RAN & Open RAN
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Network & InfraCan AI-RAN succeed without open RAN? ‘Yes and no’, says Alliance Chair Choi
Interview: AI-RAN Alliance Chair (and ex-DT CTO) Dr. Alex Jinsung Choi assures that operators have a route to scaled adoption of the tech — no matter their level of legacy. T-Mobile US is seen as having ‘unique’ springboard for AI-RAN rollout given its ‘greenfield-like’ position in 5G era, post-Sprint, and is expected to use the 2028 Olympics to showcase early wins.
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M&AEurope towers: Telcos’ urge to merge remains turn-off for SBA
US wireless infra group remains watchful on M&A opportunities across the Atlantic, citing the latest wave of regional MNO mergers as a dampener on the business case for deals. CFO says SBA is “not going to step in front of a consolidating market”.
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Network & InfraO2 Germany hails test results as clear proof of network advances
In connect magazine’s latest mobile network test, O2 Germany has moved into second place for the first time, albeit tied with Vodafone Germany.
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Partnerships & AlliancesGermany: O2 refreshes Nokia RAN deal for five more years
Operator to implement new solutions and continue using equipment from Nokia in its RAN until 2030. The contract is the latest that has been firmed up by a major European operator in recent months, and comes as Germany seeks to clamp down on 5G equipment from ‘high-risk’ vendors…
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Analyst BriefingEMEA Infrawatch: more fibre players pare back rollout; telcos mull AI data centre ambitions
Latest on EMEA digital infra: KPN and OTE revise fibre build strategies; Vodacom keeping “powder dry” for potential fibre, data centre buys; DT and Vodafone ruminate very differently on AI Gigafactory plans; more…
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Network & InfraDT preps 30,000-site tender for 2026, as Tier-1 open RAN builds
Fyuz: Deutsche Telekom is dramatically expanding its open RAN ambitions, including changing its operating model to handle larger-scale rollout. Another wider takeaway from Fyuz 2025 in Dublin is that open RAN is now a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’, at least for major, small cell, and neutral host deployments…
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Analyst BriefingVodafonewatch Analyst Briefing: pragmatic Vodafone finds subsea ‘niche’
Latest from Vodafone, including the Group’s latest subsea venture “off the beaten track” as the operator concedes transatlantic routes to hyperscalers; UK fibre challenger Netomnia chooses VodafoneThree for imminent MVNO; and more open RAN vendors shout about Vodafone deals following Spring 6 procurement…
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TechnologyOrange plots more open RAN trials as tech gains in maturity
Network X: Atoosa Hatefi says Orange is confident that open RAN is closing the performance gap with traditional RAN.
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Strategy & ChangeTelefónica doing the maths on 1&1 tie-up: report
Report indicates the Spanish group is considering reigniting links with 1&1, Germany’s fourth telco, in a bid to revive its local fortunes. But both face a bewildering range of options (and challenges) as they seek to regain growth…
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Suppliers & SCMVodafone elects winning quartet in diluted RAN mega-tender
Vendor foursome reel off Vodafone RAN wins as the Group’s long-awaited Spring 6 procurement closes out, short of expectations but set to propel operator towards open RAN at scale by 2030.
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Suppliers & SCMEricsson secures sole RAN vendor status in clutch of Vodafone markets
Swedish vendor adds to recent UK win with Spring 6 contract covering six further markets in Europe and Africa, paving way for modernised programmable networks, including pathway to AI-RAN…
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Suppliers & SCMSamsung secures berth in Vodafone’s open RAN squad
Questions remain about the scope, scale, and suppliers of Vodafone’s open RAN future, but Samsung is the first to publicly declare its success in the procurement process.
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PeoplewatchDT picks out Poland tech chief to fill key German CTO vacancy
T-Mobile Poland’s Alexander Jenbar selected to take on pivotal home-market technology job at DT, overseeing mega-initiatives around AI, 5G, and fibre.
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PeoplewatchVodafone’s open RAN frontman takes TIP presidency
Francisco Martín Pignatelli, Vodafone’s Head of Open RAN, has been appointed President of the Board of Directors at TIP, with the organisation claiming his “deep expertise and passion” for open network architectures positions him well to tackle the role…
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Suppliers & SCMEricsson, Nokia win big as VodafoneThree opens wallet for £11bn network investment
UK MNO names core network vendors to underpin its MOCN upgrade and rollout project. Ericsson secures role as merged operator’s senior core network vendor, while Nokia steps up for RAN delivery, and the pair set to cover the “majority, but not the entirety” of VodafoneThree’s eight-year network build…
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M&AAustralia’s Waveconn bulks up tower portfolio with Optus deal
Towerco to acquire hundreds of new sites from Australia’s number-two operator, further expanding its tower portfolio. Optus says the sale raises cash to fuel investments elsewhere…
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Analyst BriefingUK Infrawatch analyst briefing: Netomnia evolution, data centre planning pushback
Latest from the digital infra scene in the UK, including: GoFibre and Netomnia funding success, planning ups and downs for data centres, TalkTalk travails; people moves, and plenty more…
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InterviewvHive CEO interview: digital twins now ‘single source of truth’ for MNO infra
Mobile operators “don’t want data, they want insights”, says Yariv Geller. Wide-ranging conversation explores maturation of digital twin tech for infra asset management, its role as ‘single source of truth’, and how it’s becoming invaluable for network optimisation and towerco M&A due diligence.
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Deep DiveTelefónica’s Huawei gambit calls out Spain v US (and EC)
Deep Dive: Reported extension of 5G contract with Huawei ignites firestorm. Latest China procurement by a Spanish telco skirts EU recommendations and escalates geopolitical tensions, placing government and its flagship operator in a precarious position between deeply-rooted American and emerging Chinese spheres of influence.
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Partnerships & AlliancesBT expands AWS deal for five more years
The cloud services giant flags the latest strategic agreement with BT as a critical step towards network autonomy.