What’s up with… Vodafone & Nokia, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica​​​​​​​

• Vodafone and Nokia claim FTTP latency breakthrough
• Deutsche Telekom acquires medical data management software firm 
• Telefónica builds private 5G network between NATO ships

In today’s industry news roundup: Vodafone claims to have cut fibre broadband latency by 94%; DT wants to develop a ‘sovereign AI platform for hospitals’; Telefónica says it has deployed a private network that allows NATO naval vessels to communicate with each other; and much more!

Vodafone, together with technology partner Nokia Bell Labs, claims to have reduced the latency of broadband services running over fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and in-building Wi-Fi connections by a staggering 94% in a live network trial using L4S (low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput) technology. According to the telco, the increase in round-trip delay over multiple live Vodafone Türkiye customer lines running cloud gaming and videoconferencing applications was reduced from 220 milliseconds to just 4.7 milliseconds, “paving the way for a significant boost in the quality of interactive online experiences for customers… Lag, or latency, of 100 milliseconds or more – roughly the time it takes to blink an eye – can cause a noticeable delay during video calls or online gaming,” noted the operator, which claims the trial represents “the world’s first live deployment of L4S technology on a full fibre-to-the-home network end-to-end.” Read more. 

To boost its capabilities for the healthcare sector, Deutsche Telekom (DT) is acquiring Synedra, an Austrian developer of medical data management software, for an undisclosed sum. DT says the move is part of its efforts to develop a “sovereign AI platform for hospitals”. Dr Ferri Abolhassan, CEO of DT’s enterprise division T-Systems, stated: “At Deutsche Telekom, we support the healthcare sector with various solutions. Our goal is to offer a sovereign and interoperable cloud platform with the use of artificial intelligence that enables the secure storage, use and exchange of medical data throughout Europe. With the acquisition of Synedra, we complement our portfolio, continue our growth trajectory in this sector and strengthen our position in the competitive environment. At the same time, we offer our customers a secure, efficient and modern platform that enables services and new tools for even better and more efficient healthcare.” Read more.

Telefónica says it has set up a private 5G network designed to enable communications between NATO naval vessels. The telco has deployed a 5G node aboard a NATO ship using technology from Atika Technologies (5G core), cybersecurity firm Ravenloop, and Nokia. “This initiative integrates a highly secure network architecture, remote operation capabilities, continuous technical support, and a specialised training programme for the crew, establishing a cutting-edge technological environment in the maritime defence domain. This system allows the vessel to maintain secure, ultra-fast, and low-latency communications with the rest of ships within the naval group, including unmanned systems, such as aerial drones, surface vehicles and autonomous submarines. Thanks to the deployment of a private 5G network, the fleet can access high-quality communication services without relying on public networks or satellite connectivity, ensuring operational autonomy and resilience,” noted Telefónica in an announcement emailed to the media. 

UK national operator BT Group says its 5G standalone (5G SA) network, which is operated by its mobile division EE, will cover 99% of the UK population by the end of March 2030, “four years ahead of any other UK mobile operator’s stated projections.” The pledge came in a blog authored by the operator’s chief security and networks officer, Howard Watson, who also noted that BT will now refer to 5G SA as 5G+, a term that is more “relatable” to customers. Watson also provided an update on EE’s latest cutting-edge technology deployments, including the use of new Ericsson triple-band massive MIMO units, the widespread use of outdoor small cells to boost coverage (it now has 1,500 installed as part of its radio access network architecture), and the use of Advanced RAN Coordination (ARC) technology that “enables mobile sites near to each other to remotely pair up and share capacity, dramatically boosting network performance”. Read more. 

– The staff, TelecomTV