Telefónica-owned carrier O2 is pursuing damages from Ericsson after a software fault led to telecom outages across 11 countries. The outage forced affected operators to face customer complaints and reputational harm. Reports indicate O2 is seeking compensation worth “millions” from Ericsson for the disruption. Japan’s SoftBank was also affected by the same software issue. In … Read more

(c)iStock.com/adventtr South Korea’s mobile operator LG U+ has selected Juniper Networks to implement the country’s first routing deployment based on Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV). According to Juniper’s announcement, this marks the first public NFV-based routing project in Korea and demonstrates LG U+’s commitment to a virtualised, scalable 5G infrastructure. LG U+ sought a partner with … Read more

In March, the Finnish Defence Forces, together with Telia and Nokia, completed the first live cross-border handover of a standalone 5G network slice on an operational network. The trial, conducted during a Nordic exercise, showcased how 5G can support mission-critical functions for defence and other essential sectors by maintaining secure and continuous connectivity as units … Read more

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles and Alaska have charged six people for operating prominent DDoS-for-hire services that enabled distributed denial-of-service attacks for paying customers. As part of the operation, authorities seized 48 internet domains linked to these services. The FBI is actively taking control of websites that allowed users to purchase DDoS attacks. Some of … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Milan Markovic) European regulators often argue that maintaining four network operators per country is essential to preserve strong competition and protect consumers from price increases. However, a recent analysis by Morningstar challenges that assumption and suggests the evidence supporting the four-operator rule is weak. That finding could undermine objections to proposed deals such … Read more

(c)iStock.com/alxpin San Marino is set to become one of the first states in Europe to introduce 5G-related technologies after its government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Telecom Italia (TIM). The agreement outlines a phased upgrade of the microstate’s mobile network to deliver substantial improvements in capacity, coverage and service capabilities. The Republic of … Read more

WhatsApp, the leading OTT messaging service with more than 1.5 billion active users, has confirmed that an “advanced cyber actor” exploited a critical vulnerability to install spyware on some users’ devices. Because of its massive global user base, WhatsApp is a frequent target for both independent and state-sponsored attackers. In this incident, the attackers executed … Read more

Two of the commercial satellite industry’s largest operators are combining forces to strengthen their position against the rapid expansion of low-Earth orbit (LEO) broadband constellations led by SpaceX’s Starlink. In a $3.1 billion transaction announced Tuesday, Luxembourg-based SES will acquire rival Intelsat, forming a combined fleet of roughly 100 satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO). The … Read more

A new report from Pyramid Research forecasts that China will surpass the United States to become the world’s largest cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) market in the coming years. Entitled “Cellular M2M Connections: An Analysis of Growth Drivers, Market Segments and Operator Approaches,” the study estimates that China’s M2M device count was about 45 million in 2013 … Read more

Swedish technology provider Ericsson has announced plans to acquire media services company Red Bee Media for an undisclosed sum. Ericsson has long been a leading vendor of telecommunications and networking equipment, but media services have not traditionally been a core part of its business. Previously, media and consumer electronics activities were partly handled through the … Read more