The Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel has selected Nokia’s CloudBand-based software products to power its Voice over LTE (VoLTE) network. Nokia stated that this network supports more than 110 million customers, making it the largest cloud-based VoLTE network in India and the world’s largest VoLTE service managed by Nokia. According to the Finnish telecom gear maker, the deployment of cloud-based VoLTE will enable Airtel to provide its mobile customers with faster, more reliable and cost-effective call connectivity. Nokia’s solution, which has been deployed to cover all 22 telecom service areas in India, uses commercial, off-the-shelf IT hardware with cloud-based Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). Nokia noted that cloud-native VNFs consume far less power and space compared to traditional 2G or 3G circuit-switched legacy cores. With Nokia’s VoLTE platform, Airtel will be able to reduce its 3G network traffic and use the freed-up spectrum to deploy 4G / LTE services for higher speeds…
European telcos: We’re ready to “lift the continent out of this recession” The European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO) has released a joint statement calling on EU institutions and national governments to support 5G and fiber rollout, stimulate the uptake of technology, fight misinformation, and focus on digital skills and education. According to ETNO, a new approach is needed to ensure that spectrum auctions are timely and conditions for spectrum assignment support network deployment. Sharing agreements for Radio Access Network (RAN) should be supported and incentivized, as well as all fiber investment models should be adequately encouraged. Moreover, future EU initiatives should dramatically reduce roll-out costs for both mobile and fixed networks. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yadrfxfg Microsoft’s new Teams features fight video conferencing fatigue Microsoft Team’s brand seeks to fight “Zoom fatigue” and exhaustion of physical isolation with its new updates and features. The news includes a shared background to make participants…
In an effort to simplify the deployment of new IP phones, Telinta has announced improvements to its auto-provisioning capabilities for Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs). The company has recently developed additional auto-provisioning profiles for Grandstream 2613 and 2614, as well as Yealink VC500 IP phones. As a global leader in cloud-based white label VoIP switching and billing solutions, this US-based company enables ITSPs to easily deploy any number of IP phones without the need for manual configuration or installer visits. Alex Ferdman, CEO of Telinta, said, “Telinta’s automated provisioning can streamline IP phone deployment by helping ITSPs to eliminate human error, and avoid costly installer visits to the customer’s premises. Using the power of the cloud, Telinta customers can easily deploy these popular Grandstream and Yealink models, plus hundreds of other devices.” Telinta said that their unique solution will help ITSPs not only automate the provisioning of IP phones,…
Australia to invest a record A$1.35bn in cybersecurity The Australian government has announced an AUS USD 1.35 billion program to combat the rise in cybersecurity threats that have intensified in recent months. This initiative, named the Cyber Enhanced Situational Awareness and Response (CESAR) package, will seek to identify more threats, fight foreign cybercriminals and build stronger partnerships within the industry. The nation’s largest ever investment in cybersecurity will supercharge the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, “My government’s record investment in our nation’s cyber security will help ensure we have the tools and capabilities we need to fight back and keep Australians safe.” Read more at https://tinyurl.com/ya8q3xsl India has banned TikTok, WeChat, and other China-based apps The Indian government has banned 59 Chinese-made apps, including TikTok and WeChat, over concerns that “they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty…
The Apiary Capital portfolio company Conn3ct, a provider of unified communications, contact center and global network service solutions, has acquired ICR Speech Solutions and Services Limited (ICR), a highly specialized speech application development company involved in interactive voice response (IVR) and next-generation speech bot technology. Conn3ct said that this acquisition is a major event in the company’s strategy, and adds important skills and intellectual property to IVR, which is essential for delivering an optimum call center customer experience. According to a statement, this partnership with ICR will enable Conn3ct to offer a fully automated caller experience, where complex queries are quickly identified and routed to a live agent. IVR is a critical contact center technology that provides the initial response to the calling customers before they reach an agent. Substantial advances in technology and the introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning have driven IVR from basic call management to…
Ujet raises $55 million to expand cloud-based customer support platform Ujet, a leading provider of cloud contact center software, has secured USD 55 million in Series C funding to expand its sales and marketing teams at home and internationally, as well as launch new products and features. The San Francisco-based company already claims to have several high-profile clients, including Google, Instacart, and PayPal’s iZettle. Ujet enables customers to contact support teams through voice, email and messaging, and integrates smartphone cameras so they can easily submit photos and videos documenting problems. With this funding, the company is now well-positioned to capitalize on the increased demand for cloud-based contact center technology. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y8ayek29 UK security officials tell telcos to stock up on Huawei gear – report The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has suggested that UK telecoms operators stockpile critical equipment to ensure the sustainability of telecoms infrastructure, as political…
Yeastar Information Technology, a leading provider of cloud-based and on-premises VoIP PBX systems and VoIP gateways for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has announced that its S-Series VoIP PBX, Cloud PBX, and K2 IP-PBX can now fully integrate with Microsoft Teams collaboration hub in Office 365. This integration enables Teams users to make and receive internal and external calls directly on the Teams App. Moreover, users can now access regular extensions on the Yeastar PBX system and enjoy a variety of advanced calling features. In a statement to the press, Yeastar said that the Yeastar PBX system is an award-winning UC-enabled VoIP phone system designed for SMEs, and seeks to help the enterprise do more with less effort. Yeastar’s solution will provide Teams users with an easy, quick and cost-effective way to integrate the business phone system with Teams without any disruption to their existing phone service. According to the company, Teams users…
Salt Security raises $20 million to protect APIs with AI US-based Salt Security, a cybersecurity startup that helps companies protect APIs, has closed a USD 20 million Series A round. The company plans to use the new capital to renew its investments in product development and expand its sales and marketing teams. Salt’s platform aims to prevent cyber attacks with a combination of AI and machine learning techniques. It analyzes a copy of the traffic from web, software-as-a-service, mobile, microservice, and the Internet of Things (IoT) app APIs. Salt uses this process to understand each API and creates the basis for normal behavior tailored to customers and their applications. After that, Salt reveals anomalies that are identified as indicators of an attack during reconnaissance. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y88n2l7r Lenovo delivers world’s first 5G laptop with Verizon, EE, Sunrise and CMCC Lenovo, one of the world’s leading personal technology companies producing innovative PCs and mobile…
Cloud-based softswitch solution provider Telinta has enhanced its TeliGlobe Mobile Softphone with new SMS options. Available for both Android and Apple iOS mobile devices, TeliGlobe is a brandable mobile softphone app and an essential component of Telinta’s cloud-native solution for mobile VoIP. The company offers mobile VoIP as a stand-alone service, or in conjunction with its white label solutions such as hosted PBX, SIP trunking, and other services. In a news release, Telinta said that VoIP service providers can easily offer SMS services together with voice and video calling via TeliGlobe. This mobile softphone app can be used to send and receive messages with SMS-enabled DIDs from Telinta’s partner companies, which provide Telinta customers with a number of options to meet their needs for worldwide SMS services. “Telinta understands that Mobile VoIP is one of the fastest growing opportunities in our industry,” said Alex Ferdman, CEO of Telinta. “Adding industry-leading SMS…
The Dublin, Ireland-based company AirSpeed Telecom has partnered with Intellicom, an international business telephony and contact center provider, to integrate new Voice over IP (VoIP) solutions into the telecommunications products and bandwidth services provider’s existing product portfolio. AirSpeed Telecom said that this integration will assist end-users in their quest to achieve superior operational excellence and offer an enhanced customer experience. According to the statement, the new VoIP solutions encompass a full-featured business telephony and contact center system that carries voice and other multimedia traffic across broadband networks. AirSpeed Telecom noted that by leveraging the power of IP networks, businesses can improve customer service, increase workplace mobility and enhance remote working solutions, and also reduce telecommunications costs. “Our customers’ needs are changing and at AirSpeed, we like to think that we’re able to innovate to meet those developing requirements. While best known for high-class connectivity, AirSpeed is increasingly offering business-class…