Operators want to prepare to rapidly launch 5G as soon as the spectrum, standards and technology are ready. How can they prepare today?

Long live Fios!

$6.5 million gives the application delivery controller appliance vendor a cloud business unit.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: EU governments could face universal service bill for broadband; Proximus tightens belt in Q2; the joy of switching.

This week in our WiC roundup: Marissa Mayer and the $55M payout; men hog the boardroom limelight; when did tech get trendy?; and more.

While Google posted strong numbers based on its advertising revenues, the company CEO was more interested in peering into the future.

Amazon reported its fifth consecutive quarter of profitability, with AWS helping push.

Rovi will double its size in Q3 assuming the acquisition of TiVo goes according to plan.

Light Reading and Level 3's Mary McGrath will discuss the importance of mentoring and leadership training programs to promote fairness in hiring and promotions.

Many of the largest public cloud providers dominate the data center sector but are now looking to outsource that business in an increasingly competitive market.

Beefs up Oracle's cloud-based business software while bringing together two companies that already had close financial and personal ties.

With the integration of its big Pace purchase proceeding smoothly and several big cable mergers now approved, Arris racks up its best quarter and sees even better times ahead.

Light Reading today starts a new voyage as part of a larger Enterprise.

The integration of IP and optical is supposed to help operators be more efficient but there's a chance that it might lead to further silos being developed, believes Faisal Khan.

Beefing up Riverbed's cloud application monitoring game.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telefonica has flat second quarter; SFR to shed jobs, say unions; Sky full-year profits up 12%.

Under-investment may be to blame for a spate of network problems at Telstra.

It's not just a game -- it's part of the future of sharing, and of Facebook, Zuckerberg says.

On the heels of announcing its first Tier 1 customer, CenturyLink, Versa Networks has announced that RCN Business is deploying its software-defined managed security and monitoring solutions to business customers already using its fiber-based services.

AT&T through DirecTV, Dish and now Comcast are the first to confirm they will offer some 4K coverage from the Olympics in Rio, but additional operators may also be getting ready to do the same.

In a strong second quarter, Comcast emphasized that its successful strategy of bundling services around its network footprint means it has no need to launch a national OTT video product.

New platform brings cloud service delivery model to access networks, eliminating single vendor deployments and offering app-based models.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Vodafone trials '4.5G'; ARM Q2 revenues up; 5G time in Greenwich; the connected bikini.

Equinix's Rodney Elder examines the changing face of the data center world at Upskill U.

As Fujitsu's only female sales leader, Annie Bogue knows the importance of asking for what you want, being flexible and keeping a meticulous calendar.

FCC approves leasing agreement that will allow Verizon to move ahead with larger 5G tests and deployments.

Frontier is hoping to differentiate itself with new services like the AirTies in-home WiFi mesh solution.

Analog Devices announced it will acquire Linear Technology for $14.8 billion in a deal motivated largely by a desire to create a bigger supplier of analog circuitry.

Companies have been working together for seven months on developing integration plan for platform as it is released into open source.

While his IP and M&A strategy may have been flawed, the track record of the now former Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg was in many ways tied to market trends and he may well have laid the foundations for growth, says Heavy Reading analyst.

Now that the big US telco has bagged Yahoo, it aims to become the third big player in the online media market, competing with Google and Facebook.

Upskill U welcomes AT&T's Chris Rice of AT&T Labs as Curriculum Advisor.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Orange reports flat first-half revenues, but fiber progress; O2 data for sale on dark net; Sky buys Chinese soccer, launches Ultra HD in Germany.

Appcito becomes A10's cloud business unit, complementing its existing hardware product line.

UK regulator Ofcom rules that BT's access network division Openreach must have its own board and staff but will remain part of the UK national operator, falling short of structural separation.

To enhance manageability of OpenStack clouds, Mirantis is rearchitecting the software to run on Kubernetes. But the effort could conflict with work being done in OpenStack's own Magnum project.

Other companies doing business with the same cloud provider can be potential security vulnerabilities.

Sprint plans 3CA LTE upgrade in the next few months.

The popularity of Lyf could persuade other Indian operators to look afresh at how devices and services are sold.

Cisco and Amartus are leading the first use case for MEF's OpenCS initiative, focused on Packet WAN services.

Customers of any cloud should cheer any new installation, but for companies that prize consistent cloud latency performance throughout the day, Google's intent to establish almost a dozen new 'cloud regions' should be especially welcome.

Former Ericsson staffer and current industry consultant believes Ericsson's board and management team need to be more proactive than reactive if the vendor is to turn around its fortunes.

Cyrille Morelle, president and CEO of VeEX Inc., talks test and measurement with Light Reading's Steve Saunders at BCE 2016.

Less of an exclamation at Yahoo's end, more of a whimper.

In the first episode of a four-part series, Light Reading Founder and CEO Steve Saunders and Calix President and CEO Carl Russo drive around town discussing the disruptive mega-changes in the communications industry and where hope lies for service providers to meet the escalating demands of the cloud.

Pressure tells as Ericsson's board ousts Hans Vestberg following the latest financial disappointments.

While much of the rest of the communications technology sector hunts in vain for improving revenues, Huawei shifts up another gear but its margins dip.

New IP streaming network combines lean-back TV with IP video on demand.

The need for power savings is driving a consolidation of CO digital switches by CenturyLink.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telekom Austria has a flat first half; Tele2 to put Nokia's Cloud Packet Core to work; BT offers to set up separate board for Openreach.

Mellanox Senior Director of Marketing Chloe Ma shares the story of her upbringing in China to her career in the Valley.

Verizon Communications plans to announce Monday that it's acquiring Yahoo for $4.8 billion.

As TDM switches and early softswitches reach their end-of-life, telecom and cable companies have to decide whether to build again or outsource.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) has put policy recommendations behind an effort to bring gigabit-plus speeds to all US anchor institutions by the year 2020.

Forthcoming regulations and growing competition could provide the UK's mobile operators with snazzier alternatives to BT's traditional wholesale offerings.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Bezeq trials G.fast; Telecom Italia, HPE land cloud services contract; Net Insight sees revenues rise.

This week in our WiC roundup: Facebook reveals its LGBT employee stats; Microsoft's HoloLens insults through advertising; ladies in tech get a whole new lexicon; and more.

The social media giant's solar-powered Aquila drone, designed to provide Internet access to remote locations, has taken to the skies – but why?

AT&T pushes ahead with LTE, even as it eyes 5G and turns off 2G.

New prepaid services are a decent option, but not a cheap one.

Israeli operator joins the digital transformation gang by selecting Vlocity and its partner Salesforce for cloud CRM capabilities.

Combining the CORD project with a new open-source leaf-spine fabric for data centers is enabling ONOS and ONF to deliver a total NFV solution for operators.

Despite gains from its Sling TV OTT service, Dish Network still reported a record loss of 281,000 subscribers in the second quarter.

The biggest WiFi network you've probably never heard of.

European vendor's momentum continues into 2016 as it reports impressive sales growth, only some of which comes from its Overture acquisition, but its profitability isn't keeping up.

South Korean telco's IoT strategy includes the use of different technologies for 'low mobility' and 'high mobility' and raises questions about its commitment to Sigfox.

The Verizon business unit rolls out three virtual network services on a managed, on-demand basis, offering total flexibility and deployment choices.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Orange buys into desktop virtualization; BT outage hits banks; Tele2 records loss in Q2.

EdgeConneX examines how web-scale operators and traditional telcos are re-thinking data center strategies in the virtualization environment.

On its fiscal Q3 call, Qualcomm says 5G promises a strong decade for the chipmaker.

Mellanox turned in its fifth consecutive quarter in which it increased revenue, and during the company's call with analysts, CEO Eyal Waldman explained how new products are likely to help the company extend that run for the next quarter or two.

A fiber-to-the-home broadband trial in the city of York using CityFibre's network looks likely to lead to more competitive ultra-broadband services across the UK.

The Google Fiber honcho's defection to Facebook signals a new phase in the relationship between web-scale Internet companies and communications service providers.

After testing its DeepMind learning systems to manage the cooling equipment in some of its data centers, Google said it intends to turn control of all its data center cooling systems to DeepMind.

Reducing latency for West Coast cloud customers and making it easier for apps to understand plain spoken English.

Carriers collaborating to speed up standards that make virtual CPE, SDNs and VNF on-boarding universally interoperable across networks.

Microsoft inks high-profile cloud deals with three very different companies.

In a blow to Nokia, Verizon has tapped Adtran and Ericsson/Calix for its upcoming NG-PON2 lab trial, which is expected to lead to commercial deployments with Fios business customers early next year.

Deals like the one Microsoft recently announced with Boeing, where Microsoft Azure will run Boeing's commercial aviation analytics tools, will become more common, company executives said on Microsoft's quarterly earnings call.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom gets cautious go-ahead for vectoring plan; Telia sees sales fall in second quarter; Vodafone UK gives Cisco's SON tech a whirl.

The Swedish vendor may be on the defensive but there's no suggestion that its partnership with Cisco will develop into a full merger, says CEO Hans Vestberg.

How did Ciena's Vice President of Sales, Angela Finn, carve out her career path? Simple, she tells WiC. She stayed true to her company, customers and principles.

Marvell Technology reported a loss of $811 million on revenue of $2.7 billion for its fiscal 2016. That compares to Marvell's FY2015, when the company made a profit of $435 million on sales of $3.7 billion.

Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo has developed a new means of printing circuitry onto a substrate that it promises is cheaper and easier than any other option available, while also making an order-of-magnitude leap in diminishing line widths to 0.8 micron.

Upskill U launches a series on the Telco Data Center with speakers from Windstream, EdgeConneX, Equinix and the Open Networking Research Center.

In Silicon Valley, Steve Saunders sits down with Versa's Kumar Mehta for an interview focused on why service providers are building SD-WAN managed services, and how Versa's telco customers are innovating.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Openreach slammed by UK MPs; BT disagrees; low device sales hit Telenor's Q2 revenue.

Norwegian operator decides not to participate in India's latest spectrum auction, raising questions about its long-term commitment to the market.

Swedish vendor renews efforts to improve margins as market and macro-economic conditions weigh heavily on second-quarter sales.

SK Telecom will build on its pioneering tests with a new 5G pilot this year and pre-commercial deployment in 2017.

Vodafone has conducted a 5G field test in the UK that achieved data rates of more than 20 Gbit/s and provided downstream connectivity at 10 Gbit/s for multiple users.

NSF will lead $400M R&D program for 5G in the US over the next seven years.

Higher-than-expected customer churn caught Netflix flat-footed in Q2.

CenturyLink's managed WiFi allows enterprises, such as retailers and resorts, to track guest WiFi usage in order to help them better communicate with customers.

The cloud and cognitive computing business is up for IBM, but traditional IT continues its downward spiral, according to quarterly earnings reported Monday.

Communications service providers not only face an increasing number of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks -- they're also under threat from the web giants in the DDoS protection services market.

The company sees strong growth as it transitions from traditional server virtualization to SDN, storage networking and cloud.

Next up for Shaw customers: X1 set-tops to support the Comcast X1 video platform.

As online video keeps pouring over both fixed and wireless networks, both content and service providers must adapt by adjusting their operations and business strategies.

Fixed wireless access is back in fashion as a fast and efficient way to hook up customers in hard-to-reach places.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: full Opera sale falls through; Huawei does German deal; UK government's Mr Broadband moved on.

Japanese company makes bet on ARM's ability to corner the market for IoT.

AT&T is offering a virtual network functions using its international cloud platform; but while the service might be cutting edge, the business model wears an old school badge.

The latest Future of Virtualization Index data suggests opex savings from NFV are not materializing as expected – but it doesn't have to be that way, according to Leo Zancani.

One of AT&T's highest-ranking female executives with P&L responsibility explains why it's important to embrace change in your career path and find a mentor early on.

Singapore is making preparations for the entry of a fourth operator in a bid to spark investment and innovation.

But will bidders hit the $86B target the broadcasters want?

Roman Pacewicz, Senior Vice President, Offer Management & Service Integration, AT&T Business Solutions, discusses the operator's launch of its Network Functions on Demand service.

Debut of Advanced Wireless Industry Consortium with major government and industry support follows release of new spectrum for 5G networks.

Futuristic technology was on display at the Cisco Live conference. And service providers have to provide the bandwidth to make it go.

Built on Hadoop architecture driving big data analysis, platform pulls data from every router, switch and server in AT&T's network.

Yet to satisfactorily answer its critics, the French IoT player is at risk of being marginalized in the LPWA market.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ronan Dunne to leave O2 at end of month; KPN tests vectoring; Finland's Elisa edges up in second quarter.

This week in our WiC roundup: Top women in telecom are celebrated; Orthodox women take over the tech scene in Israel; reality stars rule the iTunes app store; and more.

Deutsche Telekom is taking a collaborative approach to the development of NB-IoT applications, explains Dr. Alexander Lautz.

AWS is the leading cloud service, but latency on AWS connections is consistently higher compared to its top rivals. So for some applications, working with Azure or Softlayer might be preferable.

Infineon builds on its purchase last year of International Rectifier with the acquisition of Cree's Wolfspeed division, which also specializes in compound semiconductors.

FCC has unanimously voted to open up four bands of high-band spectrum for 5G use.

Software-controlled switch is deployed as single infrastructure inside the data center and over dark fiber connections to carrier hotels.

CDMA technology, which broke new ground in India, seems unlikely to be around much longer.

Light Reading's Steve Saunders sits down with Dr. Wen Tong, Wireless CTO at Huawei, to hear his views on the state of the 5G project – and what may lie beyond...

New Comcast mobile business unit formalizes the cableco's wireless ambitions.

Upskill U and Cisco's Rajeev Raman, senior director for Infinite Video, will examine the benefits of utilizing virtualization for video delivery.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: MTS deploys Nokia carrier aggregation tech in Russia; IoT spending on the rise; delay on Apple tax probe decision.

Speculation and insider chat gives the network operator's stock a boost.

New software platform could create a visual inventory of assets for smart city development across the nation.

After seven months of near silence, Cisco and Ericsson executives shared details on their extensive partnership.

There's more bandwidth demand but not more money to go with it, says the new head of Cisco's service provider business.

Pokemon Go has taken the US by storm in a week, but it will look quaint in a few years' time as virtual reality games and apps arrive on 5G.

The 5G spectrum vote: what it means and why it matters.

The notion of 5G most commonly conjures up a vision of incredibly high-speed wireless/mobile broadband connectivity, but right now it's fixed line broadband that is key to operators' 5G plans.

'Ditch the Box' could end up being just as complicated as 'Unlock the Box.'

When it comes to holistic management efforts for software-centric networks, AT&T's ECOMP has strongest track record, execs say.

Facebook, Amazon and Google mostly don't buy branded technology for their networks – they build their own. That's a threat to Cisco – is it up to the challenge?

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Google given more time for Android antitrust case response; Ericsson forges China alliance; Ekinops wins at Orange.

US Internet giant launches international service for US Project Fi customers in partnership with Hong Kong's Hutchison.

Mentors have made a difference in Joyce Mullen's career, which is why she's brought mentorship and sponsorship programs to Dell.

Jason Thibeault, executive director of the Streaming Video Alliance, tackles CEM strategies for video delivery at Upskill U.

It wasn't much of a contest really!

After seven mostly quiet months, Cisco and Ericsson discussed details of their partnership this week, while Cisco also took Ericsson around to meet enterprise customers.

AT&T hopes to be one of the first in the world with a Cat-M1 test of LTE for IoT in San Francisco this November.

The university-based lab is offering its existing installation of switches and controllers to anyone interested in testing for performance and interoperability, especially use cases, including SDN-WAN, IoT and NFV.

Virtualization is continuing to grow extraordinarily, and vendors are finding that hypervisors have a chance to shine, offering consolidation, safety and security.

Sign-ups begin in Charlotte, but Google Fiber is more than a year behind AT&T with gigabit service.

Acquisition of cable industry OSS/BSS specialist will provide much-needed project delivery capabilities, according to NetCracker.

French IoT startup has been focused on the rollout of LoRa but says it will soon introduce products supporting 3GPP technologies.

There are great expectations for a new payout in live video.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Microsoft confirms closure of handsets plant in Finland; Com Hem profits rise in Q2; Virgin to buy Irish broadcaster.

Businesses that now sell products will primarily provide services for recurring revenue – a transition now underway at Cisco itself.

Light Reading's Founder and CEO Steve Saunders sits down with CenturyLink's Non-Executive Chairman Bill Owens for a candid exchange of views about the current and future state of telecom, career choices and international waters.

Cisco publicly opposed Brexit, but the vendor isn't taking its toys and going home, even though it didn't get its way.

GE is bringing Predix customers to Microsoft's Azure cloud, a combination that the pair says will enable easier development of cloud-based IIoT apps and services.

Cisco is working to meet the challenging transition from rigid, hardware-based networks to flexible cloud nets based on software and programmable APIs.

Service providers are making some progress toward virtualizing networks and services -- but (surprise, surprise) the rate of progress isn't as fast as they expected.

Test and monitoring platform extended to offer IP Address Resolution in response to new UK rules and in advance of expected requirements elsewhere.

Spanish operator takes steps to reduce debt mountain following collapse of deal to sell the UK's O2 to Hutchison Whampoa.

What exactly does an optional equity stake in Arris buy for Comcast?

The TIA made a noise about launching an NFV test lab by early 2016 but that plan has died on its feet, according to industry sources.

Working with Cisco, Ericsson, Intel, LG, Nokia and Samsung, Verizon has defined a 5G radio interface ahead of its fixed broadband pilot in 2017.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Etisalat gives VoLTE a try; Sigfox rolls into Singapore; public service broadcasting holds steady.

Japanese mobile messaging specialist is set for an IPO in New York and Tokyo that will raise up to $1.3 billion.

Jayshree Ullal discusses the people and guiding principles that have shaped her three-decades-long impressive career in Silicon Valley's tech world.

The enterprise arm of the French telecom incumbent is investing in new threat-detection facilities and an intelligence database as cybersecurity concerns mount.

Mitel had a deal to acquire Polycom for $1.96 billion, but Siris Capital made a better offer.

Wisconsin's Broadband Forward! program leaves much to be desired.

If you want to be in the content delivery business, you'd better know how to handle video delivery.

Security specialist says takeover will help it provide more advanced services in its core business and address new opportunities in IoT.

This week in our WiC roundup: gender-based interview face-offs; Facebook embarrasses and Google underperforms; find your niche to gain career success; and more.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom tests LTE-V; Amazon commits to UK data centers, despite Brexit; soccer's cybersecurity own goal.

Not everything belongs in the cloud.

German incumbent reveals identity of Europe chief who will assume some of the responsibilities currently held by Claudia Nemat.

A new strategic investment in Unite Private Networks will give Cox major fiber assets outside its cable footprint.

Heavy Reading survey shows almost all CSPs are virtualizing some network functions, but plans and schedules at this point vary widely.

European operators have reportedly ganged up to demand less intrusive regulations in the 5G era. Officials should take them seriously.

Mimosa moves into fixed-wireless broadband with 5GHz system delivering 300 Mbit/s or more.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: MEPs approve cybersecurity proposals; trade bodies join forces on connected cars; Vodafone offers rural connectivity hubs in UK.

While the number of 400G products is still small, critical mass has been achieved; there is enough commercially available for companies to start developing and deploying initial systems, Heavy Reading reports.

Rich Heley will join a team working on hardware innovation.

The new version of the open source container orchestration software supports deploying services across multiple cloud platforms, improved scaling and automation.

Watch out Nokia, Ericsson and more! Facebook wants to bring cellular infrastructure costs down to get underserved communities connected. Oh, and maybe grow its ad revenues!

Industry veteran is being replaced by three executives after leading the effort to build a national fiber-optic network.

Heavy Reading's Future of Virtualization report shows most CSPs don't expect opex savings until after 2020, which could impact investment.

Twistlock is pitching itself as the number-one option for enterprises looking to make their containers secure.

Who boasts the largest number of cable WiFi hotspots? Bet you can guess.

NFV and mobile edge computing are exciting industry developments but they require hardware evolution just as much as software evolution, argues Chloe Jian Ma.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: CityFibre seeks level playing field; Openreach trials new ducts-and-poles processes; Digital Realty completes on Equinix data centers acquisition.

Flex's Caroline Dowling shares how the fourth industrial revolution can improve the lives of women, which -- in turn -- improves the world for everyone.

Italy's biggest phone operator has tumbled in morning trading following news of a potential challenge from French upstart Iliad.

Samsung is shrinking down 28GHz '5G-Ready' components for smaller user devices and small cells.

Netflix will join Comcast's X1 platform.

The French service provider will launch on-demand network offerings later this year and is urging vendors to shape up.

Post-holiday boom for 4K TV adoption could happen as early as this year.

As CSPs offer faster wireline and wireless services, they must focus more on monitoring and assuring the customer's quality of experience.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: upping the uplink ante in Ireland; Milton Keynes gets the gigabit treatment; Iliad's Italian job.

Small Cell Forum's Sue Monahan explains how the enterprise and urban markets are particularly powering small cell growth now.

Steve Saunders speaks with Ron Haberman, Nokia's Vice President and GM for CloudBand, Applications and Analytics. In this interview, they discuss the state of NFV interoperability, the importance of open source and service providers' progress towards a DevOps model.

MyRepublic has taken advantage of new digital technologies to improve its back-office systems – and the effort is paying off.

Indian authorities have once again angered service providers with their pricing of spectrum during an upcoming auction.

Australian incumbent has acquired application, cloud and software development specialist Readify to further bolster its digital transformation capabilities.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Dutch claim world's first nationwide LoRa network; Telecom Italia adds a touch of CloudRAN in Sicily; better connectivity for sub-Saharan Africa.

A sweep of the show floor at Mobile World Congress Shanghai made it quite clear which technologies are at the top of the agenda for operators in the world's largest single market.

Open source developments, such as the OPEN-Orchestrator (OPEN-O) Project that is developing software for service orchestration over NFV, SDN and legacy network infrastructure, can play a key role in the evolution of telco strategies, says Marc Cohn of the Linux Foundation.

Pinder Chauhan, a CommScope director, offers DAS training free for women to encourage them to continue advancing their knowledge, and in turn, their careers.

Averna has purchased Nexjen Systems from Jenkins Electric, a regional supplier of industrial systems and services based in Charlotte, NC.

Santa Cruz lit up gigabit wireless service this week with help from Cruzio and Siklu.

As the cable industry is steadily deploying WiFi hotspots and homespots, it is beginning to explore other opportunities that wireless usage can offer.

Ericsson's CEO is under growing pressure, according to Light Reading sources.

The German operator is preparing to sell domestic towers to raise funds for investment elsewhere.

Buying an equipment vendor wasn't practical in the hardware era but adding a vendor's software expertise makes total sense today.

Disney wants a piece of Major League Baseball's streaming media magic.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Italy's national broadband plan gets EU approval; DE-CIX chooses Interoute in Spain; fiber expansion in South Africa.

Upskill U and Cisco explore OpenStack solutions for video delivery at 1PM ET on 7/1.

This week in our WiC roundup: tech companies lobby for diversity; Clinton crusades for techies; #nowomanever makes waves; and more.

Rogers' Upinder Saini explains how millennial viewers favor mobile devices over big TVs and non-conventional TV content over broadcast and cable networks.

Deutsche Telekom's Claudia Nemat will relinquish responsibilities for European sales and marketing to focus on technology and innovation.