Page 74 - SAMENA Trends - January 2020

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WHOLESALE NEWS

Liquid Telecom to Start Wholesale 5G Network in South Africa

African wholesale operator Liquid Telecom launch of the service also underscores moment” for the company. “Our wholesale
is adding a 5G wireless network to its Liquid Telecom’s vision to bring high- operating partners can exploit our new
existing fiber offering in South Africa. speed connectivity to everyone.” South ultra-fast 5G roaming network to build
The company says the service, which will African IT-based web news service the next generation of communications
operate on 3.5GHz, will be available “in Techcentral reported last year that and make innovation possible, anytime,
all major South African cities” and will Vodacom, the African subsidiary of anywhere. 5G will facilitate real-time
be aimed at all service providers. “This Vodafone, has already signed a deal to use remote collaboration, improved business
breakthrough 5G wholesale service will Liquid’s 3.5GHz spectrum for 5G services, efficiency and lower costs – ultimately
create innovation in every aspect of South beating the South African government’s driving growth in the South African
African society and industry,” said Liquid plan to license 5G spectrum later in 2020. economy.” Liquid has not given a launch
Telecom chairman Strive Masiyiwa. “For Liquid has 56MHz worth of spectrum in the date for the wireless service, but says it
the first time, mobile network operators 3.5GHz band, says Techcentral. Group CEO will be “available from early 2020”.
and ISPs will have open access to Liquid Nic Rudnick called the decision to launch
Telecom’s new 5G mobile network. The a wholesale wireless service “a milestone

TPG Extends Free Trial, but Suspends Data Roaming in Malaysia and

Indonesia

Singapore’s new fourth telco TPG support’ of the trial before updating them quality and coverage and expect to resume
(Singapore), which is owned by Australia’s that: ‘Based on subscriber feedback on roaming services to these destinations
TPG Telecom, has announced the the trial roaming services to Malaysia and shortly.’ In addition to the news of this
extension of its free mobile trial – for Indonesia, we have decided to suspend … temporary suspension, TPG said that it
some 300,000 subscribers – as it strives roaming from 16 January 2020 temporarily. will be offering free trial roaming to the
to smooth out coverage and performance We are reviewing options to provide better Philippines from 31 January 2020.
issues of its fledgling 4G network. Vulcan
Post notes, however, that TPG also
revealed it is temporarily suspending its
free unlimited data roaming in Malaysia
and Indonesia, first introduced in July
2019. ‘These two countries are two of the
top travel destinations for Singaporeans
due to their proximity, so many of our
customers (can) save and break away
from existing high roaming charges,’ said
TPG executive chairman David Teoh. In an
email to users dated 14 January, however,
TPG thanked them for their ‘ongoing

SNCF Planning to Provide Wholesale Access to Its Fiber Network from 2H20

France’s state-owned railway company Altice France, local news source Les Echos business-oriented telecoms providers
SNCF is mulling an entry into the wholesale writes. According to unnamed sources, from the second half of 2020. SNCF
fiber market in direct competition with the company is planning to start selling currently owns a fiber network spanning
established players Orange France and wholesale fiber access to small regional 20,000km.

74 JANUARY 2020