WCA September 2016

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72 Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2016
Telecomnews
China claims a first: an
in-space refuelling system
for orbital communications
satellites
China’s National University of Defense
Technology announced on 30th June
that it had successfully refuelled its
orbiting satellite Tianyuan-1, which
was rocket-launched into space on
7th March from Wenchang in Hainan
Province. As noted by Jon Fingas
of Engadget (2nd July), the “very rare
feat” will keep China’s satellites alive
a while longer, perhaps permitting
adjustments that would otherwise be
Citing a report from The Information, Colin Gibbs of FierceWireless wrote
that Huawei is developing its own mobile operating system (OS) as a
“contingency measure” in the event its relationship with Google should
deteriorate and close the Chinese smartphone vendor away from the Android
platform. The Silicon Valley-based digital news site reported on 22nd June
that Huawei had engaged a former Apple user interface designer to help
create a new version of EMUI, an Android-based UI, for its handsets.
The Information said that Abigail Brody, the one time Apple executive
brought in for the overhaul, confirmed her participation in the project.
Huawei, a major player in the global smartphone market, was reported
to have a team working on the new OS in Scandinavia, with ex-Nokia
employees among the engineers.
“There’s virtually no evidence of consumer demand for a third mobile OS,
of course,” observed Mr Gibbs, noting that even deep-pocketed companies
like Microsoft have failed to shake the dominance of Google’s Android
and Apple’s iOS. And, while carriers claim they would welcome more
competition, they have not aggressively marketed any alternative platform in
years. (“Report: Huawei Developing Its Own Mobile OS,” 23rd June). Still, he
said, Huawei’s move makes sense on a few levels. Google has increasingly
asserted control over its own platform in response to a growing number of
handset vendors – particularly in China – that have essentially co-opted the
platform. And Huawei, the world’s third-largest smartphone vendor behind
Samsung and Apple, may have a big enough global footprint for a new OS.
Mr Gibbs also pointed out that margins are slimming in the hardware
business as growth slows in the smartphone market, and nearly every major
mobile hardware company is increasingly focusing on software and services.
He wrote: “Developing its own mobile platform is a relatively small gamble
that may eventually pay big dividends for Huawei.”
Ø Another reader of The Information (which covers in depth just two
tech-orientated stories a day and charges $399 a year to read them)
is James Vincent of The Verge. Mr Vincent took note (23rd June) of the
acknowledgment by Huawei’s new hire Ms Brody that the company’s
lacklustre product line holds little appeal for Western customers. The
designer, according to The Information, said she wants to overcome
the company’s “pain points” and “glaring cosmetic issues.” She was
also quoted by the publication as saying that one day Huawei could
become “the world’s Number One, the most advanced and favourite
‘lifestyle-centric’ ecosystem, and without having to copy Apple at all,
ever!”
An independent-minded Huawei is reported to be
developing its own mobile OS – also smartening up
the product
impractical. According to Mr Fingas,
keeping a satellite in orbit for even
a year or two longer could mean
savings of “massive amounts of
money,” and an effort like China’s
represents an important first step
for the technology. It could also
advance the fight against space junk
by slowing the proliferation of dead or
useless satellites.
Some Western satellite developers
are believed to be working on the
refuelling of communications satellites
in orbit. And Chris Forrester wrote
on (4th
July) that a few satellite operators
– including Intelsat and SES, both
Luxembourg-based – have expressed
strong interest in the technology.
A tale of two surveys on
5G: telecoms want it, and
so do other companies
– even if they are not
altogether clear what it is
Two recent surveys, both focused
on fifth generation mobile networks,
were conducted among two different
populations. One set of responses
was collected by Sweden’s Ericsson
from telecom executives; the other,
by China’s Huawei in partnership with
the USA business magazine Forbes ,
from executives of other businesses
around the world. As reported by
Guy Daniels, the editorial director of
Telecom TV (London), there was “a
huge disparity” between the two sets
of results. (“Company Executives
Have No Idea About 5G; Tell That to
the Telcos,” 15th June)
Ericsson commissioned a detailed
survey of 100 technology leaders at
telecom operators in North America,
Europe, Asia Pacific, and Central
and Latin America, asking about
their plans for 5G adoption. Some 87
per cent agreed with the statement
“5G will be a real game-changer for
us.” In addition, 92 per cent of these
respondents expressed a belief that
5G paves the way for the emergence
of new technologies; 86 per cent, that
5G enables a wider range of services
than any network has yet offered;
and 86 per cent, that 5G augurs new
business models and technology.
The Ericsson survey disclosed a
distinct regional split on expectations
for 5G adoption. Some 66 per cent
of European and North American
operators believe 5G will be more
consumer-driven, while 61 per cent
of Asia Pacific and Central and Latin
America operators expect it to be
more business-driven. Unfortunately,
the reasons for this division are
unclear, wrote Mr Daniels, who
suggested that it would be a useful
exercise to dig deeper into it.
As to what businesses think,
the Huawei/Forbes survey at the
end of last year enquired into the
requirements of over 1,100 executives
in various fields. Over one-third
of the respondents said that their
current systems cannot support the
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