Networking

Ericsson has accused Samsung of not adhering to its contractual commitments for various licensing patent agreements.
Raising a lawsuit at District Court in the United States, Ericsson claims the Korean tech giant violated contractual commitments by failing to adhere to fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms and conditions. 
In Ericsson’s legal complaint [PDF], the company said it is seeking to attain a declaration that it has complied with its FRAND commitment, and that Samsung has not. 
Samsung’s FRAND commitment is a contract between Samsung and European Telecommunications Standards Institute, Ericsson claimed in the complaint, with the Swedish company saying it has the right to enforce this commitment as a third-party beneficiary. 
The application of the FRAND commitment in this instance is in relation to various global cross-licences that cover both parties’ patents for 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular standards.
With several of the licensing deals set to expire next year and negotiations still ongoing, Ericsson said the payment of IP royalties may be delayed. In the event of delayed royalty payments and the potential costs of litigation, Ericsson predicted its operating income could decline by SEK 1-1.5 billion per quarter from 2021 onwards. 
In making this prediction, it also said “current geopolitical conditions” along with the shift towards 5G technology would lower the company’s licensing revenue. 

The Swedish company did note, however, that it expected unpaid royalties to be recovered and recognised as revenue if the agreements are renewed.
As the two networking giants prepare to lock horns in court, market research firm Strategy Analytics touted that the Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G was the best-selling 5G device by revenue for the first half of 2020, accounting for 9% of global 5G sales revenue. The Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G was second, accounting for 8% of global revenue, while Galaxy S20 5G narrowly came third, taking up 5%. Huawei’s P40 Pro 5G and Huawei Mate 30 5G came fourth and fifth, respectively, and also had a share of 5% in global revenue.
Together, Samsung’s S20 trio were the top-selling 5G smartphones in the world, accounting for 22% of global 5G sales revenue.
While various companies released new 5G devices in 2020, many countries have yet to allocate high-band spectrum, and for countries where 5G is available, except for the United States, most 5G devices only support sub-6Ghz 5G and do not have mmWave capabilities. 
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Running four in-house data centres at separate locations, which requires significant labour and resources to manage, was one of the issues Wise Employment faced up until recently.
The Australian not-for-profit (NFP) employment service also did not have direct connectivity to the cloud.
Operating its environment this way made it difficult for Wise Employment’s staff to service customers without being tied to a desk. In recognising this, Wise Employment teamed up with Equinix and Telstra to overhaul its IT infrastructure.
The project saw Wise Employment consolidate its four data centres into Equinix’s Melbourne IBX data centre. The NFP also spun up a hybrid cloud environment connected to Amazon Web Services via Equinix Fabric using Telstra’s mobile network.
By simplifying its infrastructure, Wise created a 20% savings in power and achieved nearly AU$5 million in savings over a five-year period. Additionally, staff can set up and connect offices within two hours, while also provide job seekers support 24 hours 7 days a week.
Read: 7 big data goals for 2021: AI, DevOps, hybrid cloud, and more (TechRepublic)
“At Wise Employment, our passionate staff assist thousands of job seekers in finding meaningful work and establishing self-sufficiency. Our partnership with Equinix and Telstra is just one example of how we’re working to empower our job seekers,” Wise Employment CIO Mick Havill said.

“By achieving 100% mobility and saving millions of dollars and internal labour, we’re spending more time working with customers one-on-one, collaborating with community partners and developing innovative projects that support people with disability.”
Earlier this year, Equinix and Telstra further cemented their relationship, announcing that Telstra would use Equinix’s Cloud Exchange Fabric to expand its programmable network (TPN) from eight markets to 38, including in North America and Europe.
Under the deal, Telstra TPN customers are able to create private, multi-cloud connections and have access to 170-plus cloud service providers including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and Google Cloud — an increase from 60.
Back in 2014, Telstra was one of the first to sign up as a customer for Equinix’s first Melbourne data centre. It is also an existing customer at Equinix’s Sydney-based SY3 data centre.
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Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani announced on Tuesday that India’s largest telco, Reliance Jio, has plans to roll out commercial 5G networks during the latter half of 2021.
“I assure you that Jio will pioneer the 5G revolution in India in the second half of 2021,” said Ambani, during his keynote at India Mobile Congress 2020. 
“It will be powered by indigenous-developed network, hardware, and technology components.”
During the keynote, Ambani also said that he believes 5G will enable India to lead the world in progressing the so-called fourth industrial revolution.
“We are creating compelling home-grown solutions in education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, financial services, and new commerce. Each of these solutions, once proven in India, will be offered to the rest of the world to address global challenges. 
The announcement comes despite India not yet giving the green light for a 5G spectrum auction.
Even though a 5G auction date has not yet been set, Jio Platforms has been working with Qualcomm to develop 5G solutions with a virtualised RAN. The companies jointly said in October that the 5G solutions are intended to fast track the development of indigenous 5G network infrastructure and services in India.

“We are excited about working with Qualcomm Technologies in developing new generation cloud native 5G RAN technology that is truly open and software-defined,” Jio Infocomm president Mathew Oommen said.
As of September 30, Reliance Jio has a customer base of over 400 million people, which the telco has touted makes it the only telco outside of China to boast such a figure. Reported as part of its second-quarter results, Reliance Jio said it had 405.6 million subscribers, which was an increase of 1.8% in comparison to three months prior.
In the prior quarter, Jio sold a third of itself to others for ₹152,056 crore. Buyers included Google, Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG, L Catterton, PIF, Intel Capital, and Qualcomm Ventures.
“All of these investments, excluding Google, have been completed post fulfilling applicable conditions and total amount of ₹118,319 crore has been received by the company,” Jio said in its second-quarter results.
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Emergency site in Cooma, New South Wales.
Image: NBN
The company responsible for the National Broadband Network (NBN) has taken the wraps off its first disaster satellite service at Namadgi in the Australian Capital Territory.
NBN has been handed AU$7 million to provide “designated emergency management sites and evacuation centres” with satellite connectivity. The company is aiming to have around 95 sites up and running by the end of 2020.
Broken down by state or territory, the ACT will have 12 sites at Namadgi National Park Visitors Centre, Tidbinbilla National Park Visitors Centre, Hall RFS Base, Guises Creek RFS Base, Southern Districts RFS Base, Tidbinbilla RFS Base, Rivers RFS Base, ESA Training Centre, Murrumbidgee Parks and Conservation Service Depot, Bendora Dam Parks and Conservation Service Depot, Glendale Parks and Conservation Service Depot, and Gudgenby Homestead Parks and Conservation Service Depot.
Queensland will have 14 sites live by the end of the year at Biloela Civic Centre, Collinsville Community Centre, Gloucester Sport and Recreation Building, Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre, Bob Wood Hall, Sarina, Kianga Hall Moura, Robert Schwarten Pavilion, Taroom Town Hall, Cooktown Event Centre, Bundaberg Multiplex Sport and Convention Centre, Bundaberg Recreational Precinct, Ingham Showgrounds Pavilion, and Townsville Stadium.
South Australia is set to have eight sites at Victor Group Base, Kangaroo Island Group Base, Tatiara Group Base, Gambier Group Base, Kingscote Station, Loxton SES, Mallee Group Control Centre, and Netley SES.
Tasmania’s 16 sites in 2020 will be situated at Lilydale Memorial Hall, Wynyard Sports Centre, Swansea Town Hall, Mathinna Recreation Ground, Karoola, Miena Community Hall, Huon Valley PCYC Building, Elma Fagan Community Centre Waratah, Pyengana Hall, Currie Town Hall, Sorell Memorial Hall, Sheffield Kentish Town Hall, Alonnah Hall, Redpa Recreation Centre, Queenstown Sports Stadium, and Nubeena Recreational Ground.
Victoria will also have 18 sites ready this year at Bairnsdale City Oval, Cann River Rec Res, Paynesville Rec Res, Mallacoota Main Hall, Omeo Rec Res, Buchan Rec Res, Lakes Entrance Mechanics Hall, Cudgewa Temporary Community Support Hub, Licola Wilderness Village, Towong Temporary Community Support Hub, Tintaldra Temporary Community Support Hub, Myrtleford Sports Stadium, Orbost Cricket Club Oval, Myrtleford Senior Citizens Centre, Ovens DELWP Office, Mitta Valley ERC, Lucyvale/Berringama Temporary Community Support Hub, and Eskdale ERC.

Western Australia will have seven sites at Walpole Community Hall, DFES Broome, Jurien Bay Football Oval, LG Shire Office, Bremer Bay Sports Club, Leeman Sports Oval, and Peaceful Bay. The state also has an additional site labelled by NBN as private.
Missing from the list of sites are locations in New South Wales and the Northern Territory, which are set to be completed next year, with NSW, in particular, having non-standard installations. NBN said the installation dates were agreed upon by federal and state-level governments.
NBN also received AU$1.7 million to buy five more Muster trucks and 12 portable satellite kits, which will be delivered this year.
“This equipment can be rapidly mobilised to support communities with Wi-Fi connectivity when they are most in need and are strategically placed around the country so they can be deployed as soon as it is safe to do so,” the company said.
Gavin Williams, NBN’s chief development officer for regional and remote, said the company deployed emergency satellite links at 30 evacuation centres and 10 emergency response centres in NSW, Victoria, and South Australia last year to help 5,000 people.
“The devastation of last summer’s bushfire emergency reinforced the importance of connectivity in disaster situations and the important role NBN Co can play with the retail service providers in supporting communities when they are most in need,” he said.
“By providing free satellite Wi-Fi services and mobile device charging facilities during the emergency, we were able to help keep families and loved ones connected, and provide vital communication services into areas that otherwise might not have had them.”
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An 18-month long investigation by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has uncovered a “concerning trend” of complaints where consumers experiencing family violence were not always met by telcos’ standard systems and processes.
The Meeting the needs of consumers impacted by family violence report detailed that telcos faced four key challenges in meeting the needs of family violence victims. These included being unable to: Recognise and respond to consumers experiencing family violence, understand what consumers needed to stay connected and safe, ensure appropriate account security processes, and offer the right financial assistance.
The investigation uncovered some of the consequences of telcos being unable to meet those needs, such as victims suffering more detriment and further financial hardship. The lack of support also resulted in unauthorised disclosure of personal information, which often led to further dangerous consequences.
“Our understanding and approach to the impact of phone and internet complaints in family violence continues to evolve. While the number of these complaints is relatively low, the detriment suffered is often disproportionately high,” Ombudsman Judi Jones said.
See also: New Australian Online Safety Act to include take-down of cyber abuse    
The report suggested telcos could improve their services for consumers affected by family violence by working with family violence experts to develop training for staff, allowing staff to offer highly flexible payment arrangements, reviewing account securities, and listening to consumers about what they need to stay safe.
“This report makes recommendations for telcos wanting to improve their service to better meet the needs of their customers experiencing this vulnerability. I encourage providers to think deeply about changes they can make to best support consumers impacted by family violence,” Jones said.

“We acknowledge the good work of family violence specialists, the telco industry and consumer advocates in this space. We are all on the same journey as many organisations in improving our understanding of the impacts of family violence. We will continue to monitor and evaluate our approach as our understanding evolves.” 
The findings were welcomed by the Communications Alliance, which published a guide on how to assist consumers experiencing domestic and family violence in 2018.
“Family violence impacts far too many Australians, and all industries and individuals have a role to play to help keep people safe. Telecommunications services are vital to keeping people connected, and there are steps telcos can take to support consumers,” Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton said.
Stanton noted the Communications Alliance is currently working on updating and expanding its 2018 guide, saying in a statement it would take into consideration the findings by the TIO as part of the process.
“Many telcos have gone above and beyond developing staff training and innovative processes to support impacted consumers and keep them safe, and we are working across the industry to ensure all telcos are enabled to put the right systems, processes, and training in place to help consumers,” Stanton said.
If you need support because you or someone you know is experiencing family violence call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) for 24/7 support and referrals.  
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