Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telefónica Tech adds blockchain to digital ad metrics; TIM suffers weekend outage; Nokia extends 5G with Wavence launches.
Saudi Telecom Company (STC), which runs operations in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, has signed up to the Telefónica partner program, a move that the two companies hope will allow them to explore joint business opportunities in various digital sectors, such as cybersecurity, cloud and the Internet of Things.
Back on its home turf, Telefónica is supplying – via subsidiary Telefónica Tech – its TrustOS blockchain technology to Adwatch, a Spanish company that specializes in advertising metrics. By entering into this agreement, the companies say they are promoting the creation of an "independent seal of quality" that guarantees the transparency and reliability of digital marketing campaign metrics to third parties, and provides digital evidence that can be used in court, should a dispute arise.
Telecom Italia (TIM) suffered outages and glitches to its broadband services yesterday (Sunday), Reuters reports, with frustrated TV soccer viewers amongst the thousands of TIM customers affected nationwide. TIM blamed an "international interconnection problem" for the service failings.
Nokia has introduced new products to its Wavence microwave range, additions that the Finnish vendor says can extend the reach of 5G deployments in both urban and rural environments. The UBT-m XP is a single ultra-broadband transceiver with an integrated modem and diplexer; the SteadEband is a stabilized antenna that addresses common E-Band challenges related to antenna alignment; and the Outdoor Channel Aggregator combines multiple UBT-T XP radios to support mobile operators looking to extend the reach and capacity of 5G networks deeper into rural areas.
A new study from Counterpoint Research confirms that Ericsson and Nokia lead the 5G standalone core market globally, the Nordic twosome benefiting from the geopolitical sanctions placed on Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE in some markets. (See Goodbye Huawei, hello Ericsson: Swap-out gathers pace.)
Maintel has won a 12-month contract to supply internal and external voice services to four hospital sites that fall within the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the north of England. Maintel will deliver a voice support service for Atos Unify, a distributed work platform used by the trust. The trust is one of the UK's largest, with around 18,500 employees.
— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading
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