Epix Enters the Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Fray

New standalone OTT service from MGM-owned Epix runs $5.99 per month and doesn't require premium video offering to be attached to a pay-TV service.

Verizon preps for more 3.5 GHz tests

Verizon continues to conduct propagation modeling at 3.5 GHz, planning tests in Boston, Phoenix and other areas in Massachusetts and Arizona.

T-Mobile US ditches streaming for aggregator TV play

After T-Mobile acquired Layer123 back in 2017, the US has been holding its breath for another Uncarrier move to disrupt the content world, but its not going to be as glitzy as some would have hoped.

AT&T touts 1.5 Gbps achievement

AT&T is touting its ability to achieve 1.5 Gbps in a field test using its commercial 5G network at the same time it’s defending its use of the “5G E”…

6WIND notches another virtual router win

6WIND chalked up another customer win in its ongoing effort to replace virtual routers from Brocade with its own virtual routers.

AT&T sued by Sprint over 5G BS

US operator Sprint is so outraged by AT&T’s attempt to rebrand its LTE-A service as 5Ge that it’s taking its competitor to court over it.

Europe sailing towards conflict over China 5G

Germany is drafting rules to allow Chinese companies to participate in the 5G bonanza, while the European Commission is thinking of banning them. Something’s got to give.

Google intros new encryption for low-end Android devices

Newer devices are secured via Armv8 processors. But now, older devices will also be secured via Google’s Adiantum encryption mode.

NY Public Service Commission approves T-Mobile/Sprint merger

T-Mobile and Sprint got another win in their bid to merge.

T-Mobile Keeps Its Low-Band Spectrum Powder Dry for 5G

Company CTO Neville Ray explained that the carrier was using just 10 megahertz of its 600 MHz and 700 MHz spectrum resources to support its 4G LTE network.

Merchant Silicon Will Dominate Data Center Ethernet Switching by 2022, IHS Markit Says

Vendors including Cisco, Juniper, and Arista all recently introduced merchant silicon chips into the mix.

Verizon elects Vestberg to chairman, McAdam retires

Hans Vestberg has been named chairman of the board of directors at Verizon a little more than six months after he was promoted to CEO of the company.

Security Unicorn Illumio Raises $65M, Hires Its First CFO

The investment is further validation that microsegmentation is real, and Illumio CEO Andrew Rubin admits that VMware deserves “quite a bit of credit” for legitimizing this technology.

SDxCentral's Weekly Roundup — February 8, 2019

Vodafone Germany swaps out Huawei for Nokia in its core network; Sprint sues AT&T for 'fake 5G' tech; and Cisco completes its acquisition of Luxtera.

Is telecom losing Europe’s next generation employees?

Telecoms companies did not feature in the top employers’ lists chosen by the current and potential young employees in a recent multi-country survey.

Cisco and 29 Partners Launch ‘Huge’ Rural 5G Trial in British Isles

The trial is part of Cisco’s 5G RuralFirst initiative to contribute to the business case for improving connectivity beyond cities.

AI digital assistant vendor Zoovu scores $14M in funding

New York-based Zoovu has raked in $14 million in a series B round of funding that it will use to expand the use of its AI digital sales assistants.

C-Band Alliance responds to backlash

The C-Band Alliance responded to a number of critics of its proposal to make 200 megahertz of 3.7-4.2 GHz spectrum available for 5G.

Apple Could Poach 5G Modem Experts From Qualcomm, Intel in San Diego

Apple is reportedly planning to build its own cellular modems, including for 5G, and that effort might include hiring engineers from the likes of Qualcomm and Intel.

Will Trump Fan the Flames as Huawei Is Burned at the Stake?

An 'executive order' banning Chinese networking technology from US communications networks is imminent, according to Politico – such a posturing move would be bad for everyone.

Sprint Sues AT&T Over '5G E' Branding

Sprint sues AT&T over 5G branding, described by AT&T as an evolutionary step.

WiCipedia: Valley Diversity Stats, a New Social Outlet for WiT & No Fangirls Here

This week in our WiC roundup: Foreign-born women dominate the Valley; the government shutdown has long-lasting effects for workers; a new startup network for women; and more.

Eurobites: Germany Offers Hope to Huawei

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Exponential-e offers transformation help; KPN offloads iBasis; Deutsche Telekom's upgrade rolls on; Sparkle brings connectivity for motorsports coverage.

Swiss 5G Auction Bags $380M Amid Radiation Law Gripes

Swiss operators cough up for new 5G spectrum amid concern that harsh laws on radiation limits could impede 5G network deployment.

AT&T taps Mirantis to update its Network Cloud for 5G

AT&T is upgrading its data centers with software based on the open source OpenStack project. And it will run its 5G workloads using containers, as opposed…

Apple steps up in-house modem efforts – report

Its dispute with Qualcomm seems to have pushed Apple towards developing its own modem in-house so it no longer has to rely on external suppliers.

Legere and T-Mobile running riot again

He might be wild-eyed, egotistical and unconventional, but you can’t argue with the results T-Mobile US CEO John Legere is delivering shareholders.

Editor's Corner—Google Fiber says 'adiós' to Louisville

In a rare waving of the white flag, Google Fiber announced Thursday that it was pulling up stakes in Louisville, Kentucky.

Germany has a swing at Facebook advertising platform

German regulator Bundeskartellamt has made a fresh attempt to curb the powers of the internet giants, this time targeting the data processing capabilities of Facebook.

Location data from T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint sold to bail bondsmen

The mobile operators have pledged to discontinue their relationships with location aggregators. But their pledges are completely voluntary.

InvenSense Deploys Aryaka SD-WAN to Meet Growing Business Needs

SD-WAN allowed the sensor manufacturer to streamline and automate operations, and ultimately make it in a rapidly changing industry.

CTIA presses Congress for more midband spectrum for 5G

The first full committee hearing of the 116th Congress was all about—wait for it—5G and spectrum.

DevOps automation vendor Agile Stacks raises $6M

San Mateo, California-based Agile Stacks announced Thursday that it has raised $6 million in a series A round of funding.

Potential return of roaming premiums causes latest Brexit flap

UK parliament has drafted new legislation that would release UK operators from their commitments not to charge extra for roaming in Europe.

Ericsson Spain hosts first 5G-EVE plenary

Nearly 30 partners gathered at Ericsson Spain’s facilities in Madrid this week for the first plenary meeting of the 5G-EVE program.

Nokia, German provider M-net conduct 500G field trial

Nokia and German service provider M-net are laying claim to the industry's first transmission of a probabilistically shaped wavelength.

Signs not looking positive for Huawei and ZTE in Italy

Reports in local press suggest Italy could be the next country to bow to pressure from the US, banning Huawei and ZTE from contributing to communications infrastructure.

T-Systems moves SAP HANA to the cloud for pharma company

T-Systems has helped one of the largest healthcare services groups in Asia migrate to Microsoft Azure's cloud.

T-Mobile stokes optimism for Sprint merger

T-Mobile tried to stoke optimism for its proposed merger with Sprint during its earnings call Thursday.

AT&T 5G, Airship Plans Powered by Mirantis

Mirantis scored an eight-figure, multi-year deal to provide the carrier with core infrastructure software that has Kubernetes running on bare metal on-premises.

Trump Prepares Executive Orders to Supercharge 5G, AI

The president’s commitment comes as his top cybersecurity chief warns that China could use Huawei’s 5G networking equipment to steal “trillions” of dollars of intellectual property.

WifiForward: ‘Our 5G future depends on Wi-Fi’

WifiForward is calling out ITS Americas for requesting Congress keep the 5.9 GHz band "for transportation safety applications."

Ciena Spins Off Blue Planet Software Into an Independent Division

Ciena anticipates that the Blue Planet Division will reach $50 million to $60 million in annual revenue during fiscal 2019, growing to $100 million to $120 million in 2021.

Red Hat CodeReady Workspaces Enables Full Kubernetes-Native Development

The new product, based on the open source Eclipse Che integrated development environment project, enables OpenShift developers to conduct entire projects in Kubernetes..

Germany’s 5G auction has not got off to a flying start

Telefónica Deutschland has filed an urgent appeal against the country’s 5G auction terms. Deutsche Telekom may follow suit.

Turkcell Launches Largest Virtualized Mobile Network In the Middle East

Red Hat and Affirmed Networks helped with the deployment. Turkcell is on track to have 40 percent of its voice and data services capacity virtualized by year-end.

Premier League giants take baby steps toward digital economy

If you’ve ever been on any sports’ club website you would be forgiven for thinking these guys are technophobes, but Intel is predicting a new era for sports broadcasting and fan engagement.

AT&T Inks '8-Figure' Kubernetes & OpenStack 5G Deal With Mirantis

The deal is a vindication for network functions virtualization (NFV), OpenStack and Mirantis, all of which have been taking reputation hits recently.

Nokia Replacing Huawei in Vodafone's German Core

Vodafone has turned to Nokia instead of Huawei for some components used in the core of its German network, but insists the decision dates back two years and is unrelated to security issues.

T-Mobile Won't Charge a Premium for 5G

T-Mobile says it won't charge more for 5G plans than it does for 4G. The UnCarrier also expects its multi-mode handsets and service to arrive in the second half of 2019.

T-Mobile to Test Fixed Wireless Broadband Using LTE by This Summer

Despite initially criticizing the fixed wireless opportunity, T-Mobile now says it will test an in-home broadband service using LTE in the coming months in order to prepare for 5G and its merger with Sprint.

Podcast: Tacos, Telcos & Trouble

T-Mobile is giving its customers a free taco every week. Should it also give them a roll of toilet paper? Also, and completely unrelated, what if Huawei does invent a must-have device for 5G networks – and we can't buy it in the US?

Charter Might Paint Its Home Gateways & Devices 'Prpl'

MSO said to be giving serious consideration to open source software stack amid discussions on how to establish a degree of coexistence between Prpl and RDK-B.

T-Mobile's New Home TV Service to Launch in First Half of 2019

Rebranded, 'reimagined' pay-TV offering, originally expected to debut by year-end 2018, will tie into T-Mobile's home broadband plans.

AT&T Inks '8-Figure' Kubernetes & OpenStack 5G Deal With Mirantis

The deal is a vindication for network functions virtualization (NFV), OpenStack and Mirantis, all of which have been taking reputation hits recently.

Can 5G Backhaul Itself?

5G is only as fast as the backhaul from the tower that it's broadcasted from. But can 5G also replace the fiber backhaul connections that service those towers?

Ahead of 5G, or a RAZR Reboot, Motorola Unveils New Low-Cost 4G Phones

Motorola launches its new G7 family of LTE phones, priced between $199 to $299.

Verizon Doubles Down on Mobile 5G in Millimeter Wave Spectrum

While other operators are planning widescale coverage with mobile 5G using spectrum below 6GHz, Verizon appears to be placing a big bet on spectrum much higher than that.

Swisscom Capex to Dip as Radiation Laws Delay 5G Rollout

Switzerland risks falling behind other countries in 5G because of restrictive laws about radiation limits, the Swiss incumbent's annual report shows.

Eurobites: Italian Govt Denies Reports of Planned Huawei, ZTE 5G Ban

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: 'No-deal' Brexit and the right to roam like at home; more 5G testing from Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom; Ericsson targets critical communications.

MWC 2019: Ovum's Key IoT Trends

As the IoT market shifts further from proofs of concept to real deployments, Ovum's IoT expert Alexandra Rehak talks about the key IoT trends, such as new business models and data management, that she'll be discussing in Barcelona.

Europe set to impose upload filters on nearly all websites

After a brief interruption it’s business as usual for the EU Copyright Directive, with Article 13 set to go ahead and oblige websites to adopt burdensome content filters.

If you thought your January was tough, Vodafone Idea just lost 35mn subs

Most people consider January one of the worst months of the year, but Vodafone Idea could potentially trump your misery after reporting a year-on-year decline of 35 million subscriptions.

Headcount: The Latest in Firings, Hirings, and Retirings — February 6, 2019

VMware loses one executive and gains another from Oracle; Puppet gets a new CEO.

Ciena sends Blue Planet out on its own

Ciena followed through on its previously announced plan to make its Blue Planet software stack a more independent division.

Huawei answers UK parliament’s security questions

In its latest bid to get US allies to chill out Huawei wrote to the UK parliament to address a bunch of concerns it had expressed about security.

Google, Charter argue CBA sale would inevitably lead to lawsuits

Google and Charter say a plan by satellite operators to sell C-band spectrum for 5G would lead to lawsuits and delay the availability of the spectrum.

What’s the point of Virgin Media’s latest broadband speed claim?

Virgin Media has claimed it can now deliver 8 Gbps broadband, but you have to ask whether there is any point aside from satisfying executive’s egos as the ‘faster than you’ mentality undermines the industry.

U.S. tries to thwart Huawei in Europe, too

Since the U.S. and European nations are military allies, if the networks in Europe are compromised, that could affect U.S. security as well.

Huawei and ZTE Face New Bans and Legislation

Huawei and ZTE's list of woes continue as Germany, Canada, Poland, and the U.S. all appear to be working to impose new bans.

Amazon Web Services tops banner year for cloud providers

Same song, different verse for Amazon Web Services as it continues to be the market leader in the cloud services sector, according to a report.

Ericsson opens new 5G training facility in Texas

Ericsson earlier this week held a grand opening and tour of its new 5G skills training center in Lewisville, Texas.

6WIND Snares Another Former Brocade vRouter Customer

JHComp, an ISP based in the Czech Republic, migrated from its legacy Vyatta vRouters to the 6WIND platform without having to reconfigure its SuperMicro white boxes.

Red Hat gives thanks for Turkcell virtualization win

Turkish operator Turkcell has launched a virtualization platform called Unified Telco Cloud that’s based on Red Hat’s OpenStack Platform.

T-Mobile claims merger with Sprint will boost 5G speeds 4-6x

In a new prospectus, T-Mobile detailed its vision for 5G and made some claims about what it can achieve as a combined company with Sprint.

Google Goes All In on Confidential Computing

The cloud giant wants the rest of the industry to get behind its open source confidential computing framework. And it launched a $15K challenge to accelerate this technology.

ETSI unveils new standard for NFV templates

While there are several anchors on the adoption of NFV architectures, standardizing VNFs has been one of the weightier issues.

Report: Merchant silicon will dominate data center switch market

White box and traditional switch vendors are driving the use of merchant silicon in data switches to new heights, according to a report.

Fujitsu SDN and Optical Transport Stitched Into Shaw’s Canadian Fiber Net

The Fujitsu components are layered on top of a previous Shaw coax upgrade to provide network speeds in excess of 1 Gb/s.

CBRS aims for full commercial service in Q3

The temporary shutdown of the FCC last month put a damper on the rushto get Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) equipment certified.

CommScope debuts new 3.5 GHz gear

CommScope is introducing 3.5 GHz-capable antennas for macro and small cells, serving customers in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

Fortinet Introduces Intent-Based Next-Gen Firewalls

This approach provides a granular level of security control by matching functionality to specific use cases and business requirements.

vArmour Closes $44M Series E, Pushes Multi-Cloud Compliance

CEO Tim Eades won’t comment on his company’s valuation. But he says the investment puts it on track for an IPO and profitability within the next 12 to 18 months.

US Senate bill reintroduced to bring heat back on ZTE

US senators from both parties have re-introduced a bill to hold ZTE accountable in spite of the deal reached with the US government last summer.

Turkcell deploys 1 Tbps virtualized network to 35M subscribers

Turkcell and Affirmed Networks just deployed one of the largest virtualized mobile networks in the EMEA region.

Analyst on Why CES Left a 'Bad Taste'

Aditya Kaul, research director focused on artificial intelligence and robotics at Tractica, returned from CES with a 'bad taste' left by an overload of gimmicks and lack of substance.

NCTA CEO: Time to Break Net Neutrality's 'Infinite Loop'

Michael Powell to testify that it's high time for Congress to step in with long-term, enforceable rules that put a stop to the pendulum swings of each new FCC.

And the 5G Winners Are… the Telcos – LR Poll

Network service providers come out on top of a Light Reading poll that asked respondents who stands to profit most from the rollout of 5G technology.

Why CES Left a 'Bad Taste' – Analyst

Aditya Kaul, Research Director at Tractica focused on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, returned from CES with a 'bad taste' left by an overload of gimmicks and lack of substance.

T-Mobile's Legere Calls Dish a Spectrum Hoarder

Dish has aims to build a national, stand-alone 5G network, but T-Mobile isn't buying it. But some analysts believe T-Mobile's attacks on Dish might tie to concerns over its ability to close its merger with Sprint.

Huawei Pledges $2B to Address Security Concerns, Appease the Brits

Addressing security concerns, including those of the UK establishment, will take up to five years and a few billion, says the president of Huawei's carrier business group, as the company fights against a Brit backlash.

Masergy Extends LAN Invasion With Managed WiFi Incursion

Masergy is launching a managed WiFi service to help enterprises unify and secure WAN and LAN from a single console.

Why CES Left a 'Bad Taste' – AI Analyst

Aditya Kaul, Research Director at Tractica focused on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, returned from CES with a 'bad taste' left by an overload of gimmicks and lack of substance.

Eurobites: Germany Holds 'Huaweigate' Summit

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: MLL Telecom and CityFibre make WAN hay in Constable Country; Colt appoints new exec to pitch connectivity services to mobile operators; Spotify's Q4 figures sound better than Maroon 5.

TalkTalk's OSS Rationalization

Heavy Reading's James Crawshaw talks to the team at UK operator TalkTalk about their efforts to revamp their all-important support systems.

Windstream Winds Up New TV Streaming Service

Starts to roll upgraded, app-based 'Kinetic TV' offering with MobiTV as Windstream prepares to distance itself from legacy platform powered by Mediaroom.

Cisco Brings Cloud, Edge & Enterprise Together for New Service Revenues

Turkcell Races to Network Virtualization Deadline

Turkcell had bold plans to virtualize 40% of its network by 2019. How's it doing?

Turkcell Leaps to Huawei's Defense

Turkish mobile operator describes claims against Huawei as 'uncorroborated' and says it will continue its relationship with the Chinese vendor.

VMware Buys AetherPal for Remote Device Support

VMware is looking to AetherPal to help telcos and enterprises manage proliferating end-devices, including PCs, mobile and ruggedized equipment in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, retail and other locations.

Europe pats US internet giants on the head for being good censors

In just the third year of the EU’s Orwellian online speech purge it looks like the major platforms are largely submitting to its will.

France takes on Apple in tax dispute… and wins

The French government has bagged a win in its quest to hold Silicon Valley accountable to fair and reasonable taxation rules with €500 million secured from Apple.

Nvidia Teams Up With Colocation Providers on AI

The chipmaker initially partnered with nine North American data center operators, but “the goal is to expand it globally,” Nvidia’s Tony Paikeday says.

Netsurion updates SD-WAN branch offering

SD-WAN vendor Netsurion announced today that it has refreshed its software-defined branch solution.

Elliott strengthens its position at TIM

Vivendi wants Italian operator TIM to have a special meeting to choose new board members, but its auditors don’t agree.

GSMA set for crisis meeting at MWC over Huawei bans – report

GSMA Director General Mats Granryd has reportedly been writing to members to set up a meeting on the side-lines of Mobile World Congress to discuss what to do about further Huawei bans.

Former FCC commissioner advising T-Mobile on Sprint merger

Mignon Clyburn, a Democrat and former FCC commissioner with close ties to public interest groups, is now a paid consultant for T-Mobile.

Google Cloud sees uptick in deals greater than $100M

Google Cloud Platform continues to be one of Alphabet’s-fastest growing units. And most new hires during Q4 2018 were for its Google Cloud business.

Utilities, tech firms form alliance for private IoT networks

A group of companies representing telecom equipment vendors, spectrum licensees and utilities have formed an alliance to develop private broadband networks.

AWS Remains Dominant Player in Growing Cloud Market, SRG Reports

Smaller rivals Microsoft, Google, Alibaba, and IBM if combined would be about equal to AWS' market share. And they are taking market share from smaller players.

T-Mobile’s pricing commitment backfires, unifies critics

T-Mobile and Sprint are trying to dampen efforts to block their proposed merger by making a new pledge to maintain or cut prices for three years.

Committee Democrats tell Pai to stop being so horrid

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has received a scalding letter from House Committee on Energy and Commerce effectively telling him to play nicer with poor people and Democrats.

Spectra Taps Versa Networks to Deliver Managed SD-WAN in India

Versa has now signed managed service provider agreements with more than 80 global providers.

BT publishes report that concludes it’s great

A new report commissioned by BT has concluded that it’s really important for the UK economy. Imagine BT’s surprise.

Microsoft teams up with Dell EMC for 'tactical edge' services

Microsoft has forged a partnership with Dell EMC to provision cloud services to the "tactical edge" for U.S. government customers.

Extreme Networks Moves Into Edge Device Security With Defender for IoT

It’s a smart move for the networking vendor. Gartner estimates that 20.4 billion connected things will be in use by organizations worldwide by 2020.

Google investors slightly spooked by free-spending execs

Revenues might well be booming again at Google, but it seems shareholders are slightly concerned by increased costs, which is one of the fastest growing columns in the spreadsheet.

Cisco Snaps Up Singularity Networks to Bolster Network Automation Unit

The company uses agents to find data in virtual machines (VMs), routers, firewalls, and switches in an organization's data center and clouds. It will become part of Cisco’s Crosswork Network Automation portfolio.

Dell EMC Boosts Multi-Cloud Data Protection, Remote Office Management

The company expanded data protection with new and enhanced features to its Data Domain and Integrated Data Protection Appliance (IDPA) products.

Netsurion Upgrades Its SD-WAN With a Unified Network Management, Security Orchestration Platform

Netsurion’s BranchSDO platform is the company’s natural evolution of its SD-WAN service. “What’s next for SD-WAN is really removing the handcuffs off of the branch and allowing this resilient, agile security solution that also delivers...

Netsurion Replaces Its SD-WAN With a Unified Network Management, Security Orchestration Platform

Netsurion’s BranchSDO platform is the company’s natural evolution of its SD-WAN service. “What’s next for SD-WAN is really removing the handcuffs off of the branch and allowing this resilient, agile security solution that also delivers...

Disney's Direct-to-Consumer Effort Isn't Coming Cheap

Disney's DTC and international efforts see losses widen in fiscal Q1, but CEO Bob Iger calls investment a 'bet on the future of our business.'

Virgin Media, Arris Test 8-Gig Symmetrical Speeds

Trial to involve about 50 homes will use Arris E6000 chassis outfitted with 10-Gig EPON line card and DOCSIS-based provisioning.

Super Bowl LIII Streams Draw Average Audience of 2.6M

There were some hiccups, but CBS's streams of the big game, underpinned by a multi-CDN strategy, seemed to hold up well.

Ericsson Opens Largest Training Center in US for – You Guessed It – 5G

Ericsson, the largest supplier of wireless networking equipment in the US, just opened its largest training center in the country to make sure there are enough people who know how to install its 5G equipment.

Re-Ingenu: An IoT Startup Is Born Yet Again

Can a new management team touting a bold new business plan persuade investors to give the IoT startup another chance?

CPU Selection for uCPE Is About More Than Architecture

ADVA's Prayson Pate looks at the key considerations when selecting the compute foundations for universal CPE.

The Right Insight to the Right Person at the Right Time

Accurate, dependable data is at the heart of successful digital transformation programs, writes SevOne's VP of Strategic Allianc Tom Griffin.

The Telecoms.com Podcast: Huawei, Nokia & GDPR

Huaweigate, Nokia numbers, GDPR and much, much more. (Well, a bit more.)

Google Signals Telecom & Media Ambitions, Taps Discovery CTO to VP Spot

Honeycutt is a 15-year veteran at Discovery; his role at Google is VP Telecom, Media & Entertainment but the specifics are mysterious.

Eurobites: Beeline Beefs Up BSS With Amdocs in Russia

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: VEON to buy remaining shares in GTH subsidiary; Zain taps Nokia's massive MIMO; Danes expel Huawei pair.

MWC 2019: Ovum on the 5G Device Buzz

Smartphone expert and Ovum senior analyst Daniel Gleeson says 5G devices, and foldable displays, will take center stage on device stands in Barcelona, but it will likely be 2020 at the earliest before Apple joins the 5G device fray.

Cisco calls for US GDPR rollout

In a move which might make the networking giant quite unpopular on the US side of the pond, Cisco’s Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Mark Chandler has called for a US version of GDPR.

Fixed wireless: It’s not just for urban densification

Fixed wireless could also bring broadband to rural areas that have never had any internet service.

Report: Cloud and digital service providers fuel ICT spending

Despite blowback from a trade war with China and a slowing global economy, business spending on ICT will continue to flourish, according to a report.

Ericsson joins O-RAN alliance after completing MediaKind divestment

Ericsson has announced a couple of pieces of corporate housekeeping that could symbolise the end of one era and the start of a new one.

AI and machine learning will push digital transformations: report

When it comes to enabling enterprises' digital transformations, AI and ML hold the most immediate promise, according to IHS Markit.

Jio claims another scalp as RCom is down and out

Reliance Communications has arguably gotten the sharpest end of the Jio stick over the last couple of years, but it seems the misery is finally over as the firm files for bankruptcy.

Dell EMC Brings the Tactical Azure Stack to the Edge

This was one of several announcements Microsoft made today to boost its cloud and edge capabilities for its U.S. government customers.

Ericsson Jumps On the O-RAN Alliance Bandwagon

The Swedish vendor will focus its O-RAN Alliance efforts on the open connections between the RAN and network orchestration and automation.

Industrial IoT vendor CoreTigo raises $10M from Qualcomm, others

CoreTigo, an industrial wireless IoT communications company, raised $10 million in an investment round led by Qualcomm Ventures and Sierra Ventures.

Ericsson joins O-RAN Alliance

Ericsson has joined the O-RAN Alliance, a group of telecom companies working to change radio access network (RAN) architecture and orchestration.

Microsoft to make the gaming experience device-agnostic

Microsoft is about to launch a cross-platform developer kit which will allow the Xbox service, and content on the platform, to be integrated Android, iOS and Switch devices.

T-Mobile network outperforms the rest at Super Bowl

T-Mobile’s cellular network had the fastest performance during the Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to Speedtest.

Symantec CFO to Leave on a High Note

Nicolas Noviello joined Symantec following its $4.65 billion acquisition of his old firm Blue Coat in 2016.

5G SA Architecture is Financially Superior to NSA, IHS White Paper Claims

The report, which was sourced by ZTE, does admit that its findings aren’t likely to change the minds of many operators.

Verizon’s MEC gear gives it an ‘edge’ in latency

Verizon’s engineers have successfully tested edge computing on a live 5G network in Houston—achieving 15 milliseconds’ worth of latency, which is significantly…

CenturyLink Discover New Phase of TheMoon IoT Botnet Targeting ISPs

The initial botnet actor sold the proxy botnet as a service to other attackers who then used it for credential brute forcing, video advertisement fraud, and general traffic obfuscation.

Marek’s Take: Will fixed 5G be a broadband savior?

AT&T’s CEO says he is convinced fixed 5G will be a game changer for home broadband services in the next 3 to 5 years.  

Google Doubles Capex to $25.46B, Mostly on Data Centers & Offices

In quarterly earnings, Alphabet says Google Cloud is doing great, but it won't provide specifics. And revenue-wise, Google is still an ad company.

Harmonic Touts Progress With Virtualized & Distributed Cable Network Deployments

First wave of virtualized CCAP deployments centered on small and midsized MSOs as larger cable ops begin to turn hard on distributed access architectures, CEO says.

Looking Beyond 5G Phones

Although much of the wireless industry is focused on how 5G might be integrated into phones, some are looking beyond that opportunity to enterprise networks and autonomous cars.

Cable Next-Gen Is Calling

Could our Cable Next-Gen Tech event make your cable dreams come true? Or are we just being delusional?

Who Won the Super Bowl Speed Game? It Depends on Who You Ask

Yes, the Patriots trounced the Rams last night at the Super Bowl, but two competing network performance reports don't offer nearly that kind of clarity about which wireless network operator offered the fastest network at the event.

RCom to File for Insolvency

RCom once challenged for market leadership in the Indian telecom sector. Now it is seeking bankruptcy protection.

RJio vs Airtel – India's Changing Dynamics

The fortunes of India's telco giants are in marked contrast following one of the most turbulent periods in the country's telecom history.

Eurobites: Altice Set to Sell Stake in Portuguese Cable Unit

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Sunrise in talks to buy Liberty Global's Swiss unit; VEON's new strategy man; more UK trouble in store for Huawei; Nokia takes its Gfast to Japan.

T-Mobile Quietly Sweetens Sprint Merger With Philanthropic Pledge

T-Mobile wooed regulators to approve the Sprint merger by vowing to continue to support Sprint's philanthropic 1Million Project.

Analyst Maps Verizon 5G in Sacramento, Finds 'Pretty Sparse' Coverage

Earl Lum of EJL Wireless Research braved 'dodgy' neighborhoods, dogs and other obstacles to map out what he believes are 99% of the cell sites for Verizon's 5G Home network in Sacramento. His most interesting finding? 10% coverage of the city.

Why Ericsson Is Joining the ORAN Alliance

The ORAN Alliance is supposed to be about ending the dominance of the big kit vendors in the radio access network. So why has the Swedish equipment giant just become a member?

Intel breaks out drones for Super Bowl

Intel used 150 enhanced Intel Shooting Star drones to bring the first live drone light show to the Super Bowl.