The UK telco is collaborating with US firm Cavium on G.fast tests
UK telecoms operator BT has successfully used G.fast technology to deliver a Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) cellular network service over copper, the telco said in a statement.
C-RAN is a network architecture used to connect cellular base stations to mobile operators’ core networks.
Researchers at BT’s Adastral Park Labs in Ipswich, in collaboration with US-based semiconductor manufacturer Cavium, have demonstrated that they can use G.fast technology to deliver cellular data over copper lines at speeds of ranging from 150 Mbps to 200 Mbps.
With this technology, mobile operators will have no need to invest in high capacity backhaul links over dedicated fiber connections while simultaneously extending the useful lifespan of copper networks. BT said that a C-RAN service delivered over G.fast would significantly lower the cost of deployment for mobile operators building out 4G LTE networks today and 5G architectures in the future.
“These technologies will play a key role in 4G networks and will be fundamental to 5G architectures. The trials are another step towards a fixed and mobile network which will support customers’ increasing demands for data,” Tim Whitley, MD for Research & Innovation at BT, said.
BT’s local access network division, is also trialling G.fast as an access technology in Huntingdon and Gosforth, alongside a further BT technical trial in Swansea.
If the trials prove successful and if UK regulation continues to encourage investment, the telco has pledged to provide ultra fast speeds to 10 million homes by 2020 and to the majority of the UK within a decade.
Orange to acquire Millicom’s unit in DCR
In other EMEA news, French telecoms group Orange reached an agreement with Luxembourg-based telco Millicom to acquire the latter’s subsidiary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR), Orange said in a statement.
Orange said that the transaction will require the approval of the local regulatory authorities.
“The mobile market in the DRC is undergoing significant growth and is currently the largest mobile market in Central and West Africa after Nigeria with more than 40 million subscribers. Tigo DRC is a perfect fit for Orange given the complementarity of their operations both from a geographical and cultural standpoint,” the statement reads.
Millicom said that Orange will pay $160 million for the acquisition. “The sale of Tigo DRC is in line with our strategy of supporting consolidation and concentrating our resources in our most promising markets. Proceeds from the sale will strengthen our balance sheet allowing us to reinvest in our existing Latin American and African markets, improving earnings and cash flow and reducing leverage,” Millicom’s CEO Mauricio Ramos said.
