Vodafone UK embarks on a nationwide 3G shutdown, prioritizing modern 4G and 5G networks while retaining 2G for low-power IoT devices. As other UK telecom operators plan gradual phase-outs, industry experts debate the journey to meet the government’s coverage goals.
GoTo introduces over 30 new features GoTo has revealed over 30 new features across its IT management, support, and unified communications solutions. The new features include GoTo Resolve and Zendesk connectivity for remote support sessions and automated session tracking. Also, Rescue and Google Translate integration, GoTo Customer Engagement, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT integration to produce custom content. Other additions include enhanced call statistics, a centralized security dashboard, and customized surveys. The new features are intended to help consumers and IT teams save time and money while boosting productivity, usability, and the customer experience. Read the full article. Virsae and Hammer team up for a 360-degree cloud contact center experience Virsae and Hammer have collaborated to introduce Outside In – Inside Out, a 360-degree consumer and agent experience solution for contact centers. The service delivers a unified view across on-premise, cloud-based, and hybrid infrastructures, allowing network readiness evaluations, customer journey discovery and…
US carriers to address airline safety concerns over C-band spectrum In an open letter, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile US and UScellular agreed to take voluntary steps to allay worries about aviation safety and allow these telecom companies to fully utilize their C-band spectrum. According to the letter, the steps are intended to minimize operational impact on C-Band operations and support full-power deployments across the C-Band spectrum. In the past, airlines have resisted the introduction of C-band spectrum for 5G services due to concerns over interference with aircraft altimeters. To assure the secure coexistence of C-band frequencies and radio altimeters, which are more than 220 MHz apart, the FCC has issued licensing and technical standards. Read the full article. Deutsche Telekom now owns a 50.2% stake in T-Mobile US According to CEO Tim Höttges, Deutsche Telekom now owns 50.2% of T-Mobile US, completing a long-term objective initially stated at the company’s 2021…
A historic milestone for the Canadian telecommunications sector was realized as Rogers Communications Inc. announced it had successfully concluded its merger with Shaw Communications Inc. The merger unites two famous Canadian companies that have been connecting Canadians for over five decades. The merger creates a coast-to-coast nationwide company which has fiber-powered internet that is accessible to nearly 70% of Canadian households. The newly combined company plans to bundle more products and services, including internet, television, phone, smart home monitoring, wireless services, credit card offers and sports and media content. In the next five years, the company intends to spend billions of dollars to offer fast, reliable networks in additional towns across Western Canada. Rogers will invest $1 billion in the four Western provinces to link rural, remote and Indigenous communities, as well as unserved distant routes. The business also intends to invest $2.5 billion to expand and strengthen…
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…
Salesforce launches a generative AI CRM technology The world’s first generative AI customer relationship management (CRM) platform, Einstein GPT, has been released by Salesforce. The system will provide personalized content for interactions across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT using real-time data from the Salesforce Data Cloud. Clients may integrate data with OpenAI’s cutting-edge AI models or employ external models within Salesforce CRM to create dynamic content that responds to user requirements. In order to invest in high-potential businesses and support ethical, reliable, and generative AI, Salesforce Ventures has also established a $250 million Generative AI Fund. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2vu9vhnn Dish Wireless receives FCC permission to test T-Mobile’s 5G spectrum Dish Wireless will perform 5G testing using part of T-Mobile’s low-band spectrum before determining whether to acquire the spectrum later this year. The Federal Communications Commission approved the testing, which will be conducted in Arizona until September 30. Dish…
Sneak peek into Mobile World Congress 2023 Mobile World Congress, Europe’s largest telecommunications trade event, kicks off next week, and the major European carrier organizations have provided an early glimpse at what they will display. While many companies are selling and presenting various topics at the event, the primary themes appear to be the metaverse and 5G, with few practical use cases and some unique concepts such as how operators are exploiting APIs on their networks. The show might also include high-resolution ideas of driverless cars and self-driving drones. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/bdhhndbn Ericsson to cut 1,400 jobs in Sweden Ericsson, a telecoms equipment vendor, has revealed its intentions to decrease its staff in Sweden by around 1,400 individuals as part of massive cost-cutting initiatives. The decision followed an agreement reached with trade unions to conduct a voluntary redundancy program. Ericsson presently employs around 15,000 individuals in Sweden and 100,000…
During Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, Verizon customers broke the company’s data use record. On game day, 60% of the 67,827 spectators used Verizon’s cellular network, consuming 47.8TB of data in and around State Farm Stadium. This statistic reflects a 36% increase in data use over Super Bowl LVI in 2022. The highest data use surges happened during the halftime performance and during kickoff. The network’s peak download rates reached 4,200Mbps, while the median download speeds were 2,300Mbps. A team of 100 Verizon engineers operated the Network Command Center 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide a dependable network experience for spectators, first responders and public safety teams. In preparation for the game, Verizon committed more than $100 million in network improvements and enhancements in and around State Farm Stadium and the surrounding Phoenix region. The company installed 5G Ultra-Wideband in various zones within…
Juniper Networks, a supplier of secure, AI-driven networks, announced that Virgin Media O2, one of the UK’s major fixed and mobile service providers, has updated its IP core backbone network in conjunction with Juniper. The upgraded network can accommodate 800G and is part of Virgin Media O2’s long-term strategy to invest in sustainable infrastructure capable of supporting continuous data growth and bandwidth needs. This investment will allow the company to quickly launch revenue-generating services while also lowering power, cooling and space usage expenses. In order to implement this strategic update, Virgin Media O2 selected Juniper as its technology partner for a number of reasons. Prior to their joint venture in 2021, Virgin Media and O2 had used Juniper for more than 10 years as their primary networking provider. Additionally, Juniper was able to provide Virgin Media O2 with a compelling economic proposition by protecting their long-term investment. This…
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…
