Page 21 - SAMENA Trends - August 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Accenture and Anglo American Extend Technology Services Agreement

Accenture and global mining company delivery practices through a collaborative to co-create future services and determine
Anglo American have signed an approach to drive innovation. It builds key priorities,” said Pavan Sethi, managing
agreement to extend Accenture’s role on an already successful relationship director for Accenture Technology in Asia
as a strategic IT services provider to between the two companies that began Pacific, Middle East & Africa. “We are
2023. The new agreement will help in 2011 when Accenture was selected as honored to continue our work with Anglo
accelerate the development of Anglo a key technology services provider. “Prior American and help fulfil their IM ambitions
American’s information management (IM) to the extension of the agreement, Anglo and mandate.”
capabilities with new technologies and American and Accenture worked together

AT&T, Texas Emergency Communications to
Modernize 911 Platform

The Texas Commission on State Emergency Communications communications technology to help ensure our citizens get the
(CSEC) adopted AT&T ESInet™ as its NextGen9-1-1 platform to best possible service.” “Having advanced 9-1-1 tools is an issue
transition 17 Regional Planning Commission (RPC) public safety of public and personal safety. For rural communities like those
answering points (PSAPs) to NG9-1-1. The first nine counties, in the Nortex RPC, having the same level of service and modern
which are part of the Nortex RPC, recently went live with AT&T features as those in major metro areas is critical,” said Stacy
ESInet serving nearly 80,000 Texans with a more reliable and Schwartz, AT&T. “With the latest technology, these Texas counties
improved 9-1-1 experience. AT&T ESInet is built on AT&T’s highly can help call takers do their jobs more efficiently and continue
resilient IP network. The IP-based call routing service uses i3 to provide top-notch emergency response for the community.”
standards from the National Emergency Number Association In Texas, the Capital Area Emergency Communications District
(NENA) to modernize legacy 9-1-1 infrastructure. And, in today’s and North Texas Emergency Communications Center are also
environment, that’s crucial. The nine counties that make up the supported by AT&T ESInet. AT&T ESInet has been recognized with
Nortex RPC – Jack, Young, Montague, Bowie, Clay, Archer, Baylor, the Frost & Sullivan 2020 NG9-1-1 Market Leadership award for
Foard and Hardeman – provide police, fire, and EMS services. its product performance and market leadership.
All the PSAPs were live and taking calls within six months of
adoption. The Nortex PSAPs receive approximately 140,000 9-1-1
calls each year. When calls spike, AT&T ESInet can automatically
distribute calls to neighboring PSAPs, which can lead to improved
9-1-1 call management. This will make it easier for PSAPs to be
more responsive to emergencies. “Emergencies occur across the
country daily, but when a severe or prolonged disaster strikes,
like COVID-19, the demands on local emergency response
organizations are extreme,” said Tim Bryant, 9-1-1 Emergency
Services Director, Nortex RPC. “We are proud to work with
AT&T as we take advantage of the advances in information and

AT&T Charts Course to Standalone 5G Launch

AT&T doubled down on a targeted launch goal is to launch and expand commercial AT&T nor Verizon named vendor partners.
of standalone (SA) 5G in 2020, joining SA 5G when the broader ecosystem of AT&T first launched non-standalone 5G
rivals T-Mobile and Verizon in jockeying for devices and applications able to fully take service for select subscribers in December
a leadership position on the technology. advantage of the technology’s features 2018, and opened the offer to all customers
An operator representative told Mobile “is lined up to matter”. AT&T’s comments a year later. In December 2019, AT&T
World Live (MWL) work on its SA core come as US operators jockey to lead on Mobility SVP Kevin Petersen told MWL
is “progressing as planned” despite the SA 5G, with T-Mobile US staking a claim advanced network slicing capabilities
Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. AT&T last week as the first operator in the world offered by SA 5G will provide new revenue-
already has “working, integrated solutions to offer nationwide coverage and Verizon generating opportunities across both the
in place today” and is on track to begin initial advancing toward “full commercialization” enterprise and consumer segments.
commercial deployments in the coming in 2021. While T-Mobile revealed it used
months, the representative added. The Cisco and Nokia for its SA 5G core, neither
21 AUGUST 2020