What’s up with… Parallel Wireless, Bouygues, Mavenir

• Parallel Wireless lands Open RAN deal in Nigeria
• Bouygues outlines its energy efficiency strategy
• Mavenir creates Open RAN radio unit, appoints new RAN Business Unit chief

The latest developments at Open RAN rivals Parallel Wireless and Mavenir, plus a commitment to a more sustainable world at French operator Bouygues Telecom, are the shining lights on today’s industry news horizon.

Parallel Wireless has landed a deal to provide Open RAN technology to Hotspot Network for a network rollout program that will deliver 2G/3G/4G mobile coverage to 2,000 villages in Nigeria. For more details, see this press release.

Bouygues has outlined how all of its group businesses, including French mobile and fixed operator Bouygues Telecom, aim to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with direct emissions set to be cut in half during the next 10 years. Bouygues Telecom will meet its goals in a number of ways, including switching to low-carbon energy supplies, improving the energy efficiency of its sites, optimizing the lifecycle of equipment and products sold and more. For further details, see this announcement.

Mavenir, currently best known for the software elements its brings to Open RAN deployments, has announced the formation of a new business unit that will focus on the development of “hardware and software production quality designs for Open RAN radios, that will enable vendors/partners to build radios for specific markets.” The group will be led by Mikael Rylander. Mavenir also announced the appointment of former Qualcomm executive Puneet Sethi as SVP/GM of its RAN Business Unit, to focus on “creating and delivering market leading CU and DU Software solutions.” For more details, see this press release.

Highly-regarded Vodafone UK CEO Nick Jeffery is on his way out of the British operator to take up the challenging role of running US operator Frontier Communications, which is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, losing customers and suffering shrinking revenues. So Jeffery, a very amiable and engaging individual, has his work cut out, but the golden handshake of $3.75 million and annual salary of $1.3 million before bonuses will make it worthwhile. Importantly, he takes a very British cultural sensibility to Frontier’s HQ in Norwalk, Connecticut: Should his new colleagues ever ask him about his favourite all-time movies, they may be baffled to hear Jeffery eulogizing about Withnail and I and The Wicker Man, two 1970s British classics that may not ‘travel well.’ TelecomTV wishes Jeffery the best of luck across the water when he starts his new job next March. 

Claro, part of the América Móvil Group, is extending its relationship with BSS specialist Tecnotree to cover 10 million subscribers in Central America with the vendor’s online charging system. See this press release for more details. 

A Swedish court has ruled that the country’s regulator, the PTS, can go ahead with its auction of 5G spectrum following a halt to the process after it banned Huawei from involvement in 5G network rollouts, a decision the Chinese vendor challenged in court. See this Reuters story for further details.

- The staff, TelecomTV