News

Internet infrastructure

July 17, 2014 17 Jul'14
London Co-investment Fund calls for tech investors

The London Co-investment Fund (“LCIF”) is looking to select co-investment partners to build a £75 million+ seed fund for early startup technology companies.
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 15, 2014 15 Jul'14
Dotforge launches in Leeds as UK’s first regional fintech accelerator

Leeds has become home to Dotforge, the first financial services technology (fintech) accelerator outside London

July 14, 2014 14 Jul'14
Lloyds Bank strives to boost digital skills for SMEs and charities

Lloyds Banking Group pushes ahead with government-led initiative to increase digital capability of UK SMEs and charities
July 11, 2014 11 Jul'14
Microsoft acts to block bogus crypto certificates

Microsoft has acted to block bogus encryption certificates that could be used to attack computers running Windows
July 10, 2014 10 Jul'14
Google Ventures expands with $100m to fund ‘most disruptive’ startups in Europe

Google is launching an expanded venture fund for Europe, with £58m to support and invest in next-gen European startups
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 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
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 04, 2014 04 Jul'14
What IT challenges would an independent Scotland face?

If Scotland votes ‘Yes’ for independence in September, what are the costs and challenges of building new government IT systems?
July 04, 2014 04 Jul'14
Santander launches $100m London fintech fund

Santander is creating a $100m venture capital fund in London for financial technology (fintech) suppliers
July 04, 2014 04 Jul'14
NHS Stockport CCG joins Huddle to combine health and social care

The NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is using Huddle cloud collaboration software to deliver more joined up health and social care
July 03, 2014 03 Jul'14
Bristol City Council launches open data initiative

Bristol has launched an open data initiative to encourage citizens to build services using local data.
July 03, 2014 03 Jul'14
Can UK fintech startups survive outside London?

With London’s booming financial services sector the biggest in the world, the UK Fintech Industry Summit 2014 considered the prospects for startups elsewhere in Britain
July 03, 2014 03 Jul'14
CIO interview: “Stores still very much part of Argos IT strategy”

Argos combines wants to deliver a shopping model as compelling for online and mobile as it is for traditional channels
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
BBC promotes R&D controller Matthew Postgate to CTO role

The BBC has appointed its research and development (R&D) controller Matthew Postgate as the corporation's chief technology officer (CTO)
July 01, 2014 01 Jul'14
Google loses US appeal over Street View data collection

Failure of appeal leaves Google facing legal action over Street View data collection programme
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 30, 2014 30 Jun'14
Efforts to detect terrorism hampered by mass surveillance, says former NSA technical director

US at risk of missing terrorist threats under huge volume of surveillance data, says former NSA technical director
June 27, 2014 27 Jun'14
Interview: Remote monitoring will revolutionise long-term care

Electronics equipment maker Philips has partnered with Salesforce to develop a platform to support internet-connected healthcare devices
June 24, 2014 24 Jun'14
Why are retailers turning to startups for innovation?

There has been a surge of interest by retailers in using startups, rather than established IT suppliers, to build their technology solutions.
June 24, 2014 24 Jun'14
CIO interview: Thierry Bedos, CTO, Hotels.com

Hotels.com packs a huge digital punch globally, but is still striving for the perfect omni-channel customer experience
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
Symbian ransom shows risk in internet of things

The news that Nokia was held to ransom over a digital certificate should raise alarm bells in organisations with aspirations to digitise their business
June 17, 2014 17 Jun'14
Department of Health sets out technology priorities for coming year

The Department of Health (DoH) has outlined changes in the way technology and information will be used over the coming year
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
EE, John Lewis and other big-name brands support start-up competition

A £1m Launchpad competition opens to support small businesses producing innovations in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
G-Cloud chief receives OBE in Queen’s birthday honours list

G-Cloud and digital commercial programme director, Tony Singleton, has received an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
House of Lords sets up Digital Skills Select Committee

The House of Lords has set up a select committee for digital skills
June 16, 2014 16 Jun'14
Vodafone buys automotive specialist Cobra for M2M tech

Vodafone plans to expand machine-to-machine capabilities with automotive and telematics systems
June 13, 2014 13 Jun'14
Cloud suppliers call for clearer guidelines over revised security classifications

Cloud suppliers have raised concerns over the lack of guidance surrounding the government’s latest security classifications.
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
Government to launch digital marketplace in September

The government’s digital marketplace is due to go into alpha testing in the coming days, ahead of live user testing in September
June 12, 2014 12 Jun'14
Legal net tightens on Prism in the UK as police investigate legality of US interception

The US Prism spying programme faces a potential criminal investigation in the UK following a complaint to police
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Barclays launches fintech startup accelerator

Barclays is looking for innovative financial services technology (fintech) solutions by opening its own startup accelerator programme
June 11, 2014 11 Jun'14
Register to vote online goes live

The latest online transactional service from government has gone live as part of the ‘digital by default’ initiative
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 10, 2014 10 Jun'14
Nominet makes .uk web domains generally available

UK domain registry Nominet rolls out .uk web domains with a campaign for domain owners to switch to the shorter designation
June 10, 2014 10 Jun'14
Government claims further £200m in digital savings

The government has claimed a further £200m worth of savings from digital over the past year
June 09, 2014 09 Jun'14
IT departments unprepared for internet of things

Only 41% of IT professionals are working on projects to prepare their business for the internet of things
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 05, 2014 05 Jun'14
2015 general election manifestos need IT in their DNA

All the major political parties must put IT at the core of their manifestos, with policies to support IT for individuals, businesses and the government, says an influential think-tank
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
Future of ‘smart’ hinges on confidence in technology and networks

UK progressing from digital society to smart society, but future development hinges on confidence and solid network infrastructure
June 03, 2014 03 Jun'14
High availability strategy key to saving costs, says Sungard AS

The cost of IT downtime is extremely high for businesses – but must all systems and applications be highly available all the time?
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 30, 2014 30 May'14
IT supplier insolvencies fall for first time as economy recovers

Technology companies have reached a turning point as insolvencies fall for the first time in 2014
May 29, 2014 29 May'14
The challenges of going digital at the DVLA

The DVLA is seen as one of the early adopters in the public sector drive to provide digital services to save government £1.8bn per year
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
HR cloud transfusion at NHS Blood and Transplant

The NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) organisation has brought together its scattered HR department with a single point of contact
May 28, 2014 28 May'14
Gowex brings free public Wi-Fi to Tyneside

Newcastle and Gateshead councils go halves on public Wi-Fi network to be installed by ‘smart city’ network provider Gowex
May 28, 2014 28 May'14
NHS shared services aims to end paper invoicing

NHS Shared Business Services hopes to eradicate paper invoicing by implementing an e-invoicing system that will be free for suppliers to use
May 27, 2014 27 May'14
John Lewis eyes IoT and iBeacon technology

John Lewis is experimenting with the internet of things (IoT) and iBeacon technology to shape the future of retail
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
Case study: Bank of America and Nationwide use in-branch telepresence

Bank of America and Nationwide implement video conferencing technology to enable customers to speak to banking specialists
May 22, 2014 22 May'14
Political parties open sites to search engines after Tories' 2013 deletion

The Conservative Party’s deletion and purge of its archive of speeches from internet search engines last October was unique among political parties
May 22, 2014 22 May'14
There is a 'lot of work to do' to secure IoT

Organisations need to consider the additional cyber threats when embracing the internet of things, says Cisco
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 21, 2014 21 May'14
Germany leads the internet of things, says Cisco

Cisco's Rob Lloyd says Germany leads the internet of things with its automotive industry, with Israel and Mexico close behind
May 21, 2014 21 May'14
The IT industry is consolidating, says Cisco CEO

The IT industry is consolidating, and only the relevant players will be left standing, says Cisco CEO John Chambers
May 21, 2014 21 May'14
The Weather Company crowdsources extra forecast points

“Weather is the original big data,” says Bryson Koehler, CIO of the the organisation behind the Weather Channel in the US
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
Cisco launches workspace collaboration devices and cloud service

Cisco has launched a range of collaboration devices, including the 24in touchscreen DX80 device, which features a built-in Android computer
May 19, 2014 19 May'14
British Fencing uses Huddle for training and collaboration

British Fencing has been using Huddle’s cloud-based collaboration platform to provide athletes, coaches and support staff with a centralised system to share information
May 19, 2014 19 May'14
CIO interview: Brad Dowden, Adecco

The UK operation of global recruitment company Adecco has transformed its IT infrastructure to make it more agile in the face of increasing competition from small firms
May 19, 2014 19 May'14
Cisco to Obama: get NSA out of our hardware

After allegations that the NSA routinely intercepted Cisco hardware to insert bugging equipment, Cisco CEO John Chambers has written to US President Barack Obama to demand action
May 16, 2014 16 May'14
Digital rights group lists best companies for data protection

Digital rights group examines technology giants including Amazon, Google, Yahoo, At&T, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Dropbox
May 16, 2014 16 May'14
DVLA backs south Wales technology startups and talent

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is in talks with startups and universities in south Wales to encourage technology talent in the region
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 14, 2014 14 May'14
What is holding Berlin back from becoming a European centre for startups?

Berlin is one of Europe’s most up-and-coming hotbeds for technology startup companies, but red tape and legislation is preventing it from fulfilling its potential
May 14, 2014 14 May'14
HMRC wants tax returns to be as easy as online banking

HM Revenue and Customs is looking at online banking for inspiration as it fundamentally transforms its services to digital
May 12, 2014 12 May'14
London technology experts launch Home Office immigration workshop

Tech London Advocates (TLA) has launched a series of immigration workshops called Home Office Hours which will allow startups and SMEs access to immigration officials and experts
May 12, 2014 12 May'14
German companies look to Berlin startups for innovation

German companies are beginning to recognise Berlin as a hot spot for technology innovation thanks to the many startups there
May 08, 2014 08 May'14
Gartner recommends IT develops real-time system administration

Businesses will need to rethink their datacentre scaling within two years, to support the demands of web-scale computing
May 08, 2014 08 May'14
BT Group sales flat despite consumer sport uptake

Growth at BT’s Consumer business underpinned by take-up of its BT Sport service was not enough to offset flat and declining sales elsewhere in the Group’s fourth quarter
May 08, 2014 08 May'14
Tim Berners-Lee: Worldwide web Magna Carta by 2015

Worldwide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee repeats his call for an online bill of rights at the Southbank Centre’s Web We Want festival
May 06, 2014 06 May'14
SAP’s innovation champion Sikka departs

Vishal Sikka, the SAP executive most closely associated with the supplier’s innovation drive with the in-memory database Hana, has resigned
May 02, 2014 02 May'14
Addressing security and privacy on the industrial internet

The smart grid and smart meters are part of the wider industrial internet, which will offer insight into people’s life at home. What are the security implications?
May 01, 2014 01 May'14
GDS working to secure Google Apps for government

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is in talks with CESG, the IT security arm of GCHQ, to get approval for using Google Apps within government.
May 01, 2014 01 May'14
Asos joins Microsoft Ventures startup programme

Online retailer Asos has joined Microsoft in a collaboration to identify retail startup technology companies
April 30, 2014 30 Apr'14
Interview: Nick Roberts, president of Socitm and IT group manager

This month, Nick Roberts, IT group manager at Surrey County Council, took over as president of Socitm, the association of IT and digital professionals working in and for local public services
April 29, 2014 29 Apr'14
McKinsey: global data flows will bolster economic connectedness

The McKinsey Global Institute has published new research that predicts global flows of trade will triple by 2025, sped up by the spread of digital technologies
April 28, 2014 28 Apr'14
Forum meets to plan digital help for high streets

The Future High Streets Forum has held its first meeting to discuss how technology can help high streets to remain attractive, sustainable and meet consumer demand
April 24, 2014 24 Apr'14
European youth believe they lack skills for digital economy

Almost three quarters (70%) of young people believe they will have to acquire digital skills after leaving education because current education systems do not prepare them for work.
April 24, 2014 24 Apr'14
UK broadband ranking suffers, with some users getting just 600Kbps

Average broadband speed has grown year on year. But the UK is outside Akamai's top 10, according to its State of the Internet Q4 2013 report
April 23, 2014 23 Apr'14
TLA launches health tech competition for startups

Tech London Advocates (TLA) has launched a competition to find innovative health tech startups.
April 17, 2014 17 Apr'14
Just 2% of citizens think government’s digital services will have an effect

Only 2% of the UK believe the government’s push to offer public services digitally will have a great effect on their lives
April 16, 2014 16 Apr'14
Zebra Technologies to acquire Motorola’s enterprise business for $3.45bn

Zebra Technologies has announced that it will acquire Motorola Solutions’ enterprise business for $3.45bn
April 16, 2014 16 Apr'14
Technology investment returns to the CEO agenda

For the first time in nearly a decade, CEOs believe technology can make a difference. But is the CIO best placed to drive the technology business agenda?
April 16, 2014 16 Apr'14
Tesco blames 6% drop in profits on shift to online retailing

Tesco has blamed a shift to online retailing, as well as competition marketplace for its poor performance in its annual results
April 15, 2014 15 Apr'14
Interview: How Ordnance Survey supports geolocation startups

Ordnance Survey has named three budding geolocation startups as winners in its latest Developer Challenge
April 15, 2014 15 Apr'14
G-Cloud chief claims customers have made £120m savings

G-Cloud and digital commercial programme director Tony Singleton has claimed public sector organisations have saved over £120m by purchasing services through the G-Cloud framework
April 15, 2014 15 Apr'14
Superfast broadband speeds rise, but rural areas still considerably slower, says Ofcom

Superfast broadband connections – offering speeds of 30Mbps or more – rose from 5% in November 2011 to 25% in November 2013, says Ofcom
April 14, 2014 14 Apr'14
Government pledges to reduce digital divide by 25%

The government has launched a Digital Inclusion Strategy to reduce the number of offline people in the UK by 25%
April 14, 2014 14 Apr'14
Are retailers using data analytics to their advantage?

Computer Weekly looks at the challenges the retail sector faces in taking advantage of data analysis
April 11, 2014 11 Apr'14
Endless aisle solution helps Crocs cope with small retail space

Footwear retailer Crocs has implemented an endless aisle solution in its 200-plus stores in the US which helps overcome small store space