BROWSING: COVID-19

Before the world was interrupted by COVID-19 and swathes of the global population went into lockdown, 5G was at the top of mobile operators’ agendas. Some businesses reported 5G delays while others maintained that their deployments were on schedule. That’s hardly surprising. The coronavirus...

A new Bluetooth specification is being developed so wearable devices can participate in existing smartphone-based coronavirus (COVID-19) notification systems, being deployed with Bluetooth technology. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has said it is working to standardise extension of the Bluetooth-based Exposure Notification System (ENS),...

Verizon introduced a new series to amplify the voices of the future In early June, a visibly impassioned Hans Vestberg made a commitment of $10 million to organizations which work for equality and social justice in response to the protests against police brutality that swept across...

US Cellular reports net income of $68 million for Q2 While US Cellular CEO Laurent C. Therivel, who took over the post in early July, acknowledged that many aspects of the company’s performance this past quarter were impacted by the pandemic, he also reported “very...

The number of network disruptions across various elements of the internet rose sharply beginning in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- but they often indicated traffic engineering work on the part of various service providers to adjust to changing demand and didn't necessarily...

Telefónica’s new digital-change unit, Telefónica Tech, has adapted its existing catalogue of IoT and big data solutions for the post-coronavirus recovery of the retail, tourism, hospitality, transport, and mobility sectors, it has said. The Spain-based operator revealed a five-point reinvention plan at the end of...

Greetings from North Carolina, where it is seasonally hot and humid. Fortunately, our COVID-19 “stay at home” garden is yielding fantastic results.  Zucchini, anyone? The earnings season started this week with AT&T, Verizon, and Microsoft reporting earnings.  As we predicted, there’re a lot of positives...

T-Mobile US has launched a new, free robocall blocking service for its users. "Scam Shield" makes use of the STIR/SHAKEN framework for call authentication to help users weigh whether or not to answer a given call. T-Mobile US will start the service on July...

Omantel has added 77 new 5G sites since February Ericsson will be working with Omantel, Oman’s primary internet service provider, to support the Sultanate’s ongoing 5G radio access network (RAN) deployment plans at key locations across Oman, including Salalah, Nizwa and Sur. The deployment on Omantel’s...

Hong Kong reclaimed the title of strongest APAC cloud nation from Singapore Hong Kong has reclaimed the lead over Singapore when it comes to cloud readiness in the Asia Pacific region (APAC), according to the Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA). In the ACCA’s 2020 cloud...

XR market will experience strong growth from 2021 onwards, says Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics predicted that, despite a challenging year, the XR market will experience strong growth from 2021 onwards. Specifically, the report anticipates XR shipments to grow six-fold from 2020 to 2025 with revenues...

The findings of Viavi Solutions' 13th annual State of the Network report can be summarized in one word: Disruption. Networks are seeing "tremendous" and "dynamic disruption" as a result of "relentless technological advances, remote working reaching an all-time high and the expanding security threatscape," Viavi...

  Mobile operators in Asia Pacific are expected to invest over $400 billion on their networks between 2020 and 2025, of which $331 billion will be spent on 5G deployments, according to the latest Asia Pacific edition of the GSMA’s Mobile Economy series. The report shows...

As people turn to video for remote working and socializing in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a new report from content delivery network provider Limelight Networks is quantifying just how much video use has risen. The global pandemic has shaped a "unique situation...

Every global crisis brings this same conundrum: While times of upheaval cause severe economic pain, they also tend to be fertile breeding grounds for innovation. The Great Recession produced a wave of startups that are among today’s top digital brands, such as Airbnb, Dropbox, Square,...

In just a matter of months, the world has shifted itself indoors. In so doing, we have grown reliant on digital means for work and leisure. For mobile operators, it has been a busy time ramping up and responding to user demand in order...

AT&T is proceeding with a three-year, $6 billion cost-cutting effort that includes asset sales and layoffs AT&T has confirmed that it will lay off around 4,700 employees and close 250 retail stores permanently. The Communications Workers of American union said that it was informed by AT&T...

Deutsche Telekom is offering a sensor-based people counting solution and alert system to retailers in Germany manage in-store traffic volumes and social distancing as they reopen after lockdown. The solution uses LTE or LoRaWAN for local-area sensor connectivity, and LTE, LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet for...

  In a wide-ranging discussion on the present challenges and the near-term future of telecom services, three key themes emerged: partnerships are becoming ever-more important, digitalization to enable flexibility is key, and there is a post-pandemic "next normal" slowly emerging that is changing both how...

Ericsson predicts 2.8 billion global 5G subscriptions by the end of 2025 The June 2020 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report proved to be somewhat unique as it included an evaluation of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the communications industry. The report concluded that the...

We are starting to get back to normal. My morning coffee group is back together. OK, not quite the same as we were. Today, we grab a cup of coffee and sit in the parking lot in lawn chairs rather than sharing a booth...

GSMA CMO: 'MWC will return next year' After being left with no choice but to cancel Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2020 and Shanghai 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the GSMA is cutting 20% of its 1,000 person staff, as part of a wider...

  The government of Canada has announced a six-month postponement of its 3.5 GHz spectrum auction process, to allow the telecommunications industry to maintain its focus on providing essential services to Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government confirmed that the auction is now scheduled to...

  As the coronavirus pandemic has evolved and new data emerges, we know COVID-19 poses a risk to everyone regardless of age and gender. That said, the health risk to older adults is high: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report eight out of 10 coronavirus deaths in the US have occurred in adults 65 and older.  Communicating the health risks...