Ericsson has secured the primary radio access network contract with Virgin Media O2 to deploy an advanced 5G Standalone architecture across the UK. The telecom industry is shifting from simply providing connectivity toward building intelligent, software-defined platforms. Operators, wholesale carriers, and enterprise IT teams face pressure to monetise infrastructure while handling rapidly growing data demand. … Read more

Recent winner of ITExpo’s “Most Innovative Product” award, ThingWorx is a forward-looking platform driving progress in the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. To discuss the future of this rapidly evolving field, we spoke with Ken Forster, Head of EMEA at ThingWorx. Like LTE in wireless networks, IoT and M2M are experiencing a … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/UmbertoPantalone) China’s largest telecommunications operator, China Mobile, has announced plans to prioritize 4G services for connected vehicles as the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) market grows. Ren Dakai, Chief Director of Traffic Products at China Mobile, said the company aims to serve 500,000 IoV users this year and will introduce 4G IoV terminals in … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/mbbirdy) Sky has been exploring ways to offer quad-play packages for some time. In the UK the company partnered with O2 to include mobile services in its bundles beginning in 2015 — a partnership that has gained extra significance after Hutchison submitted a bid to merge Three and O2. Now Sky is expanding … Read more

Among the biggest telecom industry stories this week was AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV in a deal worth more than $48 billion. AT&T is again in the headlines as the world’s most valuable telecom brand, according to Millward Brown’s BrandZ ranking. The new list reflects extensive diversification by leading providers into sectors such as banking, cloud … Read more

Sabam Sues Major Belgian ISPs Over Copyright Levies and Network Responsibility Three of Belgium’s largest internet service providers—Belgacom, Telenet and Voo—are facing legal action from authors’ association Sabam for allegedly failing to pay copyright levies while continuing to provide access to protected content. The dispute centers on whether these ISPs must contribute a fixed percentage … Read more

WINGS, a leading provider of value-added service (VAS) platforms, has successfully migrated Temafon’s services onto the WINGS platform. Temafon, VimpelCom’s (Beeline brand) mobile content aggregator and part of the ZED Group, manages and promotes Beeline’s mobile content projects. Previously, Temafon operated on the B!3A platform by Buongiorno, a global mobile ecosystem company now part of … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/lechatnoir) A new report from leading broadband analyst firm Point Topic predicts that global gigabit broadband subscriptions could reach 100 million by 2020, with the majority of that growth coming from the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The report highlights the increasing demand for ultra-fast connections and identifies G.fast as a key technology driving this … Read more

TelecomsTech’s Beijing correspondent Dr. Lin Sun says the latest actions against Chinese telecommunications manufacturers reflect an expected continuation of the prevailing U.S. stance toward China and Chinese companies. This development is clearly damaging for Huawei and ZTE. Regardless of how accurate the allegations may be, the outcome will have broad negative consequences for both companies, … Read more

Canada’s telecommunications providers could face a difficult battle to secure compensation if the federal government decides to ban Huawei equipment. Ottawa is weighing whether to follow allies such as the UK and Australia in prohibiting telecom gear from Chinese vendor Huawei. The decision has significant implications for carriers that currently rely on Huawei for cost-effective … Read more