News

Telecoms networks and broadband communications

November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18
GSMA urges fresh action on 5G mobile spectrum

Mobile industry body says time is running out to ready enough radio frequency spectrum in the appropriate bands to account for the demands of 5G mobile networks
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
Openreach launches Fibre First programme in Belfast and Nottingham

Openreach has named Belfast and Nottingham as the latest cities to benefit from a full-fibre broadband roll-out
November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18
TalkTalk makes ‘fair broadband’ promises

TalkTalk has launched its own Fairer Broadband Charter as research reveals widespread dissatisfaction with some common industry practices
November 02, 2018 02 Nov'18
Ofcom has another go at liberalising duct and pole access

Telecoms regulator is making a new attempt to establish better access to BT’s duct and pole infrastructure for communication services providers

November 02, 2018 02 Nov'18
BT makes progress with Global Services restructuring

Telco sets out plan to get its troubled Global Services business unit fighting fit
November 01, 2018 01 Nov'18
Three introduces 4G+ at 2,700 sites

Mobile operator Three hopes to boost average mobile data speeds by up to 33% through carrier aggregation
October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18
Hyperoptic full-fibre network hits public housing milestone

More than 150,000 publicly owned homes have now been connected to Hyperoptic’s ultrafast fibre broadband network
October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18
Ofcom releases BT from 2005 Openreach undertakings

Following the legal split of the two organisations, telecoms regulator Ofcom has formally ‘released’ BT from the 2005 undertakings set up to manage the Openreach infrastructure business
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
Budget 2018: No great leap forward for broadband, but no need to panic

The chancellor set aside £1.6bn for digital technology in the Budget, but broadband services did not draw much attention. Is this a surprise, or a reflection of growing commercial investment in full-fibre, and what should the role of government be?
October 30, 2018 30 Oct'18
Government consults on full-fibre for tenants, new-build homes

Proposed legislation would compel landlords and property developers to offer full-fibre broadband to tenants and customers

October 29, 2018 29 Oct'18
O2 extends rural 4G network to 339 communities

O2 has extended its rural network roll-out, targeting over 300 small communities all over the UK
October 26, 2018 26 Oct'18
NGA secures £22m for Bristol-Newport fibre link

Ultrafast wholesale network builder Nextgenaccess has been awarded funding from the National Digital Infrastructure Fund to improve connectivity in South Wales
October 26, 2018 26 Oct'18
Openreach slashes cost of full-fibre to new-build homes

Property developers will receive a 75% discount on the cost of full-fibre installation
October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18
Vodafone claims UK 5G first

Mobile network operator Vodafone claims the activation of a trial site in Manchester marks the first time mobile data traffic has been streamed to and from the internet exclusively over 5G technology
October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18
BT picks fintech leader to succeed Gavin Patterson

BT has named Philip Jansen, current co-chief executive of global payments services group Worldpay, as the successor to outgoing chief executive Gavin Patterson
October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18
CityFibre backers pump £2.5bn into full-fibre broadband

Network expansion will add 27 towns and cities to CityFibre’s current roll-out to 10 locations in support of a consumer full-fibre service delivered by Vodafone
October 19, 2018 19 Oct'18
Competition, not consumer demand, is driving full-fibre roll-out

Market competition among telecoms operators, not consumer demand, appears to be driving the trend towards ultrafast full-fibre broadband roll-out in Europe
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Drivers have dangerous misconceptions about self-driving cars

People seem to be confused about the difference between autonomous and assisted driving technology, with worrying implications for road safety, says Thatcham Research
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Middle East gears up for 5G

The race for 5G is well and truly under way, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia are well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to deliver the benefits of this new telecoms protocol
October 18, 2018 18 Oct'18
Home Office ‘seriously’ considered ESN shutdown

New disclosures from those responsible for the troubled Emergency Services Network project have revealed that, contrary to previous denials, the Home Office came close to pulling the plug earlier this year
October 17, 2018 17 Oct'18
UCaaS supports British Medical Journal’s cloud-first ambitions

With a growing global business and a CIO intent on doing everything in the cloud, the British Medical Journal turned to unified communications-as-a-service provider RingCentral to make its comms infrastructure fit for the cloud era
October 16, 2018 16 Oct'18
Commuter trains may need over 3Gbps of mobile data capacity by 2025

Ofcom has set out its vision of what will need to be done to meet the government’s goals around data connectivity on the UK’s rail network
October 09, 2018 09 Oct'18
Access to full-fibre broadband continues to expand under Vodafone-CityFibre partnership

Customers in three more towns and cities will soon be able to access ultrafast fibre-to-the-premises broadband service
October 05, 2018 05 Oct'18
EE switches on 5G test network at Canary Wharf

MNO explores high-capacity zone testing for its 5G network roll-out, with the first phase expected to target hotspots such as London’s Canary Wharf
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Technology shouldn’t leave anyone behind, says Jeremy Wright

DCMS secretary of state highlights investment in 5G and superfast broadband, and says no one should be left behind by technology
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Openreach extends full-fibre broadband roll-out to Coventry

Openreach is forging ahead with its Fibre First full-fibre broadband programme and has started to roll out ultrafast services in Coventry
October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18
Full-fibre broadband penetration reaches 5%

The number of UK properties able to access a full-fibre broadband connection has hit a small but significant milestone, according to Ofcom
September 30, 2018 30 Sep'18
Openreach completes largest Tupe transfer in history

More than 30,000 BT employees have transferred across to the quasi-independent Openreach, completing what is thought to be the largest one-off Tupe transfer in history
September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18
Citizens Advice makes super-complaint over rip-off phone charges

Citizens Advice is calling for a fair deal for consumers that it claims are being ripped off by out-of-contract charges by communications services providers and the financial services industry
September 28, 2018 28 Sep'18
Brighton’s 5G experiment enters new test phase with focus on virtual reality

The latest phase of the Digital Catapult’s 5G mobile network testbed in Brighton has begun, with digital businesses from across Sussex taking part in trials of augmented, mixed and virtual reality technology
September 27, 2018 27 Sep'18
Network growth brings management challenges

As enterprise networks grow, so do the challenges of managing them effectively, says a report compiled by Oracle’s communications unit
September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18
Rural business bodies seal new broadband agreement

The Country Land and Business Association and the National Farmers’ Union have reached an agreement with Openreach to put new wayleave arrangements in place for broadband network builds
September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18
Indigo subsea cable lands in Perth

Cable system will utilise new spectrum sharing technology, so each consortium member can take advantage of technology advancements to support growing demand for bandwidth
September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18
Phased roll-out of ESN to start in early 2019

The government will adopt a phased approach to the roll-out of the new emergency services 4G communications network
September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18
Rural areas will be among the first to get Vodafone 5G

Parts of Cornwall and Cumbria will be among the first locations to get access to Vodafone’s 5G mobile network when it launches in 2019
September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18
EU needs clear 5G regulation to guarantee mobile success

The mobile ecosystem could be worth more than 4% of European GDP by 2022, if the right regulatory actions are taken by the European Union government
September 17, 2018 17 Sep'18
ESN delays are leaching vital funds from UK police forces

Ongoing delays to the Emergency Services Network roll-out are costing the UK taxpayer £330m a year, according to the National Audit Office
September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18
No Deal Brexit could mean changes for telecoms industry and mobile roaming

No Deal Brexit planning guidance documents say there could be changes to the UK electronic communications regulatory framework, and sets EU mobile roaming cap at £45 per month
September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18
GCHQ mass surveillance regime was in breach of human rights law, European court rules

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled that the UK’s collection of bulk interception of communications data lacked adequate oversight and safeguards and was in breach of human rights law
September 13, 2018 13 Sep'18
EU mobile roaming charges will not return post-Brexit, says Dominic Raab

Amid fears that a no-deal Brexit could lead to the reintroduction of EU mobile roaming charges, the government has pledged to set a legislative limit on how much operators can charge
September 10, 2018 10 Sep'18
Keppel, Salim Group to build new datacentre in Indonesia

The facility located on the outskirts of Jakarta is a response to the growing demand for connectivity and data services in Indonesia’s fast-growing digital economy
September 05, 2018 05 Sep'18
Nordic states collaborate in Arctic IT projects

Nordic countries are working together to introduce advanced communications networks in the most isolated Northerly regions
September 04, 2018 04 Sep'18
Government confirms West Midlands to become home to UK's first large-scale 5G test bed

The government has confirmed the West Midlands will be used to carry out the UK's first large-scale test of 5G technology, with trials centred on its use in the health, construction and automotive sectors
September 03, 2018 03 Sep'18
NHS organisations in south-east England choose BT for HSCN

BT will provide broadband services over the Health and Social Care Network to 24 NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups in the south-east of England
August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18
DCMS has £95m for full-fibre in final round of LFFN scheme

The government has announced the third and final round of the Local Full Fibre Network Challenge Fund, with £95m remaining to invest in local ultrafast broadband projects
August 28, 2018 28 Aug'18
Brussels loans Nokia €500m to fund European 5G research

European Investment Bank is loaning Nokia half a billion euros to accelerate 5G mobile network R&D
August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18
No Deal Brexit papers warn of stark future for UK tech

The government has published the first of its No Deal Brexit contingency planning notices, containing sobering messages for the UK technology industry
August 23, 2018 23 Aug'18
KT shows off 5G’s potential at Asian Games

The South Korean telecoms bigwig is showcasing a host of 5G applications at the Asian Games in the run up to the commercial launch of its 5G network next year
August 21, 2018 21 Aug'18
Windfarm benefit fund helps pay for full-fibre broadband

A number of communities in the Highlands are using benefit funds established by a local windfarm provider to pay for full-fibre broadband services
August 20, 2018 20 Aug'18
Fibre cable break takes Gatwick flight information screens offline

A broken fibre-optic cable has taken Gatwick Airport’s flight information screens offline, with airport staff forced to use whiteboards to provide information to passengers