Comparisons of 5G spectrum allocations and investments in China, the U.S. and Europe often lack detail or rely on data with different definitions, Dean Bubley of Disruptive Analysis wrote in a LinkedIn post Wednesday. Such comparisons "are mostly political and competitive." In addition, those who make such comparisons are often seeking more stringent regulation of a perceived competitor, he said. Claims that China has more midband spectrum allocated than the U.S. ignore that the 3.3-3.4GHz is dedicated for shared, indoor use by multiple mobile network operators, while 200MHz in the lower 6 GHz band is for "localised enterprise private networks," he said. Citing wireless interests seeking additional spectrum for fixed wireless access, Bubley said it is "rather disingenuous ... to complain about traffic volumes on mobile networks ... and then specifically promote services that they know will use 20x more data per subscriber."

The EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council will likely continue if former President Donald Trump is reelected, European Commission officials said during a Wednesday briefing. The sixth TTC meeting will occur Thursday and Friday in Leuven, Belgium. It's the last of this political cycle, given U.S. and European elections later in the year. The EC doesn't expect too much disruption of TTC's work, which includes deliverables on 6G, platforms, standardization, AI and quantum computing, officials said. In response to our question about how the TTC can future-proof itself in the face of a possible second Trump presidency, one official cautioned against making too many projections on election results now. The EC believes a "critical mass" of activities has occurred in TTC working groups, demonstrating the importance of these issues for both sides. Regardless of the political situation, the official added, in the technology market, if a country wants to be serious about AI, semiconductor chips and other matters, it would be "foolish" to think it can do it alone. In fact, the official said, the TTC concept is attributed to Trump, who called for talks on trade and technology. Asked whether there's anything the TTC could do if this week's sessions are its final meetings, a second official said the council has shown a good deal of scope for cooperation, something that's politically attractive to both sides and is underpinned by the massive trans-Atlantic trade relationship. A third official noted the EC is building a structured process to prepare for the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. As such, meetings will take stock of previous agreements and discuss pre-election activities, officials said. The TTC has already achieved a great deal, such as helping coordinate trans-Atlantic responses to Russia's attack on Ukraine and creating a relationship for cooperation in the green marketplace, they said. Members will discuss a sustainable and resilient trans-Atlantic marketplace, which will result in a joint declaration on electronic invoicing and an agreement to continue working on digital tools to simplify the relationship; economic security issues such as investment screening and outbound investment; secure and resilient supply chains; and trade and labor issues. The council is also focused on critical materials; it will launch a security forum on minerals after the meeting. In addition, a joint statement will review what the TTC has achieved and discuss its next steps. "As long-time allies and close trading partners, the EU and the U.S. have the chance to set the tone for the next mandate of each partner, making it the 'mandate of cooperation,'" the Computer and Communications Industry Association said separately. However, it added, the time for the council to serve as a meaningful venue to address ongoing burdens U.S. suppliers face in the EU market "is running out."

GSMA members and their “technology partners” are “fully engaged” on the group’s application programmable interface (API) initiative, Alex Sinclair, the association’s chief technology officer, said Wednesday during a TelecomTV webinar. Operators worldwide so far have made about 95 APIs commercially available in 21 markets, he said. “It’s exceeding our initial expectations, but there’s a very, very long way to go,” Sinclair said. GSMA launched the gateway a year ago (see 2302270069). “It’s still early days,” but the response from developers “so far has been pretty positive,” he said. Working with developers isn’t “necessarily” the wireless industry’s “strong suit,” he said: “We have to listen more to what they want and what they need. … At the end of the day, we want to reach as many developers as possible.” Sinclair said it’s too early to draw conclusions on what approach on APIs will work best. “We’ve tried this sort of thing before -- we’re not naive,” he said. “Ultimately, the market will decide what the best channel is.” A McKinsey & Co. study found a potential market of $300 billion by 2030, which is a “pretty bold and big number,” he said. On Tuesday, GSMA announced that China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom launched the first API in China.

Vodafone agreed to sell 100% of its Italian operations to Swisscom for $8.71 billion, Vodafone said Friday. Swisscom will combine Vodafone Italia with Fastweb, its Italian network provider (see 2402280045). “With the sale of Vodafone Italy and Vodafone Spain, together with the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK, Vodafone will now focus its operations in Europe on growing markets, where we hold strong positions with good local scale,” Vodafone said: “All telecom markets within the new geographic footprint have been growing over the last 3 years, and we will now accelerate our performance where we can create value.” The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, including by the Italian Competition Authority. Vodafone and Swisscom are exploring “a closer commercial relationship to enable collaboration across a broad range of areas, beyond Italy,” Vodafone said.

The FCC and the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office will cooperate on enforcement matters related to unlawful robocalls and robotexts and protecting consumer privacy and sensitive data, the FCC said Thursday. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and U.K. Information Commissioner John Edwards signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to collaborate, the FCC said. The FCC's efforts to protect consumer privacy and defend against robocalls and text scams "are fortified through strategic partnerships like these,” said Rosenworcel.

Vodafone announced Wednesday it’s in exclusive talks with Swisscom to sell Vodafone Italia for nearly $8.7 billion. Swisscom has plans that include combining Vodafone Italia with Fastweb, its Italian network provider. “The planned merger of Vodafone Italia and Fastweb would bring together complementary high-quality mobile and fixed infrastructures, competencies, and capabilities to create a leading converged challenger,” Swisscom said.

Ukraine aligned its spectrum allocation and licensing rules with the EU's, law firm Kinstellar noted in a client alert. Asked whether the new regime has implications for Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion, Kinstellar (Kyiv) telecom attorney Anastasiya Bolkhovitinova emailed, "Yes, although it is a very complex question." The allocation plan and licensing conditions were developed in compliance with Ukraine's undertaking to align its legislation with applicable EU regulations. Specifically, the alert noted, "the plan is intended to optimize and harmonize spectrum usage, consolidate the spectrum licensing regime, clarify frequency assignments and lay the groundwork for the introduction of new technologies in Ukraine." The plan consists of two sections. A national table of band allocations allocates radio frequency bands on a primary or secondary basis and defines which bands are for general use or are reserved for the military and other state bodies. The section on radio technologies in use, among other things, lists technologies for general and special users. The plan has three annexes, the first defines the national notes establishing particularities for radio frequency usage. The second specifies use conditions for the 56.025-157.925 MHz and 160.625-162.025 MHz bands by the maritime mobile radio service during the application of "radio communication for shore and ship stations" radio technologies. Annex 3 sets out usage specifics for the 150.05-168.5 MHz band for general users of mobile radio services. The licensing conditions affect L02 licenses, which grant nonexclusive rights to frequencies in the same region. EU governments in December agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine.

The 120-day initial national security review for Element8's acquisition of AtLink Services began Tuesday, the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecom Services Sector, known as Team Telecom, said in a letter to the FCC posted Wednesday in docket 23-268. Team Telecom said it will notify the FCC if an extension or additional 90-day review is necessary. Element8, a Texas-based ISP, announced the acquisition of AtLink, an Oklahoma City-based ISP, in March for "an undisclosed sum." Element8 received a $200 million investment for the purchase from Digital Alpha, a strategic investment firm with foreign ownership.

Open radio access network company Parallel Wireless announced a partnership with Hotspot Network that will provide internet for previously unconnected rural areas throughout Nigeria. “This collaboration aims to connect residents of rural regions to essential services such as health, education, and financial services, that will ultimately improve their quality of life,” a Wednesday release from Parallel said. In addition, the company said it reached a milestone of 1,500 wireless sites deployed in Africa. “Expanding mobile connectivity throughout Africa is a unique challenge due to unreliable or inaccessible sources of electricity and challenging landscapes that make physical access difficult,” the company said: As adoption expands, “Parallel Wireless is not only proving it out at scale but also preparing networks for future 5G upgrades across Africa.”

American Tower invested a cumulative $5.1 billion in its India business, which it plans to sell to Brookfield Asset Management for up to $2.5 billion (see 2401050058), MoffettNathanson’s Nick Del Deo told investors Tuesday. “American Tower’s experience in India has been, by far, the most notable black mark on what has otherwise been a very good multi-decade global capital allocation track record,” he said.