Telecompaper Headlines

(Telecompaper) Telecom Italia (TIM) has again teamed up with Ericsson and Qualcomm to set what the partners describe as world-record long distance speeds for 5G technology applied to Fixed Wireless Access (FWA). The trial conducted in collaboration with Casa Systems in Rome saw the companies reach speeds of 1 Gbps on 26 GHz millimetre-wave (mmWave) frequencies over distances of 6.5 kilometres on TIM's live network.

(Telecompaper) Warner Bros has followed the recent news that its film 'Wonder Woman 1984' will be released simultaneously on AT&T's streaming service HBO Max and in US theatres by announcing that it will pursue the same model for all 17 of its planned releases for 2021. In a statement, the company said the films will be available on HBO Max in the US for 1 month, in 4K Ultra HD and HDR, at no additional charge concurrent with their domestic theatre release. Following the 1-month HBO Max access period, each film will leave the platform and continue theatrically in the US and international territories, with all customary distribution windows applying to the title. 

(Telecompaper) Tele2 AB said it has agreed to sell its German business to the Tele2 Germany management for an enterprise value of up to EUR 22.8 million, as it continues its long-term strategy of consolidating its geographical footprint. The final sum depends on its financial performance by the end of 2024. After a thorough M&A process with a large number of potential buyers, Tele2 concluded that selling Tele2 Germany to the local management is the most value-accretive alternative.

(Telecompaper) Jumia said it has completed the sale of an offering of 7.97 million American Depositary Shares (ADSs) at an average price of USD 30.51 per ADS, generating aggregate gross process of USD 243.2 million. Net of commissions and expenses, proceeds are expected to be USD 231.4 million. Jumia intends to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes.

(Telecompaper) The number of FTTH/B subscribers in Europe is expected to more than double in the next six years, to 208 million in 2026 compared to an estimated 86 million this year. According to the forecasts by iDate presented at the annual FTTH Council Europe conference, the number of homes passed will grow over the same period to 317 million from 195 million. That means an around two-thirds penetration rate on the fibre networks, compared to less than half currently. 

(Telecompaper) Discovery said its Discovery+ streaming services, which made its debut in the UK and Ireland last month, will launch in the US on 4 January. The ad-supported service will cost USD 4.99 per month while the ad-free tier will be priced at USD 6.99 per month. The service will also get further deployed around the world, to an initial 25 countries. It has already been rolled out in India and will move next year to the Nordics, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The streaming channel will also get introduced in in Latin American markets, including a planned launch in Brazil, and in parts of Asia.

(Telecompaper) Infinix says it has started manufacturing its smartphones in Egypt, the Daily News reported. This makes Infinix the first global smartphones maker to start production lines for its handsets in Egypt, and the second mobile factory in the country after domestic firm Sico Technology. Infinix has signed a cooperation agreement with Sico, under which new production lines to assemble smartphones will start up at Sico's facility in the Assiut technology zone.

(Telecompaper) The Orange group has announced an offer for all the shares of Orange Belgium it does not yet own. The bid will be submitted to the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) for approval, in the form of a conditional voluntary public takeover offer. Orange Belgium, after reading the press release issued by the group, said its board of directors will meet as soon as possible to examine the offer.

(Telecompaper) Vodafone Business has announced plans to roll out multi-access edge computing on its 5G network, in cooperation with Amazon Web Services. The low-latency service will start in London next spring and roll out then to other UK and German cities. 

(Telecompaper) Brussels-based European consumer protection body Euroconsumers announced that Spain's OCU and Belgium's Test Achats are the first two consumer rights groups to launch class actions against Apple's planned obsolescence of older iPhones. The lawsuits have been brought on behalf of owners of iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus models and allege that Apple engaged in unfair and misleading commercial practices, for which the company should pay compensation of at least EUR 60 for each affected consumer in the countries involved. "Planned obsolescence represents not only a deliberate unfair practice towards consumers but is also environmentally irresponsible," said Euroconsumers in a statement, adding that "consumers are increasingly frustrated by products wearing out way too fast."

(Telecompaper) The Spanish government has announced further details of the plan to bring broadband at speeds of at least 100Mbps to the entire Spanish population. The Plan for Connectivity and Digital Infrastructures and the Strategy to Promote 5G Technology, part of the government's Spain Digital 2025 Agenda, will receive EUR 4.3 billion of public funding for expanding fibre-optic infrastructure to underserved areas and extending 5G coverage. In a short statement, the government said EUR 883 million is already in the 2021 budget, which should receive parliamentary approval in the next few weeks.

(Telecompaper) Xiaomi announced plans to raise USD 855 million in a convertible bond issue and another USD 3.1 billion in an underwritten share issue. The proceeds will be used for working capital and investments. 

(Telecompaper) Salesforce has confirmed a deal to acquire Slack for USD 27.7 billion, extending its portfolio of business software into the growing collaboration and messaging space. Slack shareholders will receive USD 26.79 in cash and 0.0776 shares of Salesforce for each Slack share.

(Telecompaper) Qualcomm has previewed its new flagship smartphone processor, the Snapdragon 888, at the Snapdragon Tech Summit held online. Expected to launch in phones next year, the processor includes its third-generation 5G modem, a new AI engine to boost performance and an upgraded photo sensor. 

(Telecompaper) European telecom networks are holding up well during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with no signs of network congestion, according to the latest report from the assembly of telecom regulators, Berec. Data from November shows that data traffic continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels, with increases of 60-70 percent on fixed networks as more people work and learn from home.

(Telecompaper) Swedish provider of cloud communications for mobile customer engagement Sinch said Softbank subsidiary SB Management will own approximately 10.1 percent of the company following a share issue and sell-down by larger shareholders of existing stock. Proceeds from the issue will be used to support potential acquisitions, a strategy that has the backing of SB Management.

(Telecompaper) French operator Bouygues Telecom has announced the arrival of its 5G services in 20 cities, including Lyon, Nice, Cannes and Montpellier. In line with the 5G roadmap unveiled last month, the company has also confirmed the objective of achieving a national reach by the end of 2021. The current roll-out phase will rely on the 3.5 GHz and 2.1 GHz bands. A second stage of deployment will start in 2023, when the operator's 5G network core will enable new applications in fields such as smart cities and connected cars.

(Telecompaper) Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has announced that the government has allocated USD 89 million to the ICT sector for next year, with infrastructure improvement a priority, BiztechAfrica reported. Ncube said during the 2021 national budget presentation that progress has been made in the past decade to improve ICT infrastructure, the country's digital economy is still lagging behind, mainly because of poor connectivity.

(Telecompaper) Adjusted operating profit was also much better than the company's guidance, at USD 290.8 million compared to USD 21.3 million a year ago. Net profit improved to USD 198.4 million or USD 0.66 per share from USD 2.2 million or USD 0.01 per share in the year-earlier period. Adjusted EPS of USD 0.99 was well ahead of Zoom's forecast of USD 0.73-0.74.

(Telecompaper) Ajit Pai has announced he will step down as chair of the US Federal Communications Commission from 20 January 2021, when the new US President Joe Biden takes office. Pai first joined the FCC in 2012 and was named chairman in 2017 by President Donald Trump.