A week in telecoms: 5G in India and Africa, 6G, AT&T and GenAI

Welcome to the Inform weekly news round-up, where we take a look at a selection of recent news and how it impacts CSPs in their digital transformation journeys.

• India surging ahead with 5G

The Ericsson Mobility Report describes India as the fastest-growing 5G market globally as it seeks to realize its “Digital India” vision. 5G subscriptions in India reached 10 million by the end of 2022, even though 5G services were only launched there in October. The forecast now is that 5G subscriptions in the India region are expected to reach 700 million and account for 57% of mobile subscriptions in the region by the end of 2028.

At global level, 5G subscriptions are now forecast to reach 4.6 billion globally by the end of 2028, accounting for over 50% of all mobile subscriptions. That’s up from more than 1 billion subscribers currently, with 1.5 billion forecast for the end of 2023. 

The report also says that 240 service providers have now launched commercial 5G services around the world, although only 35 have deployed 5G standalone (SA) networks. In terms of fixed wireless access (FWA), Ericsson predicts that connections will rise to over 300 million by 2028, up from 100 million at the end of 2022. Of the 300 million projected connections, nearly 80% are expected to be over 5G, while almost half of global FWA connections will be in Asia-Pacific by 2028.

• ITU sets out 6G vision

Meanwhile, even though Ericsson notes that the deployment of 5G around the world is still very much a work in progress, telecoms standardization bodies are already looking ahead to 6G.

The International Telecommunication Union reportedly finalized the 6G Vision Framework at the 44th meeting of the ITU-R WP 5G in Geneva. 6G has been named, you guessed it, IMT-2030, and the new 6G vision is contained in the draft new Recommendation ITU-R M.INT.FRAMEWORK for 2030 and beyond. 

According to a statement by the ITU-APT Foundation (IAFI) in India, the 6G standard now includes six key usage scenarios, as compared to three in 5G. The IAFI also noted that the Indian delegation played a critical role in getting ubiquitous connectivity accepted as a key usage scenario. It was reported last year that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to launch 6G in the country by 2030. 

Several operators and vendors are already thinking about 6G. For instance, Japan’s NTT Docomo and SK Telecom (SKT) from South Korea last year unveiled plans to collaborate during the early stages of 6G. They are also targeting an “early deployment of 6G”, which they hope to achieve by working together on research and development projects as well as standardization initiatives

• AT&T launches generative AI tool for employees

Employees at AT&T will in future be able to “Ask AT&T” for help on issues ranging from network optimization coding, customer support, and changing the way staff meetings work.

The US operator plans to introduce a generative AI tool using OpenAI’s chatGPT functionality in the coming weeks so that its employees “can be part of the first generation of true corporate users of this new capability. We think this technology will make them more effective, more efficient, and more creative at their jobs,” AT&T said.

The operator said it worked with Microsoft to make Ask AT&T secure and safe for its employees and corporate data. “It runs in an AT&T-dedicated Azure tenant that’s been pressure tested for leakage. AT&T employees can bring company data and information into Ask AT&T without worrying about that material leaking into the public domain,” it said.

AT&T intends to stay vigilant to prevent external misuse of generative AI. “We know that hackers and fraudsters will try to use the functionality with bad intentions, so we have AI and generative AI counter-measures that are central to our cybersecurity initiatives, helping us identify threats – including AI-created attacks – before they impact our company or our customers,” the operator said.

• Nokia ties with Telefónica for IIoT in LatAm

Movistar Empresas, Telefónica’s enterprise division, formed a strategic alliance with Nokia to deploy industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions in Latin America, building on their existing relationship in the region.

The partners will develop an Industrial IoT Network (IIoTN) solution, comprising private wireless networks and digitisation platforms, to interconnect smart devices. According to the operator group, the alliance will focus on the sectors with the greatest potential in the region, including ports, mining and manufacturing.

Nokia has been a consistent partner of Telefónica on IoT in Latin America. For example, the Finnish vendor and Telefónica Peru deployed a private LTE network at the Minera Las Bambas mine in Apurimac. Outside of the Telefónica Hispanoamérica operating region, Telefónica Brasil (Vivo) has worked with Nokia, alongside mining group Vale, on a similar project at the Carajás mine in Brazil.

• Airtel Africa rolls out 5G in three countries

You wait for one 5G network deployment in Africa, and three come along at the same time. Airtel Africa is now in the process of rolling out 5G services in Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia, according to reports. The 5G network has already gone live in Nigeria, and there are plans to deploy the services in all 14 markets served by Airtel Africa. 

In Nigeria, Airtel becomes the third operator to offer 5G after MTN Nigeria, and Mafab Nigeria Communications. Earlier this year, the operator said it spent US$316.7 million on 4G and 5G spectrum as part of wider plans to boost connectivity in the country. 

According to the June 2023 Ericsson Mobility Report, more than 10 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have launched commercial 5G networks to date, with more planned, raising the forecast for 5G subscriptions to 13% of the total subscription base in 2028. 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 140 million in the region by 2028. 

• Cisco to buy Accedian for CSP service assurance

Cisco announced plans to buy Accedian in order to address increasingly thorny network and service assurance challenges for communications service providers (CSP). 

Kevin Wollenweber, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cisco Networking – Data Center and Provider Connectivity organization, said he has been working with Accedian CEO Dion Joannou over the past two years, collaborating via the Cisco SolutionsPlus program to deliver a joint automation and assurance solution for CSP customers.

According to Wollenweber, Accedian will strengthen Cisco’s approach to assurance, “helping to enable agility, efficiency, and the scale that service providers need to drive success.”

Accedian’s service assurance portfolio of microsecond level sensors and the powerful Skylight Analytics platform, “coupled with Cisco’s robust portfolio, will enable Cisco to bring transformational solutions to our service provider customers,” he added. Cisco expects to close the transaction during the third quarter of 2023.