FierceTelecom

01/29/2021

Industry Voices—Heynen: Spending growth for DOCSIS infrastructure is now the norm

After a year of managing their networks during the pandemic, cable operators are returning to their strategic priorities—such as deploying #DAA and implementing mid-split and high-split upgrades—this year, according to #DellOroGroup's #jeffheynen
https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/industry-voices-heynen-spending-growth-for-docsis-infrastructure-now-norm

After a tumultuous 2020, DOCSIS infrastructure spending will ramp up in 2021 and over the following years due to cable operator upgrades. Outside plant upgrades in 2020, including optical node splitting and segmentation to support sharp increases in both broadband consumption and new subscribers wil...

01/29/2021

Enterprise sector paces Juniper's profitable Q4 results

Paced by its #enterprise segment, #JuniperNetworks notches its second consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth in its recent fourth quarter. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/enterprise-sector-paces-juniper-s-profitable-q4-results

Juniper Networks eked out its second consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth in Q4, but its bottom line was down from the previous year. Juniper's software and enterprise segments led the way in the fourth quarter.

01/29/2021

Charter's broadband additions slow down in the fourth quarter

The pace of #CharterCommunications' #broadband subscriber additions slow in the fourth quarter due, in part, to a lack of churn, according to executives. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/charter-s-broadband-additions-slow-down-fourth-quarter

Charter's broadband subscriber adds were down in Q4 when compared to Q3, but the cable operator attributed that slowdown to its previous success. Charter executives maintained that the slowdown of net broadband adds in the fourth quarter was due, in part, to lower customer churn.

01/28/2021

Juniper wraps up its deal to buy IBN vendor Apstra

#JuniperNetworks puts the finishing touches on its deal to buy intent-based networking vendor #Apstra , which was first announced early last month.

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/juniper-wraps-up-its-deal-to-buy-ibn-vendor-apstra

Juniper Networks has put the finishing touches on its deal to buy Apstra, which was announced early last month. With the deal closed, the Apstra team is now part of Juniper’s data center business while Apstra CEO David Cheriton has joined Juniper as chief data center scientist.

01/28/2021

Verizon chalks up 13 more renewable energy agreements

#Verizon lays claim to being one of the largest corporate buyers of U.S. #renewableenergy after notching 13 long-term renewable energy purchase agreements (REPAs). #VerizonGreen https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/verizon-chalks-up-13-more-renewable-energy-agreements

Verizon is laying claim to being one of the largest corporate buyers of U.S. renewable energy after notching 13 long-term renewable energy purchase agreements (REPAs).

01/28/2021

Colt promotes Voltolini to newly created role of VP of strategy and innovation

#Colt_Technology promotes #MirkoVoltolini to the newly created role of VP of strategy and innovation. Congrats Mirko.

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/colt-promotes-voltolini-to-newly-created-role-vp-strategy-and-innovation

Colt Technology Services announced on Thursday that it has promoted Mirko Voltolini to the newly created role of VP of strategy and innovation. Colt said Voltolini's new role goes beyond products and technology as he and his team will play a key role in defining and driving the execution of Colt’s...

01/28/2021

Page Not Found

#Comcast shatters several #broadband subscriber records for the full year and fourth quarter of 2020. CEO Brian Roberts called the cable sectors results "nothing short of exceptional" on the earnings call. #telecomnews https://www.fiercetelecom.com/operators/comcast-ceo-cable-results-nothing-short-exceptional-as-broadband-reaches#telecomnews

01/27/2021

DriveNets' Series B investment round pushes it into unicorn stratosphere

Hats off to #DriveNets as it announces a Series B funding round of $208 million to bring its valuation to over $1 billion. #whitebox
https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/drivenets-series-b-investment-round-pushes-it-into-unicorn-stratosphere

Israel-based DriveNets announced on Wednesday that it has snagged $208 million in a Series B funding round to bring its valuation to over $1 billion.The latest funding round is further proof that DriveNets' approach for disaggregating network architectures is finding increased traction with service....

01/27/2021

AT&T CEO: It's the middle innings for fiber build out, but the pace is picking up

#ATT CEO John Stankey said the telco is targeting around two million #fiber residential locations this year as the pace of its fiber builds accelerates. Unlike Verizon, Stankey has a dim view of fixed wireless access. #FWA #telecomnews

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/at-t-ceo-it-s-middle-innings-for-fiber-build-but-pace-picking-up

Despite the pandemic, AT&T added more than 1 million AT&T Fiber subscribers for the second year in a row in 2020. During AT&T's fourth quarter and year-end earnings call, AT&T CEO John Stankey said the telco plans to build around two million fiber residential locations this year as the pace of its f...

01/27/2021

Report: Amazon, Microsoft and Google account for half of all major hyperscale data centers

As of last year, #Amazon, #Google and #Microsoft accounted for half of the world's major #hyperscale #datacenters , according to #SynergyCRO #datacenter

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/report-amazon-microsoft-and-google-account-for-half-all-major-hyperscale-data-centers

When it comes to tallying up the owners of hyperscale data centers, Amazon, Microsoft and Google account for over half of them, according to a report. According to Synergy Research Group's latest data, the total number of large data centers owned by hyperscale providers increased to 597 by the end o...

01/26/2021

Congressmen worry RDOF funds will be squandered

A large group of congressmen want the #FCC to take a hard look, at the #RDOF reverse auction winners. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/financial/congressmen-worry-rdof-funds-will-be-squandered

A West Virginia senator notes that Frontier has a documented history of "mismanagement of federal funds" which raises questions about its ability to manage RDOF funds of $370.9 million.

01/26/2021

Wave Broadband strikes a deal to buy California's Digital West

#WaveBroadband buys #DigitalWest , which provides #fiber-optic connectivity, #colocation and other services in California's Central Coast region.

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/operators/wave-broadband-strikes-a-deal-to-buy-california-s-digital-west

Wave Broadband has bought Digital West, which provides fiber-optic connectivity and other services in California's Central Coast region. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

01/26/2021

Clevernet teams up with flexiWAN for AI-based WAN optimization

Open source #SASE and #SDWAN vendor #FlexiWan partners with #Clevernet to improve performance for enterprises with AI-based WAN optimization software. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/clevernet-teams-up-flexiwan-for-ai-based-wan-optimization #wanoptimization

Open source SASE and SD-WAN vendor flexiWAN has partnered with Clevernet to improve performance for enterprises with AI-based WAN optimization software. The partnership with Clevernet enables flexiWAN to add WAN optimization software to its SD-WAN solution without the need for network infrastructure...

01/26/2021

Verizon CEO: Majority of 5G sites running on telco's own fiber

During a Q4 earnings call, #Verizon CEO #HansVestberg said the telco met all of its goals last year despite the pandemic, and that it now has most of its #5G sites on its own #fiber. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/verizon-ceo-majority-5g-sites-running-telco-s-own-fiber

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said on Tuesday's fourth quarter earnings call that the majority of its 5G sites are now running on the telco's own fiber. Through its One Fiber project, which has been ongoing for several years, Verizon has long targeted owner's economics by using its own fiber instead of....

01/25/2021

T-Systems touts customer contracts valued at over $2 billion

Towards the end of last year, #tsystemscom racked up three major contracts that are valued at more than $2 billion. #IT #digitalservices

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/t-systems-touts-customer-contracts-valued-at-over-2-billion

T-Systems, the IT division of Deutsche Telekom, cited contracts worth about $2.4 billion as proof that its cloud and digital strategy is paying off. The large contracts and partnership were also a validation of a renewed focus on IT and digital services by T-Systems that started several years ago.

01/25/2021

Verizon Business serves up new bundle for small businesses

#VerizonBusiness is serving up a new bundle for #SmallBusinesses that includes #Broadband and #LTE connectivity as well as #security.

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/operators/verizon-business-serves-up-new-bundle-for-small-businesses

On Monday, Verizon Business announced a new bundle for small businesses that includes security, broadband and LTE services. With more small businesses going virtual, Verizon Business is now offering its Complete Business Bundle.

01/25/2021

State of Nebraska picks Lumen to provision its NG911 platform

#lumentechco lands a new #NG911 contract with the State of Nebraska to provide improvements to the state's emergency service network.
https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/state-nebraska-picks-lumen-to-provision-its-ng911-platform

The State of Nebraska recently picked Lumen to help transition to a next generation 911 platform by using its network backbone and IP-based software. The contract is worth nearly $815,000 the first year and $1.8 million a year for the remaining fours years.

01/22/2021

Page Not Found

#IBM's revenues are down in the fourth quarter as it seeks to become a leader in #HybridCloud under the direction of CEO Arvind Krishna. TelcoDR #ai https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/ibm-s-goal-for-being-a-hybrid-cloud-leader-hits-a-speed-bump-q4https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/ibm-s-goal-for-being-a-hybrid-cloud-leader-hits-a-speed-bump#AI

01/22/2021

Report: 70% of U.S. residents have access to low-cost broadband

According to a quarterly report by #BroadbandNow, 70% of U.S. residents now have access to low-cost wired #broadband tiers as of late last year. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/operators/report-70-u-s-residents-have-access-to-low-cost-broadband

The digital divide in the U.S. closed a bit more last year, but there's still plenty of work to do, according to a quarterly report by BroadbandNow. For the fourth quarter of last year, BroadbandNow reported that 70% of U.S. residents now had access to a low-cost, wired broadband tier, which it defi...

01/22/2021

Facebook wants to embrace mobile carriers instead of compete against them

#Facebook isn't looking to compete against service providers, but rather partner with them to enable internet connectivity to areas or countries that are under-served or have no access at all. #ruralbroadband #fiberoptic #DanRabinovitsj https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/facebook-wants-to-embrace-mobile-carriers-instead-compete-against-them

Despite concerns to the contrary, Facebook has no ambition towards being a wireless operator, ISP or any other kind of hardware or software supplier. Instead, Facebook's Dan Rabinovitsj said the social media company wants to partner with players in the telecommunications industry and not compete wit...

01/21/2021

BT snags a $40M contract to provide services to Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Thanks to a $40 million contract, @bt_global will provide the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs with #WAN, #LAN and #wireless LAN services to buildings across 120 countries. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/bt-snags-a-40m-contract-to-provide-services-to-dutch-ministry-foreign-affairs

BT has landed a $40 million contract to provide software-defined network services to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With the contract in hand, BT will provide communications services to embassies and consulates in 120 countries.

01/21/2021

Vodafone likes edge computing with hyperscalers, Cox is skeptical

During a #FierceTelecomBlitzWeek panel, executives from #CoxComm and #VodafoneBiz outlined their edge strategies and partnerships with #cloud providers. #technews #hyperscale https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/vodafone-likes-edge-computing-hyperscalers-cox-skeptical

Speaking at FierceTelecom’s Winter Blitz event this week, Vodafone Business’ head of cloud portfolio management Jennifer Didoni said that the service provider has two types of edge.

01/21/2021

Linux Foundation's Joshipura: Disaggregation is at the heart of open source, cloud-native and edge

#Disaggregation is a key element for #CloudNative, #ORAN and #5G slicing, but the end goal is to create end-to-end solutions for telcos, cloud providers and enterprises, according to the #linuxfoundation's Arpit Joshipura. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/linux-foundation-s-joshipura-disaggregation-at-heart-open-source-cloud-native-and-edge

Disaggregation is key to open source and new technologies such as ORAN and cloud-native, according to the Linux Foundation's Aprit Joshipura.

01/20/2021

Comcast unravels monolith of spaghetti code with virtualization

#Comcast's #DAA #virtualization platform helps increase upstream capacity on its access network as well as providing more visibility into its #fiber distribution. #technologynews https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/comcast-unravels-monolith-spaghetti-code-virtualization

When it comes to virtualization, Comcast has been at the forefront of the cable industry by dipping its toes into DAA about five years ago. Those early efforts paid off last year for Comcast as upstream and downstream traffic increased significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic due to virtual learni...

01/20/2021

DZS snags coherent optics vendor Optelian

#DZS strikes a deal to buy optical vendor #Optelion to complement its packet-based solutions. #DellOroGroup

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/dzs-snags-coherent-optics-vendor-optelian #opticaltransport

DZS announced on Wednesday that it has inked a definitive agreement to buy optical network company Optelian. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

01/20/2021

Masergy says two thirds of workers don’t want to return to office

#MASERGY's Ray Watson says about two-thirds of workers don’t want to return to office spaces. https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/masergy-says-two-thirds-workers-don-t-want-to-return-to-office

#rayw. #fiercetelecomblitzweek #SASE

The panelists at Fierce's virtual event today agreed that SASE has benefitted from the Covid phenomenon. Lumen's Mike Lawson said, “Covid was the perfect storm for SASE to really grab hold. Once the remote access piece and distributed workforce really took hold, that put SASE on a high-end traject...

01/19/2021

Disaggregation takes center stage during FierceTelecom Blitz Week panel

#Lumentechco , #CableLabs and #DriveNets executives define what #disaggregation means to the telecommunications industry ahead of a FierceTelecom Blitz Week panel. #FMA #whitebox #FPGA #virtualization https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/disaggregation-takes-center-stage-during-fiercetelecom-blitz-week-panel

Disaggregation is a somewhat clunky term for a key concept across the telecommunications industry for cable, telco and mobile providers. In order to better define disaggregation, FierceTelecom Blitz Week is hosting a panel at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

01/19/2021

Orange Business Services' survey finds 40% of businesses hit by supply chain issues during Covid-19

The #COVID19 pandemic caused enterprises to re-think their supply chains by focusing on more data-driven insights, according to a survey by #orangebusinessservices . #Analytics #BigData #supplychain #digitization https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/orange-business-services-survey-finds-40-businesses-hit-by-supply-chain-issues-during-covid

A new survey by Orange Business Services found that the supply chains in 40% of multinational corporations were overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the survey of 320 enterprises, roughly 83% said they are now more aware of supply chain risks, such as raw material shortages or transport blockage...

01/19/2021

Cisco clears final major hurdle in $4.5B deal to buy Acacia

#Cisco notches the final regulatory approval for its $4.5 billion deal to buy coherent #optical vendor #AcaciaComms

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/cisco-clears-final-major-hurdle-4-5b-deal-to-buy-acacia

In a deal that has been brewing since 2019, Cisco has garnered the final regulatory approval for its $4.5 billion deal to buy Acacia. Reuters reported Tuesday morning that the Chinese government’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has approved the merger.