Malaysia’s Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) has announced the commercial availability of 5G services in parts of Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Kuala Lumpur. The 5G network has been deployed by Ericsson, following its selection as DNB’s 5G network equipment provider in July this year.

“With its higher speed, ultra-low latency and reliability, the 5G network will ensure that DNB can deliver a leading, world class 5G network and experience for users in Malaysia. It will also help the country achieve its objectives of transforming the country into a digital economy,” said David Hägerbro, Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh. 

“For 5G to be successful in Malaysia, there are key success factors that Ericsson and DNB are addressing, namely, affordability, customer experience and security,” continued Hägerbro.

It is planned that the 5G will reach approximately 40 per cent coverage in populated areas in Malaysia by the end of 2022 and subsequently will be extended nationwide to cover other urban and rural areas and industrial parks, with a target of approximately 80 per cent coverage in populated areas by 2024. In conjunction with the commencement of its service, DNB has offered its wholesale 5G services at no cost until Q1 2022 to all Mobile Network Operators that are integrated into the DNB network.

Affordable 5G

Ericsson is leveraging on its technology leadership and global 5G deployment experience to build a world class 5G network end-to-end in Malaysia. Both Frost Radar as well as Gartner Magic Quadrant have ranked Ericsson as a leader in 5G. Ericsson will leverage on advanced solutions like Multi-Operator Core Networks using the 5G Radio Resource Partitioning feature, so that the radio access network can be shared by six operators, while at the same time allowing each operator to have their own core to create differentiation.

The 5G network will be operated using largely local resources and the latest tools and Artificial Intelligence. “This will guarantee the lowest cost per GB and enable affordable 5G for Malaysians as well as a world class customer experience,” said Hägerbro.

As 5G will be used by enterprises, network security is extremely important. “Security is one of the corner stones of Ericsson and the 5G network that we are building in Malaysia is trustworthy, resilient and secure by design from day one,” Hägerbro explained. 

Contributing to the local economy 

Ericsson’s partnership with DNB will also contribute to the economy by partnering local contractors and hiring more Malaysians as part of Ericsson’s commitment to Malaysia. The deployment of the network will also result in the development of local skills and transfer of knowledge and expertise. 

“To deliver the full value of 5G to Malaysia, we will also be bringing together partners across ecosystems to collaborate, innovate and incubate ideas. Because we believe 5G is much more than just connectivity. It’s going to be the most important platform for innovation,” commented Hägerbro. 

“Ericsson is fully committed to supporting DNB for the 5G project in Malaysia because we believe in the value that it will deliver to Malaysia. We will ensure that the DNB network not only becomes a showcase of 5G experience in the region but also as a shining example of what technology innovation can offer,” said Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson South East Asia, Oceania and India. 

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While we wait for Apple to launch a third-generation iPhone SE with 5G support early next year, J.P. Morgan analysts have made some interesting predictions. According to Reuters, J.P. Morgan analysts have said the new phone “has the potential to attract more than a billion non-premium Android users.” More specifically the analysts are quoted as saying the iPhone SE 3 has the potential to attract “nearly 1.4 billion low-to mid-end Android phone and about 300 million older iPhone model users.”

5G support is key to success 

The iPhone SE 3 will be Apple’s very first mid-range 5G iPhone and it’s the 5G support that seems to make the JP Morgan's analysts very confident about the success of the upcoming phone. As well as turning the heads of Android users, the 5G support is tipped to make the phone tempting to 300 million users of older iPhones, without 5G support. The analysts also mention that trade-ins could make the iPhone SE 3 extra affordable and therefore more appealing. 

"Apple's trade-in program for non-iPhones is admittedly not as attractive as the iPhone trade-in values, it could nonetheless lead to an average starting price range of $269 to $399 for the 5G iPhone SE, which is still very competitive," said Samik Chatterjee, rated five stars on Refinitiv Eikon for his estimate accuracy, said, according to Reuters. 

J.P. Morgan analysts say that for fiscal year 2022, it expects a rise in iPhone SE “unit sales to 30 million units and annual iPhone shipments expectations to 250 million units, 10 million higher than a year earlier.”

iPhone SE 3 specs 

Not that much is known about the iPhone SE 3 specifications yet, but we do have some rumours to work. The new 5G phone is tipped to keep the same form as a 2017 iPhone 8 and is expected to have a 4.7-inch LCD display. We expect to see an upgraded processor – but we don’t yet know if it will be the iPhone 13 A15 Bionic or the iPhone 12 A14 Bionic chip.

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Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, a US company pioneering technology-enabled sustainable and inclusive infrastructure, has announced it will acquire a majority stake in Dense Air, an innovative RAN-as-a-Service company that uses shared infrastructure to extend and enhance carrier networks. Airspan, a US based provider of software and hardware for 5G networks, will retain a minority stake.

Dense Air builds and operates wireless infrastructure as a service, transforming the economics of connectivity and delivering to unserved and underserved communities the same capacity, speed, and service as the best parts of mobile carriers’ 5G networks. Under the new announcement, Dense Air Networks will operate within SIP’s CoFi innovation platform, which aims to make connectivity more open, shared, and inclusive through public-private partnerships. 

“Ubiquitous connectivity is crucial for modern life,” said Jonathan Winer, co-CEO of SIP. “By expanding internet access and opening up previously uncompetitive markets in partnership with new and existing service providers, we can give consumers more seamless and affordable coverage. We look forward to partnering with service providers, local governments, and other stakeholders to understand the unique needs of each community in which we operate. Like every other type of infrastructure, broadband has no one-size-fits-all solution.”

Small Cell networks 

Dense Air builds, owns, and operates secure and shared small cell networks that efficiently enhance and extend the traditional macro networks built by incumbent mobile network operators. Small cells, deployed discreetly on streetlights or rooftops, provide high-speed, high-performance cellular coverage over hundreds or thousands of feet. A small cell network supports better coverage closer to the user, complementing macro cells by easing network congestion and reaching areas where macro service deteriorates. 

The deployment of 5G for mobile and fixed use cases over the next several years is expected to require operators to densify their networks by building hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of small cells in complex urban street systems. Dense Air’s unique technology allows multiple network operators to securely share the same infrastructure, driving down costs for service providers and municipalities alike while delivering high-speed connectivity. Dense Air’s small cell network makes it more efficient for multiple carriers to operate in underserved areas, securely sharing the resources of a single small cell. It’s a solution that improves the economics of deployment and operations for carriers, reduces the total infrastructure needs, and ultimately gives consumers more choices. 

“The densification of cellular networks to complete the rollout of gigabit 5G services is an immense global challenge, both technically and commercially,” said Paul Senior, founder and Group CEO of Dense Air. “Our unique shared infrastructure enables communities and carriers to build future-proof radio networks that are economically attractive and help solve digital divide problems that plague today’s 5G network builds. For mobile network operators, Dense Air’s technology enables efficient, economically attractive, and robust network enhancement and extension. When paired with the CoFi P3 model, our technology becomes a powerful tool for closing the digital divide through community-centred, sustainable fixed wireless networks,” he continued. 

Dense Air’s neutral host networks can be leased by any network operator looking to scale its capacity. Dense Air has built wireless networks across Europe and APAC and is developing additional large-scale commercial projects globally. The company previously validated the CoFi model during a two-year research project with Dublin, Ireland, leveraging municipal infrastructure to deploy a pilot 5G network. 

SIP and Dense Air have said that they expect to soon announce an inaugural CoFi project in the US that involves partnering with cities to increase coverage of high-speed wireless connectivity, with a focus on expanding access for typically underserved communities, such as students without connectivity at home.

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The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has announced that 2G and 3G mobile networks will be phased out of use in the UK by 2033. This is part of the government’s measures to increase the security of telecoms supply chains and to support a smooth transition to faster mobile networks.

£50 million telecoms research

Digital Secretary, Nadine Dorries, announced the ambition, alongside £50 million of telecoms research and development projects, ahead of her first visit to the United States where she will meet with US Secretary for Commerce, Gina Raimondo.

“Today we are announcing a further £50 million to put the UK at the forefront of mobile connectivity and to make sure our telecoms networks are safe and secure now and in the future,” said Digital Secretary, Nadine Dorries. 

The leaders will renew their commitment to diversifying the global telecoms supply chain and discuss shared ambitions and co-operation on transatlantic data policy. The Digital Secretary will meet with several senior ministers and officials on the four-day visit to Washington DC and New York to build cooperation on her digital and tech priorities.

Telecommunications Security Act 

The announcement follows the recent passage of the Telecommunications Security Act through Parliament and forms part of the government’s £250 million strategy to build a more competitive, innovative and diverse supply chain for telecoms, to reduce the world’s over-reliance on a few equipment makers. 

The government has agreed with the UK mobile network operators Vodafone, EE, Virgin Media O2 and Three that 2033 will be the date by which all public 2G and 3G networks in the UK will be switched off. The plans will free up spectrum - the radio waves used for sending and receiving information - to allow for the mass rollout of 5G networks, along with other future networks such as 6G. 

Open RAN

The government and MNOs are also announcing new plans to boost innovation and accelerate the rollout of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN), enabling mobile networks to be built using a variety of different equipment suppliers.

Open networks can feature components from multiple suppliers within one mast site or allow for components to be exchanged or used as replacements at masts that, until now, have been kitted out by a single supplier.

The new plans include a joint ambition for 35 per cent of the UK’s mobile network traffic to be carried over Open RAN by 2030, £36 million in funding for fifteen projects to trial the technology across Scotland, Wales and England, and a £15 million cash injection for the SONIC prototype testing facility for next-generation telecoms tech.

Nadine Dorries will also meet with Director of the White House Office for Science and Tech Policy, Dr Eric Lander to discuss strengthening ambitions for the US-UK Technology Partnership which aims to foster collaboration on shared challenges across a range of issues including online safety, data and digital competition.

Dorries will also speak at a reception at the UK Ambassador’s Residence in Washington attended by a selection of digital, tech and cyber stakeholders from the US administration, think tanks, Congress and UK government. Here she will promote the upcoming UK National Cyber Strategy which will strengthen the country’s collective security and defend a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace.

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Ericsson has announced a new partnership with Vodafone which will see the two companies launch a 5G lab in Spain, called the Vodafone 5G Lab. The innovation hub will ultimately deliver a significant step for 5G in the region, providing a shared space to develop new 5G innovation and applications for consumers and enterprises.

“Vodafone 5G Lab aims to become a fundamental co-creation space to develop a new generation of services and applications that our customers will be able to access in the near future. It is a very important step forward in our strategy to continue being pioneers and a reference in the deployment and use of 5G networks and services in Spain,” said Marta de Pablos, Head of Strategic Marketing for 5G, Vodafone Spain. 

5G ecosystem

Located at Vodafone’s headquarters in Madrid, the lab will enhance the start-up ecosystem for the development of 5G applications and services of the future. The partnership will act as fundamental step towards further elevating the quality of 5G in the Spanish market and creating a solid 5G ecosystem that ensures the entire chain of project development, from design to execution, has access to the best connectivity and 5G devices.

Developers and software companies will be able to make use of the network’s 5G speed, to develop new 5G use cases for both the consumer and enterprise sector. It is expected that more than 200 developers and software companies will utilise the lab during its first year alone. Additionally, the 5G lab will maintain a continuous calendar of events, roadshows, workshops, and challenges with the aim of helping small companies and start-ups that come to the space, with some of these activities to be shared online to ensure maximum possible reach.

“From Ericsson we promote the application of an improved and differentiated 5G connectivity that enables the creation of the most innovative use cases, both for businesses and for consumers. This collaboration with Vodafone reinforces our commitment to continue opening new paths to stimulate the development of businesses and the society thanks to the connectivity and the technologies that 5G enables,” said Iván Rejón, Head of Strategy and Marketing for Iberia, Ericsson. 

The Vodafone 5G Lab is powered by the new Ericsson Cloud Native 5G Core. Running independently of the existing 4G network, the latency of Ericsson’s 5G Core enables network slicing, and improves the stability of the network and its performance.

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On the second day of Oppo's Inno Day 2021 the company revealed the Oppo Find N – Oppo’s first flagship foldable 5G phone, which it launched in China. The rest of us will have to wait for now, as Oppo hasn’t yet confirmed whether the Find N will hit global markets at a later date.

“To us, the name Find N represents new possibilities. We are ushering in the next chapter of smartphones: the revolutionary experience of this new form factor will undeniably shake up the industry. The Find N is OPPO’s unique solution in an increasingly homogenised smartphone industry," reads a statement on the Oppo website.

Somewhat a labour of love for Oppo, the Find N has been four years in the making and has gone through six generations of prototypes to get to the final foldable phone design. Price-wise the 8GB Oppo Find N with 256GB storage costs CNY¥7,699 (£911/$1,209) and the 12GB model with 512GB storage costs CNY¥8,999 (£1,065/$1,413). This is very competitive pricing and is significantly less than other foldable 5G phones on the market, including the Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold.

Oppo Find N specifications

The 5G Find N has a really nice design – the phone opens into a landscape display, with a unique but excellent 8.4:9 aspect ratio – perfect for gaming, videos and reading. It has a 7.1inch inner display and a 5.49inch outer display. Oppo’s “Flexion Hinge” supports the foldable screen and in allows users to tilt the phone at any angle between 50 and 120 degrees, which will make the phone usable in a range of situations.

The large display gives users the ability to use split-screen, or floating windows, for certain apps. The Find N also allows users to continue to use the same software on the outer display as they were on the inner – you just swipe upwards when the phone is folded.

TUV-approved, the screen features a 0.03mm layer of “Flexion UTG”, which is ultra-thin glass. According to Oppo this has been tested to withstand being folded and unfolded up to 200,000 times, with minimal visible creasing.

A dynamic refresh rate of 1Hz up to 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of up to 180Hz feature on the main screen of the inner display and 240Hz on the secondary screen. 

The foldable 5G phone features a triple-camera set-up, boasting a 50MP Sony IMX766 main sensor, 16MP ultrawide angle lens, 13MP telephoto lens and selfie cameras on both displays. 

Snapdragon 888 chip

The Fold N features a Snapdragon 888 chip, as seen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 which the Oppo phone beats on price.  The phone features Android 11 running on ColorOS and has a 4500mAh battery with 33W fast charging, 15W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. It comes it two models: 8GB RAM with 256GB storage as 12GB RAM with 512GB storage and three colour options: purple, white and black. 

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Xiaomi may have built their brand around powerful budget and mid-range phones but more recently the company has become known for innovative 4G and now 5G phones. The Mi 11 Ultra, launched last year, featured the world’s biggest camera phone sensor and camera display that stretched across the back of the phone. If the new leak is to be believed, it looks like the upcoming Xiaomi 12 Ultra could just be as innovative as the Mi 11 Ultra. The leak reveals an extra-large camera display with ultra-bold circular design. 

Twitter leak 

The 3D concept renders that show off the design of the Xiaomi 12 Ultra 5G phone are thanks to Dutch website LetsGoDigital we even have 3D concept renders of the phone. These are based on a twitter leak from @RODENT950, who brandishes a leaked case, which shows much about the upcoming 5G phone’s design. 

Xiaomi 12 Ultra design 

With its circular camera array sitting within a squared platform, which appears to have space for four lenses, the upcoming Xiaomi 12 Ultra flagship 5G phone design couldn’t be more different to its predecessor with its squared camera bump. Aside from the lenses, the other cut-outs on the camera will likely be for the LED flash, the light sensor and the PDAF. 

As it was leaked earlier this year that Xiaomi has struck a deal with Leica, we can expect the 12 Ultra to be branded with camera company logo, as per the renders. 

The camera setup really is huge and while its exciting we must remember that Xiaomi hasn’t yet made the phone official and the renders are based on a phone case leak. 

Xiaomi 12 Ultra specs 

Lets be clear that to date we are merely looking at rumours when it comes to the Xiaomi 12 Ultra specs. It’s said that the 5G phone will feature a 50MP Samsung  Isocell GN5 sensor to provide a wide-angle camera – this makes sense as its predecessor was used in the Mi 11 Ultra. Xiaomi flagships favor high megapixel counts, so we can expect the other lenses to follow suit too.

LetsGoDigital says that the 12 Ultra is set to come with a 6.8-inch OLED panel with a QHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate – which all sounds about right for the flagship 5G phone. They also predict the 12 Ultra will come with a huge 5,000mAh battery, likely using the company's 120W charging standard, or even perhaps 200W. 

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A week ago Malaysian state agency, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), announced it was offering free wholesale 5G services to mobile carriers during the country’s initial rollout, following concerns from operators over its pricing plans on the single wholesale network. Now, an exclusive Reuters report has revealed that the country’s major wireless carriers have recommended the government allow a second 5G service to be set up. The news is according to three sources and documents seen by Reuters, ahead of the cabinet decision on whether to go ahead with a plan for a single wholesale network.

Competition concern 

The cabinet will make the decision of whether to allow multiple 5G providers by January 2022, following concern that a single state-run network could hamper competition, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa said last week. 

Back in November, Reuters reported an impasse between mobile operators and DNB, the state agency tasked with deploying 5G, over pricing and transparency issues. DNB still plans to launch its initial 5G rollout in three central areas today.

The Reuters report says their sources revealed that representatives from the country's six mobile operators met with ministry officials on Monday, where they proposed ways to the deadlock and their ideas for deploying 5G. The report also says that the parties involved, including two telecoms company officials, requested anonymity as the discussions were private.

Two wholesale 5G networks 

The Reuters’ sources said that operators Axiata Group's Celcom, DiGi.com, Maxis and U Mobile recommended that the government allow two wholesale 5G networks, with each to be built and operated by a consortium of carriers. 

Furthermore, Reuters reported that they had seen a presentation where the operators proposed the consortia commence the two networks in parallel next year and separate them from 2023: "giving Malaysia fast initial deployment and then the security of dual competing networks going forward". The two organisations will make use of existing telco assets to "coordinate rollout and collaborate in the first 12-18 months to achieve faster rollout of 5G across Malaysia than any one party", the slides showed.

It was also said by the sources that the carriers would also be open to proposals that would allow them to own equity in DNB and asked for greater inclusion in the government's rollout plans. "We hope there will be continued consultation on the matter, given the deep implications for the country's digital economy ambitions," one of the sources said.

Free 5G services

Back in February the Malaysian government ditched a plan to apportion spectrum to carriers, opting instead for a single shared network in a bid to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and accelerate infrastructure build-up. DNB has said it will cost operators less to access its 5G network than the cost they incurred for 4G. They have also offered free 5G services to carriers until March 31, when it aims to finalise long-term wholesale agreements with operators.

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Motorola has launched the Edge X30, beating the gaggle of other phone manufactures racing to get the world’s first Snapdragon 8 Gen 1smartphone to market. Unfortunately, it’s a China only launch so the rest of us will still have to wait a while longer to experience the power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which is said to offer 20% better CPU performance than the Snapdragon 888, with 30% super GPU performance to boot. 

Motorola Edge X30 specs 

Motorola’s new offering is very much a flagship phone and has impressive specifications. As well as the coveted Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, the 5G phone boasts a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a FHD+ resolution, 144Hz refresh rate and a 576Mhz touch sampling rate. 

The Edge X30 has a rear triple camera system, consisting of a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front of the Edge X30 is a 60MP punch-hole camera – a good setup indeed. 

Running Android 12 out of the box, the premium 5G phone has a huge 5000 mAh battery, which features support for 68W fast charging. It’s available in four versions, including 8/128GB and 12/256GB models.

Price and availability 

The Edge X30 will be available from December 15 in China, with prices starting at 3,199 yuan (£380) and increasing to 3,999 yuan (£475) for the highest spec model. Currently, the Edge X30 has only been confirmed in China, so will have to wait to see when, and if, Motorola will launch the phone in other markets. 

Moto Edge S30 launched 

Motorola’s launch event also saw the company introduce the Moto Edge S30. However, this is simply a re-named Chinese version of the Moto G200, which launched globally recently. 

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Samsung Electronics and Viettel have today announced that together they have started 5G commercial trials in Da Nang, the largest city in the Central Vietnam region. In the trial, Viettel is using Samsung’s advanced 5G solutions to power its commercial network and to enable users in Da Nang to experience the full benefits of 5G services. The companies will verify the high-performance and advanced capabilities made possible by Samsung’s 4G and 5G network solutions.

“Viettel has continued to prioritise building 5G infrastructure in key areas of the city,” said Tao Duc Thang, Deputy General Director from Viettel. “Viettel will join hands to make smart city development in Da Nang more synchronous and modern, to connect broadband in multi-dimensional and safe ways, ensuring best network infrastructure for digital government development, supporting for business and growth of Da Nang.”

Digitalised society

The main mission of the 5G commercial trials is to build a digitalised society – Viettel has built 4G telecommunications infrastructure covering 97% of the Vietnamese population. The company also pioneers in providing the first 5G service in Vietnam. Up to now, 11 provinces/cities of Vietnam have 5G Viettel coverage (including Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc, Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria–Vung Tau, Binh Phuoc, Thua Thien–Hue and Da Nang). People in these areas can experience 5G for free with unlimited capacity, on many 5G support devices. The 5G Viettel network in the above areas has a stable data download speed of 600-700 Mbps, the highest of up to more than 1Gbps.

Commercial trial

Samsung provided its latest 5G technology for the commercial trial in Da Nang, including 4G and 5G solutions, including its baseband unit as well as 64T64R Massive MIMO radios and radios on mid-band spectrum. Samsung’s latest baseband unit offers improved performance with industry leading capacity and throughput, while supporting both 4G and 5G technologies. The company’s 64T64R 5G Massive MIMO radio has the capability to power highly congested and populated areas, delivering increased coverage and data speeds for enhanced 5G end-user experiences.

“We are excited to work with Viettel to bring immersive and reliable 5G services to consumers and demonstrate Samsung’s technical leadership in Vietnam. This trial marks a big first step for the two companies’ collaborative efforts in Vietnam,” said Ho Chi Dung, Vice President, Network Business, Samsung VINA. “We look forward to supporting Viettel with a network that is ready to unlock the future of mobile connectivity in Vietnam, and that brings a new level of 5G experiences to the country’s increasing number of mobile users.”

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Nokia has announced that it has been selected by Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd (Teletalk) to deploy a 5G network in the country – Bangladesh’s first 5G network. 

“This initiative is important for the future of Bangladesh and in building a digital society underpinned by 5G networks. Our ongoing collaboration and partnership with Nokia are key to us delivering a state-of-the-art network and delivering superior communications services to our customers,” said Md. Shahab Uddin, Managing Director of Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd. 

Industry 4.0 in Bangladesh

The deal between Nokia and Teletalk supports the government’s digital agenda to drive automation, digitalisation, and Industry 4.0 in Bangladesh underpinned by 5G. The new network will drive faster 5G speed, lower latency, and reliability and support the intelligent transformation of industries including education and healthcare. 

In the initial phase of deployment, Nokia will provide equipment from its latest ReefShark System on Chip-powered AirScale equipment portfolio including its 5G AirScale Digital Baseband Unit with a plugin capability to add capacity where it is needed. It will also supply its high-performance 64TRX AirScale massive MIMO Adaptive Antennas to cover all deployment scenarios including dense-urban environments and wide-area coverage.  

Support for rural areas

Teletalk is launching its 5G network to coincide with Bangladesh's Golden Jubilee of Independence celebrations. Teletalk is upgrading its network including support for rural areas as well as the introduction of 5G networks to the main city areas. 

Nokia and Teletalk have been partners since 2004 with the joint deployment of 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. Nokia also supplies transport and core solutions and signed a network expansion and modernisation deal. 

“We are delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with Teletalk and take it into the 5G era. Teletalk and the Bangladeshi government have broad ambitions to drive societal change through a foundation of 5G networks. The network expansion and modernisation initiative will help Teletalk attract new subscribers in the rural region and reduce churn in the urban areas. Our global experience will enable Teletalk to offer enhanced customer experience to its subscriber," said Mark Atkinson, Senior Vice President, Radio Access Networks PLM at Nokia. 

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced Australian telco, Optus, has acquired 2 x 25 MHz of 900 MHz spectrum nation-wide for a total of $1.476 billion.

“The auction result is a fantastic outcome for Australian consumers and businesses. Optus is building the network of the future for our customers and 900 MHz spectrum is its foundational layer. With this additional spectrum, and our existing mid and high band spectrum, we can continue to deliver great coverage and bring the benefits of our technology leadership to more Australians,” said Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, Optus CEO. 

“We applaud the Government for prioritising competition and consumer interests in ensuring a competitive auction process that has also delivered more equitable holdings of this critical low band spectrum,” continued Rosmarin. 

Low band spectrum

The 900 MHz spectrum, known as low band, carries mobile signals further than higher bands, so fewer base stations are needed to service a broad area. It is critical to providing wide signal coverage for 4G and 5G technology. This characteristic is particularly important in regional areas as it lowers the infrastructure investment required to service customers over a wide area. It also provides superior in-building coverage as it can penetrate deeper than mid and high band spectrum. The acquisition will help Optus deliver a significant uplift of 5G coverage nation-wide, in addition to its fastest 5G network as recognised by independent benchmarks. 

“We are steadily advancing the rollout of Australia’s fastest 5G, and combining it with value and innovation, like our suite of Living Networks features. This spectrum means we can offer a significant uplift of 5G coverage nation-wide, to even more Australians,” said Lambo Kanagaratnam, Optus Vice President Networks. “Optus aims to power optimism with options, and options have just become a whole lot better for Australians,” he continued. 

National economy boost 

Economic modelling by PwC shows that competitive national deployment of 5G could boost the national economy, with cumulative benefits over the decade of $130 billion – equal to 1.2% of GDP – and the creation of 205,000 net new jobs. Indeed, the same modelling shows that the benefits of 5G deployment in regional Australia over the decade would be $38 billion – equal to 1.4% of GDP – with 45,000 net new jobs created.

The spectrum licences have been awarded for a 20-year term commencing 1 July 2024, with early access expected. 

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Nokia and CityFibre have trialled the UK’s first 25G PON network to support 5G transport. The digital campus testbed was set up at the University of Glasgow with three 5G sites backhauled to the core. In addition to carrying 5G transport on 25G PON, the same fiber runs XGS-PON to carry office traffic, thereby demonstrating co-existence of multiple wavelengths on the PON.

Nokia’s 25G PON solution utilises the world’s first implementation of 25G PON technology and includes Lightspan and ISAM access nodes, Quillion based Multi-PON line cards and fiber modems.

“This trial has been hugely encouraging. 25G PON will be a game-changer with mission-critical 5G networks increasingly requiring more redundancy. And it’s proven it can be run on exactly the same fiber running XGS-PON traffic,” said Phil Siveter, CEO Nokia UK. 

Business cases for enterprises

The University of Glasgow is using the long-term testbed, funded by the Scotland 5G Centre, to explore business cases for enterprises to exploit and adopt 5G. The successful test, carried out on November 18, used the network for a series of simulations including a holographic call between campus buildings, teleoperation of a robotic arm and 8K video streaming.

"Backhaul connectivity is the real backbone of 5G networks and could be a bottleneck for achieving high end-to-end performance if not well designed to meet demands. In partnership with Nokia and CityFibre, we have demonstrated on our 5G testbed how Nokia’s next-generation 25G PON transport solution can improve 5G user experience by supporting 3D telepresence and remote robotic control use cases,” said Professor Muhammad Imran, Professor of Communication Systems and Director, Communications Sensing and Imaging Group, University of Glasgow. 

Tomorrow’s technology

Matt Yarwood, Network Architect at CityFibre, added: “Nokia and the University of Glasgow 5G Centre have demonstrated the ease at which CityFibre’s Full Fibre passive optical networks can scale and evolve to meet tomorrow’s technology requirements. This better-by-design approach to digital infrastructure means we can accommodate the low latency backhaul requirements of 4G & 5G mobile operators and enable the development of new and exciting high-bandwidth applications.”

• Why 5G small cells are vital for mmWave 5G
• Get updates on the hottest 5G stocks
• Discover the truth behind 5G dangers
• 5G towers: everything you need to know

Malaysian state agency Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) has announced it will offer free wholesale 5G services to mobile carriers during the country’s initial rollout, which is set to begin next week. The news comes following concerns from operators over its pricing plans. 

The DNB is a government agency that has been tasked with building and managing Malaysia’s 5G network. However, according to a Reuters report, published last month, the agency hasn’t signed any long-term deals with any mobile operators yet, due to concerns over pricing and transparency issues. 

“The target now is to have a live network, covering… a total of 500 sites by the end of December, with at least some operators on board to provide a 5G network to end-users,” DNB Chief Technology Officer Ken Tan said recently.

Indeed, operators who had already invested in network infrastructure upgrades to support the move to 5G services, are concerned the country’s 5G network plan would result in a nationalised monopoly. If this were to happen their businesses would be hit and access to future technology would be limited.

Telecos have said that the proposed pricing plan could end up costing them more than they would have paid if they introduced 5G technology on their own. This is because the plan failed to acknowledge additional requirements related to issues such as traffic volume and contingency costs. 

Free 5G services 

DNB in a statement said that 5G services will be commercially available from December 15 in three central areas of Malaysia, including parts of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The agency said it would provide free 5G services to all operators integrated into its network – from now until March 31, as it looks to sign wholesale agreements with carriers early next year. 

Operators that sign up to DNB’s wholesale plan before the free period ends on March 31 will receive further free access to all additional 5G capacity during the initial period of the 5G network rollout.

A public document containing the details of the DNB’s 5G wholesale model, including pricing and service commitments, is due to be approved by Malaysia’s communications regulator soon.

Carrier cost 

DNB’s Chief Operating Officer, Dushyan Vaithiyanathan, earlier said the plan would likely cost only around 16.5 billion ringgit, which is around half the 30-35 billion ringgit carriers would have needed to spend to build the 5G network themselves. On Saturday, Telekom Malaysia became the first operator to sign up for their 5G trials. 

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• 5G towers: everything you need to know

Nokia has announced it has deployed a private 5G standalone wireless network for Volkswagen at the car maker’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. The pilot project for Nokia’s industrial-grade wireless will see Volkswagen test the latest 5G technology, with the ambition of meeting the demanding requirements of vehicle production, and boost efficiencies. The private campus network uses the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) solution to provide reliable, secure, real-time connectivity and enable Volkswagen to trial new smart factory use cases.

Intelligent networking

Deployment of Nokia DAC will enable reliable high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity for sensors, machines, vehicles and other equipment. Current use-cases being tested by Volkswagen include wireless upload of data to manufactured vehicles and intelligent networking of robots and wireless assembly tools.

“Predictable wireless performance and the real-time capabilities of 5G have great potential for smart factories in the not-so-distant future. With this pilot deployment, we are exploring the possibilities 5G has to offer and are building our expertise in operating and using 5G technology in an industrial context,” said Dr.-Ing. Klaus-Dieter Tuchs, network planning at Volkswagen. 

3.7-3.8 GHz band

Deployment of Nokia DAC offers reliable high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity for sensors, machines, vehicles and other equipment. The industrial-grade private 5G wireless network covers the production development centre and pilot hall at the Wolfsburg plant. It allows Volkswagen to test whether the 5G technology meets the demanding requirements of vehicle production with the goal to increase efficiency and flexibility in series production of the future.

The deployment ensures that all data remains on the campus, processed at the network edge in real time, giving Volkswagen full control. The network is operating in the dedicated 3.7-3.8 GHz band for local private wireless networks, that Volkswagen applied for and was allocated by the Federal Network Agency.

“Nokia is a worldwide leader in private wireless technology for Industry 4.0 digital transformation proven by over 380 large enterprise customer deployments, of which more than 75 incorporate 5G. By deploying private wireless to explore and develop its potential in manufacturing, Volkswagen underscores its leading position in leveraging digitalisation to enhance efficiency and productivity. We are delighted to support this effort with the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud and our extensive experience in private wireless networks,” said Chris Johnson, Head of Global Enterprise business for Nokia. 

• Why 5G small cells are vital for mmWave 5G
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• 5G towers: everything you need to know

Samsung has announced the Galaxy A13 5G, vey affordable at $249 and featuring brilliant specifications for the price point including 6.5-inch 720 x 1600 display at 90Hz and a 50MP main camera. It’s available from today at AT&T and on Samsung.com and in January 2022 on T-Mobile. 

Galaxy A13 5G specs 

As well as the large 6.5-inch 720 x 1600 display, the Galaxy A13 5G boasts a massive 5,000 mAh battery with 15W fast charge support. It has a fingerprint sensor and a headphone jack and the 64GB of storage can be added to via a microSD card slot that lets users add up to 1TB of storage. 

Camera wise, the main F1.8 50MP rear camera on the Galaxy A13 5G is joined by a F2.4 2MP marco and depth cameras, while up front there’s an F2.0 5MP selfie camera. 

Power comes from a MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip, which is the chip of the moment for decent budget 5G phones – we’ve recently seen it in the Honor X20 SE, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G and Realme 8 5G. 

“From innovative, core features to the high quality Samsung Galaxy is known for, the Galaxy A series represents Samsung’s commitment to providing consumers with powerful phones at every price point. Samsung Galaxy A13 5G continues this legacy by providing key innovations at an accessible price, including 5G connectivity,” Samsung penned, in a press release. 

Galaxy A12 update 

Indeed, the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is a follow up to last year's $179 4G Galaxy A12, but with a $70 price hike – however given this model has some of the best specs of all budget 5G phones, we feel the increase is warranted. We can see the new 5G phone being very popular within the US budget 5G phone market and it’s certainly setting a precedent for the way things are headed with maximum technology for minimum consumer outlay. 

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Vislink, a global technology leader in the capture, delivery and management of high quality, live video and associated data in the media & entertainment, law enforcement and defence markets, has announced the release of Mobile Viewpoint BaseLink 5G. This is the companies newest mobile encoder product for remote production and demanding live streaming applications. 

BaseLink 5G utilises the latest bonded cellular and 5G technology to transmit live news, sports and entertainment video from any location with maximum bandwidth and low latency. It is targeted to small and mid-sized broadcasters and content owners seeking a high-quality, yet cost-efficient, live video streaming solution, as well as larger broadcasters who desire a lightweight, on-the-go alternative for their teams.

“The launch of BaseLink 5G underscores our focus on bringing to market solutions that leverage our innovations in bonded cellular, 5G and AI-driven technologies,” said Mickey Miller, CEO of Vislink. “BaseLink 5G is ideal for broadcasters and content creators everywhere who want a professional live streaming solution that can be set up and deployed easily and at relatively low cost. These users have an ever-increasing need to generate high-quality live video to stay competitive, but don’t always have the means to produce and stream their own unique content. The BaseLink 5G product allows any content owner to become their own online streaming platform, as well as distributing to YouTube and other platforms.”

BaseLink 5G features

BaseLink 5G offers a range of new features including supports up to six 5G modems to maximise available bandwidth and ensure the highest-quality, lowest latency video streaming. The unit includes two Ethernet ports to expand in-venue connectivity options, access to wideband internet for production crews, and direct connection to cloud-based content storage. There’s also increased local storage within the unit, allowing store-and-forward of high-resolution video content. BaseLink 5G supports the latest video GPU’s (graphics processing units) that will power the next generation of encoders capable of delivering sub-second delay and virtual zero latency applications and lastly, its ruggedised aluminium housing makes it able to withstand challenging operating conditions. 

The new BaseLink 5G builds on the innovative BaseLink family of encoder products already used by broadcasters and public agencies worldwide. The combination of adaptive video encoding technology, along with bonding of multiple mobile networks, guarantees that highest-quality video can be live streamed, whether over fixed, Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G or 5G connections.

• Why 5G small cells are vital for mmWave 5G
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• 5G towers: everything you need to know

Amazon Web Services has announced AWS Private 5G, a new managed service that will help enterprises set up and scale private mobile 5G networks in days rather than months. “With just a few clicks in the AWS console, customers specify where they want to build a mobile network and the network capacity needed for their devices—and AWS delivers and maintains the small cell radio units, servers, 5G core and radio access network software, and subscriber identity modules (SIM cards) required to set up a private 5G network and connect devices. AWS Private 5G automates the setup and deployment of the network and scales capacity on demand to support additional devices and increased network traffic,” explained the Amazon Inc. company, in a press release. 

AWS Private 5G: No upfront fees

Happily, there are no upfront fees or per-device costs with AWS Private 5G, meaning customers will only pay for the network capacity and throughput they request. 

“Many of our customers want to leverage the power of 5G to establish their own private networks on premises, but they tell us that the current approaches make it time-consuming, difficult, and expensive to set up and deploy private networks,” said David Brown, Vice President, EC2 at AWS. “With AWS Private 5G, we’re extending hybrid infrastructure to customers’ 5G networks to make it simple, quick, and inexpensive to set up a private 5G network. Customers can start small and scale on-demand, pay as they go, and monitor and manage their network from the AWS console.”

Simple setup 

Using AWS Private 5G, enterprises can now procure, deploy, and scale their own 5G mobile network in days instead of months. Customers simply log into the AWS console and with just a few clicks specify a coverage area within a geographic location where they want to deploy a private 5G network, along with the amount of traffic they expect the network to handle. AWS delivers and maintains the pre-integrated small cell radio units, servers, 5G core and RAN software, and SIM cards needed for operating the network – eliminating the need to procure, integrate, and maintain hardware and software from multiple third-party vendors.

Once the AWS equipment is installed and powered on, AWS Private 5G automatically configures and deploys the mobile network. To connect devices to the private network, customers simply plug the AWS-supplied SIM cards into their devices. AWS Private 5G integrates with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) enabling network administrators to directly control which resources mobile devices can access on their private mobile networks. Customers can start with small networks with fewer devices using AWS Private 5G, analyse network needs once in operation, and leverage the elasticity and pay-as-you-go pricing of AWS to scale their private mobile network as they add more devices. With AWS Private 5G, customers can quickly deploy and manage private 5G mobile networks without the challenge of procuring, scaling, and maintaining equipment or worrying about needing to add additional capacity when they want to add more devices.

DISH 5G smart network

DISH is building the US's first open, secure, 5G smart network, using AWS. “Selecting AWS has enabled us to onboard and scale our 5G core network functions within the cloud. They are a key strategic partner in helping us deliver private enterprise networks to our customers,” said Stephen Bye, Chief Commercial Officer, DISH. “AWS's innovative platform allows us to better serve our consumer wireless customers, while unlocking new business models for enterprise customers across a wide range of industry verticals. Our ability to support dedicated, private 5G enterprise networks allows us to give customers the scale, resilience and security needed to support a wide variety of devices and services, unlocking the potential of Industry 4.0,” he continued. 

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• 5G towers: everything you need to know

A research partnership between Ericsson and Porsche is leveraging the power of 5G to accelerate production capabilities at Porsche’s manufacturing production complex in Leipzig, Germany. The trial project is the first deployment of a private 5G network at any of Porsche’s production complexes, indicating a new remote production era for the high-performance car manufacturer.

“As we transition to the factory of tomorrow, Porsche production is undergoing a comprehensive digital transformation. In the process, we are guided by our vision: smart, lean and green. 5G technology is one of the key elements laying the groundwork for our Smart Factory”, says Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics at Porsche AG.

Dedicated 5G network

Ericsson’s secure standalone network operates over a private frequency spectrum, providing high-speed wireless connectivity, ultra-low latency and huge data-handling capabilities. Porsche’s dedicated 5G network will be piloted in the technology cell of Porsche’s Macan body shop and will enable the control of robotics in real time without cables. It also allows for the transmission of massive amounts of data between other on-site machines, production workers and vehicles through the secure, flexible and predictable transmission of signals in real time.

“The 5G test area offers an excellent opportunity to test use cases in a production context and is an important step forward in our production of the future,” said Gerd Rupp, Chairman of the Executive Board, Porsche Leipzig. 

Automation capabilities

The updated automation capabilities will have a significant impact on production at Porsche, providing numerous benefits for the company and its workers, including increased worker safety and a more efficient form of quality: faster production times, reduced costs and increased quality.

“Ericsson is proud to work with leading companies like Porsche in their smart factories and provide them with our world leading 5G and Private Network products. 5G connectivity can enable the next step in digital transformation in manufacturing, making it more efficient and effective. Ericsson’s Private Networks empower greater productivity, safety and flexibility across a variety of industries from manufacturing, processing, mining, offshore, and beyond,” said Åsa Tamsons, Head of Business Area Technologies and New Businesses at Ericsson. 

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• 5G towers: everything you need to know

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs recommended that T-Mobile US, Inc. discontinue all claims that it has the most reliable 5G network according to the third-party testing company, umlaut. T-Mobile will appeal NAD’s decision. The express and implied claims, which appeared in two television commercials and internet advertising, were challenged by AT&T Services, Inc. 

In its advertiser statement, T-Mobile stated that it “is disappointed with and will appeal NAD’s decision.” Further, the advertiser referenced umlaut’s determination that “T-Mobile’s 5G network is the most reliable 5G network in the United States” and stated that “like other similarly situated advertisers, T-Mobile should be able to advertise this independent award. Because T-Mobile strongly disagrees with NAD’s recommendation that it not do so, it will appeal NAD’s decision.”

umlaut audit report 

The results of an audit report conducted by umlaut were used by T-Mobile in support of its superior 5G network reliability claim. The umlaut report uses crowdsourced data collected from mobile phones by software that operates in the background of apps downloaded from the Google Play app store.  

NAD noted that umlaut’s scoring for 5G network reliability tested the 5G Coverage Reach – the ability of the phone to find 5G coverage; 5G Connection Share – an evaluation of how many user’s data speed samples involved a 5G connection; and download speed – an evaluation of how many download samples are good for supporting popular services like basic internet, HD video, and UHD video.

5G as a supplement to 4G

T-Mobile argued that many consumers toggle between 4G and 5G and umlaut’s testing methodology represents how many consumers currently use 5G as a supplement to 4G, NAD determined that non-5G data cannot be used to support a claim about a 5G network. 

NAD noted that a claim about reliability reasonably conveys the message that consumers can use the network and stay connected for their intended purpose or to complete their task. NAD noted that umlaut testing measures two coverage metrics and one speed metric. While NAD agreed that speed and coverage are important to consider when talking about 5G network reliability, speed and coverage alone cannot support a reliability claim.

NAD has found that umlaut’s methodology for testing the reliability of 5G networks was not a good fit for T-Mobile’s “most reliable” 5G network claim because the data used for analysis was conducted on both 5G networks and non-5G networks and therefore the metrics used did not accurately measure reliability. NAD has therefore recommended that T-Mobile discontinue any and all express and implied claims that T-Mobile is the “most reliable 5G network” according to umlaut.

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Enea has announced that Compal Electronics, one of the world’s largest original design manufacturers has deployed the Enea 5G MicroCore to manage data on its private wireless network and enhance its smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 capabilities. Based in Taiwan, Compal is leveraging Enea’s 5G MicroCore across a range of smart technologies including agritech, digital healthcare, robotics, and immersive gaming to utilise 5G technology.

Sophisticated 5G Core

Enea designed the 5G Microcore based on its deep telco expertise and as a result, enterprises and telecom operators can now benefit from the best of both worlds with Enea’s 5G MicroCore. The sophisticated 5G Core with proven telco-grade robustness that delivers agility for scale, speed, and secure private network provisioning.

Enea’s solution is based on 3GPP telco standards to provide assurance for enterprises and operators, so that they can mix and match solutions from different vendors for complete interoperability and have unfettered, secure access to data over private wireless networks. Along with adherence to telco standards, security was another key consideration for Compal Electronics.

“Enea is a virtualisation trailblazer. We have deployed Enea’s 5G Core as part of a best-of-breed strategy to benefit from interoperable data management, simplified operations and truly elastic scalability”, said Vice President JS Liang at Compal Electronics. “Thanks to 3GPP standards, we have the freedom to select innovative companies like Enea and stay clear of vendor lock-ins!"

Fully virtualised 5G MicroCore

The ODM needed to securely authenticate and provision various devices, including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) headsets over 5G radio and small cells. The fully virtualized 5G MicroCore provides secure authentication thanks to the integrated data management capabilities that include a Unified Data Manager, Authentication Server Function and User Data Repository.

“Our 5G MicroCore solves another critical issue”, said Jonas Jacobsson, Senior Vice President Head of Service Provider Sales, Enea. “Our virtualised technology is cutting total cost of ownership by up to 50%, while boosting sustainability for enterprises and operators. The 5G MicroCore solution makes a tangible difference, reducing the number of servers – cutting the carbon footprint – with no trade-offs in performance,” Jonas continued. 

Enea’s innovative solution stores and manages data across all 5G core and edge functions for seamless 4G/5G interworking. With zero-touch operations and self-management features, the 5G MicroCore is easy to configure for fast deployment, even on multiple clouds to accelerate time to market. The solution works across private, public and hybrid clouds.

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Nokia has announced that it has upgraded its 5G testing lab located in Guadalajara, Mexico, to support testing across new uses cases. The facility will enable the testing of new 5G products, as well as supporting growing sales and supply chain operations in the region.

“Following excellent results in its four years of operation, we chose to increase our investment in Guadalajara. The lab is located at a unique geographical position to provide services to both Latin America and North America. Additionally, our 5G deployments coming soon in Mexico and Latin America region will be fully supported by our own regional operations and supported as well by the free trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada (USMCA),” said Raúl Romero, Head of Nokia LAT North Region and Country Senior Officer for Mexico. 

5G network testing 

Nokia’s Guadalajara Lab began operations in 2017 and develops and executes a wide range of tests for Nokia hardware solutions, such as radio frequency testing for 3G, 4G and 5G networks. It also includes additional testing for product change notification, chamber thermal testing, mechanical analysis, mechanical first article inspection, mechanical testing, digital data analysis and power supply analysis and realistic performance monitoring. 

Mexico is a signatory of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a free trade agreement that eases the flow of goods and services between the three countries. The lab, which is located to support both Latin America and North America, has received significant investment over the past five years, the lab works closely with Nokia’s design facilities in Dallas, Texas and Naperville, Illinois, USA.

“Our lab executes performance tests that assure that our products meet a wide range of national and international standards. Those operations require highly trained professionals and Guadalajara’s position as Mexico’s Silicon Valley assures that we will have access to the specialised technology and telecom professionals required to staff the lab. We are very happy to increase our investment in Mexico, to show our commitment to our customers, provide excellent job opportunities and training for our team, while expanding the nation’s 5G influence,” said Pedro Rayas, Portfolio Maintenance and Supply Chain Manager for Mexico at Nokia. 

Nokia has a substantial and increasing investment and footprint in Latin America and currently has more than 3,700 employees working in 14 countries.

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ArcelorMittal France, Orange Business Services and Ericsson have announced the launch of 5G Steel to test 4G/5G connectivity at ArcelorMittal's industrial sites in France over the next three years. The French government supports this initiative as part of the France Recovery plan – the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque, EasyMile and the Caisse des Dépôts are also among the project partners. 

David Glijer, Director of Digital Transformation at Arcelor Mittal France, commented: "ArcelorMittal is firmly committed to its digital transformation and is positioning itself as a leader in the digitalisation of the steel industry. In production, maintenance, logistics and development, digital technologies have already begun to transform our processes, increase the reliability of our operations and improve the comfort and safety of our teams. The opening of our two Digital Labs in Dunkirk and soon in Florange is another illustration of ArcelorMittal's desire to create an ecosystem at the crossroads of industry and digital," said David Glijer, Director of Digital Transformation at Arcelor Mittal France. 

The three partners have developed this project together, including the design of industrial use cases adapted to ArcelorMittal's challenges and business requirements. The project is based on Ericsson's technology leadership within private cellular 4G and 5G networks suited for advanced industrial use cases and high-risk sites and Orange Business Services’ integration and support expertise.

"With 5G Steel, Ericsson is pleased to support ArcelorMittal in testing new industrial use cases based on 4G/5G cellular technologies. Ericsson once again demonstrates our expertise and technological leadership with private networks in a complex industrial environment," said Franck Bouétard, Head of Ericsson, France. 

Industrial network performance

The deployment will meet the needs for industrial network performance and connected workers and operations in a production environment on complex industrial sites. The benefits include better energy efficiency and worker safety. Indeed, the 5G private network will provide extensive coverage: to cover all of ArcelorMittal's complex industrial sites, both outdoors and indoors. Workers and machine operators can move freely with reliable connectivity anywhere on-site. It will have high throughput: to meet the high-performance requirements of modelled processes, connected devices, production data, etc.

Low latency is another important feature of the new private 5G network to support the deployment of autonomous vehicles and remote-controlled machinery as well as security in high-risk areas. Network slicing will allow services to be tailored to each business process and needs. Lastly, the network’s data security: to protect sensitive industrial data on-site.

Autonomous road and rail vehicles 

5G Steel will enable ArcelorMittal's plants, starting with Dunkirk, followed by Mardyck in Hauts-de-France and Florange in the Grand Est area, to deploy use cases requiring high-speed cellular connectivity. These will be targeted to different business operations, including production, maintenance and logistics, enabling better worker flexibility and mobility in different situations. In addition, autonomous rail vehicles in Dunkirk and Florange, autonomous road vehicles, remote maintenance with feedback from the field, virtual or augmented reality and safety devices are also relevant use cases.

The objective is also to enable the digital transformation of the French value chain ecosystem for industrial use cases. From the outset, 5G Steel will cover the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque and ArcelorMittal's Digital Labs in Dunkerque and Florange, and tests are being conducted to extend the network to the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions.

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Earlier this month we shared a render leak of the OnePlus 10 Pro which showed a substantial square camera block on the back of the 5G phone – not dissimilar from the Samsung S21 Ultra design and now we have a leaked aluminium dummy unit, to provide further insight. The new leak is comes from leaker @xleaks7, in partnership with Fathom Bracelets, and the first thing we’re struck by is the size – it’s a big one.  

Huge 5G phone  

As well as the OnePlus 10 Pro looking large in the hand, the camera lenses and their housing also look huge. The leaker claims that there are four lenses, with the flash being in the center. However, as we reported earlier this month, previous leaks have claimed that the phone has a triple-lens camera and the remaining lens shaped circle is reserved for a LED flash. This would mean that OnePlus has opted to ditch the 2MP monochrome camera that is the fourth shooter on the OnePlus 9 Pro, which would in truth be no loss. The space in the centre looks small for a flash to us, but we have to wait and see when the 5G phone is officially launched.

From the dummy we can clearly see a curved screen, with the bottom edge housing the USB-C port, SIM slot and speaker grille. The right edge has a silent mode switch and power button and the left has volume controls. This design aligns with previous links, so its just the number of cameras that’s at odds. 

We don’t know if the leaker got hold of this dummy, and if so where from, or if they made it themselves based on new information or just previous leaks and educated guess work, so although exciting, it is best to take it all with a pinch of salt.

OnePlus 10 Pro Specs 

What we do know for sure is that the next OnePlus phone will launch with the unified ColorOS/OxygenOS software based on Android 12, as OnePlus has merged with OPPO. A previous leak from Zouton included “expected” specs which, although just speculation, seem quite a good guess. These are: 8GB to 12GB of RAM, 128GB to 256GB of storage, a 6.7-inch 20:9 ratio display with QHD (3216 x 1440) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, 5,000mAh battery and dimensions of 163.2 mm x 73.6 mm x 8.7 mm. 

Most manufacturers follow a pattern where the launch of 5G phones is concerned and as the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro launched in March, we expect the OnePlus 10 series to come out around March 2022.

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Ericsson has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Vonage Holdings Corp. for $21 per share, representing a total acquisition price of approximately $6.2 billion. The transaction builds upon Ericsson’s stated intent to expand globally in wireless enterprise, offering existing customers an increased share of a market valued at $700 billion by 2030. 

“The core of our strategy is to build leading mobile networks through technology leadership. This provides the foundation to build an enterprise business. The acquisition of Vonage is the next step in delivering on that strategic priority. Vonage gives us a platform to help our customers monetise the investments in the network, benefitting developers and businesses. Imagine putting the power and capabilities of 5G, the biggest global innovation platform, at the fingertips of developers. Then back it with Vonage’s advanced capabilities, in a world of 8 billion connected devices. Today we are making that possible,” said Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson. 

“Today Network APIs are an established market for messaging, voice and video, but with a significant potential to capitalise on new 4G and 5G capabilities. Vonage’s strong developer ecosystem will get access to 4G and 5G network APIs, exposed in a simple and globally unified way. This will allow them to develop new innovative global offerings. Communication Service Providers will be able to better monetise their investments in network infrastructure by creating new API driven revenues. Finally, businesses will benefit from the 5G performance, impacting operational performance, and share in new value coming from applications on top of the network,” Ekholm continued.

Vonage Communications Platform 

The cloud-based Vonage Communications Platform (VCP) serves over 120,000 customers and more than one million registered developers globally. The Application Programming Interface platform within VCP allows developers to embed high quality communications - including messaging, voice and video - into applications and products, without back-end infrastructure or interfaces. Vonage also provides Unified Communications as a Service and Contact Center as a Service solutions as part of the Vonage Communications Platform.

Vonage’s presence in the Communication Platform as a Service segment will provide Ericsson with an opportunity to access a complementary, substantial and high growth segment. With increasing investments in 4G and 5G networks - and a flourishing ecosystem of new applications and use cases leveraging the power of modern networks - demand from enterprises for programmable networks has been accelerating. 

“Ericsson and Vonage have a shared ambition to accelerate our long-term growth strategy. The convergence of the internet, mobility, the cloud and powerful 5G networks are forming the digital transformation and intelligent communications wave, which is driving a secular change in the way businesses operate. The combination of our two companies offers exciting opportunities for customers, partners, developers and team members to capture this next wave,” said Rory Read, CEO of Vonage. 

Full ecosystem

As a long term plan, Ericsson has stated it intends to offer value benefits to the full ecosystem – telecom operators, developers, and businesses – by creating a global platform for open network innovation, built on Ericsson and Vonage’s complementary solutions. 

For Ericsson, this acquisition builds on the success of the integration of Cradlepoint in September 2020 – Cradlepoint has continued to develop strongly under Ericsson’s ownership. 

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A new IDC White Paper, “Building a 5G Foundation for Digital Malaysia”, commissioned by Ericsson, looks at the critical role of mobile 4G and 5G networks in accelerating the ‘JENDELA’ and MyDIGITAL initiatives. It also examines Malaysia’s 5G readiness compared to its regional peers and the potential impact of 5G on the consumer and enterprise segments and gives useful insight and recommendations. 

Accelerating Industry 4.0

The White Paper says that the deployment of 5G in Malaysia will serve as an economic and innovation driver for Malaysia, enhancing the nation’s global and regional competitiveness, accelerate Industry 4.0 and enable new digital services in the consumer and enterprise spaces. By providing Malaysia with secure, robust connectivity and infrastructure, 5G also sets the foundation for future technological and business growth by delivering higher data speeds, ultra-low latency, greater reliability, massive network capacity and an enhanced consumer experience for users.

“The White Paper was commissioned as part of our 5G study on Malaysia to see how Malaysians, investors and industries could be empowered to reach their full potential with a network that is reliable, robust, energy efficient and secure. Ericsson now looks forward to working with Digital Nasional Berhad to deliver a world-class 5G network for Malaysia and accelerate the digital transformation for Malaysian consumers and enterprises,” says David Hägerbro, Head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

Leveraging the capabilities of 5G

The White Paper say that to leverage the capabilities of 5G, mobile services providers, academia and the start-up ecosystem should work together to enable development of innovative applications and use cases for both consumers and industries. 

It recommends that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) need to introduce innovative applications, work with and enable developers to create robust apps and use cases that take full advantage of the speed, latency and reliability offered by 5G to enable them to rapidly grow their customer base. To realise the full benefits of 5G in Malaysia, 5G Standalone network (SA) is also recommended as the ultimate architecture for 5G, with careful planning required to prepare for 5G SA for both network and device readiness.

5G subscriptions in Malaysia 

According to IDC, the 2025 forecast on 5G handsets for Malaysia is 21.2%, since consumers have already started buying 5G devices in Malaysia, as they become more affordable, despite the non-availability of a 5G network in Malaysia. IDC projects that 5G handsets will make up 60.6% of total handset shipments to Malaysia in 2025, which in turn will enable a rapid take-up rate of 5G services.

Additionally, IDC forecasts that by 2025 there will be 12.7 million 5G connections or roughly 22.4% of total subscribers as well as 43.1 million 4G LTE subscriptions in Malaysia or 76.2% of total subscriptions. Indeed, according to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research, 5G will contribute RM8.5 billion to Malaysia’s GDP in 2025.

“5G will play a critical role in enabling the MyDIGITAL initiatives. Industries, including manufacturing, public sector, BFSI and retail will reap the benefits arising from 5G. Infrastructure investments over the last decade have built the backbone that 5G innovation will rely upon. The formation of Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) will open the way for Malaysia’s wireless services to move to the next level, driving the convergence of fixed and wireless infrastructure. The next 3-5 years will be an important period for Malaysia to integrate 5G into daily life and business processes,” said IDC Vice President, IoT and Telecommunications, Hugh Ujhazy.

The White Paper is available here. 

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Nokia has announced it is introducing multiple Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) services for communication service providers (CSPs), which will be available early next year. This will be an important first step to giving operators a less expensive, more flexible, and more customer-centric pathway for operating their 5G networks and delivering new services.

Offering SaaS for CSPs is a natural evolution of Everything-as-a-Service, which is a key element to Nokia’s overall strategy. It reflects a culmination of steps Nokia has taken in recent years to enhance CSP network operations, including rearchitecting its software applications to make them fully cloud-native and deployable in any cloud environment, edge, public or private. To seize the opportunity 5G technology brings CSPs need to shift away from the legacy practice of deploying customised software for analytics, security, network management, and other functions, that run on costly, complex, on-premise infrastructure.  

SaaS for CSPs

Nokia’s approach to SaaS for CSPs is about improving value and reducing complexity by providing innovative software consumed purely on demand through a subscription, eliminating large up front capital expenditure; by avoiding the need to perform on-site software maintenance and updates; and by accelerating CSPs’ ability to launch new services faster and achieve “time to value” quicker.  

“SaaS is the software consumption model of the future. It is nascent in the telco market today but our research shows that leading operators understand its benefits and are waiting for vendors to respond. It is good to see a mainstream vendor like Nokia making an early move into SaaS-based delivery. This will position Nokia well to serve operators that need to accelerate the adoption of new cloud-based technologies at scale, such as 5G, IoT, edge computing and AI. CSPs must transform themselves to capitalize on these technologies, and the switch to SaaS delivery models is a critical component of their digital transformation strategies,” said Caroline Chappell, Research Director at Analysys Mason.  

As part of the line-up of SaaS services, Nokia Data Marketplace (NDM) is now commercially available through a SaaS framework to give CSPs an easy and secure way to share and access data. NDM was launched “as a service” earlier this year. The new SaaS version of NDM offers enhanced automation, efficiency and scalability to CSPs and enterprises in a variety of industry verticals, including energy, public sector, transportation, and smart cities. 

$3.1 billion market value 

For the 2021-2025 period, Nokia is targeting a SaaS addressable market, comprised of CSPs and enterprises, with a value of $3.1 billion and an annual growth rate of approximately 25-30%. Nokia is in discussions with several CSPs around the world about using its SaaS services, including security.

“The convergence of 5G, cloud native software and SaaS creates a great and fast-growing opportunity for Nokia. With the groundwork we’ve already been laying, our SaaS delivery framework is in a very strong competitive position. It enables a combination of rapid time to value with on-demand access for Nokia SaaS applications and low cost of ownership, based on a pay-as-you-go / pay-as-you-grow commercial model. This is a multi-year journey and we are going at it aggressively,” said Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia. 

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Ericsson has announced it is partnering with Korean communications service provider, SK Telecom, to support 5G Standalone networks through the deployment of cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core on its Cloud Native Infrastructure (CNIS). Together the companies first unveiled next-generation cloud-native Core 5G networks technology, architecture, implementation and operations plans in March 2019 and this latest deal builds on this partnership.

“With this achievement, cloud-native and 5G will bring many new services, faster, to a broad range of industries. SK Telecom will continue to collaborate with industry leaders like Ericsson on cutting edge technologies that provide the best customer experience,” said Park Jong-kwan, VP and Head of Infra Tech, SK Telecom. 

Cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core

Ericsson’s cloud-native dual-mode 5G Core combines evolved packet core (EPC) and 5G Core network functions into a common cloud-native platform for efficient total cost of ownership and smooth migration to 5G. It is an evolution of a powerful virtualised portfolio, designed for cloud-native deployment, comprising Ericsson Cloud Packet Core products. Indeed, Ericsson Cloud Native Infrastructure, a container on bare metal cloud infrastructure solution, makes network deployments and operations simpler.

It is by removing the virtualisation layer from the cloud stack that it is possible to achieve greater efficiency and improved automation and performance. The solution is scalable across central and edge locations, supporting a vast number of 5G services and use cases. The integrated Kubernetes platform, Ericsson Cloud Container Distribution, is certified by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.

“Korea is a leading 5G telecom market and together we achieved another great milestone with SK Telecom enabling 5G Standalone networks. Standalone 5G will bring faster connectivity speeds, ultra-low latency and improved network reliability. Our powerful dual-mode 5G Core solution supports an ecosystem for innovation that facilitates customised 5G services for consumers and business users globally,” said Monica Zethzon, Head of Solution Area Packet Core, Ericsson.

5G rollout

Ericsson and SK Telecom have worked together on 5G for many years. Ericsson has provided SK Telecom with 5G radio access network (RAN) equipment and network management system for their commercial 5G network rollout.

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The new Moto Edge X is expected to launch very soon, especially as Chen Jin, General Manager of Motorola Mobile Business announced the “infinitely powerful” Moto Edge X on Chinese social media network, Weibo, earlier this week. Speculation is rife that the new 5G phone will be called the Moto Edge X in some markets and the Edge 30 Ultra in others. 91mobiles, together with OnLeaks, has leaked 5K renders, 360-degree video, and specifications of the new phone and it looks very good indeed. 

Motorola Edge 30 Ultra / Edge X specifications

The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra / Edge X will be one of the first 5G phones to ship with the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 chipset, which is said to be paired with 8GB/12GB LPDDR5x RAM paired with 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 storage options.

Specifications come from notorious and trusted leaker, OnLeaks, who says the new camera phone will boast a 6.6-inch flat display with a punch-hole cutout. A recent leak suggested it will feature an OLED panel, 144Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+. The triple camera setup on the back is said to house a 50MP primary sensor, a 50MP secondary lens and a 2MP third sensor. Camera-wise the headliner has got to be the 60MP selfie-shooter on the front. 

According to earlier leaked specifications, the 50MP primary snapper is an OmniVision OV50A lens, the secondary lens is a Samsung JN150 ultrawide sensor, and the 2MP lens is an OmniVision OV20B1B depth sensor.

A powerhouse 5000mAh battery, aided by a 68W fast charging support adds to the already impressive specifications. It will most likely run Android 11 with Motorola’s skin on top and be equipped with stereo speakers and an IP52 rating. For connectivity options, it’s expected this could include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS and USB Type-C. Dimension-wise it’s tipped to measure 163.1 x 76.5 x 8.8mm - 10mm including the rear camera bump.

Edge 30 Ultra / Edge X design 

The 5K renders 91mobiles has created show the phone with a punch-hole cutout for the 60MP selfie camera – which will surely make it the best self-shooter among 5G phones currently on the market, a classic Moto dimple on the back, slim bezels, and flat edges and a new camera module to house triple cameras.  

According to the renders, the phone features a power button on the left, while the volume rocker and presumably a Google Assistant key on the right spine. At the bottom we see the USB Type-C port, speaker grille and primary microphone. The back panel is slightly curved towards the edges and houses a rectangular module to house triple cameras, the LED flash, and a noise-cancelling microphone. There’s no sign of a fingerprint sensor, but obviously that could be within the display itself. 

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The new 5G Pacesetters report from Ericsson ConsumerLab has found that the frontrunning communications service providers (CSPs) currently driving the global demand for consumer 5G are three times more likely to retain customers and almost twice as likely to grow average revenue per user and mobile services revenues compared to other CSPs.

The report, called 5G Pacesetters: winning in the eyes of consumers and growing revenues, is the industry’s first consumer 5G market analysis to combine consumer satisfaction data with market facts, assessing the 5G maturity and market revenue strategies of 73 CSPs across 22 markets globally, based on 105 criteria.

Four stages of 5G maturity are identified in the report: 5G Explorers – those at the start of their 5G journey; 5G Potentials - CSPs with satisfied consumers due to better performing 4G networks but have not invested much on evolving 5G network and offerings; 5G Aspirationals - CSPs perceived as market challengers aiming high with 5G while striving to improve consumer satisfaction; 5G Pacesetters - who are more advanced in setting the pace on delivering best in class 5G coverage, performance, and innovation but still have room to improve even further.

5G Pacesetters

“5G-enabled consumer services can unlock up to USD 3.7 trillion in cumulative revenue opportunities for communications service providers (CSPs) by 2030. This report outlines that 5G pacesetters who can demonstrate an ability to adopt new technologies, influence consumer perception and are prepared to invest and focus on 5G service innovation, are already stepping ahead of competitors in the race to new revenue opportunities. By exploring new 5G-enabed opportunities, more CSPs can become 5G pacesetters and grow their revenues at the same rate,” said Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of ConsumerLab, Ericsson Research. 

5G Pacesetters - the one-in-five of the studied CSPs widely perceived by consumers to be the market leaders within the 5G consumer segment are not necessarily market share leaders or incumbents in their local markets. They are characterised by best net promotor score in their markets as well driving innovation by already offering on an average of three consumer 5G services such as cloud gaming, immersive video (AR/VR) and 5G fixed wireless access. While advanced 5G markets in North East Asia and North America account for the largest share of CSPs in the 5G Pacesetter category, one third are in Europe.

Key 5G pacesetter insights from the report are 50 percent of 5G Pacesetter category CSPs increased ARPU by one percent or more year-on-year compared to a quarter of all other CSPs. 75 percent of the 5G Pacesetter monetise 5G based on tiers of speed, quality of service, fixed-mobile convergence or bundled content. In the 5G Pacesetter category CSPs have an average 5G population coverage of 75 percent, download speeds of 270 Mbps, and average 5G availability of 14 percent or above. Additionally, on average, 70 percent of pacesetter’s subscribers consider them to be a 5G market leader and almost 50 percent of 5G Pacesetter category CSPs have already launched 5G fixed wireless access. Finally, 5G Pacesetter category CSPs are the most proactive in implementing 5G standalone and multi-access edge computing capabilities. 

How CSPs can improve as 5G pacesetters

Based on market-leading strategic insights, the report suggests different paths which CSPs can take to emerge as, or improve their position as, 5G pacesetters. These include build extensive coverage and communicate milestones, improve marketing of 5G to gain perception leadership, extend coverage indoors and improve speed, explore 5G convergent offerings and provide home broadband on 5G. Other noteworthy suggestions are to innovate with tariff plans by upselling to higher value 5G tiers, offer new immersive services and experiences for consumers and to nurture ecosystem partnerships and programs for the smartphone and beyond. 

“A commitment towards technology leadership and network quality is key to unlock CSP 5G revenue growth by enhancing the core consumer business while at the same time exploring new business opportunities. Not surprisingly, 5G Pacesetters seek new ways of challenging industry conventions to make 5G connectivity more relevant to people, business and society,” said Erik Ekudden, CTO, Ericsson. 

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A new render leak of the eagerly awaited OnePlus 10 Pro 5G phone reveals a somewhat surprising design for the company’s flagship device with a chunky camera block on the back – not dissimilar from the Samsung S21 Ultra design. The renders are courtesy of prolific leaker, OnLeaks and have been created with Zouton, who say the 5K renders are based on an actual photo of a version of the phone. Creating a render rather than sharing the leaked photo will presumably protect the photographer. 

In the two leaked renders, we can see the OnePlus 10 Pro supposedly has three rear cameras and an LED flash. This would mean that OnePlus has decided not to include the 2MP monochrome camera that is the fourth shooter on the OnePlus 9 Pro, which makes sense as this particular camera was an odd choice anyway. 

As OnePlus has a multi-year partnership with Hasselblad we would definitely expect to see a Hasselblad logo, but this isn’t the case in the leaked renders. However, this is probably just means the leaked photo was of an unfinished, early prototype as designs are always subject to change. 

OnePlus 10 Pro Specs 

As OnePlus has merged with OPPO, we know that the next OnePlus phone will launch with the unified ColorOS/OxygenOS software based on Android 12. That is all we know for sure, though. However, when Zouton posted their renders, they also posted “expected” specs which include 8GB to 12GB of RAM, 128GB to 256GB of storage, a 6.7-inch 20:9 ratio display with QHD (3216 x 1440) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, 5,000mAh battery and dimensions of 163.2 mm x 73.6 mm x 8.7 mm. This seems like sensible speculation, but it’s important to remember it is just educated guesswork and in reality, only the Chinese manufacturer knows the specs at this point.

Given that manufacturers usually follow a pattern where launches are concerned and the fact that the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro launched in March, we expect the OnePlus 10 series to come out around March next year. This gives OnePlus plenty of time to change the design of the new 5G phone, assuming of course that the leak is accurate. 

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HMD Global, the Finnish company that is home to Nokia phones, has announced the new Nokia X100, which will be exclusive to T-Mobile and Metro networks in the US and available from November 19. The Android 5G smartphone has a modest $252 price tag yet has some serious specifications – we can see it being amongst the most popular of budget 5G phones in the US going forward. 

As seen in the pricier Nokia X10, the Nokia X100 is 5G-ready with a very decent Snapdragon 480 chipset. The newly announced phone comes with 6GB of RAM, 128GB storage, microSD slot and 15GB of Google Drive.

4,470 mAh battery

The Nokia X100 has a massive 4,470 mAh battery, which promises two days of use on a single charge – absolutely brilliant for a sub $300 phone. It ships with an 18W power adapter, too. 

A 48MP main camera with ZEISS optics headlines the camera setup, and is complimented by 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro and 2MP depth cameras. Up front is a punch holed 16MP selfie camera, alongside a sizable 6.67-inch IPS 1080p+ LCD, which features Gorilla Glass 3. 

The seriously good specifications for a budget 5G phone offering extend to the audio. The Nokia X100 features Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC and a 3.5 mm headphone jack – aptX Adaptive and aptX Voice are supported for Bluetooth headsets and FM radio for wired ones, too. The phone boasts two microphones – one with OZO Spatial Audio capture and wind noise reduction and a single loudspeaker.

Android 11

The Nokia X100 runs Android 11 out of the box and as part of Nokia’s X-series should receive 3-years of updates included in the price, although we haven’t had this confirmed by Nokia yet. 

We can see the new Nokia X100 being very popular on both T-Mobile and Metro 5G networks – for the slim price, the beefy specs will be extremely hard to hard to beat.

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Realme has already launched the newest of its 5G phones, the GT Neo 2, in China and India and now the company has announced smartphone will be launched in Europe on November 15th. We know what to expect from the Snapdragon 870 processor powered mid-range 5G phone, as it’s already launched in other regions. It’s a strong offering that will bridge the gap between the mid-range and flagship phone market – king of the mid-range perhaps. 

Realme GT Neo 2 specifications 

As other recent phone models with the Snapdragon 870 chipset have packed a powerful performance, we know the processor Realme has chosen is a good one. This powerhouse is complimented by a massive 5000mAh battery and 65W SuperDart fast-charge technology, that gives a full charge in under 40 minutes. 

A 6.62-inch 120Hz AMOLED display on the front of the GT Neo 2, features a 1080 x 2400 resolution panel. It boasts a peak brightness of 1300 nits, has a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio and supports HDR10+ content. The phone is clearly designed to be be popular with gamers and so features a 600Hz touch sampling rate and a large internal vapour cooling system.

Triple camera system

The 5G phone features a triple camera system on the back, which consists of a primary 64MP sensor alongside an 8MP ultrawide and low-res 2MP macro. There’s also that all important 16MP in-display selfie camera. The AI camera system has lots of interesting settings including Super Nightscape, Bokeh, HDR, AI Scene Recognition, Tilt-shift and Street Photography Mode. 

Weighing just 200g, the sleek-looking 5G-ready phone comes in green, blue and black and features face and fingerprint unlock. 

While we know a lot about the phone itself, Realme has not released any information around pricing for the European market. Price will obviously be the determining factor as to where the phone sits between the mid and flagship market and how popular it is. We will have to wait until the GT Neo 2 launches on November 15th. 

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The 5G RuralDorset project, an award winning, ground-breaking project aimed at understanding how next generation connectivity can help people lead safer and more prosperous lives in rural communities, has achieved a world’s first in demonstrating satellite backhaul from a 5G standalone network. 

Connected through a satellite link back to the Satellite Application Catapult’s core network in Westcott, two sites in Portland, Dorset, now benefit from both a satellite and terrestrial connectivity. When one becomes unavailable, the other steps in, providing a resilient and robust connection.

“During this demonstration, we have proved that satellites can be integrated successfully within the 5G ecosystem. By fine tuning the various 5G components the specificities of the satellite links have been addressed, and the Portland radio sites remain connected and continue providing 5G services to end-user device,” said Panos Mystridis, 5G Network Software Engineer at the Catapult. 

High network availability

High network availability is particularly important for emergency services and remote regions like Dorset have traditionally had less coverage than more densely populated areas. In some instances, this has caused a digital divide between the connected and non-connected members of the community. But for services like the police, ambulance, and coastguard, maintaining a connection to locate the vulnerable can be the difference between life and death.

Excelerate Technology, world leading telecommunications specialists and close collaborators with the Catapult, supplied the satellite network. Excelerate has been providing connectivity ecosystems that underpin technologies for over twenty years, helping to connect individuals and organisations in areas of low or no coverage.

“The setup in Dorset is a great starting point for researching more complex and advanced scenarios over the use of satellite networks. Not only is this good for understanding backhaul link characteristics, but it also enables us to look ahead for the next generation of direct communication between satellite and 5G end user devices,” said Panos Mystridis, 5G Network Software Engineer at the Catapult. 

Bethan Evans, Operations Director for Excelerate, said: “We have been providing connectivity contingency via satellite for many years now, it’s at the heart of everything we do. Levelling up regional economies is very high on the Government agenda and having robust and reliable connectivity needs to be the foundation for that.” “This project further underlines that achieving satellite redundancy is vital for communications in remote areas such as Dorset,” Evans continued. 

The 5G RuralDorset project bagged the top spot in three categories at Connected Britain, aims to show how 5G can make Dorset a better place to live, work and visit. The £8 million research and development project will contribute to the understanding of how 5G can be used to address some specific challenges – public safety, economic growth, food production and environmental – as well as create new opportunities in Dorset and rural communities across the UK.

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Global technology intelligence firm, ABI Research, forecasts that the 5G market will accelerate and reach 2.6 billion subscriptions in 2026, making a significant contribution to mobile operator revenue of US $942 billion.

“Driven by heavy investment of Chinese operators, China is the key contributor of 5G market, holding more than two-thirds of the worldwide 5G subscriptions at present.  The United States is second in 5G adoption with more than 50 million subscribers, followed by leading markets Japan and South Korea. “Operators’ effort to expand 5G networks, combined with quickly increasing 5G smartphone penetration, will drive 5G subscriptions to reach 507 million at the end of 2021, almost double from 2020,” comments Khin Sandi Lynn, Industry Analyst of ABI Research.

5G key drivers 

As well as rolling out their 5G networks, mobile operators implementing strategies to promote 5G adoption, and boost revenue, is a key driver in meeting the predicted 2.6 billion subscriptions in 2026 figure. For example, Verizon launched a “5G upgrade campaign”, a promotional program to encourage its customers to upgrade to 5G devices. China Mobile’s strategy was to launch a new set of applications, including 4K live streaming and cloud-based 5G games, to drive the 5G user base and revenue. 

As the 5G user base continues to increase, some operators have witnessed improvement in the mobile average revenue per user (ARPU) in recent quarters. Similarly, 5G network deployments for industry verticals such as healthcare, automotive and smart transportation, industrial applications, etc., are expected to drive mobile operator revenue in the years to come.

Mobile traffic, mainly driven by the need to stay connected during the pandemic, surged almost 60% to exceed 591 exabytes in 2020. “Increasing use of mobile networks to access video content, digital payments, online retail, and video conferencing have been contributing to the traffic growth. Ongoing 5G rollouts will drive the adoption of higher data packages as well as the use of data intensive applications such as video streaming and gaming to fuel mobile traffic growth in the forecast period,” Lynn explains. Indeed, ABI Research forecasts that mobile traffic will expand more than 5 times in 2026 compared to 2020 and that more than half of mobile traffic will be generated by 5G networks.

New 5G services

As operators speed up 5G network infrastructure upgrades, it is important for operators to capture revenue-generating opportunities by forming new services. “While video is among the major drivers of higher-speed connectivity, the ability to bundle 5G mobile packages with AR/VR based services for education, healthcare, and social networking can boost 5G business potential in the consumer market. Leveraging 5G capability and end-to-end network slicing can also enable operators to capture enterprise opportunities to deliver performance-guaranteed services and maximize the ROI,” concludes Lynn.

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Chinese phone manufacturer, Poco, will officially launch the new Poco M4 Pro 5G phone on November 9. However, thanks to an online leak at ThePixel.vn, we can get an early look at images of the new model, as well as the specifications, which include 5G-readiness, a hole-punch design, dual rear camera setup and 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging capacity.

Identical Redmi Note 11 5G specs

The new leak, published in Vietnamese, suggests specs which are identical to those of the Redmi Note 11 5G, including a 6.6-inch full HD+ IPS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The leak also tips that the phone could be powered by Dimensity 810 chipset and could debut with three RAM and storage configurations — 4GB with128GB storage, 6GB with 128GB storage and 8GB with 128GB storage. A successor to Poco M3 Pro 5G, it’s thought that the Poco M4 Pro 5G may launch as a rebranded version of the Redmi Note 11 5G, which was launched in China last month. Indeed, this leaks makes that seem even more likely. 

50MP primary camera

The leaked images of the Poco M4 Pro 5G show dual rear cameras, housed in a rectangular camera module. The camera system is said to include a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens and the hole-punch cutout on the display fits a 16MP sensor for selfies and videos. An LED flash and an AI logo can also be seen.

Poco has confirmed that the Poco M4 Pro 5G will be their last launch for the year. The Chinese manufacturer hasn't released a price for the eagerly awaited new model yet, nor has it leaked online - it'll be very interesting to see where it fits within the budget 5G phones market. The official launch will be held online on November 9 and begin at 8pm GMT+8.

POCO is an independent brand born out of Xiaomi Corporation and has entered more than 35 global markets within the last three years. The consumer technology brand is based on the philosophy of ‘Everything you need, nothing you don’t’ with a key focus on its POCO fans’ requirements. 

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Ericsson and Taiwanese operator, Far EasTone, have announced that together they have completed the world’s first proof of concept for simultaneously connecting multiple network slices per device running on Android 12 commercial release. The trial, carried out on Far EasTone’s 5G standalone (SA) infrastructure built on Ericsson’s radio access network and cloud-native Core network, successfully demonstrated the 5G user equipment slicing policy feature (User Equipment Route Selection Policy, or URSP) on multiple Android devices. This is an important breakthrough in network slicing capabilities on a 5G standalone network and paves the way for further ecosystem development in this important area.

“FET is pushing forward with 5G deployment to enable more applications with Big Data, AI and IoT. We have collaborated with Ericsson for years and developed various innovative applications across multiple generations of mobile communications technologies. We are pleased to achieve the new milestone with Ericsson on an Android-12 device and successfully completed the first multiple network slicing trial on 5G SA architecture in the world. It not only demonstrated our technical leadership in 5G, but also showcased our continuous effort in driving 5G industry development to provide better 5G application service quality for both enterprises and consumers,” said Chee Ching, President of Far EasTone Telecommunications. 

5G user equipment slicing policy features

With more 5G networks worldwide evolving to standalone architecture, end-to-end network slicing plays a key role in enabling new services for end users, with which multiple virtual 5G networks are created on top of one physical network. The 5G trial, in collaboration with Far EasTone, Ericsson and Android, went even further in network slicing capabilities by introducing and demonstrating 5G user equipment slicing policy features that allow devices to simultaneously operate on dynamic policy control and selection between multiple 5G network slices. This enables the steering of applications and services with specific requirements to defined slices without switching devices.     

Multiple slices allow devices to have multiple profiles to secure different levels of experience, security, and privacy requirements, based on the needs of the different applications and in correspondence with the user profile. With URSP features, employers can customise the work profile with increased security and enable better use of RAN Slicing with QoS so that enterprise-related apps can work even during network congestion.   

Reduced risk of hacking 

Some security-sensitive apps can also benefit from different routing mechanisms of the traffic enabled by URSP. For instance, a mobile banking app would not need to send its traffic to the internet and then to the app server as it does today. Instead, it could go straight to the app server and avoid the routing through internet. With the shortest route by connecting to a defined slice, users could reduce the risk of being attacked by hackers.

“This is another thought leadership proof point in our industry, as we proudly collaborate with our long-term partner with FarEasTone and Android to achieve this critical milestone in the network evolution to 5G standalone. The continuous development of 5G standalone, end-to-end network slicing with URSP capability has impacts beyond technology benefits. From a user perspective, it unlocks significant potential of 5G, allowing our partner FarEasTone to deliver tailored services with tailored plans, not only for individual users, but all the way to an application level. Through simplified service creation we can reduce time-to-market, and together make a wide variety of unimaginable applications possible for both consumers and enterprises in Taiwan,” said Chafic Nassif, President of Ericsson Taiwan. 

• Why 5G small cells are vital for mmWave 5G
• Get updates on the hottest 5G stocks
• Discover the truth behind 5G dangers
• 5G towers: everything you need to know

The rumoured Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is hotly anticipated and has been subject to several leaks in the past and now tipster Anthony (@TheGalox_) on Twitter has leaked a budget $249 price tag and specifications. 

The new 5G phone is said to feature a triple rear camera setup with three sensors siting one below the other and a waterdrop-style notch display. This new leak adds to the specs suggesting that the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G SoC, boast a 50MP main camera and feature a 5000mAh battery with 25W fast charging support. 

MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC

The tipped inclusion of a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC seems likely as it’s said to be 2.8x faster than the MediaTek Helio P35 SoC on the rumoured phone's predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy A12. 

The new leak also tips the rumoured 5G camera phone as featuring up to 8GB RAM and offering up to 128GB of inbuilt storage. 

50MP main camera 

Agreeing with previous leaks, the new one suggests that the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G will feature a triple rear camera setup, that is said to include a 50MP main sensor, 5MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. The leak also tips it to feature a 6.48-inch full-HD+ LCD display and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. 

The rumoured phone is tipped to come in three configurations: 4GB RAM with 64GB storage option, 6GB RAM with 128GB storage option, and 8GB RAM with 128GB storage option. However, pricing of the individual storage variants has not been leaked to date. While this new Twitter leak doesn’t mention it, previous leaks have suggested the Samsung Galaxy A13 5G will launch before the end of year. 

If the leak is correct, in terms of both price and specs, the rumoured phone could be one of the best budget 5G phones on the market. It would also be the cheapest 5G phone offering from Samsung to date. 

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• 5G towers: everything you need to know

A teenage student who has a medical condition which prevents him from physically attending school, has been able to join his classmates in real time, inside and outside the classroom, thanks to an innovative 5G robot connectivity trial in Denmark, by Ericsson. 

13-year-old Rasmus Dalsten from Herlev in Denmark now experiences a full day in the presence of his peers via a tablet with a live video connection from a 5G smartphone mounted on a fully mobile robot in the school premises. The extremely low latency, fast 5G speed and high data-handling capabilities of 5G mean that Rasmus, who is unable to physically attend school because of a lung condition, not only doesn’t miss out on classroom or schoolyard activity but has the freedom to move and look where he wants. Rasmus had a previous robot, but that was controlled by teachers and classmates at school - if he wanted to change the view of what he was seeing, someone at school had to physically turn the robot in that direction.

Real-time eyes and ears 

With 5G, Rasmus has full control of the robot, called Fable, which is about the size of a small teddy bear. Wherever he wants to go, and whoever he wants to make contact with at school, he controls Fable to become his real-time eyes and ears. He can react to classroom lessons as they happen by steering Fable himself. If someone behind Fable makes a comment as part of a discussion, Rasmus can manoeuvre Fable to see who is speaking, and join in.

“I’ve got a new robot that I can turn around myself and it’s no trouble for the adults or myself. It is very nice,” says Rasmus. Rasmus’s mother, Charlotte Dalsten, is impressed that Fable, which Rasmus has trialled for six months, allows him to make instant eye contact with his classmates. “Rasmus logs onto the PC and the iPad, which is connected to the robot,” explains Charlotte. “This way he gets to be with his school class all day, during lunch breaks and in class. It has been important for me to see that Rasmus is happy when he logs on, that the others interact with him and that he is able to look around and make eye contact with them,” she continues. 

Impressively, Rasmus’s teacher, Cille, says the 5G-powered robot enables Rasmus to take part in lessons on a par with other classmates who are physically in the room. “It is not me who decides if he looks at the blackboard or if he looks at those in the classroom who are speaking,” she says. “He decides where to look and where to go. That’s what he would do if he was here physically. So that has clearly been the biggest benefit.”

5G trial 

The 5G trial emerged from collaboration between Danish communications service provider, TDC Net, Danish robotics company Shape Robotics and Ericsson at the TDC/Ericsson 5G Innovation Hub in Denmark. The companies say the trial has proved the potential of 5G-enabled mobile robotic connectivity use across a host of use cases spanning domestic, workplace and industrial applications.

“Thanks to the collaboration with TDC NET and Ericsson, we have been able to show the potential in combining 5G technology with robots in an educational setting. Although Fable also works with 4G, in practice, it is a different robot when using 5G. With 5G, students experience lightning-fast sound and image, so they can participate on the same terms as other students,” said Moises Pacheco, CTO and Co-Founder, Shape Robotics. 

Toke Binzer, Vice President, Technology, Strategy and Economics, TDC NET, agreed, saying: “It is roughly a year since we initiated the launch of the first nationwide 5G network in Denmark. Since then, we have seen increased interest in using the technology to deliver value within many different sectors. Robots connected to the 5G-network can, unlike other robots, both send and receive large amounts of data without delays, while at the same time being able to be controlled remotely. And if we take a step back from the educational sector it becomes clear that the learnings from this project can be transferred to other areas such healthcare, social care and working remotely across industries.”

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Chinese phone manufacturer, Xiaomi, has announced a trio of new 5G phones: Redmi Note 11, Redmi 11 Pro and the premium Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus. As always, the most interesting launch is the flagship model and the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus doesn’t disappoint with its standout feature being the 5G camera phone’s 120W fast charging, which betters the 4,500 mAh battery by charging to full capacity in about 15 minutes. At the launch event, Xiaomi demonstrated just how fast this is by having a performer on stage holding his breath for 15 minutes and 5 seconds, while a Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus was charging. 

Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus

Powered by a Dimensity 920 chipset, the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus has decent specs across the board and comes in 6/128GB, 8/128GB and 8/256GB memory versions. The front panel is a 6.67” AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate. 

The main 108MP camera on the Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus features a Samsung HM2 sensor, an 8MP ultrawide camera with 120 degree field of view and a 2MP telemacro camera, complete the setup on the back. There’s also a front-facing camera with 16MP sensor, which shows itself with a tiny selfie camera punch-hole on the front, measuring 2.96mm in diameter.

The new phone has a 3.5mm audio jack, JBL-tuned stereo speakers and two 0.65 cubic mm audio chambers on sides, to enhance sound.

Redmi 11 Pro & Redmi Note 11

The Redmi 11 Pro is identical to the Plus model, aside from the 120W fast charging, with the Pro model offering 67W charging and a larger 5,160mAh battery – so still a very good option. 

The more affordable Redmi Note 11 features a MediaTek Dimensity 810 5G chipset and 50MP main camera and completes the Chinese manufacturers trio of new phones. 

Pricing and availability 

The Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus will be available from November 5, in Black, Aurora Gradient, Violet and Forest Green colours, with prices starting from CNY1,699 ($265/£194). The Redmi Note 11 Pro will launch on the same day in Black, Aurora Gradient, Violet, or Forest Green colours, with prices starting from CNY1,699 ($265/£120). The more affordable Redmi Note 11 starts at CNY 1,299 ($203/ £149). 

To date the new 5G phones have only been released for the Chinese market, we are waiting for an announcement to see which one are released in other markets and when. 

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Samsung Electronics and Ciena, an industry leader in coherent optical, routing and switching and analytics-driven automation, have announced that they have entered into an agreement together to deliver 5G network solutions to the market. This agreement enables Samsung to couple Ciena’s xHaul solutions with its own 5G solutions to support the next-generation of high-bandwidth applications and services driven by expanding 5G networks.

The company’s will collaborate to offer hardware and software solutions to telecom operators, enabling them to support the increasing volume of 5G data traffic at the edge and within an increasingly distributed 5G architecture. The new agreement between Samsung and Ciena is another step forward to enhance coverage worldwide, as bandwidth demands continue to increase, especially as 5G, HD video streaming and cloud services continue to be at the core of our daily lives.

“As 5G proliferates, immersive services like AR/VR and HD video streaming are becoming the center of our daily mobile lives. In order to deliver more powerful 5G services, the current network architecture needs to evolve,” said Wonil Roh, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s ability to couple our best-in-class 5G solutions with a leader in transport technologies like Ciena will give customers a solution to address this need, and do so with the confidence to scale and evolve their networks to support the future of 5G,” Roh continued. 

Validated solution

Samsung’s 5G RAN and core combined with Ciena’s xHaul Routing and Switching portfolio and next-generation Manage, Control and Plan domain controller will give customers an optimised offer that takes full advantage of 5G services, while providing efficient ways to manage massive data across networks and to the cloud. This will help accelerate the deployment of advanced applications enhanced by 5G, such as network slicing, IoT and automation through AI. This will give customers an optimised offer that takes full advantage of 5G services, while providing efficient ways to manage massive data across 5G networks. The combined offer will deliver a validated solution, providing more compatible, faster, and simplified implementations of 5G networks.

“Together with Samsung, we’re fuelling the next generation of mobile connectivity to unleash the full potential of 5G,” said Matt Cook, Vice President, Global Partner Organization, Ciena. “As both companies are leading innovators in our respective spaces with strong customer bases for these portfolios, this powerful collaboration leverages our collective leadership to create best-in-breed 5G networks that are open, scalable and adaptive,” Cook continued. 

5G end-to-end solution 

The combined offer will comprise an end-to-end solution set including Ciena’s xHaul Routing and Switching portfolio, and next-generation MCP domain controller, and Samsung’s Core and RAN portfolio, including virtualised RAN solutions, baseband units and radios. The resulting solution set is available immediately.

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Chinese technology brand, Honor, has announced the Honor 50 5G, with an early November release date, will be available in more than 40 countries worldwide. This is Honor’s first Western launch since splitting from Huawei last year and if the phone already sounds familiar, it’s because it was successfully launched in the Chinese market back in June. In addition to coming with Google Mobile Services, standout features include the ability to record from the front and rear cameras at the same time – the phone is squarely aimed at the fashionable vlogger market. 

“Honor’s market share reaching 16.2% in China this August fuels our confidence for its global success.” said George Zhao, CEO of Honor Device Co, Ltd. “Continuing the Honor series’ legacy of integrating aesthetics and technology, the new Honor 50 smartphone boasts an array of impressive innovations across its camera, design and performance, by collaborating with our global industry leading partners,” Zhao continued. 

A 5G phone for vloggers

As well as 5G speed, vloggers will surely be delighted with the Honor 50’s credentials. It comes equipped with a 32MP front camera with a 90 degree viewing angle, and the quad rear camera set-up comes with a 108MP main camera, an 8MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth camera, which allows for clarity and detail, even at night. 

Better still, the Honor 50 gives users the opportunity to change between cameras with six multi-video shooting modes that use the front and rear cameras at the same time – pro-level features in a mid-range smartphone. Other features include capturing photos from videos, pre-set video story templates and a beauty mode. Additionally, the new phone allows wireless headsets connected via Bluetooth to be used as wireless microphones during video capture. 

Honor 50 specs 

The Honor 50 is the first smartphone from the former Huawei sub-brand to feature Qualcomm’s SnapdragonTM 778G Mobile Platform and it is equipped with Google Mobile Services, too. It comes with a 6.57-inch 75o curved OLED screen that supports a full high-definition resolution of 2340x1080. A screen refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 300Hz, combined with 5G capability, promises high screen response speeds for great video and gaming experiences.

Thanks to the 4,300mAh8 battery, the phone can easily support a full day of uninterrupted use and the included charger enables the battery to be juiced up to 70% within just 20 minutes.

Honor 50 design

The phone sports a cool dual ring camera design made up of two concentric circles on the back, which Honor says pays homage to the classic twin lens reflex camera. It features an ultra-slim bezel on the front and 2.5D polishing glass edges on both upper and lower sides of the display. 

When the phone is tilted against the light at different angles, it glitters and shimmers, which should go down well with its fashionable target market. Colour options include Frost Crystal, which the company says is “is inspired by snow crystals and creates a dreamy diamond-like finish”, Honor Code which features the company logo across the back cover, as well as Emerald Green and Midnight Black. 

Honor 50 pricing 

The model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage will cost €529 (around $615) and the model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will cost €599 (around $695).

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Hammer Mobile, who are based in Poland and produce only rugged phones, have announced the launch of the Hammer Blade 5G – company’s first ever rugged 5G smartphone. The new phone has an array of excellent tough credentials and also very decent specifications including 5,000 mAh battery, 6.3-inch display and quad-camera set-up, as well as being 5G-ready.  

Tough cookie 

Shock, water and dust resistant, Blade 5G meets IK07, IP69 and MIL-STD-810G certifications. The rugged phone, which is perfect for adventures, also features a waterproof USB-C connector and will last the length of a weekend trip without plugging in, thanks to the 5,000 mAh battery with express charging, so users can enjoy their phone for two days. 

Hammer mobile says the new 5G phone features a design which is: “In line with the HAMMER Athlete line dedicated to active people who live to the max and like to surround themselves with the best.” Considering the Blade 5G is a certified rugged phone we think the design looks refined - the strong case is surprisingly thin and looks good.

Blade 5G features a contrasting 6.3inch FHD+ IPS (1080×2340 MP) display, which has a 20:9 widescreen aspect ratio. It is an Infinity-U screen, meaning it has a small U-shaped indentation, which is made tough, being protected by Gorilla Glass 5.

An 8-core MediaTek Dimensity 720 processor is powering the Blade 5G, which has 6GB of RAM, as well as supporting near-field communications and eSIM capabilities. Happily, its 5G modem supports SA and NSA networks and it has a maximum download speed of 2.77 Gbps.

Quad-camera set-up

The quad-camera set-up, which includes a 48MP main camera, plus a 16MP camera on the front, has what Hammer mobile calls “mutually supporting” lenses, which it says will help to take photos on night adventures – 20MP night mode, or to capture panoramas and landscapes – 13MP wide-angle lens. 

Blade 5G availability 

The new Blade 5G takes Poland-based Hammer Mobile to 14 rugged phones currently on the market. The new Hammer Blade 5G is available exclusively through Elite Mobile, after the company struck a deal with the UK telco distributor last month, aiming to grow its UK presence. However, while the phone has been announced and features on Hammer Mobile’s website, availability and pricing are yet to be announced, so we don't yet know where it'll sit within the 5G phones market.

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The beginning of 2022 should see the introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series – three new camera smartphones, all expected to be 5G-ready. The most eagerly anticapted of the three 5G phones is the flagship Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, successor to the S21 Ultra. Based on the plentiful rumours around the new phone, Technizo Concept has created concept renders of the new phone, in corporation with LetsGoDigital, who have kindly allowed us publish them. 

Built-in fan

There’s been a plethora of rumours and predictions in terms of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G’s possible premium features – it’s expected to be powered by a new 4nm Exynos SoC with AMD GPU and support for ray-tracing and variable rate shading. It’s also thought that this will possibly result in a new cooling solution, in the form of a built-in fan.

It was discovered by LetsGoDigital that Samsung had filed a trademark for Active Fan Mode – this information, combined with gaming smartphones with a built-in fan, like the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel and Nubia RedMagic 5s, hitting the market, makes it a distinct possibility that Samsung may also work on such a fan for its smartphones. If this were to be the case, it’s extremely likely that this fan would debut in the flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra.

New 4nm Exynos SoC

At the start of this month chip manufacturer, AMD, announced at Computer 2021 that the company has started a cooperation with Samsung for its upcoming Exynos SoC. This will come with an AMD RDNA2 GPU with support for ray-tracing and variable rate shading – both features will make games on your mobile fantastic and a built-in fan would surely help to compensate for the heat during intensive gaming sessions. 

200MP camera 

Sales for the S21 series were disappointing, so the Korean manufacturer is expected to throw everything it’s got at new Galaxy S22 series and we expected to see a significantly upgraded camera system in the S22 Ultra. An ISOCell 200MP image sensor with optical zoom and sensor-shift OIS technology is rumoured. It’s also rumoured, and likely, that the camera system will be developed in cooperation with the Japanese camera and lens manufacturer, Olympus.

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Ericsson has today announced the launch of an end-to-end solution that will guarantee the consistent low latency and high reliability demanded by time-critical applications and services for consumers, enterprises, and public sector. The company is enabling Time-Critical Communication through its new critical IoT product, which is easily deployable as a software upgrade on public and private 5G networks, in wide and local areas, on any 5G frequency band. 

The new solution will allow communications service providers to further enhance experiences in real-time media use cases like cloud gaming and AR/VR, and unlock possibilities in remote control, mobility automation, and industrial control. Aswell as the estimated 2.5 billion mobile gamers across the world, who will enjoy lag-free gaming experience, the new solution will benefit all 5G users looking for immersive XR experiences. It will also be incredibly useful to enterprises, industries, and public agencies where production processes or mission-critical services depend heavily on high-performance reliable connectivity.

“Ericsson continues to introduce innovative 5G solutions that fuel the global uptake of 5G. Now we are taking 5G to the next level with Time-Critical Communication, a solution that will give our customers the tools to expand their offerings for the consumer, enterprise, and public sectors and further monetise 5G effectively,” said Per Narvinger, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson.

5G software toolbox

Time-Critical Communication is a software toolbox for resolving lags and interruptions in mobile networks. It combines the 3GPP-specified ultra-reliable, low latency communication standard with Ericsson innovations to mitigate major causes of latency. Built on Ericsson’s expertise in Radio Access Network, Transport, 5G Core, Service Management & Orchestration, BSS, and support services, this software product delivers consistent low latency – 50ms to 1ms – end to-end at specified guaranteed levels – 99.9 percent to 99.999 percent – enabling time-critical use cases at scale.

As many emerging use cases are time-critical in nature, demanding the guarantee of consistent low latency and highly reliable performance, currently not possible in today’s 4G and 5G networks, Ericsson’s new solution is designed to address that need and deliver on the full promise of 5G.

Pioneering 5G for time-critical use cases

Ericsson has been piloting 5G for time-critical use cases with customers and industry partners such as BT and Hyperbat, Einride and Telia, Boliden, ABB, Audi, Fraunhofer IPT, DT and Rockwell Automation.

“Time-Critical Communication with 5G can change the industrial automation sector by reducing cables, increasing flexibility and agility, enhancing visibility, and enabling new digital applications with mobility. The ability to deliver consistent low latency with high reliability will be crucial for wirelessly connecting XR, sensors, controllers, and actuators – boosting productivity and efficiency of industrial operations,” said Dave Vasko, Director, Advanced Technology at Rockwell Automation. 

In a recent partnership with Deutsche Telekom and Telstra, Ericsson showed the benefits of L4S (Low Latency Low Loss Scalable throughput) technology in reducing lag in an interactive cloud game. Indeed, L4S is one of the new features in the Time-Critical Communication toolbox. Ericsson has also reached a new milestone with MediaTek by proving that 5G can deliver 1ms consistent low latency with 99.99 percent reliability in both uplink and downlink on mm Wave band. 

“Together with Ericsson we have shown what 5G can deliver in terms of consistent low latency and high reliability in both uplink and downlink. This key milestone proves that 5G can enable the most demanding, time-critical applications such as real-time control of industrial automation systems,” said JS Pan, General Manager, Wireless Communication System and Partnerships, MediaTek. 

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DISH Network Corporation's Boost Mobile has announced the Celero5G – the company’s first branded smartphone. The new mid-range 5G camera phone will be released exclusively to Boost customers later this year and is available to pre-order now. Standout features include a 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging that is good for up to 36 hours of use. The affordable $279 price point even includes a full year of free unlimited talk, text and data. 

"Our goal at Boost is to empower our customers with what they need, when they need it," said Stephen Stokols, head of Boost Mobile. "Subscribers have told us loud and clear: they want speed, cool features, and a fair price. The Celero5G is built to make 5G affordable," continued Stokols. 

Boost Mobile are touting the Celero5G as filling a void in the mobile device market – providing an affordable 5G option that's packed with the features customers want. Indeed, the sleek, good-looking phone that features a premium feel hard glass back, packs some decent specs, especially as when released it’ll be one of the best priced 5G phones in the US. 

Celero5G specs 

The Celero5G boasts an expansive 6.52-inch screen, which Boost say is; “ideal for entertainment and productivity alike, the device's expansive screen offers brilliant views plus one-handed comfort.” It comes with 34GB RAM/ 64GB ROM memory that's customisable with an SD card up to 2TB. The phone’s 4,000 mAh battery with 15W fast charging promises users up to 36 hours of use. 

The camera system consists of a triple-lens camera array on the back of the device and a single camera up front. Boost promises “a high-quality camera it for any scenario, from epic wide views to astonishing details. Customers will be able to remember every event and accomplishment with a high-quality camera—always in their pocket.”

Celero5G availability 

New and existing customers can now pre-order the Celero5G online from Boost Mobile. As well as the 12 months unlimited service, customers will be gifted a specially-designed phone case. 

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Volkswagen has announced it is taking a further step in the direction of fully networked factories. A local 5G standalone network, dubbed “campus network” is now available at its main plant in Wolfsburg, which is initially covering the main production development centre and the pilot hall. 

The pilot project will test whether the 5G technology meets the demanding requirements of vehicle production with a view to developing this for industrial series production in the future. A dedicated 5G radio frequency will be used to safeguard secure, delay-free transmission of data. The Transparent Factory in Dresden has also put a so-called “5G island” into operation. Volkswagen undertakes setup and operation of the 5G infrastructure itself in a move designed to build up competitive expertise in using this important technology of the future and ensure data security.  

“In implementing our accelerate strategy we are working at full speed to transform our Volkswagen sites into smart factories. Our goal is to continuously optimise our production and make it even more efficient and flexible. We believe that 5G technology has great potential for innovation, from the use of intelligent robots and driverless transportation systems to networked control of plant and machinery in real time up to wireless software flashing of manufactured vehicles,” said Christian Vollmer, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand responsible for Production and Logistics.

Real-time data transfer 

One scenario to be tested in the pilot phase under real-life laboratory conditions in Wolfsburg is the wireless upload of data to manufactured vehicles. With ever higher levels of digitisation and fully connected vehicles, the production process requires large amounts of data to be transmitted to the cars. 5G makes it possible to perform this much more quickly and at any time during production. Indeed, as there are already around 5,000 robots at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, as well as many other machines and systems, secure, delay-free transmission of data will be required in the future to control and monitor these. 

“Efficient wireless communication in real time will be crucial for flexible production in the future. 5G has the potential to be one such driver of the Industrial Internet of Things. Our aim is therefore to build up extensive experience in the operation and industrial use of 5G technology,” said Beate Hofer, CIO of the Volkswagen Group. 

Volkswagen is using Nokia network equipment for the 5G pilot network but setting up and operating the local 5G infrastructure itself - for the campus network in Wolfsburg, the company applied for and was allocated a private radio frequency at 3.7 to 3.8 GHz with 100 MHz bandwidth by the Federal Network Agency. Exclusive spectrum is a key enabler for 5G campus operations at the manufacturing site. “Interference-free, high-availability wireless transmission requires a dedicated frequency that will be used exclusively by Volkswagen for production purposes,” said Volkswagen, in a press statement. 

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Samsung has announced that it will conduct 4G and 5G trials with Virgin Media O2. Through the trials, the companies will verify the capability and performance of Samsung’s 4G and 5G network solutions in Virgin Media O2’s commercial network, in the UK. The trial will also assess the interoperability between Samsung’s latest solutions and Virgin Media O2’s 2G and 3G legacy networks.

“With this trial, we are excited to join hands with Virgin Media O2 to demonstrate the readiness of our 5G network solutions for deployment in the U.K. and our capabilities in bringing immersive and reliable 4G and 5G mobile experiences to users,” said Woojune Kim, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “At Samsung, we are continuously enhancing mobile experiences through powerful network solutions that advance and drive 5G to new levels,” he continued. 

Enhanced 5G end-user experiences

Samsung will provide its advanced solutions for the trial, which include its baseband unit and 5G Massive MIMO radios. Samsung 4G radios will also be used, on both low-band and mid-band spectrums, while being Open RAN compliant with some configuration changes and additional support in the future. 

The latest baseband unit from Samsung offers improved performance with industry leading capacity and throughput, while supporting both 4G and 5G technology in a single unit. Moreover, the company’s 5G Massive MIMO radios have a slim and lightweight design, which ensure easy and quick installation for operators, as well as increased coverage and data speeds for driving enhanced 5G end-user experiences.

“Vendor diversity is crucial to developing safe, secure, and more efficient networks,” said Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2. “We look forward to undertaking these initial trials with Samsung, which is another milestone in our continued journey to provide the best possible 5G experience for our customers, as well as boosting our 4G network, as we look to upgrade the U.K,” she continued. 

Julia Lopez, Minister for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure, said: “We’re investing £250 million to put the UK at the forefront of 5G innovation so more people and businesses can benefit from improved and secure connectivity. It is fantastic to see industry supporting this push with Virgin Media O2 and Samsung working together to increase competition, resilience and choice in the 5G supply market.”

Virgin Media O2 has 47 million connections across broadband, mobile, TV and home phone, and offers connectivity services, applications and digital solutions to tens of thousands of UK businesses and public sector organisations. Samsung Networks has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core and has a 5G product portfolio from fully virtualised RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. Samsung currently provides network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world, making this trial partnership very promising indeed. 

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Butachimie, a major manufacturer of polymer intermediates for nylon, has chosen Orange Business Services and Nokia to deploy a Private Mobile Network at its Chalampé plant in Alsace, France, to modernise its facilities and optimise production. The new Private Mobile Network will be the backbone of Butachimie's digital transformation project.

As Butachimie wanted to digitise its business processes, starting with security of the site and its data, followed by the deployment of new use cases, Orange Business Service designed a secure 4G Private Mobile Network, which crucially is upgradable to 5G, anticipating the needs and challenges of this factory of the future. 

Tailor-made private network

The tailor-made private network is based on Nokia's core network and Radio Access Network (RAN) solutions. This ensures Butachimie teams have controlled and efficient access to IT applications and will be able to use new services through wireless connected equipment in real time. Both the equipment and the data collected will have a high level of network availability, greater than 99.99%, making it possible to anticipate failures and ensure continuous production within the plant.

“Our digital transformation and modernisation plan must meet very strict challenges in terms of security and availability. It is therefore essential for us to be able to rely on trusted partners capable of offering us technological robustness, tailor-made support and a strong knowledge of our businesses and associated uses. Thanks to Orange Business Services and Nokia, we are opening a new stage towards the development of our Factory of the Future by offering our employees a better on-site experience and by securing our performance and competitiveness in our sector. With this scalable network, we will eventually be able to benefit from the performance and advantages of technology such as 5G,” said Stéphane Cazabonne, Project Director at Butachimie. 

Use cases

From the start of the project, Orange Business Services and Butachimie experts set up a co-construction approach, particularly in the design of industrial use cases, adapted to the specific challenges of the plant. Several use cases were selected, including real-time geolocation, push-to-talk with intercom, digitisation of processes and a tool to manage the plant’s communication devices.

With its expertise in mobile networks, cybersecurity and business application development, Orange Business Services is well placed to provide consulting and technical support on end-to-end network management and use cases around Industry 4.0. Starting with the design stage, Orange Business Services took into account the scalability of the Private Mobile Network, in particular by designing an architecture adapted to Mobile Edge Computing. This 4G private mobile network is the backbone for all future applications currently under development as part of the Butachimie digital transformation project.

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Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson have successfully demonstrated a world-first implementation of 5G end-to-end (E2E) enterprise network slicing, combining network exposure capabilities for slice-specific service. 5G network exposure facilitates secure third-party access to exposed capabilities in a 5G network, so by integrating network exposure into a service API on the network and application side, the quality of service provided in a 5G network slice is dynamically adapted to the performance requirements of the application. 

“The ground breaking integration of network exposure capability into 5G network slicing lays a technical foundation for 5G service innovation,” says Alex Choi, SVP Technology Strategy & Innovation, Deutsche Telekom. “Working with partners like Ericsson, we will continue to explore 5G Standalone’s potential as we seek to build a flexible platform-based ecosystem with customer centric network-as-a-service models,” Choi continued. 

In the proof-of-concept on 5G Standalone (SA) end-to-end network slicing infrastructure in Deutsche Telekom’s Bonn lab, the partners validated this capability in a video production use case allowing a video director to adapt their slice service on-demand according to the requirements of different video streams. Fully automated configuration, provisioning and end-to-end orchestration of the enterprise slicing service order was also realised in the proof of concept using a commercial grade 5G SA network provided by Ericsson. 

Network slicing with network exposure

Network Slicing is a key architectural feature in 5G SA that enables multiple virtual networks to be created on a single physical network infrastructure. Different service characteristics and quality parameters can then be provided to each slice adapted to customer needs and with full isolation between slices. These technical enablers will support operators to develop new differentiated services and business models.

It’s the Network Exposure Function (NEF) in 5G that provides the ability to convert network capabilities and network APIs into special service APIs tailored for specific use cases and associated applications. The service API can make specific network capabilities discoverable and available at the application level as part of a network slice. With this flexibility customers can benefit from a superior experience, or partners get the opportunity to build innovative applications on top.

Proof of concept

In this proof of concept, a quality of service API enables an application to request a better service class in the network slice to serve its performance requirements. The benefits are demonstrated in an exemplary video production use case, where a director selects via a portal application between multi-camera streams in low and high resolution for a broadcast. The director is served by a dedicated ‘video production’ slice. When the director selects a high-resolution stream, the application automatically requests a higher QoS class via the API in the ’video production’ slice. After receiving a confirmation from the network, the application switches the streaming quality from low to high, thus allocating sufficient network resources to ensure an uninterrupted high-quality video link even in congested 5G networks.

“New digital services will become reality because 5G network slicing makes it possible to create fit-for-purpose software defined virtual networks with defined characteristics. Standardized network exposure APIs (Application Programmer Interfaces) provide mechanisms which allow third-party authorized applications to monitor and adjust the behavior of such “slices” within the boundaries of their subscribed services. We are very proud to closely collaborate with Deutsche Telekom as one of the globally leading operators, to bring the value of network slicing, exposure, and automation to the market,” said Erik Ekudden, Group CTO at Ericsson says.

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