SDxCentral’s Top 10 Articles — October 2020

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

Cisco’s Robbins Shares 6 Steps to Cloud Success

Cisco admittedly missed out on the first wave of cloud computing. But, according to CEO Chuck Robbins, it’s not making that same mistake again. At the company’s annual partner summit, Robbins laid out a six-step plan for success in a cloud-first world.

5G Dreams Remain Unfulfilled

5G is here, available on all three major U.S. carriers across much of the country, but network operators and vendors are still mostly telling us to imagine what 5G will deliver versus what it is actually delivering today.

Here’s how cable MVNOs did in Q3

Cable operators Altice USA, Charter Communications and Comcast reported third quarter earnings this week and each continued to add wireless subscribers through their respective MVNO mobile brands.

Verizon taps blockchain for transparency on its news releases

In an era of rampant "fake news" allegations, Verizon is implementing a blockchain-verified record of changes to its news releases. Verizon's Full Transparency program, which was announced on Friday, is an open-source newsroom platform that was designed to raise the bar for corporate accountability.

Moore: 2020 sees avalanche of change for wireless at retail

There has been an avalanche of recent changes in terms of which wireless carriers are sold at national retail. The big picture?  Wireless carriers at national retail have less display space, and the diversity of choice of carriers at big box stores is declining.

Verizon’s Yahoo Mobile prepaid service gets its own ZTE phone

Yahoo Mobile, one of Verizon’s prepaid brands, introduced its first-ever smartphone designed specifically with the Yahoo brand in mind, the Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y.

Charter signs up 537,000 more broadband subscribers in Q3

Add Charter to the list of service providers that are racking up substantial broadband subscriber gains in their recent earnings reports.

US internet giants make another FAAAT load of cash

Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, and Twitter have all just published their quarterly numbers and, while fortunes differed, yet more wealth was moved up the food chain.

AWS cranks out $11.6 billion in third quarter revenue

Driven in part by digital transformations related to Covid-19, Amazon Web Services reported $11.6 billion in Q3 revenue, which was an increase of almost 29% from the same quarter a year ago.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou scores minor win in Canadian extradition case

A Canadian judge has decided to allow Meng’s assertion that the US misrepresented evidence in accusing her of fraud.

Q3 2020 smartphone market does a better than expected, except Huawei

Samsung had its best smartphone quarter for years as the overall market grew sequentially by 35%.

Accelerating the edge

SPONSORED: 5G is rolling out quickly and bringing mobile edge computing with it. Carriers need cost-effective edge solutions that can scale in terms of performance and ease of deployment and management. Leveraging FPGAs in COTS platforms may be the answer.

ATSC 3.0 reaches the smartphone

One Media 3.0, a unit of Sinclair Broadcasting, has its mitts on the first batch of phones that can use the broadcast signaling standard. One Media is also in talks with a couple of US MVNOs.

Podcast: Infinera's Tim Doiron on TIP, open networking and how vendors adapt

Infinera's Tim Doiron discusses open networking and Infinera's role in a recent Telecom Infra Project deployment.

COVID-19 drags down Shaw's quarterly sub totals

While the big Canadian operator reported flat overall revenues and higher net income for its fiscal fourth quarter, its wireless sub growth sagged and its cable and satellite TV units shed more subs.

Dell'Oro: SASE Market to Hit $5B by 2024

There’s no question the Gartner-coined secure access service edge (SASE) architecture is hot. How hot? White hot, according to a report out of Dell’Oro Group this week.

Open RAN might not be ready for America's big 5G push

Some have been pushing open RAN as a lever to pull in the 'race to 5G' between the US and China. But the technology might not be ready for America's big midband spectrum rollout.

Daily Roundup: Amazon Cloud Stalls, Google Gains Market Share

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Facebook looks to AR to build beyond ads

Facebook's Q3 revenue soared 22% to $21.47 billion, 98.7% from advertisements. It hopes AR will help eventually build some non-ad revenue, too.

During the pandemic, Alphabet spells advertising success

Companies shifting their advertising online boosted YouTube's ad revenue by 32%, and Alphabet's overall revenue by 14%.

China's operators see slight growth, 5G users up

Three Chinese operators steer a steady course in the first three quarters of the year with moderate revenue growth.

AWS star performer (again) in Amazon's bumper Q3

Cloud, e-commerce and video-streaming behemoth beats analyst estimates; AWS still on soaring upward trajectory.

Charter's mobile biz crosses a key economic milestone

Spectrum Mobile enters EBITA-positive territory after surpassing 2 million lines in Q3. Meanwhile, Charter's broadband and video subs surged in the period.

WiCipedia: Breaking through barriers and smashing inequality

This week in our WiC roundup: Female founders raise initial capital faster; wage gap politics; new campaign urges women to dismiss boundaries; and more.

Eurobites: Proximus turns a corner in Q3, ups full-year guidance

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: MTN adds 12 million subscribers in Q3; signs of recovery at Millicom; no pause-button for Spotify.

Amazon Cloud Growth Stalls

Amazon Web Services (AWS) posted another strong quarter of financial growth and continues to be the cloud market’s 800-pound gorilla, however that growth continues to stagnate to the benefit of its smaller rivals like Microsoft and Google.

Toyota increases KDDI stake in $500M connected car alliance

Toyota is to invest another 52.2 billion yen (US$500 million) in KDDI as part of a deal to collaborate on connected car technologies.

Apple shows it is a COVID-19 winner despite iPhone dip

The services and Mac divisions are flying high in the pandemic, and the iPhone looks set for a 5G rebound.

Dell prioritizes 5G future

The transition of carrier networks to standard hardware is opening doors for Dell, but the company is making it clear from the outset that it will be much more than a hardware vendor.

Fortinet Earnings Unphased By Pandemic

Fortinet celebrated strong third-quarter earnings, posting revenues of $651 million, up nearly 20% year over year. CEO Ken Xie said the company’s performance was driven in part by strong SD-WAN adoption, which more than doubled year over year, representing 13% of all billings during the quarter.

60% of Altice USA's new FTTP subs go for a Gig

Across its HFC and FTTP networks, 29% of broadband gross additions are taking Altice USA's 1-Gig product.

Analysts Size Up Nokia’s Strategic Shift

A fresh restructuring plan introduced by Nokia’s new CEO Pekka Lundmark is getting mixed reviews from analysts. The collective yawn on some matters and head scratching on others doesn’t point to a clear and positive outcome for Nokia. 

2 prepaid brands offer eSIM

H2O Wireless and Pure Talk — both of which are mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) brands owned by Telrite Holdings — will begin offering eSIM in the first quarter of 2021. Both MVNOs operate on AT&T’s network.

Telefónica hooks up with Allianz for FTTH rollout in Germany

After rumors began percolating earlier this month, Telefónica announced it has inked an agreement with Allianz for a fiber deployment in Germany.

FCC moves to authorize C-V2X in 5.9 GHz band

It’s been dubbed “a mess,” with a lot of controversial issues associated with it, but the 5.9 GHz band finally is getting a do-over, which the FCC will consider at its November 18 meeting.

American Tower revenue increases 3% in Q3, CEO talks about edge

American Tower reported revenue for the third quarter 2020 of $2.01 billion, a 3% increase year-over-year. It reported net income of $463 million, a decrease of 8.4% year-over-year.

Report: SASE market to grow at 116% CAGR over 5 years

Secure access service edge (SASE) has entered the hype phase as vendors flock to the new sector that was defined by Gartner last year. While the market still needs to sort itself out from pretenders to contenders, a new report by Dell'Oro Group said SASE is expected to grow at a CAGR of 116% from last year to 2024.

T-Mobile seizes on mid-band window, activates more 2.5 GHz 5G

T-Mobile on Wednesday turned on 2.5 GHz spectrum for 5G in almost 200 new locations, as the operator works towards its target of covering 100 million people with mid-band 5G before year’s end.

Comcast chalks up a record-breaking broadband performance in Q3

In Thursday's Q3 earnings, Comcast posted the best broadband quarterly results in its history by adding more than 633,000 residential and business subscribers. Over the past nine months, Comcast has added more broadband subscribers than it did in all of last year.

Modernisation and cost saving programme helps BT steady the ship

The UK’s largest fixed line and mobile operator has reported improved half year performance and raised its full year outlook.

Nokia to 'invest whatever it takes' to win in 5G, CEO says

Nokia announced an operational reorganization alongside third quarter earnings on Thursday, as CEO Pekka Lundmark warned of expected financial challenges in 2021 and indicated plans to invest heavily on 5G.

As US Senators posture ineffectually, Spotify takes a stand on censorship

The Senate hearing on internet censorship was largely a waste of time, but at least one company is daring to resist the authoritarian tide.

Nokia shares tank after disappointing sales and outlook

Nokia reported net sales down by 7% in Q3 and lowered its 2021 outlook, causing its share price to plummet. It also unveiled a new strategy and organisational structure.

AT&T IoT exec Chris Penrose legs it to FogHorn

Chris Penrose has represented AT&T's IoT business for years at various industry trade shows and events. He's being replaced by Sarita Rao, a longtime AT&T executive.

Loss-making Telefónica bucks COVID-19 to lift revenues in Q3

Despite making a loss, Spanish telco giant saw net income grow by 5%, with 1.2% uplift in revenues, announces a FTTH alliance with Allianz.

Satellite providers jostle for 5G Fund money

The FCC's 5G Fund requires the delivery of services to an 'off-the-shelf' smartphone. That has piqued the interest of two satellite startups: SpaceMobile and Lynk.

Alphabet Posts Q3 Win, Pichai Pledges Google Cloud Operating Income in Q4

Google’s parent company Alphabet rebounded during the quarter ending Sept. 30 — following its first-ever revenue decline in Q2 — with total revenues of $46.2 billion driven by increased advertiser spending, Google Cloud, and Play, as companies and consumers turn to cloud computing and online gaming while we ride out the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Daily Roundup: AT&T Scores 5G Ride on IBM’s Satellite Cloud

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Marvell Snags Inphi in $10B Acquisition

Marvell today announced it will acquire rival chipmaker Inphi for roughly $10 billion in cash and stock options. The announcement marks the second high-profile semiconductor acquisition of the week, following AMD‘s $35 billion purchase of Xilinx.

Nokia Leader Tees Up Major Reorganization as First Act

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark is making his mark on the challenged Finnish company less than three months after taking the helm. He announced a company-wide restructuring and shift in strategy designed to revitalize the vendor’s 5G radio access network (RAN) business and strengthen its position against rival Ericsson. 

Podcast: Pandemic's pull on network traffic patterns

Telia Carrier's Mattias Fridstrom discusses how the company's approach to fiber expansion varies in different regions, and how network traffic patterns are changing due to COVID-19.

US military goes all-in on spectrum sharing

The US Department of Defense issued a new spectrum strategy that contemplates sharing its spectrum with 5G operators instead of providing it for commercial auctions.

Fiber, mobile money, pull Orange back to black in Q3, just

Less roaming pinched Orange's profits, but fiber, Orange Money, and Africa and the Middle East pushed Stéphane Richard's telco back to revenue growth.

BT's fiscal H1 promises better times ahead (maybe)

UK incumbent raises annual earnings guidance on the back of improved operational performance, but profits not expected to hit pre-coronavirus levels until FY 2022-23.

VEON recovers slightly from terrible Q2, sells Armenia biz

Emerging-markets operator regains some confidence in the third quarter, and unveils plan to flog Armenian operations for $51 million.

McAfee Ties Remote Browser Isolation Into SASE

McAfee upgraded its Mvision Unified Cloud Edge secure access service edge (SASE) platform with remote browser isolation (RBI) and data-loss prevention (DLP) incident management capabilities today at its Mpower virtual event.

Comcast sees record broadband growth in Q3 as video falls again

Comcast highlights a three-pronged strategy focused on broadband, content aggregation and streaming, along with development of a unified 'global tech stack.'

NetApp Unwraps Containerized App Deployment Hot Spot

NetApp made its mark on storage this week with the launch of Spot, a cost optimization platform. The vendor also introduced a new autonomous hybrid cloud volume platform and cloud-based virtual desktop solutions.

McAfee Flexes XDR at Mpower

In what’s turning into a big week (and month) for extended detection and response, McAfee rolled out its new XDR platform, aptly named Mvision XDR, at its annual Mpower event today.

BT cuts 3,600 jobs as virus pain worsens

The UK service provider is now slashing jobs as it tries to reduce annual costs by £2 billion in the next few years.

Eurobites: STC moves into second phase of 5G rollout

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: a Q3 results frenzy, wherein operators battle against the headwinds of the coronavirus pandemic, and other stuff.

Discussion with Saankhya Labs on development of truly virtualized open RAN

Parag Naik, CEO, Saankhya Labs spoke with Phil Harvey, Editor of Light Reading on the development of truly virtualized open RAN solutions and the evolution of network beyond 5G.

NTT DoCoMo prepares mobile price cuts to follow SoftBank, KDDI

But few customers are likely to feel the benefit of forthcoming reductions, according to analysts.

AT&T, IBM team for edge computing and 5G

IBM's Cloud Satellite customers now have the option to use AT&T's 5G network for their communications, as well as AT&T's new Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) offerings.

AT&T 5G Hitches Early Ride on IBM’s Satellite Cloud

AT&T is set to be one of the first passengers on IBM’s Satellite Cloud platform, with the telecom operator using that ride to bolster the reach and depth of its 5G network into enterprise markets. The move is also the latest by AT&T in tapping edge platforms from cloud providers to extend that network.

Nokia CEO lays out 5G turnaround plan as shares tank

Pekka Lundmark makes a clean break with the Suri regime and promises to do 'whatever it takes' to lead in 5G.

Consumer Cellular sells to private equity firm GTCR

Consumer Cellular, the Portland, Oregon-based MVNO founded by two friends in 1995, has agreed to sell a controlling stake to the Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR. Terms were not disclosed. 

Nokia extends Vodacom South Africa relationship into the 5G era

Finnish kit vendor Nokia has been working with Vodacom South Africa for 26 years, so it’s no big surprise for it to get the 5G gig.

2.5 GHz licenses will be unique for each licensee

Speaking at a CTIA virtual conference today, Giulia McHenry, chief of the Office of Economics and Analytics at the FCC, said the unlicensed portion of the 2.5 GHz band “Is the largest contiguous band under 3 gigahertz; we recognize that it’s vastly underused.”

Schneider Electric teams up with EdgePresence on data centers

Schneider Electric, EdgePresence and Accu-Tech have teamed up on a plan to deploy multiple edge data centers across the U.S. next year.

Microsoft's cloud continues to lift its bottom line in Q1

Driven in part by the coronavirus pandemic, Microsoft's cloud sectors continued their torrid streak in the first quarter. Revenue growth for Azure, the company’s flagship cloud computing business, grew 48% year-over-year, easily exceeding Wall Street estimates of 43.45%.

Why is T-Mobile selling TV services?

T-Mobile has said it before and on Tuesday said it again: It’s taking on big cable, providing simplified and more affordable plans that the “cableopoly” isn’t doing.

Service provider, enterprise sectors boost Juniper's Q3 results

Driven by better results in its service provider and enterprise sectors, Juniper Networks slightly exceeded analysts' expectations for its Q3 results.

Huawei-commissioned report warns of dire consequences from UK 5G delay

A new report estimates the UK could miss out on £108 billion worth of economic benefit and 350,000 new jobs due to a three-year delay in the country’s 5G rollout.

Ericsson gets the rest of BT’s Huawei swap-out, of course

Swedish kit vendor Ericsson will deal with the urban side of EE’s RAN, with only alternative Nokia having already won the rest of the Huawei swap-out.

Reforming Section 230 to allow only censorship of illegal content will create a more open internet

Later today the US internet giants will be grilled by the Senate over how they censor their platforms, with Section 230 protections at stake.

Regional carriers partner with Ericsson for CBRS

An innovative group of rural carriers is working with Ericsson to deploy CBRS strategically and affordably. For the 14-year-old Rural Independent Network Alliance (RINA), resource sharing is nothing new, but CBRS is. 

Cogeco set to let Altice USA's deal deadline die

Having already rejected Altice USA's sweetened offer, 'there is nothing to add on this matter' as a November 18 deadline approaches, Cogeco's CEO says.

5G skirmishes at 12GHz may escalate into all-out spectrum war

AT&T and SpaceX are among the companies that oppose 5G operations in the 12GHz band. But companies backed by the likes of Charlie Ergen and Michael Dell are disputing that notion.

New TVision brings 'more of the same' to pay-TV, Philo CEO says

Andrew McCollum also wonders if TVision's aggressive pricing and packaging model can be sustained as it eventually expands beyond an initial focus on T-Mobile's postpaid mobile base.

Daily Roundup: Cisco Boasts 1k SecureX Wins

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Verizon Scopes Strategic 5G Enterprise Framework

Many of the big, demonstrable leaps fueled by 5G for enterprises are still under development, Kyle Malady, EVP and CTO at Verizon, said today at GSMA Thrive. 

Facebook seeks more telecom co-investments

Moving away from the single lane, Facebook sees co-investment and partnership as a solution to the digital divide.

BT inks deal to ditch Huawei, use Ericsson RAN

Ditching Huawei, BT will use Ericsson's RAN equipment alongside Nokia's in its 5G rollout.

Juniper Q3 Shows Slight Recovery

Juniper Networks staved off another quarter of COVID-19-related supply chain shortages to post third-quarter 2020 revenues of $1.13 billion, which were flat year over year.

No news is good news: CBRS players report no interference

New spectrum-sharing technology in the 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum band doesn't appear to have caused any interference.

ZTE ends Q3 with 55 5G commercial contracts

Chinese supplier boasts solid top-line performance, but operating costs rocket, thanks to wounds incurred in the battle with the US.

Juniper takes a hit on cloud, slides ahead with service providers

Juniper's struggling service provider business turned a corner, growing 5% year-over-year. However, Juniper's cloud business, which experienced consistent growth in 2019 into early 2020, dipped 7% year-over-year.

Cisco SecureX Claims 1,000 Customer Wins Each Month

Cisco claims its SecureX security platform adds over 1,000 customers each month and has been deployed across more than 4,000 organizations since becoming globally available at the end of June.

Managed Wi-Fi: Why it's never been more important

With many more people working from home because of COVID-19 and Wi-Fi 6 rolling out, service providers need a good managed Wi-Fi solution to keep customers satisfied.

Microsoft's lockdown cloud revenues soar

Microsoft sees its cloud services revenue rise 31% year-on-year, to $15.2 billion, as Verizon chooses Azure for private business 5G.

FCC confirms plan to divvy up 5.9GHz band

Regulator presses ahead with controversial plan to allocate 45MHz for unlicensed uses such as Wi-Fi as it tackles rural coverage.

What's next for Kyrio?

Ike Elliott, the new CEO of Kyrio, says the CableLabs subsidiary is taking a network-agnostic approach to device testing and expanding into software services that benefit cable operators and their suppliers.

Cisco Intersight Gains Kubernetes, AppDynamics Insight

Cisco bolstered its Intersight platform with a Kubernetes infusion designed to simplify multi-cloud and on-premises application management and updated its Nexus Dashboard for better cloud-native application management. Both moves are targeted at speeding up the delivery of applications running across multi-cloud environments.

Eurobites: Deutsche Telekom looks to offload navigation patents

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: KPN holds steady course in face of pandemic; Iliad gets EU green light on Play acquisition; Vodacom turns to Nokia for 5G toolkit.

Samsung builds out portfolio with new C-band radio, compact core

Samsung is gearing up for C-band spectrum availability in the U.S. with a new radio unit, and is also looking to support private networks with a compact core product built for enterprise.

FTTH will pass 60 million by 2030, says New Street

New Street Research notes that during 2020, a number of wireline telecom companies in the United States have announced plans to deploy fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) to markets they previously served with copper. And the analyst group is forecasting that homes passed by fiber will increase from 40 million to 60 million over the next 10 years. That would increase the percentage of homes passed from 25% to 35%. 

Lightyear aims to simplify how enterprises buy network services

After being founded over a year ago, Lightyear announced on Tuesday it has raised a total of $3.7 million for the launch of its software platform that helps businesses buy and manage their telecom and IT infrastructure online.

FCC adopts 5G rural fund, new coverage maps still needed

The Federal Communications Commission voted to establish a fund for up to $9 billion in federal support for rural 5G buildouts and precision agriculture, but some members reiterated concerns over progress on new wireless coverage maps.

AMD to buy FPGA chip specialist Xilinx for $35 billion

US semiconductor company AMD has decided to roll the mega-merger dice once more with the acquisition of Xilinx, which will bring it into contact with the telecoms sector.

Akamai snags Asavie to boost performance monitoring for 5G

Content delivery network provider Akamai announced its buying Dublin, Ireland-based Asavie in an all-cash deal. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Ericsson introduces Cloud RAN for 5G

Ericsson traditionally has provided a tightly integrated system of hardware and software, so it’s taking a bit of a leap by introducing a cloud Radio Access Network (RAN) portfolio that enables more automation.

UPC Polska reimagines IT with Google Cloud's Anthos, Accenture

UPC Polska has broken the shackles of a 20-year-old IT infrastructure by embracing new agile development through the use of Google Cloud's Anthos. Before implementing a hybrid environment strategy with Google Cloud’s Anthos, UPC Polska was running everything out of its on-premises data centers.

Samsung, VMware team on cloud-native 5G functions

VMware will help Samsung create containerized network functions (CNFs) and virtual network functions (VNFs) so that the South Korean company can offer the most modern 5G telecom services.

TechSee closes $30M investment round with Telus and Salesforce

Remote visual assistance vendor TechSee has closed out a $30 million Series C round that brought its total investment to $54 million. The round was co-led by OurCrowd, Salesforce Ventures, and Telus Ventures with participation from Scale Venture Partners and Planven Entrepreneur Ventures.

Ofcom bans EE and Vodafone from locking handsets

UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has finally banned the practice of preventing people using their phones as they want by locking them to an operator.

Ericsson dips a first tentative toe in the OpenRAN ecosystem

Swedish kit vendor Ericsson has announced a Cloud RAN portfolio that represents an apparently reluctant acknowledgement telecoms industry reality.

NEC gets a piece of the UK’s 5G bonanza

The door is officially open for Japanese tech company NEC to participate in the UK’s 5G rollout, as part of the post-Brexit free trade agreement between the two countries.

Server Accelerators Feed 5G’s Need for Speed

The future of 5G + Edge, you might say, is in the cards. Server accelerator cards—graphical processing units (GPUs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)—have an important role to play in reducing latency and improving bandwidth at the edge of the 5G network. With the volume of data generated by IoT and far-edge devices exploding, telcos must be prepared to accelerate the edge. Implementing server accelerator cards, as part of 5G new wave spectrum strategy, will help telcos deliver more data, faster.

Registration for 5G Blitz Week Fall is Now Open

5G is finally being deployed at scale across the world, but a number of key questions still remain. What is the status of the standalone (SA) 5G New Radio and Core? Where is the industry at with transformation around the edge? What does it take to draw up an FWA business case that makes sense and delivers on 5G speeds? And what are the considerations all operators need to consider for 5G Transport?  Through a series of live video roundtables, fireside chats, and keynotes featuring some of the world's largest operators, OEMs, and enterprises, attendees will have the opportunity to learn, and meet some of the top executives that are helping to shape the global 5G landscape.

Trump's economic adviser reiterates 'free market approach' to 5G

'The Trump administration is going to keep its free market approach,' according to Larry Kudlow, an adviser to the president. At issue is a 5G network operated by the US military.

Consumer Cellular sold to private equity firm for around $2.3B

Chicago private equity company GTCR has agree to purchase Consumer Cellular, one of the nation's largest MVNOs with around 4 million customers.

Fortinet Revamps Large Enterprise SD-WAN CPE

Fortinet today unveiled a new SD-WAN appliance designed for large enterprise and campus deployments. The FortiGate 200F is the company’s latest F-Series CPE appliance, slotting in above the company’s 80F and 100F appliances.

Podcast: What's the story with DoD & 5G?

This week: Light Reading's Mike Dano on a puzzling RFI from DoD, the possibility of nationalized 5G, and where the telco Rivada comes in.

IBM amplifies sales pitch for operators' cloud biz

A top IBM executive used a major fall virtual trade show to make his pitch for the cloud business of major telecom operators. Whether IBM will find traction remains to be seen.

Microsoft’s $15.2 B Commercial Cloud Avoids COVID-19 Complications

Microsoft’s cloud sales continued to be a bright spot during the pandemic as revenue from Azure grew 48% year over year during the first quarter of its fiscal 2021.

Trump Advisor Claims US Clobbers China on 5G

Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, is batting down independent analysts that have roundly determined the U.S. is and is likely to continue lagging behind China on 5G. 

Singtel and Grab closer to starting a digital bank

Singapore's mobile operator Singtel and ridesharing app Grab look to combine their users and set up a digital bank, if they can snag a license.

Ofcom imposes locked phones ban in the UK

Latest move forms part of a package of measures to make life a bit fairer and easier for telecom customers in the UK.

Trump's economic advisor reiterates 'free market approach' to 5G

'The Trump administration is going to keep its free market approach,' according to Larry Kudlow, an adviser to the president. At issue is a 5G network operated by the US military.

Pureport Weaves Silver Peak SD-WAN Into Multi-Cloud Fabric

Pureport opened its multi-cloud fabric platform to SD-WAN vendors, beginning with support for Silver Peak.

AMD muscles up with Xilinx in fight against Intel

Fast-growing semiconductor firm ups the data center ante with biggest-ever acquisition, a $35 billion all-stock deal, expected to close by end of 2021.

Daily Roundup: VMware Telco Cloud Jolts Samsung’s 5G

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IBM Storage Ingests Container, Hybrid Cloud Updates

IBM infused its storage with tighter integration for Red Hat OpenShift and CoreOS platforms. New additions to the IBM Storage Suite for Cloud Paks are designed to address block, file, and object storage as well data protection and disaster recovery.

Starlink's beta arrives at $99/month for speeds up to 150 Mbit/s – report

Starlink, the satellite Internet provider from Elon Musk's SpaceX, isn't confirming any details, but emails touting its 'Better Than Nothing Beta program' offer some insights.

T-Mobile tries to disrupt pay-TV – starting at $10/month

The new TVision service – arriving almost three years after the acquisition of Layer3 TV – features a mix of slimmed-down channel packages for multiple devices, including T-Mobile's own Android TV-powered 'Hub.'

Telcos, ISPs, tech fight for India E and V band spectrum

India's service providers want an auction – tech giants like Google, Facebook and ISPs want 5G E-band (71-76 GHz) and V-band (57-64 GHz) spectrum delicensed.

Harmonic's 'CableOS' rollout spans 2.1M modems, 38 operators

Supplier also sees video revenues perk back up in Q3 as projects resume and company sizes up opportunities to participate in C-band reclamation initiatives.

Fungible Champions Software-Defined Storage Breakthrough

Fungible aims to make high-performance disaggregated storage attainable for data centers of any size with the launch of the Fungible Storage Cluster, the first in a series of data-centric platforms planned by the company.

Japan government launches crusade to cut mobile charges

The Japanese government has begun a push to drive down mobile prices, estimated to cost up to three times more than other leading markets.

AMD Caps ‘Monster Q3’ With $35B Xilinx Deal

AMD celebrated a successful third-quarter 2020 today with the $35 billion acquisition of FPGA manufacturer Xilinx, which expands the company’s technology portfolio as it takes on rival Intel.

Eurobites: More regulation? No way, says Telefónica's José

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Nokia clinches fixed access deal with POST Luxembourg; Sparkle and Mobileum team up on roaming security; Tele2 Russia calls on Anam for SMS smarts.

VMware Clinches Samsung Deal for Cloud Native 5G

Samsung is linking up with VMware to integrate its network core, edge, and radio access network (RAN) offerings with VMware’s Telco Cloud Platform. The agreement calls for Samsung to extend its support for cloud-native architecture by adapting its suite of products for containerized network functions (CNFs) and virtual network functions (VNFs) on VMware’s software stack and network automation services.

Akamai Buys Asavie, Boosts 5G Security

Akamai today said it acquired Irish network security company Asavie in an all-cash deal to boost its 5G strategy.

Samsung Reveals Compact Core, C-Band Radio

Samsung today revealed a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio for C-Band deployments in the U.S. and a Compact Core for private 5G networks.

Ericsson bows to customer demand for cloud RAN

The Swedish vendor takes a big disaggregation step and dangles the prospect of an open RAN product set in future.

Ericsson Kickstarts Open RAN Journey With Virtualization

Ericsson is starting to embrace open radio access network (RAN) principles from a relatively safe social distance. The Swedish vendor said it will release Cloud RAN, software that virtualizes the compute piece of the RAN, during the fourth quarter of 2021. 

Putcha: Facebook Connectivity shines spotlight on 60 GHz

Recently, Facebook’s Connectivity group hosted a virtual forum with partners and customers to showcase growing momentum for gigabit broadband initiatives around the world based on Terragraph-certified equipment.

IOWN Global Forum marches towards its first release next year

After Sony, Intel and NTT announced the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum last year, it has added 20 new member companies since April. While the forum was announced in October of last year it wasn't formally incorporated until April.

Internet giants seek clarification on European censorship law

The European Digital Media Association wants its members to be given better legal protection when they act against illegal content in Europe.

FreedomFi offers private wireless using open source code

FreedomFi wants to help enterprises build their own private LTE or 5G networks using open source software. The company recently announced that its FreedomFi Gateway is now available in public beta.

IP Infusion launches Universal SD-Edge using AT&T's DANOS OS

On Monday, IP Infusion announced the launch of its new Universal SD-Edge solution, which uses AT&T's DANOS network operating system (OS.) IP Infusion's disaggregated platform was designed to increase universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) deployments by using low-cost, off-the-shelf x86 devices. On the white box front, IP Infusion announced Silicom as its first partner.

Editor’s Corner: It’s time for ‘nationalized’ 5G idea to die

The idea of the U.S. government building its own 5G network and potentially selling spectrum on a wholesale basis continues to rear its ugly head, like the umpteenth version of a bad Halloween movie.

C Spire turns on initial 5G service in Mississippi

After a major LTE upgrade in Mississippi early this year, C Spire has launched 5G service in the state, starting with locations in two counties.

Aruba boosts the Pentagon's wireless, wired and security profile

Aruba has landed a deal to modernize the Pentagon's wired, wireless and security services across all of its network classification levels.

Marek’s Take: Will small operators survive in a 5G world?

Verizon’s October 19 announcement that it was buying Kentucky rural wireless operator Bluegrass Cellular for an undisclosed amount was touted as a move by Verizon to strengthen its rural coverage. The deal, which is subject to FCC approval, is expected to close in early 2021 and Bluegrass Cellular customers will likely seamlessly transition to Verizon’s network thanks to Bluegrass Cellular’s long-standing relationship with Verizon. 

DoJ steps in on AT&T and Liberty's $1.95B Puerto Rico deal

On Friday, the Department of Justice (DoJ) stepped in on AT&T's deal to sell its operations in Puerto Rico to Liberty Communications for $1.95 billion.

Internet censorship is accelerating

Zoom, Patreon and YouTube are joining the fun as Silicon Valley increasingly strives to control the public square.

Nokia picked to swap out Huawei at Finland’s shared networks

The telecoms kit maker Nokia is chosen by Finnish Shared Networks to deploy 5G RAN in Northern and Eastern Finland, as well as replacing the existing 2G, 3G, and 4G networks deployed by Huawei five years ago.

Italy reportedly blocks Huawei 5G deal as Bulgaria joins US ‘clean network’ scheme

The steady stream of European setbacks continues with a report that the Italian government has vetoed a 5G deal between Huawei and Fastweb.

Samsung’s visionary Chairman, Lee Kun-hee, has died

The Chairman of Samsung Group, Lee Kun-hee, died on Sunday after a long illness, aged 78. The succession plan has yet to be confirmed.

T-Mobile overshadows Verizon, AT&T in LTE fixed wireless coverage

T-Mobile touts 20 million households covered, while AT&T said it will cover 1.1 million locations this year. And a new report on Verizon found the operator covers just 2 million homes.

Foxconn a-shovin' against Luxshare in Apple supply chain – report

Taiwanese firm on maneuvers to try and protect iPhone business from China's 'little Foxconn.'

Verizon, AT&T pounce on private networking opportunity

Operator deals with enterprises will likely resemble managed services contracts.

Daily Roundup: Aruba Bumps Cisco From the Pentagon

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Cisco: Long-Term Cybersecurity Changes Afoot

The COVID-19 pandemic will usher in long-term changes to corporate cybersecurity policies and investments — largely due to the rapid onset of remote work — according to a Cisco report.

Tech asks EU for hate-speech moderation protection

As the EU rewrites its digital policy, tech companies ask for legal protections to moderate hate speech and illegal content more aggressively.

Cable One stays hot in Q3

High-speed Internet subscriber adds blow-out expectations in the third quarter. Cable One is also poised to make more M&A moves as it tees up a $500 million offering.

India's Airtel launches cloud comms platform Airtel IQ

Bharti Airtel hopes its cloud-based omnichannel communications platform IQ, aimed at enterprise and SMEs, will grab India's lucrative cloud comms market.

Eurobites: Nokia gets the nod for Finnish JV's 5G network

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom and Orange join forces on smart-glasses tech; Telefónica connects Europcar; Bulgaria is clean, says the US.

Italy vetoes Fastweb’s Huawei 5G deal – report

Report suggests the government is caving into US pressure to prevent operators from deploying 5G kit from Chinese vendors.

Aruba Bumps Cisco From the Pentagon

Aruba Networks swept the last remaining vestiges of Cisco’s switching gear from the Pentagon building as part of a Department of Defence modernization effort announced today.

An investor's view of 5G and edge computing

Omar Jaffrey is focusing Melody Investment Advisors squarely at the digital communications infrastructure market. Here's what he has to say about trends like 5G and edge computing.

SAP Catches COVID Cough, Triples Down on Cloud

SAP was forced to postpone an ambitious financial plan to take advantage of its cloud business due to a slower-than-expected recovery from on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the vendor also said that it will increase its focus on those cloud operations in order to take advantage of what it views as the future of its operations.

Top China telecom official defends 5G rollout

Just give it time, says the man from the ministry.

Investors validate Celona's private wireless ambitions with $30M in funding

Startup believes CBRS is set to make private wireless much more accessible to enterprise customers.