GCI to expand capacity for rural areas GCI, an Alaskan service provider, has signed a $150 million contract with Intelsat to increase the telecommunications service capacity in rural areas. GCI has been providing geosynchronous (GEO) satellite communications for 35 years to supply the state with data, video and voice services. The latest transaction gives GCI continued access to C-band and Ku-band capacities, which are already a part of GCI’s satellite services portfolio, and also provides new access to state-wide Ka-band capacity. Furthermore, Intelsat will provide the multi-satellite solution through a new and improved managed station platform and C- Ku- and Ka-bands networks. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/w52yht6u South Sudan launches Digitel Network South Sudan has announced the launch of Digitel Network, the country’s first telecommunications company, which was introduced to celebrate 10 years of independence of the country. South Sudan has so far had the services of only two international mobile…
The international IT and telecommunications company Infobip announced the launch of its new omnichannel customer engagement platform, Moments. Infobip provides a global cloud communications platform that enables companies to create a connected customer experience at all stages of platform usage. The new Moments platform will allow brands to better understand and reach the modern consumer in the digital age. It also promises to provide a sense of human touch to digital communications by supporting personalized messaging and creating smart automated trips through a nationwide omnichannel customer engagement hub. The service is designed to create a sincere connection between people through relevant content obtained from important customer information analysis, including their interests and activities. Moments uses Infobip’s first mobile telecommunications legacy to allow marketers to build long-term relationships through its extensive portfolio of channels, which include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Line and other chat apps, as well as SMS,…
Contributed by Maor Efrati, CTO at monogoto My generation grew up in the early days of the internet and global connectivity. The only truly global network was the phone network. Any content or other service was provided by a local operator. We saw the internet as a global network but mostly as a way to share and access information. A huge revolution parallel to the WWW was the OTT ‘over the top’. It’s not an information revolution but a brand new business model for a whole new set of companies to become a service provider without a physical connection to the consumer. OTT has revolutionized the way many businesses operate. In the early 2000s, operators and service providers generated most of their income from all kinds of content: TV, Voice, SMS, Ringtones, Stickers, etc. The internet brought a new wave of companies, technically new service providers, companies that…
The US-based RingLeader, Inc., a leading internet phone service provider specializing in SIP trunking communications technology, has extended free subscription to its North American calling services. The company is pledging 25,000 months of free service on its CrowdVoice Americas platform that offers secure mobile social communications in Mexico, Canada and the United States. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, RingLeader is committed to helping families, small businesses and organizations that need reliable and affordable means to stay connected. The company will provide free messaging and VoIP services to each user, including unlimited inbound international calling and 500 minutes of free outbound calling per month, where services are available. Moreover, new customers will also be allocated a US phone number and an international phone number in Canada or Mexico, ensuring high-quality calls between the CrowdVoice app and landlines. RingLeader’s CEO Neil Darling said, “COVID-19 is severely impacting families around the world…
Copenhagen, Denmark-based Dixa has raised USD 36 million in Series B funding for its customer engagement solution, dubbed the “customer friendship” platform. This global customer service tech startup aims to create friendships between brands and their customers and will use this newly injected capital to accelerate the development of its product, expand innovations in data processing and enhance integration with third-party software. This Series B funding round was led by Notion Capital, with the support of existing investors Project A Ventures and SEED Capital. Jos White, General Partner at Notion Capital, stated, “Customer service is one of the largest software categories out there. And yet the market is still operating in transactional silos and not reflecting the world we live in. We think Dixa has what it takes to upend the industry with a platform that works across any channel and brings real-time intelligence to every conversation. We couldn’t…
Apple iOS 13 Launch Confirmed: 5 iPhone Security Features Coming This Month As the tech company that really cares about its user’s privacy, Apple attempts to differentiate itself from Facebook, Google and Amazon, and is bringing a number of massive improvements to the company’s iOS operating system this month. One of the biggest improvements is that the security enhanced Apple iOS 13 will not let Facebook and WhatsApp apps run VoIP in the background when the programs aren’t actively in use. Also, the system will send alerts about any apps that track user’s location and let an app access the location only once. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4w8rj92 Samsung’s Exynos 980 chip is a processor and 5G modem in one The Korean tech giant has introduced its first 5G-integrated mobile chipset Exynos 980. This AI mobile processor combines a 5G modem and mobile application processor in a single chip, thus allowing…
Developers at the Swedish company True Software have added yet another feature to their application Truecaller, that is best known for helping users screen calls from strangers, spammers and robocallers. This feature is called Truecaller Voice and promises “high quality (HD), low latency and quick to connect audio calls” to both Android and iOS users. The Stockholm-based company said the app will also allow its users in emerging markets, such as India, to place free VoIP-powered voice calls using mobile data or Wi-Fi. According to a statement from the company, Truecaller users make 180 million outgoing calls per day using the app’s built-in dialer. Therefore, the Truecaller Voice shortcut has been strategically integrated into relevant touchpoints in the app such as call logs, the SMS Inbox, contact profiles and the aftercall screen, enabling users to seamlessly access the VoIP-based calls anywhere within the Truecaller app without switching to other…
As anticipated, the European Parliament has voted in favour of the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC). The new EU telecoms rules will open the possibilities for faster access to radio spectrum waves and greater investments in high-speed connectivity. They will also ensure better protection and services for end-users of either traditional (calls, SMS) or web-based solutions (Skype, WhatsApp, etc.). Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, and Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, made a joint statement, which said, “Today’s vote by the European Parliament is a positive and necessary step towards ensuring that the telecoms sector in the EU is fit for purpose.” “The new telecoms rules that will now be put in place as a result, are an essential building block for Europe’s digital future and a source of new digital rights for European citizens. They are crucial for meeting Europeans’ growing connectivity needs and boosting…
No doubt, “blockchain” is the hottest buzz word being discussed across all industries, and telecommunications is no exception. The blockchain is being proposed for use in various applications in the telecommunications industry, such as securing CDRs, billing data and access logs, ensuring data authenticity or ensuring strict operational procedures. Blockchain will certainly optimize costs by eliminating third-parties such as clearing houses, automating audits and improving fraud detection. However, there is one area where the use of blockchain technology has the potential to not only benefit the operators, but will have a revolutionary impact on the way we all understand, use and protect our identities. The Phone Number as your Digital ID Our phone number is our most valuable digital identity, and will remain the only unique international method of identification well into the future. The PSTN, which is wholly based on the use of phone numbers, is the largest social…