Eurobites: Smartphone shipments continue to slide in Europe

European smartphone shipments slumped to an 11-year low in the second quarter of 2023, falling 12% year-over-year, as consumers continue to hang on to their devices for longer than they used to. That's according to a new study from Counterpoint Research, which found that only Russia registered smartphone shipments growth – of 4% year-over-year – and only then because of market distortions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Searching out a bright spot in the gloom, Counterpoint's Jan Stryjak predicts that upcoming versions of Apple's iPhone and Samsung's foldables will prompt a "bump in sales volumes in the coming quarters."

Three years after they went live with Denmark's first non-standalone 5G network, Ericsson and TDC NET have switched on Denmark's first 5G standalone network, employing the Swedish vendor's dual-mode 5G core offering. Among other benefits, TDC NET believes that 5G standalone will enable it to become more energy efficient thanks to more data being transmitted with the same amount of energy.

Still in 5G standalone territory, Telia has been demonstrating how network slicing is used to create a 5G SA private network for the Norwegian armed forces, keeping the military's mobile traffic separate from that flowing over Telia Norway's national 5G network. In parallel with the network slicing demonstration, Telia also showed how emergency workers can use its 5G network via their Tetra (terrestrial trunked radio) terminals and how a mobile basestation can be use to restore or extend mobile coverage using low Earth orbit satellites in the event of natural disasters.

Seeking to demonstrate its enthusiasm for all things open RAN, Deutsche Telekom has been carrying out multivendor trials of non-real time RAN optimization based on O-RAN specifications. Working with AirHop, Juniper Networks, Viavi Solutions and VMware, Deutsche Telekom completed a RAN closed-loop optimization proof-of-concept within its lab environment. Full technical details of the trials can be found in this white paper. (See DT CEO optimistic on open RAN, Huawei still a worry.)

Swisscom is touting two new cloud security offerings aimed at small businesses. Secure Internet Traffic protects data traffic by routing it via a security cloud where it is checked for nasty stuff, while Mail Security strengthens protection against so-called phishing emails.

Arm Holdings, the UK-based but Japanese-owned chip design company, is set to launch its pre-IPO investor roadshow next week, according to a Reuters report. Reuters' sources said that Arm, a SoftBank subsidiary, is expected to price its shares on September 13, with stock trading starting the next day. The IPO is one of the most keenly anticipated of the year, and follows SoftBank's failure to sell Arm to Nvidia around 18 months ago. (See Arm may struggle to justify a $60B valuation.)