News

Mobile networks

• 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 17, 2019 17 Jan'19

  Vodafone and IBM prep user clouds for future network tech

  Companies expand existing collaboration to enable enterprise customers to prepare for the impact of advanced networking technologies

• 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 14, 2019 14 Jan'19

  Australia’s Optus dials into 5G

  Australia’s second largest telco Optus makes the country’s first 5G data call, paving the way for a fixed wireless service by the first half of 2019

• January 10, 2019 10 Jan'19

  RSC and Science Museum to lead future audience AR/VR demos

  Organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum will take part in a series of government-backed demonstrators creating immersive experiences for audiences of the future

• 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 08, 2019 08 Jan'19

  CES 2019: Here plugs Alexa into in-car navigation service

  Here, the former Nokia mapping unit now owned by a consortium of German carmakers, is to integrate Amazon Alexa with its navigation and location services

• January 08, 2019 08 Jan'19

  First 5G smartphones may have massive price premium

  Android smartphone brands are already preparing to launch their first 5G handsets, but new technical requirements means they won’t be cheap to build, according to analysts at TrendForce

• January 02, 2019 02 Jan'19

  Guide dogs not fazed by self-driving robots

  Robotics startup Starship Technologies and charity Guide Dogs are collaborating on a series of tests exploring how service animals interact with robots

• 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

• January 02, 2019 02 Jan'19

  Huawei aims to be more resilient in 2019 amid challenges

  Huawei’s rotating chairman Guo Ping outlines the firm’s priorities to optimise its product portfolio, empower employees and build a more resilient business structure

• 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 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

  Vodafone spreads Christmas cheer with a 4G drone

  Vodafone has conducted a test flight of the UK’s first drone delivery controlled over its 4G network

• 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

  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 10, 2018 10 Dec'18

  Port of Rotterdam uses floating lab to learn about automation in harbour

  A ship will soon be converted to a floating laboratory to test automation technologies at the Netherlands port

• December 07, 2018 07 Dec'18

  O2 outage highlights importance of software certificate audits

  A major outage on the O2 4G mobile network was caused by an expired certificate and could easily have been avoided, it has emerged

• 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 05, 2018 05 Dec'18

  BT moves to strip Huawei kit from EE’s network

  Telco will remove Huawei’s networking equipment from the core of EE’s 4G mobile network

• 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 23, 2018 23 Nov'18

  O2 and Nokia partner up on 5G-focused Massive MIMO trial in London

  Mobile network operator O2 is carrying out an investigative trial involving Massive MIMO technology in Kings Cross and Marble Arch, London to ascertain how best to ready its network for an uptick in 5G-induced data usage

• 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

  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

  Self-driving cars may have to break law, says Law Commission

  Self-driving cars may have to break the rules of the road to operate safely, and the Law Commissions of England, Wales and Scotland are embarking on a consultation to seek input on how to manage this

• 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 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

  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

  Robotic delivery service hits the streets of Milton Keynes

  Following extensive testing and a limited commercial roll-out in campus enterprise environments, Estonian robotics firm Starship Technologies is launching a direct-to-consumer robot delivery service in Milton Keynes

• 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 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 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 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 22, 2018 22 Oct'18

  Cab firm to map 250,000 miles of London roads for CAVs

  Cab operator Addison Lee has teamed up with CAV software specialist Oxbotica to start preparing the streets of London for self-driving cars

• 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

  Nordic CTO interview: Anders Johanson, Husqvarna

  Husqvarna is on a journey to transform itself into a product and services company by using the latest digital technology and Anders Johnson is a driving force behind it

• 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 05, 2018 05 Oct'18

  Telenor retrains 20,000 staff as it prepares for impact of digital tech

  Norway-based mobile phone company Telenor, which provides phone services in Scandinavia and Asia, is challenging its workforce to spend 40 hours a year learning digital skills as it prepares for the impact of digital technology

• 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

• October 01, 2018 01 Oct'18

  Two autonomous vehicle projects funded in government contest

  The National Infrastructure Commission’s Roads for the Future contest has awarded a £50,000 prize fund to two projects exploring how to make the UK’s roads ready for connected and autonomous vehicles

• 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 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 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  Out-of-contract users paying millions for phones they already own

  Despite calls for MNOs to change their ways, users are still being overcharged for their devices, says Citizens Advice

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  Medical firm debuts internet-connected prosthetic limbs

  Orthotic and prosthetic services business Hanger is trialling five connected prosthetic limbs with support from AT&T’s Foundry innovation lab

• 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

  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 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

• 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 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

  HPE pins hopes on intelligent edge as hybrid strategy flattens

  HPE sees hybrid as the future of enterprise IT, but revenue has been affected by currency fluctuations and its intelligent edge business is growing quickly

• 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 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

• August 16, 2018 16 Aug'18

  CEO Robbins puts multi-cloud at the heart of Cisco’s business

  Placing the supplier at the heart of the enterprise transition to multi-cloud environments seems to be paying off for Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins

• August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18

  O2 tests Li-Fi transmission technology to enhance home networks

  Mobile operator O2 is testing the application of Li-Fi technology, using LED light bulbs to transmit data packets, to enhance consumer wireless networks

• August 14, 2018 14 Aug'18

  Driverless cars heading for Bromley and Croydon

  A 10-month data-gathering exercise will pave the way for an autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service to start operation in 2019

• August 13, 2018 13 Aug'18

  EE best for UK mobile performance, study finds

  Users of EE’s 4G mobile network receive the best overall experience in the UK, according to RootMetrics’ latest study

• August 10, 2018 10 Aug'18

  Atos sets out vision for a digital Scotland

  Scotland has the potential to create a competitive advantage in the global economy through digital technologies, and could even become a cloud datacentre hub, according to Atos

• August 07, 2018 07 Aug'18

  In-flight Wi-Fi availability drives passenger loyalty

  A report published by Inmarsat appears to suggest that airlines which make on-board Wi-Fi more easily available are seeing more loyal customers as a result

• August 02, 2018 02 Aug'18

  Audi to test 5G use cases in car production

  German carmaker Audi is working with Sweden’s Ericsson to run field tests of 5G mobile networking technology exploring its applications on the factory floor

• August 02, 2018 02 Aug'18

  Three ploughs £276m into 5G preparation

  Hutchison-backed mobile operator Three is spending lavishly as it bids to be first to market with a commercial 5G network

• August 01, 2018 01 Aug'18

  Consumers spend less cash on connectivity, but more time online

  The total amount of money consumers are spending on fixed and mobile connectivity services has fallen for the first time in five years

• July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18

  Comms providers may be forced to notify out-of-contract users

  Providers of landline, broadband, TV and mobile services will have to notify their customers when they approach the end of their minimum contract period under proposed new rules

• July 31, 2018 31 Jul'18

  3 Hong Kong gears up for 5G with “epic” transformation

  The Hong Kong telco is putting in an advanced technical architecture that will streamline and automate internal processes and IT as it prepares for the 5G era

• July 30, 2018 30 Jul'18

  Government to fund six connected vehicle simulation projects

  The government has announced the winners of an R&D contest for connected vehicle simulation and modelling capabilities

• July 27, 2018 27 Jul'18

  BT bounces back in strong first quarter

  After a run of bad news, there were some bright spots in BT’s first quarter financial results

• July 26, 2018 26 Jul'18

  O2 canvasses support from UK Plc to build case for 5G

  O2 CEO Mark Evans is writing to every FTSE 100 boss in the UK seeking to build consensus around 5G use cases, and drum up support for investment

• July 25, 2018 25 Jul'18

  Vodafone sales tick down on new reporting rules

  Quarterly sales at mobile operator Vodafone dipped thanks to the impact of new reporting standards and foreign exchange headwinds

• July 24, 2018 24 Jul'18

  MPs call for inquiry into smart meter roll-out

  Government urged to conduct a review of the roll-out of smart meters for electricity and gas, and to intervene to tackle a number of failures

• July 24, 2018 24 Jul'18

  CIO interview: Miranda Sharp, director of innovation, Ordnance Survey

  Ordnance Survey’s innovation director talks about how the mapping agency is embracing new technologies, working on infrastructure for connected cars, and creating a geospatial framework in Manchester

• July 23, 2018 23 Jul'18

  Full-fibre broadband for all to cost £30bn

  The government has released its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, setting the stage for the national roll-out of a full-fibre broadband network

• July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18

  Confusion reigns over value of 5G, says report

  An Analysys Mason report commissioned by the Broadband Stakeholder Group has highlighted some of the challenges facing the deployment of 5G mobile networks in the UK

• July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18

  Cisco and UCL to open AI research unit in $100m digital economy boost

  Cisco has extended its ongoing Country Digital Acceleration programme in the UK with a further $100m investment, part of which will go towards a new AI research centre

• July 19, 2018 19 Jul'18

  Orange starts 5G tests in Paris

  After successful trials in Romania, Orange begins testing 5G use cases in its home country

• July 17, 2018 17 Jul'18

  Nordic CTO interview: Martin Whitlock, Telenor Connexion

  Norwegian telco is growing its global reach through its internet of things business unit

• July 17, 2018 17 Jul'18

  Spectrum costs hit the world’s poorest hardest

  The inflated cost of radio spectrum to support mobile network roll-out is harming the economic and social welfare of billions of the world’s poorest people, says the GSMA

• July 11, 2018 11 Jul'18

  Swedish state-private partnership will use advanced IT to secure cities

  Swedish authorities are working with the private sector to develop geo-fencing technology to protect cities from vehicle-related terrorist attacks

• July 10, 2018 10 Jul'18

  NIC calls for nationwide broadband plan

  The National Infrastructure Commission has called for a national broadband plan to support full-fibre roll-out