Google announces their Network Connectivity Center Google has announced a new product, the Network Connection Center (NCC). NCC is described as a revolution in the simplification of on premises and cloud networking. This new product is an initiative to provide a single control panel for a company of any size to manage all of its networks globally. The Network Connection Center is said to effortlessly join together VPNs, partners and dedicated interconnects, as well as third-party routers and Software-Defined WANs, in order to optimize connectivity, reduce operational burden and minimize costs. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/xaaypzwr AT&T signs a 12-year contract with the US Treasury Department AT&T has cemented a $231 million and 12-year contract with the US Treasury Department to modernize the agency’s voice and data networks and ensure cyber security protection. This agreement is part of the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) technology procurement program. Under…
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…
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…
Deutsche Telekom reaches a wholesale deal with Telefónica Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica have reached a wholesale FTTH deal. These telecom rivals extended their partnership that was launched in 2013, which allowed Telefónica to purchase VDSL lines from Deutsche Telekom. The renewed agreement has been extended for 10 more years, and now covers FTTH lines as well. This is a big opportunity for Telefónica Germany, as it is one of the smaller players in the fixed broadband market in the country. By using Deutsche Telekom’s fiber network, Telefónica has set up a clear path for itself to be an important participant in the growing ultra-fast broadband market. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/y6985zh9 Telia sells Telia Carrier On Tuesday, the Swedish company Telia announced that it was selling its international carrier business to Swedish pension funds for $1.1 billion. Polhem Infra’s acquisition of Telia Carrier is expected to be completed in 2021, when…
The South Korean tech giant Samsung has announced that it has signed a contract to supply network equipment to Verizon in the US. Samsung and Verizon’s wireless telecommunications solutions contract is worth about $ 6.6 billion according to information released on Monday, ensuring a great triumph for the South Korean seller against established competitors. Samsung Networks will supply network equipment and solutions, including 5G, to their American partner for the next five years, until December 2025. This new contract with Verizon is the largest that Samsung has ever received in its history. Samsung’s network business was one of the first to offer 5G network equipment to South Korean telecommunications companies when they launched their 5G networks in 2019. “We are pleased to expand our long-standing partnership with Verizon to advance their next-generation network evolution. With this latest long-term strategic contract, we will continue to push the boundaries of…
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…
The South Korean tech giant, Samsung Electronics, has announced an effective demonstration of what it terms the world’s first video call on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform using Mission Critical Push-to-Talk, Data and Video (MCPTX, also known as Mission Critical Communications), the communications functionality designed specifically for first responders. Based on 3GPP Release 14 specifications, this implementation was enabled by the successful onboarding, integration and deployment on AWS cloud. Wonil Roh, Senior Vice President and Head of Product Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “This demonstration showcases how Samsung’s Mission Critical Communications solutions can manage public crises and be readily deployed on public cloud platforms. It also enables us to learn and adapt to the evolving needs of service providers and end-users alike. This brings a new level of broad coverage, scalability and reliability to mission critical service deployments, and we look forward to continuing our journey…
A towering success: Cellnex revenue tops €1bn Cellnex Telecom’s revenue for 2019 exceeded EUR 1 billion with 67.5 percent of total income coming from infrastructure services it provides to operators. The Spanish wireless infrastructure operator currently owns 36,471 operative sites in eight European countries and plans to add 28,000 more as a result of ongoing acquisition deals pending completion. Cellnex has also announced a partnership with Bouygues Telecom to help them deploy their 5G network. The two companies have agreed to create a joint venture (51 percent Cellnex and 49 percent Bouygues Telecom) that will deploy and operate a fiber network connecting infrastructure equipment across France. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/s6fmz4h Google plans to invest $10 billion in US offices and data centers in 2020 Google has unveiled its plans to invest more than USD 10 billion in offices and data centers across the United States in 2020. Google and Alphabet…
Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and Orange test blockchain technology Deutsche Telecom is testing a blockchain solution that can be used to generate and sign secure inter-operator roaming discount agreements. T-Mobile US, Telefonica, Orange and the GSMA are collaborating to test the software that will reduce the complexity of the current process, which usually involves drafting, signing and manually implementing the contracts. Deutsche Telecom said that this is the first time operators are able to jointly test blockchain as a solution that also incorporates a corresponding legal framework, governance model, and integration into corporate IT infrastructures. Read more at https://tinyurl.com/rpwsegx The world’s biggest phone show has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns The GSM Association (GSMA) has canceled the world’s largest mobile phone show, Mobile World Congress (MWC), in Barcelona due to concerns related to the growing coronavirus pandemic. The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide uniting more than 1,200…