There was…. A lot of news over the past couple days. Here are a few of the top stories to me, including some late news regarding Rogers’ proposed purchase of Shaw.
Canadian Government Signals it Will Block Part of Shaw Sale to Rogers
Shaw’s sale to Rogers was always going to have a difficult time getting government and regulatory approval, and now the government is signalling that it is prepared to block part of the proposed merger. The government is signalling it will not let Rogers acquire Shaw’s wireless spectrum it uses for it’s cellular network. This is a big blow to the merger, as the wireless business is likely the biggest reason Rogers wants to buy Shaw in the first place.
This alone could torpedo the deal in its current form.
Telus Begins Rollout of Next Generation 911 Network in Alberta and BC
Next Generation 911 (NG911) services are aimed at improving 911 services for cell phones. When fully implemented, NG911 will include more precise location data, the ability to text 911, and sending multimedia files like photos and videos to 911 operators. NG911 will be rolled out in phases, with Telus being the first provider to bgin the rollout in western Canada. For now, nothing is changing, but the first phase of the rollout prepares the network for the advanced features in the future.
Ford is Splitting Into Two Divisions
The Ford Motor Company is splitting its business into two divisions. One division will continue to produce the traditional gas burning vehicles, while the new “Model E” division will produce Ford’s EV’s. Ford expects 50% of its vehicle sales to be EV’s by 2030, so this new alignment sets the company up for the future.
https://www.engadget.com/ford-plus-split-ev-division-141448436.html?src=rss
Netflix Buys Next Games as it Expands Gaming Focus
Last year Netflix started offering mobile games as part of its subscription service. At the time it wasn’t clear if this was an experiment or a bigger focus for the company. Now Netflix is buying a game developer, Next Games. Next Games has experience developing mobile games, signalling this could be a bigger focus for Netflix going forward.
https://www.engadget.com/netflix-acquires-next-games-111543485.html?src=rss
Several Semiconductor Companies Partner on Chiplet Standards
This one is very nerdy, but very exciting. Some of the biggest semiconductor companies in the world, including Intel, ARM, and TSMC are partnering to work on processor designs using interchangeable chiplets.
At its core, every processor requires certain components, like power management, data interfaces, and more. Today that requires every company to design their own specific parts for every individual part. With this chiplet partnership, the companies can share designs for parts of processors. So intel could use a power management chiplet designed by ARM in their processors, and ARM could a memory interface designed by Intel. This could lead to simpler and more cost effective designs, and more efficient processors and other semiconductor chips in the future. This won’t have any big impact right away, and the average person won’t notice, but it could bring big changes to the semiconductor industry.
Nintendo Switch Turns 5
This is hard to believe, but the Nintendo Switch was released 5 years ago today. I’ve owned the Switch since day 1, and it has been a great device I have put countless hours into. Hard to believe that it is 5 years old.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/03/anniversary-the-nintendo-switch-is-now-5-years-old
Ukraine Asks ICANN to Remove Russian Domains From the Internet
ICANN, the organization responsible for the internet’s Domain Name System (DNS) has received a request from Ukraine to remove Russian domain names from tne internet. The article below goes into detail on why that is a very bad idea, and won’t actually stop the Russian military from using the internet.