Photo by Karan Mandre on Unsplash
Just 48 hours after its announcement on investing US$10 billion in India, Google has pumped US$4.5 billion to take a 7.73 percent stake in Jio Platforms.
Category: Telecommunications
Indonesia telco turns to ForgeRock for identity infrastructure
Indonesia mobile telco XL Axiata has chosen selected ForgeRock Identity Platform for its cloud-based initiative to unify its many customer-facing systems.
AWS unveils Amazon IVS
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced Amazon Interactive Video Service (Amazon IVS), a fully managed service that lets customers set up live, interactive video streams for a web or mobile application in minutes.
Zoom launches DTEN Me collaboration device
Following its phenomenal popularity, Zoom has created Zoom for Home, a new category to support people working remotely. The first product is the DTEN Me, a 27-inch an all-in-one personal collaboration device that comes with three built-in wide-angle cameras, an eight-microphone array and an ultra-responsive touch display for interactive screen sharing.
6G work to start in 2021
Source: “The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All” white paper
Even with 5G still in the commercialisation stage, planning for the next generation is expected to start in 2021.
China Unicom and Singtel collaborate on eSIM swap
Photo by Sabel Blanco from Pexels
China Unicom and Singtel have inked an agreement to collaborate on embedded SIM (eSIM) swap. This move will allow enterprise customers of both telcos to perform eSIM changes over-the-air (OTA) without having to manually configure their devices’ SIM cards to change networks in either China or Singapore.
Zoom to beta test end-to-end encryption
For those who are concerned with security while using Zoom, the videoconferecing platform will be beta testing end-to-end encryption for all users in July.
Qualcomm brings 5G to mainstream smartphones
Qualcomm has announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G mobile platform for mainstream 5G smartphones. And the likes of HMD Global, LG Electronics, Motorola, Sharp, TCL, and Wingtech are expected to roll out Snapdragon 690-powered in the coming days.
SKYtel launches Mongolia’s first digital eSIM activation service
Mobile network operator SKYtel has launched Mongolia’s first digital eSIM activation service using 10T Tech’s GSMA consumer eSIM cloud solution.
China Mobile rolls out 5G medical edge cloud
Photo by Olga Kononenko on UnsplashChina Mobile has launched the country’s first 5G medical edge cloud platform to meet the need for connection, computing, storage, middleware, service, and security in the medical industry.
Taiwan Star Telecom picks Nokia for 5G network
Taiwan Star Telecom (TST) has awarded Nokia a contract for end-to-end AirScale Radio Access network portfolio for 5G non-standalone networks that will lay the foundations for 5G standalone in the future.
Qualcomm introduces Snapdragon 768G gaming chip
Photo by Florian Olivo on UnsplashQualcomm Technologies has unveiled the Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G Mobile Platform that is designed to deliver smart, immersive gaming experiences.
Nokia and Vodafone Hutchison Australia deploy low-band 5G spectrum
Singapore awards 2 5G licences
5G is finally coming to Singapore. Traditionally a fast adopter of telecommunications technologies, the nation has been a tad slower than some others in moving to the next generation of mobile telecommunications.
Google lets you Meet for free
Source: GoogleAnother free videoconferencing platform is available for everyone. Google has joined the likes of Facebook and Zoom by making its Meet business videoconferencing solution free for all from May.
Nokia inks multi-year deal with India’s Bharti Airtel
Expanding Airtel’s reach across India.Nokia has signed a multi-year contract with Bharti Airtel to deploy Nokia’s SRAN solution across nine circles in India. The move will enhance Airtel’s network capacity, particularly in 4G, by 2022.
Zoom makes NASDAQ-100 Index list
Zoom soars to the index (Source: Pexels)COVID-19 has made a star out of Zoom Video Communications. Its popularity, usage and value has soared — all the way to becoming a component of the NASDAQ-100 Index, the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index and the NASDAQ-100 Ex-Tech Sector Index.
Facebook takes 10% stake in India telco Jio Platforms
Facebook is investing US$5.7 billion or a 9.99 percent stake in India’s Jio Platforms. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, Jio will use the new invesment to pursue new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, especially small merchants, micro-businesses and farmers, and create digital ecosystems that will empower, enrich and uplift the lives of all 1.3 billion Indians.
WhatsApp ups group calls to 8 participants
WhatsApp has raised the number of group call participants from four to eight, once its latest version is updated on Android and iOS. This feature will be particularly helpful during this period as many people are using group voice and video call platforms.
Arm joins O-RAN Alliance
Having powered generations of cellular devices, Arm has joined the O-RAN Alliance, a leading industry forum with a vision of openness and innovation fostered by a broad community of experts. And Arm aims to help drive this vision to become a reality.
Qualcomm introduces IoT modem with extremely low power consumption
Source: QualcommQualcomm Technologies, has announced the Qualcomm 212 LTE IoT Modem that requires under one micro-amp (1uA) of sleep current for extremely low average power consumption.
China Telecom Shenzhen achieves wide coverage with 5G RRUs
Commercial 5G Book RRU deployed on poles. (Source: Huawei)Providing consistent 5G coverage in residential areas, urban villages, upscale communities, and backstreet alleys can be a challenge. China Telecom Shenzhen has overcome this by deploying in hundreds of Huawei 5G C-Band Book remote radio units (RRUs) on macro and pole base stations in China.
GSMA launches Innovation Fund for mobile internet adoption and digital inclusion
GSMA has launched it Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion. Set up to increase mobile internet adoption and usage among those who have mobile internet coverage but are not using it, the fund is open for applications for countries in Africa and Asia.
Stadia Pro free for 2 months
Source: GoogleMore people staying at or working from home during this COVID-19 period are turning to gaming as a source of entertainment or to get some respite. And now they can enjoy free access to Google’s paid cloud gaming platform Stadia Pro for two months.
TPG launches S$10 mobile plan in Singapore
Source: TPGConsumers in Singapore can now get 50GB of mobile data for just S$10 per 30 days. That’s what TPG Telecom is offering for its no-contract SIM Only plan starting today. Plus, the plan comes with 300 local call minutes and 30 local SMS. In May, it will also pack a free 1GB roaming to selected countries.
Planet Computers announces 5G slider phone
There’s hope for those longing for a return of the slider phone with a keyboard for touch typing. Planet Computers has announced the Astro Slide 5G Transformer, the first 5G smartphone with a keyboard.
Avaya Spaces available to schools and charities at no charge till August 31
Source: AvayaAvaya is making its Avaya Spaces cloud meeting and team collaboration app available at no charge to educational institutions and non-profit organisations worldwide until August 31, 2020.
ZTE to unveil Axon 11 5G on March 23
ZTE will launch the ZTE Axon 11 5G smartphone in China on March 23. The company has given little away from its announcement press release other than the fact that the ZTE Axon 11 will be compatible with both SA (standalone) and NSA (non-standalone) modes.
NTT Docomo to launch 5G in Japan on March 25
NTT Docomo will launch its 5G service with a maximum data rate of 3.4Gbps in Japan on March 25. The downlink speed will increase to 4.1Gbps in June.
Technologies that matter at such a time as this
By Edward Lim
COVID-19 is hijacking life. From Facebook News Feed to printed newspapers, it’s everywhere. And it just seems to get worse with countries taking measures to prevent spread. Telecommuting has now become necessary for many.
