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Wi-Fi and cellular: A pragmatic perspective to convergence (Analyst Angle)

Wi-Fi technology is a foundational element of global connectivity, linking billions of devices and enabling countless digital services. While its adoption has been robust across residential, enterprise, and public domains, understanding its current state, technological advancements, and associated challenges provides a more measured perspective...

Data-driven site selection: How GIS tools are transforming tower deployment (Reader Forum)

In an era defined by rapid digital transformation, robust and reliable wireless networks are indispensable to modern connectivity. Nearly every aspect of daily life relies on seamless internet access, so the importance of strategic wireless tower placement has grown exponentially. Expanding 5G networks, coupled...

T-Mo to kick off 2025 with direct-to-cellular beta service

The carrier has started accepting sign-ups for its direct-to-cellular service with Starlink T-Mobile US is now taking registrations for a beta direct-to-cellular service that will start early in 2025. T-Mobile Starlink is free to any T-Mobile US postpaid voice subscriber with a compatible device, the carrier...

Italy’s first 5G SA mmWave network to be used for FWA

New 5G SA mmWave deployment uses millimeter-wave spectrum Nokia said that it will deploy Europe's first 5G Standalone millimeter wave network, to support Italian provider EOLO's goal of connecting underserved communities with Fixed Wireless Access services. The four-year deal for a 5G SA mmWave network...

The Sunday Brief: Bandwidth infrastructure hype?

December greetings from Cedar Rapids and Kansas City.  The opening picture is of the Christmas tree perched atop the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids.  Not only was this a pleasing sight this week, but they were manufacturing a version of Cap’n Crunch that made the...

Boingo deploys converged cellular/Wi-Fi network at two Rhode Island venues

The converged network consists of more than 500 Wi-Fi 6 Access Points and a private cellular network running on CBRS, said Boingo Boingo Wireless announced that is has deployed a converged private network and Wi-Fi 6 solution at the Rhode Island Convention Center (RICC) —...

How mobile technology is changing the geospatial game (Reader Forum)

The geospatial landscape has evolved significantly over the last few years as digitisation has become embedded; however, this also means that advanced mobile requirements can be difficult to achieve with traditional Graphical Information System (GIS) tools. Today, location services are a crucial part of our...

‘Every day there are new networks’ — a Wi-Fi OpenRoaming update

In a new WBA report, 81% of respondents said they are planning to deploy Wi-Fi OpenRoaming According to a new report from the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), 81% of the 170 industry executives survey are planning to deploy OpenRoaming. Of those, 25% were already rolling...

Where does global 6 GHz adoption stand?

Broadcom says the 6 GHz band, which offers a total bandwidth of 1,200 MHz, is the ideal place for Wi-Fi’s expansion It’s been nearly a year since December’s World Radio Conference (WRC-23), where claims of global consensus on mid-band spectrum harmonization were made. At the...

Four ways AI/ML is used in Wi-Fi systems

The Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Standing Committee is tasked with exploring AI/ML use cases that will apply to Wi-Fi systems and devices Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are being applied everywhere and to everything; and according to Purva Rajkotia, who serves as the lead...

What is the global status of 6 GHz Wi-Fi?

IDC predicts that 807.5 million 6 GHz Wi-Fi devices will ship in 2024, up 66% in 2023 In April 2020, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officially opened up the 6 GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use, resulting in the introduction of Wi-Fi 6E, and in...

Vodafone, AST SpaceMobile strike long-term deal

The agreement, which extends through 2034, will enable Vodafone to offer space-based cellular broadband connectivity Direct-to-cellular company AST SpaceMobile has locked down another mobile carrier deal, securing a long-term commercial agreement with European and African telecommunications company Vodafone Group. The pair said the agreement,...

VIAVI Solutions White Paper: The evolution of 5G Non-terrestrial networks

5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), are essentially satellite base stations or ‘cell towers in space’ and are being designed to overcome some of the limitations of terrestrial networks. Download this white paper to learn about the evolution of NTNs, some of the supported use cases, standardization...

BT wins new deal for UK’s emergency network expansion

BT said the Emergency Services Network (ESN) is a critical communications system designed to deliver secure, mission-critical voice, video and data across the 4G network BT Group has announced a new £1.29 billion ($1.63 billion) contract with the UK’s Home Office to provide mobile services...

Vodafone Group sells remaining stake in Indus Towers

In India, Vodafone Group operates via its partially owned telco Vodafone Idea Vodafone Group announced that it has launched a placing of its remaining 79.2 million shares in Indian tower company Indus Towers Limited representing 3.0% of Indus' outstanding share capital through an accelerated book...

Samsung and Liberty test vRAN, Open RAN in Puerto Rico

The pair claim Liberty is the first telco to in Puerto Rico and Latin America to introduce 5G vRAN and Open RAN tech Puerto Rican operator Liberty is collaborating with Samsung Networks Latin America to test the vendor’s O-RAN compliant virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) and radios in Puerto Rico. The companies claim Liberty is the first telco to in Puerto Rico and...

O2 Telefonica, AWS use quantum tech to enhance mobile networks

O2 Telefonica and AWS had also launched a new cloud-based core network this year, which is now available to one million customers German operator O2 Telefonica is integrating quantum technologies into its mobile network to improve performance and explore new data security standards. In a release,...

What is AI and RAN multi-tenancy and orchestration?

Three workload distribution models are emerging for AI-RAN — RAN-only, RAN-heavy or AI-heavy In November, SoftBank announced that it successfully piloted the world’s first combined AI and 5G telecom network using the NVIDIA AI Aerial accelerated computing platform in an outdoor trial conducted in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture....

stc, Huawei to enhance 5G connectivity in Saudi Arabia

Stc noted that this solution boosts operational speed by 200% compared to earlier models Saudi telco stc and Huawei have announced the commercial rollout of SuperLink, a digital solution designed to enhance 5G connectivity across remote areas in Saudi Arabia. SuperLink is a multi-band wireless transmission...

ZTE, MTN showcase 5G-A tech in South Africa

MTN and ZTE noted that the 5G-A showcase achieved a download speed of 9.2 Gbps ZTE Corporation, in partnership with MTN South Africa, unveiled a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) public demonstration at a MTN store in V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town. In a release, the vendor said the...

CelcomDigi strengthens partnership with tower operators in Malaysia

CelcomDigi said its network integration and modernization initiative is now close to 70% complete Malaysian carrier CelcomDigi strengthened collaborations with its infrastructure partners with the aim of accelerating the modernization and digitalization of its network infrastructure. In a release, the telco said it renewed its strategic...

Nokia secures O-RAN deal with Deutsche Telekom

Under the deal, Nokia will supply equipment from its O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale portfolio Nokia announced that it has been awarded more than 3,000 sites by German carrier Deutsche Telekom (DT) to support the operator’s multi-vendor Open RAN (O-RAN) network in Germany. The deal, which includes Japanese...

‘We have to get there’ — AT&T talks RAN modernization strategy

AT&T says it will shift 70% of its network traffic onto open and interoperable platforms by 2026 as part of its RAN modernization plan Last year, AT&T announced a roughly $14 billion plan to shift 70% of its network traffic onto open and interoperable platforms...

320 MHz will be ‘mainstream’ in Wi-Fi 7 and 8, say Broadcom and Intel

Broadcom demonstrated the power of 320 MHz channels live last May at the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Summit in Geneva Wi-Fi 7’s support of 320 megahertz (MHz) channels, double the 160 MHz of Wi-Fi 6E, has long been a headline feature, delivering unprecedented reliability and...