Money Moves: September 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).

T-Mobile Cloud Leader: Kubernetes Isn’t Magic Dust

T-Mobile US doesn’t talk about its cloud-native efforts often, but there is a lot of activity happening behind the scenes on Kubernetes as the operator expands its vision for 5G.

American Tower has deployed 6 edge data centers at tower sites

American Tower officially launched its American Tower Edge Data Center initiative this year, and it already has deployed six edge data centers in Denver and Boulder, Colorado; Pittsburgh; Atlanta; Jacksonville, Florida; and Austin, Texas.

Report: Telefónica closing in on $5.9B FTTH deal in Germany

Telefónica Infra is in the final stages of negotiating a $5.9 billion deal to build a fiber-optic network in Germany, according to Reuters.

AT&T, Ericsson, Nokia picked for DoD 5G testbeds

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $600 million in contracts for five 5G testbeds, with AT&T, Ericsson and Nokia among more than a dozen vendors.

Loon, HAPSMobile deliver LTE from stratosphere

It’s not every day you get Vint Cerf, known as one of the “Fathers of the Internet,” to join your video call. But when you’re affiliated with Google and doing experimental tests in the stratosphere, maybe that’s par for the course.

Windstream Enterprise gives voice to its SD-WAN service

Windstream Enterprise is providing its SD-WAN users voice command features by adding Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa to its OfficeSuite UC portfolio. By using Alexa and Google Assistant, Windstream Enterprise said network administrators would be able to work more efficiently.

IBM splits up company to better focus on cloud and AI

IBM has taken a cleaver to the 109-year old company in order to better focus on its hybrid cloud business, which it sees as a $1 trillion market opportunity.

T-Mobile’s 5G sales pitch continues to miss on mid-band

To tout its upcoming advances in 5G, T-Mobile summoned a soccer ball and a toy car, among other props in a demo staged for journalists this week.

OpenRAN capex to overtake traditional RAN spending by 2028

Capital expenditure on OpenRAN radio units (RUs) is expected to reach $47.4 billion by 2026, predicted ABI Research this week.

BT adopts Open Caching for its edge CDN

UK telco group BT is preparing its network for the expected explosion in 8K video and AR/VR usage.

Belgium says bye-bye Huawei, hello Nokia

The two largest Belgian CSPs have announced a wholesale swap-out of Huawei gear in their RAN, in favour of Nokia.

T-Mobile US pounces on AT&T’s DSL PR gaffe with ramped up FWA service

Never one to pass up an opportunity to make its rivals look bad, T-Mobile US is extending its fixed-wireless access (FWA) service to areas left in the lurch by AT&T’s DSL phase-out.

Facebook goes to space

Facebook confirmed that it launched an 'experimental satellite designed to test ways to improve broadband connectivity,' but said it has no desire to provide services.

Rakuten's 4G network is still the slowest in Japan

According to new findings from Tutela, Rakuten's 4G network in Japan supports 16.16 Mbit/s download speeds, which is around 9 Mbit/s slower than the company's competitors.

SCTE CEO: Secretive show demo to tout the promise of '10G'

Futuristic demonstration at virtual Cable-Tec Expo will represent 'a next generation of science' and provide a 'real statement for the industry,' says Mark Dzuban.

Daily Roundup: Cisco Slashes Workforce

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 newsletter to get these stories in your inbox.

Kubernetes Security Gains Reach Nuclear Levels

Rancher Labs and its Rancher Federal division this week unveiled a Kubernetes-based open source project targeted at allowing container deployments to meet the increased security requirements of government organizations. The move continues what has been a growing push by different branches of the government to use cloud native architectures to modernize their IT infrastructure.

Telefónica nears $5.9B FTTH deal in Germany – report

The Spanish giant's new openness to infrastructure-investment partnerships, announced as part of a Group reorganization late last year, seems close to bearing fruit in Germany.

Cisco Slashes Workforce by 9%, Contradicts Previous Pledge

Cisco sure changed its tune in six months. The company is reportedly laying off about 9% of its workforce, six months after CEO Chuck Robbins pledged not to cut jobs in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

AMD Reportedly Eyes $30B Xilinx Buy

AMD could buy chipmaker Xilinx for more than $30 billion as early as next week, The Wall Street Journal reports.

AMD poised to acquire Xilinx for $30B – report

A combination of AMD and Xilinx would position AMD to more directly challenge Intel in the telecommunications market, including 5G.

Eurobites: BT makes room for Zoom

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Swisscom claims world first with 50Gbit/s demo; Vodacom Lesotho appeals against fine and license withdrawal; MTN in TIP run.

India loses 3M mobile customers in June

The latest numbers are also a concern for Jio, even though it was the only operator to report subscriber growth.

Orange to lure 5G customers with data bonanza

French operator is putting a firm 'premium' stamp on its 5G offer with large inclusive mobile data bundles, one of which is an unlimited plan.

WiCipedia: Black Tech Fest 20 is the place to be

This week in our WiC roundup: Black Tech Fest 20 is right around the corner; ADP is named the top large company for women in tech; women lack confidence, not skill; and more.

Belgian telcos drop Huawei for Nokia

Orange and Proximus will replace Huawei by 2023 in a further setback for the embattled Chinese vendor.

T-Mobile calls out AT&T with LTE fixed wireless expansion

T-Mobile today put a target on AT&T, announcing a major expansion of its LTE fixed wireless home internet pilot to hundreds of new locations where just last week AT&T stopped taking signups for its DSL service.

Comcast notches 10G milestone with trial of 1.25-Gig speeds

Comcast is out of the 10G starter blocks with a trial in Florida that features symmetrical speeds of 1.26 Gbps on a live production HFC network.

Vodafone names top radio companies in its open RAN RFI

Vodafone has been on a roll issuing requests for quotes (RFQs) and requests for information (RFIs) as it strives to expand the ecosystem for open radio access network (RAN) equipment. At this week’s Telecom Infra Project (TIP) virtual conference, Vodafone’s head of group network architecture Santiago Tenorio announced the results of an RFI for open RAN radio hardware.

UK asks Europe to stay out of the O2-Virgin deal

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has asked the European Commission not to get involved in the merger as it’s none of its business.

Cisco layoff chatter heats up online, but no confirmation

While Cisco isn't confirming that layoffs are taking place this week, disgruntled former employees have been posting as much on the internet.

OpenRF consortium could save time, money for smartphone industry

Major chipset and RF front-end suppliers have joined to form the Open RF Association (OpenRF) consortium, aiming to reduce some of the complexity, time, and costs of building a smartphone.

BT connects with Zoom for managed service video offering

BT is hooking up with Zoom Video Communications on a carrier agreement that allows it to offer Zoom Meetings as a managed service for its customers.

AT&T closing hundreds more stores

AT&T is closing 320 company-owned AT&T Mobility retail stores in November and December, affecting more than 1,600 workers, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union.

Colt lassos a fiber backhaul deal with Three UK

Colt Technology Services has landed a deal to be mobile provider Three UK's preferred provider of fiber backhaul connectivity. The deal with Colt is part of Three  UK's $2.6 billion investment to upgrade its network, which it said would include increasing 4G speeds by up to 150% as well as "delivering the U.K.'s fastest 5G network."

Aryaka bids Magic Quadrant adieu; tees up Private Access

Aryaka has pulled out of Gartner's Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure, which gives SD-WAN vendors that score well bragging rights with potential customers. On a separate note, Aryaka will roll out a new offering called "Private Access" in its current quarter.

UK MPs recommend faster Huawei removal if China doesn’t behave itself

The Parliamentary Defence Committee has published a detailed report on UK 5G security, which takes a robust position over China.

Hedge fund launches £1.1 billion bid to take TalkTalk private

UK ISP TalkTalk has agreed to discuss a takeover bid from its second-biggest shareholder.

Think-tank sounds alarm over UK’s full fibre future

Radical policy changes are needed if the UK is to achieve nationwide FTTP coverage, according to a new report.

UK Information Commissioner confirms Cambridge Analytica was a storm in a teacup

The supposed scandal around the data analytics supplied by Cambridge Analytics was manufactured by people with a political agenda.

Jio is driving a ‘best of times, worst of times’ in Indian telco

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...”

Samsung and KDDI Announce Agreement to Create New Businesses Utilizing 5G Networks in Japan

Samsung and KDDI today announced an agreement to expand their collaboration in 5G network business in Japan. With this collaboration, the companies will verify and assess optimal 5G network solutions for enterprises to improve user experiences and enhance productivity.

DoD awards $600M to AT&T, Ericsson, Nokia, others, for 5G testing

The US Defense Dept. is awarding a huge sum to more than a dozen companies to help create 'the largest full-scale 5G tests for dual-use applications in the world.'

Trump's big 5G plan still MIA

President Trump was required to submit 'an implementation plan to the 5G national strategy' by Sept. 23. However, NTIA officials now say it won't be ready until the end of October 2020.

Cisco's layoffs won't affect 5G focus

Cisco's previously announced restructuring appears to be getting underway, and 5G isn't expected to be affected. Other areas may not be so lucky.

Samsung on the upswing thanks to 5G, Huawei

Samsung said it recorded significant jumps in its overall operating profit and sales, which many attributed to gains in 5G and share from Huawei.

Big layoffs coming soon at WarnerMedia – report

'Thousands' of jobs at risk as AT&T looks to cut costs by up 20% as the pandemic continues to ravage the entertainment biz, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cable ops urged to stoke investment in the network

DOCSIS 3.1 and upstream spectrum upgrades will provide plenty of capacity runway to cable ops, but 'we cannot take our foot off the gas,' Cox's Jeff Finkelstein says.

Daily Roundup: IBM Slashes Legacy Biz

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5G: The end of the beginning

The new mobile technology is at last starting to have a positive impact on results for some operators.

Comcast tests symmetrical 1.25-Gig on HFC

Crossing milestones on the path to '10G,' Comcast says the trial is running on a live production, 'all digital' HFC network in Jacksonville using remote PHY digital nodes and a virtualized CMTS.

Nokia Envisions Ethical, Sustainable 5G-Enabled World

Nokia pleaded its case to put the world on a path to recovery in a paper released today outlining the company’s commitment to realizing its vision of an ethical and sustainable 5G world and calling on global, local, and individual collaborative action to make it happen.

Are VMware, Amazon on the Same Wavelengths?

VMware and Amazon Web Services celebrated their third anniversary at VMworld this year since launching VMware Cloud on AWS. At that event in 2017, AWS CEO Andy Jassy joined VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger on stage to launch VMware Cloud on AWS, which Gelsinger called “the ultimate hybrid solution.”

Orange CEO says something is rotten in the state of telecom

Stephane Richard nips into his home office to warn the industry about growing technical debt and urge closer collaboration.

IBM Slashes Legacy to Focus on Hybrid Cloud

Six months after coming to power, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna made his most serious push to back his plan in remaking IBM into a hybrid cloud powerhouse.

TalkTalk on the block, as Toscafund makes a bid

As European telcos' share prices tank, London hedge fund Toscafund makes a £1.1 billion ($1.42 billion) buyout offer for TalkTalk.

Confident Mavenir preps for the public market

One of the shining lights in the nascent open RAN space opts to file for an IPO.

Open RAN Poised to Surpass Proprietary RAN by 2028

The market for open radio access network (RAN) radio units is growing, but the grade of that incline is scattered. ABI Research predicts the total capex spent on open RAN radios for public outdoor networks will reach $40.7 billion in 2026.

Vodafone UK trumpets its green credentials

UK-based operator says it saved 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy in three years.

CommScope takes aim at HFC's flexible future

CommScope's new 'migratable' distributed access device can operate in both remote PHY and remote MACPHY configurations as cable operators continue to explore what path their future HFC networks will take.

OpenRF association hopes to kickstart 5G device sales

Broadcom, Intel, MediaTek, Murata, Qorvo and Samsung are teaming to make it easier to develop 5G products. But Qualcomm is conspicuous in its absence.

Huawei should face earlier UK ban if China threats grow, say officials

Defence Committee report says Chinese government threats would justify tougher action against the vendor.

Eurobites: Three UK backs Colt as its preferred provider of backhaul

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson modernizes Airtel's Kenyan network; Arm exec promises 'firewalls' to protect customers' interests after Nvidia takeover; hydrogen fuel cell provides backup for European tower site.

Trump's chaos spills into 5G

A disagreement among Trump appointees over 5G has engulfed everyone from the FCC to the DoD. 'Our government is a mess,' concludes one financial analyst firm.

Mavenir files for proposed IPO

Mavenir filed a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) form today for a proposed initial public offering (IPO). If approved, the company would list its shares on the Nasdaq exchange. The SEC Form S-1 includes a $100 million placeholder, meaning the company would seek funding in the low nine-figure range.

Rivada: We’re not interested in nationalized 5G

It’s not exactly new – Rivada Networks shut down claims last summer about its intentions around 5G and nationalization, something it also did the previous year when confusion reigned. But given its prominence in the story line, it’s probably worth repeating: The company says it’s not interested in a nationalized 5G network.

AT&T’s Fuetsch: cloud, telco networks complementary for 5G apps

When it comes to future 5G applications that require low latency, like AR/VR, autonomous vehicles, or drones, AT&T’s Andre Fuetsch says telecom networks and cloud data centers are complementary. Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and chief technology officer, spoke Wednesday at the virtual TM Forum Digital Transformation event, about accelerating the move to the cloud. Over the last several years AT&T’s considered where its own IT and network workloads would be best served, he noted, whether that is in-house on the carrier’s own private cloud or on the public cloud. “As we’ve watched the public cloud grow, and they’ve been growing leaps and bounds, these clouds are not just scaling, they’re also getting much much more capable,” Fuestsch said.

Groups blast idea of nationalized 5G network

The idea of a nationalized 5G network isn't dead yet. 

TM Forum and MEF lead by example on collaboration

Two major telecoms industry associations have decided to align their API standards to ensure they remain open and widely interoperable.

Juniper raises it security profile with a host of new services

Juniper Networks has ramped up its presence in the security sector with new capabilities in its Connected Security portfolio.

Shentel details the elements of its fixed wireless access

Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel) has rolled out a new fixed wireless access (FWA) service called Beam Internet, and the company’s VP of Wireless Network Development Dan Meenan explained all the parts and pieces of the offering.

Equinix takes the wraps off of new bare metal service

Equinix has tapped into its deal to buy Packet earlier this year with the introduction of a new bare-metal service. The colocation and data center company announced the availability of its Equinix Metal platform this week.

Union claims AT&T's web of subcontractors puts public at risk

The Communication Workers of America (CWA) has called out AT&T for its use of subcontractors that the union said pose a safety threat in the communities they work in.

Equinix turns to Nokia for new IP/MPLS network for 5G services

Nokia has landed a customer win with Equinix to build the data center and colocation giant a new IP/MPLS network for 5G services and applications.

Deutsche Telekom ramps up FTTH ambitions with Telefónica wholesale deal

Deutsche Telekom has pledged to accelerate its fibre rollout after reaching a wholesale FTTH deal with rival Telefónica.

Global Telecoms Awards 2020 shortlist announced

The small matter of a pandemic was never going to get in the way of the annual celebration of telecoms excellence that is the GLOTEL Awards.

Europe rules to restrict mass electronic surveillance, sort of

The European Court of Justice has ruled that it’s illegal for countries indiscriminately collect electronic communications data, unless they have a really good reason.

US government’s big tech investigation doesn’t spare the hyperbole

Barons, monopolies, tycoons. These are some of the adjectives describing Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google in a damning US government antitrust report on big tech.

Daily Roundup: Cisco Powers Internet2, Works With Verizon on Fan Safety

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Data Center Spend to Grow 6% in 2021, Says Gartner

Data center infrastructure spending is expected to grow 6% globally in 2021 as organizations begin to emerge from COVID-19’s computing stress test, according to the latest data center infrastructure forecast from Gartner. 

Clearer skies ahead for cable business services

While the pandemic appeared to slow the growth of cable business services in the second quarter, industry experts forecast expansion for business services in the third quarter.

Pluribus Networks Stretches Cloud Fabric to 1,024 Nodes

Pluribus Networks developed a multi-pod architecture that integrates up to 32 switches into a unified fabric, expanding the scale of its Adaptive Cloud Fabric up to 1,024 nodes.

ExxonMobil heads to the edge with Intel

ExxonMobil wants to open up its supply chain, and edge compute solutions are key to the strategy.

Oracle Observability, Management Spreads Everywhere

Oracle launched an observability and management platform that can conduct those deeds across virtually any infrastructure construct and tackle what has been an ongoing challenge for organizations in attempting to see what is exactly happening within their dispersed workloads.

Comcast Business sizes up symmetrical speed options, home SD-WAN play

The pandemic may have slowed the overall rate of growth of cable business services, but it has also presented opportunities to ramp up new products and services, says Comcast Business exec Bob Victor.

Juniper jockeys for position in security space

Dell'Oro Group's Mauricio Sanchez says security is still an emerging business area for Juniper but that the company is well positioned there and looking to expand.

COVID-19 slams cable next-gen network upgrades

Spending on major architectural overhauls has declined this year because of the pandemic as many cablecos have defaulted to performing quick network upgrades and meeting urgent bandwidth capacity demands.

Cisco’s Internet for the Future Powers Internet2 Network

Cisco’s boldly nicknamed Internet for the Future routers, ASICs, and networking software will give Internet2’s cloud connect services and research network a boost, the two organizations announced.

Dito says it's on track to break Philippines duopoly in March

Dito CTO says the company built 859 basestations by mid-September and aims to complete at least 2,000 by year-end.

Verizon Claims Cisco Tech Achieves Live Sports Fan Safety

Verizon signed a deal with Cisco to use 5G and edge technology to improve and safeguard the in-person experience at large venues in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress suggests reining in Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google

US lawmakers released a scathing report calling for the government to curb the market power of Big Tech 'monopolies' after a 16-month investigation.

Juniper Connected Security Adds VPN App, Risk-Based Access Controls

Juniper Networks added risk-based access control capabilities and a VPN application to its Connected Security portfolio.

German rivals buddy up for first time on fiber

Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica Deutschland add fiber to their long-running wholesale fixed access agreement.

TMF and MEF tie-up avoids nasty API fork

Two prominent standards bodies have come together to prevent a technical divergence that might have been costly.

Equinix Supplants Legacy IP Networks With Nokia Routers

Nokia won a contract to supply a bevy of its FP4 routers to Equinix that will allow the interconnection giant to replace its legacy multi-vendor networks with a consolidated IP/MPLS network.

Druva Debuts Cloud-Based Backup for NAS Data

Cloud data protection company Druva today debuted a new cloud-based, integrated backup and archive for network attached storage (NAS) systems.

Eurobites: UK think-tank casts doubt on government's 2025 fiber deadline

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: EU weighs in on telco data retention; Ericsson still well in at Bharti Airtel; Orange's IoT tech keeps tabs on gas tanks.

FCC opts for accuracy over speed in $9B rural 5G Fund

The Federal Communications Commission later this month will vote on a $9 billion fund to support rural 5G deployments, which decides to wait for improved mobile coverage data before holding a reverse auction.  

Rakuten’s 5G launch puts spotlight on America’s 5G vendors

Rakuten’s 5G launch in Japan proves that SDN and NFV are not pipe dreams, but that it is both the present and the future of wireless networking.

Verizon intros Push-to-Talk Responder based on 3GPP standards

Verizon announced it’s now offering a push-to-talk (PTT) service based on 3GPP standards, reflecting a new generation that includes support for Mission Critical PTT, or MCPTT in public safety/standards parlance.

Farmers use private LTE in CBRS spectrum to increase yields

The words industrial automation bring to mind factory floors for many people, but for Trilogy Networks automation is all about the farm, not the factory. The Colorado company is keeping a close eye on agtech developments such as soil sensors and wearables for livestock, which COO Nancy Shemwell describes as "Fitbits for pigs."

T-Mobile tests carrier aggregation on commercial LG 5G handset

T-Mobile took another step in getting more out of its low- and mid-band spectrum for 5G, completing a successful standalone (SA) 5G carrier aggregation test on the LG Velvet 5G smartphone.

Judge orders Cisco to pay $1.9B in U.S. patent lawsuit

On Monday, a U.S. judge ordered Cisco to pay $1.9 billion to a Virginia company that had accused it of violating four patents related to security.

Orange’s El Rashidy wins 2020 FierceTelecom top Rising Star

Wow! We had a lot of voting for the second annual FierceTelecom Rising Star. And the winner is: Orange's Samir El Rashidy.

Telia Company sells off Telia Carrier for $1.1 billion

Sweden's Telia Commpay announced on Tuesday that it was selling off its international carrier business to Swedish pension funds for $1.1 billion. The deal for Polhem Infra to buy Telia Carrier is expected to close in the first half of 2021 once it passes regulatory approvals.

AT&T launches 5G at 39 GHz in parts of Milwaukee

AT&T introduced its “5G+” service in parts of downtown Milwaukee – a moniker the operator uses to signify the 5G service is delivered using millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum.

VMware mixes in cloud-native into its 5G Telco Cloud Platform

With 5G serving as the catalyst for how the communications industry and the cloud industry are coming together, VMware announced its new 5G Telco Cloud Platform last month.

Ergen, Berkman use SPACS — the latest wireless financing scheme

In two separate instances, recently, prominent telecom leaders have been involved with special purpose acquisition companies (SPACS). Those telecom leaders are Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen and Associated Partners Managing Director Bill Berkman.

TIP congratulates itself on OpenRAN progress

The Telecom Infra Project is doing the now-standard virtual event thing and it commenced today with a recap of what it has been up to in the past eight months.

Cisco slapped with $1.9 billion patent fine

A US court has ordered IT networking giant Cisco to pay a whopping $1.9 billion for infringing four patents held by cybersecurity specialist Centripetal.

Huawei set to challenge EU discrimination law in Estonia

Estonia has drafted a fairly standard law banning high-risk telecoms vendors, but Huawei has reportedly decided to make a stand this time.

Telia offloads carrier unit to pension fund for $1.1 billion

Swedish telco group Telia has bowed out of the international carrier services market.

AT&T fielding 'lowball bids' for DirecTV – report

But AT&T is reportedly still pushing forward with a plan to unload its struggling satellite TV division despite opening round bids of less than $20 billion, well below the $49 billion paid in 2015.

South Korea sees 'sharp acceleration' in 5G demand

Sales of 5G subscriptions spiked during August in South Korea, which some analysts said helps to support 'our positive view on the industry.'

Microsoft Diversity Pledge Draws Labor Department Contact

The United States Labor Department is looking into a pledge made earlier this year by Microsoft to increase the hiring of Black employees as being unlawful discrimination based on race and a violation of the Civil Rights Act. The contact is tied to Microsoft’s growing role as a federal contractor, which includes it potentially securing a U.S. Department of Defense contract.

Daily Roundup: VMware Takes Aim at XDR

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Ericsson's 6G story centers on 'Internet of senses'

Ericsson's top researcher painted a 6G picture that involves a 'full sense experience' complete with sights, sounds and haptics that would create multisensory experiences.

Nokia Enrolls Finnish Academia for Custom 5G Chips

Nokia is expanding its parlay on custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) processors, inking a joint venture with Tampere University in its home country of Finland to develop proprietary 5G chips.

India's 4G spectrum auction likely to be delayed again

With a 5G auction already postponed until next year, the question is whether India decides to run both a 4G and a 5G sale at the same time.

Palo Alto Networks Exposes Multi-Million-Dollar Cloud Misconfigurations

Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 threat hunting team discovered two critical Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud misconfigurations in a customer’s environment in less than a week that, if exploited by hackers, would have led to a data breach that cost the customers tens of millions of dollars.

Veeam Puts $150M Ring on Kubernetes Startup Kasten

Veeam purchased Kasten, a Kubernetes-orchestrated container data protection startup, for $150 million in cash and stock.

DigitalOcean App Platform Targets Overlooked SMB Market

DigitalOcean launched a new managed platform that builds on its Kubernetes efforts and looks to differentiate itself from similar services provided by its larger cloud rivals by focusing on the needs of small- and midsized businesses.

EE, Vodafone have the best UK mobile game networks – study

As network operators increasingly compete in mobile gaming, EE and Vodafone now offer users the UK's top mobile gaming experiences, says a new study.

Amazon's Eero takes aim at ISPs

Whole-home Wi-Fi specialist introduces new offering tailored for service providers that features Wi-Fi 6 hardware and a mix of network analytics and security features.

Altiostar eyes big future under Rakuten wing

The open RAN software developer can justify the hype and the Rakuten investment, says its head of strategy.

Taiwan Mobile ups 5G investment by 75%

Taiwan Mobile has become the latest Asian operator to double down on its 5G network investment.

Telia flogs international carrier business for $1.1B

Proceeds from sale of Telia Carrier to Polhem Infra will be used to help strengthen the operator's balance sheet.

Vodafone calls out open RAN 'frontrunners'

Operator's networks strategy boss names a batch of radio vendors with products that are ready to be used.

Cisco clobbered with $1.9B patent bill

US District Court Judge orders tech giant to cough up in cybersecurity patent dispute with Centripetal. Cisco says it will appeal.

In the US, 4G continues to outshine 5G

The 'year of 5G' has come and gone a few times now, but it's clear that 4G continues to play the role of workhorse while 5G stands only as the showhorse.

How VMware Plans to Win the XDR Security Market

VMware rolled out its extended detection and response (XDR) strategy at VMworld, and joined security vendors including Cisco, Microsoft, McAfee, and Palo Alto Networks in jumping on the latest buzzy acronym bandwagon. But it’s been laying the foundation for XDR for more than a year, said Tom Corn, SVP of VMware’s Security Business Unit.

Commvault Flashes Metallic Cloud Storage Bling

Commvault added a new piece of bling to its cloud-native data protection chain with the launch of Metallic Cloud Storage Service.   

Eurobites: Nokia sets up SoC university to boost ReefShark chips

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: new boss for Imagination Technologies; Vodafone supplies 5G for UK connected-cars trial; Facebook versus Belgium.

TIP Pitches Bigger Open RAN Tent

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is reorganizing a pair of groups focusing on open radio access networks (RAN) into a more comprehensive effort simply titled “OpenRAN Project Group.”

Pret a open RAN

The radio access network is nothing like lasagne or spaghetti but exactly like the sandwich business. Obviously.

Google in clash with Indian software startups

Internet giant is facing a backlash in one of the world's largest communities of startups over app store rules.

CWA calls out AT&T's lack of fiber in its DSL footprint

On the heels of AT&T saying it will no longer take new orders for its DSL service, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) criticized its lack of fiber on Monday.  According to the report, which CWA did in conjunction with the National Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), AT&T has deployed fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) to 28% of the households in its footprint as of the end of June.

AT&T pulls plug on new DSL accounts

With its increased focus on fiber-fed speeds, AT&T is no longer selling DSL to new customers. According to a post on DSL Reports, AT&T notified customers on billing statements in August that effective Oct. 1 it would no longer accept new orders for its copper-based DSL service.

Postal Service wants to get in on 5G rollouts

5G is not often mentioned in unison with the U.S. Postal Service, but it’s a topic the agency is investigating and sees opportunity for post offices to play a role in 5G deployments.

Timing is everything for Verizon’s LTE fixed wireless access

Verizon’s VP of 5G Commercialization Brian Danfield indicated the carrier has rolled out its LTE Home Internet fixed wireless access (FWA) system at this particular time because, well, timing is everything.

Metro by T-Mobile dealer concerns ‘not going away’

Independent dealers for the prepaid Metro by T-Mobile service say the “un-carrier” isn’t budging when it comes to new policies that went into effect this month, and they remain at loggerheads with the company.

Nvidia pledges to build UK's largest supercomputer

U.S. chipmaker Nvidia pledged on Monday that it would build a new $52 million supercomputer in the U.K.

Microsoft announces it will build data centers in Greece

Microsoft has turned its eye towards Greece with an announcement on Monday that it will build a series of data centers there as part of a new data region. Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a press release that his company's ongoing investment in Greece would be the biggest in its 28 years of doing business there.

Huawei’s tough choice: base stations or handsets?

The U.S.-imposed deadline on Huawei for the more restrictive trade policy took effect on September 15, 2020. By all accounts, Huawei has been expediting parts from all suppliers for some time. Two of the most critical components are the leading-edge semiconductors from TSMC, specifically modems used for smartphone modems and ASICs for radio units (RRUs) mounted on cell towers. Both the smartphone and infrastructure markets require leading edge semiconductors, but smartphone quantities are about 10x that needed for base stations and drive more revenue. However, the choice of what market to support going forward is not so obvious. Given the short time to stockpile, what parts would Huawei prioritize from TSMC?

China accuses US of ideological prejudice over Italy visit

Last week the US secretary of State visited Italy to lobby for cooperation over 5G security and China wasn’t happy about it.

Three could become the latest telco to cash in on its towers

Selling or spinning off towers is de rigueur among European telcos these days, and it looks like Three UK doesn’t want to be left out.

Cellnex gets in the IoT network game with Everynet LoRaWAN partnership

Acquisition-happy telecoms infrastructure company Cellnex is using some of its new toys to stake a claim to the nascent IoT market.

Court clears sale of OneWeb to UK government

OneWeb will soon be back in business, after a US Bankruptcy Court gave the go-ahead for its billion-dollar rescue by the UK government and Bharti Global.

FierceWireless presents its 2020 class of Rising Stars

2020 has been a strange year, but that hasn’t stopped the wireless industry from forging ahead with its 5G build-outs. And if anything, the Covid-19 crisis has spurred operators to acquire more spectrum and make their networks more robust to meet the demands of mobile broadband in a year when internet connectivity is vital.

Networks Keep Us Going

With COVID-19 catapulting an already rapid worldwide digital transformation ahead by years,  Nokia’s IP and optical networks provide the world’s most critical networks with innovation, scalability, reliability, and security.

Dish Network's Chairman Ergen seeks $1B for possible M&A

Dish's Ergen is forming a SPAC called CONX to raise $1 billion for deals in telecom, tech or media, 'including the wireless communications industry.'

Daily Roundup: Nvidia Eyes Data Center Dominance

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If Dish is America's Rakuten, it might be in trouble – analysts

Rakuten's mobile losses are 'proving much higher than we anticipated,' according to some financial analysts. What that means for Dish Network's 5G ambitions is unclear.

Singtel CEO exits after 13 years

Yuen Kuan Moon, head of consumer business and chief digital officer, has been named successor.

AT&T stops DSL sales

Along with an ongoing de-emphasis of other older technologies, AT&T's DSL sale stoppage enters the picture as AT&T amplifies its focus on fiber-fed and wireless broadband services.

Cable Next-Gen Preview: From Broadway to your basement

Light Reading Cable/Video Practice Leader Alan Breznick and Light Reading Senior Editor Jeff Baumgartner preview two cable-related symposiums happening this week, on Tuesday, October 6 and Thursday, October 8. They're all digital this year, as we've had to say goodbye to Broadway while staying safe during the pandemic. Tuesday's program will focus on cable business services and Thursday's program's focus shifts to emerging cable network architectures.

Alibaba eyes profit as China cloud gathers head of steam

China's cloud business is growing quickly, but its biggest player remains in the shadow of US rivals.

Coping with COVID-19: What businesses can do

In this blog post, Broadband Success Partners' Davis Strauss discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the commercial market and how businesses can cope.

Surveillance Fuels $17.4B Government IoT Spending Spree

Big brother is watching you. Outdoor surveillance accounts for nearly half of all global government spending on IoT, according to Gartner. 

Eurobites: Cellnex, Everynet combine on IoT network rollouts

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Three ponders masts sale; TIM, Ardian finalize terms of Inwit deal; MTN Zambia bolsters backbone with ZTE.

Nvidia DPU Eyes Data Center Domination

Nvidia announced a new line of data processing units (DPUs) and a data center architecture it’s calling DOCA, during the GTC 2020 virtual event today.

TalkTalk and BT squabble over discount FTTP deal – report

TalkTalk CEO says next three to six months 'are critical' as operator continues to seek long-term fiber deal with Openreach.