• 3GPP’s Release 20 work to include early 6G studies
• Orange France taps Nokia for 5G upgrade, cloud RAN trials
• BT sells a slice of its Irish business

In today’s industry news roundup: 3GPP is adopting a dual approach to its Release 20 work by running parallel 5G-Advanced and 6G groups; some good news for Nokia’s Mobile Networks division as Orange France sticks with the Finnish vendor for a 5G upgrade and cloud RAN trials; BT sells its enterprise and wholesale unit in Ireland; and much more!

Cellular technology standards body 3GPP is taking what it describes as a “unique approach” to its Release 20 (Rel-20), which “represents a crucial step toward the next-generation network architecture, balancing the dual objectives of advancing 5G while laying the groundwork for 6G,” the organisation noted in this announcement, adding that it needed to balance “the dual objectives of advancing 5G while laying the groundwork for 6G.” The Rel-20 work will be divided into two “key components: Rel-20_5GA for 5G-Advanced and Rel-20_6G for early 6G studies. This dual-track framework allows 3GPP to innovate within 5G-Advanced, supporting near-term network upgrades, while simultaneously initiating the research phase for 6G, which will unfold more fully in Release 21. Each track operates under separate timelines and planning strategies, making Rel-20 adaptable across various TSG [technical specification groups] and WG [working groups] based on their resource priorities.” For Rel-20 5G-Advanced, 3GPP has “set an 18-month roadmap focused on enhancing the current capabilities of 5G,” with a “final freeze” of system architecture aspects due in September 2026. For Rel-20 6G studies, “the journey ahead involves deep exploratory work,” noted 3GPP. “This track of Rel-20 is solely dedicated to 6G studies, with the normative work for 6G slated for the next release, Release 21. These studies will form the foundation for 6G’s service requirements, use cases, and system architecture,” it added. Looking ahead, 3GPP noted that “the journey from Rel-20 to Rel-21 represents a critical phase, particularly for 6G. Release 21 marks the official start of normative 6G work and is expected to produce the first formal 6G technical specifications, aligning with IMT-2030 submission requirements. The Release 21 timeline, expected to be finalised no later than June 2026, ensures that 3GPP’s specifications for 6G will be ready ahead of the IMT-2030 submission window, with ASN.1/OpenAPI freezes projected by March 2029. Rel-21 will be a landmark, showcasing the initial wave of 6G technologies through a single, comprehensive release.” Read more.

Some good news for Nokia’s Mobile Networks division, which had a challenging 2024: The Finnish vendor has landed a four-year contract extension with Orange France “to upgrade its 5G radio infrastructure with Nokia’s energy-efficient AirScale portfolio” in south-eastern and western France. Under the deal, Nokia will “supply equipment from its industry-leading, O-RAN-compliant 5G AirScale portfolio. This includes Nokia’s next-generation, industry-leading, high-capacity AirScale baseband solutions, lightweight, and high-output massive MIMO Habrok radios, and Nokia’s Pandion portfolio of FDD [frequency division duplex] multiband remote radio heads to cover all use cases and deployment scenarios… Nokia will also supply its AI-powered radio network management solution, MantaRay NM, which supports all radio and mobile core technologies.” In addition, “Orange will also trial Nokia’s 5G Cloud RAN solutions to assess the transition of its network towards cloud RAN technology,” noted the vendor. Read more. 

Still with Nokia… The vendor noted that Singapore’s StarHub has successfully completed its nationwide rollout of Nokia’s XGS-PON network, “connecting hundreds of thousands of homes across Singapore to 10 Gbit/s internet speeds… StarHub will use Nokia’s Altiplano Access Controller to automate and improve network utilisation. Leveraging AI-driven operations (AIOps) to drive better network decisions, Nokia’s Altiplano Access Controller enables StarHub to detect network anomalies faster, anticipate service-affecting issues before they occur, and improve network utilisation. Advanced analytics and trained AI agents, such as the ONT Health Monitor application, can help increase efficiencies and drive higher levels of automation across network and service operations,” added the vendor in this announcement. 

BT Group has struck a deal to sell its wholesale and enterprise business unit in Ireland to Speed Fibre Group for €22m. BT noted that the sale “is part of the company’s ongoing transformation of its international business, focused on delivering secure, multicloud connectivity to multinational customers and large organisations in Ireland and around the world.” It added, “Post-transaction, BT will continue to have a strong presence in Ireland, with over 400 employees, with offices in Dublin and regionally, and connections to BT’s global network infrastructure and propositions.” The news came just days after BT announced a new CEO for its BT Business division. 

The smartphone sector recovered in 2024, with shipments increasing by 7.1% to 1.223 billion, “signaling a steady recovery for the industry,” according to research group Omdia. Apple was the market leader (though only just), shipping 225.9 million devices, down 1.4% from 229.1 million in 2023, for an 18% market share, noted Omdia in this press release. “Apple is facing difficulties in China,” noted Omdia senior research manager Jusy Hong. “Despite the launch of the iPhone 16 series, overall shipments have declined. This is attributed to the increasing lifespan of iPhones, as the growing demand for refurbished and used iPhones is impacting shipments of standard and legacy models,” added Hong. Samsung shipped 222.9 million devices in 2024, giving it an 18% market share also, while Xiaomi shipped 168.6 million devices for a 14% market share. “Looking back on 2024, it’s clear that the smartphone industry has recovered from the shipment volume decline seen in 2023. With the global smartphone market reaching 1,223.1 million units in 2024, this represents a strong 7.1% annual growth rate, the highest since 2021, and is higher than the initial forecast of around 1,210 million,” noted Hong. “While it is unlikely that this growth will continue, 2025 shipments are expected to be in line with or slightly less than 2024, though should not drop back to the low point of 2023,” added the analyst.   

Ericsson has appointed Charlotte Levert as its new chief people officer and head of group function people, starting on 10 February. Levert is currently head of people for the business area of cloud and software services: She will replace MajBritt Arfert, whose departure from Ericsson was announced in October 2024. Read more. 

– The staff, TelecomTV