Openreach recently began a new Shallow Build Trial in Great Britain (excluding N.Ireland) for their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which we think could make it possible for the operator to expand their network into areas that might normally be too challenging due to high deployment costs and risk. The trial was actually first announced […]

Network operator and UK broadband ISP Lit Fibre, which aims to reach 500,000 homes by 2026 with their 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, has today announced that they’ve added the towns of Watford (Hertfordshire) and Basildon (Essex) in England to their rollout plan. The provider, which started their deployment in 2021 and is being backed […]

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The operator says it is the first US operator to make such a commitment

This week, T-Mobile has announced its latest sustainability goals, aiming to reduce its emissions to net-zero across its entire carbon footprint by 2040.

Crucially, this new goal encompasses not only Scope 1 and 2 emissions – those generated directly by the company’s own operations and indirectly by the company’s purchased electricity – but also Scope 3 emissions, those caused by the company’s wider supply chain, its employees, and its customers.

These Scope 3 emissions currently account for two-thirds of the company’s carbon footprint.

The goals have reportedly been validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) using their Net-Zero Standard framework.

“While T-Mobile’s net-zero goal is a decades-long endeavor, we know how important it is to take definitive actions now to reduce our environmental impact for future generations,” said Janice Kapner, chief communications and corporate responsibility officer at T-Mobile. “We’re committed to measurable progress and holding ourselves accountable with strong governance practices, consistent and transparent reporting, and ongoing collaboration with leading sustainability experts.”

In addition to announcing their new net-zero goals, T-Mobile also revealed that that they have signed The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reaching net-zero 10 years ahead of the timeline set out by The Paris Agreement. As part of this pledge, the company has agreed to measure and report its greenhouse gas emissions regularly, implement various decarbonisation strategies, and eliminate any remaining emissions with “additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial offsets”.

It is worth noting here that T-Mobile’s progress towards this goal is already well underway, with the company having used nothing but renewable energy for around a year now.

T-Mobile’s largest rivals, AT&T and Verizon, meanwhile, have announced their own sustainability targets, though neither of them have announced plans to eliminate Scope 3 emissions.

Verizon, is aiming to reach net-zero operational emissions by 2035, including a 53% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions between 2019 and 2030. It is also aiming for half of its total energy consumption to be derived from renewable sources by 2025.

Since December 2019, the operator has announced numerous Renewable Energy Purchase Agreements, amounting to roughly 2.6 GW, with the latest deal being struck earlier this year.

AT&T has similar goals, aiming for carbon neutrality across its own operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2035. The operator said it would achieve this target by focussing on using renewable energy, bolstering energy efficiency, and reducing fleet emissions through optimisation and the introduction of hybrid and electric vehicles.

Are US operators doing enough to reduce their carbon footprint and promote a more sustainable future? Join the experts in discussion at this year’s live Connected America conference

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The trial aims to validate Stratospheric Platforms Ltd (SPL)’s High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) antenna technology’s viability to provide 4G and 5G connectivity over BT’s network

Today, BT has announced the company’s latest step towards providing non-terrestrial network connectivity, testing the capabilities of SPL’s latest antenna to connect to BT’s terrestrial mobile networks.

This antenna, if successful, will ultimately be deployed on a HAPS vehicle: essentially a flying mobile base station that will operate from the Earth’s stratosphere, above commercial air traffic but below satellites. From this advantageous position, HAPS will theoretically be able to deliver high quality mobile connectivity over a wide area.

In SPL’s case, the company claims its technology will be able to provide speeds of up to 150Mbps across a range roughly 15,000 square kilometres – the same coverage as roughly 450 terrestrial mobile masts.

Naturally, this far-reaching connectivity will be primarily used to deliver connectivity to hard-to-reach areas where conventional infrastructure is too difficult or expensive to deploy. However, HAPS aircrafts’ pilotable nature also offers a high level of flexibility, allowing for rapid deployment to areas with a temporarily high need for connectivity, such a during a music concert or in the wake of a disaster relief.

While the concept of HAPS connectivity has been around for many years, to date the technology remains largely unproven, a fact that BT and SPL are seeking to rectify.

For this trial, however, the duo will not be taking to the skies just yet.

The test, which will take place at BT’s Adastral Park HQ, will involve deploying SPL’s phased array antenna on a tall building, simulating it being located on a HAPS. From there, the technology will be connected to BT’s 5G network via the company’s Open RAN testbed. The test will include supporting multiple user groups and different potential use cases, concurrently on the same network.

The trial builds on a demonstration by SPL last year which saw one of the company’s masts deployed on a civilian aircraft, from where it facilitated 5G video calling and messaging for around five hours.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with SPL to start realising the huge potential of HAPS aircraft to further strengthen our UK 4G and 5G network technology leadership,” said Tim Whitley, Managing Director Research and Network Strategy at BT Group. “This highly innovative and transformative project has the potential to further enhance our UK 4G and 5G footprint, which is already the largest and most reliable in the UK, to connect unserved rural areas and enable exciting new use cases for private users.”

How long it will take for the partnership between BT and SPL to realise commercial value, however, remains to be seen.

SPL is currently developing its own hydrogen-powered HAPS vehicle, Stratomast, which it claims will be able to fly continuously for over a week once completed. The company has previously said it would target a commercial launch for this vehicle by 2026.

It is worth noting, however, that SPL is not the only company exploring the use of HAPS for mobile connectivity. Earlier this month, Airbus announced it was preparing to spin off its own HAPS development unit, dubbed Aalto, calling for new investors to help scale up the business.

In contrast to Stratomast, Airbus’s solar-powered Zephyr HAPS vehicle has already demonstrated over 26 days of continuous flight, aiming to increase this figure to six months before commercialisation. The company says Zephyr is already “at the final design stage” and should be ready for commercial operations by the end of the year.

As the race to rollout 5G draws to a close, could a race to the skies be next?

Keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

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Mobile operator Three UK has today launched a new range of ‘Three Your Way‘ plans, which allows new customers to choose to pay for their device over a 12, 24 or even 36-month period, as well as to choose one of three, 12 or 24-month Airtime plans, each of which comes with their own range […]

VIEWPOINT

In order to keep up with all the changes that are happening in the telecommunications industry, you need to be vigilant and flexible, to be the first notice changes and then adjust the activities of your telecom business to accommodate them. Comarch has been supporting companies in their efforts to optimize and facilitate processes since 1992. Discover our experts’ predictions about the industry in 2023.

Why is it important to be future-oriented?

If you want to be one step ahead of your industry competitors, you should focus on anticipating trends that may happen in a given period of time, for example, in one year. Thanks to this, you can plan your business easily, and estimate  costs and workforce and expert requirements more precisely. The last aspect is particularly important due to the decreasing availability of employees with experience and knowledge. This shortage slows down the process of teaching new specialists, which in turn may limit access to their valuable skills.

As you can see, proper planning of company activities, not only in the telecommunications industry, can protect you from stress and prevent you from acting blindly.

Telco predictions for 2023

Take advantage of the help of experts who spend a lot of time observing and analyzing changes in the market. Thanks to this, they are able to predict what trends will emerge in 2023. These include the wider use of AI, the growing role of digital twins, and OSS systems modernization.

Taking advantage of artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the areas that will gain the most value in 2023. Its role will increase especially in the case of chatbots. It is no longer surprising that communication in virtual space can take place without the participation of a human on the other side. Experts predict that 2023 will be a breakthrough in terms of the use of AI in communication on the business to business (B2B) market.

Have you already met digital twins?

The concept of digital twins is to develop both digital and physical entities that are synchronized with each other in real time.  This presents a huge challenge for CSPs, who need to expand their activities and offer more attractive operations. Therefore, 2023 will be an opportunity for development – but one that only telecoms truly oriented towards the future can handle.

Trust your smartphone

Nowadays, a smartphone can be considered as a third hand. We perform many operations in private and professional life from these small devices. Zero-touch provisioning and AI/ML-based assurance are not enough. The changes are essential to be able to serve more complicated areas, such as updating data on the fly or browsing processing tasks.

Want to find out more predictions for the telecommunications industry for 2023?

Don’t hesitate to download Comarch’s free eBook, entitled “To the Future! Predictions for 2023 in the Telco Industry”. Let’s shape the future together!

 

Rural ISP County Broadband, which is working to cover 500,000 premises across the East of England with their new 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network by the end of 2027, has today added another 5 villages in South Cambridgeshire to their ongoing network expansion (bringing the total in the county to 18 villages). The provider, which is […]

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The windows are made of a light, porous aerogel that can provide less resistance to passing radio waves without jeopardising property insulation

This week, Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo that it is working with fenestration specialist YKK AP to test a new material for building signal-permeable windows, aiming to improve indoor reception from external radio waves.

Instead of glass, the windows being tested are made using a newly developed gel-like material called aerogel. According to Docomo, this light, porous material has a dielectric constant close to that of air, therefore providing far greater radio wave penetration than traditional glass.

The trial will not only serve to official validate the material’s relative permittivity, but also allow the operator to test the interplay of various shapes and materials for window designs.

If the trial proves successful, Docomo hopes that windows made using aerogel will eventually be installed in homes and offices.

Indoor penetration has always been a challenge for mobile operators, with radio waves notorious for degrading as they penetrate walls and windows. In 2023, this is a growing challenge, with homes and offices being built with increasingly multi-layered and insular window glass, further inhibiting signal penetration.

In addition, mobile operators are increasingly making use of higher radio frequencies, such as mmWave (typically in the 24GHz band), to achieve faster and higher capacity 5G connectivity, the properties of which include decreased signal propagation and penetration versus lower bands. This problem will only grow in future, with 6G technology forecast to use even higher frequencies to deliver services.

Thus, Docomo suggests that developing new building materials will play an integral role in futureproofing infrastructure for next-generation connectivity, noting that the company will conduct further tests focussing on millimetre and terahertz radio frequencies in the future.

Keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

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Colt connects to Barcelona Cable Landing Station

A new trial has been launched by telecoms giant BT (EE) and Stratospheric Platforms – funded by Innovate UK, which aims to harness High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) aircraft, usually located above commercial air traffic in the Earth’s stratosphere, in order to extend 4G and 5G (mobile broadband) coverage into remote rural areas. The idea of […]

The time has come. Vodafone will, in just a few days’ time, become one of the first UK mobile networks to start the process of switching off their old 3G mobile (mobile broadband) platform, with people in the Devon city of Plymouth and the Hampshire town of Basingstoke being among the first to switch. We […]