Continuing the pace that v7.2 had set, 7.3 directs the focus toward improvements to existing features by adding new functionalities and overall polish to streamline your overall experience across the entire Bicom product suite.

PBXware

SMS Blocklists

The primary goal of PBXware for 7.3 was to add quality of life features to the SMS feature set with the SMS Blocklist feature being the first one, allowing admins to exclude certain numbers from any PSAs or Campaigns sent out directly from PBXware.

This will help give your customers peace of mind by opting out of the automated message system, either through a specific reply to the automated messages (dependent on SMS provider) or by toggling the opt-in/opt-out options within the app itself.

Automating Campaigns With Predefined Lists

In the same venue, we’ve provided a bit of quality of life to your end as well with the addition of predefined lists to the PBX platform, letting you create lists of SMS numbers when planning campaigns, either manually or through a CSV upload, enabling you to send out SMS messages en masse when needed.

Operation Times Overview Improvements

The operation times feature has seen a few adjustments as well. The new Operation Times tab found in the Reports menu now allows you to get a quick overview of all rules set up for every system element in one place, as well as providing easy access for modification when needed, further streamlining the operation process of the PBX platform.

Adding Touchless Provisioning Through YMCS

Another change coming with v7.3 is the addition of Touchless provisioning that comes with Yealink’s new Management Cloud Service platform (YMCS), now fully integrated with PBXware.

This brings a new option along with it, the “API Version”, found within the “Touchless Provisioning” tab, allowing you to swap from the currently defunct v1 (old API) to v2 (new API), as well as select your desired region based on the type of Yealink YCMS that you’re utilizing (EU, US or AU)

Contact Center

Improve Customer Interactions With The Sneak Peek Feature

Contact Center’s 7.3 facelift comes in the form of a neat little quality of life update that allows both Agents and Supervisors better insight into the customer’s thought process by allowing them to see what the message that they’re typing before it’s even sent.

This enables Supervisors to assist Agents when handling customers, if needed, and offers Agents themselves a better idea of what the customer wants and enables them to adjust responses accordingly.

Greater Clarity In Customer Chat Activity With Typing And Seen Indicators

Two relatively small, but greatly significant features added to Contact Center in 7.3 are the typing and seen indicators.

The former allows agents and supervisors alike to note when the customer is actively typing out a reply, letting them stay attentive and ready for an incoming query, streamlining the customer interaction process.

The latter, on the other hand, lets both agents and customers see when the other side has seen their message and allows agents to better read the situation and follow up on their response if needed.

Maintaining company professionalism with Email Signatures

The email communication channel has received a touch-up as well with the addition of the Email signatures option, providing Agents and Supervisors with the ability to create, edit and manage a number of email signatures for professional use within email correspondence and choose which created option to use with a given email response. 

The gloCOM Suite

Transfer calls to voicemail via drag-and-drop

gloCOM has seen a number of quality of life changes within v7.3, the first of which is the ability to transfer any call to a voicemail through the drag and drop functionality, allowing for much quicker call resolution and workflow streamlining.

gloCOM GO & Meeting Integration

Starting with v7.3 there’ll no longer be a need for separate meeting mobile applications as you’ll be able to join meetings directly through the gloCOM GO app thanks to the integration of the meeting module.

This will not only help improve your overall experience with gloCOM GO, but will also streamline any future maintenance, support and release processes for mobile stores.

Greater Meeting Insights With Meeting Attendance Reports

7.3 sees the introduction of meeting attendance reports, giving you a better overview of meeting attendance and engagement that can be analyzed in order to improve future meetings and make them more productive, optimizing work hours and reducing potential frustrations that would otherwise occur.

Screen-Sharing Pause Indicator

To improve clarity during large meetings, we have implemented an indicator to meetings to better relay to meeting participants when the presenter pauses their screen sharing, reducing potential confusion that may arise from lack of information otherwise and to improve meeting flow.

The Addition Of A Scheduled Meeting Notification

The final notable addition was a small reminder for meeting organizers that notifies them when a scheduled meeting is due to start, as well as enabling them to start the meeting directly from the popup, becoming an incredible timesaver in the long run.

And More…

These are only some of the more notable changes that have been introduced with the release of 7.3.

Plenty of other bug fixes, quality of life changes and feature updates have also been introduced, like:

• Updates to First response timeout (automatic ticket transfer)

We believe that these changes will make the Bicom product suite even more intuitive than before and we look forward to seeing how these new changes have affected your business in v7.3.

Until the next major release, we hope that we can continue delivering on the features that help benefit you and your business as a whole. If you have any extra questions, feel free to Contact Us.

The second major announcement related to Indian operator Vodafone Idea and Nokia in only a few days sees Vodafone Idea strengthen its network security with Nokia NetGuard Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR).

Vodafone Idea will roll out NetGuard EDR in its core network, covering all of its consumer and enterprise subscribers in India. 

As the name impiles, NetGuard EDR is designed to strengthen network security against rising cyberthreats and security vulnerabilities for its consumer and enterprise customers.

It’s a telco-specific threat detection suite that, says Nokia, will provide Vodafone Idea with real-time, automated monitoring to enable rapid detection and mitigation of endpoint-related security incidents.

Nokia says it will minimise security gaps, reduce the need for extensive testing, and optimise operational costs, while maintaining continuous service availability and performance of the protected endpoints in the entire operational technology (OT) network. 

Arvind Khurana, India Market Leader, Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, explains: « NetGuard EDR will deliver to Vodafone Idea the advanced threat detection and response capabilities they need to ensure proactive protection against ever-evolving and more sophisticated cyberthreats. With seamless integration and real-time monitoring, NetGuard EDR will also strengthen the operator’s OT infrastructure to safeguard its mission-critical telecom networks and maintain service continuity. »

NetGuard EDR’s vendor-agnostic capabilities will integrate seamlessly with Vodafone Idea’s existing security tools and processes, strengthening the operator’s network security and furthering Vodafone Idea’s work of building a state-of-the-art security operations centre.

The deployment will initially cover Vodafone Idea’s 4G networks, and eventually the operator’s 5G network.

With this deal, Nokia says it further expands its relationship with Vodafone Idea, which already uses Nokia products, including multiple core solutions and 4G RAN.

Indeed, as we reported yesterday, Nokia has also announced a billion-dollar network contract win with Vodafone Idea to modernise and expand its 4G network – to include 5G upgrades – over the next three years.

Interview

As the telecoms industry gradually moves towards tackling Scope 3 emissions and the wider challenge of sustainability, Unipart Logistics’ Steve Carter discusses making the supply chain more circular at Connected Britain 2024

You can view our full interview below!

Also in the news:
Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
Verizon’s 4,800 job cuts will cost over $1.9 billion
CMA questions Vodafone–Three merger after second probe

Four items on four continents to start the week: … [visit site to read more]

In what may seem an unusual form of diversification, Pakistan’s Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) has said it plans to invest in the establishment of data centres, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and related technology ventures.

According to a number of reports, MPCL, in collaboration with its partners, will lead this expansion by developing Tier III and Tier IV-certified, purpose-built data centres across Pakistan to meet the data management and processing needs of a wide range of public and private institutions. Pakistan currently has 22 data centres.

As local press resource The Business Recorder puts it, these data centres will provide co-location and cloud services, addressing the evolving requirements of businesses across different sectors.

The move may seem unusual, but it isn’t totally unexpected. As the Data Centre Dynamics website points out, in August, MPCL announced the formation of a subsidiary focusing on cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI). The company reportedly said this week that it has formed a new digital infrastructure subsidiary with an equity investment of some US$36 million.

The news of MPCL’s move into data centres appeared this week in a Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) stock exchange announcement, which was notable mainly for its brevity. Indeed, numbers of data centres, where they will be located, size, scale, partnerships, and timing of the date centre rollout were not mentioned.

However, the PSX announcement said the project launch ceremony for the first data centre took place this week in Karachi and suggested that MPCL’s plans to form a dedicated company relevant to the sector will help tap the rising demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

MPCL, founded in 1984, is controlled by Pakistani conglomerate the Fauji Foundation, which, says Data Centre Dynamics, is largely controlled by the country’s armed forces.

Techwave announces strategic partnership with IQGEO
~ Partnership aims to accelerate fiber network design and deployment, enhancing operational efficiency for the telecom and utility sectors~

26^th September ‘24, UK: Techwave, a global leader in IT and engineering services, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with IQGeo, a provider of innovative geospatial software solutions. This collaboration aims to elevate both companies’ ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions to the telecom and utility sectors, driving advancements in network planning, deployment, and optimization.

As a Certified Design Partner, Techwave now has access to IQGeo’s Professional edition of the Network Manager Telecom software, along with a fiber dataset for training, testing, and demonstrations. This partnership will enable Techwave to design and plan fiber networks with greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness, bringing substantial value to its clients. The partnership promises to reduce fiber planning and design time by up to 90%, allowing for faster project completion and quicker network deployments. By replacing manual processes with digital workflows, Techwave will significantly reduce man-hours while optimizing productivity. The software also facilitates seamless collaboration between office and field teams, eliminating file transfers and manual updates, further accelerating the design process and improving payment schedules for contractors.

In addition, the partnership offers access to IQGeo’s global support services, ensuring swift technical issue resolution and minimizing downtime. This strategic collaboration strengthens Techwave’s ability to deliver high-performance solutions and promotes better cooperation with clients, ensuring unified efforts in expanding fiber networks and optimizing operations across the telecom and utility sectors.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Chris White, Vice President – Global Competency, Techwave said, “We are excited to establish a new partnership with IQGeo that will mark a significant milestone as we continue to strengthen our capabilities to deliver engineering services to our clients across the globe. We believe this partnership will provide significant value as our respective companies share a common objective to drive growth in the telecom, fiber and utility industries. IQGeo’s proven platform capabilities and global reach are closely aligned to meet our strategic objectives and provide our delivery teams with the necessary solutions to design, deploy, and maintain world class networks.”

Adding to it, Mr. Jonathan Rosen – Associate Vice President, North America Engineering said “We are excited to start a new partnership with IQGeo. From rapid design to inspections and outage restoration, this partnership will help us in our objective to transform network data into efficient digital workflows for our clients. IQGeo’ s proven platform capabilities and global reach are closely aligned to meet our strategic objectives and provide our delivery teams with the ability to engineer world class infrastructure networks resulting in improved process optimization, predictable rollouts, increased workforce efficiencies, and maximizing of network revenue.”

“Our fiber design partner program has been tremendously popular with the fiber industry.” comments Jay Cadman, Senior Vice President at IQGeo, “As IQGeo’s market share continues to grow, we are keen to build a team of skilled fiber industry professionals to help support the demand for fiber network planning and design. Fiber operators can rest assured that all IQGeo partners have full access to our latest software and have been certified in the use of our products to provide the best possible design and support services. I’m excited to welcome these new eight companies to our partner network and look forward to expanding our ecosystem in the future.”

News 

The move, which could raise up to $1 billion, aims to take advantage of the global demand for data infrastructure 

Japan’s NTT Group is reportedly considering launching a billion-dollar Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in Singapore that would hold up to $3 billion-worth of data center assets, according to a Bloomberg article. 

The article states that the company is working with financial advisors to finalise the assets that will be included in this high-profile listing.  

According to reports, the listing could happen in late 2025 and would be expected to raise around $1 billion. 

If successful, listing would be the largest in Singapore since 2017, potentially revitalising the city-state’s sluggish IPO market 

NTT’s move would align with its broader strategy to optimise its assets while addressing the increasing global demand for data infrastructure.  

The company’s decision comes amidst rising global investments in data centers, driven by the need for expansive digital infrastructure to manage growing demand for storage and computing capacity. If successful, NTT’s REIT could set a precedent, encouraging other large firms to explore similar offerings in the region. 

When contracted by Bloomberg, a representative confirmed that “the company is considering a REIT,” but did not elaborate further.  

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter  

Also in the news:
Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
Verizon’s 4,800 job cuts will cost over $1.9 billion
CMA questions Vodafone–Three merger after second probe

News

The airline says its planes will be upgraded gradually to support the satellite connectivity

This week, Air France has become the latest airline to strike partnership with SpaceX’s low Earth orbit satellite subsidiary Starlink for in-flight WiFi.

The deal will see Air France’s fleet of aeroplanes gradually fitted with Starlink technology, allowing them to provide customers with a “ground-like” WiFi experience, with customers able to connect numerous devices at once.

The exact connectivity speeds expected to be available were not revealed, but Starlink has previously said that it’s constellation could provide in-flight WiFi speeds of 40–120Mbps.

Starlink equipment will begin being installed on the aircraft from 2025.

Once completed, the resulting WiFi service will be free to access for customers on Air France’s ‘Flying Blue’ loyalty programme (which is itself free to join).

In-flight Wi-Fi has long been a key use case for communications satellites. Starlink itself already has similar deals in place with numerous other airlines, including United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JSX, Qatar Airways, and Air New Zealand.

The largest of these, United Airlines, says it plans to have Starlink installed on over 1,000 planes next year.

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
Verizon Business signs 5G deal with teledriving company Vay
Investors waiting for the UK’s ‘fragile’ altnet ecosystem to consolidate, says Nexfibre CEO
Dell launches AI For Telecom programme

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has approved a $400 million loan for Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited (PTCL), marking a significant step toward its acquisition of Telenor Group’s operations in Pakistan.

In a statement, PTCL confirmed the approval, which had been anticipated since April, with initial expectations for completion by July.

The IFC detailed in a seperate statement, $224.5 million will come directly from IFC and an additional $175.5 million from British International Investment and the Silk Road Fund, structured over a seven-year term.

This acquisition will see PTCL take control of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers Private Limited, with plans to merge its mobile subsidiary, Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (Ufone), with Telenor Pakistan.

The combined entity is projected to serve around 70 million subscribers, reducing the number of mobile network operators in the country from four to three. The main competitors left in the market will be Zong and Jazz.

The merger represents another strategic exit by Telenor from Asian markets, following its previous mergers in Thailand and Malaysia and its withdrawal from Myanmar. Telenor still retains its stake in Grameenphone in Bangladesh.

The IFC emphasised that Pakistan’s telecommunications sector presents substantial growth opportunities, with broadband and mobile user penetration currently below regional averages. “Pakistan’s telecommunications market offers significant opportunities for growth and investment,” said Khawaja Aftab Ahmed, IFC’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Commenting on the deal, Hatem Bamatraf, President and Group CEO of PTCL and PTML, highlighted the landmark nature of the financing: “This is the largest single financing ever secured in the industry, and it strengthens the PTCL Group while promoting long-term stability across the telecom sector. The enhanced economies of scale will allow the industry to contribute more effectively to Pakistan’s economic and social progress.”