News

Internet infrastructure

March 23, 2020 23 Mar'20
Coronavirus prompts cross-industry collaboration from datacentre operators to keep UK online

TechUK positioning document reveals datacentre operators are putting their competitive differences aside to share best practice on how to keep staff safe and keep the UK online during the coronavirus outbreak
March 20, 2020 20 Mar'20
How an Estonian digital nation emerged from the embers of Soviet rule

Estonia’s minister for foreign trade and IT tells Computer Weekly how the country went from having no governmental infrastructure in the early 1990s to acquiring the label “digital nation”
March 20, 2020 20 Mar'20
Netflix downscales content resolution to ease strain on EU networks

European Commission asks premier subscription video-on-demand service provider Netflix to lower quality of films to take strain from loaded EU networks
March 18, 2020 18 Mar'20
Ocado pulls website amid coronavirus shopping frenzy

Ocado has closed its website and will not take any new orders for several days thanks to sheer volume of traffic

March 18, 2020 18 Mar'20
Estonia offers digital tools to countries struggling with coronavirus school closures

Government and tech companies in Baltic state unite to offer advanced digital learning tools to other countries
March 17, 2020 17 Mar'20
Amazon to recruit 100,000 extra workers to cope with coronavirus-induced online shopping surge

Online retailer plans to focus its recruitment drive on providing jobs to hospitality and service industry workers who are out of work as coronavirus prompts city-wide shutdowns across the US
March 12, 2020 12 Mar'20
Dutch landscape attracts fintech exploration

In 2019, the Netherlands had more than 450 companies active in financial technology. The country’s “polder model”, in which new and traditional companies work closely together, offers many opportunities for fintechs
March 03, 2020 03 Mar'20
Industry group launched to develop standards for fibre deployment in sewer network

Water utilities companies are working with SSE Enterprise Telecoms to deploy fibre in the sewers, as well as transform the sewage system into a “smart wastewater network”
February 27, 2020 27 Feb'20
WikiLeaks founder Assange is well enough to participate in extradition proceedings, says judge

A judge dismissed claims that Julian Assange’s vulnerable psychological state would prevent him from taking part in his extradition hearing to face espionage and computer misuse charges in the US
February 25, 2020 25 Feb'20
Julian Assange phoned White House to warn of risk to lives

Julian Assange phoned the White House to warn officials that unredacted cables published on the web posed a risk to lives, a court heard yesterday

February 24, 2020 24 Feb'20
McAfee buys Light Point to enhance web browser protection

Acquisition of Light Point Security will extend the capabilities of multiple McAfee products
February 24, 2020 24 Feb'20
WikiLeaks founder Assange ‘put lives at risk’ by disclosing names in leaked documents, court hears

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ‘put lives of US informants at risk’ by publishing unredacted documents, lawyers for the US argued at the first day of a week-long extradition hearing
February 21, 2020 21 Feb'20
Labour condemns Google data plans

Shadow digital minister Chi Onwurah challenges the government to stop Google’s plans to move UK user data out of the EU
February 21, 2020 21 Feb'20
F-Secure’s AI reads mean tweets to fight abuse and trolls

Researchers working on F-Secure’s Project Blackfin have developed a model for clustering tweets to help pinpoint abuse and harassment
February 20, 2020 20 Feb'20
Deutsche Telekom claims most successful year ever

Global telco releases end-of-year results showing record revenue and profit growth in all of its operating segments
February 19, 2020 19 Feb'20
Swedish consumer-protection legislation will hit fintechs

New financial regulation to protect consumers from agreeing to unnecessary credit will force financial technology companies to make changes to their products
February 18, 2020 18 Feb'20
IR35 private sector reforms: National Grid contractors up in arms over tax status assessments

Assessments are claimed to have resulted in “99%” of utility firm’s off-payroll workers having their roles reclassified as inside IR35
February 18, 2020 18 Feb'20
Swedish council tests virtual reality in care for vulnerable people

Local authority is testing virtual reality technology to provide care services to vulnerable groups such elderly and disabled citizens
February 11, 2020 11 Feb'20
MI5 failed to disclose failings in handling intercepted data, court hears

MI5 failed to disclose serious failures in the way it handled intelligence data to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, the surveillance regulator and ministers.
February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20
Swedish rail firm’s digital journey running on time

Swedish rail company tells Computer Weekly about its successful mission to improve customer experience
February 04, 2020 04 Feb'20
MI5 faces court ruling over unlawful surveillance warrants

Privacy groups Liberty and Privacy International ask the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to order MI5 to disclose full details of ‘unlawful’ conduct, after classified documents reveal the spy agency failed to comply with surveillance laws
February 03, 2020 03 Feb'20
India’s 2020 budget to boost local tech sector

A flurry of investments in quantum computing, datacentres and broadband connectivity is expected to shore up India’s technology industry from this year
January 31, 2020 31 Jan'20
Davos: The clock is ticking on climate change but cyber crime and emerging technologies add to risks

Climate change, natural disasters, extreme weather and loss of biodiversity are the greatest risks we face. With cyber conflicts, state-sponsored hacking and internet fragmentation, doing nothing is not an option, says the World Economic Forum
January 23, 2020 23 Jan'20
Travelex hackers shut down German car parts company Gedia in massive ‘cyber attack’

Car parts manufacturer says cyber attack will have far-reaching consequences for its business, and it has put emergency plans in place to continue deliveries
January 21, 2020 21 Jan'20
Will 5G turn Langkawi into world’s first smart island?

Malaysia telco TM is set to transform Malaysia’s Langkawi archipelago with a 5G testbed that will pave the way for 5G services across the country
January 17, 2020 17 Jan'20
App developers sue Facebook over ‘anti-competitive conduct’

Lawsuit is based on leaked internal Facebook documents obtained and published by Computer Weekly and NBC last year
January 17, 2020 17 Jan'20
Davos 2020: Why IT sector must address climate issues

Climate change is set to be top of the agenda at the World Economic Forum, with Microsoft chief Satya Nadella declaring he aims to delete the company’s emissions
January 16, 2020 16 Jan'20
UK’s phone and internet bulk data surveillance unlawful, says EU court opinion

The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice issues legal opinions finding that the UK, French and Belgian bulk surveillance regimes are unlawful
January 15, 2020 15 Jan'20
Gates Foundation mobile money projects in developing world to go live this year

Mobile money projects aim to give millions of the world’s poorest people access to financial services
January 15, 2020 15 Jan'20
Threat landscape grew in complexity in 2019, no respite in sight

Check Point’s annual state of security report shares some 2019 trends and looks ahead to 2020
January 14, 2020 14 Jan'20
Maxis and Huawei team up on 5G as Malaysia outlines spectrum allocation plan

Maxis's partnership with Huawei to develop 5G use cases and services comes on the heels of Malaysia's recently announced spectrum allocation plan
January 09, 2020 09 Jan'20
Travelex hackers threaten to sell credit card data on dark web

Sodinokibi cyber gangsters have threatened to sell Travelex customers’ private data on a Russian underground cyber crime forum if it fails to pay a $6m ransom
January 09, 2020 09 Jan'20
Swedish venture capitalist giants anticipate increased global interest in local startup scene

Local venture capitalists in Sweden do not fear the arrival of international players
January 09, 2020 09 Jan'20
KCOM makes £100m full-fibre investment

Operator for UK’s first full-fibre city looks to spread full-fibre reach to surrounding areas with network that is said to have produced estimated cumulative economic impact of more than £469m
January 06, 2020 06 Jan'20
Personal transport as a service drives across Nordics

New mobility-as-a-service projects are gaining traction in major cities across Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
January 03, 2020 03 Jan'20
Survey about Swedish people’s attitude to the internet reveals growing distrust of social media

Swedish citizens are becoming more concerned about the activities of social media companies and are reducing their online interaction with them as a result
December 09, 2019 09 Dec'19
Jailed hacker ordered to pay back £270k

An Essex man jailed in April over malware offences dating back years has been ordered to pay back the profits of his crime spree, and sell valuable assets
December 06, 2019 06 Dec'19
Cyber security takes its place alongside UK’s armed services

Head of armed services says cyber security will take its place alongside the army, navy and air force as a key pillar of the UK’s defence strategy
December 06, 2019 06 Dec'19
Great Cannon DDoS operation fires on Hong Kong protesters

AT&T’s security unit has evidence that China is pressing its Great Cannon DDoS tool into service once again, specifically to target pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong
December 04, 2019 04 Dec'19
AWS Outposts debuts in Australia

Amazon Web Services rolls out Outposts in Australia, enabling enterprises to run a consistent version of the AWS platform at locations that require low latency
December 02, 2019 02 Dec'19
Goldman Sachs reins in cloud-based retail challenger in UK

Bank does not want rapidly expanding Marcus to breach deposits threshold at which UK banks have to ring-fence their retail operations
November 27, 2019 27 Nov'19
City of London switches on to connected lighting

City of London teams with Itron, Wi-SUN Alliance for smart lighting project to brighten up urban experience of historic parts of the UK capital
November 27, 2019 27 Nov'19
How APAC firms can unleash the power of creative disruption

Regional business leaders at the recent Leap Summit in Malaysia talked up the blueprint for creative disruption, which includes scaling up an idea and overcoming the distribution challenge, among other areas
November 25, 2019 25 Nov'19
AI may open dangerous new frontiers in geopolitics

Truly artificial intelligence has the potential to provoke an international geopolitical crisis, warns F-Secure’s Mikko Hypponen
November 25, 2019 25 Nov'19
Tim Berners-Lee launches nine principles for the web

Inventor of the worldwide web sets out Contract for the Web to protect its freedom, data privacy and access for all
November 22, 2019 22 Nov'19
Some 29,000 UK web domains suspended for criminal activity

Domain suspensions for criminal activity over the past year has dropped for the first time since 2014
November 22, 2019 22 Nov'19
CityFibre appoints chief delivery officer

Alternative UK wholesale fibre provider appoints new network delivery chief to ensure roll-out of programme to bring gigabit broadband to the UK
November 21, 2019 21 Nov'19
Labour pledges review of NCSC in UK security overhaul

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre may get expanded powers under a Labour government
November 20, 2019 20 Nov'19
Holy grail of digital banking is, at first glance, a new channel, not a new concept

Details of Google’s plans in the financial services sector have emerged with nothing groundbreaking so far, but the sector is guessing what comes next
November 19, 2019 19 Nov'19
Businesses still struggling to reap benefits of cloud, study shows

Research by global IT firm Unisys shines a light on reasons why some firms are still struggling to reap the benefits of using cloud
November 19, 2019 19 Nov'19
Huawei shrugs off latest US reprieve

Chinese tech giant dismisses the latest extension of the US Temporary General Licence and maintains that the US government is harming its own interests in banning it
November 18, 2019 18 Nov'19
Foreign e-commerce giants threaten Nordic high streets

Surveys show up to 40% of high-street stores in Sweden and Finland could face closure by 2030 as retailers seek to combat e-commerce threat
November 13, 2019 13 Nov'19
11 new 5G hacks enable user device tracking and monitoring

Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Iowa publish details of several new 5G mobile network vulnerabilities
November 13, 2019 13 Nov'19
Google to launch bank accounts in 2020

Google is launching bank accounts in the US in 2020 as tech giants continue to deepen their activities in the financial services sector
November 08, 2019 08 Nov'19
GoCardless and TransferWise create global network for direct debits

Fintechs’ network will make it easier for small companies to expand their customer bases internationally
November 07, 2019 07 Nov'19
Executive interview: Towards the internet and beyond

Fifty years ago, a computer at UCLA communicated with another at SRI International, laying the first stepping stone towards the global internet
November 07, 2019 07 Nov'19
Saudis recruited Twitter employees to spy on critics

Court documents reveal how the Saudi Arabian government targeted Twitter employees as part of a coordinated effort to gather information on known dissidents
November 05, 2019 05 Nov'19
Goldman Sachs lends billions of dollars through Apple partnership

Apple Card issuing bank Goldman Sachs has already given billions of dollars in credit to iPhone users since Apple's credit card was launched
November 04, 2019 04 Nov'19
Brits moving to digital banking channel faster than people in the US

Digital banking services rapidly gain popularity, but digital banks face major challenges to make deeper inroads into traditional banks’ customer bases
October 23, 2019 23 Oct'19
Take responsibility for cyber security basics, urges NCSC CEO

At the launch of its third annual review, NCSC head Ciaran Martin appealed for individuals and businesses to address the fundamentals of cyber security hygiene to help lighten the load
October 20, 2019 20 Oct'19
The lure of Google Cloud for Singapore’s Ninja Van

Regional logistics startup Ninja Van is consolidating all its compute resources on Google Cloud for cost savings and performance
October 16, 2019 16 Oct'19
Zopa continues in its mission to apply a Netflix user experience to banking

Zopa has made a credit scoring tool available as it continues to expand the portfolio of products it offers beyond loans.
October 15, 2019 15 Oct'19
CityFibre announces consultation to speed up full fibre switchover

CityFibre undertakes industry-wide consultation process regarding the role of builders such as itself in developing the switchover from legacy copper networks
October 15, 2019 15 Oct'19
Braintree boasts broadband benchmark

Braintree in Essex claims to have access to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the world
October 14, 2019 14 Oct'19
Digital and innovation apprentices to start NatWest programme

NatWest is kicking off a tech apprentice programme, with its digital innovation hub set to play a key role
October 07, 2019 07 Oct'19
Openreach tests new digging tech for rural broadband builds

Openreach is testing new tools and techniques to roll out full-fibre broadband faster in rural areas
October 07, 2019 07 Oct'19
Southeast Asia’s internet economy hits $100bn milestone

The digital economy in Southeast Asia grew 39% this year but the growth momentum can only be sustained if talent gaps are filled
October 03, 2019 03 Oct'19
Cyber war as big a threat as nuclear war, says ex-RSA head Coviello

Former RSA chairman Art Coviello has been speaking about the devastating potential of cyber weapons, and warned that humanity must learn from history in order to control them
October 01, 2019 01 Oct'19
Interview: James Smith, director of digital, Nationwide Building Society

James Smith says heading up the digital unit at Nationwide Building Society is the best job in the business
September 20, 2019 20 Sep'19
BT spearheads plans to accelerate switchover from copper to fibre

Full-fibre broadband could replace copper networks region by region over the next six years, under proposals discussed with the government
September 17, 2019 17 Sep'19
Rural connectivity struggling to keep up with demand

The digital divide between urban and rural areas of the UK is continuing, with broadband and mobile network roll-outs struggling to keep pace with demand
September 17, 2019 17 Sep'19
Full-fibre within reach of 2.5 million homes and businesses

Access to full-fibre broadband is approaching 10% of properties in the UK
September 17, 2019 17 Sep'19
Smart meter roll-out delayed to 2024

The government has been forced to put the planned completion date for its Smart Meter Programme back from the end of next year to 2024
September 13, 2019 13 Sep'19
Fintech lender increases loan limit as customer demand accelerates

Small business lender Esme Loans has increased its loan limit to quarter of a million pounds as businesses are drawn to its simple and fast digital platform
September 05, 2019 05 Sep'19
National Rail Enquiries hit by rush hour real-time information outage on mobile app and website

National Rail Enquiries confirms it is waiting on a third-party supplier for an update on when access to real-time train departure and arrival information will be restored on its website and mobile app
September 04, 2019 04 Sep'19
PDG, Equinix tap booming APAC datacentre market

Major datacentre providers are expanding their footprint in a region that is set to become the biggest datacentre market by 2020
August 28, 2019 28 Aug'19
IBM and Vodafone offer National Express a smooth ride to hybrid cloud

Coach operator National Express signs eight-year IT modernisation deal with IBM and Vodafone to provide it with a cloud platform to underpin future digital transformation plans
August 27, 2019 27 Aug'19
Government to ease planning laws for mobile networks

Westminster is seeking input on four key proposals to make it easier to build and operate 5G mobile networks
August 22, 2019 22 Aug'19
5G testbed brings Li-Fi broadband to Orkney

A number of homes on the remote island of Graemsay in the Orkneys are testing so-called Li-Fi technology as a broadband delivery mechanism
August 20, 2019 20 Aug'19
Sky launches first ultrafast broadband products

Ultrafast full-fibre broadband products are 12 times faster than Sky’s previous fastest offering and will be immediately within reach of two million homes
August 20, 2019 20 Aug'19
Huawei to US: Ban violates free market principles

Huawei has hit back at the US government’s latest moves to restrict its activities
August 19, 2019 19 Aug'19
US extends temporary stay on Huawei ban

American network operators given extra wiggle room to wean themselves off Huawei’s hardware
August 18, 2019 18 Aug'19
Three launches UK’s third 5G network

Mobile operator Three has switched on its 5G service, but for now it will only be available as a home broadband service
August 13, 2019 13 Aug'19
Vodafone switches on 5G in Ireland

The first 5G sites in Ireland have gone live in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford
August 13, 2019 13 Aug'19
RootMetrics ranks EE top on 4G service performance, quality

EE once again emerges as the top 4G network performer in RootMetrics’ latest semi-annual, UK-wide survey
August 08, 2019 08 Aug'19
Openreach starts roll-out of dark fibre product

Openreach is soft-launching a wholesale dark fibre product in eastern England ahead of a wider national roll-out
August 05, 2019 05 Aug'19
Boris Johnson has 12 months to reform broadband policy, says industry

Broadband sector advocates warn prime minister that the clock is ticking if he wants to be serious about achieving 100% full-fibre broadband coverage in six years
August 02, 2019 02 Aug'19
BT chief urges PM to act decisively on broadband

BT’s new chief executive Philip Jansen says he is ready to help meet Boris Johnson’s broadband roll-out goals, but warns the cost will be high
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
Cisco pays $8.6m after whistleblower discloses security flaws in video surveillance system

James Glenn, a video surveillance expert working for a Cisco reseller in Denmark, alerted Cisco to security faults and stands to gain a share of a multimillion-dollar settlement with the US government
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
Scottish tax holiday tempts Openreach

Openreach has announced 36 new locations in line for its expanding full-fibre broadband network build, with Scotland a particular focus after the announcement of additional rates relief
July 31, 2019 31 Jul'19
5G mobile networks transformative for health and social care, says TechUK

A new report produced by TechUK and the Liverpool 5G testbed shows how 5G can be used effectively in the NHS, and offers recommendations to government
July 30, 2019 30 Jul'19
Huawei ‘galvanised’ by Trump ban

Huawei has found itself caught in the crossfire of the US president’s trade war with China, but chairman Liang Hua says the firm is rising to the challenge
July 26, 2019 26 Jul'19
AWS growth rate slows in Q2, as Amazon retail's run of quarterly record profit growth ends

Amazon's latest set of results suggest the law of big numbers might be kicking in for its cloud division, while its retail arm grapples with spiralling costs pertaining to the roll-out of its one-day delivery service
July 25, 2019 25 Jul'19
Virgin Media pledges gigabit broadband without full-fibre

Cable TV operator is betting that improvements to the Docsis standard will enable it to offer gigabit broadband without full-fibre
July 25, 2019 25 Jul'19
Ofcom must do more to help operators invest in 5G

Telefónica UK boss Mark Evans warns that Ofcom is prioritising action on behalf of consumers to the exclusion of enabling the telecoms and mobile industry to grow
July 25, 2019 25 Jul'19
Surge in UK businesses switching bank account providers

The UK system that makes it easy to change bank account has seen a surge in businesses taking up the service
July 25, 2019 25 Jul'19
HPE and SAP among tech industry backers of UN climate change mitigation campaign

Enterprise tech giants HPE and SAP are among a number of technology firms which have responded to the UN’s calls for corporations to do more to reduce the risk of global warming and cut their emissions
July 24, 2019 24 Jul'19
Santander brings global digital services under one roof

Spanish banking giant Santander Group is creating a global digital unit as part of its transformation plans
July 24, 2019 24 Jul'19
US Department of Justice launches antitrust probe into dominance of online platform providers

The US Department of Justice has called for an antitrust investigation into how “market-leading” online platform operators in the search, social media and retail space operate
July 23, 2019 23 Jul'19
Government delays final decision on Huawei

Culture secretary says he cannot yet make specific decisions about Huawei’s involvement in the UK’s telecoms and mobile networks due to a lack of clarity from the US, effectively green-lighting its use