T-Mobile’s data breach affected 37 million customers A major data breach impacting 37 million T-Mobile users has been revealed. The hack, which was discovered on January 5th, is thought to have started on November 25th, 2022. An application programming interface (API) was taken advantage of by a hacker to attain unauthorized access to client data. The breach allowed access to names, billing addresses, emails, phone numbers, dates of birth and T-Mobile account numbers, but did not reveal payment card information, social security, tax, driver’s license, or other government-issued ID numbers. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mtsr7tkm Microsoft makes a multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI Microsoft has made an undisclosed multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the developer of the popular artificial intelligence service ChatGPT. This expenditure is Microsoft’s largest bet on AI technology to date. The AI platform will be used with a variety of consumer and commercial products, including Office software and the Bing…
Deutsche Telekom named the most valuable brand in Europe The Brand Finance Global 500 has rated Deutsche Telekom (DT) the most valuable brand in Europe, bringing it up six places to 11th overall. The company ranks second amongst worldwide telecoms, trailing only Verizon and ahead of AT&T. Only Samsung, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and TikTok break the US company’s dominance of the top 10 most valuable brands in the world. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/57u59bbw e& increases stake in Vodafone to 12% In recent years, Vodafone has suffered financial setbacks and investors have pushed the corporation to make adjustments and restore its fortunes. e& (previously Etisalat), one of Vodafone’s investors, has purchased a nearly 10% share in the company for £3.3 billion and has since steadily raised its stake to 12%. The transaction will provide e& with considerable exposure to a global leader in connectivity and digital services,…
France invests €750 million in 6G R&D For research and development projects in advanced network generations such as 5G and 6G, France has announced a €750m grant program. In order to produce sovereign solutions, especially with the pandemic and global trade disputes, the country is focusing on virtualization, open interfaces for access networks, edge computing, security, and AI and machine learning integration. The scheme is part of Macron’s France 2030 strategy. It is a €30 billion plan aimed at modernizing the economy and positioning France as a world leader in future network technologies. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4jr922dn T-Mobile in talks to acquire MVNO Mint Mobile T-Mobile is apparently in discussions to buy Mint Mobile, a pre-paid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) backed by Ryan Reynolds. Mint Mobile has grown in popularity since its launch as Mint SIM in 2015. It has been touted as a cheaper alternative to major mobile…
Greek authorities to investigate telecoms operators The Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) in Greece is about to launch an investigation into telecommunications companies for improper monitoring demands made by the Greek secret services. This probe follows a controversy last year in which the government reportedly spied on journalists and politicians using Predator malware. The Greek government has acknowledged some of the monitoring activities, but insists that they were carried out legitimately and that it did not purchase the malware. ADAE will form a team to supervise the probe and will analyze private data using powers given by the Greek Constitution. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mwwms58e PBX-Change is now KUDUCOM™ KUDUCOM, a Tampa Bay, Florida-based communications company, has rebranded itself and introduced a new name, brand, vision and mission. For almost two decades, the company, originally known as PBX-Change, has offered organizations voice, internet and cloud-based communication services. The…
Amazon Web Services awarded $724M cloud contract The US Navy has issued a single contract to Amazon Web Services (AWS) potentially worth $723.9 million. Under a five-year enterprise software license (ESL) agreement, AWS will provide the Department of the Navy access to AWS’ commercial cloud environment, including training, certification courses and professional services from the cloud provider. The ESL includes work to be performed from December 2022 through to December 2028. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5ynmx3at Infovista unveils its 360° Assurance solution for VoLTE and VoNR Infovista, a global leader in network lifecycle automation, has introduced its 360° Assurance for VoLTE/VoNR solution. This advancement will equip mobile voice service providers with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution to ensure a better customer experience when using voice services. Infovista’s 360° Assurance for VoLTE/VoNR solution is designed to address specific problems that service providers face when assuring VoLTE and VoNR services, including detecting and resolving one-way…
Fusion Connect launches Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams Fusion Connect, a global Managed Communication Service Provider (MCSP), now offers Microsoft Teams Operator Connect. This new solution ensures the availability of the platform and services, backed by Fusion Connect’s complete service guarantee. With this offering, customers can use Microsoft Teams to make direct calls to mobile devices and landlines using dedicated local phone numbers that can be accessed from any device. By partnering with Fusion Connect for Microsoft Teams calling services, businesses can more fully integrate their use of Microsoft 365 services and benefit from enhanced collaboration, continuity and workforce management capabilities. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2tcuw5p4 University of Surrey to research greener telecom networks The University of Surrey has secured a £12 million grant to research the development of more sustainable and resilient telecommunications networks. The 5/6G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey will act as the project manager for…
TextNow to pay off $50,000 worth of phone bills TextNow, a mobile app that provides free cellular and WiFi-enabled phone service, said that it will start the holiday season by paying off $50,000 in phone bills owed by selected phone company customers. The company is aiming to promote consumer knowledge that they may cancel their pricey phone service subscriptions. TextNow has identified individuals who are in great need, such as single parents, veterans, students, and people impacted by job loss, sickness, injuries, or recent losses. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yckux44v Cisco releases its annual Security Outcomes Report This week saw the release of Cisco’s annual Security Outcomes Report. 62% of the companies questioned reported having encountered a security incident that affected their business in the last two years. Ransomware occurrences, outages, and network or data breaches were the most common types of incidents. Security resilience is a top issue for 96%…
Orange to cut down energy use by deploying 5G Orange claims to be on a mission to alleviate strain on Europe’s energy networks. The corporation asserts that it can save energy and is doing this by introducing the latest generation of technology, in particular 5G. All of this effort is being applied in order for the company to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Deploying 5G is cited as a crucial component of this undertaking. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4zmnpfce FCC bans all Huawei and ZTE equipment The sale and import of equipment produced by Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE has been banned by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Dahua Technology and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, as well as radio equipment producer Hytera Communications Corp., are also banned. According to the FCC, these suppliers pose a threat to national security in the United States, and their technology may potentially be…
SK Telecom’s metaverse platform launched in 49 countries SK Telecom has expanded the reach of its “ifland” metaverse platform into 49 additional nations, thereby outstripping the reach of Meta’s Horizon Worlds. SKT says that 12.8 million people have used ifland in total. Currently, the platform is only available in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. DoCoMo, a Japanese telecommunications company, is one of SKT’s local partners. Recently, the two businesses decided to work together on technology and content for the metaverse. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2bt5a8kf CMA to investigate Apple and Google’s browser duopoly The CMA has begun a thorough market probe into Apple and Google’s market dominance in mobile browsers. Together, Apple’s Safari and Google Chrome support 97% of all mobile online traffic in the UK. The CMA worries that this duopoly discourages tech firms from investing in their browsers and stifles competition in the mobile browser market. Additionally, this dominance…
Vodafone to increase pricing and reduce costs In order to lessen the effects of the worsening economic climate, Vodafone has announced cost-cutting initiatives and lowered its full-year profit and cash flow projections. The business said that it will advance the digitalization of its operations while streamlining and simplifying its group-wide structure. The network will also implement “pricing action” across Europe to counteract high energy costs and growing inflation concerns. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2p8mcfxm ZenFi Networks purchase by BAI Communications finalized BAI Communications has completed its acquisition of ZenFi Networks. ZenFi, located on the East Coast of the United States, is a supplier of digital infrastructure solutions and an innovator in small cell deployment, offload and roaming services, fiber connection, and network edge colocation. As part of this transactIon, BAI will acquire ZenFi’s portfolio of assets, including approximately 1,100 miles of fiber network throughout the New York and New Jersey metro…