The Global Telco Security Alliance today announced the addition of global telecommunications leader AT&T as an equal partner in the grouping which was launched in April 2018 by Etisalat, Singtel, SoftBank and Telefónica. The Global Telco Security Alliance brings together leading telecommunications operators from around the world with the main objective of offering enterprises comprehensive cybersecurity insights to help enterprises address the growing threat of cyberattacks.

AT&T’s addition represents a significant step up in resources and insights offered by the Alliance as a whole. AT&T has long-established and extensive cybersecurity capabilities and technologies. These were recently reinforced with the acquisition of AlienVault, which has enabled AT&T to accelerate delivering on its vision of enabling organizations of all sizes with effective cybersecurity solutions.

The inclusion of AT&T clearly reinforces the Global Telco Security Alliance’s ability to share insights and best practices for customers globally. Combined, all the members cover more than 1.2 billion customers in over 60 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.

The Global Telco Security Alliance plans to expand its scope of activities and global footprint over time and is open to bringing in new members in the future.

Kenya’s second and third largest mobile phone operators are merging to create a stronger challenger to the market leader, Safaricom.

Indian-owned Bharti Airtel and Telkom Kenya announced their intention to operate under a joint venture company that will be named Airtel-Telkom. The two companies said the deal comprises their mobile, carrier, and enterprises services but would not include Telkom Kenya’s real estate portfolio and specific government services. Telkom Kenya is 60% owned by private equity firm Helios and 40% owned by the Kenyan government.

The two entities will continue to run independently but will combine efforts to enhance their range of products, marketing services, and offerings to customers. The closure of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

The race for 5G superiority in Lebanon was on full display in 2018, with touch announcing it had performed the first commercial 5G trial in Lebanon at an event presided over by the Prime Minister of Lebanon, in September. Earlier in the year, competitor Alfa had announced a similar trial, though touch claimed its efforts mirrored real-life operations much more closely. touch’s demonstration was conducted over a period of two days with throughput speeds over the trial 5G network reaching speeds that are 100 times faster than current 4G LTE networks.

Continue reading →

Energy companies are often targeted by sophisticated hackers looking to create disruption across national economies. Although these facilities are a challenge to protect, there are clear procedures energy companies can follow to improve their security posture.

Continue reading →

Being a global hub leaves the UAE vulnerable to cyber attack – it needs to cultivate world-class expertise at home to shield against this threat

It’s estimated that the UAE is the target of as much as 5% of cyber attacks in the world yet the nation’s population accounts for just 0.08% of the global total.  What accounts for such a disparity?

Despite the domestic stability of the UAE, it is situated in a troubled Middle East afflicted by war, terrorism and political tension.  While geography provides part of the explanation, when coupled with the UAE’s remarkable economic transformation into a global node for finance and trade, the country becomes a prime target for cyber attacks.

Continue reading →