Internet

COVID-19 Dominates Telecom Headlines as the Industry Adjusts

Unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic is a recurring theme across the majority of industry headlines this month.

From reports on usage trends, to the new WFH plight of WAN managers, to Google changing its Chrome release plans to avoid any hiccups in service—coronavirus has permeated the industry from every corner.

You can peruse these stories below. And if you're looking for more updates on how the pandemic is impacting the telecom industry, there's lots more on our State of the Network page. We're curating the latest headlines, network status updates, and reports from service providers.

You've Read About Recent Cable Breaks. Now Read About the Repairs.

Maybe you've been scrolling through our blogs about recent cable breaks. Or perhaps it just feels like there's been an uptick of cable fault chatter online. Either way, disruptions to service have made their way into a few spring headlines.

But it's worth remembering that where there have been faults, there have also been repairs.

Have Prepaid Wireless Plans Lost Their Luster?

This month we're sharing posts on prepaid wireless plans, cloud computing, conference call technology, and worldwide mobile data usage.

Keep scrolling to enjoy our picks.

2020 Vision: Cables to Watch This Year

With a new year comes new cables. Today, we're examining five that are set to make their debut in 2020.

One disclaimer: if our 2019 list of cables taught us anything, it's that nothing is a sure thing. So you might recognize one of these from last year's rundown—but it truly looks like this is going to be their year.

As always, we'll highlight the content providers who are involved, ready for service dates, and the stats that make these cables stand out.

One Cable Break Is Bad Enough

Breaking up is hard to do. Cable breaks are no exception.

This month we've had some interesting stories about cable breaks come across our desks, namely the situation in South Africa that saw two incidents in close succession. You can read up on that—as well as the repair process—below.

We also pulled stories on new cables, delayed cables, 5G footprints, and the modern American broadband bill.

It's Time to Assess the State of the Network in 2020

It’s officially 2020 and we have new data to show us how the world is connecting.

About That PLCN Delay: Four Trans-Pacific Cable Market Facts to Consider

There's been a lot of press about delayed approval for the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) cable, which is due to connect Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines to the United States.

You can understand why this cable has gotten extra attention. Backers include Google, Facebook, and Pacific Light Data Communication (PLDC), which is owned by Chinese ISP Dr. Peng Telecom & Media Group.  

While the whole system is awaiting approval from U.S. authorities, Google and Facebook have requested that the FCC allow activation of the Taiwan and Philippines portions of the cable.

2020 Networks Update: How Much Growth is Too Much Growth?

We often think that growth is a good thing—that it's healthy for an industry.

But it's possible that it happens so fast that it could become a problem.

This is the scenario Tim Stronge laid out for PTC 2020 attendees as he answered the question: how much growth is too much?

The Telecom Matchups of 2020

Some classic matchups in this month's list of interesting telecom stories.

We have Bharti Airtel taking on Reliance Jio.

We have Huawei making 5G progress in Germany and India despite new U.S. efforts to keep the Chinese company on the bench. 

We've got drama. We've got intrigue. We've got new perspectives on satellite megaconstellations.

Keep scrolling to see what the TeleGeography staff is reading this month.

Why Do Internet Service Providers Need to Pay for Local Access?

Our pricing team fields all kinds of questions from our users about the pricing data you'll find in our databases. We were recently asked why internet service providers need to pay for local access.

 

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