Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Teesdale gets the gigabit; Vodafone brings 4G to the Tube; Swisscom switches the lights off.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

September 30, 2022

3 Min Read
Eurobites: Ericsson, O2 Telefónica demo 5G wireless backhaul in Germany

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Teesdale gets the gigabit; Vodafone brings 4G to the Tube; Swisscom switches the lights off.

  • Ericsson and O2 Telefónica have jointly demonstrated 5G wireless backhaul technology for rural and suburban areas of Germany. The backhaul link utilized the 18GHz frequency band, dual antennas in a MIMO configuration, and commercial Mini-Link radios together with a pre-commercial baseband algorithm that allowed the use of MIMO in 2 x 112MHz channels. According to Ericsson, the test showed that the technology can deliver speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s over a distance of more than 10km. Rural areas have traditionally been difficult to serve, as high capacities require broad bandwidths that have usually only been available in mmWave frequency bands, which are more susceptible to adverse weather conditions. Figure 1: (Source: Ericsson) (Source: Ericsson)

    • Borderlink, an independent broadband provider based in Scotland, has landed a £6.6 million (US$7.3 million) UK government contract to build a gigabit-capable network to reach more than 4,000 premises in northeast England's Teesdale region. The contract was awarded under the government's Project Gigabit scheme, a £5 billion ($5.5 billion) program to improve broadband speeds across the UK. Construction is due to begin in the spring.

    • Vodafone is promising that its customers will be able get 4G coverage right across the London Underground network – tunnels and all – by 2024. To make this happen, the operator has teamed up with Transport for London, which runs the Tube, and BAI Communications, which runs the subterranean mobile network. As things stand, 129 stations and 192 tunnels are not currently covered by any mobile signal.

    • Swisscom has committed to implementing a range of energy-saving measures, such as reducing indoor and outdoor lighting at its stores and offices as well as lowering the room temperature in all its buildings to a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), which should be plenty warm enough for those hardy, snow-loving Swiss types. The operator says it has been operating its entire network using renewable solar, wind and hydro power for more than ten years.

    • Nokia, working in partnership with Emitel and Oscilloquartz, has completed the deployment of an IP/MPLS transport network to support Poland's nationwide digital TV broadcasting infrastructure. The network will support Emitel's DVB-T2 platform, through which 13 million Poles receive a number of HD TV channels. The deployment was prompted by the Polish government's decision to upgrade all broadcast systems to the new DVB-T2 standard, which demands higher network capacity and synchronization accuracy.

    • The European Commission is proposing adaptations to EU law which would make it easier for EU citizens harmed by AI-driven products to sue their manufacturers. The Commission hopes that its proposed changes would, in the long run, build trust in AI and increase its uptake within the European market.

      — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

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About the Author(s)

Paul Rainford

Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.

He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.

During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.

Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.

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