Microsoft, Intel, Fortanix Execs Get Confidential at RSA

SAN FRANCISCO — When it comes to confidential computing, Microsoft, Intel, and Fortanix weren’t speaking in whispers at RSA Conference. The three companies are all founding members of the Confidential Computing Consortium. And in addition to hosting a panel about the topic at the annual security conference, company executives stressed the importance of confidential computing in their own security events, during interviews, and on the show floor at RSA.

Nokia’s Murphy: Don’t mandate O-RAN for rural carriers

Smaller wireless operators typically don’t drive technology development, and while they’re ripping out their Huawei gear, it might not be the best time for them to roll out new virtualized systems that haven’t been thoroughly vetted.

Ciena turns in a solid Q1, but cautious on impact of coronavirus

Ciena's bottom line is not totally immune to the coronavirus fallout, but it's in a better position than some of its rivals, namely Huawei.

FCC wraps up third millimeter wave 5G spectrum auction

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday wrapped up its third auction for millimeter wave 5G spectrum after concluding the assignment phase, where bidding didn’t add much to overall auction proceeds.

AT&T, Palo Alto, Broadcom develop disaggregated firewall spec

As part of the industry's ongoing effort to split network elements into smaller pieces, AT&T, Palo Alto Networks and Broadcom have hooked up to develop the disaggregated scalable firewall (DSFW) framework. 

Cincinnati Bell may ditch Brookfield deal due to 'superior' bid

Cincinnati Bell may back out of its merger deal with Brookfield Infrastructure after announcing on Friday that it has received a "superior company proposal" from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. Inc. (MIRA). New York-based MIRA has offered $15.50 per share in cash for Cincinnati Bell.

Industry Voices — Pongratz: Virtualized RAN gains momentum

The shift from the traditional radio access network (RAN) architecture, using proprietary hardware and interfaces, toward virtualized (V-RAN) architectures with vendor-neutral hardware and software and open interfaces is gaining momentum. With the 2019 reporting cycle and virtual MWC wrapping up, the timing is right to review the why, where, and when -- why there is a transition, where are we in the transition, and when will the transition move the needle.

Cisco's Goeckeler departs to become CEO of Western Digital

Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins is losing his wingman now that David Goeckeler has been named as CEO of data storage firm Western Digital. Cisco is creating new business groups as part of the next phase of the company's strategy, but it's not clear if Goeckeler's departure is a direct result of the re-org.

Verizon Business beefs up security portfolio to fight cybercrime

Verizon Business has added three new features it its security portfolio to help businesses better protect themselves against cyberattacks. Verizon Business also announced on Thursday that has enhanced its Rapid Response Retainer service, which offers companies cyber intelligence and incident response capabilities directly from the Verizon Threat Research Advisory Center (VTRAC).

Nokia cautions Senators on plans to control technology decisions

One Senate subcommittee is searching for the silver bullet to the network infrastructure conundrum, though Nokia and other industry figures have warned against politicians making procurement decisions.

Marvell gains status in telecom market with Nokia, Samsung wins

Marvell Technology Group, a Santa Clara, California, company was chosen this week by Nokia to help the Finnish telecom vendor solve its 5G chip problems.

EU reportedly set to approve TIM/Vodafone tower JV

After announcing their intention to merge their tower businesses last July, TIM and Vodafone have had to wait nine months for the EU to give it a look.

TIM secures exclusive Disney+ deal in Italy

Telecom Italia has been announced as the exclusive partner for Disney+ in the country, with services set to be launched on March 24.

CityFibre raises full-fibre table stakes to £4 billion

UK fixed infrastructure challenger CityFibre has committed another £1.5 billion for fibre deployment, taking the total investments up to £4 billion across 62 towns and cities.

Vodafone joins the EU in announcing major diversity initiative

Operator group Vodafone has decided to speak for the whole industry on diversity, while the EU is seeking to impose gender balance quotas on the whole bloc.

Google Cloud gathers telco momentum with new partnerships

Google Cloud has announced two new partnerships with Telecom Italia, T-Systems and AT&T in an effort to build momentum in the burgeoning enterprise connectivity world.

Daily Roundup: OCP Blesses AT&T's Disaggregated Security

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Juniper Jumps Aboard SONiC Train

The open source SONiC network operating system this week gained broader support from equipment and software vendors, including Juniper, InsidePacket, Keysight Technologies, and Innovium.

OCP Blesses AT&T’s Disaggregated Security Architecture Push

AT&T today said it’s working with Palo Alto Networks and Broadcom on a new open framework for disaggregated security infrastructure at the edge of the network called the Disaggregated Scalable Firewall (DSFW) framework.

Intel Vulnerability Serious But Unlikely, Experts Say

A security flaw rooted deep in the silicon of nearly every Intel chip released in the past five years was discovered this week by threat researchers at Positive Technologies.

Microsoft’s Airband Initiative in 25 states at midpoint

Halfway through its 5-year rural broadband project, Microsoft said its Airband Initiative is now in 25 states and Puerto Rico.

Midco, others scramble to replace gear for CBRS

Midcontinental Communications (Midco) and other entities using the 3.65 GHz band are scrambling to replace gear they had already installed after recently finding out from their vendors it’s not going to comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules.

Atlantic Broadband turns on 10-Gig fiber service for businesses

Atlantic Broadband announced on Thursday that it's offering 10-Gigabit, fiber-based speeds to business customers in parts of its footprint.

Ting Mobile says 79% of subscribers aren’t aware of 3G sunsets

Network operators have begun the 3G sunset process. But Ting Mobile, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) with 289,100 subscriptions, says that many subscribers don’t realize that their service could be disrupted.

Semtech, Helium team on nationwide LoRaWAN network

Semtech, the company behind LoRa technology, is collaborating with Helium in its efforts to develop one of the largest LoRa-based networks in North America.

Samsung ramps network reach

Samsung Networks continues to grow its infrastructure reach, most recently expanding into New Zealand with a 5G deal to help mobile operator Spark build its next-generation network.

Boingo acknowledges suitors but hires AT&T exec to lead strategy

Boingo Wireless CEO Mike Finley Tweeted that the company has hired Michael Zeto as senior vice president of global strategy and emerging businesses. Zeto had previously been with AT&T for six years where he was most recently vice president of IoT solutions and the general manager for smart cities.

Google Cloud and T-Systems team up on managed services

Google Cloud and T-Systems announced a partnership on Thursday to deliver managed services to help enterprises with their cloud-based digital transformations. The new partnership also includes Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Systems providing consulting services and migration support for enterprise customers that are tapping into Google Cloud's capabilities.

AT&T and Google Cloud forge 5G edge compute partnership

Google Cloud is headed to AT&T's network edge thanks to a new partnership that was announced on Thursday. The two industry giants are teaming up to build enterprise use cases, which could include video analytics, augmented and virtual reality applications and data-intensive sensors.

Three UK CEO to exit business at end of March

Three UK has announced CEO Dave Dyson will leave the business at the end of the month, with Three Ireland CEO Robert Finnegan to take over a newly combined telco.

Madden: The skinny on Verizon's latest 5G investment

Here’s a news item that did not get enough attention in the non-MWC media storm recently: Verizon announced a boost in 5G investment for the U.S. market. Ho hum. Who cares?

Cisco and Microsoft partner on cloud IoT stuff

US tech giants Cisco and Microsoft are combining their cloud IoT offerings, with a focus on the industrial sector.

Canadian watchdog ponders an MVNO invasion

The Canadian Radio and Telecommunication Commission (CTRC) has completed the first stage of its competition review as the watchdog ponders the competition conundrum in the country.

Nokia tries to raise its chip game through partnerships

Networking vendor Nokia seems to have concluded silicon design isn’t as much of an in-house strength as it had hoped.

Daily Roundup: AT&T Slashes Jobs

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Headcount: Firings, Hirings, and Retirings — February 2020

Here are some of the latest executive hirings, promotions, and staff changes that happened in February. If you’d like SDxCentral to report on your company’s movers and shakers, or if you’ve got a tip about layoffs and restructuring, please send the information to Sydney Sawaya (ssawaya@sdxcentral.com) for inclusion in the monthly headcount column.

Verizon Boosts Security With Blockchain, Adds MDR

Verizon Business added security services including managed detection and response as well as two new identity and access management services that use blockchain, which are firsts for Verizon security products.

Google Cloud Careens Into Mobile Operator Landscape

Google is making an all out push to enable its cloud platform to support mobile network operators and announced an expansive agreement with AT&T and other networking giants as part of that effort.

Nokia Taps Intel, Marvell for 5G Chips; Samsung Expands Arm Investment

Nokia this week revealed both Intel and Marvell’s newly announced base station chips would power variants of its ReefShark AirScale modules. Meanwhile, Samsung says it will expand its relationship with Marvell as it ramps up its own 5G hardware push.

Google Cloud expands global footprint with four new regions

Google Cloud plans to open the doors on four new data center regions this year as part of its global expansion. The new regions are slated for Delhi, India, Doha, Qatar, Melbourne, and Toronto, all of which will bring Google Cloud's total footprint to 26 regions.

AT&T tees up 1-Gig XGS-PON speeds in over 40 cities

AT&T is starting to travel down the XGS-PON deployment pathway with the recent launch of up to 1 Gbps speeds in over 40 U.S. cities.

AT&T eyes billions in cost-cutting plan

AT&T aims to generate billions of dollars in savings over the next three years through a new cost-cutting initiative that focuses on 10 areas of the business, according to COO John Stankey.

Global PON revenue of $3 billion in 2019

In an otherwise dismal year for broadband access technologies, the total global revenue for PON optical line terminal (OLT) equipment grew to $3 billion in 2019, which was a 16% from 2018, according to research by Dell'Oro Group.

Samsung gets a 5G Spark in New Zealand

Korean tech giant Samsung has scored a much needed 5G deal win with Kiwi operator Spark.

Infinera and Corning turn up 800G across 800 kilometers

The 800G transport wars appear to be heating up. On the heels of Ciena, Juniper Networks and Verizon announcing last week that they pushed 800 Gbps of data across a single fiber wavelength, Infinera and Corning announced this week that they delivered 800G on a single wavelength as well.

AT&T expands 5G, opens 5G+ service to consumers

AT&T has expanded its low-band 5G service to 22 additional markets this week, and is opening up its millimeter wave 5G+ service to consumers for the first time with the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S20 series.  

Ericsson’s U.S.-based smart factory rolls out 5G base stations

At a time when a lot of focus is on U.S.-based wireless suppliers, the Swedish vendor Ericsson announced its new smart factory in Lewisville, Texas, just manufactured its first product.

More US Senators try to pressure UK over Huawei

While the impact on UK policy is questionable, that does not seem to be deterring US politicians from attempting to influence decision-making on Huawei’s 5G fortunes.

Editor's Corner: Profit in the time of COVID-19

Now that even President Trump is (seemingly) on board in regard to the threat of the COVID-19 virus, telecommunications companies have some ethical considerations to make that go beyond whether or not to attend industry events or conferences.

Mavenir to attend 5G Summit at White House

It looks like U.S.-based Mavenir Systems, which is making a name for itself trying to disrupt the Radio Access Network (RAN) space, will be visiting the White House as part of a 5G summit next month.

Rakuten Mobile unveils disruptive tariff to shake up Japanese market

Ahead of a hard launch next month, new Japanese MNO Rakuten has announced an ‘unlimited’ tariff that massively undercuts the incumbents.

Four operators take the lead on GSMA edge initiative

Last week, the GSMA announced an initiative to standardise the edge, with Telefónica, KT, China Unicom and Telstra the first to step up to lead the way.

Huawei position in UK called into question by rowdy politicians

A small group of UK politicians are gathering steam in opposition of the Telecoms Supply Chain Review, calling for zero involvement from high-risk vendors, and the Government did not directly disagree.

Telenor and Telia claim Multi-Operator Core Network first in Denmark

Every Nordic country was represented when Telenor and Telia got Nokia to help them build a new shared network in Denmark.

ONF's Stratum open switch OS available on TIP's Cassini hardware

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) announced its Stratum open source switch operating system (OS) software is now available on Cassini optical transport hardware from the Telecom Infra Project (TIP). The ONF said it is the first open source operating system for Cassini, which is a network switching platform with integrated optical transponders.

O2 UK promises to be carbon neutral by 2025

O2 is the latest telco to plug its green credentials, promising to clean up its supply chain and be carbon neutral by 2025.

Ampere Targets Intel, AMD With Cloud-First Chips, Oracle Partnership

Chipmaker Ampere moved to take on Intel and AMD, unveiling a new data center chip alongside a partnership with Oracle, which has announced plans to leverage the company’s CPUs in its Gen 2 Cloud.

Samsung Expands to New Zealand in 5G Networks Deal with Spark

Samsung Electronics today announced that it has signed a commercial agreement with Spark New Zealand to take part in building Spark’s 5G network in 2020.

Cumulus Rolls Out Open Source Network Automation Toolkit

Cumulus Networks today rolled out an open source toolkit that automates network testing and configuration. It uses Ansible for automation, and it helps companies deploy networks using infrastructure as code instead of configuring and managing their IT infrastructure manually.

Telefónica, Global Operators Form (Another) Edge Alliance

Some of the largest operators in Europe, Asia, and Australia have joined forces to advance and collaborate on the development of multi-access edge computing. The initiative falls under the umbrella of the GSMA’s recently announced Operator Platform, which led to the creation of yet another multi-carrier partnership seeking to develop an interoperable edge computing platform.

Ericsson 5G Production Ramps at Texas ‘Smart Factory’

Ericsson pumped out the first 5G product from its Texas factory, taking the next step in a push to diversify its supply chain that the Sweden-based vendor initiated in mid-2018.

CNCF Survey Underscores Cloud Native Popularity

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) today released the results from its annual user survey indicating growing ubiquity of the use of cloud native technologies.

Daily Roundup: Cumulus Touts Open Source Network Automation

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AT&T Puts More Jobs on the Chopping Block

AT&T is weighing a long list of plans to cut tens of billions of dollars in costs that will likely result in even more dramatic job losses for the connectivity and entertainment giant’s employees. The company previously said it plans to cut $1.5 billion in labor-related costs this year.

Verizon sees CBRS, C-band in ‘very different ways’

The Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band at 3.5 GHz and the C-band both represent opportunities for U.S. wireless carriers to get access to new mid-band spectrum for 5G, but Verizon SVP and CFO Matt Ellis said the company views these two in very different ways.

Wi-Fi 6E trials claim to show what a good idea wifi over 6 GHz band is

The Wireless Broadband Alliance is claiming that recent trials of Wi-Fi 6E over 6 GHz have delivered 5G-like performance.

T-Mobile to fight $91M FCC fine over location data sales

T-Mobile said it intends to fight a $91.6 million fine proposed by the FCC against the carrier related to unauthorized sales of customers’ real-time location data to third-parties.

Verizon not yet seeing material impact from coronavirus

While the coronavirus is taking a toll on the world, it's not yet having a significant economic and financial impact on Verizon, but that’s not to say it won’t happen.

SD-WAN surged past $1B mark in 2019: report

By almost any measure, the SD-WAN sector burned bright in 2019. Dell'Oro Group's research found that the SD-WAN sector grew by 64% last year, and surpassed the $1 billion mark in 2019.

Rakuten Mobile unveils low-cost unlimited plans in Japan

Rakuten Mobile on Tuesday unveiled low-cost unlimited mobile plans for its forthcoming wireless service slated to launch next month in Japan.

Ciena and Comcast chalk up a 600G milestone

Ciena and Comcast teamed up for a long-distance 600 Gbps single wavelength pilot deployment across 1,600 kilometers. Comcast used Ciena's WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) and flexible grid technology, completing what Ciena said was the world’s first long-distance 600 Gbps single wavelength pilot deployment.

Sky grabs lucrative Disney+ partnership in UK

Partnerships are increasingly becoming the new way to do content in the telco world and Sky has landed what could be an attractive deal with Disney+.

Apple settles iPhone hobbling case out of court

Gadget giant Apple had been the subject of a class action lawsuit alleging it deliberately slowed older iPhones in order to compel customers to upgrade.

ONF unveils new open source edge and cloud platform

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) has made a bold play into the enterprise sector with its open source edge and cloud platform, which is called Aether.

5G set to reset the smartphone refresh cycle

The smartphone refresh cycle has lengthened over the years as vendors struggle to introduce compelling new features, but that could be about to change.

Vodafone and Rakuten join the low-orbit space race

Satellites are back in fashion and soon enough tens of thousands of devices will be swirling above our heads, now Vodafone and Rakuten are teaming up to join the trend.

U.S. Cellular CEO downplays 5G impact on consumers

U.S. Cellular is starting to turn on its 5G network in parts of Iowa and Wisconsin this year, so the regional carrier probably is not in a rush to hear its competitors sing the praises of 5G in markets where it doesn’t yet offer the service.

The 5G of T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all rank badly

According to a recent Opensignal report, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all look kind of bad in different metrics measuring their 5G performance. 

Daily Roundup: Coronavirus Cancels More Tech Events

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Operators Face Unproven Edge Computing Business Models

Mobile edge computing has quickly become a strategic imperative for network operators, but little has been said about how carriers will charge for access to the edge.

Claris Rides Apple Hook for Low-Code Nirvana

Apple subsidiary Claris launched the commercial version of its Connect platform that provides a low-code environment for enterprises to drive business outcomes using an automated application building process.

Operators Face Unproven Edge Computing Business Models

Mobile edge computing has quickly become a strategic imperative for network operators, but little has been said about how carriers will charge for access to the edge.

Rakuten Mobile Dismisses Open RAN Skeptics

Rakuten Mobile’s executive team took a victory lap at a press event in Tokyo today, boasting that its skeptics have been proven wrong on the company’s goal to deploy the world’s first fully virtualized, cloud native, open radio access network (RAN).

Xilinx SmartNIC Targets Tier-2 Cloud Providers, Telcos

Xilinx today unveiled a SmartNIC aimed at helping cloud providers and private data centers address growing traffic demands.

Claris Rides Apple Hook for Low-Code Nirvana

Apple subsidiary Claris launched the commercial version of its Connect platform that provides a low-code environment for enterprises to drive business outcomes using an automated application building process.

Equinix Paid $335M for Packet’s Bare Metal Tech

Equinix today said it completed the acquisition of bare metal and edge computing startup Packet, and also disclosed that it paid $335 million in the deal. Meanwhile Zachary Smith, former Packet CEO and co-founder, is now managing director of the interconnection giant’s bare metal business.

Coronavirus Forces Google Cloud Next to Go Digital

Google’s annual Cloud Next event is one of the latest industry trade shows to be upended due to the ongoing spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

GTT Focuses On ‘Connecting People’ Amid Infrastructure Sell Off

GTT needs to focus on what it does best, which is connecting people, said founder and Chairman Brian Thompson, on Monday’s fourth-quarter 2019 earnings call.

ONF Projects Coalesce for Enterprise Edge Cloud

The Open Networking Foundation (ONF) today released a platform that combines multiple projects under its purview to deliver 5G and LTE as private edge cloud service for enterprises.

GTT Focuses On ‘Connecting People’ Amid Infrastructure Sell Off

GTT needs to focus on what it does best, which is connecting people, said founder and Chairman Brian Thompson, on Monday’s fourth-quarter 2019 earnings call.

Chinese vendors continue to gain share in the global telecoms equipment market

Preliminary numbers from research firm Dell’Oro reveal that, while the kit market grew in 2019, it was driven almost entirely by Chinese vendors.

Parallel Wireless fights for Open RAN leadership with Peruvian win

Parallel Wireless is arguably carving out a leadership position in the increasingly popular Open RAN movement as it bags another contract in Peru.

Earnings rewind: Telco spending is tepid and 5G isn't a cure-all

With the bulk of service providers and vendors wrapping up their earnings reports, the telco spending climate remains weak, according to research by MTN Consulting. And don't expect 5G to be a panacea for capex spending this year by telcos, according to the report.

Iliad is starting to look very light on infrastructure

French telco Iliad has confirmed a deal to sell 51% ownership of its fibre assets to InfraVia for roughly €300 million.

Google Pixel starts to challenge Samsung in UK Android market

The UK Android smartphone market is dominated by Samsung, but its OS partner is starting to pose a serious threat, according to new research.

Big 4 face fines for selling customer location data

The four largest U.S. carriers face combined FCC fines totaling about $209 million for selling access to customers’ real-time location data without their consent to unauthorized third parties, even after operators were made aware of the issue.   

Microsoft’s TV white space proposal moves forward

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday proposed updates to TV white space (TVWS) rules in the name of better broadband for rural areas of the country.

US heads towards C-Band but critics create risk of legal action

The FCC has proposed new actions which would finally make valuable mid-band spectrum available to telcos, but it is not without opponents.

Nokia to replace CEO Rajeev Suri

With Nokia’s turnaround still seemingly distant, the Finnish networking vendor has decided it’s time for some fresh leadership.

Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri departs in August

Nokia’s CEO and President Rajeev Suri will leave the company in August to be replaced by Pekka Lundmark, who will start in his new role on September 1, 2020.

Windstream reaches agreements with creditors and Uniti Group

On the day they were slated to square-off in court, Windstream Holdings and Uniti Group announced settlement terms in regard to their master lease agreement. With the proposed settlement, Windstream was able to significantly reduce its debt load, while Uniti made concessions that expanded its national fiber footprint.

FCC proposes $200 million fine for location snooping telcos

The four major MNOs each face the threat of a weighty fine, collectively totalling more than $200 million, for helping third parties stalk customers.

VC money continues to flow into European fixed networks

KKR is the latest investment firm to pump cash into European telecoms infrastructure, and with traditional investments on wobbly ground, the trend is set to continue.

FCC sets bidding procedures for 3.5 GHz PAL auction

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously on Friday to establish application and bidding procedures for the auction of the 3.5 GHz band, which starts June 25.

Deploy Mobility Services Faster, Cut Cost and Risk

Deploy Mobility Services Faster, Cut Cost and Risk

Why did Microsoft tap this German exchange for cloud peering?

Love a mystery? Here's one: Why did Microsoft tap a German exchange, with relatively little U.S. visibility, as the premier North American partner for its Azure Peering program for enterprise customers?