• Vodafone strikes commercial direct-to-cell deal with AST SpaceMobile 
• Apple is to start replacing Qualcomm 5G modems in its iPhones 
• Ciena tech enables subsea data milestone 

In today’s industry news roundup: Vodafone strikes a long-term deal with AST SpaceMobile for the provision of satellite-to-smartphone connectivity; Apple is reportedly set to start using its own 5G modems in iPhones; Ciena helps transatlantic subsea network operator Aqua Comms achieve two world firsts; and much more!

Vodafone Group has struck a long-term commercial direct-to-cell services deal with low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite operator AST SpaceMobile that lasts until 2034, the companies have announced. It is no surprise that Vodafone will use AST SpaceMobile to offer cellular services beyond the reach of its terrestrial networks across multiple markets in Europe and Africa, as Vodafone has been an investor in the company since 2018 and has been involved in the LEO constellation company’s technology development programme, but the telco still needed to reach a commercial deal in order to properly develop a services proposition for its customer base. “This agreement establishes the framework for Vodafone to offer space-based cellular broadband connectivity in its home markets, as well as to other operators via its Partner Markets programme,” noted AST SpaceMobile in this announcement. Vodafone has now placed an order for services to be delivered by the LEO company’s initial BlueBird constellation (dubbed Block 1) so that “users outside traditional cellular coverage will be able to connect their everyday smartphones directly to AST SpaceMobile’s satellites”. There’s no indication currently as to when Vodafone might start to make satellite-to-smartphone services available to its customers. The satellite company says its next-generation Block 2 satellites will deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth of the current fleet, with peak data transmission rates of up to 120 Mbit/s. AST SpaceMobile says it now has agreements with more than 45 mobile network operators globally, including AT&T, Bell Canada, Orange, Rakuten Mobile, Telefónica, Telstra and Verizon. News of the Vodafone deal comes just days after one of AST SpaceMobile’s main rivals, Elon Musk’s Starlink, completed its first direct-to-cell LEO constellation ahead of a commercial launch of services with T-Mobile US.  

Apple looks set to start replacing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G modems that it uses in its iPhone smartphones with a 5G modem chip that it has developed in-house and which is based on technology that Apple acquired from Intel in 2019. Apple and Qualcomm have long been at loggerheads, but the iPhone maker has had to rely on Qualcomm’s products to ensure its smartphones provide top-quality 5G connectivity. Now, according to this Bloomberg report, Apple is set to use its own modem in an iPhone SE model next year and gradually replace Qualcomm chips in its products over the course of the next three years. Given that Apple is one of the world’s top smartphone manufacturers, that sounds like a massive blow to Qualcomm, but veteran analyst Richard Windsor believes the impact on Qualcomm will be minimal by the time the wireless chip vendor sees its business with Apple disappear: You can find out why he holds that likely contrarian view in his latest Radio Free Mobile blog.   

Submarine network operator Aqua Comms has achieved the first 1.3 Tbit/s wavelength transmission, spanning 5,500km across the Atlantic ocean over its AEC-1 cable route using Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) coherent optical technology. The companies are also claiming another world first using WL6e – an 800 Gbit/s transmission from the US to Ireland and back again, a distance of 11,000km, without the signal being regenerated. “Aqua Comms’ multiple transatlantic cables, powered by Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme, will keep ahead of ever-increasing bandwidth demands whilst contributing towards Aqua Comms’ goal of hitting 100% renewable energy by 2030,” noted the subsea infrastructure operator’s chief network officer, Thomas Grant. “These reductions align with industry goals to minimise the environmental footprint of subsea networks, a critical priority as we continue to connect the world more efficiently,” he added. Read more. 

The US House of Representatives will this week vote on an annual defence bill that includes more than $3bn in funding for US telcos in need of financial help for their rip-and-replace programmes, which involve switching out Huawei technology for alternatives that are not deemed a security risk, reports Reuters. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimated that the countrywide rip-and-replace initiative at 126 network operators would cost almost $5bn but, so far, only $1.9bn has been approved for the programme. FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who is stepping down from the post in January, called for additional funding last week, stressing there is currently a $3.08bn funding shortfall that is “putting both our national security and the connectivity of rural consumers who depend on these networks at risk.” Given the current concerns about cybersecurity threats from China, it’s hard to imagine the funding isn’t going to be approved. 

Vodafone Idea (Vi), India’s third-largest telco, is to issue new shares worth almost 20bn rupees ($236m) to affiliates of Vodafone Group, the telco’s board has announced. According to Reuters, the funds are set to be used to pay some of the money that Vi owes to tower infrastructure firm Indus Towers. Vi is playing catchup in the 5G services sector, where it is in the wake of market leaders Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel: Earlier this year Vi raised new funds and awarded network equipment contracts worth $3.6bn for 4G and 5G equipment to Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung Networks, with plans to launch commercial 5G services early next year.   

Middle Eastern telco Ooredoo is seeking to acquire datacentre facilities in which it can install Nvidia technology as part of its AI services strategy, according to The Wall Street Journal (as reported by GuruFocus). In June, Ooredoo became an Nvidia Cloud Partner and announced its intention to develop “an AI-ready platform powered by Nvidia’s full-stack innovation across systems, software, and services” to capitalise on “the significant market demand for accelerated computing and hyperconnectivity across its MENA [Middle East and North Africa] footprint.”  

– The staff, TelecomTV