Eurobites: Orange & Ericsson Test 5G in Warsaw

News Analysis Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe 9/11/2019

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Vodafone goes deeper in Kaltura's cloud; ADVA lands Russian data center contract; Deutsche Telekom revs up its blockchain scooters.

Orange Poland and Ericsson have launched a 5G test network in Warsaw, racking up download speeds of close to 900 Mbit/s, they say. Nine sites were set up in the districts of Ochota and Powiśle, operating on the 80MHz channel in the 3.4-3.6GHz band. The tests are using currently available 5G devices, including more than 100 smartphones and routers. Orange expects the first commercial rollouts of its 5G offering will take place from 2020-2021, once it has secured the necessary frequencies.

Elsewhere on Planet Orange, its Technology and Innovation Division is welcoming two new recruits: Karine Dussert-Sarthe joins as director of product marketing and design, while Steve Jarrett becomes SVP of data and artificial intelligence. Jarrett has been involved will all things mobile for more than 25 years, working with Apple on the original iPod.

Vodafone is turning to Kaltura's cloud-based platform to support the launch of the mobile giant's TV services in Greece, Romania and Portugal. The move is an expansion of an existing relationship between the two companies covering Spain and Italy.

In other cloud news, Russian cloud service provider Inoventica has chosen ADVA's FSP 3000 platform to help it cope with increased demand from enterprise and carrier customers. The arrangement is expected to boost the capacity of Inoventica's backbone network to 100 Gbit/s and beyond.

Deutsche Telekom's blue-skies-thinking T-Labs unit is launching a blockchain-based e-mobility pilot centered on a fleet of electric scooters which will be provided for use by DT employees working at the operator's headquarters in Bonn. Called Xride, the pilot is powered by the ståx blockchain platform, and the idea is that e-mobility related issues such as identity management, data verification, payments and vehicle charging are fully decentralized and become less of a faff, doing away with the need for multiple logins for the user and addressing data storage problems for the provider.

Easier Rider

Deutsche Telekom reckons its blockchain scooters address problems related to e-mobility.

Russia's MTS has appointed Igor Mishin vice president of its Media division. The operator is looking develop a range of branded channels for content delivery, including cable, IPTV, satellite and its MTS TV mobile app. Mishin has produced a number of TV shows and movies, and worked for two years for TNT, a popular Russian TV network.

Telefónica UK (O2) has won a place on the UK's Network Services 2 procurement framework, which provides public sector organizations with access to various telecom services including networks, voice and data provision and Internet access. The listing follows a three-year application process and competitive tender.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading