Deutsche Telekom (DT), in collaboration with its partners Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Xiaomi, has announced the accomplishment of the world’s first ever Voice over 5G New Radio (VoNR) call in an end-to-end multi-vendor environment. During an innovation test in Warsaw, Poland, the partners tested the capabilities of a 5G Standalone (SA) network with voice and 5G data sessions in parallel. The network setup integrated the Ericsson 5G Core and Nokia’s IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Calls were terminated on commercial terminals from the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G and 5G smartphone form factor tester supplied by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 780G and 888 5G mobile platforms with Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems. By taking advantage of cloud-native 5G SA networks, operators will be able to provide high-quality voice services without relying on LTE as an anchor. Because of the high transmission quality of 5G technology, VoNR incorporation…
New security features for Google Workspace and Google Drive Google has unveiled new security tools that include client-side encryption for Workspace and several enhanced data protection features in the platform’s Drive service. The tech giant said there will be new trust rules and labels for Drive to classify files and apply controls based on their sensitivity levels. These added security features are the result of several factors, including Google’s “security first” philosophy, the rapid increase in remote work environments due to the pandemic, and the company’s experience with its BeyondCorp zero trust security model. In addition, Google is also increasing phishing and malware protection in Workspace. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/ygc7yhw7 Facebook partners with Internet service providers D-VoiS and Netplus Facebook has announced new partnerships in India with Internet service providers (ISPs) D-VoiS and Netplus. These ISPs will use Facebook Connectivity’s Express Wi-Fi platform to provide public Wi-Fi hotspots in various…
Vodafone Germany to build new base stations and 5G Vodafone Germany has announced that it will undertake more than 7,000 mobile infrastructure construction projects including 3,000 5G projects, which it estimates will support 9,000 5G antennas. The projects will take place in the current financial year, which began in April. The company says it has exceeded its 5G coverage targets by expanding the network to 25 million subscribers, and estimates that it will soon cover 30 million consumers with 5G. In addition, Vodafone has also announced that it is swapping the L3G spectrum for LTE by switching 18,000 3G sites to 4G ones this summer. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/a5a7txbf Virgin Media shares its sustainability results Virgin Media released its latest sustainability report this week, which examines the ways that the company has supported its employees and customers during the pandemic and how it continues to deal with the climate crisis.…
DIDWW joins GSMA DIDWW, a global cloud communications service provider, has announced that it has become an associate member of the GSMA, an industry organization that represents the interests of mobile operators around the world. The GSMA supports the latest technological innovations and the development of the mobile ecosystem to promote digital transformation and industrial growth. GSMA membership allows DIDWW to actively take part in technical working groups, establish new business relationships, and develop strategies that will greatly contribute to the wider adoption of hosted VoIP services. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4urtcbtz Mediacom to expansion broadband to 500K locations The US operator Mediacom has revealed its plan to provide high-speed broadband to another 500,000 under-serviced homes and businesses over the next three years. This scaling-up will include a combination of new facilities supported by state and federal broadband grants, line extensions and the development of fixed wireless access (FWA) using recently…
Vodafone launches standalone 5G services in Germany Vodafone has announced the launch of its standalone 5G services in Germany. Vodafone Germany, working with Ericsson, Qualcomm, and Oppo, has upgraded around 1000 mobile sites in the 3.5 GHz range, switching them to an independent 5G core network that no longer relies on 4G. Vodafone claims that “latency times of 10 to 15 milliseconds are possible – that’s as fast as the human nervous system.” This initiative will deliver the SA 5G experience to 170 cities and municipalities, including major cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Düsseldorf. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5dvhudhr Nokia to supply China Mobile with software-defined networking technology Nokia gained a major cloud win when China Mobile chose the vendor to supply software-defined network (SDN) technology for its public cloud service expansion. As part of the transaction, Nokia will provide its Nuage Networks Virtualized Cloud Services, that include…
Mobile World Congress 2021 to require a negative Covid test for entry GSMA, the organization hosting the Mobile World Congress 2021, has announced a health and safety plan for its event. Of course, requirements include doing all the usual things such as wearing masks, washing hands, keeping distance, and following the proper sneezing and coughing esthetics, but there are more specific safety outlines. One of the most important stipulations in place will be the requirement of proof of a negative Covid test, which will be fully managed by the MWC app. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/5ssd8d8u Intel to tackle data privacy with DARPA Intel has become a part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as a research partner to help run its Data Projection in Virtual Environments (DPRIVE) program. This program is seeking ways to improve fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), that allows the processing of encrypted data without the…
Telefonica announces creation of a new Brazilian fibre company Telefonica has announced the establishment of a new Brazilian fiber company called FiBrasil. The company will be a joint venture between the operator and the Canadian Pension Fund CDPQ (Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec). Telefonica’s 50% stake will be divided equally between Telefonica Brasil (Vevo) and the Group’s infrastructure division Telefónica Infra. FiBrasil will initially install and operate fiber optic networks in several medium-sized cities throughout Brazil outside São Paulo. Telefonica itself will be the key manager of the company. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/53vt7s3k Samsung beats 5G speed record again Korean technology giant Samsung claims to have set a new 5G speed record. During the test, 5.23 Gbps was achieved on a single device, with the testing being performed under laboratory conditions using commercial equipment. These details are crucial when it comes to the 5G speed record, as Samsung…
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…
FCC establishes Emergency Broadband Benefit program The FCC has recently held an open meeting in order to discuss its next priorities. One of the most important matters discussed was the new Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which Congress has instructed the FCC to initiate. As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress has allocated $3.2 billion for the program. Broadband providers participating in the program will be able to offer discounts of up to $50 per month for Internet services and up to $75 per month for those services on tribal lands. Currently, it is unclear how long these broadband benefits will last. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/jj52hlfl Sinch acquires Inteliquent Sinch AB, a Sweden-based company primarily engaged in the provision of cloud computing services, has signed a final agreement to acquire Inteliquent, the largest independent voice communications provider in the US, for an all-cash offer of $1.140 billion. The deal expands…
Nokia announced on Monday that Deutsche Telekom (DT) has chosen the Finnish multinational telecommunication provider to convert DT’s optical network into a service-oriented platform. The transformation will allow Deutsche Telekom to provide its customers with an improved service quality experience, by upgrading the existing network to an expansive and automated one. The use of automation will help the operator to simplify and organize operational tasks to make more efficient use of network resources. Deutsche Telekom will adapt Nokia’s optical transport portfolio to become a higher-capacity, self-regulating network that meets residential and Industry 4.0 requirements. This gives Nokia the opportunity to promote its ‘Wave’ Brand optical transport portfolio: the Nokia WaveFabric service-ready platforms and the Nokia WaveSuite software portfolio, that includes the Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) provided by the PSE- V family of coherent DSPs (digital signal processors). This solution will revolutionize Deutsche Telekom’s optical backbone network…