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6G and AI are on a collision course #
Qualcomm execs say 6G will pave a path to better connectivity and sensing capabilities, but it will also intersect directly with AI use cases and a new wave of AI-native devices.
Also in today's regional roundup: TIM management sheds its shares; O2 Business launches satellite service; Greece's Cosmote becomes Telekom.
Vodafone has picked Germany as its first market to make the quality on demand network API available to businesses and developers. They will be able to gain better network performance for services like digital payments, ride-hailing and delivery services over both 4G and 5G, the operator said, adding this will allow them to run smoothly even during peak traffic. (See also: Telcos optimistic about API use cases like security but aware of risks.)
Telecom Italia (TIM) CEO Pietro Labriola and other key managers have tendered their shares in the company into Poste Italiane's public offer, participating in its takeover bid for the telco. The state-owned postal operator issued a voluntary public offer for shares in the company in July, seeking to gain control over TIM and effectively bring it back under state ownership nearly 30 years after its privatisation. Participation in the offer, which is set to run until 11 September, would need to reach around two thirds to give Poste Italiane control. (See also: TIM steps closer to state ownership via Poste Italiane takeover.)
O2 Business has launched direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service to keep customers connected when they are in remote areas, extending its UK landmass coverage from 85% to 95%. The service supports applications like messaging, maps, weather and location sharing, and is available for free to Business Ultimate customers while those on Plus plans will have to fork out an extra £2.50 (US$3.38) a month. The VMO2 business connectivity unit, which was launched earlier this year, said the service was used by firefighters battling the recent wildfires in Derbyshire.
German startup Isar Aerospace has claimed to be the first company to launch a satellite from continental Europe. It hailed a successful launch from its site in Norway on Saturday, arguing the ability (or inability) to launch satellites is a key bottleneck for Europe. The company has secured funding through a competition by the German Space Agency, which was supported by the European Space Agency.
Yallo, a sub-brand of Swiss operator Sunrise, has launched a travel eSIM offer covering 160 destinations, which is available to anyone regardless of their operator. Customers will be able to choose from single-destination, regional and global plans, with Sunrise also highlighting the usual benefits of travel eSIMs like the ability to use it in parallel with a customer's primary eSIM and to pre-install it before travel. The operator has partnered with 1Global, which also underpins UK Revolut's eSIM plans, among others.
OTE Group's fixed and mobile operator brand Cosmote Telekom will rebrand as Telekom, in a move that is said to "create new opportunities for next-generation digital experiences, products and solutions." The name change comes around a year after Cosmote became Cosmote Telekom and will bring the Greek telco's branding even closer to that of Deutsche Telekom, which is a majority shareholder in OTE Group with around 55%. According to the German group, "enhanced international integration and the leveraging of shared powerful synergies will generate even greater value for both customers and the society in Greece," although it doesn't exactly specify how this new golden age will be ushered in.
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