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.
In this edition, we look into Verizon's plans to speed up the rollout of its 5G Ultra Wideband service, and the details of the Federal Communications Commission's upcoming auction of 2.5 GHz frequencies.
Must read
Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband expected to cover 175 million people by end of year
Verizon Communications Inc. also anticipates that collaboration with Meta Platforms Inc. will couple its 5G Ultra Wideband network and edge computing capabilities with Meta's technologies for expanded interconnectedness in digital spaces.
US AND CANADA
* Canadian operator Rogers Communications Inc. expanded its 5G network coverage to 10 new communities in eastern Ontario. The project is part of a $300 million tie-up involving Rogers, the Canadian government, the government of Ontario province, and nonprofit group Eastern Ontario Regional Network.
* Apple Inc. scheduled its latest product launch for March 8 with an expected unveiling of a new low-cost iPhone SE with 5G capability, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing invites sent out by the company.
* Verizon and BlackRock Inc. entered into a partnership to launch a private 5G network on the asset management company's new global headquarters in New York. Under the deal, Verizon will deploy the On Site 5G, which combines 5G Ultra Wideband small cells with an LTE packet core and supporting radios.
* The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will start the auction of the 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum in July, a move that will help extend 5G services beyond the country's most populated areas, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said at the Mobile World Congress. Rosenworcel said the FCC plans to work with other federal partners to open up the next tranche of mid-band spectrum in the 3.1 GHz to 3.45 GHz band.
ASIA-PACIFIC
* Kazakhstan will hold an auction of 5G spectrum in the 3,500 MHz band at the end of May, CommsUpdate reported, citing Profit.kz. Three blocks of 100 MHz frequencies will be initially auctioned in the country's largest cities of Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent.
* PT Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison Tbk, formed by the merger of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. and Ooredoo's Indonesian businesses, chose Nokia Oyj as its primary vendor for the deployment and expansion of its 4G and 5G network throughout Indonesia under a three-year agreement.
* Reliance Industries Ltd. subsidiary Reliance Strategic Business Ventures Ltd. agreed to form a joint venture in India with a local unit of U.S.-based Sanmina Corp., a provider of electronics manufacturing services. The joint venture will make tech hardware for 5G, cloud infrastructure, datacenters, healthcare systems, aerospace, clean tech, and defense and industrial.
EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
* The French government unveiled measures to speed up the rollout of 5G industrial use cases, Mobile World Live reported. The government promised to allow access to 2.6 GHz spectrum for industrial 5G projects and to explore possible access to 3.8 GHz and 4 GHz frequencies.
* Telecom operator Hi3G Denmark ApS, or 3 Denmark, rolled out its 5G services in nine additional municipalities in Denmark, Telecompaper reported.
* Slovakia is planning to launch an auction to distribute frequency bands for 5G services, Telecompaper reported, citing Zive.aktuality.sk. The auction process for the 3.5 GHz to 3.8 GHz bands is expected to be finalized in the coming months.
* The U.K. and Japan governments agreed to boost their cooperation to diversify the technology for building and maintaining telecom networks. The countries committed to share more information on their policy approaches to support the global telecom equipment market, including for 5G and future wireless networks.
* Ericsson signed an agreement with Saudi Telecom Co. to explore the capabilities of network slicing, long-range millimeter-wave and other 5G technologies. The companies will also work together to help improve the indoor coverage and performance of the Saudi Arabian telco's 5G network.
* Türk Telekomünikasyon AŞ and Turkish network systems integrator Odine unveiled a partnership to test the use of cloud-native virtualization services aimed to support technologies such as 5G, the internet of things, edge computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
* Orange SA tapped Ericsson's 5G stand-alone core network for Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg and Poland. The French operator also chose Nokia's 5G stand-alone core network for France and Slovakia.
* Deutsche Telekom AG's 5G network will enable new use cases to deliver an improved customer experience. The company said open interfaces will allow third parties to use parts of its 5G network exclusively via 5G network slicing.
Featured research
Wireless Investor: Brazil mobile projections, 2021-2031: Several companies have conducted 5G tests in Brazil such as Telefônica Brasil and TIM SA and partnered with technology partners Nokia, Ericsson and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. using mid-wave bands.
Economics of Internet: 2022 outlook for US OTT market: Most major U.S. media owners are now fielding a variety of streaming offerings, connected TV viewing has soared, and broadband and 5G expansion efforts continue.
Technology: Q3'21 small cell revenue up 8% YOY; Ericsson overtakes Huawei as top 5G vendor: Ericsson's rise to No. 1 was not unexpected given several de facto government bans citing national cybersecurity concerns on 5G networking equipment from Huawei and other vendors headquartered in mainland China.
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