Verizon is accelerating availability of its 5G network to 175 million people by year end. According to the latest report by the brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance, Verizon is the most valuable telecoms brand of 2022. The report also named Etilasat as the world’s strongest telecom brand. 

In other network news, Zayo and Infinera announced the successful completion of the world’s longest known terrestrial 800G optical wavelength in a commercial network at 1,044.51 km. Nokia and Hrvatski Telekom completed a successful 25 Gbps fiber broadband trial at Hrvatski Telekom’s laboratory in Rijeka, Croatia—the first in the country to use 25G PON technology.

In the US, the Federal Communications Commission adopted an Order ending the ability of Pacific Networks and ComNet to provide domestic interstate and international telecommunications to safeguard the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure from potential security threats.

5G news

Data is the fuel that feeds algorithms and decision-making to drive growth in the digital economy for CSPs. And it’s big business. According to ABI Research, 5G and network data analytics will power revenue growth from $140 million in 2021 to $6.4 billion in 2026, at a CAGR of 115 percent.

After three full years of growth, global wireless 5G adoption has reached the rapid acceleration phase, having exceeded a half-billion connections by the end of 2021. Connections are forecasted to reach 1.3 billion by the end of this year, according to data from Omdia and 5G Americas. It’s to nearly double this year: the GSMA estimates that 5G connections will surpass one billion in 2022 and two billion by 2025. By the end of 2025, 5G will account for over a fifth of total mobile connections, and more than two in five people globally will live within reach of a 5G network.

CSPs are moving fast to take advantage of growth. T-Mobile unveiled a series of moves and partnerships called 5G Forward, all designed to accelerate 5G developer innovation. Gartner has recognized Ericsson as a leader in 5G network infrastructure in its 2022 Magic Quadrant. Nokia and Palo Alto Networks have joined the 5G Open Innovation Lab as the newest corporate partners. The 5G OI Lab has uniquely pioneered an open innovation model that brings together influential startups, global tech platform leaders, industry partners, and investors to connect and collaborate to advance the transformative potential of 5G and edge computing.

In standards news, Broadband Forum has released three new 5G specifications, marking the end of Phase 2 of its 5G work.

AI and analytics news

A new Juniper Research study has found that the total number of chatbot messaging apps accessed globally will increase from 3.5 billion in 2022 to 9.5 billion by 2026. This growth of 169 percent will be driven by the increasing adoption of omnichannel retail strategies by ecommerce players and the rising integration of chatbots within messaging platforms.

AI is driving innovation like smart windows, which use the technology to automatically adjust in response to the sun, optimizing natural light and views of the outdoors while minimizing heat and glare. View has installed them in a pilot at an office building in Austin, Texas. AI and deep learning are also revolutionizing operations for brick-and-