The Big Trends That Were set to Shape MWC Barcelona

MWC Barcelona was cancelled, but that doesn’t mean we ignored the big trends expected dominate the event. Here are some of those trends that were set to play a big part in the event. And remember to check back with us all week as we cover news that was tied to the event and will now be released through alternate channels.

Kubernetes Security Plagued by Human Error, Misconfigs

Container orchestration is hard enough — yes, we’re looking at you Kubernetes — but properly securing container and Kubernetes environments catapults deployment into another universe of complexity. Findings from StackRox’s latest “State of Container and Kubernetes Security Report” indicate that human error and misconfigurations are the primary culprits for Kubernetes security snafus.

Samsung joins Ericsson, Nokia as 5G vendors for U.S. Cellular

U.S. Cellular has awarded Samsung Electronics a commercial agreement to supply LTE and 5G network solutions.

U.S. Cellular not expecting big change in T-Mobile/Sprint hookup

Despite commitments by T-Mobile and Sprint to build out 5G in rural areas, U.S. Cellular isn’t expecting to see big changes coming to its mid-sized markets anytime soon.

Industry Voices — IDC’s Baker: The 5G smartphone roadmap

For consumer 5G to come together quickly, a number or preconditions have to be met. The market needs smartphones at a suitable price, and it needs a lot of well-heeled consumers. And mobile operators must be ready and able to invest heavily in the infrastructure.

Rakuten Mobile tees up 5G OpenRAN trial in Singapore

Japan’s Rakuten Mobile is teaming up with mobile operator TPG to test 5G open RAN solutions in Singapore.

Zayo brings its fiber footprint to Microsoft’s Airband

Microsoft added an important new partner to its Airband Initiative — Zayo Group will provide backbone fiber connectivity for ISPs that are part of the Airband project and help bring high-speed internet to rural unserved communities across the country. The terms of the deal with Microsoft were not disclosed.

AI and edge computing replaces the Pilgrims in the new Mayflower

IBM’s AI and edge computing technologies are going to guide a crewless boat to chart the same route the Pilgrims did 400 years ago.

CWA authorizes strike of 8K AT&T workers amid negotiations

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) on Thursday voted to authorize a strike amid negotiations with AT&T over a contract covering more than 8,000 AT&T Southwest Mobility workers.

Ericsson, Nokia join SoftBank, Loon and more in HAPS Alliance

There’s a new alliance in town, and it’s led by some heavy hitters in telecom, technology and aviation. The HAPS Alliance was formed to promote the use of high-altitude vehicles in the Earth’s stratosphere to eliminate the digital divide and bring connectivity to more people and things worldwide.

Former Arris CEO Bruce McClelland gets top job at Ribbon

A familiar name in the cable business will soon be heading up Ribbon Communications. Former Arris executive Bruce McClelland will become CEO of Ribbon beginning March 1. McClelland replaces former Ribbon CEO Fritz Hobbs who left the company when Ribbon merged with ECI Telecom last November.

Why doesn’t Huawei publish the details of its 5G deal wins?

Huawei says it has signed more 5G contracts than any of its competitors, but for some reason chooses not to publish any details.

Fitbit financials tumble but that might not worry Google

Fitbit might not be the profit bonanza it once was, but with sales increasing it offers Google another interface to collect data and launch new services.

Huawei makes a number of bold claims at MWC replacement event

Huawei has released a string of new products at its MWC replacement event in London and claims to be number one in every field.

DigitalOcean Grabs $300M Life Preserver

Cloud platform provider DigitalOcean grabbed a $300 million life preserver that it said will help fund its operations to profitability and move toward generating more than $1 billion in revenues within the next five years.

U.S. Cellular Selects Samsung 5G and 4G LTE Network Solutions

Samsung Electronics has announced a commercial agreement with U.S. Cellular for 5G and 4G LTE network solutions. The new agreement establishes terms under which U.S. Cellular can purchase Samsung’s commercially-proven network solutions, including 5G New Radio (NR) technology, to help U.S. Cellular deliver next-generation service.

U.S. Cellular Readies 5G Launch on March 6

U.S. Cellular said its initial 5G markets in parts of Iowa and Wisconsin will be commercially available on March 6. The Chicago-based company, which has roughly 5 million customers, previously said it would begin deploying 5G in the second half of 2019 but later pushed those plans back to the first quarter of 2020.

Daily Roundup: Digital Ocean Grabs $300M Life Preserver

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

Cisco Viptela Joins ConvergeOne's SD-WAN Lineup

Cisco this week continued to build out its service provider network announcing that Minnesota-based ConvergeOne had added Cisco’s Viptela service to its SD-WAN lineup.

T-Mobile and Sprint strike a final deal on price

T-Mobile US parent company Deutsche Telekom and Sprint parent company SoftBank have struck an amended deal for T-Mobile to buy Sprint. The deal is a bit more favorable to Deutsche Telekom, which will now hold approximately 43% of the New T-Mobile shares as opposed to the 42% it previously would have held. SoftBank will hold 24% of the New T-Mobile shares, instead of the 27% it would have held. The remaining approximately 33% of shares will be held by public shareholders.

FCC’s Rosenworcel urges public to comment on net neutrality

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is making it clear that she wants Americans to provide feedback about last October’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court to uphold the majority of the agency’s decision to rollback net neutrality.

Intelsat declares C-Band Alliance dead

The two biggest members of the C-Band Alliance (CBA) are no longer doing business together after Intelsat told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday that the CBA is essentially dead and the FCC should instead treat Intelsat, SES and Telesat as individual companies.

Dish Wireless won’t be a boon for tower companies in 2020

Dish Network’s fourth quarter 2019 earnings call was timed nicely following Judge Victor Marrero’s decision last week in favor of the T-Mobile purchase of Sprint. Dish President and CEO Erik Carlson said on yesterday’s earnings call the decision “for us is a key step forward as we look to acquire Boost Mobile from Sprint and activate the MVNO agreement with T-Mobile.” Dish will pay $1.4 billion for Boost and then operate the MVNO on the new T-Mobile network, comprised of both T-Mobile’s and Sprint’s combined networks.

3GPP’s Release 16 timeline hangs in the balance thanks to coronavirus

Much has been made of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the telecoms industry and it now appears even the critically important Release 16 timeline could be under threat.

Corning teams with Qualcomm for 5G mmWave indoors

Corning is working with Qualcomm to bring millimeter wave 5G indoors for large enterprise locations with a new network system that aims to be cost-effective and not overly complicated for customers. 

Nokia, Ericsson vie for KDDI’s 5G business

Both Nokia and Ericsson are claiming new breakthroughs related to KDDI’s 5G core network in Japan, with Nokia announcing the completion of a 5G core standalone (SA) network trial—marking a big milestone on the way to “pure” 5G—and Ericsson issuing a release of its own about software agility.

CenturyLink built a network-based threat detection system

CenturyLink has created a network-based automated threat detection and response system that it says will help protect its customers' network traffic and block security threats. Called Rapid Threat Defense, the security system was developed by CenturyLink’s threat research unit, Black Lotus Labs.

Congress asks Amazon whether it is becoming a police snitch

The Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy has written to Amazon asking the internet to explain partnerships between surveillance company Ring and local police departments.

Windstream’s SD-WAN customer base tops 2,700

As Windstream continues to battle against former spinoff Uniti Group, which it says it is pursuing through a combination of litigation and negotiation, the company managed to end 2019 by scoring some strong SD-WAN numbers and meeting its goal to extend its fiber reach.

Nokia and Ericsson compete for KDDI’s 5G core business

Within hours of each other Nordic kit vendors Nokia and Ericsson issued press releases announcing the completion of 5G core trials with Japanese operator KDDI.