News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

• June 14, 2018 14 Jun'18

  Ofcom satisfied with progress on BT Openreach split

  Ofcom has published its first annual report on the legal separation of BT and Openreach, and said it is broadly satisfied with progress to date, despite hiccups relating to the BT pension scheme

• June 12, 2018 12 Jun'18

  Mayor Khan bids to make London the world’s smartest city

  At London Tech Week, mayor Sadiq Khan launched a city-wide initiative to harness the capital’s technology talent to address London’s most pressing problems

• June 12, 2018 12 Jun'18

  CityFibre wins key decision in fake fibre case

  CityFibre has been granted permission to proceed with a judicial review of the ASA’s November 2017 decision about the use of the term fibre in broadband ads

• June 10, 2018 10 Jun'18

  Singapore government to regulate eSIM technology

  The government is gathering feedback on key proposals such as forbidding telcos to lock embedded SIM-enabled devices to their networks

• June 08, 2018 08 Jun'18

  BT’s Gavin Patterson quits under shareholder pressure

  Patterson’s resignation comes just weeks after he announced 13,000 redundancies across BT

• June 07, 2018 07 Jun'18

  Newcastle Council to show off smartest street in Britain

  The Great Exhibition of the North will see Mosley Street in Newcastle upon Tyne transformed into Britain’s smartest street as part of a demonstration of IoT technology

• June 07, 2018 07 Jun'18

  5G transformative for UK plc, but potential impacts still vague

  5G mobile technology looks set to transform the UK economy for the better, but the immaturity of the technology and lack of standards makes its true impact harder to judge, according to a report by Deloitte

• June 06, 2018 06 Jun'18

  EE confirms October 2018 UK launch date for first 5G live trials

  Mobile operator outlines plans to test its 5G network within London’s Tech City startup hub, as its push to become the UK’s first to market with the technology gathers pace

• June 01, 2018 01 Jun'18

  Ethical hacker, 86, rises to Santander’s challenge

  Elderly hacker with little computing experience was able to hack WiFi and create phishing attack

• May 25, 2018 25 May'18

  Former Macedonian PM convicted in corruption case exposed by illegal government surveillance

  Information exposed by leaked recordings that were part an illegal mass surveillance campaign orchestrated under the government of former prime minster Nikola Gruevski have led to his conviction for corruption. He was found guilty of rigging a ...

• May 23, 2018 23 May'18

  Government pledges full-fibre broadband for all by 2033

  In a speech to the CBI, chancellor Philip Hammond pledges to build a nationwide FTTP network by 2033

• May 22, 2018 22 May'18

  Qualcomm and Facebook working on FWA broadband

  Qualcomm is to integrate a number of its chipsets with Facebook’s Terragraph technology to build fixed wireless access broadband solutions for urban areas

• May 21, 2018 21 May'18

  Openreach launches Scottish fibre training school

  Openreach has launched its Scottish engineering school in Livingston as it prepares to train 400 new broadband specialists to run its full-fibre roll-out

• May 18, 2018 18 May'18

  Three ditches 3G mobile phones

  Three has become the first of the big four UK mobile operators to stop selling 3G mobile devices

• May 18, 2018 18 May'18

  GDS seeks advice on migration from Public Services Network

  The Government Digital Service has started the process of moving public sector organisations away from the Public Services Network

• May 16, 2018 16 May'18

  BT and EE to converge fibre broadband, 4G networks

  BT’s consumer unit has launched a network convergence strategy designed to make the most of its national fibre and 4G network assets

• May 15, 2018 15 May'18

  Vodafone CEO Colao steps down

  Long-serving Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao will step down in October after just over a decade in charge

• May 15, 2018 15 May'18

  Openreach starts countdown to the end of analogue phone services

  Openreach has started a consultation on the future of telephony services as its parent signals plans to switch off analogue PSTN phone services in seven years' time

• May 14, 2018 14 May'18

  MPs demand 4G mobile network coverage obligation for rural areas

  The Rural Business All-Party Parliamentary Group has written to Matt Hancock calling for the government to put legally binding targets in place for 4G mobile network coverage

• May 11, 2018 11 May'18

  KCOM picks Amdocs to enhance network transition

  East Yorkshire and Humberside’s incumbent telco to implement new service delivery platform as it upgrades its network

• May 10, 2018 10 May'18

  Connectivity problem hits thousands of Post Office branches

  Post Office branches unable to connect to Horizon computer system for several hours after morning opening time

• May 10, 2018 10 May'18

  BT to shut London HQ and cut 13,000 jobs

  Another round of cuts comes as BT struggles to reposition itself for sustainable long-term growth

• May 09, 2018 09 May'18

  Vodafone becomes largest next-gen broadband player in Europe

  Vodafone has acquired the operations of Virgin Media parent Liberty Global in four European markets, giving it access to 110 million homes and businesses

• May 08, 2018 08 May'18

  Virtual tripwire to keep elephant poachers out of Zambian national park

  Cisco and Dimension Data are working to protect Zambia’s at-risk elephant population after a successful pilot project in South Africa

• May 03, 2018 03 May'18

  Fibre network breakthrough has implications for data security

  Researchers have devised a new protocol that they claim vastly extends the range of quantum key distribution over fibre networks

• May 03, 2018 03 May'18

  TalkTalk worst for broadband customer satisfaction

  Ofcom has released statistics on communications service provider customer service metrics, and TalkTalk does not come out of it well

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  Gulf Cooperation Council smart city initiatives garner momentum

  The Middle East is a hotbed for smart city developments, with activities in the region maturing and adapting to what citizens want

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  Three starts to prepare core network for 5G

  Mobile operator Three has enlisted SSE Enterprise Telecoms to bring 20 core datacentres on-net as it prepares to start rolling out 5G

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  Bristol’s historic bridge pressed into service for rural broadband

  Gigaclear is running cables underneath Bristol’s historic Clifton Suspension Bridge to bring ultrafast full-fibre services to forgotten communities

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Over a million homes can now access FTTP, says Ofcom

  Access to viable broadband services continues to improve across the UK, according to Ofcom

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Yorkshire and Humber region awards HSCN contract to Redcentric

  Network services provider Redcentric wins the first major regional Health and Social Care Network contract as procurements around England gather pace

• April 30, 2018 30 Apr'18

  Even the smallest of Dutch towns are becoming smart

  An increasing number of Dutch towns and cities use street sensors and big data to tackle societal problems. From smart lighting to artificial intelligence that spots violent behaviour in surveillance footage, smart technology is booming in the ...

• April 27, 2018 27 Apr'18

  BT risks ‘fading away’ in full-fibre future, says Ofcom CEO

  BT risks being consigned to the dustbin of failed tech companies if it messes up the transition to full-fibre broadband networks, says Ofcom CEO Sharon White

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  O2 reveals plans for new 4G mobile spectrum

  O2 has already turned on 100 new mobile sites since winning big in the Ofcom spectrum auction, and hopes to activate 900 more this year

• April 26, 2018 26 Apr'18

  NCSC shows support for common standards for secure communication

  The UK cyber security authority is supporting an industry drive towards common standards for secure communication by joining an industry organisation that aims to achieve this goal

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Full-fibre broadband specialist CityFibre acquired for £538m

  Full-fibre broadband specialist CityFibre is to be bought by a Goldman Sachs-backed consortium as it seeks more cash to fulfil its expansion plans

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Unified communications supplier Mitel bought by VCs

  Unified communications and networking technology supplier Mitel is to be acquired by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners for $2bn

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  Vodafone CityFibre broadband venture gathers pace

  Residents of four more cities – Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling – will be hooked up to the ultrafast full-fibre broadband service in the coming months

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  Community Fibre gets £25m to fund broadband in London

  Broadband supplier receives backing from the National Digital Infrastructure Fund to bring full-fibre services to 100,000 more properties across London

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  BT to supply European air navigation network

  BT has been selected to provide the upgraded air traffic management network across Europe

• April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18

  Twilio offers IoT developers programmable mobile connectivity

  Developers of internet of things applications and devices will be able to use the Twilio Programmable Wireless mobile communications platform to build mobile connectivity into their services

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  Huawei invests in 5G mobile networks, but eases back on the hype

  Telecoms supplier Huawei has been updating the industry on its 5G vision at its annual Analyst Summit in Shenzhen, China, but shied away from making bold predictions

• April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18

  Huawei wants to unlock ASEAN’s digital potential

  The Chinese technology supplier is working with communications service providers such as Converge in the Philippines to bolster their networks to support new digital services

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  O2 and Arqiva begin small cell roll-out in London

  Mobile operator will use small cells to boost 4G mobile network data capacity in busy areas, such as around stations

• April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18

  5G mobile spectrum auction raises £1.3bn

  The principal bidding stage in Ofcom’s latest mobile network spectrum auction has concluded, raising more than £1bn for the Treasury

• April 04, 2018 04 Apr'18

  LGA proposes full-fibre broadband kitemark for homebuyers

  The Local Government Association has urged housing developers to adopt proposals for a fibre-to-the-premises broadband kitemark for new-build homes in rural areas

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Government sets deadline for affordable 10Mbps broadband

  Ofcom set the task of implementing the rules that ensure everyone in the UK can access affordable high-speed broadband by 2020

• March 26, 2018 26 Mar'18

  Swedish industry contributes to 5G evolution

  Swedish industrial companies have played a role in the development of Ericsson’s 5G services in the country

• March 23, 2018 23 Mar'18

  Scottish village rolls out FTTP broadband at half normal cost

  Residents of the remote village of Balquhidder in Stirlingshire have banded together to roll out a full-fibre broadband network at just half the cost of a normal fibre network build

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Colt pioneers blockchain in telco voice wholesaling

  Colt Technology Services and Hong Kong Telecom’s international unit PCCW Global teamed up to trial the use of blockchain in wholesale voice settlements

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Canadian broadband expertise speeds Gigaclear fibre dig

  Rural broadband provider Gigaclear has enlisted Canadian firm Lite Access Technology to assist in the roll-out of full-fibre services to 10,000 properties in Oxfordshire

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  CityFibre consumer broadband collaboration hits Peterborough

  CityFibre is returning to one of its earliest Gigabit City projects with Vodafone in tow to upgrade thousands of homes in Peterborough to gigabit-capable full-fibre broadband

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Uber autonomous vehicle death raises questions for UK law review

  Uber suspended testing of autonomous vehicles in North America after one of its cars struck and killed a pedestrian this week, and the tragic accident raises big questions in the light of the UK’s ongoing legal review of self-driving cars

• March 21, 2018 21 Mar'18

  Train leasing firm demos mobile edge computing for smart trains

  Rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains is demonstrating edge computing over a wireless mesh network to make life easier for its customers’ on-board staff

• March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18

  Case study: Stationery firm gets things moving with FTTP broadband voucher

  Nuco, a Midlands-based supplier of paper and stationery products, has improved its business agility and is moving its IT into the cloud thanks to the government’s full-fibre broadband connection voucher scheme

• March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18

  Ofcom opens 5G spectrum auction

  Ofcom has opened the bidding in the auction of spectrum to support 4G and 5G mobile networks

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Gatwick Airport turns to driverless tech to keep staff moving

  Gatwick Airport plans to trial driverless technology to move staff around the airfield, in the hope of creating an Uber-like service to cut costs and emissions

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Southwark brings full-fibre broadband to council estates

  London’s Southwark Council has enlisted Hyperoptic to deliver FTTP broadband services across its housing portfolio

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Ofcom sets out 5G spectrum auction process

  Regulator has given details of the two-stage 5G mobile network spectrum auction process that will begin next week

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Three reaches 10 million customer milestone

  UK’s smallest “big four” mobile operator reflects on a solid year as it gears up for the imminent spectrum auction

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  Openreach to open 12 fibre broadband engineering schools

  Openreach has opened the first of 12 planned training centres around the UK as it sets out to recruit more than 3,000 fibre broadband engineers

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Full-fibre broadband voucher scheme gets green light

  Chancellor Philip Hammond has signed off on £67m to fund full-fibre broadband connections for small businesses around the UK

• March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18

  Government setting up local planning group to support 5G roll-out

  Digital minister Margot James is building a new initiative to support collaboration on 5G mobile network roll-out at a local level, bringing together councils, landowners and industry to work on planning challenges and policy

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Stoke Council picks VX Fiber to light up fibre broadband network

  VX Fiber’s Open Access Platform will allow Stoke-on-Trent council to realise a return on its fibre investment while bringing gigabit broadband services to homes and businesses

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Government hands out £95m for local full-fibre broadband

  The government has named the first recipients of a £190m tranche of funding to realise local full-fibre broadband projects

• March 13, 2018 13 Mar'18

  Hammond delivers tech-positive Spring Statement

  Delivering his Spring Statement, the chancellor bangs the drum for UK tech businesses, confirms £25m for 5G testbeds, allocates full-fibre funding and highlights the need for digital skills

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Digital for rural areas worth up to £26bn to UK economy

  A study commissioned by Amazon has posited that greater use of digital tools and services could be worth between £12bn and £26bn per annum to the UK economy

• March 12, 2018 12 Mar'18

  Scottish government to spend £25m to fill 4G coverage gaps

  The Scottish government has announced a £25m programme to infill gaps in 4G mobile network coverage across Scotland

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  Government reveals winners of 5G mobile competition

  The government has unveiled the winners of a multimillion-pound competition to create 5G mobile network testbeds around the UK

• March 09, 2018 09 Mar'18

  World Wide Fund for Nature tames out-of-control network

  The World Wide Fund for Nature turns to services provider Exponential-e to bolster its connectivity as it moves its wider IT estate into the cloud

• March 08, 2018 08 Mar'18

  Will Brexit really bring the return of mobile roaming charges?

  As Theresa May commits to quitting the EU’s digital single market alongside Brexit, heralding the potential reintroduction of mobile roaming charges, are business travellers and holidaymakers doomed to a return to the bad old days?

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Wi-Fi provider uses big data analytics to drive customer experience

  The self-styled “Uber of Wi-Fi”, iPass is using Databricks’ Unified Analytics Platform and machine learning to monitor its worldwide network and help its customers get the best experience

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Ofcom probes Three and Vodafone over suspected net neutrality breaches

  Telecoms regulator launches investigation into whether or not mobile operators Three and Vodafone are flouting European rules on net neutrality

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Government sets out tighter security measures for IoT devices

  The government has announced plans to develop a new code of practice to improve the security of connected internet of things devices

• March 05, 2018 05 Mar'18

  Fibre broadband network builder challenges ASA on fake fibre

  CityFibre has filed for a judicial review of the Advertising Standards Authority’s November 2017 decision to allow fibre-to-the-cabinet broadband to be advertised as fibre

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  MWC 2018: Cisco and Vodafone demonstrate network slicing

  At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, network supplier Cisco and mobile operator Vodafone demonstrated network slicing techniques using segment routing

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Six bidders set to take part in 5G mobile spectrum auction

  Ofcom has confirmed the names of the six companies that have successfully qualified to take part in this year’s mobile spectrum auction

• March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18

  Ofcom to enforce new rules on broadband speed disclosure

  Telecoms regulator Ofcom is to impose new measures on broadband providers, forcing them to provide better information about speeds to consumers

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  MWC 2018: 5G collaboration dominates agenda at annual mobile fair

  At Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, 5G mobile networks were the talk of the show, and a number of operators announced new collaborations around the emerging network standard with their technology partners

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  MWC 2018: Telefónica aims to connect 100 million in Latin America

  At Mobile World Congress, telecoms operator Telefónica launches a new initiative to bring 100 million people in Latin America online by using mobile networking technology for the first time

• February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18

  MWC 2018: 5G 'open for business', says Ericsson CEO

  At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm has been expanding on early commercial opportunities for 5G mobile networks

• February 23, 2018 23 Feb'18

  Ofcom pledges to halve the cost of full-fibre broadband network builds

  Telecoms regulator Ofcom has finalised plans to make full-fibre broadband network builds cheaper, and encourage more private sector investment

• February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18

  Emergency Services Network progress ‘deeply unsatisfactory’, says PAC

  A Home Office review of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme will not be finished before the end of July, the Public Accounts Committee has been told

• February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18

  5G mobile network rocks up in Brighton

  Digital Catapult and the Coast to Capital LEP will switch on a 5G mobile network test bed in Brighton in April 2018

• February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18

  O2 uses The O2 to run 5G mobile network trials

  Mobile network operator O2 is to trial a 5G ‘experience’ at the eponymous London music venue later in 2018

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  CityFibre launches consumer broadband partnership in Aberdeen

  CityFibre and Vodafone are preparing to launch a consumer FTTP broadband service in Aberdeen

• February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18

  VX Fiber brings Swedish open access full-fibre broadband model to UK

  Flush with success in its home market, Swedish open access full-fibre broadband specialist VX Fiber is launching in the UK, with plans to shake up service delivery to users by helping local councils monetise their network assets

• February 19, 2018 19 Feb'18

  Church spires to become mobile coverage hotspots

  Following successful trials in East Anglia, DCMS and Defra plan to encourage rural vicars to host broadband connectivity hotspots in their churches

• February 14, 2018 14 Feb'18

  Consumers wasting millions of gigabytes of inclusive mobile data

  Over 140 million gigabytes of mobile broadband data included in UK consumer mobile contracts is going unused every month, according to uSwitch

• February 13, 2018 13 Feb'18

  Vodafone introduces 4G mini-masts in Cornwall

  Vodafone has installed and trialled a pint-sized 4G ‘mini mobile’ mast, designed to be less obtrusive, in Cornwall

• February 09, 2018 09 Feb'18

  EE launches home broadband over 4G LTE

  EE has been conducting tests of a powerful 4G antenna that it claims can provide isolated rural homes with broadband speeds equivalent to full-fibre

• February 08, 2018 08 Feb'18

  TalkTalk’s York FTTP broadband roll-out to go nationwide

  Following successful delivery of an ultrafast FTTP broadband network in York, TalkTalk is planning to start work on a £1.5bn national roll-out

• February 07, 2018 07 Feb'18

  Orange announces European 5G testing

  Mobile operator Orange will run 5G mobile network pilots in France and Romania later this year

• February 02, 2018 02 Feb'18

  Global Services still problem child for BT

  Challenging market conditions and lost customers at its IT services unit weigh heavily on BT’s results in the third quarter

• February 01, 2018 01 Feb'18

  Full fibre becomes broadband network of choice for Openreach

  Openreach CEO Clive Selley has pledged to extend the organisation’s full-fibre broadband network by 50% through a programme called Fibre First

• January 31, 2018 31 Jan'18

  Australia’s internet speeds limiting productivity

  Australia’s broadband networks, already among the world’s slowest, could be further strained by the emergence of virtual and augmented reality

• January 29, 2018 29 Jan'18

  Superfast broadband available to 95% of country

  The UK government has announced it has reached its target for making superfast broadband available

• January 26, 2018 26 Jan'18

  Hull and Highlands worst for superfast broadband availability

  Government statistics on average broadband speeds by constituency have found that a great number of people living in Kingston upon Hull, and the Scottish Highlands and Islands, are still unable to receive an acceptable level of service

• January 25, 2018 25 Jan'18

  Select Committee highlights Brexit effect on roaming and data protection

  House of Commons Select Committee report sets out Brexit challenges such as uncertainty around regulations, data protection, mobile roaming charges and skills

• January 25, 2018 25 Jan'18

  Sky to move pay TV services to broadband

  The days of the satellite TV dish are numbered as Sky signals its intent to switch to an IP streaming delivery model over broadband connections