The test process and integration efforts associated with Open RAN deployments are overwhelming, so the industry needs to engage in collaborative, joint test schemes that cut out duplicated effort, says Orange exec. The good news is, China Mobile's on the case...

The analysts at Wall Street research firm Jefferies predict that Apple will sell 208 million 5G iPhones during fiscal 2021, not the 190 million that others have predicted.

The German operator must be careful to avoid making a mess as it builds a 5G core network based heavily on microservices and open source technology.

Vendor to demo its latest next-gen cable network and DOCSIS wares, including a new distributed access architecture aggregator, at next week's Cable-Tec Expo in New Orleans.

As the editors recap Light Reading's event series on network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN), technologies like 5G and edge computing arrive just in time to hurry the industry along its path to more modern networks and add plenty of drama.

Service providers forced or keen to replace Huawei in their 5G networks might now have several options for reducing the cost.

TiVo counters expiration of two patents have 'no impact' on the company's licensing deals and reinstatement of feature is 'implicit admission' of value of TiVo's tech.

Aryaka launches SD-WAN service over the public Internet for cases where 'best effort' is good enough for enterprise connectivity, complementing its existing global, private network that offers guaranteed SLAs.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Cellcom Israel plans job cuts; Orange builds cloud for Chinese consumer goods company; CityFibre on target in Stirling.

The Spanish operator's top technology executive says the operator will definitely not be using a single vendor in its 5G core.

Paul Myles, editor of TU-Automotive, joins the pod this week to talk connected cars, edge computing and de-Googled Huawei smartphones.

Massachusetts municipal cable operator Beld Internet said 'out-of-control' programming costs left it no choice but to dump its pay-TV service and direct broadband subs to OTT options.

The Chinese operator's strategy is based on a combination of several state-of-the-art technologies.

Airtel will follow rival Reliance Jio into the NB-IoT game.

Light Reading editors Mitch Wagner, Kelsey Ziser and Phil Harvey gathered to empty their notebooks and recap the NV & SDN event at the Dallas Marriott Las Colinas.

Starting in its West division, Comcast has raised the downstream speeds on tiers that 85% of its customers in the region subscribe to.

AT&T and Best Buy will sell Samsung's first folding phone, so why is T-Mobile not following them into the Galaxy Fold fold?

In an industry first, Light Reading will stage two breakfast forums on hot tech topics at next week's Cable-Tec Expo in New Orleans, the first on cable network virtualization and the second on cable's role in 5G.

As operational models evolve, telcos are turning to public cloud platforms to host their OSS and BSS systems, but there are still hurdles to overcome.

Under fire from US broadcasters, Locast is appealing for funds to help it mount a legal defense, a move that was attempted eight years ago by Ivi Inc., an OTT-TV company that was sued out of existence.

Regional carrier C-Spire updates 1,200-plus basestations in its network, ready for 5G and more.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telefonica forms content joint venture with Atresmedia; Nokia is on an emissions mission; Netflix isn't in pole position in Poland.

Operators continue to test their initial 5G networks, and are finding a number of surprises that could hasten changes like a move from non-standalone 5G to standalone 5G.

At the Edge Computing Congress in London, Alex Reznik, chair of the ETSI Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) Industry Specification Group (ISG), talks about how the group can help the telco edge market develop and the link to 5G.

Jay Shah, chief AI officer at MyRepublic, explains how the service provider is leveraging AI to optimize its operations, control costs and manage churn.

New ad inventory, to be inserted in front of DVR recordings, will be rolled out to eligible retail devices within 90 days, company says.

The Spanish operator does not sound happy with the results of a request for information and says ETSI's edge group must improve its deliverables.

Xfinity Flex, now offered for free to broadband-only subs, provides streaming apps and smart home capabilities - but it's also something else.

This week in our WiC roundup: Board diversification demands go worldwide; Apple event makes some headway on diversity efforts; AnitaB.org moves the gender equality needle, and more.

There was a lot to take away from the Edge Computing Congress in London this week - not least the encouraging signs associated with funding and deployments.

Disruptive Indian operator is embracing open source as it evolves its back office strategy.

Telecom regulators are being forced to broaden their activities with the arrival of new digital technologies.

There are many tough questions for telcos looking to build out edge computing resources, including what they should deploy in terms of IT hardware from day one, notes Heavy Reading Analyst Simon Stanley.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Google to invest in Europe; Three pumps up the bandwidth; euNetworks adds fiber in Milan and Madrid.

The US Department of Defense recently hired a new 'technical director for 5G,' who will be responsible for installing 5G networks and applications in select US military bases.

AT&T's claim based on LTE-M IoT roaming deal with three Canadian operators - Bell Canada, Rogers Communications and Telus.

Make a mess of automation and telcos will destroy the business case for edge computing, says ETSI. But telcos desperately need standards to crystalize before they can move ahead.

According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association, there were a total of 1.398 million 5G subscriptions globally at the end of Q2. That total is in part driven by a growing number of 5G phones: As of Sept. 10, the group counted 16 commercially available 5G phones.

Most major Democratic contenders, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar, have issued 'Internet for All' promises, yet only a few have detailed plans. Would any of these recommendations actually work?

Verizon is the only US carrier sticking with a national, highband-only 5G plan heading into 2020, but CEO says the C-Band is 'interesting' to the carrier.

Despite potential regulatory hurdles, Dish viewed as a logical candidate to combine with the struggling satellite TV service provider.

Filipino operator Globe Telecom believes 5G could make a huge difference as a broadband technology in its home market.

Creating an investment fund to fuel edge computing developments would be a good move for the telco community, argues Carnegie Mellon University's Professor Mahadev 'Satya' Satyanarayanan.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom takes back control of enterprise telecom from T-Systems; ADVA lands Kuwaiti gig; TalkTalk cleans up its act; coffee gets connected.

The iPhone 11 is carrying an ultra wideband (UWB) chip that has its supporters excited about new applications.

Following the lead of American Tower, SBA Communications has acquired a Chicago data center. CEO Jeffrey Stoops says the purchase will help SBA learn about edge computing.

AT&T is focused on building virtualization and intelligence into the customer edge and network edge for 5G applications.

Cable op has quietly launched the Contour Stream Player, Cox's twist on Comcast's Xfinity Flex video streaming product for broadband-only subs.

While some operators have embraced edge computing, it seems that fear, uncertainty and doubt still weigh heavy on the edge computing strategic thinking of many service providers.

Corning has dramatically reduced its sales expectations for fiber this year as carriers reduce spending. Does that mean 5G (which needs fiber) is in trouble? Not necessarily.

The US operator says it cannot approach the edge in the same way it has served the mainstream consumer market.

Many network operators are still unsure about the role edge computing might play in their future strategies, says Julian Bright, senior analyst, Intelligent Networks at Ovum.

Sprint's edge strategy includes a progressive take (for a telco, at least) on opening up its platform for use by third parties, explains Light Reading's Iain Morris.

A modern-day morality play is slowly developing around the US telecom providers that have been caught up in the hoopla surrounding China's Huawei.

Video streaming platform features a video client, voice remote and integration with Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and, soon, an upgrade path to Comcast's full pay-TV service.

The Chinese vendor says it is ready to sate incredible demand for artificially intelligent computing with its line-up of processors.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Orange signs subsea deal; Telia falters in Latvia; Vodafone UK bucks the high street trend; Telefonica takes stake in alarms company.

Avaya is partnering with IBM for global expansion of its OneCloud ReadyNow cloud call center and unified-communications-as-a-service, beyond current availability in the US and central Europe.

Japan's biggest operator will introduce 5G services based on O-RAN specifications in what it claims is a world first.

NASA was trying to solve the same problems telcos now face when it launched the space shuttle Enterprise, 43 years ago Tuesday.

T-Mobile remains hopeful that Sprint deal get done this year, viewing the merger as a key pathway to 5G's promised land.

Mitchko, a former Cadent exec and engineer who worked on Cablevision's pioneering remote-storage DVR service, succeeds the retired Jay Rolls.

The media giant has apparently passed on tacking on '+' to the end of the name of the OTT service that will launch next spring and feature more than 15,000 hours of content.

AT&T's Randall Stephenson talks up plans for nationwide 5G by mid-year 2020, claims US is still ahead in the 5G race.

WarnerMedia's new SVoD service will hold a key distribution advantage through AT&T's retail presence, pay-TV, broadband and mobility services.

Enterprises demand SD-WAN from telcos, and SD-WAN won't work without SDN, says Ray Watson, Masergy's innovation VP.

Japan's KDDI reveals details of its philanthropic intentions with 5G technology.

The Swedish telecom equipment maker has been automating one of its Chinese factories as part of an ongoing efficiency drive and overhaul of its global supply chain.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Belgacom unit under the EU microscope; German spooks can use iPhones; CityFibre appoints new chairman; Canal+ cozies up to Netflix.

AT&T calls the lawsuit claims 'baseless,' says it is prepared to fight it out in the courts.

Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and AT&T describe their experiences as open networking pioneers.

As Verizon's initial 3.5GHz CBRS deployments get going, the operator is looking toward a future that would combine private networks, CBRS, 5G and edge computing.

Comcast pulls more engineering and software development expertise in-house for its X1 and Xfinity Flex video and smart home platforms.

Three operators will bid for spectrum in Hungary's upcoming 5G auction after broadband operator Digi had its application rejected without explanation.

At the 5G Asia event in Singapore, Intel's Caroline Chan talks to Heavy Reading's James Crawshaw about the link between edge computing and 5G, potential enterprise use cases, and the increasingly hot topic of private networks.

This week Scott and his podcast super-subs talk Apple launches, network-sharing maneuvers and AT&T intrigue.

5G has come with business benefits for the South Korean operator but also led to more operational complexity.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: It's crunch time for Apple versus the EU; Infinera deployed for Greece-Italy link; TIM gets new multimedia boss; why Netflix should be worried.

The head of Proximus is leaving earlier than planned amid staff protests.

The cable giant sees scalability, space and power efficiency as payoffs.

We're packing our bags for Dallas, for our cleverly named Network Virtualization and SDN Americas conference, but first we sat down to talk about NV, SDN and our favorite travel snack.

The share of IoT devices will rise as smartphones fall, says ABI.

Amazon is preparing to expand its tests of CBRS wireless networks to additional locations, though exactly what the company is hoping to learn from the tests remains a bit of a mystery.

The FCC fined AT&T $75,000 and AMG $100,000 for holding prohibited communications during the agency's CAF II auction last year.

Optical module specialist makes a mark with its latest product that will give parent-to-be Cisco something to smile about.

Cable company Charter Communications is expected to begin building an LTE network in 3.5GHz spectrum in select locations where it counts a large number of Spectrum Mobile customers.

A new ranking of maximum 5G speeds puts the UK right at the bottom, a familiar position for the Brexit-bound nation.

Dive deep into the infinity pool of telecom Singapore with Heavy Reading's James Crawshaw and Light Reading's Tien Fu. Featuring interviews with Caroline Chan of Intel and Rodrigo Beyer Fernandez of Ericsson.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom taps VMware for SD-WANnery; Ericsson and Qualcomm claim standalone 5G breakthrough; UK government still dithering over Huawei.

This week in our WiC roundup: Female conference-goers can maximize experience with engagement; girls are the future of security tech; more women needed in health tech industry; and more.

Hotel workers transmit their exact location to security when the 'safety button' is pushed.

AT&T hit a milestone virtualizing 75% of MPLS tunnel traffic on its core network, with 100% in its sights for 2020.

Greater control of network software brings heightened responsibility, according to an executive from the Eastern European operator.

In addition to working with Disney, Charter is urging other programmers and MSOs to get behind a common set of 'authentication principles' designed to clamp down on password sharing, CFO says.

Launched earlier this year, Orby TV's prepaid offering is renting transponder space to power a prepaid offering that starts at $40 per month.

A formal relationship has yet to materialize, but Altice USA's Dexter Goei confirms company has held talks with the embattled provider of OTT-delivered local broadcast TV.

Chinese vendor is prepared to sell its 5G knowhow, says the company's founder in his latest interview.

We're days away from initial commercial deployments in the 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum band, often called 'Goldilocks spectrum' because of its propagation characteristics. It certainly appears to be just right, given the diversity of initial commercial applications.

Increased network demand since the dawn of the smartphone era – up an astounding 470,000% since 2007 – made network virtualization mandatory. Now, the carrier is deploying SDN-enabled broadband access as part of that transition.

City dwellers in China are worried 5G basestations could be unhealthy, and the concern is holding up deployment of the next-generation technology.

The legal battle over a proposed merger between two operators shines a bad light on Australia's telecom market.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Helios Towers reignites IPO; 5G lands at Gatwick Airport; OBS lands IP deployment gig; fiber-to-the-social-housing.

Apple is rumored to be working on some kind of AR-capable headset. If the gadget is released, it could create the kind of cultural zeitgeist that the original iPhone did.

The chief executive of Verizon's consumer business said more than 80% of the operator's 5G Home customers could install antenna receivers for the service themselves.

Streamroot's peer-assisted CDN technology will help CenturyLink extend a video streaming bridge to hard-to-reach parts of the globe.

President Trump's tariffs on products from China have cost the US a total of $12 billion so far, according to new figures from the Consumer Technology Association.

Spanish operator will retrain 6,000 employees and offload others in its latest effort to bolster financial performance.

Telcos have plenty of 5G use cases to show off but less idea when it comes to making money from the next-generation technology.

Following Vodafone, Spain's biggest operator puts its mobile sites up for review as it tries to cut debts and lower costs.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Vodafone goes deeper in Kaltura's cloud; ADVA lands Russian data center contract; Deutsche Telekom revs up its blockchain scooters.

The optical networking industry has seen its fair share of customers show up to the party and then leave without warning. One analyst ponders what's going to be different in the next 12 months.

Will Apple's new iPhone 11 grow telco profits? Will Apple TV+ compete in a crowded OTT market? And why does everybody have fabulous hair in an Apple TV+ series where civilization has collapsed because everybody in the world is blind?

Heavy Reading recently managed a request for information (RFI) process for a network operator – here's what happened...

Analysts expect Altice USA to collect 1.7 million mobile customers by 2023, and pay Sprint around $2.50 for each GB those customers consume.

They claim the new state law focused on cable operators is preempted by federal law, violates First Amendment.

Curiosity Labs relies on 5G for low-latency connectivity for automated vehicles, drones and more.

Nex-Tech Wireless, which serves parts of Kansas and Colorado, will use equipment from Ericsson to launch 5G. The announcement again shines light on rural US operators that use Huawei equipment.

Apple to offer a free year of the new subscription VoD service with purchase of any new iPhone, Mac or Apple TV.

Aiming to speed up service provider deployment cycles, Broadcom's new RDK-infused chips for video set-tops and gateways weave in new app framework and Metrological's App Store.

Taiwanese authorities are mandating network sharing arrangements as they prepare for an upcoming spectrum auction.

The gadget company's latest device seems unlikely to reinvigorate iPhone sales amid consumer apathy and growing competition.

Everactive is looking to solve what it claims is a major problem for industrial IoT – the need to replace batteries.

Satellite networking provider SES will bring Microsoft Azure cloud connectivity to remote locations, as well as Azure media services to broadcasters.

Ciena CEO Gary Smith said that M&A is always a possibility as the company looks to build its software business while managing the growth of its optical platform sales to web-scale companies.

Masergy provides an AI boost for enterprise network management.

Stratum is the foundation for the ONF's next-generation SDN initiative.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Soros considers sale of Hyperoptic stake; BT unleashes its drone killer; Nevion 5G virtualization project bags EU grant.

Two of China's operators will come together to build a single 5G network that could be a game changer for the global industry.

Shot on location in a Dublin pub, this week's podcast sees the regular crew joined by Openet's Niall Norton to talk digitalization, Brexit and more. Oh, and they drink some Guinness.

Yes, 5G provides blazing-fast speeds. But new research from IHS Markit's RootMetrics in South Korea found that some users are seeing latency hiccups due to the fact they need to first move from LTE to 5G in order to access those blazing-fast speeds.

AT&T said it tested an eCPRI connection with equipment from Nokia and Samsung, while Verizon appears to have deployed Nokia's cloud RAN. The moves reflect growing operator interest in open RAN technologies.

Unlike Disney, the newly formed ViacomCBS isn't expected to forgo lucrative licensing dollars just to pump fuel into its OTT, direct-to-consumer plans.

US efforts to have the controversial Chinese vendor banned from Europe's 5G networks are failing.

Elliott Management, which now owns around 1.2% of AT&T's total market value value, argued the company must refocus on its core businesses. AT&T believes it has already set the right course for the company.

As its impasse with AT&T, Dish and Comcast drags on, the regional sports net is sizing up Amazon as a potential distribution partner.

China's biggest service provider is investing in edge computing and network slicing capabilities as it extends its 5G network reach.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Roku targets UK market with Hisense; SES launches cloud service on Microsoft's Azure; Telekom Slovenije offers data gifting.

AT&T is 'readying things' on NB-IoT, while Verizon remains silent on customer traction on the narrowband technology.

U.S. Cellular is embarking on a new advertising campaign that will include how it plans to expand 5G into rural areas.

Samsung said it expects to ship fully 4 million 5G smartphones in 2019, which according to figures from Strategy Analytics would make it responsible for fully 80% of all 5G phones sold this year.

The operator that wreaked havoc in India's mobile market has now launched its fixed-line broadband service.

This week's Tech Mahindra partnership shows that even a Tier 1 behemoth like AT&T needs help moving to the cloud.

A decision to exclude Chinese vendors from the 5G market on grounds of security has taken a heavy toll on TPG and could put Australian 5G at risk.

The Japanese ecommerce giant is delaying the launch of services on its mobile network over performance concerns.

NFV has many naysayers, but it's alive, kicking and thriving, with SD-WAN as a significant catalyst.

This week in our WiCipedia roundup: Google is accused of whitewashing its diversity hires; tech conferences for women get political; the sponsor search continues; and more.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Dominique Leroy leaves Proximus for KPN and massive pay rise; TIM and Ericsson test cloud-native 5G network; Telenor's merger with Axiata is off.

Tech Mahindra will help AT&T migrate its back office applications to the cloud, building a business foundation for 5G.

The failure of the merger deal could weigh heavily on the two operators.

LoRa expected to be a de facto standard, according to Semtech, even as NB-IoT deployments grow.

AT&T's biggest business unit now has a new leadership team. Here's a look at who is likely running the company's wired and wireless networks, and its overall mobile and wired Internet offerings.

Beta of Xfinity Stream app for LG supports Comcast's live TV, VoD and cloud DVR services and works on 4K and HD models from 2017 to 2019.

5G is no longer named as one of the nation's R&D priorities for federal spending. The White House last year specifically pointed to 5G as a technological priority.

International operators are set to ween themselves off Huawei, claims Ciena CEO Gary Smith.

Several wireless providers, including Sprint, T-Mobile and FreedomPop, have toyed with 'free' service offerings. However, the freemium business model appears tricky to implement.

'We wouldn't be in this business if we didn't think it would become a profitable standalone business,' Altice USA CEO Dexter Goei says.

Both AT&T and Verizon said they will show off 5G services in NFL football stadiums. But the details of their announcements highlight the fact that it's still early days in the 5G space.

Transport gear and software vendor reports year-on-year revenue growth of more than 17% to $960.6 million, with a hefty chunk of revenues coming from web-scale customers, but investors reacted negatively to outlook.

Altice USA's new 'Unlimited Everything' offering, underpinned by its MVNO deal with Sprint, will be sold for $30 per line per month to non-Optimum and Suddenlink customers in or near its 21-state footprint.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: MegaFon microwaves with Ericsson; Vodafone enters Oman with OFT; Gorgeous Gavin turns up at Salesforce.

The German operator has been given the spectrum it needs to provide 5G services three months after the country's 5G auction wrapped up.

Startup led by former Aspera CEO Michelle Munson enters the global OTT scene with a low-latency 'Content Fabric' designed to disrupt the streaming video market.

Amazon introduces 15 smart TVs that run Fire TV, alongside a new 'Cube' device with 4K and Dolby Vision support.

Samsung intros an integrated 5G processor as manufacturers prepare a new wave of 5G silicon.

The FCC said it will auction 70MHz of 3.5GHz CBRS spectrum starting on June 25 of 2020. That's likely a relief to companies like AT&T and Verizon that have said they need more midband spectrum for 5G.

New family of connected devices for cable TV customers and cord-cutters will reportedly pack six tuners, 2 terabytes of storage and support 4K and Dolby Atmos.

The term 'telco cloud' is used often, but it can mean different things to different people.

In a half-day conference at IBC in Amsterdam next week, Intel and partners will show off the visual cloud and demonstrate how it can deliver rich, immersive, interactive video experiences and graphics-based workloads.

Ovum's Ed Barton is the special guest this week, bringing SVoD insights and more. Also: What's going on at Ericsson?

China's biggest network equipment vendor is now emerging as a 5G chip powerhouse.

The embattled regional sports network claims that the economics of a direct-to-consumer subscription streaming model don't add up.

A 5G network-sharing agreement between the Italian operators could help to validate network slicing and provide a new paradigm for Europe's ailing service providers.

Qualcomm is planning for a multimode 5G future as it faces up to more competition and reduced sales to Huawei.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: A1 replaces Vip brand in North Macedonia; MobileLinks increases capacity with Net Insight; Sky offers WiFi guarantee.

Edge computing brings high-performance storage, compute and network resources closer to users and devices than ever before.

European satellite operator Eutelsat said it is leaving the C-Band Alliance, but will still participate in the sale of C-Band spectrum for 5G - adding another layer of complexity atop an already complex situation.

AT&T inked a new, long-term deal with US tower giant American Tower. While the details of the deal remain unclear, it appears to signal some movement in AT&T's broader tower strategy.

After years of defending itself against US spying accusations, Huawei claims the US government is spying on it.

Countdown to the debut of a new video streaming service connected to Omniverse CEO Jason DeMeo featuring 50 'top' US TV channels starting at $50 leads to nothing... so far.

John Stankey and Jeff McElfresh are stepping up to take over leadership at AT&T in the wake of John Donovan's departure. McElfresh specifically will be in charge of AT&T's move into 5G.

A deceleration in broadband subscriber growth could amplify cable's focus on broadband with higher prices and even less emphasis on retaining less profitable pay-TV customers.

The ramp-up is set to accelerate next year as all three Chinese operators seek to sign up 5G customers.

Poland's prime minister and the US vice president have signed an agreement that effectively bars Chinese vendors from the European country's 5G market.

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Telia seeks to smooth path to Bonnier acquisition; VEON sets out its long-term strategy; Deutsche Telekom connects the car to the smart home.

Government data shows SK Telecom with more than 41% of 5G users at the end of July; country's 4G subscriber numbers start to decline.

The US campaign to pressure others into snubbing Huawei has had an impact in Vietnam and has now also moved underwater.

VMware is looking to the edge to seize its 5G opportunity.

Also in today's EMEA round-up: Sky linked to Liberty Global hook-up on fiber; Pence talks 5G security in Poland; 4G in Ethiopia; TalkTalk lands schools' MPLS deal.

Mireille Hellou recently took charge of an Orange business unit bringing together Californian innovation and the European telco. She talked with Light Reading editor Mitch Wagner about how that focus can be about more than profits.