The antitrust watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), approved the USD 19 billion Vodafone-Three UK deal on November 5 after accepting the companies’ claim that improved networks would boost competition and boost the economy.

The CMA further said the combined group’s network investment plan would drive competition in the long term, dropping its objection that a move from four to three networks could push up prices.

“We believe the merger is likely to boost competition in the UK mobile sector and should be allowed to proceed – but only if Vodafone and Three agree to implement our proposed measures,” the regulatory body stated.

The CMA angered Microsoft by outright blocking its USD 69 billion Activision Blizzard deal due to concerns about competition in the emerging cloud gaming market. Now the approval comes 18 months later.

Microsoft’s behavioural remedies, which included promises about how the combined company would conduct itself to preserve competition, were rejected at that time because they would be hard to keep an eye on.

A revised deal was approved by the increasingly isolated CMA after Microsoft objected to Britain being closed for business.

It agreed to behavioural remedies for the Vodafone-Three deal, giving telecoms regulator Ofcom the responsibility of monitoring pricing and investment commitments to allay its competition concerns. This is a shift in the regulator’s strategy.

In October 2024, Keir Starmer told a group of foreign investors that the CMA, which has been more involved in merger control since Britain’s exit from the European Union, and other regulators needed to take “growth as seriously as this room does.”

When the deal was announced in June 2023, Margherita Della Valle, the CEO of Vodafone, put growth at the forefront of her pitch, and that message resonated with her.

Recently, she asserted that “the UK’s economic growth ambitions and many aspects of our lives depend on good connectivity.”

In terms of 5G availability and download speeds, Britain ranks 22nd out of 25 European countries, offering some of the slowest mobile speeds in the continent, according to analytics firm OpenSignal.

Operators across Europe have argued that regulators’ focus on low prices has hurt investment and left its digital infrastructure trailing the United States and Asia, hampering the continent’s economies.

The four-to-three mergers that were allowed required the creation of challenger brands to keep prices low. The CMA’s latest action now marks the first time a major European market has allowed such a deal without structural remedies.

Instead, Vodafone and Three, Britain’s third and fourth operators respectively, committed to spending 11 billion pounds (USD 14 billion) on a 5G network that would serve 50 million customers, including the subscribers of Vodafone’s network sharing partner Virgin Media O2 (VM O2).

It also sold spectrum to VM O2, pledged to cap some tariffs and agreed to set contract terms for mobile virtual operators.

The CMA accepted that three stronger operators – Vodafone-Three, current market leader BT and VM O2 would provide enough competition to deliver a better service for customers.

Della Valle, however, said it was too soon to say if the group would keep both main brands and its Voxi and Smarty value brands.

Analyst Karen Egan at Enders Analysis told Reuters that the approval was the right outcome after Hong Kong’s Hutchison warned it was struggling to invest because it did not make a return on its capital.

“Three high-quality networks instead of four inferior ones will serve consumers and businesses better, and the industry can move away from the low returns, low investment cycle that has dogged it,” Egan said.

Vodafone will own 51% of the combined company and will have the option to buy the remainder after three years subject to certain conditions.

The post Vodafone-Three merger approval marks United Kingdom’s major antitrust shift appeared first on International Finance.

There are several questions about the 5G, like whether is it mildly upgraded 4G mobile broadband, or is it the technology that will connect industries and services, power a massive number of IoT (Internet of Things) devices, and serve as the backbone support for future innovation? In this article, International Finance will try to answer these questions.

What is 5G?
The fifth-generation mobile network is known as 5G. The air interface that enables 5G, which replaces 4G LTE, is 5G NR (New Radio). The 3GPP, an organisation that develops industry standards, created the 5G specification. Similar to 4G, 5G is a cellular mobile network that supports mobile broadband. The fundamental idea is the same: networks are divided into cells, and devices get cellular connectivity by connecting to radio waves emitting from a carrier-installed node. It just makes use of additional radio frequency (RF) waves that were not available to 4G. Increased capacity, increased bandwidth, and improved speeds are the main advantages of 5G over 4G.

The background
Mobile networks typically receive a standard-related technological upgrade every ten years. In the 1980s, 1G networks were analogue networks. Since 2G networks were digital networks, their introduction in 1991 marked a significant turning point for GSM. For instance, SMS texting was supported by 2G networks. GSM, TDMA, and CDMA were the three forms of 2G networks. Later, the 2G GSM networks introduced GPRS and EDGE (2.5G and 2.75G, respectively), which provided basic and slow mobile data. Although browsing the web on 2G required waiting several minutes for a page to load, this was just the start of mobile Internet.

The first commercial 3G networks were rolled out in 2001. In contrast to 2G, which stood for digital voice calling, 3G stood for mobile data. Similar to 2G, 3G was available in a variety of forms, including W-CDMA (which was used in international phones and later developed into HSPA), UMTS, and CDMA2000, to mention a few. The spread of 3G networks takes a very long period; for instance, India did not have 3G networks until 2010. While 3G enabled mobile internet, data speeds were not very great because the initial 3G UMTS data speed target was only 144Kbps. HSPA and HSPA+ (3.5G) did improve data speeds, but for the most part, browsing the web on 3G was a slow experience with speeds ranging from 1Mbps to 10Mbps on average.

Then in the beginning of 2010, the 4G LTE network was started. The 4G standard made quick, practical mobile data a reality. It had a target data download speed of 100 Mbps, but because of congestion, many 4G networks today have lower download rates.

It unlocked new industries such as ride-sharing. It brought IP-based telephony in the form of Voice over LTE (VoLTE). The network 4G LTE was the successor to both global 3G (WCDMA/UMTS/HSPA), and EVDO Rev A. The 4G networks were the best yet, and smartphones featuring 4G were more powerful than ever. The network has been iterated upon by LTE-Advanced, and advancements in 4G keep happening with new modem chips being released every year. The 4G is a mature technology and one that has changed the world.

As with any other network, 4G was unable to keep up with the rising data needs. Data speeds started to decrease as 4G networks became crowded and more people started using them.

For the past four years, 5G networks and modems have been under development, but commercial 5G just started to become a reality in 2019. More 5G networks were deployed in 2020, and more 5G products were made available for purchase. More than half of the world still does not have widespread access to 5G, but that will change over the course of the next five years. The rollout of 4G networks is more or less complete, and so, carriers are turning their attention to 5G.

The applications of 5G
5G is a broad term. It has applications in three fields, which are mobile data and voice, enterprise solutions and IoT connectivity. The 5G addresses the first area for smartphone users. Experts say that with applications in fields like autonomous cars, smart cities, uses in the medical industry, smart machinery, smart manufacturing, etc., the business sector will undoubtedly gain from the 5G rollout. With respect to the third field, IoT, the telecommunications and mobile industries have been proclaiming for years that 5G will connect IoT devices in massive numbers. Everything around us will be connected. For smartphone users, the latter two fields are academically interesting, but it is the first field—mobile data and voice—that actually matters for end users.

The 5G refers to faster data—in certain cases much quicker—for smartphone users. Additionally, the new networks guarantee extremely low latency, comparable to cable internet. For use cases that depend on extremely low latency, like multiplayer cloud gaming, this will be a major issue. While 4G networks have never been able to achieve latency levels comparable to cable broadband, 5G promises to do just that.

Additionally, the bandwidth and network data capacity of 5G will be substantially higher. According to reports, when a significant number of users start utilising the network, it won’t be as overloaded as 4G. The 5G will offer better customer service, less downtime, and higher quality of service for carriers who have overloaded 4G networks. But it is all about the speeds. The maximum downlink speed of the 5G specification is 20Gbps, which is 10 times faster than the fastest 4G LTE modem chip (which tops out at 2Gbps). Of course, 20Gbps is currently just a theoretical goal. The best modem chips released by chip vendors Qualcomm and Samsung can go as high as a theoretical maximum of 10Gbps when using millimetre wave 5G.

Customers will naturally expect that 5G networks will be orders of magnitude quicker than their current 4G LTE networks given these speeds. Low-band 5G networks from carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T are only marginally faster than 4G networks. These become sometimes slower as the radio frequency spectrum is so important, a 5G network doesn’t necessarily guarantee it will be significantly quicker than a 4G network. The 5G networks with data downlink speeds of just 30–50 Mbps are possible, despite other mid-band 5G networks having data downlink rates of 500–600 Mbps.

The technology behind 5G
The Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), which also powers 4G, drives the 5G network. Digital data is encoded using the OFDM technique, which uses multiple carrier frequencies. It is the technology of choice since it is reliable and effective. Similar to 4G (FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE), 5G uses both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) technology.

The spectrum is the main feature that distinguishes 5G from 4G. The electromagnetic frequency spectrum utilised to transport data across the air is referred to as the spectrum. Higher speeds and more data capacity are possible with 5G because of its ability to exploit a wider range of RF waves than 4G networks. It is noted that around 10-20MHz of 5G spectrum in a low band such as 600MHz will give speeds ranging from 50Mbps-100Mbps, but as you move up the frequency spectrum, the speeds will also go up rapidly.

A technique called Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) enables the reuse of the 4G spectrum. This is what US carriers like AT&T are doing. However, experts say, greater frequencies are required to provide the fastest 5G speeds.

There are two 5G operating modes, these are non-standalone mode (NSA) and standalone mode (SA). Nearly all carriers currently rely on NSA 5G. In this mode, the 5G network is reliant on a 4G core network and 4G base stations. These networks use 4G network capabilities for data link transport. Since carriers may leverage their 4G core networks and network infrastructure, NSA deployment is made simpler for them. The disadvantage here is that it’s dependent on older technology used for 4G, so speeds won’t be as high, while latency won’t go as low as it can go in SA mode. However, there are still benefits to the 5G protocol itself that consumers will hopefully realize.

The real 5G fantasy that carriers are starting to promote is the SA mode. Verizon and T-Mobile in the US both provide commercial standalone 5G networks, but AT&T is now taking its time. Due to the usage of a 5G core network and separate network infrastructure, SA 5G networks are totally independent of 4G. Since this data link transfer does not rely on 4G technology, SA networks can guarantee significantly faster speeds and lower latency. Newer smartphone releases that are powered by the most recent modems support both modes, which means they support both the existing NSA networks and future SA networks.

Network bands
The 5G network comes in two types. One is 5G at frequencies below 6 GHz, which is the real 4G LTE replacement. The other is 5G mmWave, or millimetre wave. The majority of users will only encounter sub-6GHz since carriers throughout the world have been wise enough to handle mmWave cautiously. But in some countries, including the US, carriers have launched mmWave first due to the initial shortage of sub-6GHz spectrum. While countries like South Korea, Japan, and Russia have jumped on the mmWave bandwagon, the vast majority of the world has chosen to play it safe with sub-6GHz.

The term sub-6GHz means a network bandwidth radio frequency that is less than 6GHz. All 4G bands are sub-6GHz. On the other hand, mmWave denotes bands with radio frequencies greater than 6GHz. Although mmWave bands offer a range of 24GHz to 100GHz, in reality, carriers have only launched networks in the 26GHz to 39GHz range so far.

Experts believe that with thorough deployment, 5G can play an essential part when it comes to revolutionizing the telecom sector. For companies, those who harness it will benefit from the efficacies as well as the prospects for innovation that the 5G network provides.

The post 5G technology: Next big thing appeared first on International Finance.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is one of the important reasons for telecom services providers rolling out 5G services in the Asia-Pacific region.

About 12.4% of telecom carrier respondents in Asia-Pacific consider IIoT among the top reasons for 5G deployment, according to the report from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

Most telecom carrier companies saw vital industries, including manufacturing, Smart Cities with smart mobility, and smart buildings, as the most critical use cases for the introduction of 5G, the study commented.

“The shift to a greener, lower carbon future will be made possible through digitisation and connectivity,” said Piyush Singh, Senior Market Analyst, Telecommunications and IoT, Asia Pacific at IDC, while interacting with the IANS.

One of the concepts in ‘Industry 4.0’ is efficiency equals energy saving.

“Anything and everything organisations do to save energy ultimately increase efficiency,” the official added further.

Manufacturing facilities all throughout the Asia-Pacific region have implemented private/dedicated networks for controlling various pieces of equipment on-premises.

“Unstable wireless communication and latency are the barriers for the adoption of digital transformation in any firm which can be solved with the help of 5G. IoT devices require very dependable communication, which may also be provided via private 5G network easily,” said the report.

As the Asia-Pacific region experiences exponential growth in 5G connections, driven by the potential of IIoT and the need for enhanced connectivity, organisations are poised to benefit from improved efficiency, increased sustainability, and greater opportunities for digital transformation, the study mentioned further.

As per a Mobile Economy Asia-Pacific 2022 report by the GSM Association (GSMA), 5G adoption will grow across Asia-Pacific, with more than 400 million 5G connections, equivalent to just over 14% of total mobile connections, by 2025.

Amid the progress of 5G adoption across the region, monetising 5G remained top of mind for the operators, according to the report.

Consumers in the region are warming to 5G, and are increasingly adding content and services such as live sports to their 5G plans, found a separate GSMA consumer survey.

The report also stated that immersive experiences, which take advantage of the low-latency and high-bandwidth capabilities of 5G networks, were also gaining traction among consumers. Entertainment experiences such as concerts, and gaming labs, which customers pay a premium for in the physical world, would provide avenues for operators to demonstrate the value of 5G in the coming days.

The post 5G connections to grow to 3.2 billion in Asia-Pacific in 2025? appeared first on International Finance.

AT&T turned off its 3G service in February 2022 and T-Mobile started shutting down old networks around the same time frame as well.

AT&T has also published a detailed list of phones and digital devices that will still work after their 3G switch off, as well as devices that may require a software update to enable HD voice, Wi-Fi Calling, Video Calls, Advanced Messaging, or 5G services. It says that its customers in the United States will need to check their phone model in order to precisely determine if their phones will work after the switch off or not.

AT&T users can also sign in to their accounts to see if their phones are affected. Verizon has sent its customers new, LTE-capable phones, as well as letters explaining the road ahead after the 3G services shut down.

Verizon has told customers with 3G phones that their “lines will be suspended starting the day before their December billing cycle begins.”

After the deadline, they can use those devices only for calling 911 and Verizon customer service.

T-Mobile’s 3G CDMA network that originated with Sprint was retired on March 31, 2022, while the 3G UMTS network that originated with T-Mobile itself was retired as of July 1, 2022. The LTE network that originated with Sprint was retired as of June 30, 2022.

The telecommunication service provider also plans to retire their 2G network.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), mobile carriers “periodically shut down older services, such as 3G, to free up spectrum and infrastructure to support new services, such as 5G.”

“Mobile carriers have the flexibility to choose the types of technologies and services they deploy, including when they decommission older services in favor of newer services to meet consumer demands,” said the regulatory authority.

“Other devices, such as certain medical devices, tablets, smartwatches, vehicle SOS services, home security systems, and other connected products may be using 3G network services. And don’t forget about devices that use cellular connectivity as a backup when a wired internet connection goes down,” it said further.

General Motors subsidiary OnStar has said that the 3G switch-off will affect certain GM vehicles in the 2015 model year or later. The company is also issuing over-the-air updates to cars affected.

According to Fierce Wireless, telecom carrier Orange plans to phase out its 2G and 3G networks in Europe by 2030.

In France, 2G will be decommissioned first by 2025 end, followed by a 3G closure by 2029.

The post End of an era: United States bids farewell to 3G technology appeared first on International Finance.

With regard to early 5G implementation, one region seems to have stolen a march over the rest of the world in terms of speed of execution and achieving the most mass coverage – the GCC. While 5G services were made available in a limited scale in China late this year, leading Middle East telecom operator Zain first announced the launch of 5G services in Kuwait in June 2019.

According to Zain, the company’s commercial 5G services today cover 95 percent of Kuwait’s populated areas with full coverage imminent. Moreover, in Saudi Arabia on May 10, 2019, Zain Saudi Arabia announced that it had completed one of the first 5G calls in the region on its network. It was one of the first 5G calls in the world without using voice-call apps.

Furthermore, on October 6, 2019, Zain Saudi Arabia announced the launch of 5G commercial services, with the first phase of the rollout being implemented through a network of 2,000 towers that cover an area of more than 20 cities in the Kingdom which is probably the largest 5G network deployment in the region to date. The company said that it will be followed by a gradual expansion of the network to cover a total of 26 Saudi cities utilising 2,600 towers by the end of 2019.

In Qatar, telecom company Ooredoo claims to have been working on 5G implementation since 2016 and in May 2018, Ooredoo claimed a breakthrough with the launch of what it claimed was the world’s first commercial 5G network. In a statement, the company said it had launched a live 5G network on the 3.5GHz spectrum band and, effectively, beat rival global operators to the post. In the UAE, 5G became available through local carrier Etisalat with the launch of the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G phone in May 2019. Earlier in March, the other local carrier in the UAE, du announced that it had conducted the first live 5G data call on its network while rolling out 700 5G sites across the country.

Zain’s 5G network in Kuwait is available through the 5G Bolt router for home broadband internet. For using 5G mobile connections users need 5G capable mobile phones and the accurate information on the actual number of mobile 5G users in the region is scant.

An Ericsson spokesman told International Finance that while the number of 5G users in the Middle East will be significant in five years, as a proportion of all mobile users the number will still be small. “In fact, all major service providers in the region are moving aggressively to launch 5G commercially. According to Ericsson Mobility Report MEA, 5G will reach 60 million subscribers in the MEA region by 2024 though that will represent 3 percent of all mobile subscriptions in the region,” the Ericsson spokesperson said.

In 2019, Ericsson started the commercial roll out of 5G with leading operators in advanced markets and announced 5G commercial launches with Etisalat, STC and Ooredoo. Ericsson was also selected by Batelco to commercially deploy 5G across Bahrain. According to the GSMA, The UAE and the Gulf region are at the forefront globally in terms of 5G launches and plans. Operators in MENA – particularly in the GCC states – are among the first to launch 5G networks commercially. According to GSMAIntelligence, by 2025, there will be around 50 million 5G connections across MENA, with around 20 million in the GCC Arab States alone.

What’s behind the GCC’s 5G advantage?

What was the reason for the lead that the Middle East had over other regions in 5G deployment? Zain Group CTO Hisham Allam told International Finance that “the region has definitely an edge in viable use cases to the extent in that we have good frequency which is the mid band 2.6 mghz and 3.5 mghz that provides for better coverage and is much more efficient, as opposed to millimetre wave spectrum elsewhere. Moreover, because access to fibre is very limited in the region, especially the markets Zain operates in, 5G will provide massive capacity and is the best alternative. In short, 5G is a perfect fit for region.”

Matthew Reed, Practice Leader for Ovum, Middle East and Africa notes that some of the Gulf markets – the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain – were among the first in the world to launch commercial 5G services.

Part of the background to those early 5G launches is that the governments of some of those countries are keen to show that they are technologically advanced and also to use new technology to support their broader national development plans, including economic diversification, Reed told International Finance.

The intent on part of the local governments to roll out niche technologies before others and to develop viable use cases fast is definitely one reason behind the Middle East leapfrogging the rest of the world in 5G deployment. Jawad Abbasi, head of MENA at GSMA corroborates this fact.”

The GCC Arab States have been quick to establish the foundations for global leadership in the deployment of 5G technology moving rapidly from trials to early commercialisation. This has been achieved by proactive government support and close collaboration between mobile operators and businesses,” Abbasi told International Finance.

Abbasi notes that intent was followed with action because the governments ensured that there was an emphasis on creating a regulatory environment that allows 5G to flourish by releasing sufficient spectrum, so that businesses and citizens can fully enjoy the innovative new services that 5G will deliver.

Bernard Najm, head of Middle East market unit at Nokia, MEA also backs this observation.  “While we see a strong initial appetite for 5G in the US, China, South Korea and Japan, we also see a strong acceleration of 5G launches in the Middle East region in this year. The Middle East has a strong top-down approach, driven by local governments, to adopting new and smart technology for its citizens and residents and we see that this tends to sometimes help these countries leapfrog into new technologies before the rest of the developing world,” Najm told International Finance.

In the region, Nokia has worked with telecom operators including du (UAE), Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Zain KSA (Saudi), and Ooredoo Qatar on 5G implementation. From the industry to the government there seems to be clear understanding of the value proposition of 5G in terms of higher mobility. “We see this understanding and awareness of the advantages that mobility brings a society as one of the driving advantages in the Middle East, which has led to the region continuing to have the motivation to invest in and roll out of nascent technologies such as 5G,” Zain’s Hisham Allam tells International Finance.

5G: GCC will be ahead of the global average

The region will be among the top 5G players, according to GSMA. The GCC states will be slightly ahead of the global average in 5G usage by 2025, with 16 percent customer 5G adoption, compared to 15 percent globally, according to GSMA. 5G progress in the region is mainly driven by mobile operators and governments with the support of mobile technology partners.

“Some GCC countries ensured both consumers and businesses will have instant access to 5G as soon as the service becomes commercially available and they installed 5G towers across the country,” Joe Lahham, General manager, TBWA/RAAD, in charge of du told the International Finance. “5G progress in the region is also driven by governments, with 5G set to have a profound effect on countries’ economic performance and GDP. GCC governments are playing an active role in creating the right environment to drive 5G growth,”

adds Lahham.  5G innovation and deployment are also part and parcel of the regional governments’ ambitious vision for a technology-driven future.

“In Saudi Arabia, for example, the sheer size of the population and implementation of national policies such as Saudi Vision 2030, will no doubt have a direct impact on rollout plans for 5G, although other countries in the GCC especially Kuwait and Bahrain where Zain operates have similar imperatives,” says Hisham Allam of Zain.

Zain KSA recently inaugurated its 5G network at the Neom Bay Airport, an area regarded as Saudi Arabia’s futuristic gateway. Zain KSA also showcased some technologies the 5G network will enable during the inauguration ceremony of the Kingdom’s new ‘welcome the world’ tourist visa.  In Saudi Arabia, 5G will be essential to the country’s flagship new city project (Neom). Dubai has also announced that by 2030, autonomous vehicles that will leverage 5G should account for 25 percent of journeys within the emirate.

The first popular use case of 5G in the GCC is likely to be the consumption of digital content on 5G devices. “We believe early on, access to digital content at a must faster rate will be the first popular use case powered by 5G. Customers will be able to access videos and exchange content at much faster rates than they do over current mobile networks, and that will prove popular,” says Zain’s Hisham Allam. Allam says that 5G low latency use cases will be rarely applicable in the industrial sector in the region. “However, in the energy industry, 5G will support new levels of industrial safety as technicians remotely control mining and oil drilling equipment,” he adds.

Nokia’s Bernard Najm says many interesting use cases that could transform society and industries are being developed in the region. For specific examples already being developed for the Middle East he cites the following:

• Low-latency, ultra-reliable connected cars are expected to be developed in Dubai.
• High level of government and public safety use cases, building on previous 4G public safety networks and taking it to the next level.
• Fully replacing the need for fibre to the home (FTTH) with equal or better fixed wireless connectivity.
• Enabling digital top-quality education across the Middle East, with full classroom interactive experiences for remote schools by interactive HD VR projections.
• Fully automating, monitoring and controlling shipping and container ports across the Middle East with high bandwidth, highly secure low-latency 5G networks.

Ericsson has identified four industry verticals that form the primary focus of the addressable 5G business potential opportunity in the Middle East and Africa. According to an Ericsson

spokesperson, regional service providers not only have established expertise in these verticals, but they also offer clear opportunities for 5G use cases. The verticals include oil and gas (mining), transport and automotive, public safety, critical infrastructure, and manufacturing.

A highlight was the innovative 5G solutions Nokia brought to Hajj this year. Nokia together with Zain Saudi Arabia brought 5G-enabled VR (Virtual Reality) advanced use cases in the Mashaer area and the Holy Mosque area in Makkah. It allowed visitors to experience Hajj remotely as if they are present on site. And with STC, Nokia deployed the first-ever 5G-based volumetric 3G hologram communications during Hajj. This innovative solution was used to provide educational and awareness service to the pilgrims about Hajj rituals. The visitors were able to talk, meet, and interact with a 3D hologram who made them aware of Hajj provisions.

Short term and long term 5G innovations

What are the innovations that can happen in the short term and long term in the GCC region? According to Mathew Reed of Ovum, over the next couple of years one can expect to see the development of 5G use cases in vertical markets, such as for automation and remote monitoring in the oil and gas sector; or more advanced video services for transport management systems. He says that 5G smartphones will become more widely available from 2020 onwards. The 5G quick-win use case in the Middle East has been the rollout of 5G primarily for broadband.

The next big step for 5G is high data rates and very low latency that are expected to enable a range of new applications and services. “As a long-term objective, the region’s 5G application is expected to emerge in entertainment, health, retail and education, oil and gas, and mining. Governments and operators are collaborating on smart city initiatives to address population-related challenges and deliver socioeconomic benefits,” says TBWA/RAAD’s Lahham.

“Users will experience smart cars that are capable of communicating with traffic lights; augmented reality and 360-degree immersive gaming and movie experiences; and transmitting touch and texture to realize the tactile internet. Truly, the IoT applications that 5G will help enable is limitless,” the Ericsson spokesperson adds. Looking at the expected innovations in the next two to three years, Etisalat is expected to demonstrate 5G technology and services including streaming video from drones to VR goggles during Expo 2020. Ooredoo is looking into using 5G in smart-city developments (Lusail), and is working with tech vendors to develop applications for the 2022 World Cup.

Spectrum challenges to overcome

How soon can we see use cases such as immersive reality, autonomous transport, and remote surgery implemented in the GCC and what are the current challenges? The most pressing challenge is the availability of necessary radio frequencies, including those known as ‘millimetre wave’ frequencies that will deliver ultra-high capacity and ultra-high-speed services.

GSMA’s Abbasi told International Finance that 5G mmWave spectrum will be identified at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19), which will take place in Egypt from 28 October to 22 November 2019. WRC-19 is the only opportunity for years to come for countries to identify mmWave spectrum for 5G use. “The MENA region stands to benefit from better healthcare and education, as well as new benchmarks in industrial productivity, entertainment services and smart transport, but only if we can secure the needed spectrum, adds Abbasi.

The post 5G implementation: How the GCC nations leapfrogged the world appeared first on International Finance.

“Ola has obtained licenses to operate in South Wales and Greater Manchester, and will launch in South Wales within the next month,” said the official company statement. This will make it the only ride-hailing app in the UK to offer both private hire vehicles and black cabs.

In the UK, Ola will compete with Uber—a company that has been operating there for almost six years, albeit with its own share of challenges. Uber’s license was earlier revoked because it failed to report crimes committed by its drivers and used illegal tracking technology.

“Ola plans to offer better incentives to drivers, almost double,” says Yugal Joshi, vice president at Everest Group consultancy. “It understands the regulatory framework and must have done its financial modelling. But the outcome is still uncertain.” he stated.

“In India, Ola has achieved critical mass,” says Jaspal Singh, co-founder of Valoriser Consultants. “But to raise the next round of funding, it has to show revenue or trip growth. That’s why it is looking at global markets.”

Ben Legg will be heading Ola’s recently announced UK operations. He will lead and develop the senior leadership team, drive strategy and operations — and establish a UK nationwide presence by 2018 end. Ben joins Ola from AdParlor, the New York-based global marketing technology company, where he was CEO for two years. Prior to this, he was Group CEO of Adknowledge, the digital advertising technology firm, between 2011 and 2016. He has also worked as Chief Operating Officer for Google Europe, as well as previously holding senior roles at Coca-Cola and McKinsey.

The real test for Ola now though, would be to crack the UK’s biggest taxi market – London, which has seen heavy resistance by various units of Taxi Drivers. According to reports, a group of unions of taxi drivers are planning legal action against Uber over the drop in their annual income since Uber’s entry.

Ola’s entry into the UK follows its successful launch in Australia in February 2018, where it now operates in seven major cities. Over 40,000 drivers across Australia have registered since its launch in February, completing millions of rides. The company recently announced it has obtained licenses to operate in Greater Manchester and South Wales, with the launch of operations in South Wales in the coming weeks.

Ola now conducts one billion rides each year globally, with more than a million drivers and 125 million customers in over 110 cities.

The post After Australia, OLA cabs to enter the UK market appeared first on International Finance.

The fully networked factory is set to have a major impact on future production, according to industry experts. A powerful network architecture that can react in real time is vital for this development.

Frank Lloyd, Chief Information Officer of Audi AG, stated: “As part of the Ericsson project, we are testing the opportunities offered by 5G technology for industrial applications in the smart factory,”. In addition, whether 5G can also be used in other factories within the Audi Group will also be explored.

Ericsson has claimed that it already runs 5G industrial programs around the world. According to the Swedish company, this is intended to help manufacturers increase productivity and create innovative business models.

5G technology has numerous network characteristics that are essential in modern production with increasingly flexible and complex production processes. For example, 5G allows higher data throughput rates and more network capacities and promises highly secure availability. In addition, low latencies promise faster reaction times between different elements within the factory system.

In their test field, the two companies will focus on a particularly latency-critical application: The team tests the wireless interaction between an industrial robot and an adhesive application – an automated process that is the order of the day in automotive production. Ericsson’s proof-of-concept (PoC) network used for this purpose is designed to integrate alternative or complementary technologies to those currently in use – such as WiFi or cable-based connections of production components.

The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Audi’s headquarters in Ingolstadt in Germany.

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Hindocha will be responsible for maintaining the highest level of security compliance for MYPINPAD’s products, which encompasses both merchant and consumer solutions. Additionally, he will also play a key role in setting the firm’s security vision, evolving strategy and policies for its ongoing product development.

Global Head of Mobile POS Solutions at MYPINPAD, David Poole, said: “This is a defining time for the business following the release of PCI SSC’s new standard for software-based PIN entry on mobile devices for card payment acceptance. The standard will revolutionise payments, increase global card acceptance and mitigate fraud. Importantly, it will reduce barriers to entry for all merchants.

Strong authentication is the root of our security solutions, and Neal’s expertise is exactly what we need during this crucial period. He will help us to continue to set the highest standards of security across MYPINPAD software authentication solutions.”

MYPINPAD solutions delivers secure PIN authentication on unsecured electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and PCs. The solution optimises security around the payment process, reducing risk and fraud. The technology provides consumers and merchants with a familiar and trusted PIN authentication process.

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Vietnam’s PVcomBank, in its quest to provide the most updated facilities to clients by developing digital channels, has released a chain of mobile banking products called PV Mobile Banking for Android operating systems.

The product has met most utility services for customers – it has a user-friendly interface and allows for easy operation by customers. While logging in to the app for the first time, PVcomBank has a screen introducing basic features to help visualize interface functions but you can also click “ignore” if you do not want to review the content. Thanks to smart technology, customer data from the previous login can be saved, with the customer just having to enter his password to use the application again.

The Mobile 2.0 version is designed with a new, flat interface that allows customers to experience better applications. Customers can navigate various options such as ATM and Branch Network search, regular newsletters, and promotional schemes. While continuing to explore the app, the transfer function simultaneously allows customers to transfer through the ATM card or account number. The inbuilt software manages the list of beneficiaries as well, avoiding the need to remember user account numbers. With the phone working as a “transaction counter”, users can add money to their phones and manage activities such as recharge and billing information. The technological benefits aside, PV Mobile Banking 2.0 offers a slew of economic benefits such as promotions through the rental charge phone calls, network reduction charge by 10% for Vinaphone, free regime when interbank transfer takes places with any Vietnamese bank, the ability to open savings online and superior interest rates – higher than the interest rate of saving at the counter from 0.1 to 0.4%. The company made a significantly large investment in the technology to build the application for KH. Moreover, as PV-Mobile Banking products were available in two versions, initial launch of the service or project was challenging due to change of personnel and contractors participating in the project. With a dedicated team working to keep up the pace of the project, the objective of PVcom Bank was to make e-banking accessible and convenient for business development. A representative from the company said, “This is reflected in the number and value of strong transactions in monthly months in the first three months of implementation, KH responded well. The service was successful.”It is important to note that the service was deployed during the period when PVcomBank had not changed its CORE banking system, because of which the staff did not experience a lot of difficulty connecting and testing the systems.Due to careful review and testing, service connection systems are stable and smooth leading to a more than satisfactory customer experience, said PVcomBank officials.

“I am quite satisfied with PVcomBank’s Mobile Banking service as most services can be performed quickly with just a few touches on the device. E-banking, bank account inquiry, ATM, money transfer in the same system or inter-bank, payment of monthly bills (electricity and telephone), to Shopping for goods through electronic payment gateways, buying airline tickets, booking hotels. I can easily send my savings without having to go to the transaction room to be served. My smartphone has become a real “counter”.

– A satisfied PVcomBank customer

The mobile banking application is largely successful, evident from the number of transactions and their values. In 2015, 373,000 transactions were made, equivalent to 2,500 billion VND and in 2016, the number has doubled to reach 677,620 transactions with 5,999 billion VND. On the partner side, PVcomBank also received positive reviews for professionalism in the business as well as the coordination in the process of interaction, service deployment as well as the process of support for answering the complaints of the following plan when the application is put into operation.

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Today, 15 years after that first call, nearly 20 million Afghans use mobile phones, and Afghan Wireless — in our role as the largest and most technologically advanced Afghan-owned and operated communications company — provides world-class 4G LTE, 3.75G+ and 3G Voice, Data, Internet and My Money Mobile Payment Services to more than 5 million subscribers spread across the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

Since 2002, AWCC has invested more than $400,000,000 to build Afghanistan’s largest, fastest and most reliable mobile communications network. And the company’s roaming partnerships with 425 carrier networks in 125 countries means that our clients can use their Afghan Wireless phones almost anywhere in the world.

4G LTE services

AWCC is the first and only mobile communications company providing 4G LTE services to the people of Afghanistan. Its 4G LTE network became operational in May 2017, and the strong, immediate demand for 4G LTE Connectivity has led AWCC to double the capacity of its 4G LTE network within four months of its launch.

In May 2017, Ministry of Finance named Afghan Wireless as Afghanistan’s Best Large Taxpayer — the only telecommunications company ever to receive this honour.

The company’s CEO has received International Finance magazine’s award for Afghanistan’s Best Media and

Telecom CEO.

Afghanistan’s wireless communications sector forms the strongest and most profitable component of the country’s economy. The sector contributes the largest percentage of all tax revenue.

From its initial days as Afghanistan’s first mobile communications company, the mission of Afghan Wireless and the Bayat Group has expanded greatly — as has the measure of responsibility they have gladly undertaken — to ensure that The Bayat Group’s business operations provide Afghanistan with the products and services, large-scale job creation and economic development, which empowers and enables Afghans to live better lives.

Today, the Bayat Group is Afghanistan’s largest private company and the country’s biggest private employer. The five companies which comprise The Bayat Group are leading the effort to responsibly and sustainably develop Afghanistan’s Information, Communications, Technology and Energy sectors:

• Afghan Wireless: Afghan Wireless (AWCC), the founder of Afghanistan’s wireless communications sector, provides more than 5,000,000 subscribers with 4G LTE, 3.75G+, 3G, 2.5G, HD Voice, Data, Internet and Mobile Payment Services.
• Bayat Energy: The largest Afghan-owned Energy Development Company. Bayat Energy is the owner/builder of Bayat-1, a three-phase 200 MW gas to power generation project, located in Sheberghan, northern Afghanistan. Upon completion, Bayat-1 will be Afghanistan’s first new gas-fired power generation plant in more than three decades.
• Ariana Television and Radio: Launched in 2005, Ariana Television and Radio (ATN) and Ariana 93.5 FM are one of the largest private media channels in Afghanistan, covering 33 of 34 provinces and reaching over 20 million Afghans.

 Ariana Network Services (ANS): ANS provides High-Speed Internet Services, including WiMAX, Super WiFi and High-Speed broadband capacity, to Afghan consumers and companies.

An enduring spirit of teamwork and partnership demonstrated by the Bayat Group’s employees has been essential to the company’s success. The company was founded by Afghans, is led by Afghans and is dedicated to serving Afghans. Ninety-nine percent of the workforce comprises Afghan citizens. Together, these hard-working men and women make certain that every aspect of business operations is designed not only to increase market share and revenue, but most importantly, make a positive and long-term contribution towards building a prosperous and secure Afghanistan.

Nurturing entrepreneurs

In October 2017, the Bayat Group, working in partnership with a team of international organisations, launched ‘Bright Future Afghanistan’. Bright Future is a five-year program focused on helping young Afghan entrepreneurs identify business opportunities, and establish and grow their business ventures. These entrepreneurs represent the future of Afghanistan’s economic development. The Bright Future program will provide each entrepreneur with the training, startup capital and business development networks which will create jobs and sustainable, Afghan-based economic development for years to come.

The Bayat Foundation

The Bayat Foundation (www. bayatfoundation.org) is Afghanistan’s largest, private charitable foundation. It was co-founded by Mrs. Fatema Bayat and Dr. Ehsanollah Bayat in 2005. The foundation has sponsored over 300 health, education and social development projects. Its programs include emergency food distribution, the construction of wells, educational and healthcare facilities, including 13 maternity hospitals which have provided healthcare to over 2,000,000 mothers and children. The Foundation also sponsors programs and events promoting entrepreneurship, social justice, strong family values and cultural preservation.

Recognition by International Finance magazine as Afghanistan’s Best Media and Telecom CEO is a welcome recognition of the progress that the Bayat Group has made as a company, but much more importantly, this award acknowledges Afghanistan’s progress as a nation.

The team of Bayat Group is grateful for — and proud of — the opportunity they have been given to serve Afghans. The team will continue to develop services which not only connect the country to the world, but seek to empower, encourage and champion Afghanistan’s technological development, economic and social progress. The team looks forward to serving the people of Afghanistan for many, many years to come.

Dr Ehsanollah Bayat is Founder and Chairman of The Bayat Group

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