Telecom news

• SoftBank in talks to take Swiss Re stake worth up to $11bn

  07-02-2018 23:03 via ft.com
  Acquisitive Japanese conglomerate eyes expansion into financial services
  
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• Telecom Italia to spin off network business

  07-02-2018 18:36 via ft.com
  Move echoes BT-Openreach split as group looks to find favour with government
  
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• Snap’s spreadsheets start to crackle as sales pop

  07-02-2018 17:43
  Snap has always been pretty good at coming up with new ideas to engage consumers but making money was always its Achilles heel.
  For the three months ending December 31 sales hit $285.7 million, an increase of 72% year-on-year, while for the year it was up to $824.9 million, a 104% increase. While these numbers might sound impressive, net loss for the year stood at $3.4 billion mainly down to stock rewards to its engineers. This compares to a loss of $500 million in 2016. We’re not quite su
  
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• Wileyfox’s administration shows risk of undercutting

  07-02-2018 16:46
  Budget smartphone manufacturer Wileyfox has entered administration demonstrating the risk of trying to undercut established brands; small profits = small chance of doing anything.
  Although Wileyfox has not provided an official comment yet, a Reddit post states the business has entered administration. The company entered into the world in 2015, claiming because it didn’t have legacy devices to support as well as a smaller workforce, the team would be able to offer high-end devices at budget
  
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• ASA tells Three to be more accurate when whining

  07-02-2018 15:46
  The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has ruled Three’s campaign for a spectrum cap on mobile operators as misleading, primarily because it implied it was an independently run mission.
  After pleading with Ofcom to impose a cap on the amount of spectrum any one telco could hold, Three threw a temper tantrum. Ofcom agreed a cap was necessary, but Three deemed it was not stringent enough. Instead of using the billions of profits its parent company has hidden away in Hong Kong to comp
  
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• SKY Cable, The Philippines’ Largest Cable Operator, Selects Calix AXOS Platform to Bring an Unmatched Subscriber Experience to Manila and Beyond

  07-02-2018 14:28
  SKY Cable will leverage the seamless integration of AXOS with DOCSIS back office systems to ensure a simplified and accelerated transition to a Software Defined NetworkPETALUMA, CA – February 7, 2018 – Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX), today announced SKY Cable Corporation (SKY Cable), the largest cable operator in the Philippines, will leverage end-to-end solutions from Calix to drive an expansive network transformation to fiber. With plans to serve the greater metropolitan areas of Manila
  
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• SoftBank prepares Japanese mobile IPO

  07-02-2018 14:24 via ft.com
  Telecoms float will enable group to reduce debt and continue investing big in tech
  
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• Softbank kicks off domestic telco listing

  07-02-2018 13:24
  Softbank has unveiled plans for an initial public offering for its Japanese telco business as CEO Masayoshi Son looks to draw a line between investments and telecommunications.
  The plan is to have the business listed within a year, and should offer greater clarity and rewards for investors. Such a move will essentially provide breathing room between the telco business and the more entrepreneurial ambitions of Son, as his Softbank Vision Fund continues to invest in businesses such as Uber.
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• Striking the right balance between automated and manned customer service

  07-02-2018 12:11
  Telecoms.com periodically invites third parties to share their views on the industry’s most pressing issues. In this piece Jeremy Payne, International VP Marketing at Enghouse Interactive looks at the growth of digital customer service and warns that a balance needs to be struck with the traditional channels.
  Most businesses have accepted that digital customer service represents the way forward. It is happening, whether they like it or not.  What many organisations are wrestling
  
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• We’re not too sure Apple gets this connected economy thing

  07-02-2018 12:08
  Apple’s answer to the Amazon and Google assault on the smart speaker is up and running, but users risk being locked away further in Apple’s tightly managed ecosystem.
  Looking at the reviews across the industry, many are shouting and screaming about the sound quality and performance of the device. For some it is the best quality in the price range, but others have noted users will be even more restricted to what other services they can interact with compared to other Apple products.
  &
  
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• Telefónica’s plague thriller spearheads Latin America push

  07-02-2018 12:00 via ft.com
  Spanish group launches TV series ‘La Peste’ as part of €70m programming project
  
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• Nokia and Qualcomm boast about 5G NR interoperability test

  07-02-2018 11:14
  Nokia and Qualcomm have announced they have successfully completed an interoperability trial in the 3.5Ghz and 28Ghz spectrum compliant with the global 3GPP 5G NR Specification.
  The trial made use of a commercially available Nokia AirScale base station and device prototypes from Qualcomm, making use of both traditional spectrum and the much hyped millimetre-wave frequencies, and is claimed to be some of the first steps towards the 5G dream. Consumer-ready 5G smartphones are not available yet, bu
  
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• Nokia and Qualcomm boast about 5G NR device interoperability test

  07-02-2018 11:14
  Nokia and Qualcomm have announced they have successfully completed an interoperability trial in the 3.5Ghz and 28Ghz spectrum compliant with the global 3GPP 5G NR Specification.
  The trial made use of a commercially available Nokia AirScale base station and device prototypes from Qualcomm, making use of both traditional spectrum and the much hyped millimetre-wave frequencies, and is claimed to be some of the first steps towards the 5G dream. Consumer-ready 5G smartphones are not available yet, bu
  
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• Zyxel expands in-building offering ahead of Mobile World Congress 2018

  07-02-2018 10:55
  New, tailored solutions target small-to-medium buildings to enable seamless mobile coverage, such as hotels, hospitals, department stores and office blocksHsinchu Taiwan, February 7, 2018 – Zyxel Communications will host the global debut of two new CAT5 Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in-building coverage solutions at this year’s Mobile World Congress – enabling service providers to quickly solve connectivity limitations within small-to-medium buildings. Designed to deliver ub
  
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• Another CEO climbs aboard the Google Fiber merry-go-round

  07-02-2018 10:49
  Alphabet has named Dinesh Jain as the latest CEO of the Access business unit, the third boss in a little over a year.
  Alphabet’s Access business unit, which features Google Fiber and the acquired Webpass, was certainly one which caught the attention of the US telcos are a potential threat at the beginning but this has amounted to very little so far. Perhaps three CEOs in a period of 16 months is a perfect example of this bundling business unit.
  “We’re excited to announce that A
  
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• Superfast 5G promises to be a game-changer for humanity

  07-02-2018 06:01 via ft.com
  Fully connected societies will share intelligence — and travel in driverless cars
  
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• Vodafone UK unveils new CTO

  07-02-2018 01:00
  Vodafone UK has appointed a new chief technology officer, according to a company statement. Scott Petty will take over the position from current incumbent Jorge Fernandes.&nbsp…read more on TotalTele.com »
  
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• TM Forum helps CSPs boost their operations with launch of new ODA programme

  07-02-2018 01:00
  Tm Forum has launched its Open Digital Architecture programme, which it says will enable communication service providers (CSPs) to radically simplify and automate their existing operations. The ODA is intended to replace traditional operational and business support system architecture…read more on TotalTele.com »
  
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• OTT players will be the key to financing future subsea projects

  07-02-2018 01:00
  The subsea cabling sector is increasingly looking for investment from OTT players, as it attempts to meet spiralling demand for additional capacity, according to industry experts."The subsea industry is facing a dramatic increase in capacity demand, driven by content providers (OTTs)…read more on TotalTele.com »
  
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• Nokia and EDF test industrial applications for IoT tech

  07-02-2018 01:00
  Nokia and French energy firm EDF have joined forces to conduct a series of tests around Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The pair will test the performance of LPWA wireless network technologies at Nokia's testing lab in France.“The use of IoT devices in industrial networks is in its infancy…read more on TotalTele.com »
  
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• BT steps up its fight against cybercrime

  07-02-2018 01:00
  BT has announced plans to step up its fight against cybercrime by sharing the data it collects with other internet service providers (ISPs). The UK's former state provider has urged other telcos to follow its lead and do the same…read more on TotalTele.com »
  
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