Casa Systems and Google Cloud strengthen partnership to progress cloud-native 5G SA core, MEC, and mobile private networks

Andover, MA based Casa Systems [1.] today announced a strategic technology and distribution partnership with Google Cloud to further advance and differentiate Casa Systems and Google Cloud’s integrated cloud native software and service offerings. The partnership  provides for formalized and coordinated global sales, marketing, and support engagement, whereby Casa Systems and Google Cloud will offer Communication Service Providers (CSPs) and major enterprises integrated Google Cloud-Casa Systems solutions for cloud-native 5G core, 5G SA multi-access edge computing (MEC), and enterprise mobile private network use cases.  It’s yet another partnership between a telecom company and a cloud service provider (e.g. AWS, Azure are the other two) to produce cloud native services and software.

This new partnership enables Google Cloud and Casa Systems’ technical teams to engage deeply with one another to enable the seamless integration of Casa Systems’ cloud-native software solutions and network functions with Google Cloud, for best-in-class solution offerings with optimized ease-of-use and support for telecom and enterprise customers. Furthermore, Casa Systems and Google Cloud will also collaborate on the development of unique, new features and capabilities to provide competitive differentiation for the combined Google Cloud – Casa Systems solution offering. Additionally, this partnership provides the companies with a foundation on which to build more tightly coordinated and integrated sales efforts between Casa Systems and Google Cloud sales teams globally.

“We are delighted to formalize our partnership with Google Cloud and more quickly drive the adoption of our cloud-native 5G Core and 5G SA MEC solutions, as well as our other software solutions,” said Jerry Guo, Chief Executive Officer at Casa Systems. “This partnership provides the foundation for Casa Systems and Google Cloud’s continued collaboration, ensuring we remain at the cutting edge with our cloud-native, differentiated software solutions, and that the products and services we offer our customers are best-in-class and can be efficiently brought to market globally. We look forward to working with Google Cloud to develop and deliver the solutions customers need to succeed in the cloud, and to a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”

“We are pleased to formalize our relationship with Casa Systems with the announcement of this multifaceted strategic partnership,” said Amol Phadke, managing director and general manager, Global Telecom Industry, Google Cloud. “We have been working with Casa Systems for over two years and believe that they have a great cloud-native 5G software technology platform and team, and that they are a new leader in the cloud-native 5G market segment. The partnership will enable a much wider availability of premium solutions and services for our mutual telecommunications and enterprise customers and prospects.”

Casa also partnered with Google Cloud last year to integrate its 5G SA core with a hyperscaler public cloud, in order to deliver ultra-low latency applications.

Note 1. Casa Systems, Inc. delivers the core-to-customer building blocks to speed 5G transformation with future-proof solutions and cutting-edge bandwidth for all access types. In today’s increasingly personalized world, Casa Systems creates disruptive architectures built specifically to meet the needs of service provider networks. Our suite of open, cloud-native network solutions unlocks new ways for service providers to build networks without boundaries and maximizes revenue-generating capabilities. Commercially deployed in more than 70 countries, Casa Systems serves over 475 Tier 1 and regional service providers worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.casa-systems.com.

Image Courtesy of Casa Systems

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References:

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/cloud/casa-systems-google-cloud-tout-combined-cloud-native-offering

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/tech/casa-systems-teams-google-to-deliver-cloud-native-5g-standalone-core

Neos Networks and Giganet partner to deliver FTTP to millions of UK homes

Dark Fiber network operator Neos Networks has announced a new partnership with Giganet, aiming to support the ISP’s burgeoning FTTP rollout with backhaul and data centre services.

Giganet currently offers customers access to its gigabit services through a variety of network providers, including Openreach and CityFibre, reaching millions of homes across the UK. In fact, earlier this year, Giganet announced that they had extended their partnership with CityFibre, thereby making their services available to customers across the entirety of CityFibre’s UK network.

However, last year Giganet announced they would also be rolling out their own FTTP network directly, investing £250 million to cover underserved areas of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, and West Sussex.

In total, the company hopes to reach 300,000 premises with full fibre over the next four years, with its core network and first four exchange rings set to be live by the end of 2022.

As this new network grows, it will need additional backhaul capacity and support – something that Neos, with its 550 unbundled exchange network, is well positioned to provide.

“Neos Networks rose to the challenge of providing us with resilient and high capacity backhaul circuits across a wide range of exchanges as well as our core data centres,” explained Matthew Skipsey, Chief Technology Officer at Giganet. “Using Neos Networks, we have been able to secure connectivity to our points of presence faster than expected, initially enabling each of our first four regional rings with resilient 100Gb/s backhaul. This means our south coast roll-out is progressing at pace.”

This network expansion project will see Neos support Giganet to deliver a more than tenfold capacity increase.

“Both Neos Networks and Giganet have adopted a collaborative approach to this relationship. This has resulted not only in solutions being delivered faster than ever, as the Giganet network grows, it also gives us the ability to transition connectivity between points of presence without any disruption,” explained Sarah Mills, Chief Revenue Officer at Neos Networks. “There is no doubt that by working in partnership with alternative network providers, like Giganet, UK residents will benefit from a better, faster, and more resilient connectivity.”

Matthew Skipsey added: “The ready availability of high-quality resilient connections to our points of presence, undoubtedly enabled us to quickly roll-out hyperfast, full broadband to a marketplace hungry for improved connectivity.”

References:

Giganet chooses Neos Networks to drive UK network expansion

https://totaltele.com/giganet-teams-up-with-neos-networks-to-support-new-fibre-rollout/

Bloomberg: Chip Sales to Slow Further as Global Recession Fears Mount

Semiconductor sales are set to grow more slowly than previously expected as the international economy struggles under the weight of rapid interest-rate increases and rising geopolitical risks, fueling fears of a global recession.  That will adversely effect telecom equipment and handset vendors that depend on advanced semiconductors to build their products.

World Semiconductor Trade Statistics, a non-profit body that tracks shipments, lowered its market outlook to 13.9% growth this year from a previous 16.3%.

In 2023, it sees chip sales rising just 4.6%, the weakest pace since 2019.

World chip sales forecasts slashed as economic concerns rise

The semiconductor market is still expected to surpass $600 billion this year, WSTS says. Next year’s forecast growth would be the weakest since a 12% drop in sales at the height of the U.S.-China trade war.

Chip sales are an important indicator of global economic activity as households and firms increasingly rely on digital devices and online services to consume and expand. President Joe Biden this month signed the so-called CHIPS and Science Act aimed at strengthening the U.S. semiconductor industry as China races to expand its own chip-making capacity.  Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) is a partially state-owned publicly-listed Chinese pure-play semiconductor foundry company. It is the largest contract chip maker in mainland China and 5th largest globally behind TSMC, Samsung, United Microelectronics Corporation, and GlobalFoundries.

Japan will probably see the strongest sales growth at 5% next year, followed by the Americas at 4.8% and the Asia-Pacific at 4.7%, according to WSTS. Europe, where Russia’s war on Ukraine is reverberating across the continent’s economy, will likely post an expansion of just 3.2%.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last month downgraded its global growth forecast and said 2023 may be tougher than this year. A Bloomberg Economics model sees a 100% probability of a US recession within the next 24 months.

Based in Morgan Hill, California, WSTS includes among its members Texas Instruments Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp and Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology Co., according to its website.

References:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-23/chip-sales-set-to-ease-further-as-global-recession-fears-mount

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-16/chipmakers-pandemic-boom-turns-to-bust-with-recession-looming

Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTC) to provide Internet access on Mt. Kilimanjaro

The Tanzanian government has announced that state-owned mobile operator Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTC) has begun connecting Mt. Kilimanjaro– Africa’s highest mountain – to the internet.

The government said that it had completed the installation of telecommunications equipment 3,720 meters up the mountainside, providing access to a high-speed broadband connection for the thousands of climbers that visit the mountain every year.
By the end of this year, TTC says it will have deployed infrastructure covering Kilimanjaro’s summit at 5,895 metres (19,341 feet) above sea level.  The specific technologies used to provide these Internet services available and the speeds  have not been revealed.
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Climbing the Mountain:
Mt. Kilimanjaro is not a technical mountain climb. There are several trails that lead to the summit which take between 5 and 8 days, depending on the hiker’s physical condition and stamina.  Most climbers are encouraged to tackle the mountain when the weather is driest as it is safer and much more enjoyable. Precipitation is lowest from August to October, making those the best months to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
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“Today Up on Mount Kilimanjaro: I am hoisting high-speed INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS (BROADBAND) on the ROOF OF AFRICA,” wrote Tanzania’s minister of information, communication and information technology, Nape Moses Nnauye in a tweet.
The Tanzania government says that the infrastructure deployment will allow for greater safety while up on the mountain, giving climbers better access to emergency services, as well as navigation and weather information.
While this is certainly a major advantage for prospective climbers, mountaineering organisations have warned climbers to be wary of an overreliance on fallible technology.
Beyond safety concerns, perhaps a bigger driver for this infrastructure deployment is the connectivity’s potential positive impact on tourism.
In recent years, the Tanzanian government has been realigning its tourism strategy with regard to the continent’s most famous mountain, including last year announcing a controversial plan to build a cable car on mountain’s southern slope. Allowing tourists to post pictures and engage with social media while climbing the mountain itself, will surely be a boon for the country’s tourism board.
Another interested party that seems particularly excited about this announcement has been the Chinese government, which has been helping Tanzania to invest in connectivity infrastructure for many years.
According to data from the Tanzania Investment Center (TIC), China is Tanzania’s largest source of foreign investment, funding projects transportation, manufacturing, mining, tourism, agriculture, fishing, agro-processing, and, indeed, telecommunications. In 2017, for example, China’s Exim Bank loaned the Tanzanian government $70 million for the rollout of the first phase of the nation’s fibre optic backbone project.  Tanzania is also a key location in the Chinese government’s Belt and Road Initiative.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that China will have helped put connectivity equipment on a mountaintop. Back in 2020, Huawei and China Mobile announced that they had deployed 5G connectivity at the summit of Mount Everest, describing it is achieving ‘mission impossible.’
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References:

Nokia and Safaricom complete Africa’s first Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) 5G network slicing trial

Nokia today announced that it has successfully piloted its 4G and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network slicing with mobile operator, Safaricom on its live commercial network. This is the first-time 4G/5G network slicing has been successfully achieved in Africa. The trial utilized a multi-vendor network environment and included RAN, transport and core as well as software upgrades to a range of Nokia’s products and services.

The successful trial demonstrates that Safaricom is now poised to support new types of enterprise network services, including fast lane internet access and application slicing. In addition, Nokia is enabling secured FWA slice connectivity to enterprise locations, as well as to private or public application clouds.

The multi-vendor pilot which took place in Kenya’s Western Region, strengthens the strategic partnership between the two companies, with Nokia already providing a wide variety of services and solutions. The pilot demonstrated a number of solutions including Nokia’s AirScale 4G/5G base stations, the NetAct network management and assurance system and Nokia’s FastMile 4G/5G CPE.

Network slicing (which requires a 5G SA Core Network) enables operators the ability to divide a network into multiple virtual slices, which can be optimized for a specific target application or service. The end user of each network slice can then be serviced with different priorities, routing, levels of network performance and security capabilities. Slices can be managed and deployed in minutes, and each one has key performance indicators used for service assurance.

Nokia’s 4G/5G network slicing solution (SORRY, no such thing as 4G network slicing), which received a prestigious award from GTI 2021 in the ‘Innovative Breakthrough in Mobile Technology’ category, supports LTE, 5G NSA and 5G SA technologies with slice service continuity between the networks. This enables slicing services for all LTE and 5G devices.

James MaitaiNetwork DirectorSafaricomsaid“We are proud to have hosted Africa’s first successful pilot of 4G/5G FWA slicing on our network, and looking forward to tailoring our service offerings to individual customers and industries, to meet their needs for high-speed connectivity precisely and without unnecessary cost. Nokia’s expertise has been key to this success, and we anticipate many more strategic wins in this area as our business expands.”

Ramy Hashem, Head of Safaricom Customer Team at Nokia, said“It is great to have successfully completed this pilot with Safaricom, which is a huge step forward in providing Safaricom with state-of-the-art connectivity. Early experience of new slicing technology is invaluable in understanding the new business opportunities it enables. Nokia was the first vendor to offer a slicing solution and we are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Safaricom in providing world-class 4G and 5G network slicing services to its customers.”

Resources:

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/08/22/nokia-and-safaricom-complete-africas-first-fixed-wireless-access-5g-slicing-trial/

Webpage: Automated network slicing
Webpage: 5G Edge Slicing
Webpage: Nokia AirScale
Webpage: Nokia FastMile
Webpage: Nokia 5G RAN
Webpage: Nokia NetAct

PLDT’s Smart Communications collaborates with Omispace for LEO based 5G technologies

Philippines PLDT’s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications is collaborating with U.S.-based Omnispace to explore and demonstrate the capabilities of space-based 5G communications using low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.  That despite there are no standards or completed 3GPP specs for LEO satellite based 5G or any space based 5G.

“This collaboration with Omnispace will allow our companies to work together to define use cases for the Philippine market,” said Arvin L. Siena, Head of PLDT’s Technology Strategy and Transformation Office, adding that possible use cases include enabling 5G connectivity in remote areas, incorporating IoT and sensors for use in monitoring weather disturbances and natural calamities, and augmenting network coverage for disaster relief, maritime and telematics for vessels and equipment.“
This is also part of PLDT’s broader initiatives to future-proof our services, including Smart 5G. This includes exploring opportunities to team up with companies like Omnispace, to test the interoperability of our network with their 3GPP-compliant 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN), which will support the 5G ecosystem of the future,” Siena added.Having launched Omnispace Spark-1 and Spark-2 in April and May, respectively, the company recently completed the deployment phase of Omnispace Spark™.
This program is the initial phase in the company’s development and delivery of the world’s first global 5G-capable satellite network.

Conceptual image of Global Positioning System GPS on smart phone

The Omnispace 5G NTN global network will interconnect with terrestrial or land-based mobile networks to serve mobile subscribers utilizing the company’s 2 GHz mobile satellite spectrum allocation and operating in 3GPP band n256.

As the world’s first 3GPP-compliant 5G NTN system, the Omnispace network is expected to deliver the power of 5G directly to billions of devices everywhere, extending the reach of mobile connectivity to enable people and assets to communicate in real-time through a single, seamless global service.

“We are excited to announce this collaborative agreement with Smart Communications, which shares our vision of delivering reliable mobile connectivity to consumer, government and enterprise users, everywhere,” said Brian Pemberton, Omnispace. “Together with Smart, we seek to bridge the digital divide, while also providing the communications infrastructure to power the development of the Filipino economy of the future.”

PLDT and Smart’s pioneering foray into satellite-powered communication is part of their broader initiative to deliver world-class customer services across the country, complementing the nationwide rollout of their fiber infrastructure, and wireless networks based on 4G and 5G technologies.

References:

Smart, Omnispace team-up to explore space-based 5G technologies

https://www.telecomreviewasia.com/index.php/news/technology-news/2888-smart-partners-with-omnispace-to-explore-space-based-5g-technologies

 

China MIIT claim: 475M 5G mobile users, 1.97M 5G base stations at end of July 2022

The number of 5G mobile users in China had reached 475 million by the end of July, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Friday.  That was a net increase of 120 million users compared with the end of 2021, an MIIT official told a press conference.  Please see Anonymous Comment in box below this article.

As of the end of July, the country had built approximately 1.97 million 5G base stations, with all prefecture-level cities, counties and 96 percent of towns equipped with 5G network coverage, according to the MIIT.  China’s state owned mobile operators are expected to add a total of 600,000 base stations to boost 5G infrastructure across China during 2022, according to previous reports.

The construction of new information infrastructure including 5G networks and gigabit optical networks will continue to be promoted, and the deep integration of “double gigabit” networks with various fields will be accelerated, the MIIT said.  Efforts will also be made to gradually extend the coverage of high-quality networks to rural areas, and actively expand the application of new business forms in rural areas, the ministry said.

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China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms subscribers, recently said it had invested a total of CNY58.7 billion ($8.7 billion) in the 5G segment in the first half of the year.  “We put in use a cumulative of one million 5G base stations, including 300,000 700 MHz 5G base stations, which together served 263 million 5G network customers and more than 4,400 5G dedicated network projects,” China Mobile said.  The company continues to promote the co-construction and sharing of its 5G network with China Broadcasting Network Corporation using spectrum in the 700 MHz band.

Meanwhile, China Telecom said it expected to deploy an additional 120,000 5G base stations in the second half of the year to take the total to 990,000.

Along with network partner China Unicom, China Telecom increased the number of 5G base stations by 180,000 in the first half, taking the total to 870,000. China Telecom said it aims to take 5G coverage to all cities, counties, and key villages and towns by the end of the year.

  • China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, added a total of 15.81 million 5G subscribers during June with 124.14 million additional 5G subscribers in the first half of 2022. The state owned network operator said it ended last month with 510.94 million 5G subscribers.
  • China Unicom said it added a total of 5.2 million 5G subscribers during June. The carrier ended the month with 184.9 million 5G subscribers.
  • China Telecom added 7.18 million 5G subscribers last month to take its total 5G subscribers base to 231.6 million. During the first six months of the year, the telco had added a total of 43.85 million 5G subscribers.

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Update:  BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2022 (Xinhua) — China’s telecommunications sector logged steady expansion in the first seven months of this year, official data showed.

The combined industrial telecom revenue rose 8.3% year on year to 944.2 billion yuan (about 137.87 billion U.S. dollars), according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Emerging businesses, such as big data, cloud computing, internet data centers and Internet of Things, expanded rapidly during the period. The emerging business revenue of China’s three telecom giants — China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom — surged 35.1% year on year to 184.3 billion yuan.

In breakdown, the revenue for cloud computing services soared 131.7% year on year, while that for big data and Internet of Things surged 60.3% and 25.9%, respectively.

Steady progress was also made in the construction of 5G base stations:  By the end of July, the number of 5G base stations in China had reached a total of nearly 1.97 million.

https://english.news.cn/20220827/13db7111ef6545abaca284f1d49e2371/c.html

References:

https://english.news.cn/20220819/4a1afcc7427e4424bd3cf2d6929ad19c/c.html

Chinese carriers deploy over 1.97 million 5G base stations: Report

China’s telecom sector had steady growth during January-May 2022 (Updated)

 

China Mobile and ZTE complete commercial trial of optical network co-routing detection

ZTE and the Yunnan Branch of China Mobile  have completed the commercial trial of co-routing detection in China Mobile’s existing optical network in Yunnan Province, China.

The trial involves two scenarios: co-cable routing detection and co-ditch routing detection. The trial result shows that there will be an early warning of active/standby paths in the same optical fiber or route so that it can be avoided in time based on fiber sensing. Besides, the originally dumb fiber resource will be visualized. Thus, the operator’s service reliability and network O&M efficiency can be greatly improved.

As digital transformation is developing rapidly in all industries, the optical network is facing intelligence challenge. Intelligent OA&M emerges as one of the focus areas, while the problem of low service survivability caused by co-routing becomes serious.

China Mobile cooperated with ZTE to verify the feasibility of co-cable and co-ditch routing detection of service paths on the existing optical network, including active/standby service routing detection and inbound/outbound service route detection at specific sites.

According to the verification, ZTE’s optical network co-routing detection function can exactly detect co-cable routing of 14 optical cables and 54 fiber cores by dynamic parameter optimization, AI algorithm and experience threshold adjustment. Also, ZTE takes analysis, contrast and on-site specialist inspection to exactly detect co-ditch routing of 12 optical cables and about 20 ditches in 4 core equipment rooms. The verification proves that ZTE can provide the operator with flexible optical network co-routing detection methods, along with real-time, accurate and reliable intelligent O&M measures, which well guarantees service survivability and alleviates the difficulty in dumb fiber resource management.

“The function can effectively solve actual problems in production and operation. Before this, active/standby routes are planned on the resource management map, and routing is determined manually, which leads to high error rate. Additionally, the accuracy of resource management information is hardly under control, thereby increasing routing risks,” said the leader of Network Management Center of China Mobile Yunnan.

“In the original routing detection, people pulled or pushed the cable underground manually, which resulted in low efficiency and service interruption. However, the co-routing detection now leverages dumb fiber resources without service switching. The innovative function remarkably reduces manpower and ensures service survivability while allowing resource management information modifications and route re-planning to avoid service interruption losses,” he added.

The trial will further promote the growth of the operator’s autonomous optical network and lay a strong foundation for its intelligent network in the “east-data-west-computing” project.  Moving forward, ZTE will continue in-depth research and exploration on autonomous optical networks, and work together with global operators to build new intelligent networks to boost the development of digital economy.

This announcement comes just six days after ZTE said that it has ranked No.1 with a share of 50% in China Mobile’s centralized procurement 2022-2023 of Optical Transport Network (OTN) devices. ZTE’s selected devices will help the operator increase the coverage and bandwidth of its provincial networks to satisfy all-optical network development in the era of computing-network convergence.

This centralized procurement involves provincial backbone, core, aggregation and access, covering all network layers in the provinces. AIso, it imposes high requirements upon device types, transmission performance, and cross-connect capabilities.

At provincial backbone, core and aggregation layers, ZTE’s OTN products provide a single-device cross-connect capacity of up to 64T and a single-fiber capacity of up to 96T. With industry-leading 200G/400G transmission performance, they can provide sufficient network bandwidth for new service growth of China Mobile in the 5G era. At the access layer, ZTE’s compact OTN products based on the ODUk/PKT/VC/OSU unified cross-connect platform can provide access of various services such as 4G/5G/home broadband/enterprise network/edge cloud,  significantly decreasing operator’s CAPEX and OPEX.

According to the latest assessment released by GlobalData, ZTE maintains the “Leader” rating in “Core Packet-Optical Transports”, with the “Leader” ratings in “cross-connect capacity and functions” as well as “port capacity”. Also, ZTE is rated as “Very Strong” in “Packet-Optical Access” assessment. In addition, ZTE has received high scores from Lightwave Innovation Reviews in February this year.

Moving forward, ZTE will adhere to technological innovation, step up product R&D, and work with global operators to build new intelligent optical networks and boost the digital transformation of the entire industry.

 

References:

https://www.zte.com.cn/global/about/news/20220818e1.html

https://www.zte.com.cn/global/about/news/20220812e1.html

Dell’Oro: RAN Market Disappoints in 2Q-2022

Dell’Oro Group preliminary findings suggest the Radio Access Network (RAN) market is weakening. The overall 2G-5G RAN infrastructure equipment market – including hardware and software – declined in the second quarter, recording the first year-over-year contraction in more than two years and the third consecutive quarter of RAN coming in below expectations. Although the RAN market is not immune to external risks, initial readings suggest that the RAN impact from deteriorating macro conditions, high levels of inflation, and supply chain disruptions were limited in the quarter.

“The shift in the pendulum is not a surprise, but admittedly it has swung a bit faster toward the negative than initially expected”, said Stefan Pongratz, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “Slower momentum is not a sign that the 5G deployment phase is over. The message we have communicated for some time now, namely that the 5G cycle will be longer than previous technology cycles, still holds. At the same time, market conditions in the quarter were impacted by APAC excluding China, Russia, and foreign exchange,” continued Pongratz.

Additional highlights from the 2Q 2022 RAN report:

  • Top 5 global suppliers in the quarter include Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, and Samsung.
  • Top 4 suppliers outside of China in the quarter include Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, and Samsung.
  • Huawei and ZTE continued to dominate in China, together accounting for 90 to 95 percent of 1H 2022 revenues.  Note that state owned Datang Mobile is ranked #4 in China’s RAN market.
  • Ericsson maintained its top position in the RAN market outside of China, accounting for 39 percent of the revenues for the 1H 2022.
  • Nokia’s RAN position outside of China improved between 1Q and 2Q 2022.
  • Samsung’s 1H 2022 RAN share improved both in North America and globally.
  • Even though RAN results disappointed in the quarter and first half revenues are tracking below expectations, RAN is still projected to record a fifth consecutive year of growth in 2022.

 

About the Report

Dell’Oro Group’s RAN Quarterly Report offers a complete overview of the RAN industry, with tables covering manufacturers’ and market revenue for multiple RAN segments including 5G NR Sub-6 GHz, 5G NR mmWave, LTE, macro base stations and radios, small cells, Massive MIMO, Open RAN, and vRAN. The report also tracks the RAN market by region and includes a four-quarter outlook. To purchase this report, please contact us by email at [email protected].

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Dell’Oro’s RAN vendor rankings come as no surprise.

  • Ericsson in the second quarter reported a 13% increase in net sales compared with the year-earlier period.
  • Nokia reported an 11% increase in net sales during the same period.
  • Huawei, which has long been the world’s biggest supplier of RAN equipment, posted revenues in the first half of 2022 that were down 5.9% from last year, its lowest such results in five years.

References:

RAN Disappoints in 2Q 2022, According to Dell’Oro Group

https://www.lightreading.com/digital-infrastructure/global-ran-market-posts-surprising-slowdown-in-q2-delloro-finds/d/d-id/779824?

RAN growth slowed in 4Q-2021, but full year revenues rose to ~$40B – $45B; Open RAN market highlights

 

MoffettNathanson: accelerating rise of Cable Wireless; Business Wireline status; AT&T’s overlooked assets

To the surprise of many, the Cable industry (Cablecos/MSOs) has captured an accelerating share of gross and net wireless subscriber additions, forcing incumbent wireless telcos (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) to respond by offering lower priced alternatives.  In the second quarter of the year, with cable taking nearly half (49.2%) of industry net additions in the period (after adjusting for 3G network shutdowns), according to MoffettNathanson’s latest report (subscription required) on the mobile sector. Cable’s Q2 2022 take was up from approximately 31.9% in the year-ago period.

MoffettNathanson’s analysis also showed that cable took its highest share of gross mobile subscriber adds in Q2 2022, at 11.9%. That compared to T-Mobile (30.1%), AT&T (29%) and Verizon (27.8%).  Comcast, Charter and Altice USA combined to add 694,000 mobile lines in the second quarter, ending the period with 9.12 million.

Comcast, Charter, and Altice collectively added 694K new subscribers in Q2, up more than 100K from the corresponding quarter last year. That takes Cable’s subscriber base beyond 9M, or still just ~3% of the U.S. industry as per the graph below.

 

  • Comcast disclosed that wireless penetration of its residential broadband base has reached 7.9% (or about 2.4M homes), suggesting they’ve reached nearly 2 lines per home, up from ~1.6 lines per account just a year ago.
  • Privately held Cox Communications is now in beta testing on its MVNO service, and we expect it will offer pricing similar to Comcast’s and Charter’s. That will only add to the pressure on the wireless telco incumbents.

“Cable Wireless offers have been more successful than anyone had expected when they were first introduced,” MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett wrote. Of note, it appears that Comcast ‘s Xfinity Mobile service has reached nearly two lines per home per mobile sub, up from about 1.6 mobile lines per account just a year ago.

Citing data from Navi, a firm that aggregates data on service plans and promos from major postpaid carriers, original equipment manufacturers and large retailers, Moffett says there’s a “clear and growing interest in Cable Wireless as a potential service provider.”

“Lower industry growth means a more challenging path forward for all carriers… particularly given the rapid share gains of the cable operators,” Craig wrote. “While Cable wireless collectively took nearly 700K net adds during the quarter, they would presumably have taken even more had the incumbents’ new basic entry plans not been introduced,” he added.

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Business Wireline Status:

“While wireless is inarguably the core business for both Verizon and AT&T, the worsening conditions of the Business Wireline segment, which accounts for some 19% of revenues at AT&T and 11% at Verizon, cannot be ignored. Deterioration in the sector overall is bad enough, particularly in light of high prevailing inflation. Industry revenues are now shrinking by 3.7% per year.  Excluding USF and IP sales, AT&T saw Business Wireline revenues fall by 7.6% YoY in Q2, and Verizon saw Business Wireline revenues fall by an estimated 8.2%,”  wrote Craig Moffett.

AT&T’s Overlooked Assets:

MoffettNathanson is missing two key growing revenue streams for AT&T:

  1.  Increasing fiber optic network sales to both business and residential customers:  AT&T added 316,000 net AT&T Fiber subscribers during the second quarter of 2022, resulting in fiber penetration of nearly 37% with about 6.6 million total fiber subscribers.  AT&T has already added nearly 2 million AT&T Fiber (brand name) locations this year.  AT&T’s fast-growing fiber revenues now make up nearly half of our consumer wireline broadband revenues.”
  2. FirstNet network which covers more first responders than any other network.  FirstNet now reaches more than 2.81 million square miles across the U.S. That is 50,000+ more square miles than the largest commercial networks (about the size of Alabama) – giving more first responders access to an entire ecosystem of innovative solutions to keep them mission ready.

References:

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/broadband/att-adds-316000-fiber-subs-q2-2022

https://about.att.com/story/2022/fn-covers-more-first-responders-than-any-network.html

 

 

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