Telecommunications giant AT&T and Colt Technology Services, a provider of network, voice, data centre and managed cloud services, have successfully completed the integration of MEF’s Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) Sonata Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allow business customers to virtually seamlessly order services across multiple carriers. The two companies claim to be the first in the telecom industry to use MEF’s LSO Sonata APIs to automate the ordering of Ethernet services. Roman Pacewicz, Chief product officer, AT&T Business, said, “There’s no doubt this will change how carriers interact and operate in the industry. Our interactions are now more cost-efficient, flexible and error-free. We kicked off interoperability discussions and trials three years ago and gained important insights that will help create and refine industry standards under the guidance of MEF. The transformation of networks to a dynamic, on-demand, software-centric, cloud-based model opens up opportunities for everyone.” The implementation of the…
SSE Enterprise Telecoms, a UK-wide high capacity network and connectivity provider, has announced a new critical network contract with Jisc, a digital technology supplier for the education and research sector in the UK. The agreement includes the launch of the Janet South network and an extension of the UK Backbone network partnership, providing data-intensive research centres access to significant bandwidth and speeds of up to 100 Gbps. Colin Sempill, Managing Director, SSE Enterprise Telecoms, said: “Through utilising our expansive network and industry expertise, Jisc has been able to provide vital connectivity to some of the UK’s most critical education and research facilities. Thanks to our high capacity, low latency services these institutions can collaborate across the UK and the globe.” “We’re very excited to announce the launch of the Janet South Network partnership and further extension of the UK backbone network, which will keep vital institutions producing ground-breaking…
The current telecommunications market is abundant with a variety of business phone systems carefully designed to improve day-to-day communications and handle the complex needs of various organizations. Among the different existing types of telephone systems appropriate for use by small-to-medium size businesses, VoIP-related phone solutions are currently the most common and are growing in popularity. VoIP phone systems operate using broadband Internet connections and generally include quick and easy installation, cost effective pricing, high scalability and advanced features with options to cater to any entity size, ranging from a small business to a multi-service enterprise. A comprehensive VoIP solution should include a range of voice functions needed by the organization, and support both external and internal communications as required. Finding the most suitable phone system may be overwhelming, so for those currently on the lookout, here are the top ten VoIP phone systems to investigate. Nextiva VoIP Software…
Apple has recently acquired the Italian startup named Stamplay, a company offering an API-based backend development platform that aims to simplify the cloud-based development of apps for businesses. Stamplay specializes in building a “low code workflow automation” platform, and could assist the iPhone-maker in providing improved backend tools for iOS and macOS developers. In a press release, Italy’s Roma Tre University confirmed that Apple had acquired its startup, although the tech giant itself has not yet issued the customary statement on this acquisition. According to Italian media reports, the deal was worth around five million euros, which equates to roughly $5.6 million. Stamplay, which was founded by Nicola Mattina and Giuliano Iacobelli of Roma Tre’s computer engineering and business economics departments, provides a task automation platform geared toward enterprises. With a slogan “automate your business”, the startup enables companies to create workflows for handling monotonous, labor-intensive chores such as…
Do you want to change your telecommunication service provider, but need to keep your current phone number? This process is called number portability, and defines the mechanism and procedures that allow you to switch from one phone network service provider to another in any Licensed Service Area (LSA), while maintaining your existing number. Number portability offers customers the right to exercise their choice in selecting a service provider and, at the same time, avoid the inconvenience of being allocated a new phone number. This important facility provides the customer with freedom-of-choice and, as a result, generates competition among service providers encouraging lower tariffs, improved services and enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) of the networks. It is important to note that the portability feature only concerns the phone number, and is not applicable to services. In this article we focus on the complete porting process from start to finish and, at…
VoIP has become an integral part of the day-to-day lives of many people throughout the world, offering a plethora of technological advancements and options, simplifying many communication processes and making interactions more convenient and consumer friendly. VoIP is one of the most talked-about technologies, and its prevalence is anticipated to grow in the upcoming years. Over the last twenty years, VoIP has provided businesses around the world with the convenience of increased mobility, due to constant development and emerging cutting-edge technologies. The usage of VoIP as a service has grown rapidly – between 1998 and 2002, VoIP carried only 1-3% of all voice calls worldwide, but in 2005, VoIP was responsible for more than 200 billion call minutes. With 2019 already underway, let’s have a look at what the future holds for the VoIP communications industry. In particular, we examine the insights and predictions regarding the trends and technologies that will…
The problems for the social networking giant Facebook continue to mount as yet another data-sharing scandal has exploded. The New York Times (NYT) has published a thorough investigation detailing Facebook’s data sharing practices, and reported that the social network provided some well-known tech companies with access to hundreds of millions of users’ data without their consent. Interviews with former Facebook employees and its corporate partners, as well as hundreds of pages of documents obtained by the NYT, confirmed that Facebook made the questionable arrangements with partners such as Amazon, Spotify, Netflix and Microsoft. These alliances enabled the companies to “read, write and delete users’ private messages, and to see all participants on a thread”. The records revealed, that “Facebook allowed Microsoft’s Bing search engine to see the names of virtually all Facebook users’ friends without consent. The social network permitted Amazon to obtain users’ names and contact information…
EE is the first mobile operator to launch a 5G network trial site in the UK. The BT owned telco has based its testing predominantly using Huawei network equipment, coupled with the 3.4GHz spectrum it bought at the UK communications regulator (Ofcom) auction. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the behavior and performance of 5G technology in real-life settings outside of the testing lab. The initial trial is located in the Montgomery Square area of Canary Wharf, London, where more than 150,000 people pass through on a daily basis. It might seem strange that a practical trial has been started with no commercially available 5G devices, but the end goal is to evaluate the 5G spectrum and to test devices for performance, speed and coverage in areas with traditionally high 4G mobile network usage. “This live trial is a big step forward in making the benefits…
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 U.S. Congress is concerned about revelations of a deal that was made between Facebook and the Chinese device maker Huawei. Huawei is not the only device constructor to have a privilege access to data from Facebook, as Lenovo, Oppo and TCL are also on that list “Concerns about Huawei aren’t new – they were widely publicized beginning in 2012, when the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a well-read report on the close relationships between the Chinese Communist Party and equipment makers like Huawei,” said U.S. Senator Mark Warner. In an investigation done by the House Intelligence Committee, it was stated that “Huawei did not fully cooperate with the investigation and was unwilling to explain its relationship with the Chinese government or Chinese Communist Party, while credible evidence exists that it fails to comply with U.S. laws”. Moreover, the Chinese company has an history of collaboration with the…