Vodafone launches standalone 5G services in Germany Vodafone has announced the launch of its standalone 5G services in Germany. Vodafone Germany, working with Ericsson, Qualcomm, and Oppo, has upgraded around 1000 mobile sites in the 3.5 GHz range, switching them to an independent 5G core network that no longer relies on 4G. Vodafone claims that “latency times of 10 to 15 milliseconds are possible – that’s as fast as the human nervous system.” This initiative will deliver the SA 5G experience to 170 cities and municipalities, including major cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Düsseldorf. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5dvhudhr Nokia to supply China Mobile with software-defined networking technology Nokia gained a major cloud win when China Mobile chose the vendor to supply software-defined network (SDN) technology for its public cloud service expansion. As part of the transaction, Nokia will provide its Nuage Networks Virtualized Cloud Services, that include…
Mobile World Congress 2021 to require a negative Covid test for entry GSMA, the organization hosting the Mobile World Congress 2021, has announced a health and safety plan for its event. Of course, requirements include doing all the usual things such as wearing masks, washing hands, keeping distance, and following the proper sneezing and coughing esthetics, but there are more specific safety outlines. One of the most important stipulations in place will be the requirement of proof of a negative Covid test, which will be fully managed by the MWC app. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5ssd8d8u Intel to tackle data privacy with DARPA Intel has become a part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a research partner to help run its Data Projection in Virtual Environments (DPRIVE) program. This program is seeking ways to improve fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), that allows the processing of encrypted data without the…
Telefonica announces creation of a new Brazilian fibre company Telefonica has announced the establishment of a new Brazilian fiber company called FiBrasil. The company will be a joint venture between the operator and the Canadian Pension Fund CDPQ (Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec). Telefonica’s 50% stake will be divided equally between Telefonica Brasil (Vevo) and the Group’s infrastructure division Telefónica Infra. FiBrasil will initially install and operate fiber optic networks in several medium-sized cities throughout Brazil outside São Paulo. Telefonica itself will be the key manager of the company. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/53vt7s3k Samsung beats 5G speed record again Korean technology giant Samsung claims to have set a new 5G speed record. During the test, 5.23 Gbps was achieved on a single device, with the testing being performed under laboratory conditions using commercial equipment. These details are crucial when it comes to the 5G speed record, as Samsung…
Google and Intel team up on 5G and edge network solutions Google Cloud has announced that it is working with Intel to establish reference architectures and integrated solutions for communications providers to help them deploy 5G and edge network solutions. To achieve the cloud native 5G goals, the partnership encompasses a full suite of telecommunications, along with application providers, carriers and communications service providers, hardware vendors and global telecommunications networks, with the goal of the cost and time to market required by the telecommunications industry. Intel is already the most powerful participant in the data center hardware market, but is keen to repeat that success with edge infrastructure. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/34fv5aps Deutsche Telekom tests solar panels to power mobile sites Deutsche Telekom (DT) has announced that in the second half of 2020, the company was testing the use of solar panels to power its mobile infrastructure. In a new…
FCC establishes Emergency Broadband Benefit program The FCC has recently held an open meeting in order to discuss its next priorities. One of the most important matters discussed was the new Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which Congress has instructed the FCC to initiate. As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress has allocated $3.2 billion for the program. Broadband providers participating in the program will be able to offer discounts of up to $50 per month for Internet services and up to $75 per month for those services on tribal lands. Currently, it is unclear how long these broadband benefits will last. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/jj52hlfl Sinch acquires Inteliquent Sinch AB, a Sweden-based company primarily engaged in the provision of cloud computing services, has signed a final agreement to acquire Inteliquent, the largest independent voice communications provider in the US, for an all-cash offer of $1.140 billion. The deal expands…
Verizon Business announces a new bundle Verizon Business has announced a new bundle offer for small businesses covering security, broadband and LTE services. As more small businesses are moving to virtual settings, Verizon Business now offers the Complete Business Bundle. With this new offering, small businesses receive a 15% discount on monthly service fees with a 50 Mbps tier. LTE Business Internet, which includes a router as part of the package, is giving businesses the ability to connect to 4G LTE using a plug-and-play installation. The Complete Business Bundle also includes One Talk desk phones with more than 50 business-class features and dedicated 24/7 technical support. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4xy7nyw DT and Samsung succeed in standalone 5G Deutsche Telekom and Samsung have successfully completed the SA 5G test in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Together the companies have tested the efficiency of Samsung’s MU-MIMO technology on Deutsche Telekom’s network and recorded excellent…
With Christmas just around the corner, we want to share with you 12 articles to read for the 12 days of Christmas. The best gift you can give to yourself is personal growth and autodidacticism. We hope this collection of articles will help you in the journey of self-education about VoIP and the Telecom sector. Finding the best VoIP phone systems for your business is an important task, especially if you plan to compete with more experienced industry participants or to expand business internationally. When choosing a VoIP phone for your office, it is essential to select one that best fits your company. Now it is a great time to move from a traditional service provider to a VoIP solution, considering the new technologies and advances in VoIP business phone systems. Full article: https://voip.review/2020/11/23/how-to-set-up-voip-for-your-office/ Maintaining an edge over competition, staying on track with ever-shifting customer needs and seeing steady revenue…
O2 UK to use OpenRAN to improve indoor connectivity O2 has tested Vilicom’s OpenRAN technology to make it cheaper for businesses to get 4G and 5G indoor coverage. Vilicom, together with cloud network provider Mavenir, offers the virtualized OpenRAN-based connectivity-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform. O2 said it was the first operator to test the platform and said it was doing so well, that they will connect the trial version to their live network next year. O2 is of the opinion that the virtualized platform would lower indoor cellular network costs and space needs, which it said would become very important to UK PLC after the coronavirus. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4aepnko A peek into Microsoft’s edge compute ambitions Judson Althoff, Microsoft’s EVP of Worldwide Commercial Business, unveiled some of the company’s ambitions at a UBS Global TMT virtual conference. According to Althoff, Microsoft is increasingly introducing edge computing capabilities. Some of the uses…
European Commission staying out of O2 UK and Virgin Media UK merger Typically, the European Commission, or one of the myriad other state-owned organizations that are a part of the EU, would be involved in the proposed merger between O2 UK and Virgin Media UK. However, in this case, these organizations are steering clear of this deal. The theory is this: because the UK will no longer be part of the EU from the beginning of next year, the EU will no longer be interested in what UK companies do. Even if the EU had not made this decision now, it is likely that they would have just waited until 2021, when its jurisdiction over UK matters comes to an end. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y2n84cgn Telia Carrier expands its connectivity in US Telia Carrier is expanding its coverage in the US, while increasing the diversity and range of its routes.…


