NEWS
Telefónica and Vodafone release RFIs for OpenRAN technology
The Telecom Infra Project ( TIP ) has announced that two of its members , Spanish multinational broadband and telecommunications provider , Telefónica , and Vodafone , have each issued a Request for Information ( RFI ) for OpenRAN solutions .
The RFIs will identify vendors of Radio Access Network ( RAN ) equipment and assess their ability to meet requirements for RAN platforms as established by TIP ’ s OpenRAN Project Group .
The objective of the OpenRAN Project Group is the development of fully programmable RAN solutions based on General Purpose Processing Platforms ( GPPP ) and disaggregated software .
The project group was formed to harness the benefits that softwaredriven development can bring to RAN , including greater network flexibility and a faster pace of innovation .
The scope of the RFIs is a RAN platform that could extend operators ’ 4G network coverage . Other technologies including 2G and 3G are also included in the RFIs .
Following the OpenRAN Project Group ’ s vision , the RFIs will collect information , allowing Vodafone and Telefónica to evaluate solutions that are aligned with the OpenRAN principles of RAN on GPPP platforms using disaggregated software .
Respondents are invited , through Vodafone and Telefónica ’ s RFI processes , to submit information related to solutions both current or in development that meet specifications outlined in the RFIs . The results of the RFI process will be presented at the TIP Summit 2018 in London on October 16 – 17 and identify vendors that meet RFI requirements .
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Criminal groups dismantled for laundering € 2.5 million through smurfing and cryptocurrencies
Europol has supported the Spanish Guardia
Civil and the National Police of Colombia in dismantling two criminal organisations involved in large-scale money laundering . It is estimated that the € 2.5 million has been laundered by using methods , such as smurfing and cryptocurrency exchanges .
Europol supported the operation by facilitating information exchange and by deploying four experts to Spain equipped with a mobile office and a Universal Forensic Extraction Device ( UFED ).
This allowed for real-time cross-checks of the data gathered during the course of the actions against Europol ’ s databases , as well as the extraction of data from the mobile and computer devices seized for its posterior analysis .
The investigation began when Colombian authorities were alerted of a Colombian family with links to drug trafficking , operating in the Spanish city of Zaragoza . The Spanish Guardia Civil verified the existence of a criminal organisation operating in Spain and dedicated to laundering the money earned by other criminal groups who were operating in various locations in Spain and France . The criminal network picked up the illicit proceeds , split them and sent them in small remittances – a criminal method known as smurfing .
Investigators also identified a second network operating in Madrid ( Spain ). The network was also involved in collecting large sums of cash from other criminal groups linked to illicit activities such as drug trafficking or crimes against Spain ’ s heritage .
The group used cryptocurrency exchanges to convert large amounts of money from cash into cryptocurrencies , like Bitcoins and Altcoins , and later transferred them to other virtual wallets controlled by the Colombian organisation , which allowed the return of the illicit proceeds to South America , thus disguising the origin of the money .
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