5G Focus: 3G sunset concerns; Rogers-Microsoft deal; South African auction

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.

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U.S. wireless carriers have started shutting down their 3G networks as they expand their 4G and 5G offerings. Carriers say the change is long overdue, while other players say it is causing headaches for consumers, alarm services and 911 operators. The 3G sunset commenced in February when AT&T Inc. began phasing out the technology. T-Mobile US Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. are scheduled to begin disconnecting 3G networks later this year.

Must read

FCC auction authority deadline, rollout delays among top 5G concerns

At a time when wireless carriers are demanding more mid-band spectrum for their next-generation networks, Congress is facing a looming deadline to renew the Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction authority.

FCC revokes China-backed Pacific Networks, ComNet USA operating authority

The FCC unanimously voted to revoke the domestic and international operating authority of Pacific Networks Corp. and subsidiary ComNet USA LLC. FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington has earlier expressed interest in aiding allied nations in the deployment of secure 5G offerings.

US AND CANADA

* T-Mobile's 5G automotive service Magenta Drive will be used in German automaker Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's 2022 iX and i4 cars, in line with a long-term agreement to bring unlimited voice calling and unlimited 5G data services to BMW vehicles.

* Canada's Rogers Communications Inc. formed an alliance with Microsoft Corp. to support the digitization efforts of small and medium-sized businesses through hybrid work and 5G-enabled services. The five-year strategic tie-up will see Rogers using Microsoft Azure as its cloud platform for infrastructure and technology workloads.

* Eastlink, owned by Bragg Communications Inc., rolled out its 5G network that relies on Ericsson's radio access network technology. The Canadian regional operator activated its first 18 5G sites in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with plans to expand 5G coverage in the coming months.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Apple Inc.'s new 5G-compatible iPhone SE smartphone will go on sale in South Korea starting March 25, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the country's telecom operators.

* Ericsson said Hong Kong-based telco SmarTone Mobile Communications Ltd. will be the first telco to offer its Ericsson Dynamic End-user Boost platform, which allows users of both 4G and 5G to boost their cell connectivity.

EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* The Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications accepted applications from five mobile operators to participate in an upcoming radio spectrum auction in June. The regulator did not identify the telcos joining the auction, which will involve frequencies in the 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,400 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz and 3,400-3,800 MHz bands.

* Kuwaiti operator Mobile Telecommunications Co. KSCP, or Zain Group, selected China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. to provide support for the migration of its network to 5G and to introduce services to enable "5.5G," CommsUpdate reported. The tie-up will see Huawei enabling the expansion of 5G capabilities to support the internet of things, low latency communications, and uplink centric broadband, among others.

* Lithuanian operator Telia Lietuva AB has enabled 5G access for its customers who are using iPhones, Telecompaper reported.

* Six South African telecom operators paid a total of about 14.48 billion rand, or about US$972.5 million, on the radio frequency spectrum auction, according to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. Among the telcos, Vodacom Group Ltd. spent about 5.38 billion rand to acquire 110 spectrum lots, while MTN Group Ltd. bought 100 frequency lots for about 5.15 billion rand.

* Orange SA unit Orange Polska SA started offering 5G services to subscribers of lower tiers under its Flex tariff offer, Telecompaper reported.

* France's Iliad SA and Italy's Wind Tre SpA are close to striking a cost-sharing deal for the launch of 5G mobile networks in Italy's remote areas, Reuters reported, citing two sources.

* Ericsson and Vodafone Group PLC completed the U.K.'s first 5G stand-alone network slicing trial in a joint lab demonstration to create on-demand 5G connectivity for consumer and business customers.

* Vodafone Deutschland GmbH announced that it will launch 5G stand-alone in Germany on a large scale, with a network delay time of 10 milliseconds.

Featured research

Wireless Investor: 2021 was a good year for US wireless subscriber growth, but not for everyone: While DISH Network Corp. has an uphill struggle on the prepaid front, it is also building a greenfield, cloud-native open-radio-access-network-based 5G network that is behind schedule.

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