The content team at Channel Partners Newsletter tracks stories of interest to the technology advisor and agent community. Anyone selling communication and connectivity solutions will want to stay abreast of these developing stories or catch up on ones they have missed. We are tracking—with the help of ChatGPT along with AI tools our parent Informa has developed—a roundup based on story traffic, mentions, impressions, reposts, and social media engagement. All links are valid as of Sept. 10.

Survey: Tariffs Hurt Small Tech Advisors More

A new survey from Channel Futures suggests a slight majority of technical advisors have gone unimpacted by the tariffs, although others – especially smaller ones – have felt significant impact. A recent survey of 58 tech advisors found that 52% of them felt that tariffs had not impacted their client projects. But another 33% did report that their projects had slowed. Partners who make less than $1 million in annual revenue were decidedly more impacted. Forty-two percent of the smaller partners said projects slowed compared to 17% of partners over $1 million. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of larger partners reported no impact from tariffs. Read the Channel Futures story.

SpaceX Reshapes the U.S. Wireless and Satellite Landscape

SpaceX moved into a dominant position in the nascent satellite-to-cellular, or Direct-to-Cell (D2C), market with a $17 billion acquisition of EchoStar’s AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses. Light Reading’s Roger Entner writes that the deal fundamentally reshapes the competitive strategies of every major telecommunications player for the foreseeable future. Read the Light Reading story.

EchoStar Escapes Cloud of FCC Investigation

After selling off pieces of its spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX, EchoStar is no longer the subject of an FCC investigation. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr notified EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen that his agency is ending its investigation into EchoStar’s 5G buildout and use of terrestrial and Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) AWS-4 spectrum. However, the spectrum sales still require formal FCC approval. Read the Fierce Network story.

RingCentral Scoops up CommunityWFM CCaaS

RingCentral acquired CommunityWFM in the latest contact-center-as-a-service (CCaaS) platform consolidation. RingCentral rebranded CommunityWFM's platform as RingCentral AI Workforce Management (WFM). That platform is available as part of RingCentral's flagship RingCX platform for an additional monthly fee of $20 per agent. Read the Channel Futures story.

FCC Moves to Remove Recognition from Chinese Testing Labs

Citing national security risks, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched proceedings to revoke recognition of seven Chinese-accredited test laboratories that certify electronics for U.S. import. Additionally, four other labs previously deemed risky had their recognition expire and won't be renewed. Currently, around 75% of electronics used in the U.S. are tested in China. FCC Chair Brendan Carr emphasized that labs under foreign adversary control should not oversee devices entering the U.S. market. Read the Reuters story.

Gamma and O2 Daisy Announce Long-Term Strategic Commitment

Gamma has reinforced its belief that "channel partners are the best route to market for SMEs and best placed to serve them" through a new strategic commitment with O2 Daisy. This highlights the continued importance of the channel in telecom service delivery. Read the story on Telecom Reseller.

MIT Develops New Chip to Strengthen IoT-5G Connections

MIT has created an innovative chip design that provides efficient frequency hopping, enhancing IoT-5G connections. This development could be significant for partners deploying IoT solutions. Read the story on the IEEE Spectrum site.

Blue Owl Takes the Helm at South Reach Networks

CEO Scott Bergs and CRO Mike Sevret talked with Telecom Ramblings about Blue Owl Digital Infrastructure’s plans following its acquisition of South Reach Networks to expand in South Florida. Read the story on Telecom Ramblings.

Tietoevry Create and Inmanta Elevate Partnership

This strategic partnership aims to accelerate telecom innovation by delivering advanced solutions for IP networks, Open RAN, 5G, and cloud-native infrastructures. The collaboration focuses on network automation to reduce costs, improve delivery times, and enhance user experience. Read about it on the Tietovry website.