Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 extend network sharing

Vodafone UK and Virgin Media O2 have announced a landmark agreement to extend and enhance their mobile network sharing arrangement for over a decade.

The agreement, which builds upon the existing partnership between the two telecom giants, is largely independent of the proposed merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK. However, should the merger receive regulatory approval, the deal includes provisions for Virgin Media O2 to acquire spectrum from the newly formed entity, dubbed...

3 July 2024 | 5G

Dutch 5G auction: KPN, Odido, and VodafoneZiggo secure crucial spectrum

Netherlands’ telecoms regulator announced this week that KPN, Odido, and VodafoneZiggo have each successfully acquired 100 MHz of spectrum in the coveted 3.5GHz band.

The long-awaited auction, which raised a total of €174.4 million, saw each operator secure their spectrum allocation for just over the reserve price.

KPN invested €58.4 million, VodafoneZiggo paid €57.5 million, and Odido (formerly T-Mobile Netherlands) acquired its share for a comparable amount....

2 July 2024 | 5G

Dish achieves simultaneous 5G CA for FDD spectrum

Dish, in partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm, has achieved simultaneous 5G 2x uplink and 4x downlink carrier aggregation (CA) for FDD spectrum.

The partners attained a 200 Mbps uplink peak speed with a mere 35 MHz of 5G spectrum. Additionally, the Dish 5G network demonstrated extraordinary downlink peak speeds of 1.3 Gbps – utilising only 75 MHz of 5G spectrum – across FDD bands n71, n70, and n66.

These achievements, which signify world-firsts, were made possible...

17 October 2023 | 5G

T-Mobile strikes $3.3B deal with Comcast to expand spectrum holdings

T-Mobile is bolstering its spectrum portfolio by acquiring airwaves from Comcast in a transaction valued at up to $3.3 billion.

The agreement was unveiled in a blog post on Comcast's website, where the company cited a reduced need for the 600MHz spectrum as the primary motivation behind this strategic move.

Comcast had initially announced its intentions to employ the 600MHz spectrum in the development of a 5G network to enhance its Xfinity Mobile service. Alongside this,...

13 September 2023 | 5G

Ofcom to make over 6 GHz of mmWave spectrum available

British telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced that it will make over 6 GHz of mmWave spectrum available.

The spectrum will span the 26 GHz (24.25-27.5 GHz) and 40 GHz (40.5 GHz-43.5 GHz) bands and deliver large increases in speeds and capacity.

Tony Eigen, VP of Marketing at Baicells, said: “Many countries, including the US, are already seeing the clear performance benefits of mmWave. Data from Ookla in the US revealed mmWave is achieving extraordinary speeds - almost...

14 March 2023 | 5G

EE and Qualcomm set 5G spectrum aggregation record

EE has partnered with Qualcomm to set a European 5G spectrum aggregation record.

The operator successfully aggregated a 5G signal using seven different spectrum carriers, including its existing 3.4GHz and new 3.6GHz 5G channels.

David Salam, Director of Mobile at EE-owner BT, said:

“Our commitment to technology investment and innovation, coupled with our leading 5G footprint, continues to see the EE network offer and sustain the best overall 5G experience in...

20 April 2022 | 5G

Verizon’s 5G UWB is now available in 1,700 cities

Verizon has officially launched its 5G Ultra Wideband (UWB) network, expanding coverage to parts of 1,700 cities.

The operator announced the “historic” day after switching on its C-band deployment which uses mid-band frequencies that it spent $52.9 billion acquiring in an auction back in March 2021.

Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon, said:

“This massive launch will put incredible speeds, reliability and security in the hands of our customers and...

20 January 2022 | 5G

WBA: 83% of survey respondents plan to deploy WiFi 6/6E by 2022

A cross-industry survey conducted by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has found that 83 percent of respondents plan to deploy Wi-Fi 6/6E before the end of 2022.

The survey includes service providers, equipment manufacturers, and enterprises around the world and highlights the growing demand for WiFi 6.

“Service providers, equipment manufacturers and enterprises worldwide see more value than ever in WiFi,” commented Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the WBA.

6GHz...

5 October 2021 | IoT

Watchdog issues another warning to Three over ‘real 5G’ claims

ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) has issued another warning to Three against making claims that it offers “real 5G” in marketing campaigns.

Rival operator EE first issued a formal complaint to ASA back in 2019 after Three boasted, “If it’s not Three, it’s not real 5G”. More recently, Vodafone issued a complaint about Three’s TV ad claiming that it was creating Britain's fastest mobile network and that consumers should "join the future on Three, it's real...

21 July 2021 | Networks

FCC allocates spectrum for US commercial space industry, including today’s Crew-2 launch

The FCC has allocated spectrum to support the growing number of US commercial space launches, including today’s Crew-2 mission.

SpaceX’s Crew-2 launch will send four astronauts – National Aeronautical Space Administration’s Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, Akihiko Hoshide from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency – into orbit.

Weather-permitting, the launch is scheduled for 10.49am BST (5.49am EDT) at...

23 April 2021 | Legislation & Government