Jan/Feb 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

Mobile & Wireless The U.S. Federal Emergency Man- agement Agency (FEMA) has chosen MetTel to provide emergency wireless services under a multi-vendor indefi- nite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract through the MetTel Federal Portal. MetTel also was named to the GSA’s $50 billion, 15-year Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract, which provides federal agencies with mission-critical telecommunications, infrastructure, cybersecurity and infor- mation technology services. While the primary purpose of the contract is to support the agency’s nation-wide disaster recovery efforts, FEMA also reserves the right to issue task orders for non-emergency wire- less services. Under the new FEMA contract, MetTel will provide wireless service plans as well as the supporting mobile devices, such as phones, tablets, SIM cards and related accessories. FEMA will issue task orders as needed and award projects based on technical ac- ceptability, price and wireless network coverage. Each task order period of performance will vary. The FEMA IDIQ contract has a base period of one year with four, one-year options that can be exercised at the discretion of FEMA.  With 5G networks popping into real- ity in 2019, a number of manufacturers, especially in the automotive space, are exploring replacing local wired and Wi-Fi networks with the new standard, according to MIT Tech Review. They’re specifically looking into private 5G networks that would oper- ate at manufacturing sites and offices and would only be usable by speci- fied devices, as opposed to being broadly acces- sible. Companies want to replace their Wi-Fi and Ethernet networks with 5G because it can offer comparable or higher data speeds and greater reliability, suggests the study. Among its performance benefits, 5G networks also possess a tenfold advantage over 4G in terms of the number of connected devices a network can support, making 5G at- tractive for IoT applications that involve large numbers of connected devices in concentrated areas, such as at a manufacturing facility. German automaker Audi reportedly is set to move forward with a private 5G network during the next few years, while other companies including BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen have ex- pressed interest. Private 5G networks also have at- tracted attention from industrial compa- nies in the chemical, oil and gas, and utilities spaces, said the study. MetTel Chosen by FEMA for Emergency Wireless Services  5G Could Replace Wi-Fi for Manufacturers $26 Million Spending on 5G and 5G-related network infrastructure will grow from about $528 million this year to an estimated $26 billion by 2022, according to a new 5G equipment spending forecast from International Data Corp. Nitel Adds Unlimited Wireless Connectivity Nitel announced the addition of a fully managed, 4G/LTE wireless inter- net solution utilizing advanced wireless networks of leading nationwide carriers to provide deep coverage anywhere in the United States. Building on the com- pany’s existing Wireless Internet Backup solution, which offers affordable data plans as a failover solution to primary internet connections, Wireless Internet Unlimited gives customers unlimited data for a flat monthly rate.  “While backup connectivity con- tinues to be a need for organizations, the emergence of SD-WAN has further increased the viability of the internet for business-critical applications and data,” said Josh Lupresto, Telarus’ vice president of sales engineering. “In ei- ther scenario, and for those remote or access-challenged locations, Wireless Internet Unlimited provides a compel- ling, cost-effective solution.” The new service is available immediately to quote through Nitel’s n-Tellipro pricing tool. Telarus Adds vMOX to Roster vMOX recently announced the ex- pansion of it channel partner program via a new partnership agreement with Telarus. As a result of this partner- ship, Telarus will now offer vMOX’s innovative mobility cost optimization and lifecycle management solutions through its’ 4,500-plus member partner community. “Selling and supporting mobility services has long been a challenge in the channel,” stated Tiffany Wolf, VP of sales operations – mobility and IoT at Telarus. “vMOX’s patented mobility optimization platform will enable our partners to significantly reduce their clients’ wireless costs and manage- ment workload, with no change in carrier or service impact to end-users, while providing them with a generous residual income.” Q: “Which of these connectivity technologies will be most important to your loT proposition in 2020/2023?” First choice among global operators Source: InterDigital & Mobile World Live When do you plan to move to cloud unified communications? Source: BroadSoft Emerging Tech Experi Source: CompTIA CRM Adoption Source: Computer Econ 11% 35% 23% 23% 23% 14% 10% 11% 9% 6% 5G NB-loT LTE Fixed lines LTE-M 2020 2023 8% 45% 47% In the next year In the next 2 years In the next 3 years Internet of Things (applications/analyti Interne Artificial intellige Drones (applications/analyti N Co Impl In Place, No Furth In Place, I 20 Channel Vision | January - February, 2019