5G
5G to Top One Billion Subscriptions in 2022: Ericsson Reports
Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications company, released a report predicting that there will be one billion 5G subscriptions in 2022. The forecast is contained in the latest edition of the Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) Mobility Report. The 2027 timeline also includes projections that 5G will account for: 82 percent of subscriptions in Western Europe; 80 percent in the Gulf Cooperation Council region; and 74 percent in North-East Asia. In India, where 5G deployments have yet to begin, 5G is expected to account for nearly 40 percent of all subscriptions by 2027. In global terms, 5G is forecast to account for almost half of all subscriptions by 2027, topping 4.4 billion subscriptions. The latest Ericsson Mobility Report – the twenty-second edition of Ericsson’s network traffic insights and forecast...
Here’s How Much MTN Spent During the ICASA Spectrum Auction
MTN announced on Thursday that it had secured the high-demand spectrum required for its 4G and 5G network expansion drive from the highly anticipated ICASA spectrum auction. ICASA announced that MTN had successfully secured the following spectrum bands: 2 x 10 MHz in 800 MHz – R2,933 billion ($195.7-million) 40 MHz of 2600 MHz – R1,093 billion ($73-million) 40 MHz of 3500 MHz – R1,127 billion ($75.2-million) The Group spent a total of $347-million on securing the spectrum it requires. “This is a significant milestone, not only for MTN and the telecommunication industry at large but also for South Africa’s digital future. Spectrum is the lifeblood of our industry and is key to reliable and extensive connectivity for our customers across the country,” said MTN SA’s CEO, Charles Molapisi. “Ou...
MTN Zambia and HUAWEI Launch 5G
Huawei Vice President for Southern Africa, Mr. Phil Li, Minister of Technology & Science Mr.Felix Mutati, MTN Zambia CEO Bart Hofker and ZICTA Director General Mr.Mulenga Chisanga Leading mobile services provider MTN has today rolled-out its fifth generation pilot mobile (5G) network, making it Zambia’s first mobile service provider to do so. In partnership with the Chinese Tech giant and leading 5G vendor Huawei, MTN has officially paved way for Zambia’s new mobile network era, making it a pioneer of Zambia’s evolving mobile service provision. In 2013, MTN partnered with Huawei to build the first ever 4G and GSMR network and later built the first 4.5G network in 2016. Gracing the 5G Demonstration in Lusaka today, Minister of Science and Technology, Felix Mutati said the launch of 5G t...
AT&T & Verizon Grounds 5G Expansion For Now Due To Possible Interference With Aircraft
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: NurPhoto / Getty Sorry AT&T and Verizon customers, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer for faster 5G service. As spotted on Engadget, the two telecommunication companies decided to delay rolling out their C-band 5G service expansion on January 5. The decision comes after both AT&T and Verizon both pushed back on the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department’s request to delay the expansion out of fears it could interfere with aircraft. Related Stories Now, AT&T and Verizon have agreed to push back the rollout two weeks and further investigate the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Department’s concerns regarding interference with aircraft electronics and systems. Using their newly purchased f...
Safaricom Announces Launch Date for Commercial 5G Network
Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom. Image sourced from TechWeez Safaricom has announced that it will increase its 5G sites by 200 by the end of 2021, and launch a commercialised version of its 5G services in 2022. Kenya’s leading telco launched 5G technology for the first time in the country in March, starting with 15 sites. Now the telco says it wants to take the supremely high-speed internet to additional towns. Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO said Wednesday that the company would use up to 200 sites for testing the upgraded network as it seeks to capitalise on the country’s nascent Internet use which is slowly growing. Safaricom’s 5G service is also hoped to be a central key of its attempts to further expand its data business in order to counter the slow growth in voice calls revenue. “This yea...
Benefits & Challenges of Harnessing 5G in South Africa
Fifth-generation (5G) wireless broadband is no longer a future technology – it’s here and is already available in limited key metropolitan areas in South Africa. The country, with its limited Internet access and infrastructure, high data costs and ailing economy, can benefit in multiple ways from 5G. However, there are also some issues that South Africa needs to deal with as communication service providers (CSPs) gear themselves for the 5G era and maximise the value the technology can bring. A recent study by IT services and consulting company Accenture, titled The Future Home in the 5G Era, opens a window into consumer lives in a 5G world and offers a roadmap for service providers to make hyperconnected 5G living a reality when we need it most. Globally, the value of access to information...
ICASA Cancels Spectrum Auction in Attempt to Avoid Lengthy Court Battle
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the country’s communications regulator, has announced that it will not be publishing invitations to apply (ITA) to participate in the long-awaited auction of high-demand spectrum in South Africa. ICASA says that the move was made to avoid a lengthy court battle against several litigators that had issues with how ICASA was handling the auction. The regulator is likewise withdrawing an ITA for the licensing of the planned wholesale open-access network (WOAN), pending court approval. “ICASA has now decided to consent to an order setting aside its decision to publish the invitations to apply (ITAs) in order to avoid a long, drawn-out litigation, the effect of which would only be to delay further the licensing of high-demand spec...
Vodacom SA Launches 5G in Northern Cape with ICASA’s Temporary Spectrum
Vodacom Central Region has become the first network provider to launch a 5G mobile network in Kimberly, Northern Cape province of South Africa. The new 5G network supports both mobile and fixed wireless access services. Customers of the carrier with 5G enabled devices, and within a 5G coverage area, are now able to access the new 5G network in Northern Cape province. In May 2020, Vodacom switched on South Africa’s first live 5G mobile network in three cities – Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. This network supports both mobile and fixed wireless services and is currently available in Free State, Gauteng, Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal provinces. To launch the 5G network in Northern Cape, Vodacom used the temporary spectrum assigned by the Independent Communications...
Nigeria Still Waiting on Federal Government’s Approval for 5G Deployment
Image sourced from the Verge. Nigeria’s final journey into the deployment of 5G technology is expected to begin sometime relatively soon, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The Guardian reports that the only obstacle to the deployment of the technology in Nigeria is approval by the country’s Federal Government. A previously existing obstacle, a supposed loose end, has recently been tightened by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Approval from the Federal Government is expected within the next few months. Nigeria’s Senate Approves 5G After two trials conducted by MTN and Ericsson in 2019, with the supervision of the NCC, Nigeria’s Upper Legislative Chamber, the Senate approved the deployment of 5G networks in the country. The Senate had agreed that the technological impact tha...
Ethio Telecom Partners with Ericsson to Launch 4G Network for South West Ethiopia
Image sourced from FurtherAfrica. Ethio Telecom is partnering with Ericsson to expand its 4G services into the South West region of Ethiopia during 2021. A decisive move that correlates with Ethiopia’s plans into introducing international investors and partners into their monopoly-laden and virtually untapped telecoms space. The service provider will use Ericsson Radio System products and solutions for this deployment. The core expansion will take place in Ethio Telecom’s regional data centres and the data centres in Addis Ababa. Through this partnership, Ethio Telecom will seek to modernise its network by transitioning from the current Operations Support Systems (OSS) systems to the more advanced and high-capacity Ericsson Network Manager (ENM). Ethio Telecom will also introduce Ericsson ...
Why Hospitals Are Such Lucrative Targets for Cybercriminals
Image sourced from Alpine Security. Ransomware attacks are on the rise. After a surge in remote working and with employees accessing organisational networks in ways that aren’t always perfectly secured, cybercrime has spiked over the past few months as malicious parties have taken advantage of the sudden move to life in lockdown. Opportunistic hackers have found a particularly tender target to focus on: hospitals and healthcare providers. Across Europe, hospitals are being taken down on a far too regular basis, causing IT systems to fail – sometimes with fatal consequences. Of all the industries to attack, why healthcare in particular? While all organisations suffer when cybercrime strikes, with lives at stake cybercriminals know hospitals can’t afford any downtime. This means those in the...
More than Half a Billion 5G Subscribers Expected by End of 2021 via New Report
Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company, Ericsson projects that 5G mobile subscriptions will exceed 580-million by the end of 2021, driven by an estimated one million new 5G mobile subscriptions every day. The forecast, which features in the twentieth edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, enhances the expectation that 5G will become the fastest adopted mobile generation. About 3.50-billion 5G subscriptions and 60% 5G world population coverage are forecast by the end of 2026. However, the pace of adoption varies widely by region. Europe is off to a slower start and has continued to fall far behind China, the U.S., Korea, Japan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets in the pace of 5G deployments. 5G is expected to surpass a billion subscriptions two years a...
