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01 MWC Barcelona 2023 Daily
02 Preview
03 GSMA Ltd boss backs MWC Barcelona 2023 to buck economic headwinds
04 Start-ups bring a human touch to 4YFN
05 Analyst Q&A
06 Six places to enjoy Barcelona's most creative ‘tapes’ cuisine
07 Full speed ahead to MWC23
08 Analysis: MWC23 – If I had to prioritise five sessions
09 ANALYSIS: 2023’s big questions
10 Honouring those shaping the industry at the GLOMOs
11 Day One
12 Nokia overhauls brand and strategy as focus shifts
13 Xiaomi launches global challenge with latest flagship
14 MEF survey finds trust still lacking in digital services
15 HMD Global rolls out repairability for latest Nokia device
16 Accenture takes fight to fraud
17 Intel wants AI to power operator flexibility
18 BT argues for unified metaverse strategy
19 Vodafone picks Samsung for open RAN deployments
20 Telenor beefs-up slicing capability as demand rises
21 Samsung looks beyond technology in 6G research
22 Rakuten Symphony battles open RAN misconceptions
23 Qualcomm talks-up green credentials
24 Red Hat expands vendor ecosystem for 5G, vRAN
25 Industry throws weight behind GSMA API initiative
26 Day Two
27 Orange CEO hits out at contradictory European landscape
28 EU’s Breton keeping open mind on ‘fair share’ debate
29 GSMA chief heralds era of exploration
30 Telefonica boss insists there is no future without telcos
31 Honor makes magic as flagships go global
32 Ericsson CEO urges mobile industry to regain leadership
33 Deutsche Telekom boss laments decline of Europe
34 Start-up leaders buoyant on impactful tech
35 Smartphones ready to take comms into orbit
36 Operators edge towards monetisation
37 Indosat plans capex cut after 3G shutdown
38 Ericsson promotes Digital Twins for telcos
39 Mavenir calls for heightened network security
40 Nokia readies 4G on the moon launch
41 Connectivity en route to becoming a human right
42 Spirent keeps pace with 5G core, MEC and vRAN testing
43 Verizon to boost vRAN performance with new Intel chip
44 Operators make net gains in renewable drive
45 GSMA Intelligence bullish on second wave of 5G
46 Day Three
47 Netflix chief hits back in ‘fair share’ row
48 Lockheed Martin boss issues AI guidelines
49 Nokia, Verizon make case for culture-based collaboration
50 Telstra CEO counsels telcos to embrace losing control
51 Vodafone boss pushes for operator energy investment
52 TIM CEO latest to push for changes in Europe
53 Information shapes society, says China Mobile Chairman
54 FCC Chair explores space regulation
55 Experts question digital progress in health industry
56 GTI panellists warn operators to embrace enterprise
57 Semiconductors will be the new oil, claims Qualcomm
58 Nokia calls on creatives to unlock the metaverse
59 Q&A - Adapting to Network Demands on the Edge
60 Vendors hit the throttle on immersive experiences
61 Intel hypes
62 Q&A - Who Let The Cryptos Out
63 GSMA spectrum head insists 5G requires space to grow
64 Verizon targets the right kind of partners
65 Operators advised to prep for a quantum future now
66 Converged 5G key to solve connectivity challenges

By Michael Carroll


Deutsche Telekom boss laments decline of Europe

Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hoettges argued Europe was all but dead in terms of global relevance, slating a regulatory environment which hinders operator consolidation and does little to make large web companies pay a fair share towards connectivity costs.

In the second keynote, Hoettges highlighted disparities between the European mobile market and its global counterparts, including a 5G coverage rate of 73 per cent compared with 96 per cent in the US and around 90 per cent in Asian Pacific.

Hoettges noted European operators pumped €55 billion into infrastructure alone in 2022 compared with €1 billion invested in connectivity by so-called hyperscalers.

“Is it a fair deal that all this kind of, you know hyperscalers and streamers are using our infrastructure for free?”

“Shouldn’t there be a fair sharing between, let’s say this money which we are investing into the infrastructure and the one we are monetising?”

But Hoettges explained there is no point in operators “looking out of the window” instead of focusing on how they can help themselves.

He argued operators must “abandon the black boxes” of infrastructure by embracing open RAN, but also disaggregating their fixed-line networks.

Deutsche Telekom developed Access 4.0, a programme to “completely dismantle” its fixed-line infrastructure, which Hoettges said delivered productivity gains while lowering costs and energy consumption.

“The disaggregation of the black boxes is something which will help us big time to use capex more efficiently.”

Delivering connectivity is operators’ only real business model and to make it work, Hoettges said European regulators must begin to allow more consolidation.

The Deutsche Telekom executive argued enabling operators to capitalise on their investments would bring broad benefits in terms of digitalisation and even for the environment, citing the lower power consumption of 5G networks relative to earlier generations.

And he called for action to bring “the masses into the luxury of the 5G system”, by making devices more affordable.