Avaya, a worldwide technology firm that specializes in cloud communications and workstream collaboration solutions, has teamed up with Merchants, a customer management partner focusing on the business process outsourcing market. Together, the two companies will launch Total Experience, a cloud-based, multi-channel customer experience platform that will better empower local businesses to fulfill the ever-changing demands of their consumers. The Merchants’ and Avaya’s partnership will help companies to provide the Total Experience platform to their consumers through a subscription-based, all-inclusive, easy-to-manage solution. This will allow the two companies to launch new services more quickly and with a lower total cost of ownership and a higher return on investment. Merchants will host a variety of Avaya OneCloud portfolio products and make them available to companies via a cloud-based subscription model, allowing enterprises to acquire the capacity and services they demand on an as-needed basis without incurring large upfront expenses. …
BT putting its digital voice service rollout on halt Last year, BT began rolling out Digital Voice, which is a VoIP solution that works over the company’s broadband network rather than the old analogue network, as the name implies. This service is an essential improvement, as BT points out, to replace analogue technology, which is rapidly becoming outmoded. The operator is, however, delaying the Digital Voice switchover for consumers who do not wish to switch right away. BT did not specify how long the halt will occur, nonetheless, it is confident that the switchover will take place soon. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mt23py8u DigitalBridge enters into mobile infrastructure deal with Telenet Telenet has agreed to sell all of its mobile telecommunications towers in Belgium to DigitalBridge, a US-based real estate investment trust and a subsidiary of the DigitalBridge Group. The investment firm has agreed to pay $820 million for Telenet’s 3,322…
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has named Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based cybersecurity business and developer of popular antivirus software, as one of the organizations posing an unacceptable danger to US national security. Kaspersky is the first Russian company to be added to the list, which is currently dominated by Chinese telecoms companies. The FCC has now released its most recent list of untrustworthy vendors, which includes, for the first time, a non-Chinese company: Kaspersky. Kaspersky joins Huawei Technologies, ZTE Corporation, Hytera, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, Dahua Technology Company, China Telecom (Americas) and China Mobile International USA on the list. Once a company has been included on the list, it is illegal for that organization to use federal subsidies, which are distributed through the FCC’s $8 billion yearly Universal Service Fund, or to buy any of its products or services. Domestic consumers, with the exception of government employees,…
Dstny, a European supplier of cloud-based business communications solutions, has acquired Qunifi, a Microsoft Teams integration expert headquartered in the United Kingdom. For UCaaS providers, Qunifi’s Call2Teams product is the leading company in Teams integration. Qunifi’s service is used by end users in over 100 countries and organizations, with over 2 million Teams users relying on the service on a daily basis. Call2Teams is a cloud-based, SaaS middleware solution that connects any phone system, PBX or SIP trunk provider to Microsoft Teams. Importantly, this solution does not require that end-users move numbers, change carriers or replace their existing phone system, and Call2Teams effortlessly voice-enables Microsoft Teams with the extensive capabilities of existing telephony. Qunifi will join the Dstny Group as a service provider, and its workforce and management will be incorporated into the Dstny Group. For service provider customers, partners and the Dstny and Qunifi teams, joining the…
DT and Vodafone to tackle areas of Germany with no 4G coverage Deutsche Telekom (DT) and Vodafone Germany have announced further advancements in their efforts to close 4G coverage gaps in distant or rural parts of Germany where consumers are serviced by only one mobile network operator (MNO) or no operator at all. Over the last several years, the two operators have worked to increase coverage in 3,000 to 4,000 so-called 4G gray spots, which are commonly described as places where only one MNO can provide service. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yndfwnvb Spectralink launches DECT devices with Microsoft Teams SIP Gateway Spectralink, a global workplace mobility solutions supplier, has announced the availability of DECT devices that are compatible with the Microsoft Teams SIP Gateway. Company-critical deskless workers, who must travel to a remote site in order to carry out their duties, are very much relied upon by enterprise companies such as…
AudioCodes, a provider of sophisticated communications software, products and productivity solutions for the virtual environment, has launched AudioCodes Live Express, a new SaaS solution that allows partners to onboard and maintain their corporate clients’ Microsoft Teams connectivity to the PSTN. Aimed at unified communications, contact centers and hosted business services, AudioCodes enables organizations and service providers to develop and run any IP-based voice network. AudioCodes provides a wide range of quality technologies, solutions and services to large multinational corporations and premier tier-1 operators all around the globe. Direct Routing capabilities and a suite of management automation tools are included in Live Express to streamline everyday operating cases that associates and their clients are likely to face. This new, revolutionary solution helps partners to improve customer onboarding by providing a convenient user portal and extensive automation features, as well as seamless interconnection between customer SIP trunks and Microsoft Teams,…
Treasure Data, an enterprise customer data platform (CDP), and Sinch, a worldwide supplier of cloud communications, have established a strategic alliance to enable more tailored and engaging dialogues with customers across multiple channels. The collaboration aims to meet the demands of businesses who want to connect their consumers more effectively through mobile channels utilizing real-time data. Treasure Data’s smart CDP creates a complete, holistic view of a customer by securely stitching together key data sources that are normally segregated, such as CRM, marketing automation, point-of-sale, and social media. Through the CDP, service agents may gain insight into all aspects of the customer experience, which can then be accessible across numerous communication channels provided by Sinch’s multi-channel communication platform. Email, text, phone calls, and mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram, and others are included. Rick van Esch, Vice President of SaaS Business at Sinch, commented: “We are seeing…
Nokia labeled one of the world’s most ethical companies Nokia has been named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies®” for the fifth year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute. In 2022, 136 recipients from 22 countries and 45 sectors were honored. Nokia is one of five telecoms industry winners, and the only Finnish business to receive recognition. Nokia’s superior governance, as well as its dedication to best-in-class sustainability, corporate ethics, compliance and governance standards, has earned the company this honor. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4ab8c253 NTT partners with Schneider Electric to test private 5G network NTT and Schneider Electric’s latest collaboration will build on their current relationship to create a secure and on-premises end-to-end digital platform that will allow various sectors to benefit from private 5G services. The private 5G network is projected to support equipment availability, machine performance and product quality solutions. The project will also provide a…
Orange and MasMovil in talks about joint venture Orange and MasMovil have stated that they are in talks to launch a 50:50 joint venture (JV) in Spain. Orange’s Spanish subsidiary is valued at €8.1 billion, while MasMovil is valued at €11.5 billion, for a total enterprise value of €19.6 billion. The merged operator would include around 7.1 million fixed line customers and 20.2 million mobile users, with a combined FTTH network of approximately 16 million residences. The operators claim that the combination would result in a slew of meaningful synergies of more than €450 million within three years of the merger closing. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5d9h3y7 Google acquires Mandiant to boost its cloud offering In a move aimed at bolstering the capabilities of its Google Cloud platform, Google has agreed to pay $5.4 billion for the cybersecurity firm Mandiant. To address harmful information and software vulnerabilities, Google Cloud currently offers…
MetTel, a global digital transformation and communications provider for medium and large businesses, as well as for federal, state and local government agencies, has announced that the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Command (MCRC) has chosen MetTel for its Nationwide Internet Protocol Network Service, a contract worth more than $58 million. MetTel’s aim will be to offer the MCRC with a dependable and resilient network infrastructure that can support desktop computers, mobile computing, telephone services, video collaboration services and any other networking and voice services. MCRC’s current Internet service capacity will be upgraded, and the provider plans to deliver Internet Protocol Voice Services and Wi-Fi to almost 1,500 MCRC sites. The MetTel EIS Portal will allow MCRC to monitor and obtain reporting information on services offered over the MetTel network in near real-time. MetTel has secured contracts with more than a dozen federal departments since 2020, with the…