CMA probes ViaSat acquisition of Inmarsat The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the UK has said that it is starting its own investigation into ViaSat’s acquisition of Inmarsat. The two operators had initially expressed their expectations that the transaction would conclude in the middle of 2022, with input from different regulatory organizations. By October 5, the CMA is anticipated to decide if a thorough probe into this transaction is necessary. The merged corporation will initially operate a fleet of 19 satellites in various orbits and spectrum regions, with ten more in the works. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y8zcwwtz FCC stops subsidies for SpaceX Starlink The FCC has refused to approve the Starlink proposal, stating that it was uncertain if the technology could reach the advertised speeds in its current state. The regulator highlighted that Ookla’s most recent projections indicated a reduction in the speeds Starlink may offer in 2022. According…
Rogers apologizes for the massive service outage Rogers, a Canadian telecommunications company, experienced a widespread outage earlier this month and is now under pressure to guarantee that this does not happen again. The most damaging effect of the outage was how it disrupted crucial communications, and the Canadian government has declared that it now wants all national carriers to find a way of helping each other in such worst-case situations. Rogers has committed to investing at least CA$250 million to physically isolate its wireless and internet networks so as to add an extra layer of stability. There is also a promise to spend CA$10 billion over the next three years to extend and improve Rogers’ network. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/35dxbj4d Nokia and CityFibre sign a 10-year broadband equipment agreement A 10-year contract for XGS-PON broadband equipment with CityFibre has been announced by Nokia. This arrangement covers the purchase of access…
UK telecoms sector agrees to help customers in need The UK government and operators have approved a new deal to help customers who are struggling to pay their broadband and mobile bills. Andrew Glover, chair of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA), stated, “The telecoms sector knows that people are facing real challenges with the cost-of-living crisis. Our members are determined to do what they can to help their customers through this period and, together with the government, we will work to raise greater awareness of the support available.” Among other measures, telcos have agreed to allow vulnerable customers to switch to cheaper tariffs without charge or penalty, or adjust their plans to make payments more manageable. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/msjxsp2f Sinch achieves HIPAA compliance for its voice, fax and UCaaS services Sinch has announced that it has successfully achieved third-party validation of its compliance with the Health Insurance Portability…
Vodafone signs a multi-year agreement with Oracle Vodafone and Oracle have announced an agreement to modernize their European IT infrastructure and accelerate its transition to the cloud. The companies will migrate a broad range of systems to dedicated, fully managed regions of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) that will be deployed in Vodafone’s main data centers that are managing its European IT and network operations. According to Scott Petty, Chief Digital & IT Officer, Vodafone, the flexibility offered by OCI enables the company to build a robust cloud platform in their data centers. This advancement will also provide the operational agility and scalability required to support the growth and diversification of the Vodafone business. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/ye27dmsv Telinta taps DIDWW to deliver a white label hosted PBX solution Telinta, a global leader in white label cloud-based switching and billing solutions for VoIP service providers, has announced a collaboration with DIDWW,…
T-Mobile US has begun offering commercial Voice-over-5G (also known as Voice over New Radio, or VoNR) in certain regions of Portland, Oregon, and Salt Lake City, Utah, with the intention of expanding the service to a larger area later this year. VoNR, which is based on 5G Standalone (5G SA) network technology, is now available on the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G smartphone and will be available later this year on a variety of additional 5G handsets, including the Galaxy S22. Voice over 5G represents a significant hurdle for the whole wireless industry, however all US providers will most certainly want to transition voice calling to 5G at some point in the future to free up LTE spectrum for 5G. Voice conversations via 5G offer decreased latency, lightning-fast speeds, real-time response and immense connectivity. Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and Qualcomm all contributed to TMUS’s voice over 5G service debut.…
Nokia, DOCOMO, Fujitsu, NEC, and NTT have established a collaboration to design and develop critical 6G technologies. In proof-of-concept (POC) experiments, next-generation mobile technologies will be focused on the sub-terahertz band and AI-enabled interfaces. The partnership will concentrate on two proof-of-concepts for upcoming 6G technologies: an AI native air interface and sub-THz radio access. These seek to prove that an AI-based 6G air interface outperforms a traditional air interface in terms of performance, and that high-data-rate beamformed access can be obtained in a high frequency band at 140 GHz. Nokia thinks that 6G will not only improve on existing technologies and systems, but will also expand and revolutionize the capabilities of a network. It will bring together the human, physical, and computer realms in order to unleash the full human potential. Nokia has identified six important technologies that will be critical components of future 6G networks in order…
As sanctions bite, Russia’s MTS begins to discount cell phones MTS, Russia’s largest operator, reported a 76.2 % year-on-year drop in Q1 net profit, blaming the results largely on rising interest rates caused by Western sanctions. Russia boosted local interest rates to 20% in the early days of the conflict before lowering them twice, leaving rates around 14% today. MTS has resorted to selling used and discounted smartphones, and is planning to sell its tower assets, in keeping with the current trend of monetizing passive assets located throughout Europe and beyond. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/c65t43kb Verizon warns of record rise in ransomware According to Verizon Business, the number of ransomware attacks on enterprises has increased by 13% year-on-year, resulting in a rise exceeding that of the previous five years combined. Ransomware was involved in some manner in one-quarter of the cases investigated, with desktop-sharing software and email being the two…
Twilio, a customer engagement platform used by hundreds of thousands of businesses around the world, and Syniverse, a communications technology provider to leading carriers and enterprises, have announced that their strategic partnership has been finalized, with Twilio investing $750 million in common equity in Syniverse and the companies expanding their strategic and commercial partnership. In February 2022, Syniverse opted to abandon its intention for a $2.85 billion reverse acquisition that would have resulted in the business being listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Syniverse will remain as being majority-owned by the Carlyle private equity firm, with Twilio’s $750 million investment serving as a source of additional funding. Twilio was originally mentioned in February as a possible alternative to the Syniverse NYSE IPO. With the completion of this deal, Twilio has become a large minority owner of Syniverse, while Carlyle retains the controlling share. Syniverse obtained $1.025…
The GSMA, a worldwide organization dedicated to uniting the mobile ecosystem, has cautioned that market imbalances between network operators and online service providers might impede growth in a number of areas of the Internet-based economy, and has urged policymakers to solve the problem immediately. According to the GSMA’s 2022 Internet Value Chain analysis, asymmetric regulation and limits, sector-specific taxes and spectrum charges are straining infrastructure providers’ business models while allowing big tech to prosper. The reliance of Internet services and other growing sectors that are dependent on underlying infrastructure investment must be considered by those in charge of enacting rules and regulations. Infrastructure investment incentives may be restrained by unfavorable taxes, costly regulatory requirements, and other cost-degrading factors, according to the paper. The document urges politicians to analyze the entire tax and regulatory environment, ensuring that enterprises investing in infrastructure are rewarded for building and upgrading the networks…
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given AST SpaceMobile, a five-year-old company located in Midland, Texas, permission to test a satellite that has the potential to deliver cellular broadband access for smartphone users in the US and throughout the world. According to the business, it is developing the first and only space-based cellular broadband network that will be immediately accessible by regular mobile phones. SpaceMobile, the company’s proposed network, intends to provide 4G/5G access to everyone on the world, on land, at sea, and in the air. No matter where they are, mobile customers will be able to seamlessly roam from terrestrial networks to the space-based network. AST SpaceMobile is launching BlueWalker 3, a test satellite meant to interact directly with mobile phones using 3GPP standard frequencies. The FCC has granted the business an experimental license for BlueWalker 3 space-to-ground testing in the United States. At least…


