Page 69 - SAMENA Trends - April 2020

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

WHOLESALE NEWS

Altice Europe Unveils Fastfiber FTTH Wholesale Business

Altice Europe has announced the creation wholesale services to all Portuguese in December 2019. The final cash
of Fastfiber (formerly known as Altice operators at the same financial terms. consideration received at closing was
Portugal FTTH), which it says is the largest MEO, meanwhile, will sell technical EUR1.57 billion (USD1.71 billion), while
fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) wholesaler in services to Fastfiber for the construction, further payments have been scheduled as
Portugal, with roughly four million homes maintenance and subscriber connection to follows: EUR375 million in December 2021
passed at end-2019. Fastfiber comprises the fiber network. The creation of Fastfiber and EUR375 million in December 2026,
all PT Portugal (MEO) fiber assets in follows the successful completion of subject to some performance ratchets.
Portugal, including FTTH and dark fiber Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners’ Altice says that the overall transaction
infrastructure. The company aims to sell acquisition of a 49.99% stake in Fastfiber values Fastfiber at EUR4.63 billion.

Rakuten Mobile Taps Cisco to Establish Inter-Network Roaming with KDDI

Cisco and Japan’s new fourth network designed to help Rakuten Mobile improve operators to achieve ‘national’ coverage,
operator Rakuten Mobile have announced the end user experience by ensuring voice/ Rakuten hopes the Cisco solution will
the successful launch of an inter-network data connectivity when moving between enable it to offer an uninterrupted mobile
roaming service between the cellco and the respective networks. Given that the new broadband connection while it builds out
fellow operator KDDI’s mobile networks fourth operator is reliant on other network its own network infrastructure.
across Japan. In a press release, the
vendor noted that the LTE roaming service
– which is reportedly defined by 3GPP
and based on the S10 signaling interface
standard – is being used within Cisco’s
Virtual Ultra Packet Core to link to mobility
management entities (MMEs) between the
two operators. ‘The MMEs track relevant
user data sessions to ensure smooth
handover from one operator’s network to
the next. The data path will be managed by
connecting the KDDI network with Cisco’s
System Architecture Evolution Gateway
VNF supporting a Control and User Plane
Separation architecture,’ the statement
read. The Virtual Ultra Packet Core is

BIPT Opens Consultation On New Wholesale Cable Rates

The Belgian Institute for Post and of regulators (CRC) on 29 June 2018, which Orange Belgium complained the rates were
Telecommunications (BIPT) has published imposed a series of measures based on a substantially higher than those included in
its draft decisions regarding the reference new market analysis of broadband and TV the draft proposal in July 2019, leading to
offers proposed by Brutele, Voo and broadcasting operators with significant ‘wholesale charges that are clearly above
Telenet for wholesale cable access to their market power. Comments on the three and beyond the level of ‘fair charges’.
broadband and TV services. The reference separate draft decisions can be submitted
offers follow a decision by the conference until 19 May. In a statement last week,

69 APRIL 2020