What’s up with… BT & Edgio, Deutsche Telekom, FCC

• BT advances its streaming strategy with Edgio’s CDN
• Deutsche Telekom offers gamers a slice of 5G
• FCC fines GenAI miscreant

In today’s industry news roundup: BT integrates Edgio’s content delivery network (CDN) into its MAUD streaming solution ahead of live network trials; Deutsche Telekom carves out a gaming slice with its 5G standalone network; FCC fines network operator that transmitted GenAI-created spoofed robocalls; and more!

BT Group is taking the next step towards the commercial deployment of its Multicast-Assisted Unicast Delivery (MAUD) live content streaming solution by integrating Edgio’s content delivery network (CDN) for a UK trial “in the coming months,” the telco announced. BT has been developing MAUD, which is “designed to be a more reliable, quality-focused and sustainable way of delivering live content over the internet,” for several years and formally announced it in late 2023. It then unveiled French CDN and video distribution technology specialist Broadpeak as a vendor partner in March this year and is now set to use Edgio’s CDN for a trial delivery of “EE TV content on some set-top-boxes in the live network” during the months ahead. “This collaboration takes the technology from proof of concept to real-world application with the first live CDN deployment, paving the way for other CDNs to follow,” noted BT, which claims the deployment of MAUD will reduce costs for CDN firms and telcos. “MAUD is a key solution to how BT Group (or any other ISP) can manage ever increasing traffic loads. Using ‘multicast’ to combine single streams into a shared stream, directing it to those that want to watch the action, MAUD efficiently delivers live streaming over the internet. This technology enhances viewer experiences by providing a more reliable, quality-focused, and sustainable delivery of live streaming,” noted the telco. BT Group’s chief security and networks officer, Howard Watson, stated: “BT Group’s goal is to develop an efficient live streaming solution that addresses the needs of players within the content delivery path. Partnering with Edgio, we’re pioneering an effective content delivery system that seamlessly integrates with CDNs, making it accessible for external content providers”. Emma Whitmore, group VP EMEA at Edgio, added: “Having worked with BT Group since the inception of MAUD we’re delighted to be the first CDN to serve content through it. By reducing congestion in the core of telco networks, clients will benefit from a more consistent, high-quality experience. Combined with the seamless integration of our content providers, clients can easily adopt this technology in markets where there is a mix of solutions across the network.” PP Foresight founder and analyst Paolo Pescatore, who has been tracking the media tech and services sector for years, told TelecomTV that the “represents a small but important key step for MAUD: Significantly, it will demonstrate how MAUD can work for CDNs. Having Edgio on board, rather than initially securing one of the other notable players that work closely with the UK free-to-air-broadcasters, may raise some eyebrows, but ultimately Edgio is a proven, credible player among broadcasters and that will open up the doors for other CDNs to join the MAUD bandwagon. This is not exclusive and others will need to come on board as the merits of MAUD can be utilised by all ISPs, not just on BT’s network,” added the analyst. For further details on the Edgio engagement and MAUD’s development, check out the BT press release.

The gaming sector is often cited as a new revenue-generating opportunity for mobile operators seeking ways to make better use of their 5G spectrum and standalone core platforms (if they have deployed one, of course…), and Deutsche Telekom has taken that opportunity by unveiling 5G+ Gaming, a network slicing-enabled service that “ensures smooth and lag-free mobile gaming in the future”. According to DT, “customers with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will be the first to benefit. Samsung Electronics has already technically equipped this smartphone model so that it can implement all 5G+ Gaming functions. The next step will be to add further devices on which the new option will work. 5G+ Gaming is the world's first consumer offer based on Network Slicing that Samsung Electronics is implementing with a telecommunications provider.” Read more. 

US regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced a settlement to resolve its enforcement action against Lingo Telecom, which “transmitted spoofed robocalls that used generative AI voice cloning technology to spread disinformation in connection with a presidential primary election” in the state of New Hampshire. Lingo Telecom will pay a $1m fine and, notes the FCC, “implement a historic compliance plan – the first of its kind secured by the FCC – that will require strict adherence to the FCC’s Stir/Shaken caller ID authentication rules, including requirements that the company abide by ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) and ‘Know Your Upstream Provider’ (KYUP) principles – which allows carriers to vet traffic and ensure it is trustworthy – and requirements that the company more thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information provided by its customers and upstream providers.”  FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated: “Every one of us deserves to know that the voice on the line is exactly who they claim to be. If AI is being used, that should be made clear to any consumer, citizen, and voter who encounters it.  The FCC will act when trust in our communications networks is on the line.”

And more from the FCC… The regulator has given Elon Musk’s SpaceX permission to gradually replace its first generation Starlink low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites with larger ‘birds’ that have beamforming capabilities that can provision satellite broadband connections using narrower beams, reports Space News.  

And still in space… Nokia has teamed up with Axiom Space “to integrate advanced 4G/LTE communication capabilities into the next-generation spacesuits that will be used for the Artemis III lunar mission.” Yes, the ultimate in wearables… “Nokia and Axiom Space will incorporate high-speed cellular-network capabilities in the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), supporting HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometres on the Moon. This advancement will enable Artemis III crewmembers to capture real-time video and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while they explore the lunar surface,” noted the vendor. But to what will those 4G-enabled spacesuits connect? Oh, that’s right, the vendor is involved in the deployment of a mobile network on the Moon’s surface as part of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, which is scheduled to be delivered to the launch site in 2024. “During that mission, Nokia aims to demonstrate that cellular connectivity can facilitate crucial communications during future lunar or Mars missions. Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), pioneered by Nokia Bell Labs’ research and innovation, will be deployed during IM-2 and will be further adapted for use in the AxEMU spacesuit,” the vendor added in this announcement. 

– The staff, TelecomTV