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Intel and telcos left in virtual RAN limbo by rise of AI RAN
A multitude of general-purpose and specialist silicon options now confronts the world's 5G community, while Intel's future in telecom remains uncertain.
Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Nokia helps bring 5G to Egypt; Salt offers 40Gbit/s speeds to business customers; Channel 4 streaming hits new heights.
Ericsson has signed a global patent cross-license agreement with Chinese phone maker OPPO. The multi-year agreement covers patents deemed essential to standards for a range of cellular technologies, 5G included, and will see OPPO making royalty payments to Ericsson. The two companies say they will also cooperate on a number of 5G-related projects, including device testing and marketing. Commenting on the agreement, Ericsson's chief intellectual property officer, Christina Petersson, said: "The license confirms that the patent licensing industry works and is proof that a vast majority of license agreements are based on business negotiations." Licensing has long been the most profitable part of Ericsson's business activities – and the same goes for Nokia too. (See Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia chase 5G royalties beyond smartphones.)
Nokia is bringing 5G to Egypt through a new partnership with Telecom Egypt which will introduce the technology to several of the country's densely populated cities, Cairo and Alexandria among them. Under the terms of the agreement, Nokia will deploy 5G RAN equipment from its AirScale range, comprising baseband units and its latest generation of Massive MIMO radios. Earlier this year, Telecom Egypt secured the country's first 5G license, which is valid for 15 years.
Swiss operator Salt is introducing symmetric 40Gbit/s broadband speeds for business customers on its fiber network. IT services provider Infologo, which uses the high-speed connectivity to carry out near-instant software updates for its customers, is the first company to sign up for the Pro Office service.
Channel 4, the UK public service broadcaster, is having success on the streaming front, with its streaming audience last month up 30% year-over-year. Last week Channel 4 appointed Ruth Brougham – most recently head of digital banking at Virgin Money – to the newly created role of streaming business director.
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