News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

August 28, 2014 28 Aug'14
Scottish government signs Virgin voice deal

Scottish government to procure fixed voice and other communications services from Virgin Media Business
August 28, 2014 28 Aug'14
Time Warner network fault cuts million off internet

A network fault at Time Warner Cable has cut off millions of US customers from the internet
August 27, 2014 27 Aug'14
BDUK arrives on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight inaugurates its first rural fibre cabinet delivered by BDUK as the project finally crosses the Solent
August 26, 2014 26 Aug'14
Central Bedfordshire Council links up with Essex for PSN services

Central Bedfordshire Council is to run services over Essex County Council’s NGN following Daisy Updata deal

August 22, 2014 22 Aug'14
EE extends 4G roaming across 13 more countries

Mobile network operator adds 13 new countries to its 4G roaming plans
August 19, 2014 19 Aug'14
Kent County Council hands six-year PSN contract to Daisy Updata

Daisy Updata Communications to manage Kent’s public services network (PSN) deployment across more than 1,300 sites
August 15, 2014 15 Aug'14
Network upgrade levels the playing field for Infiniti Red Bull Racing

Formula One team Infiniti Red Bull Racing uses AT&T network and UC services to stay in the running after big changes to sporting regulations
August 13, 2014 13 Aug'14
Vodafone worst for call quality, claims Ofcom report

A report on mobile phone call quality conducted by Ofcom has claimed Vodafone is the worst-performing mobile network in the UK
August 12, 2014 12 Aug'14
BBC hands digital testing contract to Mindtree

Multi-million pound contract awarded under the terms of the BBC Digital Services Framework initiative
August 11, 2014 11 Aug'14
Cisco: success of Commonwealth Games supports UK innovation

The success of events like the Commonwealth Games helps foster IT skills development, says Cisco UK CEO Phil Smith

August 11, 2014 11 Aug'14
Kirklees gets dark fibre injection for PSN deployment

Kirklees Council’s PSN deployment to be enhanced with dark fibre connectivity following agreement between suppliers
August 08, 2014 08 Aug'14
BT picks up Welsh PSN contract

BT gains control of Welsh government PSN broadband and IP services contract, ousting services provider Logicalis
August 08, 2014 08 Aug'14
DCMS: BDUK roll-out hits million premises milestone

Culture minister Sajid Javid insists the £1.7bn broadband delivery UK (BDUK) roll-out programme will hit coverage targets on schedule
August 07, 2014 07 Aug'14
Ofcom report reveals boost for superfast broadband and 4G

Ofcom’s latest communications report suggests superfast broadband and 4G accessibility is growing steadily
August 06, 2014 06 Aug'14
Government considers future of national infrastructure strategy

DCMS launches consultation to help shape the UK’s digital connectivity strategy beyond 2020
August 06, 2014 06 Aug'14
O2 launches 4G tariffs for public and third-sector bodies

O2 says new ‘No. 10’ service for public and third-sector organisations cements its commitment to customer value
August 06, 2014 06 Aug'14
Virgin Media expands fibre-optic network into East London

Virgin Media is embarking on a major fibre network expansion, doubling broadband speeds to 100,000 East London homes
August 05, 2014 05 Aug'14
What's the solution to Tech City’s lack of superfast broadband?

Reports of poor internet connectivity for startup tech companies in London’s Tech City have been circulating for some time
August 05, 2014 05 Aug'14
BT Business brings 4G to SMEs

BT Business has launched a range of plans for small businesses that include free access to 4G and unlimited BT Wi-Fi
August 01, 2014 01 Aug'14
Openreach CEO Joe Garner sets out broadband game plan

Joe Garner, the new CEO at Openreach, talks about his plans to make the organisation more open, visible and responsive
July 31, 2014 31 Jul'14
IT needs to improve network infrastructure for future of retail

IT departments need to up their game and improve networks for the retail sector which is on the brink of massive technology change
July 31, 2014 31 Jul'14
BT forges on with fibre roll-out but customer uptake weak

BT rolls out fibre optic broadband across the UK at a steady pace but only 15% of fibre-ready premises sign up for the superfast internet service
July 31, 2014 31 Jul'14
EE launches 4G in Cornwall

EE has deployed its 4G mobile network in Saltash, Cornwall, making it the first Cornish town to connect to the network
July 29, 2014 29 Jul'14
BlackBerry to buy anti-phone tapping specialist Secusmart

BlackBerry to buy German voice and data encryption supplier Secusmart for an undisclosed sum
July 29, 2014 29 Jul'14
Isle of Man gets 4G LTE service

Huawei teams up with local incumbent Manx Telecom to deploy the Isle of Man’s first 4G LTE service
July 28, 2014 28 Jul'14
5G network for London by 2020, says Boris Johnson

Mayor Boris Johnson to promise 5G mobile network for London by the end of the decade
July 25, 2014 25 Jul'14
4G services pick up momentum in enterprises

4G services gaining traction among business customers, report mobile network suppliers
July 24, 2014 24 Jul'14
TfL wastes millions on telecoms, says IIPAG watchdog

Watchdog IIPAG criticises Transport for London (TfL) for its inefficient and fragmented telecoms contracts
July 24, 2014 24 Jul'14
Yorkshire councils upgrade networks for Tour de France

IP telephony and Wi-Fi upgrades help North Yorkshire and Leeds City Councils meet the demands of the Tour de France
July 23, 2014 23 Jul'14
Isles of Scilly tap into seabed fibre cables to get superfast broadband

Superfast Cornwall initiative resorts to novel method to bring fibre broadband to offshore islands
July 23, 2014 23 Jul'14
Vince Cable welcomes £135m datacentre investment in Docklands

Telehouse, London's colo and datacentre provider, to build a mission-critical datacentre in Docklands with £135m from parent firm KDDI
July 22, 2014 22 Jul'14
Vodafone to bring 3G femtocell coverage to 100 rural communities

Vodafone invites up to 100 rural communities to apply for a place on a scheme to bring 3G coverage to mobile black spots
July 21, 2014 21 Jul'14
C4DI’s 3Gbps broadband set to attract startups to Hull

As London tech startups struggle with copper infrastructure, the co-founder of Hull-based tech hub C4DI says superfast broadband has been vital in getting his alternative project off the ground
July 21, 2014 21 Jul'14
Huawei reports 19% increase in revenue

Huawei has reported revenues of $21.9bn for the first six months of the year, up 19% compared with the same period in 2013
July 18, 2014 18 Jul'14
BBC 4G broadcast research wins support of Huawei and EE

BBC Research and Development has teamed up with Huawei and EE to explore the role of 4G mobile networking in the future of broadcasting
July 18, 2014 18 Jul'14
Microsoft ditches Android after four-month fling

Microsoft pulls the plug on its short-lived Nokia X Android devices as it prepares to make 18,000 employees redundant
July 17, 2014 17 Jul'14
Internet filtering ineffective against online abusers, warns IET

The Institute of Engineering and Technology has warned that filtering of internet content, websites and search terms is an ineffective child protection measure, following a major anti-paedophile operation
July 17, 2014 17 Jul'14
Zayo swoops on defunct South Yorkshire fibre network

US fibre optic network owner Zayo has bought the defunct fibre assets of Digital Region in South Yorkshire
July 17, 2014 17 Jul'14
Law gives 'arbitary' protection against surveillance, tribunal told

Your choice of mobile phone service can determine whether the government can legally spy on you, tribunal told
July 17, 2014 17 Jul'14
Drivers ready for connected cars, says Telefónica report

Telefónica’s second annual Connected Car Industry report uncovers rising awareness of in-car connectivity among users, and says connected services are starting to influence buying decisions
July 16, 2014 16 Jul'14
Total internet failure: are you prepared?

A total internet failure could stop any business in its tracks, yet few are preparing for this possibility, KPMG has warned
July 16, 2014 16 Jul'14
Ed Vaizey gets digital industries role in Cabinet reshuffle

Culture minister Ed Vaizey has been promoted to the post of minister for digital industries in this week’s Cabinet reshuffle
July 16, 2014 16 Jul'14
New data law a serious expansion of surveillance, say law experts

The emergency surveillance legislation being rushed through parliament could be in breach of European law, 15 technology law experts have warned
July 15, 2014 15 Jul'14
Orange opens up to app developers and startups with Apigee

Orange picks Apigee’s digital API platform to help developers and startups create services by levering data already held by the telco
July 15, 2014 15 Jul'14
iPhones not a security threat to China, says Apple

Apple has denied allegations that location-tracking iPhone features pose a threat to China’s national security
July 15, 2014 15 Jul'14
Case Study: Frontline builds contact centre business on Callmedia

Customer service and call handling specialist Frontline relies on Azzurri’s Callmedia contact centre platform to provide first-line support to customers
July 14, 2014 14 Jul'14
FSB calls for major reforms to UK broadband market

Federation of Small Businesses calls for more ambitious government broadband targets, saying slow progress is hampering growth
July 11, 2014 11 Jul'14
European Commission invites bids for slice of huge superfast broadband pie

The European Commission has launched a Connected Communities initiative and urged EU broadband providers to claim for funding
July 11, 2014 11 Jul'14
Transparency promise delivers emergency surveillance law deal

The government’s promise to increase transparency and oversight has secured a political deal to pass emergency surveillance legislation
July 09, 2014 09 Jul'14
Alcatel-Lucent demos 10Gbps internet over copper

Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent’s R&D arm, has claimed a new world broadband speed record using traditional copper phone lines
July 09, 2014 09 Jul'14
Italian telco calls for EU action on single digital market

CEO of Italtel calls for concerted action to create a single digital market in the EU to stimulate investment in next-gen networks, and meet the goals of the European Digital Agenda
July 08, 2014 08 Jul'14
Post Office to become mobile phone operator

Post Office attempts to grow its services portfolio in the telecoms sector by launching an MVNO venture
July 08, 2014 08 Jul'14
Government invites tenders for Emergency Services Network

Incumbent Airwave Solutions among several businesses invited to tender on the four lots of the new Emergency Services Network
July 07, 2014 07 Jul'14
No return to snooper’s charter under emergency surveillance law

Calls for emergency legislation to force phone and internet providers to keep usage records have renewed debate over snooper’s charter
July 07, 2014 07 Jul'14
Vodafone cuts roaming costs with WorldTraveller

Vodafone moves to combat high roaming costs outside the EU, launching £5 a day WorldTraveller service in countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the US
July 07, 2014 07 Jul'14
Flat mobile batteries banned from US-bound flights

UK Department for Transport has announced that mobile devices with flat batteries will not be permitted on flights to the US amid new terrorism fears
July 03, 2014 03 Jul'14
Microsoft and Google propose 25Gbps and 50Gbps Ethernet networks for cloud datacentres

Technology giants including Microsoft and Google form a consortium to fire up datacentre networks’ performance for cloud-scale infrastructure.
July 03, 2014 03 Jul'14
Tour de France organiser deploys satellite phone system for UK stages

Tour de France organiser ASO selects Globalstar satellite phones to keep support and emergency crews connected during UK leg of tour
July 03, 2014 03 Jul'14
UK internet porn filters a failure, says Open Rights Group

The Open Rights Group reveals UK ISP internet porn filters are blocking nearly one in five legitimate websites, including political commentary
July 02, 2014 02 Jul'14
Case Study: Marston's Telecoms taps Blue Coat Wi-Fi manager

Marston’s Telecoms, the in-house ISP of pub and brewery chain Marston’s, rolls out Blue Coat PacketShaper appliances to take control of its onsite Wi-Fi networks and cut bandwidth costs
July 02, 2014 02 Jul'14
ISPs take legal action against GCHQ over mass network infrastructure surveillance

Six global internet service providers (ISPs) have filed a legal complaint calling for a halt to GCHQ’s use of network infrastructure for surveillance
July 02, 2014 02 Jul'14
Vodafone brings gigabit fibre internet to 500,000 Irish premises

Supplier signs JV agreement with sustainable energy outfit ESB to plough €450m into FTTP deployment in Ireland
July 01, 2014 01 Jul'14
Data roaming charges across EU tumble

Data roaming charges in the EU have fallen more than 50% after new rules came into force
July 01, 2014 01 Jul'14
Connected cars standard by end of 2018

Juniper Research study finds integrated in-vehicle connectivity and apps will become standard in new cars by the end of 2018
June 30, 2014 30 Jun'14
BT sorry after broadband customers hit by mystery outage

BT has apologised after a network incident left thousands of its customers without internet access on Saturday
June 26, 2014 26 Jun'14
BBC to trial UHD over IP network at Commonwealth Games

The BBC will trial ultra-high definition broadcasts and IP network content delivery at a showcase during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
June 26, 2014 26 Jun'14
CIO interview: Jeremy Garside, London Symphony Orchestra

Jeremy Garside started out as an orchestra manager, and turned to technology to alleviate manual calculation and improve financial planning
June 25, 2014 25 Jun'14
Council IT chiefs aim to avoid repeat of PSN compliance debacle

Socitm president Nick Roberts reveals how public sector IT chiefs hope to avoid a repeat of PSN compliance problems
June 23, 2014 23 Jun'14
Osborne announce HS3 to provide boost for northern tech startups

Proposed high-speed rail line, HS3, linking the cities of the M62 corridor from Manchester to Leeds, draws mixed reaction
June 19, 2014 19 Jun'14
BDUK to grill local authorities on broadband postcode data

New BDUK CEO Chris Townsend plans urgent review of local authorities to establish which are releasing broadband postcode data
June 19, 2014 19 Jun'14
Government reveals winning bids in superfast broadband trials

Government reveals names of eight suppliers that have won a share of a £10m funding pot to trial superfast broadband in rural areas
June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14
Swift CIO to retire

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift) CIO is to retire after 15 years at the company
June 18, 2014 18 Jun'14
Superfast broadband bypassing deprived urban areas, says Ofcom

Ofcom report reveals that deprived communities in Britain’s inner cities are suffering from the same slow broadband speeds found in rural areas
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
IT investment required to support global expansion of British firms

Over half of British businesses that want to expand internationally say insufficient technology or comms infrastructures are barriers
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
Invest Bristol & Bath to drive Huawei regional recruitment plans

Invest Bristol & Bath seeks ICT chip development, microprocessor design and software expertise
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
St Pancras International WLAN upgrade promises gigabit speeds

Upgrade at St Pancras International and other stations served by High Speed 1 rail service will see increases in capacity and speed
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
Huawei continues push into Europe

Chinese technology giant Huawei announced this week that it has helped set up 18 Joint Innovation Centres (JIC) in Europe
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
London Symphony Orchestra improves touring through single SIM

The London Symphony Orchestra is using mobile services to enable its staff to have the same quality calls at the same cost anywhere on tour
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
EE drives mobile phone deals with CRM software implementation

Mobile phone operator Everything Everywhere claims a 400% increase in phone deals after rolling out customer relationship management software
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Google to acquire satellite firm Skybox Imaging

Google has confirmed that it is to acquire satellite firm Skybox Imaging in a $500m deal
June 09, 2014 09 Jun'14
Superfast broadband roll-out fuels telco jobs boom, claims recruiter

Telecoms sector sees hiring intentions return to pre-2008 levels as superfast broadband roll-out continues, claims ManPowerGroup report
June 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
BA will be first to deploy Inmarsat in-flight broadband service

Mobile satellite services operator Inmarsat says it is in advanced talks with British Airways to launch a hybrid satellite - air-to-ground network to provide in-flight connectivity
June 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
Three ditches data roaming charges in five more countries

Mobile operator Three adds Finland, France, Israel, Norway and Switzerland to its Feel At Home service
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
Coventry to become gigabit city with core metro fibre upgrade

Coventry City Council entrusts upgrade of its 140km Coventry Core metro fibre network to CityFibre
May 29, 2014 29 May'14
Ruckus Wireless gets Chelsea Pensioners online at Royal Hospital

Historic Royal Hospital Chelsea picks high-performance Ruckus Wireless system to establish smart Wi-Fi network for armed services veterans
May 28, 2014 28 May'14
Huawei signs datacentre services MoU with BT

BT could become a major supplier of datacentre services to Chinese network giant Huawei after signing memorandum of understanding
May 27, 2014 27 May'14
Cloud innovation boosts card data security

Cloud innovation is enabling businesses to access a secure, cost-effective means of protecting sensitive card payment data
May 23, 2014 23 May'14
EU signs off on superfast broadband deployment cost-cutting plan

European Commission delivers on EU commitment to give the telecoms sector binding measures to cut the cost of rolling out superfast broadband
May 22, 2014 22 May'14
Milton Keynes to get open access internet of things network

Milton Keynes council teams up with BT and base station builder Neul to build a city-wide internet of things network
May 22, 2014 22 May'14
iPass turns to cloud SaaS to ease road warrior Wi-Fi woes

With the launch of its Business Traveller 2.0 service, Wi-Fi specialist iPass moves into the cloud with the aim of making user adoption a breeze
May 21, 2014 21 May'14
EE brings 4G mobile broadband to 2,600 rural communities

Mobile network provider EE has completed a rural 4G roll-out to 2,588 towns and small villages, giving three million people access to enhanced service levels
May 20, 2014 20 May'14
Ofcom shakes up Openreach rules on service, broadband competition

A major shake-up of Ofcom regulations will see new rules to underpin Openreach performance and promote competition around superfast broadband
May 20, 2014 20 May'14
Vodafone profits drop after £6.6bn impairment charges

Vodafone books multi-billion pound impairment charges in a number of markets and says its earnings will not improve in 2015
May 19, 2014 19 May'14
Zayo buys UK dark fibre provider Geo Networks

American bandwidth infrastructure newcomer Zayo adds more than 1,800 miles of national fibre across the UK following its acquisition of local player Geo Networks
May 16, 2014 16 May'14
EE looks forward to 5G

Telecoms firm EE is in the midst of its 4G roll-out, and predicts that 5G will not begin appearing commercially until at least 2020
May 16, 2014 16 May'14
London unites local authorities on Public Services Network

London is the first region to connect all of its local authorities to the Public Services Network (PSN) through the London Public Services Network (LondonPSN)
May 16, 2014 16 May'14
Net neutrality under threat from US plan

The US telecoms regulator has approved proposals that opponents believe will quash the principle of net neutrality
May 15, 2014 15 May'14
Talk Talk grows business data

Phone operator Talk Talk reports revenue from business data grew 38%, thanks to a number of major enterprise contracts
May 14, 2014 14 May'14
Can Tech City deliver reliable fast internet for startup businesses?

Technology companies based in London’s Tech City are struggling to access high-speed fibre optic broadband, which is dramatically affecting the success their businesses.
May 12, 2014 12 May'14
HSBC puts free Wi-Fi in 650 UK branches

HSBC is the latest bank to offer free Wi-Fi to customers in its branches through a deal with BT