Enterprise

Singapore, S. Korea dominate 4G LTE rankings, Philippines struggles

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Crowdsourced mobile data from OpenSignal revealed some interesting figures for the third quarter of 2016. Based on statistics published today, Singapore and South Korea have the best 4G data speeds and nationwide availability, respectively. Asian neighbors India, Indonesia, and the Philippines didn’t do nearly as well.

4G LTE connectivity is expanding at an exponential rate across the globe, and gradually eclipsing the older 3G technologies from a generation ago. Unfortunately, not every country is experiencing equal opportunities, and some are left wondering where all the bandwidth is going.

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Singapore gets top honors for 4G speeds in the world, averaging a blistering 45.86 megabits per second (Mbps). This means you can wirelessly download files at 5.7 megabytes per second (MBps — notice the uppercase B). Remember that a megabyte is equal to eight megabits.

The city-state is followed closely by South Korea at 45.77Mbps, Hungary at 40.61Mbps, and Romania at 35.61Mbps. You have to go all the way down to 25.75Mbps to discover the next-fastest East Asian nation, Taiwan. How about high-tech Japan? Its citizens are enjoying 22.38Mbps.

Even though the majority of the included countries averaged more than 20Mbps, the global average is only 17.4Mbps. We can the blame the terribly low speeds of developing nations for dropping the number.

Indonesia, the Philippines, and India were particularly bad for Asia, averaging only 8.79Mbps, 7.27Mbps, and 6.39Mbps, respectively. It gets even more embarrassing when you combine the three, giving you a total of 22.45Mbps, just above the global norm.

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For nationwide availability, OpenSignal doesn’t measure geographic reach; rather, the metric tracks the “proportion of time users have access to a particular network.” This places indoor connections and moments of high network congestion into consideration, putting all participants on a more level playing field. Garnering a score of 50 percent means users have 4G access half of the time.

South Korea has a near perfect score of 95.71 percent, followed by Japan’s 92.03 percent and Lithuania’s 84.73 percent. The worst-performing countries are Sri Lanka (40.27%), Lebanon (41.53%), Ecuador (42.56%), Ireland (43.45%), and the Philippines (44.8%).

Notice something? Yeah, the Philippines ranks in the bottom five for both 4G speeds and availability. Fingers can be pointed at multiple excuses, such as the difficulty in covering an archipelago and the country’s mobile network duopoly, but the fact remains that the Pacific-based republic struggles to keep up with evolving wireless standards.

Take note, however, that even though this is a global survey comprising 78 countries, numerous African and Asian regions are excluded because they lack test data for fair analysis.

OpenSignal 4G LTE graph

Click the image for a closer look

You can find the complete set of statistics on OpenSignal’s website, complete with interactive maps and graphs. It’s all quite fascinating, and will either enlighten or frustrate you, depending on where you live.

If you want to contribute to the cause, you can download OpenSignal’s app for Android or iOS. On top of collecting data, it can also help you find more stable network connections and nearby Wi-Fi hotspots around the globe.

Confused by some of the terminology? Watch our LTE-A explainer video to bring you up to speed:

Enterprise

AgiBot robots can now learn skills on the factory floor

Robotics company deploys real-world reinforcement learning system

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Robotics company AgiBot has successfully deployed its Real-World Reinforcement Learning (RW-RL) system on a pilot production line with Longcheer Technology.

The company specializes in embodied intelligence, and the project marks the first application of RW-RL in real industrial robotics.

It connects advanced AI innovation with large-scale production, signaling a new phase in the evolution of intelligent automation for precision manufacturing.

Precision manufacturing lines have long relied on rigid automation systems that demand complex fixture design, extensive tuning, and costly reconfiguration.

Where AgiBot’s RW-RL system comes in is addressing such pain points. It enables robots to learn and adapt directly on the factory floor.

Within just minutes, robots can acquire new skills, achieve stable deployment, and maintain long-term performance without degradation.

The system also autonomously compensates for common variations, such as part position and tolerance shifts

Meanwhile, during line changes or model transitions, only minimal adjustments and standardized deployment steps are required. This dramatically improves flexibility while cutting time and cost.

Moreover, AgiBot’s system allows for flexible reconfiguration. Task or product changes can be accommodated through fast retraining; such solution exhibits generality across workplace layouts and production lines.

This milestone signifies a deep integration between perception-decision intelligence and motion control. And it represents a critical step forward unifying algorithmic intelligence and physical execution.

Unlike many laboratory demonstrations, AgiBot’s system also achieved validation under near-production conditions. It has completed a full loop from cutting-edge research to industrial-grade verification.

Moving forward, AgiBot and Longcheer plan to extend real-world reinforcement learning to a broader range of scenarios. These include consumer electronics and automotive components, with focus on developing modular and rapidly deployable robot solutions.

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Netflix might acquire HBO Max

Specifically, they might buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

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Once again, Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale. Right now, the entertainment giant does not have a new owner yet. But, of course, there is a growing list of potential suitors. One of which has seemingly made its presence known. Netflix is reportedly considering a bid on its streaming rival.

In 2022, the then-named WarnerMedia, owned by AT&T, completed a blockbuster merger with Discovery. The new Warner Bros. Discovery brought the entire Warner library, HBO, Discovery, and Cartoon Network under a single umbrella. The resulting streaming service, dubbed HBO Max, now has enough content to rival Netflix and Disney+.

Recently, Warner Bros. Discovery put itself up for sale. Almost immediately, competitors have expressed interest in buying the library, including Amazon, Apple, and Netflix.

Over the weekend, Netflix has hired Moelis & Co, an investment bank, to evaluate a potential offer for the company, as reported by Reuters. Though it’s not an official bid yet, it’s a big show of interest from the other streaming giant.

According to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, the company will evaluate what value the entire library can offer Netflix. However, Sarandos isn’t interested in acquiring the legacy cable networks currently under the Warner umbrella, such as CNN and TNT.

SEE ALSO: Max is rebranding once again to HBO Max

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Enterprise

US caught dumping ‘millions of tons’ of e-waste into Southeast Asia

This includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

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Where do all old devices go after we’re done using them? If you’ve ever been in a place with a good recycling system, then you’ve probably seen bins for e-waste. Then again, you can go further down the chain and ask where these bins go. If you’re an American, a new report has an answer for you: Southeast Asia.

A Seattle-based organization called the Basel Action Network (or BAN, for short) conducted a two-year investigation on e-waste produced by the United States. The investigation revealed that at least ten American companies are shipping millions of tons of waste to several countries in Southeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates. These Asian countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

According to ABC News, a few of the ten companies implicated have refuted that the imports are well within environmental standards and do not include harmful chemicals. Notably, these importers don’t handle the recycling themselves. Though their own processes might be legally allowed, the imports might still enable environmental hazards.

Regardless, the importing of e-waste is banned under an international treaty called the Basel Convention. The treaty covers hazardous waste shipped to other countries. The United States, however, have not ratified the treaty, so they’re not covered by the rules from a legal standpoint.

The shipping of waste has been a constant problem for Southeast Asia for a long time. However, e-waste carries more risk because of the harmful chemicals involved. The waste itself, for example, carries cadmium, lead, or mercury; all of which are harmful for humans. Further, the recycling process can involve harmful working conditions without appropriate protective gear. Some just burn the waste, leading to toxic fumes.

According to the report, Asia already produces almost half of the world’s e-waste. With America — a huge contributor of e-waste by itself — dumping e-waste all over Southeast Asia, the region is turning into a dumping ground for toxic garbage.

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