European lawmakers clash over a proposed network fee for content and application providers, as majority fear potential implications like stifling innovation, impacting net neutrality, and increasing consumer costs. Telecommunications operators may explore alternative income sources amid uncertain consolidation prospects.
Explore NBN’s new satellite plan, Sky Muster Plus Premium, offering uncapped data and enhanced connectivity to 400,000 Australian homes in remote and regional areas. Will this development help NBN stay competitive amidst intensifying market challenges?
The European Commission clears Inmarsat’s acquisition by Viasat, assuring competition in the in-flight broadband landscape. While the market anticipates increased opportunities for current players and new entrants, upcoming deals like SES/Intelsat and Eutelsat/OneWeb may pose complex challenges for regulators.
Vodafone Germany to cut 1,300 jobs in realignment efforts Vodafone Germany has revealed intentions to cut 1,300 positions in management, double functions, and areas with no direct customer interaction as part of a realignment and return to growth effort. In addition, the operator intends to establish 400 new customer-facing positions, resulting in a total loss of 900 positions. The decision comes on the heels of a 1.8% year-on-year decline in fiscal Q3 service income due to client losses in Germany, which is likely to be a special focus of cost-cutting efforts. Telecom companies such as BT and Orange Business have also recently announced layoffs. Read the full article. Five9 launches AI Summary tool for contact centers Five9, a cloud contact center service provider, has released Five9 Agent Assist 2.0 with AI Summary, driven by OpenAI’s language model technology. The solution produces summary highlights of client call recordings in seconds, decreasing…
NTT DoCoMo partners with Ericsson and Keysight on 6G NTT DoCoMo has announced the expansion of its experimental 6G trials, for which it has teamed with Ericsson and Keysight. The collaboration with Ericsson will concentrate on new 6G wireless interfaces for frequencies ranging from 6 to 15 GHz, as well as the sub-TeraHertz band, which encompasses frequencies exceeding 100 GHz. The collaboration with Keysight will put ultra-wideband communications across sub-THz frequencies to the test. DoCoMo has also announced that it is working on a RAN intelligent controller that will be interoperable with base station equipment from several Open RAN manufacturers. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/bdzy6j9f Huawei showcases its commitment to green technology During MWC2023, Huawei sponsored the European Carrier Executives Roundtable, where Zhou Yu, Huawei’s network consulting and system integration domain president, addressed Huawei’s value proposition and innovative techniques in the green target network domain. The observations and remarks emphasized Huawei’s…
For the first time in over 60 years, Nokia, the Finnish manufacturer of telecom equipment, has unveiled its redesigned logo and brand identity. This shift underlines Nokia’s focus on fast expansion and its move away from the smartphone market towards corporate technologies. The new logo is made up of five distinct forms that create the word NOKIA, with the customary blue color of the previous logo being replaced with a variety of colors depending on the application. Nokia’s CEO, Pekka Lundmark, stated that the company’s focus had switched from selling equipment to telecom operators, to selling equipment to enterprises. The company intends to expand its service provider business, although its primary focus is currently on selling equipment to non-telecom businesses. Lundmark also stated that he plans to reassess the growth paths of Nokia’s various businesses, including divestment strategies if required. Nokia intends to expand into factory automation and…
Zoom, the video conferencing powerhouse that had explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, has disclosed that 15% of its workforce, or around 1,300 workers, will be let go. The company’s CEO, Eric Yuan, attributed the need to reduce staff expenses to the company’s previously accelerated hiring during the pandemic and the unpredictability of the global economy. The number of staff at Zoom increased by more than 275% between July 2019 and October 2022, reaching 8,422 employees. Many companies and schools depended on Zoom to keep their operations running at the peak of the pandemic; however, with lockdowns becoming rare events and the rise of “Zoom fatigue,” the corporation has struggled to continue its growth. Zoom’s market cap peaked at $150 billion in late 2020, but has since dropped to roughly $24 billion. Yuan acknowledged not devoting enough effort to analyzing the company’s growth and determining if that expansion…
T-Mobile has announced its latest sustainability initiative, a commitment to reach net-zero emissions across its entire carbon footprint by 2040. The operator has also joined The Climate Pledge, a community of organizations working together to combat global carbon emissions. T-Mobile is the first wireless company in the United States to set a net-zero objective that has been certified by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) using its Net-Zero Standard. The target includes direct and indirect emissions from T-Mobile’s operations and facilities, purchased electricity, and all remaining indirect scope 3 emissions, such as those produced by suppliers, customer device usage, materials, employee travel and other factors, accounting for roughly two-thirds of the company’s total carbon footprint. The Climate Pledge, launched in 2019 by Amazon and Global Optimism, is a pledge to reach net-zero emissions 10 years before the date targeted by the Paris Agreement. T-Mobile joins almost 400 companies…
France invests €750 million in 6G R&D For research and development projects in advanced network generations such as 5G and 6G, France has announced a €750m grant program. In order to produce sovereign solutions, especially with the pandemic and global trade disputes, the country is focusing on virtualization, open interfaces for access networks, edge computing, security, and AI and machine learning integration. The scheme is part of Macron’s France 2030 strategy. It is a €30 billion plan aimed at modernizing the economy and positioning France as a world leader in future network technologies. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4jr922dn T-Mobile in talks to acquire MVNO Mint Mobile T-Mobile is apparently in discussions to buy Mint Mobile, a pre-paid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) backed by Ryan Reynolds. Mint Mobile has grown in popularity since its launch as Mint SIM in 2015. It has been touted as a cheaper alternative to major mobile…
Amazon Web Services awarded $724M cloud contract The US Navy has issued a single contract to Amazon Web Services (AWS) potentially worth $723.9 million. Under a five-year enterprise software license (ESL) agreement, AWS will provide the Department of the Navy access to AWS’ commercial cloud environment, including training, certification courses and professional services from the cloud provider. The ESL includes work to be performed from December 2022 through to December 2028. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5ynmx3at Infovista unveils its 360° Assurance solution for VoLTE and VoNR Infovista, a global leader in network lifecycle automation, has introduced its 360° Assurance for VoLTE/VoNR solution. This advancement will equip mobile voice service providers with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution to ensure a better customer experience when using voice services. Infovista’s 360° Assurance for VoLTE/VoNR solution is designed to address specific problems that service providers face when assuring VoLTE and VoNR services, including detecting and resolving one-way…
