Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Orange agrees towers deal for rural France coverage; Ofcom proposes "locked" phones ban; Ericsson claims breakthrough with VoNR trial; Deutsche Telekom acquires chunk of gaming company.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

December 17, 2019

3 Min Read
Eurobites: Telefónica Plans Shift Away From Huawei for 5G Core – Report

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Orange agrees towers deal for rural France coverage; Ofcom proposes "locked" phones ban; Ericsson claims breakthrough with VoNR trial; Deutsche Telekom acquires chunk of gaming company.Is Huawei about to be eased out of Telefónica's European 5G core networks? That's the suggestion of a Reuters report, citing the Spanish operator's CTIO, Enrique Blanco, which says that Telefónica is to massively reduce the amount of Huawei gear it buys in the future, turning more to the Chinese vendor's rivals instead. Blanco, however, is playing down the political aspects of the strategy, claiming that the move away from Huawei is a "purely technical decision," adding that when "the core comes from a single vendor, the probability is high that a failure in one part stops the whole network." (See Trump is losing the European war against Huawei.)Orange has agreed a five-year deal with ATC France, a subsidiary of American Tower Corporation, for the deployment of between 900 and 2,000 new mobile network sites located mainly in rural areas and along transport routes. The deal represents an extension of an existing arrangement between the two companies, which have been working together since 2012. Orange currently has 25,000 mobile radio sites in France, including 17,000 on fully owned infrastructure.Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, is proposing new rules that would ban the sale of "locked" phones. Several companies, BT/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone among them, still sell handsets that cannot be used on other networks unless they are "unlocked," which can cost around £10 (US$13) and be an irksome process. Ofcom's research found that nearly half of all customers who try to unlock their device find it difficult, with long delays, dodgy codes and loss of service not uncommon. For more on what this could mean for the UK's mobile operators, see this story on our sister site, Telecoms.com.Ericsson is claiming an industry first with what it says was the successful completion of a voice-over-New-Radio (VoNR) interoperability test in combination with MediaTek. The test was carried out at the Ericsson Lab in Kista in early December, using bits and bobs from Ericsson and a Dimensity 1000 commercial chipset from MediaTek deployed on a 3.5GHz TDD band.Deutsche Telekom is pouring more money into gaming (or "e-sports" if you prefer), with the acquisition of a 25% holding in Cologne-based SK Gaming. According to the operator, this is the first time a telco has invested directly in an e-sports company.Private networks -- they're all the rage, dontcha know? And look out, here comes another one: It's at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, and is the work of IoT specialists Kerlink and MCS. The LoRaWAN network, which was designed and is operated by Schiphol Telematics, provides coverage in all public areas such as the arrival and departure halls, and in non-public areas such as the baggage basements. (See How Three Private Networks landed a deal at Heathrow Airport, The Role of Mobile Operators in the Private Networks Sector and Air France Exec on Private Wireless Networks.)Next Layer, an Austrian communications service provider, has gone with Smartoptics' DCP-M40 open line system in preparation for a 400G network upgrade in 2020.Belgium's Proximus has renewed its partnership with broadcaster VRT via the operator's unpronounceable Pickx digital TV platform. Paul Lembrechts, CEO of VRT, said in a statement: "With its offer, the VRT wants to reach all Flemings in the best and most user-friendly way possible." That's this guy's holiday viewing sorted.— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Read more about:

Europe

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.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like