News

Network hardware

January 14, 2010 14 Jan'10
York to get £13m dark fibre network from H2O

The City of York has signed a £13.7m, eight-year renewable contract for a city-wide managed fibre network with Pinacl Solutions and H2O Networks.
January 13, 2010 13 Jan'10
UK hogs middle of broadband superhighway

The UK's position in the middle of the information superhighway has been highlighted by the latest stateoftheinternet report from web content delivery firm Akamai.
January 12, 2010 12 Jan'10
BT to work with Green Touch to cut ICT energy use

BT, the UK's biggest telecommunications operator, is to take part in and support the Green Touch initiative launched by Bell Labs to cut the energy use of the IT sector to one-thousandth of its present consumption.
January 12, 2010 12 Jan'10
Google extends Apps with shared enterprise storage

Google has extended its Apps Premier Edition cloud-based office productivity suite, with tools and services to aid online collaboration.

January 11, 2010 11 Jan'10
Green Touch consortium aims to slash internet's carbon footprint

The internet could be running on 1,000 times less energy that it presently uses within five years, say members of a consortium of IT and communications equipment and services suppliers.
January 11, 2010 11 Jan'10
China’s Huawei to invest $500m in Indian operations

Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies is to invest $500m in its research and development operations in the southern Indian city of Bangalore by 2015.
January 07, 2010 07 Jan'10
Optical fibre inventors get more government money

Southampton University, which has invented some of the key optical fibre technologies that now enable the internet, is one of three research and development centres to receive new government money to further its work.
January 07, 2010 07 Jan'10
Government asks how it should spend 50p phone levy

The government has launched a consultation on how best to spend part of the £1bn it hopes to raise from the 50p levy on fixed-line phones to extend high-speed broadband access across the UK.
January 07, 2010 07 Jan'10
Networks & telecoms trends to watch in 2010

The single most important event in the UK telecommunications market in 2010 is likely to be the passing of the Digital Economy Bill.
January 07, 2010 07 Jan'10
O2 and 3 call for UK ruling on Orange and T-Mobile merger

Mobile operators are calling for the planned merger between Orange and T-Mobile to be reviewed by UK regulators instead of their European-based counterparts.

January 05, 2010 05 Jan'10
Vodafone and Orange ready for iPhone data deluge

Orange and Vodafone claim their networks will cope with the extra data traffic that plagued O2 when it launched the iPhone.
January 05, 2010 05 Jan'10
Google could launch Android phone today

Google is expected to launch its own-brand Android mobile phone later today, ahead of the opening...
January 04, 2010 04 Jan'10
Conservative manifesto would revamp NHS IT

The Conservative Party has published a draft manifesto for the NHS, which could have a material impact on the NHS National Programme for IT.
January 04, 2010 04 Jan'10
UK broadband gains speed

Average broadband speeds grew 22% during 2009, research by analysts at internet comparison site broadband.co.uk ...
December 22, 2009 22 Dec'09
Millions to text their season's greetings

Mobile phones will unite millions of people this Christmas and New Year, with hundreds of millions of messages expected to be sent on Orange's network alone.
December 22, 2009 22 Dec'09
Vodafone iPhone available 14 January 2010

Vodafone has become the latest mobile operator to offer the iPhone, with the announcement of availability from 14 January.
December 22, 2009 22 Dec'09
Twitter bags a profit with Google and Microsoft search deals

Twitter is said to be profitable after this year's high-profile search deals with Google and Microsoft.
December 22, 2009 22 Dec'09
Digital Britain in action: plans well underway, says government

The government says it is a quarter of the way through implementing the plans set out in the Digital Britain report.
December 21, 2009 21 Dec'09
Top 10 stories in telecoms and networks 2009

The Digital Britain report, broadband speeds, taxes and privacy have dominated the world of networks and telecoms this year…
December 18, 2009 18 Dec'09
Tesco builds 'world's first' visual search app for iPhone

Tesco claims it has built the world's first visual search application for the iPhone with its new wine app.
December 18, 2009 18 Dec'09
Blackberry e-mail fails again

Blackberry users were unable to access mobile e-mail from their smartphones yesterday.
December 17, 2009 17 Dec'09
Vtesse to test government's 2mbps broadband promise

Vtesse Networks is to test the economic viability of providing superfast fixed wireless broadband to the UK's broadband "not-spots" by installing a network in rural Wiltshire. It will use the results to press its case for government money to roll ...
December 17, 2009 17 Dec'09
Wi-Fi operator may quit UK over wireless tax

Valuation Office plans to tax Wi-Fi and Wi-Max networks could lead to at least one Wi-Fi network operator closing down and leaving the country.
December 17, 2009 17 Dec'09
Orange map shows broadband hotspots

Mobile network operator Orange has produced an online interactive map, based on its research findings.
December 16, 2009 16 Dec'09
Worthy groups awarded free web access

More than 40 UK communities will receive free Wi-Fi for at least three years regardless of the current connectivity in the area, following a competition to find worthy users.
December 15, 2009 15 Dec'09
Survey: Blackberry obsession set to cause Christmas strife

The majority of smartphone users will have their Christmas breaks interrupted by work-related messages, a survey claims.

Some 77% of smartphone owners...
December 15, 2009 15 Dec'09
Novartis develops app to keep malaria in check

Pharmaceutical company Novatatis has worked with IBM and Vodafone to develop an application to maintain supplies of anti-malarial drugs in Tanzania.

Over...
December 14, 2009 14 Dec'09
UK super-fast broadband network is a no-brainer, says OECD

The UK government could justify building a national point-to-point, fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network if it saved just 0.5% of costs in each of the electricity,...
December 10, 2009 10 Dec'09
Broadband tax for everyone with a landline

A tax of 50p per month will be forced on every home that has a fixed landline as the government looks at ways to get broadband services
December 09, 2009 09 Dec'09
Nokia uses joint venture to launch Ovi in China

Nokia has formed a joint venture with New Alliance, part of Shanghai Alliance Investment (SAIL), to develop and sell mobile and internet-based services to the Chinese market.
December 08, 2009 08 Dec'09
10gbps network speeds up Manchester's media dream

BT Business beat off competition from 17 other network suppliers to win a contract said to be worth close to £10m to install a 10gbps network in
December 08, 2009 08 Dec'09
One in four 'too rural' for fast broadband, says study

Up to a quarter of the British population will not have access to broadband at faster than 2Mbps, according to a national study of existing optical fibre...
December 04, 2009 04 Dec'09
Which? picks Avaya for call centre upgrade

Consumer champion Which? is to revamp the technology that supports its customer services operations...
December 04, 2009 04 Dec'09
Cisco will buy Tandberg despite falling short on shares

Cisco says it will go ahead with the purchase of Tandberg despite receiving preliminary acceptances of its cash offer for only 89% of the Norwegian video...
December 04, 2009 04 Dec'09
Twitter improves website for mobiles

Twitter has upgraded its mobile website to make it look and work more like the desktop version, the social networking site said in a blog post.
December 02, 2009 02 Dec'09
Government picks centralised network for £10bn smart meter project

The government has opted for a centralised communications network to control information flows to and from 47 million smart meters that will replace the...
December 02, 2009 02 Dec'09
BP outsources comms and supplier management to T-Systems

BP has outsourced its voice and data communications infrastructure to T-Systems in a deal that will also see the supplier manage the oil company's voice and data suppliers.
December 01, 2009 01 Dec'09
TfL offers IT contracts worth £150m

Transport for London has issued tenders for two contracts with a potential combined value of £150m.

The first seeks suppliers to "ensure successful...
November 30, 2009 30 Nov'09
BT expresses sympathy as villagers slam chairman's broadband

Villagers in Hambledon, near Henley-on-Thames, are outraged because a local resident who happens to be the chairman of BT is the only person in the village with broadband.
November 26, 2009 26 Nov'09
The IT Blog Awards 2009 winners

Did Stephen Fry win Twitter user of the year? Who’s the 2009 blogger of the year? All these questions have been answered.
November 24, 2009 24 Nov'09
Oyster payment systems expanded across London

Train companies in London will have to invest in IT systems to support Oyster smartcard payments as London goes through "Oysterisation", according to London mayor Boris Johnson.
November 23, 2009 23 Nov'09
CBI: Eight things you didn’t know about digital communications

Interesting facts from the CBI report, The shape of business – the next 10 years
November 23, 2009 23 Nov'09
Will Microsoft pay News Corp to remove its content from Google?

Rumours are growing around the possibility of Microsoft paying News Corporation to remove its content from Google. Rupert Murdoch, the CEO of...
November 23, 2009 23 Nov'09
Ikee.B virus gives control of iPhones to cybercriminals

A new virus is attacking iPhones and giving control of the devices to a botnet in Lithuania.
November 23, 2009 23 Nov'09
AOL to cut one third of its workforce

AOL is to cut a third of its workforce as it seeks to reduce annual costs by $300m.

The move forms part of a restructuring exercise following...
November 20, 2009 20 Nov'09
eBay sells $2bn stake in Skype

eBay has completed its sale of a majority interest in Skype for almost $2bn to an investor group that includes the founders of the internet phone service.

The...
November 20, 2009 20 Nov'09
Digital Economy Bill supports creative and digital industries

The UK digital economy accounts for nearly 10% of the revenue produced by the whole British economy each year, according to business secretary
November 20, 2009 20 Nov'09
Tesco to offer cheap broadband

Tesco is aiming for turnover of £2bn a year from telecoms services after signing a deal with Cable & Wireless.

The retailer will offer broadband and...
November 19, 2009 19 Nov'09
Inside Chrome OS - Google reveals design objectives of cloud operating system

Google has unveiled the design plans for Chrome OS, its operating system for cloud computing. Chrome OS is an evolution of the Chrome web browser,...
November 19, 2009 19 Nov'09
Facebook stock value up 42% to $9.5bn

The price of Facebook stock has jumped as much as 42% in the past four months. Membership is topping 300 million users to take Facebook into profit for the first time.
November 19, 2009 19 Nov'09
Delivering on the promise of easy-to-use, secure, and inexpensive video conferencing

Internet Protocol (IP) Video Conferencing can provide companies substantial operational efficiencies and cost savings. Although IP video conferencing is desirable from a cost perspective challenges to implementation exist including NAT traversal, ...
November 18, 2009 18 Nov'09
Kcom offers managed comms for mid-sized firms

Kcom Group is to offer managed communication services to mid-sized companies following a restructuring exercise.

The communication services...
November 18, 2009 18 Nov'09
O2 to build 1,500 more network sites

O2 will build 1,500 network sites across the UK next year, with 200 sites planned for London alone.
November 17, 2009 17 Nov'09
Customers flee from poor digital service

Companies are losing customers because of poor technology-based customer service, according to a report by Accenture.

Half of UK customers do...
November 17, 2009 17 Nov'09
Dell to launch Android-based Mini 3 smartphone

PC maker Dell has announced that it is to enter the smartphone market in late November with the launch of its first device in China.
November 17, 2009 17 Nov'09
Cisco ups bid for Tandberg to $3.4bn

Cisco has increased its offer for Norwegian teleconferencing company Tandberg after a majority of shareholders rejected the initial offer of $3bn.
November 13, 2009 13 Nov'09
Google to acquire Gizmo5 to boost Google Voice

Google is to acquire internet-based calling software firm Gizmo5 to boost its Google Voice service.
November 12, 2009 12 Nov'09
Research raises questions about telco performance claims

Most businesses lose the equivalent of an hour a week as the result of poor network performance, putting customer relationships at threat, research has...
November 11, 2009 11 Nov'09
Blackberry launches tools for easier development

Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has announced new software tools to make it easier to develop applications and graphical user interfaces for its mobile handsets.
November 11, 2009 11 Nov'09
UK mobile web surfers top 10m

UK mobile web surfers now top 10m, research has revealed.
November 09, 2009 09 Nov'09
Cisco gets social with new hosted e-mail and video apps

Cisco has launched a raft of new and enhanced products aimed at helping companies collaborate better using video, e-mail, instant messaging, telephony...
November 09, 2009 09 Nov'09
First ever iPhone worm Ikee unleashed by Aussie hacker

The first worm targeting Apple's iPhone has been unleashed by an Australian hacker.
November 06, 2009 06 Nov'09
Tories promise to review broadband tax

The Conservative Party will prioritise a review of the business rates tax on fibre networks if it comes to power.
November 06, 2009 06 Nov'09
EU weakens net neutrality to pass telecoms reform package

A net neutrality revision has allowed European legislators to implement long-awaited reforms that will introduce a single competitive market in telecoms...
November 06, 2009 06 Nov'09
T-Mobile and Orange to merge

Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom have signed contracts to set up a 50:50 joint venture that combines their UK operations, T-Mobile and Orange.
November 06, 2009 06 Nov'09
IT vital to Red Cross aid efforts in Indonesia

Isolated villages cut off by the earthquake in Indonesia have received food and aid thanks to innovative use of satellite technology.
November 06, 2009 06 Nov'09
Suppliers optimistic about 2010 outlook

IT suppliers are cautiously optimistic about growth returning in 2010.

Cisco CEO John Chambers is upbeat, despite sales sliding 13% and...
November 05, 2009 05 Nov'09
Ethernet switch for WAN could cut telecom bill by 30%

Most firms could save 30% of their telecommunications bill by optimising their wide area networks and switching to Ethernet, according to research.

The...
November 05, 2009 05 Nov'09
Data drives Cable & Wireless results as voice fades

Telecommunications network operator Cable & Wireless (C&W) has confirmed it is to split its business and list both operations.
November 05, 2009 05 Nov'09
Recovery has begun for Cisco, claims CEO

Cisco CEO John Chambers is certain the economic recovery is a reality after hailing the highest sequential gains for Q1 revenues and profits in five years....
November 05, 2009 05 Nov'09
Microsoft/Yahoo deal could extend beyond US, says Steve Ballmer

Microsoft has revealed that its search deal with Yahoo could be expanded beyond the US once it has been given the go-ahead.
November 05, 2009 05 Nov'09
Cisco reports 13% drop in sales

Network equipment maker Cisco reported a 13% drop in year-on-year sales to $9bn for the first quarter of its 2010 financial year, which pushed down earnings 19% to $2.1bn.
November 04, 2009 04 Nov'09
Why Lastminute.com CIO Fin Goulding turned his back on corporate IT

The traditional world of banking IT can seem a long way away from the increasingly ubiquitous world of internet-based business.
November 04, 2009 04 Nov'09
Cisco partners with EMC to take on HP and IBM

Cisco Systems has formed an alliance with EMC to combine computing equipment and services. The move is aimed at challenging market leaders Hewlett-Packard...
November 03, 2009 03 Nov'09
Cloud Industry Forum plans UK code of conduct for cloud computing

The Federation Against Software Theft and Investors in Software (FAST IiS) plans to bring IT industry leaders together to draw up a code of conduct for cloud computing in the UK.
November 03, 2009 03 Nov'09
Video: Spending on private cloud to take off, says Gartner

Businesses will begin investing in their own secure private cloud networks over the next three to five years while they wait for the public cloud to mature,...
November 03, 2009 03 Nov'09
Digital Britain: UK in broadband 'time warp', says FSB

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has slammed government broadband...
November 03, 2009 03 Nov'09
Cisco resists calls to raise £1.9bn Tandberg offer

Cisco is resisting calls to increase its £1.9bn bid for Norwegian videoconferencing firm Tandberg, its first European acquisition.
November 02, 2009 02 Nov'09
Home office awards Airwave £39m Olympic contract

The Home Office is to spend £39m to expand coverage of Airwave, the radio communication system used by the police and other emergency services, in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics in London.
November 02, 2009 02 Nov'09
Mobiles save France Telecom blushes in 3Q09

An increase in mobile users of almost 10% to 128.8 million helped France Telecom increase its subscriber base to 189.1 million, up 6.6% year on year September 2009.
October 30, 2009 30 Oct'09
VOA preserves networks' advantage in rates draft

The proposed business rates on optical fibre networks for the next five years preserve the present 11% tax advantage enjoyed by large network operators over smaller ones and new entrants.
October 29, 2009 29 Oct'09
Virgin Media halves losses in 3Q09 as network upgrade kicks in

Virgin Media's losses halved in 3Q09 to £60.1m from £122.7m the previous quarter, bringing net losses for the first nine months of this year to £263.4m, compared to £676.0m a year ago.
October 28, 2009 28 Oct'09
Wi-fi and Wimax tax could be backdated five years

Business rates tax on wi-fi and Wimax networks may be backdated to April 2005, potentially putting an intolerable strain on many community networks in...
October 27, 2009 27 Oct'09
Government to tax Digital Britain

The government is planning to raise millions of pounds through taxes on wireless and optical fibre networks. The move raises questions over its commitment to closing the widening "digital divide" that separates rich and poor, urban and rural Britons.
October 26, 2009 26 Oct'09
802-11n WLan standard to take off after ratification

Enterprises can now consider replacing high speed networks with wireless equivalents with the recent ratification of the 802.11n wireless standard, says wireless Lan management firm AirMagnet.
October 23, 2009 23 Oct'09
BMC tackles virtual server sprawl with Tideway

BMC has acquired UK IT management tools firm Tideway as it builds its strategy to support IT management for cloud computing.
October 22, 2009 22 Oct'09
Spectrum reallocation is key to Digital Britain

Ofcom must resolve uncertainty around the reallocation of mobile radio frequencies if the government is to realise its dream of a Digital Britain.

Much...
October 21, 2009 21 Oct'09
US spies will read your Twitter conversations

US spies will read your messages posted on Twitter as well as any blogs you contribute to following the CIA's deal with a software firm that monitors...
October 20, 2009 20 Oct'09
Google to offer free Wi-Fi on Virgin America flights

Google and the Virgin America airline have teamed up to offer free in-flight wi-fi connections on all flights between 10 November and 15 January, a Google blog post reported this morning.
October 19, 2009 19 Oct'09
BT overcharged network operators £41.7m

BT will have to refund and pay interest on £41.7m it overcharged fellow network operators for rent on 2Mbps trunk services between 24 June 2004 to 30 September...
October 19, 2009 19 Oct'09
YouTube monetises a billion videos a week

Three years after Google bought YouTube it’s now monetising one billion of the 7 billion videos viewed each week.
October 16, 2009 16 Oct'09
Google to target all browsers with e-books

Google has announced that it is to make electronic books sold through its online store available to any device with a web browser.

Google has turned...
October 15, 2009 15 Oct'09
CIOs rain on Google’s cloud

Google received a sceptical reception from CIOs for its cloud computing services at the National Computing Centre's annual conference.

Robert...
October 15, 2009 15 Oct'09
Stephen Timms guarantees minimum broadband speed

The government has promised consumers a guaranteed minimum broadband speed of at least 2MBs.

Communications minister Stephen Timms said that the 2MBs...
October 14, 2009 14 Oct'09
Should the UK spend £10bn on smart meters?

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is expected to reveal its decision this month on how to implement a £10bn plan to replace 47 million gas and electricity meters with new smart energy meters.
October 14, 2009 14 Oct'09
Cisco goes mobile with $2.9bn Starent buy

Network equipment maker Cisco today said it would pay $2.9bn to acquire Starent Networks, a supplier of IP-based networking equipment for mobile and converged carriers.
October 13, 2009 13 Oct'09
Cisco adds IPv6 support for carrier networks

Network equipment maker Cisco today announced support for a carrier-grade version of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
October 12, 2009 12 Oct'09
Nortel's former boss wants $12m pay off

Nortel's former CEO Mike Zafirovski is trying to get millions of pounds from the insolvent networking equipment maker.

Zafirovski, who...
October 12, 2009 12 Oct'09
Google Voice under US federal spotlight

US communication authorities are investigating allegations by telecoms group AT&T that Google has an unfair advantage because Google Voice is not covered by federal rules that govern phone service providers.
October 09, 2009 09 Oct'09
Cornwall villages trial 50Mbps broadband

Up to two million businesses and homes in remote rural areas could get high-speed broadband if trials of a 50Mbps broadband service in two Cornish towns proves its technical and commercial viability.