Verizon Business announces a new bundle Verizon Business has announced a new bundle offer for small businesses covering security, broadband and LTE services. As more small businesses are moving to virtual settings, Verizon Business now offers the Complete Business Bundle. With this new offering, small businesses receive a 15% discount on monthly service fees with a 50 Mbps tier. LTE Business Internet, which includes a router as part of the package, is giving businesses the ability to connect to 4G LTE using a plug-and-play installation. The Complete Business Bundle also includes One Talk desk phones with more than 50 business-class features and dedicated 24/7 technical support. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4xy7nyw DT and Samsung succeed in standalone 5G Deutsche Telekom and Samsung have successfully completed the SA 5G test in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Together the companies have tested the efficiency of Samsung’s MU-MIMO technology on Deutsche Telekom’s network and recorded excellent…
Pentagon will allow telecoms to use military airwaves for 5G networks On Monday, the Pentagon and the White House announced plans to issue a permit for telecommunication service providers to use air waves that were previously reserved for military radar, to build new high speed 5G networks. This initiative is in response to wireless service providers, who say they need more airwaves to support growing demand for 5G signals. Sales of the 3450-3550 megahertz bands are scheduled to begin in December of 2021. According to Dana Deasy, chief information officer for the Department of Defense, the Pentagon will continue to use this bandwidth for military purposes. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yy4k4nhb HMD gets $230 million funding from Google, Qualcomm and Nokia HMD Global, Nokia’s brand marketing agency, announced to have secured a $230 million investment from Google, Qualcomm, Nokia and other undisclosed investors. As stated by HMD Global, the funds will…
Deutsche Telekom hits 50% 5G population coverage Deutsche Telekom, the largest German telecommunications company, has expanded its 5G connectivity to 3,000 towns across all German states. A total of 18,000 antennas, out of the 30,000 already installed, have been upgraded to support 5G services in the last 5 weeks, and as a result, 50% of Germany‘s population now has 5G coverage. Walter Goldenits, Head of Technology, commented: “The 50 percent is no reason for us to rest on our laurels. The 5G rollout continues with the same intensity. Two thirds of the population are our next target. And we want to achieve this too this year.” Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y4z6fd2m Google Cloud and Orange announce their collaboration Google Cloud and Orange announced that they are partnering up for data, AI and edge computing development. The two companies plan on transforming Orange’s IT infrastructure, developing future cloud services, improving operational efficiency…
Qualcomm invests $97 million in India’s Reliance Jio Platforms Qualcomm has become the latest high ranking sponsor of the four-year-old Indian company, Reliance Jio Platforms. On Sunday evening, Qualcomm Ventures revealed their plans to invest $97 million in Reliance Jio Platforms and to assist that company launch advanced 5G infrastructure and services for their local customers. Furthermore, Reliance Jio Platforms has introduced cut-rate voice and data plans into the Indian telecommunications market, attracting almost 400 million subscribers. This rapid growth has resulted in the company becoming the most successful operator in the world’s second largest market in less than four years since its establishment. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y9hponyd Deutsche Telekom explores quantum tech with OPENQKD The German operator Deutsche Telekom, in partnership with the OPENQKD (Open European Quantum Key Distribution) consortium, are preparing to research quantum key distribution (QKD) technologies in order to develop quantum-safe data transmission. In spite of the…
Ireland’s GoMo goes for more as it hits 200,000 customers Virtual network operator GoMo, the budget mobile brand of Irish telco Eir, has reached 200,000 customers, since launching only eight months ago. The company exists entirely as a digital brand, requiring customers to sign up online to be mailed a SIM card. This “digital-first” approach even extends to customer service, which is available only through online chat, without accessible call centers. GoMo uses Eir’s network and offers 99 percent population coverage and over 97 percent 4G coverage. Since its launch, GoMo has gradually increased its customer base, with figures from the Irish regulator suggesting that the majority are migrating from rivals Three and Vodafone. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y7uwytwt JSonar raises $50 million for AI-powered database security products Database security startup jSonar has secured USD 50 million, which it plans to put toward R&D and go-to-market efforts. The company said that its AI-powered solutions help users…
Openreach adopts Nokia’s 10Gbps FTTP broadband kit for the UK The Finnish telecom equipment manufacturer Nokia has announced that Openreach will deploy its next-generation fiber solutions. This will help meet Openreach’s target to bring ultra-fast and reliable broadband access to 20 million homes across the UK by the mid-to-late 2020s. Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, said, “This new digital platform will help our economy to bounce back more quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic – enabling people to continue work from home, and millions of businesses to operate seamlessly online for decades to come.” This supplier agreement also marks a shift away from reliance on Huawei equipment for the UK’s largest broadband networks. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yb6cj6jn Google and Apple’s joint COVID-19 contact tracing API now available to health authorities Apple and Google have released the first public version of their jointly developed API for COVID-19 tracing apps. This software will enable public health authorities to…
US telecoms will not charge late fees during COVID-19 pandemic Major US telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Comcast, Cox, and Verizon have expanded their policies to not charge late payments and cancel service for customers and small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic until June 30. Furthermore, Comcast said that apart from extending the commitment through June 30 and providing its Wi-Fi hotspots to everyone, it would also extend the pause in its data plans to give all customers unlimited data at no extra charge. With tens of millions of Americans working from home, internet providers and the FCC say the internet is performing well. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yd8wbxuv Google is making Meet free for everyone The tech giant has announced that Google Meet, its premium video conferencing product, will be free for everyone and will be fully accessible over the coming weeks. Previously, the Meet service was available only…
Google rolls out BeyondCorp for secure remote network access without a VPN Google has launched BeyondCorp Remote Access, a new security service designed to provide remote access to internal systems without using a virtual private network (VPN). This new cloud-native security product is based on a “zero-trust approach” and is founded on a system that Google originally built for internal use almost a decade ago. Google said that when the number of remote connections suddenly increases, the VPN architecture may not be able to handle the load. BeyondCorp Remote Access includes a database of every device authorized to connect, a security certificate installed on that device, and integration with a human resources database containing information about usernames and group memberships. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/ya4hhtsk Zoom adds encryption as it passes 300 million daily users Zoom Video Communications has launched an update of its virtual meetings software, adding encryption and new…
Verizon buys Zoom rival BlueJeans for less than $500 million Verizon Business has announced a deal to purchase enterprise-grade video conferencing platform BlueJeans, thereby expanding Verizon’s unified communications portfolio and improving its service for business customers. This acquisition shows that the company is also trying to capitalize on the current trend of remote employees making extensive use of online services such as Zoom, Slack and Microsoft during the pandemic. BlueJeans has more than 15,000 customers, including Facebook, IBM-owned Red Hat, ADP, Zillow and LinkedIn. The deal is worth USD 500 million and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yd9qtfhg Apple’s new iPhone SE is surprisingly powerful for $399 Apple is launching iPhone SE 2020, the second generation of its cheapest smartphone in the iPhone lineup, priced at just USD 399. The iPhone SE runs on Apple’s latest A13 Bionic chip that enables great battery…
ITU platform to protect networks during Covid-19 The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has introduced the Global Network Resiliency Platform to help global networks remain “safer, stronger and more connected” in the face of increasing strain and growing demand during the coronavirus crisis. ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said, “The new platform will assist governments and the private sector in ensuring that networks are kept resilient and telecommunication services are available to all.” Also, this platform will collect relevant information and expertise on actions that telecommunication policymakers and others in the regulatory community can use to ensure that their telecom networks serve the needs of their country. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/vam4enm Remote working triggers demand for chips, laptops, and network goods As more and more employees switch to remote work during the outbreak of coronavirus disease, the demand for laptops, networking goods and supply chain components has increased substantially. Therefore, electronics retailers and…