News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

November 17, 2017 17 Nov'17
BT sets aside £20m for FTTP roll-out in Northern Ireland

Telco hopes to deliver full-fibre broadband services to 140,000 properties by March 2019
November 17, 2017 17 Nov'17
Malaysia’s digital economy on track

Deputy prime minister outlines Malaysia’s digital efforts, noting that the digital economy will account for one-fifth of the country’s GDP by 2020
November 16, 2017 16 Nov'17
The race is on to build a 5G business case, says BT CEO

Speaking at a Huawei mobile broadband event, BT CEO Gavin Patterson said telcos and mobile operators must overcome the challenge of building viable business cases for investment in 5G mobile networks – and quickly
November 15, 2017 15 Nov'17
EE conducts UK’s first 5G mobile network test

Mobile operator has successfully conducted the first test of an end-to-end 5G network architecture in the UK

November 15, 2017 15 Nov'17
Ditch witch brings FTTP broadband to Highland hamlets

Openreach has been testing new network design techniques, and a brand new digger, as it rolls out full fibre broadband to some of the UK’s remotest communities
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Prime minister Theresa May offers extra support for 'world-class' UK tech sector

Government announces expansion of visa scheme for top overseas tech talent, and additional funding to support startups and broadband
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Emergency Services Network delay to cost hundreds of millions

The Emergency Services Network roll-out has hit further delays and is likely to become very costly indeed, the Public Accounts Committee has heard
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
SSE to build fibre broadband network in London’s sewers

SSE Enterprise Telecoms has signed an agreement with Thames Water to deploy fibre broadband cables throughout the utility’s sewage pipes
November 14, 2017 14 Nov'17
Waltham Forest Council gives 5G network plans a boost

Waltham Forest Council in London is to allow Arqiva to deploy small cell technology on 16,000 lampposts across the borough
November 10, 2017 10 Nov'17
ISPs agree to Ofcom broadband compensation proposals

BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet have agreed to introduce automatic compensation for consumers when their broadband service goes down

November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17
ISPs can play unique role in cyber security, says BT CEO

Internet service providers are perfectly positioned to make a significant contribution to cyber security for everyone, BT’s Gavin Patterson believes
November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17
CityFibre hands Vodafone exclusive rights for consumer broadband

Broadband partners say their collaboration will help the government hit five million properties with full fibre by 2025, which is half of its target
November 08, 2017 08 Nov'17
Swisscom picks Ericsson to build its 5G network

Swiss incumbent operator Swisscom commits to nationwide gigabit 4G from 2018, and 5G from 2020
November 02, 2017 02 Nov'17
BT Openreach divorce must move faster, says Matt Hancock

Digital minister has said that unless significant progress on the split of BT and Openreach is made soon, Ofcom may have to step in
November 02, 2017 02 Nov'17
BT quarterly revenues and profits fall after Global Services slump

Telco’s enterprise sales fall, but its consumer-facing EE division sees good growth
October 31, 2017 31 Oct'17
How SME comms firm Zen became a global network business

Zen Systems, a family-run SME communications reseller based in Suffolk, is able to target multinational enterprise customers by working with enterprise network platform provider Interoute
October 30, 2017 30 Oct'17
Gigaclear ramps up broadband network build in Oxfordshire

More than 10,000 properties in rural Oxfordshire will get access to 1Gbps FTTP broadband by the end of 2019
October 26, 2017 26 Oct'17
BT to cut charges for landline-only customers after Ofcom review

BT is to cut charges for up to a million residential customers who only buy a landline telephone service
October 26, 2017 26 Oct'17
Health and Social Care Network connects first customer

Digital dictation and clinical records management systems firm Crescendo Systems has become the first customer to officially connect to NHS Digital’s Health and Social Care Network
October 24, 2017 24 Oct'17
University of Manchester launches city fitness application

University’s health research centre is using gamification to get people active as part of the Manchester CityVerve smart city demonstrator
October 24, 2017 24 Oct'17
Adtran and CCS collaborate on millimetre wave for 5G

At Broadband World Forum in Berlin, network specialists Adtran and Cambridge Communications announce a technology collaboration to help rapidly and cheaply deploy dense 5G networks
October 24, 2017 24 Oct'17
IT department keeps Volvo Ocean Race sailors connected around the world

As seven yachts compete in the latest Volvo Ocean Race, the IT team supporting the event is engaged in a race of its own
October 20, 2017 20 Oct'17
The 5G wheels are spinning in APAC

Adoption of 5G across the Asia-Pacific region will be led by China, South Korea and Japan, but telcos will need to find the right pricing strategy to compete with IoT connectivity upstarts
October 20, 2017 20 Oct'17
Operators urged to find compelling B2B use cases for 5G

5G has the capability to bring froward a number of use cases for the business-to-business sector, says Innovate UK
October 19, 2017 19 Oct'17
Government cuts cost of network infrastructure roll-out

Parts of the Electronic Communications Code have been updated to help communications providers deploy new infrastructure more quickly
October 19, 2017 19 Oct'17
Southend-on-Sea to become a smart city

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council will use Cisco’s Kinetic for Cities platform to improve service delivery, development and citizen engagement through digitisation as it transitions to a smart city model
October 18, 2017 18 Oct'17
Government opens dynamic purchasing system procurement for HSCN

The RM3825 Health and Social Care Network Access Services dynamic purchasing system procurement has been opened to supplier bids
October 18, 2017 18 Oct'17
Openreach to open ‘grey’ fibre to broadband providers

Openreach is proposing to add a new feature to its optical spectrum access product to give broadband communication services providers more control over their networks
October 17, 2017 17 Oct'17
Qualcomm successfully achieves first 5G data connection

Mobile chipset supplier Qualcomm claims it has achieved a 5G data connection on a 5G modem chipset for mobile devices
October 17, 2017 17 Oct'17
City of London Corporation launches ultrafast Wi-Fi network

City of London’s free Wi-Fi network is being backed by O2 and is supposed to deliver browsing speeds of up to 180Mbps
October 16, 2017 16 Oct'17
ADMCC monitors Abu Dhabi with Cisco technology

Abu Dhabi's surveillance system is using technology from Cisco
October 16, 2017 16 Oct'17
Government launches £25m trial fund to develop UK 5G industry

DCMS is drawing down £25m from the £740m National Productivity Investment Fund to fund a number of testbeds and trials of 5G mobile network technology in the UK
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Australia outlines space ambitions

A national space agency would put the country in the league of nations with space capabilities, but questions about its true value remain
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Tech investments key as European utility firms struggle

Utilities need to get their IT investments right if they are to regain and retain lost market share and boost revenue
October 10, 2017 10 Oct'17
Belgian telco Proximus picks Cloudify to support NFV roll-out

Belgium’s largest telecoms operator Proximus will deploy a cloud-native orchestration platform to support its adoption of NFV services in the business
October 09, 2017 09 Oct'17
Dubai’s integrated government on Gitex catwalk

At this year’s Gitex, Dubai's smart city project is showing off its successes in integrating government services
October 06, 2017 06 Oct'17
Ofcom adds new protections for consumer broadband buyers

ISPs will have to provide more detailed information on the range of broadband speeds customers are likely to receive during the buying process
October 04, 2017 04 Oct'17
BT and Three risking UK’s 5G leadership potential, says Ofcom

In an article in the Financial Times, Ofcom CEO Sharon White criticises mobile operators for holding up the auction of radio spectrum that is vital to the planning of 5G
October 04, 2017 04 Oct'17
Daisy and Redcentric named HSCN compliant as launch date nears

Managed service providers Daisy Group and Redcentric have both been named as HSCN-compliant suppliers as the network service launch date nears
October 03, 2017 03 Oct'17
Smart rail ticketing technology to be tested by end of 2017

Transport secretary Chris Grayling sets out plans for trials of smart ticketing technology
October 03, 2017 03 Oct'17
Consistent service, not speed, key to UK’s 5G future, say researchers

Government should avoid setting unrealistic connectivity requirements for 5G mobile broadband, and focus instead on ensuring reliable and consistent coverage, says a University of Cambridge study
September 28, 2017 28 Sep'17
Grosvenor signs broadband investment deal for London’s West End

Landowner and property developer has signed a co-investment partnership with Openreach to address poor broadband connectivity standards in parts of the capital
September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17
Building ‘senseable’ cities will be the talk of Gitex

MIT professor will present his vision of smart city developments at Gitex 2017 in Dubai
September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17
European operators still heavily reliant on copper for broadband delivery

A report commissioned for the European Commission has revealed that although access to broadband is improving across the EU, operators are still focusing their energies on sweating old copper assets
September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17
FSA connects 220 abattoirs to fibre for food safety monitoring

Food Standards Agency picks Exponential-e to revitalise connectivity across 220 sites as it strives to improve operational efficiency and compliance processes
September 20, 2017 20 Sep'17
Brexit mobile and broadband debate must involve consumers

The voices of consumers are being missed as communications services providers, industry bodies and the government set the agenda for the UK’s communications infrastructure market after Brexit
September 18, 2017 18 Sep'17
NHS Digital hopes for orderly transition to new Health and Social Care Network

NHS Digital’s Health and Social Care Network is gearing up to connect its first customers in the next month, in the first stage of a staggered transition process
September 18, 2017 18 Sep'17
ScotRail to test ‘world’s fastest’ in-train Wi-Fi service

The train operator has teamed up with Cisco, Network Rail Telecoms and others to collaborate on an Innovate UK funded proof of concept for ultrafast Wi-Fi on board
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
Mobile networks restored to hurricane-hit Caribbean islands

Emergency networking teams from the Vodafone Foundation and Télécoms Sans Frontières are working to restore mobile connectivity after the Caribbean was ravaged by Hurricane Irma
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
BT offers enterprise customers flexible bandwidth for peak usage

New element of BT IP Connect Global WAN service will enable businesses to dial their network capacity up and down at will
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
Digital Catapult invites regional bids for IoT network expansion

Digital Catapult is planning a major expansion of its Things Connected IoT network across the UK and has invited bids from regional bodies
September 13, 2017 13 Sep'17
Vodafone identifies 50 future digital hubs

A Vodafone research report has identified a number of towns and cities that have the potential to become what it refers to as Digital Super Towns
September 12, 2017 12 Sep'17
Openreach and rivals want collaborative approach to broadband

The government’s ambitions for FTTP broadband roll-out can only be met through collaboration, and an urgent shake-up of Ofcom regulatory policy is needed to reflect this, say Openreach and CityFibre
September 11, 2017 11 Sep'17
EE repurposes 2G spectrum to support expanded 4G mobile service

The operator will re-farm a tranche of spectrum formerly used for 2G services to boost capacity and speed on its 4G network
September 11, 2017 11 Sep'17
EAN airline broadband service moves closer to reality

The European Aviation satellite has successfully completed in-orbit testing and will begin to service in-flight broadband customers later in 2017
September 08, 2017 08 Sep'17
Government recovers £645m for BDUK broadband roll-out

The government has recovered £645m of funding to be reinvested in future broadband roll-out through a mix of clauses in its BDUK contracts with BT and project savings
September 05, 2017 05 Sep'17
Gigaclear extends narrow trenching FTTP broadband dig

Fibre broadband provider Gigaclear is extending its BDUK dig in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire
September 04, 2017 04 Sep'17
Government launches FTTP pilot for businesses, schools and hospitals

The government has released £10m to six FTTP trial projects around the UK, testing ultrafast broadband technology in businesses, schools and hospitals
August 31, 2017 31 Aug'17
Government consults on fibre broadband rate relief

The Department for Communities and Local Government has launched a consultation on the draft regulations covering business rate relief for new fibre broadband infrastructure
August 30, 2017 30 Aug'17
Canadian University Dubai upgrades network with Dell EMC

Dubai-based university upgrades its network infrastructure to support more students
August 29, 2017 29 Aug'17
Satellite broadband beams solar eclipse footage to millions

ViaSat network supports Nasa’s solar eclipse live broadcast, streaming high-resolution images and footage around the world
August 22, 2017 22 Aug'17
Cambridgeshire firefighters get rugged tablets for frontline work

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue is deploying ruggedised Panasonic tablets across its service to help personnel access vital information in an emergency
August 22, 2017 22 Aug'17
CityFibre starts wholesale broadband service in Leicester and Nottingham

Business suffering from poor broadband connectivity in Leicester and Nottingham have been invited to register their interest in hooking up to CityFibre’s FTTP services
August 22, 2017 22 Aug'17
How AT&T embraced the telecoms technology transition

AT&T’s CIO of network and shared services, Sorabh Saxena, discusses how to reskill telecoms engineers and exploit open standards as the operator embraces the future of networking services provision
August 21, 2017 21 Aug'17
Citizens Advice slams ISPs over broadband compensation proposals

BT, Sky and Virgin Media have proposed a voluntary industry code of practice for broadband compensation, but it falls short of what Ofcom would like to implement
August 17, 2017 17 Aug'17
Openreach adds 26 locations to G.fast roll-out

Openreach has added 26 more locations to its fibre-based G.fast broadband network, bringing the total number of properties served to half a million
August 17, 2017 17 Aug'17
Enterprises will need more bandwidth than public internet

As enterprises continue to digitise their operations over the next few years, their demand for data and bandwidth capacity will massively increase, says Equinix
August 17, 2017 17 Aug'17
UK rail passengers don’t trust on-board Wi-Fi

YouGov survey commissioned by Cobham Wireless finds UK commuters are increasingly frustrated with connectivity standards on the rail network
August 15, 2017 15 Aug'17
Openreach withdraws plans for wholesale dark fibre product

After a successful appeal against conditions laid down by Ofcom, Openreach has withdrawn plans to launch a wholesale dark fibre product
August 14, 2017 14 Aug'17
Bristol hosts successful test of 5G mobile edge computing

Participants in the three-week trial of mobile edge computing technology took part in a virtual treasure hunt around the city centre
August 10, 2017 10 Aug'17
China tests hack-proof quantum satellite communications

China has tested a prototype communication system that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to make it impossible for hackers to access
August 10, 2017 10 Aug'17
Sadiq Khan’s Not-Spot Team to tackle digital connectivity in London

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a package of measures designed to boost digital connectivity around London
August 10, 2017 10 Aug'17
Ultrafast ISPs failing customers on broadband speed, claims Which?

Statistics produced by consumer rights advocacy group Which? seem to show that people who buy faster broadband services are being badly underserved
August 08, 2017 08 Aug'17
National wireless network alternative to fixed broadband for Ireland

Huawei and CSP Imagine Communications plan to build a countrywide wireless broadband network across Ireland
August 08, 2017 08 Aug'17
KCOM fined over emergency call service failure

Telco KCOM fined after 999 calls made by Hull residents went unanswered due to flooding at a BT exchange miles away
August 08, 2017 08 Aug'17
UK 31st worldwide for broadband speeds

Average broadband speed in the UK lags behind 19 European countries, as well as most of North America and Asian economies such as Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore
August 07, 2017 07 Aug'17
M1 debuts NB-IoT network in Singapore, Singtel to follow suit

The battle among telcos and other low-power wide area network operators for a slice of the IoT pie in Singapore has just begun
August 03, 2017 03 Aug'17
Newcastle to put gigabit broadband in council properties

Newcastle City Council is to roll out fibre-to-the-premises broadband in 25 public housing developments
August 03, 2017 03 Aug'17
Interview: Vodafone CTO juggles legacy network and cutting-edge technology

Vodafone UK chief technology officer Jorge Fernandes talks legacy networks, digitisation and how he is positioning the operator to lead in the mobile-enabled future
August 02, 2017 02 Aug'17
Broadband satisfaction levels fall as Brits stream more content

Massive growth in data use as more people stream media content into their homes may be contributing to increased dissatisfaction with broadband services, says Ofcom
August 01, 2017 01 Aug'17
Price war blamed for poor fibre broadband speeds in Australia

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has ordered a review into the problem of broadband speeds, which one ISP says is compounded by NBN’s pricing model
August 01, 2017 01 Aug'17
Young people drive worldwide internet adoption

The UN’s ICT agency shows young people are at the forefront of internet adoption, particularly in developing economies
August 01, 2017 01 Aug'17
Sigfox wants to drive IoT adoption to tipping point

CEO Ludovic Le Moan explains what the company is doing to stay ahead of its rivals and drive mass-market adoption of the internet of things
July 31, 2017 31 Jul'17
BT makes firm offer to meet USO broadband commitment

BT has made a firm offer to become the designated provider of the 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation broadband service
July 28, 2017 28 Jul'17
Hyperoptic targets two million properties with gigabit broadband

Full-fibre broadband supplier wants to pass two million homes and businesses with a gigabit service by 2022 after receiving a £100m funding injection
July 28, 2017 28 Jul'17
BT hands over £225m to ward off legal action over accounts scandal

BT has had to pay out £225m to avoid being dragged through the courts by EE’s old owners
July 27, 2017 27 Jul'17
EE’s dominance in mobile network quality no longer a given

EE has retained its overall lead as the top-performing mobile network in the country, but is facing increasingly stiff competition from O2, Three and Vodafone
July 27, 2017 27 Jul'17
Unified communications supplier Mitel buys competitor ShoreTel

The deal will create a market leading unified communications business and adds strength to Mitel’s cloud offering
July 27, 2017 27 Jul'17
Tribunal strikes down Ofcom rulings on business broadband

The telecoms regulator will have to go back to the drawing board as it seeks to establish regulation for the business broadband market, following a successful appeal by Openreach
July 26, 2017 26 Jul'17
Events business uses fixed-wireless to serve demanding clients

Etherlive, a provider of networking and IT services to organisers of major outdoor events, is using Luminet’s Fibre-Air fixed-wireless access product to better address its clients’ needs
July 25, 2017 25 Jul'17
North Korean web users enjoy Amazon, Facebook and YouTube, report claims

Threat intelligence specialist Recorded Future claims that the North Korean elite are as plugged in to the worldwide web as any western citizen
July 24, 2017 24 Jul'17
UAE hotel upgrades wireless network and internet connectivity

Beach resort completes major project to revamp its wireless infrastructure with TP-Link technologies
July 23, 2017 23 Jul'17
Singtel bolsters LTE network as Singapore gears up for 5G

Southeast Asia’s largest telco is delivering peak data transmission speeds of up to 800Mbps in Singapore’s prime shopping belt
July 21, 2017 21 Jul'17
Scottish community broadband network gets funding to expand

The Locheilnet community wireless broadband scheme has been awarded funding to upgrade its core infrastructure and target new customers
July 19, 2017 19 Jul'17
Bristol Council opens its fibre network to commercial operators

Small business owners in Bristol will now be able to take advantage of ultrafast broadband connectivity using the local council’s fibre backhaul network
July 18, 2017 18 Jul'17
The European Union brings member states together to lead on 5G

EU members commit to a new declaration to establish a common baseline for 5G standards and help make Europe a global leader on future mobile networks
July 18, 2017 18 Jul'17
TfL starts ESN pilot build on the London Underground

At a GLA Oversight Committee hearing, TfL’s CTO revealed the organisation is building a pilot version of the Emergency Services Network on the London Underground
July 18, 2017 18 Jul'17
Stamford Bridge to offer stadium connectivity in partnership with Ericsson

Ericsson has begun its partnership with Chelsea to offer home fans a “seamless” connected experience
July 17, 2017 17 Jul'17
First businesses connect to South Yorkshire gigabit broadband network

The first customers have gone live on CityFibre’s South Yorkshire network, covering businesses in Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield
July 13, 2017 13 Jul'17
Ofcom sets up Openreach Monitoring Unit

Telecoms regulator Ofcom is setting up a dedicated unit to keep a watchful eye on Openreach