Mobile & Wireless Roundup No. 106

Welcome to the 106th edition of this newsletter. Some 100 issues back I wrote about how small but consistent changes eventually make a big impact. To support the statement I quoted Robert Collier who once said, "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

The reason I bring up this topic again is because some people and companies misunderstand this. I have noticed that some smaller companies hire cheap marketeers to keep on unnecessarily commenting on other people posts without understanding what the posts are about. While they may get a small bump in the number of followers in the short-term, people will soon realise that they are just spamming.

Another approach is to create a newsletter that is an amalgamation of other newsletters that show you are on the pulse of what’s happening and have all this amazing information. The problem is that many people have overlapping connections on LinkedIn so it’s easy to see what’s going on there.

The best is the one where people share latest PDF documents where the firms/vendors are looking to collect leads and writing the summary as it’s their own. Many people just give those posts a like without understanding what’s happening. The funny thing is when people write in comments, “nicely explained” or “well written”, the authors do not clarify that the text is not written by them but copied. From past experience, LinkedIn does not encourage reporting unless you are the copyright holder.

I am just wondering since when did it become acceptable to steal other people’s content and not give credit?

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a technologist with over 25 years’ experience in mobile wireless technology, currently working as an independent advisor, analyst, consultant and a trainer. This newsletter is a summary of my posts and other news that caught my attention since the last newsletter.

⦿ 6G

• Fierce Network - Can't get there from here: 6G requires 5G SA (link)
• Eureka!: University of Glasgow researchers develop 2D metamaterial for 6G networks (link)
• TelecomTV: India to establish new research hub for quantum tech, 6G (link)
• 5G Americas - ITU’s IMT-2030 Vision: Navigating Towards 6G in the Americas (PR, link)
• Free 6G Training: Integrating Sensing And Communications (ISAC) for Enhanced System Efficiencies and New User Experiences (link)

⦿ 5G

• Operator Watch Blog: A Billion for China and China Mobile (link)
• RCR Wireless: Reliance Jio Infocomm trials 5G network slicing in India (link)
• Thierry Van de Velde on LinkedIn: "ALERT: Major global slowdown in #3GPP #5GSA deployments. For sure the absence of implementation of #URLLC, #mMTC, #PNINPN, #5GLAN and other #3GPP R16-R17-R18 standards is cooling down the MNOs' appetite as they have reached 2 Bn #5GNSA subscribers. 3 more issues…" (link)
• Free – France’s first telco to offer 5G SA on a national scale (PR) – “…also the first telco in France to launch VoNR (Voice over New Radio)”
• An Introduction to Mobility Robustness Optimization (MRO) in 5G NR (link)

⦿ 2G/3G

• Developing Telecoms: Vietnam delays 2G shutoff in wake of Super Typhoon Yagi (link)

⦿ Open & Disaggregated Networks (including Open RAN, vRAN, etc.)

• Why OCP’s Focus on 3GPP Capable Private Networks is the Key to Unlocking Radio Innovation (link)
• ODIN: Japan Expands Global Partnerships to Boost its Open RAN and 5G Ambitions (link)
• ATIS Minimum Viable Profile Simplifies and Accelerates Open RAN Adoption in North America (Press Release – PR) - Manoharan Ramalingam is not very impressed. His reservations on LinkedIn post here.
• The Fast Mode - RIC: The Next Phase of Open RAN (link)

⦿ Spectrum

• Navigating the Airwaves: The Future of Spectrum in Wi-Fi and Cellular Networks (link)
• Dean Bubley on LinkedIn: "The Saudi Arabian regulator Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) has published a white paper on the future of #spectrum sharing, which I researched and wrote on their behalf…" (link)
• People often refer to 5G band n77 as starting after n78 but n78 is a subset of n77. Band 48 is CBRS band for LTE as well as 5G. (link)

⦿ Private Networks

• Private Networks Technology Blog: Private 5G Networks for Business Continuity across Industries (link)

⦿ Telecoms Infrastructure, Small Cells, Antennas & others

• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: High-Speed FWA Using mmWave With the Help of Li-Fi (link)
• Peter Clarke on LinkedIn - EE, Ericsson Networks and CommScope: perfection in performance no matter the access technology (link)
• Paul Rhodes on LinkedIn - Monday Musings: Powering Up! (link)
• Paul Rhodes on LinkedIn - Thursday School: Too Much? (link)

⦿ IoT / M2M / Smart Homes

• RCR Wireless: Module maker u-blox intros first terrestrial-and-satellite cellular IoT module (link)
• RCR Wireless: Qualcomm explains 5G RedCap (Part 2) (link)

⦿ Virtualization, Cloud & Edge

• Alok Tripathi on LinkedIn: What’s Next for RAN Baseband (BB) ? (link)

⦿ Security & Privacy

• Silke Holtmanns on LinkedIn: “I suggest to have a look at the last presentation in that link from the HITB Conference. It is from Sergey Anufrienko and Alexander Kozlov (both Kaspersky). In short, a SMS is used to break the security of the Gemalto M2M eUICC (embedded SIM), a midlet is installed and then all the AT commands (vendor+standard) are usable…” (link)
• Lory Piccirilli Thorpe on LinkedIn: "The transition to Post Quantum Cryptography starts with an understanding of where and how cryptography is being used today…" (link)
• Dr. David Rupprecht on LinkedIn: "📢 I love good systematization papers! They provide dense information, offer a great overview, and set important directions for future research. That's why I'm thrilled about a new SoK paper in the 5G domain: "SoK: Evaluating 5G Protocols Against Legacy and Emerging Privacy and Security Attacks"… " (link)
• Silke Holtmanns on LinkedIn: "New ENISA threat landscape is out....we are slowly approaching Halloween 🎃" (link)

⦿ Satellites, HAPS, Drones, UAVs & Space

• SoftBank Corp. and Intelsat Launch Landmark Collaboration to Create Ubiquitous Network (PR)

• Ericsson joins Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA) to advance a NTN ecosystem and expand global connectivity (PR)
• The Register: Starlink's new satellites emit 30x more radio interference than before, drowning cosmic signals (link)
• Light Reading: Telco-satellite partnerships point the way to a hetnet future (link)
• Via Satellite - D2D Market: Execs Believe Customers Will be Willing to Pay for Connectivity (link) – “I don’t know how big the market will be. None of us know the size of the market, the willingness to pay, where it will be licensed”
• Space News: U.S. military satellites built by York Space demonstrate optical communications in orbit (link)

⦿ Smartphones, Devices, Wearables & Gadgets

• The Verge: Apple gets FDA authorization to turn the AirPods Pro into hearing aids (link)
• MWL: Vodacom South Africa unveils $14 4G phone in latest accessibility push (link) (PR)

⦿ AI, ML & Automation

• RCR Wireless: Three ways AT&T aims to apply gen AI in the network (link)
• TelecomTV: T-Mobile US, Nvidia take the AI-RAN initiative (link)
• MWL: GSMA tackles AI ethics with industry-wide initiative (link)
• TelecomTV: Nvidia ramps up its AI-RAN play (link)
• Light Reading: China's hectic AI rollout has left data centers idling (link)
• RCR Wireless: Abstracting complexity in pursuit of network automation, monetization (link)
• TelecomTV - From automation to AI: Reimagining telecom operations (video)
• James Crawshaw on LinkedIn: "Some insightful analysis by Iain Morris and Ray Le Maistre about the launch of NVIDIA's AI Aerial. Both links below. Aerial can do the Layer 1 (physical layer) functions in a RAN…" (link)

⦿ Wi-Fi

• From niche to mainstream: Wi-Fi Alliance® founders share the story behind the early days of Wi-Fi® (link)
• Light Reading: New proposed changes for public Wi-Fi hotspot scheme rattle telcos in India (link)

⦿ Metaverse & Extended Reality (XR)

• MWL: IDC issues gloomy AR, VR device outlook for 2024 (link)
• Qualcomm OnQ Blog: How AI and smart glasses give you a new perspective on real life (link)

• MWL: Social media giants sharpen smart eyewear focus (link)
• Telefónica, Ericsson and MATSUKO successfully integrate Holographic Calls into a Smartphone Dialer using IMS Data Channel (PR)

⦿ Public Safety Networks

• GSMA APAC Webinar on "Advancing Public Safety Critical Communication: From Voice-Centric to Data-Driven Solutions" (link)

⦿ Sustainability

• Virgin Media O2 works with EkkoSense to unlock data centre cooling energy savings worth over £1 million per year (PR)

⦿ Other News and Technology Stuff

• TechSpot: With 2nm yields at 10-20%, Samsung delays production at Texas plant (link)
• Dean Bubley on LinkedIn: Some thoughts on the Ericsson + 12 telcos #NetworkAPI venture (link)
• Geoff Hollingworth on LinkedIn: My opinion on the new API company... (link)
• Juniper Research: Communications APIs to Generate $35 Billion for Operators Globally by 2027 (PR)

⦿ Picture of the week: KDDI (Au) Infobar was originally launched in 2003. Mobile Phone Museum has a summary here. It wasn’t a one-off project but resulted in a variety of designs, including a transformer toy. You can read this on GSM History here.

KDDI has been working for a while on resurrecting the project with the launch of First-generation INFOBAR-style Apple Watch Case. It is essentially a case for cellular model of Apple watch. You can read the details here (in Japanese). You can also watch this 11 min video (in Japanese too) if you want to see how it works.

Happy to hear your thoughts. Feel free let me know what worked, what didn’t, how I can make this better, etc. Get in touch over LinkedIn!

PDF version of this and previous newsletters are available here.