Xiaomi unveils new flagship smartphones The Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has introduced its new flagship smartphones, the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro, which will go on sale in China from December 31st. The global launch of the Xiaomi 12 is expected to follow in early 2022. According to the company’s press release, the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro are powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, and feature industry-leading DisplayMate A+ OLED displays and powerful imaging capabilities. During the presentation, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun indicated that the new smartphone would be a direct competitor to the iPhone 13. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/58byr3fu Telefónica acquires Ericsson 5G equipment to replace Huawei Telefónica, Spain’s leading telecommunications group, has bought 5G network equipment from the Swedish manufacturer Ericsson to replace some Huawei gear that it has deployed in Spain. According to the local newspaper Expansion, Telefónica had initially rolled out…
Snom Technology, a premium worldwide brand for IP telephony in the business and industrial sectors, is known for its proximity to the market and the continuous involvement of partners and customers in the development of new products, which is also achieved through market surveys. A representative survey, commissioned by Snom and carried out in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, by the independent research institute Norstat in November 2021, aimed to identify the opinion of users of IP desk phones in relation to more eco-friendly terminals, and to find whether – in the face of increased sustainability – the market would be willing to accept a possible price increase. What is the value of sustainability? Of the 1,937 European respondents, 66% currently use corded telephones at work. Despite each country having unique preferences, the survey confirmed that company desk phones still have a high market share – even…
Telefonica to offer industrial 5G services in 2022 For the first time, Telefonica will provide a range of industrial 5G services to selected partners starting in January 2022. In recent years, Telefonica has tested approximately 80 use cases across several industries, with a handful of solutions now ready for implementation. Telefonica will market three particular 5G use cases for industry through its Telefonica Tech unit: autonomously guided vehicles (ATGs), remote support solutions and drone solutions. Customers will be able to access all of these services via Telefonica’s public mobile network, as well as a virtual or dedicated private network. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/46x6mcdj Verizon scores a $34.6M contract The US Department of Energy has awarded Verizon Public Sector two Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contracts for $34.6 million. Verizon will offer voice and data services to a variety of DOE sites, including the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Under the terms…
Google introduces Distributed Cloud In order to address the needs of its enterprise customers, Google has announced their Distributed Cloud, which will allow users to balance their workload on the public cloud and private infrastructure. It is “a portfolio of solutions consisting of hardware and software that extend our infrastructure to the edge and into your data centers,” commented Sachin Gupta the GM and VP of Product for IaaS at Google. Built on Anthos, the Google Distributed Cloud is the perfect platform for local data processing, edge computing and on-premises modernization. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mc2ye95c Facebook rolls out Live Audio Rooms for creators worldwide Live Audio Rooms, Facebook’s new feature designed to help public figures and groups to connect with their communities, has been released to a global audience. First launched only in the US back in June and limited to only iOS users, the solution…
Virgin Media O2 tests 5G emergency services drone Virgin Media O2 has released information on a trial it conducted with the Swiss public safety drone expert Fotokite to provide a video feed from a drone to help first responders on the ground. The two businesses discussed several incarnations of the drone, including its capacity to function in difficult conditions at any time of day or night, the simplicity of setting up, launching, and flying, and how valuable the data feed is to first responders dealing with emergency situations. Utilizing 5G networks to control and manage drones for emergency services demonstrates the possibilities that 5G technology provides in terms of higher speeds and lower latency. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/36ax8jrc BT trials quantum key distribution (QKD) over hollow core fiber BT has tested quantum key distribution (QKD) over hollow core fiber (HFC), promoting the technology as a method to improve data security…
Deutsche Telekom and Softbank in a share-swap deal In a significant shake-up that reinforces the German group’s transatlantic emphasis, Deutsche Telekom has reached a $7 billion share-swap agreement with SoftBank Group to raise its stake in T-Mobile US. In addition, Deutsche Telekom has sold its Dutch subsidiary. As a consequence of the two transactions, Deutsche Telekom’s share in T-Mobile US will increase to 48.4 percent, moving it closer to its aim of gaining direct control of the $170 billion US telecoms operator. In exchange, SoftBank will receive cash and a 4.5 percent interest in Deutsche Telekom, creating a direct shareholding link. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/32tvyn46 NEC expands its partnership with AWS NEC has stated that it will broaden its relationship with AWS to include 5G and digital governance. NEC aims to create an “end-to-end 5G offering” by integrating their cloud-native open 5G core with AWS’ cloud and edge services. According…
Verizon launches Verizon 5G Edge with Microsoft Verizon has partnered with Microsoft to introduce the aptly named Verizon 5G Edge with Microsoft Azure Stack Edge cloud computing platform, fulfilling their stated commitment when they announced their cooperation last October. The platform can provide corporate clients with an on-premises, private edge compute solution that supports the ultra-low latency necessary for real-time enterprise applications. The collaboration with Microsoft provides 5G Edge to companies, lowering latency at the edge and allowing important, performance-sensitive applications to respond more rapidly and effectively. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/8bz3rwdf FCC warns about fake broadband subsidy website The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) alerted the public about the discovery of a website that fraudulently promised to enroll customers in the agency’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program and encouraged individuals who visited the site to take precautions against fraud. A website named WiFi Freedom USA mimicked the government’s sign-up page, offering…
Orange considers buying infrastructure assets it sold almost two decades ago Orange is considering a probable purchase of the former telecommunications infrastructure unit TDF. The company sold TDF nearly two decades ago to lessen its debt. Orange is considering combining TDF with the recently established European mast company TOTEM, as infrastructure appraisals have recently increased with interest from investors such as the US private equity firm KKR and Spain’s Cellnex. TDF, previously known as Télédiffusion de France, operates TV and radio towers, mobile sites, as well as fiber infrastructure and related services through around 19,000 sites, of which 7,300 are active. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2etpjpjn AT&T to modernize U.S. DOT’s network AT&T and the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) have signed a 12-year, $175 million deal to assist DOT in upgrading its IP and voice infrastructure. AT&T will supply DOT with virtual private networking and secure cloud technology, together…
Google and Intel team up on 5G and edge network solutions Google Cloud has announced that it is working with Intel to establish reference architectures and integrated solutions for communications providers to help them deploy 5G and edge network solutions. To achieve the cloud native 5G goals, the partnership encompasses a full suite of telecommunications, along with application providers, carriers and communications service providers, hardware vendors and global telecommunications networks, with the goal of the cost and time to market required by the telecommunications industry. Intel is already the most powerful participant in the data center hardware market, but is keen to repeat that success with edge infrastructure. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/34fv5aps Deutsche Telekom tests solar panels to power mobile sites Deutsche Telekom (DT) has announced that in the second half of 2020, the company was testing the use of solar panels to power its mobile infrastructure. In a new…


