SDxCentral’s Top 10 Articles — December 2020

Check out our top 10 articles for December 2020 covering the SDxCentral universe of SDN, NFV, and related topics. Rankings are based on unique visitors aggregated during the month.

IoT sensors and software help move COVID-19 vaccines

Telematics and cloud-based analytics can give shippers and pharmaceutical companies vital information.

5G RAN spend to exceed LTE in 2021

5G expected to account for more than half of all RAN investments in 2021, according to Omdia.

Rakuten Mobile can lay claim to disrupter-of-the-year

Japan's innovative mobile network play has made solid progress on its open RAN journey, but more industry work is needed to silence the doubters.

SDxCentral's Top 10 Articles of 2020

Despite the enduring chaos 2020 threw down, technology kept communities connected, businesses afloat, and tethered us to some semblance of stability. Here’s our list of the 10 most read articles of 2020, covering the SDxCentral universe of SDN, NFV, and related topics. Rankings are based on unique visitors aggregated during the year.

Cisco, VMware, Nutanix Among Biggest Tech Battles of 2020

The world’s biggest technology vendors’ battles over market share, rankings, and overall bragging rights continued in 2020, and this year the feuds stretched from the clouds to court and even to a galaxy far, far away. We saw Cisco and VMware duel over SD-WAN, while Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise moved beyond hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) to cloud-delivered everything. However, the ongoing VMware-Nutanix feud stole the show with VMware filing an 11th-hour lawsuit against the new Nutanix CEO with just three days left until 2021.

Top 10 FierceWireless stories in 2020

What a year it's been.

FCC’s Pai circulates draft NPRM on 12 GHz band

With just a few weeks left in his tenure at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Chairman Ajit Pai circulated to his colleagues a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that, if adopted, would seek comment on whether to allow mobiles services in the 12 GHz band.

FierceTelecom's top-10 stories of 2020

If there is ever a year that can't end fast enough, 2020 is it.

With SpaceX winning RDOF funds, 2021 could be satellite's year

2021 could be the year when the United States finally gets serious about closing the digital divide. And satellite might end up playing a big role.

Daily Roundup: 5 Ransomware Predictions to Ring In 2021

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Activist Investor Implores Intel to Explore External Fabs

Intel is under siege by rival chipmakers, cloud providers, and now its own investors. Activist hedge fund Third Point LLC is pressuring Intel to make strategic changes to its operations, according to a report from Reuters.

Podcast: Fujitsu's Dr. Femi Adeyemi is an open book on open RAN

The Light Reading podcast welcomes Dr. Femi Adeyemi, the head of the wireless business at Fujitsu Network Communications, to talk about the business of open RAN.

Carnegie Mellon built a plug-and-play private LTE network

Federated Wireless' partnership with AWS made it easier and faster for Carnegie's IT team to deploy a private wireless network.

Console yourself: 5G to speed game growth in 2021

2020 broke all the records for mobile game downloads, but 5G, new players, and more app stores will make 2021 exciting to watch, too.

CommScope CTO: Here are the trends I'm watching in 2021

As we climb back out of the pandemic, expect to see lower latency broadband in cable networks, open RAN-fueled 5G rolling out around the globe and AI guiding the systems in smart buildings to peak efficiency.

WiCipedia: Big tech meets Music City

This week in our WiC roundup: A booming tech space in Tennessee; Pinterest employee complaints draw unequal results; something good comes of Amazon's wealth; and more.

5G trends to watch in 2021

Omdia's Chris Nicoll provides an overview of how changes in the core of the mobile network will help 5G networks advance and new services emerge.

5 Ransomware Predictions to Ring In 2021

Ransomware and a red, spiky virus were perhaps the only winners in 2020, and both celebrated a banner year. But while 2021 will (hopefully) usher in mass immunizations against COVID-19 and the beginning of the so-called post-pandemic new normal, ransomware’s not slowing down in the year ahead. By all accounts, it will only get bigger and badder in 2021.

Tier 1 CSPs in driver's seat of edge compute – report

Report notes that CSPs' goal is to capture a true percentage of digital revenue.

Asia's 2020: Covid, Huawei and O-RAN

It was the year of the pandemic, but it was also the year 5G landed, Huawei lost its US chip supply and industry began turning to open RAN.

5 SD-WAN and SASE Predictions for 2021

To say 2020 was a year of surprises is a colossal understatement, but in the SD-WAN and secure access service edge (SASE) spaces, that statement couldn’t have be more accurate.

COVID-19 forces UCC rethink – report

A new report from Omdia says lockdown measures have underlined the importance of business continuity over disaster recovery and shunted unified communications and collaboration (UCC) to the fore of industry thinking.

T-Mobile taps 2020 merger with Sprint to lead in 5G era

The merger of Sprint and T-Mobile, which was first announced in April 2018, finally closed in April of 2020 after two years of wrestling with opponents and negotiating with the U.S. government. 

Industry Voices—Raynovich: Will 2021 get more SASE?

If you are an analyst, jargon and buzzwords can get you in some trouble. For example, when I decided to jump on the SASE (Secure Access Services Edge) train in 2020, a few people grumbled behind the scenes. Is Raynovich selling out to the Gartner propaganda? Let me explain why that matters and also why we jumped on the SASE train—and why we think it has legs. 

Daily Roundup: VMware Slaps Nutanix CEO With Lawsuit

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SAP’s Qualtrics Files IPO Plans

SAP’s Qualtrics division finally moved on its long-simmering initial public offering plans that could value the customer experience management company at more than $14 billion.

1.7 billion smart ho ho home devices in 2021

Smart home gadgets as a sector will grow 32.3% in revenue in 2021, as shared standards feed interoperability and adoption, says Omdia.

AI-driven networks? No longer just talk, says Omdia

Analyst firm says telcos are investing more in AI as they strive for greater automation in service fulfillment and assurance.

CommScope CTO: My 2020 predictions – direct hits and near misses

CommScope's CTO is ready to make some predictions for 2021. But first, he needs to atone for his misses in 2020.

VMware Sues Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramaswami, Alleges ‘Secret Meetings’ While COO

VMware filed a lawsuit against former COO Rajiv Ramaswami who, two days after leaving VMware, joined Nutanix as its CEO.

Cloud-native networking will move from trials to reality in 2021

Wireless network operators are already moving to cloud-native applications, but experts say the industry will see more automation and re-architecting of services in the coming year.

Big Tech Spent Bigger Bucks on Climate Change in 2020

Climate change didn’t take a break for the pandemic – and neither did the technology titans and service providers in their fight to slow the effects of climate change. 

Europe's operators 'to remain under pressure in 2021'

Next year will bring little relief from the need to reduce costs as the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

India in 2020: Chinese vendors, homegrown 5G and more

This past year saw record investment in Indian telcos, as well as two operators choosing to develop their own 5G solution.

What's in store for Huawei in 2021?

For Huawei, 2020 was an even more bruising year than 2019 – so what's coming in 2021? It could all depend on President Biden, the cloud, AI and smart cars.

Hyperscalers Hasten 5G Takeover in 2020

The world’s leading cloud providers hastened their collective rise in mobile operator’s 5G networks and business models throughout 2020.

AT&T’s building hit by Christmas bombing in Nashville

A bomber blasted an AT&T building in Nashville on Christmas Day, and officials are investigating whether he was motivated by a paranoia of 5G, according to The Guardian.

2020 rewind: WFH takes center stage during Covid-19

This year will be remembered for many different (bad) things, but "work-from-home" could be one of the most enduring aspects of 2020.

Chua: Edge computing in 2021 —When elephants dance

Technology pundits and media proclaimed that 2019 would be the year of 5G, then reasserted one year later that 2020 would be THE year. As we wrap up 2020, the same folks declare that 2021 is the year 5G will live up to its hype. 5G used to be the source of national pride. Remember the April 2019 fracas between U.S., China and South Korea MNOs fighting for the mantle of world's first commercial 5G rollout? Today, consumers appeared uninterested, unfazed and confused by the super-hyphenated qualified firsts — "world's-fastest-5G-mid-band-for-consumers-within-100-miles-of-any-U.S.-metro-area-with-more-than-1M-in-population-per-U.S.-2010-census."

2020 opened the curtains on mid-band with CBRS, C-band auctions

With one mid-band spectrum auction completed and a second currently underway and nearing $70 billion in proceeds, 2020 opened the curtains on new mid-band spectrum.  

Pongratz: What comes after the C-Band?

With the U.S. C-Band auction on track to approach or surpass $70 billion, the question is not so much about the investment thesis but more about what this means for future mobile bands. After all, global mobile data traffic has advanced roughly 1,000-fold since the 3G smartphone was introduced. And even though traffic growth rates are slowing, operators need to consider the potential of another 20x of growth over the next decade. Expanding the available capacity will remain essential objectives for any operator that wants to remain competitive.

Daily Roundup: Cisco, VMware Scooped Up Kubernetes Startups in 2020

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VMware Adds Container Security to Carbon Black Cloud

VMware added container security to Carbon Black Cloud, its endpoint and workload security platform.

SK Telecom Debuts AWS Wavelength-Backed Edge Platform

SK Telecom has tapped Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch the carrier’s 5GX Edge platform to support low-latency services.

Monetizing 5G is operators' biggest challenge for 2021 – Omdia

A new report indicates that making money from 5G could well be network operators' biggest challenge as they move into 2021.

Watch out for more 10G PON in 2021 – report

Omdia envisages the next-gen PON market to heat up next year due to greater demand for capacity and ROI attractions of GPON infrastructure reuse.

To Huawei, 2020 gave a brief crown and a trade war

Huawei went from a Q2 briefly as the world's largest smartphone maker, to ending the year cobbling together chips. But don't count Shenzhen out yet.

IBM, Nokia, Cisco Among Vendors That Slashed Jobs in 2020

The past year has been tough on most people, and especially so for those that lost their jobs in 2020. What started out looking like a prosperous year for the SDN and cloud market quickly turned as the COVID-19 pandemic expanded its reach across the world.

Asian 5G: Four things to watch for in 2021

5G made its mass entrance in 2021, with around 135 networks deployed. 2021 is when 5G will start to show commercial chops and evolve networks to standalone.

Gigabit services are gaining ground, says Omdia

Speed may be of the essence, but quality of service is even more important for consumers, points out Omdia.

Will Biden Loosen Restrictions On Chinese Chipmakers?

There is no denying that 2020 has been an exciting year in the semiconductor space. We’ve seen a flurry of high-profile, multi-billion dollar acquisitions and the rise of Arm compute in the data center and PC markets. Oh, and how could I forget a U.S.-China trade war being waged over access to semiconductor technologies.

5G Gains and Wanes in 2020

5G came out screaming in 2020, and ended the year with a relative thud. The year that unraveled and continues to highlight the best and worst in all of us ends with all three major U.S. carriers claiming nationwide 5G coverage. 

Kubernetes-Focused Firms Made Big Targets in 2020

It was good to be a Kubernetes-focused start up in 2020, especially if you were looking to be acquired. And if that focus happened to be in the security space, well then forget about it.

Have we got news for you?

The most popular stories on Telecoms.com show what have caught the industry professionals’ imagination this year. Plus an editor’s note.

US operators have already tabled $70 billion in C-band auction, and will go on

By the final round of bidding of the 3.7GHz spectrum this year, American operators have collectively committed $70 billion. The auction will resume after the new year.

Chinese authorities launch antitrust investigation against Alibaba

China’s competition watchdog is investigating the world’s largest e-commerce company Alibaba on accusations of monopoly behaviours towards merchants.

SKT and AWS Launch the First 5G Edge Cloud Service in Korea

SK Telecom today announced the launch of ‘SKT 5GX Edge,’ the first 5G edge cloud service in Korea, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services. Using AWS Wavelength at the edge of the 5G multi-access edge computing (MEC) networks, SKT 5GX Edge enables customers to build mobile applications that require ultra-low latency.

Here are the new C-band auction estimates

The C-band auction is now projected to reach around $80 billion in total bids. And Verizon, Comcast and Charter are expected to account for the lion's share of that total.

Service providers see more network automation, AI from the core to the edge

Recent examples offered by Verizon and T-Mobile show a wide and growing variety of network automation, with some AI use, as 5G arrives.

Sales soar for TVs, especially bigger ones, in pandemic year

Thanks in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of new TVs are up 19% in the US this year and screens just keep getting bigger, according to new research from NPD Group.

Softbank follows NTT DoCoMo with price cut

Discount war? Softbank has met NTT DoCoMo's move with its own low-cost tariff.

Off Topic: Gary Smith on blending photography, philanthropy

Ciena CEO Gary Smith discusses his photography practice and what life is like in the square frame.

Carriers 'must continue to invest in network software'

The industry is moving toward containerized network functions (CNFs), but Omdia says operators are 'not done with VNFs yet.'

VMware’s Biggest Buys of 2020

VMware’s ravenous appetite for smaller companies continued in 2020 with the software giant announcing seven acquisitions (so far) this year. And we wouldn’t put it past the company to ink another deal or two before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

Quite a year: The changing vendor landscape in India

COVID-19, rising data consumption, tensions with China and the practical departure of Huawei and ZTE means 2021 will a challenge for operators.

C-band nears $70B, rockets above prior US spectrum auctions

Expectations were already high going into the FCC’s auction for C-band spectrum, and bidding reached new levels this week, generating nearly $70 billion in gross proceeds as of Wednesday before heading into a holiday break.

GTT snags $275M in loans as it refiles financial statements

GTT Communications announced it has secured a new $275 million delayed-draw term loan from some of its existing noteholders and lenders.

Lumen CMO: We think differently about fiber than our competitors

While AT&T and Verizon tout the ability of their fiber to provision multiple services and applications, Lumen CMO Shaun Andrews said his company has taken a different approach.

Union backs Frontier's RDOF award in West Virginia

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that asked the FCC to reject West Virginia legislators' attempts to block Frontier Communication from taking part in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).

FTC wants to take a closer look at Nvidia’s Arm deal

The Federal Trade Commission is asking Nvidia to submit more documents as part of its preparation for the competition investigation into the chipmaker’s $40 billion takeover of Arm.

Open RAN gets real, especially in second half of 2020

The open RAN train really started gaining steam in the second half of 2020, especially after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held its Forum on 5G Open Radio Access Networks.

Operator wins and fails for 2020: Lowenstein

Each week, Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, hosts of the terrific Pivot podcast, end an episode with their list of "wins and fails." This feature inspired me to write a column on U.S. operator successes and failures in 2020, as a sort of retrospective on an incredibly unusual year. The industry deserves a lot of credit for navigating the challenges of Covid-19 while still making progress on key initiatives: getting the T-Mobile/Sprint deal done; completing several successful spectrum auctions; and rolling out 5G networks.

Iliad Italia switches on 5G in 27 cities with €10 offer

Emulating its strategy in France, the latest entrant to Italy’s 5G market undercuts its competitors with a €9.99 per month offer.

What is lying in wait for telecoms in 2021?

Observers and practitioners take it on the chin to predict what the telecoms industry may look like in the coming year.

What will 2021 be lying in wait for telecoms?

Observers and practitioners take it on the chin to predict what the telecoms industry may look like in the coming year.

China's harder line on Big Tech

Curbs for China's tech giants have finally landed: They are targets in an antitrust campaign officials call 'preventing the disorderly expansion of capital.'

Nokia names Motley crew member for fixed networks

Finnish vendor confirms Sandra Motley will remain on the payroll, but the roles of Gabriela Styf Sjöman and Bhaskar Gorti remain in doubt.

India announces new rules for telecom gear sourcing

The Indian government has approved the National Security Directive, which will contain a list of trusted sources and products for telecom networks.

Daily Roundup: Cisco Workers ‘Anxious’ About Job Cuts

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Will the C-band auction set up US operators for a European-sized failure?

Sky-high prices for 3G spectrum licenses helped to ruin many European operators after auctions in the 2000s. With $70 billion in current bids, the C-band auction could do the same to US operators.

Orange Helps Siemens Hit 80% SD-WAN Migration

Just in time for the holidays, Orange Business Services announced a major milestone in its nearly $300 million contract to migrate German conglomerate Siemens to an SD-WAN architecture.

Rural US Carriers Secure $1.9B to Rip Out Chinese Equipment

Financial relief is finally on the way for rural U.S. carriers that are required to remove Chinese equipment from their networks.

Podcast: What's the story with Huawei?

Are the Huawei bans working? What will the US do next year to keep China's champion from 5G world domination? Phil Harvey returns to the podcast to give us the latest on Huawei's turbulent year.

McAfee, Citrix, Microsoft Back Ransomware Task Force

A group of security vendors, coalitions, law enforcement agencies, and non-profits are among the founding members of a Ransomware Task Force that will convene in January to address this growing cybersecurity threat.

This Olde Website: 2020

Gather 'round, everyone! It's time for the annual jaunt down the World Wide Web of yesteryear to see how the webmasters of CableLabs, Cisco and Netflix rolled back in the day.

The CableCARD's 'Greatest Hits'

And plenty of misses, too. Here's a look back at the many missteps and wrenching moments that occurred during the lengthy FCC ban on integrated security set-top boxes.

Nokia names Motley crew member for fixed

Finnish vendor confirms Sandra Motley will remain on the payroll, but the roles of Gabriela Styf Sjöman and Bhaskar Gorti remain in doubt.

Cisco, Oracle, IBM Workers ‘Anxious’ About Job Cuts

Cisco, Oracle, and IBM topped a list of companies with employees that constantly feel anxious about losing their jobs, according to a recent survey conducted by Blind and released by job board Dice.

CCA is thrilled with rip & replace reimbursement prospect

The FCC, along with industry groups including the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) applauded Congressional action this week to fund broadband initiatives.

Congress approves $7B for broadband in Covid relief package

Late Monday, Congress approved a coronavirus relief package that includes $7 billion for a flurry of broadband initiatives including broadband access for low-income households, funding the Huawei rip and replace reimbursement program, broadband coverage mapping, and more.

Cisco buys Dashbase to boost observability in AppDynamics

Cisco's buying spree continued with Tuesday's news that its buying enterprise software company Dashbase to blend into its AppDynamics platform. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Report: SD-WAN market will accelerate in 2021

While the SD-WAN market took a slight dip this year due to Covid-19, expect it to ramp up over the next five years, according to research by Dell'Oro Group.

Telecoms reset: Is the Telecom Ecosystem Group the answer?

The telecommunications ecosystem is broken, but there's a move underway by the Telecom Ecosystem Group to rectify, if not completely reset, some of those problems.

CBRS users learn the ins and outs of Spectrum Access Systems

CBRS spectrum is driving interest in private wireless networks for a wide range of users, from utilities to schools to wireless internet service providers. In some ways CBRS is like a more powerful version of Wi-Fi, but there are a few important differences. One major difference is access -- although some users can use the spectrum without paying for a license, all users need to pay for the software that “clears” the spectrum for them. Companies that are using CBRS say getting this part of the process right can be a challenge.

Different shades of spectrum sharing: Mun

All spectrum is fundamentally shared – even the licensed bands. 

Prepaid grabs the spotlight in 2020 via Verizon, Dish

Prepaid doesn’t always get as much attention as its arguably flashier counter segment, postpaid, but during a year that saw more than its share of changes across industries in the face of Covid-19, prepaid stepped into the wireless spotlight with a trio of deals.

Italian competition watchdog probes FiberCop plan

Italy’s antitrust authorities are keen to ensure that the planned creation of a new wholesale fibre network won’t harm competition.

Verizon, Deloitte to co-develop edge computing apps

US telco Verizon Business has partnered with Deloitte in an effort to drive the rollout and adoption of mobile edge computing (MEC) services for enterprises.

Vodafone makes €2.1 billion buyout offer to Kabel Deutschland minority holders

UK-based Vodafone is prepared to pay up to €2.1 billion to end a long-running legal dispute with Kabel Deutschland Group’s (KDG’s) minority shareholders.

China’s biggest chipmaker added to Entity List

SMIC has been formally added to the Entity List by the US Commerce Department, hitting the Chinese chipmaker’s access to American technology and equipment.

Vodafone settles long-running KDG dispute for €2.1 billion

Vodafone Group has made an offer worth €2.1 billion ($2.6 billion) to minority shareholders in Kabel Deutschland, seven years after acquiring the German operator.

Mavenir Pins Open RAN Rise on Radios

Mavenir’s decision to more forcefully become a bonafide supplier of radios isn’t just a natural extension for the company, it’s also a necessary step to fuel growth in the open radio access network (RAN) space at large, according to John Baker, the vendor’s SVP of business development.

Daily Roundup: Arista Adds Awake to Attack Surface Assessment

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China 5G crosses 200M mark as operators prep for SA

China has cruised past the 200 million mark in official 5G subscribers, with China Mobile adding nearly 19 million last month.

WOW! extends Android TV-based service to nearly all subs

Large US cable provider says it has now rolled out its WOW! tv+ video offering to nearly 95% of the homes in its sprawling footprint across the country.

Top 3 Takeaways From Ciena’s Q4 Earnings

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caught many industries off guard, disrupting supply chains, demand, and even where and how we work. The optical transport market and more specifically Ciena was no exception.

Italian regulator launches FiberCop investigation

Italy's inching toward a national broadband operator in a flurry of joint ventures, but its AGCM regulator said it'll have a look at that, thank you.

WarnerMedia closes deal for You.i TV

The big AT&T media unit clinched its purchase of the growing Canadian tech firm, which specializes in software that powers apps and user interfaces for mobile and connected TV devices.

Secureworks Puts Managed Detection and Response in XDR

As a managed security services provider for 20 years, Secureworks brings a services-first point of view to extended detection and response (XDR). Or, as Secureworks Director of Product Management Ed Martin says, “we were XDR before XDR was XDR, because we had to pull all the things together in order to enable our own teams to be successful.”

The top five ways to secure a remote workforce

While most companies understand there are infinite ways to improve security, here are the top ways that every organization should be exploring as they seek to secure their newly remote workforce.

How 5G is pushing the envelope on latency

The proprietary wireless network used by the Drone Racing League supports latency of 5 ms. Top 5G companies are looking to eventually match that.

Cisco Buys Dashbase for AppDynamics Boost

Cisco today said it will acquire Dashbase and roll the startup’s technology into its AppDynamics platform, which provides application performance management and analytics.

Robin.io taps demand for container-based orchestration layer

Robin.io has set its sights on the mobile industry to provide a containerized orchestration layer for their 5G networks.

Google Cloud broadens its global reach with three new regions

Google Cloud announced on Monday that it's opening the doors on three new cloud regions in Germany, Saudi Arabia and Chile.

T-Mobile again advised to stop 5G reliability claims

In what was a partially successful appeal, T-Mobile has been advised by a national advertising review board panel to stop claiming that its 5G service is more reliable than competitors’, but doesn’t have to mention speed when talking up its superior coverage.   

Verizon Business and Deloitte create smart factory system

Verizon Business is working with the professional services company Deloitte to create 5G and mobile edge computing (MEC) solutions, specifically focused on manufacturing and retail. 

IBM feeds its hybrid cloud ambitions with deal to buy Nordcloud

IBM continues to march forward on executing its hybrid cloud plan with a deal to buy European cloud startup Nordcloud. Financial terms of the deal, which is slated to close in the first quarter of next year, weren't disclosed.

Report: Hyperscale operator capex reaches record in Q3

Hyperscale operator capex topped $37 billion in Q3, which easily set a new quarterly record for spending, according to Synergy Research Group (SRG). Total spending for the first three quarters of this year reached $99 billion, which marked a 16% increase over the same period last year.

2020 store closures lead year of upheaval in wireless retail

Between the pandemic closing stores and consumers already shifting their shopping habits to the online world, the wireless retail space saw plenty of upheaval in 2020.

Dear Santa, please deliver these 5 wireless wishes in 2021

With Christmas just a few days away I thought I’d put in a few requests to jolly old Saint Nick and his crew in the North Pole. It’s been a tough year for everyone but now it’s time to look ahead and see what the wireless industry can do to improve itself in 2021. Here’s what I want this holiday season:

Satellite broadband firms make headlines as 2021 launches loom

Satellite broadband services took a step forward in recent days with Germany handing over frequencies to SpaceX and rival player OneWeb launching three dozen new satellites.

Congress earmarks $1.9 billion to remove Huawei and ZTE gear from American networks

The US lawmakers have agreed to include in the coronavirus relief package up to $1.9 billion as reimbursement for American broadband operators to remove Huawei and ZTE equipment from their networks.

Vodafone backtracks on Egypt plan

Vodafone has cancelled a longstanding plan to sell its stake in its Egyptian operation to Saudi Telecom Company (STC).

Microsoft starts developing own chips for datacentres and computers – report

Bloomberg reported that Microsoft has started designing its own processors to be used in cloud systems and Surface computers, reducing its reliance on Intel.

With next-gen communications tech, we can connect everyone

The next generation of wireless technology, 5G communications, is on a path to transform and improve our lives while offering huge opportunities for business, industry, and consumers. This realignment from the digital age into a 5G data-driven one will produce a seismic shift in industry.

C-band reaches $46.5B, passes AWS-3 as biggest spectrum auction ever

With $46.5 billion in gross bids, the C-band spectrum auction has surpassed the AWS-3 spectrum auction in 2015 as America's biggest ever auction of spectrum.

T-Mobile Will Lead US 5G Market, Analyst Firm Predicts

The story of U.S. mobile operators in 2020 is of a T-Mobile US that is soaring, an AT&T that is tanking, and a Verizon that drifted lower, MoffettNathason wrote in its year-end assessment of the market. 

Arista Plugs Awake Into Attack Surface Assessment

Arista Networks today announced a threat hunting and incident response service that uses technology from its Awake Security acquisition earlier this year.

JoongAng Group Taps Juniper in Network Overhaul

South Korean media conglomerate JoongAng Group today announced it tapped Juniper Networks’ Mist platform to overhaul its wired and wireless network across its two locations in Seoul.

Daily Roundup: VMware Denies SolarWinds Security Hack Link

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Congress allots $2B to replace Huawei equipment

US lawmakers are devoting $1.9 billion to replace Huawei and ZTE equipment, part of a bill which also helps minority and low-income groups get online.

Cisco’s SVP of Security Jumps Ship for Google Anthos

Longtime Cisco executive Jeff Reed has left the company and accepted a position at Google as VP of product for Anthos, the cloud provider’s hybrid cloud platform. His departure comes just four months after taking over as SVP of security at Cisco where he was, until recently, heading up the company’s emerging secure access service edge (SASE) platform.

With Amazon leading, happy holidays predicted for connected TV device sales

In a new report, Strategy Analytics predicts that global sales of connected TV devices will hit a record high of more than 111 million units in Q4.

Verizon's CTO: 'I don't know what the hell 6G is'

Verizon's CTO Kyle Malady said that the operator is working to enhance 5G, and that he currently sees no reason to begin focusing on what's next.

Open RAN has missed the 5G boat, says Three UK boss

The new-fangled network technology has arrived too late to be a part of 5G plans for many operators, says Robert Finnegan.

Hyperscalers Set $99B Capex Record, Says Synergy

Hyperscalers dropped some serious dough in the first three quarters of 2020 — $99 billion to be exact — up 16% from 2019, according to the latest numbers from Synergy Research Group (SRG). 

VMware Denies Its Software Used in SolarWinds Hack

VMware said its buggy products that were exploited by Russian state-sponsored hackers were not used in the SolarWinds supply chain attack.

Oracle, Cybereason Stretch Security From Endpoints to Cloud

Oracle and Cybereason today announced a partnership that will see the cloud provider sell Cybereason’s endpoint security platform, which is optimized for delivery via Oracle’s global cloud regions. Additionally, Cybereason selected Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) as its preferred cloud to support its global expansion.

Verizon Product Chief Reflects on 2020 Scramble

Verizon is closing out 2020 with a sprint. The operator, in the span of a few days last week, expanded its low-band 5G network to reach a potential population of 230 million people, said its millimeter-wave (mmWave) 5G network is now live in parts of 61 U.S. cities, revealed an on-premises private 4G LTE service for enterprises, expanded a partnership with SAP, inked a multi-year deal with Walgreens Boot Alliance, and launched an IoT Managed Services platform.

AT&T Avoided COVID-19 Crush With Virtualization

AT&T avoided more vexing challenges this year as traffic shifted and spiked during the global pandemic due in large part to its ongoing effort to virtualize its network, according to one of the operator’s network leaders.

T-Mobile launches LBR, NG911 for better 911 response times

T-Mobile announced that it’s the first U.S. wireless operator to launch Location-Based Routing (LBR) and Next Generation 911 (NG911) capabilities, thereby speeding responses to 911 calls.

Verizon turns up private LTE platform for enterprise

Verizon is making moves on private wireless, debuting an LTE-based network platform for enterprise customers in the U.S.

AT&T teams with Purdue on 5G R&D lab

AT&T has teamed with Purdue College of Engineering to create a 5G research and development testbed. The lab opened Thursday with a virtual event and its first 5G demonstration.

Qualcomm powers FastWeb’s 5G fixed wireless CPE in Italy

Italian telecom operator FastWeb is geared up to commercially launch its 5G fixed wireless access service in 50 cities in Italy by year’s end, with customer premises equipment using Qualcomm’s X55 platform.

Editor's Corner—Danielle Royston is winning the prediction race

This time of the year always leads to a massive influx of predictions for the following year in ye olde email inbox, but Danielle Royston is the frontrunner so far.

Charter doubles up internet starting speed to 200 Mbps

After posting robust broadband subscriber adds this year, Charter isn't giving its competitors much breathing room.

Russia implicated in massive cyber-attacks on American government agencies

Russia is suspected to be behind a sustained cyber campaign against multiple U.S. government agencies by compromising a piece of software from SolarWinds.

Ericsson bags 5G SA deal with Singtel

Singapore is closer to getting proper, next stage 5G services after Singtel picked Ericsson for its standalone 5G deployment.

Samsung and IBM team up to tap private 5G opportunities

The two tech giants are collaborating to develop new edge computing, cloud, and private 5G solutions targeted at the enterprise market.

Openreach to hire 5,300 engineers, roll out EV fleet

BT’s infrastructure unit Openreach will recruit thousands of engineers next year as it ramps up its full fibre rollout.

Enel OKs €2.7bn Open Fiber sale to Macquarie

Italy has taken another step towards realising its dream of having a single, nationwide fibre network.

EU gives go-ahead to Google’s Fitbit deal, with strings attached

The European Commission has approved Google’s plan to acquire Fitbit after deeming the search giant’s commitments have satisfied competition and consumer protection requirements.

US smacks SMIC and keeps the heat on Huawei

The latest addition to the Commerce Department's Entity List is the same firm that Huawei was looking to turn to after it lost a key smartphone components supplier earlier this year.

Microsoft Reportedly Developing Custom Silicon for Azure

In what can only be described as a warning to Intel, Microsoft is developing its own silicon for use in its cloud data centers and consumer focused Surface products, according to a Bloomberg report.

Google Gifts CNCF $3M Holiday Bonus

Google forked over a $3 million holiday present to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) that builds on a past commitment and could further smooth over what has been a tense year between the two organizations.

Italy's TIM slapped with fine over universal service failure

Penalty levied by the regulator shows that every second counts when it comes to fulfilling universal service obligations.

Italy closer to having national broadband operator

Enel agreed to sell Macquarie a 40% to 50% stake in Open Fiber, getting Italy closer to mashing together a single national fast broadband operator.

Daily Roundup: Trump Cuts Off China’s Top Chipmaker

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C-band on track to be America's biggest spectrum auction ever

The fact that bidders have so far put up $25 billion in total bids appears to reflect a widespread belief that 5G will ultimately be worth it.

Sweden's 5G auction back on

Auction of 3.5GHz and 2.3GHz frequencies to start on January 19 after court of appeal overrules injunction granted to Huawei.

Trump Cuts Off China's Top Chipmaker

In the final throws of its presidency, the Trump Administration isn’t backing down on its tech war with China. The Wall Street Journal reported today that the U.S. Commerce Department banned the export of U.S. intellectual property related to semiconductor manufacturing over Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp’s (SMIC) alleged ties to the Chinese military.

WiCipedia: Are ethics in AI a losing game?

This week in our WiC roundup: The future of ethics in AI; why minorities don't want to stay in tech; pandemic's effects on women at work; and more.

Pentagon puts 5G at center of US military's communications future

The US military is working to build its own IoT platform to 'increase lethality.' According to a wide range of top Pentagon officials, 5G is at the center of the effort.

HPE Wins HCI Upset, But Dell Remains King

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) pulled a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) upset and beat out Nutanix for the No. 2 spot in IDC’s quarterly market tracker for branded HCI systems. Dell Technologies, per usual, won the No. 1 spot in the quarterly ranking. However, for the second consecutive quarter both Dell’s and Nutanix’s revenues declined during the third quarter of 2020, while HPE’s grew twenty-five times faster than the overall market with 16.3% year-over-year revenue growth.

Windstream steps to SASE by integrating SRA with its WE portal

Windstream Enterprise has integrated its secure remote access (SRA) user capabilities into its WE Connect portal as part of its move to a SASE offering.

Irony Alert: What if China taps open RAN to breach networks?

The presence of Chinese companies in open-source radio access network (RAN) groups, such as the O-RAN Alliance, could pose a security threat to networks, says telecom consultant John Strand.

Lumen tees-up private cloud, multi-tenant services at the edge

After rolling out bare metal services on its edge compute nodes, Lumen is teeing up private cloud and multi-tenant solutions for launch in Q1.

Verizon expands nationwide 5G to 230M people

Verizon announced today that an additional 24 million customers now have access to its nationwide 5G network, which it launched back in October using dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) technology.

Nokia names former Ericsson exec as new CTO

Nokia on Thursday named Nishant Batra as the Finnish telecom equipment vendor’s new technology and strategy chief.

ServiceNow integrates with EXFO for network visibility

ServiceNow and EXFO team up on a combined solution that offers service providers end-to-end visibility into their networks while also automating service assurance.

Germany all but says “Nein!” to Huawei

New IT security law proposed by Angela Merkel’s cabinet gives the country’s security authority more power to exclude suppliers it deems posing threat to Germany’s critical information systems.

AWS corrals an agreement with T-Systems for cloud migrations

T-Systems has expanded its collaboration with Deutsche Telekom's T-Systems to accelerate cloud migrations for T-Systems' customers.

TalkTalk in £1.1 billion private takeover, Dunstone stays

TalkTalk has agreed to a £1.1 billion takeover bid from a pair of investment firms that will see it delisted from the stock exchange.

Three UK reports 50 percent surge in mobile data usage

UK MNO Three said on Thursday that data traffic on its network has risen by 50 percent this year, with average monthly data usage per customer topping 15 GB for the first time in October.

Nokia talks new strategy, round two

The Finnish telecoms vendor has provided more details about its new strategy and operating mode, which were first unveiled in October.

Standalone 5G core security: Standards multiplicity and key management singularity

SPONSORED: Heavy Reading's research confirms that effective 5G security strategies will encompass multiple standards and single key management.

Comcast lights up 'Stream' app for Amazon Fire TV devices

Cable operator's pay-TV app hits another major streaming platform, building on tie-ins with Roku, Samsung, LG Electronics and Google's Chromecast adapters.

Cisco broadband CTO broadens his scope

John Chapman's focus has extended to PON, 5G and fixed wireless, but he'll 'always be a cable guy at heart.'

Microsoft CAPZ Drives More Kubernetes Control

Microsoft launched a more complete Kubernetes tool to manage clusters on its Azure infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) that its open source team recommends as a replacement for the existing AKS Engine offering. The Cluster API Provider for Azure (CAPZ) also takes a step back from what has been a more abstracted view for managing container clusters on public cloud infrastructure.

Rancher Labs Harvests ‘No Knowledge Required’ Kubernetes HCI

The open source cowboys at Rancher Labs launched a new project called Harvester, an open source hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) software built using Kubernetes. 

Is Nokia Heading For a Split?

When Nokia’s three-year turnaround plan formally kicks off in two weeks, every area of its business will be under heightened pressure to grow and prove technology leadership in their respective segments.

Cisco Cuts 3,500 Jobs Since Start of COVID-19

Cisco confirmed to at least two news outlets that it laid off about 3,500 employees since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic despite CEO Chuck Robbins’ pledge in April to not cut any jobs because of the pandemic.

Daily Roundup: IBM Rolls Out Next-Gen Encryption

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Really Fast Optical Tech Shipments To Triple in 2021, Dell'Oro Predicts

A new wave of high-speed coherent optical capable are expected gain widespread adoption in 2021, according to Dell’Oro analyst Jimmy Yu.

Telia Carrier leans on pluggable optics for a simpler network

The wholesale carrier said it will use routing platforms that support 400G pluggable optics to build a faster, more manageable network.

Some X1 devices aren't compatible with CBS All Access and HBO Max

Certain older X1 models currently don't work with recently integrated streaming apps such as CBS All Access and HBO Max, but Comcast is giving subs a quick, no-cost upgrade path as it works to bridge the gap.

Mirantis, Platform9 Tackle On-Prem Silos

Whether enterprises are orchestrating workloads in on-premises data centers or servers in edge locations, the full potential of running containers in the cloud remains to be seen as bare metal management is manual, slow, siloed, and expensive. But, in the final weeks of a very long march, Mirantis and Platform9 have given enterprises something to smile about, as each of the vendors released their own versions of fully-managed, bare metal orchestration platforms. 

TalkTalk to be taken private for $1.5B

Head honchos at UK broadband provider agree non-binding deal with Toscafund Asset Management, Penta Capital that will see it delist from the London Stock Exchange.

India to hold 4G spectrum auction in March 2021

Authorities are selling a huge amount of spectrum for the first time since market consolidation left India with just three big players.

Texas v Google: Ten states sue Google for antitrust

Ten US states have sued Google for unlawful efforts to quash competition in ad auctions, including a secret agreement with Facebook.

China targeting US users through mobile network security flaws

China is taking advantage of vulnerabilities in 3G and 4G networks to track US mobile users, according to research.

China's role in open RAN is a looming problem

The involvement of so many Chinese firms in the O-RAN Alliance raises some awkward questions for policymakers.

Verizon Business mixes Silver Peak into SD-WAN flavor profile

Silver Peak has a number of other features that Verizon hopes will appeal to customers including improved management and access to cloud applications.

Eurobites: Nokia appoints new head of strategy

Also in today's epoch-closing EMEA regional roundup: Swisscom's fiber rollout under investigation; ADVA plays a part in German open RAN trial; Prysmian touts teeny-weeny fiber.

Linux Foundation’s DENT Switch OS Gets Galactic Debut

The Linux Foundation’s disaggregated enterprise edge and campus switching platform, DENT, is now available.

Germany sets high barriers for Huawei with new security bill

After years of wrangling, ministers agree on a bill that will not ban specific vendors but will make it much harder for them to meet security standards.

IBM Rolls Out Next-Gen Encryption for Hybrid Cloud Security

IBM Security’s new service allows customers to try out fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), an emerging technology that the vendor says will improve hybrid cloud security as customers move data to the cloud or between multiple clouds and on-premises locations.

Nokia CEO comments on Verizon relationship

It’s been widely assumed that Nokia lost a $6.6 billion 5G contract with Verizon this fall, when the U.S. carrier instead chose Samsung. Nokia’s CEO Pekka Lundmark addressed the Verizon relationship today when we was giving a Nokia investor relations update.

Verizon’s 5G fixed wireless in the cards for some Walgreens

Verizon on Wednesday announced a major Network as a Service (NaaS) agreement for integrated network services at more than 9,000 Walgreens and Duane Reed-branded retail stores across the country.

Bidding rounds reveal clues in C-band auction: Kellogg

A week into the C-band auction, bidding is off to a strong start, reaching more than $10.5 billion. With 5G deployments in full-swing, the 280 MHz of mid-band licenses being offered sit directly in the “goldilocks zone” that straddles attractive propagation characteristics and reasonably sized 20 MHz licenses large enough for a meaningful difference in capacity and speed for 5G, especially if a winner gets more than one license in a block.

Everstream tops its 2020 goals with its build-and-buy strategy

As 2020 winds down, it's mission accomplished for fiber network provider Everstream. Despite the pandemic, Everstream said on Wednesday that it had exceeded its 2020 network expansion goals that it first announced in January.

3GPP sets new timeline for next 5G specification

3GPP, the global telecommunications standards body, agreed to a new extended timeline for the next 5G specification. Known as Release 17, the schedule now anticipates completion in 2022, with a freeze in March 2022, followed by coding protocols frozen and stable in June 2022.

AWS says Trump's bias, errors led to Microsoft's JEDI win

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is not ready to go gently into the night in regards to the U.S. Department of Defense awarding the $10 billion JEDI contract to Microsoft.

Samsung, IBM collaborate on edge computing, 5G

Samsung Electronics and IBM announced a collaboration whereby they’re developing edge computing, 5G and hybrid cloud solutions to help businesses across industries modernize their operations and realize the promises of Industry 4.0.

Mavenir stokes open RAN, creates radio reference designs

Today Mavenir announced that it is establishing a new business unit that will develop hardware and software designs for open RAN radios. Its goal is to create an ecosystem of radio vendors that will build open RAN radios for the specific needs of operators around the world.

Colt CEO Gilder talks Covid lessons learned and what's next

After taking over as CEO in May during the Covid-19 pandemic, Keri Gilder has had a crash course on running the business while keeping an eye on Colt's employees and its future.

Vendors and operators demand 6GHz for 5G

Two dozen telecoms companies and industry organisations called on regulators and other stakeholders to reserve mid-band spectrum for ITM use, especially for 5G.

Ericsson to boost post-Brexit job market by 800

The Swedish telecom kit maker announced it will create up to 800 new jobs in the UK within the next two years driven by the accelerated 5G rollout.

Private 5G network deployed by Affirmed and partners

A Taiwanese IT hardware manufacturer has deployed a virtualized private 5G network using its own servers along with core network software from Affirmed, which was recently acquired by Microsoft. The RAN software comes from ASOCS, an Israeli provider of on-premise cloud solutions. The network was deployed on government-allocated spectrum.

Roku, WarnerMedia clinch deal for HBO Max

WarnerMedia's premium streaming service will launch on Roku devices on December 17 and support the OTT platform's 'Roku Pay' system.

A direct comparison: Tabulating 5G in the USA and China

Based on third-quarter 2020 data collected by Speedtest provider Ookla and provided to Light Reading, this is an apples-to-apples look at how China and the US stack up in 5G.

SolarWinds Attack Fallout: 18K Customers at Risk, ExtraHop IDs 550 Suspicious IP Addresses

As many as 18,000 SolarWinds customers installed the company’s Orion software updates containing malicious code likely inserted by Russian nation-state hackers, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.

Juniper Jolts Contrail Networking’s Kubernetes Support

Juniper Networks expanded its Contrail Networking to include better support for Kubernetes environments running on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and virtual machines (VMs). The move continues the vendor’s push toward deeper Kubernetes integration.

Daily Roundup: Nokia CEO Re-Orgs for Growth

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Cable broadband sub growth to slow in 2021 – analyst

High-speed subscriber growth surged again in Q3, but 'pull-forward' growth fueled by the pandemic will likely mean the rate of customer additions among US cable operators will ramp down in 2021.

Upload strength a 'huge differentiator,' Google Fiber exec says

The pandemic has helped tell the upstream story for a key FTTP advantage as people continue to work and school from home, Google Fiber's Melani Griffith said at the 2020 Virtual Fiber Connect event.

Vodafone, AT&T sign up for 5G via SpaceMobile's satellites

Startup SpaceMobile said it now has the $500 million it needs for 'Phase 1' of its launch. Likely as a result, Vodafone and AT&T are SpaceMobile's two official customers.

AWS Unleashes Divergent, Specialized IoT Strategy

Amazon Web Services (AWS) this week unleashed a flurry of updates to its IoT platforms, and for the first time revealed how many devices are connected to its IoT core.

Nokia managers at risk as CEO warns 'it may be time for change'

Fixed networks boss Sandra Motley and software head Bhaskar Gorti may be next in line for the exit as Lundmark cuts the size of his management team.

EU readies sweeping new tech 'rules of the road'

The EU is readying drafts of sweeping new legislation to crack down on anti-competitive behavior by big tech, but expect two years of wrangling.

Subsidized open RAN heads to rural Nigeria

MTN strikes 2,000-site deal with local NaaS provider Hotspot Network; Parallel Wireless in supplier mix.

Nokia CEO Teases Three-Year Turnaround Plan

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark today shared more details about his turnaround strategy for the company, an effort that he said will continue through the end of 2023. 

Fast-growing Uniti buys Telstra home fiber business for $106M

Under the deal, Telstra will become one of Uniti's retail service providers.

Eurobites: UK's gigabit rollout needs to roll a lot faster, says EY report

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone extend wholesale agreement; Slovak Telekom switches on 5G with Ericsson; Orange migrates Siemens to SD-WAN.

India's Jio accuses Airtel, Vodafone Idea of unfairly exploiting farmers' protest

A row over recent farming legislation is hitting Jio where it hurts.

Cisco folds cable access into mobility unit

Merging of the units follows Cisco's recent exit from the cable amplifier business and the slow migration by operators toward network and service convergence.

Drahi buckles under pressure, raises offer for Altice Europe

Minority shareholders to withdraw legal action after Drahi's Next Private vehicle increases offer price to €5.35 per share.

Nokia is making a risky bet on open RAN

The Finnish equipment vendor is prioritizing a largely unproven technology as part of its latest turnaround strategy.

Telia Carrier Rolls Acacia Pluggables, Cisco Routers Into Network

Swedish network operator Telia Carrier today announced plans to join its IP and optical network layers using Acacia’s 400 Gb/s-capable pluggable coherent optics. These optics will be interfaced with Cisco’s routers and connect to Telia’s existing line system.

LF Energy Captains Power Grid Virtualization SEAPATH

LF Energy announced a new open source project called SEAPATH, or Software Enabled Automation Platform and Artifacts (THerein), that will provide grid operators with an open source, real-time platform to run virtualized automation technologies. 

5G fronthaul 2020: Focusing on practical scenarios

As discussed at Light Reading's 5G Transport & Networking Strategies event, operators are looking at practical approaches to converged fronthaul transport, but they need to act quickly.

Verizon to connect 9,000 Walgreens, Duane Reade stores

Verizon initially will provide services including Wi-Fi and SD-WAN, but company officials said the deal sets the stage for other, more advanced products like edge computing.

Verizon exec views dominant 4G LTE position as 5G advantage

As T-Mobile aggressively rolls out 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum from Sprint, there has been a significant amount of attention paid to Verizon and AT&T’s need for mid-band for 5G.

Verizon’s Koeppe on what Verizon brings to AWS partnership

Talking about Verizon’s 5G roadmap this week, Adam Koeppe, SVP of Technology, Strategy Architecture and Planning, cited DSS benefits beyond nationwide coverage and discussed what Verizon brings to its mobile edge compute partnership with AWS. 

T-Mobile’s Ray expects 5G carrier aggregation in 2021

While his team at T-Mobile is going gangbusters deploying 2.5 GHz for 5G across the country, T-Mobile President of Technology Neville Ray hinted at a few things coming in 2021 that will make 5G an even better service.

AT&T’s Igal Elbaz is optimistic about O-RAN, lukewarm about FWA

While both Verizon and T-Mobile are forging ahead with fixed wireless access (FWA) deployments to bring broadband to suburban and rural areas, AT&T hasn’t made any big, similar FWA announcements.

Verizon tees up in-building 5G with WeWork

A few months after Verizon announced it would use indoor mmWave 5G cell sites from Corning, the pair recently started the first commercial installations at certain retail stores, and separately singed up WeWork. WeWork, a company offering co-working and flexible workspace, signed a deal with Verizon Business to deploy in-building 5G sites from and Corning across 10 locations in the U.S. Those sites are located in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and Seattle. The project is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2021, according to a WeWork spokesperson.

Twitter jumps on public cloud with AWS to its bolster user feeds

For the first time, Twitter is tapping into the public cloud by picking Amazon Web Services to deliver its services in real time. Twitter has employed its own data centers over the years, but the multi-year deal gives Twitter access to AWS' global cloud infrastructure to deliver its timelines.

BT wants an air corridor for drone testing

UK incumbent BT is keen to capitalise on all the drone hype, so it is leading a consortium that plans to set up the country’s first commercial air corridor for testing drones.

More consumers want 5G and more telcos want non-core revenues

Consumers are weighing up the pros and cons of upgrading to 5G mobile services, but telcos have more to think about than simply persuading them to go for it.

No surprises as Free Mobile undercuts rivals on 5G

French challenger brand Free Mobile has followed Bouygues, Orange and SFR by launching 5G, repeating its usual trick of arriving last, but offering access at no extra cost.

DataBank closes out its deal to buy Zayo's zColo data centers

DataBank has wrapped up its deal to buy Zayo Holding Group's zColo data centers in the U.S. and U.K.

GSMA bravely commits to MWC Shanghai physical event in Feb 2021

All flavours of MWC were cancelled in 2020 coz of coronavirus, but the GSMA is betting things are going to start improving rapidly next year.

TIM is the big winner as four become three in Brazil

Brazil is finally losing one of its big four mobile operators, with Oi having agreed a deal that will split its mobile assets between major rivals TIM, Telefonica and America Movil’s Claro.

China accused of using Caribbean mobile networks to spy on US devices

A new report alleges China has conducted mass surveillance of US mobile phones via China Unicom and proxies in the Caribbean.

Proximus picks Nokia to replace Huawei in its Luxembourg 5G RAN

Nokia has nabbed another 5G contract with Proximus, securing a deal to supply RAN equipment for the operator’s 5G network in Luxembourg, replacing Huawei in the process.

T-Mobile's 2021 5G goals: improved speeds, upgraded voice

Following his launch of standalone 5G, T-Mobile's Neville Ray hopes to push the envelope further by launching carrier aggregation and VoNR technology in 2021.

US government officially begins work on IIC for 5G

Amid reshuffling leadership across the US government, the NTIA said it is now working on technology that would 'standardize the spectrum sharing model' across a range of bands.

Instana Embraces Arm With PHP Monitoring Service

Application performance monitoring vendor Instana today announced its PHP monitoring and tracing service is available on Arm-based servers.

Daily Roundup: VMware ‘Paves the Earth With Tanzu’

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Apple supplier Wistron suffers loss after India factory violence

After property damage and looting, other manufacturers may have second thoughts about moving to India.

AWS Brings Controlled Chaos to the Cloud

Amazon Web Services (AWS) wants to help its customers bring some controlled chaos to their cloud-based services and applications. 

The next version of 5G delayed until 2022

The 3GPP confirmed concerns that it might delay the release of its next big batch of 5G technologies. Now 'Release 17' won't be finalized until 2022.

Microsoft Cloud Security Execs Score $100M, Launch Wiz

Cloud security startup Wiz emerged from stealth with $100 million in Series A financing and a security platform already in use at Fortune 100 customers including Docusign.

After Google outage, telcos should think twice about public cloud

Public cloud systems promise cost savings and convenience, but the wider risks cannot be ignored.

Comcast starts rolling HBO Max to X1 and Flex boxes

App launch on Comcast X1 and Flex devices comes ahead of the December 25 premiere of Wonder Woman 1984 on WarnerMedia's new supersized SVoD service and in movie theaters.

Aryaka launches new VPN for 'hybrid workplace'

The managed service integrates with Aryaka's SASE and SD-WAN services, with the goal of providing teleworkers with reliable, high-performance access to their enterprise applications.

Taiwan hits 1M 5G subs after five months

The small Asian country notches up 1 million 5G subscribers as Chunghwa strikes industry partnerships.

Vodafone UK loses CEO Jeffery to bankrupt Frontier

One of the UK telecom sector's most highly respected bosses has been lured to the US.

Comcast teams with broadcasters for ATSC 3.0 tech test

Trial in Portland, Oregon will focus on the transmission of ATSC 3.0 signals over the HFC network, starting with 4K and HDR video.

VMware’s Plan to ‘Pave the Earth With Tanzu’

As he looks ahead to 2021, VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger said winning at Kubernetes with his company’s Tanzu portfolio and strategy remains top of mind.

Gee whiz: G.Network raises $1.3B for full fiber rollout in London

Altnet plans to pass more than 1.4 million premises in the city over the next five years.

Remote Workers Fuel Versa’s SD-WAN, SASE Growth

The rapid shift to remote work following the onset of the pandemic early this year helped to accelerate Versa Network’s SD-WAN and secure access service edge (SASE) platforms in a new market: the home, said CMO Mike Wood in an interview with SDxCentral.

AWS, Oracle Lead Cloud Database Management Leaders

Gartner’s latest ranking of cloud database management systems is a who’s who of the cloud world with market dominant players Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Google, and Oracle all sharing the most upper-right quadrant of the “leaders” category. That category also houses SAP, IBM, Alibaba Cloud, and Teradata in its lower-left section.

Proximus dumps Huawei in Luxembourg too

Luxembourg operator Tango to use Nokia equipment in its 5G network.

Cox Communications: A network automation success story

SPONSORED: Cox has built a team dedicated to driving network automation across the organization and is already seeing early successes.

Plume eyes 6 GHz as Wi-Fi becomes hip again

Comcast was an early investor in Plume and also Plume’s first major customer in the United States. Comcast uses Plume’s software as part of its Wi-Fi mesh offering. The software rides on Comcast’s xFi Pods and helps eliminate residential Wi-Fi dead spots. It also provides security, parental controls, and access controls for each connected device. It can also prioritize devices and optimize the Wi-Fi traffic in the home.

T-Mobile makes moves to advance 5G drone tech

T-Mobile today announced it has made an unspecified investment in The Drone Racing League (DRL) via the T-Mobile Ventures fund, with plans to increase its expertise in 5G drone technology over the next several years.

C-band 5G auction nears $5B after a dozen rounds

After a dozen rounds of bidding, the C-band spectrum auction reached almost $5 billion in gross proceeds Friday.

NEC treats India to a taste of its OpenRAN excellence

No sooner has Japanese tech vendor NEC unveiled an OpenRAN centre of excellence in the UK than it announces one in India too.

Report: Cloud providers drive jump in Q3 data center spend

Worldwide spending on data center hardware and software was up 2% year-over-year thanks to cloud providers' largesse, according to a report.

Google suffers widespread Monday morning outage

Google services across Gmail, YouTube, Google Assistant, Google Drive, Google Classroom and Google Docs, among others, were down for about an hour Monday morning. Google users first noticed the widespread outage around 6:55 a.m. Eastern Time Monday morning, which led to hashtags such as "#YouTubeDOWN" to start trending on Twitter. 

Mavenir and MTI deliver first Evenstar open RAN radio

An obscure, Taiwanese radio vendor – Microelectronics Technology (MTI) – got some attention last week for its work with Dish Network on open radio access network (RAN) hardware. And now, Mavenir has announced it partnered with MTI to create the Evenstar B3 remote radio head (RRH).

Google Cloud, AWS and Azure want to 'friend' telcos

Because, in part, of their millions of last mile connections and central offices, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are directing a laser-like focus on telcos.

Asia set for more tower consolidation

A pair of towers deals in Asia will together bring in well over US$1 billion, it seems.

EU human rights agency says we should tread carefully with AI

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has issued a report warning of confusion about the impact AI and automation can have of people’s rights.

Proximus boosts multi-brand strategy via €130m MVNO deal

Proximus has agreed to spend €130 million to acquire virtual player Mobile Vikings, a move that will further its strategy of targeting various market segments with multiple brands.

Giffgaff sells its soul to AWS

UK MVNO says it has gone ‘all-in’ on Amazon Web Services to power all of its technology infrastructure and application development.

The inherent security of Open RAN

Why open the Radio Access Network?

Unlock 5G speeds and low latencies with high-performance DPI

To meet the demands of increasing 5G use cases, network operators need DPI solutions that can be scaled up in real time. This article discusses how underlying server processing capabilities influence the speed and throughput of a DPI software library and talks about the upgrade requirements needed to support new 5G traffic volumes and the lower latencies. Learn more.

Empowering Telecom Providers through a Ubiquitous Edge Platform

MEC is critical for both wireless and wireline carriers

Frontier lacks 'technological capabilities' for gigabit connections – Senator

A Republican Senator from West Virginia is arguing that Frontier won't be able to deliver 1Gbit/s services in her state through the FCC's RDOF auction.

Podcast: Orange Business Services gets SASE

Rob Mello, head of strategy and transformation in the Americas for Orange Business Services, joins the podcast to discuss the carrier's use of the cloud when deploying security services to enterprise customers.

Small cell outlook remains cloudy in US market

'We believe a major acceleration in nodes on air is more likely to happen later than 2021 or 2022,' predict the financial analysts at Raymond James.

Rakuten’s US Leader Defends Open RAN Platform

Azita Arvani knows how difficult it is to make open radio access networks (RAN) work properly, but she believes those challenges can be overcome by those that fully embrace the vision.

Daily Roundup: SolarWinds Software at Center of FireEye, US Government Cyberattack

In case you’ve been stuck in video conference meetings all day, here are today’s top stories from SDxCentral. Also, make sure to subscribe to our daily newsletters to get these stories in your inbox.

Free Peacock to limit access to 'The Office'

The free, ad-supported version of Peacock will limit access to seasons 1 and 2 of 'The Office,' while the premium, paid versions of NBCU's new service will supply all nine seasons, plus some exclusive, bonus fare.

AT&T Cybersecurity: Enterprise Security Isn’t Prepared for 5G

Less than 10% of security professionals say that their security posture is fully prepared for 5G rollouts, according to an AT&T Cybersecurity report.

India approves mega public Wi-Fi initiative

Plans for a nationwide system of Wi-Fi hotspots come late in the day considering that low-cost 4G services are now widely available.

The clouds aren't parting just yet for NBN Co

The completion of Australia's wholesale broadband network does not banish its financial woes.

Open RAN threatens new clashes over intellectual property

The new technology risks infringing patents owned by companies that are not a part of its club.

Russia-linked cyber group hacks US government agencies

A Russia-linked hacker group, APT29, has used a vulnerability in frequently used network software to carry out a major hack into US government computers.

Roku, Charter in streaming skirmish

Roku has blocked access to the cable op's Spectrum TV app after the two sides failed to cut a new deal. They are also arguing at the FCC as Charter tries to end a ban on data caps and paid peering deals.

SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack Led to FireEye, U.S. Government Breaches

FireEye today said that nation-state hackers breached its network by inserting malicious code into a SolarWinds software update.

Proximus to buy Mobile Vikings for €130M

Belgian operator expects the deal to acquire the MVNO from DPG Media to complete in 2021.

Plume CEO on deployment milestones, M&A and rising competition

Plume CEO Fahri Diner digs into the drivers of the vendor's global deployment totals, and discusses Plume's recent acquisition of Walleye Networks and why scale is critical in this hotly contested market.

NEC's open RAN roadshow pitches up in India

Japanese supplier establishes 'technical verification' open RAN lab in India, seen as 'complementary' to Center of Excellence in the UK.

Eurobites: Sky and Amazon play nice

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Giffgaff goes with AWS; Telefónica teams up for robotic cybersecurity; BT fined for procurement sneakiness.

T-Mobile’s Kubernetes Confidence Knows No Bounds

Technical platform engineers at T-Mobile US are increasingly confident the operator can run all of its IT workloads on Kubernetes.

Money Moves: November 2020

Here are some of the most prominent venture capital and merger and acquisition news items from the past month. If you’d like SDxCentral to report on your company’s VC or M&A activity in our monthly Money Moves section, or if you have any tips on that activity, please send the information to Sydney Sawaya (ssawaya@sdxcentral.com).

Google, Federated clash over ESC vs. IIC for CBRS, other bands

An FCC proceeding about how to handle the 3.45-3.55 GHz band is bringing up new questions about how spectrum gets managed in the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Access (CBRS) band.

Amazon, Cisco, VMware Bite Into Renewable Energy

Corporate giants Amazon, Cisco, and VMware are throwing their weight behind renewable energy projects and corporate climate commitments to drive seismic, near-term reductions in carbon pollution.

Utilities eye private LTE, 5G for digital transformation

Electric utilities are — often by their own admission — not early adopters of new technology, but increasingly they are starting to explore how private 4G LTE networks, and eventually 5G, can benefit their operations.

Ericsson files lawsuit against Samsung in patent license row

Ericsson on Friday filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the U.S., alleging the South Korean electronics giant breached contractual commitments and failed to negotiate in good faith over patent licensing and related payments.

T-Mobile launches its first 5G mobile hotspot

While Verizon and AT&T already offer 5G hotspots, T-Mobile just announced its first 5G hotspot, the Inseego 5G MiFi M2000, which taps into both its low- and mid-band spectrum.

Casa Systems signs up for TIP's OpenBNG initiative

Casa Systems has joined the ranks of the Telecom Infra Project's OpenBNG initiative, which has been spearheaded by Telefónica, Deutsche Telecom, BT, and Vodafone.

Ericsson slings a lawsuit at Samsung over patent infringements

Ericsson filed a lawsuit in the U.S. against Samsung that alleges it violated agreements to negotiate patent agreements in good faith.

Deutsche Telekom and Microsoft ink seven-year cloud deal

German operator Deutsche Telekom is positioning itself as the preferred on-ramp to Microsoft cloud services for medium and large enterprises.

Nokia teams up with Vi Business to stoke digital transformations

Nokia has bulldozed a bigger road into India by working with Vodafone Idea's enterprise arm, Vi Business, to fuel enterprises' digital transformations.

Ericsson sues Samsung for un-FRAND-ly patent negotiations

With so much uncertainty in the world, it is somewhat reassuring to know that Ericsson and Samsung are still able to have their semi-regular patent disputes.

UK CMA shows Europe how to do it by fast-tracking Virgin/O2 merger

Having got control of the approval process the Competition and Markets Authority has already moved to phase 2 of its investigation into the UK telecoms mega-merger.

FCC cements its anti-China stance

Just in case there was any doubt, US telecoms regulator FCC has had another pop at Huawei and China Telecom, as well as detailing the rip-and-replace programme.

Standalone security: Strategic attributes and implementation concerns

SPONSORED: Heavy Reading's research confirms there is no shortage of 5GC SA-related security concerns to be addressed before commercial launch and that the right mix of security strategy attributes will be vital to minimizing apprehension.

Ciena's opex flex

Looking ahead to 2021, Ciena's CEO talks about its 800G systems, network automation and webscale supplier status as the company looks beyond the pandemic.

Daily Roundup: Ericsson Sues Samsung

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Kubernetes Drops 1.20 Release Under Schedule, Security Cloud

The Kubernetes project this week released its 1.20 iteration, which is the third and final platform release for the year. The release comes after a difficult year for most and resulted in the alteration of the project’s typical quarterly update cycle and also came just days after a spurious new security issue was found that impacts every version of Kubernetes.

Disney+ on track to have up to 260M subs by 2024

Premium streaming service has rocketed past 86 million subs in its first year, setting the stage for a lot more content – along with a price increase – in 2021.

RDOF auction results already raising questions

Many of the big winners in the FCC's RDOF program – including LTD Broadband, SpaceX and Starry – are relatively new and untested telecom providers. And that's causing some concerns.

Airbnb IPO shows the new economy isn't fueled by 5G

Just a year after Uber underwhelmed and WeWork fizzled, Airbnb's sky-high IPO caps the busiest year for US public offerings since 1999.

SCTE/ISBE members greenlight CableLabs merger

Following Thursday's vote by hundreds of SCTE/ISBE members, the cable industry's standards-setting organization is set to become a wholly owned subsidiary of CableLabs on January 1, 2021.

WiCipedia: Minority numbers in STEM studies still lag

This week in our WiC roundup: STEM college numbers aren't adding up; Tesla's first diversity report; women on the moon; and more.

Mobile industry tells celebrities to tweet responsibly this Christmas

The likes of David Icke and Amanda Holden are urged not to spread false reports about 5G this yuletide season.

AWS Blends Cisco, 12 Other SD-WAN Vendors Into VPC

Amazon Web Services (AWS) this week revealed a new feature designed to natively integrate SD-WAN into its virtual private cloud (VPC) service. AWS Transit Gateway Connect simplifies what was previously a manual operation for the provisioning of AWS VPC via VPN and replaces that framework with natively integrated SD-WAN appliances and services.

Ericsson sues Samsung in patent dispute; warns of massive hit to income

Swedish supplier's share price tumbles on news that possible delayed royalty payments from Samsung, along with potential legal costs, could wipe out nearly $180 million in quarterly operating income.

AT&T opens up about open RAN

Some of AT&T's top networking executives are touting the benefits of open RAN technology, but caution that commercial deployments aren't imminent.

Ericsson Slaps Samsung With Patent Lawsuit

Ericsson filed a lawsuit against Samsung claiming its infrastructure rival violated contracts for “good faith” negotiations on patent terms and conditions. Ericsson said the issue could cost it up to $177 million in operating income per quarter beginning next year.

Unigroup $2.5B default another setback to China's chip plans

China's chip plans are dealt another blow after one of its chip champions runs into financial problems.

Eurobites: Virgin Media, O2 merger faces in-depth review

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Bucharest chosen for new EU cybersecurity center; Slovakia welcomes 5G; mast misery in Southampton.

Ciena lags Q4 estimates as orders slow

Management expresses confidence the optical giant can outperform the market and says long-term financial goals remain unchanged.

Comcast Business expands its fiber reach in Virginia

Comcast Business has completed construction on a fiber project in Virginia to provide services to an additional 2,800 businesses. Comcast Business has invested close to $100 million over the past five years to expand its network in Virginia.

Crown Castle positioned for outsized portion of early Dish build

Crown Castle’s finance chief this week touted being the first to secure an infrastructure deal with Dish Network, echoing similar sentiments from financial analysts that Crown’s site locations for urban coverage were part of the appeal.  

Huawei rip & replace rules get FCC approval

The FCC today voted unanimously to adopt rules to implement the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, as well as affirming its stance that Huawei is indeed a national security threat.

Mediacom files lawsuit against city of West Des Moines

MCC Iowa, which is a subsidiary of Mediacom Communications, has filed a lawsuit against the City of West Des Moines and its city council.

KDDI picks Ericsson for 5G core in Japan

Ericsson on Thursday said KDDI will use the vendor’s cloud-native dual-mode 5G core to launch standalone 5G services in its network in Japan.

Microsoft scores an IT management deal with Deutsche Telecom

The trend of telcos embracing cloud providers continued on Thursday with a new partnership between Deutsche Telekom and Microsoft Azure.

BT sells Italy units to TIM but it’s no big deal

BT has agreed to sell a couple of Italian businesses to TIM via a deal of undisclosed value, but that is unlikely to be a big money-spinner for the UK incumbent.

Aryaka gets its remote worker game on with flexible VPN offering

Aryaka Networks has launched a new service that's tailor made for the "work from anywhere" environment that is the result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

US FTC wastes everyone’s time by suing Facebook for acquisitions it approved

The Federal Trade Commission and a bunch of Attorneys General reckon Facebook’s heart wasn’t in the right place when it bought WhatsApp and Instagram.

AT&T makes money from content…by flogging assets

AT&T has agreed to sell its Crunchyroll anime business to Sony for close to US$1.2 billion, and is reportedly in the latter stages of a sale process for DirecTV, which could be worth about $15 billion.

Vodafone’s diversification continues with the launch of ‘military-grade’ cybersecurity

UK telco Vodafone has been helping the government with its cybersecurity for years, now it’s offering those services to UK businesses.

CBRS drives military to experiment with private wireless

Open RAN, CBRS, 5G, public/private partnerships and IoT technology are all coming together at Colorado’s Fort Carson, where US Ignite has partnered with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to build a dedicated 4G/5G network to monitor smart vehicles. The network will be part of ERDC’s $4 million Fort Carson Smart Transportation Testbed and will upload and analyze data from ERDC’s automated shuttle, called the Mountain Express. Fort Carson is home to a large number of retired military personnel, many of whom use the Mountain Express for transportation. 

Disney+, ESPN+ to launch on Comcast's X1 and Flex platforms

New agreement with Disney will pave way for integration of two major streaming services on Comcast's pay-TV platform and streaming product for broadband-only customers in Q1 2021.

FCC pays lip service to open RAN in 'rip and replace' program

The FCC said its Huawei and ZTE 'rip and replace' program should allow for the use of open RAN equipment. But the agency didn't name any approved open RAN vendors.

Aryaka Assembles SD-WAN, SASE Into a Managed VPN

Aryaka Networks launched a new managed VPN targeted at the growing remote workforce market that is built on SD-WAN and secure access service edge (SASE) principles.

Verizon, Altice USA, Cox got the most game among top ISPs – study

Meanwhile, Frontier and AT&T lag the field, according to a PCMag study of the best gaming ISPs.

Here's the 5G glossary every American is apparently going to need

'5G Ultra Wideband,' 'Extended Range 5G,' '5G+,' '5Ge,' '5GTF,' '5G Nationwide' and plain-old '5G' are just some of the labels Americans will have to navigate. Good luck with that.

Daily Roundup: Aryaka Adds SD-WAN, SASE Ideas Into Managed VPN

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Orca Wins $55M for Cloud Security Fight Against Palo Alto Networks

Orca Security scored a $55 million Series B financing round, which brings the startup’s overall funding to more than $82 million in its fight against cloud security heavyweights including Palo Alto Networks.

Microsoft Strikes 7-Year Cloud Deal With Deutsche Telekom

Microsoft and Deutsche Telekom today announced a seven-year agreement that expands their longstanding partnership to help enterprises and schools shift more IT resources to the cloud.

BT scales back in Italy

UK incumbent agrees preliminary deal with TIM to sell its public administration and SME business units.

Microsoft Takes On Internet Routing Security

Microsoft plans to improve internet routing security with a series of steps recommended by a global cloud provider initiative.

Deutsche Telekom becomes Microsoft tenant in bid for IT savings

German operator is the latest to move its IT systems into the public cloud, but at what long-term risk?

Why Singapore is going straight to standalone 5G

The standalone variant will support innovation and makes sense for technology reasons, says Singapore's regulator.

Eurobites: Orange unpicks cybersecurity trends

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: EE fills in Scotland's 4G notspots; Ekinops and LiveAction combine on analytics; Sequans makes LTE-M life easier.

Bidders line up for AT&T DirecTV satellite division

AT&T receives three offers for troubled satellite division DirectTV, as new CEO John Stankey unwinds his predecessor's less successful acquisitions.

Vodafone targets £1B UK market for 'military-grade' security

UK operator is going after critical national infrastructure providers and other businesses demanding much higher levels of security.

Ericsson lands cloud-native 5G core role at KDDI

The Japanese operator has been trialing cloud-native 5G core technology from Ericsson and Nokia.

Gluu Server-Based Janssen Project Tackles App Security

The Linux Foundation’s latest open source initiative, the Janssen Project, is a cloud native identity and access management platform based on the Gluu Server that tackles online trust and security.

A glimpse into Microsoft’s edge compute ambitions

Operators such as Verizon and AT&T have made announcements about partnerships with big cloud providers, including AWS and Microsoft Azure, to co-build edge compute locations. But we’ve not heard a lot from the cloud providers, themselves, about their perspective on edge compute.

Nutanix lands VMware COO as its new CEO and president

On Wednesday, Nutanix announced it has hired VMware COO Rajiv Ramaswami as its new CEO and president. Ramaswami will take over his new roles at Nutanix, which competes against VMware, on Monday when co-founder and current CEO Dheeraj Pandey steps aside. Pandey had previously said he would retire as CEO once his replacement was found.

Global app spend increased by 25% in 2020

Mobile app tacker App Annie has released its numbers for the year and the headline stat was that total global spend hit $112 Billion, a 25% increase on 2019.

T-Mobile CEO touts mid-band spectrum lead in 5G

T-Mobile’s crown jewel from its long-fought battle to merge with Sprint was front and center on Tuesday, as T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert talked up the capabilities the “uncarrier” will get from the 2.5 GHz spectrum.

India’s Jio sets 5G sights for second half of 2021

Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India’s Reliance Industries, on Tuesday said policy steps are necessary to speed up the rollout of 5G and indicated Jio Platforms would make moves on 5G next year.

Verizon Business expands its SD-WAN roster with Silver Peak

Verizon Business has added another arrow to its SD-WAN quiver with a new Silver Peak-based managed service. Verizon is now using Silver Peak's Unity EdgeConnect Platform to provide its enterprise customers more options as they transition to integrated WAN optimization for their managed business applications.

Industry Voices—Cochran: Who needs to SASE!

Every enterprise and business entity needs to Somehow Administer Security Everywhere! (SASE!). Meanwhile, the magic SASE (secure access service edge) notion promises to simplify this challenge through the integration of SD-WAN and a mixture of cloud-based security capabilities such as firewalls, zero trust network access and more. SASE does not tackle the repercussions of relying solely on security in the clouds.

Digital transformation spending will catapult to $6.8 trillion

IDC has forecast that global spending on digital transformation (DX) will reach a staggering $6.8 trillion globally by 2023. Furthermore, due to the impact of Covid-19, International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast that 65% of the world’s GDP would be digitized by 2022.

LoRa Alliance rolls out QR codes for zero-touch onboarding

The humble QR code has been adopted by the LoRa Alliance to speed up and simplify IoT device provisioning.

Digital transformation spending forecast to skyrocket to $6.8 trillion

Global spending on digital transformation (DX) between 2020 and 2023 is expected to total a whopping $6.8 trillion, as business adapts to ‘the new normal’.

Trump nominated FCC commissioner confirmed, Democrat types sulk

US President Trump has managed to get Nathan Simington, an ally in the attempt to reform Section 230, confirmed as an FCC Commissioner.

O2 UK wants to use OpenRAN to boost indoor connectivity

O2 has tested out Vilicom’s OpenRAN technology, in an effort to make it cheaper to offer indoor 4G and 5G coverage for businesses.

FTC, US states sue to break up Facebook

Dual lawsuits seek to unwind Facebook's past acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp over claims the social media giant engaged in crushing anticompetitive behavior.

AT&T falls behind Verizon in mmWave race

In 2018, AT&T loudly boasted that it was the first operator in the US to launch mobile 5G in mmWave spectrum. Now, two years later, the operator has little to show for its efforts.

AWS Exec Predicts IoT Namesake’s Demise

Sarah Cooper has been working to advance IoT, and the world of machine-to-machine (M2M) that preceded it, for at least 13 years and she thinks the namesake for this technology is facing an imminent demise.

Arista Drives Big Switch, Awake Deals Into DMF

Arista Networks made its first big move to integrate its Big Switch acquisition, rolling out an enterprise-focused network observability software platform that provides network visibility across data centers, campus, and edge use cases.

Daily Roundup: Nutanix Steals VMware COO

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Cloud spend to rocket in 2021, says Deloitte

In 2021, cloud spending will grow seven times faster than overall IT spending, while 5% of doctor visits worldwide will be virtual, says Deloitte.

Opportunity knocks for Filtronic in UK telecom shake-up

A small UK developer of RF technology is attracting fresh interest as the UK seeks to cultivate local talent while it phases out the Chinese.

Podcast: AT&T VP on security for 5G

AT&T VP Rita Marty joins the podcast to discuss how the service provider is addressing 5G security, and what that means for its enterprise customers.

NBCU's Peacock pushes past 26M signups

The Comcast-owned media giant has not said how many signups are for Peacock's completely free option, but advertising is Peacock's primary revenue stream, according to NBCU CEO Jeff Shell.

O2 UK flags open RAN tests with Vilicom

UK mobile operator pilots network platform that was co-developed with Mavenir.

Open Source Community Conquers 2020’s Pitfalls

The open source community has made its mark on the software development space through its one-for-all, all-for-one group think and pace of innovation that no single enterprise could ever hope to match. This has allowed open source-based platforms to spread quickly through the market and become the basis for much of the advancements across the software-defined ecosystem.

Nutanix Steals VMware COO to Lead Company

Nutanix today said it hired former VMware COO Rajiv Ramaswami as its new CEO effective Dec. 14. Ramaswami will succeed co-founder Dheeraj Pandey, who announced his plans to retire as CEO of Nutanix upon the appointment of a successor, earlier this year.

Eurobites: Global services boss joins Nokia exodus

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Nokia goes zoom! with Zain; Elisa brings its SD-WAN knowhow to paper giant; Benetel unveils open RAN radio unit.

Firebolt Emerges With Guns Blazing At Snowflake

The data warehouse market is shaping up to become a battle of the elements as Firebolt, a cloud-native data warehouse startup, emerged from stealth today with $37 million in financing and an offering that claims to boast speeds hot enough to melt Snowflake’s hype into a springtime puddle. 

HPE Brings HPC to GreenLake

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is betting artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will drive the adoption of high-performance compute (HPC) in the data center. The company today announced it will offer HPC clusters through its GreenLake platform.

Trump’s FCC nomination gets approved by Senate

The U.S. Senate voted 49-46 on Tuesday to confirm Nathan Simington to replace Michael O’Rielly on the FCC. Simington’s term is for five years. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and fellow Republican Brendan Carr immediately issued congratulatory statements, as did the heads of groups that will continue working closely with the FCC for the next five years. On the flip side, Democrats charged that the nomination was rammed through, designed to do President Trump’s bidding.

C-band 5G spectrum auction garners $1.9B on day one

The C-band auction kicked off with gusto on Tuesday, generating more than $1.9 billion in gross proceeds at the end of Day 1 as bidders compete for key mid-band 5G spectrum the 3.7-3.98 GHz band.

Dish tests 5G O-RAN radios from obscure vendor MTI

Dish Network is working with radios from an obscure vendor for its new, greenfield 5G network.

Verizon’s Vestberg makes private vs. public 5G MEC distinction

Verizon’s chief executive on Tuesday made it clear that the carrier has multiple revenue opportunities from 5G mobile edge compute (MEC), emphasizing the distinction between private and public use cases.

Lowenstein: My view of top priorities for the new FCC

When the Biden administration takes over in January 2021, the FCC will sport a new chairman and a 3-2 Democratic majority. In this column, I’d like to offer my views on what I think the FCC’s top priorities should be and what might be some strategies for fulfilling some of these objectives.

Huawei backs Sweden into a corner over ban review

Chinese vendor Huawei is doing everything it can to make it impossible for Sweden to sustain its ban.

AT&T’s Stankey cites Q4 wireless momentum

AT&T CEO John Stankey said he likes what he’s seeing in the company’s wireless business when it comes to fourth-quarter momentum, and that’s in part because AT&T tweaked plans earlier this year to make them appeal to not only new customers but existing ones as well.

AT&T CEO Stankey: Market focus is squarely on broadband services

Whether it's fixed, wireless or fiber-based, AT&T CEO John Stankey said his management team is squarely focused on broadband as one of its three core areas.

Lumen rolls out bare metal-as-a-service at the cloud edge

While Lumen has built private, custom bare metal edge compute configurations for its customers in the past, it has taken bare metal to the cloud edge.

Deutsche Telekom hits 5G target, repeats itself on fibre

Deutsche Telekom is rounding out 2020 with an upbeat announcement on its achievements and ambitions in 5G and FTTH. The trouble is, we already knew most of it.

Vodafone and Nokia show off their green cards

It’s no good ticking a few green boxes if nobody knows about it. Thankfully there’s a company that can help you with that.

Cato Networks launches cloud API to automate SASE deployments

Cato Networks is now offering its enterprise customers a cloud API to provision and manage their Cato SASE deployments from third-party platforms.

AT&T snags FBI business with $92M FirstNet contract

AT&T scored a major win for FirstNet, landing a contract valued at around $92 million to provide FirstNet mobility services for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  

Charter and Elon Musk among big winners of FCC $9.2bn broadband funding

The FCC has allocated US$9.2 billion worth of funding for high-speed broadband rollout in rural areas and a number of major names are among the big winners.

Nokia wins SoftBank 5G core work

Japanese operator group Softbank has picked Nokia to provide the core software for its standalone 5G services.

Finland passes new 5G security law to ban risky equipment

The Finnish parliament approved a new law late on Monday to vet 5G equipment as a means to shore up the country’s defence against cyber-attacks and espionage attempts on its communications systems.

T-Mobile outlines Sprint network shutdown plans

T-Mobile expects to close much of Sprint's network starting in 2022, but steps toward that goal are already underway.

AWS in-house routing tech could blow a hole in Juniper's sales – analyst

The cloud computing giant plans to substitute routers developed in-house for equipment it currently buys from Juniper, according to MKM Partners.

FireEye Hit by ‘Highly Sophisticated’ Nation-State Attack

FireEye said a “highly sophisticated threat actor” stole its internal hacking tools in what the cybersecurity vendor believes was a nation-state attack targeting its government customers.

Operators begin singing Kumbaya for open RAN

Executives from Verizon, Vodafone and other operators are calling for unity in a push to create an open RAN ecosystem. Meantime, survivors of vendor consolidation are catching up.

Qualcomm lends a 5G helping hand in Japan, South Korea

US supplier involved in 5G sub-6GHz carrier aggregation with NTT Docomo, and 5G mmWave campus deployment with LG U+.

Dish turns to Taiwanese supplier for more 5G radios

MTI will join Fujitsu in providing triband and dualband radios for Dish Network's planned 5G network. The radios will support open RAN interfaces.

TikTok clocks up another court victory vs Trump

TikTok owners ByteDance won a further injunction against a Trump order shutting down its US operations, as it waits out the clock until Biden.

Verizon Slides In Silver Peak SD-WAN Expansion

Verizon Business is expanding its relationship with SD-WAN vendor Silver Peak that includes a new deployment model and more options for customers selecting the managed offering. The move also fills out Verizon’s SD-WAN portfolio, which also includes its managed Cisco-based service.

Daily Roundup: Equinix Stretches SDN, Expands Edge

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On the eve of launch, Dito battles to renew license

Dito Telecom, the 40% China Telecom-invested Philippines operator, faces a battle to renew its license, with the Senate skeptical it can meet commitments.

Zscaler CEO: Network Security Is Dead. Long Live SASE

Zscaler kicked off its virtual Zenith Live event by adding zero-trust protection for public cloud workloads and a new push into 5G security as CEO Jay Chaudhry discussed his company’s direction heading into 2021.

C-band auction for 5G spectrum explodes with $1.7B in first-round bids

'Who 'wins' the C-band auction will shape the competitive dynamics of 5G for a decade,' wrote the financial analysts at MoffettNathanson. 'Yes, the stakes really are that high.'

Verizon CEO Defends DSS, Details 5G Edge Strategy

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg today defended the mobile operator’s decision to lean heavily on dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) for its recently activated low-band 5G network, but he didn’t go so far as to admit the company had no other option. 

AT&T CEO defends contentious box office moves

John Stankey says decision to release new movies simultaneously at theaters and on streaming will accelerate the scale and growth of HBO Max, which now grown to about 12.61 million activations.

Deutsche Telekom cozies up to Nokia for open RAN

The Finnish equipment vendor is likely to help build an 'open RAN town' for the German operator next year, which would bode well for a future relationship.

Can Open Source Technology Keep Our Planet Alive?

In the face of a looming recession and climate catastrophe, technology titans, service providers, and consumer giants are taking collaborative action and turning their technology to fight the effects of climate change and fundamentally transform practices that harm both people and the planet through sustainable innovation.

India’s Jio to launch 5G in 2021

India's largest service provider, Reliance Jio, will roll out 5G technology in the second half of 2021, says Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Eurobites: Huawei says it will bend over backwards for Sweden

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Finland approves 'no Huawei' law; Iskratel brews up 10G broadband in Belgium; Ofcom says public service broadcasting needs to adapt to survive.

Verana Networks nabs $11M to make 5G basestations

Verana scored a batch of VC funding that the company said will help it begin selling 5G basestations by 2022.

Google Cloud brings apps to the edge for glorious benefit of 5G

Google Cloud brings 200 partner applications at the edge as it continues its strategy to, in part, help service providers make money from 5G.

Nokia trumpets standalone 5G role at SoftBank

The Japanese telco has already picked rival Ericsson's cloud-native 5G core.

Charter CEO unconcerned about 'me-too' OTT-TV competition

But Tom Rutledge does believe programmers and media companies should consider adopting 'dual content strategy' that can be tailored to the pay-TV distributor and direct-to-consumer streaming markets.

Cloudflare Moves to Keep Data Local

Cloudflare delivered an early holiday gift to customers with the launch of the its namesake Data Localization Suite. Through Cloudflare’s global cloud network, the new set of tools give enterprise customers the helicopter-parent control they need to manage where data goes and ensure it stays where it should. 

Google Cloud brings partners, applications to the edge

Hundreds of partner apps can now run at the edge with Google Cloud and Anthos, writes Google's Amol Phadke.

Where Are You, Open Source RAN?

Despite the widely acknowledged allure and prevalence of open source technology, it’s making nary an impact in radio access networks (RAN).

Equinix Expands Fabric, Enhances Network Edge

Equinix is expanding its Equinix Fabric and Network Edge platforms with a broader ecosystem of partners and new capabilities designed to create a single interconnection between physical and virtual devices. 

Untangle SD-WAN Adds VLANs to the Fray

SD-WAN Vendor Untangle launched version two of its SD-WAN router today, which adds support for local network segmentation through VLANs. The company claims the new capabilities provide small to midsize businesses with new tools to more effectively manage their internet connections.

Indian telcos push for Huawei, ZTE inclusion in 5G trials

Service providers have written to the Indian government calling for the removal of vendor-based restrictions in 5G trials.

Minim puts new broadband product plan in motion

CEO Gray Chynoweth talks product and service provider strategy after closing the acquisition of Zoom Telephonics and rebranding the company under the Minim moniker.

Ericsson boasts 1.5 Gbps in C-band demo

Ericsson is already boasting about its work using C-band spectrum, one day before the FCC’s auction of the spectrum starts.

Charter scores big in Phase I of FCC's RDOF auction

Charter was among the biggest winners for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) reverse auction, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on Monday.

Comcast extends support for internet access through June

For the third time, Comcast has extended its initiatives to keep users connected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Comcast will continue to provide free internet service for the first 60 days for new Internet Essential Customers, as well as keep providing free access to more than 1.5 million Wi-Fi hot spots, through June 30.

Dish stock gets downgraded to ‘Neutral’ at Guggenheim

Shares in Dish Network received a downgrade from Guggenheim on Friday amid concerns about its ability to compete in the wireless industry.

Nokia to head EU’s flagship 6G initiative

Nokia will lead the European Commission’s 6G research initiative, project Hexa-X, to help lay the foundation for the next generation of wireless and drive the 6G roadmap.

Juniper snares Apstra to automate datacenter operations with IBN

On Monday, Juniper Networks announced a definitive agreement to buy Apstra in order to simplify data center operations by using intent-based networking (IBN) and closed-loop assurance.

Is fixed wireless the answer to bridging the digital divide?

I remember writing about fixed wireless access (FWA) more than 20 years ago. At the time, it was considered a costly alternative to wired broadband services like DSL or cable. 

Cisco to pay a big premium for UK CEM vendor IMImobile

Cisco has offered the equivalent of US$730 million for cloud-based customer experience firm IMImobile, a figure that represents a hefty premium on its current share price.

Etisalat claim new 5G speed record of 9.1 Gigabits per second

UAE-based operator group Etisalat combined 2.6 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz spectrum to claim the fattest of pipes.

Swisscom welcomes Stock Exchange to its cryptocurrency JV

The Swiss Stock Exchange is buying into Custodigit, a digital assets storage facility set up by Swisscom and digital bank Sygnum a couple of years ago.

Nokia chosen to lead Europe’s 6G hive-mind initiative

Hexa-X envisages 6G as a network of networks, connecting everything with a generous dose of AI, and Nokia has been put in charge of it.

CAST AI gets $7.7M to make multi-cloud management easier

CAST AI says its new software is being used by telcos, payment platforms and fintech companies to enable them to use multi-cloud environments more efficiently and cost-effectively.

Russian Hackers Exploit VMware Bug

Russian state-sponsored hackers are actively exploiting a bug in some VMware endpoint and identity management products, according to a U.S. National Security Agency warning issued today.

Is Huawei leaving its US customers high and dry?

Some companies have suggested that Huawei is no longer supporting its existing US customers amid government actions against the Chinese vendor. But others say that's not true.

Podcast: What's the story with open RAN's progress?

Iain Morris joins the show to give an update on open RAN's progress and hurdles, and what's in store for the technology next year.

Common Edge Computing Framework Remains a Longshot

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is making progress in defining mobile edge computing integration standards, but the extent to which operators, developers, and cloud providers will embrace common interfaces is very much an open question. 

Juniper takeover makes Apstra look as agnostic as the Pope

On an acquisition spree in recent months, the maker of routers and switches has just bagged a company whose big selling point was vendor neutrality. Er...

Charter tops US cable's RDOF take

Charter was the winning bidder across more than 1 million locations, alongside smaller wins for Cox, Atlantic Broadband, Midco and Altice USA, among others.

Comcast adds CBS All Access to X1

Integration of the premium streaming service comes ahead of the early 2021 debut of Paramount+, the successor to CBS All Access.

Daily Roundup: Cisco Buys IMImobile, Slido to Boost Webex

In case you’ve been stuck in video conference meetings all day, here are today’s top stories from SDxCentral. Also, make sure to subscribe to our daily newsletters to get these stories in your inbox.

Here are all the winners of the FCC's $9.2B RDOF auction

Here is the full list of RDOF winners organized by the amount of money each bidding entity won. For the top 10, Light Reading also listed the identity of the winner and the technology it will use.

Singtel gets a crack at the banking business

The Singaporean operator's bank license underlines the telco opportunity in the finance sector.

COVID-19 Gifts Cloud Service Market $1.5B Bonus

The year of coronavirus has been a boon for major cloud providers as enterprise spending on cloud services hit $1.5 billion in the third quarter of 2020, according to a new report from Synergy Research Group.

Comcast adds CBS All Access to X1, Flex on deck

Integration of the premium streaming service comes ahead of the early 2021 debut of Paramount+, the successor to CBS All Access.

South Korea puts others in 5G shade – report

Even the most advanced 5G cities elsewhere struggle to compete with availability and performance found in South Korea.

McAfee Puts $1 Trillion Price Tag on Cybercrime

Cybercrime costs the world economy over $1 trillion, or just more than 1% of global gross domestic product, according to a McAfee report.

Aruba Tackles the Data Center With Orchestration, New Switch Line

Aruba Networks announced a sweeping update to its data center switching and support line up with the launch of Aruba Fabric Composer, the CX 8360 switch series, and tighter integrations with company parent Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Open Source Accelerates Arm’s Data Center Fire

Not long ago x86 processors’ dominance in the data center and hyperscale spaces was uncontested. Today, Intel and AMD face new competition from a swath of chipmakers championing Arm-based data-center chips with more cores, lower power consumption, and greater scalability.

Nokia to head up European 6G project

Vendor takes on 6G role, just as Finland looks set to pass a new 5G security law that could lock out certain vendors.

Cisco Pays $730M+ for IMImobile, Slido for Webex Boost

Cisco paid hundreds of millions of dollars or more to acquire two companies, IMImobile and Slido, that it says will boost customer interaction on its Webex video conferencing platform.

Will Open Source Cybersecurity Reach Critical Mass?

Cybersecurity professionals are quick to see the risks associated with open source — a developer may unknowingly insert buggy open source code into an enterprise application, which could make the company, its partners, and customers vulnerable to attacks.

Juniper Networks Acquires Apstra to Driver Deeper Automation

Juniper Networks is acquiring Apstra in a deal that will drive deeper automation into Juniper’s Junos-based data center networking platform. The acquisition should better position Juniper in the intent-based networking segment against rival Cisco.

Orange CTO: Don't expect 'densification' with 5G

Michael Trabbia says 5G efficiencies will allow his company to provide a nationwide service without the need for additional sites.

Eurobites: Finland prepares to make life easier for Nokia

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: OMG it's an FWA record; where we are with open RAN; Ethiopia's telecom privatization going ahead.

COVID-19, network reuse contribute to strong PON market

Omdia's Julie Kunstler outlines why the broadband equipment market uptick will keep on going in 2021.

Headcount: Firings, Hirings, and Retirings — November 2020

Here are some of the latest executive hirings, promotions, and staff changes that happened in November. 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.

Cisco Eyes Growth in 400G, 5G Transitions

Cisco operates a deeply entrenched business that targets many layers of IT, but it’s making considerable investments of late to capture market-wide transitions to 400 Gb/s infrastructure and 5G, according to Jonathan Davidson, SVP and GM of Cisco’s Mass-Scale Infrastructure unit.

Verizon’s DSS performance ‘disappointing,’ says SRG

Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) garnered a lot of attention this year, underscoring its complexities and a bit of mystery. 

Cisco strikes a deal to buy software company IMImobile for $730M

Cisco kicked off Monday with the news that it's buying London-based cloud communications software company IMImobile for $730 million, including debt.

90% of smartphones to support CBRS by 2023, says SNS Telecom

SNS Telecom & IT predicts that by 2023, about 90% of all smartphone shipments in the United States will incorporate support for the 3.5 GHz CBRS band – specifically, 3GPP bands 48 and 49 for LTE and n48 for 5G NR connectivity. The research firm estimates total smartphone shipments in the U.S. at about 130 million.

Report: Facebook, Microsoft drag down data center switch market

Thanks to the European and Asia-Pacific regions, global data center switch revenue bounced back year-over-year in Q3 after two consecutive quarters of mid to high single-digit declines. By contrast, revenue in the North American data switch market decreased for the fourth consecutive quarter due in part to a capex slowdown by some of the hyperscale cloud providers.

Crown Castle could be first to see fruits from C-band – analyst

The anticipated C-band auction is set to kick off next week, and looking ahead MoffettNathanson thinks Crown Castle could be positioned to see the fruits of the new spectrum faster and at higher levels than its tower company peers.

TIM, Ericsson, Qualcomm achieve 1 Gbps on 5G mmWave FWA

Italy’s Telecom Italia (TIM), Ericsson and Qualcomm worked together to use 5G technology on a fixed wireless access (FWA) deployment to get a speed of 1 Gbps on the downlink and 700 Mbps on the uplink. The demonstration took place in Rome on 26 GHz millimeter wave spectrum at a distance of 6.5 kilometers between the 5G mmWave device and the base station.

Lumen gives automation a turbo boost with Itential

Lumen Technologies has teamed up with Itential to boost automation across multi-domain networks for service providers, enterprises and cloud providers.

ONF's Aether project gets its wings with $30M 5G DARPA project

The Open Networking Foundation's Aether platform, which includes 5G, edge and cloud, has taken flight with a $30 million contract funded by the Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA.)

Moore: Holiday wireless competition is very different in 2020

Wireless competition for the 2020 holiday season is different. Really different, for so many reasons.

Siemens deploys private wireless network to support microgrid

The U.S. Department of Energy defines a microgrid as a group of interconnected components and distributed energy resources within clearly defined electrical boundaries. Microgrids can operate independently of the larger grid, and if connected to the grid they act as a single controllable entity. A microgrid is one way for a large user of power to take control of its energy use and focus on renewables. 

Ericsson, Qualcomm and TIM claim new FWA speed record

Fixed Wireless Access is one of the best hopes operators have of making money from their 5G investments, so there’s a strong incentive to claim to be the best at it.

Vodafone launches smartwatch, AR glasses as wearables market kicks up a gear

The global wearables market had a buoyant third quarter, and with big names like Vodafone championing the latest devices this week, the outlook appears rosy going into the festive season.

CityFibre customers keep coming

CityFibre has signed up another four retail ISPs to its fibre network, more than doubling its wholesale customer base.

Mavenir begins dabbling in open RAN hardware

Mavenir is pinning its hopes on an open RAN trend separating hardware from software. At the same time, the company is working to tightly integrate its own hardware and software.

Juniper Plans to Mist-ify 128 Technology’s SD-WAN

128 Technologies will play a key role in the next phase of Juniper’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven WAN, said Sudheer Matta, VP of product management at Juniper Networks, during Thursday’s AI for the enterprise virtual summit.

Snowflake Surges on Strong Earnings, Expectations

Snowflake’s first quarter as a public company got off on uneven footing with the data warehousing vendor posting strong revenue growth and a hefty financial loss for the quarter. But that awkwardness was expected as investors piled heavily onto the vendor.

What to expect from the C-band auction for 5G spectrum

Who's bidding? When will the auction end? And what will the winners get? Some expect the C-band auction to be America's biggest-ever spectrum sale.

WarnerMedia's bold movie move will help HBO Max… at a price

Decision to distribute Warner Bros movies simultaneously in theaters and HBO Max is risky even if it accelerates growth for WarnerMedia's new premium SVoD service, analyst says.

Daily Roundup: Fortinet, AWS Add Fuel to Fire(walls)

In case you’ve been stuck in video conference meetings all day, here are today’s top stories from SDxCentral. Also, make sure to subscribe to our daily newsletters to get these stories in your inbox.

North Dakota telco lights up 5-Gig residential broadband service

Delivered on XGS-PON gear from Calix, MLGC's speedy new offering sells for $199 per month.

What Cybersecurity Tech Will VCs Throw Money at in 2021?

COVID-19 affected every sector during 2020, and cybersecurity’s no different. Some of the pandemic-related changes proved beneficial as companies realized overnight the necessity of securing a now-perimeter-less workforce. As a result, security budgets were the one area that typically didn’t see any cuts — and in some cases even increased — during the economic downturn. But will that cybersecurity spending continue in 2021?

Open RAN will be a $3.2B market in 2024, says Omdia

Forecast is raised as service providers commit to both greenfield and brownfield deployments worldwide.

Facebook tests tech to provide data to rural world

Facebook releases first results for its prototype SuperCell, a tech to provide mobile network coverage from existing towers to rural communities.

Comcast inches toward HBO Max integration

A tile for HBO Max and other HBO Max branding have surfaced on X1. However, when the tile is launched, it directs viewers to the regular HBO network page rather than the fuller, OTT-delivered HBO Max app.

FTTH/B in Europe? Massive growth surge on its way – report

IDATE forecasts a near tripling of FTTH/B subscribers in EU member states (plus UK) between 2020 and 2026. UK and Germany no longer full-fiber laggards.

WiCipedia: Is there an alternative to imposter syndrome?

This week in our WiC roundup: How to avoid imposter syndrome; fundraising for good; what it takes to build a diverse team; and more.

China's 5G newcomer pins its hopes on untried mobile broadcast

CBN has a mountain to climb as it tries to establish broadcast technology as a 5G challenger.

Fortinet, AWS Blaze Virtual Firewall, WAF Integrations

Fortinet added security integrations with Amazon Web Services (AWS) including its virtual firewall FortiGate-VM and web application firewall FortiWeb to boost workload protection across hybrid environments.

Eurobites: Tele2 sells small German unit

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: more on Vodafone's edge deal with AWS; better times lie ahead, says Analysys Mason; blockchain gets a telecom workout.

VMware, Micro Focus Top Forrester’s Hybrid Cloud Management Wave

VMware and Micro Focus led a strong field of rivals in Forrester’s latest ranking of hybrid cloud management platforms that noted real differentiation in the market is driven by the depth of support rather than the breadth of that support.

Ofcom plans no fiber pricing controls for 11 years

Move by regulator signals support for BT's FTTP rollout, but TalkTalk challenges 'multibillion-pound giveaway' to the former incumbent.

Zoom tops the 2020 mobile app charts

In a year that saw leaving the house become criminalised in much of the world, it comes as little surprise to see video conferencing service Zoom become top of the mobile pops.