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Telecom News

Telegram off the App Store and Google Play in Russia

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The Russian News Agency TASS reported that Apple and Google have been asked by the Russian authorities to remove Telegram Messenger from their stores. The request has been made in April 17th after a court ordered four days earlier that Telegram be taken off, has the company issuing the app refused to comply with the FSB’s request. The FSB asked Telegram to share its data, a demand the company refused to accept. The Russian telecom watchdog sent a notification to users concerning the use of Telegram and issued a statement saying: “In order to anticipate Roskomnadzor’s likely response to the violations regarding the operation of the aforesaid Apple, Inc. services we are asking you to notify us within the tightest deadlines of the company’s further actions regarding the solution of these issues.”

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Telecom News

Agreement between Chinese tech company ZTE and U.S. Commerce Department

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After President Trump asked the U.S. Commerce Department to find an agreement to save ZTE Corp., an agreement has been found. It all started when an investigation found out that ZTE was doing business with Iran and North Korea by sending U.S. products. Despite the opposition of several members of congress, mostly Democrats, but also many Republicans, that are accusing Trump of bending under Chinese pressure, ZTE will be able to trade with American companies. ZTE was banned from doing any business with the U.S. since April 15th and has lost $3 billion. ZTE will have to pay a $1.3 billion fine to the U.S. in addition to a $900 million fine they already paid last year. Part of the deal, aside from the fine, includes a change in management and will have to get parts from U.S. suppliers. The situation between ZTE and the U.S. Administration created some tensions…

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Telecom News

When blockchain based currency meets telecom operator

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For Andrew Burchik, founder of the Prague based MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) Miracle Tele, the future of mobile operators will be found in Blockchain technology. Miracle Tele is already available in 213 countries. In late April, Miracle Tele allowed its customers to call any destination for €0.2 per minute and data from €0.01 per MB. Miracle Tele is using its own Token called TELE based on ERC20 (Ethereum blockchain) that they want to sell. 150,000,000 TELE are available at €0.1 per token. The sale is not limited in time as it will end when all tokens are sold out. This way the operator allows its users to have a choice: or they use its telecom services like any operator or they “tokenize” their assets and have access to mobile plans by purchasing them with TELE. According to M. Burchik, as smartphones are less a used for conventional communications, operators…

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Telecom News

Unreal mobile will bring unlimited data and VoIP calls

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FreedomPop, the California based company operating in the US and UK, will launch a new MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) called Unreal mobile. Until now FreedomPop focused on its free-of-charge mobile plan for customers with small needs, making money from their other plans. With Unreal Mobile, they offer a full service carrier using the Sprint network. Unreal will offer unlimited data for $15 per month, with no contract. Not only that, but Unreal Mobile number can be used on any device, meaning not only on smartphones but also on tablets and computers. The way it works is a SIM card is needed for the main smartphone, that works with a regular voice network, then Unreal Mobile, with VoIP technology, allows the user to use different devices with the same number. This announcement is a direct result of Sprint and T-Mobile merger. Mauricio Sastre, FreedomPop SVP Strategy and Carrier Relations said…

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Telecom News

VoIP tool off iPhone’s app in China

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Apple recently sent a message to all developers of apps on iOS that are available on the Chinese App Store. They informed them that they had to remove a tool called Callkit, that allows to implement VoIP calls into their app. Any app that uses Callkit is refused by apple for the Chinese market. The message stated: “Recently, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) requested that CallKit functionality be deactivated in all apps available on the China App Store.” Despite this announcement, VoIP is still allowed in China, but the ease of use of Callkit seems to be the issue. Some Human Rights activists suggest that even though China doesn’t want to officially ban VoIP, they want to make it more difficult to use. It is not the first time Apple had to comply with Chinese demands as they removed last year Microsoft’s Skype among other VoIP…

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Telecom News

China Telecom Global and Global Switch announced a partnership

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A worldwide partnership between CTG (China Telecom Global) and Global Switch was made official. It will allow the two companies to offer Data Centre Network solutions to customers globally. Global Switch already operates, develops and owns carrier and cloud-neutral data centres, that are located in Europe, and the Asia Pacific area. As a part of its services, it provides IEPL (international ethernet private lines), IPLC (international private leased circuits), VPN and IP transit. Deng Xiaofeng, CEO of CTG, expressed his satisfaction : “The collaboration will bring significant value-adds to our existing and future customers, fuelling their development and success with resilient and mission critical data centre network infrastructure.” John Corcoran, CEO of Global Switch, added: “This agreement with China Telecom Global is recognition of Global Switch’s continued commitment to providing customers with industry-leading facilities and solutions across our global portfolio. This initiative will further enhance access to our extensive connectivity…

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Infrastructure

India: a need for better telecom infrastructures

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Telecom Secretary in India, Aruna Sundarajan expressed concerns about the country’s lack of quality mobile network services. She pointed out the fact that more towers and fiberisation is needed to follow the growth of subscribers. She said, during the second 5G India conference, “In a country where data is growing at 500 per cent, we need much more infrastructure. You need at least double the number of towers, at least double the size of fibre. Otherwise, where will the quality come from? So, they (operators) are working on that We are driving down hard on the service quality areas. We are beginning to see visible changes as a result of it. But it is not enough.” In a situation where call drops occur more often, falling service quality is concerning users and professionals. Manoj Sinha, the Telecom Minister, replied by confirming that the government is committed to “ensure quality of…

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How 5G might be a burden for Telecom companies stocks…

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The investment required to upgrade a network to support standalone 5G technology is important. JP Morgan think this is the reason why Telecom companies stocks did not do so well last year. There is a serious concern that the investment might not be as effective as expected. The lack of return put an important shade on some valuation for some asian (China, Japan and South Korea) and Australian telecommunications stocks. Those worries could be explained as the daily applications and advantages of 5G technology are yet to be seen and to be invented. James Sullivan,head of Asia ex-Japan equity research at J.P. Morgan explained “It’s not really about faster download speeds,” he said. “It’s about internet of things, autonomous vehicles and things of that nature for which no one understands a monetization case for networks yet.” 5G will not only be customer centered but also will help companies in processing…

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Telecom News

US President Donald J. Trump to save jobs in Chinese telecom industry !

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In a strange turn of events, the American government has been instructed by President Trump, to help Chinese tech giant ZTE Corp. The problems started for ZTE when they were caught shipping U.S. goods to Iran. The U.S. Commerce Department then prevented U.S. companies from doing any trade with ZTE. This decision literally crippled the company, forcing Donald Trump to step in and take a decision. In a recent tweet President Trump expressed its concerns and his will to find a solution. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/995680316458262533 The ban on doing trade with U.S. companies is supposed to last seven years. ZTE already paid a $1.2 billion in fine for that case. Recently, American delegations in visit in China were asked about this issue by Chinese officials, leading to Trump’s decision. ZTE currently employs 70,000 people, and earlier this month, it had to put on hold its main operations.

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Chinese phones manufacturer, Huawei, is making a Bitcoin-based smartphone

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Huawei, the Shenzhen based technology company, has announced the launch of a smartphone that will use the famous cryptocurrency. It will use BTC.com’s platform as a Bitcoin wallet on its smartphones. New devices coming out of Huawei factories will integrate Huawei AppGallery that will give access to the Bitcoin wallet. “Cryptocurrencies have recently expanded the human understanding of digital economy at a large scale … We expect to see massive growth in global cryptocurrency adoption habits in the near future,” said the vice president of Huawei Mobile Services, Dr. Jaime Gonzalo. Through the app, users will be able to buy products and services with Bitcoins. They will also have the possibility to follow cryptocurrency mining and get blockchain informations. It will also be an opportunity for Chinese customers to have a taste of cryptocurrency. So far, Google Play on Android and Apple’s App Store were not allowed by Chinese authorities…

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