Globe enters deal to expand financial inclusion
Globe Telecom, the second largest mobile operator in the Philippines, entered into a strategic partnership with Cebuana Lhuillier and Mynt to expand financial inclusion by developing initiatives that combine the products and services of the three companies.

Cebuana Lhuillier is a micro-financial institution that has more than 1,800 branches in the Philippines, and Mynt is a fintech startup wholly-owned by Globe and offers a range of financial services.

Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said the idea is to disrupt the traditional banking system and eliminate people from having to personally go to a bank, fill out forms, queue in line and pay for bills or deposit money. “This initiative will create an avenue for the companies to leverage on each other’s strengths and capabilities to create a better financial system for the consumers,” Cu stated.

SoftBank partners with Zimperium on security app
Japan’s SoftBank reached an agreement with US-based Zimperium to offer artificial intelligence (AI)-powered security solutions for the operator’s customers in Japan.

The operator plans to roll out Zimperium’s ‘Security Checker’ iPhone app on November 15. The product, with an AI-powered threat detection engine, can notify customers of potential threats such as the chance of accessing unauthorised Wi-Fi access points disguised as safe public Wi-Fi and other dangers affecting smartphones.

SoftBank’s customers with basic iPhone monthly plans can subscribe to a stand-alone version of the app for a monthly charge of JPY350 ($3.40).

SoftBank also plans to offer additional security services from the firm to its enterprise customers.

Samsung, China Mobile conduct 5G trial in Beijing
South Korea’s Samsung said it successfully conducted a 5G prototype trial in collaboration with China Mobile Research Institute in Beijing on the 28GHz and 3.5GHz spectrum bands.

Samsung said in a statement that key technologies like spatial modulation and filter-band multi-carrier were validated on the 3.5GHz band, while out-band emission and performance of throughput were also tested during the trial.

Samsung became a member of the China Mobile 5G Innovation Centre in June.

SoftBank deploys Ericsson ‘Elastic’ RAN at Tokyo Station
Japan’s third largest operator SoftBank deployed Ericsson’s ‘Elastic’ radio access network (RAN) at Tokyo Station, one of the busiest train stations in the world.

The commercial deployment shows that downlink throughput increased by up to 40 per cent during peak hours for commuters with three-carrier aggregation enabled smartphones.

Hideyuki Tsukuda, SoftBank SVP and deputy head of technology, said it will expand the Elastic RAN deployment to deliver high performance throughout its network.

The vendor’s Elastic RAN is part of its Cloud RAN solution and was developed specifically to improve users’ mobile broadband experience through elastic coordination of users and cells, Ericsson said in a statement.