BROWSING: Reality Check

  When Gordon Moore put forth his prediction about the number of transistors per square inch doubling every 18 months, he had no idea how long this state would endure nor what technologies would bring about its demise. All good things must come to an...

In part 1 of this series, we discussed the state of networks heading into 5G, and why we’ll need to move beyond today’s concept of assurance. To achieve tomorrow’s agile, self-organizing networks that can uphold absolute assurance, we’ll need five key components: AI, a...

Network Function Virtualization — NFV — promises much. NFV is the next generation of network architecture, replacing software running on dedicated hardware with virtual appliances running on commodity hardware. NFV should mean the ability to deploy software functions on any hardware at any time...

The new network is different than the old network. And the way it’s managed is different, too. Until now, management has been on a device-by-device basis, but volume and complexity have made that method unsustainable. Automation and orchestration drive network management today, bringing greater...

  Over the past decade, the Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed logistics, enabling shippers to track the location of assets as they move through the supply chain — in real-time, if necessary. However, although enterprises have become savvy at using the IoT to track...

The recent data privacy scandal surrounding Facebook and Cambridge Analytica has opened up an interesting period of collective soul-searching regarding huge tech firms that operate utilizing “big” data. The overarching question that is being asked and, frankly, still needs to be answered is “what...

  Cost: it stays on top of mind. Whether it’s pricing a project, estimating for the quarter or budgeting for the next year, cost looms large. So when a survey of WISPs from Clearfield this year revealed that deploying in a cost-effective manner is important, it...

Businesses have benefitted over the last few years from a wide variety of options for IT infrastructure, but edge computing has arrived and is redefining the way we approach today’s data center. Edge computing refers to compute, networking and storage capabilities that take place...

There’s no doubt that mobile video is the megatrend no operator can ignore. Understanding what users are watching, for how long, when and in what format should be elementary for mobile network operators. However, rising encryption levels on networks make traffic analysis almost impossible...

For years, 2G and 3G networks have provided businesses with appropriate connectivity — and ROI — for IoT applications. However, the cellular connectivity landscape is changing, as 2G and 3G will be phased out in favor of LTE technologies in the coming years. We...

  It has been a decade or so since society began to discover the many benefits of the cloud. Since then, online services have changed our lives: how we communicate with others, how we entertain ourselves, how we do business and run the infrastructure that...

Two years ago, I was welcoming our customers to the era of Software-Defined IT (SDIT). Today, that warm welcome still stands as more and more companies are embracing software-defined networking (SDN), SD-WAN, cloud migration, and software as a service (SaaS) technologies. Additionally, as the digital evolution of business exponentially accelerates, we see profound impacts...

Service providers are moving network infrastructure to the edge to support new data loads and traffic patterns driven by 5G and the IoT. By moving cloud, compute and processing power to the edge of the network, it’s possible to support the ultra-low latency, interactive...

  On April 8, a major shift is taking place in the wireless industry: the system and database that governs local number portability (LNP) and call routing in the United States — the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) — is being switched over to a...

Going forward, almost every electronic device in your house, or in your work environment, is going to be connected to the network or internet and sending data of one kind or another back to its manufacturer. For example, if you walk into a conference...

  For too long communications service providers (CSPs) have been falling behind in customer experience (CX), while other industries have evolved to deliver amazing results. Retail, banking, and even some insurance companies are creating superior customer experiences that double as a competitive advantage. So, what’s...

The physical workplace as we know it has changed. Mobility and on-demand access to data and services have dissolved the four walls of the enterprise. Connected endpoints, location technology, and leading-edge visualization technology have blurred the lines between the virtual and the physical. The...

  Spoiler Alert:  Obstructions. Ask anyone you meet how they feel about their current broadband service, and you’ll usually get an earful of complaints. Except for the rare few who have been blessed with fiber to their homes or facilities, the most common issue — and...

  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Mignon Clyburn issued a memo on the agency’s new Restoring Internet Freedom rule, essentially telling consumers their best interests in the digital age are in the backseat. In reality, consumers are better positioned under the new rules, which ensure...

The Internet of Things (IoT) is fueled by the abundance of reduced cost infrastructure of compute, storage and networking, with a myriad of service integrations from device management to data analytics. As the cost of entry for IoT continues to fall, coupled with competing...

  Judging by what feels like the 25th Star Wars sequel (or is it prequel?) that debuted in theatres this holiday season, it appears that battles in the galaxy are never quite settled. For those keeping track of the dispute in Washington over net neutrality,...

The Cisco Visual Networking Index reports that almost half a billion (429 million) mobile devices and connections were added in 2016. Smartphones made up the bulk of this growth, followed by M2M modules. These devices, self-driving cars, mobile-connected tablets and more comprise the mobile internet...

Few wireless technologies have experienced such a dramatic rise in telco industry perception as Wi-Fi. Once shunned by mobile operators as a best-effort competitor, they now embrace it as a complement to mobile data and voice services. And in the next generation of wireless,...

Sometimes, when you ask mobile subscribers what they actually think about a given subject, the results can be surprising to say the least. That’s what happened in a recent survey by independent research agency Censuswide conducted on behalf of Openwave Mobility. More than 2,000 consumers...