2022.09.30 – Open Broadband News

Deutsche Telekom achieves end-to-end data call on converged access with 5G residential gateway control from the 5G Core

Wireline and wireless services are delivered from two distinct technology implementations with separate network cores. 5G Wireless-Wireline Convergence (WWC) standards offer a path to a fully converged broadband access network that integrates wireless and wireline operations on a common 5G Core.

Using these standards in an industry first proof-of-concept, Deutsche Telekom has validated in a lab trial the feasibility of converging the fixed network control plane into a 5G Core to steer traffic from a 5G residential gateway. The traffic was then routed along the entire wireline access chain to the core network.

“Convergence will allow us to optimize our network assets and deliver new, differentiated service experiences to our customers regardless of the access used,” says Ahmed Hafez, VP Network Convergence, Deutsche Telekom. “Our tests prove the feasibility of the convergence architecture by controlling residential gateways in our fixed network from a common 5G Core.”

Fixed broadband: Pakistan issues revised QoS regulations

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has reviewed the existing ‘Broadband Quality of Service Regulations, 2014’ and issued revised fixed broadband regulations after due consultation with all the stakeholders.

These regulations have been updated keeping in view existing and emerging fixed broadband technologies including xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line), cable broadband (DOCSIS 3.x), fixed wireless, fiber to the home (FTTH)/GPON, and satellite broadband, etc. The aim is to better gauge the services agreed upon by the service providers with the end users.

The regulations include aspects such as fixed broadband internet speeds for download data throughput should be at least 4Mbps (up from 256 kbps) and 2Mbps upload. 80 percent of the advertised download speeds should be available at all times to the end users.

Cable broadband: More than a speed saga

Keeping pace with the speeds delivered by fiber-fueled competitors has never been more important to cable operators as the broadband game shifts to the symmetrical, multi-gigabit era. But it was also quite evident at the SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Philadelphia that the industry is eager to broaden the story and give network and service reliability the same billing they give to baseline speeds and feeds.

Raw speeds will undoubtedly remain central to US cable’s narrative as operators pursue various network upgrade paths, including enhancements to DOCSIS 3.1, a move to DOCSIS 4.0 or even fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) in some circumstances. It’s clear that for most customers, faster equals better. Plus, Google Fiber and other rivals continue to emphasize delivery of big, symmetrical gigs.

But customers are also beginning to expect more than just speed. During the show’s opening session, Charlie Herrin, president of the technology, product, experience organization at Comcast Cable, noted that consumers expect a lot more from their service providers during a pandemic that has caused many to become ultra-reliant on broadband to work, learn and play. Comcast and the rest of the US cable industry kept 82 million homes connected amid a 32% surge in network traffic that occurred “virtually overnight,” representing about two years of data growth being pulled forward, he said.

“I don’t think … that anything has changed as much as customer expectations” during the pandemic, Herrin said in his keynote. “The customer in that moment changed. They changed their expectations forever, and we’re not going back … Meeting expectations means exceeding their expectations.”

Forecast: Broadband in 75% of LatAm homes by 2032

Dataxis estimates that in the next decade, broadband services will be available in 75 percent of homes in Latin America. The market will continue growing, but it is also expected to evolve with fiber expected to remain the dominant technology because it also constitutes the upgrade path for DSL and cable modem providers.

In 2021, fiber emerged as the main fixed access option in Latin America. It had accumulated 45.25 percent of broadband customers, adding 36 points of market share in just five years. Dataxis estimates that by 2032, fiber will account for 77.6 percent of total accesses.

16 European telcos call on big tech to cough up capex cash

In an ongoing campaign to secure financial compensation from companies such as Meta (Facebook), Google and Netflix, which generate large volumes of data and video traffic, the CEOs of 16 leading European telcos have signed a statement calling on European Union (EU) commissioners to introduce legislation that would force the so-called “big tech” companies to contribute towards broadband network costs.

It lays out the case for Europe’s telcos as a group that invested a collective €52.5bn in 2020 but “must be enabled to do more and faster” to deliver the infrastructure that is necessary to support an increasingly digital economy, help the EU countries and others in the region to achieve important sustainability goals, and be a socio-economic “lifeline”.

Up to this point, it’s hard to see that anyone – regulators, policymakers, telcos, streaming and cloud giants – would disagree.

Connected Britain: Key takeaways for the UK broadband market

This year’s event cast the spotlight on key trends and challenges in the UK broadband industry, with many top-level executives agreeing that consolidation in a market that boasts scores of fibre broadband alternative network providers (altnets) is set to start very soon, while resiliency to macroeconomic hurdles will be achieved through innovation and efficiency.

Vodafone UK’s Essam and VMO2’s Schüler acknowledged the UK market is falling behind those of other countries when it comes to the penetration of converged (fixed and mobile) services.

Essam said convergence is developing across Europe “in different shapes” and, by way of example, pointed to converged packages being offered with a discount of 30% to 40% which, according to him, doesn’t create much value for the market. “In the UK… it’s not a discount-led strategy, it’s more of a benefit-led strategy”, said the Vodafone UK chief, citing the main advantage as just dealing with one connectivity service provider. He claims most of his customer acquisitions currently involve the uptake of convergence packages.

According to Schüler, most of Virgin Media O2 UK’s customers subscribe to a mix of services – including mobile and fixed broadband – and he explained that the company is heading to a pricing and product environment that is more tailored to individual customers. “This is where the data [of customers] kicks in”, noted the CEO.