Happy New Year to all!  Last year’s fiber/network M&A activity wasn’t that hot, and you could see that last year’s poll didn’t see any obvious targets.  The top 5 were Windstream, Uniti, FiberLight, FirstLight, and GTT.  Of those, FiberLight did find a buyer (I had almost forgotten about that deal!).   The second on the list to be acquired was #7, ZenFi.   Now, of course, it is time to poll the sector for 2023.  Who you think are the likeliest candidates to be sold (in part or in whole) in 2022.  (Not including already pending transactions). If I’ve missed anyone, do let me know. … [visit site to read more]

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The new year is upon us again, which means that it is time to dig the crystal ball out of the closet again and make a few predictions. The pandemic isn’t exactly gone, but it’s definitely in the rear view mirror for most everyone.  So what do our headlights show in the distance now?  If history is considered, I shouldn’t really try to guess.  But who asked history? … [visit site to read more]

The wireless side of things tends to dominate AT&T’s world these days, so it is always interesting to see them make a move in the world of last mile fiber. They have partnered up with BlackRock Alternatives to launch a new joint venture targeting fiber reach outside their traditional 21-state incumbent territory. … [visit site to read more]

True Online and ZTE Corporation have launched the first 50G PON prototype in Thailand, intended to upgrade the country’s fixed-network broadband infrastructure.

As a next-generation PON access technology, 50G PON supports a wide range of scenarios and applications. In addition to providing ultra-broadband access for families, 50G PON supports innovative services such as 5G, Cloud VR, Telehealth, and industrial intelligent manufacturing for high bandwidth, low latency and jitter, and clock synchronization requirements. These characteristics are expected to support industrial development and spread the dividends of digital economy throughout the country.

Speaking at the launch, Dylan Jin, Account Director of ZTE Thailand, said that gigabit home broadband services are currently widely used in Thailand, and the basic fixed network is evolving from G PON to 10G PON. Based on True Online’s network bandwidth capabilities, 50G PON services will expand fiber networks and increase operational efficiency to enable the launch of further innovative devices, products and service to meet growing consumer demand.

The 50G PON prototype was tested at the launch event and, based on the verification of key performance, the ultra-wide transmission rates of downlink 43.90Gbps and uplink 23.30Gbps were achieved. Compared with 10G PON, the key performance parameters have been greatly improved, and can support the scenarios of future 10Gbps access, meeting the network transmission requirements of digital transformation in the industry.

As Thailand’s largest fixed-network broadband operator, True Online has been committed to researching new technologies to improve the quality of Thai people’s life. True and ZTE will continue their research on technological evolution, home interconnection, and industrial applications, which will continue to improve the life experience of Thai people through technological innovation in the future, and will also consolidate the infrastructure base of Thailand’s digital economy.

Okay, about those predictions I made last year…  Each December I like to make a few predictions about the year ahead.  But what is a prediction without a healthy dose of reality to cut it down to size?  We don’t check such things often enough, we just tend to make more.   I’ll get to that part soon enough, but first: how did I do last year? … [visit site to read more]

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Multinational information technology services and consulting company Cognizant has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Garuda Aerospace, an Indian drone start-up, to power its drones with advanced digital tools.

According to the Times of India, Cognizant says this will bring innovative solutions at scale for enterprises aiming to achieve greater agility, productivity and overall outcomes.

The two companies aim to bring a wide range of end-to-end drone-based management and monitoring offerings for businesses across a number of sectors, including agriculture, warehouse management, and energy and utilities.

This collaboration will also offer Cognizant associates across such company service lines as analytics and IoT the opportunity to work on purpose-driven drone projects.

Garuda Aerospace is focused on developing low-cost drone solutions to optimize industries through accurate data. It describes itself as a drone-as-a-software aggregator that designs impeccable drones for myriad human and industrial needs.

Indian press reports suggest that Garuda Aerospace boasts a fleet of 400 drones and a well-trained team of over 500 pilots in 26 cities across the country.

It’s also a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme beneficiary. We reported in April that a number of companies involved in manufacturing drones and drone components had been selected as initial beneficiaries of the PLI scheme to boost drone manufacturing in India. The list, expanded in July, included 23 beneficiaries, one of which was Garuda Aerospace.

This year has seen growing activity in the drone sector. For example, in March we reported that Asteria Aerospace, an India-based drone manufacturer and solution provider and a subsidiary of Jio Platforms Ltd, had launched an end-to-end drone operations platform.