Japanese operators hope to make inroads to improving the reach of mmWave 5G and signed a memorandum of understanding covering joint exploration of ways to do so.

SoftBank Corp, KDDI, NTT Docomo and Rakuten Mobile agreed to jointly explore how the coverage afforded by mmWave 5G at 28GHz could be expanded within the limitations of the band, which offers solid connectivity over short distances.

The operators each issued a statement explaining the frequency band is prone to degradation due to physical obstructions and has propagation characteristics which are susceptible to attenuation.

They plan to study ways to expand the use of compatible base stations and architectures to identify possible options to widen the reach of mmWave 5G.

The exploration is also set to cover repeater equipment and other relevant assets.

Some form of shared access could be involved: the operators stated they would continue to deploy their own mmWave 5G equipment, but look into “how to effectively” use it.

The operators explained they are taking action because of difficulties in deploying enough mmWave 5G base stations in a timely fashion, which they noted is a common challenge.

A baseline assumption of their research is each operator will determine their own expansion needs and explore how a combined approach to boosting coverage could fit with their requirements.

There is an overarching ambition towards “transcending the boundaries” between the operators.

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Health company M42 positioned a deal with Oracle as its latest step to establish the UAE at the centre of the global market, with the pair deploying a product offering unified access to patient data.

Oracle stated M42 intends to use its Health Data Intelligence product on clinical, genomic and real-world data to boost management of chronic diseases and enable a host of other services.

These include mapping the health of populations and providing precise care.

Oracle stated M42 is on a mission to establish the UAE as “a global hub for healthcare innovation” and a leader in employing AI to overhaul the sector.

Dr. Ali Anees, CCO for UAE and Bahrain at M42, said the company is a long-term user of Oracle’s health products and has high expectations about what can be achieved through the combination of information detailed above.

The executive expects the work to speed detection, and deliver “more predictive insights” and tailored patient healthcare.

M42 hopes the Oracle products will advance ambitions to deliver comprehensive patient records which it expects to aid healthcare providers’ work by offering a big-picture overview.

It expects the unified approach and ability of AI to digest reams of data to help identify disease patterns and contributing factors.

AI is also being banked on to deliver swifter diagnoses and detection of emerging health trends.

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Juniper Research predicted a bright future for private mobile network spending due to heightened demand for infrastructure capable of extracting the full benefits of AI in business operations.

The company expects outlay on private LTE and 5G networks to hit $84.7 billion in 2031 compared with $17.3 billion this year.

Juniper Research suggested infrastructure providers may reap the greatest benefits by partnering with companies specialising in enterprise AI systems and positioning private networks “as a natural part” of modernisation initiated by the technology.

It argued private networks “are increasingly becoming the default way” to meet the connectivity requirements of AI.

VP of research Nick Maynard believes differentiation will emerge as the secret of future vendor success.

He highlighted “proven Industry 4.0, operational technology and mission-critical applications” as fields where vendors could fully establish an edge on rivals, pointing to services including automated guided vehicles, machine vision, and predictive maintenance and industrial control operations as prime opportunities.

To capitalise, private network vendors should “develop architecture that is repeatable, but highly tailored to individual sectors”, Maynard advised.

Juniper Research ranked current equipment vendors based on their shift “away from general enterprise connectivity” towards systems specific to industrial use cases.

It did not offer any big surprises in a top-five ranking of vendors in the here and now, with Nokia leading Huawei, Samsung, HPE and Ericsson, respectively.

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Tele2 sought out an experienced telecoms executive to become its next EVP and CCO in an appointment due to happen no later than 1 June 2027.

Vahdat Zehtab brings 18-years of experience in the telecoms sector and is set to join from the post of CEO with Valdyr, creator of an AI-native network operating system.

Tele2 is filling a role opened when it promoted Nicholas Hogberg to be president and CEO in July after Jean Marc Harion stood down for personal reasons.

Zehtab spent five-years heading Telia’s B2C Mobile unit covering its Swedish operation. Tele2 also highlighted broad international experience in commercial director roles “across several European and Asian markets”.

There was further B2C experience gained with Ncell in Nepal.

Valdyr appeared to cash in on news of the appointment by choosing today (15 September) to reveal the moniker as its new brand, replacing its previous Telness Tech name.

Executives said the rebrand better reflects “what remains once the old” telecom stack is removed.

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SES launched the final three birds in its 13-satellite O3b mPOWER medium Earth orbit constellation, adding thrust to its connectivity play for enterprise, cloud service providers, governments and mobile operators.

The company is now in the process of commissioning the trio, which it expects to be fully operational by mid-2027.

SES noted the satellites would extend the availability of “high-performance connectivity”; improve the resilience of the O3b mPOWER constellation; advance sovereign data capabilities; and boost the relay of data through space.

CEO Adel Al-Saleh said SES is combining “multiple technologies and orbits” to meet the needs of customers across various sectors.

The satellites support SES’ work to “deliver resilient, secure and scalable connectivity”.

SES’ satellites flew on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket yesterday (13 September). The 10 birds already in orbit can handle data rates “ranging from tens of Mb/s to multiple Gb/s”, the company stated.

The trio run a Boeing software-defined payload technology which the aerospace player separately explained enables them to “dynamically route bandwidth, focus beam power and adjust capacity in real time”.

Boeing stated companies in the cruise line sector, “government organisations, civil entities, mobile operators and commercial airlines” use SES’ existing O3b mPOWER satellites.

“Technology is at its best when it has a direct line-of-sight to human impact,” Ryan Reid, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, declared.

Reid added SES’ satellites deliver the in-space baseline for a dual-use satellite architecture Boeing developed to work in multiple orbits.

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Vodafone Idea reportedly faces heat from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) over complaints from Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio regarding mobile number portability (MNP) processes.

Business Standard reported the operator is in the regulator’s crosshairs after its rivals complained it broke several rules involved in helping subscribers change operator.

Vodafone Idea’s rivals believe it misled subscribers in telephone calls purporting to be from other providers and warning of changes to the user’s contract or price plan.

The operator is also alleged to have delayed the sending of SMS containing the unique porting code required by subscribers switching to another provider.

Business Standard added Vodafone Idea’s rivals claim it also sought to lure subscribers with lower-priced post-paid plans.

Vodafone Idea refutes the claims, the newspaper wrote.

A TRAI representative reportedly told Business Standard the regulator is looking into the complaints by Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.

The pair want the regulator to explore their claims of misconduct and issue instructions on the MNP process to prevent future incidents.

TRAI fixed and mobile subscriber figures for July indicate Vodafone Idea had a combined 130 million compared with 384.2 million for Bharti Airtel and 535.1 million with Reliance Jio.

Vodafone Idea commenced a rebranding at the beginning of the month in what CEO Abhijit Kishore described as a move to align with future ambitions to deliver a top-tier experience to customers.

The Economic Times reports the operator is also in the early stages of a INR350 billion ($3.7 billion) funding move involving a ten-year loan facility from up to the same number of lenders to cover capex.

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