Page 90 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

TECHNOLOGY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Vodafone Germany to Switch Off 3G on 30 June 2021

Vodafone Germany has announced plans service to increase the capacity, speed access at no extra charge. Existing 3G
to shut down its 3G network on 30 June and coverage of its 4G network, which customers will be switched to the firm’s 4G
2021, as it focuses on the rollout of faster currently reaches 98.6% of German homes. network and their old SIM cards exchanged
LTE and 5G networks. Until that date, Vodafone states that only around 5% of its for free.
Vodafone will gradually refarm portions data traffic is carried over its 3G network,
of the spectrum currently used for its 3G while its tariffs and plans all include LTE

Operators, Technical Companies Form Open RAN Lobby Group

A group of 31 big name operators and different players and potentially lower of networks, and incentivize supply chain
technology companies sought to bolster the barrier to entry for new innovators”, diversity. IBM detailed potential steps
technical work on open RAN by teaming by advocating for policies which advance in a blog, pressing the NTIA to help raise
to promote government programmes the development and standardization of awareness of open 5G technologies, and
favoring research and adoption of the open interfaces. She added in a blog the calling on the US Department of Defence to
approach. The Open RAN Policy Coalition goal is to offer policy-focused backing use its equipment procurement processes
includes AT&T, Amazon Web Services, to other open RAN groups (for instance, to give preferred consideration to open
Facebook, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, the O-RAN Alliance and Telecom Infra architectures. It added the government
Qualcomm, Rakuten Mobile, Samsung Project) which are working on technical could also accelerate open 5G R&D and
Electronics America, Telefonica, Verizon standards. Though it will work to influence deployment efforts through grants, tax
and Vodafone, among others. However, governments across the globe, the Open credits and interest-free loans. Vodafone
traditional equipment vendors including RAN Policy Coalition pointed to the US identified other global targets in a
Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei were as a key focus, stating the country “has separate, related, statement, with external
noticeably not on the membership list. an important role to play” in advancing affairs director Joakim Reiter encouraging
Diane Rinaldo was appointed executive development of an open supply chain for authorities in Europe to include open RAN
director: she previously headed the 5G technologies. US officials could be the as part of their future industrial strategies,
US National Telecommunications and most receptive to the group’s efforts, with and back research, pilots and deployments.
Information Administration (NTIA), a role the government recently exploring open He added the technology should also be a
which involved advising President Donald RAN as a way to reduce reliance on kit priority for international institutions aiming
Trump’s administration. In a statement, from Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE. to bridge the digital divide in Africa.
Rinaldo explained the coalition aims to The group noted the government might
“ensure interoperability and security across fund research, development and testing

TeraGo Bbegins 38GHz mmWave 5G Fixed-Wireless Trials

Canadian B2B connectivity/cloud provider
TeraGo has begun 5G fixed-wireless trials
at its headquarters in the Greater Toronto
Area, utilizing the 38GHz millimeter wave
(mmWave) frequency band with Nokia
network equipment and end-user devices
from Askey Computer Corp. Due to the
impact of COVID-19, actual customer trials
have been delayed until the second half of
2020, with the aim of bringing benefits to
businesses including enhanced speed/ in the 24GHz band and 25 of 27 licenses company provides businesses with cloud,
throughput, low latency, and ‘fiber-like’ issued in the 38GHz band, covering colocation and connectivity services
reliability. In Canada’s largest six cities, 2,210MHz in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, supported by its own fiber backbone and IP
TeraGo holds 14 out of 20 licenses issued Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. The network, and operates five data centers.

90 MAY 2020