5G Focus is a weekly global feature including notable 5G trials, launches, use cases and major equipment supply contracts. It also features in-depth analysis of strategies, expansion plans, business models and other related initiatives.
Must read
Verizon now expects 70 million broadband passings by 2025
Verizon CFO Matthew Ellis said the company expects 50 million fixed wireless passings by the middle of the decade and an additional 20 million on Verizon's Fios fiber network. Ellis also mentioned Verizon's plans for the expansion of its C-band spectrum, which is important for 5G networks.
American Tower's bid for data centers bets on 5G demand
American Tower Corp.'s agreement to purchase data center developer CoreSite Realty Corp. for $10.1 billion will greatly expand the former's data center footprint and suggests that the firm expects 5G to take off and generate sizable data requirements, according to 451 Research.
US AND CANADA
* Ericsson agreed to acquire all of Vonage Holdings Corp.'s outstanding shares for $21 per share, or an enterprise value of about $6.2 billion. The acquisition will allow Ericsson to penetrate the communication-platform-as-a-service market amid increasing investments in 4G and 5G.
* The U.S. Federal Communications Commission granted conditional approval to Verizon Communications Inc.'s proposed acquisition of TracFone Wireless Inc. The FCC ordered Verizon to offer a 5G plan and devices to existing and new Lifeline customers, among other things.
* The California Public Utilities Commission also conditionally approved the proposed $6.9 billion Verizon-TracFone deal. The state regulator is requiring TracFone or Verizon to offer 5G phones after the merger's first year in locations where Verizon offers 5G retail services.
* Equinix Inc. will provide digital infrastructure services to DISH Network Corp. in support of the latters' rollout of its cloud-native, open 5G network. The partnership allows DISH to access critical interconnection infrastructure in Equinix's International Business Exchange data centers in the U.S.
* DISH struck a partnership with Cisco Systems Inc. to deliver private 5G services for enterprises in the U.S. Cisco is also helping DISH to plan, design and deliver an open, cloud-based 5G network.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Nokia Corp. is working with Chubu Telecommunications Co. Inc., a unit of telecom operator KDDI Corp., to conduct a trial of a 5G stand-alone network in Japan. The trial will use a local 5G network with Nokia supplying its 5G connectivity products.
EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* Nokia upgraded its 5G testing lab located in Guadalajara, Mexico, which enables the testing of new 5G products and supports growing sales and supply chain operations in the region.
* German industry group Verband der Anbieter von Telekommunikations- und Mehrwertdiensten called on the government to improve its framework through which companies can invest in 5G networks and fiber expansion, Handelsblatt reported.
* Telecom operator A1 Bulgaria reported a 448% increase in the active users of its 5G services since the technology's commercial launch in April, Telecompaper reported.
* United Arab Emirates-based operator du demonstrated the live operation of a robot controlled through a private 5G network, Telecompaper reported. The demo relied on Athonet SRL's cloud-native 5G stand-alone core network and ran on Amazon Web Services Inc.'s Snowball Edge platform.
* Italian operator Wind Tre SpA launched its services based on time division duplex technology in nine towns and cities in the country's southern Calabria region, Telecompaper reported. The service relies on 5G-only frequencies on the 3,600 MHz band to enable improved speeds and capacity.
* Telefónica SA unit Telefónica Tech agreed to join AIVIA Orchestrated Connected Corridors, an initiative to develop smart 5G highways. Microsoft Corp. and Capgemini SE are also part of the group.
* Swiss operator Swisscom AG launched its 5G internet booster, which brings speeds of up to 600 Mbps to home users at launch. This will be upgraded to 1 Gbps in 2022.
* European operators Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange SA, Telecom Italia SpA, Telefónica and Vodafone Group PLC called on policymakers, EU member states and industry stakeholders to prioritize an open radio-access network.
* Norwegian operator Ice Group ASA launched its commercial 5G offering in the country, planning to cover 75% of the population in the long term.
Featured research
Wireless Investor: Global mobile indexMultichannel Trends: US cable capex slips in Q3'21: While operators have largely worked through capacity backlogs after the pandemic usage surge with sustained subscriber momentum, the competitive impetus is building behind the dual threat of fiber-to-the-home and 5G broadband replacement offerings.
Technology: Global 5G Survey: Spectra, technology options to spur 5G service expansion: Mass market 5G service deployments will be driven and enabled via multiple technology and network evolution options, according to Kagan's annual survey of 83 global mobile network decision-makers.
Multichannel Trends: Broadband slows without losing luster in Q3'21: U.S. broadband subscriber growth cooled significantly in the third quarter, influenced by the pandemic pull forward on a maturing sector as well by the leading edge of 5G alternatives.
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