The content team at Channel Partners Newsletter tracks stories of interest to the technology advisor and wider channel communities. Anyone selling communication and connectivity solutions will want to stay abreast of these developing stories or catch up on ones they have missed. All links are valid as of Jan. 28.

Behind the Curtain: Anthropic CEO Warns the World

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, the architect of a powerful and popular AI system for global business, is warning of the imminent "real danger" that super-human intelligence will cause civilization-level damage absent smart, speedy intervention. Amodei, one of the most vocal moguls about AI risk, worries that government, tech companies and the public are vastly underestimating what could go wrong. Read the Axios story.

AT&T's Connected Spaces Hits AWS Marketplace

AT&T Inc. has thrust its Internet of Things (IoT) ambitions into the spotlight by listing Connected Spaces, its first fully integrated IoT suite, on the AWS Marketplace. The move targets small and medium-sized enterprises seeking straightforward ways to monitor operations without deep technical knowledge. The platform bundles wireless sensors, LTE gateways, and cloud dashboards, promising plug-and-play deployment for real-time oversight of leaks, temperatures, doors, and more. Read about it on WebProNews.

Amazon to Cut 16,000 Jobs

Amazon will cut about 16,000 roles company wide as part of its strategy of “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.” This follows a layoff of 14,000 corporate employees since October. Read Amazon’s letter to employees.

AST SpaceMobile Risks Missing 2026 Satellite Launch Target

As AST SpaceMobile preps next satellite launch, the D2D startup's goal for 45 to 60 satellites in orbit by the end of this year looks challenging. Blue Origin announced it will carry AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into low Earth orbit "no earlier than late February" on the New Glenn-3 mission from Cape Canaveral, FL. The timing will do little to dispel doubts from industry analysts that the company can meet its goal of launching 45 to 60 satellites by the end of this year. Check out the Light Reading story.

Nokia Partners with Pure Storage on Data Pipeline for telco AI, CNFs

Nokia turned to Red Hat in 2023 to help it build the foundation for cloud-native network functions (CNFs). Now, it’s enlisted Pure Storage to serve as the basis for the data pipeline that will feed the next-generation telco cloud. Pure Storage will provide block, file and object storage, covering all the bases telcos need to scale cloud-native deployments. Honoré LaBourdette, Red Hat’s VP of Global Telco Ecosystem, told Fierce Network that though telcos are trying to scale their cloud-native deployments to thousands of network nodes, they’ve found themselves bogged down by a “fragmented mess of legacy storage silos.” That’s where a unified data layer can help. Read the Fierce Network story.

Security Breach Costs Comcast $117.5 Million

Comcast has agreed to pay $117.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit over a data breach that occurred in October 2023. A preliminary approval order directs Comcast to reimburse over 31 million people in the U.S. and its territories who received a notice about the breach, which Comcast discovered in October 2023 and then disclosed in December of that year. See the Fierce Network story.

GTT Gives Partners Greater Access Through Portal

GTT has given partners expanded access to its digital platform, aiming to keep them engaged throughout the customer lifecycle rather than just at the point of sale. The network services provider added multi-location quoting and order management capabilities to its EnvisionDX portal. Technology services distributors, who work closely with the technology advisor community, co-designed the improvements. Read Channel Dive story.

Omdia: 2026 Channel Sales to Top $4 Trillion

The channel will generate more than $4 trillion in value globally this year, as partner-delivered sales grow 6.7% year over year, according to Omdia research. The analyst firm expects the IT market to expand by more than 10% year over year, surpassing $6 trillion. See the Channel Dive story.

Ericsson CEO Warns of More Cuts as 5G Market Stays Flat

In the absence of a sales boost from 5G-powered humanoids, Ericsson continues to work on improving profitability by cutting jobs. Ericsson's reported sales fell 5% last year, to around $26.2 billion, although they grew 2% organically. Overall annual spending in the market for radio access network (RAN) products, where Ericsson generates most of its revenues, shrank a fifth between 2022 and 2024, to about $35 billion, according to analyst company Omdia. Headcount fell by 5,400 roles last year, to around 88,800, and Ericsson revealed plans to axe another 1,600 jobs in Sweden with more planned in other countries. See the Light Reading story.

Verizon Tops U.S. Mobile Rankings, Barely

Verizon has come out on top of the latest study into mobile network performance in the U.S., knocking AT&T down to second place. However, the study conducted by RootMetric, shows there is little to choose between the big three as the scores are pretty close across most categories. Verizon took top spot in seven of the eight national categories measured by RootMetrics in the second half of last year, including the overall performance award. The only national award Verizon did not win or tie was for network speed, which was a tie between AT&T and T-Mobile U.S. Read about it on Telecoms.

Dell'Oro: Worldwide RAN to Grow a 1% CAGR over Next 5 Years

After steep declines in 2023 and 2024 following the 5G peak, RAN market conditions are now stabilizing. In the absence of any major growth catalysts, the appetite for RAN is expected to remain muted over the near-term before 6G capex starts ramping, according to a new report from Dell’Oro Group. After no growth between 2000-2025, worldwide RAN revenues are projected to grow at a 1% CAGR over the next five years. Rapidly declining LTE revenues will offset continued 5G and initial 6G investments over that period, according to Dell’Oro. Read the Converge Digest story.