Telecom Industry News
needed using artificial intelligence, advanced Sprint Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the Sprint 5G mobile network (slated for early 2019). The self-driving robot is in response to New York City’s call for CO2 emissions reduction. Sprint also announced it has joined NXM Labs to launch a 5G-ready connected car platform combining high-speed, on-demand passenger Wi-Fi with advanced vehicle health monitoring and safety. To guard against hacking, the platform will include the first blockchain-powered Internet-of-Things (IoT) security system.
Finally, Oscilloquartz launched its enhanced primary reference time clock (ePRTC) system to enable unprecedented timing accuracy and stability even when the GNSS signal is lost. In addition to providing the strict synchronization needed for LTE-A and 5G applications, the technology provides an ideal timing source for mission-critical transport systems.
News from space
This month included notable stories on company launches, partnerships, and collaborations to enhance and expand satellite network technology. UK-based Sky and Space Global, which works to provide affordable communications to the world's equatorial regions, announced the acceleration of its company efforts to bring nano-satellite based communications to the Caribbean. Deployment of a nano-satellite constellation will begin in 2019, following the successful demonstration this month of the company’s 3 Diamonds telecommunications network.
To facilitate faster and more secure data transmission over satellite, Gilat Satellite Networks announced a collaborative project with Telesat for development of broadband communication technology using low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Funded by the Canada and Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation (CIIRDF), the joint innovation project will combine Telesat’s and Gilat’s engineering capabilities to do live testing, using Gilat modem technology, over the Telesat Phase-1 LEO satellite launched earlier this year. In other news involvingGilat Satellite Networks, its backhaul solution has been chosen by Telstra, a leading global telecommunications and technology service provider, to expand 4G mobile service throughout remote locations across Australia.
A team of seasoned industry leaders has launched a new company, EVERYWHERE Communications, Inc., this month to provide satellite and cellular connections for the millions of people and assets that require global connectivity for safety, security and productivity. EVERYWHERE’s fully integrated dual-mode communications solution uses the newly launched Iridium NEXT satellite constellation and cellular networks to provide always-on connectivity everywhere on Earth, including the over 90 percent of the world beyond the reach of land-based wireless coverage.
In another example of company milestone achievement, Beam Communications has now reached 35,000 total orders for its Iridium GO! mobile satellite device product. July’s order of 5,000 units is the fifth Beam has received since first offering commercial delivery of the product four years ago, in mid-2014.
News from the cloud
Cloud news featured an acquisition announcement: the Orange Group announced an agreement to acquire 100% of Abry Partners’ stake in Basefarm. The acquisition has a value of 350 million euros and follows a competitive tender process initiated by Abry Partners.
Radisys released its MediaEngine Virtual Media Service to support a wide range of cloud architectures, enabling media-rich applications deployed anywhere in the network—from the core to the network edge to the enterprise environment. In a market first, Radisys has disaggregated the media server architecture to simplify application development and deployment, significantly lowering cost of service delivery and accelerating time-to-market for new services.
To offer a flexible, high-performance way for enterprises to connect all their network locations to their cloud-based applications, Windstream Enterprise launched SD-WAN Cloud Connect. Offered in collaboration with VeloCloud, now part of VMware, SD-WAN Cloud Connect offers agility, affordability, visibility and control with highly secure, private, dedicated access to leading third-party cloud service providers. It’s touted as a solution that makes it easier for Windstream’s new and existing customers to participate in today’s cloud-based digital transformation.
