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Deutsche Telekom's 'open RAN' plan slips after Huawei reprieve
Deutsche Telekom had promised 3,000 open RAN sites by the end of 2026, but the date has now been changed to 2027. And Germany's refusal to ban Huawei has implications.
You might wonder why Google is buying Alpental -- a company that claims its technology supports "5G" -- years before the next generation of cellular services actually comes into being.
I think that Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) is making a bet on what intellectual property it will need in the future.
Alpental CEO and co-founder Peter Gelbman says on his LinkedIn profile that he helped "co-invent" the patents around "a new self-organizing, ultra low power Gigabit wireless technology to extend fiber optics." The low-key startup appears to have attempted to develop a 60GHz mmWave radio system for super-fast backhaul in urban areas. (See Google Buys Alpental for Potential 5G Future.)
For sure, 5G is at least five or six years away from commercial deployment. In Google's view, I suspect, it never hurts to start pulling in intellectual property that is likely -- though not 100% certain yet -- to be part of the 5G specification. It particularly can't hurt if it can get that -- and radio talent -- from a small company like Alpental now, rather than paying billions for the pleasure later. (See Google Keeps Quiet on Plans for Moto.)
— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading
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