Dialpad, a leading cloud communications platform for AI-powered calling, conferencing and contact centers, has announced the launch of the Dialpad Partner Success portal, providing the company’s resale partners with a host of tools and features to help drive business growth. This announcement comes after a record-breaking year for the company. The Dialpad Partner Success Portal provides additional resources and tools to help resellers and agent partners develop and expand their Unified Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS), contact centers and collaborative businesses. The Partner Success Portal is just the first addition to the Dialpad channel program. The company is also developing a new Inside Channel Management (ICM) team to contribute to the growing Channel program. The ICM program will provide special care and attention in an effort to improve relationships with partners. From April 6th, users will be able to sign up for the new Dialpad Success Portal. Mike Kane, VP…
The French international IT services and consulting company Atos has announced the first release of Unify Office (UO) in the UK. This initiative is a combined effort with RingCentral, a global provider of cloud communications, collaboration, video conferencing and contact center solutions. This announcement follows a similar US rollout earlier in January. Unify Office is a cloud team collaboration and communications service provided by Atos Unify together with RingCentral. Unify Office delivers all features required by present-day team members, in one place, on any device, and from anywhere. Unify Office enables businesses to easily communicate and collaborate with best-of-class voice, video and team messaging functionalities. This can be done from anywhere and using any device by means of a single enterprise solution. By using Unified Office, customers can move from traditional on-premises telephony systems to Unify Office under RingCentral at their own pace, while continuing to use…
Verizon Business announces a new bundle Verizon Business has announced a new bundle offer for small businesses covering security, broadband and LTE services. As more small businesses are moving to virtual settings, Verizon Business now offers the Complete Business Bundle. With this new offering, small businesses receive a 15% discount on monthly service fees with a 50 Mbps tier. LTE Business Internet, which includes a router as part of the package, is giving businesses the ability to connect to 4G LTE using a plug-and-play installation. The Complete Business Bundle also includes One Talk desk phones with more than 50 business-class features and dedicated 24/7 technical support. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4xy7nyw DT and Samsung succeed in standalone 5G Deutsche Telekom and Samsung have successfully completed the SA 5G test in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Together the companies have tested the efficiency of Samsung’s MU-MIMO technology on Deutsche Telekom’s network and recorded excellent…
The voice over IP vendor 8×8 Inc., has announced that the Anaheim Ducks National Hockey League (NHL) team and the Honda Center, one of the nation’s top entertainment and sports venues, have chosen 8×8 as their official cloud communications provider. They will use 8×8’s integrated cloud voice, team chat, meeting and contact center solution to help enhance the experience for their employees, partners and customers. The Anaheim Ducks and Honda Center decided to give a boost to their digital transformation efforts across the organization and recognized the need to abandon the old, on-premises communication and contact center systems. It is not surprising that they made the decision to move away from the legacy connections given the elevated profile and visibility of cloud technology during the pandemic. Steve Seger, Chief Revenue Officer at 8×8, Inc., commented: “Organizations of all sizes, including professional sports teams like the Anaheim Ducks, have…
Tele2 and Nokia to provide SA 5G core network Tele2 has partnered with Nokia to provide its domestic market with a standalone (SA) 5G core network prior to the country’s spectrum auction, which prohibits operators from using ZTE or Huawei infrastructure. Nokia’s triumph over Ericsson’s comes as the company undergoes a comprehensive restructuring in order to focus on key business areas and get back in the global 5G retail market. The operators stated that the contract also covers the installation of the SA 5G core and the facilities for the transmission of voice-over-5G in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The deployment of the infrastructure is expected to start later in 2021. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5pxfu4l Telefónica has agreed to sell its tower portfolio The Spanish telecommunication giant Telefónica has come to the decision to sell its tower portfolio in Europe and Latin America to passive infrastructure specialist American Tower for €7.7…
UK mobile providers pressured to provide free data during lockdown After the UK decided to close schools again, UK telecoms providers were urged to stop charging for data so that underprivileged children could access remote learning facilities. It is concerning that children in such families lack the technological resources to attend schools from home, where a computer and an Internet connection is required. Although it may be hard to imagine, there are many families that do not have access to the necessary services, especially broadband. The company, Three UK, wasted no time in rushing to announce that it will provide unrestricted data access to disadvantaged children so they could continue their education. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y46zylg2 T-Mobile reaches record connection gains in 2020 T-Mobile US announced that 2020 was the best year in their history for postpaid net additions, showing preliminary results that indicate a major win, despite the Covid-19…
O2 UK to use OpenRAN to improve indoor connectivity O2 has tested Vilicom’s OpenRAN technology to make it cheaper for businesses to get 4G and 5G indoor coverage. Vilicom, together with cloud network provider Mavenir, offers the virtualized OpenRAN-based connectivity-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform. O2 said it was the first operator to test the platform and said it was doing so well, that they will connect the trial version to their live network next year. O2 is of the opinion that the virtualized platform would lower indoor cellular network costs and space needs, which it said would become very important to UK PLC after the coronavirus. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4aepnko A peek into Microsoft’s edge compute ambitions Judson Althoff, Microsoft’s EVP of Worldwide Commercial Business, unveiled some of the company’s ambitions at a UBS Global TMT virtual conference. According to Althoff, Microsoft is increasingly introducing edge computing capabilities. Some of the uses…
Softbank invests $700m in Sinch The Japanese operator Softbank has invested heavily in the Swedish software company Sinch. According to Sinch, it will use the profit to finance further mergers and acquisitions. The Japanese company acquired a portion of the newly issued shares in Sinch, as well as some existing ones, from various major shareholders. The total share expenditure amounted to approximately $698.5 million. Sinch said that it will use the proceeds from the shares primarily for beef up its financial flexibility for undertaking new acquisitions. Sinch announced two takeovers, one of Brazil’s CRM Wavy for $119 million, as well as the SAP Digital Interconnect deal, which was a cash and debt-free transaction valued at approximately $270 million. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y5wgysrb Telefónica recently deployed nodes in Seville, Spain Telefónica has for the third time deployed edge nodes in its home country of Spain, recently launching this infrastructure in Seville.…
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that, in reference to the recommendations of the Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA), the Secure Telephone Identity Governance Authority (STI-GA), a group supporting the timely deployment of STIR/SHAKEN protocol, has altered the requirements in their robocall prevention policy. Initially, the STI-GA policy required that only an entity with direct access to telephone numbers could partake in the framework, that must be implemented by all voice service providers. However, the CCA claimed that this specification puts service providers at a significant disadvantage. Therefore, the FCC has announced that the policy change will allow CCA members to take advantage of STIR/SHAKEN through the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database. Until then, the current Service Provider Code (SPC access key) access policy will remain in effect, said the FCC. This important reconsideration will allow all CCA members to implement the STIR/SHAKEN protocol and make sure…
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…