Category: telecommunications

US Charges 2 Chinese Nationals With Trying to Obstruct Probe Into Global Telecommunications Company

Two Chinese intelligence officers have been charged by U.S. prosecutors for attempting to obstruct a criminal investigation and prosecution of a Chinese-based global telecommunications company. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the charges on Oct. 24. Prosecutors allege that Guochun He, also known as “Dong He” and “Jacky He,” and Zheng Wang, also known as “Zen Wang,” had “orchestrated a scheme to…


UK’s Shetland Cut Off From World After 2 Undersea Cables Damaged in ‘Very Rare’ Incident

Thousands of residents on Britain’s Shetland Islands are without phone and internet services after two undersea telecommunications cables were damaged just days apart, a situation that has been described as “very rare.” Residents on the remote Scottish archipelago have not been able to access telecommunication services since the early hours of Oct. 20 due to…


Europe Braces for Phone Service Outages Ahead of Winter Energy Shortage

Mobile phones may go dark in Europe this winter due to the energy crisis potentially affecting much of the cellular network across the continent. The massive reduction of Russian gas supplies to Europe over the Ukraine conflict has led to the specter of power cuts, resulting in a panic among the European telecommunications industry, according…


FCC Adds China Unicom and PacNet/ComNet to List of National Security Threats

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added equipment and services from two China-based companies to its Covered List of communications equipment and services that have been deemed a threat to U.S. national security. China Unicom and Pacific Network/ComNet were added to the list following a recommendation from security agencies, according to a statement released by the…


Major Project Status for $1.5 Billion High-Speed Fibre Network in Northern Territory

Australia’s Northern Territory Government has granted Major Project Status to the $1.5 billion (US$1.08 billion) HyperOne high-speed fibre network, which will directly link Darwin to every capital city in Australia. According to a media release on Wednesday, the terrestrial fibre network will boast the capacity to carry 10,000 terabits of data per second, more traffic…


What Are Citi’s Top Telecom, Networking Picks for 2022?

Citi analyst Jim Suva named Keysight Technologies Inc., followed by Motorola Solutions Inc., and Ciena Corp., as his top telecom and networking picks for 2022. Keysight should benefit from semi-cap equipment, new buildouts, edge computing, and new automotive electronic complexity growth, Suva notes. Keysight is a leader in testing and measurement, helping electronics OEMs and suppliers alike bring products…


US Opposes China Telecom’s Bid to Continue US Operations

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday asked a federal appeals court to reject China Telecom Corp.’s bid to continue providing services in the United States, after the telecommunications regulator revoked its authorization to operate last month. The U.S. arm of China’s largest Chinese telecommunications company asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District…


Senators Urge FCC to Address Surveillance Threats to US Telecom Networks

WASHINGTON—A group of five U.S. senators urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday to address surveillance threats posed by foreign firms providing services to U.S. telecommunications providers. The previously unreported letter, led by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and also signed by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ed…


Meng’s Release Underscores Huawei’s Security Risk to the World

The plane chartered by the Chinese government carrying Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s CFO stranded in Canada for three years in an US-led investigation of Huawei’s misconduct, landed on Sept. 25 in Shenzhen, where the telecommunications giant is headquartered. Immediately, it precipitated a wave of punditry about China’s hardball tactics that eventually won her freedom, and a…


AT&T Extends COVID-19 Vaccination Policy to Most Union-Represented Employees

AT&T announced on Sept. 29 that it is extending its current COVID-19 vaccination policy to employees who are members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, making it one of the largest employers in the U.S. to mandate vaccines for a significant portion of its workers. In a statement, the world’s largest telecommunications company said the vaccine…