News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

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
July 12, 2017 12 Jul'17
Westminster Council to run broadband connection voucher scheme

Westminster City Council has secured £2.8m to fund a local broadband connection voucher scheme to deliver gigabit speeds to businesses in the London borough
July 12, 2017 12 Jul'17
Cisco to build O2’s public Wi-Fi network for City of London

O2 enlists Cisco to help build out the multi-million pound public Wi-Fi network currently taking shape in London’s Square Mile
July 12, 2017 12 Jul'17
Tech firms join forces in support of net neutrality

Global technology firms have joined forces to support an internet-wide campaign in favour of preserving net neutrality
July 12, 2017 12 Jul'17
Openreach drops BT branding

National network access business rebrands in preparation to be legally separated from BT Group
July 11, 2017 11 Jul'17
Three and Ofcom clash over spectrum auction proposals

Three boss brands Ofcom’s spectrum auction proposals a ‘kick in the teeth’ but Ofcom says the operator is already in a much better competitive position
July 10, 2017 10 Jul'17
Mobile operators must act soon as 5G business models emerge

Full deployment of a commercial 5G mobile network is still at least two years away, but new business models are already beginning to crystallise around the technology, and operators would be wise to start preparations soon, a new report claims
July 07, 2017 07 Jul'17
Europe takes measured approach to 5G, driven by ROI concerns

European operators may be more concerned with getting the maximum value for money from their 3G and 4G networks than rushing to roll out 5G
July 07, 2017 07 Jul'17
MyRepublic outlines regional ambition, eyes IPO by 2018

The Singapore ISP is gearing up for a public listing that will support its efforts to deliver mobile and broadband services in seven new markets
July 06, 2017 06 Jul'17
Government awards academics £16m for 5G trial network

Experts from three major technology research institutions have been awarded a government grant to develop a 5G test network
July 06, 2017 06 Jul'17
TomTom and Cisco to address real-time comms for autonomous cars

Navigation firm teams up with network giant to develop low-latency, real-time traffic services for autonomous vehicle management
July 05, 2017 05 Jul'17
CityFibre moves into consumer broadband services

Following the success of a joint FTTP broadband trial in York, CityFibre is to market its metro fibre network to consumer ISPs for the first time
July 05, 2017 05 Jul'17
Virgin Media fails to deliver on broadband speed claims, says investigation

An investigation by the BBC’s Watchdog programme accuses ISP Virgin Media of over-promising and under-delivering on the claims it makes about its fibre-based broadband services
July 05, 2017 05 Jul'17
Government legislates for full-fibre broadband tax holiday

The government has introduced promised legislation to incentivise full-fibre broadband network builders to invest over the next five years
July 04, 2017 04 Jul'17
Arqiva snaps up new spectrum licences for 5G wireless trials

Comms infrastructure supplier buys two 112MHz bands of wireless spectrum to support its 5G wholesale ambitions
July 03, 2017 03 Jul'17
Government’s Digital Infrastructure Fund for broadband up and running

Government officially launches £400m Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund to encourage more construction of FTTP networks
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