As we have all been confined to our homes over the past three months, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, video conferencing has become the ultimate new alternative to face-to-face interactions.

Huawei has released a report on the 10 emerging telecom energy trends in 2025 in an effort to provide a reference for operators on site infrastructure construction.

The telecommunications sector has always been at the forefront of innovation in the way that it has been connecting people and driving digital transformation in other industries for decades. Telcos have helped businesses all over the world to comprehend and unlock their full potential through digitalization. It has a proven track-record of being the ultimate key enabler in advancing the commercial world into the fourth industrial revolution.

T-Mobile and Nokia announced a landmark $3.5 billion agreement to accelerate the deployment of a nationwide 5G network. Nokia will provide T-Mobile with its complete end-to-end 5G technology, software and services portfolio, assisting the Un-carrier in its efforts to bring its 5G network to market for customers in the critical first years of the 5G cycle.

The Oman Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has held a workshop to accelerate the development of 5G connectivity in the Sultanate, leveraging the latest technologies from around the world to spur national competitiveness in line with Oman Vision 2040.

On July 16th, Trace Media, parent company of the Middle East’s leading telecom news platform, Telecom Review, held a webinar, of around 200 attendees, which was endorsed by SAMENA, IPv6 Forum, ETSI EANTC and OMDIA to discuss the latest global trends in the IPv6 industry, as well as the outlook for IPv6+.

Matt Warman, the Minister for Digital and Broadband in the UK, has said that he plans to write to all UK planning authorities to not block the country’s 5G rollout without “legitimate grounds and evidence” citing the health dangers of 5G.

Telecommunications operator O2 has claimed that UK cities could potentially save £6bn per-year by upgrading to 5G. The findings are a result of a comprehensive report entitled 'The value of 5G for cities and communities' which was conducted by the UK operator.

The Telecommunications (Security) Bill aims to give the government unprecedented new powers to boost the security standards of the UK’s telecom networks and reduce the risks of cyber threats. The bill is now on the Report Stage of the Parliament.

Nokia, ABB and Kalmar, part of Cargotec, announced they successfully conducted industrial trials that leverage the low latency capabilities of 5G to support time-critical applications and enhance protection and efficiency in smart electricity grid and harbor automation. The trials, conducted as part of the Wireless for Verticals (WIVE) research project, represent one of the first real-world applications of time-critical 5G applications on electricity grid and harbor automation.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has completed its first 5G auction, with a sale of 28GHz spectrum licensing which raised a cool $702 million.

US telecommunications incumbent AT&T has announced that it is collaborating with the City of San Jose in a public-private partnership which aims to foster the creation of a smart city.

As they say, the third time is a charm! T-Mobile and Sprint tell us they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction at a fixed exchange ratio of 0.10256 T-Mobile shares for each Sprint share or the equivalent of 9.75 Sprint shares for each T-Mobile US share. Based on closing share prices on April 27, this represents a total implied enterprise value of approximately $59 billion for Sprint and approximately $146 billion for the combined company. The new company will have a strong closing balance sheet and a fully funded business plan with a strong foundation of secured investment grade debt at close.

A comprehensive study released by CTIA, a US-based industry association of wireless carriers - has claimed that China remains ahead of South Korea in the race to develop and subsequently deploy 5G networks.

US multinational corporation and technology colossus Intel has announced that it is hopeful that it will be in a position to deploy 5G services before 2020. Intel has declared that its 5G Mobile Trial Platform will begin to support standalone new radio (NR) standard when it becomes available later this year. A spokesman for the US conglomerate also claimed it was an 'industry first'.

Verizon's fixed wireless access (FWA) 5G product will go live later this fall and is set to launch in four US cities: Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, the company announced live from GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas 2018. Customers living in these areas will be able to sign-up for the service from 13 September, and receive it starting 1 October.

Verizon has announced that it will be launching mobile 5G services in Minneapolis and Chicago next month.

UK telecommunications colossus Vodafone has partnered with Swedish vendor Ericsson to trial next-generation 5G technology in Ireland’s capital city Dublin. Vodafone has claimed that the trial was a success and the pilot represents the very first live 5G test of the emerging technology in Ireland.

With the prevalence of smart cities and digital transformation seeping their way into the industry and our lives, the role of telecom operators is becoming more crucial than ever before.

When mobile data, video and streaming plans started offering an “all-you-can-eat” menu, they included just that – unlimited usage. Regardless of the amount of data used, the concept was that the subscriber was charged a single fixed rate each month, in order to avoid overage charges and customers’ experiencing bill shock. Many in the industry believed these flat rate tariffs would alleviate the need for billing and rating validations or requiring assurance services. Instead, what transpired was a realization that the complexities of revenue assurance audits simply shifted the goal posts for revenue assurance teams to continue to deliver billing accuracy.