BROWSING: APAC

Ericsson shows concerns about future business in China

Ericsson said that the decision by the Post and Telecommunication Authority (PTS) to exclude Chinese vendors’ products from 5G network rollouts in Sweden may negatively impact the company’s business in the Chinese market. In a financial filing, the Swedish company noted that the “ongoing geopolitical...

Singtel launches 5G SA network in Singapore

Singaporean operator Singtel announced the launch of its 5G Standalone (SA) network in the country. The Asian carrier says that 5G SA will enable applications like self-driving cars, real-time immersive entertainment, and massive IoT connections. “We are thrilled to introduce supercharged connectivity on Singapore’s most powerful...

China Mobile claims net addition of 16.5 million 5G subscribers in April

China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, added 16.5 million 5G subscribers in April, according to the carrier’s latest available figures. The operator said it ended April with a total of 205.3 million 5G subscribers, compared to 43.74 million 5G customers in...

China ends Q1 with 819,000 5G base stations: report

China ended the first quarter of the year with a total of 819,000 5G base stations, up from 771,000 5G sites at the end of 2020, according to a report published by Chinese paper Global Times. For the full-year 2021, Chinese operators aim to install...

Covid-19 pandemic could delay 5G launch in India: Bharti Airtel

The Covid-19 pandemic would potentially delay the launch of 5G technology in India, Gopal Vittal, CEO of Indian telecommunications company Bharti Airtel said during a press conference. India has been struggling for several months with a national wave of COVID-19 infections that has overwhelmed hospitals...

Rakuten Mobile inks O-RAN agreements with Fujitsu, NEC

Japanese carrier Rakuten Mobile signed two different agreements with compatriot companies Fujitsu and NEC to carry out joint efforts to develop and promote Open RAN solutions for the global market. Rakuten Mobile and Fujitsu said they will collaborate to jointly develop 4G and 5G Open...

Rakuten Mobile’s 4G network reaches 80% of Japan’s population

Japanese mobile operator Rakuten Mobile said its 4G network already reaches 80% of the country’s population, with plans to reach 96% this summer. In a conference call with investors, Rakuten Mobile’s President Yoshihisa Yamada said that the company has already reached limited 5G services in...

Korean carriers add 2.61 million 5G subscribers in Q1

South Korea’s mobile operators added a total of 2.61 million 5G subscribers in the first quarter of the year, according to data from the carrier’s earnings statements. Korean carrier KT added 785,000 5G subscribers in the first quarter. KT had a total of 4.4 million 5G...

NYSE ratifies delisting of China’s three main mobile operators

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) rejected the appeals by the three main Chinese mobile carriers to a delisting related to a presidential order blocking U.S. investment in companies considered a national security threat. The Chinese operators said their delisting will be effective 10 days...

Chunghwa Telecom targets 10,000 5G base stations by end-2021

Taiwanese operator Chunghwa Telecom expects to end 2021 with over 10,000 5G stations across Taiwan, the company’s president, Harrison Kuo, said during a conference call with investors. Kuo said that the operator is currently operating a total of 6,300 5G sites across Taiwan. “In the first...

Korean operators end March with almost 14.5 million 5G subscribers

South Korea ended March with a total of 14.48 million 5G subscribers, up from 7 million 5G users in May 2020, local news agency Yonhap reported, citing data from the Ministry of Science and ICT. The total number of 5G subscribers at the end of...

Taiwan Mobile’s 5G coverage reaches half of Taiwan’s population

Taiwan Mobile announced that its 5G coverage has reached 50% of the country's population. In a release, Taiwan Mobile also said it had already built over 6,000 5G 3.5GHz cell towers by the end of last year, offering 80% 5G coverage in the six special...

NTT, Fujitsu target open architecture through strategic alliance

Japanese companies NTT and Fujitsu Limited formed a strategic business alliance to conduct research in the mobile communications and optical transport fields, with the aim of expanding into the global market and delivering sustainable infrastructure. In a joint statement, the partners said that they will...

US restrictions impact Huawei’s Q1 revenues

Chinese vendor Huawei’s business felt the impact of the ongoing U.S. sanctions in the first quarter of the year, with a 16.5% year-on-year decline in revenues. In a release, Huawei reported revenues of CNY152.2 billion ($23.5 billion) in the first quarter, while its profit margin...

Singtel preps for 5G SA launch in Singapore

Singaporean operator Singtel said it is paving the way for the launch of a 5G standalone (SA) network across the country. The telco said it has already deployed 5G SA sites across the island in areas such as Orchard Road, the Central Business District, Harbourfront...

China Mobile adds 15.6 million 5G subscribers in March

China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, added 15.6 million 5G subscribers in March. The operator said it ended March with a total of 188.76 million 5G subscribers, compared to 31.72 million 5G customers in March 2020. China Mobile’s overall mobile subscriber base...

Five Australian operators secure 26GHz spectrum for 5G

Five operators have won spectrum in the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s latest spectrum auction in the 26 GHz band. Of the 360 lots available in the auction, 358 were sold, realizing a total revenue of AUD647.6 million ($501.1 million). Telstra secured a total of 150...

China had 792,000 5G base stations as of end-February: report

Chinese operators had deployed a total of 792,000 5G base stations as of the end of February, Chinese press reported, citing a government official. Liu Liehong, vice minister of industry and information technology, said that 5G standalone networks covered all prefecture-level cities across China, and...

Chunghwa selects Nokia to expand its 5G network in Taiwan

Nokia has announced that it has been selected by Taiwanese carrier Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) to expand the operator’s 5G network in Taiwan. The Finnish vendor said that this new deal aims to support CHT’s objective of achieving 80% population coverage as well as boost 5G...

LG Uplus selects Nokia to provide indoor 5G small cells solutions

Nokia signed an agreement with Korean operator LG Uplus to expand 5G coverage by installing small cell solutions from Nokia’s AirScale portfolio across the country, Nokia said in a release. Under the terms of the deal, Nokia will install its small cell AirScale Indoor (ASiR)...

Rakuten Mobile receives approval to expand 5G via 1.7GHz band

Japanese mobile operator Rakuten Mobile, a unit of e-commerce giant Rakuten, said it has received approval from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications for its special radio station deployment plan to expand 5G services in the 1.7 GHz frequency band. Following this approval, Rakuten...

Ericsson secures 5G contract in New Zealand

New Zealand operator 2degrees has announced a partnership with Ericsson to launch a 5G network in the country, the telco said in a release. The company said that the initial 5G sites will be located in the cities of Auckland and Wellington with plans to...

Huawei expects U.S restrictions to remain in place for a long time: chairman

Chinese vendor Huawei is not expecting the Biden administration to remove the company from the Entity List, the company’s rotating chairman, Eric Xu, said during a session with journalists at the Huawei Global Analyst Summit 2021. “We believe that we will need to continue working...

Rakuten Mobile attracts over 3.9 million applications for its mobile offering

Japanese carrier Rakuten Mobile said it attracted over 3.9 million applications for its mobile service since it launched its 4G offering one year ago. The telco launched a new promotional campaign to attract more subscribers. This campaign offers the Rakuten UN-LIMIT VI service plan to...