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MWC 2018 teased a 5G-powered world that’s so close to being real
Before packing my bags for Spain, I took stock of my inbox for MWC meeting requests. A quick search showed I had more than 100 emails about 5G. "Solutions for cloud-based 5G infrastructures," one read. "5G is happening," another proclaimed. "Meet with XX 5G exec?" "XX invites you to experience the new 5G era." From demos of super fast phones and connected street lights, to obscure infrastructure projects that will actually form the backbone of 5G, the thirst was real.
T-Mobile proposal might salvage a merger with Sprint
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Sprint's parent company, Japan's SoftBank group, was going to call off the carrier's impending merger with T-Mobile. They'd worked out a broad agreement but couldn't agree on an ownership ratio. But a source told the Wall Street Journal today that T-Mobile produced a new offer that Sprint is considering, meaning they could reach a deal in a few weeks. Or they could, once again, disagree on the terms and leave the merger behind.
Bloomberg: Sprint and T-Mobile are talking about a merger again
Sprint and T-Mobile are reportedly trying to pick up where they left off a few years ago. According to Bloomberg, the mobile carriers and their parent companies, Softbank (Sprint) and Deutsche Telekom AG (T-Mobile), have been unofficially talking about the possibility of a merger again. Back in 2014, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son aggressively pursued T-Mobile's purchase in a bid to deploy speedy mobile broadband. However, after a series of meetings with government officials who were concerned that the merger would seriously affect competition in the industry, the two companies decided to terminate their negotiation.
Mirai botnet targets Deutsche Telekom routers in global cyberattack
The German Office for Information Security confirmed on Tuesday that not only had nearly a million routers on the Deutsche Telekom (DT) network been recently attacked but that the assault was part of a larger campaign stretching across the world.
T-Mobile's parent company is launching an anti-drone system
Anti-drone defense systems are about to become big business. T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom has confirmed to Welt am Sonntag that it's developing an anti-drone defense system that should launch this year. It's not discussing details, but it would be offered as a security feature for airports, stadiums and other venues where robotic flyers are unwelcome or outright dangerous. Reportedly, car manufacturers are particularly eager for Deutsche Telekom's help -- they're annoyed by journalists (and no doubt competitors) using drones to snap photos of pre-production cars.
Terabit fiber optic speeds just came closer to reality
Sure, researchers have been showing off terabit data speeds in fiber optics for years, but they've seldom been practical. That exotic technology may work over long distances, but it can quickly fall apart when you throw typical network loads in the mix. However, it's about to become much more practical. Nokia Bell Labs, Deutsche Telekom and the Technical University of Munich have shown off 1Tbps data speeds in a field trial that involved "real conditions," with varying channel conditions and traffic levels.
T-Mobile found guilty of blocking employees from organizing
The CWA (Communications Workers of America) is celebrating today after a judge found T-Mobile guilty of violating federal labor laws. The company was found to have illegally restricted employees from organizing or even discussing work issues with each other. Judge Christine Dibble cited the company's policies that barred workers from discussing their wages and working conditions, and their repeated efforts to discourage them from reaching out outside organizations for help. As an example, she highlighted the procedure for filing a wage and hour complaint, which requires the notification of management first, and threatens discipline if the rule is broken. That would prevent employees from banding together to address issues collectively. Of the 13 policies brought before the court, 11 of them were found to be illegal and they must be reversed immediately. All employees must also be notified that these policies violated the law.
France's Iliad calls it quits on trying to buy T-Mobile USA
AT&T wanted to buy T-Mobile USA. That fell apart. Then, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son wanted Sprint to merge with it. No dice. Most recently, Iliad (the owners of a French wireless carrier called Free) wanted to acquire a 67% stake in it. You can probably guess what happened: Iliad announced that it's officially dropping its bid for T-Mobile, despite repeatedly claiming it'd "accelerate T-Mobile US' transformation". If we're being honest, Iliad never had the cash on hand to counter Sprint's coffers -- that may explain why neither T-Mobile's board nor folks at Deutsche Telekom didn't really give them the time of day. The Ilium team must be bummed, but no matter: T-Mobile's on the upswing now as it is. At last count, the magenta-hued carrier picked up over 2.5 million subscribers over the first half of the year, enough to let it crow about being the country's fastest growing carrier. Thought's not to say that Deutsche Telekom won't still try to offload it, though -- now it's going to wait for a spectrum auction later this fall before it decides what to do next.
The NSA broke into big German networks to map their data traffic
It's no secret that the NSA's spies have been busy in Germany. However, it's now apparent that their activities in the country may reach much further than just targeting important leaders and suspects. Der Spiegel has published leaks showing that the US agency broke into the networks of both tech giant Deutsche Telekom and regional provider Netcologne as part of an effort to map as much of the internet as possible. Since the initiative (Treasure Map) is meant to pinpoint individual devices as well as infrastructure, the discovery hints that the NSA can potentially monitor a huge amount of German data traffic on routers, servers and personal gadgets.
Bloomberg: Sprint planning a bid for T-Mobile this summer
Those longstanding rumors of Sprint hoping to buy T-Mobile USA may soon come to fruition: Bloomberg sources claim that Sprint has met with six lending banks in preparation for a takeover bid. There aren't any financing deals in place just yet, according to tipsters, but the carrier would make its offer in June or July. SoftBank (Sprint's owner) and Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile's) are reportedly hashing out the details of who would own what after the acquisition, with T-Mobile's John Legere the frontrunner for the CEO spot.
Deutsche Telekom and RSA team on hack-resistant internet connections
It's easy to find security experts who can safeguard corporate internet connections against cyber attacks. However, it's hard to get someone who can stop attacks before they do any damage -- and that's where Deutsche Telekom hopes to make a difference. It's partnering with the security gurus at RSA on services that will include both early detection of attacks as well as "clean pipe" internet connections, which route data through hack-resistant lines. While the German provider isn't divulging its pricing just yet, it's targeting small- and medium-sized businesses willing to pay a fixed monthly fee; the toughened internet access is likely to be (relatively) affordable when it launches early next year. It's certainly well-timed. When many Europeans are already nervous about digital intruders, we wouldn't be surprised if Deutsche Telekom lands quite a few early customers.
Court rules that Deutsche Telekom can't throttle internet speeds on flat-rate plans
Suddenly, we fancy moving to Germany. A Cologne court has ruled that Deutsche Telekom can't implement a plan to throttle speeds to 2Mbps on wired, flat-rate internet service once customers exceed monthly data caps. The policy would pose an "unreasonable disadvantage" to subscribers that rely on stable prices and connection speeds, according to the decision. Deutsche Telekom expects to appeal the ruling, but it may face an uphill battle -- when its current internet service runs at speeds up to 200Mbps, the proposed throttling would be severe. We just hope that American internet providers take the hint.
Deutsche Telekom's LTE Connected Car delivers streaming media with complete control (hands-on video)
Connected car concepts are nothing new, but a compelling one stands out among the crowd of half-baked ideas. Here at IFA, Deutsche Telekom's demo is one such example, thanks to its simple but intuitive execution and downright usefulness. A very friendly Telekom rep let us step inside to check out the concept from a child's perspective. Set up in a BMW (naturally), the system utilizes an LTE hotspot, a few backseat-mounted iPads and BMW's ConnectedDrive service to provide entertainment on long car trips. Kids sitting in the backseat navigate to their personal profiles on Telekom's associated app, and from there they can access services such as Videoload, Maxdome (both for renting movies) and Audiobooks. There's also the option to view real-time trip progress via Google Maps, and kids can even select a webcam mode to see the road from mom or dad's perspective. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
EU raids Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom and Orange offices in data probe
Woop, woop, that's the sound of the... European Commission? EU officials (figuratively) kicked in the doors of Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom and Orange's European headquarters this week. The trio are being investigated after ISP Cogent Communications alleged that they are deliberately blocking data-hungry services -- much like Cogent's earlier complaint about Comcast. The trio are pleading their innocence while the case continues, and hoping that investigators don't mess with the office furniture too much.
T-Mobile Poland to ship Firefox OS-powered Alcatel One Touch Fire starting tomorrow
We knew good and well it was coming, and now we've both a date and a launch partner to hone in on: that's "tomorrow" and "T-Mobile Poland," respectively. After going big (as opposed to home) at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Mozilla has just announced that the Firefox OS-powered Alcatel One Touch Fire will ship tomorrow in Poland for 1 zloty (practically free, for those curious) in combination with "a very attractive tariff." Market launches in additional European countries will follow in the fall, with German handsets to be marketed via Deutsche Telekom's second brand congstar. DT's subsidiaries in Hungary (Magyar Telekom) and Greece (COSMOTE) will also initiate sales of the handset this fall, but pricing in those regions has yet to be revealed. As for word on a US release via Sprint? Still waiting, sadly.
It's official: T-Mobile closes deal to acquire MetroPCS
T-Mobile has been slowly inching closer to closing its acquisition deal with MetroPCS, and the day for inking that contract is finally here. Less than a week after MetroPCS shareholders approved the merger, which would give them a total cash payment of $1.5 billion, the deal is done, and T-Mo is a publicly traded company. In addition to giving Deutsche Telekom a 74 percent stake in the new company, the deal will bring nine million new prepaid customers to T-Mobile. According to the Uncarrier's President and CEO, the network would "continue our legacy of marketplace innovation by tearing up the old playbook and rewriting the rules of wireless to benefit consumers." T-Mobile plans to keep the MetroPCS brand, holding on to its retail outlets too, pitching to different demographics with the two carriers, according to AllThingsD. MetroPCS broke the news to its customers first through Facebook, although Big Magenta followed swiftly with the official press release -- you'll find that right after the break.
MetroPCS shareholders vote to approve T-Mobile merger
It hit a few snags along the way, but T-Mobile's merger with MetroPCS now appears to be all but a done deal. Bloomberg is reporting that MetroPCS shareholders voted to approve the deal this morning, following a recommendation from two previously opposed shareholder advisory firms that the merger be approved last week -- and approval from the board before that. According to Bloomberg, the final terms of the deal give T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom a 74 percent stake in the new company, with MetroPCS shareholders receiving a $1.5 billion cash payment. Most notably for T-Mobile, the deal brings nine million new prepaid customers into the fold, as well as the all-important wireless spectrum that MetroPCS currently owns.
MetroPCS board approves Deutsche Telekom's merger offer, urges shareholders to do the same
After delaying a vote on T-Mobile's final merger bid a few days ago, MetroPCS' board of directors has voiced unanimous approval and is encouraging shareholders to vote yes as well. Deutsche Telekom's offer would reduce MetroPCS' debt by $3.8 billion as well as slash the interest rate on that debt by half a point. These measures should increase both the carrier's overall value and cash flow -- hopefully that will help in building out LTE more quickly. For folks fearing that T-Mo will suffer from buyer's remorse, don't. The offer also stipulates that Deutsche Telekom will refrain from selling its shares in the combined company for 18 months. It remains to be seen if stock owners will be convinced enough to vote yes on April 23rd; and so the saga continues.
T-Mobile improves its bid for MetroPCS, prompts MetroPCS to delay its vote
While executives at T-Mobile and MetroPCS may be ready to close their merger, some shareholders aren't -- major advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services has been recommending that MetroPCS investors vote against the deal unless T-Mobile can sweeten the pot. Consider it sweetened. T-Mobile's parent Deutsche Telekom has made a "final offer" that would slash the debt owed by the post-merger company by $3.8 billion (to $11.2 billion), reduce the interest rate on that debt by half a point and prevent Deutsche Telekom from selling its shares in the merged firm for 18 months, rather than the original six. The reshuffled finances may not sound very exciting on the surface, but they're enough to put MetroPCS in a tizzy: the carrier is delaying a shareholder vote on the deal from April 12th to the 24th to allow for some reevaluations. There's no guarantees that the new offer is enough to please the naysayers. Still, we'd venture that T-Mobile will get a warmer reaction than the last time it tried a corporate alliance.
Evernote premium adds document search, Deutsche Telekom customers get one year free subscription
Evernote's premium package adds a bunch of extra features to the online jotter if you're willing to pay the price. Now though, if you've got a mobile, fixed-line or broadband contract with Deutsche Telekom, a deal between the companies means you'll be able to skip that 40 euro annual charge (around $52) and enjoy the power-user suite free for a year. Don't get down if you've already forked out, though, as current premium subscribers can just tag that extra year onto the end of their cycle. In addition, Evernote has added another feature for premium users worldwide it calls "Document Search," which'll rifle through various note-attached files created in MS Office, iWork or OpenOffice. If you happen to be on Deutsche Telekom's books, you can sign up for your free premium account at the link below. Then again, you've got until the back end of September 2014 to claim, so you could always clip this and get to it later.
