Amazon’s cloud service experienced a brief outage this week, interrupting service across parts of the U.S. East Coast and affecting several high-profile sites, including Netflix, Reddit and Foursquare. Some European customers also faced disruption after lightning struck a data center in Dublin, Ireland. The affected Amazon Web Services (AWS) systems were restored within about half … Read more

BlackBerry maker RIM has announced a partnership with Spanish telecom giant Telefónica to trial NFC mobile wallet technology across Europe. While NFC payments are already widely adopted in parts of Asia, uptake in Western markets has been slow as the industry navigates competing interests among device makers, carriers, banks and retailers. Recently, however, several major … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/cnythzl) The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom recently confirmed plans to free up the 700 MHz frequency band by 2022 so it can be used to carry data over long distances. Across Europe the band is currently used for television broadcasting and wireless microphones, while in regions such as the United States and parts … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/shakzu) The Trump administration plans to rename the generic “Countering Violent Extremism” (CVE) program to “Countering Islamic Extremism,” shifting the focus away from all forms of terrorism toward a specific ideological group, according to five people briefed on the matter. The announcement comes days after a white supremacist attack on a Muslim community … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/Tomasz Wyszołmirski) Each year, roughly 80,000 to 100,000 people attend the Super Bowl, and the heavy use of mobile phones for socializing, travel planning, and “second screen” experiences puts significant strain on local networks. To prevent service disruptions for its customers during Super Bowl 50, Verizon announced a $70 million investment to upgrade … Read more

Analysts at Deloitte conclude it would be “near impossible” for the United States to catch up with China in 5G given a substantial investment gap and much faster deployment in China. Deloitte found that since 2015 China has outspent the United States by roughly $24 billion on 5G-related infrastructure and has more than ten times … Read more

Ericsson and SoftBank have announced a strategic partnership to evaluate, promote, and co-develop what they call “NextWave Tech” for future mobile networks. This collaboration, which extends through 2030, covers advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), Cloud Radio Access Network (Cloud RAN), Extended Reality (XR), and early-stage research toward 6G. Jawad Manssour, President and Representative Director … Read more

Vodafone’s latest report reveals strong public interest in applying technologies like 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform healthcare delivery and outcomes. When combined, these emerging technologies offer powerful possibilities across many areas of care. One concrete example is a 5G-equipped ambulance communicating with smart traffic lights to secure an unobstructed route; four … Read more

Google’s burgeoning tax controversy in the UK has escalated, with Labour leader Ed Miliband promising action while Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt criticises politicians. Both sides, however, agree on the need for international tax reform. Schmidt has urged moving the debate “away from accusation and toward action,” calling for greater transparency from global firms about … Read more

The US has eased restrictions on Huawei to allow American companies to participate with the Chinese telecoms firm in developing 5G standards. In a press release, the US Department of Commerce stated: “This action is meant to ensure Huawei’s placement on the Entity List in May 2019 does not prevent American companies from contributing to … Read more