Wireless Networks

Nokia has won an IP/MPLS network deal with Thailand’s True Group.

Orange has selected Parallel Wireless to extend its coverage across multiple African markets, beginning with the Central African Republic.

Omantel has selected Ericsson to support the Sultanate’s ongoing 5G radio access network (RAN) deployment plans in a multi-year partnership.

Following yesterday’s announcement that Zain is offering 5G coverage in all of Saudi Arabia’s regions, we also have 5G coverage news from Brazil and South Africa, although, confusingly, neither country has formally auctioned long-term 5G spectrum yet.

Kenya’s Safaricom has selected Aviat Networks’ WTM 4800 multi-band radio platform for 5G backhaul.

Zain KSA now offers 5G coverage in all of Saudi Arabia’s regions after expanding its network to Al-Jouf and the Northern Borders.

A new era of stratospheric communications has begun, according to Loon, a company that offers a network of what it calls floating cell towers, and that is now providing service to subscribers of Telkom Kenya.

According to TeleGeography's CommsUpdate and local news reports, two of Saudi Arabia’s leading mobile operators are hoping to establish a joint tower company.

Claro Brasil has launched its 5G network using a combination of 700MHz, 1800MHz and 2.5GHz spectrum.

Vodafone Hungary has set out its 5G coverage goals up to the end of 2020.

Iran’s market leader, state-run MCI (Mobile Communication Company of Iran), has been given a deadline of early September to begin providing 5G coverage in Tehran.

Madagascan operator Telma and infrastructure and software vendor Ericsson have announced the launch of commercial 5G services in Madagascar.

Zain Bahrain has launched commercial 5G using equipment from Ericsson.

Given the likely importance of 5G to Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT), perhaps it should come as little surprise that industry body the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Germany’s 5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation (5G-ACAI).

Saudi Telecom Company (stc) is deploying CommScope’s new 30-port antennas as it looks to demonstrate use cases for next generation wireless technologies.

Rain claimed a first in 2019. Vodacom, with a little help from temporary spectrum, followed in May this year. Now it’s the turn of South Africa’s number two mobile operator MTN to launch 5G.

UAE operator group Etisalat is unlikely to introduce standalone 5G for at least two years, and will instead focus on non-standalone (NSA) 5G architecture in this period.

Croatia’s Hrvatski Telekom (HT) has awarded a five-year 5G RAN contract to Ericsson.

Ukraine’s three largest mobile operators have commenced “joint actions” to expand their 4G-LTE networks using redistributed 900MHz frequencies.

Supermarket chain Walmart de Mexico y Centroamerica is now offering MVNO services in Mexico, branded as BAIT (Bodega Aurrera Internet y Telefonia).

O2 Czech Republic is launching its commercial 5G network next month, becoming the first operator in the market to achieve this milestone.

Orange’s Slovakian unit is increasing its 5G spectrum holding while also discussing a potential network-sharing arrangement with Slovak Telecom.

Estonia’s Telia Eesti is planning an investment of €10 million (US$11.3 million) into its mobile networks for 2020.

Indonesian mobile operator Telkomsel has announced that it is extending its 4G LTE coverage to more areas of the country.

China Unicom has chosen Nokia to support the build-out of its 5G SA Core network in China.

In the face of regulatory constraints and bureaucratic delays in some countries, it’s worth highlighting ways in which governments are supporting telecommunications by enabling or encouraging rollout, most recently in Colombia and Vietnam.

Local press reports in Fiji indicate that plans are under way for a major network upgrade for mobile operator Digicel Fiji. Its estimated cost is about $13.7 million. The network upgrade aims to boost LTE coverage across the country’s islands.

Nokia and Vodafone Idea have successfully completed the first phase of a Dynamic Spectrum Refarming (DSR) implementation in India.

As we have noted before, despite delays to rollout or spectrum auctions in some countries due to measures to control the coronavirus, other countries are going ahead with 5G plans, virus or no virus.

STC (Saudi Telecom Company) has outlined plans to prioritise the growth of 4G and 5G technologies, noting that it expects to decommission its 3G network within “less than two years.”

Belarusian market leader A1 together with ZTE has launched a standalone (SA) test 5G network across the country.

Operator MTN Zambia has selected Vanu, a provider of equipment, tools and services that allow mobile network operators to profit by serving off-grid communities, to supply equipment and services for as many as 300 mobile network sites throughout the country.