OPENRAN Archives | VoIP Review

O2 UK to use OpenRAN to improve indoor connectivity O2 has tested Vilicom’s OpenRAN technology to make it cheaper for businesses to get 4G and 5G indoor coverage. Vilicom, together with cloud network provider Mavenir, offers the virtualized OpenRAN-based connectivity-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform. O2 said it was the first operator to test the platform and said it was doing so well, that they will connect the trial version to their live network next year. O2 is of the opinion that the virtualized platform would lower indoor cellular network costs and space needs, which it said would become very important to UK PLC after the coronavirus. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y4aepnko A peek into Microsoft’s edge compute ambitions Judson Althoff, Microsoft’s EVP of Worldwide Commercial Business, unveiled some of the company’s ambitions at a UBS Global TMT virtual conference. According to Althoff, Microsoft is increasingly introducing edge computing capabilities. Some of the uses…

Telecom News

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #45

By Aiste Kryzanovske November 6, 2020

Vodafone UK going big on OpenRAN Vodafone UK has announced that they are deploying OpenRAN technology in rural base stations, as a key part of Huawei’s switching strategy. Approximately 2,600 sites in rural Wales and the south-west of England will be converted to OpenRAN by a deadline established by the government. This process will start in 2022 and, as yet, Vodafone has not identified any vendors to assist it in this initiative. The operator wants to be seen as an example of OpenRAN, which increasingly appears to be the most likely source of diversity for telecom providers since Huawei was blacklisted. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yybbqu45 Deutsche Telekom partners with Zoom Deutsche Telekom has become the latest service provider to partner with Zoom Video Communications. Deutsche Telekom is now the official reseller of Zoom in Germany. The company offers personalized solutions and contracts to customers of different sizes, and is able…

Telecom News

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #38

By Aiste Kryzanovske September 18, 2020

Deutsche Telekom will move 18 million users to the cloud Deutsche Telekom has announced that 18 million of its fixed voice customers will soon have their services moved to a new cloud-based telephony platform. The company currently has a next-generation IP multimedia subsystem (NIMS) deployed in telco’s data centers throughout Germany. The platform promises to deliver services faster and more efficiently by automatically allocating voice capacity on the network as needed. The deployment of cloud telephony is a logical next step in Deutsche Telekom’s all-IP strategy, which the company has been pursuing for years. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y3oxa9wq ClearlyIP releases a new mobile softphone Telecommunications company ClearlyIP has released “Clearly Anywhere”, a mobile softphone that provides easy mobile integration into FreePBX-based systems. This application is designed for Android and iOS devices, allowing system administrators to quickly set up, configure, and deploy cross functional software that clients closely incorporate with an…

Telecom News

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #32

By Vilija Simkiene August 7, 2020

Microsoft to continue talks to buy TikTok from ByteDance Microsoft has announced that it is prepared to continue discussions for the acquisition of popular short-video app TikTok from Chinese internet giant ByteDance. In a statement, the company said that it is committed to acquiring TikTok “subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury.” Microsoft made the statement following a conversation between its CEO Satya Nadella and US President Donald Trump. The company said it would ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/y69w8a4b Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 2 is official, comes with a ton of improvements Samsung has officially introduced a range of new premium mobile devices at its Unpacked 2020 event live streamed from Korea. Among others, the company is launching the Samsung Galaxy…

Telecom News

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #12

By Vilija Simkiene March 20, 2020

Work from home: Can the telecoms industry take the strain? Many businesses opt for remote working due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, and this has led to a dramatic increase in the use of online services. The additional pressure is proving problematic for the telecoms industry in Spain, which has reported a 40 percent increase in data consumption and a 50 percent increase in mobile phone usage. Movistar (Telefonica), Orange, Vodafone, Masmovil, and Euskaltel have issued a joint statement in anticipation of the national lockdown, urging customers to take “intelligent and responsible use of the network and the resources it provides us.” Meanwhile, BT, the UK’s largest telecom provider, said that its network can handle it. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/sm8bms7 Vodafone unveils five-point plan to combat COVID-19 Vodafone has put forward a five-point plan to maintain network services and assist governments across Europe in controlling the outbreak of coronavirus. The five…

Telecom News

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #11

By Vilija Simkiene March 12, 2020

Twilio rival MessageBird launches Inbox, an AI-powered contact center MessageBird, a telecommunications service provider in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has unveiled a new all-in-one, AI-powered contact center as it enters the competitive billion-dollar customer service software market. The new solution, dubbed Inbox and pitched as the “Slack for external communications,” enables customers to communicate with businesses and accept inbound messages from WhatsApp, Twitter, Messenger, Instagram, WeChat, Apple Business Chat, RCS, Line, Telegram, email, SMS, voice, and more. Additionally, companies can connect MessageBird’s Inbox to other internal tools as part of their preferred workflows, including Salesforce, Google Calendar, Shopify, HubSpot, Jira, and Slack. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/qvsqh9l CenturyLink adds IBM Cloud to its Cloud Connect portfolio US-based CenturyLink has added IBM Cloud to its growing Cloud Connect Dynamic Connections portfolio, which also includes Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle. The company said that through IBM Cloud Direct Link services, businesses can now access…

Telecom News

Samsung snaps up TeleWorld Solutions to boost 5G deployment in the US

By Vilija Simkiene January 15, 2020

Samsung Electronics has completed an agreement to acquire network services provider TeleWorld Solutions (TWS). Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, TWS provides network design, testing and optimization services to mobile service and cable operators, equipment OEMs and other companies in the United States. This acquisition is expected to help Samsung address the need for end-to-end support in delivering network solutions aimed at upgrading the 5G and 4G LTE networks, and providing connectivity service advancements in the US. Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “The acquisition of TWS will enable us to meet mobile carriers’ growing needs for improving their 4G and 5G networks, and eventually create new opportunities to enhance our service capabilities to our customers. Samsung will continue to drive innovation in communications technology, while providing optimization services for network deployments that accelerate US 5G network expansion.” Under the agreement,…

Telecom News

Vodafone initiates first European OpenRAN technology tests in the UK

By Vilija Simkiene October 16, 2019

Vodafone has made a move that could put an end to the global dominance of the three main telecom equipment providers – Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia – by starting trials on open access radio technology in the UK. The company is the first wireless carrier to run European tests of Open Radio Access Networks (OpenRAN), a cellular infrastructure technology that may increase the number of companies supplying telecom network equipment and assist in connecting more of the world’s most remote communities using lower cost systems. In a statement, Vodafone said that “the global supply of telecom network equipment has become concentrated in a small handful of companies over the past few years” and added that a wider choice of suppliers will increase flexibility and innovation, thus helping to address some of the cost challenges of internet services in rural communities. Telecom operators use RAN infrastructure, masts and antennae…