What’s up with… Deutsche Telekom, 6G R&D, AMD and OpenAI

• Deutsche Telekom boasts eSIM first 
• Dutch partners delve into 6G
• OpenAI deal is a “game-changer for AMD”

In today’s industry news roundup: Deutsche Telekom claims eSIM swap breakthrough in Europe and expands its lineup of smartphones with integrated AI; the Netherlands gets a National 6G Testbed; AMD becomes a “major AI player” as a result of its deal with OpenAI, reckons analyst; and much more!

Deutsche Telekom has announced what it claims to be a first for Europe: The ability for a network operator to transfer embedded SIM (eSIM) profiles between devices with different mobile operating systems, namely Android and Apple iOS. The operator noted that it has been offering eSIM transfer between iOS devices since 2020, and between Android devices since 2023. Now, it is also possible to switch between Android and iOS devices – and vice versa, it said. In this process, the existing profile is transferred, meaning that the phone number and tariff remain the same. Michael Hagspihl, VP of global strategic projects and marketing partnerships at Deutsche Telekom, said the aim is to make it “easier than ever for our customers to switch devices. Simple, flexible, and secure – that is our goal”. The service is initially available for iPhones with software version iOS 26 and Google Pixel 10 devices. More Android models will follow soon, according to the operator. While initially available in Germany, the service will also be provided in other Deutsche Telekom territories in future. The new function is based on the international GSMA specification TS.43, which defines the standardised procedure for service entitlement configuration on devices during activation or verification, and on the entitlement server developed by Deutsche Telekom. This server checks the authorisations, controls the secure process and enables Deutsche Telekom to react quickly to new functions and innovations. For more details, see this Deutsche Telekom announcement. The operator’s move is certainly timely as eSIMs are growing in significance, not least because Apple is phasing out physical SIM cards in favour of the digital versions in certain markets. For example, it released US-exclusive, eSIM-only iPhone 14 models in 2022, and has now launched the more widely available ultra-thin iPhone Air model that also only comes with eSIM. Given these developments, expectations are that the global market for devices supporting eSIM and related technologies is set for “hyper growth” from now until 2028. According to a 2024 report from Counterpoint Research, shipments will surpass 9 billion between 2024 and 2030.

Still with Deutsche Telekom… The German giant is also on a drive to make AI “accessible to everyone –  not just tech nerds or enthusiasts”, and has been quick to expand its new lineup of smartphones with integrated AI from one to two, with a focus this time on a device with greater functionality as part of its “T Phone Pro” lineup. After unveiling the first AI-phone (the T Phone 3) in August, Deutsche Telekom has now announced that the AI-phone Pro (T Phone 3 Pro) will be available from 14 October in Germany, as well as Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Sales will start in North Macedonia from 20 October and in Montenegro from 23 October. Although more expensive than the earlier device, the AI-phone Pro still retails at a relatively affordable (for a smartphone) €229 without subscription, although prices vary by country. Like the first device, it also integrates generative AI (GenAI) capabilities from AI tech partner Perplexity. The price includes permanent access to the Perplexity Assistant application and free access to the more advanced Perplexity Pro for 18 months from the date of purchase. In addition, customers are offered a 12-month Picsart Pro licence with 500 additional credits per month for the design of individual avatars and backgrounds. According to the operator, the Pro version generally offers “better hardware, extended functions and a strong eco rating” (88/100, apparently). Meanwhile, the companion AI-tablet device (the T Tablet 2) is still available, and is priced at €199 in Germany, for example. Deutsche Telekom has now been plugging these devices for going on for two years and showed off a prototype at this year’s MWC25 event in Barcelona in March. For more details, see this Deutsche Telekom announcement.

We are more than half way through the 5G decade, and operators and vendors are already furiously at work on the next generation of mobile technology, known to all and sundry as 6G (why change a winning formula). The Netherlands is now getting fully on board with the official launch of a National 6G Testbed, which aims to offer Dutch SMEs and startups the “opportunity to develop, test and validate 6G applications under realistic conditions” before 6G is commercially available. The testbed is said to incorporate the latest mobile communications infrastructure and is implemented across a network of five regional 6G field labs in Amersfoort, Delft, Eindhoven, Groningen and The Hague. For more details about the focus areas of each lab, see this release. The testbed has been under development by the Future Network Services (FNS) consortium, which currently consists of 60 partners, including telecom and semiconductor manufacturers, mobile operators (including KPN and VodafoneZiggo), ICT companies and research institutions. The FNS programme officially launched on 1 January 2024, and will run until 2030. Notably, the Dutch government has pledged a conditional investment of €203m from the National Growth Fund for the development of 6G. FNS will receive €61m in the first phase, and €142m is reserved for phase two, expected to start in 2026. FNS programme director (and a former KPN executive) is Peter Rake, who is also a programme manager for networks at applied science and technology organisation TNO. Lenneke de Voogd, business developer at the Innovation and Impact Centre at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), is programme lead for the 6G ecosystem at FNS. According to de Voogd, “while 5G is still very much in development, it’s essential to take the next step now. The building blocks of 6G are already in place, and entrepreneurs are invited to join and present their technological challenges or use cases at our 6G field labs. The experts there are ready to offer advice, brainstorm and support the testing and development of innovations”.

The agreement between OpenAI and AMD announced on 6 October, whereby OpenAI will not only deploy 6 gigawatts (GW) of AMD graphics processing units (GPUs) but also take incremental equity stakes in the chip vendor, has been described by seasoned tech sector analyst Richard Windsor in his latest Radio Free Mobie blog as “a game-changer for AMD, bringing it from relative obscurity to being a major AI player.” Windsor expects the deal to generate about $60bn in revenues for AMD over the next five years, but notes that the agreement “comes at the cost of 10% dilution for shareholders and the risk that large portions of this deal never actually materialise”. Check out his full blog for his reasoning and why, while this is clearly encouraging and positive news for AMD, Nvidia is still very much “in the driving seat” in the AI infrastructure sector.   

The Australian government is taking steps to ensure that further instances of emergency services outages are prevented following two recent events at operator Optus. As previously reported, in mid-September Optus suffered a network outage that impacted triple-zero (emergency services) calls across South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and which was linked to four deaths. It then suffered another outage in an area covering 4,500 people south of Sydney, without any subsequent loss of life. In a statement, Australia’s minister for communications, Anika Wells, said the government now plans to boost oversight of the triple-zero service through legislation to “bolster the powers of the triple-zero custodian, with a bill introduced to parliament today”. The custodian has been in place in Wells’ ministry since March, and the new laws will strengthen it as a permanent, proactive guardian with more powers to demand information from telcos to monitor triple-zero performance, identify risks, respond quickly to outages and make improvements. The government is planning further measures – expected to be in place from 1 November – that among other things will force telcos to report outages in real time to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and emergency services, and test triple-zero services during upgrades and outages. Notably, Optus blamed its first outage in September on a technical failure during a firewall upgrade. “We know Australians’ confidence in triple zero has been shaken, and it’s vital that it’s rebuilt,” Wells said. For more details, see this government statement. Australian media has also reported that the CEOs of the nation’s three major operators, Optus, Telstra and TPG, faced a ministerial grilling over the matter in Canberra on Tuesday.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a major agency of the UN, has announced that its World Telecommunication Development Conference 2025 (WTDC-25) will be held next month in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, with a focus on the furtherance of “universal, meaningful and affordable connectivity” for the 2.6 billion of the Earth’s population who, even today, remain mired in the depths of the digital divide and are unconnected to the internet and disenfranchised from the global electronic economy. The event, which runs on 17-28 November, will analyse the digital development requirements of the world’s least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS), and will publish a ‘Global Roadmap for Digital Development 2026 - 2029’ that will be implemented over the next four years. Meanwhile, the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector will produce a globally agreed declaration and action plan. The ITU’s aim has been to promote the complete bridging of the digital divide by 2030, in accordance with its required alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the UN’s Connect 2030 Agenda that the ITU originally adopted back in 2014. In a few months, there will be five years left before the digital divide should be consigned to history. Given the current state of international relationships and affairs, it’s a moot point as to whether or not it will be. 

It will come as no surprise to anyone that BT Group, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone (on behalf of VodafoneThree), the three infrastructure-based mobile network operators in the UK, have been named by regulator Ofcom as the bidders in the upcoming auction of mmWave spectrum in the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands that can be used in “high density areas”. The auction is set to take place in October. For more, see this Ofcom page.   

The International Federation of Robotics has published a position paper, Humanoid Robots: Vision and Reality, that details the trends, opportunities and limitations of humanoid robots as they spread across many parts of the world. The paper highlights the variety of approaches and political attitudes to humanoid robots between the likes of China, Europe, Japan and the US. For example, China, already the world’s biggest market for industrial robots, has a national strategy to mass produce humanoid robots for use in service sectors to demonstrate China’s lead in humanoid robotics. It is also establishing a scalable key components supply chain. Meanwhile, Japan has long pioneered the development of humanoid robots, which are increasingly regarded in the country as comparatively sentient social companions for the elderly and the infirm. They are also widely used in educational settings, in commercial shops and shopping centres, as well as flexible tools in industrial environments: Overall, the focus is on creating robots that can live harmoniously with humans and to make them an accepted, normalised part of society. In the US, big tech companies, such as Amazon, Nvidia and Tesla, are heavily involved in advanced AI and robotics technologies. Many developments are funded by the military, as well as private investors, and there is much emphasis on using humanoid robots in logistics and manufacturing where they can be worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to enhance productivity and business efficiency. However, in the US there is little interest in developing humanoid robots as social companions in daily private life. Elsewhere, Europe emphasises the ethical implications of robotics and AI, and has a major focus on developing collaborative robots to work alongside humans in industrial settings. The intent is to enhance safety, efficiency and human capabilities, rather than on replacing human workers, and there is much debate about human-centric design and the social and societal impact of robots in the workplace and in domestic situations. 

– The staff, TelecomTV