Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week as Nokia struck an open RAN deal with Deutsche Telekom, Marc Allera announced his departure from BT Group and SpaceX moved forward with plans to provide satellite coverage in the US.

Nokia secures open RAN win with DT deal; replaces Huawei

What happened: Nokia struck a deal with Deutsche Telekom to support the rollout of more than 3,000 open RAN-compliant sites in Germany.

Why it matters: After missing out on a bumper open RAN contract from AT&T in the US to chief rival Ericsson last year , the deal with Deutsche Telekom represents a much-needed win for Nokia. The Finnish vendor also replaces Huawei as the operator’s vendor of choice in certain parts of the country, advancing a German government mandate to rip out kit from Chinese vendors by 2029. President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, Tommi Uitto, said “others talk about doing open RAN, Nokia is actually doing it and doing it on a grand scale”.

BT reveals successor to consumer CEO Allera

What happened: Long-standing executive Marc Allera will leave his role as consumer CEO of BT Group in early 2025, with Bell Canada telecoms specialist Claire Gillies selected as his replacement.

Why it matters: Paolo Pescatore, founder of PP Foresight, said Allera’s departure should not come a s huge surprise as it has been on the cards for some time. “Arguably there is not much left for him to do. He has successfully managed numerous transitions of brands and platforms, most recently spearheading the new EE as the consumer facing brand for the company.” Pescatore added “the unit is in a far better position which will need tweaks here and there for the successor”.

Starlink D2D service gets conditional FCC nod

What happened: The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cleared SpaceX to provide satellite coverage direct to mobile devices in areas lacking traditional connectivity through its Starlink operation.

Why it matters: The approval allows Starlink to move ahead with an agreement it has in place with T-Mobile US to use 2nd generation satellites to provide coverage in rural and remote areas of the country. Specifically, the FCC has granted permission for the use of up to 7,500 satellites for the service, as long as they do not interfere with other networks. “The FCC is actively promoting competition in the space economy by supporting more partnerships between terrestrial mobile carriers and satellite operators to deliver on a single network future that will put an end to mobile dead zones,” said FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel.