Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on those sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
T-Mobile US executive: 5G FWA has arrived
Recalling his career in the U.S. wireless industry, T-Mobile US President of Technology Neville Ray said he’s been, in some ways, working on the same network for nearly three decades. “The last three years, as we’ve combined Sprint and T-Mobile together, have been the most rewarding period in my career,” he said at the recent Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference. That network combines the former Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum with T-Mobile US’s 600 MHz into what is by many benchmarks the most performant network in the country. Ray noted that 320 million people were covered on the Standalone 5G low-band network, and 265 million on mid-band. He also said the operator has an average of 150 megahertz of 2.5 GHz spectrum deployed, and will move that to 200 megahertz by year end, as well as adding PCS and AWS holdings. It’s a “great way to wrap up a career,” he said. Ray is set to exit his post later this year with current Chief Network Officer Ulf Ewaldsson taking over. Ray expressed his confidence in the continued development of the network. “I think I leave the place in way better condition than when I started, which is what you always want to do in a job, in a career.” … Read more
AT&T leans into AI, and leans on Nvidia to do it
The scale of data which AT&T processes is staggering: More than 590 petabytes on a daily basis, the equivalent of 6.5 million 4K movies. Being able to process its data faster and more efficiently means tangible improvements in reduced cost (especially cloud costs), increased operational capability and a boost to the carrier’s efforts to be carbon-neutral by 2035. Nvidia’s hardware and software have been part of how AT&T leans into artificial intelligence capabilities as part of improving its data processing in terms of both speed and utility. Today, the telco announced the continuation of its partnership with Nvidia to incorporate the chip company’s AI offerings for data processing, analytics acceleration, real-time vehicle routing and optimization; digital avatars and conversational AI. Nvidia says that AT&T is the first telecommunications provider to explore the use of a full suite of its AI offerings. Andy Markus, AT&T’s chief data officer, explained that it’s AT&T’s goal to make AI part of the fabric of the company, to have “all parts of the business leveraging AI and creating AI” rather than limit its use to creation of AI by its specialist data scientists.So how is AT&T using Nvidia’s AI solutions in practice? … Read more
‘More hype than realism’ — Spirent head of market strategy unpacks private networks
It comes as no surprise that talk of private wireless was rampant at Mobile World Congress 2023, and while Steve Douglas, head of market strategy at Spirent Communications, was impressed by several of the use cases on display, he encouraged RCR Wireless News to “peel back the onion a little bit” for a deeper look. “Private networks was definitely everywhere,” he confirmed, but added, “There was a lack of clarity around how anyone was going to monetize it. There seemed to be a real lack of discussion about the network architecture required to deliver on private networks.” He explained further that most of what he saw being demoed this year is “heavily dependent” on 5G core deployments and advanced capabilities like network slicing, all of which are in the very early stages. “So, it felt to me that there was more hype than realism,” said Douglas. However, in a recent report, Spirent did find significant interest in 5G from enterprises across a range of verticals, which Douglas said is certainly “triggering a lot of trial and test activities.” It’s a trend the company expects to see more of this year; but private network trials and tests aren’t full-blow deployments. As the industry continues to establish private wireless as more permanent fixtures in the enterprise sector, there are several key things to keep in mind, according to Douglas. … Read more
FCC proposes framework for space-mobile collaboration
With interest in integration of satellite and terrestrial networks on the rise in order to provide ubiquitous coverage, the Federal Communications Commission has proposed a new regulatory framework meant to support collaborations between satellite and wireless terrestrial network operators. “We will not be successful in our effort to make … always-on connectivity available to everyone, everywhere if we limit ourselves to using only one technology. We are going to need it all—fiber networks, licensed terrestrial wireless systems, next-generation unlicensed technology, and satellite broadband,” said Rosenworcel, calling this type of seamless migration among networks the “Single Network Future.” She referenced the availability of emergency SMS service on smartphones via satellite and added, “We are starting to see direct satellite-to-smartphone communication move from sci-fi fantasy to real-world prospect. … For this innovation to have a chance to deliver at scale—and for us to move toward a full Single Network Future with more providers, in more spectrum bands, and a global footprint—regulators will need to develop frameworks that support its development.” … Read more
O-RAN Alliance partners with OAI, announces new specifications
The O-RAN Alliance signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with OpenAirInterface Software Alliance (OAI), in which both entities agreed to cooperate on O-RAN issues, open source software development, and 5G. Under the terms of the deal, both organizations will encourage sharing of information in areas of mutual interest and may hold joint meetings and workshops. Alex Jinsung Choi, chair of the board of O-RAN Alliance and SVP of Technology at Deutsche Telekom, said: “The MoU will strengthen our cooperation in development of open source software for the RAN. It will allow a more focused cooperation between both organizations and will enhance our software development.” Firstly, the OAI software follows the O-RAN architecture and paves the way for showcasing the next generation cellular wireless technologies. Secondly, the two organizations are very complementary in their value propositions. We look forward to capitalizing on this collaboration in the future,” said Raymond Knopp, president of the OpenAirInterface Software Alliance. The O-RAN Alliance also announced that two new open testing and integration centers (OTIC) were approved in the Asia Pacific region. With the new additions of the Asia & Pacific OTIC by ritt7layers and Asia & Pacific OTIC in Singapore, there are now 11 approved OTICs across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, the alliance said. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
