Telecom Ramblings

This article was authored by John C. Tanner, and was originally posted on telecomasia.net.

Some people will tell you that one of the most overhyped technology trends of 2014 is the Internet of Things. And they’re probably right. That said, there’s admittedly a lot to get excited about – at least if you’re a fan of science-fiction gadgetry like me. [Read more →]

It’s time for the other half of our annual poll!  Last week we looked at who the likely consolidation targets were, this week it’s the most likely buyers.  Who out there is most likely to be buying US network assets this year?  Vote now (choose up to 3): [Read more →]

Sonus Networks made three announcements for the price of one this morning.  The first was of the inorganic variety, and the other two were of the financial variety.   [Read more →]

Here’s a quick roundup of some industry news over the past 24 hours or so that’s worth a quick look: [Read more →]

GTT is expanding its transatlantic bandwidth portfolio with some help from Global Cloud Xchange.  They’re purchasing 100 Gigabit Ethernet circuits from GCX on FA-1 North and South.   [Read more →]

As we all continue to recover from the holidays, here’s a quick roundup of news from this week that’s worth a look. [Read more →]

It looks as if the first network neutrality battle of 2015 will be fought next month, and the supporters of Title II are poised for victory.  According to Bloomberg, the FCC is signaling that Obama’s call for Title II will be successful when February’s vote happens, at least in the short- and mid-term.  [Read more →]

Also closing a purchased announced in 2014 this morning is Zayo, which has now finished off the IdeaTek acquisition they announced just last month.  The purchase price was given as $52M, and was paid from existing cash. [Read more →]

Global Capacity has followed through with its transformational purchase of MegaPath’s Network Services business unit, closing the deal this morning. With a $300M revenue base and assets reaching deep into some 2000+ central offices around the country, the company has come a long, long way since its acquisition by Pivotal Group three and a half years ago. [Read more →]

The word from Bloomberg this morning is that Verizon is kicking the tires over at AOL.  They’re thinking about either an actual buyout or some sort of joint venture, although there is no actual proposal on the table yet. [Read more →]

Just before the Christmas break, Kentucky got some interesting bandwidth news. As a state that gets far less fiber attention from the industry as a whole than most, it’s a natural for some sort of government supported infrastructure buildout. And indeed, Democratic governor Steve Beshear and Republican representative Hal Rogers have now announced a public/private partnership to build a statewide network. [Read more →]

This article was authored by Don Sambandaraksa, and was originally posted on telecomasia.net.

White-hat hackers at the 31st Chaos Computer Congress have demonstrated fundamental flaws in the underlying infrastructure of 2G and 3G mobile phone networks. The flaws allow attackers to covertly track the location of a phone number as well as intercept calls and SMS – all at the network level. [Read more →]

Every year we ask this question.  Ramblings readers are drawn from the most informed in the sector, and it’s always interesting to see what you all are thinking about industry consolidation.  2014 saw less action than in recent years, and 2015 may be similar, but the needle will surely not remain at zero.  Which US-based network operators are most likely to get purchased this year?  Cast your vote: [Read more →]

The great thing about New Year’s predictions is that it doesn’t matter how badly our prior predictions turned out. At least I hope so, because one year ago today I predicted that Level 3 wouldn’t make any substantial M&A moves, that Windstream would buy a fiber operator, and that Dish would somehow win T-Mobile USA’s hand. All in all, I got one out of seven, the one being that Euro alternative network operators would take consolidation into their own hands – thank you Interoute and euNetworks. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Gal Ofel, Head of Software Solution Product Line Management at Telco Systems

Each generation of new communications infrastructure and networking technology brings with it the promise of increased bandwidth and lower service delivery and network management costs. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) technology is a clear example of this. [Read more →]

And now the final installment of my review of M&A in the sector this year, taking a look at the data center and the more significant cloud-related deals.  Note that I won’t be able to delve into many of the smaller players, not because I’m not interested but because one person can only keep up with so much.  But should I miss one that you think I shouldn’t, feel free to leave a comment with a link! [Read more →]

Ok, it’s taken a couple of weeks following the US edition, but it’s time to take a look back at the global telecom and internet infrastructure consolidation we’ve seen in 2014. Much of this year’s consolidation waltz has been in Europe, although there’s been some very interesting and complementary notes coming out of Latin America. [Read more →]

This article was authored by the CFO Innovation staff, and was originally posted on telecomasia.net.

China’s move to require banks, the military, state-owned enterprises and key government agencies to shift to Chinese technology suppliers could have lasting consequences for foreign suppliers including Cisco Systems, IBM, and Intel. [Read more →]

Contributed by Jay Borer, marketing development manager for 3M’s Communication Markets Division

2014 was a big year for communication service providers and the manufacturers that support them, as we worked together to continue to look for ways to extend services and increase speed and bandwidth to the growing base of subscribers. As we move into 2015, whether a service provider is looking to upgrade to a fiber infrastructure or extend the life of an existing copper network, everyone is looking to balance bandwidth and cost. [Read more →]

It’s official. When New Year’s Day rolls around, Equinix will be a REIT. The company’s board of directors voted on the subject yesterday before heading home for Christmas, unanimously approving the conversion it began working on a couple years ago. [Read more →]

The rumors from last week turned out to be true.  Telstra has agreed to acquire Pacnet in a deal worth some $697M, including some $400M in debt.  The deal includes both Pacnet’s submarine cables spanning the Asia-Pacific theater and also the company’s joint venture in China.   [Read more →]

As Christmas looms and the schools let out, here’s a quick rundown of some news from the network side of things so far this week: [Read more →]

All this North Korea and Sony hacking stuff has been taking a dark turn of late.  Yesterday, North Korea was apparently vanished from the global internet by circumstances unknown.  I say unknown in the sense that the hackers who invaded Sony Pictures over the film “The Interview” remain unknown.   [Read more →]