News

Mobile networks

• March 17, 2016 17 Mar'16

  Private mobile network powers Ocado’s robotic warehouse

  Online supermarket Ocado rethinks 4G mobile technology to power a network of 1,000 robot workers operating in the grocer's 'hive' warehouse

• March 16, 2016 16 Mar'16

  Budget 2016: Osborne commits to timescale for 5G planning

  In a technology-light Budget, chancellor George Osborne made new commitments to future 5G mobile networks

• March 16, 2016 16 Mar'16

  Rolls-Royce cloud HR project will pay for itself in two years

  HR IT director Mark Judd explains how engineering and aerospace firm swapped ageing ERP and spreadsheets for a company-wide core HR system

• March 16, 2016 16 Mar'16

  Huawei and Samsung trial connected city lighting

  Networking suppliers both announce internet of things lighting solutions for smart cities

• March 15, 2016 15 Mar'16

  Internet of things needs more innovative business models

  At a government event on IoT policy, speakers call for more innovative business models and joined up thinking to enable the IoT to live up to its potential

• March 15, 2016 15 Mar'16

  Leaked documents foretold problems with Australia's national broadband strategy

  External and internal documents suggest Australia's national broadband network (NBN) roll-out is likely to waste A$29bn

• March 11, 2016 11 Mar'16

  RTÉ leans on satellite broadband to cover Irish general election

  Irish TV network RTÉ turned to satellite ISP Europasat to support its coverage of the country’s general election

• March 10, 2016 10 Mar'16

  Innovate UK and UKTI lead Asean smart city mission

  Smart city technology developers are heading to Malaysia and Singapore on a government-led trade mission

• March 10, 2016 10 Mar'16

  Startup trials autonomous delivery robots in Greenwich

  Estonian robotics startup Starship Technologies secures permission to trial self-driving delivery robots in Greenwich, south-east London

• March 08, 2016 08 Mar'16

  Broadband will reach 40% of Vietnam households by 2020, claims government

  The Vietnamese government announces plans to increase access to broadband networks for its citizens, proposing a figure of 40% in four years

• March 08, 2016 08 Mar'16

  Satellite data links to bring European air traffic management up to date

  The European Space Agency awards Inmarsat a contract to develop a satellite-based data link communications system for air traffic management

• March 07, 2016 07 Mar'16

  Mobile payments fund Tanzanian ambulance taxi service

  NGOs in Tanzania use M-Pesa mobile payments to fund a life-saving ambulance taxi service in rural Tanzania

• March 04, 2016 04 Mar'16

  Meg Whitman uses Q1 results to argue the case against Dell/EMC

  HPE posts its first financial results following the split of the business

• March 03, 2016 03 Mar'16

  Telecoms firms launch Stem mentoring scheme for girls

  BT joins Ericsson, O2 and Vodafone to create a mentoring scheme encouraging girls into science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) careers

• February 29, 2016 29 Feb'16

  Mobile Infrastructure Project was a failure, admits Vaizey

  At a Westminster Hall debate, digital economy minister Ed Vaizey conceded the £150m Mobile Infrastructure Project to address "not-spots" was largely unsuccessful

• February 26, 2016 26 Feb'16

  After BT's Openreach reprieve, what now for the UK broadband roll-out?

  After Ofcom's decision to leave Openreach in BT, what happens next – and how will the UK reap the benefits of superfast broadband?

• February 25, 2016 25 Feb'16

  Openreach reformed, but remains part of BT as Ofcom aims to open up fibre broadband market

  Telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to stimulate building of fibre broadband direct to homes and premises, but will not split up BT - yet

• February 24, 2016 24 Feb'16

  Hertz division chooses Cognizant to support IoT plans

  The equipment hire division of Hertz has contracted IT services firm Cognizant to support the implementation of its internet of things strategy

• February 24, 2016 24 Feb'16

  Mapping technology turning Depok in Indonesia into smart city

  Depok in Indonesia is using mapping technology to support its smart city ambitions

• February 23, 2016 23 Feb'16

  MWC16: Vertical approach to 5G is vital, says European Commission

  The European Commission’s 5G Public-Private Partnership has set out its vision of how 5G will empower vertical industries in Europe

• February 23, 2016 23 Feb'16

  MWC16: GSMA and operators renew commitment to connected women

  At Mobile World Congress, the GSMA has partnered with a number of operators to connect millions more women in emerging economies

• February 23, 2016 23 Feb'16

  MWC16: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg voices support for Apple over FBI probe

  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Mobile World Congress he sympathised with Apple's battle with the FBI over unlocking a terrorist’s iPhone

• February 22, 2016 22 Feb'16

  MWC 2016: Faulty mobiles usually users’ fault, report claims

  Consumer behaviour seems to be the primary cause of faulty mobile devices, reports Blancco Technology Group

• February 22, 2016 22 Feb'16

  Internet of things helps track endangered dugongs in the Philippines

  Fishermen in the Philippines are using smartphones and apps to help conservationists protect an endangered species

• February 22, 2016 22 Feb'16

  MWC16: 4G connections pass one billion worldwide, says GSMA

  The number of 4G mobile connections worldwide has passed the one billion mark, according to the GSMA

• February 22, 2016 22 Feb'16

  MWC16: Smartphone suppliers show off virtual reality at Mobile World Congress

  At Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona, key device suppliers have been quick to roll out their flagship devices, with an emphasis on virtual reality

• February 18, 2016 18 Feb'16

  Surrey University 5GIC project explores rural not-spots

  A whitepaper published by the University of Surrey’s 5G Innovation Centre reveals how 5G could work in tandem with existing technology to meet the needs of rural users

• February 18, 2016 18 Feb'16

  Mobile innovation shifts to smartphone services

  As smartphone sales continue to stagnate, suppliers are looking to innovate in more novel ways

• February 17, 2016 17 Feb'16

  Middle East telecoms operators face up to IoT smart city challenges

  As smart city initiatives spring up in the Middle East, telecoms operators contend with the strain of the internet of things (IoT) on networks

• February 16, 2016 16 Feb'16

  Vodafone and Liberty Global to merge in Netherlands

  Vodafone and Liberty Global confirm that they are to merge their Dutch businesses

• February 15, 2016 15 Feb'16

  Three home broadband service targets students and renters

  Mobile network operator Three offers customers in Northern Ireland the chance to trial a mobile home broadband service as an alternative to fixed operators

• February 15, 2016 15 Feb'16

  Vodafone’s global tax burden drops by £5bn

  Mobile operator’s worldwide tax bill has fallen by 36% in the past 12 months following significant divestments

• February 15, 2016 15 Feb'16

  AT&T to test first 5G wireless systems this year

  Network operator announces plans to test 5G technology to provide wireless connectivity before the end of 2016

• February 12, 2016 12 Feb'16

  Telstra outage fires warning to corporate Australia

  Mobile network interruption shows how dependent Australian organisations are on national supplier

• February 11, 2016 11 Feb'16

  CIOs must start planning for 5G today, says 451 Research

  A report from analysts at 451 Research urges businesses to start preparing their technology for 5G mobile networks ahead of deployment

• February 10, 2016 10 Feb'16

  Smart cities pointless without universal superfast broadband

  Smart city deployments will not get very far, or realise effective socioeconomic benefits, if more attention is not paid to the underlying infrastructure

• February 09, 2016 09 Feb'16

  BT uses G.fast to deliver mobile backhaul over copper

  One of BT’s ongoing trials successfully delivers a cloud radio access network cell service over copper lines

• February 09, 2016 09 Feb'16

  Flexible working good for profit, productivity and reputation, says Vodafone

  A report conducted for mobile operator Vodafone indicates the scale of acceptance of flexible and mobile working practices

• February 09, 2016 09 Feb'16

  Chiltern Railways tests enhanced trackside Wi-Fi

  Chiltern Railways, part of the Arriva network, tests out an enhanced trackside Wi-Fi network to improve connectivity for passengers on its trains

• February 04, 2016 04 Feb'16

  How to survive a broadband service failure

  With BT yet again forced to apologise to consumer and business broadband customers after another technical fault, how can businesses reliant on one telco prepare themselves for the inevitable?

• February 04, 2016 04 Feb'16

  Global mobile traffic to hit 31 exabytes a month by 2020

  The boom in global mobile data traffic shows absolutely no signs of slowing, according to Cisco’s latest Visual Networking Index report

• February 04, 2016 04 Feb'16

  VoLTE calls not yet as reliable as 2G or 3G, says report

  Research by customer experience solutions supplier Amdocs claims VoLTE call drops are four to five times higher than on traditional mobile networks

• February 04, 2016 04 Feb'16

  Three chairman promises five-year price freeze after O2 merger

  Three chairman Canning Fok pledges a price freeze and a £5bn network investment if the acquisition of O2 is allowed to go ahead

• February 02, 2016 02 Feb'16

  BT broadband network suffers technical fault

  A technical fault on the BT network left users around the country unable to access broadband and phone services

• February 02, 2016 02 Feb'16

  Portsmouth uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to ease traffic woes

  City council manages traffic flow and eases congestion with a wireless, Bluetooth IoT sensor network

• February 02, 2016 02 Feb'16

  TalkTalk loses 100,000 customers in cyber attack

  Communications service provider says it lost 101,000 customers after last year’s data breach, but claims half a million took up its free upgrade offer

• February 02, 2016 02 Feb'16

  No supplier immune from declining smartphone market, says Juniper Research

  Juniper Research’s latest assessment of the smartphone market reveals virtually all suppliers are being affected by the global slowdown

• February 01, 2016 01 Feb'16

  Boeing plugs ViaSat into new AH-64E Apache helicopters

  Boeing awards satellite broadband supplier ViaSat a contract to supply connectivity for its AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters

• February 01, 2016 01 Feb'16

  Ofcom: O2 acquisition will damage competition and retail markets

  Ofcom chief executive Sharon White outlines the regulator’s concerns over Three’s acquisition of O2

• February 01, 2016 01 Feb'16

  Malaysia builds smart traffic system in its Silicon Valley equivalent

  Malaysia is testing out a traffic management system in the town of Cyberjaya, which is a test bed for smart city innovation

• February 01, 2016 01 Feb'16

  Jaguar Land Rover sets up ‘living lab’ to test autonomous cars

  Car manufacturer invests £5.5m in a 41-mile ‘living laboratory’ to test and develop connected and autonomous vehicle technology

• February 01, 2016 01 Feb'16

  EE to retain brand, network and shops, says BT

  BT has announced a new organisational structure to come into effect in April, following its acquisition of mobile operator EE

• January 29, 2016 29 Jan'16

  BT completes EE acquisition on schedule

  BT has completed its £12.5bn acquisition of EE on schedule, with the mobile operator set to become a new business unit in the wider group

• January 29, 2016 29 Jan'16

  Ofcom to probe EE over billing mishap

  Regulator announces an investigation into errors made by EE in applying European roaming charges

• January 28, 2016 28 Jan'16

  BBC awards broadcast network contract to BT

  BT is awarded a seven-year, £100m plus contract to supply networking services to the BBC

• January 28, 2016 28 Jan'16

  EE emerges as top performing network at London airports

  RootMetrics’ analysis of mobile broadband connectivity at London’s City, Gatwick and Heathrow airports reveals EE is far outpacing its rivals in terms of performance

• January 27, 2016 27 Jan'16

  Government may consider state-owned broadband provider

  A public sector-owned broadband infrastructure provider is one option on the table as DCMS consults on the future of the £1.7bn BDUK scheme

• January 26, 2016 26 Jan'16

  Could Sweden become the first cashless society?

  Sweden is fast becoming a country where cash is on the periphery of payments, and some think it might be the first to become cashless

• January 26, 2016 26 Jan'16

  Nokia FastMile enhances LTE networks to boost rural broadband

  Nokia launches a long term evolution radio service called FastMile, which will allow operators to boost mobile broadband services in rural areas

• January 22, 2016 22 Jan'16

  BT Mobile MVNO deploys agile NFV-based billing

  BT deploys an NFV-ready customer billing platform from BSS supplier Openet to give mobile customers more control of their service

• January 22, 2016 22 Jan'16

  Oil company gives roaming workforce unlimited Wi-Fi

  Oil and gas well management company Expro chooses iPass to meet the mobile data needs of its globally distributed workforce

• January 21, 2016 21 Jan'16

  Norfolk County Council embarks on £20m network and mobile upgrade

  Norfolk County Council has awarded Capita-owned public services network supplier Updata a £20m framework agreement to upgrade its network infrastructure

• January 20, 2016 20 Jan'16

  Enterprises will drive augmented reality and wearables, says report

  Business applications, not consumer, will be the real drivers for growth in augmented reality and wearable technology, says Beecham Research

• January 19, 2016 19 Jan'16

  Canary Wharf Group brings 4G network coverage inside its properties

  Arqiva deploys an in-building network to enable 4G browsing in the underground shopping centres at Canary Wharf

• January 19, 2016 19 Jan'16

  BT names global IT architect Howard Watson as CIO

  BT chief architect and managing director of global IT platforms, Howard Watson, is to replace Clive Selley as the telecoms firm's CIO

• January 19, 2016 19 Jan'16

  Sigfox brings the internet of things to Antarctica

  Connectivity provider teams up with GPS supplier Sensolus and Belgian government to use the IoT to support climate change researchers

• January 18, 2016 18 Jan'16

  Still no consensus on need for FTTP, argues government

  In its response to a European consultation on broadband speed and quality, the UK government sticks to its guns, advocates for a mix of delivery technologies and insists there is no consensus on the need for FTTP

• January 15, 2016 15 Jan'16

  Daimler embeds secure SIMs in Mercedes-Benz range

  German premium car maker picks Oberthur Technologies to supply secure, embedded SIMs for Mercedes-Benz vehicles

• January 15, 2016 15 Jan'16

  BT and EE to merge in weeks after deal gets final approval

  Acquisition of mobile network operator is expected to conclude at the end of January after Competition and Markets Authority gives go-ahead

• January 14, 2016 14 Jan'16

  Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent celebrate honeymoon

  Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent officially complete their merger and celebrate their first day of combined operations

• January 13, 2016 13 Jan'16

  Polish city builds network to manage smart public transport systems

  The city of Rzeszow in Poland is building a microwave data transmission platform to manage transport systems in a smart city project

• January 13, 2016 13 Jan'16

  Scottish Power picks Vodafone to manage smart electricity grid

  Four-year contract will see mobile operator manage performance monitoring and fault identification systems as energy supplier transitions to smart grid technologies

• January 12, 2016 12 Jan'16

  Used smartphones worth $17bn to global economy, say accountants

  Deloitte’s technology, media and telecoms practice suggests there is now a vast market for used smartphones

• January 12, 2016 12 Jan'16

  EE and O2 mobile networks hit by mystery outage

  Operators struggle to account for fault that left customers unable to place calls to landline numbers

• January 11, 2016 11 Jan'16

  Closer co-operation in Asean with ICT masterplan

  Asean countries will work more closely together on the region’s latest plan for increasing the use and benefits of IT

• January 07, 2016 07 Jan'16

  Mobile spectrum sharing pilot begins in France

  Ericsson joins with startup Red Technologies, Qualcomm and the French government to run a radio spectrum sharing pilot for future 5G mobile networks

• January 06, 2016 06 Jan'16

  UK IoT research hub opens with support from academic world

  A consortium of nine UK universities have come together to work alongside the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on research into the internet of things

• January 06, 2016 06 Jan'16

  Audi drivers go online with European MVNO agreement

  Audi drivers will be able to buy in-car connectivity through an MVNO agreement spanning 13 European countries

• January 05, 2016 05 Jan'16

  Free public communications network rolls out in New York City

  Communication hubs will provide free public Wi-Fi, voice and video calls, device charging and tablets for internet browsing, access to city services, maps and directions

• January 05, 2016 05 Jan'16

  Mobile operator consolidation spreads to France

  Orange confirms it is in discussions to buy local rival Bouygues

• January 04, 2016 04 Jan'16

  EE CEO Swantee to leave after BT deal wraps up

  EE confirms that CEO Olaf Swantee will step down following the mobile operator’s acquisition by BT

• December 31, 2015 31 Dec'15

  Top 10 internet of things stories of 2015

  2015 was the year the internet of things began to move from theory to widespread practice, and the fledgling industry shook off the millstone of connected kitchen appliances

• December 31, 2015 31 Dec'15

  Top 10 networking stories of 2015

  A look back at Computer Weekly's most read networking news stories from 2015

• December 17, 2015 17 Dec'15

  Mobile tech saves more carbon than it emits, says Carbon Trust

  Use of mobile technology in Europe and North America is saving more than 180 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year, according to the Carbon Trust

• December 17, 2015 17 Dec'15

  EE announces second Power Bar recall over fire risk

  Mobile network operator recalls another batch of smartphone charging packs over a potential fire risk

• December 15, 2015 15 Dec'15

  EE and Plusnet are most complained about broadband providers

  Ofcom’s latest complaints stats show EE continues to generate the most complaints, while Plusnet sees a spike in dissatisfied consumers thanks to a major service outage

• December 15, 2015 15 Dec'15

  Mobile roaming revenues to drop by a quarter in Europe

  Juniper Research looks ahead to 2017 to predict the likely effect of when mobile roaming charges across the EU member states are phased out

• December 15, 2015 15 Dec'15

  Norway’s TeliaSonera demonstrates 1Gbps 4.5G network

  Norwegian operator TeliaSonera demonstrates the fastest download speeds yet obtained over a commercial mobile network

• December 10, 2015 10 Dec'15

  EE and Motorola confirmed as ESN suppliers by Home Office

  EE and Motorola have been formally selected to provide a resilient national 4G network for the UK’s ambulance, fire and police services

• December 09, 2015 09 Dec'15

  Consumers heading for broadband meltdown on Christmas Day

  Householders buying connected devices as presents are risking network paralysis come Christmas Day, warns a report from Cable.co.uk

• December 08, 2015 08 Dec'15

  Martha Lane Fox calls on NHS to offer free Wi-Fi and build digital skills

  Martha Lane Fox wants the NHS to offer free Wi-Fi across the NHS estate, build digital skills and increase the number of patients using online services

• December 04, 2015 04 Dec'15

  Airwave sells up to Motorola Solutions for £700m

  Airwave, which operates the UK's emergency services network, is being sold to Motorola Solutions, which provides the underlying tech for the network

• December 03, 2015 03 Dec'15

  Ofcom temporarily suspends MOD spectrum auction

  Ofcom has put the auction of a tranche of the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz spectrum bands on hold due to the ongoing uncertainty over the future of the UK’s mobile operators

• December 01, 2015 01 Dec'15

  Average UK broadband speed up to 28Mbps, says Ofcom report

  Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2015 report shows that availability, take-up and speed of broadband services is increasing across the board

• November 30, 2015 30 Nov'15

  Airwave to fight Home Office in court over ESN award

  Emergency services communications operator Airwave takes the government to court over the awarding of Lot 3 of the ESMCP to EE

• November 26, 2015 26 Nov'15

  Singapore leads Asean smart city push

  Singapore is the Asean smart city project that stands out, but Thailand and Malaysian initiatives are gaining credit, according to IDC study

• November 26, 2015 26 Nov'15

  Orange enhances internet of things strategy with additional services

  Orange has beefed up its internet of things strategy and announced the deployment of a long-range network to support IoT projects in 17 urban areas in France

• November 25, 2015 25 Nov'15

  Government explores altnet fund and finds cash for mobile broadband

  In the spending review, the government announced the possibility of setting up a new fund to invest in altnets and found £550m to support more spectrum for mobile broadband

• November 25, 2015 25 Nov'15

  Emergency Services Network gets funding boost in Spending Review

  The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme emerges from the government's Spending Review a billion pounds better off

• November 12, 2015 12 Nov'15

  Environment Agency to issue flood warnings to EE customers

  Following a successful pilot, the Environment Agency’s Floodline Warnings Direct service is to be offered to EE mobile customers in low-lying parts of Yorkshire