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How undersea internet cables connect the global economy

The U.S. and China are competing for control over these vital pieces of infrastructure.
Technicians work on undersea cable in December 2005. Undersea internet cables "carry about 99% of all our telecommunications," said James Kraska at the U.S. Naval War College.
Stephan Agostini/AFP via Getty Images

Telecoms set to launch new 5G spectrum over FAA objections

Jan 3, 2022
In November, a warning from the Federal Aviation Administration about safety concerns led to AT&T and Verizon postponing the launch.
Despite FAA concerns over interference with altimeters, which helps planes land, Verizon and AT&T are slated to launch their 5G networks this week.
Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images

WhatsApp outage highlights the scale of its worldwide use

Oct 5, 2021
The Facebook property has become a business lifeline in countries where other communication alternatives are expensive or inaccessible.
The interruption of Facebook's WhatsApp platform on Monday hindered communication and business across the globe.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

How Nebraska's largest Black-owned business is approaching the post-pandemic era

Jul 1, 2021
"We are at an inflection point," said Carmen Tapio, founder and CEO of North End Teleservices.
"We are at an inflection point," said Carmen Tapio, founder and CEO of North End Teleservices in Omaha.
Courtesy of North End Teleservices

Mobile, media giants submit record bids as 5G spectrum auction tops $78 billion

Jan 8, 2021
Mid-band frequencies are often described as the Goldilocks range of the spectrum, where 5G signals fly fast and far.
Most media and wireless behemoths — including Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Dish Network and Comcast — are betting on 5G to deliver next-generation phones, apps, entertainment and driverless vehicles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Mobile, media industries see optimistic signs for 5G wireless future

Jan 7, 2021
The airwaves on the auction block include frequencies in what's called the mid-band range, allowing 5G signals to travel fast and far.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Verizon

Nobel laureate Robert Wilson says auctions pervade our everyday life

Oct 13, 2020
Many products are now sold using "package auctions" for a more efficient allocation of goods.
It's not just art sales. Auctions are instrumental in advertising sales, electricity prices, property purchases and more.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

U.S. economists win Nobel Prize for auction theory work

The winning economists designed auctions that allow for multiple bids over a period of time.
U.S. economists Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson won the Nobel Prize in economics work on commercial auctions, including for goods and services difficult to sell in traditional ways such as radio frequencies, the Nobel Committee said.
Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

How Huawei became a smartphone titan (in addition to telecom gear)

Jul 2, 2019
The tech giant sells three times more phones than Apple in China. It has developed into a smartphone superpower in the last five years.
Visitors try out the Honor 7 smartphone at the Huawei stand during a trade fair in 2015 in Berlin.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Some lawmakers want a Huawei-type crackdown on Chinese rail cars

Jun 3, 2019
Critics say this isn't so much about security as it is about eliminating prospective competition.
Visitors check out a model of an Inter-City "EMU" train made by Chinese rail giant CRRC is on display at Innotrans, the railway industrys largest trade fair, in Berlin on September 19, 2018.
JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images