Eurobites: Vodafone, AMD join forces on beefed-up basestations

Vodafone is working with chip company AMD on the development of 5G-friendly basestations that can cope with the rigors of AI whilst consuming less energy. At Vodafone's labs in Malaga, Spain, engineers from both companies are testing radio hardware with AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC (radio frequency system-on-chip) devices. This is a single-chip radio platform, which can be adapted to combine several radio features, including a set of Arm processors. Unlike existing devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), the AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoCs can be remotely modified after installation and custom designed for a particular set of radio configurations, says Vodafone.

The use of generative AI apps is driving demand for "differentiated connectivity," says a new Ericsson report. According to Ericsson, almost a quarter of GenAI users say they are willing to pay up to 35% more for guaranteed fast and secure 5G connectivity for such applications. More than a third of 5G smartphone users surveyed said they would be interested in paying for differentiated connectivity for what were deemed essential applications. More than 23,000 smartphone users between the ages of 15 and 69 took part in the research.

Finnish vendor Nokia and Islalink, a Spain-based fiber infrastructure provider, claim to have set an 800G capacity-reach record over the Islalink-owned Ionian subsea cable that connects Italy to Greece. During the trial, Nokia's sixth-generation Photonic Service Engine (PSE-6s) was tested over an unrepeated 330km connection.

The Italian communications regulator, AGCOM, has cleared Swisscom's proposed acquisition of Vodafone Italia. The deal still awaits approvals from two other regulators, one of them the Italian competition authority, which announced in September that it had opened an in-depth investigation to assess the takeover under Italy's merger control rules. (See Eurobites: Italy puts Swisscom's Vodafone Italia takeover under the microscope.)

Neos Networks and Vorboss have struck a deal that allows Neos customers to access the Vorboss fiber network in central London for last-mile connectivity. Vorboss can offer Neos customers Ethernet connections of up to 10 Gbit/s.

The European Commission and EU national regulatory authorities have called on Apple to stop geo-blocking practices that they have identified on certain Apple services, including its App Store, iTunes and Arcade. Among other gripes, the Commission found that the App Store does not allow consumers to download apps specific to countries they are visiting or just passing through. Apple has been given a month to come up with a response.

Openreach's fiber rollout has reached the UK tourist hotspot of St Ives in Cornwall, famous for its artist-inspiring light and psycho-seagulls who are laser-focused on stealing your chips. The build is expected to reach the majority of homes and businesses in the town in the next 12 months.