NBN sets a world record for mmWave 5G transmission distance

NBN Co and its partners have set a new world record for long-range mmWave 5G transmission.

The Aussie network operator teamed up with Ericsson, Qualcomm, and Casa Systems to achieve the feat.

Gavin Williams, Co-Chief Development Officer, Regional and Remote at NBN, said:

“The NBN fixed wireless network plays a vital role connecting Australians right across regional and rural parts of the country. We face some unique challenges, not least vast distances and...

14 January 2021 | 5G

Verizon’s plan to shutter its 3G network is put on hold

Verizon is putting its plan to shutter its legacy 3G network on indefinite hold.

Speaking to Light Reading this week, Verizon spokesperson Kevin King said that the company’s “3G network is operational” and that it doesn’t “have a plan to shut it down at this time.”

Verizon has announced vague plans to shutter its 3G network on several occasions. Naturally, this started in 2012 after Verizon deployed its 4G network.

A few years after the deployment...

6 January 2021 | Connectivity

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is stepping down after eight years

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is stepping down from his role after eight years at the US telecoms regulator.

Pai was appointed to the FCC as commissioner in 2012 by President Obama and was promoted to chairman in 2017 by President Trump. Pai has now served notice that he will be stepping down when President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20th.

“It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as Chairman of the FCC...

30 November 2020 | Government

GWS: One-third of Brits suffer from ‘inadequate’ internet speeds

Research by Global Wireless Solutions (GWS) has found that almost one-third of Brits are stuck with “inadequate” internet speeds.

Internet access is now often seen as a human right. Without sufficient connectivity, parts of society – or even entire countries – can be held back compared to others in what’s referred to as the “digital divide”.

For a first-world country, the UK has a shocking digital divide. Inner cities are relatively well-served but the...

25 November 2020 | Broadband

SpaceX will give Starlink launch another go after weekend abort

SpaceX is set to give the launch of its latest batch of Starlink broadband satellites another go after aborting a weekend attempt.

The 16th batch of Starlink satellites was scheduled to launch at 9:56pm EST on Sunday with the 45th Space Wing forecasting the weather to be 70 percent a “go”. Unfortunately, the SpaceX team was forced to call it off.

"Hold, hold, hold," SpaceX's launch director said in a live audio webcast just 30 minutes from launch. "We're standing...

23 November 2020 | Broadband

Nokia unveils further details on NASA partnership to put 4G on the Moon

Nokia has provided further details on its endeavour to put 4G connectivity on the Moon after being named by NASA as a partner.

The company’s pioneering Bell Labs research division is developing the first low-power and end-to-end LTE solution that’s able to handle the rigours of space and the Moon.

Marcus Weldon, CTO at Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs President, said:

"Leveraging our rich and successful history in space technologies, from pioneering satellite...

19 October 2020 | Connectivity

Nokia reaches the 100 commercial 5G agreements milestone

Nokia has reached a significant milestone in the race to become the backbone of global 5G networks.

The Finnish telecoms vendor now has 100 commercial 5G deals and a total of 160 commercial 5G engagements.

Nokia says enterprise customers now make up 12 percent of its 5G deals, with recent private wireless deployments including Deutsche Bahn, Toyota Production Engineering, and Sandvik.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said:

“We are...

2 October 2020 | 5G

5G growth remains ‘healthy’ despite pandemic and economic downturn

Research suggests that a pandemic and resulting economic downturn hasn’t severely impacted 5G rollouts.

While 5G rollouts have slowed, they are continuing at a relatively decent pace.

Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas, said:

“The pace of new commercial 5G network launches has remained healthy through the challenging quarter, as mobile network operators continue to build 5G networks for the long-term.”

In Q2 2020, which covers the first...

24 September 2020 | 5G

FCC chairman used known bad data from ISP now facing a fine

FCC chairman Ajit Pai cited data from BarrierFree to boast of improved rural broadband access, despite warnings that it was overinflated.

The FCC has been on a mission to improve broadband access for rural Americans with the launch of the $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund last year.

On its website, the FCC highlights the scale of the issue:

“In urban areas, 97% of Americans have access to high-speed fixed service. In rural areas, that number falls...

7 September 2020 | Broadband

Three UK awards multi-million backhaul contract to CityFibre

Three UK has awarded a multi-million backhaul contract to CityFibre, the UK's largest alternative provider of fibre infrastructure.

CityFibre has gone from strength-to-strength since it was established in 2012, with network projects ongoing in over 60 cities and plans to reach eight million homes.

The deal with Three will see CityFibre connect an additional 1,300 key mobile masts across 59 towns and cities.

Greg Mesch, CEO at CityFibre, said:

“We...

4 September 2020 | 5G