Page 121 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2022

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

UK Government Gives Boost to 5G Development

In the latest part of its policy to deliver what for 5G and future networks such as 6G. zero ambitions. The new scheme comes as
it says will be more secure and resilient The relationship with the Republic of £10 million has been awarded to launch the
telecoms networks, the UK government Korea will see the UK invest £1.6 million UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN),
has created a new body for telecoms in a joint-funded £3.6 million competition a new body dedicated to boosting creativity
innovation and has inked what it says to collaborate on what the countries say in the country’s telecoms supply chain. The
is a milestone R&D partnership with the is a world-first R&D project to accelerate UKTIN will act as an information and ideas
Republic of Korea. As part of the Future the development of Open RAN technology. hub for industry and academics looking to
Open Networks Research Challenge, Each country will fund a group of several access funding or R&D testing facilities and
universities and telecoms firms have been companies to work together to accelerate opportunities to collaborate on developing
invited to apply for up to £25 million to the development of technical solutions new mobile and broadband technology. The
research and develop the next generation to improve power efficiency in Open RAN Digital Catapult, CW (Cambridge Wireless),
of network equipment for 5G and even 6G networks. Power consumption is a major University of Bristol and West Midlands
infrastructures as part of new government operating cost, so the work will support 5G have been revealed as the winners of
plans to unleash innovation in the sector. wider adoption of Open RAN technologies, the competition to set up and oversee the
This is designed to enable academics and reduce operating costs and support net network.
the industry to conduct early-stage research
into open and interoperable telecoms
solutions, such as Open Radio Access
Network (Open RAN). The government
is accelerating the development of this
technology - which allows operators to
mix and match equipment rather than
relying on a single supplier when building
or maintaining networks - as part of its
£250 million Open Networks R&D Fund.
It aims to build more secure and resilient
broadband and mobile infrastructure by
boosting competition and innovation within
the telecoms supply chain. The scheme will
fund several consortia of universities and
suppliers to conduct early-stage research
and development of telecom solutions
sustaining openness and interoperability

Singtel 5G SA Network

Blankets 95% of Outdoor

Areas, Three Years

Ahead of Schedule

provides signal coverage to more than
400 buildings and underground locations.
Singtel was awarded 3.5GHz and mmWave
spectrum as part of the license it received
from the Infocomm Media Development
Authority (IMDA) in June 2020, and secured
Singtel has revealed that its 5G standalone years ahead of the company’s end-2025 an additional block of 2.1GHz spectrum in
(SA) mobile network now covers 95% of target. The 5G SA network presently covers November 2021 which helped it reach this
outdoor areas in the country, some three more than 1,300 outdoor areas and also latest milestone.

121 JULY-AUGUST 2022