An independent news platform Telecoms.com has recently published its Annual Industry Survey 2019, with the main focus being on topics such as industry updates, 5G rollout, digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as the modernization of Operations Support Systems (OSS) and Business Support Systems (BSS). The survey, covering the industry landscape over the last 12 months and projecting into 2020, has revealed an optimistic forecast that is mainly supported by the launch of 5G commercial services, innovations and progress in other important areas of the industry. According to the report, the single biggest change in the industry landscape over the past year was the deployment of commercial 5G services in different parts of the world. Regardless of the fact that the best-selling service is high-speed Internet access (mobile and fixed), B2B services, including 5G serving other vertical industries, will undoubtedly play a much more significant role…
Apple now owns Intel’s mobile modem business Intel, a leader in the semiconductor industry, has completed the sale of the majority of its smartphone modem business to Apple. The company said this transaction enables it to focus on developing 5G network technology while maintaining the ability to create modems for non-smartphone applications, such as PCs, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and autonomous vehicles. Apple now uses Qualcomm for 4G LTE and 5G modems for iPhones. With this acquisition, Apple is planning to develop its own modems for smartphones in 2021. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/rqmu724 Orange unveils new five-year grand plan Orange, a French multinational telecommunications corporation, has introduced “Engage 2025”, its new strategy that follows on from the Essentials 2020 plan launched in 2015. The corporation has revealed its goals for the coming years, emphasizing that its business model will be guided by social and environmental responsibility. Considering the operator’s business…
Telefonica launches Tech and Infra units amid Latam spin-off Spain’s telecom giant Telefonica has announced a major organisational restructuring after a meeting of its board of directors. The company’s chairman and CEO Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete has introduced a new bold strategy to spin off company assets and prepare for industry 4.0. With its 5-point plan, Telefonica aims to generate more than EUR 2 billion a year in additional revenues from 2022, by prioritising its four key markets of Spain, Brazil, the UK and Germany and carrying out an “operational spin-off” of its Latin American business. The company will also set up a subsidiary for its cloud, cybersecurity and IoT businesses called Telefonica Tech and another for its infrastructure assets, Telefonica Infra. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/wjkobwc AT&T and Microsoft launch edge computing network Microsoft and AT&T have integrated 5G with Azure to launch their new Network Edge Compute (NEC) service for…
Cisco Enhances Webex Teams as Unified App Cisco is introducing a series of updates to its collaboration solution Webex Teams. At the Cisco Partner Summit in Las Vegas, the company announced new products and features that include new desktop and room video conferencing systems, as well as more options to integrate calling and third-party PBXes into the Webex platform. These updates are designed to reinforce Cisco’s single platform approach to delivering consistent experience across all types of enterprise communications workloads running on any type of device. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y63uhdqm Microsoft and Nokia accelerate Industry 4.0 Microsoft and Nokia have joined hands to accelerate transformation and innovation across industries with cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT). “Bringing together Microsoft’s expertise in intelligent cloud solutions and Nokia’s strength in building business and mission-critical networks will unlock new connectivity and automation scenarios,” said Jason Zander, Executive Vice President at…
Ofcom announces another 5G spectrum auction for the UK in spring 2020 Britain’s telecommunications regulator Ofcom has confirmed that it plans to hold an auction for low and mid band 5G spectrum in the spring of 2020. In a statement, Ofcom said that the auction will include companies bidding for spectrum in two different frequency bands: 80 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 120 MHz in the 3.6-3.8 GHz band. However, the UK telecoms watchdog has not yet confirmed when it will auction the high band, mmWave spectrum that will allow mobile operators to offer the truly transformative speeds of 1Gbps and above. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y6tx6ecz Microsoft furthers $5 billion IoT plan with new Azure features Microsoft launches new functionalities to simplify the customer journey and deliver highly secured IoT products over its Azure platforms. The company said that the expansion of IoT devices is enabling enterprises to bring cloud intelligence to…
US telecom giant Sprint Corporation has announced that it is working with Arizona State University (ASU) to promote economic, educational, technological and social growth in the entire Arizona region, leveraging the power of Sprint’s True Mobile 5G and Curiosity™ IoT’s advanced dedicated network and operating system. This groundbreaking collaboration will combine the innovations of 5G and Curiosity™ IoT, create a new IoT curriculum and reach millions of residents. Sprint’s Curiosity™ IoT is the first dedicated, virtualized and distributed core IoT network that is purpose-built for software. Hosted on a solid foundation from technology leaders including ARM, Ericsson and AWS, this service leverages bare-metal design, and enables the delivery of low latency, high availability connectivity. The fourth-largest mobile network operator in the US stated that they designed Curiosity™ IoT “to solve the challenges of today and be ready for the needs of the future.” In a press release, Sprint said it will work alongside ASU…
BT CEO: We want to be so much more than just another communications provider BT’s Chief Executive Officer Philip Jansen said the company is going to transform itself into a comprehensive provider of digital services, as it doubles down on convergence in the coming years. The UK telecom giant will continue to evolve its product offering to provide seamless connectivity across its fixed line, mobile and Wi-Fi networks. Furthermore, BT has launched the next generation of its converged products, Halo, that will offer unlimited data and calls on mobile and at home as well as inclusive support from BT’s new team of Home Tech Experts. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y575g9j8 MacOS Catalina: 5 best things about Apple’s new OS for your Mac Apple has launched MacOS Catalina, its new desktop operating system for Macintosh computers, with a host of new features and changes. With this Mac upgrade, Apple divides iTunes into…
Commsworld, a telecoms and network company based in Edinburgh, Scotland is now connected to all major Internet Exchanges (IX) in the UK, following an investment of over GBP 1 million. The company has set up a new core presence at the AQL’s Salem Church data centre in Leeds and has joined the IXLeeds (Leeds Internet Exchange). As a result, Commsworld has become the only organization to connect to all of the country’s Internet Exchanges and provide local businesses with speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Charlie Boisseau, Chief Technology Officer at Commsworld, said: “Whenever we expand the network to new cities or regions, we always look for better ways to interconnect our network to existing infrastructure. When looking to build a presence in Leeds, we naturally set out to join IXLeeds. Most providers still only connect to a couple of exchanges, typically in London. Not many providers have a…
The Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes and certifies Wi-Fi technology, has officially announced the launch of the Wi-Fi 6 certification program. Wi-Fi 6, also known as “AX Wi-Fi” or “802.11ax Wi-Fi”, is the next-generation standard in Wi-Fi technology and is an improvement on the current 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard. This initiative promises a range of new features and capabilities designed to create more efficient overall Wi-Fi network performance in challenging environments supporting multiple connected devices. Edgar Figueroa, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wi-Fi Alliance, said, “Wi-Fi Certified 6 is ushering in a new era of Wi-Fi, building on Wi-Fi’s core characteristics to provide better performance in every environment for users, greater network capacity for service providers to improve coverage for their customers, and new opportunities for advanced applications. Wi-Fi Certified 6 will deliver improvements in connectivity, including in high density locations and IoT environments.” According to…
American telecoms giant Verizon said that it has made enterprise-specific upgrades and has “supercharged” its cloud-calling Virtual Communications Express (VCE) platform. The company has boosted its VCE solution by providing delivery over its global VoIP network, and reinforced the service with hosted or premises-based SD-WAN connectivity. The platform, which now provides an opportunity to enhance employee collaboration and productivity, is currently available across Asia, Europe and the United States. Alla Reznik, Executive Director of Customer Experience, Global Products and Services at Verizon, said, “By leveraging Verizon’s global network strength and market leading VoIP portfolio, we have developed an enhanced collaboration solution that delivers powerful hosted UC&C features underpinned by superior network connectivity and performance. This enterprise-grade solution will take global business collaboration to the next level.” In its press release, the company said that by combining the VCE platform with Verizon’s VoIP service, users will significantly reduce costs…

