News

Internet infrastructure

• February 20, 2019 20 Feb'19

  UK naïve to think China won’t try to exploit Huawei

  A think-tank report has branded the UK government naïve at best, irresponsible at worst, over its use of Chinese networking equipment in critical national infrastructure

• February 19, 2019 19 Feb'19

  Activist Lauri Love’s computer ‘contained hacked data’, says judge

  Lauri Love, who has been accused of hacking into US government computer systems, has lost a legal action against the NCA for the return of his computers and storage device

• February 18, 2019 18 Feb'19

  DCMS Select Committee claims Facebook ‘deliberately frustrated’ fake news inquiry

  Facebook’s UK public policy manager defends its participation in MPs' inquiry into the spread of fake news and disinformation online, which concludes by declaring an end to self-regulation by social media firms

• February 18, 2019 18 Feb'19

  NCSC signals UK may take softer line on Huawei

  The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre suggests Huawei will be allowed to form core elements of the country’s 5G mobile network infrastructure after all

• February 14, 2019 14 Feb'19

  Central Saint Martins hosts Three’s 5G trial for London Fashion Week

  Three’s trial 5G network will enable the world’s first augmented reality fashion show at Central Saint Martins, while consumers can test out a prototype network at its flagship store

• February 14, 2019 14 Feb'19

  Satellite broadband secures Cornish observatory a brighter future

  The Tolcarn Observatory near St Austell in Cornwall is putting its money where its mouth is and using satellite broadband to enhance its research work and educational outreach

• February 11, 2019 11 Feb'19

  Lauri Love takes legal action against NCA for return of seized computers

  Lauri Love, a former engineering student who won a battle with the US Department of Justice against extradition to the US to face hacking charges, is suing the UK's intelligence agency, the NCA, for the return of his seized computers

• February 08, 2019 08 Feb'19

  Lloyds Bank rolls out open banking functionality to mobile app customers

  Lloyds Bank customers can now see current accounts from multiple banks through their mobile banking app

• February 08, 2019 08 Feb'19

  Brexit is killing full-fibre broadband and 5G roll-outs, says CBI

  A CBI report has warned that Brexit is “sucking the oxygen” out of digital priorities such as full-fibre broadband roll-out and 5G mobile network deployment

• February 06, 2019 06 Feb'19

  Huawei: We are not spying on the UK

  Huawei’s Ryan Ding tells the British government that the company has never, and will never, use its technology to assist the Chinese intelligence services

• February 06, 2019 06 Feb'19

  Virgin Media tests 8Gbps home broadband service

  Fifty residents of Papworth, Cambridgeshire, are trialling an 8Gbps FTTP broadband service using existing fibre infrastructure

• February 01, 2019 01 Feb'19

  Innocent people arrested following surveillance blunders, IPCO reveals

  Interception of communications commissioner Adrian Fulford warns of “grave” repercussions for people wrongly identified as suspects due to errors made when government bodies access email, phone and telephone data

• January 25, 2019 25 Jan'19

  Vodafone suspends use of Huawei hardware

  Vodafone’s UK CEO has said the operator will ‘pause’ its use of Huawei hardware for the foreseeable future

• January 25, 2019 25 Jan'19

  Chinese government grants BT new powers

  Enhanced operating licences improve telco’s ability to work with customers in China

• January 23, 2019 23 Jan'19

  MPs challenge Huawei over spying allegations

  The chair of the cross-bench Science and Technology Committee has written to Huawei seeking answers over its activities in the UK

• January 23, 2019 23 Jan'19

  Vodafone and O2 will ‘share’ 5G networks

  Vodafone and O2 have agreed non-binding heads of terms that will extend their 4G network-sharing agreement to 5G when it becomes available

• January 22, 2019 22 Jan'19

  Scottish Police Authority awards £21m mobile services deal to EE

  EE will oversee a three-year deal to transform police mobile capabilities in Scotland, alongside Motorola Solutions, Samsung and BlackBerry

• January 22, 2019 22 Jan'19

  Broadband divide persists across the UK, says Which?

  Latest statistics from Which? show the UK’s broadband divide persists, with many areas still missing out on high-speed services despite industry tub-thumping

• January 21, 2019 21 Jan'19

  Bahrain plans to create a world-leading tech ecosystem

  Bahrain is building a technology ecosystem that will help the country further reduce its economic reliance on the oil and gas industry

• January 21, 2019 21 Jan'19

  Home Office vetoes privacy campaigner from senior post in surveillance watchdog

  The Home Office refuses academic and privacy campaigner, Eric King, security clearance for a senior role at the intelligence services watchdog, despite high-level backing from officials

• January 21, 2019 21 Jan'19

  Thailand pushes for Industry 4.0 in ASEAN

  Nearly half of the kingdom’s deliverables as chair of ASEAN will be focused on spurring Industry 4.0 developments across the region

• January 15, 2019 15 Jan'19

  O2 powers customer-centric network with Nokia AI

  Mobile operator O2 claims Nokia’s AI-driven Service Operation Center platform will help it anticipate its customers’ problems before they know they have problems

• January 14, 2019 14 Jan'19

  Mobile and broadband markets fail digitally excluded groups

  Financially vulnerable people, disabled and mentally ill people and elderly people all face significant challenges in accessing appropriate communications services, according to a new Ofcom report

• January 10, 2019 10 Jan'19

  Roadside 4G mobile signal availability improves across UK

  4G mobile network coverage along the UK’s motorways has seen substantial improvement, with Greater Manchester’s urban M60 having 100% availability and the Birmingham to Carlisle M6 seeing the greatest growth in coverage

• January 10, 2019 10 Jan'19

  Fife Council upgrades WAN to offer ultrafast broadband services

  Public sector sites across Fife in Scotland are to receive a transformational upgrade to their broadband speeds

• January 08, 2019 08 Jan'19

  AWS secures cloud hosting role in UK government Crown Marketplace programme

  Amazon Web Services’ cloud platform to play key role in how public sector organisations procure common goods and services

• January 07, 2019 07 Jan'19

  Equinix to open fourth Singapore datacentre in 2019

  The latest investment by Equinix in Singapore comes as datacentre operators look to fill vacant real estate arising from intense market competition between 2017 and 2018

• January 04, 2019 04 Jan'19

  Norwegian cryptocurrency miners lament proposed loss of energy use-related tax relief

  A wide-ranging push by the Norwegian government’s tax collection agency to clamp down on cryptocurrency miners has incurred the wrath of a company planning to build the world’s biggest datacentre

• January 03, 2019 03 Jan'19

  Trust is key to Microsoft’s APAC cloud play

  A senior Microsoft Asia executive talks up the company’s cloud momentum in the region, how it stands out from the pack, and its priorities in the new year

• January 02, 2019 02 Jan'19

  SMEs urged to get on board with Network Services 2 framework

  Suppliers have until the end of January 2019 to sign up to the new government network services purchasing framework

• December 28, 2018 28 Dec'18

  Top 10 mobile stories of 2018

  As 5G moves from theory to practical reality, we look back at Computer Weekly’s biggest mobile stories from the past 12 months

• December 19, 2018 19 Dec'18

  CMA acts on super-complaint over broadband, mobile charges

  The Competition and Markets Authority is to crack down on communications services providers who ‘penalise’ loyal customers over new ones

• December 19, 2018 19 Dec'18

  Top 10 broadband stories of 2018

  The networking industry swung firmly behind full-fibre broadband in 2018, with encouraging signs that the gold-standard of broadband service delivery technology is at long last taking off in the UK

• December 18, 2018 18 Dec'18

  Ancient Britain comes to life at Bath’s 5G testbed

  The West of England Combined Authority is running a 5G Smart Tourism project at Bath’s world-famous Roman spa

• December 18, 2018 18 Dec'18

  Mobile security needs a rethink for the 5G era

  A report released through the government’s 5G Testbeds and Trials programme has recommended the UK rethink its mobile security strategy

• December 18, 2018 18 Dec'18

  Broadband coverage improved through 2018, says Ofcom

  Ofcom’s annual Connected Nations report reveals that the number of people who cannot receive a 10Mbps broadband connection has halved

• December 18, 2018 18 Dec'18

  Ofcom fires starting gun for new mobile spectrum auction

  Mobile spectrum in the 700MHz and 3.6-3.8GHz bands will be put up for auction either late in 2019 or early in 2020

• December 14, 2018 14 Dec'18

  Ofcom tells ISPs to be upfront about better broadband deals

  Telecoms regulator is rolling out a range of measures to make the broadband market serve the interests of consumers better

• December 11, 2018 11 Dec'18

  Tibco’s Orchestra acquisition will mean ‘faster IT integration’

  Tibco’s strategic acquisition of Paris-based Orchestra networks will ‘benefit customers of both companies’

• December 11, 2018 11 Dec'18

  Slow action on broadband and 5G risks UK’s economic future, CBI warns

  A report from the CBI has called for the government to fast-track legislation to guarantee access to ultrafast network services

• December 10, 2018 10 Dec'18

  Vodafone’s 4G network goes underground

  Operator will roll out small 4G and 5G-ready antenna to boost network coverage over short distances in areas of dense usage, using manhole covers, among other things

• December 10, 2018 10 Dec'18

  O2 expected to pursue Ericsson for compensation over 24-hour stoppage

  Mobile network operator could seek up to £100m in damages from its supplier, which failed to update expired software certificates, causing a day-long outage

• December 06, 2018 06 Dec'18

  BT and KCOM named broadband USO suppliers

  Ofcom has named BT, and in East Yorkshire, KCOM, as the designated providers for the incoming broadband universal service obligation

• December 06, 2018 06 Dec'18

  China demands release of arrested Huawei CFO

  The Chinese government has called for the release of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who was detained in Canada at the weekend

• December 06, 2018 06 Dec'18

  Software failure paralyses O2’s 4G network

  O2 is racing to fix a major outage on its 4G network that has left millions of mobile subscribers without access to data services

• December 04, 2018 04 Dec'18

  As commercial 5G nears, small cells generate interest

  Interest in small cells as an element of commercial 5G mobile networks is growing, particularly in countries with supportive regulatory environments. Meanwhile, a UK trial of wholesale small cell infrastructure has kicked off in London

• November 27, 2018 27 Nov'18

  Billions missing out on digital society as internet use soars

  As global internet usage continues to soar, billions of people around the world are missing out on the potential benefits of getting online, according to Cisco

• November 27, 2018 27 Nov'18

  Openreach extends Gfast roll-out to a million more homes

  Copper-based ultrafast broadband roll-out continues at pace

• November 19, 2018 19 Nov'18

  Top IT predictions in APAC in 2019

  Edge computing, data management and microservices will play a bigger role in the Asia-Pacific region in 2019 as enterprises reshape their technology architectures to become ‘digitally determined’ organisations

• November 16, 2018 16 Nov'18

  EE and Virgin Media fined for breaking consumer protection rules

  Ofcom has imposed fines totalling £13.3m on EE and Virgin Media, saying both providers levied excessive charges on customers who ended their contracts early

• November 13, 2018 13 Nov'18

  Broadband voucher scheme to end early thanks to high demand

  The government has urged small business owners to consider signing up for its ultrafast broadband connection voucher scheme before the available funding runs out

• November 13, 2018 13 Nov'18

  5G will unleash digital transformation for UK enterprises

  Mobile operator EE is working hand-in-hand with its largest enterprise customers to realise the potential of its future 5G mobile network

• November 08, 2018 08 Nov'18

  Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital has capacity to spare after HSCN upgrade

  University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is unleashing the potential of digital for health after fixing up its internet connectivity with an upgrade to the new Health and Social Care Network

• November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18

  Openreach increasing use of drones to help build fibre networks

  Openreach plans to make greater use of drones to help it bring broadband to remote rural properties it could not previously touch

• November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18

  5G mobile masts bring installation challenges, EE finds

  EE has switched on a fixed wireless access network in central London to test elements of its future 5G mobile service, but faced some challenges setting it up

• November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18

  Investment fund buys into broadband supplier Hyperoptic

  Mubadala Investment Company, the VC arm of the government of Abu Dhabi, is to acquire a minority stake in full-fibre broadband supplier Hyperoptic as the firm brings forward its roll-out

• November 07, 2018 07 Nov'18

  Lloyds Banking Group shaking up its workforce to reflect digital times

  Lloyds Banking Group is revamping the roles of thousands of staff as it becomes digital

• November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18

  Smart Dubai platform is the backbone of the city's transformation

  Aisha bin Bishr, director general at Smart Dubai Office, talks about the Smart Data platform and soon-to-be-unveiled UAE Pass, a digital ID and signature which is being touted as one of the foundations a city needs to transform

• 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

  Hammond’s digital services tax is a big risk, say experts

  The tech industry is not impressed with the chancellor’s plan to tax web giants, saying it can stifle innovation, while tax lawyers warn that it is a very risky move that could lead to US retaliation

• 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

  Nordic banks target SME customers with fintech services

  Traditional Nordic banks are slimming down workforces as they turn increasingly to technology-based service delivery, and some are linking up with small fintech companies to deliver online products.

• 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 24, 2018 24 Oct'18

  SMEs use fintech in fight against online giants, but fears remain

  Online SMEs are turning to financial technology to help them make payment processes easy for customers as they try to compete with online giants

• October 19, 2018 19 Oct'18

  Russians using less cash after accelerated use of electronic payments

  Russians are increasingly using electronic payments rather than cash, a recent study by Sberbank has found

• 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 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 16, 2018 16 Oct'18

  UK faces 10 cyber attacks a week as hostile states step up hacking, says NCSC

  The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has thwarted more than 1,600 attacks over the past two years – many by hostile nation states

• 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

  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

  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 28, 2018 28 Sep'18

  Finland’s e-retail sector driven by international growth

  Finland has a fast-growing e-retail industry as a positive consequence of the huge job cuts at Nokia

• 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

  MI5 admits to ‘unlawful’ spying on Privacy International

  The UK's intelligence agencies acted unlawfully by intercepting communications data on NGO, Privacy International, the UK's most secret court ruled.

• 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 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 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  Asda outsources app development to support digital future

  Supermarket chain Asda is outsourcing its application development to HCL to access and build skills and experience in agile development methods

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  EU-backed bid to cap idle energy use by datacentre servers moves closer

  Move to improve the energy efficiency of datacentres by capping idle energy use by servers by 2020 comes one step closer, despite opposition from IBM, HPE and Dell-EMC

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  Santander plans UK tech hub in Milton Keynes

  Santander is opening a UK tech hub in Milton Keynes that will have 5,000 staff

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  BMW innovation lab bears fruit with insurtech deal

  BMW has struck a deal with one of the tech startups that participated in its innovation incubator

• 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 17, 2018 17 Sep'18

  Middle East hungry for digitisation, says GE’s Bill Ruh

  The Middle East is among the most enthusiastic regions in terms of applying digital business models to traditional industries

• 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

  Autumn Budget 2018: Guarantees sought over future funding of national quantum computing programme

  The chair of the Science and Tech Committee has written to the chancellor Philip Hammond to demand assurances that more funding for the UK's quantum computing efforts will be forthcoming in the Autumn 2018 budget