T-Mobile has cut the ribbon on a 20,000 square foot testing lab where it will test the performance of devices using 5G, NB-IoT, and more.

The facility is based in Bellevue, Washington and it features more than a dozen testing areas.

In a press release, T-Mobile wrote:

“The space is made up of more than a dozen testing areas where T-Mobile engineers analyze and fine-tune everything from network signal quality, voice call and sound quality, data throughput and video optimization...

UK mobile operator EE has issued a formal complaint to the advertising watchdog about rival Three over its ‘real 5G’ marketing.

Three has been advertising that it’s the only UK mobile operator to offer “real” 5G in newspapers and social media posts.

National advertising rules in the UK require claims of superiority over a competitor to be backed with clear evidence. However, Three’s claim of being the only UK mobile operator to offer true 5G isn’t entirely...

The Internet of Things (IoT) has numerous applications within the energy and utility sector. As an example, smart meter penetration in North America is forecast to reach 81 percent by 2024.

According to the latest worldwide market study by Berg Insight, the installed base of smart electricity meters in North America will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8 percent between 2018 and 2024 to reach 142.8 million units at the end of the forecast period.

Smart meter market development

Over the next five...

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has said the UK “won’t say no to us” in the rollout of 5G while simultaneously praising new PM Boris Johnson.

Zhengfei made the comments to Sky News as part of the latest intervention from Huawei’s founder amid debates over whether the company should be allowed to deploy its equipment in critical infrastructure.

Reports suggest the UK’s previous government, led by...

US national security advisor John Bolton has said during a UK visit that new PM Johnson's government will look at the Huawei issue "from square one".

Bolton is the most senior US government official to visit PM Johnson since he took office last month. The US has strongly warned its allies, especially those such as the UK in the 'five-eyes' intelligence relationship, against allowing the use of Huawei equipment in 5G networks.

“They [UK officials] said, in particular, they are...

UK mobile operator O2 has clashed with regulator Ofcom which it believes is giving preferential treatment to rival Three in 5G.

Three UK was left at something of a disadvantage in the rollout of 4G due to holding less desirable spectrum than rivals, especially EE which Ofcom controversially gave a headstart by allowing to reuse its existing 1800MHz spectrum.

Ofcom has spent years trying to be a good regulator and rebalance UK spectrum ownership to help level...

Twilio has partnered with leading call ID apps to finally tackle the scourge of robocalls with a groundbreaking new solution called ‘Verified by Twilio’.

During the company’s day two keynote at Signal 2019, Christine Roberts, GM and VP of Super Network at Twilio, gave her personal account with unidentified calls. While it was her own experience, it’s one that many of us relate to.

Roberts showed her phone log filled with red missed calls she chose not to answer. She’s not alone, research shows...

Accenture has acquired Swedish strategic consultant, Northstream to expand its capabilities in the Nordic region.

Northstream offers services to mobile operators, network and handset vendors, and the industry at large. The company helps communications service providers (CSPs) identify industry shifts, adapt to market changes, and make capital out of new business and technology opportunities.

With this acquisition, Accenture will aim to tackle CSP demand for network consulting programmes around 5G...

AT&T has begun rolling out its 5G network in New York City ahead of rivals, but with some caveats.

The network, which AT&T says sent live on Tuesday, is of the 5G+ variety. 5G+ is AT&T’s moniker for its millimetre-wave network which is superfast but has limited range.

AT&T has said this limited range means its 5G+ network in New York is currently only available in certain locations. The new service will first be available near East Village, Greenwich Village, and Gramercy Park, but will...

UK broadband chiefs have warned that PM Johnson's full-fibre plan is unachievable without major legislative changes.

Full-fibre broadband by 2025 is one of the new prime minister's key pledges, made on the steps of Downing Street in his maiden speech. The new target is eight years earlier than the previous target of 2033 which Johnson called "laughably unambitious".

Johnson's pledge was quickly welcomed by broadband provider Virgin Media which said it was ready to get working with the...

New satellite constellations are being launched to improve the connectivity options for the Internet of Things (IoT) market. Many application segments will benefit from these new constellations due to the larger range of coverage they offer when compared to terrestrial communication networks.

Different IoT application segments require different types of communication connectivity. Some IoT apps will require real-time connectivity to have a constant flow of data and information, yet some will only require near...

AT&T is working with Badger Technologies to bring autonomous robots equipped with 5G wireless networking capabilities to retail stores.

The autonomous robots developed by Badger Technologies – a product division of Jabil – will help retailers improve their operational efficiencies and enhance customer experiences by identifying out-of-stock, mispriced or misplaced inventory, along with store hazards. These...

T-Mobile and Ericsson have conducted the first standalone 5G data session in the United States.

Existing 5G networks are not standalone and require a simultaneous connection to an LTE network. While a non-standalone architecture still offers better speeds and performance than just LTE, a standalone architecture makes sense for some new enterprise 5G services such as smart cities.

T-Mobile used Ericsson’s AIR 6488 radio and Baseband 6630. These products, from Ericsson’s Radio System portfolio, can...

Canada’s public safety minister Ralph Goodale has said that the Canadian people will have to wait until after the federal election later this year before it is determined that Huawei can provide equipment for the country’s next-generation 5G wireless network.

Canada requires more information from the US regarding the potential security threat the latter believes Huawei poses, he said.

Sprint and T-Mobile have won approval from the Department of Justice (DoJ) for their $26 billion merger proposal.

“Today marks an incredibly important step forward for the New T-Mobile. We are ready to bring this supercharged Un-carrier to consumers and businesses across the country, and this milestone brings us much closer to making that vision a reality for customers everywhere!” said T-Mobile CEO John Legere.

Regulators have scrutinised the proposed merger over concerns that a reduction to just...

UK mobile operator Three has pledged it will not charge any extra for 5G over current 4G plans.

Three UK has a reputation for supporting the heaviest mobile data users. In March, the operator announced the average data usage per customer grew by 22 percent over the prior year from 6.8GB to 8.3GB.

Heavy data users are drawn to Three for its highly competitive pricing for large allowances and even “all-you-can-eat” plans. Rival operator EE charges a significant premium for its 5G contracts....

Virgin Media COO Jeff Dodds has voiced his enthusiasm for UK PM Boris Johnson’s pledge to speed up the rollout of gigabit broadband.

Johnson, who took office on Wednesday, pledged on the steps of Downing Street in his first speech to make full-fibre broadband across the country.

The current government target set by the outgoing administration is for gigabit broadband to be available across the country by 2033. Johnson called the existing target “laughably unambitious” and promised to deliver...

The Small Cell Forum (SCF) has published the PHY API for 5G to encourage a competitive ecosystem for 5G small cell hardware, software, and equipment vendors.

Ecosystem players will be provided an open and interoperable interface between the physical layer and the MAC layer. The PHY API has been developed with the help of a collaborative effort between companies from across the small cell ecosystem, which includes Intel...

Britain has said it’s “not yet in a position” to make a final decision on whether Huawei should be involved with 5G networks, but tougher industry-wide security controls will be introduced.

The debate over how much Huawei should be involved in 5G has raged on for years, and even before that to some extent with previous-generation networks. Currently, the UK has Huawei equipment inspected at the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) in Banbury.

Until last year, HCSEC reported it felt...

Digital consumers have come to expect what they want, when they want it, and with a very clear indication of what it will cost at the moment of purchase. Costs are rarely a barrier to a transaction, consumers have proven time and again that reliability, personalization and real-time availability can trump cost, especially if the expense is transparent.

This new digital marketplace has proven successful, except, it seems, where it matters most - the network. Connectivity is central to every other digital...