• AT&T and Intel invest in RAN automation specialist Aira Technologies
• Qualcomm spies major growth opportunities in automotive, IoT
• Nokia’s future at T-Mobile US is called into question

In today’s industry news roundup: Radio access network automation specialist pockets $14.5m from big name investors to pump into its AI-enabled network management applications; Qualcomm believes it’s well placed to significantly grow its sales in the automotive and IoT sectors; speculation is swirling that Nokia might lose out to Ericsson at T-Mobile US; and much more!

Aira Technologies, which is developing applications designed for AI-enabled automated radio access network (RAN) operations, has raised $14.5m in a Series B round of funding from AT&T Ventures, Intel Capital, IQT, Juniper, JTM LLC and existing investors NeoTribe and Acrew. The Saratoga, California-based company plans to use the funds to “expand and accelerate its AI/ML-based solutions to drive improvements in operating, energy, and spectral efficiency. With the new funding, Aira will accelerate the advancement of its GenAI product roadmap.” Earlier this month, the company launched Naavik, which it described as “the first platform to seamlessly combine GenAI with traditional AI to solve impactful use cases for network operators.” Its portfolio also includes a range of rApp and xApp products designed to run on RAN intelligent controller (RIC) platforms. Aira co-founder and CEO Anand Chandrasekher stated: “Aira is laser focused on enabling the telecommunication networks of the future. A fully autonomous, self-learning RAN is the next frontier, and we are hard at work to make this a reality for our customers. We are delighted to see our partners and customers believe in our vision and invest resources to support our momentum.” Vikram Taneja, head of AT&T Ventures, noted: “Our investment in Aira supports the ability to deliver more responsive and adaptive networks. We’re excited to be part of this effort to help drive the advancement of intelligent network innovation for the future of wireless communications.” Cristina Rodriguez, VP and general manager at Intel’s Comms Solutions Group, added: “We are excited about Aira’s approach to AI/ML and its potential for optimising RAN performance and energy efficiency. Aira’s advanced technology, combined with Intel Xeon processors and Intel FlexRAN reference software, greatly simplifies AI/ML integration so operators can more quickly realise these performance and cost-of-ownership benefits.” That AT&T and Intel have invested in Aira Technologies… leaves it well placed to be one of the companies providing automated mobile network management capabilities for AT&T’s network, where Ericsson is the prime supplier of traditional and Open RAN-enabled technology: Aira’s rApp solutions are already available via Ericsson’s rApp Directory and ready to run on the service management and orchestration (SMO) platform that the vendor is supplying to AT&T.  You can find out more about the potential of RIC platforms and their associated applications in TelecomTV’s recent free-to-download DSP Leaders Report, Open RAN: Advances in the RAN Intelligent Controller. 

Qualcomm has the bit between its teeth… The wireless chip giant has identified a diversified customer base and major growth opportunities that, it believes, will give it a total addressable market of $900bn by 2030, the company’s president and CEO, Cristiano Amon, stated at its 2024 investor day. “Qualcomm’s focus on diversification and [an] industry-leading technology roadmap has significantly strengthened the company’s growth profile,” said Amon. “As generative AI accelerates demand for our technology and we become increasingly relevant across multiple industries, Qualcomm is well positioned to address a $900bn opportunity by 2030 across an expanding ecosystem of new customers and partners.” The company’s new five-year targets include significant growth in the company’s annual automotive product line revenues, which Qualcomm believes will reach $8bn by its financial year 2029: In its 2024 fiscal year, which ended in September, the automotive product line generated revenues of $2.91bn. Qualcomm also believes its annual internet of things (IoT) product revenues will reach $14bn by fiscal 2029, up from $5.42bn in fiscal 2024. Read more.

T-Mobile US has told Bloomberg it will continue to work with both Nokia and Ericsson for the supply of its radio access network equipment after an analyst post on LinkedIn suggested the US operator is on the verge of joining Verizon and AT&T in ditching the Finnish vendor. Earl Lum, president of EJL Wireless Research, shared his views in this LinkedIn post on Tuesday: Lum went into great detail to note the shortcomings of Nokia’s RAN gear (particularly related to its fan cooling) and to suggest that it will be hard for T-Mobile US, from an economic and technical point of view, to stick with Nokia as a major supplier, especially when Ericsson can deliver on the operator’s needs. “We have heard through our channel contacts that Nokia has begged and pleaded with T-Mobile USA and is willing to do whatever it takes to not lose the account,” wrote Lum. “But, the reality is that T-Mobile USA has been asking Nokia for 10+ years to do the things they have asked for and Nokia has been unable to deliver, time and time again. So what else can Nokia do? We believe that Ericsson’s macro and massive MIMO radio portfolio can deliver the virtualised, cloud, and AI RAN-driven solutions T-Mobile USA is looking for in the future with 5G-A.” Lum and his team believe that Ericsson has tabled a very financially and technically attractive offer and that T-Mobile US is going to shift to Ericsson as its dominant, possibly even sole, RAN equipment supplier and Lum is confident this will happen. He wrote: “In the end, MAYBE we are wrong (highly unlikely) and it will not happen and T-Mobile USA decides to pardon Nokia from death row at the 11th hour, but we believe that the single vendor Cloud/AI RAN Thanksgiving turkey dinner/offer with all of the fixings and unlimited open bar that Ericsson has prepared and put on the table may be too good of a deal to pass up.” The bad news for Nokia is that Lum/EJL Wireless Research has a track record at getting these calls right: Late last year, Lum published a post highlighting speculation that Nokia was about to be dropped from AT&T’s RAN plans and that’s exactly what happened only days later when AT&T announced a five-year, $14bn deal that made Ericsson the near exclusive RAN technology provider. It’s also worth remembering that Nokia was also dropped by Verizon in 2020 and replaced by Samsung Networks. The T-Mobile US statement to Bloomberg doesn’t say Lum’s post is inaccurate – it just says that it continues to work with both Nokia and Ericsson, a statement that has a lot of wiggle room. Nokia’s share price dipped following Lum’s blog but recovered slightly after T-Mobile US’s statement and currently stands at €4.07 on the Helsinki exchange. All eyes will be on T-Mobile US and Ericsson in the coming weeks.   

US cable networks and media giant Comcast is spinning out its TV divisions, including CNBC and MSNBC, as an independent company (called, for now, SpinCo) that will be “an industry-leading news, sports and entertainment cable television business with a focused strategic direction… [providing] a diverse and differentiated content offering that will reach approximately 70 million US households,” and annual revenues of about $7bn, the company announced early Wednesday. Comcast will focus on, and invest in, its “strategic core growth businesses across its Content & Experiences and Connectivity & Platforms businesses, including residential broadband, wireless, business services, streaming, studios and theme parks.” 

China Mobile has tabled a non-binding offer to acquire HKBN, the Hong Kong-based broadband network operator noted in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday. Previous reports, including this one from Bloomberg, suggested the value of the offer is in the region of $835m. 

– The staff, TelecomTV