Disney seeks extension for CBRS tests

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for additional time to see if it can convert existing wireless infrastructure at resorts in Anaheim, California, and Orlando, Florida, to operate under Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS) rules.

US grows a new breed of scrappy wireless antenna startups

The radio antenna market may see some disruption by startups as the use of mmWave spectrum in the United States drives 5G innovation, according to a new report from ABI Research.

Sprint upgrades business wireline offering

Whatever the outcome of its attempt to merge with T-Mobile, Sprint seems confident that it will continue to offer wireline services for business customers under its own brand name. This week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Sprint unveiled a new network design model meant to unite its entire business solution portfolio.

TIM passes 2 Gbps barrier, claims European 5G speed record

Italy’s Telecom Italia says it surpassed the 2 Gbps threshold over a live 5G network, claiming a new record for 5G speeds in Europe.

T-Mobile/Sprint merger opponents say feds’ review was ‘cursory’

In response to a court filing by the U.S. government last month, the dozen or so states opposed to the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint this week provided several reasons why the judge should reject the feds’ arguments, including that the federal government approved the merger with “what appears to be only a cursory examination” of the approval conditions.

CenturyLink to pay $8.9 million in fraudulent billing case

CenturyLink has agreed to pay almost $9 million to settle charges that it overbilled customers in Minnesota for internet and television service, according to the Associated Press. The company said it disagrees with the charges brought against it by Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, but wants to settle in order to avoid the costs of litigation.

China Mobile reportedly chasing cloud JV with Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel

Reports have emerged suggesting China Mobile is attempting to create a joint-venture in the Indian market to capitalise on the growing cloud segment.

Most smartphone brands are worthless

New research from IHS Markit reveals that, beyond Apple and Samsung, people aren’t loyal to smartphone brands.

LG promises mobile profits by end 2021

LG’s new CEO has promised to recover the lost fortunes of yesteryear, driving the mobile business unit towards profitability within two years.

Fitness tracker use is exploding in the US, especially among rich young women

A recent Pew survey shows 21% of US adults regularly wear a smartwatch or fitness tracker. Over half of them think it acceptable for the device makers to share user data with medical researchers.

Apple, Samsung Phones Pass FCC's Radiation Tests

A report last year from the Chicago Tribune raised concerns that common smartphones were blasting RF radiation over the legal limit. But FCC tests found that they were not.

Equinix CEO Talks Edge: Friend or Foe?

As operators roll out 5G networks, new services and applications require that compute and storage resources move further to the edge of the networks — and into smaller markets and more remote locations.

Money Moves: December 2019

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, or if you have any tips on that activity, please send the information to Sydney Sawaya (ssawaya@sdxcentral.com).

Eurobites: UK Government Urged to Tighten Rules on Prepaid Phones to Help Fight Crime

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Sterlite buys stake in Israeli virtual RAN vendor; Ofcom doubles down on provider performance ratings; Telekom Slovenije does deal with Discovery.

Telecom Turns Lukewarm on Media Ownership

Interest in buying media and TV companies soured in 2019, according to a Light Reading survey, but it still looks better than banking.

WiCipedia: Ivanka Trump's CES Keynote & Male Bosses Promote Men More

This week in our WiC roundup: CES picked a controversial keynoter; female founders snagged under 3% of VC funding last year – an all-time high; is learning to code enough?; and more.

NY Governor Prioritizes '100% Cell Service'

After investing $500 million in better high-speed broadband Internet access for the state, New York now needs to prioritize quality cellular service statewide, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in his annual State of the State address.

AT&T looks to fiber for revenue growth

AT&T's recent fiber build-out may have been driven by a deal the company made with the federal government, but now management expects AT&T Fiber to be a solid contributor to revenue growth. 

US Senator tables bill to ban intelligence sharing with Huawei friendlies

The Republican Senator for Arkansas, Tom Cotton, has tabled a bill which would ban US agencies from sharing data with countries do not ban Huawei.

CenturyLink draws a bead on 200,000 on-net fiber buildings

While Realtors tout "location, location, location," CenturyLink's mantra is "fiber, fiber, fiber." During Wednesday's Citi 2020 Global TMT West Conference in Las Vegas, CenturyLink CEO Jeff Storey once again pointed out that his company's competitive advantage is its fiber.

Verizon, T-Mobile trade barbs over network prowess

During separate appearances at the Citi 2020 Global TMT West Conference in Las Vegas this week, executives from Verizon and T-Mobile made the case for their respective 5G network strategies, one being laser-focused on millimeter wave and the other touting its nationwide capabilities.

Nokia counts 63 commercial 5G deals to kick off 2020

Nokia ended 2019 rather badly when it admitted during its third quarter 2019 earnings call that it was having to pivot on its 5G chip strategy. But the company is kicking off the new year with some determined optimism. Nokia said today that it had reached 63 commercial 5G contracts worldwide. The figure includes named customers such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, KDDI, NTT Docomo, Korea Telecom and LG Uplus.

Verizon targets cable bundles with 'Mix & Match' pricing

Verizon is bidding the traditional triple play bundle adieu with its new "Mix & Match on Fios" pricing that allows customers to pick customized options with lower price points.

AT&T CFO touts ‘dramatic' lead in spectrum

As AT&T gears up to deliver nationwide 5G coverage this year, its finance chief on Wednesday touted the carrier’s spectrum position, saying it has a significant lead over competitors.

Orange opens new Africa and Middle-East HQ in Casablanca

Orange has announced it has opened its new headquarters for the Africa and Middle-East region in Casablanca Finance City Tower in Morocco.

Industry Voices—Chua: In 2020, will SD-WAN turn SASE and FUN?

As we kick off 2020, we're experiencing the usual wave of look-back, look-ahead articles across technology publications and prognostications from industry pundits. A pent-up spurt of announcements queued up from the holidays, and timed to align with CES 2020, have also spewed forth. While some of our analyst friends have fun (or suffer the craziness) in Las Vegas at CES, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the ever-evolving SD-WAN market. For the impatient amongst us, here's a quick TL;DR summary:

TIM claims 5G speed record with help from Ericsson and Qualcomm

A trio of telecoms trailblazers managed to break the 2 Gbps barrier with 5G over 26 GHz, which is apparently a European record.

Nokia applauds its own progress with 63 5G wins

Nokia is proving to be its own biggest fan, parading around a list of accomplishments, from 5G contract wins to the number of patents it has filed across the last year.

Major mobile-only SVoD service Quibi set to launch in April

A subscription video on demand service designed solely for mobile consumption will launch with the backing of much of the entertainment establishment.

ASA bans ad claiming 5G causes infertility

Campaign group Electrosensitivity UK has been told its advert claiming 5G causes infertility and depression cannot be used in its current form as there is no evidence to support the statements.

Samsung Unveils Latest 5G Telematics Control Unit (TCU) Technology and BMW Partnership at CES 2020

At CES 2020, Samsung joined BMW to showcase new approaches to creating the mobility experiences of the future with the world’s first commercialized 5G TCU (Telematics Control Unit).

Sprint Sold Phone With Chinese Malware, Cybersecurity Firm Claims

According to cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, one of Sprint's prepaid brands sold a phone that contained pre-installed malware from China. Sprint disputes those allegations.

Podcast: Quibi Quips & TV Feeds the Airwaves

Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner has another #CES2020 update. In this episode, we get a Quibi keynote recap, more info on next-gen TV and where we might see 8K in action.

Aruba SD-Branch Update Targets Retail

Aruba Networks has its sights set on making its SD-branch offering easier to manage, more secure, and even fault-tolerant. In pursuit of these goals, the company unveiled a bevy of enhancements to its service including new branch hardware with built-in cellular capabilities, improved security features, and a new SD-WAN orchestrator.

CES 2020: Gearing Up for 'NextGen TV'

Three top TV makers introduced 20 ATSC 3.0-capable sets here as broadcasters get ready to rev up their launch plans for the new feature-rich, broadcast-signaling standard.

Verizon Tops 5G Network Perception Survey

New survey results indicate Verizon enjoys a commanding lead when it comes to which 5G network Americans think is best.

Veeam Snatched Up by Insight for $5B

Just shy of its one year, $500 million investment in Veeam Software, private equity firm Insight Partners announced today that it has entered a deal to acquire all of the cloud-focused data management company in an all-cash transaction valued at around $5 billion. 

Verizon Targets Cable With New Fios Pricing Plans

Verizon is stepping away from 'triple play' bundles as well as promotional pricing schemes in an attempt to counter the gains of cable in the broadband Internet space and the rise of streaming alternatives in TV.

Here's Why It Might Be Time to Worry About mmWave 5G

A new year is upon us, but neither Verizon nor AT&T has shared concrete, quantifiable plans for 5G in millimeter-wave spectrum in 2020. Is this cause for concern?

Podcast: AI Seeps Into Everything at CES 2020

Jeff Baumgartner checks in with Danielle Cassagnol of the Consumer Technology Association to discuss common threads at #CES2020, what new technologies and products are moving the sales needle and what to expect from the massive annual tech-fest next year.

AT&T Clarifies Perplexing, Ambiguous Network Virtualization Goal

AT&T says it virtualized another 6% of its network functions during the last year and has virtualized 71% of its network to date. That’s a change from what the company said last week.

No One Wants to Talk About Huawei's State Subsidies

Why is no one mentioning Beijing's $75 billion of assistance to Huawei?

Eurobites: For Nokia, 63 Is a 5G Magic Number

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: TIM beats 2 Gbit/s on live 5G commercial network; UK altnet ITS bags £45 million in funding; T-Mobile Poland heads out into the open source.

Cox Business powers connectivity in NFL Raiders' new stadium

Cox Business will have all of the connectivity bases covered in the Raiders' new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas when it opens later this year. Cox Business, which has long provided wired and wireless connectivity in Las Vegas hotels and casinos, will provide high-speed connections at Allegiant Stadium and the Raiders' soon-to-be-completed Las Vegas headquarters.

Industry Voices—Madden: When cable and wireless galaxies collide

Cable operators are moving into the mobile market. Mobile operators are moving into fixed broadband. Sparks will fly!

Pluribus Networks and Dell EMC rack up data center customer win

Pluribus Networks once again teamed up with Dell EMC to modernize two data centers for Anana. Anana is a provider of cloud-based customer experience solutions helping companies such as Marks and Spencer and Vodacom orchestrate their customer communications.

Broadcom announces Wi-Fi 6E chipsets for 6 GHz

Broadcom is ready for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to unleash the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi, announcing Wi-Fi 6E solutions for the band. The “6E” designation means Wi-Fi 6 devices are capable of operating in the 6 GHz band.

US reportedly lobbies UK over Huawei ahead of imminent 5G decision

US diplomats have apparently renewed their lobbying of the UK government to ban Huawei from its 5G network, with the final decision expected to be made this month.

Report: Microsoft a software trailblazer over the past 10 years

Microsoft has been far and away the software market leader over the past decade, according to Synergy Research Group (SRG).

American Tower not ruffled by Apple’s reported satellite efforts

American Tower doesn’t appear concerned with recent reports that Apple is working on a secret satellite initiative, as the tower company’s chief executive said Tuesday that direct satellite-to-device connectivity likely isn’t economically scalable outside of far-edge cases.

White House outlines 10 principles for AI development

Despite the Trump administration stating it would never meddle in artificial intelligence, the White House has outlined 10 commandments for agencies to create rules and regulations.

T-Mobile Poland boots up fixed mobile service with ONF's EPC

T-Mobile Poland chalked up the industry's first deployment of a production-grade open source evolved packet core (EPC) using the Open Networking Foundation's OMEC platform.

Telcos are implementing ECC powers unfairly – Ulster Farmers Union

The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has suggested telcos are unfairly implementing entitled powers through the Electronic Communications Code (ECC) to drive down land rental costs.

Ofcom promises to ‘supercharge’ fibre with four-point plan

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has proposed a four-point plan to accelerate investment in fibre networks at interest continues to gather momentum in the UK.

Sonos says Google has been stealing its patented tech for years

Wireless audio specialist Sonos is suing internet giant Google, claiming it has knowingly used its patented technology without paying for it since 2016.

T-Mobile’s Sievert confident as Sprint deal hinges on court

Just a little over a week before closing arguments are made in its fight to merge with Sprint, T-Mobile—as one might expect—is confident it will prevail.

AT&T: 2020 will be year of the edge

Similar to rival Verizon, AT&T is all for edge computing, going so far as saying 2020 is going to be the year of the edge.

FCC’s Ajit Pai met with Rakuten executives

LAS VEGAS — In his first speaking engagement at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) since he became the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in 2017, Ajit Pai said that he has “met with Rakuten” and discussed wireless security issues with company executives. Rakuten Mobile is building a 4G/5G greenfield network in Japan based on open software and virtualization technologies.

Verizon: Don't Expect Much From '5G Home' Until H2 2020

Verizon won't embark on a wider deployment of its 5G Home service until the second half of this year, when high-powered equipment will be available.

MobiledgeX, NTT DoCoMo Trial MEC for 5G Applications

MobiledgeX and NTT DoCoMo today announced a new initiative that will use multi-access edge computing (MEC) to distribute 5G applications around the world.

Podcast: New Devices Stock Service Provider Streaming Schemes

At #CES2020, Jeff Baumgartner reports on streaming video deals that include broadband service providers as key distribution partners. Maybe this is the silver lining as traditional pay-TV keeps losing subscribers.

CES 2020: Google Grabs Big Tech Role in Quibi's Phone-Focused Video Service

Quibi to debut ad-supported and ad-free service tiers for its mobile-optimized video service on April 6, with plans to pump out 175 shows and 8,500 episodes of premium, short-form fare in year one.

Anana Taps Dell, Pluribus SDN for Data Center Project

U.K.-based Anana tapped Dell EMC open networking hardware and Pluribus Networks SDN as part of its data center modernization project. It’s the latest in a string of customer wins for Dell and Pluribus.

Falco Soars From CNCF Sandbox to Incubation

Falco, Sysdig’s open source project for monitoring container runtimes, left the Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s (CNCF) sandbox today after its Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) voted to advance the project into incubation. The Falco project joins 14 other Incubating projects at CNCF as the first and, so far, only security runtime platform. 

5G Is Doing Surprisingly Well

5G is on track but we won’t answer the key questions in 2020.

Comcast to Stream CBS All Access on X1 & Flex Boxes

Cable operator is the first pay-TV provider to strike a deal to integrate CBS's subscription streaming service on its set-top boxes.

Verizon: Don't Expect Much From '5G Home' Until 2H 2020

Verizon won't embark on a wider deployment of its 5G Home service until the second half of this year, when high-powered equipment will be available.

FTC Chair Calls for Modern Federal Privacy Law

LAS VEGAS — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has effectively taken enforcement actions against companies that violate antitrust, anticompetitive, and privacy laws, but the nation is long overdue for a more modern law on the books, FTC Chair Joseph Simons argued at CES 2020.

T-Mobile Poland First to Deploy ONF Open Source EPC

T-Mobile Poland is the first carrier to roll out a “production-grade” open source evolved packet core (EPC) based on the Open Network Foundation’s Open Mobile Evolved Core (OMEC) platform.

5G Networks in 2020: Show Me, Don't Tell Me

It's time for the industry to walk the 5G walk.

CES 2020: Building Smart Home 2.0

Strategies centered on common platforms and creating smart home 'experiences' alongside a curated blend smart home equipment and services has superseded the market for siloed, one-off IoT products, execs say.

Verizon Draws Up 5G & 4G Drone Flight Plans

Verizon is ready for 4G and 5G drone flights, as the FAA looks to change the rules for the unmanned aircraft again.

Samsung Forecasts Fall in Q4 Profit

The South Korean electronics giant expects operating profits to fall, but not as much as some analysts had feared.

VMware's $2.7B Pivotal Acquisition: What It Means for Service Providers

VMware R&D VP Craig McLuckie says Pivotal will help provide SPs with the tools needed to build dynamic, modern, API-driven services that enterprise customers demand.

Eurobites: Ofcom Fans Flames of UK's Full-Fiber Future

Also in today's EMEA regional rollout: US applies the Huawei thumbscrews on the UK again; French CEO questions Trump's motives over Huawei freeze-out; Orange tests 5G drones in Poland.

Verizon anticipates indoor 5G without Wi-Fi

Verizon is preparing for a 5G world where Wi-Fi won't be in the picture, but new solutions will propel millimeter wave indoors in many places.

MediaTek adds momentum to 5G mid-tier with Dimensity 800 launch

After launching its assault on the premium market in November, MediaTek has unveiled its Dimensity 800 Series 5G chipset for mid-tier devices.

Apple iPhone XR is struggling with the O2 UK network

One of Apple’s slightly less expensive smartphones is repeatedly losing its connection to the O2 UK network.

Broadcom unloads Symantec security business to Accenture

Two months after closing its deal to buy Symantec's enterprise security business for $10.7 billion, Broadcom announced Tuesday it was selling it to Accenture for an undisclosed sum.

Sprint pulls the plug on Virgin Mobile

Sprint is officially pulling the plug on its decaying Virgin Mobile prepaid service and will transfer current customers to its Boost Mobile brand starting in February.

T-Mobile tallies 1.9M net adds in Q4

T-Mobile had another good quarter, reporting 1.9 million total net additions in the fourth quarter, the 27th quarter in a row where it had more than 1 million total net adds.

Nuage, Versa and Infovista pass MEF 3.0 SD-WAN certification

Nuage Networks, Versa Networks and Infovista are the first vendors to sail through MEF's SD-WAN certification process, which is administered by Spirent Communications.

5G threatens to crack mass market with affordable devices

As it stands, 5G is not a democratised technology, but that could change as a swarm of affordable devices promising to hit the market in 2020.

FlexiWAN makes its move to put SD-WAN in open source

FlexiWAN CEO and co-founder Amir Zmora has lived up to his promise to put an SD-WAN solution into open source by moving his company's code into GitLab.

Qualcomm all-in on cars at CES 2020

At the first big tech show of the year mobile chip giant Qualcomm is focusing on cars rather than phones.

T-Mobile US finishes the decade with another 1m net phone additions

The final quarter of 2019 was one which certainly did not let T-Mobile US down, as the team boasted an additional 1 million postpaid phone net additions, taking the customer base up to 86 million.

The next generation of Bluetooth audio looks good

At CES 2020 the people who run the short range Bluetooth wireless standard unveiled a new version of its audio technology that promises a lot of new features.

LG joins the virtue-signalling crowd with AI standardisation plug

LG is the latest technology company to humbly join the ranks of technology disciples preaching standardisation and, of course, its idea is better than everyone else’s.

FCC Chair Sets Ambitious 5G Goals for 2020

LAS VEGAS — Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Ajit Pai made his long-anticipated and delayed appearance at the tech industry’s largest annual gathering in the country this year. The bureaucrat was scheduled to appear at CES in 2018, but cancelled amid death threats during his quest to rollback net neutrality, and last year’s appearance was cancelled because of the federal government’s longest shutdown in U.S. history.

flexiWAN Open Source SD-WAN Platform Hits GA

flexiWAN launched the first stable release of its open-source SD-WAN platform, which is available through one of the company’s hardware partners: Advantech, Lanner, and Silicom.

Broadcom Sells Accenture Symantec Security Services Biz

Just months after paying $10.7 billion for Symantec’s enterprise security business, Broadcom is selling a piece of it — Symantec’s Cyber Security Services unit — to Accenture for an undisclosed amount.

T-Mobile COO: 'Right Is on Our Side' in Sprint Merger

T-Mobile executives continue to remain hopeful that the company will ultimately consummate its proposed merger with Sprint. But they also have some ideas for a Plan B.

CES 2020 Notebook: 'Filmmaker Mode' Secures Buy-In From TV Makers & Video Producers

Also, Technicolor's streaming box goes software-agnostic, Locast seeks defense funds, Amazon fund backs Sweepr and Synamedia lands cloud DVR deal.

Iran Cyberattacks Targeting US Companies Imminent, Experts Warn

Top cybersecurity experts say they expect to see Iran retaliate against the U.S. for the killing of General Qassem Soleimani by launching cyberattacks against major U.S. businesses.

Adaptiv Absorbs LiveQoS to Accelerate SD-WAN

In a move to improve user experiences, SD-WAN vendor Adaptiv Networks announced it acquired LiveQoS, a firm specializing in application acceleration, for an undisclosed sum in a deal that closed in mid-December.

Intel Showcases AI Strategy for 5G, Intelligent Edge

LAS VEGAS — Intel’s presentation at CES 2020 set the stage for its strategy around three emerging technologies — 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and the intelligent edge. And it focused on how it plans to use AI to process, store, and move data around networks with more efficiency and insights.

Broadcom Flogs Symantec Unit to Accenture

The semiconductor maker offloads some of the security assets it acquired last year to Accenture, which gains valuable new capabilities.

Sprint Kills Virgin Mobile Brand, Will Move Customers to Boost Next Month

Despite its ongoing efforts to merge with T-Mobile, Sprint said it will move its Virgin Mobile USA prepaid customers onto its Boost Mobile service starting in just a few short weeks.

AMD Boasts First Mainstream 64-Core Processor at CES

LAS VEGAS — AMD revealed new processors for laptops, graphic processing units (GPU), and a new 64-core processor for servers and high-end desktop PCs at CES 2020. “If you look at the combination of products that we’ve launched over the last year and will launch in 2020, you will see over 20 products in production or in development in 7 nanometers (nm),” AMD CEO Lisa Su said during a press conference.

CES 2020: TiVo Enters the Streaming Fray, Teams With Sling TV

Company debuts 4K-capable, Android TV-powered streaming dongle that will be sold at retail and via cable operators that want to offer an OTT option to broadband-only customers.

Nuage, Versa, Infovista Nab MEF 3.0 SD-WAN Certifications

Nuage, Versa, and Infovista today became the first vendors to receive the MEF 3.0 SD-WAN certification. The certification, developed by MEF and first announced in November, aims to help network operators and IT professionals choose an SD-WAN vendor with confidence.

Qualcomm Teases 5G Intelligent Edge Box for Hyperscalers

LAS VEGAS — Qualcomm showcased broad advancements in 5G for the automotive sector, a new product for edge computing and data centers, and the “world’s first 5G PC” in partnership with Lenovo amid a flurry of announcements at CES 2020.

T-Mobile Ends 2019 on a High With 7M Net Adds for the Year

The Un-carrier gains nearly 2 million customers in the final quarter of 2019, but can it maintain its performance under new management and as the battlefield shifts to 5G?

Eurobites: Virgin Media Offers 'Free' Broadband Boost

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Synamedia scores at Etisalat; Vodafone's Sanches joins Kaltura; African pay-TV market set for subscriber boom.

China's Newest Operator Now Has 2 Suitors

New 5G spectrum allocation sparks partnership speculation in the world's biggest mobile market.

Podcast: The SVoD Squad Attacks

We discuss HBO Max, Peacock and more as the week of #CES2020 gets under way and service providers continue to stake their claims in the consumer subscription video business.

NFV Deployments Still on the Rise – Ovum Survey

Communications service providers are accelerating the adoption of NFV and virtual networking in 2020-21, according to the results of an Ovum survey.

Samsung Electronics Declares “Age of Experience” at CES 2020

Samsung Electronics announced the “Age of Experience” at the opening keynote at CES. As the featured keynote speaker, Samsung Consumer Electronics President and CEO H.S. Kim heralded a decade of human-centric innovation that seamlessly combines hardware and software to create personalized experiences that make life more convenient, more enjoyable, and more meaningful.

WISPA extends contract for CEO Aiken

The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) Board of Directors announced that it is extending the contract of WISPA President and CEO Claude Aiken until 2022. 

Verizon, HERE Technologies team on 5G-enabled navigation tech

Verizon and HERE Technologies announced a multi-year partnership to develop new connected services, including navigation and location, that rely in part on Verizon’s 5G network infrastructure.

Greenblatt: AT&T balances customer satisfaction with pressures

AT&T enters 2020 with a bold new transformative vision that will require carefully synchronizing its go-to-market strategies to capture and retain subscribers. Success will hinge on an enterprise-wide focus on nurturing the sustained culture of long-term customer satisfaction.

Indian telcos are ‘cap in hand’ in front of Government

The digital economy in India is accelerating at an almost unprecedented speed, but this is a market which is far from being in a healthy position.

HPE and Cumulus team up on open data center storage

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced on Monday it's using Cumulus Networks' Linux operating system and NetIQ management tool on some of its Ethernet switches. HPE's StoreFabric M-Series Ethernet switches are running Cumulus' Linux operating system to help enterprises adopt advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Verizon bets on connected vehicles with Here partnership

Verizon has decided to bang on about its mobile edge infrastructure at CES 2020 and is using a new partnership with location tech company Here as a pretext to do so.

FCC sets comment deadline for Huawei, ZTE security risks

The Federal Communications Commission has set a Feb. 3 deadline for comments on the agency’s initial determination that Chinese technology companies Huawei and ZTE pose national security threats.

CenturyLink rings up cloud-based voice service for businesses

CenturyLink is now offering medium-sized businesses cloud-based voice and communications services through its new Engage portfolio. With Engage, CenturyLink is enabling businesses to tap into the benefits of cloud-based communications services by using either their own connectivity, CenturyLink's or both. The service is currently available to business customers in all 50 states.

GSA identifies 23 countries divvying up C-band spectrum

While the C-band is expected to be subject to an auction in the U.S. later this year, other countries already have auctioned or allocated C-band spectrum for mobile broadband and 5G.

While data center spending stagnates, cloud closes in on $100B

Over the past decade, spending on cloud infrastructure services has gone from virtually nothing to close to $100 billion in annual revenues, according to Synergy Research Group. Synergy Research Group (SRG) cited enterprises' switch from spending money on their own data centers to using cloud providers to satisfy their computing needs as the primary reason for cloud spending growth.

Etisalat launches Open vRAN network and promises more

Etisalat has said it has successfully launched what it describes as the first Open Virtual Radio Access Network (Open vRAN) in the Middle-East and Africa.

Huawei and ZTE have a month to convince the US they’re not a security threat

The US Federal Communications Commission has set a deadline of 3 February for comments on its designation of Huawei and ZTE as security threats.

Wi-Fi Alliance stakes its claim to the 6 GHz band

The 6 GHz band is expected to be made available in unlicensed form soon and the Wi-Fi Alliance thinks it’s a good fit for Wi-Fi 6.

SVoD claims 66% of UK home entertainment market revenues

The entertainment landscape is shifting at remarkable speed, but it might surprise a few to see the internet giants are hording such a monstrous proportion of the wealth.

Better inventory visualization

Legacy inventory systems can be a major inhibitor to service provider operations. Read how one major CSP transformed its operations by moving to a single federated inventory environment that provides a complete and current visualization of their network. Click here to read the full article.

CES 2020: Amazon Lights Up Fire TV for Service Providers, Including Verizon

New operator-tailored version of Fire TV will bring competition to Google's Android TV Operator Tier as well as the cable industry-backed RDK platform.

SK Telecom to Showcase Next-Generation Media and Mobility Technologies at CES 2020

SK Telecom today announced that it will participate in CES 2020, which takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center located in Las Vegas from January 7 to 10, to showcase diverse media and mobility technologies powered by 5G and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC).

CES 2020 – Amazon Lights Up Fire TV for Service Providers, Including Verizon

New operator-tailored version of Fire TV will bring competition to Google's Android TV Operator Tier as well as the cable industry-backed RDK platform.

Insight Scoops Up IoT Security Startup Armis for $1.1B

Insight Partners will acquire IoT security startup Armis for $1.1 billion. The deal marks the first cybersecurity acquisition of 2020, and it’s the largest-ever enterprise IoT security software acquisition, according to the companies.

Enghouse Networks Scoops Up Dialogic

Dialogic’s software business expands Enghouse’s already sprawling product portfolio, beefing up its position in the enterprise video and unified communications market.

Could Apple Sidestep 5G With Satellites?

Apple is reportedly working on ways to connect its devices directly to satellites, a move that would bypass terrestrial 5G networks. But Apple is still expected to move forward with 5G iPhones this year too.

CES 2020: Comcast Pitches Free Cybersecurity to 18M Broadband Subs

Cable op also details a new multi-Gig-capable 'XB7' gateway that is equipped with WiFi 6 and low-latency features tailored for online gamers.

Nesten Shoots for DIY IoT Network With Pricey New Node

Nesten is the latest company to try and create a user-made IoT network with its $3,600 G1 node.

Open Storage Lifts Off With Cumulus, HPE Partnership

Along with stuffed turtles, Cumulus Networks and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today launched open storage networking into the stratosphere with a new partnership.

NeoPhotonics Lights Up 400G Transceiver Customer Trials

NeoPhotonics lit the way to higher speed communications today with the announcement it had begun end-customer trials of its new 400-Gb/s capable transceivers.

Cisco Patches More ‘Critical’ DCNM Flaws

Cisco late last week rolled out a handful of “critical” security updates targeting its Data Center Network Manager (DCNM), which has a history of security flaws.

China's UK Ambassador Sounds Warning on Huawei

Liu Xiaoming says a 5G ban on the controversial Chinese vendor could damage relations between China and the UK.

Utilities, Telcos in 5G Street Light Fight

A battle is brewing between wireless carriers and utilities over whether 5G small cells can be installed on top of street lights. One problem? The street lights might fall over.

Will Dell Technologies Fetch $3B for RSA?

Dell Technologies wants to sell RSA Security business for at least $3 billion and has hired Morgan Stanley to help with the sale, according to PE Hub. A company spokesperson declined to comment on the report.

Etisalat to Build Open RAN 'Across UAE'

Middle Eastern operator names Altiostar, Cisco and NEC as open RAN suppliers, but details of deployment remain thin.

Cellnex Emerges as Euro Mobile Tower Power Player

Spanish firm's €6.4 billion M&A spree gives it tens of thousands of mobile tower assets in eight European countries.

CES 2020: Roku Launches 'TV Ready' Program

Roku aims to wrest more control of the home entertainment ecosystem with certification program that tightly ties its software for smart TVs with third-party connected audio products.

Cable '10G' Field Trials on Tap for 2020

And DOCSIS 4.0 specifications are expected to be completed in early 2020, CableLabs exec says.

Eurobites: Huawei Fears Estonian Freeze-Out

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Saudi Arabia's Mobily opts for Ericsson; Ireland's data center dilemma; Sunrise appoints post-Swantee CFO.