June 26th 2017

Image courtesy of businesskorea.co.kr

Welcome to the mikAdvance OneWeekInAPACict 5G/IoT edition blog - targeted for ICT professionals as a summary of a week’s industry and technology news to help them remember the essentials of the APAC ICT for the next week activities!

[Alco]holistic 5G agenda for APAC? 5G figures keep on increasing. With the rise of the IoT. Yeouido is a small island inside Seoul. Massive IoT to does exist before 5G. How to explain your business to your Mother? Let’s get started!

FactFlash: 5G/IOT For Not So Dummies™️

How to define IoT for your family?

>> TechTarget: "The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.” Well, only if you have other engineers in the family…

>> Matthew Evans, the IoT programme head at techUK: "In the broadest sense, the term IoT encompasses everything connected to the internet, but it is increasingly being used to define objects that ‘talk' to each other. Simply, the Internet of Things is made up of devices – from simple sensors to smartphones and wearables – connected together.” For talkative and/or connected families…

>> Business Insider: "The IoT refers to the connection of devices (other than typical fare such as computers and smartphones) to the Internet. Cars, kitchen appliances, and even heart monitors can all be connected through the IoT.” Incredibly simple from business people…:-)

>> Advice: Don’t even try the Wikipedia version - I tried...

APAC General

>> [Alco]holistic 5G agenda for APAC? - APAC cellcos need holistic wireless and wireline strategy for 5G: Just over a quarter of Asia-Pacific mobile operators will have launched some level of commercial 5G by 2020, but they’re going to need a more integrated wireless/wireline strategy to really make it work. So says a new research report released by Analysys Mason and commissioned by optical networking firm Ciena, that focuses on the impact of 5G on fixed-line networks in Asia-Pacific. - disruptive.asia

China

>> 5G figures keep on increasing - China will spend $411 billion on 5G from 2020 to 2030: A new report from China’s Acadaemy of Information and Communications Technology, as detailed by Chinese media outlets including the South China Morning Post, predicts China’s three carriers–China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom–will spend $411 billion on deploying 5G networks in the decade ending in 2030. - Sean Kinney for RCR Wireless News

>> China meets Middle East - Huawei shares its IoT initiatives in the Middle East: Huawei is seeing increased opportunities for internet of things (IoT) projects in the Middle East. Safder Nazir, regional VP, digital industries, for Huawei’s enterprise business in the Middle East, told Enterprise IoT Insights that countries in this region are diversifying their economies and moving towards developing smarter and safer cities driven by various national transformation strategies. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> 98 CHN carmakers for V2X - China’s automobile industry forms strategic alliance, to accelerate R&D in the field of intelligent and connected vehicles: China Daily has reported that China’s automobile industry has formed a strategic alliance, in order to accelerate research and development in the field of intelligent and connected vehicles, while the government frames national guidelines. - Telematics Wire

Japan

>> Docomo keeping the pace - NTT DoCoMo unveils open initiative for AI Agent API: NTT DoCoMo has announced its new “docomo AI Agent Open Partner Initiative” to facilitate collaborative development of new offerings implemented with a service-agnostic, device-agnostic speech interface based on DoCoMo’s AI Agent API. - disruptive.asia

>> And soon there will be Toyota as well... - Automatic vehicle tracking function to be introduced by Subaru: It has been reported that Subaru Corp is to introduce a function enabling vehicles to automatically follow those traveling just in front on the same lane while keeping a safe distance on expressways, including in traffic jams, as a standard feature. - Telematics Wire

>> With the rise of the IoT... - NTT Communications launches global SD-WAN Service Portfolio: NTT Communications launched its software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) Service Portfolio with coverage spanning more than 190 countries. The debut marks a milestone for NTT Com, making it the first provider to deploy a worldwide SD-WAN services. - Nathan Cranford for RCR Wireless News

>> Such a small mistake gives US-based Chinese company a golden opportunity… - Takata takeover spells opportunity for Key Safety Systems: Key Safety Systems plans to expand in Japan after its takeover of bankrupt air-bag manufacturer Takata, said company chief executive Jason Luo on Monday. - Nikkei Asian Review

>> Hands up for the first ride! - Renault Nissan plan to launch driverless ride hailing services in future: The Nissan and Renault Alliance have plans to launch driverless ride-hailing and ride-sharing services in coming years, Reuters reported. - Telematics Wire

Korea

>> Operators across the big pond shake 5G-hands - KT, AT&T to explore 5G R&D collaboration: South Korea's KT has revealed plans to team up with US operator AT&T on 5G and SDN/NFV technology development. - Dylan Bushell-Embling for telecomasia.net

>> Korean infotainment to connected cars - NXP and HARMAN expand their collaboration in technologies supporting the connected in-car experience: To tackle infotainment of the future, NXP and HARMAN have expanded their 15-year collaboration in technologies supporting the connected in-car experience, including tuners, digital signal processors, amplifiers and applications processors. - Telematics Wire

>> Samsung launches mass-produced IoT-chips - Samsung begins mass producing IoT processor: South Korea-headquartered Samsung announced today it commenced mass-production of a processor designed specifically for IoT applications. - Joseph Waring for Mobile World Live

>> Yeouido is a small island inside Seoul... - South Korea’s first autonomous car tested on roads of Yeouido: According to reports, Seoul National University’s Intelligent Vehicle IT Research Center, has developed South Korea’s first autonomous car named “SNUver”. It recently conducted the first test drive on the actual roads in Yeouido, Seoul, on June 22. - Telematics Wire

Not everything is APAC only…

>> Massive IoT to does exist before 5G - 5G will embolden IoT, but LTE supports variety of use cases: LTE-M and NB-IoT enable capabilities for asset tracking, smart meters and other key IoT applications; plus drones controlled over commercial LTE networks. - Sean Kinney for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> GM goes HD - GM’s Cruise automation to foray into HD mapping for driverless cars: According to some reports, GM’s Cruise Automation has decided to foray into HD mapping. The company for the purpose will be recruiting a leader for a new HD-mapping team. - Telematics Wire

>> Spoiled by free-for-all iNet - Consumer willingness to pay for in-car tech varies widely: More consumers worldwide want advanced technology in their next new vehicle – but not everyone is willing to fork out extra cash for it, and in some cases, what they are willing to pay for are things like creature comforts and a few telematics apps. - disruptive.asia

>> How to explain your business to your Mother? - What is smart manufacturing?: Smart manufacturing is a process that utilizes internet-connected machinery to monitor the overall production process. The main goal of smart manufacturing is to identify opportunities for automating manufacturing operations and use data analytics to improve the overall performance of the manufacturing process. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

Go get'em - hope this helps!

www.mikAdvance.com

June 19th 2017

Image courtesy of idgconnect.com

Welcome to the mikAdvance OneWeekInAPACict 5G/IoT edition blog - targeted for ICT professionals as a summary of a week’s industry and technology news to help them remember the essentials of the APAC ICT for the next week activities!

Testing in the manufacturing environment. Mass IoT uptake requires more natural interfaces. China operators to invest $180B in 5G by 2023. Connected cars demand more memory. Samsung launches Tizen-powered QLED signage. 5G World speakers ask what’s the point of 5G? Let’s get it started!

FactFlash: 5G/IOT For Not So Dummies™️

>> In this blog I’m referring to a panel discussion about three challenges for 5G testing at the recent 5G Innovation Summit, where Joy Laskar, CTO of Maja Systems; Ifti Rahman, DMTS, Verizon device testing; and Abhishek Singh, senior antenna engineer at Ethertronics. The consolidation was published by RCR Wireless News.

>> Testing in the manufacturing environment. Millimeter wave systems involve complicated antenna arrays and is likely to require a higher level of component integration in order to avoid system loss and to reduce overall costs, the panelists noted. Precision demands such as etching tolerances for extremely small systems increase in a millimeter wave context, Singh noted.

APAC General

>> Daily special - Sushi-IoT - Mass IoT uptake requires more natural interfaces: While IoT services are becoming more widespread, less than optimal interfaces are slowing uptake and limiting the vast potential of new IoT applications, panellists in a session on the subject at CES Asia said. - Joseph Waring for Mobile World Live

>> JPN and KOR businesses don't care about politics - Toyota and LINE sign MoU, to link AI platform Clova with SDL: LINE Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the business opportunities in utilizing LINE’s cloud AI platform Clova and the SmartDeviceLink (SDL), a technology standard that connects automobiles with smartphone and tablet apps. - telematicswire.net

>> Silver lined cloud over APAC? - Google Cloud Platform launches in Singapore: Google has launched its cloud platform in Singapore, with plans to bring it to Mumbai and Sydney later this year. - Tas Bindi for ZDNet

China

>> China to invest heavily in 5G - China operators to invest $180B in 5G by 2023: China’s big three mobile players – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – are forecast to invest nearly 50 per cent more on 5G infrastructure over the next seven years than their expected outlay on 4G technology between 2013 and 2020, according to estimates by Jefferies. - Joseph Waring for Mobile World Live

>> Two giants on 5G trial fields - China Mobile and Huawei build high/low-band 5G trial field: China Mobile Research Institute, China Mobile Shanghai and Huawei have jointly established a 5G trial field to verify 5G high-band and low-band coordination technology at Huawei’s Shanghai R&D Center. - disruptive.asia

>> Chinese Google goes vehicular - Baidu accelerates its efforts for the development of autonomous car platform: Chinese Google Baidu has increased its efforts for the development of autonomous car platform under its Project Apollo. The self-driving cars from being tested in a controlled environment at test tracks have found their way to some public roads but the experts feel that it will take still around a decade for wide-scale adoption of these cars. - telematicswire.net

>> Not only Giant Panda but CHN MNOs as well - Huawei wins big at TechXLR8 awards: Networking vendor Huawei prevailed in three categories at the inaugural TechXLR8 awards, which are designed to represent a cross-section of emerging technologies. - Scott Bicheno for telecoms.com

>> APAC cooperation from the other angle - SoftBank partners with ZTE on 5G trials: Japanese carrier SoftBank will conduct its first 5G trials with Chinese company ZTE using the sub-6GHz spectrum band at 4.5GHz in Tokyo. - Corinne Reichert for ZDNet

Japan

>> SoftBank mixing all goodies - SoftBank continues to invest in robotics as it expands 5G trials: Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank is active in a wide range of research, development and testing related to 5G network technologies. And, having recently acquired robotics firm Boston Dynamics, could be well-positioned to leverage 5G for use cases involving advanced robotics. - Sean Kinney for RCR Wireless News

>> Hitachi and Toshiba-buyer(s) to gain - Connected cars demand more memory: While the data capabilities of the vehicle are often discussed in terms of how much data that cars will send over cellular networks to the cloud, one area of computing power hasn’t necessarily gotten the same amount of recognition: the amount of memory storage that cars will need in order to enable advanced capabilities. - Kelly Hill for RCR Wireless News

>> A ghost rider? - Subaru WRX STI hacked, eight vulnerabilities spotted: Independent researcher Aaron Guzman spotted eight software vulnerabilities in 2017 Subaru WRX STI which could allow unauthorized users to unlock doors, honk horns, gain vehicle location history and other issues stemming from the car's Starlink account. - Robert Abel for scmagazine.com

>> SDN for Japanese readers - Software Defined Networking Service (Japanese download) - techrepublic.com

Korea

>> Has the Korean gvmt often been wrong in industry push? - KIET outlines steps for South Korean firms in connected cars market: Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade has released a report on connected cars. The report has urged the automotive industry in the country to step up its efforts to develop connected car technology and its standardisation in order to not lag behind the global competition in the fast growing industry. - telematicswire.net

>> Kona to have all V2X spices in Europe - Hyundai Kona SUV 2017 revealed: There is a new list of safety features which include Hyundai Motor’s Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Keeping Assist, Driver Attention Alert, Static Bending Light and Smart High Beam. An optional eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system is central to the dashboard and incorporates navigation, smartphone connectivity and infotainment. - Luke John Smith for express.co.uk

>> Samsung following on its Tizen promise - Samsung launches Tizen-powered QLED signage: Samsung's Tizen-running signage will have QLED technology and supports HDR10 Plus with Knox security. - Cho Mu-Hyun for ZDNet

>> Hyundai & KIA extra safe in Canada - Bell signs connected car services deal with Hyundai and Kia in Canada: Through Bell’s connectivity, the car makers will offer security, safety, diagnostics and infotainment services. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> Samsung/harman going after vehicular cybersecurity - HARMAN Demonstrated Cybersecurity Detection & Visibility System with IBM at TU-Automotive: HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced it is working with IBM Security to bring world-class security analytics to OEMs. At the TU-Automotive show in Detroit, the companies demonstrated how HARMAN’s cybersecurity suite can be integrated with the IBM QRadar security intelligence platform. - news.harman.com

Not everything is APAC only…

>> 5G is needed, believe me! - 5G World speakers ask what’s the point of 5G?: Keynote speakers at 5G World 2017 focused on exploring use-cases and likely return on the massive investment that the roll out of 5G will entail. - Scott Bicheno for telecoms.com

>> Smart City from scratch - How to build a smart city from the ground up: Any city willing to deploy a smart city strategy needs certain basic elements such as broadband internet, a network of sensors and internet of things (IoT) platforms. There is no doubt that these are key components of any smart city implementation. However, the development of a smart city project requires more than just rolling out technology. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

Go get'em - hope this helps!

www.mikAdvance.com

June 12th 2017

Image courtesy of whatsag.com

Welcome to the mikAdvance OneWeekInAPACict 5G/IoT edition blog - targeted for ICT professionals as a summary of a week’s industry and technology news to help them remember the essentials of the APAC ICT for the next week activities!

nG’s explained. MIIT fixing 5G bands under and over 6 MHz. "ZTE First" in mMTC. Honda autonomous by 2020. Chinese AI to Korean cars. Let’s get it started!

FactFlash: 5G/IOT For Not So Dummies™️

>> In this blog I’m referring to a panel discussion about three challenges for 5G testing at the recent 5G Innovation Summit, where Joy Laskar, CTO of Maja Systems; Ifti Rahman, DMTS, Verizon device testing; and Abhishek Singh, senior antenna engineer at Ethertronics. The consolidation was published by RCR Wireless News.

>> Keeping design and test expenditures in line. Laskar said that at the chip level for millimeter wave, about 90% of costs are in manufacturing and test and that will have to shift with new testing strategies in order to drive the ecosystem to scale. Singh also noted that there are a number of areas where system cost needs to be examined for potential new processes and strategies, including the fact that millimeter wave systems often demand low-loss materials that have higher cost than traditional cellular components.

APAC General

>> nG's explained - 2G, 3G, then 4G – but 5G is more than “just another G”: It’s almost a cliché to look at the hype around 5G these days and think, “not another G!” But look closely and you’ll see that 5G is more than “just another G” – it’s an altogether different story. - Tony Poulos for disruptive.asia

>> A good start in India - Tata plans to deploy 50 million IoT devices in India by 2022: By that time, Tata aims to capture approximately 10-15% of the local IoT market, according to a recent report. The Indian firm has already earmarked $100 million for its IoT business. Tata said it expects to launch IoT devices mainly for three areas: asset management, energy management and customer feedback. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> Ghost in India - Nissan Motors files patents related to autonomous car technology in India: Factor daily has reported that Nissan Motors has filed a series of patents between the months February and May in India. The patents are related to autonomous car technology in India. - Telematics Wire

China

>> MIIT fixing 5G bands - China issues plan to use 3300-3600 MHz, 4800-5000 MHz for 5G: China’s Ministry of Industries and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a public consultation request dated June 5 seeking comment on plans to use the 3300-3600 MHz and 4800-5000 MHz bands for 5G, with 3300-3400 MHz limited to indoor use. - Monica Alleven for Fierce Wireless

>> And continues straight to mmWaves - China launches consultation on 5G spectrum: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is launching a consultation regarding the planning and use of millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum for the development of 5G networks. - Fiona Chau for telecomasia.net

>> LoRa attraction - ZTE and STMicroelectronics partner for LoRa applications in China: ZTE and STMicroelectronics will work with the China LoRa Application Alliance (CLAA) to promote low-power wide-area network industry and applications in China by enabling the CLAA compatibility on STMicroelectronics microcontrollers. ZTE will contribute technical specifications and testing certification tools and STMicroelectronics will work to enable compatibility of its STM32 microcontrollers with the CLAA technical specification and to develop microcontroller products with the CLAA protocol stack. - Martha DeGrasse for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> Giant Panda Probes US Market again - Comcast and Huawei to test 3.5 GHz radio this month: The Federal Communications Commission has authorized Huawei to demonstrate a remote radio unit transmitting in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band. - Martha DeGrasse for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> "ZTE First" in mMTC - ZTE completes mMTC field test in China's 5G trials: ZTE has become the first vendor to complete the massive machine type communication (mMTC) field test as part of the second phase of China's 5G technology trials. - Dylan Bushell-Embling for telecomasia.net

>> Lesser Panda overseas - ZTE and Telenet partner on IoT and 5G: ZTE has announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement focusing on 5G and IoT with Telenet. - Jamie Davies for telecoms.com

>> Xiaomi gets worn - IDC wearables analysis puts Xiaomi and Apple at top – with Fitbit lagging: Xiaomi and Apple cannot be separated as the top wearables vendors in the first quarter of 2017, pushing long-time leader Fitbit back, according to the latest figures from IDC. - James Bourne for iottechnews.com

Japan

>> Heavy 5G investments ahead - Japan's cellcos to invest over $45.5b in 5G: Japan's three major mobile operators plan to invest a combined 5 trillion yen ($45.5 billion) towards deploying 5G services nationwide, with NTT DoCoMo targeting nationwide coverage by as early as 2023. - Dylan Bushell-Embling for telecomasia.net

>> Honda autonomous launch by 2020 - Honda launching automated highway driving by 2020, we test it today: At Honda's Tochigi R&D facility in Japan, we get a peek at the future of advanced automated driving on the highway and beyond. - Antuan Goodwin for Road|Show by CNET

>> VR instead of mobiles rule in Sony - Sony VR headset sales top 1 million thanks to low price: Sony Corp has sold more than one million units of its virtual reality (VR) headset globally, the Asia chief of the Japanese firm’s gaming unit said on Wednesday, as a relatively low price helps push the product into an early lead. - Makiko Yamazaki and Yoshiyasu Shida for Reuters via disruptive.asia

>> AGL in means BB out for Toyota - BlackBerry not perturbed by Toyota opting for AGL: Until recently Toyota was using BlackBerry’s software as a component of its Entune system for certain infotainment services but the car manufacturer has announced that it is going to adopt AGL as its new infotainment platform for its 2018 Camry model. - Telematics Wire

>> Toyota all over the Olympics, literally - Toyota demos flying car for 2020 Olympics torch lighting: Engineers, supported by Toyota Motor Corp, demonstrated their flying car on Saturday, which they hope will be able to light up the Olympic flame for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games. - Kwiyeon Ha for Reuters via disruptive.asia

>> Nissan for autonomous Europe - Driverless cars would add to European GDP, Nissan report says: It certainly seems to be a fact-finding mission at the moment where driverless cars are concerned, highlighted by yet another survey delving into what people think about the emerging tech. - Rachael Power for connectedcar-news.com

Korea

>> 5G competition in the air - Korean operators jostle for position in the 5G era: It’s been a busy week as SK Telecom has claimed to have commercialized five-band Carrier Aggregation (CA) and 4X4 MIMO, while Vodafone and LG UPlus have announced a collaboration. - Jamie Davies for telecoms.com

>> Samsung ECU updates wirelessly - HARMAN’s New Smart Telematics Gateway Brings Advanced Connectivity, Security and OTA: HARMAN International, today announced a Smart Telematics Gateway solution, designed to ensure vehicles have not only an advanced connectivity solution but also have the ability to update any automotive Electronic Control Unit (ECU) through a secure, wireless connection. - IoT Business News

>> Chinese AI to Korean cars - Hyundai and Baidu to work together for developing connected cars: Hyundai Motor will collaborate with Baidu for developing connected cars, as per reports. As China has been emerging as a strategically very important market for the auto industry and all the automakers heading towards it, Hyundai’s deal with China’s internet giant can be seen in this line. - Telematics Wire

>> Autonomous test ground - Hyundai Mobis Opens Seosan Proving Ground with Full of Advanced Surfaces: Commencing the operation of the proving ground with a total investment of 300 billion Korean Won and an area of 1.12 million square meters; Performing autonomous driving technologies and winter performance tests on advanced tracks and skid pads - Business Wire

Go get'em - hope this helps!

www.mikAdvance.com

Week of May 29th 2017

Image courtesy of chinatopics.com

Welcome to the mikAdvance OneWeekInAPACict 5G/IoT edition blog - targeted for ICT professionals as a summary of the week’s industry and technology news to help them remember the essentials of the APAC ICT for the next week activities!

5G testing. More APAC in 5GAA. 5G trials turning permanent. Smart hotel. 100,000,000,000 (sic) IoT connections. Autonomous cars. Let’s get it started!

FactFlash: 5G/IOT For Not So Dummies™️

>> In this and two future blogs I’m referring to a panel discussion about three challenges for 5G testing at the recent 5G Innovation Summit, where Joy Laskar, CTO of Maja Systems; Ifti Rahman, DMTS, Verizon device testing; and Abhishek Singh, senior antenna engineer at Ethertronics. The consolidation was published by RCR Wireless News.

>> Capturing the radio environment. Rahman said that the ability to capture information on and understand the millimeter wave radio frequency environment is one of the primary challenges for 5G testing. The telecom industry and academic researchers are still in relatively early phases of understanding the millimeter wave channel environment. Rahman said that good models are still needed for the various environments that will need to be covered, such as urban, suburban and multi-family dwelling units. Researching how well millimeter wave transmissions penetrate different types of construction materials is part of Verizon’s 5G testing and trials for fixed wireless services, which are being conducted in 11 markets.

APAC General

>> Sun rises from APAC in 5GAA - NTT DoCoMo and Samsung among new 5GAA board members: The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) announced that AT&T, Jaguar Land Rover, NTT DoCoMo and Samsung Electronics has joined its board following its General Assembly on May 11. - News Centre for disruptive.asia

>> Asia attacks IoT, unfortunately - 60% of IoT attacks originated from Asia in 2016: The number of DoS or DDoS cyberattacks doubled from 3% to 6% in 2016, due to the lack of sufficient security controls of IoT devices, according to Dimension Data and NTT Security. - Networks Asia staff for telecomasia.net

>> Joondalup in Western Australia to go Smart - Telstra inks smart city agreement in Australia: Australian telecommunications firm Telstra and the City of Joondalup (near Perth, https://goo.gl/maps/sFSdzbLcpjA2) in Western Australia have reached an agreement to carry out a trial of smart city applications using Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

China

>> 5G test field initiated near Beijing - China completes plan for ‘5G’ test field in Beijing: 5G vendors including Huawei, ZTE, Ericsson, Nokia, Datang and Samsung are part of the initiative. - Juan Pedro Tomás for RCR Wireless News

>> 30 years JV for IoT to China - New joint venture to address industrial IoT technologies:  Canadian IoT firm ITT will hold a 51% stake in the new entity. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> Huawei, the new Nokia? - Huawei's 5G carrier expertise will trickle into smartphones: Knowledge gained through its carrier business, in addition to R&D work on 5G, will put Huawei in a better position to implement new network technologies into its handsets sooner, the company has said. - Corinne Reichert for ZDNet

>> ZTE, the new Huawei? - ZTE ups its game in 5G battle: China’s ZTE claims to be playing a much larger role in the development of 5G specifications than any previous mobile technology, as it attempts to take on larger rivals Ericsson, Huawei and Nokia and become a tier one player in the 5G network vendor space. - Joseph Waring for Mobile World Live

>> Not only cities get Smart - Huawei, Henan Unicom develop smart hotel solution: Huawei has teamed up with China Unicom's Henan branch Henan Unicom to develop a smart hotel connectivity solution based on all-optical access. - Dylan Bushell-Embling for telecomasia.net

>> Lesser Panda to cash in on 5G handsets in 2 years - ZTE projects 5G revenues will start in 2019: The vendor said that it expects 5G compatible handsets to be commercially available in two years. - Juan Pedro Tomás for RCR Wireless News

>> Giant Panda partners in the cloud - Huawei, REDtone, Fuisonex form cloud partnership: Huawei, REDtone and Fusionex have formed a three-way partnership to help  meet the rapid increase in demand for big data and analytics cloud solutions in Asia Pacific. - Networks Asia staff for telecomasia.net

>> Lesser Panda calling - ZTE calls for globally harmonized 5G ecosystem: ZTE has called on mobile operators to work towards a globally harmonized 5G ecosystem to ensure the healthy development of the telecoms industry. - Dylan Bushell-Embling for telecomasia.net

>> How many zeroes was that...? - 100b IoT connections by 2025: There will be more than 100 billion IoT connections by 2025, predicts Huawei. The company recently shared its vision of the IoT with over 200 attendees at the inaugural Huawei IoT Ecosystem Forum. - Networks Asia staff for telecomasia.net

Korea

>> Tiger harmonizes global 5G - A global approach to spectrum is key to 5G innovation: Samsung joins the GSA executive board in pushing global spectrum harmonization. - Sean Kinney for RCR wireless News

>> Korea keeping pace in connected cars - KIET outlines steps for South Korean firms in connected cars market: Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade has released a report on connected cars. The report has urged the automotive industry in the country to step up its efforts to develop connected car technology and its standardisation in order to not lag behind the global competition in the fast growing industry. - telematicswire.net

>> Tiger to stream VR with partners - Samsung secures livestream partnerships to solidify place in VR industry: The firm's bid to strengthen its hold in the virtual reality market now includes live action sports and music streaming. - Charlie Osborne for Between the Lines via ZDNet

>> Hyundai driving autonomously - Hyundai’s 4th biennial competition for autonomous cars: Hyundai Motor recently held its fourth biennial competition for autonomous cars at a local speed circuit. The automaker has been holding driverless car race since 2010. The aim of the exercise is to promote technology growth along with enhancing the brand image of the car maker. - telematicswire.net

Japan

>> Self-driving trucks on narrow Tokyo streets by 2022 = I'll stay indoors - Japan’s strategy for drones, self-driving trucks may be ready this week: Japan aims to finalize on June 9 plans to allow package delivery by drone sometime from 2020 and the commercialization of self-driving trucks by 2022, as it scrambles to breathe new life into its corporate sector. - Takaya Yamaguchi and Stanley White for Reuters via disruptive.asia

>> Something positive due to Fukushima - How Japan is using cellular IoT to lead the way for mass smart metering deployment: As the Internet of Things continues to advance, the smart metering market is expected to explode. Influenced by rising energy prices, increases of energy theft, demand for more accurate billing and a heightened awareness of energy conservation, the global market is expected to reach nearly $20 billion by 2022. - Eran Eshed for IoT News

>> 5G trial NW goes live in Tokyo - Japan launches 5G trial system in Tokyo and rural areas: The Asian nation aims to launch commercial 5G services in 2020. - Juan Pedro Tomás for RCR Wireless News

>> Docomo approaching 2020 Olympics - Nokia, DoCoMo to test 5G in 4.5-GHz: Nokia and NTT DoCoMo have jointly announced plans to conduct interoperability testing of multi-vendor technology using the 4.5-GHz frequency band, as part of broader efforts to help develop Japan's 5G ecosystem. - Dylan Bushell-Embling for telecomasia.net

>> Many future comms inventions will be made here - Toyota CSRC Next launched: Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) has formally launched the next phase of its research mission, celebrating the successful conclusion of its first five years of auto safety research. The new research effort, named CSRC Next, will focus on the challenges and opportunities of autonomous and connected vehicle technologies over the next decade. - telematicswire.net

>>Toyota goes Linux - Toyota adopts the AGL platform for its next-generation infotainment system: Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), a collaborative cross-industry effort developing an open platform for the connected car, has announced that Toyota has adopted the AGL platform for Toyota’s next-generation infotainment system. The 2018 Toyota Camry will be the first Toyota vehicle on the market with the AGL-based system in the United States. - telematicswire.net

>> And they have an eager supplier nearby -Renesas R-Car starter kit adopted as a standard reference platform for automotive grade Linux: Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced that Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) has adopted the Renesas R-Car Starter Kit as one of its standard reference platforms for software development. - Sheetal Kumbhar for IoT Now

>> No offence but this IS news: Mitsubishi first! - Mitsubishi to connect its vehicles to LexisNexis Telematics Exchange: Mitsubishi is to become the first auto manufacturer to connect its vehicles directly to the LexisNexis Telematics Exchange. The goal of the proof of concept is to design seamless usage-based insurance (UBI) solutions for Mitsubishi automobile owners and drivers. - telematicswire.net

Not everything is APAC only…

>> Everyone's looking for the killer - The internet of things - the killer 5G app: Although it’s not yet standardized or commercially available, the long-term vision of 5G is a unifying connectivity fabric–ultra fast, incredibly low latency wireless-that’s available everywhere and capable of connecting anything. At a high-level, the internet of things could be the so-called killer app that 5G enables. - Sean Kinney for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> We need Nordic NB-IoT in hot APAC! - New NB-IoT solution for smart air conditioning: Ericsson, DNA and other partners combined NB-IoT and cloud-based services. - Juan Pedro Tomás for Enterprise IoT Insights

>> Let's keep it off my motorbike, OK? - Why autonomous vehicles are the key to safer roads: It’s a sobering fact that even in this technological age, we still see 1.2 million deaths on our roads each year. Furthermore, studies show that nearly 95% of road accidents are actually the fault of a human driver. - Stan Boland for Connected Car News

>> Lots of APAC truck driver to be replaced by autonomy - AI experts predict the future; truck drivers out of jobs by 2027, surgeons by 2053: Hundreds of AI experts predict when their models will beat humans at everything. - Liam Tung for ZDNet

>> This is simply an educational finish - I tried explaining blockchain to my wife and here’s what happened: I introduced my wife to Python around nine months ago, and now she’s tinkering and had drawn a tortoise on her MacBook. After spending more time on geeky websites, she became more inquisitive, asking me one day, “Can you explain to me what blockchain is and why it is a game changer?” It sounded like a challenge! - Antony Ma for Tech In Asia

Go get'em - hope this helps!

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