The global telecom giants are increasingly acknowledging the benefits of blockchain technology. Telefonica, a Spanish multinational telecommunications company, has signed a partnership with IBM, a leader in open-source blockchain solutions, to employ IBM blockchain technology for superior administration of international call traffic. Telefonica expects that the usage of the cloud-based IBM Blockchain Platform will help to improve the traceability of international call data, such as the origin of the call, its destination and duration. They will be able to detect fraud and address other challenges caused by the use of different networks and operators when routing international calls. Operators will have permissioned access to a decentralized platform, and perform real-time tracing of calls to achieve accurate billing processes. “This project is one of our first initiatives to secure real benefits from the adoption of blockchain in our core business. We believe that the new paradigm of process decentralization…
Three telecommunication giants, Verizon, Motorola and Samsung, have shared some good news and provided updates regarding progress with the long-awaited 5G network. Verizon has announced that they have successfully accomplished the connection of a 5G-upgradeable Motorola smartphone using a Qualcomm 5G modem and Samsung’s 5G technology to their 5G network. The team performed tests that included video calling and Internet browsing by means of a 5G link. According to Bill Stone, vice president, Technology Development and Planning for Verizon, “In the past two years, we have consistently led the world in 5G, including launching the world’s first commercial 5G service last month”. Obviously upbeat about this successful test using an actual smartphone, he assured, “We will be the first to offer a 5G upgradeable smartphone on our network in 2019.” Verizon’s 28 GHz spectrum and Samsung 5G New Radio solutions were employed to complete the transmissions. The 5G-enabled…
Today, 14th November 2018, the European Parliament is expected to vote on the final approval of the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), which digs deeper into the EU’s telecom regulatory context. This reform paves the way for new fibre and 5G networks, and also expands the level of consumer protection available to the subscribers of telecom and OTT services. The EU officials first presented the Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy in May 2015, and the following year they introduced a connectivity agenda with proposals for the telecom sector. The DSM strategy contains diverse subjects, including support for cross-border e-commerce, prevention of geo-blocking, expansion on EU policies for the cloud, AI and competitiveness. The key legislation for the DSM must be completed by May 2019. It will presumably assist in reaching the new targets for broadband connectivity set by the Commission for 2025: gigabit speeds for digital businesses and public…
Nowadays, there is a strong movement towards online marketing. However, the phone number will always remain an essential business identifier, and is often the first real contact that a customer has with a business. A vanity number has been proven to be an effective technique for making the right impression with your customers and adding visibility to your company, forming an integral part of a successful company branding strategy. What is a vanity number? A vanity (also called ‘golden’ or ‘special’) number spells out a specific word or a phrase when using a phone dial pad, or consists of a distinct sequence of digits, such as repeated digits or special number combinations. These are easy to remember phone numbers, such as 1-800-LAWYERS, 1-212-NYPIZZA, or 1-888-2477777. If you are in the process of considering a vanity number for your business, voip.review is here to help you make up your mind by…
RingCentral, the California-based cloud communication and collaboration solution provider, has made a definitive agreement to acquire the cloud digital customer engagement platform, Dimelo. Dimelo is a single management interface enabling communications with customers through a variety of channels, including email, social networks, chat and mobile. This innovative platform is already in use by major companies across a number of industries, including Allianz, AXA, BNP Paribas, ENGIE, Orange and Telenor. “In today’s digital world, engaging with customers over digital channels is crucial to business success. With Dimelo, consumer-facing enterprises can transform how they engage with their customers. Simply put, Dimelo enables companies to vastly improve their customer interactions by delivering world-class integrated experiences across a multitude of digital channels. We’re excited to welcome the Dimelo team to RingCentral,” said the CEO of RingCentral, Vlad Shmunis. The addition of the Dimelo platform will expand the already considerable RingCentral solution…
Singapore’s leading telecommunications company, Singtel, has launched their cutting-edge network automation platform called Liquid Infrastructure. The platform is designed to help enterprises configure their networks, bringing deployment control and agility to the next level. Singtel presents Liquid Infrastructure as the ideal solution to ease the digital transformation process for companies, and at the same time helping to manage their network resources, saving time and money. “With Liquid Infrastructure, Singtel revolutionises the way network services are delivered to enterprises. We have integrated software-based network services to this platform to provide a versatile, robust and scalable solution that delivers critical network services where and when they are needed. By having the control of connectivity in the hands of our customers, we facilitate their transformation to the digital era through a superior and more agile network deployment and management experience,” said the Vice President of Global Products at Singtel’s Group Enterprise,…
EE is the first mobile operator to launch a 5G network trial site in the UK. The BT owned telco has based its testing predominantly using Huawei network equipment, coupled with the 3.4GHz spectrum it bought at the UK communications regulator (Ofcom) auction. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the behavior and performance of 5G technology in real-life settings outside of the testing lab. The initial trial is located in the Montgomery Square area of Canary Wharf, London, where more than 150,000 people pass through on a daily basis. It might seem strange that a practical trial has been started with no commercially available 5G devices, but the end goal is to evaluate the 5G spectrum and to test devices for performance, speed and coverage in areas with traditionally high 4G mobile network usage. “This live trial is a big step forward in making the benefits…
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…
The Lithuanian mobile operator BITĖ has launched a new Smart call management service oriented towards its business customers, delivering full PBX services to mobile users. While cloud-based PBX services are now generic, BITĖ’s Smart call management service has fulfilled their specific and innovative requirement that the solution must be delivered over the standard mobile voice network, and should not require data services or the use of an app on the mobile device. The result is a seamless, simple-to-use, fully featured and high availability business voice service, accessible from any mobile device and being operating system agnostic. The solution architecture enables instant deployment of phone system extensions without any action required by the end users (business employees), eliminating the time and effort required by the business IT department and BITĖ’s customer service to configure, manage and support the service. “Phone calls constitute an essential and integral component of all…
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…


