Weekly roundup: Asian telcos expand, US-Sweden partner on 6G

This week’s roundup focuses on the latest developments and collaborations shaping the global telecoms industry. Telecom giants in Asia are making significant strides in expanding their reach as China Mobile pushes forward with its 5G infrastructure and Chunghwa Telecom expands into new European markets. Another noteworthy development is that the US and Sweden have collaborated to advance 6G technology. 

While 5G networks are still in global deployment, research and development, 6G technology is already underway and is expected to be commercially available around 2030. Several countries and companies invest heavily in 6G research, with China, the United States, and the European Union leading the charge. 

This month, Sweden and the US also announced their plans to cooperate on advanced wireless technologies, including 6G. The August 6 declaration, which Ericsson welcomed, is the latest bilateral agreement between both nations regarding the desire to pool resources, expertise, and technology leadership on new, developing, and future connectivity technologies.

According to a joint statement, the areas of cooperation include 6G research – including potential funding – 6G spectrum allocation and introducing new technologies in existing frequency bands, the global harmonisation of 6G frequency bands, the development of international standards-aligned technologies, encouraging a broad 6G ecosystem, and developing 6G technologies to help bridge digital divides. 

Before this, in mid-April 2024, the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) and the Swedish Research Council unveiled a five-year memorandum of understanding innovation research partnership spanning business, academia and research institutions. The areas to be explored include AI, 6G, machine learning, and quantum technology.

That announcement was followed by the unveiling on April 5, 2024, of a new joint 6G Vision between the US and the European Union, strengthening cooperation and partnership on developing emerging technologies—a move welcomed by Ericsson Chief Technology Officer Erik Ekudden.

China Mobile accelerates 5G advanced rollout

In March this year, China Mobile announced the commercial launch of the 5G-Advanced (5GA) network, with an initial list of 100 cities with 5G-A network commercialisation plans. The goal is to establish the world’s largest 5G-A commercial network, the country’s efforts in advancing its internet infrastructure and propelling innovation.

In short, as Light Reading reported, following the specifications set only two months ago in 3GPP Release 18, China Mobile has become a global pioneer in the launch of 5G Advanced.

The operator had even aimed to deploy 5G Advanced in 300 cities across the country by the end of 2024. As of August, China Mobile’s 5G-Advanced campaign has stepped up a gear with a commercial launch in Beijing, following a similar launch during MWC Shanghai in June 2024.

The company says it’s upgraded more than 7,000 5G base stations, achieving coverage across the capital and delivering peak downlink speeds of 5 Gbit/s, a five-fold increase over 5G.

Given the latest launches in the two biggest cities, China Mobile will be able to showcase its 5G-A capabilities and test out its commercial potential. Light Reading also reported that the company aims to sign up 20 million 5G-A users by the end of the year. 

This would require them to work with hardware firms and developers to build the industry chain and expand the supply of handsets and new applications. According to local data, around ten 5G-A terminals from brands such as Vivo and Xiaomi are currently available. China Mobile hopes to increase that to more than 20 by year-end.

Chunghwa Telecom expands global reach with new European hub

Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom recently expanded its operations by establishing a new subsidiary in Frankfurt, Germany. This signifies the company’s foray into the European market. Chunghwa Telecom has successfully expanded its international service coverage to include Europe, America, and Asia, solidifying its position as the leading Taiwanese telecom operator with a global network. 

The company is focused on supporting Taiwanese businesses in Europe, particularly emphasising Germany as a strategic gateway. It is also actively seeking collaborations with European operators and ICT companies. One such collaboration is with Poland’s Exatel, with whom it entered into a cooperation agreement in July 2023.

Asian telcos back Bridge Alliance’s API Exchange for global network integration

Thirteen leading Asian telecom operators, including Airtel, China Unicom, and Singtel, have endorsed the Bridge Alliance API Exchange (BAEx), a platform designed to aggregate and expand telco APIs across the region. 

Launched with Singtel, BAEx builds on initiatives like the GSMA’s Open Gateway and Project CAMARA to provide developers with universal access to network APIs. Currently, BAEx offers silent network authentication APIs and plans to introduce additional services, such as eKYC and QoD, aiming to enhance mobile service innovation globally.

(Image Credit: Ericsson)

See also: Singtel and SK Telecom forge partnership to pioneer 6G development

Unified Communications is a two-day event taking place in California, London, and Amsterdam that delves into the future of workplace collaboration in a digital world. The comprehensive event is co-located with Digital Transformation Week, IoT Tech Expo, Edge Computing Expo, Intelligent Automation, AI & Big Data Expo, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: 5G, connectivity, featured, mobile, network, telecoms