News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

July 03, 2017 03 Jul'17
China, India to drive global mobile industry

The two Asian giants will account for nearly half of all new mobile subscribers worldwide by the end of the decade, according to a new study by GSMA
June 29, 2017 29 Jun'17
London economy threatened by poor connectivity, says London Assembly report

The London Assembly Regeneration Committee describes the capital’s digital connectivity as “embarrassing” and calls on the new chief digital officer to solve the problem
June 27, 2017 27 Jun'17
Unabiz secures IoT network operator licence in Taiwan

Internet of things connectivity provider plans to cover 95% of the island’s population by 2018
June 26, 2017 26 Jun'17
Northern Ireland gets £150m for ultrafast broadband roll-out

Two-year broadband funding package is part of UK prime minister Theresa May’s deal with the DUP

June 26, 2017 26 Jun'17
Santander launches video mortgage application service

Spanish bank to roll out video technology for mortgage services at 63 branches in the UK following a successful trial
June 22, 2017 22 Jun'17
Virgin Media hit by second router security risk in two weeks

Virgin Media has been forced to act on a second security risk warning about its wireless routers in as many weeks
June 21, 2017 21 Jun'17
Telstra cuts workforce amid market pressures

Australia’s incumbent telco will cull 1,400 employees in the next six months, with the bulk of the job losses in New South Wales and Victoria
June 20, 2017 20 Jun'17
Property developer A2Dominion picks Hyperoptic broadband services

Housing developments in London and the South East will receive ultrafast FTTP broadband services under the new agreement
June 20, 2017 20 Jun'17
Almost 10% of Londoners still unconnected, says report

On the second annual World Wi-Fi Day, a survey claims substantial numbers of people in the world’s largest cities are still languishing in the digital slow lane
June 19, 2017 19 Jun'17
South African game reserve goes digital to save the rhino

Dimension Data and Cisco have teamed up to protect rhinos living on a private game reserve in South Africa with the latest networking and IoT sensor technology

June 16, 2017 16 Jun'17
Three fined £1.9m over emergency communications failure

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has hit mobile operator Three with a £1.9m fine after a loss of service left customers unable to contact the emergency services
June 15, 2017 15 Jun'17
As EU mobile roaming charges end, industry frets over impact

As consumers celebrate the end of mobile roaming charges across the EU, the industry is facing up to the challenges of implementing the new rules
June 15, 2017 15 Jun'17
Government objections to faster broadband USO ‘risible’

Lord Mendelsohn hits out at 10Mbps broadband universal service obligation contained in the Digital Economy Act, saying the government’s broadband ambitions are too weak
June 14, 2017 14 Jun'17
Government stresses continuity of broadband policy after election

At the Connected Britain conference in London, digital minister Matt Hancock recommits to already-established broadband and mobile networking policy
June 13, 2017 13 Jun'17
Huawei: Europe’s digitisation depends on support for broadband

At Huawei’s annual European Innovation Day, rotating CEO Ken Hu called for more support for broadband deployment
June 13, 2017 13 Jun'17
UAE telco Etisalat to pilot 5G

CTO says company is committed to trials and commercial launch of 5G in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East
June 08, 2017 08 Jun'17
BT introduces customer-facing CIO roles

As part of its overhaul in terms of how it serves its largest clients, BT has set up a team of internal CIOs to speak for enterprise and public sector customers within the wider group
June 06, 2017 06 Jun'17
Network tech helps BT customers cut carbon emissions

Telco claims it is now making 22% of its total group revenues from products contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions
June 05, 2017 05 Jun'17
New London restaurant orders up secure Wi-Fi service

Kiln, a new Thai restaurant in Soho, demonstrates the criticality of network services to support digital transformation in the SME sector
June 04, 2017 04 Jun'17
Welsh village gets first taste of 4G connectivity

The village of Staylittle in mid-Wales can now receive 4G mobile broadband after years of patchy connectivity
June 02, 2017 02 Jun'17
Telefónica increases use of renewable energy to fight climate change

Telecoms operator behind UK’s O2 mobile network doubles down on existing commitments to renewable energy sources in the fight against climate change
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
Openreach switches on G.fast in Scotland

Openreach has turned on new pilot locations for G.fast ultrafast broadband delivery technology in Edinburgh and Glasgow
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
Benefits of 5G innovation may outweigh costs for NHS, says top surgeon

The advent of 5G mobile networking could enable new modes of clinical practice that will help bring costs down for the cash-starved NHS
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
TfL likely to tender for 4G on the Tube

Transport for London is planning to undertake preliminary work on installing 4G mobile networking services on the London Underground in the near future
May 31, 2017 31 May'17
BBC’s Springwatch gets ultrafast broadband boost

Gloucestershire’s Sherborne Park Estate has been hooked up to an ultrafast gigabit broadband connection as its owners prepare to welcome the BBC’s Springwatch team
May 28, 2017 28 May'17
Australia dials into IoT amid connectivity challenges

The internet of things may have benefited industries such as oil and gas, but issues such as connectivity are holding back adoption in Australia
May 26, 2017 26 May'17
BDUK broadband roll-out hits 8,000 homes per million pounds spent

The latest government statistics on the progress of the BDUK broadband roll-out has delivered fresh insight into the value for money being offered by the scheme
May 25, 2017 25 May'17
Mobile users’ expectations are sky high, says Gemalto

Consumers have extremely high expectations for rapid mobile development in the coming years, according to a Gemalto report
May 23, 2017 23 May'17
Singapore to waive frequency fees for 5G trials

Frequency fees will be waived to lower regulatory barriers and optimise deployment of 5G networks in Singapore
May 19, 2017 19 May'17
Manx Telecom streamlines its business with VMware NFV

After deploying an NFV platform to replace its IMS service, Isle of Man-based telco has seen substantial improvements to its business agility and processes
May 16, 2017 16 May'17
Colt extends high bandwidth network into Finland

Network and datacentre provider will expand its high bandwidth IQ Network to Helsinki to offer pan-Eurasian and local connectivity
May 16, 2017 16 May'17
Vodafone sinks to £5.2bn loss

Vodafone has lost billions on its troubled foray into the Indian mobile market
May 15, 2017 15 May'17
Manchester trams halted by communications failure

A communications systems fault at Transport for Greater Manchester halted Metrolink tram services across the city on Sunday 14 May
May 11, 2017 11 May'17
Openreach asks comms providers how to improve broadband access

Openreach is to consult with its communication services provider customers on exploring the case for fibre-to-the-premises broadband and universal coverage
May 11, 2017 11 May'17
BT to cut 4,000 jobs in digital transformation plan

BT is to cut 4,000 jobs as it tries to realign Global Services business for a digital world and recover from a massive corruption scandal
May 05, 2017 05 May'17
Gigaclear bags £111m investment to roll out FTTP broadband

Rapidly expanding FTTP broadband altnet has received a new round of funding to accelerate the build rate of its network around the UK and help fund its BDUK commitments
May 04, 2017 04 May'17
Designing broadband USO extremely complicated, says BSG

The Broadband Stakeholder Group has published a report on the design considerations for the broadband USO laid out in the Digital Economy Bill
May 04, 2017 04 May'17
Advertising regulators to crack down on broadband speed claims

Regulators are inviting consumer input on a number of proposals on how broadband is advertised
May 03, 2017 03 May'17
Mayor of London seeks chief digital officer

Capital’s first-ever chief digital officer will oversee the digital transformation of public services across London
May 02, 2017 02 May'17
No superfast broadband requirement in Digital Economy Bill

The Digital Economy Bill has received Royal Assent during the pre-election wash-up period, but a Lords amendment demanding a legal minimum broadband speed of 30Mbps has been ditched due to take-up concerns
April 28, 2017 28 Apr'17
Upload speeds an increasing concern for broadband users

Changing usage patterns and consumption habits mean that for many consumers, slow broadband upload speeds are as big a concern as slow download speeds, says survey
April 26, 2017 26 Apr'17
As HSCN transition begins, NHS trusts prepare to make the leap

NHS customers around the UK are starting to transition their networks from the decade-old N3 service to the new HSCN
April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17
Ofcom: Openreach must do more on duct and pole access

Ofcom releases more detailed proposals to enable CSPs to access Openreach’s national network infrastructure for fibre broadband roll out
April 19, 2017 19 Apr'17
Telefónica rolls out AI-based network management

Mobile operator tests Huawei’s SmartCare service operation centre to manage customer connections to its networks
April 12, 2017 12 Apr'17
Government must keep EU telecoms and broadband rules after Brexit

The Broadband Stakeholder Group has published a report on the future of the broadband and telecoms sector, urging the government not to lose touch with EU regulations after Brexit
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
Thurrock Council latest to put gigabit broadband in public housing

Thurrock Council will fit out thousands of publicly owned properties with gigabit fibre-to-the-premises broadband
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
Ofcom to readjust BT dark fibre pricing after error

Competition and Markets Authority rules in favour of appeal filed by TalkTalk relating to how much BT is allowed to charge other providers for buying dark fibre
April 11, 2017 11 Apr'17
Video will become ‘cash cow’ for telecoms providers, says Huawei

Video services have the potential to generate a lot of money for telcos, according to Huawei president of products and solutions Ryan Ding
April 10, 2017 10 Apr'17
Slough and Maidenhead to light up 48km fibre broadband network

CityFibre starts work on a new Gigabit City project in Berkshire, connecting businesses in Slough and Maidenhead to an ultrafast fibre broadband network
April 07, 2017 07 Apr'17
City of London Wi-Fi project contract awarded

The City of London Corporation’s plans to cover the Square Mile with a free, public access Wi-Fi project are moving ahead at speed
April 06, 2017 06 Apr'17
New subsea cable to connect Australia and Southeast Asia

The Indigo submarine cable will provide additional capacity to mitigate disruptions caused by fibre cuts, as well as meet the growing demand for internet services in the region
April 05, 2017 05 Apr'17
Ofcom plans to legalise narrowband mobile repeaters for UK consumers

Regulator launches consultation to give consumers legal access to their own narrowband repeaters to enhance mobile network access in their homes and vehicles
April 05, 2017 05 Apr'17
More than half of broadband users experience service problems, says Which?

A study of residential broadband users has found a clear majority of people continue to experience disruption to their service
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Open Networking Summit expands collaboration around SDN and NFV

Standards bodies, suppliers, telecoms operators and academics gather in California for the annual SDN and NFV Open Networking Summit
April 04, 2017 04 Apr'17
Trump signs bill to repeal Obama-era internet privacy protections

US president Donald Trump approves the repeal of planned privacy protections, opening the way for ISPs to sell customer browsing data
March 31, 2017 31 Mar'17
Wholesale fibre price cut to benefit broadband users, says Ofcom

Ofcom is to cut the wholesale price that Openreach can charge other service providers for its fibre-based broadband products
March 31, 2017 31 Mar'17
Expanding business intelligence firm uses technology to bring in recruits

Chester-based GBG has saved £300,000 in recruitment costs and seen its ‘Glassdoor’ ratings jump from 1.9 to 4.2 out of 5
March 31, 2017 31 Mar'17
Nottingham Council tenants to get Hyperoptic broadband

Nottingham City Homes, which manages Nottingham Council’s public housing stock, has signed a supply deal with FTTP ISP Hyperoptic
March 30, 2017 30 Mar'17
Microsoft to shut Skype office in Sweden

Stockholm base sees 120 jobs put at risk as tech giant seeks to reduce its geographical spread
March 29, 2017 29 Mar'17
Belfast Waterfront centre equipped with state of the art network

Belfast City Council has refitted its Waterfront conference and entertainment venue with new smart building connectivity to enhance the staff and visitor experience
March 29, 2017 29 Mar'17
US internet users' browsing history may soon be up for sale

US president Donald Trump is expected to approve a resolution repealing planned privacy protections that will enable ISPs to sell customer browsing data
March 28, 2017 28 Mar'17
Singapore to shutter 2G services by April 1

2G is making way for 3G and LTE networks in the city-state, but the legacy technology will remain in other markets with significant machine-to-machine investments
March 27, 2017 27 Mar'17
Ofcom scuppers BT’s ‘deemed consent’ ploy

Telco regulator fines BT for abuse of an opt-out clause that avoids service level fines on delays to Ethernet installations
March 24, 2017 24 Mar'17
ISPs to pay automatic compensation for broadband faults

Telecoms regulator Ofcom says its plan, which would cover slow repairs and missed appointments, could see consumers in line for a payout of up to £185m every year
March 22, 2017 22 Mar'17
Most UK businesses in the dark about crucial DNS infrastructure

Most UK businesses have little visibility or control over their DNS servers and services even though they are a key component of businesses’ infrastructure and security profile
March 21, 2017 21 Mar'17
Co-operative Group overhauls retail store networks

The Co-operative Group has brought in BT to revitalise and upgrade legacy networking infrastructure at its food retail business
March 21, 2017 21 Mar'17
Lords call on ISPs, government to do more to safeguard children online

A House of Lords Select Committee report on online safety has called for internet service providers and the government to do more to protect the interests of children using the internet
March 20, 2017 20 Mar'17
Vodafone to power bike sharing service in Singapore

Vodafone’s internet of things platform will support Mobike’s global expansion plans
March 20, 2017 20 Mar'17
Openreach trains apprentice engineers in virtual reality

Openreach inductees get to experience an immersive simulation of life as an engineer, taking them up telephone poles and into underground chambers
March 14, 2017 14 Mar'17
What’s in the UK government’s 5G strategy?

The UK government’s 5G mobile strategy was released to coincide with the Spring Budget. We look at some of its key aims
March 14, 2017 14 Mar'17
Digital Economy Bill amended to protect Openreach pensions

The government introduces an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill to protect the pensions of BT employees transferring into the newly independent Openreach business
March 14, 2017 14 Mar'17
CIO interview: Simon McCalla, Nominet

Nominet, the registry for more than 10 million of the UK’s internet domains, is expanding into the internet of things and internet security services
March 10, 2017 10 Mar'17
Broadband controversy will linger despite BT Openreach split

Communications experts have welcomed the news that the legal separation of BT and Openreach will go ahead, but it remains unclear how, or when, the state of the UK's broadband will change for the better
March 10, 2017 10 Mar'17
BT agrees to Ofcom’s terms over Openreach split

BT agrees to Ofcom’s requirements for the legal separation of its arm’s length infrastructure division Openreach, which is now to become a distinct business
March 09, 2017 09 Mar'17
Glencoe Mountain Resort switches on 4G at 2,800ft

Skiers and snowboarders get access to EE's superfast 4G mobile broadband at Scotland’s Glencoe Ski Centre
March 08, 2017 08 Mar'17
Case study: Tamer Group boosts bandwidth and network connectivity

Saudi Arabian firm chooses point-to-point wireless to ensure it provides the connectivity required for a fast-growing business
March 08, 2017 08 Mar'17
BT, Ericsson, O2 and Vodafone expand Stem for girls scheme

BT and partners Ericsson, O2 and Vodafone are to expand a mentoring scheme launched last year to encourage girls into Stem careers
March 08, 2017 08 Mar'17
Budget 2017: IT skills, 5G, broadband, and R&D receive funding boost

Chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond targeted improvements in innovation, connectivity and education in his latest financial update
March 08, 2017 08 Mar'17
Spring Budget advances 5G strategy and broadband funding

The government has launched its 5G mobile strategy to coincide with Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Spring Budget, and has revealed more details of its planned broadband investment
March 06, 2017 06 Mar'17
Thorough network upgrade underpins University of Law’s IT

Legal education specialist the University of Law has undertaken a multi-million pound future IT project to refresh its networks, Wi-Fi and datacentre infrastructures across multiple locations
March 03, 2017 03 Mar'17
UK sailing team picks BT to help beat Oracle at America’s Cup

BT is to supply a 4G wireless and fixed network to support the Land Rover BAR America’s Cup team, led by Olympian Ben Ainslie, in its bid to win the 35th America’s Cup
March 02, 2017 02 Mar'17
BT to create 1,700 apprenticeships and graduate jobs

BT has announced it will create 1,700 apprentice and graduate positions across its group businesses this year
March 02, 2017 02 Mar'17
UK digital strategy highlights key issues but lacks measurable targets

The government’s digital strategy, which aims to set out plans to the “success of the UK’s digital economy” post-Brexit, has been received with mixed response by industry and experts
March 02, 2017 02 Mar'17
Singtel to start consumer IoT trials in Q3 2017

Southeast Asia's biggest telecom group Singtel has developed a platform that integrates standalone IoT applications, including connected cars
March 01, 2017 01 Mar'17
MWC 2017: Tata helps telcos transition to digital

Tata Communications Transformation Services has launched a digital transformation plan to help telecoms and mobile operators transition from communications service providers to digital service providers
February 28, 2017 28 Feb'17
Microsoft to discontinue Skype Wi-Fi service

Microsoft is retiring its Skype Wi-Fi service to concentrate on other services on the communications platform
February 27, 2017 27 Feb'17
MWC 2017: BT showcases network startups and 5G for VR

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, BT announces new research into network design and build, and explores the future of 5G networks
February 23, 2017 23 Feb'17
Lords pressurise government over broadband USO

In a House of Lords debate on the Digital Economy Bill, peers passed an amendment to set the minimum standard speed for broadband at 30Mbps
February 23, 2017 23 Feb'17
BDUK head Chris Townsend to step down

Government executive Chris Townsend, who oversees the DCMS-run BDUK rural broadband programme, is to step down in April
February 16, 2017 16 Feb'17
Cisco sales fall as traditional product sales slump

Cisco's traditional product sales such as switches are falling, but revenues in emerging products in areas such as security are on the up
February 15, 2017 15 Feb'17
Ericsson introduces first 5G network platform

As the industry gears up for Mobile World Congress, Ericsson has announced a new platform designed to help networks evolve towards 5G mobile networking
February 15, 2017 15 Feb'17
Sky tackles mobile not-spots at west London headquarters

Media and communications company Sky deploys a distributed antenna system at its west London campus to improve in-building mobile signals
February 14, 2017 14 Feb'17
Major DDoS attacks see huge increase, says Akamai

Akamai’s State of the Internet/Security Report for the fourth quarter of 2016 finds that distributed denial of service attacks larger than 100Gbps are rapidly increasing as more IoT devices are compromised
February 10, 2017 10 Feb'17
MWC 2017: 4G still has plenty of mileage, say mobile analysts

5G is likely to be a hot topic at this year’s Mobile World Congress, which kicks off at the end of February, but operators should be paying more attention to getting more out of their 4G networks
February 09, 2017 09 Feb'17
Cancer Research UK drives donations with proximity Wi-Fi network

Cancer Research UK used Devicescape’s virtual Wi-Fi network and marketing platform to engage support and drive donations on World Cancer Day
February 09, 2017 09 Feb'17
South African children’s hospital uses video to train cardiologists

The Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town is using remote video learning to teach paediatric cardiology surgery to medical students
February 08, 2017 08 Feb'17
Consumers losing millions through out-of-date broadband deals

Consumers are still paying over the odds for out-of-contract broadband deals, according to a report from uSwitch
February 08, 2017 08 Feb'17
Battersea Power Station development gets ultrafast FTTP broadband

Hyperoptic has been selected to deliver FTTP broadband to new-build apartments at Battersea Power Station
February 08, 2017 08 Feb'17
Inmarsat and Actility build IoT network for remote applications

Network suppliers team up to deliver a low-power wide area network to support corporate internet of things deployments in remote areas
February 07, 2017 07 Feb'17
5G deployments will address burgeoning data demand, says Cisco

In its latest Mobile Visual Networking Index (VNI) report, Cisco says it expects large-scale 5G infrastructure deployments to be well in hand by the end of the decade as more and more data is consumed