Global 5G connections reach 63.6 million

There are now over 63.6 million 5G connections globally as of Q1 2020, which represents 308.66% growth over Q4 2019, according to 5G Americas and data from Omdia. The forecast predicts 238 million 5G connections globally by the end of 2020, of which North America will account for 10 million connections.

Chris Pearson, President, 5G Americas said, “Globally, 5G remains the fast-growing generation of wireless cellular technology ever, even as the world is gripped with a pandemic. In North America, we are seeing consistent, strong uptake of new 5G subscribers as new devices have been released that can take advantage of low-band and millimeter wave frequencies. At the same time, new network capabilities are being added.” 

Also cited by 5G Americas:

• Globally, there are now 82 5G commercial networks, a number which is expected to more than double to 206 by the end of 2020, according to data from TeleGeography. 
• There are now over 100 commercial 5G device models available globally, according to the Ericsson Mobility June 2020 Report, with increasing support for low-band, mid-band and millimeter (mmWave) frequency bands.
• Regionally by the end of Q1 2020, North America had 1.18 million 5G connections and 494 million LTE connections. This amounted to 100% growth in 5G, a gain of 591 thousand 5G connections over the quarter and 2.34% growth in LTE, a gain of 11.3 million LTE connections over the quarter. 
• For Latin America and the Caribbean, Q1 2020 saw 3004 5G subscriptions (142.85% Q4 2019 to Q1 2020 growth) and 372 million LTE subscriptions (3% Q4 2019 to Q1 2020 growth), respectively. 

https://www.5gamericas.org/5g-continues-progress-despite-covid-19/

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Ericsson offers 5G standalone (SA) trial kit for enterprises

Ericsson released a 5G standalone (SA) trial kit for enterprises considering a private 5G network.

The kits will be available to enterprises through communications service providers on selected low and mid-band spectrum. The kits include hardware and software to support a network to enable enterprises to test first-hand how 5G can enhance their productivity, efficiency, safety, and security. Enterprises will also have access to business development and technical support to help unlock the full value of 5G dedicated networks.

In Germany, Ericsson is working with Deutsche Telekom to deliver trial kits. Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson recently switched on a 5G SA dedicated network with Ericsson Industry Connect at the Center Connected Industry (CCI) at Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen Campus.

Antje Williams, SVP 5G Campus Networks, Deutsche Telekom, says: "Our industrial customers demand secure, reliable, high-performance network solutions and applications tailored to their specific needs. In partnership with Ericsson, we can bring the benefits of 5G standalone architecture to enterprises to accelerate their production automation journey."

Thomas Norén, Head of Dedicated Networks at Ericsson, says: "By taking full advantage of the 5G SA dedicated networks trial kits, industrial customers can gain competitive advantage by accelerating their move to 5G. As they develop and test industrial applications, they can build optimized and innovative smart factories, warehouses, mines, ports, and more."

https://www.ericsson.com/en/news/2020/6/ericsson-5g-sa-trial-kits-for-industry

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Huawei moves forward with Optoelectronics Centre in Cambridge, UK

Huawei confirmed plans to invest £1 billion in the first phase a new Optoelectornics RD & manufacturing centre in Cambridge, UK.

In 2018, Huawei acquired 500 acres of land at the former Spicers paper mill, located to the west of Sawston. The site includes over 50 acres of brownfield land.

This next phase of the project includes construction of 50,000 square meters of facilities across nine acres of land and will directly create around 400 local jobs.

Once fully operational, Huawei said this new facility will become the international headquarters of its optoelectronics business. The facility will ocus on the research, development, and manufacturing of optical devices and modules.

"The UK is home to a vibrant and open market, as well as some of the best talent the world has to offer," said Victor Zhang, Vice President of Huawei. "It's the perfect location for this integrated innovation campus. Through close collaboration with research institutes, universities, and local industry, we want to advance optical communications technology for the industry as a whole, while doing our part to support the UK's broader Industrial Strategy. Ultimately, we want to help enshrine the UK's leading position in optoelectronics and promote UK tech on a global scale.

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Rogers picks Ericsson as sole supplier for 5G Core and RAN

Rogers selected Ericsson as the sole supplier for its 5G radio access network and 5G core across Canada. The Rogers 5G network is initially using 2.5 GHz band and will expand to operate on 600 MHz 5G spectrum as the service rolls out to more markets this year. The Canadian service provider also plans to use 3.5 GHz spectrum and Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, which will allow its 4G spectrum asset to be used for 5G.

The Rogers 5G network is initially using 2.5 GHz band and will expand to operate on 600 MHz 5G spectrum as the service rolls out to more markets this year. Rogers also plans to use 3.5 GHz spectrum and Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, which will allow its 4G spectrum asset to be used for 5G.

Rogers announced earlier this year the rollout of Canada’s first 5G network in downtown Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. It is also deploying 5G in major Canadian sporting, entertainment and events venues: Rogers Centre in Toronto; Scotiabank Arena in Toronto; and Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Kevin Zvokel, Head of Networks, Ericsson North America, says: “Ericsson is enabling Rogers to continue to execute on their long-standing commitment to bring Canadians market-leading wireless services in the 5G era. 5G will provide the agility, programmability, flexibility, and scale to address growing consumer and enterprise demands. This functionality will improve customer experience and support the development of compelling new services.”

Ericsson notes that it currently has 95 commercial 5G agreements or contracts with unique communication service providers, of which 40 are live networks.

Bell Canada signs Ericsson for 5G RAN

Tuesday, June 02, 2020  5G, Canada, Ericsson  

Bell Canada has selected Ericsson 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) technology to support its nationwide 5G mobile and fixed wireless access deployment.

The Canadian government is planning to auction 3.5 GHz spectrum later this year.

Niklas Heuveldop, President and Head of Ericsson North America, says, "We are proud to have earned Bell’s trust to be selected as one of their key partners and significantly expand our existing relationship to accelerate the transformation of their network with 5G mobile and fixed wireless technology. With our industry-leading 5G product portfolio, Bell will be able to provide Canadian consumers, enterprises and the public sector with innovative experiences and services whether they are on the move or at home, regardless if they are in urban or rural areas.”

TELUS selects Ericsson and Nokia for 5G

Tuesday, June 02, 2020  5G, Canada, TELUS  

TELUS selected Ericsson and Nokia for its 5G network.

“TELUS has a successful track record of building globally leading networks with amazing speeds, robust quality and extensive coverage that are consistently recognized as the best in the world,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO, TELUS. “Our team is committed to rolling out superior network technology from urban to rural communities, fueling our economy and driving innovation as we power Canadians into the 5G era through an unparalleled network experience."

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Liberty Latin America to virtualize its mobile core

Ericsson has been awarded a three-year contract to upgrade Liberty Latin Americas' mobile core network and modernize its network.

Ericsson will supply its virtualized and cloud-based mobile core network solutions. Deployment is expected to get underway in the second half of 2020 and will benefit LLA’s operations across the region.

Vivek Khemka, Chief Technology and Product Officer, Liberty Latin America, says: “Current circumstances have shown the importance of resilient, high-speed networks. Deploying a new virtualized core network across the region will allow us to be ready for our customers’ changing needs. We continue to invest and modernize our network across the region to ensure better voice quality, higher data speeds, lower latency, data security and increased network resiliency, improving our customer experiences. The extension of our strategic partnership with Ericsson consolidates our commitment to the development of a new generation of services that will provide a greater experience for our customers in the region.”

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Anritsu intros 110 GHz components for optical test equipment

Anritsu introduced components, including bias tees, a DC block, and semi-rigid cables, that operate to 110 GHz and provide broadband frequency scalability in high-frequency device characterization and optical networking applications.

The new components can be used as part of a test system consisting of 110 GHz vector network analyzers (VNAs), oscilloscopes and Bit Error Rate Testers (BERTs), as well as for optical transceivers, laser diodes, photodiodes, and optical modulators. Development of switches and routers using NRZ and PAM4 modulation schemes with 56 Gbps and 112 Gbps data rates, and 800G technology are applications, as well.

Anritsu said the addition of the new W1 components provides it with the broadest millimeter wave (mmWave) coaxial component portfolio in the market.

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IDC predicts 2.8% decline in Worldwide Services Market

IDC is now forecasting a 2.8% decline in worldwide IT services and business services this year due to COVID-19, however, the forecast is calling for a 1% to 1.4% uptick in 2021.

In April, IDC predicted this market would decline 1.1% in 2020, so the new forecast is more pessimistic.

IDC said the newest forecast is based on the Economist Intelligence Unit's May forecast for worldwide GDP in 2020, which will likely contract by around 4.4%, more than twice as much as the March forecast. After almost four months of shutdowns across most developed markets, the economic downturn in the first half of 2020 will be so severe that even a robust recovery in the next six months will not offset it.

"Over the last few months of shutdowns around the world, services providers have largely shifted clients' core IT and business operations to 'work from home' environments relatively overnight without major hiccups," said Lisa Nagamine, research manager with IDC's Worldwide Semiannual Services Tracker. "This further demonstrates how adaptive and resilient vendors and buyers can be in the 'digital age'."

"We will continue to see the services market growth outpace GDP growth, even during a crisis like this," said Xiao-Fei Zhang, program director, Global Services Markets and Trends. "The pandemic is clamping down on discretionary spending, and puts the brake on many projects for now, but this will be somewhat cushioned by managed services and support services contracts that support core operations of large enterprises and government agencies."

Some additional highlights from IDC:

• The Americas services markets are now forecast to decline 2.5% year over year in 2020, compared to the March forecast of nearly flat growth. 
• IDC lowered the US growth forecast to -2.7% in 2020. The project-oriented markets, particularly business consulting, bore the brunt as large US consultancies have already announced workforce reductions worldwide. 
• IDC also tempered the 2020 outlook for managed services by roughly 1%, now down 1.6%. The outlook for the support services market is unchanged and remains at -1.0% with growth in hardware and software support offset by sharp declines in training and education. 
• Services markets in Canada also saw a sharper decline in 2020 and weaker recovery is expected across most foundation markets in the coming years, reflecting the gloomier economic outlook as the shutdown drags on. 
• Latin America will continue to grow but will slump to less than 2% for 2020 with the outlook remaining unchanged from the March forecast.
• Western Europe will decline 5.2% year over year in 2020 moved downward by almost one percentage point from the March forecast.
• Central & Eastern Europe's 2020 short-term outlook was lowered while the mid- and long-term growth improved. 
• The Middle East & Africa market will contract by more than 5% in 2020 as major markets in the region are also flanked by shutdowns and the collapse in oil prices. 
• Japan will contract this year by 2.8% in 2020, revised downward by more than 1 percentage point with more economic metrics, such as weaker consumer spending in April and May, pointing to a weaker economy. 
• IDC still expects the China market to deliver growth of 2.7% for 2020.

https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS46637720

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