Telecom Ramblings

Happy New Year to all!  Last year’s fiber/network M&A activity wasn’t that hot, and you could see that last year’s poll didn’t see any obvious targets.  The top 5 were Windstream, Uniti, FiberLight, FirstLight, and GTT.  Of those, FiberLight did find a buyer (I had almost forgotten about that deal!).   The second on the list to be acquired was #7, ZenFi.   Now, of course, it is time to poll the sector for 2023.  Who you think are the likeliest candidates to be sold (in part or in whole) in 2022.  (Not including already pending transactions). If I’ve missed anyone, do let me know. [Read more →]

The new year is upon us again, which means that it is time to dig the crystal ball out of the closet again and make a few predictions. The pandemic isn’t exactly gone, but it’s definitely in the rear view mirror for most everyone.  So what do our headlights show in the distance now?  If history is considered, I shouldn’t really try to guess.  But who asked history? [Read more →]

The wireless side of things tends to dominate AT&T’s world these days, so it is always interesting to see them make a move in the world of last mile fiber. They have partnered up with BlackRock Alternatives to launch a new joint venture targeting fiber reach outside their traditional 21-state incumbent territory. [Read more →]

Okay, about those predictions I made last year…  Each December I like to make a few predictions about the year ahead.  But what is a prediction without a healthy dose of reality to cut it down to size?  We don’t check such things often enough, we just tend to make more.   I’ll get to that part soon enough, but first: how did I do last year? [Read more →]

Happy Holidays to all, time to escape early if you haven’t already folks!  Here’s some quick catchup first of a few items beforehand: [Read more →]

A couple of data center projects and a shoot-down of a deal by regulators down under: [Read more →]

A new data center, a new PoP, some state fiber funding, and a new CEO: [Read more →]

There was a bit of M&A in the competitive telecommunications market in the MidAtlantic. The managed service provider Xtel Communications has announced the acquisition of Global Telecom, a.k.a. GTB, extending its geographical reach and adding to its talent pool. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Boominathan Shanmugam of Prodapt Systems

Most service providers in the connectedness industry are challenged with the planning and allocation of field technicians based on demand. Gartner states, “Balancing available resources against the demand is essential to successful initiative completion.” Based on the engagements with various service providers, the common challenges in traditional field service capacity planning are [Read more →]

From around the world this morning and late last week: a couple of interesting executive moves over in Europe, a rebranding, a new data center campus, and a network upgrade project. [Read more →]

As 2022 comes to a close, Zayo released some details on where it has been investing in its network. The list gives us a sense of not just 2022, but where the company is headed as we move into 2023. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Kailem Anderson – Vice President of Portfolio and Engineering for Blue Planet, a division of Ciena

Network engineers and architects commonly used diagrams to visualize their network architecture. However, with the advent of disaggregated networks, 5G, and edge computing, which are designed to deliver dynamic services comprised of virtualized resources that can be placed anywhere in the network, generating an accurate picture of the ever-changing network has become more challenging than ever. [Read more →]

Three items from southern Europe and one from southern Asia: [Read more →]

Aligned Data Centers is taking on some major new geographical reach with the planned acquisition of ODATA. The purchase will give Aligned a significant hyperscale presence in Latin America right off the bat, with more already under construction. [Read more →]

Bluebird Network has made a small inorganic move out in the midwest. The Missouri-based communications infrastructure provider says it has agreed to acquire the middle mile network assets of Missouri Telecom Inc., or MTI, which operates FTTH infrastructure in the region. [Read more →]

Two independent infrastructure players are teaming up to create a future key piece of the Pacific Northwest’s infrastructure. MOX Networks announced yesterday that it is building the necessary backhaul network for Toptana Technologies new cable landing station. [Read more →]

Some fiber is changing hands up in the Pacific Northwest. Ziply Fiber has agreed to acquire iFIBER Communications as it continues to find places to invest in FTTH opportunities across the region. [Read more →]

What’s better than one new route to Portugal? Two, at least for EXA this winter. The pan-European network operator announced this morning plans to invest in a second route across the Iberian peninsula to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Jeff Wang, Senior Managing Director at Accenture

The internet is being reshaped and evolving into a spectrum of digitally enhanced worlds, realities and business models. This is a game changer for communications service providers (CSPs) who will serve as an endpoint for consumers and businesses to the metaverse, a market that is expected to be worth an estimated $13 trillion in global revenue by 2030 according to a recent Citi report. While any generational shift in the internet presents threats to incumbents, CSPs are strongly positioned to capitalize on this opportunity given their proximity to customers and high levels of trust that they enjoy. [Read more →]

As the worlds of cloud and telecommunications become increasingly intertwined, some big names from the tech world are making an impact on the next generation of infrastructure.  Oracle has come a long way from its pure database roots to become a major cloud provider, and is now taking serious aim at a 5G-connected world on multiple fronts, from the 5G network core to future connected enterprise applications.  With us today to talk about their approach is Andrew De La Torre, Group Vice President of Technology at Oracle Communications. [Read more →]

A few other items from around the world this week to catch up with: [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Sergiu Nedevschi, Co-Founder & CSO at Tarana Wireless

Fixed wireless access (FWA) networks have long been used to provide basic internet service in areas with no fiber or coax infrastructure. Unfortunately, these legacy FWA solutions are significantly challenged by the obstructions pervasive in most residential neighborhoods, which block wireless signals and severely limit these networks’ utility as demand for faster internet service continues to rise. These obstructions [Read more →]

Five interesting items focused on regional and metro projects and events around the US: [Read more →]