Global News

International mobile industry organization GSMA has announced that the world's mobile industry has signed up its 5 billionth unique mobile subscriber, making two-thirds of the world's population now connected. The world’s mobile industry has signed up its 5 billionth unique mobile subscriber, according to real-time data from GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSMA. The 5 billion milestone means that more than two-thirds of the global population is now connected to a mobile service. It has taken four years to add the latest 1 billion subscribers. 

As of June 15 roaming charges in the European Union will no longer apply. According to EU officials President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat, on behalf of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, "The European Union is about bringing people together and making their lives easier. The end of roaming charges is a true European success story. From now on, citizens who travel within the EU will be able to call, text and connect on their mobile devices at the same price as they pay at home. Eliminating roaming charges is one of the greatest and most tangible successes of the EU.”

Intelsat S.A. announced that Dalkom Somalia signed an agreement for satellite services that will expand its broadband enterprise and direct-to-home (DTH) services in East and Central Africa and the Middle East. Under a multi-year agreement, Dalkom, a privately owned operator based in Somalia, will incorporate Ku-band satellite services provided by Intelsat 17 to extend services currently delivered by its fiber network. This includes expanding broadband enterprise networks into countries such as South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the Middle East. Dalkom will also add DTH services to its portfolio in Somalia.

On the streets of Suwon, South Korea, Sprint and Samsung Electronics America, Inc. tested Massive MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) on 2.5 GHz spectrum. The Massive MIMO test represented a real-world application of the new technology, slated to help Sprint dramatically boost LTE Plus wireless capacity and coverage, and offer Gigabit LTE service to its customers.

Converged telecommunication and technology services provider Turkcell is testing the Massive MIMO technique on a live network for the first time in Europe and Central Asia to make it ready for 5G. With the cooperation of Huawei, Turkcell completed the first live FDD Massive MIMO product set-up using the 1800 MHz frequency band in Antalya, Turkey.

SES Networks and Orange Central African Republic, a leading provider of corporate telecommunications and one of the largest mobile and internet services operators, this month announced an agreement to provide connectivity services in the Central African Republic. Orange will be using SES Network’s IP Transit solution to deliver faster 3G services and better-quality internet connections for enterprises. 

To read more news stories, be sure to check our Pipeline’s News Center and subscribe to Pipeline’s weekly and month newsletters. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or like us on Facebook to get your news in real-time. To have your company featured in this column, send your breaking news and press releases to pressreleases@pipelinepub.com for consideration.