Eurobites: BT trials 5CC carrier aggregation with Nokia and QualcommEurobites: BT trials 5CC carrier aggregation with Nokia and Qualcomm

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Three seeks attention from UK's new government; Sparkle makes room for MainStreaming; ITVX breaks its own streaming record.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

July 5, 2024

2 Min Read
BT logo on exhibition stand
(Source: BT)
  • Nokia says its 5G AirScale range of products has enabled BT to become the first European operator to have successfully aggregated 5G standalone (SA) spectrum using so-called 5CC carrier aggregation technology. 5CC carrier aggregation, says Nokia, will boost the data rates available to customers in areas of high demand by combining all midband radio spectrum when a 5G SA device requires a fast connection. The trial, which took place at BT's Adastral Park labs near Ipswich, UK, used a device powered by a Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF system from Qualcomm. Downlink speeds of 1.85 Gbit/s were reached, using three FDD carriers.

  • Mobile operator Three has wasted no time in attempting to bend this morning's UK general election result (the Labour Party won, big-time) to its current main cause – that cause being its desired merger with larger rival Vodafone. In a shameless prepared quote, CEO Robert Finnegan said: "The new Government has recognised the importance of 5G connectivity in driving economic growth. The UK's connectivity is way behind where it needs to be and we look forward to working with them to address this. The merger of Vodafone and Three enables us to invest £11bn in a dedicated 5G network that would give a huge boost to companies and individuals across the country." Well, it's worth a try, but it may have to take its place near the back of the issues queue behind a crumbling National Health Service, schools with holes in the roof and rivers riddled with human waste.

  • Sparkle, the international services arm of Telecom Italia (TIM), has doubled the amount of space reserved for MainStreaming's servers in its Metamorfosis I DC data center in Athens, which runs on renewable energy. MainStreaming acts as a technology partner to video streaming companies wanting to maintain video quality while streaming in an environmentally sustainable manner.

  • ITVX, the streaming service run by UK public broadcaster ITV, has notched up its best month on record, viewing-wise, with 375.8 million streams being recorded in June – a rise of 54% year-over-year. The figures were helped by the screening of live soccer action from the Euros, as well as the return of the goons-in-swimwear reality show, Love Island.

  • Telenor's cyberdefense unit has acquired fellow Nordic company Combitech, which provides security consulting, "penetration testing" and cloud-based monitoring and response. Combitech, previously owned by the Saab security group, has around 20 employees. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

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About the Author

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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