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Networking fit for a hybrid working world

Annie Turner
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Networking fit for a hybrid working world

SD-WANs can help businesses address remote workers as a priority, writes Peter Terry-Brown of Vodafone Business*

Widespread remote working took place almost overnight and led to an explosion in the number of locations at which data and applications needed to be accessed. Employees operating from anywhere has led many organisations to rethink their network infrastructure. They need a network that has enough bandwidth to cope in a world of hybrid (remote and office-based) working and can do so securely.

The boom in remote working has also seen companies embrace cloud more, meaning legacy networking is no longer fit for purpose. 

Software-defined networks that are both are automated and intelligent have emerged. Complex tasks become simple, allowing an organisation to move much faster, and in a way which enables growth while staying secure.

More flexibility and control

As the pandemic showed, it’s important for businesses to plan for the unexpected. SD-WAN has improved network infrastructure for many businesses as it can be managed over a wide area, connecting multiple locations. Organisations can use the software to control applications, security policies and general administration.

It also means that the network can be viewed in real-time and businesses can respond to issues quickly, giving them more flexibility and control.

As SD-WAN can detect which applications are in use and optimise the workflow according to individuals’ needs, it ensures everyone has a better experience and helps to improve performance.

For many teams, better time management has been a key benefit as complex operations can be simplified through automation and cloud-based management. SD-WAN also brings intelligence to the network, minimising network congestion and making sure the cloud is better connected.

Reductions in operation costs

SD-WANs should enable IT managers to get the best out of their network spend. While there are no guarantees that overall network costs will reduce – this really depends on the applications in use– the network can be managed to optimise both price and performance.

SD-WAN technology means many networking functions can be virtualised and consumed as-a-service. Instead of having to purchase, install and maintain multiple appliances for routing, firewall and WAN acceleration, an SD-WAN offers one, on-site service that supports multiple virtual network functions. This reduces commercial and operational costs.

Greater agility and security

The pandemic brought forced businesses to adapt and find more flexible solutions. To accommodate hybrid working and support the workforce, companies need a plan and the right tools in place to protect them from security threats and address compliance issues.

As the rise of autonomous networks continues, the network’s ability to detect issues such as cyberattacks and respond automatically will become more important.

SD-WANs provide giving greater visibility, so IT teams can locate issues and be more responsive to cyber threats: the centralised virtual network environment means that it can be constantly updated and  backed up, and threats can be minimised across all locations, devices and the cloud simultaneously.

Better visibility is through greater access to data and reporting features, giving business leaders insights into how they can apply new applications, technologies and connectivity for additional devices and locations. Having a secure and management IT infrastructure is key to futureproofing and staying ahead of the competition.

Overall, SD-WAN connectivity can help improve business’ control and visibility of their networks, helping them to make better decisions, faster. With seamless network connectivity, performance issues will be minimised and the smart yet simplified network will enable organisations to be more productive and flexible.

Digitally transforming the business will give a complete overview of the network and better management of applications, helping organisations to stay ahead of the competition and protect their network.

* The author is Unified Communications and Connectivity Director at Vodafone Business

FTTH Council Europe publishes market forecasts for 2021 to 2026

Annie Turner
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FTTH Council Europe publishes market forecasts for 2021 to 2026

Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK are experiencing “the most remarkable growth”.

The numbers just published by the FTTH Council Europe, based on data from iDATE, cover more than 39 countries with individual analysis of 15 countries’ progress and status.

The figures are consistent with previous estimates and foresee about 197 million homes passed for fibre to the home/building  (FTTH/B) in 2026 in the 27 counties in the European Union plus the UK (EU27+UK) , compared to 118 million this year.

The forecasts reckon the number of subscribers will reach 135 million in 2026 for EU27+UK and 197 million for the EU39 (EU27+ Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine; Iceland, Israel, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey). Its estimates suggest that in 2026, the FTTH/B take-up rate3 for EU27+UK will be slightly higher (68.7%) than for EU39 (65.3%), with evolving steadily over the years.

The research found several factors have played a role in driving deployment of networks. The COVID-19 crisis created more data traffic and higher demand. This resulted  in private investors investing more heavily in their FTTH/deployments.

Also, the launch of national programmes (infrastructures and digitalisation) and new European digital targets for 2025 and 2030 are expected to accelerate the availability of full-fibre connectivity across all European countries.

Download the full set of data from here.

Fraud and extortion exposed at Vodafone Deutschland

Annie Turner
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0
Fraud and extortion exposed at Vodafone Deutschland

Der Spiegel newspaper reports whistleblower tried to extort money – the operator could be fined up to €460 million for misuse of data.

Vodafone Deutschland has started criminal proceedings against 15 parties, dumped 10 shops run as franchises and closed 53 stores.

This is after it turned out that contracts were being taken out in customers’ names without their knowledge for the sellers to gain commission from the contracts.

Most of the 1,200 Vodafone-branded stores across Germany do not belong to the operator but are run as franchises, selling phones and contracts on behalf of it.

The fraud took place within a single region of Germany, believed to be North Rhine-Westphalia.

Attempt at extortion

According to Der Spiegel, a whistleblower in the shape of a former shop manager approached Vodafone “after a few months with the surprising demand for a large sum of money”.

The operator said, “He threatened to publish sensitive customer data and trade secrets if this sum were not paid.”

The sum demanded is rumoured to be €900,000: Vodafone filed a complaint with the Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office for extortion, unauthorised disclosure of personal data and internal business matters.

Vodafone under investigation

The operator is under investigation by the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) and now faces a fine of up to €460 million for not securing data: the fraud was possible due to gaps in software that gave the criminals access to customers’ bank details, addresses and passwords.

Apparently at some times the crooks didn’t even need to enter a password to access this information. Victims include elderly and disabled people the Spiegel said.

It could turn out that the fine is the least of Vodafone’s worries – the damage to reputation and customers’ and potential customers’ trust is likely to be very much higher.

Vodafone said it has “reacted hard and immediately, increased security measures”.

It also said that in the cases brought so far are where “among other things, fraudulent actions against the company as well as against its customers”.

As well as fraudulent contracts, Vodafone found there have also been abuse of commissions or discounts.

Some customers had their contracts moved to a higher tariff for which commission is paid, although commission is also paid if a customer moves to a lower tariff but adds a chargeable service to their order.
 
 

Orange ramps up its mobile money services to Africa with Ericsson financial system

Nick Booth
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Orange ramps up its mobile money services to Africa with Ericsson financial system

Open system will speed the process of financial inclusion and economic development across Africa

Orange Middle East and Africa is installing Ericsson’s Mobile Financial Services in phases across fourteen of the countries in its Orange Money footprint, starting with Senegal.

Orange Money has grown rapidly since it was launched in 2008. The service is now available to more than 60 million subscribers in seventeen countries across Africa and the Middle East, where it has facilitated more than €62 billion in transactions in 2020, reports Africa Briefing.

The offering provides financial services through a ‘flexible and simple’ mobile phone interface, without the need for a bank account. Orange Money says its customers can securely store, transfer and withdraw money and pay merchants and utility providers, along with most of the essential financial services we might expect from a bank.

Ericsson’s Mobile Financial Services are built on open architecture and Orange claims they will provide a more agile and compliant IT platform for the high performance needed to support a flow of transactions that may need to be ramped up at short notice.

Mobile banking boosts economies

By strengthening Orange’s core mobile money platform, Ericsson will help promote financial inclusion and economic development across these countries, it claims. 

More than 300 million people worldwide currently use Ericsson’s Wallet systems for banking on the phones supplied by Africa’s mobile operators.

“Stable, secure, reliable and compliant mobile financial services are fundamental to building the foundations of economic growth for many people in Africa,” said Alioune Ndiaye, Chairman and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa. “As we continue to work to support our customers and enhance the services offered to them, Ericsson’s financial services platform can expand our ecosystem and achieve our vision of financial inclusion in Africa.”

“This anchors Ericsson’s technology leadership position in offering the most advanced and innovative mobile financial services and further contributing to the economic development of Africa,” said Fadi Pharaon, president of Ericsson Middle East and Africa.

 

 

Nokia giving green light to O-RAN Alliance again after brief flickering

Nick Booth
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Nokia giving green light to O-RAN Alliance again after brief flickering

Technical issues needed clearing but its switched back on comes over loud and clear

Nokia’s Mobile Networks president Tommi Uitto says the equipment maker’s technical contribution to the O-RAN Alliance will resume after a period of detachment.

The cause, doubts about US legislation, has been resolved and the channels of communication have re-opened, according to his Nokia blog.

“For a short time, we had to pause our technical activity with the alliance while important legal issues were ironed out,” Uitto blogs.

However, the O-RAN commitment was never in doubt, Uitto claims.

“While much has been written in recent days about that decision, I want to reiterate something that has not – and will not – change: Nokia is fully committed to O-RAN and a believer in the potential of O-RAN,” said Uitto.

The blog unveiled ‘encouraging news’ that the O-RAN Alliance has announced changes to its O-RAN participation documents and procedures. These procedural changes will keep O-RAN’s technical activities in compliance with US law, a precaution that allows the ‘exciting work’ to resume.

Nokia remains the strongest contributor to the alliance’s technical work, with its technical contributions evident across most of the alliance’s ten working groups and four focus groups.

Concentrate on the evolving spec of O-RAN

Uitto said the next technical challenges to be tackled will arise from evolving O-RAN specifications as the O-RAN ecosystem takes time to mature. He praised the speed at which the O-RAN Alliance resolved recent issues and the spirit of community and co-operation. 

“Rest assured that Nokia will continue to play a leading role in shaping its exciting future,” was Uitto’s message to doubters.

Meanwhile some O-RAN members may be subject to US export regulations, reports RCR Wireless News.

In response the O-RAN Board has approved changes to O-RAN participation documents and procedures, said Andre Fuetsch, Chairman of the O-RAN Alliance. “While it is up to each O-RAN participant to make their own evaluation of these changes, O-RAN is optimistic that the changes will address the concerns and facilitate O-RAN’s mission.”

 

Austria’s A1 Telekom Group launches Offensity – secures mobile operators

Nick Booth
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Austria’s A1 Telekom Group launches Offensity – secures mobile operators

Mission is to detect breaches before they get in the way of business

Austria’s A1 Telekom Group has shared a progress report on the rollout of its Offensity security service across the group’s markets.

Three years ago a team of A1 security experts was instructed to develop a cloud service to continuously probe IT infrastructures for breachable gaps, its web site reports.

This new security subsidiary, A1 Digital, worked with Austria’s Karriere, Germany’s Mack Rides and Serbia’s Almaks Doo Beograd to shape the Offensity service around each vertical sector’s needs. Each partner/client put its imprint on Offensity, which A1 Digital has launched as a ‘fully automated vulnerability scanner’.

Offensity works in three levels, which it describes as: Company-wide scanning, a monitoring service; actionable reporting, where intelligence is passed to experts; and a European security service, which uses in-depth expertise to assess how secure a company and its adherence to European standards and laws.

The whole group is taking Offensity

The Offensity service has now been launched in Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia and Slovenia. In September the A1 Group rolled out a number of comms services in its national markets across each group.

Telecompaper reports that A1 Belarus is now in a pact with the state-owned infrastructure operator Becloud to offer telecoms services and has expanded the coverage of the LTE network to 5,200 cities, towns and villages in the Vitebsk region. With 201 base stations signalling on the 800 MHz band it now reaches 75 per cent of the area and 98 per cent of its population. In addition the operator has launched a new money service A1 Wallet + 150, on which customers using the application A1 Banking on the service A1 Wallet can now buy goods and services and pay by instalment using electronic money.

The Offensity security service could bolster the new A1 cloud platform for centralised video content management at sites across the country. In Bulgaria it’s being used by state-owned gambling company BST (Bulgarski sporten totalizator) to manage a network of advertising video displays, audio systems and interactive devices for its top 100 sites across the country.

New initiatives by A1 Bulgaria 

A1 Bulgaria is also running an annual ‘Internet for All’ campaign with Youtubers Slavi Panayotov from The Clashers and ‘Come on BG’ featuring in a series of educational videos. The campaign on internet safety targets children, parents and teachers and offers prizes such as an Apple iPhone for selected participants. The operator is also running a professional video platform to help its business customers connect with their partners and end-users. A1 Video Assistant is designed to provide an experience close to a real visit to the store or office, according to A1 Bulgaria.

On the infrastructure side, in Slovenia A1 Slovenija has switched on a 5G network in Ljubljana, Maribor and Celje, providing access to customers with suitable phones free of charge, reports news agency Sta. The operator promises 5G access to 60 per cent of the population by the end of 2022.

All software driven initiatives are vulnerable and that could undermine the A1 Group’s mission to ‘unlock the potential of digital transformation’, according to Alejandro Plater, COO A1 Telekom Austria Group.

“To make that happen, Offensity helps our customers adapt to a continuously changing cyber threat environment. Rolling out the solution in a concerted manner throughout the group is a great success of joint efforts and the best example of how to digitalise business,” said Plater.

Indian government throws life line to Vodafone offshoot

Annie Turner
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Indian government throws life line to Vodafone offshoot

Government desperate to keep three operators in the market in the interest of competition.

Reliant Jio shattered India’s mobile market on entry in 2016, growing faster than Facebook’s most rapid period of expansion. This resulted in consolidation and only three nationwide mobile operators still standing – Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vi (Vodafone Idea as was).

A series of rulings by India’s Supreme Court has allowed the government to spread its net wider to drag in higher taxes and fees, and apply interest to them –known as adjusted gross revenue (AGR) – bringing Vi to its knees.

No more equity

Vodafone Group’s CEO, Nick Read, has said consistently that the company would close the business rather put more equity into the Indian subsidiary, a joint venture between Vodafone and Aditya Birla Group, off the Group P&L.

Read has been demanding government intervention since 2019 when the most recent and most serious crisis kicked off. All subsequent attempts to overturn the Supreme Court’s rulings have failed.

At way past the eleventh hour, the government has finally intervened, faced with the possibility of a duopoly. In July, the Supreme Court renewed its demands, resulting in the Vi’s Chairman leaving and saying the company would not be viable for much longer.

Relief ending in state-ownership?

The government’s relief package says the telcos can defer payment for spectrum and other liabilities for four years, and that interest accrued over that period could be transferred into state equity in the companies.

It is thought this will save Vi about €2.9 billion annually. Ultimately the company could move to full state ownership as the much weakened operator faces an uncertain future.

Indian mobile tariffs among the lowest in the world after the vicious price war with Jio, funded by the deep pockets of the wider Reliance conglomerate. Its founder, Mukesh Ambani, is India’s richest person.

Previous to the latest major crisis, Vodafone and the Indian government were locked in a dispute about taxes for almost ten years, which the government finally backed down from last month.

Bad vibes?

The Indian government must be acutely aware that the message sent out by the three-way wrangles between itself, the Supreme Court and the operators has not sent out a positive message about investing in India where the goal posts seem to shift.

It did not stop Big Tech companies piling in to invest in Reliance Platforms, though. As the newest Indian operator, the company had much less to pay.
 

China loans Benin $40 million to build up its national fibre optics backbone

Nick Booth
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China loans Benin $40 million to build up its national fibre optics backbone

Supplemental loan to extend backbone’s reach into four of Benin’s 12 regional departments

China has loaned the African republic Benin around $40 million (€34 million) for a broadband internet project, PDRHD. The deal was signed by Benin’s minister of foreign affairs Aurélien Agbénonci and Peng Jingtao, Chinese ambassador to Benin.

The loan will fund installation of 484.1 kilometres of fibre optic cabling in four departments (regions) out of the 12 that make up the nation. Those getting connected are: Mono, Zou, Collines and the North, says a report by Ecofin Agency.

The loan will also support the building of a 204.8-kilometer metropolitan broadband network covering ten urban areas, including Route des pêches, the 40-km trunk road connecting the seat of government Cotonou to the historical city Ouidah.

The project will connect lake zones to the national fibre optic backbone using beam technology. “Everyone will access digital technologies in Benin,” said Agbénonci.

PDRH is a supplemental project to the PDI2T launched by the government in 2016 in the telecom and IT sector. The government has not released current information about the progress of the project however. The last official figures related to the PDI2T project were released in April 2018. At that time the work had two months to proceed before the date of the projected deadline and was declared 83 per cent complete with 67 out of the 77 targeted municipalities connected to the national backbone, reported the Ecofin Agency.

Virgin Media O2 releases footage of drone running emergency services on 5G

Nick Booth
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Virgin Media O2 releases footage of drone running emergency services on 5G

Sells 5G with demo of simulated call centre in a balloon taking 999 calls

UK mobile operator Virgin Media O2 has put drones on the phone in a bid to popularise 5G mobile technology. It has created a demo video showing how 5G enabled drones could help the emergency services to be more responsive and save lives. 

The video shows how Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) and Swiss drone company Fotokite tested the use of 5G connected drones to support the emergency services.

In a simulated rescue mission, conducted at Millbrook Proving Ground, a tethered Fotokite drone with an onboard Sigma system connected and instantly transferred data, using a tablet, to first responders at the location and to medical staff at a local hospital.

The proposed system allows first responders to send a tethered drone up to 45 meters above ‘a situation’ – such as a car crash. This enables those on site and colleagues in other locations to make an immediate assessment of events. Its low latency, uninterrupted aerial monitoring and two minute set up time of 2 minutes ensures no time is lost, claims VMO2. Traditional drones take 13 minutes longer to analyse a scene, it said.   

VMO2 can connect teams in emergency

The interactive drone is built to give rescue crews essential awareness tools and is so ‘user friendly’ it can controlled by anyone with the A2 Certificate of Competence, by-passing the need to obtain a drone pilot’s licence. 

The trial was deigned to show how 5G could connect people in remote and inaccessible locations to the emergency services. VMO2 claims it is developing an understanding of how 5G can help the UK’s important services.

“We are relentlessly pursuing new 5G-enabled innovations that will make real differences to people’s lives,” said Rob Searle, head of 5G at VMO2, “This could transform how emergency services operate and react to life-threatening situations.”

The public could be won over to new 5G networks when they see the impact that safety-critical data sharing in public safety applications can make, claims Chris McCall, CEO at Fotokite. “Incident commanders and decision makers have new capabilities when it comes to 5G-enabled technologies and we are excited to help public safety teams save lives and stay safe.”

Vodafone Spain to cut 515 jobs – but digital employees may get re-hired in future

Nick Booth
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0
Vodafone Spain to cut 515 jobs – but digital employees may get re-hired in future

Management blames low fees tight margins – union says jobs could be saved through innovation and efficiency

Vodafone Spain will cut up to 515 jobs, mainly in its commercial operations, due to the ‘challenging conditions on the Spanish market.

When Vodafone management begin a one-month negotiation period at the end of September the UK-based global mobile operator expects to lay off up to 12 per cent of its Spanish workforce, reported Reuters.

A Vodafone Spain statement blamed ‘intense price competition’, the ‘drift towards low-value fees in Spain’, a ‘sharp fall in revenue’ and ‘a significant margin deterioration’.

Labour unions said this was an attempt to hide executives’ failure to redirect the company and said invention and efficiency would obviate job cuts.

In July Vodafone Spain’ CTO Ismael Asenjo quit after a restructure of the organisation meant he no longer reported to the Spanish CEO. Asenjo had been with the company 20 years and earned a high industry profile due to Vodafone Spain’s starting trials of 5G NSA in 2018, way ahead of the company’s two larger rivals, Telefónica and Orange.
 
5G helped Vodafone Spain staunch high churn rates after it stopped broadcasting football on its pay TV, enabling the operator to 5G to offer the first unlimited data rates in Spain. 

“This is Vodafone’s fourth round of layoffs [in eight years] … and represents lawmakers and regulators’ inability to provide sustainability to a key sector crucial to the digital economy of the future,” said the UGT union, which holds 50 per cent of workers’ negotiating votes, in a statement.

In May France-based Orange said it would lay off 485 employees in Spain the teeth of the local market’s increasingly low-cost, hyper-competitive telecoms sector.

Vodafone called the collective layoff an essential step to improving operational returns.

“This comes as a result of the deterioration Vodafone has suffered in the market, and the losses it recorded in recent financial results,” said a Reuters source, who claimed that the long term objective is to create more jobs than those lost by the end of next year: “particularly in digital areas.”

Spain’s telecommunications sector has lost around half its jobs in the past 20 years, according to Reuters’ experts sources.

The union, UGT, said talks should begin by September the 28th.

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