While blockchain is often discussed within the framework of cryptocurrencies, it can be integrated into many technologies in multiple fields and can be useful in areas ranging from smart contracts to supply chain transactions and telecommunication services.

In this article we examine what blockchain is and how it can be put to use, especially within the telecom sector.

AI-enabled VoIP assistants, also referred to as virtual assistants, are becoming more and more commonplace  in telephony systems and contact centers. In this article, we examine the current trends and possibilities, as well as what can be expected in the very near future.

5G has been a hot topic in the telecommunications industry over the past few years. Since early 2020, we’ve been hearing more and more about 5G services being rolled out. Every day, a greater number of telcos around the world are marketing and deploying them.

This, then, begs the question: what is the real status of 5G deployment today? Can I truly enjoy all that 5G promises simply because I have a 5G icon in the status bar of my smartphone? We examine these questions and more in this article to get a feel for what’s available now and what you can expect in the future.

When they are fully deployed, fifth-generation mobile communications networks are expected to deliver unprecedented speeds and network performance. However, 5G is not all about delivering high bitrates to smartphones. In actuality, other areas of application will benefit most from the proliferation of this innovative technology.

In this article, we take a deeper look at some of these applications and how they are poised to change the way we work, play, and communicate.

Over the past few years, we’ve been hearing a lot about 5G: the potential it promises, the phenomenal levels of network performance it can achieve, and the multitude of applications and services it will deliver. In this article, we review the basics of 5G and how it is poised to change the mobile communications landscape. We also examine the potential benefits it has to offer to enterprise-scale VoIP communications systems.

By Brian Van Meter, marketing manager at Grandstream

Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax, was released in 2019. It has only now begun to see mainstream adoption as the go-to Wi-Fi standard for Wi-Fi manufacturers and businesses alike. Although it may be more expensive, Wi-Fi 6 access points deliver key advantages over Wi-Fi 5. 801.11ax performs up to 4x better in denser environments than its 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) counterpart. Wi-Fi 6 is also designed to better manage multiple types of Wi-Fi devices that are simultaneously connecting to an access point. Lastly, according to chip manufactures, Wi-Fi 6 delivers up to 3x faster performance.

There are two major Wi-Fi 6 features that make all of this possible: MU-MIMO and OFDMA.

Over the past few weeks we’ve been showcasing the deployment of wireless internet service providers (WISPs) and how they leverage various technologies to add value, flexibility, and reliability to their infrastructures. We examined how technologies such as LTE, MPLS, and cloud services are being employed to supplement WISP offerings.

But the innovation doesn’t stop there. There are a multitude of other technologies, protocols, and innovations that are being incorporated to bring about a new age of the WISP. We describe these in further detail in this article.

Like all ISPs, Wireless ISPs (WISPs) benefit from the integration of other technologies with the services they provide. In previous articles, we saw how LTE and MPLS can be used in conjunction with WISP infrastructure to deliver more useful and flexible services to subscribers.

In this article, we continue our series devoted to the key themes at WISPAMERICA this year, taking a closer look at how cloud technologies can benefit WISPs and make their offerings more attractive and competitive.

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) play an integral role in delivering internet connectivity to areas where wired connectivity is not economically viable. Rural, remote, and mountainous regions are the primary areas where WISPs thrive. In many cases, WISPs are the only option for connectivity, making them a vital component of a nation’s telecom infrastructure.

There are many technologies that help support the services provided by WISPs. One that is being leveraged more and more in recent years is Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). This topic received considerable airtime at WISPAMERICA this year.

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) have traditionally relied on the use of Wi-Fi technologies that leverage unlicensed frequency ranges of 2.4 and 5 GHz, along with all of the legal limitations that come with them. Recently, however, additional connectivity options have been made available and much more affordable to WISPs. Among those options is the use of Long Term Evolution (LTE) solutions. In this article, we examine how WISPs can use LTE for their networks, which was a topic of particular interest at WISPAMERICA this year.