Headcount: Firings, Hirings, and Retirings — May 2021

Here are some of the latest executive hirings, promotions, and staff changes that happened in May. If you’d like SDxCentral to report on your company’s movers and shakers, or if you’ve got a tip about layoffs and restructuring, please send the information to Dan Meyer (dmeyer@sdxcentral.com) for inclusion in the monthly headcount column.

$2.4B Valuation Shows ‘How Big Exabeam Can Be,’ CEO DeCesare Says

Exabeam this week announced that it closed a $200 million late-stage funding round on a $2.4 billion valuation and hired a new CEO: Michael DeCesare, who previously was president of McAfee, and most recently served as CEO and president of ForeScout Technologies.

AT&T can fine tune network with open RAN – Elbaz

AT&T’s Igal Elbaz on Friday talked up benefits of open RAN including the ability to fine tune the network.

T-Mobile’s Ray summons patience for open RAN

T-Mobile has been less enthusiastic about the open Radio Access Network (RAN) space than its wireless rivals, but that doesn’t mean it’s disinterested. It’s just waiting for the ecosystem to develop.  

A mix of ideas is best option to close digital divide — Entner

The negotiations around President Biden’s Broadband Infrastructure Bill are in full swing. We have at least 10 broadband bills, the White House American Jobs Act Fact Sheet, an article by former FCC Chairman Wheeler and Commissioner Carr’s proposal on the table to look at.

AT&T's Elbaz says fiber deployment costs 'are getting better'

AT&T plans to boost its fiber build over the next several years. Immediately, it plans to increase its 15 million fiber customers by 3 million more customers across 90 metro areas this year. AT&T’s SVP of Wireless and Access Technology Igal Elbaz, who spoke at a UBS investor conference this morning, said, “We will continue at that pace to the point where we’re going to be able to cover 30 million customer locations by the end of 2025.”

Commissioners say FCC let carriers off the hook for key 911 data

FCC Commissioners Brendan Carrr and Nathan Simington say the agency is letting wireless carriers off the hook over 911 vertical location obligations after agreements with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon were announced Thursday.

GreatCall switches to Lively

GreatCall, the brand that was started by cell phone industry pioneer Arlene Harris more than 15 years ago, has rebranded to Lively.

Vodafone starts field trials of connected car platform

A new system designed to improve road safety is being tried out on actual roads in the UK.

Telefonica lops €4 billion from debt as towers deals close

Telefonica has lopped the best part of €4 billion from its debt pile in the space of a couple of days by closing the sale of towers in Europe and Latin America.

US bans investment in a bunch more Chinese companies

Apparently buying shares in a company materially helps it, so the US has extended its efforts to starve Chinese companies of investment.

NaaS, PaaS and IaaS present challenges, opportunities for telcos

Operators can remain successful but risk missing out on new revenue streams and being relegated to a less important role in the connectivity ecosystem if they don’t pursue key as-a-service offerings, a ServiceNow executive told Fierce.

Insurer Aviva gets in on UK autonomous vehicle project

Aviva is joining a UK autonomous vehicle project in a bid to capture data that will enable it to insure such driverless vehicles when the time comes.

Cloudera Goes Private, Boosts SaaS Play

Less than three years after acquiring rival Hortonworks in a deal valued at more than $5 billion, enterprise data cloud provider Cloudera this week said it will be acquired by a pair of private investment firms for a similar amount. Cloudera also is acquiring data analytics firms Datacoral and Cazena.

Daily Roundup: SAP Packages Enterprise Services, Asserts No Cloud ‘Drama’

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.

Ericsson Sets RAN Disaggregation Limits

Ericsson continues to eschew the need and viability of open radio access networks. Unlike its closest competitor Nokia, which has gone so far as to call open RAN the future of the radio business, Ericsson isn’t buying it. 

Bell will use AWS Wavelength to power its 5G edge

Bell Canada will incorporate Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Wavelength into its 5G network edge, making it the first Canadian operator to use Wavelength, which is Amazon’s cloud platform that’s designed specifically for edge computing. The Canadian service provider also said AWS is its preferred public cloud provider.

T-Mobile in ‘early innings’ of rural distribution game

T-Mobile boasts about its ambitions to cover huge portions of the U.S. with 5G, including in rural areas – which it promised to do before merging with Sprint – but it’s still in the early innings when it comes to actually reaching those areas and bringing distribution there.

Verizon names exec in COO, deputy CEO role for consumer group

Verizon has named Manon Brouillette as chief operating officer and deputy CEO of the operator’s Consumer Group.

Big 3 to start providing vertical location data of 911 calls

The three largest U.S. carriers are on a seven-day deadline to start delivering vertical location data for 911 calls nationwide under new enforceable commitments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Anterix adds Nokia and Motorola to private network team

Anterix has secured agreements with both Nokia and Motorola Solutions as it works to monetize its 900 MHz spectrum licenses by leasing them to utilities for private wireless networks. The company owns more 900 MHz spectrum than any other entity in the U.S., and has identified private networks for utilities as its primary business model.

C Spire spotlights backhaul as a major hurdle for rural fiber

Regional U.S. operator C Spire is in the midst of a $1 billion expansion of its fiber network, but while it’s seeing good take rates and penetration as it extends its reach from Mississippi into Alabama it is still up against one major hurdle.

Vodafone boosts 5G capacity in open RAN demo

Vodafone is touting a 5G capacity boost in a multi-vendor environment, during a demo running software from Cohere Technologies on a pre-standards Open RAN-aligned platform from VMware.

Charter claims ‘fastest wireless speeds’ due to benefits of WiFi

There are several companies that conduct wireless speed tests, and the big three U.S. wireless carriers in the U.S. all claim to be “winners” in one category or another. But now, Charter Communications is jumping into the fray, claiming that its Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service has the fastest overall speeds.

5.9 GHz fight shifts to court challenge

The 5.9 GHz band has been in the FCC’s crosshairs for years, and last fall, the agency decided to follow through with plans to allocate a portion of the band to Wi-Fi. After all, the band has laid fallow for much of the past two decades even though it was allocated for road safety.

A Remarkable Journey

In the last year, the world has developed a deeper appreciation for the importance of communications technologies. It is no secret now that we depend on our mobile devices and applications to stay connected to the world around us, but this is just the beginning. As we move into 5G, many new opportunities will arise, especially around advanced Enterprise applications. Communications service providers (CSPs), who have historically struggled to launch new services fast and competitively, have a unique opportunity to help build the digital applications of the future. By now, we know that AR/VR experiences, telemedicine services, autonomous vehicles, connected cities, and smart factories will all depend heavily on the 5G technology, and enterprises will depend heavily on CSPs to develop and deliver that technology. Being in this space for a long time, Dell Technologies is a leader in enterprise digital transformation. We understand the monetization opportunities to help our CSP customers lead in this space, and we are ready to help with their efforts to deliver on the promise of 5G.

Ciena nearly doubles 800G shipments in its fiscal Q2

Ciena executives talked up the company’s competitive position on 800G as it posted results for its fiscal Q2 2021 (ended May 1), arguing it has already secured many key customers in the market.

Cloud native has lots of benefits, some drawbacks

AvidThink Principal Analyst Roy Chua will kick off the FierceTelecom Summer Blitz virtual event next week with a presentation on the topic of cloud native.

100 days of spectrum sluggishness in Portugal

Progress in Portugal’s controversial 5G spectrum auction has been so slow that the regulator has been forced to change the rules to enable more bidding rounds per day.

US once more threatens to retaliate for Digital Services Tax with tariffs

Six countries have imposed special taxes on the revenues internet companies derive from their citizens and the US isn’t happy about it.

C Spire adds more 5G cities in Mississippi

C Spire began rolling out 5G in its Southeast U.S. territory last year, and it’s ramping up that deployment with more cities in central Mississippi.

Deutsche Telekom shares 5G SA voice milestone but data still rules

Deutsche Telekom is trumpeting a new 5G Voice over New Radio (VoNR) milestone, but while voice remains important, its impact on the data experience is what really matters.

Vodafone and friends find a way to boost OpenRAN capacity

In a lab test led by Vodafone some AI special sauce was used to significantly boost the capacity of a multi-vendor OpenRAN set up.

Discover How Blue Planet® Inventory Has Transformed Operations

Blue Planet Inventory helped Telstra International minimize risk, lower OPEX, and serve customers better. See how.

Give yourself a pat on the back for getting through the last year

The telecoms industry wasn’t about to let the matter of a global pandemic cramp its style, so the Glotels are open once more to give you the chance at the recognition you deserve.

SAP Packages Enterprise Services, Asserts No Cloud ‘Drama’

SAP continued its cloud push, rolling out a new enterprise initiative that provides a single portal for customers to access a basket of SAP’s services. The vendor also reiterated its cloud-neutral stance to counter the recent dissolution of a preferred cloud partnership with Microsoft.

Daily Roundup: VMware Eyes Its ‘Next Frontier’

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.

VMware Counts 30K Security Customers

VMware increased its security customers 50% year over year and now counts almost 30,000 security customers globally, Patrick Morley, SVP and GM of VMware’s Security Business Unit, said during a keynote address at today’s VMware Security Connect event.

Vodafone Claims 5G Open RAN RIC Milestone

Vodafone claims it doubled the capacity of a 5G sell site used by multiple customers in an open radio access network (RAN) trial in the United Kingdom.

VMware Security Chief: ‘XDR Is Next Frontier for Us’

VMware’s security chief says extended detection and response (XDR) is “the next frontier for us,” as the virtualization giant continues to grow its security business.

Ericsson packages 5G private network suite

Ericsson already has private 5G network deployments under its belt and now is offering a highly packaged private network suite.

AT&T eyes multi-gig move as part of fiber plan

AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh highlighted the potential for the operator to boost average revenue per user (ARPU) by offering multi-gigabit capabilities on its fiber infrastructure, shedding more light on an ambitious network expansion plan.

AT&T’s McElfresh doesn’t dwell on third place in wireless

AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh gave props to the company for putting fiber and 5G investments at the forefront following the announcement about the WarnerMedia spinoff, but didn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on AT&T’s third-place position in the wireless sector.

Verizon 5G phone promo good opportunity ahead of C-band: Dunne

Factors are aligning for Verizon to get consumers on board with 5G ahead of C-band activation later this year, including new smartphone promotions aimed at upgrading its base while also attracting new customers.

Should Lumen pursue fiber deployments or sell mass markets biz?

Lumen is one of the last, big telco providers with legacy DSL copper plant in the United States. On earnings calls, it’s evident that Lumen is faced with a choice: either increase fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) passings to meet modern customer demand for high-speed internet; or unload its legacy DSL/fiber business, entirely.

Frontier appoints new consumer chief, replaces CFO

Frontier Communications continued to build its post-bankruptcy leadership team, naming former Verizon Wireless and Audible executive John Harrobin as EVP of its consumer division and appointing a new CFO.

Nokia SON to shore up EE networks

EE, the UK’s biggest mobile operator, has deployed Nokia’s Self-Organizing Networks software to enhance network management and service quality.

Huawei dares to dream with rollout of HarmonyOS

Chinese tech giant Huawei has officially launched its own operating system as a commercial proposition and is positioning it as a unified platform for all devices.

SaaS success drives HPE growth in its fiscal Q2

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) landed back in the black in its fiscal Q2 2021 (ended April 30), with strong revenue growth driven by the company’s as-a-service offerings helping it swing to a profit from a steep loss a year ago.

Adtran helps developer enter multi-gig broadband game

Tavistock Development Company, a Florida real estate firm, is deploying Adtran’s Total Access 5000 10G fiber access platform with XGS-PON technology to provide multi-gigabit broadband services to its new Sunbridge master-planned community in Central Florida, the latest proof that the market for multi-gig broadband is broadening beyond the usual telco suspects. 

Spirent teams with AWS on automated 5G testing

Spirent has partnered with Amazon Web Services to allow service providers building 5G networks on AWS to leverage automated 5G testing capabilities that can reduce their operational costs and time-to-market.

TSMC reiterates commitment to US fabs

Taiwanese chip manufacturing giant TSMC revealed it remains on track to start making cutting edge chips in Arizona by 2024.

Ericsson launches new private 5G platform

The Swedish kit maker has unveiled Ericsson Private 5G to support LTE and 5G SA private networks to tap the opportunities in the enterprise cellular market.

Samsung Details 5G vRAN Performance Outlook

The rise of virtualized and open radio access network (RAN) architecture is upending traditional wireless infrastructure and creating space for smaller vendors like Samsung to grow in kind.

Cisco Hybrid-Cloud Efforts Gain Focus, Depth

Cisco continued its observability expansion this week, rolling out updates to its Intersight management tool and expanding the reach of its ThousandEyes platform. The moves target the vendor’s ongoing work in helping customers move and manage their applications in a hybrid-cloud environment.

Daily Roundup: Cisco Hires Cloud-Native Veteran as First Open Source Head

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.

Aruba, SASE Propel HPE Q2 Earnings

Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) Aruba intelligent edge business grew 17% year over year to $799 million during the second quarter of 2021 and provided a continued boost to the vendor’s overall earnings.

Microsoft Buys ReFirm Labs for IoT Security Boost

Microsoft today said it acquired IoT security ReFirm Labs for an undisclosed amount.

Nokia Rolls Out XDR With AT&T, Dish, T-Mobile as Customers

Nokia today launched its extended detection and response (XDR) software and said AT&T, Dish Network, and T-Mobile Netherlands are customers.

Verizon offers free 5G phones to lure premium customers

Verizon followed in its competitors’ footsteps today and announced that its customers can trade in an old phone and get a new 5G phone for free, with select plans.

OneWeb launches 36 more satellites for LEO broadband fleet

OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation reached 218 last week following the successful launch of 36 more satellites to deliver broadband connectivity.

EarthLink chief talks fiber marketing strategy, FWA potential

EarthLink CEO Glenn Goad told Fierce the company sees an opportunity to compete on price rather than speed as consumers ditch their traditional cable bundles and look to right-size their internet service.

AT&T counts 2.2M FirstNet connections, 16K agencies

AT&T is about a year ahead of schedule on its FirstNet build but will likely take until 2023 to complete the dedicated public safety network as remaining sites are some of the most challenging to deploy, according to Jason Porter.

FCC says ‘not so fast’ on plan to change 4.9 GHz rules

The FCC issued an order, halting a Trump-era plan to open up the 4.9 GHz band, which is currently dedicated to public safety.

BT probes fiber’s future with hollow core trial

U.K. operator BT revealed it is trialing an advanced fiber technology that has the potential to slash latency by up to 50% compared to traditional fiber, a benefit it said could help lower mobile network costs and enable advanced used cases.

BT and Mavenir take a look at Lumenisity hollowcore fibre

Lumenisity is a UK startup developing a new kind of fibre technology, which claims to reduce optical latency by 50%.

Xiaomi claims new smartphone fast-charging records

The Chinese smart device maker Xiaomi claims that it has set new records by fully charging a smartphone in eight minutes when wired, and in fifteen minutes when wireless.

Virgin Media O2 officially launches with vow to shake up the market

Having cleared all its regulatory hurdles, the UK’s new converged telco is full of ambition, but going toe-to-toe with BT will be very expensive.

Spain to auction 700 MHz for 5G, with sweetened conditions

The Spanish government has announced it will auction the 700 MHz by mid-July for the deployment of 5G networks in the country, and has improved commercial terms to encourage bids.

Dell VxRail HCI Scales Compute, Storage Independently

Dell Technologies rolled out several software and hardware updates to its VxRail hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) systems.

Cisco Hires Cloud-Native Veteran as First Open Source Head

Cisco recently upped its cloud-native game by hiring Stephen Augustus as its first head of open source. Augustus wants to further mix his efforts in the open source space with Cisco’s expanding push to help its customers put those open source efforts into practice.

Daily Roundup: Nutanix CEO Talks Layoffs

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.

Oracle Fancies Itself as the ‘Brains’ of 5G Infrastructure

Oracle is targeting a specifically vital component of 5G network infrastructure and it’s notched a few wins with operators of late, bolstering that strategy.

SDxCentral’s Top 10 Articles — May 2021

Check out our top 10 articles for May 2021 covering the SDxCentral universe of cloud, telecom, security, and networking. Rankings are based on unique visitors aggregated during the month.

Cato VP: Comprises Cripple SASE Competitors

Most secure access service edge (SASE) platforms available today are compromised in one way or another, Eyal Webber-Zvik, VP of product marketing at Cato, said during the company’s Global SASE Summit earlier this month.