Intel Calls Silicon ‘Greatest Weapon Against Security Threats’

Security rooted in silicon has the greatest opportunity to subvert both current and future threats, according to Martin Dixon, VP of security architecture and engineering at Intel.

Will AT&T’s DirecTV Spin-Off Engender Greater Focus on Mobile?

AT&T this week distanced itself from its ill-advised DirecTV acquisition in a move that will likely impact its core mobile business. The declining satellite TV business, and AT&T’s other paid TV services, are being spun off into a separate, standalone company that will be partially owned and controlled by private equity firm TPG.

Ligado focuses on L-band amid C-band extravaganza

Ligado Networks, which is once again in the spotlight following the FCC’s blowout C-band auction, is working this year to get its L-band spectrum ready to deploy despite continued backlash from the Department of Defense (DoD).  

Dish’s Dave Mayo talks about deploying greenfield 5G network

Dave Mayo, Dish Networks’ EVP of network development, took the job with Dish about nine months ago because he sees it as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to help build a new greenfield 5G network in the United States.

Sprint churn creeps into American Tower’s near-term outlook

With Sprint out of the picture, American Tower faces a near-term drop in growth due to churn, with 2022 being the year when a majority of its Sprint-related churn will hit its bottom line. So, why not look beyond that timeframe?

VMware revenues increase 9% in fiscal 2021

VMware reported that its revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter 2021 was $3.3 billion, an increase of 7% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.

Lumen, AT&T and Spectrum lead flat carrier Ethernet market

Private network could give MediaTek's 5G modem an edge

5G chipmaker MediaTek is testing its products on a live network, using spectrum supplied by Far EasTone and Ericsson radio equipment. The companies worked together to create a private network that connects MediaTek's three manufacturing partner sites and its headquarters in Taiwan's HsinChu Science Park. 

The Cellnex shopping spree moves to Poland

Spanish towers giant Cellnex is dropping €1.6 billion to buy Polkomtel Infrastruktura and its 7,000 Polish towers and sites.

Telefónica has more LatAm fibre deals in the pipeline

Telefónica’s top management have given a strong indication that we can expect more fibre infrastructure deals from the telco in Latin America.

Dystopian Amazon ads kicked off Amazon-owned Twitch

Internet giant Amazon is trying to convince its warehouse workers not to unionize, but its disturbing ads run on Twitch break the streaming service’s rules so they’ve been taken down.

Suri’s career goes stratospheric as he becomes Inmarsat CEO

Inmarsat has named former Nokia boss Rajeev Suri as its new chief executive, effective at the start of next month.

Juniper ties 128's SD-WAN technology into Mist AI

Juniper says that by now bringing telemetry data from Session Smart Routers into the Mist AI engine, customers can better manage service levels across the WAN, and proactively detect anomalies to improve user experience.

Why the time is ripe for Comcast to blow past its borders

The discussion is no longer about offering a low-margin OTT-TV service out of Comcast's footprint, but about generating scale for a broader platform supported by a much more diverse economic ecosystem.

Daily Roundup: VMware Exec Search Continues

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.

Cable One must become an 'acquisition machine' – analyst

MSO needs to buy more smaller operators and apply a model that de-emphasizes video and pushes broadband penetration if Cable One is to 'sustain its stratospheric value,' MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett says.

From 5G to 6G: What could it look like?

As demand for connectivity increases, it's time to begin defining the 6G standard, and understanding the benefits and challenges that 6G will present.

Dell Tech Asserts Unique Strengths for 5G, Edge

Dell Technologies’ executives exuded an upbeat outlook this week, claiming the company is uniquely positioned for growing opportunities in 5G, cloud-based IT services, and edge computing.

Huawei steers course to make its own cars – report

According to Reuters, Huawei – in collaboration with Chinese automakers – is gearing up to make electric vehicles under its own brand.

Short video gets more crowded with Lomotif buyout

TikTok and Kuaishou rival Lomotif is bought for $125 million by a consortium led by Ted Farnsworth, as the short video industry gets a little more crowded.

Brazil’s auction rules rule in Huawei

Requirement to move straight to standalone version of 5G causes some ructions.

5G boosts SmarTone, Taiwan Mobile

5G has delivered a boost to the bottom line for SmarTone and Taiwan Mobile, financial filings reveal, in one of the first signs of 5G uplift outside Korea.

India gets new social media, OTT rules

Indian government issues new regulations for digital media, including Internet firms, OTT platforms and online news.

Eurobites: Proximus sees revenue slip 2.3% in 2020 as pandemic bites

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Cellnex grows revenues 55% in 2020; Three UK updates on network upgrades; Brexit threatens UK's fintech future, says government-led report.

WiCipedia: Pandemic culture shifts rank of best cities for WiT

This week in our WiC roundup: New study reports gender equality in tech stats; Google seeks to improve image; the best cities for women in tech in 2021; and more.

Despite €100B in sales, Deutsche Telekom fails to excite

Europe's biggest operator had its most successful year ever in 2020, but investors do not seem to have noticed.

Dish's 5G construction chief talks network speeds, public clouds and more

'We're pretty optimistic about open RAN and its ability to do a number of things,' says Dave Mayo, who recently assembled the leadership team for Dish's four network regions.

T-Mobile brings 2.5 GHz 5G to VA hospital in Miami

T-Mobile has turned on 5G in and around the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Miami, the operator’s first custom 5G installation in a hospital setting.  

Verizon launches 5G Ultra Wideband in 3 more markets

Verizon’s engineers received a shoutout from CEO Hans Vestberg during his appearance Thursday on the company’s Up To Speed event, where he said they’re doing a “fantastic job out there,” both in the field and in the network planning stages.

The skinny on the top 5 C-Band winners

The C-band auction smashed all expectations, hitting over $81.2 billion in bids. And yesterday the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the names of the Auction 107 C-band winners and how much they bid. Not surprisingly, the big wireless carriers spent the biggest bucks, with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile contributing about 96% of the total auction spend.

ADVA, Infinera post Q4 revenue declines

ADVA Optical Networking reported a revenue decline for the fourth quarter of 2020, but the Germany-based vendor largely blamed the decline on the weakening U.S. dollar against the Euro.

Cogent: Covid-19 uncertainty still impacting revenue

Cogent Communications posted modest increases in off-net and on-net services revenue during the fourth quarter of 2020, though company executives acknowledged Cogent’s revenue growth is still being impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Biden follows Trump’s protectionist lead

The foreign policy of the Biden Presidency has a distinctly familiar feel to it, with a new executive order designed to boost domestic industry.

TIM fixed the fixed in Q4

TIM reported growth in retail fixed lines in the fourth quarter of last year for the first time in 20 years.

KDDI America taps Cisco for managed SD-WAN

KDDI America, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Japan's KDDI, announced this week that it teamed up with Cisco Systems on a new managed SD-WAN service for the Americas region, based on the Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela infrastructure and offered by KDDI America through Cisco’s global Managed Services Partner Program.

Sky and Vodafone publish their objections to the Virgin/O2 UK merger

The CMA has published issues statements from Sky and Vodafone submitted as part of its investigation into the proposed merger of O2 UK and Virgin Media.

Verizon drops $45.5 billion on 5G spectrum

The FCC has announced the winning bidders from the recent 3.7 GHz spectrum auction and Verizon is top of the list, accounting for more than half of the eye-watering spend.

VMware Execs Keep Mum on CEO Search, Post Q4 Beat

VMware reported a strong fourth quarter and end to its fiscal year 2021 with full-year revenue of $11.8 billion, growing 9% from fiscal 2020, and Q4 revenue increasing 7% year over year to reach $3.3 billion.

Comcast brings pay-TV upgrade option to Flex

Launch of Xfinity Stream app on Flex enables broadband-only subscribers to add contract-free pay-TV services, starting with a baseline 'Choice TV' package that includes major local broadcast channels.

AT&T, TPG to spin DirecTV into a separate company

'New DirecTV,' consisting of the DirecTV satellite service, U-verse TV and AT&T TV, will operate as AT&T's US video unit. The transaction values the entity at about $16.25 billion.

WOW expects to lose more than half its pay-TV base

And that's just fine and dandy. Amid its pursuit of a 'broadband-first' strategy, WOW, which has about 308,000 video subs, expects its pay-TV base to dip below the 100,000 mark within three years, CFO says.

Daily Roundup: How Nutanix’s New CEO Plans to Win Against VMware

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.

ADVA Q4 benefits from cost-cutting

CFO hails 2020 as one of the most successful financial years in the company's history.

Nvidia Q4 Revenues Crest $5B

Nvidia ended the 2021 fiscal year on a stellar note that saw the chipmaker’s fourth-quarter earnings crest $5 billion, up 61% year over year.

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile Confront ‘Lasting Damage’ From Mid-Band Auction

The final numbers are in and, as expected, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile US won the lion’s share of mid-band spectrum in the 3.7 GHz-3.98 GHz band that was up for auction. The trio of nationwide operators are on the hook for nearly 96% of all spending in the C-band auction that ended last month at a record high of $81.17 billion.

Vecima scoops up ATX's 'GAP' node tech

Aim is to accelerate the development of the Generic Access Platform, an emerging node standard for HFC networks that can slot in service modules for DOCSIS, PON, mobile/wireless and, potentially, edge compute.

Huawei spoils Ericsson party with 5G radio weighing 1kg less

Turn off Abba's 'Dancing Queen' and stopper the aquavit – the Chinese hit back at Ericsson with an even lighter product.

High rollers: A look at the billion-dollar bidding strategies for 5G spectrum

UScellular dropped out when prices reached $76 million. Dish Network dropped out after prices reached $218 million. And, finally, T-Mobile tapped out after round 30, when prices hit $240 million.

How Nutanix’s New CEO Plans to Win Against VMware

CEO Rajiv Ramaswami sounded upbeat on his first Nutanix earnings call. He declared Q2 “a strong quarter across the board,” and said Nutanix “exceeded guidance across all metrics.”

Telco AI: Critical for networks, but not yet quite a business

Artificial intelligence has brought efficiency for operators but little in the way of additional revenues.

Axiata exudes cautious optimism after tough 2020

Southeast Asian group said to have shelved plans to sell stake in Edotco tower unit.

C-band auction maps and charts: Who won what, where and how much

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are collectively spending almost $90 billion on C-band spectrum licenses. These seven charts show exactly what they're buying.

Fujitsu Fuses Marvell Processors Into 5G RAN Gear

Marvell’s baseband processor silicon will power some of Fujitsu’s forthcoming 5G equipment, the companies announced today. 

Australia's TPG Telecom gets $820M tax windfall

In its first results since its Vodafone merger, Australia's TPG inked $734 million in profits with help from the taxman, though COVID-19 hit pro-forma figures.

Nokia Intros DelOps, CI/CD Modded for 5G Services

Nokia this week debuted a modded approach for network operators to use and manage 5G core software from multiple vendors that embraces the continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD) concept.

The rise and fall of Telefónica

Worth $370 billion in 2006, Spain's biggest telecom operator is valued at just $25 billion today.

Eurobites: Which? takes on Qualcomm over smartphone chip charges

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: EU wants to extend roaming regulation for another 10 years; Tele2 and Equinix cozy up for secure IoT; Sparkle to supply cloud services to GÉANT.

Verizon pledges whopping $45B in C-band auction

A lot of folks were betting that Verizon went big in the C-band auction, but it turns out it went even bigger than some of the highest expectations, laying out over $45.5 billion in gross bids.

Microsoft creates industry-specific clouds

Microsoft is creating clouds for specific industries. Today, the company announced Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing and Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit.

Former Nokia boss takes CEO job at Inmarsat

Rajeev Suri, the former CEO of Nokia, will take on the role of CEO of Inmarsat effective March 1. He will replace Rupert Pearce, who steps down as CEO on February 28.

T-Mobile offers 55-plus crowd premium tier plan, 5G access

T-Mobile introduced its latest 5G smartphone plan Magenta MAX on Monday, and today added new plan options for customers 55 years and older including unlimited premium data and access to 5G.

Windstream Enterprise announces new customer guarantees

Windstream Enterprise announced a new series of customer commitments and guarantees, including a 100% uptime guarantee for its OfficeSuite and SD-WAN services, as the firm continues to recast its image following its parent company’s lengthy bankruptcy saga.

Different strokes for different (chip) folks: Entner

In recent years, the FTC raised concerns that Qualcomm’s patent portfolio and unbiased licensing scheme would prevent other companies from manufacturing and selling 5G chipsets, leading to an anti-trust lawsuit that concluded in November 2019. However, the prediction has not borne out.

Juniper brings 128 Technology under Mist AI umbrella

Juniper Networks didn’t take long to integrate 128 Technology’s capabilities with its Mist AI platform. About four months after announcing its acquisition of 128 Technology and less than two months after closing the deal, Juniper today said it has added WAN Assurance and the Marvis Virtual Network Assistant to 128’s Session Smart network portfolio.

Biden set to make his first anti-China move

New US President Biden is reportedly working on an executive order designed to make various US supply chains less reliant on China.

Samsung touts 30% boost for Massive MIMO

Samsung is touting new technology for its Massive MIMO radios that the vendor says is expected to enhance network throughput by up to 30% for 4G and 5G environments. 

Lumen expands bare metal services, adds network storage

Lumen is making good on a pledge to continue evolving its bare metal edge commuting services with an announcement this week of online procurement for its edge computing services.

Vantage Towers finally shares IPO plan

Vodafone has finally published its intention to float document for Vantage Towers, pledging to complete the listing in Frankfurt before the end of March.

Google takes Intel to the edge

Internet giant Google is getting Intel involved in its telco cloud offering to help with things like edge computing, vRAN and OpenRAN.

Verizon is the most valuable telecoms brand, Reliance Jio the strongest

Size matters in the latest iteration of Brand Finance’s 2021 ranking of the world’s most valuable telecoms brands.

Elon Musk says Starlink speed doubling to 300 Mbit/s

Elon Musk says Internet-from-orbit serve Starlink will double its speeds this year to 300 Mbit/s, and reach all the earth's services by 2022.

Paramount+ sets price for ad-free 'premium,' ad-supported 'base' tiers

Paramount+'s ad-free 'premium' service, to launch March 4, will cost $9.99 per month. Paramount+'s 'base' offering, coming in June, will fetch $4.99 per month.

Biden Seeks to End Chip Shortage With Executive Order

President Joe Biden today signed an executive order aimed at addressing a semiconductor shortage that has forced many automakers including Ford and General Motors to slow production.

Google’s Kubernetes Efforts Gain Autopilot Control

Google has taken another step in streamlining enterprise use of Kubernetes in a production environment by launching a fully automated pilot to steer those efforts. The next move may need to be a way to steer customers through Google’s various Kubernetes options.

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile: Here are the C-band auction results

Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile walked away with the vast majority of the C-band licenses for 5G. Dish Network spent just $2.5 million, while Comcast and Charter spent nothing.

Daily Roundup: Google Puts Kubernetes on Autopilot

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.

Solar Power Shines Bright on Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson Mobile Sites

Deutsche Telekom is working with Ericsson to explore the using solar energy to power mobile broadband sites, and in turn, cut carbon emissions and save on energy costs. 

Chip shortages spread into telecom

Vendor Infinera expects up to $340 million in revenue in its upcoming quarter, but that figure includes a $10 million risk due to 'semiconductor shortages that are not unique to our industry.'

HPE Buys CloudPhysics, Rolls Out ‘Opportunity Engine’

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today announced the acquisition of CloudPhysics alongside the launch of its infrastructure recommendation engine.

Windstream Enterprise takes swing at improving customer service reputation

Windstream Enterprise is backing the new customer commitment with contract flexibility, free upgrades and guaranteed 100% uptime for customers of both its OfficeSuite UC and SD-WAN Concierge services.

HPE Debuts Open RAN Stack Under New Telco Group

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today revealed a stack of software and hardware for 5G open radio access networks (RAN) that it plans to make commercially available before July. The HPE Open RAN Solution Stack features the vendor’s orchestration and automation software, RAN infrastructure blueprints, and a server it claims to be optimized for 5G workloads in an open RAN environment.

HPE bustles into open RAN with new server

The IT giant has spruced up its portfolio of communications products and launched a new open RAN server, but will the industry bite?

Dish connects with ADT on home security

Dish and its OnTech unit will market and sell ADT services in an agreement that comes a few years after EchoStar shut down its DIY-focused SAGE by Hughes smart home/security offering.

T-Mobile supports Siden's tests of LTE Broadcast for video streaming

Siden, a startup backed by Columbia Capital, obtained T-Mobile's permission to test LTE Broadcast technologies in the operator's spectrum in Washington, DC.

VMware Fixes Critical Remote Code Execution Bug in vCenter Server

VMware fixed several bugs including a critical remote code execution vulnerability that affects vCenter Server management software and, if exploited, would allow hackers to execute arbitrary commands on the server and gain access to sensitive data.

Don't count on a Telecom Italia renaissance

The Italian operator's latest strategic plan is probably not going to be a major restorative for a company that seems in perpetual decline.

Elon Musk says Starlink speed doubling to 300 Mbps

Elon Musk says Internet-from-orbit serve Starlink will double its speeds this year to 30 Mbps, and reach all the earth's services by 2022.

Net neutrality rules ready to roll in California

Judge's ruling in California could clear way for other states to follow suit ahead of expectations that the FCC will pursue new rules that were rolled back during the Trump administration.

Vantage Towers IPO is a goer

Vodafone formally announces intention to float European towerco spinout on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by the end of March.

Optic maker Infinera cuts its losses by $56.7M

Telecoms optical computing firm Infinera cut its Q4 losses to $9.9M, down from $66.6M a year before, even as its North American market slowed down.

MWC Shanghai: Banner year for 5G mmWave

Thirst for data is driving industry into the arms of 5G mmWave in 2021 – and a GSMA Intelligence report concludes mmWave can cut costs by as much as a third.

128 Technology Gets Juniper’s Mist AI Treatment

Juniper Networks today announced the “Mist-ification” of 128 Technology’s Session Smart SD-WAN, its SRX series branch gateways, and the introduction of a new EX series secure access switch.

Eurobites: Vive les vieux smartphones, says France

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Zain revenue down; real-estate companies warned on digital failings; more bad ads from UK mobile operators.

Cisco Scores Another SD-WAN Win With KDDI America

Cisco’s Viptela SD-WAN offering is now available as part of KDDI America’s managed SD-WAN portfolio.

Podcast: Low-latency broadband powers a Michigan music masterclass

The Light Reading podcast welcomes Dan Kurin, tech coordinator at Factory Two, and Brandon Corder, CEO of Beats x Beers, to discuss an upcoming experiment with low-latency broadband in Flint, Michigan.

EE ups SRN ante with extra 4G coverage

BT-owned operator aims to complete 579 4G site upgrades by the end of 2021.

Siemens Packs IBM, Red Hat Into Edge, IoT Software

Siemens is adopting IBM’s hybrid cloud and Red Hat OpenShift for its MindSphere platform in a move to bring manufacturers’ physical and digital worlds closer together.  

Ericsson CEO braces (slightly) for stiffer competition

Börje Ekholm nonetheless thinks large-scale open RAN is years away.

FCC’s Rosenworcel circulates draft order on 3.45-3.55 GHz

FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel aims to make some moves on the 5G mid-band spectrum front, circulating a draft order that would make 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band available for auction and 5G deployment. The commission is to vote on the proposal at its March 17 meeting.

Google Cloud, Intel target 5G, edge strategies for telcos

Today, Google Cloud made an announcement that indicates it’s advancing its goal to work with telcos on their 5G and edge strategies. It said it was working with Intel to jointly develop telco cloud reference architectures for wireless carriers to deploy 5G across multiple clouds and edge locations.

SBA not worried about C-band price tag

After spending at the U.S. auction for C-band spectrum smashed expectations, attention has turned to whether the high price tag could hamper the pace of 5G rollouts as carriers’ capital is constrained.

Airtel, Qualcomm partner to drive 5G in India

Bharti Airtel and Qualcomm Technologies announced their intention of accelerating 5G in India, but it remains to be seen how fast they can roll it out without 5G spectrum allocations. 

Verizon adds Genesys Cloud to its contact center portfolio

Verizon Business added another tool to its customer experience and contact center toolkit. The company has teamed with Genesys to offer a cloud-based contact center solution to its enterprise customers. In addition, the deal will provide an on-ramp to Genesys customers that want to take advantage of Verizon’s network connectivity.

WISPA claps back at fixed-wireless critics in RDOF dispute

The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) doesn’t appreciate all the scorn being heaped on fixed wireless access (FWA) technology, which is coming from some groups that didn’t win as much Rural Digital Opportunity Funds (RDOF) as they had hoped.

Windstream Wholesale sets 400GbE record with Acacia pluggables

Windstream Wholesale is making inroads with 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE). The company said it successfully deployed 400 GbE single-wavelength transmission over 1,027 kilometers across its long-haul network from Phoenix to Los Angeles.

Utopia Fiber gets $52.5M in funding to expand its network

Community-owned fiber optic network, Utopia Fiber, received $52.5 million in funding to expand its network. The company provides fiber-to-the-home services to 15 cities and covers 130,000 residences and businesses.

FCC Democrats silent on calls for US cable providers to censor right wing news

Two Democrat US Representatives have written to a bunch of cable and streaming providers calling on them to do something about claimed misinformation on TV news.

Telefónica does billion-dollar fibre deal in Chile

Telefónica has made its latest move to monetise some in-demand assets, this time spinning off its Chilean fibre network business and selling a 60% stake to investment group KKR.

Bellweather Cato's roaring 2020 signals breakout for SASE — Chua

Israeli-based unicorn Cato Networks revealed details of its 2020 business performance today. Cato grew bookings by over 200% for the fourth consecutive year, expanded its number of channel partners by 2.5 times, and added multiple 1000+-site large enterprises to its 800-strong customer list. Last year, Cato raised an additional $207 million in two rounds, with the latter round valuing the company at over $1 billion post-money.

Facebook restores news in Australia after government compromises

The tactic of removing all Australian news content by social media giant Facebook, in response to a new law it didn’t like, seems to have been vindicated, at least in the short term.

Spain sells surplus 5G spectrum for small change

Spain has sold off its last two remaining blocks of 3.5 GHz frequencies earmarked for 5G services in an auction that raised next to nothing, compared to many others.

Ericsson Nips Huawei, Nokia in Gartner’s 5G Vendor Ranking

Ericsson came out on top of Huawei and Nokia in Gartner’s latest magic quadrant for 5G network infrastructure and communications service providers. The Swedish vendor earned the highest marks for its ability to execute and landed just slightly behind Huawei on Gartner’s completeness of vision grade. 

Why Tucson is building its own 4G network

The city's network spans 44 square miles and provides speeds up to 50Mbit/s. Existing telecom providers Lumen Technologies and Cox have 'spent a significant amount of time pushing back on this project.'

Daily Roundup: Ex-CISA Chief Warns Cybercriminals

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.

How Dish Network's Boost plans to navigate T-Mobile's 3G shutdown

Late last year, T-Mobile told Dish it would shut down its 3G CDMA network for Boost customers by January 1, 2022. That's a full year earlier than Dish had expected.

AT&T nears deal to sell stake in pay-TV biz – report

TPG closing in on agreement to acquire 'large minority' stake in DirecTV, U-verse in deal valuing AT&T's video business at about $15 billion, CNBC reports.

Malaysia highlights Huawei's role in 5G rollout

Malaysia also plans to establish a 5G Cybersecurity Lab with the Chinese vendor.

Is Istio Key to Solving the 5G Edge Challenge?

Kubernetes has quickly become a major player in the containerization of 5G network deployments, but the Istio service mesh project initially designed to help micromanage those containers is gaining ground as the real driver of those efforts toward the network edge.

Big vendors talk 5G enterprise as MWC returns

The world's biggest vendors had enterprise on their mind as Mobile World Congress returned Tuesday after a year's hiatus.

Wi-Fi gets a dose of QoS

Spanning all flavors of Wi-Fi, new Wi-Fi Alliance certification program brings standardized approach to traffic prioritization, with focus on apps such as AR/VR, videoconferencing and online gaming.

US operators' 5G spending might not pick up until 2022

'It'll pick up at some point,' Alex Gellman, CEO of cell tower company Vertical Bridge, predicted. In the meantime, though, financial analysts are bracing for a 5G spending lull.

AT&T TV unleashes upgrades for cloud DVR, in-home streaming

AT&T's primary OTT-TV service will soon support up to 20 simultaneous streams in the home, and shift its premium, 500-hour cloud DVR storage tier to unlimited storage.

Ex-CISA Chief Warns Cybercriminals: We’re Coming For You

Former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director Chris Krebs sounded an ominous warning to hackers and would-be cybercriminals during his keynote at Check Point’s virtual event Tuesday. As ransomware groups focused their attacks on hospitals and health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, CISA, working with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, channeled Liam Neeson’s character in the movie “Taken” with an effort they also called Project Taken.

Why 5G patent rankings are not to be trusted

One study's winner is another's laggard, possibly because researchers cannot agree on what constitutes an essential patent.

Google Spurs Broad Cloud-Native 5G Initiative With Intel

Google Cloud and Intel plan to collaborate on multiple fronts to develop cloud-native 5G services and technology for operators, enterprises, and the growing pool of vendors involved in mobile networks.

Google Cloud puts Intel inside Anthos in 5G push

Intel is Google's latest partner for its Anthos for Telecom effort. The companies are targeting both network operators as well as enterprises building their own networks.

Orby TV website is back in action, touting a discount

Days after the prepaid satellite TV service temporarily halted new service activations, Orby TV's website is active again, this time with a cut rate on one-room installs.

India's Airtel ties up with Qualcomm for open RAN 5G

Bharti Airtel has partnered with global chip-maker Qualcomm to roll out virtualized and open RAN-based 5G networks, after Airtel's successful live 5G test.

Podcast: What's the story with the C-band auction?

On this episode, Mike Dano gets into the significance of the FCC's $81 billion C-band spectrum auction and what the forthcoming results will mean for operators' 5G plans.

Eurobites: Nokia to offer dollops of DelOps for the 5G core

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson explore solar power at mobile sites; Swisscom goes with Teoco for 5G network planning; RootMetrics offers UK 5G snapshot.

Aviatrix Scores $75M Series D Funding Boost

If you ask Aviatrix CEO Steve Mullaney, SD-WAN is dead, the sun has set on the private data center, and the cloud is now the center of the networking universe. And it would seem the company’s investors would agree.

Dish’s Ergen reflects on transitions

Just after Dish Network’s CFO said it expects cap ex to increase substantially in 2021 as it ramps up its 5G network deployment – it invested over $50 million in op ex and cap ex during the fourth quarter – Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen spoke about 2020 as a year of transition.

AT&T’s FirstNet responded to 750 requests in 2020

AT&T said that its public safety network FirstNet now covers more than 2.71 million square miles and supports more than 2 million connections.

T-Mobile’s new MAX plan showcases 2.5 GHz

T-Mobile has enough 2.5 GHz spectrum deployed that it’s ready to roll with a new price plan that takes advantage of all that extra capacity. It’s called Magenta MAX, a 5G smartphone plan designed to show off what 5G can do for consumers.

Microsoft pokes its nose into the European internet news debate

For some reason US software giant Microsoft has decided the European press needs its help in getting Google and Facebook to pay for news they link to.

Ericsson launches 3 new radios for mid-band 5G

Just as the U.S. awaits news about who got what in the C-band auction, Ericsson is announcing new radios designed to accelerate operators’ mid-band deployments for 5G around the world.

FCC releases more details on RDOF auction applicants

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released information about 417 companies that submitted long-form applications in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction. The long-form applications were due at the end of January.

Dish inks tower deal with SBA for 5G network

Dish Network signed a tower deal with SBA Communications, its second long-term lease with one of the big three tower companies.

Dish sheds 363K wireless subs, warns of T-Mobile 3G shutdown

Dish continued to lose wireless subscribers for its Boost Mobile MVNO business in Q4, and warned of potential negative impacts ahead as T-Mobile plans to shut down its 3G CMDA network in early 2022.

TDS Telecom says it will double its fiber footprint in 2021

TDS Telecom is ramping up its fiber expansion efforts. During its fourth quarter 2020 earnings call with investors, TDS executives said that in 2020 the company spent about $130 million to deploy fiber in existing and new markets.

Unitas can help enterprises secure edge access to any cloud

Unitas Global launched what it claims is the first software-defined network that provides automated edge access to any cloud location. Called Unitas Reach, the network is intended to help enterprises connect to cloud providers, edge access networks and carrier-neutral data centers.

Telefónica turns to Huawei to boost its optical performance

Spanish operator group Telefónica has reminded us that Huawei remains a significant fixed line presence in Europe with a pilot of new tech.

Investors line up for Partner’s fibre network

Investors appear to be queuing up for a slice of Partner Communications’ fibre network business.

Ericsson makes its mid-band 5G move

Swedish kit vendor Ericsson has expanded its massive MIMO offering with new products designed to make better use of mid-band spectrum.

5G boosts UK mobile speeds but usage lags availability

The arrival of 5G in the the UK is already having a marked impact on average mobile network speeds but connections are frequently falling back to 4G, according to new data from Global Wireless Solutions (GWS).

Dish Lowers Early 5G Expectations to a Crawl

Dish Network today held firm to its previously delayed goal of activating 5G service in a single U.S. market by October. In doing so, however, the aspiring greenfield operator significantly lowered expectations for what that service will deliver in its early days. 

Palo Alto Networks CEO: XDR Protected Us From SolarWinds Attack

In a sign of just how big of an impact the SolarWinds breach had across the security industry, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora kicked off his company’s second fiscal quarter 2021 earning call by discussing the massive attack, which compromised at least 100 U.S. corporations’ networks.

Daily Roundup: VMware Loses Another Exec

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.

T-Mobile puts premium price on 5G perks

T-Mobile is hoping to encourage customers to sign up for new, more expensive Magenta MAX service by removing monthly usage limits.

Dish to launch 5G in 'major' city by end of Q3

Meanwhile, a potentially costly wrinkle emerges in Dish's retail mobile biz as T-Mobile warns it plans to shut down its 3G CDMA network on or around January 1, 2022.

Sling TV can do better, Ergen says

'We should have more market share there,' Dish's chairman says, noting that Sling TV 'stumbled' on the quality of the user experience.

VMware Telecom, 5G, Edge Cloud Exec to Exit

VMware is losing a telecom and edge cloud executive to a new “special purpose acquisition company” that plans to invest in telecom, 5G, and edge business that could help VMware’s telecom and edge plans. The move comes as the virtualization giant searches for a new CEO to replace long-time captain Pat Gelsinger.

In chip dip, Apple shoves to front of Foxconn queue

Foxconn says the silicon drought will have 'limited impact' on it and customers like Apple, as freak Arctic weather shuts down Texas chip plants.

StarHub mobile biz suffers Q4 shocker

But the Singaporean operator's cost reduction program continues to make good progress.

Comcast extends delay on debuting data caps in the Northeast

After initially agreeing to postpone new data policies in its Northeast division until July 2021, the cable operator said it will now hold off implementing them until 2022.

India spectrum auction: Who’s bidding for what (and why)?

The mega spectrum auction takes place in March, with top three telcos Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea bidding on a total of 2310MHz spectrum.

Ericsson now boasts superior 5G radios to Huawei

Swedish vendor claims to have the smallest and lightest massive MIMO radios in the world.

FCC working group proposes using AI for better broadband maps

One of the benefits of AI is that it can be used to look at coverage data in different ways, incorporating factors such as economics and population density into the maps.

Kong Captures Coveted Unicorn Status

Kong’s battle to position Kuma as the service mesh of choice received a $100 million funding boost that could come in handy as the Google-based Istio service mesh platform struggles to find its footing. 

Apple takes top smartphone spot in Q4 2020 – Gartner

iPhone maker regains number one position for first time since Q4 2016, says latest report, although Samsung retains the top spot for the year.

Eurobites: Telefónica and Huawei pilot 600G/800G over WDM

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: French village says 'non' to Starlink ground station; KPN buffs up green credentials; MVNO specialist returns to Three UK.

RAN spending splurge in Q4 helps market top $35B in 2020 – Dell'Oro

Revenue from RAN equipment reached record-breaking heights in 2020, driven by stronger than expected 5G NR investments in North America and China toward the end of the year.

Ericsson Teases Massive MIMO 5G Radios For Late 2021

Ericsson today revealed a trio of new mid-band 5G radios and a suite of six radio access network (RAN) compute products that it intends to release at the end of the year.