In 1952, Japanese technologist Masaru Ibuka learned that Western Electric was releasing its transistor patents to the public for $25,000, a significant investment for his struggling firm. This opportunity would allow access to essential patent portfolios and technical information, crucial for innovation in electronics.
Sloot is one of more than a dozen customers with whom Marketplace has spoken who say they are frustrated with the poor customer service they received from Canada's big three telecoms: Rogers, Bell and Telus.
AT&T is framing the launch as a broader overhaul of its digital customer experience, not just a visual refresh. In its announcement, the company said the app was built around customer demand for "simplicity, speed, and control," and introduced a GenAI assistant for shopping and support.
Scientists of the 1970s look to the past and future of telecommunications, and a rainbow against a blue sky dazzles a reader, in this week's peek at Nature's archive. This article features text from Nature's archive. By its historical nature, the archive includes some images, articles and language that by twenty-first-century standards are offensive and harmful.
The self-described "Un-carrier" announced on Wednesday that beta signups were now available for live call translation powered not by an app or device-level capability, but AI that lives directly on the T-Mobile network. Eligible T-Mobile customers using a phone connected to 4G LTE or 5G - from flagship smartphones to bog-standard flip phones - can activate the feature by dialing * 87 *, with only one caller required to be on the carrier's network. Access is currently limited to customers admitted into the beta.
Consumers are not passively renewing mobile plans. They are actively evaluating them, comparing value, scrutinizing pricing, and reassessing providers more frequently. Mobile is evolving from a static utility into a dynamic service relationship, and the next era will belong to those who reduce complexity, communicate transparently, and activate seamlessly.
"By bringing real-time AI directly into our network, we're delivering more than connectivity - turning conversations into community, starting with Live Translation," T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan said in a news release about the service. Subscribers will be able to dial *87* to turn on the new service, which will then translate their conversation in real time. Only one party to the call needs to be on the T-Mobile network.
A reliable phone system is essential for talking to customers and partners. Many businesses still use traditional landline phones. However, modern Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems offer a powerful alternative. This new technology uses your internet connection to make calls. Understanding the key differences helps you choose the best option for your company's needs today and tomorrow. How modern VoIP technology works A VoIP telephone system operates differently from a regular phone line.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - 123NET, a Michigan-based provider of fiber internet, colocation and voice services, today announced a significant update to its Unified Communications platform, partnering with Intermedia Intelligent Communications - a leading global provider of AI-powered cloud communications - to enhance reliability, expand features, and support the evolving communication needs of businesses across Michigan. With this new partnership, 123NET expands its ability to deliver smarter, more scalable communication tools that simplify how organizations connect and collaborate.
"Mr. Watson, come here, I want to speak to you." With these words, Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized communication. They were the first words to be intelligibly transmitted over distance the first telephone call. On February 14, 1876, Bell applied for a patent for his invention, signaling the rise of spoken communication as the primary way people stay connected. Real-time, long-distance communication stunned those experiencing it for the first time.
"Despite generational differences in the types of problems experienced, one thing is clear: wireless network quality is strong," Carl Lepper, J.D. Power senior director of technology, media and telecom, said in a prepared statement about the mobile study.
Do you remember when 2007 was dubbed "The year of mobile"? That was when Apple launched the iPhone and firmly established mobile as the secondary channel for online engagement, after the desktop. The company's approach was so revolutionary that, in today's world, the mobile experience has become the primary experience for brand and customer interaction. More people search for products and services on their phones than on any other platform.
From the customer's perspective it felt like dealing with multiple companies wearing the same logo. Marketing sends a "We miss you!" email the day after a frustrating support call. Sales doesn't know the customer has already watched a demo. In-store purchase history is invisible to the ecommerce team. No continuity. No memory. No relationship.
These AI tools drive profitability because they reduce outages, save energy, and obviate the need for manual intervention said Chetan Sharma, CEO of Chetan Sharma Consulting, who contributed to the report. The focus on AI-native networks and autonomous operations has overtaken customer service optimization as the leading use case for investment, according to findings from the firm's fourth annual State of AI in Telecommunications survey. The report also showed that AI has become profitable for 90% of telco operators.
There were specialists monitoring dashboards, tuning AI behavior, debugging API failures, and iterating on knowledge workflows. One team member who had started their career handling customer questions over chat and email (resetting passwords, explaining features, troubleshooting one-off issues, and escalating bugs) was now writing Python scripts to automate routing. Another was building quality-scoring models for the company's AI agent. This seemed markedly different from the hyperbole I'd been hearing about customer support roles going away in large part due to AI.
They said it would never happen, but of course it was always going to - ads are coming to ChatGPT. Shirley Marschall takes a look at this little bit of history repeating... Guys, honestly, there won't be ads... Jeff Bezos: "Advertising is the price you pay for having an unremarkable product or service." Elon Musk: "I hate advertising." Sergey Brin and Larry Page: "We expect that advertising-funded search engines will be inherently biased towards advertisers and away from the needs of consumers."
The fourth annual State of AI in telecommunications survey was carried out from September to November 2025, gathering responses from 1,038 respondents. It included a 60/40 split between management (including executives) and AI practitioners, including engineers, network operators, architects, cloud operators and IT. Respondents encompassed a range of industry segments, including internet service providers, independent software suppliers, network equipment providers, consulting services, operators and system integrators.
STL Partners predicts one AI-related growth area among telcos but warns of a slower adoption or pullbacks in three others. First, the AI optimism: Telcos will increasingly adopt voice-based AI, analysts believe. Already, some of the biggest global telcos are using embedded voice assistance in AI channels for enterprise customers. In 2026, telcos are likely to adopt voice technologies for customer calls as well. Immediate benefits could include live translation and integration of digital assistance services.
Cisco CX maintains close collaboration with product development teams through systematic feedback mechanisms. When support teams identify patterns in product defects, or when adoption teams notice features that customers purchase but don't use, this intelligence flows back to engineering for correction or calibration. Pereira emphasizes that this feedback operates both pre-release and post-deployment. The CX organization participates in new product introductions to test and validate functionality before shipping. Then, the organization continues monitoring adoption patterns and support ticket trends after products reach customers.