Dropping circuit-switched voice in a rural Alabama area and a Florida suburb doesn't address competitive interconnection issues

Waves of delayed orders and acceptances washed over video vendor's expected revenues for Q4, causing it to fall far short of its earlier financial guidance for quarter.

The ONS marks a big step in SDN's coming of age.

Transportation and telecommunications are growing closer together.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: MWC14 breaks records; Belgacom slips in 2013; Deutsche Telekom plans job cuts in Greece.

WebRTC is a big opportunity for telcos, but it's a technology that could shape up without them. Heard this story before?

Arbor extends its network security reach into the packet core.

Need mobile towers in life-threatening markets? There's a company for that...

The new Los Angeles Dodgers sports network, SportsNet LA, is asking for monthly fees between $4.50 and $5 per sub from pay-TV providers. Many are resisting.

It's not a sea change, but operator support for Hotspot 2.0 is starting to ramp up.

The DVR pioneer sets another record by posting 313,000 new cable subscribers for the fourth quarter. Sales topped $100 million for the quarter and $400 million for the year for the first time.

Computer and software maker planning a corporate-wide effort to engage in what it sees as a major transformation for telecom.

It was the first with VoLTE and now the first to make how its customers call prettier and potentially more lucrative.

Operators and network equipment providers are facing uncertainty together, pooling their understanding of what the future might look like. For network equipment providers, this uncertain future has meant becoming even more responsive to the needs of their operator customers, and responding to the network functions virtualization (NFV) challenge.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Testing times at Spirent; NSN provides vendor funding in Saudi; EE's on its way to Wembley.

Can Latch keep consumers safe in the digital world? Chema Alonso, CEO of Telefonica Digital subsidiary Eleven Paths, thinks it can.

The future and the past met head-on at MWC this time, with some firms pitching next-gen tech while sporting retro vehicles - check it out!

With OFC looming, chip maker says its LightSpeed-II SoCs double 100G component data rate at half the cost per bit.

Our reports from MWC14 show small cells and virtualization have been the key networking trends.

After suffering across-the-board customer losses in the third quarter, Cablevision posts broadband subscriber gains and lower-than-expected video subscriber losses for the fourth.

Cisco can prosper even if every datacenter stops buying its switches.

The ETSI industry specification group for NFV gave itself two years to achieve its goals but now it's looking at how it can extend its life beyond 2014.

New Hyperscale offering and expanded footprint is first look at what the combined cloud operation will be able to deliver.

Two Wall Street analysts contend that Comcast struck a sweetheart peering deal with Netflix now to clear the way for regulatory approval of its proposed $45.2 billion buyout of Time Warner Cable.

AT&T says it's counting on next-generation hotspot technology to support new WiFi services and enhance its multimode small cell plans.

Alticast's Media Cloud Platform is powering the cloud DVR service for the telco's satellite TV service, covering a footprint of more than 4 million subscribers in South Korea.

But SDN and NFV will be important for Cisco as part of an architecture, says the big boss.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telekom Austria disappoints; Czech developments; SFR puts brakes on Viviendi.

Space cats, small cells, and LTE-Advanced - the very essence of Barcelona. Probably.

TiVo, which has focused on high-end digital set-tops up till now, reaches down to put its user interface on low-end digital transport adapters.

Forget mobile, the German operator wants one converged network and is working on moving its European footprint to all-IP before the end of 2014.

It may be years away from commercial deployment, but 5G is already showing up in long-term R&D plans.

Media response to this deal has been a little too hysterical, given the deal's true nature - but does that reveal a bigger problem?

Orange is smart not to place all its bets on RCS, but build a service that will work for all users, regardless of the network or OTT app being used.

And before you ask... they're trying to figure out what 5G is, too.

WiMax has lost the race against LTE, but it's still part of the 4G wars.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson and Etisalat plan future together; Slim's Austrian alliance; antitrust warning.

We came, we saw, we stood in line...

Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg talks about indoor coverage, the telco cloud, the Ciena relationship, and the World Cup in an interview at Mobile World Congress 2014.

Ruckus Wireless CEO says equipping cities with WiFi is one of the quickest ways to get rights to deploy small cells on their infrastructure.

A number of major mobile operators have joined forces on a new mobile identity service designed to improve end-user security.

Rovi plunks down up to $70 million for the voice-based TV search and recommendation specialist.

A10 Networks caps a busy year in application delivery controllers by filing for its IPO.

The GSMA expects 20 VoLTE launches this year as the operators work through their last niggling issues with the 4G voice technology.

The forum announces a more radical approach to reshaping the back-office systems to support virtualization.

Operator has tapped Ericsson, Tail-f, and Metaswitch for development, startup Affirmed Networks for a vEPC with more vendors to come in 2014.

Now that Netflix has agreed to pay Comcast for direct access to the MSO's broadband subscribers, how long before Verizon, AT&T, and otherss demand similar deals?

Ericsson signs up a major customer for its new service provider IT (SPIT) offering, freeing CenturyLink from some of its OSS servitude.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Anti-capitalist protest hits MWC attendees; Telefonica goes loco on NFV; Deutsche Telekom launches encryption app.

Light Reading is at Mobile World Congress! Check out some of the shots from the totally unofficial opening Sunday.

Trains halted, attendees stuck as anti-capitalists disrupt transport connections to Mobile World Congress.

HP today introduced OpenNFV, a program designed to help service providers accelerate innovation and launch new services faster and more cheaply.

Carrier has forged LTE data roaming agreements in 15 countries, as well as updating its international travel app.

Qualcomm is adding more small cell partners to its roster with announcements from Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, and ip.access.

Vodafone says it will buy Ericsson's Dot Radio, and SoftBank says it will test the small cells, which are expected to go into trials in Q2.

Carrier's CTO says the Spanish giant can't wait any longer for the benefits that network functions virtualization (NFV) can bring to its international network.

Juniper offers to help carriers become telco 'cloud builders' with an expanded range of network management tools, virtualized functions and router capacity upgrades that build on its SDN story.

Swedish giant decides it's time to start talking about network security issues and the capabilities it already has in its portfolio.

Ready for the next level of big-data collection? Say "hi" to Google's 3D mapping "Project Tango" smartphone.

After losing TW Cable to Comcast, Charter shifts its main focus back to its own operations while retaining interest in "wisely acquiring subs" from other cable operators.

If, like me, you were wondering what the hell "fronthaul" is... well, this is the simplest explanation I could pull together.

The Utah federal court ruling against Aereo sets the stage for the Supreme Court to decide whether the streaming video startup is violating copyright law.

Juniper Networks unveils a new operating plan that pleases activist investor Elliott Management and brings Kevin DeNuccio on board.

Equipment vendor reports steady wireless market gains but declines in both enterprise and broadband segments for fourth quarter.

As of Friday, Verizon is 100% independent of its former UK-based partner.

Also: Telefonica Digital invests in e-health services startup; parent Telefonica preps mass LTE roaming service at MWC; Astellia buys Ingenia; and Jolla gets ready to take Sailfish global.

Seamless handoff is a big issue for carrier WiFi, but the industry isn't coalescing around one way to do it.

Intel, Cyan, RAD and Dell among the vendors either showing off technology used in ETSI NFV proofs of concept or talking about them.

Cisco is now testing self-optimizing networks features for macro and small cell networks on 3G and 4G.

NSN will take its distributed small cells approach indoor for businesses, but timing of general availability could still be key.

Cable companies have a lot to gain from the next-generation WiFi standards that will be demonstrated at Mobile World Congress next week.

Surging shipments of cable and IPTV set-tops, video gateways, and CCAP devices drive higher than expected sales and earnings for equipment vendor.

The vendor has used the weeks ahead of Mobile World Congress to update the market on its mobile infrastructure and service provider IT (SPIT) developments.

Cogent's Dave Schaeffer says he doesn't like to fight, but he's not backing down from war with Verizon over Netflix traffic.

Verizon says it's deploying Alcatel-Lucent's small cells in indoor and outdoor locations as part of its HetNet strategy.

Security concerns are changing procurement strategies, claims ATCA platform vendor.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: EE nears 2 million on 4G; Belgacom rolls out VDSL2; Telecom Italia invests in startups.

Single-mode public access LTE small cells are easier to produce and deploy but, as ever, don't expect them to arrive on the market at any great speed.

Network virtualization is emerging as a potentially key carrier datacenter trend, but what's it all about?

More small cell SoC (system-on-a-chip) vendors show off their wares in Barcelona.

The European operator will be the first to connect to Jibe Mobile's RCS Hub, promising interoperable, advanced communications - once others join on as well.

Google unit explores expanding its 1Gbit/s service to nine major US markets, extending its reach nationwide.

The social network will get WhatsApp's 450 million deep customer base to the tune of $19 billion in cash and stock.

BlackBerry CEO is "outraged" at T-Mobile offer to tempt BB users onto its network with the promise of an iPhone.

Only days before Mobile World Congress, NFV is a hotter industry term than LTE.

Eleven more stations in Manhattan and the borough of Queens to get 3G, 4G, and WiFi underground as all of the big 4 US carriers get onboard with the subway DAS project.

A joint development between Ericsson and Ciena suggests a new day for IPoDWDM, courtesy of SDN's multi-vendor management capabilities.

Cisco's new Evolved Services Platform promises to deliver a slate of new virtualized services, including cloud DVR.

Vendor introduces new NFV-powered module for delivering Ethernet service over DOCSIS coaxial cable networks without need for a plant upgrade.

This time, it's Netflix crying foul as broadband ISPs refuse to connect directly to its CDN without extracting extra fees.

New AnyCell system designed to future-proof fiber-to-the-tower deployments by wireless operators or mobile backhaul providers.

Led by engineering talent formerly of Juniper Networks, the company is working to bridge enterprise LANs with service provider cloud networks.

Latest mobile trends reports finds that bandwidth isn't being allocated based on a video's demands, which causes a degraded viewing experience for mobile users.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom helps make Pisa a smarter city; tough times in Portugal; EE brings jobs home.

Alcatel-Lucent's transition from boxes to the cloud is designed to help providers offer more scalable networks to customers, with flexible pricing and greater innovation.

With NFV set to be a major topic at this year's Mobile World Congress, Heavy Reading chief analyst Graham Finnie says it's a case of when, not if, carriers virtualize their network functions.

Talks between Time Warner Cable and Netflix have stalled in the face of Comcast's plans to take over the No. 2 US cable operator.

Operator reveals that it has deployed more than 350 small cells, distributed antennas, and repeats at Disney resorts and hotels.

Partnership bringing together AT&T's network and M2M connections with IBM's analytics software and security mean big-data insights on small-data connections.

Telecom network operators are just now developing their migration strategies, and two partners say they're poised to lead the way.

Here are 10 of the best things about going to MWC in Barcelona.

Spirent invests in its service assurance unit with the acquisition of DAX Technologies.

Acquisition of uReach aimed at transforming Tier 1 service providers' legacy voicemail systems.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: EU study detects roamaphobia; Vodafone complains in Spain; BT CEO jumps off tall building.

The network is designed to offer flexibility, reduced cost of operations and pay-as-you-go pricing, with free Starbucks latte for everyone! (We made up the part about Starbucks.)

Will the fiber laggards think that playing catch-up is worth the expense? The jury's still out...

Freescale expects to see its latest LTE small cell chips in commercial devices in 2015.

Google's Chromecast platform now hosts more than a dozen official apps, supports dynamic ad insertion, and is drawing attention from the biggest content companies on the planet.

Pica8 adds to its arsenal of SDN switches but still has work to do on its go-to-market strategy, believes one industry analyst.

It's a Hong Kong ding-dong as PCCW sues regulator in latest instalment of spectrum saga.

Why don't cable and IPTV operators deliver a great audio experience to the family TV set?

In an interview with Light Reading, Jeff White, CSO of tech startup Gainspeed, shares his company's views on CCAP and the near-term evolution of cable network architectures.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Kroes crows about single-market progress; GSMA focuses on M2M; Deutsche Telekom nears Greek deal.

US keeps Huawei in check with South Korea agreement, but the deal appears to be largely symbolic.

Test gear firm adds virtual testing platform with acquisition of Shenick.

Current head of networking switched to new network functions virtualization (NFV) business.

Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Charter are teaming up with tech rivals to push a WiFi agenda in Washington with new cross-industry coalition.

Brocade's fiscal first quarter earnings show a rise in datacenter fabric sales that validates a recent strategy shift.

Comcast and TW Cable execs spell out ambitious upgrade plans for TWC both before and after deal closes.

Analysts see new a generation of cloud buyers looking more for apps and business solutions than the infrastructure telecom clouds often deliver.

Could they be more than just friends with benefits?

Will they swap line cards over a Valentine's Day glass of champagne? Ciena and Ericsson are joining forces to develop packet/optical technology for the SDN era.

Comcast is ponying up $45.2 billion for Time Warner Cable for much more than TWC's 11 million or so video customers.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: European M&A puts brakes on Liberty Global; Swisscom's data-security mess; Maroc Telecom numbers hit by tax bill.

After getting trumped by Comcast in its pursuit of TW Cable, Charter must go back to the drawing board if it still wants to boost its size significantly.

Sprint's new Accelerator in downtown Kansas City is designed to bring healthcare innovation to the city and to show Sprint how an entrepreneur runs things.

Doug Murray says he's a builder, not a seller.

Here are three things you need to know if the Comcast deal to acquire Time Warner Cable goes through.

We're getting jiggy with components and making out with modules. That's just how we roll.

Citrix unveils a WAN optimization appliance with virtual Windows app servers, while WAN optimization market hopes build.

Kabel Deutschland licenses RDK IP video software for set-tops, while Virgin Media signs up 2 millionth TiVo subscriber.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: KPN boss sees M&A ahead; Vodafone's Indian row will run and run; and so will Nokia's.

Comcast trumps Charter with a takeover deal.

Upbeat Cisco chairman and CEO says Internet of Everything is about to explode and his company will grab its share of $19 trillion pie.

The Chinese company revamps its approach to the network management market with an acquisition and a shift in its go-to-market strategy.

We've all been there. We've all done it -- perhaps multiple times. Strangely, we never learn.

On the heels of financial results that left Wall Street unimpressed, the vendor announces major new features for its SDN and metro optical gear.

Light Reading is now accepting responses to its fourth annual telecom industry salary survey, exploring hiring, firing, raises, job satisfaction, and opportunities in the space.

New report from ONF Migration Working Group details migration strategies for SDN based on experience of pioneers Google, NTT, and

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telenor holds its own; Dutch do their own metadata-snooping; Brussels gets 4G.

With small cells set to be a hot topic at Mobile World Congress, Heavy Reading senior analyst Patrick Donegan explains why the market for public access small cells hasn't yet taken off in the way that some had anticipated.

Chinese startups dominated the mobile venture capital (VC) funding last month.

China Telecom is looking to speed up its fiber access broadband maintenance operations.

Small cells - they're not just one size fits all.

As expected, Charter proposes full slate of 13 nominees to take over TWC's board of directors as prospects mount for hostile takeover bid.

Small cells are an important part of Sprint's network investment, and execs say both indoor and outdoor deployments will begin this year.

Verizon has officially closed up shop on its 4Home-powered Home Monitoring and Control service as it weighs other smart-home options.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Vodafone gets together with MoneyGram; Lenovo looks to Africa; Nokia goes Android?

A rapidly growing number of SDN technologists are changing office addresses.

Concerned about Comcast's precautions, experts recommend that subscribers change their account passwords after last week's apparent hacker attack on MSO.

While firmly supporting OpenDaylight, Ericsson also sees why telecom providers aren't entirely comfortable with de facto standards.

Dr John Chevers describes what he gets up to in the course of a week as chief business development officer at DANTE (Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe).

IT company is staking its claim in RAN optimization via repackaging of its recent Actix and Celcite acquisitions.

Ahead of Mobile World Congress, Heavy Reading chief analyst Graham Finnie discusses one of the key challenges facing mobile network operators today - service innovation.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson upgrades in Greece; Deutsche Telekom takes control of Czech unit; Telefonica fined on its home turf.

The challenges and opportunities around carrier WiFi are evolving as unlicensed spectrum starts to get more important.

Time Warner Cable becomes North America's most notable Carrier Ethernet 2.0 service provider, certifying for all six business service classes.

WiFi is increasingly ubiquitous, but it can be a challenge to enable users to roam between 802.11x wireless networks.

The first multimode small cells to spring from Qualcomm's investment in Alcatel-Lucent will be available to enterprises mid year, the companies say.

Parent company Outerwall says rental streaming service Redbox Instant is growing, but it won't share subscriber numbers just yet.

New report due out next week shows compliance with industry standards for payment cards is still sorely lacking.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: EC slams Turkey's Internet clampdown plan; Irish eyes aren't smiling; Tele2 sheds customers.

Embrane will help Cisco in its pie-fight against VMware.

Here's some stuff that could make you barking mad in Barca.

Fibertech says it has launched the first commercial outdoor metro small-cell site in the US for a major mobile operator.

Investment in SDN specialist beefs up Cisco's strengths for the higher levels of the networking stack.

HDMI streaming sticks and the cable-ready RDK platform are both trending, so Alticast has decided to marry the two.

Ericsson accelerates drive into TV Everywhere market by striking deal for Azuki, a software specialist focused on adaptive video streaming and content protection.

Company offers operators analytics on usage across its 20 million deep WiFi network.

Heading to Barcelona? So are we! Let's do lunch. Or breakfast. Or some damn thing.

Margins and share price are up, costs are down and a buyer for the Enterprise division has been found as the Shift Plan kicks in.

New software lets mobile users make calls and send messages over WiFi directly from the phone's dialer.

It's time to focus on the software-defined networking (SDN) needs of mobile operators.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: UK trio launch mobile money platform; AlcaLu shifts its fortunes; Google settles search row with EC.

Netflix intends to spend $3 billion on content rights, expand reach in Europe, and roll out service with US cable operators in the coming year.

Ahead of Mobile World Congress, Heavy Reading senior analyst Gabriel Brown talks about the early deployments of LTE-Advanced 4G and the advantages it can deliver to operators and their customers.

GSA says that LTE networks are now live in 100 countries around the world.

Matt Bross is back in town and heading up a router startup that's hedging its bets on on-chip photonics.

Focus shifts to open-source answers to common problems, rather than hidebound standards, say speakers at OpenDaylight Summit.

For the second time in less than a week, Aereo has stopped taking on new customers in one of its markets, citing capacity woes in Atlanta.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Transmode profits plummet; Kabel Deutschland on the up; BT's home-lovin' smartphone.

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and Apple are among the private companies backing President Obama's education broadband project.

Former NSN man Giuseppe 'Beppe' Donagemma is the new head of Samsung Networks Europe.

Largest US MSO joins Cablevision Systems in offering network-based DVR service to video subscribers, introducing product in Boston area.

Photos of the Papal inaugurations of 2005 and 2013 reveal sweeping changes in data networking. Seriously.

After a brief hiatus, Light Reading has a West Coast Bureau again -- meet one man and his dog...

Why Heavy Reading is at the heart of the 'reborn' Light Reading.

A scant 10 months after its founding, the consortium announces functional software code for open-source SDN, including service provider hooks.

After a five-month search, Microsoft has decided to promote its own cloud computing lead to fill Ballmer's shoes as CEO.

Adobe's Primetime TV publishing platform will power NBC's multiscreen coverage of Winter Olympics.

After forming partnership with Cisco, Innovid seeks to bring interactive TV ads to second screens and set-top boxes as market players try to put pieces together.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: ARM sees Q4 revenues rise; AlcaLu's Libyan subsea project; Irish takeover bid prompts EC concerns.

Mobile operators need to figure out how to protect their networks and their subscriber data in an all-IP 4G world - and they need to do it now.

Ahead of Mobile World Congress, Heavy Reading senior analyst Patrick Donegan talks about how mobile operators are reacting to customer privacy concerns post-Snowden and how they're dealing with potential network threats in an all-IP 4G world.

Power outage in Los Angeles during the Super Bowl broadcast represents the latest in a series of embarrassments for Time Warner Cable.

It appears that US regulators may not be too wild about Sprint and T-Mobile combining into a massive mobile power house.

Matt Beal's new job description could expand greatly if Vodafone is to acquire all of Tata's telecom assets, as rumored.

Affirmed CEO tells Light Reading that the mobile NFV startup now has 10 commercial deployments under its belt.

Despite recent moves, a Jefferies analyst says Alcatel-Lucent could fall well short of its Shift Plan cost-cutting goal for 2015.

Meet the team of Light Reading editors and Heavy Reading analysts who will be out at MWC in full force.

Controversial OTT video services player announces San Antonio launch as it runs out of capacity in New York City.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Network sharing in France; regulators' rumble; mobile commerce moves.

SDN and NFV are set to dominate the service provider IT (SPIT) agenda at Mobile World Congress 2014, but there's a lot more hot stuff to check out.

While many NFL and big league stadiums are upgrading to high-powered DAS and WiFi systems, today's university stadiums and campuses are in need of major league solutions.