News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

June 01, 2020 01 Jun'20
SmarTone deploys Ericsson Spectrum Sharing to open the gates to 5G-based smart city

Hong Kong operator deploys 5G broadly across territory using dynamic spectrum-sharing technology
June 01, 2020 01 Jun'20
GSMA, O-RAN team to open up 5G networks

Collaboration aims to accelerate an ‘industry-wide consensus’ on the adoption of open, interoperable interfaces and radio access network virtualisation
May 29, 2020 29 May'20
Qualcomm aims to tap into Wi-Fi 6E with ‘world’s most advanced’ mobile wireless portfolio

Hot on the heels of FCC action described as milestone and watershed moment for innovation that will supercharge connectivity, wireless processor giant aims to cash in on new wireless standard
May 29, 2020 29 May'20
O2 completes Innovate UK cyber security project blueprint for self-driving cars

Leading UK telco O2 finalises projects to protect data integrity of connected cars as part of major UK project into autonomous vehicles on UK roads

May 29, 2020 29 May'20
Mobile industry makes ‘rapid’ progress towards 5G despite Covid-19

BPI Network Survey suggests operators are rethinking security in the light of 5G network traffic, and shows “dramatic” increase in connected devices and new mission-critical use cases
May 28, 2020 28 May'20
Covid-19 calculated to cause 18% drop in net new IoT devices in 2020

Fleet management, heavy transport vehicles, equipment, fixed assets and digital signage are among the internet of things applications hit hardest by the pandemic
May 28, 2020 28 May'20
European General Court annuls ban on proposed Three UK/O2 merger

Court reverses European Commission judgment blocking 2016 purchase of leading UK mobile providers
May 28, 2020 28 May'20
UK government unveils NHS Test and Trace service to combat Covid-19

UK government unveils framework to stop the spread of coronavirus, but contact-tracing launch date not revealed
May 27, 2020 27 May'20
Three-quarters of people expect to work remotely more often after the lockdown

Current changes in working patterns through the Covid-19 outbreak set to see marked shift in the future, and have major impact on digital infrastructures
May 27, 2020 27 May'20
EE network sees fivefold leap in Zoom users, 45% increase in voice calls, apps since lockdown

Research from mobile operator highlights changing habits of UK citizens during lockdown, with video conferencing seeing massive leap

May 26, 2020 26 May'20
Huawei hits out at fresh UK network probe

UK cyber security agency confirms it will conduct a new investigation into the security-worthiness of Huawei’s 5G technology
May 26, 2020 26 May'20
Ericsson enables commercial 5G network for Telia in Stockholm

Swedish operator lays the foundations for the next phase of digital transformation with 5G network designed to open up new user experiences and accelerated innovation in areas such as entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing and transport
May 26, 2020 26 May'20
Lack of clarity around 5G fuels misconceptions about next-generation networks

Revolutionary potential of next-generation 5G network is huge, but research suggests key messages are not hitting home with businesses or consumers
May 26, 2020 26 May'20
Thailand gears up for 5G

Thai government forms 26-member committee to develop a roadmap for 5G adoption and address roadblocks related to the recall of unused spectrum from state agencies
May 22, 2020 22 May'20
Small firms seize digital lifeline to get back to business

Research shows Covid-19 crisis has kick-started a small business digital revolution to power recovery, with over a quarter of firms responding to running their businesses remotely with videoconferencing
May 22, 2020 22 May'20
Global consortium launches ‘transformative’ subsea cable for African connectivity

2Africa, one of the world’s largest subsea projects, will connect 23 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe
May 22, 2020 22 May'20
Openreach taps Nokia to extend full-fibre network capacity

Deal covers essential equipment to extend Gigabit fibre access network across UK
May 22, 2020 22 May'20
Coronavirus: How MyIX is keeping Malaysians connected

Malaysia’s MyIX internet exchange has been classed as critical national infrastructure, with member telcos adding more capacity to meet the surge in demand for internet services
May 21, 2020 21 May'20
UK contact-tracing app set to miss official launch date as Google, Apple release API

Government ministers aim to shore up contact-tracing strategy after junior minister concedes much-publicised app set miss-stated start date and Silicon Valley giants officially launch API for apps that follow different route than NHS
May 21, 2020 21 May'20
Coronavirus: Dutch work on XR technology shows promise in pandemic scenario

Netherlands leads the way in the development of extended reality technology, which could prove its value in a crisis such as Covid-19
May 20, 2020 20 May'20
Nokia, KDDI trial fully virtualised 5G cloud RAN

Finnish comms tech supplier Nokia adds to portfolio of customers trailing its cloud RAN solutions in deal with leading Japanese operator KDDI, including Nokia AirScale
May 20, 2020 20 May'20
Nearly two-thirds of US small businesses to continue with remote working post-pandemic

Survey reveals small businesses are having a big rethink on remote working as a fundamental business practice when the coronavirus pandemic has passed
May 19, 2020 19 May'20
Ericsson extends 5G reach with China Telecom, China Unicom

Leading Chinese operators tap Swedish comms tech giant for 5G core portfolio systems, including cloud packet, NFVI, dynamic orchestration and spectrum sharing
May 19, 2020 19 May'20
Multiple network outages costing enterprise businesses millions of pounds a year

More than half of IT decision-makers and network managers globally say they have had four or more network outages lasting more than 30 minutes, costing between £250,000 and £5m in downtime
May 19, 2020 19 May'20
European network traffic volumes stabilising

The updated summary report from body of European regulators for electronic communications on how network operators can cope with increased demand for network capacity finds that, by mid-May 2020, all is well
May 19, 2020 19 May'20
Huawei: US using technological strengths to ‘crush’ companies outside its own borders

Chinese tech giant hits back at White House decision to extend technology ban and says it will ultimately be self-harming
May 18, 2020 18 May'20
Worldwide comms services industry projected to take limited hit from Covid-19

Coronavirus pandemic has changed some trends in the global telecom services market, but operators have adapted quickly and temporarily pushed aside some earlier priorities, says IDC
May 15, 2020 15 May'20
BT reported to be in talks to sell off Openreach to fund full-fibre roll-out

Report suggests Openreach sale could raise £20bn as BT announces £12bn build programme to extend FTTP network
May 15, 2020 15 May'20
Covid-19: NHS reveals comms network strain as virus spread

Patients hit the web and phone lines for coronavirus assessments, with demand peaking as lockdown was announced, says health service
May 14, 2020 14 May'20
US maintains ban on Chinese tech firms as Huawei, ZTE make 5G leaps

White House extends executive order that effectively bans US companies from using comms equipment made by firms posing a national security risk, while Huawei and ZTE reveal new 5G advances
May 14, 2020 14 May'20
Vodafone aids Covid-19 fight with added capacity for NHS Scotland, and introduces IoT thermal camera

Comms tech to the fore in assisting key workers at temporary coronavirus facility in Glasgow, while heat detection camera combining thermal imaging and IoT capability will help facilitate people’s return to work
May 14, 2020 14 May'20
SK Telecom brings quantum security to the masses

The South Korean telco is readying the world’s first 5G smartphone equipped with a quantum random number generator chipset
May 13, 2020 13 May'20
Telcos’ enterprise ambitions at risk from private network operators, private spectrum

Research finds a rising number of spectrum initiatives underpinning strong momentum for private cellular networks within enterprises
May 13, 2020 13 May'20
Comms tech firms eye partnership opportunities with provider community

In latest example of growing trend, Virgin Media Business signs strategic partnership with integrated cloud communications platform to extend voice and unified communications portfolio
May 13, 2020 13 May'20
European comms bodies set up standards group, call for vigilance on contact-tracing apps

New ETSI group will develop standardisation framework for secure smartphone-based proximity tracing systems, helping to break Covid-19 transmission chains
May 12, 2020 12 May'20
Vodafone shrugs Virgin move as it posts steady financial year

UK operator claims to have defied the odds and bucked the market in last financial year but warns of impact of Covid-19 on business
May 12, 2020 12 May'20
Details released of second UK contact-tracing app development

Contractual documents show Zuhlke Engineering receiving an official start date of 6 May to supply a managed delivery team to support and run proximity mobile application and services for the UK
May 11, 2020 11 May'20
Ericsson bullish on 5G despite Covid-19

Comms tech company’s chief highlights the importance of connectivity during times of crisis and unprecedented surge in network traffic
May 11, 2020 11 May'20
Contact-tracing app hits teething troubles as minister confirms changes could be made

UK contact-tracing saga continues as UK government releases details of impact assessment on the app and admits that adaptations and even total change in form are not off the table
May 11, 2020 11 May'20
Coronavirus: SMEs in the UAE forced to digitally transform

The UAE, like the rest of the world, continues to be heavily impacted by the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, and technology is helping to lead the fight
May 07, 2020 07 May'20
UK said to be on verge of major technology shift for Covid-19 contact-tracing app

Technology community awash with reports of potential sea change in much-publicised and much-criticised app away from controversial centralised database
May 07, 2020 07 May'20
BT claims positives amid challenging fiscal year

BT reports tough 2019/20, leading to major restructuring plan to go forward to meet major fibre-to-the-premises targets
May 07, 2020 07 May'20
UK comms market set for shake-up as O2 and Virgin Media confirm merger

Coming-together of leading fixed-mobile provider and cable network provider will create genuine competition to BT/EE
May 07, 2020 07 May'20
Brits expected to call time on office life after lockdown

O2 Business study reveals currently displaced workers see a permanent change to their company’s approach to flexible working
May 07, 2020 07 May'20
Industry 4.0 transformation reaches communications inflection point

Survey finds huge potential for investment in advance 4G and 5G technology among industrial organisations
May 06, 2020 06 May'20
UK comms experts continue to question contact-tracing app

Academics and comms industry experts challenge UK government scientists on their defence of NHS contact-tracing app, in particular the issue of centralised data gathering
May 06, 2020 06 May'20
Telcos lose out in early enterprise 5G business

Research reveals that industries and enterprises are ready to reap the benefits of 5G, but warns that service providers need to learn how to satisfy this demand
May 05, 2020 05 May'20
Singapore to test 5G in Industry 4.0 trial

Trial, spearheaded by IMDA, IBM, Samsung and M1, will test the use of 5G, along with AI and IoT technologies, in manufacturing
May 05, 2020 05 May'20
T-Mobile US claims ‘significant’ 5G standalone architecture firsts

US operator partners with comms technology leaders to achieve world’s first milestones for standalone architecture 5G
May 05, 2020 05 May'20
UK contact-tracing app developers hit back at effectiveness and privacy doubts

Pre-eminent scientists continue to defend NHS contact-tracing app from criticism of its effectiveness and the use of centralised data gathering
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom form joint venture to combat coronavirus

Telecoms giants extend working relationship to expand global 5G ecosystem by accelerating 5G deployment in Europe and exchange their respective technological expertise once the situation with Covid-19 improves
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
No silver bullets and ‘bumps in the road’ likely but UK contact-tracing app development gathers pace

UK scientific experts address doubts on contact-tracing app’s effectiveness, particular regarding data privacy, but admit that its nature may have to evolve as the roll-out scales up
May 04, 2020 04 May'20
Research institutes warn of necessity for UK contact-tracing app to link to testing

BCS and Cass Business School call for proposed UK contact-tracing app not to be launched without alignment to testing and warns that without this link, NHS will not be able to “big data” its way out of “no data” situation
May 01, 2020 01 May'20
5G on the ropes as Covid-19 set to land $51bn blow on global mobile services industry

Research predicts mobile revenue will drop 4.1% worldwide because of pandemic, with European operators taking a particular heavy hit
May 01, 2020 01 May'20
Pre-owned device values stay strong amidst coronavirus pandemic

More than half a billion dollars returned to US consumers in Q1 2020 as used and new mobile device markets stabilise after Covid-19 disruption
April 30, 2020 30 Apr'20
Stark digital divide in US internet speed amid Covid-19 crisis

Over a fifth of connections in lower income brackets in the US do not have ‘acceptable’ internet performance for work and school during the coronavirus lockdown, but ISPs’ expansion of available bandwidth for these communities noticeably improves ...
April 30, 2020 30 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Young employees struggle with remote working

Communications tools identified as key pain point and hindering productivity for young UK workers
April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20
IMDA to issue 5G spectrum to Singtel and StarHub-M1 venture

Singapore’s telco regulator will award 5G spectrum to major operators whose proposals have exceeded its requirements in some cases
April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20
IT Priorities 2020: SD-WAN soars as collaboration and communications no longer on back burner

At the start of the year, networking professionals looked likely to invest in monitoring, converged architectures and WAN technologies, while unified communications was in decline and collaboration of minimal interest
April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20
Nokia closes capacity and customer experience tech deal with Bharti Airtel

Third-largest telco in the world’s second-largest telecoms market takes up Nokia Single Radio Access Network to enhance capacity and improve 5G readiness
April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20
Ericsson scores further 5G RAN win with True Corporation Thailand

Thai comms operator engages the Swedish technology provider to enable smooth, fast and cost-effective 5G network evolution in three regions
April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20
Adtran initiates software-defined access network project, advances the smart home experience

Partnerships with Orange and Plume will evaluate and test SDN-based programming for next-gen fibre access networks, and boost customer experience management of Wi-Fi-enabled services
April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20
APAC edge computing market set to grow

China and Japan will account for the lion’s share of Asia-Pacific’s edge computing market as more organisations in the region look to streamline processes and improve productivity
April 27, 2020 27 Apr'20
Potential near £70bn boost to British economy from gigabit broadband

Research shows that delivering ‘Gigabit Britain’ could provide over £50bn gross value added to the economy in five years, growing to £68.8bn in 2030, but suppliers warn that more must be done to turn broadband ambition into reality
April 24, 2020 24 Apr'20
Wireless stakeholders cheer ‘historic’ FCC Wi-Fi 6GHz spectrum allocation decision

US broadcast and telecoms regulator confirms proposal lauded as a milestone moment that will no less than supercharge connectivity
April 24, 2020 24 Apr'20
European fibre roll-outs speed up

European fibre-to-the-home and fibre-to-the-building coverage maintains a positive growth trend, with subscribers increasing by 15% since September 2018
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
Coronavirus: RAF flies in for UK contact tracing app test

NHS announces test at air base of app designed to alert users of the close proximity of those carrying or having symptoms of Covid-19
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
Public authorities set to receive expanded surveillance powers

UK government wants to extend the number of public authorities able to obtain communications data using mass surveillance
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
ABB Power plugs into Ericsson 5G tech to increase factory productivity

Ericsson gears up for the post-coronavirus world with confidence in 5G and reveals project for its 5G-ready Industry Connect with global leader in power technology
April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Surge in Wi-Fi upload traffic shows need for advanced Wi-Fi adoption

Prolonged home working will see home networks, based on older Wi-Fi technologies rather than the likes of Wi-Fi 6, put under intolerable strain, warns analyst
April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20
Cisco, Google Cloud plan application-centric multicloud networking fabric

Tech giants unite to address current systems’ perceived lack of capability to signal service level requests dynamically and offer full WAN application integration with cloud workloads
April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20
Application performance for remote workers becomes primary network issue for businesses

When it comes to WAN, cost diminishes in importance, while dealing with complexity increases, as more firms spread reach to more locations
April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20
Coronavirus: German networks take the extra strain from social distancing

Network performance and customer experience monitoring firm finds German networks coping with masses of online home users despite some degradations since the start of social distancing and stay-at-home policies
April 21, 2020 21 Apr'20
Covid-19 outbreak sees first-quarter revenues flatten for Huawei

Chinese networking mega-firm endures tough first quarter, but pledges that it will ride out the coronavirus storm
April 21, 2020 21 Apr'20
Collaboration and communications get richer as Covid-19 ushers in new working reality

Covid-19 lockdowns bring about collective rethink in the way we work, with remote video becoming normalised and a potential change in the way effectiveness is measured
April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20
INCA: UK gigabit broadband progress more important than ever

Trade body for independent network providers calls for progress toward the delivery of ultrafast broadband to all parts of the UK to continue despite the current Covid-19 lockdown conditions
April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20
Ada Lovelace Institute questions effectiveness of UK contact-tracing strategy

Independent study institute for user-focused data and AI solutions argues that NHS Covid-19 tracking plans will not be effective unless action is taken to address technical limitations
April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20
Ofcom publishes technical data debunking 5G links to Covid-19

Ofcom makes latest response to the unfounded and dangerous fake news suggesting links between 5G networks and coronavirus
April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20
Fifth of UK small businesses concerned about prolonged remote working

Small firms find the potential prospect of indefinite working from home a major challenge to future business
April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Big hit to European 5G as smartphone industry set for sharpest falls in 20 years

Screeching halt to telecoms money truck predicted for 2020 as Covid-19 outbreak impacts phone production and 5G roll-out
April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20
Verizon Business zooms in to acquire conferencing company BlueJeans

With conferencing and collaboration rocketing due to the Covid-19 outbreak and no real end in sight to the increased usage, Verizon swoops in to acquire conference applications provider BlueJeans
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Telcos in developed markets to lose more than $40bn

Big increases in unemployment will see a 3.4% decline in telecoms revenue this year, with the negative impact to persist for the next 12 months, says analyst
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Nuage Networks declares SD-WAN first for desktop, mobile and IoT devices

Nokia subsidiary integrates Asavie SD Edge to allow enterprise IT managers to extend security policies beyond branch to mobile users and connected devices
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Coronavirus shines spotlight on mobile connectivity

Mobile operators in Asia-Pacific are playing their part in the fight against Covid-19, even as some of them are facing roadblocks in rolling out 5G networks
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
Orange expands mesh Wi-Fi into Belgium, reinforces marine service capabilities

SoftAtHome’s mesh Wi-Fi now available for Orange Belgium customers while Orange ship begins undersea cabling survey work off coast of Sicily
April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20
BT inks Ericsson 5G supply deal but delays schedule to replace Huawei kit

UK telco engages Swedish tech firm to deploy cloud-native dual-mode 5G core, but rows back on deadline to remove all Huawei technology from mobile core by end of year
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Managed services rev up revenues for SD-WAN in fourth quarter of 2019

Analyst Omdia highlights the steady transition in 2019 from hardware-based to software-defined networking and predicts good times despite Covid-19
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Samsung claims 4.3Gbps 5G speed breakthrough

Korean tech giant’s latest lab demonstration uses MU-MIMO technology to showcase 5G’s potentially vast capacity, new radio, NR, 28GHz access unit
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Coronavirus: Apple and Google unite for contact tracing technology

Silicon Valley giants announce collaboration to prevent the spread of Coronavirus
April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20
Coronavirus: More than two-fifths of employees likely to continue remote working after pandemic

Research firm Gartner offers guide to managing remote workers during Covid-19 pandemic as new normal for work emerges
April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20
WHO wades into UK fake 5G Covid-19 links row as regulator probes leading broadcaster

World Health Organization publishes myth-buster guide to Covid-19 as Ofcom investigates remarks made on leading ITV programme casting doubt on media proof of fake news
April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20
Coronavirus: European network traffic curves flatten but security issues increase

Nokia research finds networks are taking the strain despite a huge increase in upstream traffic during the day from videoconferencing and downstream during weekends from video-on-demand
April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20
UK altnets increase full-fibre coverage by 50%

Independent network providers notch up notable year in 2019 as fibre access for all becomes political hot potato
April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20
Coronavirus puts brakes on 5G core deployments

Research firm identifies short- and long-term impacts that global pandemic will have on 5G core and edge networks
April 13, 2020 13 Apr'20
How Singapore’s Niometrics is changing network analytics

By extracting granular data and emphasising privacy protection, Niometrics’ network analytics technology is being put through its paces in a variety of use cases
April 09, 2020 09 Apr'20
Omdia: New norm for working set to have ‘dramatic’ implications for collaboration industry

Analyst recalibrates expectations for collaboration and conferencing tools, forecasting transformational upsurge in use that could change the world of work, with home broadband being a business lifeblood
April 09, 2020 09 Apr'20
Cato Networks seals significant investment to take SASE forward

More validation for secure access service edge solutions as SD-WAN provider scoops cash injection
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Vodafone taps VMware to complete European roll-out of network virtual infrastructure

Operator taps virtual infrastructure firm to add last piece of pan-European digital infrastructure architecture and gain agility and flexibility
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Mobile operator community and academics use smartphone power to fight Covid-19

Vodafone Foundation and scientists at Imperial College London are using a smartphone app to aid coronavirus research
April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20
Samsung, AWS claim world’s first mission-critical comms video call

MCPTX solution powered by leading cloud platform said to enable first responders to accurately assess vital moments using voice, data and video calls