Hikvision laid out its case for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to order the FCC to start processing the Chinese company’s authorization requests for gear it wants to sell in the U.S. The FCC last month asked the court not to take that step (see 2502110040). Hikvision and Dahua won a partial victory last year (see 2404020068) when the D.C. Circuit found that the FCC’s definition of critical infrastructure in a 2022 order was “overly broad.”
Mobile core network revenue ended 2024 with a negative 4% growth rate year over year, driven by a 15% decline in China in Q4, Dell’Oro said Tuesday. “The market has struggled to gain traction in the last three years, with three of the four quarters having flat or negative [year-over-year] growth rates,” said Dave Bolan, Dell’Oro research director. “On a regional basis, China’s growth rate was negative, and to a lesser extent, the worldwide market (excluding China) was also negative. However, both market areas are projected to return to positive growth in 2025.” One reason for optimism is the expected growth in 5G stand-alone networks this year, he said.
Ericsson announced Wednesday an expansion of its product portfolio with seven “energy-efficient and high-performing Massive MIMO [multiple input, multiple output] and Remote radios, Indoor 5G solutions, and new open fronthaul products called RAN Connect.” Ericsson plans to offer 130 radio products this year that support open and programmable networks, a news release said. “We are reducing costs and maximizing efficiency for our customers as they evolve their architectures to deliver high-performing programmable networks,” said Marten Lerner, Ericsson head-product area networks. “Sustainability is also central to every solution, leveraging energy-efficient designs, recyclable materials, and passive cooling to meet Net Zero targets.”
The FCC asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit not to impose a mandate on the regulator to start the process of authorizing gear by China’s Hikvision. Hikvision and Dahua won a partial victory last year (see 2404020068) when the D.C. Circuit held that the FCC’s definition of critical infrastructure in a 2022 order was “overly broad.” Judges also rejected arguments that video cameras and video-surveillance equipment manufactured by the companies shouldn’t have been placed on the agency’s “covered list” of unsecure gear.
In a surprise move, Nokia announced Monday that President and CEO Pekka Lundmark will leave March 31 and will be replaced by Justin Hotard, currently the leader of Intel’s Data Center and AI Group. Lundmark has led the Finnish company for five years and will stay on as an adviser through the end of 2025. “When I returned to the company in 2020, I called it a homecoming, and it really has felt like one,” Lundmark said on LinkedIn Monday. “I’m proud of the work our brilliant team has done in re-establishing our competitiveness and technology leadership, and in positioning the company for growth in data centers, private wireless and industrial edge, and defense.” Sari Baldauf, chair of Nokia’s board, noted Lundmark joined the company at a difficult time. “Under his tenure, Nokia has re-established its technology leadership in 5G radio networks and built a strong position in cloud-native core networks,” she said. “Network Infrastructure has delivered growth and significant profit improvement, and Nokia has secured the longevity of its patent licensing business.”
Deutsche Telekom is working with a consortium of companies to recycle electronic components from smartphones and other devices and reuse them to build other gear. The first prototype device is the NeoCircuit DSL router, unveiled last week. “Together with our partners, we are not relying solely on traditional electronics recycling, where large parts are still simply incinerated,” said Henning Never, manager of the project: “Instead, we focus on reusing functional components such as processors, memory and transistors.” The other members of the consortium are Citronics, Evonik, Fairphone, Infineon, MaxLinear, Sagemcom and INC Innovation Center.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association raised concerns Friday about reports that the U.K. government has ordered Apple to create a backdoor in its devices, giving security services access to users’ encrypted Apple files worldwide. The order was apparently issued under the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act, CCIA said. “As the recent Salt Typhoon breach makes clear, end-to-end encryption may be the only safeguard standing between Americans' sensitive personal and business data and foreign adversaries,” said CCIA President and CEO Matt Schruers: “Decisions about Americans' privacy and security should be made in America, in an open and transparent fashion, not through secret orders from abroad requiring keys be left under doormats.” Apple didn't comment.
GSMA is looking for a new chair to replace former Telefonica Chairman and CEO Jose Maria Alvares-Pallete, who resigned from the Spanish operator two weeks ago. Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel Group and GSMA’s deputy chair, will serve as acting chair until the board makes a selection next month, GSMA said this week. Marc Murtra, who replaced Alvares-Pallete, took a seat on the board.
The U.K.'s Office of Communications has granted a non-geostationary orbit network license to Amazon's Kuiper, letting it deliver satellite-provided broadband there, the agency said Monday.
U.S.-based Keysight Technologies has partnered with Spain's University of Malaga on a 6G research and innovation lab located on the school's campus, Keysight said Thursday. “The facility is dedicated to advancing 6G technology through comprehensive solutions that address key use cases and technological challenges,” the company said. Among the areas of research are spectrum, AI and machine learning in networks, sensing and the use of digital twins.