Google acquires the RCS company to accelerate deployment of the IMS-based standard on Android devices with wireless operators across the globe.

The company has conscripted several key partners in the embedded systems market, including TI, Intel and Freescale.

Now that cable operators have invested heavily in WiFi, the big question is how they can optimize and monetize their wireless networks most effectively.

Shine, the startup that wants to block mobile ads to force companies to pay the wireless operators for use of their network, has its first announced customer.

The new TiVo Bolt makes commercial skipping sexy again.

Follows NFV vendor partnerships with a new version of its OpenStack distro, aimed at resilience at scale.

The UK's mobile giant has unveiled plans for a pilot of 1Gbit/s 4G services but says it is not looking to compete against fixed-line broadband players.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: du reaches 400G with Huawei; French rivals get 700MHz bids in; harvesting ambient energy.

The comms industry is rallying to the cause of open, independent interoperability testing.

Beer, broadband and supersized snacks: Photos from Light Reading's first Gigabit Europe event and Oktoberfest

The comms industry is rallying to the cause of open, independent interoperability testing.

Huawei reveals the 6P, a new Google Nexus flagship smartphone, as the search giant unveils two new phones, a tablet and new Chromecast dongles.

Innovation? Yeah, yeah, okay. Look, can you just help me get to 100G? Cheap?

Comcast launches its online, ad-supported video service, Watchable.

Light Reading's Ray Le Maistre and Iain Morris sup a beer and discuss some of the key takeaways from the first day of Gigabit Europe 2015.

AT&T has invested more in the US than any other firm in the past four years, but is its capex shrinking? Yes, no, maybe, for many reasons.

The UK's fixed-line incumbent has lauded the early results of G.fast trials in the UK and believes the technology's potential is growing.

At the Gigabit Europe 2015 event in Munich, Heavy Reading's Graham Finnie talks about the availability of gigabit broadband in Europe.

The cable industry is moving closer to a time when power delivery in the network will be matched up with power demand.

CityFibre strategy chief Mark Collins says the UK risks being left behind in the gigabit stakes without more infrastructure-based competition.

Data analytics and revenue assurance are growing in strategic importance for the cable industry.

Also on today's EMEA regional roundup: investors eye Orange's Kenyan real estate; Tele2 takes its partners for the IoT; UK promises tax concession for tech startups.

Carrier looks to network virtualization to fuel expansion of a mobile offering that allows customers to access GSM services over WiFi.

Telenor's Indian subsidiary has taken its parent company's branding and is examining ways of expanding its presence in the country's mobile market.

Australia's NBN is not built yet but it is already reshaping the country's telecom market.

As previously hinted at, Sprint has confirmed it plans to sit the FCC's 600MHz auction, noting that it already has enough spectrum on hand.

YouTube has told content partners that it's getting ready to launch an ad-free version of its service.

Reed Hastings knows sports is moving online, so why not bring it to Netflix?

Qualcomm, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and others join forces to stop the threat of FCC regulation around LTE-U as commercial deployments draw closer.

The papal visit to the US elevated network usage way above normal levels for AT&T and Verizon, and blasted through terabytes of mobile data.

Brooks McCorcle, the president of AT&T's partner solutions divisions and a mathematician by trade, shares stats on AT&T's diversity and advice on how to create your own band of women at work.

Talk not about technology, but about what technology can do for you if you want to get more women interested in comms, Nokia's head of partner marketing says.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telefónica strikes data center deal with China Unicom; CityFibre turnover up 115%; DT's full-duplex 5G trial.

The failure of discussions about an exchange of assets leaves both service providers in dire need of alternatives.

A contest between Chattanooga and Kansas City shows what moviemakers can accomplish with a gigabit network.

Level 3 says NFV-based security offerings are firmly on its roadmap but admits there are still security concerns about SDN and NFV technologies.

The social networking giant is looking to become a connectivity player.

Facebook software engineer Paul Saab revealed that IPv6 now accounts for almost 50% of Facebook's 4G smartphone traffic in the US – and that's just the start of it.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Orange to play a key role in 'Smartseille'; OBS connects shipping crews; Huawei wins big in France.

The company announced a major restructuring that will include layoffs and a refocusing on the automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) markets.

Technology industry veteran Martin Lund joins Metaswitch Networks this week as the company's new CEO. In this interview, Lund discusses his new role and the industry's progress with Light Reading CEO Steve Saunders. Lund believes that the industry disruption caused by SDN and NFV is creating opportunities for companies like Metaswitch – network software providers with the agility to embrace new technologies quickly and the ability to deliver on substantial projects for global network operators.

So North America is out of IPv4 addresses – that's incredibly anti-climactic. Unless it isn't, in which case you're in trouble.

Comcast may be new to the commercial CDN game, but it brings some unique elements to the market.

UK mobile operators lash out after Ofcom decides to more than treble the fees they pay to use 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum.

Tech companies are admitting they have a gender problem that they say they want to fix, but more needs to be done – and faster. No more excuses.

The unexpected popularity of 1Gbit/s broadband from Google and the biggest telcos is making cable operators keen to get D3.1 deployed so they can compete with their own gigabit services.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Level 3 SOCs it to London; Interoute expands in Amsterdam; Virtual CPE in Norway.

Transit Wireless is expecting heavy use of its subway network Friday, and is now handling its own WiFi business!

Market research suggests WiFi neglect is coming at a huge cost to operators in the world's biggest financial centers.

Addressing fears that high fees could slow deployment of Ultra HD video, HEVC Advance has agreed to adjust its rate structure for licensing of patented HEVC technologies.

SpiderCloud might try for an IPO in 2016. And there may be potential for a buyout too.

New Verizon Private Network Management Service for 4G LTE access guarantees how mission-critical apps will work in congestion.

Gigabit broadband services do exist in Europe, but it's a fragmented market currently, according to Heavy Reading analyst Graham Finnie.

Simple.TV's new ShowDrive brings advanced features to legacy broadcast TV, virtually subscription-free.

The long-range goal of service providers is to deliver app-specific network performance and that is showing up in technical developments today.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: data privacy developments; FreedomPop launches in UK; AlcaLu goes into Channel Tunnel.

Ciena and ADVA separately show off the ability for their new data center interconnect gear to address a variety of distance needs.

India's telecom manufacturing sector is currently witnessing an improvement in its fortunes.

Hey there, Philly, NYC & D.C. Guess what? The popemobile could crash your mobile phone service during Francis's visit to the US.

As Masergy discovered, even working aggressively to make the business case for NFV in virtual CPE doesn't mean it's the answer everywhere.

If you think there are too few women in comms, you should see the healthcare industry. Nancy Green, Verizon's healthcare global lead, shares ideas on what we can do about it.

The Broadband Opportunity Council has published its recommendations for future broadband development, and the report is big on creating a network effect with broadband successes.

UK's fixed-line incumbent is working to meet some bold new targets, provided regulatory authorities do not carve it up.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: France makes life awkward for Google; Deezer plans IPO; AlcaLu supplies Sicilian connectivity.

The world's biggest 4G operator shows no sign of slowing down just yet.

ActiveVideo's CMO, Murali Nemani, discusses how virtualized CPE functions can deliver applications from the cloud to various devices at home.

The co-founder and managing director of UK ISP Hyperoptic shares her thoughts on everything from 'fibrehoods' to advice for the sisterhood of women in comms.

German incumbent promises to announce details of a major telco partnership in the smart homes market this year.

The introduction of IoT applications is supposed to make life easier for homo sapiens. But things are off to a bad start, according to Accedian's Scott Sumner.

Steve Saunders caught up with XO Communications' Chris Ancell and heard his views on open standards, cloud, security, and more.

LG Uplus signs development deal with Ericsson to work on IoT, 5G and more.

If apps are the future of TV, Apple may have some trouble when it pits itself against cable, telco and satellite TV providers.

analytics to track resources and more when virtualizing home, business and core networks.

Gigabit broadband service provider has started operations in the Scottish city of Glasgow as it expands its fiber rollout and adopts a 'property company' mindset.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: O2 UK heading for IPO; BT puts faith in UK contact centers; DT targets aviation.

LTE group moves towards a low-power 4G specification for the Internet of Things.

The combination could be the recipe for a successful run at the IoT chip market.

A new study finds that EPB's gigabit network has generated very positive financial returns.

Yahoo is floating the idea of launching a media streaming device to compete with the likes of Apple, Amazon, Roku and Google.

The telecom industry needs to agree on an approach to pulling together all the open source pieces or face crippling delays.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts sees wireless in cable's future and only gradual change in TV bundles.

As it turns out, talking 'telco' is a pretty divisive topic.

Patrick Drahi's strategy of debt-fueled growth might receive a boost from investment in New IP technologies.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson takes WiFi calling to tablets and laptops; BBC to launch new OTT service in US; Tele2 appoints interim CFO.

The LPWAN space for IoT is exciting, but there are too many competing technologies leading to choice overload and confusion.

A new move by India's government allowing operators to trade their spectrum licenses will be welcomed by the industry.

The Reference Design Kit for Broadband (RDK-B) will have a big impact on future cable gateway devices, and development is already well underway.

How can network operators get a return in investment from gigabit broadband access network rollouts? Island state network operator JT has some answers.

Jobs requiring tech skills are increasingly rapidly but women's involvement in tech training is shrinking, contributing to key skills shortage.

Patrick Drahi's moves for Suddenlink and Cablevision will make Altice the fourth-biggest cable operator in the US.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Turkcell poised to fill TeliaSonera vacuum; telecom cozies up to carmakers; Ericsson widens 5G research.

Top female leaders from Intel, AT&T, Verizon and GenBand share their experiences, perspectives and advice for women in the industry, who convened in Dallas this week.

Rob Lloyd is heading up Hyperloop Technologies, which is looking to build a high-speed transport system in tubes.

Swedish operator's decision will leave it with just a third of the mobile customers it serves today but allow it to focus resources on Europe and invest in new business areas.

Enterprises are looking to service providers to carry the burden of IT that's increasingly becoming viewed as commodity – and that creates business opportunities for SPs.

Industry needs to embrace new network monitoring methods that are based on keeping applications performing as they should, says Verizon's Shawn Hakl.

Reports suggest French communications giant Altice may buy Cablevision in the US, after announcing its intent to acquire Suddenlink in the spring.

In a rare and exclusive interview, Eric Xu, Deputy Chairman and Rotating CEO of Huawei Technologies, talked to Light Reading CEO and founder Steve Saunders about convergence, virtualization, industry politics, doing business in the US and economic success.

Comcast is pitting itself against incumbent telcos and likely fellow cable operators with new Enterprise Services division targeting the Fortune 1000.

Light Reading's Steve Saunders and Ray Le Maistre discuss some of the hot talking points from day 2 of the Global Services Forum in Zurich, where discussions have ranged from ICT transformation to the global impact of next-gen communications.

A major 3GPP RAN workshop in Phoenix on Thursday should reveal much about what lies ahead for the 5G development process.

New Jersey Fiber Exchange opens meet-me-room in Tata Communications's New Jersey subsea cable landing point.

Take a photographic peek at a recent National Press Club event featuring NASA astronauts – including twin brothers Captains Scott and Mark Kelly – and stunning Ultra HD footage from space.

UK mobile operator says it is due to make announcement on VoLTE launch just a day after rival 3 launches its own commercial service.

There have been many great insights into the way telecom operators are revamping their networks, systems, skills, processes and cultures during this year's Global Services Forum in Zurich, Switzerland.

Also in today's EMEA regionl roundup: Liberty makes concessions on BASE deal, plays tennis with Vodafone; 1-Gig broadband in Ireland.

Telefónica has made sure its ICT transformation process has been planned and executed with customers in mind.

The IT giant is to cut a tenth of jobs at its newly formed Hewlett Packard Enterprise business as it looks to rein in costs.

Vodafone Australia is in hot water following revelations it hacked the phone records of a journalist who exposed security flaws in its systems.

Hibernia Networks says Hibernia Express, the first new transatlantic subsea cable in more than 12 years, is ready for business.

The White House is committing more than $160 million to smart city development, including an effort to create a "smart city app store."

Service providers' hesitation over deploying virtualization in the data center could cost them big in the long run, predicts Ulf Ewaldsson.

5G stakeholders say the slow progress on spectrum allocation is preventing them from committing resources to mmWave research.

Light Reading's Steve Saunders talks to Paul Hutchinson, the CEO and founder of Hutchinson Networks, about enterprise networking, the white box revolution and virtualization.

Telco transformation programs are about a lot more than networks and ICT – there's a lot of focus on process changes and adopting a new culture, say executives at the Global Services Forum in Zurich.

Introduced version 2 of open source SDN controller, based on the OpenDaylight Lithium release along with two new management apps.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: 3 claims VoLTE first in UK; Sky completes German acquisition; EE admits it must do better on broadband.

What are the hot topics of debate on the first morning of the Global Services Forum 2015? Light Reading's Steve Saunders and Ray Le Maistre discuss.

The Snapdragon 820 processor’s upgraded X12 LTE modem packs in the fastest LTE and WiFi speeds yet and includes support for LTE-U.

Harmonic is powering a new Ultra HD channel for NASA that will launch on November 1.

The DVR maker could introduce a UHD-compatible product by the end of October.

The FCC has started the informal 180-day shot clock for review of Charter's proposed acquisitions of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.

F5 and Citrix aren't keeping up with the times, says Amit Pandey, who takes the helm at the virtual ADC startup.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Nokia sets itself 5G deadline; NokAlu gets CFIUS approval; DT hits the digital silk road.

It's a D round of funding for the switch hardware and software supplier.

Aileen Hurley Smith, head of ecosystem development for Huawei Service Provider Operations Lab, offers advice for women in the comms industry.

In this interview, Steve Saunders speaks with Gary Messiana, CEO of Nominum, a company founded by the inventor of the Domain Name System (DNS). Messiana discusses how digging deeper into the DNS query stream from a household can yield valuable subscriber data.

A merger between Germany's third- and fourth-biggest cable operators will put pressure on the country's other broadband players.

Arris says plans to charge royalties for use of HEVC technology will be fiercely opposed.

Two service providers are duking it out to deliver gigabit service in Starkville, Tennessee.

Intel & friends battle Huawei and its supporters for the future of cellular IoT applications.

It's day two of IBC 2015 and those product announcements just keep on comin'...

Carrier is working with Numerex on an IoT upgrade program that will price 4G network access fees at lower rates than the cost to ride 2G.

Broadcom has introduced three new chips supporting DOCSIS 3.1 in CCAP network devices.

Telecom Italia's Gabriela Styf Sjöman, VP of Engineering & Telecom Italia Group Labs, talks about the need for internal disruption and innovation at telcos, OSS transformation, service quality perception and more!

Telefónica is enjoying great early results with its new cloud DVR service, helping it vault into the pay-TV market leadership in Spain.

The Austrian telecom incumbent is expanding its DTH offering in partnership with Eutelsat.

Finisar's share price plummets and CEO Eitan Gertel quits as the optical components specialist fails to meet revenue and earnings estimates for fiscal Q1.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Colt opts for leadership change; Danish merger is toast; Vodafone launches WiFi calling in UK.

Group plans to show off a logo and standardized products at next year's CES.

As the IP video market heats up, big-name companies are using IBC as a launching ground for new media platforms and services.

The threat posed by OTT players has emerged as a key theme at this year's show, but the outlook is far from certain.

John Stephens lists a number of reasons why Apple's new iPhone Upgrade program isn't a big deal, but he also has reason to worry it will be.

Telecom Italia's Gabriela Styf Sjöman, VP of Engineering & Telecom Italia Group Labs, talks about the need for internal disruption and innovation at telcos, OSS transformation, service quality perception and more!

The Swedish vendor is adding to its TV capabilities and making good progress with TV customers.

Broadcasters have been squaring up against their OTT rivals at the IBC show in Amsterdam.

NBC Universal is bringing in $500 million in revenue for Comcast this year from content licensing agreements.

Verizon is getting with the self-optimizing program with a little help from Cisco and Ericsson.

There were four key takeaways from Huawei's Ultra-Broadband Forum in Madrid this week and they all begin with the letter 's'.

Series A round to drives vision of OpenFlow computing with carrier-grade performance.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson buys Envivio for $125 million; CityFibre chooses Accedian; Telefónica does healthcare deal.

IBC, the show focused on media creation management and delivery in all its many and varied forms, has kicked off in Amsterdam, and here's our pick of the latest company annoucements. We'll add to the list as more come in...

UK's biggest mobile operator has been testing a video compression technology that would allow it to provide high-quality video services on its 4G network.

'Nobody is allowed onstage without saying that they are excited.'

Apple takes a lead from the carriers and offers its own installment billing plan for the new devices, which also feature 3D touch and an improved camera.

The biggest Apple TV news isn't the new set-top and remote control, but Apple's new TV operating system, tvOS.

AT&T, Verizon, NTT, Telefónica, CableLabs, Cox and Masergy are all bringing a real-world view of their NFV deployments to date to Dallas next week.

Enterprise cloud services and 4K/8K video can define the business case for investing in next-gen fixed broadband networks, says Huawei's current CEO Eric Xu.

Get ready for some unwelcome internecine struggles that could set back telco cloud developments...

Steve Saunders met up with Adtran's Tom Stanton and chewed the fat about monetizing NFV, reorganizing the company, doing the right thing and much, much more.

Comcast is hooking kids on cable with Xfinity on Campus, now headed to 27 colleges and universities.

Designed to make it easy for enterprises to set up direct connections to cloud providers.

Google is looking to speed delivery of rich media payloads to end-user devices.

The company formerly known as On-Ramp is building a dedicated IoT network based on RPMA technology in the US to compete against SigFox and operators.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Nokia launches 1Gbit/s small cell; Rostelecom bags Chinese financing; Virgin connects Manchester's tech hub.

After divesting its BSS business and acquiring Acision, Comverse is renaming itself Xura and renewing its push to be a leading digital services provider.

A JDSU shareholder who once wanted JDSU to sell now wants JDSU spinoff Viavi to do the same.

The German software giant says its HANA platform is creating new revenue-generating opportunities for operator customers.

Verizon is sending out invitations for the private beta of its new mobile-first video service Go90, beginning today.

A startup chock-full of 'Google DNA' wants to bring web-scale and enterprise WiFi deployment concepts to cellular networks.

Acquisition will bring together Airvana small cells with CommScope DAS, creating a company that covers all the connectivity bases indoors.

The takeover will bring Interoute much closer to its goal of generating €1 billion in annual revenues.

Carrier says it feels a 'tremendous sense of urgency to push forward on 5G' and is planning to field test the technology with partners next year.

New demo Ultra HD channel from Harmonic and Intelsat will give pay-TV operators in North America a chance to test 4K TV delivery over their own distribution systems.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telecom Italia agrees redundancies program with labor unions; CityFibre's Edinburgh project extended; Ericsson bags Dutch OTT deal.

At the UBB Forum in Madrid, Light Reading's Steve Saunders and Ray Le Maistre discuss some of the potential ways network operators can drive revenues from fast fixed-broadband services.

Using SDN, the pair offer an app-driven network service with tailored network connections that change as needed.

India's biggest players have raised prices for their postpaid data plans just months after making a similar move in the prepaid segment.

Three of the UK's four mobile network operators look at risk of missing September deadlines for the launch of VoLTE.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Middle Eastern operators missing out on mast-sharing; Sky signs Irish content deal; Ireland in trouble over Apple tax arrangements.

BlackBerry's takeover of Good Technology will strengthen its software business but not halt its decline.

Sprint's Chicago boss shares her thoughts on creating a culture of inclusion and both fitting in and standing out as a woman in comms.

Suddenlink has launched gigabit service for seven new towns in Texas, but AT&T has cranked up the gigabit heat in the Lone Star State too.

Germany's biggest operator says customers are flocking to its new quad-play packages, but is the converged-services strategy a safe long-term bet?

The pay-TV bundle isn't really heading into a death spiral. Nor should it be.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: superfast flies in France; BT to update on G.fast trials; we need to talk about TalkTalk.

India's mobile operators are expanding into the banking business as they look to reduce churn and offset the decline in traditional areas.

Amazon is acquiring video processing company Elemental Technologies and will fold it into Amazon Web Services.

This week's OTT news says a lot about the future of TV.

Carrier has added video calling to its RCS suite, including LTE to WiFi handoff, on compatible handsets.

Singapore's M1 and Hong Kong's HKT have embarked on major broadband deployments using the XG-PON standard.

Ciena surprised the sector with fiscal third-quarter revenue that fell well short of estimates, blaming "short term" customer issues.

Salisbury, North Carolina is the first city in the US to debut broadband service with speeds up to 10 Gbit/s.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Free 1, Orange 0; Net Insight buys ScheduALL; du goes gigabit for gaming.

The video software company flags new OTT business and says interest in its latest product offerings is steadily increasing.

AWS looks set to ramp up its cloud services strategy in Africa and it's not alone.

Mosaik's latest US maps paint a picture of where wireless operators have strong low-band spectrum footprints and where there's still a long way to go.

Combined with Splunk's analytics took, the app makes it easier for enterprises to implement Verizon's known threat prevention intelligence.

As the GSMA promotes low-power wide-area (LPWA) technology as essential for the Internet of Things, could narrowband cellular IoT become the clean-slate solution of choice?

Nokia pulls together a framework for a programmable 5G architecture with network slicing as the key element to make 5G more than just another network.

Comcast is testing an Unlimited Data Option that lets users avoid overage fees for an extra $30 per month.

Sandra Rivera, VP and GM of Intel's Network Platforms Group, discusses why diversity is good for business and how Intel is tackling the multi-level problem of gender imbalance in the communications industry.

Sandra Rivera, VP and GM of Intel's Network Platforms Group, discusses why diversity is good for business and how Intel is tackling the multi-level problem of gender imbalance in the communications industry.

Can network appliances be virtualized and still provide high performance at high speeds?

Thanks to government support and operator investments, India could emerge as a hotbed of IoT innovation.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Nokia's new 5G architecture; carrier billing in South Africa; Sigfox seeks more investment.

Hong Kong's smallest mobile network operator expects service revenues to continue improving, but is less optimistic about device sales.

An open source platform for DIY SDN.

Nominum CEO Gary Messiana talks about the challenges service providers face in competing for a much more sophisticated customer, a customer that has heightened expectations for more personalized and compelling digital experiences. Providers are focusing their efforts on delivering higher value subscriber services, retaining their existing customers and increasing revenue and market share.

Betting on the success of a new open-standards platform and touting its IoT credentials.

Financial markets are plunging, but the news for Ciena is looking pretty positive.

The Alliance for Open Media teams Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Mozilla and Netflix to develop a next-gen, royalty-free video codec.

Pair are working together to optimize iOS devices in the enterprise, including plans for a Fast Lane to give bandwidth priority to important enterprise apps.

The new Cedexis Radar Live service provides an unprecedented look at real-time Internet performance.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Ericsson's silicon photonics breakthrough; Cameroon-Nigeria subsea link completed; eircom's profits up 3%.

Michel Combes has been confirmed as the new chief operating officer of Altice, where he already looks under pressure to boost efficiency.

It's possible as infrastructure convergence facilitates further services convergence.