US pressures tech giants over encrypted messages

WASHINGTON - The US government on Friday urged tech giants to allow police to read encrypted messages, saying access was essential to prevent serious crime despite privacy concerns.

After Facebook rejected giving access to law enforcement agencies, US Attorney General William Barr upped the pressure by issuing an industry-wide call.

"Making our virtual world more secure should not come at the expense of making us more vulnerable in the real world," Barr said in a speech in Washington.

Barr dismissed accusations that the government was seeking a "backdoor" to everyone's private social media messages.

"We are seeking a front door. We would be happy if the companies providing the encryption keep the keys," he said.

Tech giants must abandon "the indefensible posture" that a technical solution was not possible and should develop products to balance cybersecurity with public safety, Barr said.

Facebook already encrypts WhatsApp messages from end-to-end -- meaning only the sender and recipient can read them -- and is working to extend the technology to other apps in its group, including Messenger and Instagram.

Facebook said it was intent on introducing the feature without granting oversight to law enforcement agencies.

"We hope that industry will be an ally, not an adversary," Barr said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Britain waits for US before Huawei 5G decision

LONDON - Britain said Monday it was "not yet in a position" to decide what involvement China's Huawei should have in the UK's 5G next-generation telecoms network.

Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright told parliament that London was still seeking clarity on the implications of US action against the Chinese telecoms giant, adding it would be "wrong to make specific decisions" beforehand.

"The government is not yet in a position to decide what involvement Huawei should have in the provision of the UK's 5G network," he said.

The sensitive decision, which the US authorities are monitoring closely, will therefore not be taken by the outgoing administration of Prime Minister Theresa May, who leaves office on Wednesday.

The decision will fall to her successor, either former London mayor Boris Johnson or Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The new premier will have to decide whether to ban, partially admit or allow Huawei's complete involvement in the new 5G telecoms network.

Huawei faces pushback in some Western markets over fears that Beijing could spy on communications and gain access to critical infrastructure if the company is allowed to develop foreign 5G networks.

The company has repeatedly denied such allegations.

In May, Huawei was hit by an executive order from US President Donald Trump which effectively banned it from trading with any US companies, although a temporary licence was issued shortly after.

"Since the US government's announcement, we have sought clarity on its extent and implications but the position is not yet entirely clear," Wright said.

"Until it is, we have concluded it would be wrong to make specific decisions in relation to Huawei but we will do so as soon as possible."

Vodafone launched its 5G service in Britain this month, but without smartphones from Huawei.

By sidelining Huawei phones, Vodafone has mirrored action by EE, the first UK provider to roll out the technology that offers almost instantaneous data transfer which launched at the end of May.

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source: news.abs-cbn.com

Huawei to build wireless network for Canadian north

OTTAWA - Embattled Chinese telecom giant Huawei unveiled plans Monday to deploy high-speed wireless internet to dozens of underserved communities in Canada's remote northern regions.

The move -- mostly 4G deployments and not the superfast fifth-generation or 5G -- comes with Huawei under sanctions in the United States over national security concerns and amid a diplomatic crisis between Canada and China over the detention of a Huawei executive in Vancouver.

Huawei said it would partner with Ice Wireless and Iristel to help them connect by 2025 rural communities in the Arctic as well as remote areas of northeastern Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador.

Huawei added that some 25 communities in the largely Inuit areas of the Nunavut territory would also benefit from the deployment.

"We strongly believe that everyone should be connected to 4G LTE, no matter where they live in Canada -- even in areas where high-speed service may not be economically viable," said Eric Li, president of Huawei Canada.

Although most Canadians have access to high-speed internet, connectivity remains unavailable across some sparsely populated areas of the country.

Huawei officials said they will work to deploy wireless internet that will operate in some of the coldest temperatures on earth.

"We need to use highly reliable, world-class equipment to minimize physical intervention and to avoid outages that risk making our communities isolated once again. That's why we partner with Huawei Canada," said Jean-Francois Dumoulin, vice president at Ice Wireless and Iristel.

The move comes with Washington pressuring its allies to avoid using Huawei for deployment of 5G wireless, claiming the Chinese firm's ties to Beijing and its intelligence services could pose security risks.

Meanwhile tensions have been high between Beijing and Ottawa since the arrest in December of Huawei chief financial officer Neng Wanzhou in Canada at the request of Washington.

US authorities want to put her on trial on fraud charges for allegedly violating Iran sanctions and lying about it to US banks -- accusations that Meng's lawyers dispute.

Since then, two Canadians have been arrested in China in what has been viewed as retaliation for Meng's detention.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Germany raises 6.5 billion euros from sale of 5G frequencies

BERLIN -- Germany has raised some 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) from the sale of 5G frequencies to telecoms firms, the Federal Network Agency, said Wednesday, announcing the result of a 3-month auction.

The sale far exceeded expectations of between three billion and five billion euros, and the windfall will go towards closing the digital gap in a country whose wireless networks rank only 46th in the world for download speeds.

Germany's 3 main mobile network providers -- Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefonica Germany (O2) -- and 1&1/Drillisch, which specializes in internet services, bought the 41 frequency blocks on offer, with Deutsche Telekom taking the lion's share, the network agency said in a statement.

5G is the latest high-speed generation of cellular mobile communications.

It promises radically quicker transfers of data, making possible widespread use of artificial intelligence and other high-tech advancements such as self-driving cars and "telemedicine".

Berlin will require the winning bidders to offer the service to at least 98 percent of German households and along motorways and rail lines.

The United States has urged Berlin to bar operators from building networks on hardware from Chinese tech firm Huawei, arguing that the equipment could help Beijing spy on Western companies and governments.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

China grants 5G licences for commercial use

SHANGHAI - China on Thursday granted 5G commercial licences to four domestic companies, taking a big step in its bid to be a global leader in next generation wireless networks amid fierce rivalry from the United States.

5G is the next-generation cellular network that offers faster data transfer speed and could enhance technologies such as autonomous driving, remote medical diagnosis and mobile payments.

The Industry and Information Technology Ministry said state-owned telecom providers China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Broadcasting Network Corporation received business licences to operate fifth generation digital cellular mobile communication services.

"After the issuance of 5G licences, we will continue to welcome foreign companies to actively participate in China's 5G market, seek common development of China's 5G, and share the achievements of China's 5G development," said Miao Wei, the minister of industry and information technology, according to the ministry's Twitter-like Weibo account.

Chinese telecom giant Huawei is a global leader in 5G development but its ambitions have faced challenges from the United States, which has urged other countries to shun the company over concerns that its equipment could be used by Beijing's intelligence services.

Commenting on the ministry's announcement, Huawei said it will "fully support" the Chinese operators to build 5G. 

"(We) believe that in the near future, China's 5G will lead the world," Huawei said on Weibo.

Another Chinese cellphone maker, Vivo, stated their 5G mobile phones are ready for network testing and will be on sale once trials are complete.

The administration of President Donald Trump banned US companies in May from selling high-tech components to Huawei on national security grounds, though a 90-day reprieve was issued.

China has since announced it will create its own blacklist of "unreliable" foreign companies.

Several firms have already distanced themselves from Huawei, including Google, whose Android system equips the vast majority of smartphones in the world.

Huawei signed a deal with Russian telecoms company MTS on Wednesday to develop a 5G network in the country over the next year, on the sidelines of a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Huawei has signed a draft agreement with the African Union that includes cooperation in 5G communications.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US, China leading race for 5G wireless: survey

WASHINGTON - The United States and China are in a virtual deadlock in the race for 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks expected to unlock new services, an industry survey showed Tuesday.

The report shows the United States has closed the gap with China in "readiness" for the ultrafast wireless systems and has more 5G deployments planned in 2019 than any other country.

The study for the wireless industry group CTIA and conducted by the research firm Analysys Mason showed the US moved ahead of South Korea in 5G readiness over the past year to a virtual tie with China, as a result of considerable investment in 5G systems.

CTIA president Meredith Attwell Baker said in a statement that the United States has made "impressive strides" in preparing for the new technology but that more is needed to maintain leadership. 

"We can't be complacent as the 5G race has really just begun," she said.

"We must redouble our efforts to combat the 5G ambitions and investments by China and others."

Analysts expect 5G networks to play a crucial role in delivering data for autonomous vehicles, remote medicine and other services with heavy data usage.

US officials have sought to block Chinese firms such as Huawei from deploying 5G systems on national security grounds, raising concerns that this will slow the rollout of high-speed networks.

Officials have also floated the idea of a government-backed 5G network which could be more secure against foreign espionage, an idea roundly opposed by the telecom industry.

According to the report, the US leads with 92 commercial 5G deployments planned for 2019 but noted that China's wireless operators are conducting "hundreds of large-scale 5G trials across the country."

"China retains a significant infrastructure advantage," the report said. "A recent study showed China with more than 14 wireless cell sites per 10,000 people, compared to 4.7 in the United States."

The report said to maintain growth in 5G, the US needs to do more to allocate wireless spectrum, in some cases reassigning bands now used for other purposes.

According to the survey, South Korea ranked third in 5G readiness, followed by Japan, Britain and Italy.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Huawei's AI-powered smartphone drives a Porsche

BARCELONA - China's Huawei used the artificial intelligence capabilities of its flagship Mate 10 Pro phone to drive a sports car as the Mobile World Congress got under way in Barcelona Monday, in what it said was a world first.

The Porsche avoided several obstacles, including a dog and a bike, as it drove in a straight line to demonstrate the AI-powered object recognition technology in the phone's camera.

The tech giant said it was "the first mobile device manufacturer in the world to use an AI-powered smartphone to drive a car," saying the technology was able to distinguish between thousands of different objects and thereby able to avoid any collision.

Huawei said the test was only designed to demonstrate its phone's AI capabilities and did not plan to develop a new driverless car.

"The smartphone totally controls the vehicle, we did not do anything except for steering elements," said Arne Herkelmann, who heads Huawei's handset portfolio in Europe.

"The camera sees that there is something on the road, recognizes what it is and acts to avoid it, we trained our AI to be able to recognize a road and its possible obstacles."

In 2017, Huawei was the world's third biggest seller of smartphones after Samsung and Apple, holding a 10.4 percent market share, up from 9.5 percent a year earlier, according to figures from research firm IDC.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Sprint to take remaining stake in Clearwire

Sprint Nextel is offering to buy the 49 percent of Clearwire that it doesn't already own for $2.1 billion.

Sprint Nextel Corp. said Thursday in a regulatory filing that its board reviewed a deal the day before that spells out specifics of the proposed transaction. The deal works out to $2.90 per share. Clearwire Corp. stock is up 27 cents, or 10 percent, to $3.02 in premarket trading.

Sprint uses Clearwire's network to provide "Sprint 4G," but it's building its own 4G network at the same time, and would like to see Clearwire upgrade its network to use a compatible technology. Clearwire is strapped financially, and lacks the funds for a comprehensive upgrade.

The deal was reported earlier this week by CNBC and The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources.

source: thenewstribune.com

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/12/13/2401227/sprint-to-take-remaining-stake.html#storylink=cpy

Free Wi-Fi At Starbucks Coming July 1st

Free at last. Today, Starbucks announced its plan to offer free Wi-Fi Internet access beginning July 1.

After seeing its first increase in customers in 13 quarters, the Seattle-based coffee company will offer free Wi-Fi through AT&T at 6,700 locations nation-wide, a decision that came just six months after McDonalds began offering free Wi-Fi to customers in 11,500 of its locations. Though the move could be seen as an attempt to take the edge away from the fast food franchise, which rolled out its own successful McCafe gourmet coffee line, the most interesting part of the announcement concerns the amount of free online access available exclusively for Starbucks customers.

Dubbed the Starbucks Digital Network, the Wi-Fi portal will allow free access to paid sites like the Wall Street Journal, along with exclusive downloads from other sites like iTunes, The New York Times, Patch, USA TODAY, Yahoo and Zagat, according to the AP. No word on how the network will work with mobile users.


Source: http://techland.com/2010/06/14/free-wi-fi-at-starbucks-coming-july-1st/