U.S., EU, UK and Nato blame China for cyberattacks

The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and NATO are blaming the People’s Republic of China and its Ministry of State Security (MSS) for malicious cyberattacks, including ransomware attacks, cyber-enabled extortion, crypto-jacking, and rank theft from victims around the world. 

The U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges against four MSS hackers addressing activities concerning a multi-year campaign targeting foreign governments and entities in key sectors.

The White House said it has a high degree of confidence that malicious cyber actors affiliated with PRC’s MSS conducted cyber-espionage operations utilizing the zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server disclosed in early March 2021. 

The FBI and National Security Agency also published a joint cybersecurity advisory detailing various Chinese state-sponsored cyber techniques used to target U.S. and allied networks, warning that Chinese state-sponsored cyber actors consistently scan target networks for critical and high vulnerabilities within days of a vulnerability’s public disclosure.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/07/19/the-united-states-joined-by-allies-and-partners-attributes-malicious-cyber-activity-and-irresponsible-state-behavior-to-the-peoples-republic-of-china/

Biden's cybersecurity order mandates zero-trust for federal networks

Wednesday, May 12, 2021  Government, Security  

In the wake of recent cybersecurity incidents, notably SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange, and Colonial Pipeline, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at improving the nation's cybersecurity posture. Here are the highlights:Remove Barriers to Threat Information Sharing Between Government and the Private Sector. The Executive Order ensures that IT Service Providers are able to share information with the government and requires them to...

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AT&T to serve as primary network services partner for DISH MVNO

DISH has reached a long-term strategic Network Services Agreement (NSA) under which AT&T will serve as the primary network services partner for DISH MVNO customers. 

Through this agreement, DISH will provide current and future customers of its retail wireless brands, including Boost Mobile, Ting Mobile and Republic Wireless, access to coverage and connectivity on AT&T's wireless network, in addition to the new DISH 5G network. 

AT&T is also providing transport and roaming services as part of the agreement, to support DISH's 5G network. 

DISH said the agreement accelerates its expansion of retail wireless distribution to rural markets where DISH provides satellite TV services. 

"Teaming with AT&T on this long-term partnership will allow us to better compete in the retail wireless market and quickly respond to changes in our customers' evolving connectivity needs as we build our own first-of-its kind 5G network," said John Swieringa, DISH COO and Group President of Retail Wireless. "The agreement provides enhanced coverage and service for our Boost, Ting and Republic customers, giving them access to the best connectivity on the market today via voice, messaging, data and nationwide roaming on AT&T's vast network, as well as DISH's 5G network." 

"Teaming with DISH on this agreement is not only a testament to the strength of our network, but it further validates the investments we've made in our fiber and wireless infrastructure," said Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO, AT&T Consumer. "We welcome DISH wireless and its customers to the nation's largest and best wireless network for all of their streaming, data and roaming needs."  

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Telefónica Colombia and KKR target FTTH

Telefónica Colombia and KKR, a global investment firm, will form a joint venture company for the deployment of FTTH in Colombia.

The new company aims to cover 4.3 million Passed Property Units (PDUs), including all the relevant markets in the country over the next three years.

Under the agreement, 60% of the joint venture will be owned by KKR and 40% by Telefónica Colombia. Telefónica will contribute its current FTTH infrastructure, which already reaches 50 cities and municipalities and which -at the end of the first quarter of 2021- covered 1.2 million homes.

The deal values the new company at US$ 0.5 billion (approximately 20 times proforma OIBDA and US$ 410 Enterprise Value per PDU), Telefónica Colombia will receive a payment of US $0.2 billion and will be eligible for a performance-based consideration of up to US $0.1 billion.

Telefónica Movistar Colombia currently has more than 380,000 customers using its fiber service with symmetrical speeds of up to 500 Mbps.

 

Alfonso Gómez Palacio, CEO of Telefónica Spanish-speaking Latin America, explained that "the agreement with KKR will accelerate the deployment of fiber optic in Colombia at an unprecedented rate, in a market that has shown enormous potential in the last year. In addition, fiber will create opportunities for thousands of homes and businesses that see digitalization as an opportunity for development. This is one more step by our company to lead FTTH services in Latin America".

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Ericsson disappointed by 2% share of China Mobile's 700MHz tender

Ericsson has been awarded 2% market share of China Mobile MP's 700MHz radio tender. The share is lower than the market share previously awarded to the company in the 2.6GHz CP2 (11%).

China Mobile is the first operator to award under the latest round of CP’s for 5G radio. 

Ericsson stated that given the context and based on the bidding rules, it expects that it will be awarded business in China Unicom and China Telecom in a similar range as with the China Mobile award. 

Ericsson notes that its disappointing selection follows the decision by the Post and Telecommunication Authority (PTS) to exclude Chinese vendors’ products from the 5G auction in Sweden. 

https://www.ericsson.com/en/press-releases/2021/7/ericsson-tilldelad-reducerad-marknadsandel-av-china-mobile

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Australia's NetSG picks Ekinops' OneAccess enterprise routers

Network Solutions Group (NetSG), a partner-led Service Provider with a network spanning Australia and New Zealand, has selected Ekinops to provide OneAccess branded enterprise routers to grow their managed services, which include data and voice, data center and cloud connectivity, network design and engineering, and network management..

NetSG will center its offering around the ONE421, the "all-in-one box" branch office solution for services up to 200 Mbps powered by the next-gen operating system OneOS6. The ONE421 combines fiber, A/VDSL and LTE for hybrid access and service continuity enabling the ultra-connected branch office. Thanks to OneOS6, NetSG will be able to offer SD-WAN (Software-defined WAN), SBC (Session Border Controller) or firewall built-in functions to their customers at a time of their choosing.

Commenting on the partnership, Laura Veness, co-founding director at Network Solutions Group, said: "NetSG and Ekinops ethos match perfectly as both companies focus on reducing the complexity of network solutions. We are very excited to represent the Ekinops access portfolio in Australia and New Zealand."

"Ekinops offers advanced edge technologies solutions built on years of enterprise access expertise to support a channel that is looking to grasp new opportunities in the market. We are extremely pleased to welcome NetSG on board," comments Jason Beaumont, Regional Sales Director Asia Pacific, at Ekinops. "We look forward to working with Network Solutions Group to promote open and flexible managed solutions in the region."

https://www.ekinops.com

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Zoom to acquire Five9 for cloud contact center as a service

 Zoom Video Communications agreed to acquire Five9, an intelligent cloud contact center provider, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $14.7 billion based on the closing price of Zoom common stock on July 16, 2021. Five9 stockholders will receive 0.5533 shares of Class A common stock of Zoom Video Communications, Inc. for each share of Five9.

The deal combines Five9’s Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solution with Zoom’s broad communications platform. Five9, which is based in San Ramon, California, reports $478 million in LTM revenue and 796 upmarket/enterprise customers.

Zooms says the acquisition will broaden its total addressable opportunities to include the $24 billion contact center market. Revenue for the first quarter of 2021 increased 45% to a record $137.9 million, compared to $95.1 million for the first quarter of 2020. GAAP gross margin was 56.6% for the first quarter of 2021, compared to 57.9% for the first quarter of 2020. 

Five9's cloud contact center offers a suite of applications that allows management and optimization of customer interactions across many different channels.

“We are continuously looking for ways to enhance our platform, and the addition of Five9 is a natural fit that will deliver even more happiness and value to our customers,” said Eric S. Yuan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Zoom. “Zoom is built on a core belief that robust and reliable communications technology enables interactions that build greater empathy and trust, and we believe that holds particularly true for customer engagement. Enterprises communicate with their customers primarily through the contact center, and we believe this acquisition creates a leading customer engagement platform that will help redefine how companies of all sizes connect with their customers. We are thrilled to join forces with the Five9 team, and I look forward to welcoming them to the Zoom family.”

“Businesses spend significant resources annually on their contact centers, but still struggle to deliver a seamless experience for their customers,” said Rowan Trollope, Chief Executive Officer of Five9. “It has always been Five9’s mission to make it easy for businesses to fix that problem and engage with their customers in a more meaningful and efficient way. Joining forces with Zoom will provide Five9’s business customers access to best-of-breed solutions, particularly Zoom Phone, that will enable them to realize more value and deliver real results for their business. ”

Following the close of the transaction, Five9 will be an operating unit of Zoom and Rowan Trollope will become a President of Zoom and continue as CEO of Five9, reporting to Eric Yuan.

• Rowan Trollope joined Five9 as CEO in May 2018. Previously, he was SVP and General Manager of Cisco’s Applications Group and a member of the executive leadership team. Prior to Cisco, at Symantec Rowan was Group President Sales, Marketing, and Product Development, responsible for cloud security and the SMB market. 

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IBM sees Q2 strength in hybrid cloud

 IBM reported revenues for the six-month period ended June 30, 2021 totaled $36.5 billion, an increase of 2 percent year to year (down 1 percent adjusting for divested businesses and currency) compared with $35.7 billion for the first six months of 2020. Net income was $2.3 billion, down 10 percent year to year. Diluted earnings per share was $2.52 compared with $2.83 per diluted share for the 2020 period, a decrease of 11 percent. Q2 revenue amounted to $18.7 billion, up 3 percent (flat adjusting for divested businesses and currency)

“In the second quarter client adoption of our hybrid cloud platform contributed to strong performance in Global Business Services and software and drove improved overall revenue growth. At the same time, we continued to help clients infuse our AI-based technology offerings into their core business workflows," said Arvind Krishna, IBM chairman and chief executive officer. "We are pleased with our progress and we remain on track to deliver full-year revenue growth and meet our cash flow objective.”

Some highlights for Q2:

• Cloud & Cognitive Software (includes Cloud & Data Platforms, Cognitive Applications and Transaction Processing Platforms) —revenues of $6.1 billion, up 6.1 percent (up 2.5 percent adjusting for currency). Cloud & Data Platforms grew 12 percent (up 8 percent adjusting for currency), led by the company’s hybrid cloud platform and Cloud Pak growth. Cognitive Applications grew 12 percent (up 8 percent adjusting for currency), led by growth in Security and AI applications. Transaction Processing Platforms declined 7 percent (down 11 percent adjusting for currency). Cloud revenue up 29 percent (up 25 percent adjusting for currency).
• Global Business Services (includes Consulting, Application Management and Global Process Services) — revenues of $4.3 billion, up 11.6 percent (up 7.3 percent adjusting for currency), with growth in Consulting, up 16 percent (up 11 percent adjusting for currency), Application Management up 5 percent (up 1 percent adjusting for currency) and Global Process Services up 28 percent (up 25 percent adjusting for currency). Cloud revenue up 35 percent (up 30 percent adjusting for currency). Gross profit margin declined 60 basis points.
• Global Technology Services (includes Infrastructure & Cloud Services and Technology Support Services) — revenues of $6.3 billion, up 0.4 percent (down 4.1 percent adjusting for currency). Both Infrastructure & Cloud Services and Technology Support Services were flat (down 4 percent adjusting for currency). Cloud revenue down 1 percent (down 5 percent adjusting for currency). Gross profit margin up 110 basis points.
• Systems (includes Systems Hardware and Operating Systems Software) — revenues of $1.7 billion, down 7.3 percent (down 10.2 percent adjusting for currency), driven by declines in IBM Z (down 11 percent; down 13 percent adjusting for currency) and Storage Systems (down 7 percent, down 10 percent adjusting for currency). Power systems declined 2 percent (down 5 percent adjusting for currency). Cloud revenue down 16 percent (down 19 percent adjusting for currency).
• Global Financing (includes financing and used equipment sales) — revenues of $242 million, down 8.6 percent (down 11.6 percent adjusting for currency).
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Intel elects Andrea Goldsmith to Board of Directors

Andrea Goldsmith, dean of engineering and applied science and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Princeton University, has been elected to Intel’s board of directors.

Dr. Goldsmith spent more than two decades at Stanford University before she was named dean of engineering and applied science at Princeton in 2020. From 2010 to 2014, Goldsmith co-founded and served as the chief technology officer at Plume WiFi (formerly Accelera Inc.), a provider of software-defined wireless networking technology. From 2005 to 2009, Goldsmith also co-founded and served as chief technology officer at Quantenna Communications. Her research focuses on the fundamental performance limits of wireless systems, especially with regard to 5G wireless, the mobile Internet of Things, smart grid design and the applications of communications and signal processing to biology and neuroscience.

Goldsmith has significant public company board experience. She currently serves on the boards of Medtronic and Crown Castle International. Goldsmith has served on the technical advisory boards of several private companies.

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Taiwan Star Telecom expands rollout with Nokia

 Taiwan Star Telecom (TST) selected Nokia to extend its 5G footprint across the country. 

Nokia is a long-term partner of TST and will provide equipment from its latest 5G AirScale portfolio to support TST’s 5G standalone (SA) network. The rollout includes Nokia's AirScale Indoor (ASiR) system for retail and office environments. 

TST will also utilize the EN-DC functionality available on Nokia’s AirScale radios. EN-DC allows devices to connect simultaneously to 5G and LTE networks, transmitting and receiving data across both air-interface technologies. 

TST launched 5G services last summer utilizing the 40 MHz of bandwidth in the 3.5GHz band it had previously secured. Early deployment saw 80 percent covered in densely populated areas last year with 100 percent in Taiwan expected to be covered by 2023. 

TST’s 5G subscriptions reached 5 percent of its total mobile users last year with a target of reaching 20 percent by the end of this year.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2021/07/19/nokia-extends-5g-installed-base-with-taiwan-star-telecom-expansion-deal/

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Webinar archive: Expanded beam optics

How do you ensure the reliability of a fiber connection to a switch at very high line rates or once co-packaged optics (CPO) solutions come to market? Dust is always a concern, especially at 400G and above, when even a small contamination can lead to magnified disruptions. Reliable optical interconnects are key! The latest OSFP 4.0 spec introduces support for Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) technology, opening up new possibilities.

This webinar explores what makes the Expanded Beam concept unique for fiber optic connectors, how EBO contributes to increasing operational reliability, and the wide range of applications for which EBO can be used.

Video archive: https://youtu.be/CHvXe-2HPe4

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