RCS (Rich Communication Services) technology is an advanced messaging protocol designed to enhance the functionality and user experience of traditional SMS messaging. It allows users to send messages with features such as read receipts, typing indicators, high-resolution media sharing, and group chats. RCS also supports features like video calling, file sharing, and location sharing, bringing it closer to the capabilities of other popular messaging apps. Unlike SMS, RCS operates over data networks and requires support from both the mobile device and the carrier. It aims to provide a richer and more interactive messaging experience for users across different devices and networks. Google and Apple have previously clashed regarding using RCS as a standard for smartphone messaging, with Apple choosing to remain out of this. As per the latest news, popular US telecom operator, AT&T has started utilizing Google‘s Jibe platform for RCS-powered messaging.

Google acquired Jibe Mobile in the year 2015

While all mobile carriers support RCS, some, like AT&T, have relied on their own backend systems instead of Google’s Jibe platform. However, a lot of customers will be extremely happy as AT&T has recently announced its transition to the Jibe platform, aligning with other carriers and promising a superior RCS messaging experience for its customers. This transition brings a lot of perks, as users had previously criticized AT&T’s servers for a subpar RCS messaging experience. Shifting their users to Google’s tried-and-tested solution is expected to improve performance and reliability across the board. Moreover, AT&T’s default messaging system will now harness the power of the Jibe platform, ensuring that users can enjoy the “latest RCS features instantly,” as highlighted by Google SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer in the tweet.

Google has been working diligently to enhance RCS since acquiring Jibe Mobile in 2015. Along the way, they encountered obstacles, including resistance from carriers. However, it seems that all parties (well, most of them) have finally aligned their interests. Users can verify if their Messages app is utilizing Jibe by navigating to the app’s Settings, tapping RCS chats and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

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(Via)

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Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has recently confirmed the company’s plan to increase mobile phone call and data rates across all plans in 2023. The minimum recharge for the 28-day mobile phone service plan has already been increased by 57% to ₹155 in eight circles. Mittal explained that the return on capital in the telecom business is low, and a tariff hike is expected this year. He emphasized that the increase would be across the board, but the rise would be low compared to the spending people are making on other things.

Mittal also highlighted the need for a robust telecom company in India, with the dream of India being digital and economic growth fully realized. He mentioned that the government and regulator are conscious of the situation, and people are also aware of the changes that need to happen. He added that the focus on digital infrastructure in particular is reaping benefits for India, and companies operating in this environment have a lot to gain.

Regarding the impact of inflation and the global macroeconomic situation on the company, Mittal said that India is moving very fast, and all sectors of the Indian economy are getting a lot of attention from the government and investors. He stated that the government has done a lot to make telecom industry infrastructure healthy with support to BSNL and Vodafone Idea.

Mittal also discussed the company’s focus on the rollout of the 5G network, saying that monetization would happen after the network base is ready. He also mentioned that the company would not shut down 2G services until the entire customer base migrates to 4G or 5G. Mittal further confirmed that the company’s payments bank is moving well, and it has become profitable, providing financial inclusion for over 65 million customers.

Overall, Mittal’s announcement of the tariff hike came across as pragmatic, with the need for sustainable operations being the driving force behind the decision. He conveyed the message that while the hike was necessary, it would be implemented in a manner that was low and manageable, and would not create an undue burden on consumers.

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(Via)

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At MWC Barcelona 2023 today, Google Cloud has announced a new product that aims to help communications service providers (CSPs) automate and optimize their network operations. The product, called Telecom Network Automation, is a cloud-based solution that leverages Google’s expertise in Kubernetes, artificial intelligence (AI) and open source software.

Telecom Network Automation is based on Nephio, an open source project that Google created and led on under the Linux Foundation. Nephio enables CSPs to use common automation templates to manage their network infrastructure and functions across multiple clouds and vendors. Nephio also uses AI-powered control loops to monitor and adjust network performance based on user-defined intents.

According to Google Cloud, Telecom Network Automation can help CSPs reduce operational costs, improve service quality and accelerate time-to-market for new services. The product can also support various use cases such as 5G radio access networks (RAN), edge computing, network slicing and private networks.

One of the early adopters of Telecom Network Automation is Bell Canada, which has used it to automate its implementation of Google Distributed Cloud Edge, a platform that delivers cloud services at the edge of the network. Bell Canada said that Telecom Network Automation has helped it simplify its network management and enhance its customer experience.

Google Cloud said that Telecom Network Automation is part of its cloud-native network modernization offering for CSPs, which also includes Anthos for Telecom, a platform that enables CSPs to run applications anywhere using containers and microservices. Google Cloud added that it is committed to collaborating with the telecom industry and supporting open standards and interoperability.

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(Source, Source 2)

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Telecom companies in India are constantly in competition. With many people needing to stay in touch with each other, companies make sure that they offer the most attractive and enticing plans to their customers in order to attract new customers and retain the loyalty of old ones. However, companies may sometimes take decisions for their own betterment. This could be to keep the company afloat or to simply boost the organization’s revenue. In recent news, popular Telecom company Bharti Airtel has ended its minimum recharge plan of INR 99.

Bharti Airtel has made this change in seven more circles, following its discontinuation in the circles of Odisha and Haryana. The company is now offering an entry-level plan of INR 155, which includes 1 GB of internet data, 300 text messages, and a validity of 28 days. Previously, Airtel offered a minimum recharge plan of INR 99 with 200MB data and a rate of Rs 2.5 paise per second for 28 days.

The discontinuation of this plan began in November 2022 and will eventually result in an increase in average revenue per user for the company. However, users would have to face a 57% increase in monthly costs for customers who used the INR 99-pack, in spite of getting more bang for their buck overall. An Airtel spokesperson further stated that the company’s new plan would provide users with more flexibility, convenience and superior value for their money. 

While it has increased the price of its base plan, the company is also trying to attract new customers with more bundled subscriptions. The company recently started offering bundle plans to its customers as a part of its Airtel Black subscriptions, which allows users to combine their Airtel mobile, DTH and fiber services in one plan so that they don’t have to deal with multiple bills. In addition to benefits such as unlimited calling and internet perks, users get free subscriptions to Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and more.

It will be interesting to see how Bharti Airtel rivals its competitors, such as Jio Telecom, in the future.

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With Ukraine facing an invasion, dozens of telecom operators have are providing free international calls to the region and are even waiving off roaming charging with the country to help people in the nation amid the ongoing crisis.

Notably, telecom operators include Deutsche Telekom, AT&T, Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica, Telia Company, A1 Telekom Austria Group, Telenor, Proximus, KPN, Vodafone, Vivacom, TIM Telecom Italia, Altice Portugal and Swisscom. Furthermore, some of these companies are even providing offers that include SIM cards to refugees in neighboring nations, offering free Wi-Fi in refugee camps. The firms have even activated the “SMS Donation” function to help organizations aiding the refugees and are including Ukrainian channels in the IPTV packages for free.

US Telecom group AT&T had also announced last month that its US consumer and business customers will be eligible for unlimited long distance calls to Ukraine till the 7th of March 2022. On the other hand, Verizon announced that it will be waiving roaming charges for calls from residential landline and consumer or business wireless phones to and from Ukraine till March 10. It is even removing costs for voice and text based roaming charges for customers in the country. Overall, the telecom operators that are providing these temporary offers are from both sides of the Atlantic and seek to help people in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.

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Huawei is one of the world’s leading telecom equipment manufacturers but the company is now barred from working on the 5G communication technology because of the sanctions imposed by the United States.

At a time when several countries are looking to get rid of Huawei telecom equipment from their telecom infractions, Bangladesh has done the opposite. The first commercial 5G network in the country is now live, thanks to the partnership of Huawei and Teletalk.

Initially, the 5G network will be available in six locations around the Bangladesh Secretariat, the National Parliament area, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, the National Monument in Savar, and the mausoleum of the Father of the Nation in Tungipara, Gopalganj.

Mustafa Jabbar, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Division, said that after 2G and 3G, the 5G technology can go much beyond and expand the horizons for industries, businesses, agriculture, healthcare, and much more.

Zhang Zhengjun, CEO of Huawei Bangladesh, said: “We believe 5G will change society with diversified applications for individuals, homes, and industries. And Huawei will always be there to facilitate Bangladesh with its innovative technology because we are in Bangladesh, for Bangladesh.”

The company has revealed that the coverage will gradually expand to more regions of the country. However, there’s no timeline about when the coverage will be expanded or which areas will be covered in the future.

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Huawei Technologies is shifting its focus on emerging markets to expand its presence outside of China. The company’s overseas operations once accounted for around 70 percent of its total revenue, which took a significant hit due to various sanctions from the US.

Earlier this year, the Chinese tech giant helped build a data center in Senegal. This site cost 70 million EUR (roughly 83 million US Dollars) and was built through a load from the Chinese government and telecom infrastructure from Huawei (Via NikkeiAsia). The company’s focus on these emerging markets arrives as the US has urged various nations to exclude the brand from their fifth generation of wireless networks (5G). The US had cited national security concerns against the company, especially to governments in the West like the UK and certain European nations.

Despite this, Huawei still has a strong presence in the emerging markets in Africa and the Middle Eastern regions. As of right now, the equipment made by the company is around 20 to 30 percent more affordable than those made by its European competitors like Ericsson and Nokia. Furthermore, the telecom equipment maker has also not given up on expanding its presence in developed nations, although, it is focusing more on emerging markets.

For those unaware, Huawei is a major player in the telecom industry and supplies its networking gear to many countries across the globe. As of 2020, it is estimated that the company has started smart city projects in over 700 cities in more than 40 nations. This includes places such as Dubai, in which the company was involved with the construction of 5G infrastructure. Meanwhile, the US is working on pressuring more developed nations like the UK, with Japan, and Australia also excluding Huawei from their 5G infrastructure.

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The Italy-based unit of Vodafone has received conditional approval from Rome to use the equipment made by the world’s leading telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei in its 5G radio access network, reports Reuters.

As per the sources aware of the development, the government of national unity led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi has authorized the deal between the two companies — Vodafone and Huawei, on 20th May.

The government has reportedly imposed a set of prescriptions, including restrictions on remote intervention by Huawei to fix technical glitches and an extremely high-security threshold, adds the report based on sources.

Italy can block or impose tough conditions on deals involving non-European vendors under “golden powers.” So far, the golden powers have been used three times since 2012 to block foreign interest in industries deemed to be of strategic importance.

The development comes at a time when the United States has banned Huawei in its country and is also lobbying its allies, including Italy and other European countries to block Huawei from participating in the deployment of next-generation 5G infrastructure. The US government is citing national security risk as a reason behind sanctions against China-based companies like Huawei and ZTE, among others.

However, Italy has not banned Huawei entirely from the 5G infrastructure but has adopted a tougher stance against the company. Previously, Rome had prevented telecoms group Fastweb in October from signing a deal with Huawei to supply equipment for its 5G core network, where highly sensitive data is processed.

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Chinese tech giant Huawei, which continues to struggle because of the restrictions imposed by the United States, still managed to lead the global market when it comes to telecommunication equipment.

Market research firm Dell’Oro Group recently published a report about global telecom infrastructure market for the fourth quarter of 2020. While Huawei led the market, the overall market witnessed a 7 percent year-on-year increase.

The telecommunication equipment market includes products for broadband access, microwave and optical transmission, mobile core network and wireless access network, SP routers, and carrier-grade switches.

The report reveals the the top seven supplier companies in this segment, which include Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson, ZTE, Cisco, Ciena, and Samsung. All these companies accounted for about 80 percent to 85 percent of the overall market. It also reveals that Huawei’s market share has increased by 2-3 percent points through the year 2020.

On the other hand, Ericsson and Nokia have increased their RNA market share outside of China. Further, the report adds that revenue for these companies continue to be affected because of the status of deployment of 5G communication technology, especially in the highly concentrated market.

In the year 2020, Huawei had 31 percent market share in terms of revenue, followed by Nokia and Ericsson, both of them having 15 percent share. ZTE, Cisco, and Ciena ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth with 10 percent, 6 percent, and 3 percent market share respectively. South Korean giant Samsung came seventh with 2 percent share.

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United States has banned Huawei from participating in its 5G infrastructure development and has pressured other countries to do the same, and many have complied. Now, the country is set to replace the existing infrastructure.

The lawmakers in the United States are set to back a $1.9 billion program that will provide funding to remove telecom network equipment which the government has classified as posing a national security risk.

Huawei and a few other Chinese companies, including ZTE, have been classified as a national security risk. The funding for this new program has been added as a part of a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, reports Reuters citing people aware of the development.

Earlier this month, Huawei had said that it was disappointed in the FCC’s decision “to force the removal of our products from telecommunications networks. This overreach puts U.S. citizens at risk in the largely underserved rural areas – during a pandemic – when reliable communication is essential.”

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Recently, the United Kingdom also banned Huawei and asked telecom network carriers to remove the Chinese company’s infrastructure by 2027. It recently banned the installation of new 5G equipment from Huawei after September 2021.

The government is also working to create a new law, which once approved, will enable them to plan fines on telecom operators and can have them pay 10 percent of turnover or 100,000 Pounds per day if they fail to comply with the new regulations.

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In the ongoing trade war between the United States and China, several companies have already bowed down to the pressure from the U.S. to ban Huawei from their 5G infrastructure development. Now, it seems that Korea could be added to the list soon.

As per a report coming from Korea, a U.S. Congress committee has submitted a new bill that urges Pentagon to consider mobile security risks posed by the Chinese tech companies when it deploys troops and weapons overseas.

The bill named the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, has been approved by the Senate Armed Services Committees and will soon be put on the vote. If passed, it could be used to force host countries to ban Huawei or other companies that the United States deems as a security risk.

Given that Korea heavily relies on heavily armed U.S. troops for its defense, it could be forced to ban Huawei. This is because LG UPlus, one of the mobile network operator in Korea, is using 5G equipment from Huawei.

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LG Uplus has been using Huawei equipment in its network since 2013, which now accounts for over 30 percent of its total infrastructure. While the U.S. government has asked LG Uplus to stop using equipment from the Chinese giant but the company maintains that it’s impossible to do so given the costs involved.

However, the company has said that it is using Ericsson’s equipment in Pyeongtaek and Uijeongbu, where U.S. military bases are located, and their vicinities. On the other hand, Korea says that it is up to the network operator to determine which equipment to use.

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Telecom operators in the UK could now face severe fines after a new law was announced by the Parliament earlier this week. Under the new law, telecos could be fined 10 percent of their revenues for using telecommunications equipment from Huawei.

The new proposed Telecommunications Security Bill was designed to improve the security in the country’s 5G networking and full fiber infrastructure. As per a CNBC report, the new bill will have telecom carriers ensure that the equipment and software being used at their mast sites and telephone exchanges will have to meet a certain standard. According to the UK Department of Culture, Media, and Sport, “This will be a significant step to protect the U.K. from hostile cyber activity by state actors or criminals. Over the past two years the government has attributed a range of cyber attacks to Russia and China, as well as North Korea and Iranian actors.”

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If the bill is approved, the government will be able plan fines on telecom operators that can have them pay 10 percent of turnover or 100,000 Pounds (roughly 133,000 US Dollars) a day if they fail to comply with the new regulations. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden further added that the bill “will give the U.K. one of the toughest telecoms security regimes in the world and allow us to take the action necessary to protect our networks.”

In other words, the bill would also give the government the power to fine any operator found using equipment from blacklisted firms like Huawei in the nation’s 5G infrastructure. Just earlier this year, the UK government stated that carriers would no longer be able to buy telecommunication equipment from Chinese firms by the end of 2020, and will have to replace any existing technology by 2027. Although, a stricter law is also being considered that would force carriers to ban installation of Huawei 5G equipment by 2021.

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has revealed that it has rejected a petition from China-based ZTE Corp which had asked the agency to reconsider its decision to designate the company as a U.S. national security threat to communications networks.

For those who are unaware, earlier this year in June, FCC has formally designated China-based Huawei Technologies and ZTE as a national security threat. With this, the companies were barred from tapping an $8.3 billion government fund to supply equipment.

Huawei has also made a similar request to the FCC to which the agency said that it is extending the timeline to respond to Huawei’s petition until 11th December “to fully and adequately consider the voluminous record.”

Prior to FCC declaring these two Chinese giants as a security risk, in May 2019, Donald Trump had signed an executive order banning U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment from companies that pose a national security risk and has also added Huawei to the “Entity List” which is basically a trade blacklist.

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The reaffirmation from FCC indicates that the agency is determined to keep both these Chinese companies away from the country’s telecom market where small rural carriers are still relying on their cheap network equipment.

Although both Huawei and ZTE have denied the allegations leveled against them, the United States has been increasingly making it difficult for the Chinese companies to operate in the U.S. because of the US-China trade war.

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The UK government has introduced The Telecommunications (Security) Bill which, it claims will boost the security standards of the country’s telecom networks. It is aimed at forcing companies to remove equipment from high-risk vendors.

As a part of this new law, reported by Reuters, telecom companies in Britain could be fined up to 10 percent of the company’s turnover or 100,000 pounds (approximately $133,140) per day if they contravene the ban on using equipment made by suppliers like Huawei.

Commenting on this, Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This groundbreaking bill will give the UK one of the toughest telecoms security regimes in the world and allow us to take the action necessary to protect our networks.”

In response to this bill, Huawei Vice President Victor Zhang said that the “decision is politically motivated and not based on a fair evaluation of the risks. It does not serve anyone’s best interests as it would move Britain into the digital slow lane and put at risk the Government’s leveling up agenda.”

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The development comes just days after Huawei’s Vice President Victor Zhang had urged UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to reconsider the decision to ban Huawei from the 5G network development and said that it will worsen England’s north-south divide.

For those who are unaware, the United Kingdom banned Huawei, the world’s leading telecom equipment manufacturer, from taking part in the country’s 5G infrastructure development, bowing down to the pressure from the United States.

It has also asked all the telecom companies in the UK to get rid of Huawei’s equipment from their infrastructure by 2027. This is because there are concerns that Huawei’s equipment could be used by China for spying. However, Huawei has denied all such allegations related to its security.

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Earlier this year, bowing down to the pressure from the Trump administration, United Kingdom (UK) banned Chinese giant Huawei from participating in the country’s 5G infrastructure and ordered companies to remove Huawei equipment by 2027.

Now, Huawei’s Vice President Victor Zhang has urged UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to revisit the decision to ban Huawei from the 5G network development and claimed that it will worsen England’s north-south divide.

He also urged the UK to stay true to its roots as the birthplace of the first Industrial Revolution and added that the government could not afford to fall behind others in the 5G communication revolution.

Victor Zhang also added that this is worrying because the UK is more focused on the geopolitical conflict rather than focusing on improving the economy and making sure that the country grabs the opportunity to be a global leader post-Brexit.

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UK’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden had said in July that the decision to completely remove Huawei from the UK’s 5G network could delay the rollout of 5G by up to three years and cost around £2 billion.

There are concerns related to using Huawei’s equipment in 5G development because of the company’s alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party. Critics of the company say that China could use Huawei as a backdoor to spy on communications. However, Huawei has denied all such allegations time and again.

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Ever since the United States imposed restrictions on Huawei, the Chinese giant has been struggling to get into the 5G communications market in several countries and the latest country to ban Huawei is Sweden.

After being excluded from the 5G networks, Huawei filed a lawsuit against the Swedish telecoms regulator PTS, and to the relief of the Chinese company, the court has now granted a stay order against the decision.

As per the report coming from Reuters, some parts of PTS’ decision prior to the upcoming 5G auction will not apply until further notice and it would allow Huawei’s involvement in the 5G spectrum auction in Sweden.

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After the court’s decision, the auctions have been halted by the authorities, which would have benefited Nokia and Ericsson. PTS is now planning to review the possibilities of starting the process as soon as possible while Huawei is trying to have a dialogue with them to become a certified vendor.

For those who are unaware, Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers — Huawei and ZTE were banned by Sweden from taking part in the upcoming 5G auction, citing security concerns. Also, PTS had asked companies that are taking part in the auction to remove Huawei and ZTE from existing in the central functions by 1st January 2025.

After the United States banned Huawei in the country for the telecom networks, it is also pressuring other nations to follow the suit with the ban. Several countries bowed down to the pressure, including the UK which banned the Chinese giant and ordered companies to replace all Huawei equipment from the country’s infrastructure by 2027.

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As global telecom equipment makers like Ericsson and Nokia shift downscale their production in China, their South Korean suppliers are also following suit. Ace Technologies and KMW, the suppliers of the two telecom equipment giants are shifting their production to Vietnam.

According to TheElec report, the move from Ericsson and Nokia has become an opportunity for its South Korean components and materials providers that have facilities in Vietnam, as per a source close to the matter. KMW and Ace Technologies supply their goods to Nokia and Ericsson respectively and are downsizing their productions in China, and now focusing more on Vietnam.

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Similarly, Samsung has also moved its Networking division from Gumi to Suwon back in 2019, and had begun mass production in the country within the same year. Notably, Many South Korean suppliers have already built a good foundation in Vietnam, as they followed the tech giant, Samsung, who had been investing heavily in the Southeast Asian country.

At the moment, Vietnam is offering cheaper labor costs in comparison to China and is more suitable for mid sized supplier firms. Ace Technologies had completed its new factory in the region back in March, which has tripled its production capacity of radio systems and antenna filter units. It is now also planning on producing over 100,000 units of 4G and 5G remote radio heads as well.

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Huawei, the world’s leading manufacturer of telecom equipment, has been facing various sanctions from the United States at a time when there’s a fierce competition between the US and China for controlling the 5G technology.

Now, Nikkei Asia reports that the breakdown of the core base station unit from Huawei for the fifth-generation wireless network shows that the phone is using about 30 percent of the parts from US-based suppliers.

It is also revealed that the main semiconductor device in the unit, which has codename “Hi1382 TAIWAN” representing HiSilicon chipset, was supplied by a Taiwan-based contract manufacturer TSMC.

The report sheds light on the fact that the Chinese giant is still not totally independent from sourcing components from the US-based firms. But given that the company has been restricted, it will have to make do with the stockpiled components for the time being.

The Huawei baseband unit measures 49cm x 9cm x 34cm and weighs about 10kg. The device is usually placed on the roof of a building to process voice signals for transmission to and from mobile phones.

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The estimated production cost for the unit is $1,320, of which Chinese-made components account for 48.2 percent, which higher than the comparative figure for the 5G model of Huawei’s top-of-the-line smartphone, the Mate30, which is 41.8 percent. The US-made chips and other components account for a large 27.2 percent of the total cost.

The United States imposed a few new restrictions on Huawei, which went into effect last month. With that, it has now been banned from sourcing chipsets from US-based companies or companies that use US technologies.

However, the companies have now started applying for special licenses with the United States to continue doing business with Huawei. While Intel and AMD have already been granted a license, companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, etc. have also applied for a special license from the U.S.

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Huawei has been facing several difficulties when it comes to a smoothly operating business because of the new sanctions imposed by the United States. In the most recent development, the company is being forced to cease development of its high-end Kirin chipsets because of the restrictions put on manufacturing.

But, it seems that the impact of the new restrictions put on by the U.S. government will not be as bad as the smartphone business if we compare it to the company’s core telecom equipment business.

As per the latest report coming from Korea, Huawei has secured enough chipsets used in the telecom base station that it could last for years. The company had reportedly started stockpiling a large volume of semiconductors for the business-to-business operations since last year, anticipating such restrictions.

Given that the lifecycle of the chipsets used in the base stations is much longer than the chips used in smartphones, there won’t be any issues related to using the latest chipset, unlike the mobile phone business. The chipsets used in base stations are more focused on stability and reliability.

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Last year, the company had announced the Tiangang chipset for 5G base stations which supports 3.5GHz and 2.6GHz spectrum. Manufactured using the 7nm process by TSMC in 2018, the company has been stockpiling it since last year.

Huawei and its 70 affiliates have been put on Entity List by the United States, which now requires special permission from the government to carry out business. Thus, Huawei’s contract chipset manufacturer TSMC has been prevented from taking new orders from the Chinese company and will completely halt HiSilicon chip production from 15th September.

In line with this development, Huawei CEO confirmed that the Kirin 9000 will be the last flagship chipset from the company, which will be powering the upcoming Mate40 series smartphones. However, it’s likely that mid-range chipsets will continue to be produced given that they are now being manufactured in China by SMIC.

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The telecom operators from the UK have been urged to stockpile on networking equipment made from Huawei. The move is being undertaken after growing fears that the latest US sanctions might impact operations for telecom firms in the region.

According to a fresh report from Reuters, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has written to BT and Vodafone, urging them to maintain a healthy supply of gear from all vendors. However, the Chinese tech giant’s networking equipment was specifically mentioned and the operators were also asked to provide updates regarding the matter.

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For those unaware, Huawei is a known telecommunications equipment provider and has been in the UK for more than two decades. It is also a key supplier for major telecom operators like BT and Vodafone and through its role in the country, has been able to expand to other regions as well. The Chinese firm was also highly invested in the 5G development of the country but due to scrutiny from the west, it has had its position questioned.

At the moment, the UK is planning on removing all Huawei made equipment by 2023. Previously, the US had pressurized the region to ban the company outright, but a total ban is impossible without causing disruption within the country’s telecommunications infrastructure. Recent US sanctions have cut off chip supply from TSMC to Huawei, which will also affect its telecom equipment production. Thus, the move is understandable for a stable supply.

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(Via,Source)

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Social media giant Facebook is reportedly in talks with India’s latest entrant in the telecom sector, Reliance Jio, to acquire a multi-billion dollar stake in the company. It has also come to light that Google has also been in talks with Jio for the same.

As per the report from Financial Times citing two people aware of the development, Facebook was close to acquire 10 percent stake in Reliance Jio but the talks haven’t move forward because of the coronavirus outbreak.

If everything would have worked as planned, then the deal was set to be announced by the end of this month. However, with the disruption causes by the coronavirus and India going under lockdown for three weeks, the deal seems to have been stuck.

While Google and Facebook have been in talks with Jio for acquiring stake, Microsoft is already partnered with Reliance Jio as the company had said last year that it would provide cloud-computing services to the Mukesh Ambani-backed company.

As per the report, the deal with Facebook will help Jio’s parent company Reliance Industries Ltd achieve the goal of cutting debt to zero by March 2021. The company is also planning to sell a 20 percent stake in its refining business to Saudi Aramco as part of this exercise.

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For Facebook, India is one of the biggest market with 328 million monthly users. The company’s instant messaging app WhatsApp has 400 million users in the country, most compared to any other market.

Reliance Jio began its commercial operation in the second half of 2016 and so far, the company has upended the local telecom market by offering bulk of 4G data and free voice calls for six months. The firm’s entry led to price war within the sector to revise data plans and tariffs and several companies consolidated operations.

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(Source)

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