China’s leading technology group Huawei has unveiled its new office based at Salford’s MediaCityUK complex in Greater Manchester. This is the company’s first major facility in the North West of England, as Huawei is set to expand its 5G operations and boost the local tech economy in the region. The new office will run several key business operations including the Network Design Centre, Delivery Operations Centre for the north of the UK, and customer account teams. According to Huawei, the MediaCityUK complex has earned a reputation as an international center for technology, innovation and creativity. Greater Manchester is also home to one of the fastest growing digital technology sectors in Europe, the company said in a press release. Huawei will initially base more than 50 employees at the new office, with the aim of doubling this by 2022. Victor Zhang, Huawei Group President of Government Affairs, said, “This…
BT CEO: We want to be so much more than just another communications provider BT’s Chief Executive Officer Philip Jansen said the company is going to transform itself into a comprehensive provider of digital services, as it doubles down on convergence in the coming years. The UK telecom giant will continue to evolve its product offering to provide seamless connectivity across its fixed line, mobile and Wi-Fi networks. Furthermore, BT has launched the next generation of its converged products, Halo, that will offer unlimited data and calls on mobile and at home as well as inclusive support from BT’s new team of Home Tech Experts. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y575g9j8 MacOS Catalina: 5 best things about Apple’s new OS for your Mac Apple has launched MacOS Catalina, its new desktop operating system for Macintosh computers, with a host of new features and changes. With this Mac upgrade, Apple divides iTunes into…
Avaya, an American tech company specializing in unified business communications, and RingCentral, a provider of cloud-based communications for small businesses and enterprise companies, have announced a strategic partnership for a new cloud offering worth at least USD 500 million. RingCentral’s multi-million contribution includes a one-time USD 125 million preferred equity investment and a USD 375 million advance to Avaya for selling the RingCentral unified communications as-a-service (UCaaS) solution in selected countries. According to the terms of the agreement, Avaya will introduce a new global UCaaS solution called Avaya Cloud Office by RingCentral (Avaya Cloud Office) in the first quarter of 2020. Avaya Cloud Office will build up the company’s existing portfolio to offer a full suite of UC, CC, UCaaS and CCaaS solutions to a global customer base, which currently includes more than 120000 customers, over 100 million UC lines and 5 million CC users in over 180 countries. This solution…
Global engineering and R&D services company Altran Technologies, SA, mainly operating in the fields of high technology and innovation consultancy, has announced a new advanced networking center in the United States to support customers seeking to accelerate their 5G transition and virtualization deployments. The opening of the company’s new office in Manhattan will involve the hiring of additional experts in the field of 5G and related technologies, as well as the development of new software platforms that will help deliver leading-edge products and services. Pascal Brier, Executive Vice President of Strategy, Technology and Innovation at Altran, said, “The rollout of 5G is a game changer requiring robust, cost-effective software frameworks and platforms to power the next generation of wireless solutions for IoT, mixed-reality and autonomous vehicle applications. Altran is uniquely positioned to provide the necessary consulting and integration services, and this investment will ensure we remain at the absolute…
Telus Corp., one of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies, is expanding its security business and has agreed to acquire ADT Security Services Canada, Inc. (ADT Canada) for approximately CAD 700 million. ADT Canada provides security and automation services for residential and business customers. The company has about 500,000 customers and 1,000 team members across the country. Jim DeVries, President and CEO at ADT, said, “The sale of our more capital intensive Canadian operations enables us to sharpen our focus on the exciting growth and higher margin opportunities in the U.S., where we can more efficiently invest our time and resources. Importantly, these emerging opportunities are ideal for leveraging the trusted ADT brand as we continue generating strong free cash flow to drive shareholder value over the long term.” According to the agreement, all of the ADT Canada team members and customers will join Telus. The company said it will “deepen…
Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the enterprise security software and services company BlackBerry Limited has announced the launch of BlackBerry Advanced Technology Development Labs (BlackBerry Labs). The company’s new business unit will be focusing on research and development (R&D) in the cybersecurity space, using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. According to a statement, BlackBerry chief technology officer (CTO) Charles Eagan will lead this initiative, which will include a team of over 120 software developers, researchers, system architects, product lead and security experts. These communications professionals will work together to identify, explore and create new technologies to ensure BlackBerry is on the cutting edge of security innovation. The company stated that the initial projects from BlackBerry Labs will focus on machine learning approaches to security, in partnership with BlackBerry’s existing Cylance, Enterprise and QNX business units. “The establishment of BlackBerry Labs is the latest in a series of strategic moves…
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,…