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.…
The French telecommunications provider Iliad, that provides fixed and mobile telephony services, prepaid phone cards, Internet access and hosting services, has signed a new $356 million loan deal with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to help the Iliad Group finance its mobile network deployment in France, in particular to consolidate its 4G network and deploy its 5G network. Since 2009, the EIB has financed Iliad, and with this new loan the total financing exceeds $1.3 billion. Having helped finance the development of the Iliad fixed network for more than a decade, the EIB is once again working with the group to provide financial support for the company’s latest generation of mobile networks. There was little information on what exactly the latest loan would be used for, but Iliad said it is devoted to providing digital coverage to the whole of France, including most rural areas. Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President…
DIDWW, an Irish-based telecom operator providing global telecommunication services, has announced the news of its upcoming new and improved API functionality. These updates will assist customers to fully automate their telephony processes and allow for the complete integration of their operational components into the DIDWW customer service portfolio. The company is continually striving to increase the functionality of its services, and in order to achieve that, they are upgrading their platform by accelerating processes with automation. Because of its established priorities, DIDWW plans to make all of its user panel features available through the API, in order to optimize the speed of operations and improve process automation. The current API is designed for telecom operators, making it possible for them to perform a wide range of actions, while helping to automate and further bolster their services. Some of the features include worldwide ordering and setting up of phone…
Amdocs enters an agreement with Amazon Web Services Amdocs has announced a multi-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to offer integrated cloud-based business support systems (BSS) to communications service providers. Under the terms of the deal, AWS is now an Amdocs cloud provider for Amdocs’ internal IT transformation. Working together, Amdocs and AWS will offer telecom providers access to a portfolio of digital services that shortens the time it takes for service providers to enter the market and gives them more flexibility to meet the needs of their end customers. The companies are also collaborating to develop and promote a variety of services that will help Amdocs customers migrate and upgrade their systems using a range of cloud solutions. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5q64mbe Apple’s new Macs powered by iPhone chips Apple is introducing new Macs that use the same type of chips that run iPhones and iPads. This step…
The South Korean wireless telecommunications operator, SK Telecom, and Germany’s telecommunications leader, Deutsche Telekom, recently signed an agreement to set up a joint venture to innovate 5G technology. This venture will incorporate advanced 5G building expertise and leverage the growth in the global demand for 5G repeaters. Both companies said their partnership will help complete the development of an advanced 5G/LTE dual-mode repeater that will give them an advantage in capturing a global market estimated, according to studies cited by the companies, to exceed $10 billion over the next three years. The JV is headquartered in Germany, and as a result, the work will begin in the European market. As stated in the announcement, each operator will manage 50% of the JV and will appoint an appropriate representative to manage the organization. Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom commented: “Together with SKT we are able to develop new…
Orange Romania, the largest provider of broadband Internet and mobile services in Romania, has entered into an agreement to acquire a controlling stake in the fixed operator Telekom Romania Communications (TKR) in order to strengthen its position in the country and increase its market share in the sector. The reason given for Orange paying over $268 million for TKR, is that it is aiming to become the popular choice among customers for combined services in the Romanian market. Orange will gain a controlling 54% stake from the Greek company OTE, most of which is owned by Deutsche Telekom. According to Orange, the deal gives TKR a value exceeding $590.5 million. The transaction is subject to normal regulatory scrutiny and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021. TKR, being the second largest fixed line provider in the country, achieved revenues of over $739 million in…
Robocalls calls have become a plague. It is estimated that Americans alone received more than 58.5 billion robocalls in 2019. While some robotic calls may be from legitimate sources, they can also be scams seeking to deceive or bully people to provide personal information.
Early on, robocalls were easy to detect and ignore because the calls came from an area code you did not recognize. However, the scam has become much more sophisticated with the increase in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) dialing, which makes it relatively easy to “spoof” a phone number so that the caller ID shows a different number than the one actually calling.
Vodafone UK going big on OpenRAN Vodafone UK has announced that they are deploying OpenRAN technology in rural base stations, as a key part of Huawei’s switching strategy. Approximately 2,600 sites in rural Wales and the south-west of England will be converted to OpenRAN by a deadline established by the government. This process will start in 2022 and, as yet, Vodafone has not identified any vendors to assist it in this initiative. The operator wants to be seen as an example of OpenRAN, which increasingly appears to be the most likely source of diversity for telecom providers since Huawei was blacklisted. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yybbqu45 Deutsche Telekom partners with Zoom Deutsche Telekom has become the latest service provider to partner with Zoom Video Communications. Deutsche Telekom is now the official reseller of Zoom in Germany. The company offers personalized solutions and contracts to customers of different sizes, and is able…
Two Japanese telecommunications providers, SoftBank and KDDI, have drawn up a plan to invest a total of $38 billion in fifth-generation wireless networks in Japan over the next 10 years. The country is seeking to close the gap between itself and its neighbors, China and South Korea, who have taken the lead in rolling out this ultra-fast technology. The 5G technology is expected to provide a large-scale boost to the country’s economy, benefiting a variety of industries, from Internet services to the automotive industry. Currently, 5G coverage across Japan remains very limited, mainly focused on Tokyo and other major population centers. Both operators plan to invest $19 billion each. For Japan’s 5G network, SoftBank plans to build 350,00 base stations nationwide, of which 50,000 are expected to be completed by March of 2022, and 200,000 more by 2025. Meanwhile, KDDI, which currently has less than 10,000 base stations,…
Pac-12 has announced a new partnership with the leading cloud communications company Nextiva. Nextiva, also recently named the Best Overall Business Phone Service by the U.S. News & World Report, has become the Conference’s Official Communications Partner at a time when cloud communications are taking the business world by storm. Nextiva joins the conference at a critical time for remote communications as businesses, educational institutions, governments and nonprofits across the United States adapt to a new “work from anywhere” model. Nextiva has decided to partner with the Pac-12 because of its strong traditions, and excellence and innovation across academia and athletics. Pac-12 graduates have attracted the world’s most innovative companies, including Google, Nike, Costco, Netflix (Nextiva’s customer) and many more. Pac-12’s sporting achievements earned them the title of “Conference of Champions.” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott commented: “There is no time more important than now for the Pac-12…