Wireless Networks

MTN Namibia has tapped Canadian firm NuRAN Wireless to deploy a minimum of 150 rural and suburban network sites over the next two years.

Zimbabwean operator Econet Wireless and Botswana’s Mascom have this week both announced 5G launches that are to begin in their countries' capital cities.

Indian operator Vodafone Idea (aka Vi) has announced a collaboration with A5G Networks, an innovator in autonomous mobile network infrastructure, to enable Industry 4.0 and smart mobile edge computing in India.

Nokia is showcasing the UBT-T XP Dual Band radio, the latest addition to its award-winning Wavence product family, at Mobile World Congress 2022.

America Movil’s Telcel has switched on 5G services in 18 of Mexico’s largest cities.

Intracom Telecom announced the extension of supply of its Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) WiBAS-OSDR (hub) and WiBAS-Connect (terminal) at 10.5 GHz band to Lintasarta, an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) total solutions company in Indonesia.

From 2G – which is still popular in many regions - to 5G, more and more cellular systems are emerging and co-existing. A solution to balance between new technology and CAPEX/OPEX is necessary for telcos or system integrators.

Digicel is replacing its end-of-life IP Transfer Point (ITP) systems in use at 26 of its markets in the Caribbean and Central America with BroadForward’s Signalling Transfer Point (STP).

Open RAN firm Parallel Wireless is collaborating with Türk Telekom and Juniper Networks on a multivendor Open RAN initiative to deliver state-of-the-art broadband communications.

5G spectrum auctions and rollout may still be some months off in India, but 5G trials are well under way. Vodafone Idea Limited (aka Vi) is the latest operator to announce that it has successfully demonstrated 5G voice over new radio (VoNR).

Sri Lankan operator Dialog Axiata has tapped telecoms systems vendor Intracom Telecom to enhance its fixed wireless access (FWA) technology.

Wireless internet service provider XCIEN and fixed wireless access expert Tarana have announced a new partnership to bring high-speed, reliable internet service to businesses and residential areas across Mexico with plans ranging from 100 to 400 Mbps.

India's minister of communications and technology declared the country is in the final stages of developing 5G and is currently looking ahead to future network standards. 

National Narrowband Network Company (NNNCo), operator of the Australian national LoRaWAN network powered by Actility, has signed a contract with a European technology provider Wellness TechGroup, to provide IoT network coverage to 70,000 smart streetlights in Uruguay’s capital Montevideo.

Nigeria was found to have the highest mobile web traffic globally beating even India, as the African nation spurs such conditions with affordable data and handsets.

Elon Musk’s satellite company SpaceX is aiding the effort to restore telecommunications to the island nation of Tonga after the country was struck by the after-effects of a volcanic eruption.

Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has laid out its strategy for implementing 5G, which could see the technology become commercial available within 2022.

The Estonian watchdog announced conditions for its much-maligned  5G auction has been set, which paves the way for the anticipated sale to begin this year.

Ethiopia state-owned operator Ethio Telecom missed its H1 revenue target by 13.6% due to ongoing military conflict in the country.

Mozambique’s state-owned telecommunications company Tmcel has begun the second phase of a project to modernize and expand its mobile network across the country.

Sigfox, the self-described global 0G network and cloud provider for industrial data, has filed for bankruptcy protection and is seeking a buyer. This is despite having raised over $300 million in venture funding and seemingly being well on the way to building a global IoT communications network.

Rock Connect has selected Nokia to deploy a 4G-LTE Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network in Jamaica.

Microwave link measurement has taken to the skies of Paraguay  after a recently announced deal involving drones.

Nokia announced it is working with French multinational firm Alstom to deliver a private wireless network for the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation’s (NCRTC) Delhi to Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).

With Indonesia’s government encouraging operators to quicken the pace of migrating their customers from 3G to 4G, market leader Telkomsel has confirmed plans to implement a full LTE upgrade this year on a “sustainable basis”.

Poa Internet, an internet service provider that connects underserved communities in Kenya, has announced the first close of a $28 million financing round led by infrastructure investment platform Africa50.

There’s been no let-up in 5G activity lately, with Zambia’s MTN announcing the country’s first 5G launch and Telia highlighting a dynamic spectrum sharing-based 5G launch now underway in Lithuania.

Diyar Al Muharraq, one of the largest real estate development companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Telecom Company-owned operator stc Bahrain, to construct and operate additional telecommunication towers.

Chinese government-backed institute Purple Mountain Laboratories said that a research team had achieved a 6G-level wireless transmission up to a speed of 206.25 gigabits per second for the first time in a lab environment.

China’s state news agency Xinhua has reported that all of the nation’s administrative villages received broadband connectivity before the end of November 2021.

The Ghana Smart Cities Project has been given an official go-ahead after last year’s provisional authorization.

North Macedonia’s Mtel – which currently offers satellite TV services – has announced plans to begin a mobile offering in spring 2022.