News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

• April 17, 2015 17 Apr'15

  Ofcom: Openreach future is on the table

  Ofcom chief executive Sharon White says she will consider the future of Openreach as a BT business in a major review of the telco industry

• April 16, 2015 16 Apr'15

  Which election manifesto deserves to win the digital vote?

  The three main national political parties competing for the 2015 general election have released their manifestos - but which is the most digital?

• April 16, 2015 16 Apr'15

  London businesses turn to Wimax after Holborn fire

  Some businesses affected by a fire under Kingsway in central London have implemented a temporary Wimax solution

• April 15, 2015 15 Apr'15

  Nokia buys Alcatel-Lucent

  Networking suppliers hook up in £11.2bn deal with grand aims when it comes to network innovation

• April 15, 2015 15 Apr'15

  Liberal Democrats promise to double innovation spend and 99.9% broadband roll-out

  The Liberal Democrats’ general election manifesto promises to double innovation spending and roll out high-speed broadband to 99.9% of homes

• April 14, 2015 14 Apr'15

  Conservatives' election manifesto aims to build on digital progress

  The Conservative Party's manifesto for the 2015 general election promises to continue key technology policies, including 'digital by default' services

• April 14, 2015 14 Apr'15

  SSE hooks up Manchester datacentres with 10Gbps connectivity

  SSE Enterprise Telecoms launches Manchester Lightnow, a high-capacity optical network service connecting a number of datacentre facilities

• April 14, 2015 14 Apr'15

  Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent holding acquisition talks

  Nokia confirms it is in advanced takeover talks with Alcatel-Lucent

• April 13, 2015 13 Apr'15

  Labour election manifesto highlights technology and digital skills

  The Labour Party's 2015 election manifesto puts technology at the heart of policies for growth, education and public sector reform

• April 13, 2015 13 Apr'15

  Broadband equipment market spikes as fibre subscribers boom

  Worldwide revenues from broadband customer premises equipment spiked in 2014 as subscriber numbers boomed and ISPs rolled out more fibre

• April 09, 2015 09 Apr'15

  Mixed reaction to AT&T’s $25m data breach penalty

  A $25m fine by the US Federal Communications Commission on AT&T for data breaches at call centres has received a mixed reaction

• April 08, 2015 08 Apr'15

  ISPs must tackle consumers' broadband ignorance, says report

  A report produced by broadband comparison service Cable.co.uk says commonly used broadband terminology baffles most consumers

• April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15

  BBC puts £230m network contract out to tender

  BBC puts out tender for £230m, seven-year connectivity services contract

• April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15

  EE offers Wi-Fi voice on Lumia 640 and Samsung Galaxy S6 devices

  EE launches a voice over Wi-Fi service to customers using selected handsets

• April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15

  Over-the-top services worth $14bn to carriers by 2020

  A study conducted by Juniper Research suggests that content paid for by carrier billing will be a lucrative money-spinner for communications providers

• April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15

  Hyperoptic brings gigabit fibre to Liverpool

  Fibre-to-the-premises provider Hyperoptic launches its gigabit broadband offering in a number of buildings in Liverpool

• April 02, 2015 02 Apr'15

  Ruckus debuts second generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi access points

  Wireless networking supplier Ruckus claims an industry first with its launch of enhanced 802.11ac Wave 2 standard access points

• April 02, 2015 02 Apr'15

  EE and Three the top-performing 4G networks, says Ofcom

  Ofcom's research into 4G and 3G mobile network performance finds download speeds fastest with EE and fastest web page loads with Three

• April 02, 2015 02 Apr'15

  Kingsway fire brings down broadband services in London

  Electrical fire underneath London thoroughfare Kingsway takes down broadband services to businesses around Covent Garden and Holborn

• March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15

  Brecon Beacons National Park soups up staff comms with Unify

  Brecon Beacons National Park Authority deploys Unify’s OpenScape voice technology to keep remote staff and home workers in touch

• March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15

  BT and Virgin warn of business broadband price rises

  BT, Virgin Media and Kcom have warned Ofcom that major regulatory changes to the business broadband market risk forcing price hikes

• March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15

  Huawei not spying on UK, concludes Oversight Board report

  A UK security probe into Huawei’s technology has concluded that the company has not presented any risk to national security

• March 30, 2015 30 Mar'15

  Government smart meter project should be "halted, altered or scrapped"

  The Institute of Directors has weighed in on the controversial smart meter rollout and called for the scheme to be halted, altered or scrapped in its current form

• March 27, 2015 27 Mar'15

  EU single digital market will boost networks and economic growth

  The European Commission has highlighted the three main areas of focus in its digital single market strategy

• March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15

  Three parent company to buy O2 UK for £9.5bn

  Hutchison Whampoa, parent company of mobile network Three, has agreed to buy O2 UK from telecoms giant Telefonica in a deal worth £9.5bn

• March 25, 2015 25 Mar'15

  BT jumps on 4G bandwagon

  Broadband giant BT has announced it will return to the mobile space and provide customers with SIM-only 4G contracts

• March 24, 2015 24 Mar'15

  Trade body and ISP file first legal challenges against US net neutrality rules

  A US broadband trade body and ISP Alamo have filed the first legal challenges to the FCC's recently approved net neutrality rules

• March 23, 2015 23 Mar'15

  Half of English councils won’t reach BDUK coverage target

  Almost half of local authorities in England don’t think they’ll reach the government’s 95% broadband coverage target in the allotted timeframe

• March 20, 2015 20 Mar'15

  Hyperoptic moves into business broadband

  Urban fibre supplier launches first leased line and business broadband products to the market after lengthy trials

• March 19, 2015 19 Mar'15

  Queens Park Rangers signs BT as official comms provider

  QPR football club inks a multi-year deal with BT Business to supply voice and networking services at Loftus Road

• March 19, 2015 19 Mar'15

  Ofcom finalises BT wholesale broadband pricing rules

  Ofcom finalises plans to introduce wholesale broadband pricing rules to promote competition and investment in superfast broadband

• March 19, 2015 19 Mar'15

  NHS England may become free Wi-Fi hub for digitally excluded

  NHS England’s Tim Kelsey says the health service sees an opportunity to roll out free Wi-Fi networks across its estate

• March 18, 2015 18 Mar'15

  Ofcom challenges Inmarsat and Solaris over unused spectrum

  UK communications regulator issues compliance notices to Inmarsat and Solaris Mobile over unused mobile satellite spectrum

• March 18, 2015 18 Mar'15

  Internet of things and 5G network research priority in 2015 Budget

  Research into the internet of things and the 5G networks to support it figured highly in chancellor George Osborne’s 2015 Budget

• March 18, 2015 18 Mar'15

  Government sets out ultrafast broadband plans

  Government publishes Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy to coincide with the Budget, setting out its future broadband ambitions

• March 18, 2015 18 Mar'15

  Budget 2015: First look at the policies for technology

  Chancellor George Osborne announced a range of Budget measures to help the growth of technology and digital government across the UK

• March 18, 2015 18 Mar'15

  Public sector slow to pick up on the internet of things, says Gartner

  A Gartner report predicts smart city deployments will be heavily skewed towards the private sector, leaving the public sector trailing

• March 17, 2015 17 Mar'15

  Competition watchdog sinks teeth into BT over EE takeover

  The Competition and Markets Authority writes to stakeholders asking for views on BT's impending £12.5bn takeover of mobile operator EE

• March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

  Interception errors had serious consequences for individuals

  Law enforcement and security services made 12 serious technical and nine human surveillance errors last year

• March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

  Ofcom strategic digital comms review welcomed by industry

  Industry stakeholders have welcomed Ofcom’s wide-ranging review of the UK’s digital communications markets

• March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

  4G users willing to switch providers for free public Wi-Fi

  A survey conducted by comms backbone supplier Arqiva reveals that two-thirds of 4G users would switch providers if offered inclusive Wi-Fi

• March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

  CIO interview: Ivor Nicholson, Nottinghamshire County Council

  Nottinghamshire County Council is facing £77m in cuts by 2018 and by rolling out new services, it plans to save £8m through technology alone

• March 11, 2015 11 Mar'15

  Vodafone to launch Wi-Fi calling and voice over 4G

  Vodafone will launch wireless calling and voice over 4G options in summer 2015

• March 10, 2015 10 Mar'15

  Bristol signs NEC to develop smart city infrastructure

  NEC, Bristol Council and the University of Bristol create an open, programmable city for smarter transport, environment and health services

• March 09, 2015 09 Mar'15

  Smart meter project in danger of outright failure, government warned

  A report from the Energy and Climate Change Committee has warned that plans to install smart meters across the UK by 2020 are veering off-track

• March 06, 2015 06 Mar'15

  Mobile World Congress: Huawei proposes green network methodology

  Huawei proposes a new methodology to maximise the energy efficiency of 3G and 4G networks

• March 05, 2015 05 Mar'15

  European mobile roaming charges set to remain until 2018

  The EU council of member states has reversed a previous decision to end European mobile roaming charges in 2015

• March 05, 2015 05 Mar'15

  BT to create 1,000 apprenticeships and graduate jobs

  BT to create a number of new roles in software development, IT, engineering and digital technology

• March 05, 2015 05 Mar'15

  Mobile World Congress 2015: Evolution but no revolution

  Mobile World Congress 2015 reflected less the handset innovation of recent years, and more the evolution of mobility

• March 04, 2015 04 Mar'15

  Williams Martini Racing signs multi-year BT network services deal

  Williams F1 teams forms long-term strategic partnership with BT for fixed and mobile communications and network services

• March 04, 2015 04 Mar'15

  UK officials reject second complaint over BT link to US drone network

  UK officials have rejected a second complaint about BT’s part in a US military network allegedly used to direct controversial drone strikes

• March 03, 2015 03 Mar'15

  Mobile World Congress: Vodafone deploys small cells for indoor environments

  Vodafone revealed as the launch customer for a new Cisco small cell system designed for large enterprises and venue environments

• March 02, 2015 02 Mar'15

  Mobile World Congress: Huawei announces NTT Docomo 5G trials

  Huawei is to trial 5G Radio Access Technologies in Asia together with Japanese mobile service provider NTT Docomo

• February 27, 2015 27 Feb'15

  EE shows off 400Mbps mobile broadband at Wembley

  EE conducts superfast mobile broadband trials using carrier aggregation at Wembley Stadium, in collaboration with Qualcomm and Huawei

• February 27, 2015 27 Feb'15

  TalkTalk takes legal action against supplier over data breach

  TalkTalk is taking legal action against a supplier after a breach led to the exposure of customer data at the mobile and broadband firm

• February 27, 2015 27 Feb'15

  Net neutrality lobby victorious after FCC ruling

  The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopts new rules to support net neutrality and preserve the open internet

• February 26, 2015 26 Feb'15

  Heavy 4G users head for Three as growth continues

  Mobile network operator Three reports growth around 4G data services, claiming subscribers are downloading more data than on other networks

• February 26, 2015 26 Feb'15

  One-third of UK broadband connections are superfast, says Ofcom

  One-third of the UK’s broadband connections now meet Ofcom’s definition of superfast, according to new research

• February 25, 2015 25 Feb'15

  Board-level executives to be held responsible for nuisance calls

  A proposed change to the law will give the ICO more clout to go after firms that bombard consumers with nuisance calls and texts

• February 25, 2015 25 Feb'15

  SSE Telecoms beefs up Aberdeen network to support oil and gas sector

  SSE Enterprise Telecoms joins forces with brightsolid and Tampnet to support datacentre connectivity for the oil and gas industry

• February 24, 2015 24 Feb'15

  BT claims 1.5 million Scottish properties passed with fibre-to-the-cabinet

  Superfast broadband roll-out in Scotland has hit another landmark in terms of homes and businesses passed, say its backers

• February 24, 2015 24 Feb'15

  London’s Air Ambulance swaps A-Z maps for mobile apps

  London’s Air Ambulance has halved emergency dispatch times through an incident information and routing app from Mubaloo

• February 20, 2015 20 Feb'15

  Government to move forward with national emergency text alert system

  The Cabinet Office has proposed amending the Privacy and Electronic Communications legislation to implement a national mobile alert system

• February 20, 2015 20 Feb'15

  Berners-Lee foundation calls for urgent steps to secure mobile comms

  Tim Berners-Lee's World Wide Web Foundation has called for urgent steps to secure mobile communications

• February 20, 2015 20 Feb'15

  EC to Ofcom: play fair with BT over Premier League costs

  The European Commission has criticised Ofcom's plans to monitor BT's wholesale pricing, warning of negative consequences for consumers

• February 20, 2015 20 Feb'15

  Spy agencies’ hacking of mobile encryption keys is no surprise, says security expert

  The alleged hacking of Sim maker Gemalto by UK and US spy agencies is not a huge surprise, according to a Europol adviser on cyber security

• February 20, 2015 20 Feb'15

  Gemalto denies knowledge of GCHQ and NSA Sim card hack

  Gemalto says it cannot verify a report that it was hacked by the NSA and GCHQ to steal encryption keys

• February 18, 2015 18 Feb'15

  Wales tenders for Superfast Cymru broadband extension

  Welsh government opens tender process for Superfast Cymru Infill Project to address premises that BDUK will not pass

• February 18, 2015 18 Feb'15

  Robust security and consumer buy-in needed for smart city success

  Juniper Research names its top ranking smart cities for 2015 and points to a number of areas of concern that need to be addressed

• February 18, 2015 18 Feb'15

  Scaling appropriately an issue for digital startups, says report

  Digital startups often scale their customer bases too quickly before they have had time to implement the appropriate infrastructure

• February 13, 2015 13 Feb'15

  Altnet Gigaclear gets funding boost to expand network

  Oxfordshire-based fibre broadband provider Gigaclear bags its second institutional shareholder and plans to expand network

• February 13, 2015 13 Feb'15

  Virgin Media pumps £3bn investment into UK broadband

  Virgin Media makes major financial commitment to extend digital infrastructure to millions more homes and businesses

• February 12, 2015 12 Feb'15

  Airwave's Tetra emergency services radio "costly and inflexible"

  Incumbent Airwave failed to advance to the next stage of the Emergency Services Network procurement because its Tetra radio technology was too inflexible for current needs, according to reports

• February 11, 2015 11 Feb'15

  Airwave dropped from Emergency Services Network procurement

  Incumbent network operator Airwave will take no further part in the Emergency Services Network bid process, the Home Office has revealed

• February 11, 2015 11 Feb'15

  EE gives £1.5bn to address UK’s ‘under-developed’ networks

  Mobile operator EE launches Signalling the Future network manifesto as it commits to spending £1.5bn on network improvements in two years

• February 10, 2015 10 Feb'15

  Digital minister Ed Vaizey hints EC could allow state aid for broadband in cities

  Digital economy minister Ed Vaizey hints European Commission (EC) may relent stance over state aid for superfast broadband in cities

• February 10, 2015 10 Feb'15

  Engineering firm Smiths Group to embark on landmark SDN project

  Engineering and technology firm Smiths Group renews AT&T contract ahead of major network refresh, and plans to put SDN at the heart of its project

• February 08, 2015 08 Feb'15

  BDUK passes two million homes and businesses

  BDUK scheme passes its two-millionth property, as the controversial government-sponsored national broadband roll out continues

• February 06, 2015 06 Feb'15

  BT and Huawei send 400Gbps down Dublin-Belfast pipe

  The first successful trial of cross-border ultrafast transmissions heralds the commercial deployment of 400Gbps broadband in Ireland

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  FCC’s Tom Wheeler offers up net neutrality plan

  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may rule in favour of a strong regulatory environment to preserve the open internet

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  Vodafone returns to growth in the UK

  Mobile network operator Vodafone managed to squeeze some growth out of the UK market in the third quarter of its fiscal 2015

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  Atos UK & Ireland bids farewell to desk phones

  The UK and Ireland arm of services consultancy Atos removes desktop telephones from its London HQ in favour of a Microsoft Lync unified comms system

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  BT agrees purchase terms with EE

  BT has announced it has reached a definitive agreement with mobile operator EE to acquire it for £12.5bn

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  Newport to get resilient fibre ring for community safety projects

  As part of a wide-reaching regeneration plan, Newport City Council deploys resilient fibre optic network to support community safety

• February 04, 2015 04 Feb'15

  Milan Expo 2015 builds smart city with Telecom Italia and Cisco

  The organisers of Milan Expo 2015 have built a smart city site from the ground up with the support of Telecom Italia and Cisco

• February 03, 2015 03 Feb'15

  Aeris and Tech Mahindra to launch carrier IoT platform

  M2M technology provider Aeris has linked up with services supplier Tech Mahindra to target mobile carriers that want to develop their IoT business

• February 03, 2015 03 Feb'15

  2Mbps broadband not good enough, says Efra Committee report

  The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s inquiry into rural broadband roll-out deems BDUK’s target speeds insufficient

• February 02, 2015 02 Feb'15

  Government failed to make best use of publicly-owned networks

  The Cabinet Office has published a map detailing where it could make better use of its infrastructure to benefit businesses and consumers

• February 02, 2015 02 Feb'15

  Gandalf to become the Speaking Clock

  BT reveals it has engaged the services of actor Ian McKellen to be the voice of the Speaking Clock for Comic Relief

• January 30, 2015 30 Jan'15

  Government network services tender deadline slips again

  Crown Commercial Service pushes back deadline for tender submissions to Network Services framework to give suppliers more time to prepare

• January 30, 2015 30 Jan'15

  BT pledges ultrafast 500Mbps connections for all

  BT announces pilots of G.fast technology and promises universal ultrafast broadband within a decade

• January 29, 2015 29 Jan'15

  BDUK accused of not being “vigilant” in upholding broadband targets

  MPs accused BDUK of not being vigilant enough to deliver its own current superfast broadband coverage targets

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Three and O2 talks no surprise, but strategic questions loom

  Three’s £10.25bn acquisition of O2 raises strategic questions over the future of mobile networks in the UK

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Property business enhances efficiency with Vodafone mobile… in 1985

  Property boom spurs a small business to enhance its workforce productivity with a mobile communications deployment – 30 years ago

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  High-tech giants warned of breakdown in trust at Davos summit

  Technology sector risks banking-style crisis following collapse in public trust in IT giants, Davos summit warned

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Kim Dotcom launches encrypted MegaChat service

  Kim Dotcom has launched a free voice and video chat service called MegaChat, promoted as encrypted end-to-end and a rival to Skype

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Mobile network operator Three confirms talks to buy O2

  Hutchison Whampoa, parent of of mobile network operator Three, confirms it is in talks with Spanish operator Telefónica to buy O2

• January 22, 2015 22 Jan'15

  Virgin Media Business sends superfast cavalry into Tech City

  Virgin Media Business invests in managed fibre for shared occupancy offices in Tech City

• January 20, 2015 20 Jan'15

  Dartmoor National Park brings public wireless to remote sites

  Dartmoor National Park Authority deploys Cloud in a Box to offer visitors Wi-Fi at its facilities

• January 19, 2015 19 Jan'15

  Airwave tackles network traffic spike on New Year’s Eve

  Emergency services comms supplier Airwave records its most concentrated network usage ever in central London on New Year’s Eve