Today’s industry news roundup: Embattled Indian telecom operator Vodafone Idea is seeking to raise more than $5.4 billion to invest in mobile infrastructure.According to the GSMA, there are already 1.6 billion 5G connections around the world, and carbon emissions generated by mobile network operators fell by 6% globally between 2019 and 2022. And there are many other achievements.
Indian operators in trouble Vodafone Idea The company plans to raise 450 billion rupees ($5.43 billion) through new share sales and additional borrowings to invest in its 4G network and roll out 5G. Reuters reported.This telecommunications company, Serious financial difficulties However, it still boasts over 220 million mobile phone connections and 20% of the world’s largest mobile phone operators. The world’s largest mobile marketThe company is struggling to stay competitive with industry market leaders Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, who have already rolled out nationwide 5G networks and have more than 50 million 5G customers each, and is losing millions of customers every month. According to a Reuters report, the amount of funds raised should be enough for Vodafone Idea to reinvigorate its 4G services and accelerate its 5G rollout. The company’s CEO, Jio, said the funds are enough to accelerate its 5G rollout. Akshay Moondra said the company could start operations within seven months once it is able to raise fresh investment capital.
Industry Associations GSMA Speaking on the third day of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, the association praised the recent “5G momentum.” Mobile Economy 2024 According to the report, there will be 1.6 billion 5G connections worldwide by the end of 2023, making it the “fastest deployment of a mobile generation to date.” As of January 2024, 261 operators in 101 countries have launched commercial 5G services, of which 47 are offered on standalone (SA) networks. A further 90 operators in 64 markets have committed to 5G deployment, with a further 89 SA network deployments planned by the start of the year. GSMA Intelligence (GSMAi), the association’s data and analytics division, predicts that global 5G connections will reach 5.5 billion by 2030, making 5G the most dominant connectivity technology, accounting for 56% of all mobile connections worldwide by the end of the decade. According to the GSMA, the main drivers of opportunity in the industry include developments in 5G SA, 5G-Advanced, enterprise IoT and AI. GSMA’s Open Gateway Initiative New Revenue Potential Billing and Billing Evolution (BCE) StandardUnsurprisingly, the GSMA survey results also show a strong focus on generative AI (GenAI), with 56% of mobile operators currently testing applications that will translate into a potential increase in global mobile data traffic. “This will be driven by applications such as the use of GenAI-enabled chatbots for customer service activities and the continued growth of AI-generated video and music content,” the association noted. “Opportunities are emerging in areas such as APIs. [application programming interface] Monetization and 5G RedCap [reduced capability] Peter Jaric, head of GSMAi, said: “For enterprise IoT, everything is supported by 5G-Advanced and 5G SA networks. 5G SA delivers on the early promise of 5G, particularly in terms of slicing, low latency and being able to address massive IoT capabilities combined with enterprise service needs. 5G-Advanced only extends that further.”
Another recent report is GSMA There is some good news about the industry’s impact on the environment. 4th Mobile Net Zero ReportAccording to the report, carbon dioxide emissions from mobile network operators fell by 6% globally between 2019 and 2022. This is based on data from operators covering more than 80% of the world’s mobile connections. The findings showing regional differences in the reduction of operational emissions (scope 1 and 2) are not at all surprising. Europe came in first with a 50% decrease, while North America, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa saw operator emissions fall by 20% to 30%. And while operational emissions increased in Greater China and Asia Pacific, the world’s largest and second largest mobile markets, “global emissions fell overall, despite rising data usage,” the report said. The GSMA is optimistic that the industry’s self-set sustainability goal of achieving net zero by 2050 by reducing emissions by 45% below 2020 levels by 2030 is possible. To achieve this, overall emissions, including scope 3, would need to be reduced by around 7% per year by the end of the current decade. In parallel with the study, the GSMA is was also announced It has partnered with solutions provider Shields Environmental Group to build a network equipment commerce platform that will enable carriers to “reuse, redeploy and recycle network assets” as part of their net-zero efforts.
Continuing on the topic of climate change measures… Japanese telecommunications companies Rakuten Mobile and its vendor division Rakuten Symphony Rakuten Mobile demonstrated AI and machine learning (ML) models that “enable energy savings of up to 25%” through an interface to the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) that configures antenna usage. Claiming it is an industry first, the companies explained that the vendor-implemented RIC can set policies through “intelligent interfaces that enable communication between rApps and xApps,” and “provide insights into the usage of specific cell sites, allowing for reduced usage of certain elements, resulting in significant energy savings.” The results of the trial were also demonstrated at MWC Barcelona 2024. “Since our inception, Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony have been working to build automated, intelligent and open networks that are powered by software and run in the cloud. This research strengthens both organizations’ commitment to sustainable automated networks that can be made more advanced by artificial intelligence,” said Sharad Srivastava, co-CEO of Rakuten Mobile and president of Rakuten Symphony. read more.
Poland’s branch in the European Neutral Host Country Celnex She is reportedly receiving a lot of interest from potential suitors. According to Bloombergprivate equity firms Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), and infrastructure investment firm Macquarie Group are considering buying a stake in Cellnex’s Polish subsidiary. Other interested parties include investment firms EQT and Antin Infrastructure Partners, which are exploring options to acquire a minority stake in the unit, according to the report, suggesting a potential deal could value Cellnex Poland at up to €4 billion. In September 2023, Cellnex Agreed to sell 49% of shares The company acquired the Nordic businesses (Sweden and Denmark) for €730 million. It is said that they are planning to sell The company has assets in Austria and the Republic of Ireland. Last year it gained full control of its Polish subsidiary The company acquired the 30% stake previously held by Iliad for €510 million.
Terrier It is in the final stages of completing the $926 million sale of its Danish business. NorrisTelia provides a range of services and utilities, including electricity, natural gas, broadband and television services, to more than one million households across the country. Telia said the transaction is Announcement in April 2023has received regulatory approval from the Danish Competition Council and the sale process is expected to be completed by early April.
SK Telecom (SKT) SKT has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with liquid cooling solution provider Iceotope Technologies and base oil and lubricant provider SK Enmove to develop liquid cooling technology to optimize energy efficiency in AI data centers. The South Korean telecom operator said the move aims to address the fact that air conditioning and cooling systems consume the most energy in data centers, adding that reducing the energy consumption of these systems is key to achieving power-efficient AI data centers. The three companies will use SK Enmove’s thermal fluid to introduce precision liquid cooling to SKT’s AI data center testbed. SKT believes the cooperation will demonstrate the power-saving capabilities of this cooling type. In the future, it also plans to develop an AI-based autonomous cooling system that can analyze the temperature and power load of a data center and automatically control the supply temperature and flow rate of thermal fluid. read more.
Vodacom The company has asked the South African Constitutional Court for permission to appeal a court ruling that it must pay damages to a former employee for an idea he allegedly came up with more than 20 years ago. In a statementThe company said it had sought judicial leave to appeal against a February 6, 2024 ruling by the South African Supreme Court (SCA) ordering it to pay compensation to former Vodacom employee Kenneth Makate, who came up with a “hot idea” for a service that was later launched by the company. “Please call me.”was developed and launched by Vodacom in 2001. Following a court order in 2016, the telecommunications company decided it should pay Makate 47 million South African rand (US$2.4 million) “reasonable compensation” for the idea. But Makate contested the amount, and the country’s High Court asked Vodacom to reconsider its settlement offer. The company is instead seeking the option to appeal the ruling.
– Telecom TV Staff
