Microsoft to continue talks to buy TikTok from ByteDance Microsoft has announced that it is prepared to continue discussions for the acquisition of popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance. In a statement, the company said that it is committed to acquiring TikTok “subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury.” Microsoft made the statement following a conversation between its CEO Satya Nadella and US President Donald Trump. The company said it would ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y69w8a4b Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 is official, comes with a ton of improvements Samsung has officially introduced a range of new premium mobile devices at its Unpacked 2020 event live streamed from Korea. Among others, the company is launching the Samsung Galaxy…
Vyopta Introduces Support for Microsoft Teams On Tuesday, Vyopta, a provider of Unified Communications (UC) monitoring and analytics solutions, announced the release of their comprehensive support for Microsoft’s cloud-based UC products including Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams Rooms, Microsoft Teams and Surface Hub. Vyopta is one of the first companies to provide monitoring and analysis services to Microsoft Teams, helping to speed up the deployment of the Microsoft Teams software, simplify troubleshooting and reporting, and improving the service quality of Microsoft’s voice and video calling experience. In the near future, Vyopta will continue to expand its monitoring capabilities, including more advanced and proactive Microsoft Teams alerts. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y3r396fh Telecom Argentina hit by a major ransomware attack One of Argentina‘s largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) has suffered a serious ransomware attack. The cybercriminals who carried out the attack, demanded $7.5 million in Monero cryptocurrency from the ISP to regain…
IPFone, a provider of cloud-based business unified communications and telephony services, together with Ribbon Communications Inc., a global provider of real time communications software and network solutions to service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors, announced that they are making use of Ribbon‘s Intelligent Edge portfolio to ensure that their customers are able to seamlessly work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ribbon‘s EdgeMarc 2900, deployed at several IPFone sites in various states, helps support IPFone’s business customers as the company experiences an increase in its network usage. EdgeMarc devices are located at the edges of the customer network to ensure the successful deployment of IP-based communications services that improve voice quality, security and visibility on the customer network. Also, the EdgeMarc 2900 allows IPFone to easily adapt to the smallest or largest customer installations, while providing secure service delivery capabilities. This architecture enables the company to proactively keep…
ClearlyIP, a global provider of cloud and VoIP business telephony solutions, has acquired all the telecom assets of the Vancouver-based Telrad Technology Group Ltd, a privately-held company that has been serving the telecom needs of small and medium-sized businesses across Canada and the United States for more than 40 years. This acquisition will enable ClearlyIP to expand its cloud services business, and focus its resources on developing innovative solutions backed with best-in-class customer service. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin (US), ClearlyIP said that they will continue to support and maintain Telrad’s cloud and voice business solutions. Furthermore, ClearlyIP is also acquiring the entire Telrad team, adding an office in Vancouver, British Columbia, to ensure a seamless transition for customers and distribution partners. According to Tony Lewis, CEO of ClearlyIP, the company is implementing its strategy to increase organic growth through targeted acquisitions that will further expand the scale and resources required by…
European telcos: We’re ready to “lift the continent out of this recession” The European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO) has released a joint statement calling on EU institutions and national governments to support 5G and fiber rollout, stimulate the uptake of technology, fight misinformation, and focus on digital skills and education. According to ETNO, a new approach is needed to ensure that spectrum auctions are timely and conditions for spectrum assignment support network deployment. Sharing agreements for Radio Access Network (RAN) should be supported and incentivized, as well as all fiber investment models should be adequately encouraged. Moreover, future EU initiatives should dramatically reduce roll-out costs for both mobile and fixed networks. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yadrfxfg Microsoft’s new Teams features fight video conferencing fatigue Microsoft Team’s brand seeks to fight “Zoom fatigue” and exhaustion of physical isolation with its new updates and features. The news includes a shared background to make participants…
Ireland’s GoMo goes for more as it hits 200,000 customers Virtual network operator GoMo, the budget mobile brand of Irish telco Eir, has reached 200,000 customers, since launching only eight months ago. The company exists entirely as a digital brand, requiring customers to sign up online to be mailed a SIM card. This “digital-first” approach even extends to customer service, which is available only through online chat, without accessible call centers. GoMo uses Eir’s network and offers 99 percent population coverage and over 97 percent 4G coverage. Since its launch, GoMo has gradually increased its customer base, with figures from the Irish regulator suggesting that the majority are migrating from rivals Three and Vodafone. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y7uwytwt JSonar raises $50 million for AI-powered database security products Database security startup jSonar has secured USD 50 million, which it plans to put toward R&D and go-to-market efforts. The company said that its AI-powered solutions help users…
Spanish telecom operator MasMovil agrees $3.3 billion private equity bid KKR, Cinven and Providence have made their Public Acquisition Offer for Spanish telecoms operator MasMovil. The three venture capital funds have proposed to pay EUR 22.5 per share of the telco, which is valued at almost EUR 3 billion. According to the statement, KKR, Cinven and Providence will pay a 20 percent premium on the current MasMovil share price. Meinrad Spenger, MasMovil Chief Executive, said that they have signed an agreement with the bidders on a deal which would be “beneficial for the shareholders and other stakeholders in the company.” Furthermore, the bidders noted that they would maintain continuity in MasMovil’s strategy, staff and executive team. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y754vsc9 Google Cloud signs major UK government deal The technology giant Google Cloud has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to make its cloud solutions…
Openreach adopts Nokia’s 10Gbps FTTP broadband kit for the UK The Finnish telecom equipment manufacturer Nokia has announced that Openreach will deploy its next-generation fiber solutions. This will help meet Openreach’s target to bring ultra-fast and reliable broadband access to 20 million homes across the UK by the mid-to-late 2020s. Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, said, “This new digital platform will help our economy to bounce back more quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic – enabling people to continue work from home, and millions of businesses to operate seamlessly online for decades to come.” This supplier agreement also marks a shift away from reliance on Huawei equipment for the UK’s largest broadband networks. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yb6cj6jn Google and Apple’s joint COVID-19 contact tracing API now available to health authorities Apple and Google have released the first public version of their jointly developed API for COVID-19 tracing apps. This software will enable public health authorities to…
Facebook, telcos to build a huge subsea cable for Africa and the Middle East Facebook, together with a group of telecom companies, including Vodafone, Orange, STC, China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Telecom Egypt, and WIOCC, will build a subsea cable system that is claimed to be one of the largest in the world. The project is called 2Africa and will cover 37,000 km of cables interconnecting Europe (eastward via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), and 21 landings in 16 countries in Africa. The system is expected to go live in 2023/4, delivering more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables serving Africa today, with a design capacity of up to 180 Tbps. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yahgfe8g Workvivo raises $16 million to reinvent the intranet in the age of Slack and Zoom The Irish startup Workvivo, an employee communications platform, has raised USD 16 million in a Series A…