Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Covid-19 expected to delay European 5G
The COVID-19 pandemic will delay the rollout of 5G networks in Europe by 12 to 18 months, according to a recent by PwC. According to the report, European telcos’ investment spending over the next two years will fall by €6bn-€9bn ($7.1bn-$10.6bn). “Telcos need to act urgently to address the squeeze on their 5G investment plans. Specifically, they must review their 5G business cases and deployment timetables, given the significant growth and changing pattern of demand for network capacity that has emerged due to the COVID-19 lockdown,” PwC said. “We expect a reprioritization of capex plans across all areas of the business to secure sufficient funding, to continue investing in 5G and to partially mitigate the risks of delaying deployment, while at the same time coping with increasing demands on their fixed infrastructure. This will involve tough choices: a complete review of capex plans, a drive to achieve further capex efficiencies and delays to selected transformation projects in other areas.” … Read more
PALS auction cruises past $830 million
The Priority Access License has raised nearly $832 million in bids after 13 rounds, including more than $56 million in the 13th round. The auction continues to show an unusual bidding pattern, compared to typical auctions that are dominated by large mobile network operators focused on building their spectrum holdings in the most densely-populated urban areas of the U.S. In Auction 105, the excess demand is spread across large, small and mid-sized counties across the country. Some counties with relatively small price tags are seeing high demand from the 271 qualified bidders. The top two counties with the highest levels of bidding demand and their prices as of the seventh round are Los Angeles, California (pop. 9.8 million) with a round 13 price of $6.2 million for a PAL, and Arlington, Virginia (pop. 207,627) at $142,000. Eight additional counties are tied for the next spot, in a snapshot that illustrates why this auction is so very different than anything before: Cook county, Illinois (pop. 5.2 million) and Dallas county, Texas (pop. 2.4 million) are just as hotly contested as Humboldt county, Iowa (pop. 9,800), Andrews county, Texas (pop. 15,000) and Eastland, Texas (pop. 18,600). Each of those counties have 27 bidders vying for the seven available PALs. The prices of those licenses range from $7,200 for Humboldt, to $3.6 million for Cook, as of round 13. … Read more
Huawei takes top spot in the mobile device market for the first time
Huawei has had a tough go of it lately as the U.S. continues to box the Chinese company out of 5G network deployments. However, the company has experienced a few wins this week, securing a multi-year agreement with Qualcomm perhaps inspired by the fact that, for the first time, Huawei achieved the top spot in the global smartphone market in Q2 2020, surpassing Samsung and Apple who have traded off the title for the last nine years. According to market researcher Canalys, which first reported the news, Huawei shipped an estimated 55.8 million devices in the quarter, down 5% from last year, while Samsung shipped 53.7 million smartphones, a staggering 30% decrease from a year earlier, putting it in second place. Canalys Senior Analyst Ben Stanton called Huawei’s success in this area an unexpected and “remarkable result,” adding that if it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, it wouldn’t have happened. “Huawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business,” Stanton said. … Read more
Qualcomm strikes multi-year licensing deal with Huawei
Following the Wednesday announcement of its third quarter earnings and detailing a multi-year agreement with Huawei, Qualcomm stock jumped more than 12% at its height. The San Diego-based company turned in revenue above the midpoint of prior guidance and showed an 8% increase in earnings per share to $0.86. Qualcomm reported $4.9 billion in Q3 revenues with the QCT business up 7% year-over-year to $3.8 billion and QTL revenues down nearly 20% compared to this time last year to $1 billion. CEO Steve Mollenkopf also said on a call for investors that it has reached a long-term global patent licensing deal with Huawei, an outstanding issue the settlement of which will add $1.8 billion in Q4 income from royalty payments. “We are pleased to have successfully reached resolution with Huawei. With the signing of the Huawei agreement, we are now entering a period in which we have multi-year agreements with every major handset OEM.” … Read more
Pekka Lundmark returns to take up Nokia’s reins
Pekka Lundmark, after spending two decades in roles ranging from managing partner of startup-focused VC firm to CEO of both an energy company and heavy equipment provider, returns to Nokia this week as president and CEO, taking over for Rajeev Suri. Lundmark previously worked at Nokia between 1990 and 2000, and, in keeping with 5G/Industry 4.0 themes established by Suri, discussed the role of telecom in digital transformation in a blog post. “We stand at the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with 5G set to transform entire industries from health care to manufacturing, changing how we work and live, and giving us the opportunity to create economic prosperity and new jobs while caring more for our planet and improving the lives of people,” Lundmark wrote. Based on his experience leading Fortum and Koncranes, he noted firsthand knowledge of “embracing digitalization and continuing to innovate to stay ahead of the competition.” Working with operators and directly with enterprises, Nokia has aggressively pursued opportunities around 4G and 5G private networks for vertical industries, the central premise of Industry 4.0. Last week, for instance, Nokia and Telefônica Brazil struck a deal with Brazilian mining firm Vale to provide a private LTE network to the open-pit Carajás Mine, the world’s largest iron ore mine, in the state of Para in northern Brazil. Vale wants its own cellular network to support autonomous drilling platforms and autonomous trucks, as part of wider Industry 4.0 capabilities. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
