Will Biden Loosen Restrictions On Chinese Chipmakers?

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

5G Gains and Wanes in 2020

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

Kubernetes-Focused Firms Made Big Targets in 2020

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

Have we got news for you?

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

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

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

Chinese authorities launch antitrust investigation against Alibaba

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

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

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

Here are the new C-band auction estimates

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

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

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

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

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

Softbank follows NTT DoCoMo with price cut

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

Off Topic: Gary Smith on blending photography, philanthropy

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

Carriers 'must continue to invest in network software'

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

VMware’s Biggest Buys of 2020

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

Quite a year: The changing vendor landscape in India

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

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

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

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

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

Lumen CMO: We think differently about fiber than our competitors

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

Union backs Frontier's RDOF award in West Virginia

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

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

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

Open RAN gets real, especially in second half of 2020

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

Operator wins and fails for 2020: Lowenstein

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

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

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

What is lying in wait for telecoms in 2021?

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

What will 2021 be lying in wait for telecoms?

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

China's harder line on Big Tech

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

Nokia names Motley crew member for fixed networks

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

India announces new rules for telecom gear sourcing

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

Daily Roundup: Cisco Workers ‘Anxious’ About Job Cuts

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

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

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

Orange Helps Siemens Hit 80% SD-WAN Migration

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

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

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

Podcast: What's the story with Huawei?

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

McAfee, Citrix, Microsoft Back Ransomware Task Force

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

This Olde Website: 2020

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

The CableCARD's 'Greatest Hits'

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

Nokia names Motley crew member for fixed

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

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

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

CCA is thrilled with rip & replace reimbursement prospect

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

Congress approves $7B for broadband in Covid relief package

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

Cisco buys Dashbase to boost observability in AppDynamics

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

Report: SD-WAN market will accelerate in 2021

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

Telecoms reset: Is the Telecom Ecosystem Group the answer?

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

CBRS users learn the ins and outs of Spectrum Access Systems

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

Different shades of spectrum sharing: Mun

All spectrum is fundamentally shared – even the licensed bands. 

Prepaid grabs the spotlight in 2020 via Verizon, Dish

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

Italian competition watchdog probes FiberCop plan

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

Verizon, Deloitte to co-develop edge computing apps

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

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

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

China’s biggest chipmaker added to Entity List

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

Vodafone settles long-running KDG dispute for €2.1 billion

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

Mavenir Pins Open RAN Rise on Radios

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

Daily Roundup: Arista Adds Awake to Attack Surface Assessment

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

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

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

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

Top 3 Takeaways From Ciena’s Q4 Earnings

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

Italian regulator launches FiberCop investigation

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

WarnerMedia closes deal for You.i TV

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

Secureworks Puts Managed Detection and Response in XDR

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

The top five ways to secure a remote workforce

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

How 5G is pushing the envelope on latency

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

Cisco Buys Dashbase for AppDynamics Boost

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

Robin.io taps demand for container-based orchestration layer

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

Google Cloud broadens its global reach with three new regions

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

T-Mobile again advised to stop 5G reliability claims

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

Verizon Business and Deloitte create smart factory system

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

IBM feeds its hybrid cloud ambitions with deal to buy Nordcloud

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

Report: Hyperscale operator capex reaches record in Q3

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

2020 store closures lead year of upheaval in wireless retail

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

Dear Santa, please deliver these 5 wireless wishes in 2021

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

Satellite broadband firms make headlines as 2021 launches loom

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

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

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

Vodafone backtracks on Egypt plan

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

Microsoft starts developing own chips for datacentres and computers – report

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

With next-gen communications tech, we can connect everyone

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

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

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

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

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

Arista Plugs Awake Into Attack Surface Assessment

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

JoongAng Group Taps Juniper in Network Overhaul

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

Daily Roundup: VMware Denies SolarWinds Security Hack Link

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Congress allots $2B to replace Huawei equipment

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

Cisco’s SVP of Security Jumps Ship for Google Anthos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hyperscalers Set $99B Capex Record, Says Synergy

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

VMware Denies Its Software Used in SolarWinds Hack

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

Oracle, Cybereason Stretch Security From Endpoints to Cloud

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

Verizon Product Chief Reflects on 2020 Scramble

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