News - VanillaPlus - The global voice of Telecoms IT

Just how important is net neutrality?

In spite of public protests, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced plans to end the use of net neutrality in 2015, and in June 2018 the US officially repealed the rules that restricted the way internet providers could treat data. The impact was quickly felt. Research released in September 2018 by Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts revealed that YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and NBC Sports were the main targets of slowing data speeds, or throttling.

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22 February, 2019

Trump and Huawei exert opposing pressures on US allies’ 5G telecom investments

THE WEEK IN TELCO IT – The ding dong battle over the acceptability, or otherwise, of Huawei’s involvement in national 5G infrastructure projects is intensifying, says Jeremy Cowan. (more…)

19 February, 2019

What does mobile app fatigue mean, and can it be stopped?

A by-product of the invention of smartphones, the mobile app ecosystem now encapsulates millions of app developers and billions of smartphone owners who use these apps every day, writes Mark Jackson, the director and industry principal for telecoms & media at Pegasystems. There was a recent period where businesses just had to be seen to have an app to curb potential concerns about alienating younger demographics, but these attitudes are beginning to wane. Up until now, app use has been increasing, but this is set to change. Is 2019 going to be the year that we see a big app shake-up that could be terminal?

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08 February, 2019

CSPs’ visibility becomes essential while security presents opportunities

In 2019, as communications service providers (CSPs) evolve their security strategies, end-to-end visibility of communications will become essential, writes Darren Anstee, the chief technology officer of Netscout. Increasingly the network will need to provide a unified means of observing, identifying and remediating malicious or suspicious communications and devices.

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21 December, 2018

What to expect in 2019: Clue – If it’s not about 5G it’s barely being mentioned

Spoiler Alert: If you’re hoping to get through the Festive Period without any mention of 5G, look away now. And, says Jeremy Cowan, if you thought 2018 was full of 5G hype you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. We haven’t even got to #MWC19 in Barcelona yet!
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13 December, 2018

5G will be an evolution in speed, but a revolution in scope

The rubber is meeting the road in terms of 5G rollout for the major network operators, writes Mike O’Malley, the vice president of marketing at Radware.

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14 October, 2018

No more ‘heads in the sand’ as security firms urge customers to patrol enlarged attack surface

Security never seems to get any easier, does it? Ransomware, say the experts, shows no signs of diminishing as a threat to consumers and enterprises. So if they can’t nullify the threat, how can enterprises and consumers reduce their vulnerability? (more…)

09 October, 2018

How the cloud will unlock new opportunities for businesses with flexibility, agility and scalability

Flexibility, agility and scalability, this trio of aims is shared by the majority of businesses today, which either have an established global presence, or hold expansion ambitions. For any business to achieve all three, it needs to ensure that the IT and infrastructure are supporting and powering its growth and is equally flexible, agile and scalable, writes Divya Wakankar, the head of Communication Innovation and Next Generation Services Product Management at BICS.

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Two ways CSPs should tackle cybersecurity challenges in the IoT era

The threat surface for both communications service providers (CSPs) and their customers is expanding. CSPs are moving towards more complex operating environments, which involve a growing number of partners and suppliers who are capable of exposing CSPs to cybersecurity breaches. They are also faced with the rise of IoT devices, of which it is estimated there will be 29 billion by 2022. Such devices are often unsecured, posing a significant threat to users. CSPs will be faced with competitors who make IoT security a selling point for their services, so they must devise a method of doing the same, writes Mel Prescott, the telecommunications practice lead at FICO.

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05 September, 2018

How to secure UCaaS in the post WannaCry world

Unified communications as a service (UCaaS), the cloud delivery model for enterprise communications, is known for providing flexibility and scalability for core business tasks, as well as for offering a more consistent user experience for remote and mobile workers, writes Jon Loftin, the head of unified communications at Powwownow.

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