News

Network hardware

July 05, 2011 05 Jul'11
Metering supplier Onstream moves legacy infrastructure to hosted private cloud

Gas and electricity metering supplier Onstream is transforming its IT infrastructure by moving its legacy infrastructure into a Microsoft-based private cloud.
July 05, 2011 05 Jul'11
Slug and Lettuce rolls out contactless payments in 80 pubs

Pub chain Slug and Lettuce has rolled out Barclaycard payment terminals to support contactless payments in 80 of its pubs across the UK.
July 04, 2011 04 Jul'11
European mobile roaming charges fall as EC executes plan to harmonise rates by 2015

The cost of making and receiving mobile phone calls in Europe has been cut again, as the European Commission executes plans to make roaming rates the same as domestic rates by 2015.
July 04, 2011 04 Jul'11
Government signs framework agreement and names suppliers for public sector networks

The government has signed a framework agreement worth an estimated contract value of £5m to enable central and local authorities transition to public sector networks (PSN).

July 01, 2011 01 Jul'11
£20m turnover threshold could exclude SMEs and communities from £2bn broadband deals

Smaller network operators and local communities could be excluded from taking part in the government's rural broadband roll-out, according to leaked documents.
July 01, 2011 01 Jul'11
Betfair sees 120% increase in mobile customers

The online gambling firm increased sales via mobile applications by 88% as customer mobile use grows.
June 29, 2011 29 Jun'11
Smart grid security challenge highlighted in report

Government plans to create a smart grid for energy networks will require a coordinated focus on cybersecurity as communication networks play a key role, according to a report from The Energy Networks Association (ENA).
June 29, 2011 29 Jun'11
Cambridgeshire County Council signs PSN deal with Virgin for £30m

Cambridgeshire County Council has signed a seven-year public sector network (PSN) contract with Virgin Media Business, estimated to be worth £30m.
June 29, 2011 29 Jun'11
Welsh Assembly networks fire and rescue control rooms for £2m

The Welsh government has joined up its fire and rescue control rooms using a £2m grant.
June 28, 2011 28 Jun'11
Experts warn of growth of 'shadow IT' use outside IT department control

Industry experts have warned of an increase in unauthorised IT systems within organisations as IT departments fail to keep pace with employees' technology demands and the consumerisation of IT.

June 28, 2011 28 Jun'11
Telcos increase investment in IT

Mobile and fixed line telecoms companies are stepping up their spending on IT following the downturn, but only slowly, the latest research from analyst group Ovum reveals.
June 28, 2011 28 Jun'11
Security is key issue for mobile payment adoption

Mobile security will be increasingly important as mobile payment adoption increases over the next four years, according to research.
June 27, 2011 27 Jun'11
La Senza cuts fixed-line bills and simplifies IT by switching to O2

Lingerie retailer La Senza has snipped its fixed-line bill by switching to O2. By combining fixed and mobile services, O2 says it has been able to drive efficiency, as well as reduce the complexity of multiple suppliers, helping reduce La Senza's ...
June 22, 2011 22 Jun'11
BA audits heterogenous SAN

British Airways has certified its business continuity plans using Data-Shield's SAN Assessment service.
June 21, 2011 21 Jun'11
Smart meter project lacks public support due to concerns about rising energy costs

Fears of initial price rises and a lack of evidence on future savings could de-stabilise government plans to reduce energy consumption through smart metering, according to a survey of 1,000 consumers.
June 21, 2011 21 Jun'11
Everything Everywhere set to profit £290m from sale of government radio spectrum

Mobile phone giant Everything Everywhere stands to make £290m on the sale of part of its radio spectrum, gifted to it by John Major's government 20 years ago.
June 20, 2011 20 Jun'11
Ofcom grants mobile phone operators right to trade radio spectrum to expand capacity

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has given mobile phone operators rights to trade radio spectrum holdings to help increase mobile network capacity for consumers.
June 16, 2011 16 Jun'11
Westminster City Council signs £190m framework agreement with Virgin

Westminster City Council has signed a £190m framework agreement with Virgin, following a wide area network (WAN) contract worth £2.5m.
June 15, 2011 15 Jun'11
Pizza Express rolls out Wi-Fi for smartphone connectivity

Pizza Express has rolled out Wi-Fi across its 384 stores to meet growing customer demand for mobile internet connectivity.
June 15, 2011 15 Jun'11
Government to create market for personal identity data

The government is preparing to create a marketplace for citizens' personal data to be used for accessing online public services, according to documents that were issued to industry in preparation for the coalition's next-generation identity scheme.
June 14, 2011 14 Jun'11
Nokia claims victory in long-running patent battle with Apple

Nokia has announced that it has signed a patent licence agreement with Apple to settle all patent litigation between the companies.
June 10, 2011 10 Jun'11
Former T-Mobile employees ordered to pay nearly £80,000 for data theft

The Chester Crown Court has ordered two former employees of UK mobile operator T-Mobile to pay a total of £73,700 after stealing and selling customer data from the company in 2008.
June 10, 2011 10 Jun'11
O2 warns Ofcom's 4G radio spectrum auction rules will delay high-speed mobile network

Mobile network operator O2 has warned the UK could fall further behind in the construction of high-speed mobile networks if Ofcom's plans for a radio spectrum auction in 2012 go ahead.
June 09, 2011 09 Jun'11
Visa predicts 20 million contactless payment cards in UK by 2012

Visa Europe expects the number of contactless cards being used in the UK to reach 20 million by the end of 2011.
June 08, 2011 08 Jun'11
TfL makes real-time information available for ‘Boris Bikes’ apps

Transport for London (TfL) has made real-time information available on its "Boris Bikes" scheme for developers seeking to create mobile apps.
June 08, 2011 08 Jun'11
IT head at Ofcom sent down for £522,123 fraud

A former IT head at Ofcom has been sentenced to two years for defrauding the communications regulator more than half a million pounds.
June 08, 2011 08 Jun'11
World IPv6 Day: Why it really matters

Wednesday 8 June 2011 is World IPv6 Day, which means around 200 organisations, including Google, Facebook and Yahoo, will offer content over IPv6 for a 24-hour trial to highlight security holes.
June 07, 2011 07 Jun'11
Skype suffers second outage as users locked out

Some Skype users have been unable to sign into accounts after the service suffered a second outage in as many weeks.
June 06, 2011 06 Jun'11
Near field communications: Are UK retailers ready for Google's mobile wallet?

As Google begins trialling its new Google Wallet application, Jenny Williams investigates the obstacles to retail adoption of near-field communication (NFC) mobile payment systems
June 02, 2011 02 Jun'11
Cable&Wireless makes videoconferencing available everywhere

Cable&Wireless Worldwide has introduced a managed videoconferencing (MVC) suite covering video communications on any device.
May 27, 2011 27 May'11
Government promotes wholesale rural broadband competition with £2bn framework deal

The government is inviting bids from telecoms firms to create competition in wholesale superfast broadband services in rural and hard-to-reach areas of the country, with the incentive of winning contracts worth up to £2bn.
May 27, 2011 27 May'11
UK government announces next wave of rural broadband deployment

Consumers and businesses in Wiltshire, Norfolk, Devon and Somerset are to benefit from the next phase of the UK government's drive to roll out superfast broadband connections to rural areas.
May 27, 2011 27 May'11
Skype users locked out as internet telephony service works on fix

Skype was forced to issue a workaround for users unable to sign into their accounts while the internet telephony service worked on a permanent fix.
May 27, 2011 27 May'11
Mobile internet download speeds average just 1.5Mbps

On average, UK users achieve a mobile internet download speed of 1.5Mbps, compared with 6.2Mbps average fixed broadband download speeds.
May 25, 2011 25 May'11
BT and Everything Everywhere trial 800MHz 4G LTE broadband in Newquay

BT and mobile operator Everything Everywhere are seeking 200 volunteers in South Newquay, Cornwall to trial a joint high-speed 4G broadband initiative.
May 20, 2011 20 May'11
MPs call for extending mobile broadband coverage to 98% of UK

MP and rural broadband campaigner Rory Stewart tells Computer Weekly why next-generation mobile should be extended to include an extra two million people in the UK.
May 20, 2011 20 May'11
Mobile malware set to double in 2011, says Kaspersky Lab

Mobile malware is set to at least double that of 2010 based on the number of new malware signatures detected in the first quarter of the year, says Kaspersky Lab.
May 20, 2011 20 May'11
Mobile operators appeal against Ofcom’s proposed MTR fee cuts

The UK's largest mobile operators are appealing against a decision by telecoms regulator Ofcom to push through severe cuts in mobile termination rates.
May 19, 2011 19 May'11
Nokia’s sales hit 14-year low as worldwide smartphone sales soar

Nokia's worldwide market share of mobile devices dropped to the lowest level since 1997, according to research from Gartner.
May 16, 2011 16 May'11
Sony swamped by password reset requests as PlayStation Network restored

Sony has begun the phased restoration of its PlayStation Network - suspended after hackers accessed systems, exposing up to 100m Sony user records in the data breach - but the process is not running smoothly.
May 13, 2011 13 May'11
Analysis: What does Microsoft's Skype acquisition mean for businesses?

Microsoft's planned acquisition of internet telephony services firm Skype for $8.5bn has caused quite a stir in the consumer world, but what will it mean for business?
May 12, 2011 12 May'11
Government gets the smart metering ball rolling

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has put out a notice out to IT suppliers informing them to be ready to bid for work in its plan to introduce smart meters to UK homes, businesses and public sector organisations.
May 12, 2011 12 May'11
Government urges councils to accelerate superfast broadband roll-out

The government is calling on local authorities to accelerate broadband roll-out to help it deliver superfast broadband services to 90% of homes and business by 2015.
May 12, 2011 12 May'11
BT fourth quarter results show 9% profit growth to £495m

BT has increased its full-year dividend by 7% and reported market-beating fourth-quarter results, saying it expects to continue to grow profit and free cash flow.
May 12, 2011 12 May'11
Cisco warns quarter results will fall below analysts' expectations

Technology industry bellwether Cisco Systems has warned that company profit and sales in the current quarter may miss analysts' estimates.
May 10, 2011 10 May'11
Update: Microsoft buys Skype Technologies

Microsoft is in talks to acquire internet telephony services company Skype, and a deal of between $7bn and $8bn could be announced today, according to US reports.
May 10, 2011 10 May'11
TalkTalk broadband offers centralised web filtering

TalkTalk claims to be the first major UK internet service provider to allow broadband customers to block malicious or offensive material at server level.
May 05, 2011 05 May'11
Apple releases iPhone and iPad software update to fix user location tracking

Apple has pushed out a software update to fix a location-tracking bug on its iPhone and iPad devices.
May 05, 2011 05 May'11
Brocade develops ethernet fabric for cloud computing

Brocade has developed a fabric-based ethernet network, designed to tackle the challenges of networking in a cloud computing environment.
May 03, 2011 03 May'11
BlackBerry World 2011: RIM allows IT departments to split corporate and personal data

Research in Motion (RIM) has unveiled software to split personal and corporate data on its BlackBerry devices.
May 03, 2011 03 May'11
Small investment in social media can deliver big business benefits, says analyst

Businesses should not be afraid to experiment with social media to reach out to their customers and partners, says analyst firm Ovum.
May 03, 2011 03 May'11
Apple more than doubles global iPhone shipments

Apple continued to gain market share after more than doubling global shipments of its iPhone in the first quarter of 2011.
May 03, 2011 03 May'11
Cloud computing: How to avoid a network bottleneck

Cloud computing can put a huge load on a business's network. Organisations need to ensure network access from the user's browser on the local area network (LAN), to a cloud-based datacentre across on the public internet are fit for purpose.
April 28, 2011 28 Apr'11
Nottingham University Hospitals Trust deploys wireless network

The Nervecentre system has improved patient safety, workforce planning and productivity.
April 28, 2011 28 Apr'11
PC sales boosted by iPad, but netbooks decline

The PC market grew 7% in Q1 2011, according to research from Canalys, due to the popularity of Apple's iPad.
April 28, 2011 28 Apr'11
Apple blames bug for tracking users' location

Apple has blamed a bug for surreptitiously tracking iPhone and iPad users' locations and has promised to release free software to remedy the problem in the...
April 26, 2011 26 Apr'11
Bradford in top 100 fast internet cities

The city of Bradford has made it into Akamai's top 100 list of fast internet cities, coming in at 99th.
April 26, 2011 26 Apr'11
Half a billion people set to use mobile ticketing by 2015

The deployment of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology will lead to half a billion people worldwide using their mobile devices as travel tickets by 2015, according to research from Juniper Research.
April 21, 2011 21 Apr'11
Ofcom: TalkTalk has highest number of customer complaints

TalkTalk tops the league in terms of number of customer complaints, according to a new report from Ofcom .
April 18, 2011 18 Apr'11
Microsoft executive's departure sparks Apple cloud rumours

Reports that Apple has hired a senior Microsoft datacentre expert have sparked speculation of the company's plans to expand its cloud services portfolio....
April 18, 2011 18 Apr'11
EU to investigate telcos’ data traffic management practices

European regulators are to investigate telecoms companies' data traffic management practices to promote transparency and net neutrality.
April 15, 2011 15 Apr'11
Computer Weekly marks the end of an era as a new one begins

The first issue of Computer Weekly magazine in 1966 marked the start of an era in the UK IT industry - the first ever weekly technology publication. This is the story of how it all began.
April 15, 2011 15 Apr'11
Is Cisco in trouble?

Cisco has been the leading supplier of network equipment to enterprises for some time. But they are now facing many challenges and resurgent compeitition.
April 14, 2011 14 Apr'11
Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7 'Mango'

Microsoft has unveiled its latest Windows 7 phone operating system, code-named Mango, which will include augmented reality and multitasking features.
April 14, 2011 14 Apr'11
Japan’s Fujitsu plans to take high-speed fibre broadband to rural UK

Fujitsu has announced plans to build a high-speed broadband network to reach five million homes in rural parts of the UK that will rival download speeds provided by BT.
April 13, 2011 13 Apr'11
Building an Olympics network

Preparation is clearly the key to Olympic success, as players on 27 July 2012 will see years of finely honed practice condensed into one gruelling fortnight
April 11, 2011 11 Apr'11
Securing the cloud is much like securing the enterprise, says industry analyst

Security is widely cited as the single biggest reason for not embracing cloud computing, but security is really made up of several aspects says Quocirca.
April 11, 2011 11 Apr'11
Google halts new Street View imagery in Germany

Google will stop taking photography in Germany for Google Street View despite a court ruling declaring the service legal.
April 11, 2011 11 Apr'11
Manageability issues impede adoption of virtualisation

Virtual infrastructure management challenges are hindering the adoption of virtualisation within businesses, according to research.
April 07, 2011 07 Apr'11
Google reaffirms commitment to open source on Android

Google's head of mobile software, Andy Rubin, reaffirmed the company's commitment to keeping Android an open-source project amid criticism that it is 'locking...
April 07, 2011 07 Apr'11
Cisco investors seek to axe consumer unit in company shake-up

Investors have called for Cisco Systems to axe its low-margin consumer division after chief executive John Chambers announced plans for a company shake-up.
April 06, 2011 06 Apr'11
EC to set RFID tag guidelines to address privacy concerns

An agreement between the EC and the ENISA commits to creating guidelines for the use of RFID (radio frequency identification device) tags after concerns about the privacy of user data.
April 06, 2011 06 Apr'11
BT accused of obfuscation over infrastructure prices

BT has been accused of clouding the issues in its reaction to an ISPs' letter to communications minister Ed Vaizey threatening to boycott pilot rural broadband projects over BT's prices for third-party access to its physical infrastructure.
April 06, 2011 06 Apr'11
Cisco boss plans company shake-up

Cisco Systems' chief executive of 16 years, John Chambers, has announced plans for a company shake-up in the face declining investor confidence.
April 05, 2011 05 Apr'11
University of Nottingham saves £60k a year through VoIP migration

The University of Nottingham is saving up to £60,000 a year after moving to a voice over IP (VoIP) system.
April 05, 2011 05 Apr'11
US investigates privacy in smartphone apps

US Federal authorities have begun an investigation into how smartphone applications use personal data, according to US reports.
April 05, 2011 05 Apr'11
Analysis: Is the Epsilon data breach a watershed for the marketing industry?

Thousands – potentially millions – of e-mail addresses have been stolen in a hacker attack on US marketing firm Epsilon, but the firm has downplayed the incident, saying that the data is limited to e-mail addresses and/or customer names.
April 05, 2011 05 Apr'11
BT defends pole and duct pricing as industry criticism spreads

BT has defended itself against criticism of its proposed pricing for access to its poles and ducts, despite further industry support for the concerns raised by a number of its rivals this week.
April 05, 2011 05 Apr'11
New Look expands multi-channel strategy with mobile commerce site

Fashion retailer New Look has launched a new mobile commerce website as part of its multi-channel strategy.
April 05, 2011 05 Apr'11
Broadband boycott threat comes as no surprise

It can hardly have surprised communications minister Ed Vaizey (pictured) and BT CEO Ian Livingston that would-be competitors to BT would find the terms, conditions – and prices – of access to BT's poles, ducts and other infrastructure unacceptable.
April 04, 2011 04 Apr'11
Telecoms firms threaten BDUK boycott over BT terms and conditions

The government's £830m plan to provide high-speed broadband access in rural areas may be on the rocks following a letter to communications minister Ed Vaizey from network operators.
April 04, 2011 04 Apr'11
The fundamentals of preparing for desktop virtualisation

Virtual desktop infrastructure allows IT departments to break free from the cost of PC renewal cycles and simplify desktop support.
April 04, 2011 04 Apr'11
How West Nottinghamshire College tamed Microsoft Active Directory for desktop virtualisation

The configuration of an organisation's Microsoft Active Directory domain services can be a challenge when deploying virtualisation software.
April 04, 2011 04 Apr'11
West Nottinghamshire College halves IT spend through 2X Software's desktop virtualisation

West Nottinghamshire College has halved IT costs and saved 80 man hours a week through desktop virtualisation.
April 04, 2011 04 Apr'11
Cloud contracts stalled by existing support/maintenance

A survey of 200 IT directors within large enterprise organisations has found that IT directors are worried about the potential management headaches of cloud computing.
April 04, 2011 04 Apr'11
Vodafone sells SFR to Vivendi for £6.8bn cash

Vodafone has announced it will sell its entire 44% shareholding in French mobile network SFR to Vivendi for £6.8bn in cash.
April 01, 2011 01 Apr'11
Ofcom budget cuts reduce costs to stakeholders

Communications regulator Ofcom is to slash 170 jobs as it seeks to cut its budget from almost £150m to £116m for 2011/12.
April 01, 2011 01 Apr'11
Community networks to be part of Devon and Somerset broadband projects

Devon and Somerset county council has issued requests for tenders worth...
April 01, 2011 01 Apr'11
Samsung and Visa team up for mobile NFC payments

Samsung and Visa have formed a partnership to provide mobile payments in time for the 2012 London Olympic games.
April 01, 2011 01 Apr'11
Walsall council embarks on public sector network project

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council has embarked on a project to connect all its assets with its own PSN
April 01, 2011 01 Apr'11
TfL halts plans for tube mobile network in time for the Olympic games

Transport for London (TfL) has shelved plans to install a mobile network on London's underground in time for the Olympic games in 2012.
March 31, 2011 31 Mar'11
Flaws in NASA network put operations and personnel at risk, report reveals

Computer servers on NASA's agency-wide mission network have high-risk vulnerabilities that can be exploited from the internet, a US government report has revealed.
March 31, 2011 31 Mar'11
Ofcom to cut Openreach prices up to 9% in real terms

Ofcom proposes to impose real cuts of up to 9% on the wholesale price of a range of BT Openreach's products.
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
Vaizey wins cautious praise on net neutrality

The government won cautious praise for its approach to net neutrality, otherwise known as the open internet, at a public all-party parliamentary committee debate on Tuesday.
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
Government IT strategy 'lacks local council focus’

Jos Creese, president of Socitm, has welcomed the government's new IT strategy, but says it lacks details on the involvement of local government.
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
All for one fibre, one fibre for all, says ECTA

Countries should separate the provision of new fibre networks from their operation, executives from telcos struggling to enter new national markets told the European Commission and major banks on Tuesday.
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
Microsoft partners with Telefonica to provide BlueVia SDK for .NET developers

Microsoft will use its Windows Azure platform alongside Telefonica's application API project, BlueVia, to provide a free SDK for .NET application developers.
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
Windows Phone 7 will take second place behind Android by 2015, says IDC

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 OS is set to surge to second place in the OS market behind Google's Android by 2015, according to a research firm.
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
Network failures cause BBC website outage

A network problem caused all BBC online news websites to suffer a complete outage for an hour.
March 30, 2011 30 Mar'11
Firefox 4 now available for Android phones

Mozilla's Firefox 4 web browser is now available for smartphones running Google Android.