Today’s telecom news includes announcements on NTT DOCOMO, PLDT, Eutelsat, Skynopy, Ghana National Communications Authority, MTN Ghana, Telecel Ghana, Goal Telecommunications, Infrava, among others.
DOCOMO Boosts Solar Efficiency at Philippine Green Base Stations
NTT DOCOMO and Philippine operator PLDT, together with Smart Communications, have demonstrated weather-forecast-linked lithium-ion battery control technology at two green base stations in the Philippines. The system combines solar power, battery storage and DOCOMO’s energy management platform to optimize electricity generation, storage and supply based on weather forecasts. Solar power utilization efficiency increased by 23 percentage points, from 38 percent to 61 percent, while 3,905 kWh of previously unused surplus solar power was utilized. Field validation from April through July 2026 also reduced cumulative carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2,854 kg over 100 days. The demonstration marked the first overseas deployment of DOCOMO’s technology and covered an on-grid site near Metro Manila and an off-grid site in Cebu.
Eutelsat and Skynopy Target Global Satellite Ground Network
Eutelsat and French NewSpace company Skynopy are partnering to develop Global AKAR, a software-defined ground network designed to support Low Earth Orbit satellite services, Earth observation and other space applications. The partners plan to deploy more than 100 operational antennas at selected Eutelsat sites by the end of 2029, creating a globally distributed data backbone across S, X and Ka bands. Global AKAR is designed to reduce data latency to less than three minutes, compared with about one hour currently, while increasing throughput to as much as 10 Gbps from 1-2 Gbps. Skynopy brings cloud-native orchestration and virtualized modem technology, while Eutelsat contributes its global ground-station infrastructure and satellite operations expertise.
Ghana Clears Three Operators for Next-Stage 5G Spectrum Licensing
Ghana’s National Communications Authority has cleared MTN Ghana, Telecel Ghana and Goal Telecommunications to proceed to the next stage of the country’s 5G spectrum licensing process. The three operators qualified after the NCA assessed four applications for spectrum licences in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz bands. Infrava Ltd was the only applicant that failed to qualify and will not advance to the next stage. The successful applicants will proceed to Stage 3, while Infrava’s best-price offer will not be opened. The development comes as Ghana targets the start of 5G deployment before the end of 2026. The NCA expects spectrum assignment to be completed before year-end, supporting faster speeds, lower latency and greater device connectivity.
