WCA November 2018

Telecom news

opportunity by 2026 for telecom operators addressing industry digitalisation with 5G technology. Ø Ø In other news of the Philippines, under the UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Pro- gramme (IPP), the British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat works with the Philippines government to utilise IPP satellite connectivity to help enhance disaster response in the country. On 6 th August, when torrential monsoon rains in Northern and Central Luzon affected over two million Filipinos and led to the evacuation of 560,000 people from their homes under threat of flooding and landslides, Inmarsat’s high-speed Global Xpress service was deployed from a forward operations centre just outside the affected area. With terrestrial communications either down or unreliable and more monsoon rains forecast, Global Xpress provided the disaster response teams with connectivity enabling the flow of information in and out of the disaster zones and the control of recovery operations. Ø Ø According to IDC (International Data Corp) in New Delhi, India, smartphone companies shipped a total of 33.5 million units to India during the second quarter of 2018 (2Q18), resulting in 20 per cent year-over-year growth. IDC attributes this showing to “a slew” of online launches and strong shipments by offline vendors on the back of vigorous promotional activity. However, Upasana Joshi, associate research manager of client devices for IDC India, warned on 13 th August that the domestic market is seeing rapid consolidation at the top end. The leading five vendors made up 79 per cent of the smartphone market in 2Q18, marginalising smaller brands. With its growing offline presence Xiaomi remains the leader in the Indian smartphone market, sending 33 per cent of its shipments through offline channels in 2Q18. Huawei climbed to second position in the online segment, with an all-time high eight per cent share in the second quarter of this year.

In Mr MacQueen’s view, the major factor holding back the market for dedicated AR devices is simply the cost of the hardware, a factor that will dwindle as the market evolves toward devices that offer higher quality experiences. Strategy Analytics expects total shipments to reach just under ten million units globally by 2023, with further growth projected as prices continue to decline to more consumer-friendly levels. Ø Ø President and CEO Börje Ekholm, of Ericsson, has said that the USA is the Swedish telecom’s largest market, accounting for a quarter of its business over the last seven years. Ericsson announced on 10 th August that, to support the accelerated buildout of 5G in the USA, it will increase its investment in the market, enabling the company to meet growing demand for 5G in the region as well as globally. (Ericsson Mobility Report) In late 2017, Ericsson opened the 15,000ft 2 Austin ASIC Design Center in Austin, Texas, to focus on core microelectronics of 5G radio base stations to accelerate the path to 5G commercialisation. Additionally, the company intends to increase its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, employing around 100 specialists in North America by the end of 2018. Ericsson predicts that 5G subscriptions will reach the 150 million mark in North America by the end of 2023, accounting for 48 per cent of all mobile subscriptions. Ø Ø Elsewhere at Ericsson, the Swedish company celebrated 30 years of operations in the Philippines by showcasing the first live demonstration of 5G technology in the country and announcing a memorandum of understanding with PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications to launch a 5G pilot network in 2019. The pilot network will be deployed in Luzon, the largest and most populated island in the Philippines. According to Ericsson’s 5G Business Potential report, the Philippines represents an estimated $1.8 billion revenue

As reported by Bevin Fletcher in CED (10 th August), in Ms Rosenworcel’s statement to the FCC’s 14 th Broad- band Deployment Report Notice of Inquiry, she said that the agency “fundamentally errs” in proposing a continued national standard of 25 Mbps. “I believe this goal is insufficiently audacious,” said Ms Rosenworcel. “It is time to be bold and move the national broadband standard from 25 megabits to 100 Megabits per second.” Ms Fletcher noted that the 2017 report used the 25 Mbps threshold to determine that pacing of broadband deployment in the USA is both reasonable and timely. Commissioner Rosenworcel said that that she feared the stage was being set for a repeat of last year, citing “clear evidence” of 24 million Americans still without broadband. She said: “[Last year’s report] ignored too many people in too many places struggling to access high-speed service and dealing with connectivity that falls short of what is necessary for full participation in the digital age.” USA’s Ms Rosenworcel also said that, when price is factored in, at this speed the USA “is not even close” to leading the world. “That is not where we should be and if in the future we want to change this we need both a more powerful goal and a plan to reach it,” she said. “Our failure to commit to that course here is disappointing.” London-based Strategy Analytics , consumers are becoming accustomed to augmented reality (AR) technology on their smartphones. Yet sales of AR headsets are barely in the hundreds of thousands of units. David MacQueen, author of the company’s report “Dedicated AR Devices – Market and Outlook”, noted that the AR device market was “kickstarted” in 2013 when Google, Apple, Microsoft and other major players made serious investments in the field. Five years on, however, even as much of that technology has found its way onto smartphones, dedicated AR headsets have remained a niche product. Elsewhere in telecom . . . Ø Ø According to

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Wire & Cable ASIA – November/December 2018