T-Mobile and KKR to broaden US fibre network with Metronet acquisition

T-Mobile and KKR announce strategic acquisition of Metronet to broaden U.S. fibre network

T-Mobile has entered into a joint venture (JV) with KKR to acquire Metronet in a move that will significantly expand T-Mobile's fibre footprint. Metronet, it's worth noting, is currently the fastest-growing pure-play fibre company in the US.

"This is a unique opportunity and a smart, capital-efficient deal that enables T-Mobile to profitably build on our success in broadband and provide fast, affordable, and reliable connectivity options to millions more customers nationwide as a...

25 July 2024 | Broadband

Ofcom hits BT with £17.5M fine over emergency call system failure

Ofcom has imposed a £17.5 million fine on BT for its inadequate preparedness in handling a major disruption to its emergency call service last summer. The incident, which occurred on 25 June 2023, left nearly 14,000 emergency call attempts unsuccessful and potentially put lives at risk.

The failure, described as "catastrophic," affected BT's ability to connect calls to emergency services for over 10 hours, from 06:24 to 16:56. During this period, 12,392 different callers were...

22 July 2024 | Legislation & Government

Berlin’s 5G shift: Germany to phase out Huawei and ZTE components

In the wake of mounting global concerns over national security, Germany has become the latest nation to join the ranks of countries restricting Chinese technology in critical infrastructure. Following in the footsteps of the US, Britain, Sweden, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Europe's largest economy has announced plans to bar components from Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE in core parts of its 5G networks.

This decision marks a significant shift for...

19 July 2024 | 5G

ITU-R appoints Samsung researcher to lead 6G coordination group

Samsung will spearhead the standardisation of 6G technologies in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) until 2029.

HyoungJin Choi, a researcher from Samsung Research, has been appointed as the chair of the Coordination Group on IMT-2030 (6G) at the recent ITU-R Working Party 5D (WP 5D) meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. This appointment marks Choi's second leadership role in 6G standardisation efforts within the ITU-R,...

15 July 2024 | 6G

Mint Mobile now includes free Canada roaming

Mint Mobile has announced the inclusion of free roaming services for all its customers visiting the Great White North. This new feature – which includes unlimited talk, text, and 3GB of high-speed data per month – is now available on all Mint Mobile plans.

The announcement comes as part of Mint Mobile's ongoing efforts to enhance customer experience following its acquisition by T-Mobile.

Mint Mobile’s latest benefit adds to the company's existing perks – such as...

12 July 2024 | Networks

Bridging the digital divide: How a coalition is tackling smartphone affordability

The digital divide, a chasm that has long separated billions from the opportunities of the internet age, may soon begin to narrow.

This week, the GSM Association (GSMA) announced the formation of the "Handset Affordability Coalition," a pioneering alliance of mobile operators, device manufacturers, international organisations, and financial institutions. This global initiative aims to revolutionise access to affordable smartphones worldwide for low- and middle-income populations,...

12 July 2024 | 5G

Germany prolongs banning Chinese 5G equipment

Germany has announced plans to ban critical components made by Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE from its 5G networks, citing security concerns. The decision – revealed by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday – will be implemented in two phases starting in 2026, with a longer timeline than initially expected.

Under the new agreement, critical components from Huawei and ZTE will be barred from 5G core networks by the end of 2026, a year later than previously envisaged....

11 July 2024 | 5G

Vodafone tackles urban 5G challenges with Ericsson’s compact antennas

Vodafone has begun deploying Ericsson's innovative Interleaved AIR 3218 antennas to boost 5G network performance, capacity, and coverage without increasing the footprint of existing antenna installations.

The scarcity of suitable rooftop locations for additional 5G antennas has been a major hurdle in Germany's urban areas. Many available rooftop sites fail to meet the static requirements of network planners, while current LTE mast locations often lack space for extra 5G...

10 July 2024 | 5G

The 5G journey in Malaysia: Progress and future prospects

The 5G journey for Malaysia: Progress and future prospects

Significant progress has been made on the ground in Malaysia, where populated areas reported coverage of 81.7%—an impressive figure considering that Korea and Singapore had barely reached those levels by September and October.

Malaysia achieved 80 per cent coverage in populated areas (CoPA) by late 2023, building on historic progress.

Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching recently informed the Dewan Rakyat that a total of 7,114 sites have been deployed across...

9 July 2024 | 5G

Vodafone and Meta collaborate on European network optimisation

Vodafone and Meta have joined forces to tackle network congestion and improve mobile user experience across Europe. The collaboration, which began in June, has already been implemented in eleven European markets.

The initiative aims to free up network capacity for all mobile customers, with a particular focus on enhancing the viewing experience of high-quality short videos. This development comes at a time when video content consumption on mobile devices continues to surge,...

9 July 2024 | 5G