Mobile Industry Extra: September 2021

Mark Evans heads up new Telefonica unit

Former O2 CEO Mark Evans has been rewarded for his role in the operator’s merger with Virgin Media with leadership of Telefonica’s new ‘Strategy and Development’ unit. The new division will have influence over strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and digital innovation. Virgin Media CEO Lutz Schuler became CEO of the combined Virgin Media O2.

Nadine Dorries appointed UK culture secretary

Former health minister Nadine Dorries has been appointed as culture secretary, assuming responsibility for the UK’s digital strategy, including 5G and full fibre broadband. She takes over from Oliver Dowden who has moved on to become Co-Conservative party Chairman after 18 months at DCMS.

Matt Warman is no longer Digital Infrastructure Minister

Matt Warman has confirmed he is no longer Digital Infrastructure Minister following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle. No replacement has been named. Meanwhile John Whittingdale has been ousted as Media and Data minister.

Genuine Solutions partners with British Exporters Association

Mobile distribution and services provider Genuine Solutions is working with the British Exporters Association (BExA) to help recycle old technology. The company will recycle and redistribute old devices from BExA members and give proceeds to a nominated charity of choice.  

Exertis hires B2B director of sales

Distributor Exertis has promoted Sam Williams to Director of Sales – B2B. Williams has been with the company for 15 years and was most recently Sales Director for Accessories and Own Brand. He will be based at the firm’s Basingstoke office and report into Mike Buley, Chief Sales Officer.

Virgin Media O2 offers Plume Homepass to customers

Virgin Media will make Plume’s HomePass smart home service available to all UK households – even those not covered by its network. HomePass combines smart home services with Wi-Fi boosting pods that offer device security, in-home motion detection, and self-optimising Wi-Fi technology.

Hydrogen-powered aircraft could provide 100% 5G coverage

UK-based Stratospheric Platforms (SPL) is working with Deutsche Telekom to see how its high-altitude, hydrogen-powered aircraft can provide complete 5G coverage across the UK. It had proposed to the government that a small fleet, operating from Prestwick, would be able to achieve this goal and would be particularly suited to Scotland’s challenging terrain.

Ericsson offers lighter radio for Massive MIMO

Ericsson has unveiled a lightweight, compact 5G antenna for operators looking to deploy 5G with mid-band spectrum. At 12kg, the company claims the AIR 3268 is the lightest and smallest Massive MIMO in the industry, capable of being installed on poles and walls to densify networks.

IBM and Airspan Networks work on OpenRAN

IBM and Airspan are to work together on a 5G OpenRAN testbed at IBM’s sites in Munich and Nice to showcase long-distance control over 5G edge computing. The aim is to help clients in Europe develop multi-vendor systems based on open, interoperable standards.

5 million properties can now get TalkTalk fibre

TalkTalk says 5m homes and businesses can now access its fastest speeds, with Manchester, Glasgow, Leicester, and Leeds are among the latest cities to benefit from its ultrafast service. The average top speed is 506Mbps.

HPE names Tom Craig as new communications GM

Tom Craig will join HPE as Vice President and General Manager, CTG (Communications Technology Group) on October 11. Craig has 31 years of experience in the telco sector, including spells with BT and Vodafone, and will be tasked with responsibility HPE’s growing interest in the communications space.

Nokia launches fifth generation routing silicon

Nokia says its FP5 processing silicon will deliver a “generational leap” for IP network capacity, security and power efficiency. The tech is used in Nokia’s IP service routing platform and will help service operators in their next generation network rollouts, including 5G.