iSolar system with AI that stores renewable energy from the sun in lithium batteries. In addition, high-efficiency rectifiers, lithium batteries, and integrated cabinets are used to migrate equipment to the outdoor cabinet, eliminating the need for shelter and an air-conditioner.

Impact of Green Site solution 

Using Huawei’s Green Site solution helped Turkcell reach its energy saving by 81%, while carbon emissions were reduced by 5.5 tons per year. The project’s success can be gauged by the fact that, on average, 70% of its daily energy consumption is from solar energy.

The two-year project involves 50 teams for the first-time delivery in Turkey. The end-to-end innovative solution sets a new benchmark for a green revolution in the country. Turkcell and Huawei have committed to creating more value through further cooperation.

“We have decided to enhance our partnership with Huawei in this project and we are planning to have 500 green sites implementation in 2022. We are expecting to have carbon emissions reduced by more than 1.3tons per site per year. Turkcell will continue to innovate in green energy and set an example for the industry.” says Elif Yenihan Kaya.

Ensuring sustainable operations is the need of the hour, and Turkcell and Huawei have set an example for other telcos to emulate and adopt sustainable practices.

 

 

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Nowadays, due to the steady growth in Internet penetration and the strong growth in manufacturing, the rapid development of Southeast Asia’s digital economy has brought rapid growth in cross-regional traffic.

China Mobile International Limited (CMI) provides several solutions for different international enterprises which are characterized by ultra-large capacity, ultra-low latency, high security, and excellent experience to accelerate their digital transformation.

Broadband ISP Virgin Media UK (VMO2), which in mid-2021 completed a mega £31bn merger with mobile operator O2, has quietly indicated that its own Virgin Mobile brand – still home to c. 3 million customers – may “soon” be coming to an end as subscribers will be “moving from a Virgin Mobile plan to an […]

New customers who take one of Shell Energy’s broadband plans, which are based off Openreach’s UK network (ADSL, FTTC and FTTP), may be displeased to note that the ISP has just significantly increased their out-of-contract prices by around 12.5% (i.e. impacting those who choose to remain loyal at the end of their term). The move, […]

Rural broadband ISP Gigaclear has announced that their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network will this month start to go live across the first 2,000 premises of their latest deployment patch – three villages in remote parts of Northamptonshire, England. This forms part of the operator’s wider £97m investment in the county. In total, once the local […]

Budget broadband ISP TalkTalk has today announced that customers ordering one of their “Full Fibre” (FTTP) packages will also, optionally, be able to add both their Android TV powered Pay TV service and a NOW TV Entertainment Membership for just £9.99 a month with no up-front costs. Just to be clear, it normally costs TalkTalk’s […]

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The Saudi Public Investment Find (PIF) will own a majority stake in the business, with Zain using the resulting funds to pay down its debt

This week, Zain KSA has announced that it has completed the sale of a majority stake in its tower unit to a PIF-led consortium for roughly $805 million.

The deal was first reached in February last year, with Zai agreeing to hand over a 60% share of the business to the PIF, as well as a further 10% each to Sultan Holding Company and prince Saudi bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz.

Zain will retain the final 20% stake.

According to local media, Zain has already transferred ownership of roughly 3,000 towers to the consortium, with the remaining 5,089 to be handed over in batches over the next 18 months.

It should be noted that the deal only accounts for the company’s passive infrastructure (i.e., the towers themselves), while Zain will retain ownership of the site’s active element, such as antennae, software, and related technology.

Zain says the move will help it to reduce its debt, as well as providing capital to focus on “higher-yielding digital investments” in line with their overall strategy.

“This transaction creates enormous shareholder value and gives Zain KSA greater financial muscle to invest in cutting-edge technologies and innovation that enhance the customer mobile and data experience,” explained Bader Al Kharafi, Zain Group vice-chairman and CEO, and Zain KSA vice-chairman.

“The unlocking of capital to focus on higher-yielding digital investments and optimization of infrastructure that creates internal efficiencies is a core element of Zain’s transformational ‘4Sight’ strategy, empowering Zain to enhance the meaningful connectivity we provide the communities, businesses, and governments we serve,” he added.

The move is the latest of a long string of digital investments by the PIF, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to further his Vision 2030 plan for Saudi Arabia, first announced last year. As such, the PIF has said it is committed to investing $40 billion a year to develop the nation’s economy by 2025, as well as investing roughly $24 billion into the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Want to keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world? Click here to have the Total Telecom daily newsletter sent straight to your inbox!

Also in the news:
Orange opens European solar farm to boost access to renewable energy
Bullitt: Two-way satellite messaging will be available this quarter
Cox launches mobile services to bolster fixed line offerings

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The deal comes at a time when the UK-based operator group is under pressure from investors to improve its performance

This week, Vodafone has announced that it has agreed to sell its Hungarian unit, Vodafone Hungary, for roughly €1.7 billion.

The operator group will sell 100% of its Hungarian unit to Hungarian newcomer 4iG and Corvinus, a holding company owned by the Hungarian state. 4iG will hold a 51% stake in the business, with Corvinus holding the remaining 49%.

The deal was first revealed in August last year and is expected to be formally completed later this month.

“This combination establishes a scaled converged operator across mobile and fixed communications and supports the Hungarian government’s goal of creating a national Information and Communications Technology champion,” explained Vodafone’s interim CEO Margherita Della Valle. “The combined entity will increase competition and accelerate investment in the ongoing digitalisation of Hungary.”

According to Vodafone, the proceeds from the sale will be used to pay down debt.

In fact, this windfall could not come at a better time. The company having been under significant pressure from investors for years to turn its fortunes around and bolster share prices but has found little success.

The issue came to a head in January 2022, when ‘activist investor’ and major shareholder Cevian Capital called for Vodafone to restructure and be more aggressive in seeking consolidation in highly competitive markets.

A year later, however, and Vodafone’s outlook appears much the same. Despite the successful spin off and partial sale of the company’s European tower infrastructure in the form of Vantage Towers, as well as a burgeoning merger with Three in the UK, the Group’s share price has continued to stagnate.

As a result, at the start of December, Vodafone announced that CEO Nick Read would step down from his position at the end of the year, having failed to achieve the scale of consolidation he had championed for so long.

Under his four-year tenure, Vodafone shares had fallen in value by almost 50%.

Della Valle, the company’s finance director, is serving as interim CEO until a replacement can be found.

4iG, on the other hand, has been making something of a splash in the Hungarian market over the same period. Backed by billionaire Lőrinc Mészáros, a close associate of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, 4iG has been on an acquisition spree throughout the Balkans, aiming to become a major telecoms powerhouse and the second largest operator in Hungary.

With the acquisition of Vodafone Hungary, the company moves one step closer to this goal, creating a converged operator able to deliver fixed broadband, pay-TV, and mobile services on a national scale.

“The acquisition of Vodafone Hungary opens a new chapter in the Hungarian telecommunications market. It is the first info-communications group in almost thirty years that can operate as a Hungarian majority-owned convergent operator,” said Gellért Jászai, chairman of 4iG.

Want to keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world? Click here to have the Total Telecom daily newsletter sent straight to your inbox!

Also in the news:
Orange opens European solar farm to boost access to renewable energy
Bullitt: Two-way satellite messaging will be available this quarter
Cox launches mobile services to bolster fixed line offerings