Eurobites: Ofcom proposes 'hybrid sharing' for 6GHz spectrum band

Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, believes more capacity for Wi-Fi and mobile Internet users could be made available in the upper 6GHz spectrum band, and has proposed something it calls "hybrid sharing" to address the pressure on bandwidth. According to Ofcom, the upper 6GHz spectrum band is currently a bone of contention in the industry, with some favoring the use of the band for the exclusive introduction of licensed mobile use while others are pushing for low-power, license-exempt use, such as Wi-Fi. The regulator believes its alternative approach – hybrid sharing – can address the issue, and it is exploring the possibility of enabling the indoor use of Wi-Fi while also enabling licensed mobile use outdoors as well as possibly enabling licensed mobile use in specific high-traffic locations.

Telefónica has sold a 54% stake in its Peruvian fiber network to KKR, the US-based private equity fund currently at the center of Telecom Italia's travails, and a 10% stake to Entel's local business, Reuters reports. The Spanish operator did not disclose the precise value of the deal but it did say that it cut its debt by €200 million (US$217.8 million).

Alaian, an alliance of eight mainly European telcos (Bouygues Telecom, Cellnex, KPN, MTN, NOS, STC, Telefónica and Wind Tre), has teamed up with US chipmaker Qualcomm to put out a global call for innovative startups working in the fast-developing field of "extended reality" (XR). Those startups that put themselves forward and are chosen to join the Alaian/Qualcomm scheme will be able to access a network of 700 million customers in more than 50 markets offered by the telcos, as well as the Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform and development kits offered by Qualcomm.

Telecom Italia (TIM) has chosen analytics and automation software from Italtel to monitor its network that carries OTT video streaming services. IP Flow End-to-end Monitoring, as the software is called, provides the operator with a view through which to measure how the streaming video applications of the various OTTs are distributed over the network.

Journalists? Who needs 'em?! That's one possible conclusion to be drawn from a trial of an AI-generated "news reporter" carried out by Sky, the UK-based purveyor of pay-TV and more. The reporter was, apparently, able to "pitch a topical, accurate and impartial story idea within one 20-minute software run," without ever stopping to check the scores at Wimbledon or put the kettle on. However, the AI reporter made "critical mistakes," fabricating expert evidence for its piece, which is something Light Reading operatives would never, ever do. Unless it was a particularly slow news day.