Headcount: Firings, Hirings, and Retirings — September 2020

Here are some of the latest executive hirings, promotions, and staff changes that happened in August. 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 Sydney Sawaya (ssawaya@sdxcentral.com) for inclusion in the monthly headcount column.

Supermicro CEO Mounts 5G Strategy

Supermicro is reorienting some of its server business to pursue new opportunities for growth in the wireless market as 5G momentum builds.

VMware Hunts Zombies, Summons Sustainability Second Wave

To drive the next generation of technological advancements, VMware’s Director of Sustainability Innovation Nicola Peill-Moelter says sustainability innovation has to move faster. And we’ve got to kill the zombies — zombie servers, that is.

Amdocs eyes 5G monetization through 5G Open Innovation Lab

Amdocs recently joined the T-Mobile-led 5G Open Innovation Lab and the software and services provider is zeroing in on ways to monetize 5G with the help of partners.

Loon stealthily seeks experimental license

True to form, Loon is seeking authority from the FCC to use spectrum to conduct tests related to its High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) system for connecting the underserved – and it’s disclosing very little about its plans.

Nelnet sells off 48% stake in service provider ALLO

Nelnet is selling off a 48% stake in overbuilder ALLO to SDC Capital Partners. The $197 million equity investment is expected to close this month once it passes closing conditions.

BT inks seven-year deal with London brokerage firm

BT signed a seven-year deal with TP ICAP, which is among the world's larger interdealer brokers. By working with BT Trading, TP ICAP will provide its 700-member broker team with a new software-based program that has remote work capabilities.

Wi-Fi fetes victory in court’s 6 GHz ruling

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and a host of Wi-Fi stakeholders were jubilant Thursday after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied a request for a stay on the FCC’s decision to open up the 6 GHz band for unlicensed users.

Edwards out, Treadway in as CommScope's CEO

After a 15-year stint, Eddie Edwards has stepped down from his CEO and president positions at CommScope as Charles Treadway takes over the helm. In addition to being named president and CEO, Treadway now has a seat on CommScope's board of directors.

Nokia hits 100 5G deals

Nokia on Friday announced it has hit the triple-digit milestone of 100 commercial 5G deals, adding 17 new 5G contracts in the third quarter.   Earlier this week the Finnish vendor secured a win to supply BT’s 5G radio access network (RAN) in the U.K. The deal value was not disclosed but Nokia said it is now BT’s largest equipment vendor. Nokia also announced a renewed 5G RAN contract with Elisa in Finland this week.

Charter serves up backup wireless service for SMBs

Charter Communications is keeping small to medium-sized businesses connected with its Wireless Internet Backup for Spectrum Business customers throughout its 41-state footprint.

France’s big four showed some restraint in the latest 5G spectrum auction

France’s auction of mid-band spectrum for 5G services ended almost before it had begun this week, with all four operators acquiring similar amounts of spectrum for broadly sensible prices.

Nokia appears to be gaining share as it hits 100 5G deal wins

Finnish kit vendor Nokia is on a solid run of winning 5G business, with 17 new deals in Q3 taking it to the 100 mark, just nine short of Ericsson’s total.

Ofcom action makes a difference on ‘follow me’ fraud

Ofcom’s move to tackle the questionable money-spinning opportunity inherent in the 070 virtual phone number system has had a positive impact on fraud, according to new data from BICS.

Private LTE delivers for shipping giant

It takes more than three weeks for one of Seaboard Marine's cargo ships to travel from Newark, New Jersey, to Paitu, Peru. Customers with cargo on board expect the shipping company to keep a close eye on their goods throughout the journey, and Seaboard Marine is turning to private LTE to help fulfill that expectation.

UK is one of the European leaders in 5G – Omdia

Research from analyst firm Omdia indicates the UK is one of the most advanced European countries when it comes to the 5G rollout.

2020 FierceWireless Rising Star — Samsung's Jisha Hall

For 2020 the FierceWireless editorial team has selected a diverse slate of wireless executives who are on the rise in their careers. We’re doling out the names of our winners, two per day, so that our readers have the time to enjoy reading their profiles. Next week, we’ll post our popular Rising Stars poll, giving everyone the opportunity to vote for their favorite top executive to watch in wireless.

2020 FierceWireless Rising Star-U.S. Cellular's Courtland Madock

For 2020 the FierceWireless editorial team has selected a diverse slate of wireless executives who are on the rise in their careers. We’re doling out the names of our winners, two per day, so that our readers have the time to enjoy reading their profiles. Next week, we’ll post our popular Rising Stars poll, giving everyone the opportunity to vote for their favorite top executive to watch in wireless.

Daily Roundup: HPE Claims Most Secure Server

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Shentel launches 5G-ready fixed wireless with Nokia

Shentel is looking to cover up to 15,000 households this year with fixed wireless Internet equipment from Nokia that can be upgraded to 5G.

Post offices could be the new edge of 5G networks – report

The US Postal Service Office of Inspector General argued that the agency's 31,000 facilities nationwide could play a major role in 5G and edge computing.

Cloudflare Gifts Free API Security for Its Birthday

Cloudflare spent its 10th-birthday week rolling out free products for customers including one that tackles API security and another that CEO Matthew Prince calls a “privacy first” alternative to Google Analytics.

CableLabs reaches key milestone on path to '10G'

New Flexible MAC architecture specs will give cable operators options as they disaggregate elements of next-gen networks that will pump out multi-gig speeds and support low latencies and enhanced security.

Is Altiostar really worth $250M?

As a part of Rakuten, the US software company has been thrust into the open RAN limelight.

How rising broadband demands might reshape US telecom

Demand for broadband Internet is at an all-time high. And some providers like AT&T, Windstream, Verizon and Frontier appear to be responding as a result.

India’s Airtel puts $13M in Security Intelligence Center

Bharti Airtel launched the Security Intelligence Center with an investment of INR1000 million, and Airtel Secure, cybersecurity for enterprise customers.

5G patent storm brewing – report

If you thought smartphone patent wars were already messy then it could be a whole lot worse now that a pile of different industries are looking to harness 5G and other technologies.

UK report cites flaw of 'national significance' in Huawei kit

Annual Huawei security report again highlights Huawei's ongoing software engineering shortcomings.

NTT DoCoMo Signals 5G to Stretch Its Cloud Across Borders

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo is linking its Open Innovation Cloud platform to international 5G networks using a dedicated network to help facilitate the use of cloud services across those borders.

Europe’s 4 Largest Operators Trumpet Open Network Gateways

Four of the world’s largest network operators are advocating for broadband network gateways (BNG) to be disaggregated and improved with open software and automation.