A week in telecoms: Lasers, Vodafone’s Ultra 5G, T-Mobile’s C-V2X and Open Gateway

Welcome to the Inform weekly news round-up, where we take a highlight some of the digital transformation stories from around the world in telecoms.

Laser focus on the digital divide

Bharti Airtel teamed with Google parent Alphabet to beam internet connectivity via lasers to rural and urban areas in India to bridge the digital divide. The wireless optical technology was developed by Project Taara within Alphabet’s X “moonshot factory.” Bharti’s rollout will be the largest deployment of the technology in India and the operator has been testing the technology since 2019, according to Taara.

The technology uses beams of light to delivery connectivity over long distances at speeds up to 20 Gbps, where it is too expensive or impractical to deploy fiber, such as in “dense metro areas” or over “rugged terrains or rivers”. A “very narrow, invisible beam” is sent between two “small” Taara terminal to make the link, the project explained.

“Airtel has been a key partner for the Taara team and we’re excited to expand our work in India. We look forward to supporting Airtel’s roll out of Taara links across their network and hope our technology can play a vital role in Airtel’s 5G expansion,” said Mahesh Krishnaswamy, General Manager, Project Taara at X, writing in a blog post.

Taara, which was previously known as the Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) Project, has also deployed the technology in Kenya with Econet Group and Liquid Telecom as well as in Fiji and Tonga with Digicel.

Something is in the air with optical wireless tech. Researchers at ETH Zurich university recently demonstrated “terabit optical data transmission through the air” as part of a European Horizon 2020 project. They demonstrated 1 Tbps over 53 kilometers (33 miles) from a mountain peak, Jungfraujoch, to the city of Bern, Switzerland. The concept could create backbone connections “via near-Earth satellite constellations” that are less expensive than undersea cables, the researchers said.

Chinese operators on board with Open Gateway

China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom added their weight to the GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative. China’s three largest operators brings the total number of operators involved to 29, representing approximately 60% of mobile connections around the world, according to the GSMA.

Launched in February 2023, the initiative aims to create a framework for universal open network application programming interfaces (APIs) that will make it easier for developers and cloud providers work with mobile operators and accelerate the launch of new digital services. The intent is for developers to have access to APIs that expose network capabilities without having to understand telecoms network technology or terminology.

The GSMA noted that that the number of proof-of-concepts have expanded from an initial set of eight to 23 since launch. It also flagged some of the capabilities made available through some of the earliest APIs developed, such as “device location and SIM swap to combat online financial crime” as well as “Quality on Demand to deliver more immersive gaming experiences and enable drones to carry out data intensive missions safely.”

The APIs are being developed in the CAMARA open-source project in association with Linux Foundation, launched in February 2022. The TM Forum supports the GSMA’s initiative as the industry looks for new ways of exposing and monetizing the capabilities of programmable networks.

T-Mobile US revs C-V2X

T-Mobile is working with the City of Bellevue, where the operator is headquartered in the U.S., on a project to test Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology with 5G to provide near real-time communications between cars, traffic infrastructure and pedestrians and cyclists. The aim is to prevent road accidents by providing early warnings of potentially dangerous incidents.

The operator is providing the 5G network connectivity, C-V2X equipment, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, integration and testing, which the city will use to evaluate use cases for protecting vulnerable road users. A mobile app will be available that will warn drivers about possible “harmful road interactions.”

Some of the scenarios where the C-V2X tech will be used include reduced speed zones, school zones, pedestrian crossings and intersections with traffic signals.

According to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), the C-V2X ecosystem is maturing. The organisation counted 26 operators that are evaluating or trialling the technology, including AT&T, China Mobile, EE, Deutsche Telekom, NTT Docomo, Orange, Telefónica, Telstra, Verizon and Vodafone (in Germany and UK).

Cisco wants more network assurance

Hot on the heels of Cisco’s announcement last week that it plans to buy network performance monitoring specialist Accedian, the company revealed that it also intends to acquire SamKnows, a UK-based broadband network monitoring company.

Cisco said SamKnows will join its ThousandEyes network assurance business and expand network visibility by adding “millions of vantage points” on home routers and mobile devices. The acquisition will also enable ThousandEyes to offer its network assurance to more broadband service providers.

“SamKnows offers vast visibility and rich insight into consumer broadband networks,” said Mohit Lad, CEO and Co-founder of Cisco ThousandEyes.

Meanwhile, Accedian will be added to Cisco’s Data Center and Provider Connectivity business and the service provider domain data will be used by the ThousandEyes assurance portfolio. The Accedian transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023.

Vodafone first to 5G SA in UK

Vodafone claimed a UK first with the launch of 5G Standalone (SA) in four cities: Cardiff, Glasgow, London and Manchester. Calling it “Ultra 5G,” the operator said the service will give customers a “more reliable” experience.

The service will be free for customers on pay monthly contracts that signed up after 24 February 2023, if they have a compatible handset. Vodafone offers two devices that support 5G SA -- the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S22 – and promises says more will come in July.

Vodafone highlighted several benefits of 5G SA for customers, including broader 5G coverage; faster 5G speeds; “up to 25%” longer device battery life; and being able to connect in “busy places” like train station platforms, stadiums or festivals. Customers going to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships will be able to experience the new service first hand as masts that cover the courts and surrounding areas have been upgraded to 5G SA.

The operator also described the network upgrade as a “platform for innovation.” For example, the operator has been testing network slicing application that are possible with 5G SA. Vodafone and ITN worked together to broadcast coverage of the coronation of King Charles using 5G SA network slicing. Vodafone dedicated part of the 5G network to ITN to transfer the live content to production studios that was separate from the rest of the network used by the public.

“Standalone is a truly transformational technology that can have an impact on industry and businesses, especially when blended with IoT and Cloud,” said Nick Gliddon, UK Business Director at Vodafone.

GenAI and ESG rocks European analytics software market

The biggest factors that will affect the Big Data and Analytics Software market in the coming years are Generative AI (GenAI) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements, according to IDC’s latest forecast.

In Europe, the research firm expects the Big Data and Analytics software market to grow by 14% in 2023 and an annual growth rate of 20.8% in Western Europe and 19% in Central and Eastern Europe between 2023 and 2027. More specifically, the biggest growth segment is expected to be “business intelligence and analytics tools and platforms” driven by “uninhibited growth in data analytics and AI solutions.”

“One of the key drivers of growth will be the emergence of generative AI. All the biggest players in this market have already announced the addition of various generative AI solutions into their big data and analytics portfolio — including AWS Sagemaker, Salesforce Einstein, Azure Open AI Service, and Oracle Data Safe,” says Veronika Paal, senior research analyst with IDC European Software Data & Analytics.

Another factor that will affect the market is the increasing focus on ESG among businesses.

“Vendors will be increasingly looking to improve their data analytics processes, especially in the ESG area, where the changing European regulations and upcoming sustainability reporting standards, such as ESRS, are causing companies to track new metrics and improve their performance,” said Matija Misic, research analyst with IDC European Software Data & Analytics.