Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Safaricom, Vodacom, China Mobile, ZTE, Huawei, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, among others.
Vodacom Challenges Kenya Court Ruling on Safaricom Stake
Kenya’s government will appeal a High Court ruling that ordered the cancellation of its sale of an additional 15 percent stake in Safaricom to South Africa’s Vodacom. Finance Minister John Mbadi said the government intends to challenge the decision and proceed with the transaction. The court had found that the sale process did not adequately involve the public and ordered the 15 percent stake to be returned to the government. Vodacom had increased its effective ownership of Safaricom to 55 percent through the transaction. The appeal could determine the future ownership structure of Kenya’s leading telecom operator and the status of the stake transfer.
China Mobile Jiangsu and ZTE Deploy 5G-Advanced for E-Commerce
China Mobile Jiangsu and ZTE have deployed a 5G-Advanced solution at Donghai’s crystal live streaming hub to improve network performance for e-commerce businesses. The deployment combines network intelligence, site intelligence, 5G-Advanced carrier aggregation and uplink enhancement technology to address congestion caused by thousands of concurrent livestreaming users. The solution reduced the buffering duration ratio from 0.36 percent to zero while delivering multi-fold uplink improvements. More than 10,000 streamers across Jiangsu are benefiting from the 5G-A service plan. During the first four months after deployment, Donghai’s crystal e-commerce sales increased 14 percent year over year, highlighting the use of 5G-Advanced for high-bandwidth commercial applications.
European Telecom Chiefs Warn Against Huawei and ZTE Equipment Ban
European telecom executives have warned that a proposed European Union ban on network equipment from high-risk suppliers such as Huawei and ZTE could increase operators’ investment costs. The proposal under the EU’s Digital Networks Act would require operators to phase out equipment from suppliers classified as high risk, potentially within three years. Connect Europe said a broad ban could impose up to €40 billion in replacement costs and reduce capital available for fiber, 5G and 6G investments. An open letter opposing the approach was signed by 17 senior executives, including leaders of Orange, Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica. EU lawmakers and member-state governments are negotiating the proposal.
