Malaysian operator Maxis has been reportedly hit by a cyberattack from an international hacking group that claims to have stolen internal data and posted it on the dark web.

On Monday, according to the Soya Cincau website, the R00TK1T ISC Cyber Team posted several screenshots purported to be a backend system belonging to Maxis. The group said it would start releasing Maxis customer data in the following few days.

Later on Monday, Maxis said in a statement that it was investigating the claim.

“While we did not identify anything related to our own systems, we identified a suspected incident involving unauthorised access to one of our third-party vendor systems that resides outside of Maxis’ internal network environment” the telco said. “We are working with them to investigate further and have also informed the relevant authorities.”

Maxis didn’t name the third-party vendor, or say whether the incident was related to the claims made by R00TK1T.

On Tuesday, according to Cyber Express, R00TK1T posted details of the alleged cyberattack on the dark web and on its Telegram channel. The group claimed to have exploited a compromised single sign-on user access to the FortiGate Firewall, which gave it access to sensitive Maxis employee data, including employee IDs, names, business emails, and work locations at Maxis retail stores.

R00TK1T also posted stolen Maxis data such as “MAC addresses, connection details on the Maxis Wi-Fi network, and administrative access to the Maxis Interactive Retail Assistant (MIRA) dashboard”, the Cyber Express report said.

R00TK1T said it would continue to release data until Maxis publicly admits that it was breached. Maxis had not responded to the latest claims as we went to post.

The Maxis cyberattack is part of a broader campaign by R00TK1T, which issued a statement on January 26 announcing its intention to attack Malaysia’s digital infrastructure. Since then, the group has claimed to have successfully hacked Malaysian network solutions and system integrator Aminia and online education website YouTutor.

On January 30, Malaysia’s Natonal Cyber Coordination and Command Centre (NC4) issued an alert warning all Malaysian organisations to implement essential preventive measures in order to safeguard against attacks.

NC4 also said it believes  R00TK1T is « part of a retaliation team against the cyber campaign stemming from the Middle East conflict. Historical data reveals that the threat actor has previously targeted various sectors in multiple countries, including education, transportation, healthcare, telecommunications, and ICT services, by exploiting known vulnerabilities and enlisting the assistance of insider threats and disgruntled employees. »

NC4 also advised the R00TK1T campaign could last for several weeks.

E& Carrier & Wholesale Services (C&WS) an internet, mobile and regional hub for international cable systems, is set to anchor the 2Africa subsea cable; this will be the most extensive subsea cable system landing in the UAE to date.

The chosen gateway for this development is Kalba, a city in the north-eastern part of the United Arab Emirates, a choice, e& says, that complements its existing Fujairah cable landing station, fortifying diversity and resilience in the UAE’s connectivity landscape

The 2Africa consortium of Bayobab, centre3, China Mobile International, Meta, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group and WIOCC is developing a  45,000 kilometre submarine cable system, the world’s largest subsea cable project, connecting Europe, Asia and Africa. Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for the manufacture and installation of the 2Africa cable.

As the designated landing partner for 2Africa in the UAE, e& will lead the development of the necessary infrastructure for the landing station and will be responsible for its maintenance in the coming decades.

Around 20 subsea cable systems land in the UAE and the majority of these are managed by e&, which says it boasts unique technical expertise, a robust operating structure, a neutral access data centre, diverse landing stations, and adherence to global standards.

E& Carrier & Wholesale says it is the largest internet, mobile and regional hub for international cable systems, with an ecosystem that links 160 international carriers with its international mobile network reaching more than 800 destinations.

Its range of solutions for mobile operators, carriers, ISPs, wholesalers, and OTTs includes mobile, data, voice and satellite services.

Telecom Egypt and Budapest-based telecoms/IT group 4iG have formally established a joint venture to build their proposed express subsea cable between Albania and Egypt.

On Thursday, the two companies signed an agreement on the terms of cooperation for the construction of the cable, which aims to create a high capacity, intercontinental connection linking Africa and Asia (through the Red Sea) to Europe, via Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Albania.

This follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Telecom Egypt and 4iG last October.

The initial configuration of the subsea cable will include a branch to Italy, with the option to extend the cable to Mediterranean destinations such as Libya, Cyprus, and Greece.

Both ends of the cable will be designed with an open point-of-presence concept, which means the Egyptian end will provide access to various subsea cables running southeast via the Red Sea to Asia and Africa, as well as over ten terrestrial trans-Egypt routes connecting the Mediterranean cable segment to other cable extension options in the Red Sea.

On Albania’s end, the system will provide the shortest path to Frankfurt, as well as other international traffic destinations in Eastern and Central Europe and the Balkans, including Sofia, Vienna and Budapest.

As we previously reported, the Albania-Egypt system will leverage open and neutral ecosystem WeConnect as an enabler, ensuring seamless cross-connection with multiple subsea systems and offering customers robust connectivity solutions and access to Egypt’s infrastructure.

4iG Group chairman Gellért Jászai said the agreement will enable the company to accelerate its growth and competitiveness in international markets.

“Our strong market presence in Albania gives us the opportunity to make the additional onshore investments necessary for the success of the project and to open a new data gateway to Europe in cooperation with Telecom Egypt,” he said.

Mohamed Nasr, MD and CEO at Telecom Egypt, said the new cable will add more diversity to its Mediterranean network and cater to the booming growth in international data traffic coming from Asia and Africa to Europe.

Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Amr Talaat, who witnessed the signing, said the most important feature of JV is that it comes within the framework of the Egyptian government’s strategy to target the Eastern Europe region to enhance business continuity and future expansion.

“Egypt is keen to expand its international digital infrastructure, especially given that more than 90% of the international data traffic between the East and the West passes through the country thanks to its distinguished geographical location – with 14 international subsea cables currently in service,” he said is a statement. “Work is underway to establish another five international subsea cables through international alliances.”

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Vietnam has confirmed plans – approved by the government and announced by the Ministry of Information and Communications – to invest in two to four more international telecommunications cables with a data capacity of 60 Tbps by 2025.

This news was contained in a plan for information and communication infrastructure development for 2021-2030.

The plan’s aim is to ensure high network speeds and bandwidth, wide network availability and that telecommunications infrastructure can adequately serve digital transformation, a digital economy, digital government and national defence.

Inevitably, this means better cable infrastructure than the country has boasted to date. Vietnam’s five existing undersea cables, offering international connectivity with a capacity of some 18.7 Tbps, have had a number of recurring problems, including disruption lasting most of last year. Hence the plan for new cables, suggested in early December 2023.

The plan calls for connections with Vietnam’s major islands and island districts. Priority will be given to areas with existing stations, in order to simplify cable landings. Existing land cables will be maintained and upgraded.

Information and communication infrastructure development targets for 2025 are ambitious. Outlined by local news resource VN Express International, they suggest that all families in Vietnam must be able to gain access to fibre connections, that 90% of users must be able to gain access to fixed internet connections at 200 Mpbs, and that 90% of socio-economic organisations should be able to gain access to internet connections of 1 Gbps.

These, and similarly ambitious mobile connectivity targets, will no doubt be easier to reach if some or all of the cable plans making headlines this week are carried out by 2025.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Dario Betti, CEO, Mobile Ecosystem Forum

The telecommunications landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by a myriad of factors ranging from privacy and security concerns to the rise of artificial intelligence and the imperative for environmental sustainability. The sector can expect far-reaching implications for how … [visit site to read more]

The Indian government has extended the customs duty exemption given to vessels engaged in laying submarine cables to 30 September. The exemption was originally due to end on 31 March.

Industry body the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) welcomed the extension – not too surprisingly, given the growing reliance on submarine cables by operators to transfer data internationally.

However the telecoms industry did not receive such good news from India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman when she unveiled this week’s interim budget, even though it contained plans to spend nearly US$134 billion on infrastructure and focus on long-term reforms to drive growth and contain the fiscal gap.

The fiscal deficit target for the next fiscal year has been reduced to 5.1% of GDP compared to the revised deficit estimate of 5.8% for the current fiscal year. The budget included no new taxes and increases in spending in areas like education, health and housing.

In addition, the interim budget did not make any changes to taxes and levies on the telecoms sector. However, that industry may be looking forward to a better result in the full budget to be presented after the elections in July.

As India’s Economic Times news service points out, the industry would like quite a lot of changes: a reduction  in regulatory levies like the license fee, deferral of the Universal Service Obligation Fund USOF contribution till the existing funds are exhausted, exemption from basic customs duty (BCD) on telecom equipment, waiving of goods and services tax (GST) on regulatory payments and refund of Input Tax Credit (ITC), among others.

Currently, the Economic Times says, operators pay 8% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) as a license fee to the government.

Drawing on over 20 years of experience in the communications industry and a diverse portfolio of hundreds of clients, we have gained valuable insights into the trends and indicators of success in our long-term partners. Agility, superior customer service, and value-added solutions are all crucial markers of success; but we have found that tapping into a niche market is what can truly catapult sales to new heights.

A niche market allows you to concentrate on a focused target audience, enabling you to tailor your solution and refine your marketing strategy to maximize sales and profits. With a product perfectly polished for their needs, you position yourself as the go-to solutions provider for that particular niche. Repeat this process across several niches to establish yourself as an industry giant.

Turn your gameplan upside down

So, how do you uncover these niches? The key lies in moving beyond your conventional target audience and identifying the vertical industries that desperately, while not so obviously, need Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). Once you open their eyes to the features and benefits your solution offers their business, you will find your solution flying off the shelves like hot cakes.

Get ready to turn your gameplan upside down and dive head first into these verticals as we guide you through a journey of exploring untapped markets and the opportunity to jumpstart your growth and accelerate your success.

Healthcare

Extensive research done by Markets and Markets (Unified Communication and Collaboration Market, with Covid-19 Impact Analysis) reveals that the healthcare industry is a fast-growing vertical market for Unified Communications solutions. Projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.5% between 2021 and 2026, the Unified Communication and Collaboration Market within the healthcare sector is overflowing with opportunity.

Before you start calling the local clinics and hospitals, let’s delve into two compelling reasons why Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) aligns with the needs of healthcare businesses and explore the offerings you can bring to the table.

Easier Scheduling

In an industry where patients are essentially customers with a heightened vested interest in the service they receive, effective communication is paramount. One way to improve patient communication is with an easier appointment scheduling process.

Offer a Contact Center solution with omnichannel capabilities to your healthcare customers to open up their channels of communication and streamline the scheduling process. This will allow patients to schedule appointments not only over the phone, but via online portals or mobile apps as well.

Mobility

Your Unified Communications mobile app can serve the healthcare industry in a few ways. Most healthcare facilities depend on a diverse team of professionals, including physicians, nurses, specialists, and administrators.

Keeping all of these parties in contact is a challenge, but mobile communication will help. Not to mention how revolutionary gloCOM GO could be to on-call physicians and nurses that want to lessen their technological load while still keeping their personal and professional lives separate.

This is just a glimpse into the myriad ways Unified Communications can be positioned for success within the healthcare industry. Of course HIPAA and other regulations come into play, so you are responsible to do your due diligence on how to comply with local legislation.

Find out more about selling UC solutions to the healthcare industry.

Real Estate & Rental

The same Markets and Markets study found that the Logistics and Transportation vertical, which includes real estate and rental, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.1% during 2021-2026, reaching a projected value of 10,943 million USD by 2026. Opportunity abounds in this underserved yet highly lucrative vertical.

Let’s delve into two key advantages you can offer to real estate and property management businesses, setting the stage for a successful partnership:

Agent mobility

Recognizing that real estate agents do not spend much time at a desk, our gloCOM UC app provides advanced communication and collaboration tools accessible on both desktop and mobile devices.

This empowers users to transform any location into their office. Whether meeting with clients, showing properties, or on the move, gloCOM users can effortlessly handle calls, participate in virtual meetings, send faxes, and manage voicemail from any device and available network. 

Maximum availability

A report from the National Association of Realtors found that 92% of home buyers and sellers prioritize agent responsiveness as “very important”, ranking just below honesty and knowledgeability. You can empower real estate agents to become more responsive with a tailored UC solution.

A contact center solution with omnichannel features ensures maximum availability by offering diverse lines of communication, such as voice, email, instant messaging, and social media. Advanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) systems guarantee prompt and personalized handling of callers, even if that means routing them to a specific voicemail box occasionally.

These insights merely scratch the surface of our ideas and strategies for selling VoIP solutions to real estate agents. Not to mention property management companies that need better ways to deal with tenant communication, inspections and maintenance, and emergency responses.

Learn more about selling Unified Communications solutions to the real estate & rental Industry.

Hospitality

In the fast-paced realm of the hospitality industry, which encompasses lodging, food services, and transportation, the demand for impeccable service often collides with the challenges of managing unrealistic customer expectations.

The good news is that you can empower hospitality businesses to offer the very best service possible while mitigating the inevitable challenges that customers will encounter.

Customer feedback

One way to make customers feel better about their experience in the hospitality industry is by asking for their feedback. Present a UCaaS solution equipped with omnichannel features that open up seamless lines of communication.

Automated messaging can be utilized to request surveys and feedback at various points during the customer journey. A solution that consolidates all customer interactions, questions, and feedback into a unified platform not only enhances the effectiveness of future communications, but also minimizes frustration for both agents and customers.

Integration

The hospitality industry already juggles so many moving pieces, you can make their lives easier by simplifying their operational landscape with a unified interface. CRM integration streamlines customer interactions by maintaining a comprehensive record of all communications and bringing it up in a pop-up window when a customer is on the phone.

Additionally, if you choose to develop Payment Management Systems (PMS) integration, you can reduce complexity by consolidating interfaces and making everything available in one solution.

We have the pieces needed to support the hospitality industry in delivering a superior, realistic customer experience.

Find out more about selling Unified Communications solutions to the hospitality industry.

Restaurants

The restaurant industry has undergone significant transformations over the past three years, from enduring major financial challenges in 2020, to the widespread discovery of online ordering and food delivery or pickup, to the subsequent resurgence in dining-in, but with higher expectations of streamlined service.

This changing landscape has presented considerable challenges, but UCaaS providers like you and I are well-positioned to offer tangible solutions to the evolving needs of the restaurant industry.

Ordering & reservations

Revolutionize the way restaurants handle orders and reservations by offering an omnichannel contact center solution. Opening more communication channels gives customers flexibility in how they place orders and make reservations while still allowing restaurants to manage and organize these processes in a centralized interface. A survey by Toast, a leading restaurant management software, found that 73% of diners agree that restaurant technology improves their experience. 

Cost savings

As the restaurant industry continues recovering from the shutdowns of 2020 and grapples with increasing food and labor prices, cost savings will be paramount on their list of priorities.

Highlight the cost savings of VoIP compared to traditional phone systems, emphasizing that it also offers more features for the investment. With add-on apps, restaurants can pick and choose their communication solutions to fit their budget and have the flexibility to upgrade as their financial situation improves.

There are many more ways to support the restaurant industry in its post-pandemic recovery and resurgence.

Learn more about selling Unified Communications solutions to the restaurant industry.

Professional Services

The professional services industry encompasses businesses that provide services or expertise rather than tangible products, such as legal services or design. With communication at the core of these service-oriented businesses, your UCaaS solution holds significant potential to meet their diverse needs.

CRM integration

Integrating CRM software into your communications solution grants users instant and automatic access to pertinent information anytime communication with a client is initiated.

This feature is particularly useful for professionals managing multiple clients simultaneously, such as lawyers handling several cases or designers working on various projects. CRM integration empowers these professionals to engage with each client on a personal level, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Flexibility

Unified communications provides a level of flexibility that allows professional service providers to increase their availability and allocate more time to their core work. Transitioning from traditional in-person meetings to high-definition video calls reduces travel time while still preserving the personal touch that is crucial in professional services.

The ability to follow up with clients via text or a professional messaging system saves even more time, enabling the professional to focus on project completion and client acquisition.

If you are eager for more ways to support the professional services industry with your UCaaS solution, stay tuned for our upcoming blog post dedicated to exploring additional strategies to sell to the professional services sector.

Learn how and why to sell Unified Communications to the professional services industry.

Finance & Insurance

The realm of finance and insurance is marked by a fierce need for security and compliance with stringent government regulations, so it is crucial to research your responsibility, takes steps to ensure compliance, and ultimately instill confidence in your customers. Once you have done these things, you can open up the world of Unified Communications to your finance and insurance customers.

FinTech

The intersection of financial services and technology, often referred to as FinTech, opens up a realm of opportunities. One of the pillars of companies embracing Financial Technology is Cloud Computing – here is your opportunity.

Offer a solution that integrates cloud services into existing financial solutions, unlocking features such as chatbots, call recording and transcription, enhanced collaboration, and more. 

Analytics & insights

Detailed recording and analysis of communication data is crucial to running an efficient financial institution or insurance company. Not only is this information important for compliance and regulation, it also enables managers to prepare and improve for the future.

Offer a contact center solution with call reporting and analytics to give your financial and insurance customers more control over their results and plans.

Your UC solution has the extensive features and integrative capabilities necessary to cater to the unique demands of the finance and insurance sector.

Find out more about selling UC solutions to the finance & insurance industry.

Repair & Maintenance Services

In the demanding field of repair and maintenance, where skilled laborers dedicate themselves to keeping essential machinery, equipment, and products operational for all of the other industries, efficiency is paramount.

Laborers often find themselves off-site, with little time for technological learning curves or communication delays. Your opportunity lies in providing a user-friendly communication solution that resolves the specific pain points of this industry.

Time savings

Empower repair and maintenance workers with a solution that makes communication fast and easy so they have more time for their core work.

For a skilled laborer knee-deep in a critical job, the last thing they need is a time-consuming phone call in the office across the warehouse. With gloCOM GO, calls would be redirected to their mobile device, enabling them to choose whether to answer or divert to voicemail, ensuring minimal disruption to workflow.

Call quality

The advancements in VoIP and cloud communications have significantly improved call quality. Offer repair and maintenance workers the benefit of high-definition voice and even video calling, complemented by advanced noise reduction features.

This allows individuals working in noisy environments, such as workshops or warehouses, to engage in calls without worrying about background noise.

The repair and maintenance services industry presents a ripe opportunity for selling communications solutions. Find out how to seize this opportunity.

Retail

The retail landscape in 2023 is marked by a shortage of employees and exceedingly high expectations for customer service, resulting in dissatisfied customers and employee burnout.

This perpetual cycle of discontent poses a significant challenge for the industry and its future. Enter your solution, designed to go beyond traditional communication hurdles, tacking real retail problems like employee burnout and inventory tracking.

Employee burnout

In a retail environment where overworked and overly criticized employees are reaching their breaking point, providing a comprehensive communications system becomes a crucial means of support.

gloCOM GO empowers retail workers to call or message colleagues and supervisors directly from their personal devices, enabling them to seek assistance at the moment it is needed. With Contact Center features like whisper and barge, supervisors can intervene and offer support when team members are hitting a wall, preventing burnout and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Inventory and order tracking

A major driver of customer dissatisfaction in retail stems from a lack of information. Customers want to know where their order is, where the product they want to buy is, and they want to know now.

Integrating the inventory and ordering database into the communications system will ensure employees have access to critical information precisely when they need it. By offering proactive approaches to your retail customers, they will enhance customer satisfaction and decrease employee turnover.

The retail industry is grappling with challenges and needs all of the assistance it can get. Your communications solution has the potential to provide the support this industry requires. Stay tuned for our upcoming blog post where we will explore strategies for effectively selling VoIP to the retail sector.

Find out more about selling Unified Communications to the retail industry.

In conclusion, each of these vertical industries poses a lucrative opportunity for you to customize and sell your VoIP or UC solution. All it takes is a little creativity and marketing finesse, and you can help serve and support niche businesses in need of better communications. If you want help to get started, please contact us today so we can chat about your solution and opportunities.