Samsung Electronics has completed an agreement to acquire network services provider TeleWorld Solutions (TWS). Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, TWS provides network design, testing and optimization services to mobile service and cable operators, equipment OEMs and other companies in the United States. This acquisition is expected to help Samsung address the need for end-to-end support in delivering network solutions aimed at upgrading the 5G and 4G LTE networks, and providing connectivity service advancements in the US. Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “The acquisition of TWS will enable us to meet mobile carriers’ growing needs for improving their 4G and 5G networks, and eventually create new opportunities to enhance our service capabilities to our customers. Samsung will continue to drive innovation in communications technology, while providing optimization services for network deployments that accelerate US 5G network expansion.” Under the agreement,…
French operator Bouygues Telecom and US-based TeleSign Corporation, a provider of user verification and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) solutions owned by BICS (Belgacom International Carrier Services), have agreed on a new partnership. Under the agreement, Bouygues Telecom will gain access to TeleSign’s mobile identity products to protect its users from online identity theft and fraud activities such as Account Takeover (ATO) through SIM Swap and Synthetic Identity fraud. In the press release announcing the deal, Ravish Patel, Director of Mobile Identity at TeleSign, claimed that Mobile Identity represents a massive opportunity for mobile operators to play an important role in today’s digital disruption. “TeleSign has been working with mobile operators, guiding them on key aspects around the opportunity, use cases and privacy principles,” commented Patel. The announcement also points to breakthrough innovations in the European digital market in recent years, as more and more digital businesses…
CounterPath Corporation, a Canadian software company that delivers Unified Communications (UC) solutions to businesses and service providers, has announced its membership in the Cloud Communications Alliance (CCA). As a peer organization that has a mandate to foster the expansion, availability and adoption of hosted communications services worldwide, the CCA provides a forum for industry leaders to discuss the most relevant topics. Todd Carothers, Chief Revenue Officer at CounterPath, said, “The CCA comprises some of the world’s leading cloud communications experts, vendors and strategists, and CounterPath is thrilled to be joining this fast-growing community. When extending the offer of membership into the organization, the CCA cited CounterPath’s long-term leadership in cloud communications as well as the ongoing technical innovations we have introduced to the market, including our award-winning Bria and Stretto solutions. We look forward to working with the CCA’s leadership team and members to advance the state of the cloud communications…
NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, is promoting the expansion and development of its European data center platform with the launch of their Amsterdam 1 Data Center (AMS1). The group’s first data center in the Netherlands has been opened by NTT Com’s subsidiary E-Shelter, which provides secure environments for housing and connectivity of IT and network systems. Tetsuya Shoji, President and CEO of NTT Com, said in his official opening speech: “I am delighted to open our latest state-of-the-art data center campus located in Amsterdam, one of the key internet hubs in Europe”. The carrier-neutral E-Shelter’s AMS1 data center will have a capacity of up to 40 MW IT load spread over a 16,000 square meter campus and, as NTT’s 21st data center in Europe, will leverage more than 400 MVA power capacity across the continent, with plans…
Motorola Solutions has announced the acquisition of Avtec Inc., the top U.S. provider of advanced dispatch products for public safety and commercial customers. Additional details of the transaction, which closed on the 11th of March, were not released. Based in South Carolina, Avtec specializes in voice over internet protocol (VoIP) dispatch services using land mobile radio (LMR) and broadband networks. The company offers solutions and products that enable customers, including airlines, railroads and energy companies, to connect their personnel in operations centers with workers in the field using two-way radios. Motorola Solutions, a global leader in mission-critical communications, has been reselling the Avtec consoles to its MOTOTRBO customers. Accordingly, such an acquisition will provide Motorola with a complete product portfolio for handling the communications that are vital to Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) users. Motorola currently offers its own MCC line of dispatch consoles to its Project 25 (P25)…
US telecommunications companies Telinta, offering cloud-based, white label switching and billing solutions for VoIP service providers, and TextBetter, a provider of cloud-based business-texting services, have announced a joint initiative to deliver cooperative solutions for VoIP service providers. VoIP services such as hosted PBX, business and residential VoIP, and mobile connectivity accessible through Telinta’s cloud-based softswitch platform, can be integrated with this unique SMS solution. The white label solution from TextBetter makes it possible for any US phone number to send and receive SMS via email. TextBetter SMS services can be easily added to Telinta’s hosted softswitch platform, without the need to change the ownership of the DIDs. According to Telinta, “this powerful cloud-based combination of VoIP switching, billing, and SMS technology requires no software or hardware for service providers. TextBetter pairs the end user’s existing email with an associated phone number, so that SMS messages can be both…
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…
A leading global provider of telecommunications solutions and services, Tata Communications, has announced the acquisition of the Dutch IoT specialist and mobile network enabler, Teleena. This deal is a clear investment in technology and talent that are expected to contribute to Tata Communications’ growth in the IoT and mobility markets. “The growth rate in the global mobility and IoT market is phenomenal: by 2021, enterprises’ spending on mobility alone is set to surpass USD 1.7 trillion,” commented Anthony Bartolo, the Chief Product Officer at Tata Communications. “Our vision is to create an environment where anything can be ‘born connected’. Providing everyone and everything in the world with seamless connectivity globally will support businesses’ digital transformation. The combination of the Tata Communications MOVE™ platform and Teleena’s technology and talent will help us fulfill this vision, and accelerate our growth in the mobility and IoT market.” This agreement did not…
The secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Zhao Houlin, explained at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusion, or the “4 I’s”. Those pillars for information and communication technology (ICT) will be an obligation to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially for the next ten years. Infrastructure are essential to hold any economy based on communication and high tech. The future of digital economy in sustainable cities, will largely be based on the capacity to construct strong equipments for those infrastructures, not only to connect people but also objects. Strong investments are fundamental for the development of ICT. In order to see progress on SDG, innovation in the domain of finance will be needed and a mix between public and private investors is one of the solutions. Opportunity is only possible with innovation, thus small companies that base their growth and survival…
French researchers are starting to work on the blockchain! Inria, Télécom ParisTech, Télécom SudParis and SystemX signed a framework agreement on Tuesday March 6th, to coordinate their research efforts in the blockchain area. Called “Bart” (Blockchain Advanced Research & Technologies), this initiative will last for six years and will mobilize thirty researchers. Its aim is to remove the technological barriers that slow down the deployment of blockchain-driven data storage, a technology which is currently attracting the interest of many industries. Three main challenges will be addressed: 1 – Scaling up In one second, six or seven transactions took place on the Bitcoin blockchain, versus several thousand for the Visa credit card system. This slowness limits the use of the blockchain on a larger scale. The problem is due to the validation technique required for transactions, with transactions being grouped into blocks that must be validated by a computer calculation process called mining. Typically, it takes about…