WCA January 2020

Telecom news

to older technology, and to use the spectrum it was carried on to boost the performance of newer and more efficient technology. … Today, as part of our programme to … expand our 4G and 5G coverage, we’re announcing the eventual switch-off of 3G technology.” Subscribers have four years to adapt to the changes, while Telstra confirmed it will upgrade its 4G coverage to “a materially equivalent size and reach to our 3G footprint”. Telstra first introduced 3G services in 2006 under the branding “NextG” but has since seen the technology eclipsed by 4G alternatives. Vietnam could entirely close down its 2G networks from 1 January 2022, under a plan being considered by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). The move would release frequencies for more advanced technologies, improving efficiency and meeting telecom operators’ rising demand for mobile spectrum. Vietnam currently supports five mobile network operators: the military-run Viettel Telecom; state- owned GTel Mobile, VNPT-Vinaphone and MobiFone; and Vietnamobile, a joint stock company between Hanoi Telecom Company and Hutchison Asia Telecom. Rostelecom, a Russian national operator, has acquired Svyazservis, a telecoms provider in the Karelia region. The transfer of subscribers to the Rostelecom brand will be carried out after completion of the retrofitting of the network to provide subscribers with the full range of Rostelecom services. The cost of the acquisition was estimated at up to $3.8 million. The takeover, carried out through Rostelecom’s Bashinformsvyaz subsidiary, will further strengthen the company’s position in the Republic of Karelia. Svyazservis is reportedly the second largest telecommunications provider in Karelia, after Rostelecom, with a 400km optic fibre network and at least 30 per cent of residential subscribers. While in Vietnam, it’s 2G that’s winding down Regional provider to come under a national wing

Karelia, famous for its lakes, cascades and forests, straddles 700km of the Russia/Finland border, and has been described as “on the crossroads between Europe and Russia”. Thai state-owned enterprise banned from state projects Thailand’s state-owned enterprise TOT is banned from all future projects commissioned by the National Broadcasting and Telecommuni- cations Commission (NBTC), after the watchdog cancelled three of its contracts, citing contractual violations. The Bangkok Post has reported that TOT was awarded the contracts, for the provision of fixed broadband and cellular services, in an auction in 2017. Following an audit of the committee monitoring the projects, it was determined that TOT completed the contract in part, but used the wrong specification of optic fibre for the broadband network scheme, which the committee deemed “unacceptable”. In addition, TOT failed to complete the construction of 371 buildings under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) Net project, with only three finalised by late-September 2019. NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith said that the NBTC had no choice but to terminate the contracts to prevent further harm to the public interest, especially in remote areas; the executive added that the NBTC will be staging a new electronic auction for the three contracts. Event brings testing times for the mission-critical supply chain The fourth annual MCX Plugtests took place during September 2019 at the Savonia University of Applied Sciences in Kuopio, Finland. More than 30 companies took part in the tests that bring together vendors and suppliers from across the mission-critical communications supply chain to independently and cooperatively test infrastructure components.

Organisations from throughout the telecommunications industry and academia joined the event, organised by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), in partnership with Erillisverkot, the State Security Networks Group for Finland. The 2019 MCX Plugtests event was focused specifically on testing radio equipment with Unicast and Multicast support, but also looking at over-the-top testing of mission-critical servers and clients. Over 200 test sessions took place, as well as 1,500 test cases between different vendors. The tests sought to validate the interoperability of a range of implementations based on 3GPP standards, and ultimately to achieve a single interoperable global standard. The event provides a platform for companies to test products and implementations alongside each other and concluded with a success rate of 95 per cent in the validation of 3GPP mission-critical services vendor interoperability. Nicolas Hauswald, CEO of French radio communications specialist Etelm, spoke with enthusiasm about the event and the opportunities it offered: “Interoperability is central to Etelm’s ethos and technology. For example, our 4G Linked solution enables organisations to balance the benefits and functionality of both next-generation mobile broadband technology and professional mobile radio communications, by enabling interoperability between LTE (long term evolution) and TETRA (terrestrial trunked radio) networks. “We have always been strong advocates of the role MCPTT and MCX services have to play in delivering interoperability. Collaborative approaches are critical to building next-generation mission-critical infrastructure, and organisations from across industry and academia need to work together to ensure the development of standards which work for all. “As such, we were delighted to be one of the participants in MCX Plugtests. Many of the most exciting and innovative telecommunications organisations from across the world came together to test their technology independently and jointly, setting a foundation for interoperable solutions.”

72

Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2020

www.read-wca.com