Eurobites: Dutch 5G auction cranks into gear

Ericsson claims it has come up with a way of increasing mobile broadband capacity sevenfold at existing network sites with the launch of its Hybrid AIR (antenna-integrated radio) and Interleaved AIR offerings. The products use Kathrein Mobile Communication antenna technology to introduce 5G midband to existing sites by combining antenna-integrated radios and multiband passive antenna technology in one enclosure, producing capacity gains through more efficient use of frequency division duplex (FDD), new FDD bands and additional Massive MIMO midbands.

Nokia has completed a trial with Algerian mobile operator Djezzy, using microwave carrier aggregation technology in the form of the vendor's Wavence offering to address increased demand for capacity. During the trial, which took place in the city of Sétif earlier this year, Nokia says capacity was increased from 3.5 Gbit/s to 8.5 Gbit/s and covered a distance of 5.7km. Djezzy has 14.2 million subscribers.

Telia has introduced 5G roaming for its customers in Finland, Norway and Sweden who have the necessary handset and subscription. In time, the operator intends to extend the service to Denmark, Estonia and Lithuania as commercial 5G services become available in those countries.

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has unveiled a new standard for cybersecurity in the IoT sphere which, it says, establishes a "security baseline" for Internet-connected consumer products and "provides a basis for future IoT certification schemes." If you have a pencil and paper handy, the number to note is: ETSI EN 303 645. (See IoT security prioritization creeps to the forefront .)

Millennium Banque Privée, a Swiss private bank, has outsourced the operation of its Olympic banking software to Swisscom. The migration of the software to its new platform took ten months.

Origin Broadband, a UK Internet service provider, is launching a new pay-TV service using set-top boxes from France's Netgem. As ISP Review reports, the service will be bundled alongside Origin's existing broadband and phone packages, with prices starting at £12.99 ($16) per month.

Telecom Italia (TIM) has set the stage for the first "Smart Spaces Hackathon," with software developers, digital designers, marketing experts and more being invited to design "new and intelligent spaces" that feature life-enhancing services. Those taking part will be expected to draw on artificial intelligence, robotics and IoT technology, using TIM's Digital Business Platform to help realize their projects. The whole shebang takes place from July 2 to July 5.

UK alternative fiber provider Colt has followed the likes of BT and Vodafone into the i3forum, a nonprofit industry body whose self-proclaimed business is "enabling and accelerating transformation across the carrier ecosystem." Colt's initial involvement with the group will center on the i3forum's numbering plan initiative and helping to tackle voice and messaging fraud.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading