The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona remains one of the year’s most anticipated events, and this edition set new records: 108,000 attendees from 208 countries and around 3,000 exhibitors across the vast Fira Gran Via exhibition centre. The scale and diversity of the show made it a compelling showcase for the latest mobile and IoT … Read more
This week I spoke with Pavan Mathew, Global Head of Automotive Telematics at Telefónica, in an exclusive interview about a company report that argues the car industry must reinvent itself to take full advantage of the connected future. As our lives become increasingly digital, we expect everyday devices to be connected — not only to … Read more
NTT DoCoMo has announced a successful demonstration of 28 GHz wireless data transmission between a 5G base station and a mobile unit inside a car traveling at nearly 190 mph. This test marks a significant step toward enabling high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity at very high speeds. The trial was carried out on April 8 at the … Read more
(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Piotr Adamowicz) The surge in smart devices largely drove wireless operators to rapidly deploy 4G LTE networks across many regions. Handling the explosive growth in data consumption has shaped mobile operators’ strategies for years: not only to supply bandwidth to data-hungry subscribers but also to protect profit margins expected by shareholders. Today, 5G … Read more
Many have declared SMS obsolete. Industry reports show over-the-top (OTT) messaging traffic growing rapidly—Informa predicted OTT volumes would be twice those of person-to-person (P2P) SMS by the end of 2013, and last year more than 19.1 billion OTT messages were sent. Those figures demonstrate a real impact on SMS traffic and operator revenue. However, the … Read more
The UK government has announced two new laboratories to speed up the development, testing and deployment of 5G OpenRAN technology. One of the new SONIC Labs will be located in London and the other in Brighton. These facilities will allow multiple manufacturers to supply components for 5G radio equipment and test their interoperability and performance … Read more
In discussions about mobile payments and a move toward a cashless society, the technology to support such systems has long existed; the main obstacles have been regulation and practical implementation. Recently, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Finance took a significant step by recognising Bitcoin as a “unit of account.” This classification means Bitcoin can be used … Read more
Meta (formerly Facebook) launched a program to provide free internet access to people in developing countries who might not otherwise afford connectivity. While the initiative aimed to expand access, documents obtained by whistleblower Francis Haugen and published by The Wall Street Journal reveal that the service sometimes ended up costing users money. Meta benefits when … Read more
(c)iStock.com/JasonDoiy If you’ve spent any time on major social networks recently, you’ve likely seen a popular quote—originally from a TechCrunch article—pointing out how some of the world’s biggest companies operate without owning traditional assets: “In 2015, Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles; Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content; … Read more
Telecommunications has been a lucrative revenue source for governments worldwide over the past decade. For example, the Canadian government recently raised more than $5.3 billion by auctioning spectrum licenses to telecom companies. Beyond one-time spectrum sales, many jurisdictions also collect ongoing taxes on voice and data services supplied by local providers. The potential revenue from … Read more