Networking and communication

Having it all: Customer contact trends for the 2020s

This is a guest post by Nicola Millard, principal innovation partner, BT The future isn’t at all what we expected. Ten years ago, we might easily have imagined the contact centre of 2020 as an ... Continue Reading

SK Telecom brings quantum security to the masses

The South Korean telco is readying the world’s first 5G smartphone equipped with a quantum random number generator chipset Continue Reading

Telcos’ enterprise ambitions at risk from private network operators, private spectrum

Research finds a rising number of spectrum initiatives underpinning strong momentum for private cellular networks within enterprises Continue Reading

Comms tech firms eye partnership opportunities with provider community

In latest example of growing trend, Virgin Media Business signs strategic partnership with integrated cloud communications platform to extend voice and unified communications portfolio Continue Reading

European comms bodies set up standards group, call for vigilance on contact-tracing apps

New ETSI group will develop standardisation framework for secure smartphone-based proximity tracing systems, helping to break Covid-19 transmission chains Continue Reading

Coronavirus: APAC organisations find scalability with cloud

Australia’s NSW Health and Indonesia’s HaloDoc are among a growing crop of Asia-Pacific organisations that are relying on cloud scalability to extend digital services to more users and customers Continue Reading

Draft Covid-19 contact tracing legislation proposes formal oversight

Human Rights Committee chair Harriet Harman has outlined a proposed bill to guarantee the security and privacy of data generated by the UK’s Covid-19 contact tracing app Continue Reading

MPs take part in first live test of remote voting during Covid-19 debate

MPs will use phones and computers to vote from their homes in a House of Commons debate today in the biggest change in parliamentary procedure for 150 years Continue Reading

Vodafone shrugs Virgin move as it posts steady financial year

UK operator claims to have defied the odds and bucked the market in last financial year but warns of impact of Covid-19 on business Continue Reading

Details released of second UK contact-tracing app development

Contractual documents show Zuhlke Engineering receiving an official start date of 6 May to supply a managed delivery team to support and run proximity mobile application and services for the UK Continue Reading

What are the 5 different types of network management?

Security policies, optimal service levels, configuration changes and even cost control measures all encompass the different types of network management. Continue Reading

Ericsson bullish on 5G despite Covid-19

Comms tech company’s chief highlights the importance of connectivity during times of crisis and unprecedented surge in network traffic Continue Reading

Contact-tracing app hits teething troubles as minister confirms changes could be made

UK contact-tracing saga continues as UK government releases details of impact assessment on the app and admits that adaptations and even total change in form are not off the table Continue Reading

Coronavirus: SMEs in the UAE forced to digitally transform

The UAE, like the rest of the world, continues to be heavily impacted by the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, and technology is helping to lead the fight Continue Reading

Who will fund Full-fibre roll out after Covid?

The time has come for Ofcom to regulate on price, quality of service (including the resilience required of a critical infrastructure utility) and behaviour and stop trying to predict costs and ... Continue Reading

UK said to be on verge of major technology shift for Covid-19 contact-tracing app

Technology community awash with reports of potential sea change in much-publicised and much-criticised app away from controversial centralised database Continue Reading

Zoom buys secure messaging service Keybase

Unified comms platform Zoom says the acquisition of Keybase will finally let it bring end-to-end encryption to the table Continue Reading

BT claims positives amid challenging fiscal year

BT reports tough 2019/20, leading to major restructuring plan to go forward to meet major fibre-to-the-premises targets Continue Reading

Contact-tracing app fails to protect privacy and human rights

Reassurances over the security and human rights implications of NHSX’s approach to developing its Covid-19 contact-tracing app are insufficient, says the cross-bench Human Rights Committee Continue Reading

FBI search warrants reveal Trump aide’s messages to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

FBI search warrants reveal Trump campaigner Roger Stone sent private messages to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after the site published thousands of documents that damaged Hillary Clinton’s election campaign Continue Reading

Next round of Zoom updates targets consumer security

Casual consumer users of Zoom will get additional protections in an update to be released over the long weekend Continue Reading

UK comms market set for shake-up as O2 and Virgin Media confirm merger

Coming-together of leading fixed-mobile provider and cable network provider will create genuine competition to BT/EE Continue Reading

Brits expected to call time on office life after lockdown

O2 Business study reveals currently displaced workers see a permanent change to their company’s approach to flexible working Continue Reading

Industry 4.0 transformation reaches communications inflection point

Survey finds huge potential for investment in advance 4G and 5G technology among industrial organisations Continue Reading

UK comms experts continue to question contact-tracing app

Academics and comms industry experts challenge UK government scientists on their defence of NHS contact-tracing app, in particular the issue of centralised data gathering Continue Reading

Telcos lose out in early enterprise 5G business

Research reveals that industries and enterprises are ready to reap the benefits of 5G, but warns that service providers need to learn how to satisfy this demand Continue Reading

Singapore to test 5G in Industry 4.0 trial

Trial, spearheaded by IMDA, IBM, Samsung and M1, will test the use of 5G, along with AI and IoT technologies, in manufacturing Continue Reading

How sharp is your hyper-converged edge computing acumen?

It isn't uncommon for hyper-convergence and the edge to intersect nowadays. How much do you know about why hyper-converged deployment at the network periphery is growing? Continue Reading

T-Mobile US claims ‘significant’ 5G standalone architecture firsts

US operator partners with comms technology leaders to achieve world’s first milestones for standalone architecture 5G Continue Reading

Contact tracing: The privacy vs protection debate

The Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated extreme measures not seen in peacetime for over 100 years. Contact-tracing apps are being developed as a tool for managing the pandemic, but are they a step too far? Continue Reading

Homeworking - the new norm - is there any other option...

In the last blog, I touched on the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the obvious fallout here is the massive increase in home/remote working, something I’ve been practicing since 1989 – ... Continue Reading

SD-WAN; One Way To Partly Consolidate The Complex Puzzle That Is Contemporary IT

I was recently sent an article by my PR mate Hannah from one of their clients, Versa – a company I’ve met up with and they talk a lot of common sense, far more than their er, so-called president… ... Continue Reading

UK contact-tracing app developers hit back at effectiveness and privacy doubts

Pre-eminent scientists continue to defend NHS contact-tracing app from criticism of its effectiveness and the use of centralised data gathering Continue Reading

Building security and privacy into contact-tracing apps

Governance and data decentralisation are among measures that organisations can take to allay security and privacy concerns over contact-tracing apps, according to RSA Continue Reading

SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom form joint venture to combat coronavirus

Telecoms giants extend working relationship to expand global 5G ecosystem by accelerating 5G deployment in Europe and exchange their respective technological expertise once the situation with Covid-19 improves Continue Reading

No silver bullets and ‘bumps in the road’ likely but UK contact-tracing app development gathers pace

UK scientific experts address doubts on contact-tracing app’s effectiveness, particular regarding data privacy, but admit that its nature may have to evolve as the roll-out scales up Continue Reading

The true cost of network downtime for your business

Network brownouts could be the biggest under-the-radar threat to your network. Calculate the potential costs of downtime to save your organization's productivity and money. Continue Reading

UK transport research body calls for safer in-vehicle technologies

Voice-controlled systems are the future of autonomous, according to TRL, whose recommendations follow a report into Apple CarPlay and Android Auto demanding improved standards in voice-activated infotainment systems Continue Reading

Research institutes warn of necessity for UK contact-tracing app to link to testing

BCS and Cass Business School call for proposed UK contact-tracing app not to be launched without alignment to testing and warns that without this link, NHS will not be able to “big data” its way out of “no data” situation Continue Reading

5G on the ropes as Covid-19 set to land $51bn blow on global mobile services industry

Research predicts mobile revenue will drop 4.1% worldwide because of pandemic, with European operators taking a particular heavy hit Continue Reading

Why you should think before you Zoom

Feel free to use Zoom during the coronavirus lockdown, but think before you discuss anything confidential Continue Reading

Global contact-tracing apps take divergent routes to beat Covid-19

Telecoms will play a key role in controlling the coronavirus through contact-tracing apps that can mitigate its spread. But that will only be the case if population masses actually use the apps – and that’s not guaranteed for a variety of reasons Continue Reading

Pre-owned device values stay strong amidst coronavirus pandemic

More than half a billion dollars returned to US consumers in Q1 2020 as used and new mobile device markets stabilise after Covid-19 disruption Continue Reading

Unified communications: The key to prospering in the new working reality of Covid-19

Covid-19 lockdowns are causing a collective rethink in the way companies operate, with unified communications transformed from a nice-to-have to a business essential as remote working becomes the new normal Continue Reading

Benefits of branching out into SD-WAN

 Continue Reading

Stark digital divide in US internet speed amid Covid-19 crisis

Over a fifth of connections in lower income brackets in the US do not have ‘acceptable’ internet performance for work and school during the coronavirus lockdown, but ISPs’ expansion of available bandwidth for these communities noticeably improves online speed Continue Reading

Moogsoft widens AIOps to build the ‘virtual NOC’

Artificial Intelligence IT Operations (AIOps) company Moogsoft has come forward with version 8.0 of its Moogsoft Enterprise product. This is software designed to serve IT Ops and DevOps teams as ... Continue Reading

Coronavirus: Young employees struggle with remote working

Communications tools identified as key pain point and hindering productivity for young UK workers Continue Reading

Infovista claims SD-WAN implementation game changer with transparent hybrid technology

Application-aware SD-WAN technology provider introduces additional capabilities to ‘dramatically’ simplify migration and hasten transition to software-defined networking Continue Reading

IMDA to issue 5G spectrum to Singtel and StarHub-M1 venture

Singapore’s telco regulator will award 5G spectrum to major operators whose proposals have exceeded its requirements in some cases Continue Reading

IT Priorities 2020: SD-WAN soars as collaboration and communications no longer on back burner

At the start of the year, networking professionals looked likely to invest in monitoring, converged architectures and WAN technologies, while unified communications was in decline and collaboration of minimal interest Continue Reading

Nokia closes capacity and customer experience tech deal with Bharti Airtel

Third-largest telco in the world’s second-largest telecoms market takes up Nokia Single Radio Access Network to enhance capacity and improve 5G readiness Continue Reading

Zoom chooses Oracle IaaS as core cloud infrastructure provider

Zoom has chosen Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to deliver its online video meetings service as usage has spiked due to the Covid-19 coronavirus public health crisis Continue Reading

Ericsson scores further 5G RAN win with True Corporation Thailand

Thai comms operator engages the Swedish technology provider to enable smooth, fast and cost-effective 5G network evolution in three regions Continue Reading

Under the spotlight, video apps rush to strengthen security

Most popular videoconferencing applications now meet Mozilla’s minimum security standards, with fierce competition and public pressure driving rapid improvement Continue Reading

Adtran initiates software-defined access network project, advances the smart home experience

Partnerships with Orange and Plume will evaluate and test SDN-based programming for next-gen fibre access networks, and boost customer experience management of Wi-Fi-enabled services Continue Reading

APAC edge computing market set to grow

China and Japan will account for the lion’s share of Asia-Pacific’s edge computing market as more organisations in the region look to streamline processes and improve productivity Continue Reading

ISPs rely on capacity for COVID-19 internet traffic spikes

As COVID-19 causes surges in internet traffic, internet and network providers have responded by increasing capacity and installing more fiber. So far, it's worked. Continue Reading

Microsoft patches .gif file vulnerability in Teams

Vulnerability could have enabled cyber criminals to use a malicious .gif file to scrape user data and take over Teams accounts Continue Reading

Potential near £70bn boost to British economy from gigabit broadband

Research shows that delivering ‘Gigabit Britain’ could provide over £50bn gross value added to the economy in five years, growing to £68.8bn in 2030, but suppliers warn that more must be done to turn broadband ambition into reality Continue Reading

How Vonage is riding the e-commerce wave in Asia

The surge in online sales across Asia has boosted demand for cloud-based communications services as more e-commerce players look to integrate text messaging, voice and video into customer engagement platforms Continue Reading

Australia’s CovidSafe app debuts, source codes to follow

Australia’s contact tracing app has been downloaded more than 1.1 million times, even as privacy concerns linger on Continue Reading

Wireless stakeholders cheer ‘historic’ FCC Wi-Fi 6GHz spectrum allocation decision

US broadcast and telecoms regulator confirms proposal lauded as a milestone moment that will no less than supercharge connectivity Continue Reading

NHSX reveals full details of UK Covid-19 contact-tracing strategy

National Health Service’s digital innovation unit aims to allay fears over privacy and confidentiality in forthcoming contract-tracing app Continue Reading

European fibre roll-outs speed up

European fibre-to-the-home and fibre-to-the-building coverage maintains a positive growth trend, with subscribers increasing by 15% since September 2018 Continue Reading

Coronavirus: RAF flies in for UK contact tracing app test

NHS announces test at air base of app designed to alert users of the close proximity of those carrying or having symptoms of Covid-19 Continue Reading

Public authorities set to receive expanded surveillance powers

UK government wants to extend the number of public authorities able to obtain communications data using mass surveillance Continue Reading

5,400% growth forecast for enterprises using WhatsApp Business APIs

Unprecedented and extraordinary growth forecast for business version of WhatsApp, with growth from just 992 to 55,000 users expected over the next five years Continue Reading

ABB Power plugs into Ericsson 5G tech to increase factory productivity

Ericsson gears up for the post-coronavirus world with confidence in 5G and reveals project for its 5G-ready Industry Connect with global leader in power technology Continue Reading

Zoom to roll out fresh cyber security updates

New features include support for advanced AES 256-bit encryption Continue Reading

Coronavirus: Surge in Wi-Fi upload traffic shows need for advanced Wi-Fi adoption

Prolonged home working will see home networks, based on older Wi-Fi technologies rather than the likes of Wi-Fi 6, put under intolerable strain, warns analyst Continue Reading

Cisco, Google Cloud plan application-centric multicloud networking fabric

Tech giants unite to address current systems’ perceived lack of capability to signal service level requests dynamically and offer full WAN application integration with cloud workloads Continue Reading

Application performance for remote workers becomes primary network issue for businesses

When it comes to WAN, cost diminishes in importance, while dealing with complexity increases, as more firms spread reach to more locations Continue Reading

Coronavirus: German networks take the extra strain from social distancing

Network performance and customer experience monitoring firm finds German networks coping with masses of online home users despite some degradations since the start of social distancing and stay-at-home policies Continue Reading

How DBS is reaping the dividends of digital transformation

At DBS Bank, the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak has demonstrated the value of technology and the investments it made over the past decade to modernise its technology stack Continue Reading

Covid-19 outbreak sees first-quarter revenues flatten for Huawei

Chinese networking mega-firm endures tough first quarter, but pledges that it will ride out the coronavirus storm Continue Reading

Collaboration and communications get richer as Covid-19 ushers in new working reality

Covid-19 lockdowns bring about collective rethink in the way we work, with remote video becoming normalised and a potential change in the way effectiveness is measured Continue Reading

NCSC launches coronavirus cyber security campaign

The National Cyber Security Centre has launched a reporting service for scam emails as part of a campaign to help people protect themselves from cyber criminals exploiting the pandemic Continue Reading

How ISPs and operators ensure network quality in a pandemic

COVID-19 has caused a spike in remote workers, increased internet usage and traffic surges. Here's how ISPs and telecom operators plan for continuity and quality during the pandemic. Continue Reading

INCA: UK gigabit broadband progress more important than ever

Trade body for independent network providers calls for progress toward the delivery of ultrafast broadband to all parts of the UK to continue despite the current Covid-19 lockdown conditions Continue Reading

Zoom and WebEx users targeted by credential stealing attempts

Videoconferencing apps such as Zoom and Cisco’s WebEx are being targeted by cyber criminals trying to steal users’ personal data Continue Reading

Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 54

In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna talk about the likely legacy of lockdown for working lives, the mental health impact of the public health crisis, and how data scientists are looking to help by identifying signals of economic recovery. Continue Reading

Ada Lovelace Institute questions effectiveness of UK contact-tracing strategy

Independent study institute for user-focused data and AI solutions argues that NHS Covid-19 tracking plans will not be effective unless action is taken to address technical limitations Continue Reading

CIO interview: Jason Oliver, IT director, University of Sussex

Imagine taking a year to formulate a digital transformation plan – then having to implement much of it in two weeks when the coronavirus hit. For the Sussex University IT chief, there’s even more to do now Continue Reading

Ofcom publishes technical data debunking 5G links to Covid-19

Ofcom makes latest response to the unfounded and dangerous fake news suggesting links between 5G networks and coronavirus Continue Reading

Will 5G turn Langkawi into world’s first smart island?

Malaysia telco TM is set to transform Malaysia’s Langkawi archipelago with a 5G testbed that will pave the way for 5G services across the country Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Trend Watch on communications infrastructure

In this handbook, Computer Weekly looks at how Australia’s bushfires impacted its telecoms networks and the increase in SD-WAN adoption in Asia-Pacific Continue Reading

Cloud and 5G to drive SD-WAN adoption in APAC, says Silver Peak

Cloud migration and 5G services will boost the uptake of SD-WAN in a region where some markets are still in the early adopter phase Continue Reading

Australian wildfires take toll on telco networks

Major telco networks in Australia were disrupted by power cuts resulting from devastating bushfires, raising questions about the resilience of the country’s communications infrastructure Continue Reading

Fifth of UK small businesses concerned about prolonged remote working

Small firms find the potential prospect of indefinite working from home a major challenge to future business Continue Reading

Coronavirus: Big hit to European 5G as smartphone industry set for sharpest falls in 20 years

Screeching halt to telecoms money truck predicted for 2020 as Covid-19 outbreak impacts phone production and 5G roll-out Continue Reading

Verizon Business zooms in to acquire conferencing company BlueJeans

With conferencing and collaboration rocketing due to the Covid-19 outbreak and no real end in sight to the increased usage, Verizon swoops in to acquire conference applications provider BlueJeans Continue Reading

What if we find we rather like this working from home thing?

Sometimes it takes a major economic shock to change the accepted wisdom of economics and work – our working life after the coronavirus crisis might be very different Continue Reading

EU warns no compromise on privacy as NHS clashes with tech firms on contact tracing

EU and UK regulators express data privacy concerns days after Silicon Valley giants announce collaboration on contact-tracing apps to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus Continue Reading

Coronavirus: Telcos in developed markets to lose more than $40bn

Big increases in unemployment will see a 3.4% decline in telecoms revenue this year, with the negative impact to persist for the next 12 months, says analyst Continue Reading

Nuage Networks declares SD-WAN first for desktop, mobile and IoT devices

Nokia subsidiary integrates Asavie SD Edge to allow enterprise IT managers to extend security policies beyond branch to mobile users and connected devices Continue Reading

Coronavirus shines spotlight on mobile connectivity

Mobile operators in Asia-Pacific are playing their part in the fight against Covid-19, even as some of them are facing roadblocks in rolling out 5G networks Continue Reading

Orange expands mesh Wi-Fi into Belgium, reinforces marine service capabilities

SoftAtHome’s mesh Wi-Fi now available for Orange Belgium customers while Orange ship begins undersea cabling survey work off coast of Sicily Continue Reading

BT inks Ericsson 5G supply deal but delays schedule to replace Huawei kit

UK telco engages Swedish tech firm to deploy cloud-native dual-mode 5G core, but rows back on deadline to remove all Huawei technology from mobile core by end of year Continue Reading

Coronavirus: Standard Chartered bans employees from Zoom

Standard Chartered is the first bank to have instructed its staff to refrain from using Zoom Continue Reading