Administrators Can Use DNS RPZ for Malicious Site Queries
8/23/2016 - The Domain Name Server (DNS) Response Policy Zone (RPZ) is an open, vendor-neutral standard for the interchange of DNS firewall configuration information. RPZ was developed by the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) to fight the abuse of the DNS by groups or individuals with malicious or harmful intent. RPZ is a standard feature of BIND 9 (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) as of version 9.8.1 and was built upon the Mail Abuse Spam Project, which introduced reputation data as a means of protecting against email spam. Due to the proliferation of criminal activity on the Internet, it is difficult for the Internet security industry to remove criminal infrastructure at domain registries, hosting providers or ISPs on a timely basis.

Nokia Completes World's Largest Modernization of HLR Database in India for Vodafone
8/17/2016 - World's largest HLR modernization for Vodafone's SuperNet in India by Nokia brings 200M subscribers under one consolidated database.

China Mobile Awards Nokia 30 Percent of Its 2016-17 Optical Build
8/17/2016 - Nokia captures major part of China Mobile next generation network for 4G build out.

New GSA Report Details LTE Uptake
8/17/2016 - LTE in its various flavors is now widespread and LTE-Advanced in particular is mainstream according to a new report from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GMSA).

OpenSignal Study of Mobile Speeds and Coverage by Country is Revealing
8/17/2016 - People who have high speed and accessibility as vacation selection priority will find OpenSignal study illuminating.

The Case for a Holistic Approach: Getting the Right Handle on PSTN Migration
8/10/2016 - No matter where one looks in the world the public switched telephone network (PSTN) is in the midst of being retired as fixed, mobile and converged networks transform to next generation all-IP ones. And, while these migrations are taking place at varying speeds, realities are that the legacy TDM PSTN has outlived its utility in our digital world, making this an issue of when and not if.

Attracting Customers with Data Allowances, Voice and Messaging Programs
8/8/2016 - This is the last in what has been a deeper dive into the recently published Nokia 2016 Acquisition and Retention Study, where the focus has been on a series of reports that provide a more granular view and explanation of the overall study. In the last installment, the focus was on the report series associated with the study The Role of Mobile Advertising in Customer Retention. In fact, it went into detail on customer receptivity and how mobile advertising by mobile service providers of their own services can help attract and keep customers. And, as a wrap-up of the series, this time focus is on the all important area of data plans and their usage and is titled Data allowance, voice and messaging.

Hackers Take Advantage of Pokemon Go Craze
8/1/2016 - Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm since its early July launch, but from privacy invasions to new malware detections, security concerns are rising.

The Role of Mobile Advertising in Customer Retention
7/27/2016 - Once again we are taking a deeper dive in the recently published Nokia 2016 Acquisition and Retention Study . The previous posting on the more granular report series associated with the study was on how mobile service providers could leverage service bundling and connected device offers to attract and keep subscribers. Next up in the series is the report on the impact of mobile advertising on customer decision making about who will get their business. As with the rest of this series, Mobile Advertising, is now available for download and review.

Dynamic Network Slicing: Getting the Most out of 5G Architectures
7/26/2016 - One of the more interesting aspects about the excitement surrounding the development and ultimately the deployment of 5G is that it represents a true generational change. In practice, it is being designed to meet the explosive traffic growth generated by both the need to connect everything and everyone and demand for the communication of increasing rich content on a massive scale. In short, it will mean big mobility pipes at higher speeds for "E"verything.

10 Questions Answered on the Value of a Full-service Connected Device Platform (CDP)
7/25/2016 - We all know that we live in what will be an always on and all ways connected world. We long ago passed the days when there were more people connected to devices. Now, thanks to the criticality in our personal and professional live of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its closely related machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, the information they generated and the useful services they enable, we are looking at billions of network connected devices in the very near future.

Facebook Could Put Lasers to Use to Bring Internet to Underserved Communities
7/25/2016 - Facebook engineers detail how breakthroughs in the use of lasers could be used for Internet access.

Calling All IoT Innovators: It is time to Enter the Nokia 2016 Innovation Challenge
7/20/2016 - Nokia Open Innovation Challenge 2016 focus is on finding great IoT innovators to work with.

Bundling Services and Connected Devices to Acquire and Retain Customers
7/19/2016 - Next up on the continuing more granular look from the series of reports associated with the recently published Nokia 2016 Acquisition and Retention Study is the report, Value-added, bundled services and connected devices. It is now available for download following our previous look at the criteria customers are using to choose a mobile operator.

Smart Network Planning and Optimization (NPO) as Path to Competitive Success
7/19/2016 - In the recently released report Choosing a Mobile Operator, part of the landmark Nokia 2016 Acquisition and Retention Study, "Best Network Quality" ranked right behind "Best Prices" as the reasons why customers choose one network service provider over another. This raises an interesting challenge as mobile operators and their solutions providers look to the fast-approaching 5G future, "How can mobile operators assure that the network quality is where it needs to be to in order to provide truly differentiated value-added and compelling services?"

Nokia, MTS Augment 4G Service in Moscow
7/18/2016 - FDD-TDD carrier aggregation enhances the commercial LTE network in Moscow to meet growing demand.

Nokia and Samsung Expand Intellectual Property Cross Licensing
7/13/2016 - As everyone in the information and communications technology (ICT) business is aware, the monetization of intellectual property (IP) is crucial to success. And, as recent headlines have proven time and again, what is at stake can run into the billions of dollars and has been the source of extensive contention and litigation. For this reason, when companies agree to cooperate rather than, as the famous phrase from the Godfather movie, "go to the mattresses," it is welcome news.

Customer Criteria for Choosing a Mobile Operator
7/12/2016 - As promised, we are continuing the more granular look from the series of reports associated with the recently published Nokia 2016 Acquisition and Retention Study. In the previous part of the series now being rolled out by Nokia, the focus was on Security as an influence on why customers decide to keep or switch their mobile service provider. This week the deeper dive in on the report, Choosing a Mobile Operator.

SmartRG Launches Solutions for vCPE Management
7/8/2016 - Managing a network is no easy task, and it becomes even more challenging when you have to take a variety of devices that are not even at your facilities into consideration. Throw in a new technology like virtualization, and that adds yet another factor into the mix.

Nokia Real-Time Mobile Network Analytics Improves End-to-End Mobile Service Delivery
7/5/2016 - Mobile operators are always looking to improve the performance of their network in order to provide better services for their customers. This requires access to every piece of hardware and software that is responsible for delivering digital telecommunications in real-time. Nokia has launched such a solution with its Real-Time Mobile Network Analytics, which, according to the company, will give operators the access they need to improve services, mitigate security threats and identify problems before they cause system wide failures.

Nokia Dynamic Diameter Engine to Handle IoT and VoLTE Signaling Traffic Growth
7/1/2016 - However, when looking out over the near horizon, it is not just those apps that need to concern operators. The advent of massive IoT deployments and the urgency of putting in next generation signaling solutions to assure the ramping rollout of voice over LTE (VoLTE) and voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFI) only add to the challenges of accommodating the unabated surge in signaling traffic. It is why the market for next generation signaling solutions like Diameter Signaling, projected to be over a $2 billion market by 2020, to say the least has outstanding growth prospects.

Ovum Projects Numbers in the First Wave of 5G Subscribers
6/30/2016 - If the researchers at Ovum are correct 5G looks to be arriving on time, and projected numbers for adoption are impressive.

Session Border Controllers Rocket to the Cloud
6/30/2016 - Network Elements (NE) and Session Border Controllers (SBC) unchained from their native home ATCA Hardware are facilitating moves to the Cloud.

4G is Major Selling Point for Acquiring New Mobile Customers
6/24/2016 - Last week as part of the continuing look at the series of reports associated with the recently published Nokia 2016 Acquisition and Retention Study, we took a deeper dive into one of the granular parts of the series, Drivers of Customer Retention. As promised this week we look at another part of the series which is now available for download, Trends in New Sign-ups. This is obviously a very important topic for mobile service providers as churn remains a significant industry challenge, and thus obtaining new customers is truly "mission critical."

Nokia Steps Up Its TD-LTE Speeds to Bridge the Gap to 5G
6/22/2016 - At Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai Nokia showcases series of solutions to bridge the gap between now and 5G.

First World Wi-Fi Day Reveals Interesting Facts on Global Broadband Penetration Levels
6/20/2016 - In conjunction with first World Wi-Fi Day a Wireless Broadband Alliance study reveals 57 percent of world's urban population has no access to broadband.

Customer Care is Fastest Growing Retention Category
6/17/2016 - Recently I posted an article on a subject that is near and dear to mobile operators, customer acquisition and retention. It related to the publication by Next Generation Community host Nokia of its 10th in a series of reports titled appropriately, Nokia 2016 Acquisition and Retention Study. It was noted that there were several categories that make the report a very useful resource. In fact, this week Nokia has published the details on the part of the series of this report dealing with "Drivers of Customer Retention." And once, again, there is a lot to evaluate in the findings.

Outdoor Small Cell and Mobile Backhaul Equipment Market Picking Up Momentum
6/17/2016 - For those who follow the mobile infrastructure business as an indicator of service provider interest in upgrading their networks, finding out what is going on in various sectors is important. This is particularly the case in regards to looking at the mobile backhaul equipment market as it relates to small cells.

Nokia Smart Home Solution Makes Smart Home Functions Easier to Use
6/15/2016 - Nokia's Smart Home solution allows users to set up a smart home-with a variety of different connected devices, plugs and sensors-to better operate from one platform.

Nokia and China Mobile Ink New Agreement Covering Several Fronts
6/14/2016 - Nokia and China Mobile expand relationship to address growing network expansion and transformation requirements.

Starman Taps Nokia for 10G EPON Deployment
6/9/2016 - The first nationwide 10-gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network in Europe is being deployed by Nokia and Starman.

Nokia Study Reveals Changes in Why Consumers Select and Stay with a Mobile Service Provider
6/8/2016 - Understanding why customers choose products and services over a competitor and stay or switch is to put it mildly, truly "mission critical." And, in the rough and tumble world of mobile services, where churn rates are historically high, having up-to-date insights into consumer attitudes that drive their behavior about who they want as a services provider is particularly crucial. It is why Nokia's Acquisition and Retention Study is always highly anticipated.

New Zealand CSP Chorus Extends Relationship with Nokia
5/31/2016 - Deal extension using Nokia's broadband access, IP routing, and optical transport solutions to increase broadband capacity for New Zealanders.

Nokia Ultra Compact Network Takes 4G Access Anywhere
5/31/2016 - Nokia's new Ultra Compact Network is a secure 4G network whose components can fit in an ordinary backpack.

Analyzing Internet Traffic Flows--A Look Back
5/26/2016 - The cloud's scale and economics, combined with big data techniques, are changing the game when it comes to Internet traffic flows and analysis.

Nokia to Test Drones in Kansas City Mobile Signaling PoC
5/20/2016 - What makes Kansas City so up-to-date today is that Nokia will soon be putting on a proof of concept (POC) involving, of all things, drones.

Russian 5G Development Gets a Boost with Nokia / MTS Group Agreement
5/18/2016 - Nokia collaboration with Russian telecom firm MTS Group aims at early 5G test deployment by 2018.

Nokia Bell Labs Demonstrates 10Gbps Symmetrical Bandwidth on HFC Networks
5/16/2016 - Nokia Bell Labs says 10Gbps symmetrical bandwidth on cableco hybrid fiber/coax network infrastructure, called XG-CABLE, is now in prototype form.

Nokia Publishes Annual People and Planet Report on Sustainability Efforts
5/12/2016 - One of the nice synergies that came from Nokia's acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent was the focus of both organizations on eco-sustainability. Each company over the years has not just iterated but documented that part of their corporate DNA was and will be a commitment to connect the world in a responsible way.

Why CSPs Need Dynamic OSSs
5/10/2016 - Next generations operations and support systems (OSSs) are critical for creating differentiated value and operational excellence.

CSPs Are in a Unique Position to Deliver Digital Home Services
5/10/2016 - CSPs are uniquely positioned to deliver digital home services because of on-premise equipment and broadband connectivity.

Bell Labs Honors 100th Birthday of Claude Shannon the Father of Information Theory
5/5/2016 - For anyone in the information and communications technology (ICT) industries, if you were not aware and you really need to be, we all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Claude Shannon. For those not familiar, Shannon is appropriately acknowledged as, "The Father of Information Theory." April 30, 2016 marked the 100th birthday of this truly remarkable man (see IEEE's excellent bio), whose groundbreaking work on computing, cryptography, and communications literally laid the theoretical foundation for modern communications, computing and cryptology by explaining how the world could be use binary coding to capture and communicate information.

Technical Guidance on Deploying and Making Operational a Community Ultra-broadband Network
5/5/2016 - In the first posting of this two-part series the focus was on a recent Nokia white paper, Gigabit Technical Playbook, a technical guide for communities looking to take matters into their own hands in accelerating broadband deployment and adoption, was on planning and getting ready for the build out. In this deeper dive we look at:

The Benefits of Cloud Interconnect
5/2/2016 - Gary Holland, ION Verticals Marketing, Nokia, explains the importance of cloud data center interconnect.

Nokia Technical Playbook - 'How-to' Guide on Building a Community Broadband Network
4/27/2016 - In fact, the Gigabit Technical Playbook, has so much practical information on "how-to" go about building a community broadband network that in this posting the concentration will be on getting started. Topics include

Unprecedented access with 5G
4/25/2016 - Making the case why future mobile operator business models will be determined by the availability of access to 5G networks.

Nokia Shows How Network Field Engineers Can Use Augmented Reality
4/25/2016 - Nokia OZO shows how augmented reality (AR) can help reduce field force errors significantly.

Nokia Playbook Highlights Keys to Successful Community Broadband Initiatives
4/20/2016 - There is an old saying that companies should be global but act local. Interestingly, when it comes to accelerating the deployment of fixed network ultra-broadband capabilities, while communication service providers like to think global, and country governments think national, the economic and social benefits of having universal high-speed access are so compelling that it is local municipalities that are looking to a means for expediting their citizens getting such access. And, one way in which they are doing so is through the initiation of "Community Broadband" efforts.

Bell Labs Fellow Authors Book 'Lean Computing for the Cloud'
4/18/2016 - Bell Labs Fellow, Eric Bauer, explains how lean manufacturing principles can to the cloud service delivery chain.

Tests Validate Benefits of ADC in Enabling Reliable IP-Based Teleprotection
4/18/2016 - Nokia completed a successful test of asymmetrical delay control (ADC) for IP-based teleprotection.