GSMA creates largest IoT community in APAC The GSMA has announced the expansion of its Asia-Pacific IoT Partnership Programme to 31 mobile operators across 15 countries. According to GSMA Intelligence, the Asia Pacific region (APAC) has the largest IoT market in the world and is expected to reach 11 billion connections by 2025 and be worth $386 billion. The programme brings together operators and partners including developers, manufacturers and system integrators, to share best practice, discuss challenges and review progress on the development of IoT across APAC. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yyjsllya Nokia brings 5G lab to Europe Nokia has opened a new lab at its global headquarters in Espoo, Finland, that will help demonstrate the full range of its 5G equipment, software and services. The “5G Future X Lab” will enable telecom operators, enterprises and infrastructure providers “to learn and understand the techno-economic power of a 5G end-to-end network to…
Globe Telecom, a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines, is seeking to increase the number of cell sites nationwide and is expanding its network of partner tower providers. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Transcend Towers Infrastructure (Philippines), a wholly owned subsidiary of the global infrastructure firm American Tower Corporation (ATC), to build shared telecoms towers in the Philippines. Under the agreement, Transcend Towers will initially construct 150 new cell sites for Globe Telecom in North Luzon in support of the common tower initiative of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). The government’s common tower policy aims to free telecommunications providers from costly capital expenditures in setting up communication towers. According to DICT, it is targeting the building of at least 50000 new common towers across the country in the next seven to ten years. As stated by Rizza Maniego-Eala, Chief Finance Officer…
LG Uplus launches preliminary 5G roaming services in China South Korean mobile carrier LG UPlus is rolling out its 5G roaming service in China in partnership with China Unicom, a state-run telecom operator. According to the statement, LG Uplus teamed up with China Unicom for the 5G roaming service in April and tested out own services in China from June. The preliminary service was launched after the two companies completed linking their networks on August 16. LG Uplus said its 5G roaming service is currently available only on the LG V50 ThinQ smartphone, but soon it will be expanded to Samsung Galaxy S10 and Note 10 users with software upgrades. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yyyhqm3v Oracle strikes deal to provide cloud support for VMware workloads Oracle and VMware have announced a deal resolving their bitter dispute over how Oracle provides technical support for VMware users. The deal will make it easier…
iPhone 11: Apple launches new Pro smartphones with better cameras Apple has unveiled a new line of iPhones – iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max – featuring faster processors, improved screens, and new camera systems. All three devices look similar to their predecessors, but the company has upgraded their respective camera systems to enable wide-angle photos and made improvements that result in a longer battery life and faster performance than before. There is also a variety of new colours available, with a new matte finish on the back of the iPhone 11 Pro. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y3ery8a6 Huawei wants to sell its 5G tech to rivals – report The Chinese tech giant is prepared to help create a competitor on the market by selling a perpetual licence to its 5G technology. Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has made a remarkable claim that for a one-time fee,…
Apple iOS 13 Launch Confirmed: 5 iPhone Security Features Coming This Month As the tech company that really cares about its user’s privacy, Apple attempts to differentiate itself from Facebook, Google and Amazon, and is bringing a number of massive improvements to the company’s iOS operating system this month. One of the biggest improvements is that the security enhanced Apple iOS 13 will not let Facebook and WhatsApp apps run VoIP in the background when the programs aren’t actively in use. Also, the system will send alerts about any apps that track user’s location and let an app access the location only once. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4w8rj92 Samsung’s Exynos 980 chip is a processor and 5G modem in one The Korean tech giant has introduced its first 5G-integrated mobile chipset Exynos 980. This AI mobile processor combines a 5G modem and mobile application processor in a single chip, thus allowing…
Verizon to enable spam call filtering by default on select Android phones Verizon has begun auto-enrolling eligible customers in its free Call Filter service, thus automatically protecting Android users through spam-detection and blocking of high-risk calls. The Federal Communications Commission’s recent ruling has given phone carriers more authority to block spam calls, and Verizon is taking advantage of it to better protect customers. The Call Filter app will automatically block calls from any numbers reported as fraudulent and forward them to voicemail. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5ctqelq Google and Dell team up on the first Chromebooks made for business Dell Technologies Inc. and Google LLC have announced the launch of their jointly developed laptops – the Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1 Chromebook Enterprise and Dell Latitude 5400 Chromebook Enterprise. These two laptops are based on existing Dell’s Latitude models, except they run Chrome OS and offer extra security and organisational features.…
VvAA Groep B.V to transform service experience and performance with Vonage’s NewVoiceMedia solution Vonage’s NewVoiceMedia contact centre platform has been chosen by Dutch insurance provider VvAA to enhance its members’ customer experience. After conducting a market evaluation, the company implemented Vonage’s NVM solution for its Salesforce integration and rich functionality. VvAA Groep’s advisors will have immediate access to entire history of customers interactions, also, inbound calls will be dynamically managed and routed, improving handling time and customer satisfaction. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5l2maho Telenor completes acquisition of majority stake in DNA Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group has completed the acquisition of Finland’s third-largest mobile operator DNA. Telenor has acquired 54 percent of the shares in DNA for EUR 20.90 each in cash, or a total of EUR 1.5 billion after the deal approval by DNA shareholders, Finda Telecoms and PHP Holding, and Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Helsinki-based…
Telecommunications equipment supplier World Telecom Labs (WTL) and a mobile virtual network operator Edpnet, have announced that the first all-VoIP network in Belgium is now live, enabling businesses to benefit from high-quality and cost effective voice services. It is stated that Edpnet has become the first operator in Belgium to make the switch from traditional ISDN to a VoIP platform, thus gaining the ability to easily add more capacity, which will ensure the company’s future growth. For this move, Edpnet has deployed WTL’s VoIP switches for its VoIP links, ensuring high call quality and an always-on network, and optimizing bandwidth capacity. Joachim Slabbaert, COO at Edpnet, said, “WTL is a technologically innovative company whose team really understand what VoIP operators want and need. We buy from them because they do what they say – improve our network and reduce our costs. This migration is a huge milestone for our company and has…
Angola Cables and rest of Angolan telecoms industry to be privatised Angola’s official journal, the Diario da Republica has announced that under the Privatisation Programme, the Angolan government is to sell stakes in 195 companies. The telecommunication companies that will be included in the Privatisation Programme are Unitel (in which MSTelecom has a 20% stake), MS Telecom itself, Net One, Multitel, Angola Telecom, TV Cabo Angola, Angola Cables, Angolan postal company ENCTA, Angola Comunicacoes e Sistemas (ACS) and telephone directory company ELTA. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5aw5r9y Google Accounts now let Android web users authenticate themselves with their fingerprint Google now allows Android phone users to sign into some of its services without a password. The users will verify their identity with a fingerprint only, which makes authentication more secure and easier. This feature is built by using open authentication standards FIDO2, FIDO CTAP and WebAuthn. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yy272mwn Verizon…
Ufinet, one of the leading international telecom operators in Latin America and a provider of fibre infrastructure and transmission services, has acquired a majority stake in the Brazilian wholesale carrier Netell Telecom, which offers connectivity services to local and international enterprises, network operators and service providers. With Netell’s network coverage in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo and a broader regional reach, Ufinet will be able to better serve its global customers in Latin America. Inigo Garcia del Cerro Prieto, Chief Executive Office of Ufinet Telecom, said, “This transaction represents an important milestone for our group. Netell has always delivered an impressive service, with great human resources and long experience in the market, which makes it a perfect match for us. This will definitely leverage our growth in Latin America.” The companies signed the agreement during the International Telecommunications Week (ITW), thus allowing Ufinet to enter the Brazilian…