Telecom Ramblings

5G is coming.  That has been the mantra for all-too-many years now, and yet it is not and never has been a false alarm.  It’s just that the infrastructure must be built out, because this time it’s fiber and densification via small cells that will provide all that capacity, not just better radios and such.  Where are we in that process today?  5G is ready in some places, but so much more remains left to do.  With us today to talk about small cell deployments and their effects on our communities from an outside perspective is Charles Cieutat, partner at the consulting firm Altman Solon, which he joined 12 years ago. [Read more →]

Three bits of interesting infrastructure news to finish your Friday with: [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Justin Peterson, Director of Solutions and Architecture at HFR Networks.

Small cells or deploying sites in space constrained environments is important for filling coverage gaps, increasing network capacity, covering campus environments or venues, and accelerating 5G deployments. Rapid and cost-effective deployment is [Read more →]

A possible new national fiber buildout in Australia continues to move closer to reality. According to Capacity, HyperOne is preparing to tender the design, construction, and operation of the AU$1.5B project it announced six months ago, and is calling for formal expressions of interest. [Read more →]

NTT has announced plans for a new data center campus in the southwestern US. The Japanese-based global service provider is moving into the Phoenix, Arizona metro area in force. [Read more →]

EdgeConneX has made an inorganic move into a completely new geographical area. Yesterday the edge data center specialist announced an agreement to acquire Global Data Center, entering the data center market of the Middle East for the first time. [Read more →]

A series of expansions, one each in the metro, the longhaul, managed services, and FTTH, three organic and one inorganic: [Read more →]

Two tech giants have unveiled plans for their latest subsea infrastructure project. Google and Facebook yesterday announced their participation in Apricot, a new cable connecting key markets in the APAC region. [Read more →]

The optimization of internet traffic has been a topic since there was traffic in the first place.  Peering and interconnection between the islands of infrastructure that make up our digital world is seeing the same trends of automation and control, and lots of smart folks are trying to get it right.  With us today to delve into the subject is one of the industry’s leading voices on peering and interconnection, Bill Norton.  Bill is co-founder and Chief Technical Liaison of Syntropy, formerly NOIA, which is developing a blockchain-based platform that it believes could change the way applications are developed and networks are run. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Dr. Georges Aoude, CEO and co-Founder of Derq

Vision Zero is one of the newer strategies looking to eliminate deaths and severe injuries due to road traffic and unsafe infrastructure. First successfully implemented in parts of Europe, the strategy has recently gained traction in North American cities in addition to the direction of the new administration. [Read more →]

Two bits of vendor news, a new data center, and a new PoP: [Read more →]

An optical upgrade, a data center expansion, a convertible note, and an M&A: [Read more →]

A Reuters report a few days ago brought up a name I hadn’t heard in a while from the Arctic.  Russia has supposedly begun laying the Polar Express cable system along its northern coast, perhaps stepping into the gap left by delays at the Arctic Connect project. [Read more →]

Latin America’s subsea cable infrastructure is officially one cable richer as of this morning. According to Telxius, the Mistral cable system is now ready for service. [Read more →]

A few deals and deployments from late last week that I ought to have gotten to then before we handle anything new from this week: [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Jay Cadman, Senior Vice President, Enterprise, at IQGeo

In the wake of the economic impact from COVID-19 restrictions, most enterprises see fiber and 5G networks as critical to their reinvention and recovery, providing the post-pandemic jumpstart the economy needs. It has the potential to turbocharge economic growth and deliver GDP growth of more than 40% by 2030 on some estimates. The 5G value chain alone [Read more →]

Three fiber expansion projects in three different geographies to keep up with: [Read more →]

Several items of vendor deployments and new product development worth keeping up with:  [Read more →]

In a major bit of telecommunications M&A after the markets closed, Lumen has announced a significant transaction with Apollo Funds. Apollo will be acquiring Lumen’s ILEC business in 20 Midwest and Southeastern states for $7.5B, a sum which includes the assumption of $1.4B in debt. [Read more →]

A subsea effort that almost slipped past me, some data center energy news, and a new PoP: [Read more →]

A couple of data center moves, a certification, and an M&A move over in Europe: [Read more →]

One subsea move, and three network expansion moves out in the rural US – one inorganic and two organic: [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Angela Logothetis, CTO of Amdocs Open Network

Connectivity has played a critical role during the pandemic. Carriers across the globe have done an amazing job not only keeping us connected but delivering the resilience and quality of service we need to work, educate, shop, and stay in touch with each other from home during the pandemic. But in many homes, it has not been possible to [Read more →]