Eurobites: French regulator reconnoitres multi-network mobile market

News Analysis Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe 5/15/2020

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telia does remote healthcare monitoring with Capio; media network home run for Net Insight; 5G not imminent in Africa.

Arcep, the French communications regulator, has launched an initiative to assess the need for multi-network mobile plans – domestic roaming, in effect – within businesses and public sector organizations. It also wants to create an "inventory" of operators who already sell or want to sell such plans. A multi-network (or multi-network roaming) plan is one that allows the customer to access several mobile networks, using the same phone number and a single SIM card and, when necessary, to switch from one mobile network to another. This demand for multi-network plans is particular prevalent, says Arcep amongst organizations tasked with ensuring public safety and security, or with protecting a company's critical goods and interests.

Sweden's Telia has signed an agreement with healthcare provider Capio for a remote monitoring service that will help those patients with high blood pressure, heart failure, type 2 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) get advice and treatment during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, when actual visits to health centers are discouraged. Telia Health Monitoring is the digital platform used for the service Capio Home, to securely gather health data and to communicate with patients.

Net Insight, the Stockholm-based media delivery specialist, has landed a contract with an unnamed major sports league in North America for a new 100G IP media network. The deal is worth around US$2.5 million and includes products, professional services and a five-year support contract.

5G will arrive in Africa one day, but don't hold your breath. That was the message delivered by the head of GSMA Africa, Akinwale Goodluck, at a media event with African journalists this week. Goodluck pointed out that power remains a problem in Africa for the technology, saying that "5G is not going to run on generators." For more details, see this story on our sister site, Connecting Africa.

Telecom Italia (TIM) is doing its bit to help with remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis by launching an "E-learning Card," which is aimed at users of prepaid phones and enables them to access the main online education platforms without gobbling up their data allowance. Those platforms are WeSchool powered by TIM, Office 365 Education A1 and Google Suite for Education. TIM has also helped teachers and students who use WeSchool and the Google platforms by providing a helpdesk offering both technical and educational support. So top marks for TIM.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading