Lots of 5G news this week. Most notably, almost a quarter-billion new LTE connections were added worldwide in Q2 2019, according to 5G Americas.
You can read all about 5G mania below. There are also some worthy headlines about internet speeds, India's telecom battle, and a great interview between Recode's Kara Swisher and Huawei’s chief security officer in the U.S. Andy Purdy.
No shortage of good content this month. Enjoy.
5G Network Rollouts Accelerate
Nearly a quarter billion new LTE connections were added worldwide in Q2 2019, according to 5G Americas. There are now 34 3GPP standardized commercial 5G networks globally; it's believed there will be 77 commercial 5G networks by the end of 2019.
These new 5G figures made their way into lots of headlines last week. Peruse this Yahoo Finance article for more.
You might recall that earlier this year President Trump signed an executive order authorizing the federal government to block sales of equipment from “foreign adversaries” to American companies. This measure was aimed at Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.
Recode's Kara Swisher recently sat down with Huawei’s chief security officer in the U.S., Andy Purdy. You can listen to their conversation or read the transcript over on Vox.com.
If the title of this piece tells you anything, it's that this is a very calming read that will make you feel very cool about security and technology.
The Truth About Faster Internet: It’s Not Worth It
Faster internet is better internet, right? (Listen, we don't have time to talk about what we mean when we say "faster internet." Just know that we have thoughts.)
Maybe not. This Wall Street Journal piece studied the internet use of 53 of their journalists across the country, over months, in coordination with researchers at Princeton University and the University of Chicago. Here's what they learned.
In September 2016 India's mobile market was transformed by the launch of Reliance Jio Infocomm. Their low-cost unlimited plans proved an immediate hit with consumers and led to a dramatic price war as incumbent cellcos raced to compete.
So strong was its desire to make a splash, that for the first six months not only did Jio undercut its rivals, it offered entirely free connectivity. Today, the stage is set for India’s second telecom battle in the space of three years.
Google, New Master of the Oceans
"Their bandwidth requirement is huge and keeps growing. The tech giants prefer to build the cables themselves that fit their needs," said our own Alan Mauldin.
Alan was interviewed as part of a deep dive into Google's undersea cable prowess. This story seeks to understand Google's expanding cable empire.
The Little Law That Made the Internet a Free for All
Let's talk Section 230!
This analysis looks back on a telecommunications law the U.S. Congress passed in 1996, which included a provision meant to protect free speech online. Today, that provision has come under scrutiny amid the internet's "ever-deepening swamp of harassment, toxic behavior and misinformation."
We recommend it for your daily dose of internet history.
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