Tokyo deploys smart poles
Tokyo will start deploying smart poles at the end of June 2020 for equipping with small 5G base stations as well as WiFi, street lighting and digital signage. These will be installed by Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo, and will support a Smart Street Lighting offering from NEC. There will be two versions of the NEC platform, both equipped with digital signage and pedestrian traffic flow analysis cameras. One model will be equipped with a 5G shared antenna system for joint use by multiple carriers, while the other for whole site sharing will incorporate 5G base stations.
Mitsubishi and NTT take joint 30% stake in HERE Technologies
Two Japanese giants, Mitsubishi and NTT, have jointly acquired a 30% stake in Netherlands-based mapping company Here Technologies. The two join car companies Audi, Bosch, BMW, Continental and Mercedes-Benz as stakeholders, along with Intel Capital and Pioneer. This highlights the importance of spatial mapping technology in transportation, for several applications from reduction of traffic congestion to location-based advertising. The Japanese stakes should help drive Here’s growth in Asia-Pacific.
Bell Canada picks Ericsson for 5G RAN
Bell Canada has selected Ericsson RAN technology for its nationwide 5G mobile and fixed wireless access deployment. The products will be rolled out as Bell Canada expands its 5G coverage, which is expected to be boosted through new spectrum acquired in the country’s 3.5 GHz band auction later this year. Meanwhile, the operator has put commercial launch of its 5G network on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Qualcomm unveils two WiFi 6E chips
Qualcomm has unveiled WiFi 6E chipsets for both phones and routers ready for delivery in the second half of 2020, even before the technology has been approved in Europe and some other countries. There are two phone chips, the FastConnect 6700 and the FastConnect 6900, with top theoretical speeds of 3Gbps and 3.6Gbps, respectively. For routers Qualcomm has introduced four chips ranging in theoretical top speed between 5.4Gbps and 10.8Gbps. WiFi 6E is now approved in the USA following the FCC’s vote to open up the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use in April 2020.
Private equity firms offer €2.96 for Spain’s MásMóvil
A consortium of private investors has offered €2.96bn for Spain’s fourth operator, MásMóvil. The group is called Lorca Telecom BidCo, and is a joint venture between Providence Equity (which already owns a 9.2% stake in MásMóvil), Cinven Capital Management and KKR Associates Europe. If they succeed in taking the MNO private, they have agreed to retain the current business plan, employees and management team.
MásMóvil has fewer than half the subscriber numbers of market leader Orange, at 7.6m versus 16.4m, while Telefónica Movistar has 16.2m and Vodafone 13.5m. Last year, Vodafone was rumored to be interested in buying the smaller MNO. Over the past three years MásMóvil has extended its prepaid footprint with the acquisition of Spanish MVNOs Llamaya and Lebara and in March, it announced a deal to buy another MVNO, Lycamobile, for €372m.
Telefónica and Siemens offer critical infrastructure services
Telefónica and Siemens have announced a partnership to offer managed security services to large enterprises and public organizations in Spain, including guaranteed protection of critical infrastructure and communication networks. They will offer integrated, end-to-end solutions for IT and operational technology (OT). Telefónica is already the leading managed security service provider (MSSP) in Spain, while Siemens’ Digital Industries group has experience and technology in the worlds of OT and cybersecurity. Last year, Spain’s National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) managed more than 100,000 incidents related to cyberattacks.