Paraguay regulator launches mobile coverage tender
16 June 2022
Paraguayan telecoms regulator Conatel launched a coverage tender, funded with resources from the universal service fund.
The latest tender is aimed at expanding network infrastructure for mobile telephony services and internet access and data transmission.
Conatel set a maximum subsidy of 5bn guaraníes (US$700,000) and the bidder requesting the lowest amount will win.
Coverage areas include the Yacacvash indigenous community, a basic school in San Roque González de Santa Cruz, the Margariños community and parts of the Ramal Oeste 193 road.
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Brazil hosts 5G backhaul demo via LEO satellite
16 June 2022
Telesat and Telefónica completed the first 5G Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite backhaul demonstration in Brazil and Latin America.
The testing campaign was managed with Telefónica Global Solutions (TGS), the Telefónica Group’s satellite service provider, with the help of its engineering teams together with those of Telesat. The Telesat Phase 1 LEO satellite layer 2 backhaul link was connected to TGS’s 5G test environment.
An 85cm Intellian gyro-stabilized Ka-band terminal with a 10 Watt BUC connected Telefónica Global Solutions’ data streams to the Phase 1 LEO, validating that a small, carrier-grade terminal can achieve the desired performance to properly support a 5G backhaul network.
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Canada: banning Huawei and ZTE is the ‘right decision’
16 June 2022
Canada is banning two of China’s Telecoms, Huawei and ZTE from working on its 5G phone networks, calling the move “the right decision”.
The ban means Canadian telecoms firms will no longer be allowed to use equipment made by the two telecom equipment giants and comes after a review of Huawei equipment back in September 2018 by the Canadian authorities.
Minister of innovation, science and industry Francois-Philippe Champagne said the move would “protect the safety and security of Canadians”.
Find out more UAE state-controlled telco becomes largest shareholder in Vodafone
16 June 2022
Emirates Telecommunications Group has acquired a 9.8% stake in British carrier Vodafone for US$4.4bn, making it the largest shareholder in the company.
The state-controlled UAE group, formerly known as Etisalat and now rebranded e&, said the investment allowed it to “gain significant exposure to a world leader in connectivity and digital services”. Furthermore, the investor said the transaction provided a “compelling and attractive valuation”.
The Abu Dhabi-listed group said it planned to be a long-term shareholder in Vodafone and that there were currently no plans to make an offer to purchase the mobile network operator outright.
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