Get the latest announcements from MEF Members across the mobile ecosystem globally in this weekly review of member news…
Vodafone shares unused 4G spectrum for rural mobile broadband
Vodafone is sharing some of its unused 4G spectrum with StrattoOpencell, an indoor mobile signal service provider, to offer high-speed mobile broadband to remote areas.
StrattoOpencell, part of the Digital Colony UK Infrastructure Platform, will use Vodafone’s 2600MHz frequency spectrum to offer mobile data speeds of up to 120Mbps to consumers and businesses without access to fixed fibre broadband. While Vodafone will continue to use the 2600MHz spectrum to provide increased mobile capacity for customers in busy locations such as stadium and city centres.
“Vodafone has a long history of innovation, from sending the first text message to conducting the first 5G holographic call. We are delighted to become the first mobile company in the UK to share some of our spectrum to extend rural coverage,” said Nick Jeffery (pictured), CEO, Vodafone UK. “By offering some of our 4G spectrum to StrattoOpencell, we are helping to extend fast and reliable mobile network access for people in rural communities. Mobile connectivity in rural areas is just as important as it is for those in towns and cities, which is why we continue to work with others to help improve rural connectivity for all.”
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Almost three quarters of UK adults have never heard of deepfakes
Nearly three out of four UK adults (72 percent) say they have never heard of deepfake videos, according to survey results shared by iProov, which could have potentially huge implications for personal and professional security. Even when the idea was fully explained to them, 28 percent said they considered deepfakes to be harmless.
Respondents demonstrated some understanding of how difficult deepfakes are to detect, with 70 percent acknowledging they would not be able to tell a deepfake from a genuine video, and 72 percent say they would be more likely to use a social media network if it has measures in place to mitigate them. Social networks are responsible for combatting deepfakes, according to 55 percent.
A senior U.S. intelligence official recently told Biometric Update that there is concern among authorities that deepfakes could be used to interfere in the country’s upcoming elections.
“Awareness is the first defence against any cyber-security threat, as we’ve already seen with attacks like phishing and ransomware. Deepfakes, however, represent a whole new kind of danger to businesses and individuals,” comments iProov Founder and CEO Andrew Bud.
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Neustar Wins 2019 CyberSecurity Breakthrough Award
Neustar®, Inc., a global information services company and leader in identity resolution, today announced that its Neustar NetProtect™ solution has been selected as winner of the “Network Control Center Solution of the Year” award from CyberSecurity Breakthrough, a leading independent market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global information security market today.
Launched in April 2018, Neustar NetProtect provides customers with a direct-connect DDoS defense solution, creating a more-secure connection for transferring data and helping to eliminate the need by IT professionals to utilize multiple vendors in order to protect their network. The NetProtect™ DDoS mitigation solution builds off Neustar’s successful SiteProtect NG product, a DDoS mitigation service that protects against web application attacks.
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Sinch Strengthens Saas Offering With Myelefant Acquisition
Sinch AB, a global cloud communications for mobile customer engagement firm, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire myElefant SAS for an upfront cash consideration of £16.5m with an additional cash earnout of up to £2.7m within two years if certain gross profit targets are met.
Founded in Paris in 2010, myElefant has built a cloud-based software platform for mobile engagement using rich, interactive messaging. Its low-code design tools let businesses create immersive media experiences with minimal coding or development resources. The company has pioneered the use of mobile landing pages and is an early adopter of conversational messaging technologies like RCS, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Oscar Werner, CEO of Sinch said: “Through advanced yet easy-to-use software, myElefant has successfully shown how next-generation messaging can drive tangible and measurable business outcomes. With myElefant as a part of Sinch, we can offer our global customer base and established ecosystem partners a sophisticated software platform, with powerful real-time analytics, that offers a step-change in customer experience.”
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Norway’s Telenor Launches Largest 5G Pilot In Scandinavia
The Norwegian telecoms giant Telenor has launched Scandinavia’s largest 5G pilot to selected customers in Elverum municipality, about 80 miles north of the capital city Oslo.
The pilot in Elverum is Telenor’s most elaborate 5G project to date. More than 50 customers across the municipality will be able to connect to the 5G network to test it out on mobile phones, broadband, smart TV and smart home solutions. With this launch, Telenor Norway becomes the country’s first mobile operator to integrate 5G into its mobile network.
Sigve Brekke, Telenor Group President and CEO, participated in Norway’s first live 5G video call at the launch. He said that connectivity is fundamental to modern societies and that 5G will create new experiences: “Exploring this technology here in Norway means that we can learn, test and continuously improve as we gradually introduce 5G to our markets.”
