VERIZON Archives | VoIP Review

France invests €750 million in 6G R&D For research and development projects in advanced network generations such as 5G and 6G, France has announced a €750m grant program. In order to produce sovereign solutions, especially with the pandemic and global trade disputes, the country is focusing on virtualization, open interfaces for access networks, edge computing, security, and AI and machine learning integration. The scheme is part of Macron’s France 2030 strategy. It is a €30 billion plan aimed at modernizing the economy and positioning France as a world leader in future network technologies. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4jr922dn T-Mobile in talks to acquire MVNO Mint Mobile T-Mobile is apparently in discussions to buy Mint Mobile, a pre-paid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) backed by Ryan Reynolds. Mint Mobile has grown in popularity since its launch as Mint SIM in 2015. It has been touted as a cheaper alternative to major mobile…

Aviation companies once again stall 5G rollout in the US

By Aiste Kryzanovske January 11, 2023

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has put forward a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that gives airlines an additional year, until February 1, 2024, to address faulty altimeters in their aircraft. These altimeters, which measure an airplane’s height above the earth’s surface, are present on 7,993 planes registered in the United States. The FAA believes that 180 of these altimeters will need to be completely replaced, while 820 will need filters added to comply with the proposed modification requirement. This upgrade is expected to cost a total of $26 million. The ruling is part of a settlement reached between the aviation and cellular sectors after AT&T and Verizon paid $69 billion for C-Band spectrum licenses. Airplane altimeters typically operate in the 4.2 – 4.4 GHz frequency, but certain altimeters cannot filter out 5G signals from the carriers’ spectrum in the 3.7-3.98 GHz range. The FAA is therefore…

News Roundup

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #1

By Aiste Kryzanovske January 6, 2023

Greek authorities to investigate telecoms operators The Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) in Greece is about to launch an investigation into telecommunications companies for improper monitoring demands made by the Greek secret services. This probe follows a controversy last year in which the government reportedly spied on journalists and politicians using Predator malware. The Greek government has acknowledged some of the monitoring activities, but insists that they were carried out legitimately and that it did not purchase the malware. ADAE will form a team to supervise the probe and will analyze private data using powers given by the Greek Constitution. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mwwms58e PBX-Change is now KUDUCOM™ KUDUCOM, a Tampa Bay, Florida-based communications company, has rebranded itself and introduced a new name, brand, vision and mission. For almost two decades, the company, originally known as PBX-Change, has offered organizations voice, internet and cloud-based communication services. The…

News Roundup

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #42

By Aiste Kryzanovske October 21, 2022

Apelby chooses Linxa for its international voice business transformation Apelby Communications has chosen the Linxa Connect, a completely integrated, end-to-end telecom management solution, to revolutionize its global voice business. This platform supports and automates voice wholesale operations in a seamless manner, including rate management, routing, quality control, deal administration, billing, dispute resolution, fraud detection and real-time reporting. High levels of automation, agility and efficiency are offered by the solution, enabling Apelby to re-engineer and improve its business processes. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yc7kjfwk Intrado Corporation releases a wearable 911 safety device Intrado has unveiled a wearable safety gadget with a programmable panic button. The badge-sized gadget is a component of Intrado’s Safety Suite Solution, an all-inclusive incident management platform for K–12 schools, institutes of higher education, and organizations of all sizes. Upon user activation, Intrado Safety Suite immediately notifies administrators and personnel and sends the device location and event specifics to…

News Roundup

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

By Aiste Kryzanovske September 23, 2022

T-Mobile gives an AI wildfire detection system access to 5G T-Mobile US, the disaster-focused tech startup Pano AI, and Portland General Electric have collaborated to install a network of 5G-connected cameras near Portland, Oregon. The cameras are linked to an AI detection system that watches for the earliest indications of wildfires so that the emergency services can respond to these possible emergencies more quickly than they would otherwise. Given the horrific wildfires that have ravaged the United States in recent years, systems such as these have the potential to be extremely valuable. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yr7xr3ac European telecoms testing holographic calls Together with Matsuko, Telefónica, Orange, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone are creating a platform that will connect the physical and digital worlds via a mobile connection. The experimental platform takes advantage of 5G connectivity, which has a fast speed, high bandwidth and low latency. The system produces a 2D video…

News Roundup

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #29

By Aiste Kryzanovske July 22, 2022

Google and Oracle experience data center outages due to UK heatwave Following a record-breaking heat wave that blasted Britain on Tuesday, data centers used by Google and Oracle Corp. have both failed. Both businesses attributed the disruptions to “cooling systems” issues. Both Google and Oracle have shut down equipment, causing interruptions to their cloud services, in order to prevent irreparable damage to physical components and thereby creating a lengthy outage. On Tuesday, when the outages started to spread through London, temperatures in the UK reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3t2xm2a5 FBI and Verizon Network enter $400 million contract Verizon and the FBI have signed a new $400 million deal, with the telecoms giant assisting to increase the data bandwidth for the law enforcement organization. New features include a worldwide Virtual Private Network and faster data transmission rates using 4G and 5G wireless connectivity within the…

News Roundup

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #21

By Aiste Kryzanovske May 27, 2022

As sanctions bite, Russia’s MTS begins to discount cell phones MTS, Russia’s largest operator, reported a 76.2 % year-on-year drop in Q1 net profit, blaming the results largely on rising interest rates caused by Western sanctions. Russia boosted local interest rates to 20% in the early days of the conflict before lowering them twice, leaving rates around 14% today. MTS has resorted to selling used and discounted smartphones, and is planning to sell its tower assets, in keeping with the current trend of monetizing passive assets located throughout Europe and beyond. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/c65t43kb Verizon warns of record rise in ransomware According to Verizon Business, the number of ransomware attacks on enterprises has increased by 13% year-on-year, resulting in a rise exceeding that of the previous five years combined. Ransomware was involved in some manner in one-quarter of the cases investigated, with desktop-sharing software and email being the two…

News Roundup

A quick roundup of the news in Telecoms | Week #13

By Aiste Kryzanovske April 1, 2022

BT putting its digital voice service rollout on halt Last year, BT began rolling out Digital Voice, which is a VoIP solution that works over the company’s broadband network rather than the old analogue network, as the name implies. This service is an essential improvement, as BT points out, to replace analogue technology, which is rapidly becoming outmoded. The operator is, however, delaying the Digital Voice switchover for consumers who do not wish to switch right away. BT did not specify how long the halt will occur, nonetheless, it is confident that the switchover will take place soon. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mt23py8u DigitalBridge enters into mobile infrastructure deal with Telenet Telenet has agreed to sell all of its mobile telecommunications towers in Belgium to DigitalBridge, a US-based real estate investment trust and a subsidiary of the DigitalBridge Group. The investment firm has agreed to pay $820 million for Telenet’s 3,322…

News Roundup

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

By Aiste Kryzanovske March 18, 2022

Nokia labeled one of the world’s most ethical companies Nokia has been named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies®” for the fifth year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute. In 2022, 136 recipients from 22 countries and 45 sectors were honored. Nokia is one of five telecoms industry winners, and the only Finnish business to receive recognition. Nokia’s superior governance, as well as its dedication to best-in-class sustainability, corporate ethics, compliance and governance standards, has earned the company this honor. Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4ab8c253 NTT partners with Schneider Electric to test private 5G network NTT and Schneider Electric’s latest collaboration will build on their current relationship to create a secure and on-premises end-to-end digital platform that will allow various sectors to benefit from private 5G services. The private 5G network is projected to support equipment availability, machine performance and product quality solutions. The project will also provide a…

Telecom operators unite to support Ukraine

By Aiste Kryzanovske March 3, 2022

Telecom firms in Europe are coming together to assist Ukrainians in staying connected, and they are using a variety of steps that differ from company to company and from country to country, depending on the markets in which they operate. Here are some of the steps that telecommunications firms are taking. Deutsche Telekom has started providing free calls and text messages to Ukraine. This initiative affects both individual and commercial clients making calls from landlines and mobile phones, as well as roaming in Ukraine. T-Mobile Polska and T-Mobile US, the operator’s Polish and US subsidiaries, both launched comparable deals. Verizon has waived costs for consumer and corporate users traveling to and from Ukraine. Customers with foreign coverage bolt-ons will not lose any minutes from their subscription, and voice and text roaming costs have been waived. Virgin Media O2 has lifted costs for calls to and from Ukraine,…