The first 5G smartphones are expected to debut in 2019, however Apple is in no rush to jump on this technology train, according to a report by Fast Company. The tech giant is expected to launch their 5G iPhone in 2020, with an Intel 8161 5G modem chip installed to enable access to the cutting-edge network. This news does not come as a complete surprise, since Apple tends to wait for new technologies to become fully developed before adding these technologies to their devices, such as occurred with 3G or LTE enabled Apple gadgets. In the meantime, Intel has fallen out of favor with Apple, since the chip manufacturer seems to be unable to solve the overheating problem with their forerunner 8060 chip. While this issue is not serious enough for Apple to approach Qualcomm and initiate discussions about 5G modem chip development for the iPhone, there have been…
The Finnish telecom equipment manufacturer Nokia has officially announced that its plant in Chennai, Southern India, has started manufacturing their 5G New Radio (NR) based on the 3GPP 5G New Radio Release 15 standard. “This is another big leap towards the ‘Make in India’ vision as our factory continues to contribute to the Indian economy and the country’s growing profile as a manufacturing and engineering hub. Nokia was the first to leverage the skills and capabilities in India and start manufacturing telecom networks equipment in the country in 2008, and develop the local supply chain for various components. We are now pioneering 5G manufacturing in the country, making India and the world ready for 5G,” commented the senior vice president and head of the India Market at Nokia, Sanjay Malik. Nokia’s factory in Chennai has maintained its position as one of largest and leading plants in the country by…
October 1st, 2018 will be remembered as the date when the first 5G broadband network went live, with the telecommunications giant Verizon launching its 5G network in parts of Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. The company confirmed that it will be expanding its coverage shortly, pending the installation of new standards-compliant equipment. “The world’s first commercial 5G service is here. We’ve formed incredible partnerships with many of the world’s leading technology companies, the international technical standards bodies, public officials, developers and our own customers to drive the 5G ecosystem forward, faster than most had predicted. And now, actual customers. It’s been an incredible journey…and we’re just at the starting line,” the president of Verizon Wireless, Ronan Dunne, expressed enthusiastically. The very first user on this network, a resident of Houston, Clayton Harris, became one of the early adopters by setting up a “5G Home” service, an ultra-fast…
Vodafone New Zealand recently announced it will be the first telecommunications company to launch an Intelligent Digital Human in cooperation with a Kiwi company, FaceMe. While the identity of the Digital Human should be revealed within the next two months, it is already clear that the AI-based assistant will be of great benefit in improving the self-service experience for Vodafone’s customers, and allow staff to devote time working with more complex customer demands. “Great customer experience happens through meaningful conversations. FaceMe has evolved AI technology to create Intelligent Digital Humans that are human-like in their appearance and interaction. Thanks to machine learning, they are capable of continuously learning how to anticipate our customers’ needs and better serve them,” explained Vodafone’s director of Customer Operations, Helen van Orton. Orton emphasized that this initiative is not a replacement for front-line customer service, but will rather aid in maximizing staff…
At the recent Sino-German Economic Forum, China Mobile and Nokia signed a one year framework agreement valued at 1.36 billion euro (9.927 billion yuan) to support the Chinese operator’s transition to 5G infrastructure, while maintaining seamless connectivity. Under this agreement, the Finnish corporation will be providing the Chinese telecom with cutting edge end-to-end technologies for the next generation network, in addition to mobile, fixed, IP routing, optical transport and customer experience management technologies along with their service expertise and support. The two companies have been in partnership since 1994, when Nokia supported the first GSM call on China Mobile’s network. In addition to collaborating on 5G, both companies are moving forward together and have agreed to conduct research and tests on artificial intelligence and machine learning. “This is a highly significant agreement with our longstanding partner that consolidates Nokia’s position as a leading provider of next-generation technologies and services in…
Cisco Vice President Rob Salvagano recently announced plans for Cisco to acquire the cloud-base mobile platform provider, July Systems. July Systems specializes in location services for global enterprises. They collect and generate data-based insights by tracking customer movements within locations such as stores, malls, airports, stadiums and hotels, similar to the methodology used for compiling online browsing information. Headquartered in California, US and with a Global Development Center in Bangalore, India, July Systems has already collaborated with Cisco for several years on their Connected Mobile Experience (CMX). “We plan to add July Systems’ platform and business context capabilities to provide a unified solution on which our partners and customers can build and deliver a range of indoor location services for industries as diverse as healthcare, government, logistics, manufacturing, sports arenas, hotels, education and retail,” explains Salvagano. July Systems was founded in 2001 by Rajesh T.S. Reddy with funding of USD…
After years of hype, we are looking forward to the impending rollout of 5G networks. This transformational technology will lay the foundation for many future services and change how we view productivity. But how will 5G affect you? Speed and responsiveness It is not yet possible to state definitively what network speeds will be reachable, but it is fair to say that the biggest benefit of 5G to the average user will be the speed of this service. Early estimates have shown that data rates could be up to a thousand times faster than 4G, potentially exceeding 10 Gbps. In practical terms, everything we currently do on the Internet would be significantly faster, and these speeds would enable users to download an entire HD film in a few seconds. Responsiveness or latency refers to the time between a request and a response. The ultra-low latency of 5G will result in response…
New technologies, especially in wireless communications, is helping increase VoIP services. As smartphones, laptops and tablets are being more available worldwide, VoIP services are also growing and the competition between different providers is leading to a constant update in their offers. The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy that is spreading in companies is another key factor in this demand on VoIP. Devices like phablets (a mix between smartphones and tablets like the Galaxy S9+) are replacing computers on many aspects. The PMR (Persistence Market Research) expect the market to grow up to US$ 194.5 Billion in the next seven years. Most of this increase will be from long distance VoIP calls that could represent US$ 120 Billion in revenue.
The U.S. Congress is concerned about revelations of a deal that was made between Facebook and the Chinese device maker Huawei. Huawei is not the only device constructor to have a privilege access to data from Facebook, as Lenovo, Oppo and TCL are also on that list “Concerns about Huawei aren’t new – they were widely publicized beginning in 2012, when the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a well-read report on the close relationships between the Chinese Communist Party and equipment makers like Huawei,” said U.S. Senator Mark Warner. In an investigation done by the House Intelligence Committee, it was stated that “Huawei did not fully cooperate with the investigation and was unwilling to explain its relationship with the Chinese government or Chinese Communist Party, while credible evidence exists that it fails to comply with U.S. laws”. Moreover, the Chinese company has an history of collaboration with the…
The investment required to upgrade a network to support standalone 5G technology is important. JP Morgan think this is the reason why Telecom companies stocks did not do so well last year. There is a serious concern that the investment might not be as effective as expected. The lack of return put an important shade on some valuation for some asian (China, Japan and South Korea) and Australian telecommunications stocks. Those worries could be explained as the daily applications and advantages of 5G technology are yet to be seen and to be invented. James Sullivan,head of Asia ex-Japan equity research at J.P. Morgan explained “It’s not really about faster download speeds,” he said. “It’s about internet of things, autonomous vehicles and things of that nature for which no one understands a monetization case for networks yet.” 5G will not only be customer centered but also will help companies in processing…

