Telecom

The Other Cyber Threat that Merits an FBI Warning Amid COVID-19 | Nextgov

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Ugly intrusions into video teleconferencing sessions are just one way the FBI warns cybercriminals are exploiting the novel coronavirus outbreak. The situation is also conducive to a practice the bureau has been combatting for years but which criminals are now deploying with more sophistication.

“During this pandemic, [business email compromise] fraudsters have impersonated vendors and asked for payment outside the normal course of business due to COVID-19,” the FBI wrote in a public service announcement released Wednesday.

BEC was among the most costly complaints of 2019, according to the FBI’s annual internet crimes report.

Source: The Other Cyber Threat that Merits an FBI Warning Amid COVID-19 – Nextgov

Executive Order Lays Out Timelines for National Security Reviews of Foreign Telecom Providers | Nextgov

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A new committee of executive agency members will have 120 days to complete national security reviews the Federal Communications Commission requires in order to determine whether it should authorize foreign telecommunications providers to operate within the United States, according to an executive order issued over the weekend.

That’s longer than some stakeholders would have liked, but a huge step forward to FCC commissioners from both political parties who have complained of a lack of transparency and deadlines for the process over the years.

The committee, formerly known as “Team Telecom,” includes the defense secretary, the attorney general, homeland security secretary, and “the head of any other executive department or agency, or any assistant to the president, as the president determines appropriate.”

Source: Executive Order Lays Out Timelines for National Security Reviews of Foreign Telecom Providers – Nextgov

The eight new things we learned about New T-Mobile | Light Reading

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The merger between Sprint and T-Mobile is now finally, officially closed. And as a result, the newly combined company – often referred to as “New T-Mobile” – is now offering some new details about how it’s going to challenge market leaders AT&T and Verizon.

Sprint and T-Mobile have previously offered a wide range of details about their merger plans during the two years they sought regulatory approvals for the transaction.

For instance, New T-Mobile will spend $40 billion over three years to build a massive 5G network. It also plans to offer in-home Internet services across wide swathes of the country in a challenge to the nation’s cable providers.

But that’s old news.

Here are the new things we learned about T-Mobile’s merger efforts and go-to-market plans …

Source: The eight new things we learned about New T-Mobile | Light Reading

The 5G value question crops up again in South Korea | Light Reading

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South Korea’s cool reception to Samsung’s latest 5G smartphone, the Galaxy 20, has turned the spotlight once again on how much value customers see in the next-gen tech.

In a report by Reuters, COVID-19 was among the exhibits in explaining why South Koreans are reluctant to shell out a hefty 1,595,000 Korean won (US$1,290) on the Galaxy 20, which was launched in February. According to a Reuters source, Galaxy 20 sales were down 30% in South Korea compared with the initial reception to Samsung’s previous 5G-ready S10 models.

No doubt the coronavirus is forcing South Koreans to think twice about spending the 5G cash, but there are other factors at play, not least the end of heavy handset subsidies.

Source: The 5G value question crops up again in South Korea | Light Reading

Teardown Highlights Huawei’s Reliance on U.S. RF Components | EE Times

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It’s not easy to tell how far the U.S. administration’s attempt at preventing U.S. companies doing business with Huawei can go, given the symbiotic relationship among them. Given the make-up of Huawei’s new smartphone, the answer is: certainly not as far as the Administration wants to go — at least not yet. But Trump keeps trying. Now he wants to force IC manufacturers who use production equipment produced in America to get U.S. government approval before selling to Chinese customers.

Evidence from a teardown of the latest Huawei P40 phone, published by the Financial Times in London today, shows that Qualcomm, Qorvo and Skyworks are still supplying essential RF components in the new phone, while it seems Micron’s NAND flash memory has been replaced by Samsung’s.

Source: Teardown Highlights Huawei’s Reliance on U.S. RF Components | EE Times

Tom Choi: OneWeb’s Failure Will Dent New Space Investment | Via Satellite

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The talk of the satellite industry over the last few days has been OneWeb’s announcement that it was going into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and cutting down its workforce in the process.

OneWeb has been one of the biggest names in the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) movement, and the news came just days after Arianespace successfully launched another 34 satellites in OneWeb’s constellation. Now, the future of the constellation is uncertain.

This LEO bankruptcy also follows the demise of LeoSat, creating more fodder for debate on the topic of building successful business models around LEO constellations.

Source: Tom Choi: OneWeb’s Failure Will Dent New Space Investment – Via Satellite –

How PUF Technology is Securing IoT | EE Times

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More IC vendors are beginning to explore a device-level technology approach for safeguarding data called physically unclonable function, or PUF. Though silicon production processes are precise, this technology exploits the fact that there are still tiny variations in each circuit produced. The PUF uses these tiny differences to generate a unique digital value that can be used as a secret keys. Secret keys are essential for digital security.

Security is increasingly becoming one of the big concerns for developers of connected, or internet of things (IoT), devices, especially with the huge risk they face from attacks by hackers, or compromises to information and security breaches.

Source: How PUF Technology is Securing IoT | EE Times

IFC Outlook: Post-Pandemic, the Need for Connectivity Will be Greater Than Ever | Via Satellite

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For those in the In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) value chain, one of the first priorities related to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic is how to deal with existing contracts that in almost all cases have been voided connected aircraft are grounded. Most, if not all, airlines are unlikely to be in a position to pay even the smallest portion of the contracted IFC fees without planes in the air and with very little room for negotiation. This will very quickly hit service providers, especially those that have ongoing fees to pay to capacity owners.

Even if the spread of COVID-19 is brought under control in the coming weeks, it is difficult to envision air travel demand returning to normal in 2020.

Source: IFC Outlook: Post-Pandemic, the Need for Connectivity Will be Greater Than Ever – Via Satellite –

Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson win China Mobile 5G contracts

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China Mobile has awarded contracts valued at US$5.2 billion to Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson for the build out of 232,143 base stations to support the ongoing roll out of its 5G network.

Huawei took the largest share of work with 57.2% of the contract by number of base stations. ZTE will be responsible for 28.7% and Ericsson – the only foreign player after Nokia’s unsuccessful bid – will complete 11.5% of the work.

Chinese company CICT will take on the remaining 2.6% with the majority of the base stations to be built before year end.

Source: Huawei, ZTE and Ericsson win China Mobile 5G contracts

US restricts Huawei’s access to mobile chips

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Earlier this month it was reported that officials of the Trump administration had agreed to restrict the supply of chips to Chinese vendor Huawei.

Sources told Reuters, that under the newly agreed restrictions, any foreign company that uses US chipmaking equipment will be required to get a US license before supplying certain chips to Huawei.

Additionally, the move is said to be an attempt to limit the sale of chips to Huawei by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the largest contract maker globally.

The US intends to leverage its position, as many chip manufacturers use equipment produced by US companies such as KLA Corp, Lam Research and Applied Materials in its production.

Source: US restricts Huawei’s access to mobile chips