Deutsche Telekom hits 50% 5G population coverage Deutsche Telekom, the largest German telecommunications company, has expanded its 5G connectivity to 3,000 towns across all German states. A total of 18,000 antennas, out of the 30,000 already installed, have been upgraded to support 5G services in the last 5 weeks, and as a result, 50% of Germany‘s population now has 5G coverage. Walter Goldenits, Head of Technology, commented: “The 50 percent is no reason for us to rest on our laurels. The 5G rollout continues with the same intensity. Two thirds of the population are our next target. And we want to achieve this too this year.” Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y4z6fd2m Google Cloud and Orange announce their collaboration Google Cloud and Orange announced that they are partnering up for data, AI and edge computing development. The two companies plan on transforming Orange’s IT infrastructure, developing future cloud services, improving operational efficiency…
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…
Ireland’s GoMo goes for more as it hits 200,000 customers Virtual network operator GoMo, the budget mobile brand of Irish telco Eir, has reached 200,000 customers, since launching only eight months ago. The company exists entirely as a digital brand, requiring customers to sign up online to be mailed a SIM card. This “digital-first” approach even extends to customer service, which is available only through online chat, without accessible call centers. GoMo uses Eir’s network and offers 99 percent population coverage and over 97 percent 4G coverage. Since its launch, GoMo has gradually increased its customer base, with figures from the Irish regulator suggesting that the majority are migrating from rivals Three and Vodafone. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y7uwytwt JSonar raises $50 million for AI-powered database security products Database security startup jSonar has secured USD 50 million, which it plans to put toward R&D and go-to-market efforts. The company said that its AI-powered solutions help users…
US-based Reinvent Telecom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saddleback Communications operating a private-label communications platform as a service (CPaaS), has enhanced the security for its real-time business VoIP, video, unified communications (UC) and collaboration services. The company has now deployed carrier-grade VoIP/SIP security, threat intelligence analytics and fraud-detection technology in cooperation with RedShift Networks, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions for communications service providers. Reinvent Telecom provides the ability for its wholesale partners to deliver secure, reliable and high-quality Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), conferencing and collaboration, Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) and SIP trunking services. Bill Bryant, President at Reinvent Telecom, said, “At Reinvent, we understand that today’s VoIP networks are as vulnerable to cyberattacks as data networks. That’s why we’re doubling down on network security to give our partners and their customers the protection – and peace of mind – they deserve.” The wholesale UCaaS provider…
Facebook, telcos to build a huge subsea cable for Africa and the Middle East Facebook, together with a group of telecom companies, including Vodafone, Orange, STC, China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Telecom Egypt, and WIOCC, will build a subsea cable system that is claimed to be one of the largest in the world. The project is called 2Africa and will cover 37,000 km of cables interconnecting Europe (eastward via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa. The system is expected to go live in 2023/4, delivering more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables serving Africa today, with a design capacity of up to 180 Tbps. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yahgfe8g Workvivo raises $16 million to reinvent the intranet in the age of Slack and Zoom The Irish startup Workvivo, an employee communications platform, has raised USD 16 million in a Series A…
US telecoms will not charge late fees during COVID-19 pandemic Major US telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Comcast, Cox, and Verizon have expanded their policies to not charge late payments and cancel service for customers and small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic until June 30. Furthermore, Comcast said that apart from extending the commitment through June 30 and providing its Wi-Fi hotspots to everyone, it would also extend the pause in its data plans to give all customers unlimited data at no extra charge. With tens of millions of Americans working from home, internet providers and the FCC say the internet is performing well. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yd8wbxuv Google is making Meet free for everyone The tech giant has announced that Google Meet, its premium video conferencing product, will be free for everyone and will be fully accessible over the coming weeks. Previously, the Meet service was available only…
Copenhagen, Denmark-based Dixa has raised USD 36 million in Series B funding for its customer engagement solution, dubbed the “customer friendship” platform. This global customer service tech startup aims to create friendships between brands and their customers and will use this newly injected capital to accelerate the development of its product, expand innovations in data processing and enhance integration with third-party software. This Series B funding round was led by Notion Capital, with the support of existing investors Project A Ventures and SEED Capital. Jos White, General Partner at Notion Capital, stated, “Customer service is one of the largest software categories out there. And yet the market is still operating in transactional silos and not reflecting the world we live in. We think Dixa has what it takes to upend the industry with a platform that works across any channel and brings real-time intelligence to every conversation. We couldn’t…
British officials recommend role for China’s Huawei in 5G network UK officials have proposed allowing Chinese tech giant Huawei to play a limited role in the UK’s future 5G network, resisting calls from the US for a complete ban over fears of Chinese spying. Huawei will be kept out of the sensitive, data-heavy “core” parts of 5G infrastructure, but will be allowed to deploy its equipment in other parts of the network, according to sources speaking to Reuters. This recommendation comes ahead of a meeting of Britain’s National Security Council next week to decide how to deploy Huawei equipment. In addition, this proposal would satisfy Britain’s two largest telecoms operators, BT and Vodafone, which already use Huawei equipment and are against a total ban. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/szmovzy CityFibre buys FibreNation from debt-laden TalkTalk for £200 million Britain’s TalkTalk Telecom Group has agreed to sell its FibreNation full-fibre network business…
The US tech company Ribbon Communications, a global software leader providing IP-based real-time communications security and software solutions, has extended its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enable the simplified forwarding of VoIP audio streams to Amazon Chime Voice Connector by using SIP-based Media Recording (SIPREC). Ribbon’s Session Border Controllers (SBCs) with SIPREC capabilities can forward audio streams to AWS for real-time, automated call analytics and recording. Ribbon is a member of the AWS Partner Network (APN), whose SBC Software Edition (SWe) is available in the AWS Marketplace and as an AWS Quick Start. In March 2019, Ribbon reported that its SBC SWe was successfully tested with the Amazon Chime Voice Connector, to help customers move their SIP trunking workloads to AWS. The company said that IT professionals can use the Connector for low-cost SIP trunking with on-premises or cloud-based phone systems. Sid Rao, General Manager at Amazon…
Telefonica launches Tech and Infra units amid Latam spin-off Spain’s telecom giant Telefonica has announced a major organisational restructuring after a meeting of its board of directors. The company’s chairman and CEO Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete has introduced a new bold strategy to spin off company assets and prepare for industry 4.0. With its 5-point plan, Telefonica aims to generate more than EUR 2 billion a year in additional revenues from 2022, by prioritising its four key markets of Spain, Brazil, the UK and Germany and carrying out an “operational spin-off” of its Latin American business. The company will also set up a subsidiary for its cloud, cybersecurity and IoT businesses called Telefonica Tech and another for its infrastructure assets, Telefonica Infra. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/wjkobwc AT&T and Microsoft launch edge computing network Microsoft and AT&T have integrated 5G with Azure to launch their new Network Edge Compute (NEC) service for…