NEWS
Ericsson and Vodafone link gamers in Portugal
and Spain via 5G global roaming
D
riving across the Minho River between
Portugal and Spain, two renowned
gamers from the Vodafone Giants team
showed how 5G is eliminating barriers in
the eSports world. Ericsson’s technology
and Vodafone’s network were behind the
successful 5G global roaming session.
The technical demonstration took place on
May 22, 2019 from two moving vehicles
travelling the three-kilometre distance
between Tui in Vigo (Spain) and Valença do
Minho in Porto (Portugal). Esport gamers,
Fox and Tojor, played together in real time
as they crossed the border, taking advantage
of 5G capabilities and infrastructure. In
addition to mobility gaming, an immersive
multimedia experience, showing tourist
points of interest in Valença was also
demonstrated using the 5G network.
5G core network functions for both Vodafone
Spain and Vodafone Portugal networks along
with 5G Radio gnodeBs. This technology
allowed for roaming call mobility from one
country to the other. Both networks are
connected through the Vodafone roaming
services network. In addition, two radio
locations have been deployed in both Tui
and Valença do Minho with 5G Massive
MIMO AIR 6488 technology.
José Antonio López, Head of Ericsson Spain
and Portugal, said: “5G will serve consumers,
enterprises and take the Internet of
Things (IoT) to a next level, where superior
connectivity is a prerequisite. Ericsson
and Vodafone have a strong partnership
for innovation and with this important
milestone are, for the first time, connecting
two countries over 5G in mobility and
contributing to making 5G a success.”
The seamless connectivity between the two
countries allows for maintenance of the
service when crossing the border. Gamers
can play without disconnection or ‘lags’.
As part of the global roaming
demonstration, Ericsson provided virtualised
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Höflinger Müller becomes Germany’s first bakery
chain to launch own mobile payment app
according to a recent study by the strategy
consultancy, Oliver Wyman.
W
irecard, global innovation leader for
digital financial technology, enables
Höflinger Müller bakery chain to offer its
customers payment and pre-order options
via smartphone. Since May 2019, initially
90 branches of the chain represented in the
greater Munich area have been connected
to the solution. Customers can use it to
pre-order baked goods and pay for their
purchases in an uncomplicated cashless
manner. In the long term, Höflinger Müller
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INTELLIGENTCIO
will use Wirecard to convert all sales outlets
to new digital payment formats. The Höflinger Müller app, which is designed
for maximum user convenience, leads to the
nearest branch and enables pre-selection
from the extensive product range with or
without registration. Instead of searching
for small change in the physical wallet, the
app user just pays via a deposited credit
card, via Google Pay or Apple Pay. This offers
the customer more convenience and saves
bakeries comparatively high transaction
costs for the provision of cash.
There has been a lot of growth in the German
mobile payment market in recent months
and years. Innovative payment methods such
as real-time transfers, contactless payment
options and mobile payment methods are
increasingly being offered. As of January
2019, one in four (26% of respondents) are
already using mobile payment methods, With Wirecard, Höflinger Müller is
converting its backend system with 190
terminals to cashless payment with state-
of-the-art technologies in the first phase
of the project. This makes it possible for
consumers to pay with methods such as
Google Pay and Apple Pay even without
using the Höflinger Müller app.
www.intelligentcio.com