WCA September 2016

Telecom news

for nine hours daily from birth until turning two years of age. Todd R Weiss of eWeek pointed out that these early findings – the latest contribution to a body of research that has considered a wide range of theories over the last few years – are far from conclusive. The NTP said it is continuing the cell phone studies, with mice, and expects to present final results for peer review and public comment by the end of 2017. In the meantime, Mr Weiss wrote on eweek.com (31 st May), users interested in minimising their exposure to radiofrequency energy (RF) from cell phones might wish to consult the website of the US Food and Drug Administration (www.fda. gov). Suggestions from the FDA include using speaker mode or a headset to widen the distance between the device and the user’s head. Ø New analysis from the research and advisory firm  Gartner suggests that global smartphone sales will continue to slow. Sales of smartphones are expected to grow about seven per cent in 2016 to reach around 1.5 billion units. Projecting forward to 2020, Gartner believes smartphone sales worldwide are on pace to total 1.9 billion units. (“Smartphone Growth Continues to Slow as Maturity Approaches,” 7 th June) Ø “It’s all a far cry from those halcyon days of 2010 when annual sales growth was a stratospheric 72 per cent,” noted Guy Daniels on telecomtv.com . Even so, he wrote, if the heady days of explosive sales are over the market is still growing. Realisation of Gartner’s expectations through the turn of the next decade would represent steady, if unspectacular, continuous growth. In the near term, premium phone users in mature markets are extending life cycles to around two-and-a-half years, which Gartner sees as unlikely to change drastically over the next five years. In emerging markets, the average lifetime of premium phones is between 2.2 and 2.5 years, while basic phones have an average lifetime of three years or more.

the German operator would be following Spain’s Telefónica and Telecom Italia in a trend that has seen the transfer of thousands of masts from European operators to independent tower companies. Telefónica has already created a separate tower unit called Telxius. The Spanish operator said around 15,000 towers in Spain and other countries, and its 19,263-mile submarine cable, would initially be brought into the unit. In April, Telefónica Deutschland said it planned to sell almost all of its mobile towers to Telxius, receiving $654 million for 2,350 towers. Cited by Anne Morris on FierceWireless Europe (4 th July), a recent report by TowerXchange, which specialises in research into the telecom tower industry, predicted that independent tower companies would own 48 per cent of European mobile towers by 2020. Ø According to Strategy Analytics (Newton, Massachusetts), the emergence of 5G mobile networks will not render fixed broadband services obsolete in the USA. With their provision of higher speeds and multi-play bundles, cable operators are seen as driving continued growth in fixed broadband, which contrary to expectation is not being superseded by mobile broadband. In its latest report (1 st June), Strategy Analytics said that multiple-system operators (MSOs) added 3.3 million new broadband subscribers in the USA from April 2015 to March 2016, helping drive fixed broadband penetration nationwide to 80 per cent. Company research shows cable now controlling 62 per cent of broadband subscriptions, with fibre holding flat at 23 per cent and digital subscriber line (DSL) falling to 15 per cent. Ø The results of a USA study reported 27 th May by the National Institutes of Health has revived the discussion of whether cell phone and smartphone use can be hazardous to health. According to the NIH, the study, conducted by researchers in its National Toxicology Program (NTP), found “low incidences” of cancers in the brains and hearts of male lab rats that were exposed to typical amounts of cell phone radiation

evolving needs of their business and that they have outgrown their mobile networks. Some 67 per cent said they need mobile networks that provide ultra-high throughput; 64 per cent need massive numbers of connections; and 59 per cent need ultra-low latency capabilities. Ø “All looking good for 5G,” wrote Mr Daniels – except for “one small problem.” Of the executives polled, 36 per cent said they know “very little” or “nothing” about the technologies and issues around 5G wireless. The 27 per cent who expressed themselves “very familiar” with 5G include executives in the ICT (information and communications technology) sector, who are much better informed than their counterparts in other lines of business. Taking note of this “incredible lack of awareness,” Mr Daniels surmised that, in a canvass specifically of CEOs in non-ICT companies, “the percentage who know next to nothing about 5G would be nearer a half than a third.” Elsewhere in telecom . . . Ø Ericsson has announced the launch of its 5G Plug-Ins, described as software-driven innovations that bring essential 5G technology concepts to today’s cellular networks. In a 16 th June press release the Swedish ICT provider asserted that 5G Plug-Ins are focused on capabilities that operators can leverage within current networks, enabling them to “evolve to 5G at their own pace.” Ericsson said that its new offering would enable mobile operators to begin to try out 5G technology as early as this year. Monica Alleven of FierceWireless reported that the technology was featured in a demo that USA wireless network operator Sprint staged on 11 th June in Philadelphia during the Copa América Centenario soccer tournament. Ø Reuters reported on 4 th July that Deutsche Telekom was preparing to sell its mobile towers in an auction that could raise up to $5.5 billion for further network investments. With the sale of its domestic towers business

73

www.read-wca.com

Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2016