Tag: 5G

5G To Enable Much Higher Performance Games, Says Zynga CEO
5G to enable much higher performance games.
5G to bring more people into a gaming experience.
5G will enable games that are zero downloads.
Touch an ad on Instagram and instantly play the game.
“5G is going to be a real tailwind for growth in mobile,” says Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau. “It’s going to enable much higher performance games. They’re going to be able to bring more people into a gaming experience. You’ll be able to have games that are zero downloads where you can play them right over the air and never have them installed on your phone. If you’re looking at an ad on Instagram you’ll be able to touch that ad and quickly be able to play the game without having to go to the App Store.”

“It’ll also enable new forms of innovation in terms of distribution, the funnel of how you manage players, will be a lot more efficient and strong,” says Gibeau. “As infrastructure around 5G rolls out globally over these next several years it’s going to be a huge boost for us.”

5G To Enable Much Higher Performance Games, Says Zynga CEO
February 7, 2020
AG Barr: U.S. and Allies Should Buy Nokia and Ericsson

The International Business Times (IBT) is reporting that Attorney General William Barr has floated the possibility of the U.S. and allies buying a controlling interest in Nokia and Ericsson to help combat Huawei.

According to IBT, in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, addressing the Chinese economic threat, Barr said:

“There are only two companies that can compete with Huawei right now: Nokia and Ericsson.

“The main concern about these suppliers is that they have neither Huawei’s scale nor the backing of a powerful country with a large embedded market like China,” he continued.

“Putting our large market and financial muscle behind one or both of these firms would make it a far more formidable competitor and eliminate concerns over its staying power.”

Barr’s comments come after carriers around the world have warned that excluding Huawei from 5G rollouts will significantly increase cost and deployment time. Meanwhile, Ericsson has been trying to shake the perception it is behind Huawei, in terms of either technology or scale. Even so, despite pressure from the U.S., the UK recently agreed to let Huawei participate in its 5G network, and all indications are that the EU will also stop short of banning the Chinese firm.

Given the threat to privacy and security the U.S. accuses Huawei of posing, backing its competitors may be the only viable way to overcome the Chinese company’s dominance in the field.

February 6, 2020
Verizon 5G Roll Out Marches On, Hits 34 Cities

Verizon has now hit 34 cities with its 5G roll out, adding Cincinnati, Little Rock and Kansas City, according to a company press release.

Verizon made headlines at the end of last year for meeting, and surpassing, its goal of rolling out 5G in 30 cities by year end. By the end of 2019, it had reached 31 cities. In the first month of 2020, the company has now hit 34.

Because Verizon is focusing on high-band, mmWave 5G, the new service does not cover all areas of the cities. While mmWave is the fastest flavor of 5G, with speeds measured in gigabits, it has very limited range and building penetration. As a result, only parts of the new cities have coverage.

Cincinnati’s coverage is “concentrated in parts of Downtown, Mt. Adams, West End, Evanston, Walnut Hills, Corryville, Clifton, Price Hill, Over-The-Rhine, Mt Auburn, Avondale, Newport (KY), Dayton (KY), Bellevue (KY) near landmarks such as: Great American Ballpark, Duke Energy Convention Center, Serpentine Wall, City Hall, Xavier University, Cincinnati Zoo, Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati Christian University and Newport Waterfront (KY).”

In Kansas City, service is based “in parts of Downtown, Midtown-Westport, Plaza Midtown, Olathe and near landmarks such as: The Garment District, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Rockhurst University as well as inside and around the professional football stadium.”

In Little Rock, service is “concentrated in parts of Midtown, University District, Birchwood, Otter Creek and near landmarks such as: UAMS College of Medicine, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Rock Creek Square Plaza Shopping Center, and Outlets of Little Rock.”

Once customers move outside of 5G range, their devices will automatically transition back to 4G LTE. Even with the geographically-limited rollout, however, Verizon’s 5G will bring a welcome performance boost to customers, as well as help ease the strain on their 4G network in heavily populated areas.

January 31, 2020
Senators Want Spectrum Auction to Fund Rural Broadband

According to GeekWire, a group of senators led by Senator Maria Cantwell are pushing to use proceeds from an upcoming 5G spectrum auction to boost rural broadband.

According to the Pew Research Center, despite improvements in recent years, there is still a significant gap in broadband service between urban/suburban and rural Americans. While 79% of suburban residents enjoy home broadband and 75% of urban residents do, that number drops to only 63% for rural Americans. Some 83% of urban and suburban Americans enjoy broadband access on their smartphones, compared to only 71% of those who live in rural areas.

Senator Cantwell hopes the upcoming 5G spectrum auction may provide the funds to help close that divide. According to GeekWire, “Cantwell introduced legislation this week that would ensure some of the proceeds from a public auction of C-Band airwaves would be invested in rural broadband deployment and next-generation 9-1-1 networks.”

The C-band spectrum is currently used by satellite companies for video and radio programming, but the FCC plans to free it up for 5G wireless. If Senator Cantwell and her colleagues get their way, rural Americans may gain better access to broadband options.

January 30, 2020
UK-US ‘Special Relationship’ Tested As Boris Johnson Faces Rebellion Over Huawei Decision

The UK decided Tuesday to allow Huawei to have a limited role in building the country’s 5G network. The decision has strained relations with the U.S. and sparked a rebellion within Boris Johnson’s own party, according to CNBC and The Guardian.

The U.S. has been playing full-court press in its efforts to pressure the UK to ban Huawei from involvement in building out the country’s network. U.S. officials have even gone so far as to consider measures that would limit intel sharing with countries that use Huawei, something that would have profound implications for the relationship the two countries enjoy.

In the wake of the UK’s decision, according to CNBC, Senator Ben Sasse said: “Here’s the sad truth: our special relationship is less special now that the U.K. has embraced the surveillance state commies at Huawei.”

Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, it’s not just American politicians who are upset with the decision. Members of Boris Johnson’s own party are pushing for the government to commit to a three year window, by the end of which Huawei will be pushed out of British networks.

“A group of anti-Huawei Tories want an assurance that the government will work towards reducing the Chinese company’s influence in UK infrastructure to zero, ultimately stripping it out of the 4G network as well,” says The Guardian.

“Their argument is that any provider deemed high-risk by the intelligence services should be phased out of the supply chain, although Britain’s spy agencies say that any security risk from Huawei can be managed.”

The ongoing saga demonstrates what’s at stake—far beyond wireless speeds and cell subscribers—as 5G rolls out around the world.

January 30, 2020
Verizon and Honeywell Partner to Deliver Smart Utilities

Verizon has announced a partnership with Honeywell “to help utilities speed up and simplify the deployment of new communication-enabled, intelligent sensors and controls for the smart electric grid.”

Honeywell is one of the leading makers of building control systems, with their equipment powering some 10 million buildings. In recent years, the company has been pushing into Internet of Things (IoT) territory, working to deliver smart building and utilities technology. The partnership with Verizon is a significant step in that direction, providing the telecommunications component the company needs.

“Working with Honeywell on these next-generation solutions will enable the reliability and scalability of the communications needed to deliver smart metering, manage distributed energy resources, conserve water, and make the digital world work better for utilities and consumers,” said Jay Olearain, director, Enterprise Products and IoT at Verizon. “Our Connected Utilities solutions bring connectivity and computing capabilities to all kinds of IoT devices, helping companies like Honeywell grow their leadership positions in the utilities space and expand their business models into new market opportunities.”

Verizon says its edge computing will help Honeywell integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into meters. This will open a whole new world of opportunities for utilities to better manage the grid and energy demands moving forward.

“The Honeywell portfolio of utility applications and analytics expands with the new capabilities of wireless IoT,” said Ann Perreault, director, Connected Utilities, Honeywell Smart Energy. “By taking advantage of an already built, cellular infrastructure, our utility customers can more quickly deploy new capabilities based on interoperable communications, allowing them to facilitate innovation. This means that it is easier and more cost effective for utilities to apply analytics to plan for energy demand and to integrate emerging new technologies including micro-renewable generation, electric vehicles, battery storage and semi-autonomous control into the next evolution of the grid.”

The partnership will initially involve Verizon’s LTE, but the companies are exploring the benefits 5G can bring to the table as it becomes more widely available.

January 30, 2020
UK Will Include Huawei in a Limited 5G Role

Defying pressure from the U.S. and Conservative MPs, the UK has refused to ban Huawei, opting to include it in a limited role, according to BBC News.

Amidst ongoing allegations that Huawei exposes governments and corporations to spying by the Chinese government, the U.S. has banned Huawei and engaged in a campaign to pressure its allies to do the same. That campaign has stepped up in recent weeks as the UK has weighed what role Huawei would play moving forward. The U.S. has even considered limiting intel sharing with countries that use Huawei for their 5G network, a move that would certainly strain the U.S. and UK’s “special relationship.”

Instead of banning Huawei, the UK has opted for allowing the company a limited role in the country’s 5G networks. As part of decision, Huawei will only be allowed to account for 35% of 5G telecommunications equipment. What’s more, the company will not be allowed to contribute to the sensitive parts of the core network. It will also be restricted from being used near military bases or nuclear sites.

In spite of the UK’s decision, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab believes it will have no impact on intel sharing with the U.S., or the coalition of countries known as the Five Eyes—the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia, along with the UK.

“Nothing in this review affects this country’s ability to share highly-sensitive intelligence data over highly-secure networks both within the UK and our partners, including the Five Eyes,” the minister told the House of Commons, according to the BBC.

It remains to be seen, however, what long-term impact this agreement will have on UK/U.S. relations.

January 28, 2020
FCC Frees Up 3.5GHz Mid-Band For Wireless Use

The Federal Communications Commission has authorized the commercial use of the mid-range 3.5GHz spectrum, according to a press release by the CBRS Alliance.

The 3.5GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum is being marketed under the name OnGo. Up until this ruling, the spectrum was reserved exclusively for the Department of Defense (DoD) and used extensively by the Navy.

OnGo is a pivotal piece of the U.S. 5G rollout, as it sits squarely in what is considered mid-band spectrum. Low-band spectrum, such as that being heavily deployed by T-Mobile, has the advantage of offering long range and excellent building penetration, but offers only marginally faster speeds than 4G LTE. High-band, mmWave spectrum offers speeds measured in gigabits but has extremely poor range and penetration. This is what Verizon has primarily invested in.

Mid-range spectrum, such as OnGo, can be used to improve speed and signal strength, first on 4G and then on 5G. The spectrum will effectively help bridge the gap between the long-range but slower low-band and the high-speed, mmWave spectrum.

According to the press release, “consumers now have access to improved wireless connectivity through OnGo-compatible mobile devices, including the Google Pixel 4, Motorola’s 5G Moto Mod, Samsung Galaxy S10, Apple iPhone 11, LG G8 ThinQ, and OnePlus 7 Pro, all of which are on the market today. The OnGo ecosystem is vast and opens a brand-new market for wireless communications and 5G services in the United States, touching rural broadband via fixed wireless providers (WISPs), enterprise IT, hospitality, retail, real estate, industrial IoT, and transportation, among other sectors.”

Because of OnGo’s previous status as protected spectrum, it can still be used by the DoD in times of emergency.

“To ensure that the DoD has continued access to the band, Environmental Sensing Capability (ESC) networks have been deployed along the U.S. coast. The ESC networks operated by CommScope, Federated Wireless, and Google inform the SAS administrators to activate a protection zone and dynamically reassign users in the area to other parts of the band, thus protecting the incumbent’s use of the spectrum while maximizing availability of CBRS spectrum across coastal areas.”

The FCC’s decision is good news for consumers and businesses alike and will open up a wide range of wireless opportunities.

January 28, 2020
Britain On the Verge Of Including Huawei

Despite U.S. pressure to ban Huawei, the British government is preparing to include the company in its 5G plans, according to Reuters.

The U.S. has already banned Huawei and has engaged in a campaign for its allies to do the same, citing allegations the telecommunications giant serves as a way for Beijing to spy on governments and companies around the world. There have even been threats of limiting intel sharing with countries that use Huawei, something that would have profound impacts on the U.S. and UK’s “special relationship.”

According to Reuters, Britain is trying to thread the needle by considering an option that would include Huawei, but limit it “from the sensitive, data-heavy ‘core’ part of the network and restricted government systems, closely mirroring a provisional decision made last year under former Prime Minister Theresa May.”

Any concession toward Huawei is likely to strain relations with the U.S. but, as Reuters points out, Britain is also trying to balance its trade with China and the warnings of telecom operators that banning Huawei would significantly raise the cost of 5G deployment.

A final decision is expected next week.

January 23, 2020
Senate Committee Addresses 5G ‘Tower Climber’ Shortage

There have been many things that have slowed 5G adoption: competing types of 5G, available spectrum, security concerns over Chinese vendors and more. One of the biggest issues, however, may be surprise to some. Evidently, there is a serious shortage of “tower climbers” available, according to VentureBeat.

Tower climbers are the term for individuals who climb cell phone towers to install new equipment or maintain existing components. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation heard testimony from various witnesses “that there aren’t enough workers to actually build the 5G infrastructure U.S. citizens are expecting over the next decade.”

FCC commissioner Brandan Carr said the industry needs “20,000 additional tower climbers and telecom techs to complete the U.S. 5G buildout.” The agency is planning to address the shortage by offering 12-week training programs that will be available at technical schools and community colleges. Earnings potential—for a job that does not require a four-year degree—is more than $70,000 a year.

With that kind of opportunity, it’s a safe bet the FCC will have no trouble coming up with 20,000 climbers.

January 23, 2020
Nokia CEO Predicts 5G Maturity In 2021

In an interview with Bloomberg, Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri discussed 5G, including his belief the market will reach maturity in 2021.

Suri was first asked when he expected 5G to make a meaningful impact on Nokia’s numbers.

“It will start to happen in the next couple of years,” Suri said. “It’s already starting to happen, where we’ve been rolling out 5G in the U.S., in South Korea; Japan is next, many Nordic countries. A little bit in China has begun, and then Middle East and so on.

“So I think market maturity, at the scale of many countries running at the same time—including Europe—will likely be in ‘21, although 2020 is also a big deal.”

When he was asked about the challenges he saw in growing the 5G market, Suri was equally bullish, pointing to the tremendous opportunity for consumers and businesses alike.

“There are plenty of opportunities because, one, we think 5G is about a number of things. It’s about low latency, it’s about a thousand times more capacity, super fast speed. But it’s not only for consumers. It’s also for industries, so a number of verticals will benefit from rolling out 5G. And not just 5G—actually you can do a number of things with 4G.”

Chinese vendors, such as Huawei, have been in the news over security concerns, with some countries and experts believing they provide a way for Beijing to spy on governments and corporations. Suri said that policy makers will need to make the big decisions about what vendors to include or exclude, and that Nokia is simply focused on providing the best technology.

“On our part, we just want to make sure we have the most competitive technology. And we have an end-to-end portfolio, like you said, because 5G isn’t just about radio. 5G is about a virtual circle of multiple elements of the network: backhaul, transport, software, applications, fixed wireless access, fixed lines and 5G radio as well—and of course the core network. So we want to be able to benefit from that end-to-end strategy and end-to-end portfolio that we have.”

In spite of the challenges with 5G roll outs, Suri says the technology is being adopted much faster than 4G.

“In fact, I would say our experience in early networks is that adoption of 5G is four times faster than the adoption we saw in 4G.”

January 23, 2020
Canonical Announces Anbox Cloud: ‘Scalable Android In The Cloud’

Canonical, the makers of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution, have announced the release of Anbox Cloud, a “scalable android in the cloud” platform, according to a press release.

Anbox Cloud will enable “enterprises and service providers to deliver mobile applications at scale, more securely and independently of a device’s capabilities. Use cases for Anbox Cloud include cloud gaming, enterprise workplace applications, software testing, and mobile device virtualisation.”

In combination with fast 5G access, the platform will also allow energy, storage and compute-intensive tasks to be offloaded from individual devices and run via the cloud. This will make it possible to level the performance playing field between high-end premium devices and budget or mid-range ones.

“Driven by emerging 5G networks and edge computing, millions of users will benefit from access to ultra-rich, on-demand Android applications on a platform of their choice,” said Stephan Fabel, Director of Product at Canonical. “Enterprises are now empowered to deliver high performance, high density computing to any device remotely, with reduced power consumption and in an economical manner.”

The cloud platform will also provide a way for developers to streamline their application development process, emulating the countless devices and Android combinations available. Device and operating system fragmentation has long been a challenging aspect of Android development, especially when compared to iOS.

Anbox Cloud is just the latest example of the innovations that can be achieved as 5G rollouts continue and the wireless technology becomes mainstream.

January 22, 2020
Ericsson CEO Says His Company Has ‘No One Ahead Of Us’ In 5G Tech

In an interview with CNBC, Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm countered claims that his company is behind Huawei in 5G, or that it’s getting a free ride due to security concerns about the Chinese company.

“First, this whole notion that we get some sort of free ride here, I wouldn’t say,” Ekholm said. “So far, there are very little effects on our order books from any of these discussions. It’s more, actually, creating uncertainty in the market, reducing investments overall.

“So I think the whole uncertainty that we have geopolitically is not positive. At the same time, I hope we find a solution that allows the world to move forward. Security aspects are going to be critical in a 5G world—we connect everything. Of course, that’s going to put extra security demands on the networks, cybersecurity is a bigger threat. So we need to think differently about security. To some extent it’s a national security policy.”

When asked specifically if Ericsson was behind Huawei in technology, or in its ability to deliver the scale and economy Huawei is often credited with, Ekholm was adamant that his company is in the lead.

“Just a couple of facts, so we get those ones in there:

“The first networks launched—they were in North America—it was actually with our equipment. The first operational 5G networks had the gear from us. It’s hard to be behind then.

“The second one is, if you look at the first European network launched, it was here in Switzerland. 5G launched with Swisscom and that’s 100% an Ericsson customer. By the way, Swisscom has the best network of all operators globally and that’s all Ericsson equipment. So I find it’s a bit difficult to say that we’re behind when I see no one ahead of us.”

January 21, 2020
Austria Will Work With EU Partners On Huawei Decision

As Britain and Germany consider whether to ban Huawei, Austria has said it will collaborate with EU partners on a decision, according to Reuters.

The U.S. and Huawei have been engaged in a war over the company’s role in helping build out 5G networks around the world. The U.S. has already banned the Chinese telecommunications company as a result of allegations it provides a way for Beijing to spy on governments and corporations.

The U.S. has also engaged in a campaign to convince its allies of the danger of relying on Huawei, even threatening to ban intel sharing with countries that use the company. For its part, Huawei has denied the allegations, while network operators have lamented that any attempt to avoid Huawei equipment will add time and expense to 5G deployments.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz would not rule out using Huawei, but said the country would work with EU partners on a decision.

“We want to be technology-neutral and at the same time guarantee maximum safety,” Kurz said at a news conference in Vienna. “We are in close coordination with our European partners and also with the European Commission.”

January 21, 2020
Harman CEO Sees Critical Need For 5G Standards And Vehicle Automation

In an interview with CNBC Harman International Industries CEO Dinesh Paliwal discussed the importance of 5G standards, as well as vehicle automation.

“We need standardization. We need clear regulatory framework which cuts across states and countries.

“Imagine Europe. If Germany, France, Italy, they all want to have their own standards. We need one standard, just like internet. And I think this has to happen, otherwise you cannot take advantage.”

Paliwal then compared the industry to cars and made the point that car makers are not going to each come up with their own algorithm and teach their cars to driver completely differently. There has to be a standard by which everyone abides.

“So 5G standards are absolutely necessary. I will tell you that China is actually taking a lead in that. They are launching and developing standards. But we have a lot of work to do in North America, as well as Europe. I hope in Asia Singapore will also lead that. We’ve always been on the cutting edge.”

When asked how long until mass scale autonomous vehicles arrive, Paliwal replied:

“So two things: You said the key word ‘mass scale.’ The technology is here. If you want to run in Austin, Texas; or Singapore; or Munich, you can run two to three years from now, fully autonomous vehicles literally a meter apart.

“But to really launch that in Taipan, Bangkok, in Shanghai, in Mumbai, we are at least five to ten years away. Because, think about it, we [have] almost a billion cars on the road today. And according to the definition, they’re not the smart cars, they’re the dumb cars. So you need to…either retrofit these cars, which is extremely challenging, or you have to have the whole new generation of cars, which is ten years away.

“So what I’m excited about is not just autonomous, [but] the automation in the car which significantly improves the safety aspect. As you know, the U.S. alone lost last year $1.5 trillion GDP due to car related accidents and productivity loss. If you can cut it by half, we’re talking 1.5% of GDP to be added back to the U.S.

“So its a massive gain from 5G and autonomous, but automation will be the important thing.”

January 17, 2020
Verizon Takes The Lead In Creating 5G Future Forum

Verizon has issued a press release announcing the creation of the 5G Future Forum, a coalition of global 5G leaders.

The growth of 5G has been hampered by multiple bands of 5G service. The fastest high-frequency mmWave bands offer speed measured in gigabits, but offer exceptionally poor range and building penetration. Low-band spectrum that many companies are rolling out offers only minor speed improvements over 4G LTE, but far better range and penetration. Mid-range spectrum lands somewhere in the middle and is being used by some companies to bridge the gap between mmWave and low-band networks.

Unfortunately, the splintered 5G landscape makes it difficult for phone manufacturers to support 5G. Not only must they choose which type of 5G network to support, but they also have to support the individual frequencies different carriers may be using within the broad mmWave, low or mid-band varieties.

The 5G Future Forum aims to address those issues, according to the press release:

“5G and mobile-edge computing deliver lowest latency networks to mobile and connected devices while improving data throughput, reliability, power efficiency and security. This gives organizations worldwide the ability to deliver a wide range of transformative business and consumer use cases, like machine learning at the edge, autonomous industrial equipment, smart cars and cities, Internet of Things (IoT), augmented and virtual reality, and more.

“The 5G Future Forum will focus on the creation of uniform interoperability specifications to improve speed to market for developers and multinational enterprises working on 5G-enabled solutions. In addition, Forum participants will develop public and private marketplaces to enhance developer and customer access to 5G, and will share global best practices in technology deployment.”

“This forum of global leaders in 5G marks an important step in ensuring edge computing works seamlessly for our customers,” said Vinod Kumar, CEO of Vodafone Business. “These new specifications will allow us to offer services that work consistently across the globe and support devices moving between countries. 5G opens up a wealth of opportunities for new solutions and business models and we’re excited to play a role in bringing them to life.”

The 5G Future Forum announcement is a welcome one at a time when the new technology is beginning to take off. The more “uniform interoperability” that carriers can agree on, the faster the technology will be able to be deployed and supported by phone manufacturers.

January 17, 2020
Senators Propose Over $1 Billion To Fund Huawei Alternatives

CNBC is reporting that a bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to spend more than $1 billion to fund 5G alternatives to Huawei.

Huawei is currently the number one provider of 5G equipment around the world. In spite of that, the company has faced ongoing criticism and accusations that it represents a risk to other countries’ national security because of its close ties to Beijing. All Chinese corporations are required to cooperate with the Chinese government and intelligence agencies, but Huawei is believed to have closer ties to Beijing than most.

Even so, carriers have warned their governments that going with non-Huawei alternatives could add years of work and billions in cost. Huawei is also seen as having some of the best 5G technology on the market. This puts carriers in the unenviable position of choosing between inferior technology or inferior security.

Now a group of bipartisan senators wants to address that, with legislation that would allocate over $1 billion to leveling the playing field. According to CNBC, “Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Richard Burr, R-N.C., is a co-sponsor of the bill, alongside Republican Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and John Cornyn of Texas. Democratic Senators Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado are also co-sponsors alongside Warner.”

The bill would authorize the Federal Communications Commission to “direct at least $750 million or up to 5% of annual auction proceeds from new auctioned spectrum licenses to create an open-architecture model (O-RAN) research and development fund.”

In addition, “another $500 million would become a Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund, which would be available for 10 years ‘to accelerate the adoption of trusted and secure equipment globally and to encourage multilateral participation.’”

If the bill gets passed into law, it could finally help create viable alternatives to Huawei in the U.S. market.

January 15, 2020
Samsung Acquires TeleWorld Solutions To Help Build Out 5G Networks

Samsung has announced an agreement to “acquire TeleWorld Solutions (TWS), a network services provider headquartered in Chantilly, VA.”

TWS compliments Samsung’s current endeavors, especially as it battles with Huawei for 5G network business. While it is currently in second place, Huawei’s ongoing problems shaking allegations it serves as a conduit for the Chinese government to spy on other countries, provides Samsung with an opportunity to make further inroads. The company sees TWS playing a significant role in those efforts.

“The acquisition of TWS will enable us to meet mobile carriers’ growing needs for improving their 4G and 5G networks, and eventually create new opportunities to enhance our service capabilities to our customers,” said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Samsung EVP. “Samsung will continue to drive innovation in communications technology, while providing optimization services for network deployments that accelerate U.S. 5G network expansion.”

Shervin Gerami, CEO of TWS, echoed those thoughts: “Everyone at TeleWorld Solutions is excited to be part of the Samsung family. The advent of 5G and the amount of new spectrum coming into the U.S. market requires scale and innovation for the next generation of wireless technologies. Joining forces with Samsung will accelerate innovation to help our customers fulfill their needs for network strategy, deployment, and automation.”

January 13, 2020
Analyst: All iPhone 5G Models Expected In 2020

Contradicting previous reports, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to release all four 5G iPhones in the second half of 2020, according to MacRumors.

Previous reports by Susquehanna analyst Mehdi Hosseini claimed Apple would stagger its iPhone releases and only release the low-band 5G models in 2020, with the mmWave models in 2021. Low-band 5G is only 20% to four times faster than 4G LTE, but has excellent range. mmWave 5G, on the other hand, offers gigabit speeds, but has very short range. Hosseini’s prediction was based on Apple’s decision to use an in-house antenna-in-package (AiP) rather than a third-party component.

According to MacRumors, however, Kuo believes Apple will release both types of 5G iPhones in the second half of 2020. The mmWave models “would be available in five markets, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom, adding that Apple may disable 5G functionality in countries that do not offer 5G service or have a shallow 5G penetration rate to reduce production costs.”

As MacRumors points out, Kuo has a better track record predicting Apple’s moves, so this looks to be good news for iPhone fans.

January 13, 2020
U.S. Officials Visit Britain In Last Ditch Push For Huawei Ban

According to Reuters, U.S. officials are visiting Britain in an effort to persuade the government to ban Huawei.

The UK is expected to make a decision later this month on what role Huawei will or will not play in the country’s 5G rollout. Amid ongoing allegations that Huawei poses a security risk and could let Beijing spy on other countries, the U.S. has banned Huawei and lobbied for its allies to do the same.

Most recently, U.S. Senator Tom Cotton is working on a bill that would severely restrict intelligence sharing with countries that use Huawei. Given the close relationship the U.S. and UK enjoy, if such a bill were signed into law and the UK uses the telecom equipment giant, it could have a profound impact on how the two countries work together.

According to Reuters, British defense Minister Ben Wallace confirmed to the Sunday Times “that U.S. President Donald Trump and his advisers have threatened to cut off some intelligence to the UK if the National Security Council gives Huawei a green light.”

This would seem to indicate a willingness on President Trump’s part to sign Senator Cotton’s bill once it is drafted.

“It’s not a secret. They have been consistent. Those things will be taken into account when the government collectively decides to make a decision on it,” said Wallace.

January 13, 2020
Verizon Delays 5G Home Rollout While It Waits For More Powerful Equipment

One of the biggest promises of 5G is the ability to deliver broadband-class internet to homes, especially those in remote or rural locations. Unfortunately, Verizon customers will have to wait, as the company has once again delayed 5G Home rollout.

According to Light Reading, Verizon is waiting for more powerful equipment that won’t be available until the second half of 2020. The high-powered customer premises equipment (CPE) has much longer range than current equipment, which will be a significant factor in practical adoption of the technology. In contrast, current devices use smartphone chipsets, which give them far shorter range.

Ultimately Verizon’s goal is to cover 30 million households, but Verizon’s Ronan Dunne admits it may take five to seven years before that goal is realized. As he told Light Reading, this is partly because of where Verizon is focusing its 5G deployment efforts.

Unlike T-Mobile or AT&T, Verizon is focusing exclusively on mmWave 5G deployment. This high-frequency 5G has the fastest speed—often measured in gigabits—but has very limited range and building penetration. As a result, cell towers and base stations must be placed within a couple hundred meters of each other to achieve coverage. Due to this limitation, Verizon is focusing primarily on urban areas that are often “low residential.”

Hopefully the newer, more powerful equipment Verizon is waiting on will help address some of these limitations and enable the carrier to start rolling out 5G Home to a wider market.

January 11, 2020