Grand X, a subsidiary of the leading South Korean mobile operator Kakao, has unveiled the test version of their blockchain platform called Klaytn. At the moment, the testnet version of this service-centered blockchain platform has only been offered to 10 partners of Kakako, along with a publicly available whitepaper to outline the network potential and capabilities. If all goes well, the mainnet version of the network is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2019. According to the information in Klaytn’s whitepaper, this network focuses on a seamless user experience for all parties, including developers and end users. “The popularization of blockchain requires providing a practical blockchain service for mass adoption thereby validating the value and utility of blockchain technology. To achieve this, Ground X has designed Klaytn that can provide an easy and friendly environment for end users, service providers and developers all at…
A leading global provider of telecommunications solutions and services, Tata Communications, has announced the acquisition of the Dutch IoT specialist and mobile network enabler, Teleena. This deal is a clear investment in technology and talent that are expected to contribute to Tata Communications’ growth in the IoT and mobility markets. “The growth rate in the global mobility and IoT market is phenomenal: by 2021, enterprises’ spending on mobility alone is set to surpass USD 1.7 trillion,” commented Anthony Bartolo, the Chief Product Officer at Tata Communications. “Our vision is to create an environment where anything can be ‘born connected’. Providing everyone and everything in the world with seamless connectivity globally will support businesses’ digital transformation. The combination of the Tata Communications MOVE™ platform and Teleena’s technology and talent will help us fulfill this vision, and accelerate our growth in the mobility and IoT market.” This agreement did not…
October 1st, 2018 will be remembered as the date when the first 5G broadband network went live, with the telecommunications giant Verizon launching its 5G network in parts of Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. The company confirmed that it will be expanding its coverage shortly, pending the installation of new standards-compliant equipment. “The world’s first commercial 5G service is here. We’ve formed incredible partnerships with many of the world’s leading technology companies, the international technical standards bodies, public officials, developers and our own customers to drive the 5G ecosystem forward, faster than most had predicted. And now, actual customers. It’s been an incredible journey…and we’re just at the starting line,” the president of Verizon Wireless, Ronan Dunne, expressed enthusiastically. The very first user on this network, a resident of Houston, Clayton Harris, became one of the early adopters by setting up a “5G Home” service, an ultra-fast…
The Lithuanian mobile operator BITĖ has launched a new Smart call management service oriented towards its business customers, delivering full PBX services to mobile users. While cloud-based PBX services are now generic, BITĖ’s Smart call management service has fulfilled their specific and innovative requirement that the solution must be delivered over the standard mobile voice network, and should not require data services or the use of an app on the mobile device. The result is a seamless, simple-to-use, fully featured and high availability business voice service, accessible from any mobile device and being operating system agnostic. The solution architecture enables instant deployment of phone system extensions without any action required by the end users (business employees), eliminating the time and effort required by the business IT department and BITĖ’s customer service to configure, manage and support the service. “Phone calls constitute an essential and integral component of all…
The IDT owned VoIP communication service provider net2phone has announced the acquisition of the SaaS-based business phone and communication solutions provider Versature. The two companies will join forces and continue to provide Canadian companies with innovative communication services. “This transaction will accelerate Versature’s growth trajectory in Canada through a powerful alignment of values and innovative technology for voice and call analytics combined with ready access to capital. As a result, Versature will scale Canadian operations by attracting top talent while continuing to innovate and aggressively pursue opportunities in the Canadian market,” commented Versature’s President and COO, Jonathon Moody. With the addition of Versature, net2phone has expanded its operational coverage, which now includes Canada, the US, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Hong Kong. Moreover, the combined revenues of both companies for May, June and July totaled over $5 million. “We continue to be very pleased by the trajectory of net2phone’s…
After last week’s summit in Australia, the Five-Eyes Governments, which include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, issued a statement calling on the technology industry to willingly provide access to encrypted information. While encryption is by far the safest way for private information to travel between the sender and receiver, the Five-Eyes group argue that it can also be “used by criminals, including child sex offenders, terrorists and organized crime groups to frustrate investigations and avoid detection and prosecution.” Even though the debate of privacy versus security when it comes to data encryption is not a new one, many cybersecurity experts still claim that there is no safe way to provide authorities with a backdoor access to decoded information without introducing vulnerabilities that may be exploited by hackers. Despite this argument, the alliance is pushing technology providers to “create customized solutions, tailored to their individual…
Vodafone India and Idea Cellular have finally completed their $23 billion merger after the National Company Law Tribunal approved their request to join forces in becoming the number one telecom service provider in India. The new entity will be listed as Vodafone Idea Ltd and will have a base of over 400 million subscribers (35% subscriber market share and 32,2% of the market revenue share), surpassing the long-time market leader Bahrati Airtel. The rival that aroused the idea for the merger with its successful entry into the market, Reliance Jio, is left in third place. “Today, we have created India’s leading telecom operator. It is truly a historic moment. And this is much more than just about creating a large business. It is about our Vision of empowering and enabling a New India and meeting the aspirations of the youth of our country,” commented the chairman of the new board…
Earlier this week, a leading IT solutions provider Tech Mahindra, announced its partnership with Microsoft to build a blockchain-based robust ecosystem meant to tackle unsolicited commercial communications in India. This blockchain solution will be developed based on Microsoft Azure, and will comply with the regulations issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). TRAI has been working with both these companies and other stakeholders to curb the profusion of spam calls and messages so widely spread across the country. While the initial step of introducing a “Do Not Disturb” registry in 2010 seems to be a success with 230 million listed subscribers, the telemarketers still manage to find fraudulent workarounds to obtain consent and continue delivering spam calls. “Blockchain as a technology is a powerful tool to combat the issue of spam calls and fraud risks, to protect user information, as well as the integrity of the telecom sector.…
The global telecommunications solutions provider ZTE and the mobile operator Hutchinson Drei Austria announced another strategic step to expand their partnership in preparation for the 5G rollout in Austria. The cooperation between mobile operators and telecommunications equipment providers is fundamental for the implementation of this cutting-edge technology, and a Joint Innovation Lab initiative was launched to develop, test and optimize the latest 5G technology solutions. The ten-year partnership between ZTE Austria and Hutchinson Drei Austria has already shown great results in upgrading the network for higher quality standards and service improvements, as demonstrated in the most recent Pre-5G trials in Austria. “The first result of the joint innovation initiative was the successful evaluation of the Pre-5G technology, which enabled us to create a commercial Pre-5G in Vienna already at the beginning of this year. This move was a breakthrough in the European telecoms market, which made Austria a true 5G…
A leading communications solutions provider, BICS, has announced the release of their Local SMS Firewall, a fully managed end-to-end platform that helps operators protect and optimize their SMS traffic and revenues. This Local SMS Firewall oversees both A2P and P2P activities, and filters messages for unbillable traffic, thus preventing any loss of income. According to BICS, the introduction of their Local SMS Firewall was a natural reaction to the rapidly increasing number of A2P use cases and the demand for customer engagement. With mobile operators applying extra effort to boost customer satisfaction and taking advantage of A2P SMS opportunities, the new platform is a perfect tool for minimizing the decrease of revenue caused by traffic bypass. “BICS is dedicated to aiding operators in monetizing their SMS assets. SMS aggregators are always going to look for new ways to disrupt the industry, but with solutions like BICS’ Local SMS Firewall, the…