News

Network routing and switching

• July 30, 2021 30 Jul'21

  Community Fibre hits milestone of 300,000 homes passed

  Community-focused altnet adds 100,000 London homes passed in six months to drive the growing reach of its full-fibre network

• July 29, 2021 29 Jul'21

  Accelerating UK full-fibre sees altnet association register record membership growth

  Independent Networks Cooperative Association enjoys membership boom as altnets build momentum in UK and take on comms big guns in dash for fibre to the home and premises

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  OneWeb confirms successful launch and contact with 36 new satellites

  Controversial satellite operator OneWeb completes its ‘Five to 50’ mission to cover regions north of 50 degrees latitude, including UK, Canada, Alaska and Arctic region

• June 23, 2021 23 Jun'21

  Openreach calls on CommScope to deliver full-fibre broadband network across UK

  BT broadband provision division and wired and wireless network technology provider enter into partnership to accelerate pace of gigabit network roll-out

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  Users’ network expectations change in new normal

  Ciena study reveals how sustainability, connected industries and always-on connectivity are shaping the UK’s digital post-Covid landscape

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  Virgin Media O2 boosts small business broadband in UK

  Cable broadband provider clams to be ‘supercharging’ business connectivity with a free upgrade designed to help SMEs bounce back from the pandemic

• June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21

  Hyperoptic selects EXFO to accelerate fibre net deployment

  As it embarks upon a nationwide expansion of network, the fast-growing UK gigabit broadband provider enters into partnership to obtain network testing technology to guarantee buildout optimisation

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  DISH, Dell announce Open RAN 5G edge infrastructure first for US

  Leading US operator taps IT giant for cloud-native, open 5G radio access network and edge compute technology and announces collaboration on go-to-market strategies for joint edge solutions

• June 14, 2021 14 Jun'21

  More than $8bn forecast for cable investments over next three years

  2021 Submarine Cable Map research reveals the changing dynamics in the market

• June 09, 2021 09 Jun'21

  UK altnets to invest nearly £12bn in fibre by 2025

  Massive investments imminent by independent broadband providers to drive the creation and realisation of Gigabit Britain

• June 02, 2021 02 Jun'21

  BT begins trial on ‘revolutionary’ optical fibre

  Researchers conduct trials of hollow-core fibre at BT’s research facility labs in collaborative project with Southampton University spin-out company and open radio access network mobile supplier Mavenir

• June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21

  Upstream data usage flattens but gigabit-speed subscribers continue to rise

  As businesses emerge from the pandemic, research suggests the way in which firms use broadband may have changed for ever, with upstream data consumption flat amid seasonal average usage declines

• June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21

  Vodafone, CityFibre extend partnership to include Ethernet services

  Partnership that has gained rapid traction on the home front is taken to the business environment, offering organisations more choice, lower cost and a faster private data network

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  Openreach taps Ciena to boost connectivity services for UK carriers

  To hasten full-fibre network build out and help meet growing customer demand, BT-owned broadband provision division deploys new routing, switching and optical solutions

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  Nokia, Microsoft team to offer public cloud AI use-case library for telcos

  Nokia’s AVA AI use-case library now delivered as a service on Azure public cloud, claiming to combine telco-grade security and instant web scale architecture scalability

• May 24, 2021 24 May'21

  Hard Rock Hotel checks in Extreme Wi-Fi 6 to enhance guest experience

  Advanced cloud-managed Wi-Fi enables secure, reliable connectivity and simplified network management throughout historic site of renowned global hotel chain

• May 20, 2021 20 May'21

  Work begins on CityFibre gigabit network for Middlesbrough

  In second deployment in two days to a mid-sized conurbation, former altnet switches attention from north-west to north-east to “future-proof” digital foundations of Teesside hub

• May 18, 2021 18 May'21

  CityFibre makes £30m full-fibre investment in Preston

  Rapidly growing former altnet gets to work on its aim to ‘future-proof’ digital foundations of north-west city with expanded fibre infrastructure

• May 13, 2021 13 May'21

  BT raises fibre broadband roll-out target despite challenging year

  Impact of Covid-19 on consumer business combined with reduction in enterprise activity dents revenues and profits in a tough financial year, but UK telco promises significant growth in gigabit broadband roll-out

• May 13, 2021 13 May'21

  Fibre roll-outs gather pace in Europe

  Number of homes and businesses reached by fibre grows rapidly in 39 leading European territories, with FTTH/B coverage in Europe surpassing more than half the total number of homes

• May 12, 2021 12 May'21

  Openreach extends analogue switch-off to further 700,000 homes and businesses

  UK broadband provider ramps up the pace of its plan to stop selling copper-based broadband and traditional voice services across the UK by 2025

• May 11, 2021 11 May'21

  UK digital leaders expect long-term changes to future working patterns

  Research from digital infrastructure company reveals changing working patterns brought about by Covid-19, including a surge in digital infrastructure investment

• May 10, 2021 10 May'21

  Telemedicine to save healthcare industry tens of billions globally by 2025

  Research predicts good times ahead for key network-based industry, especially as teleconsultations improve patient care, but warns that deregulation of telemedicine is needed to maximise growth

• May 07, 2021 07 May'21

  Toob teams with Neos Networks to facilitate full-fibre

  Broadband provider and connectivity firm will utilise growing UK fibre network to deliver reliable broadband services addressing the needs of consumers in Hampshire and Surrey

• May 07, 2021 07 May'21

  Juniper Networks offers path to ease SASE transition

  New cloud-based portal is designed to help customers transition seamlessly and securely to a secure access service edge architecture by safeguarding users, applications and infrastructure amid network transformation

• May 05, 2021 05 May'21

  Community Fibre, City Fibre ramp up UK gigabit roll-out

  Altnets further expand the reach of UK gigabit broadband networks with deployments in London and Ipswich

• April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21

  Neos Networks launches business-grade Ethernet FTTx service across UK

  Former SSE Enterprise Telecoms aims to provide a cost-effective, sub-1Gbps solution to support growing demand for full-fibre connectivity

• April 01, 2021 01 Apr'21

  2020 network upstream growth rate nearly 4x pre-pandemic levels

  OpenVault study shows the impact of business hours increases and individual subscriber behaviour on upstream capacity is putting unprecedented strain on network operators

• March 29, 2021 29 Mar'21

  CW Innovation Awards: Jio Platforms taps machine learning to manage telco network

  Why India’s largest telecom operator built its own machine learning platform to meet the growing data and signalling requirements of new networks

• March 26, 2021 26 Mar'21

  Openreach defies Covid to hit full-fibre target

  BT-owned broadband provision division includes more than 170 city locations in multi-billion-pound gigabit broadband build including cities of Birmingham, Belfast, London and Manchester

• March 22, 2021 22 Mar'21

  Nokia claims 5G throughput breakthrough and deploys first SE Asia 5G standalone RAN

  Finnish comms tech supplier marks the first 5G standalone RAN sharing network in Southeast Asia, enables M1-StarHub joint venture to gain Singapore-wide 5G coverage, and breaks a speed barrier

• March 22, 2021 22 Mar'21

  Altnet association warns of threat to UK full-fibre roll-out

  Independent Networks Co-operative Association warns that recent momentum in gigabit broadband implementation could be delayed if independent providers and their investors believe UK comms regulator is not willing to listen to their concerns

• March 16, 2021 16 Mar'21

  Cinia cuts Ribbon deal for transport network upgrade

  Real-time communications software and network solutions firm sees OTN platforms deployed in upgrade of backbone transport network in Finland and Northern Europe

• March 05, 2021 05 Mar'21

  Connectivity the ‘unsung hero’ of the future of work

  Research finds that by stripping away bureaucracy, flattening hierarchies and streamlining processes, the response to Covid-19 has given an indication as to how work could and should change for the better, but there will be losers along with the ...

• March 03, 2021 03 Mar'21

  Virgin Media trial demos multi-gigabit upgradeable bandwidth

  Virgin Media trials optical networking technology that could pave way to faster internet connectivity that is easier to upgrade

• March 02, 2021 02 Mar'21

  Openreach taps VIAVI to ensure network quality for UK full-fibre build-out

  Openreach opts for optical network monitoring system to address network quality, including validating new construction, performing pre-activation checks and monitoring ongoing services

• March 01, 2021 01 Mar'21

  UK government pumps £4.5m into central Scotland gigabit connectivity plan

  Key Scottish population belt identified as the first territory for investment as part of UK government’s £5bn investment in next-generation broadband

• February 23, 2021 23 Feb'21

  Australia’s Macquarie Telecom debuts SD-LAN service

  The software-defined local area networking service will make it easier for enterprises to manage Wi-Fi networks and regulate the density of people at a given location

• February 19, 2021 19 Feb'21

  Nokia wins multi-year 5G radio and core contract with A1 Austria

  Central European telco signs further deal with Finnish comms provider to begin commercial implementation of 4G and 5G network slicing following successful pilot

• February 15, 2021 15 Feb'21

  Altran, Qualcomm collaborate for 5G NR small cell software

  Altran and Qualcomm join forces to expedite development of high-speed, low-latency private and public 5G small cells

• February 09, 2021 09 Feb'21

  Telecom Egypt implements IBM hybrid cloud to transform operations

  Leading regional telco deploys Cloud Pak for Automation technology to modernise network operations and deliver fast and secure services to clients and looks to IBM Global Business Services to build and manage its datacentre

• February 05, 2021 05 Feb'21

  CE consortium calls on comms regulator to ignore pleas to delay 6GHz certification

  As users’ reliance on wireless devices increases, the US Consumer Technology Association warns FCC to ignore lobbying to pause progress of Wi-Fi 6E equipment certification

• January 28, 2021 28 Jan'21

  Collaboration to the fore as ‘staggering’ change predicted for IT in 2021

  With 2020 exposing the leaders versus the laggards in enterprise digital transformation, research shows companies intend to invest in SD-WAN and MPLS, UCaaS and CCaaS to stay competitive in 2021

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  O2, Three, Vodafone team to enhance rural mobile coverage

  Three of the UK’s leading mobile operators announce plan to build and share infrastructure to boost 4G rural coverage in the first part of a national scheme to improve mobile connectivity in hard-to-reach places

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  Next-gen network roll-outs drive 5G FWA broadband CPE market

  Continued momentum revealed for fixed wireless access as analyst sees such services using 5G technology capable of supporting gigabit speeds, creating huge potential to compete with existing fixed broadband services

• January 20, 2021 20 Jan'21

  Orange announces submarine cable linking US East Coast to France

  Global telco claims significant reinforcement of connectivity and resilience on what it says is the most important submarine route in the world, with two next-generation transatlantic submarine cables

• January 15, 2021 15 Jan'21

  Hong Kong Airport Authority takes off with upgraded IP/MPLS network

  Next-generation network to offer key regional hub migration of legacy applications to support increased passenger capacity, reliability and ease of expansion

• January 15, 2021 15 Jan'21

  BNP Paribas, Orange Business Services deploy SD-WAN to French retail sites

  Co-construction approach between leading bank and telco ensures business continuity during deployment of software-defined infrastructure across France as part of its digital transformation strategy

• January 13, 2021 13 Jan'21

  Telstra International appoints South Asia head

  The international arm of Telstra has hired former DXC Technology executive Geraldine Kor as its managing director for South Asia to tap new growth opportunities

• January 12, 2021 12 Jan'21

  Virgin Media aims for in-home connectivity transformation with Intelligent WiFi Plus

  As it ramps up gigabit network development in locations across the UK, cableco launches Wi-Fi access devices to work with new access system to bring up to three times faster in-home wireless speeds

• January 08, 2021 08 Jan'21

  ‘Litany’ of UK government failures in gigabit broadband roll-out

  Second UK MPs’ report in matter of weeks slams government for dismal failure and lack of sufficient progress in meeting already scaled-back benchmark for gigabit-capable connectivity by 2025

• January 07, 2021 07 Jan'21

  Five million UK households paying £804m more than they should for broadband

  Significant number of UK householders won’t switch broadband networks for fear of losing their connection or the perceived hassle of switching, but many are left paying too much, research shows

• January 07, 2021 07 Jan'21

  Vodafone announces free data schemes for small business

  As research shows the strain on business from Covid, UK communications operator announces programme to offer free high-speed connectivity

• January 05, 2021 05 Jan'21

  euNetworks rounds on The Loop Manchester

  Bandwidth infrastructure company enhances footprint with unique routes, extra capacity and flexibility with dedicated high-speed fibre-optic network in northern powerhouse

• December 31, 2020 31 Dec'20

  Top 10 networking stories of 2020

  Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 networking stories of 2020

• December 24, 2020 24 Dec'20

  EU looks to enter broadband space race

  European Union looks to extend communications frontier through consortium examining the design, development and launch of a European-owned space-based communications system

• December 24, 2020 24 Dec'20

  New contractors appointed to roll out fibre broadband across Devon and Somerset

  Airband, Truespeed and Wessex Internet selected to roll out full-fibre networks on behalf of the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme

• December 22, 2020 22 Dec'20

  Viasat announces $222m RigNet acquisition

  Global communications company unveils plans to expand and diversify commercial connectivity portfolio, with purchase of intelligent networking solutions firm to add complementary technology

• December 21, 2020 21 Dec'20

  Gigabit proliferates as UK’s fixed and mobile networks take the strain from Covid

  The UK’s fixed and mobile networks take the strain of remote working and increased online entertainment uptake

• December 17, 2020 17 Dec'20

  SSE strengthens Scotland’s digital infrastructure with next-generation connectivity

  High-capacity 100Gbps connectivity services delivered into datacentre intended to future-proof Scotland’s businesses and public sector organisations

• December 16, 2020 16 Dec'20

  UK offering relatively poor value for broadband services

  Low absolute pricing is among the region’s best, but lower average speeds compared with much of Europe makes the UK one of the continent’s laggards when it comes to broadband value for money

• December 15, 2020 15 Dec'20

  Ericsson sets sail with enhanced maritime connectivity

  Swedish tech provider aims to rectify lack of options for at-sea communications where traditional satellite comms have seen high prices, high latency and low throughput

• December 14, 2020 14 Dec'20

  Optus teams up with VMware on SD-WAN

  Australia’s second biggest telco, Optus, will offer VMware’s SD-WAN solution to enterprises in a highly fragmented market

• December 08, 2020 08 Dec'20

  SMEs need to acknowledge remote working lessons to prosper post-Covid

  Research from integrated cloud communications platform provider finds that over two-fifths of SME employees believe that, with effective communication tools, productivity would be the most improved business challenge in the “new normal”

• December 07, 2020 07 Dec'20

  Ericsson, TIM, Qualcomm, claim 5G FWA speed milestone

  Although fixed wireless access has not yet gained as much publicity as other use cases for the next-generation infrastructure, its potential in connecting those in remote areas to 5G is vast and a consortium of technology vendors and leading Italian...

• December 04, 2020 04 Dec'20

  FTTH Council Europe slams misleading advertising for fibre networks

  Fibre broadband trade body study shows consumers are confused about marketing and performance of broadband-access technologies, recommending a ‘fibre-ready’ label should be introduced for new buildings and major renovations

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  Nova casts light on streaming network issues as energy demands soar

  So-called industry-first solution brings new revenue opportunities, reduces churn and differentiates offer for video providers as they struggle to cope with energy surge in providing services

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  Openreach claims UK first as it moves from copper to full-fibre in Salisbury

  Salisbury takes a step closer to becoming the UK’s first ‘fully digital’ city with full-fibre deployment

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  IT teams’ challenges ramp up in maintaining high-quality network video experience

  Companies providing streaming services have seen huge growth in demand, which has meant providing an optimal user experience while managing surging user traffic

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  Nokia deploys 5G private networking across five German research centres

  Finnish comms tech giant continues roll-out of standalone private 5G network for large-scale implementation across renowned German research institutes

• December 01, 2020 01 Dec'20

  Zoom revenue bonanza continues into third quarter

  Breakout video conferencing firm continues strong run and in third quarter shows ongoing influx of customers

• December 01, 2020 01 Dec'20

  UK government sets out 5G tech diversification strategy

  Second reading of the Telecoms Security Bill outlines specific measures to restrict the use of Huawei’s goods, services and facilities in 5G networks and details of the new 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy designed to build a resilient, open...

• November 26, 2020 26 Nov'20

  Broadband access drives New Zealand remote working to be permanent fixture

  Covid-19 crisis pushes Kiwis to do more online and the changes are sticking, according to research from ANZ telco and media research and consulting firm

• November 26, 2020 26 Nov'20

  UK broadband industry ‘confused’ by government funding claims

  National broadband suppliers and trade bodies express surprise and lack of enthusiasm for Spending Review claims of providing positive outcome for gigabit roll-out across the country

• November 24, 2020 24 Nov'20

  UK telecoms industry gives guarded welcome to Telecommunications Bill proposal

  New legislation aims to provide a basis to strengthen the security framework for technology used in 5G and full fibre networks, including the electronic equipment and software at phone mast sites and in telephone exchanges

• November 23, 2020 23 Nov'20

  Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 launches unleash UK network traffic surge

  Game console launches show network providers need to upgrade their infrastructure and invest in the latest networking technology to ensure reliable, resilient and robust performance

• November 23, 2020 23 Nov'20

  Zen to offer gigabit broadband over CityFibre networks

  Zen Internet becomes former altnet’s third national consumer ISP to offer full-fibre services to consumers with gigabit-speed consumer broadband products

• November 20, 2020 20 Nov'20

  Pricing questions persist but Openreach overall observes Ofcom independence mandates

  UK communications regulator notes real progress made in implementing its requirements, but more is needed to be done to strengthen broadband provision division independence and engagement

• November 19, 2020 19 Nov'20

  Global networks take the strain in roller-coaster 2020

  Research from network tech provider reveals implications for service providers and internet service delivery chain, with significant growth in video streaming, gaming, video conferencing and DDoS

• November 19, 2020 19 Nov'20

  £165m gigabit broadband boost for Northern Ireland

  NIE announces connectivity deployment scheme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure to more than 76,000 premises in hard-to-reach places across province

• November 18, 2020 18 Nov'20

  Cato collects $130m investment to extend SASE proposition

  New funding round for SASE pioneer Cato, the largest to date for the company, brings total financing to $332m, leading to what the company calls a unicorn valuation demonstrating leadership of SASE market

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  Masergy goes deeper with SASE to strengthen SD-WAN security

  Supplier claims to offer the broadest choice in security solutions, best-of-breed technologies and a leading global network platform for businesses of all sizes

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  Huawei unveils solutions for 1+N target 5G networks

  Chinese comms giant launches new network technology to enable operators to tap into what it says will be huge potential for delivering 5G at greatly reduced per-bit costs

• November 13, 2020 13 Nov'20

  IT Priorities 2020: ‘Benestrophe’ for networking as UK IT departments come to terms with new normal

  As 2020 ends, all traditional bets are off as Covid-19 completely changes the landscape of IT, with secure connectivity and cloud emerging at the core of enterprises’ needs for the foreseeable future

• November 13, 2020 13 Nov'20

  NTT DATA and Continual collaborate to deliver in-vehicle mobility experiences

  Consulting and IT services and cloud-based analytics firms announce Tier 1 mobile operator is already implementing combined in-vehicle system

• November 10, 2020 10 Nov'20

  SK Telecom furthers Deutsche Telekom partnership to advance in-building 5G

  Latest cooperation between leading German and Korean operators aims to create what companies believe will be major innovations, starting with improving 5G experiences

• November 09, 2020 09 Nov'20

  Global telcos defy previous performance expectations

  Better-performing Asia-Pacific operators lead charge driving analyst to adjust upwards previous forecast for worldwide connectivity services market

• November 05, 2020 05 Nov'20

  Virgin brings gigabit broadband to London and Northern Ireland

  Nearly three million homes in UK capital and Ulster gain access to gigabit connections with the next-generation infrastructure now in 45% of Virgin’s network across the UK

• November 04, 2020 04 Nov'20

  Community Fibre claims fastest home broadband package in London

  Altnet unveils what it says is a gigabit connectivity industry-first for homes in the UK capital

• November 04, 2020 04 Nov'20

  University of Warwick graduates to BT 5G to accelerate innovation

  BT installs UK’s first dedicated public 5G network for the University of Warwick, aiming to bring new opportunities for research and further enhance students’ learning experience through its EE mobile network

• October 29, 2020 29 Oct'20

  Comms needs to take ‘giant leap forward’ to address new normal

  Ericsson research finds Covid-19 pandemic has created a tipping point for what workers expect of the future digital office

• October 28, 2020 28 Oct'20

  Ericsson scoops urban part of BT 5G communications network

  Building on the operator’s selection of the comms tech firm’s 5G core solutions earlier in 2020, Ericsson wins deal to upgrade BT’s existing radio access network infrastructure on EE mobile network.

• October 28, 2020 28 Oct'20

  Corporate WANs and their network providers not meeting new business needs

  Global connectivity firm warns that network providers are letting down firms, with security and service flexibility cited as key issues

• October 27, 2020 27 Oct'20

  Ericsson looks to the cloud for increased RAN flexibility

  Cloud-based radio access network for communications service providers regarded as offering more versatility to network buildouts as a complement to existing purpose-built 5G networks and addressing a variety of 5G use cases

• October 27, 2020 27 Oct'20

  In-building wireless infrastructure, 5G indoor revenues will exceed $16bn by 2025

  Research predicts digital distributed radio systems will change the way traditional distributed antenna systems are designed and implemented due to their simplified and future-proofed architecture

• October 26, 2020 26 Oct'20

  Scotland gets gigabit broadband funding boost

  Agreement will help rural areas get gigabit-capable broadband connections, with first tranche of £6m to connect hundreds of public sector buildings across Angus, Dundee, and Perth & Kinross

• October 22, 2020 22 Oct'20

  Maturing O-RAN set to have 75% market share by 2030

  Analyst confident of prospects for comms technology enabling multi-supplier interoperability for innovations and reducing time to market for deploying new network functionality

• October 22, 2020 22 Oct'20

  Iron Mountain scales global connectivity collaboration with Telia Carrier

  Enhanced global network in APAC, EMEA and North America aims to deliver increased high-performance network diversity for datacentre customers

• October 16, 2020 16 Oct'20

  UK government hits superfast target but many still experience poor broadband

  National Audit Office report says government’s target to roll out faster gigabit coverage nationwide by 2025 will be difficult to achieve for the hardest-to-reach premises

• October 16, 2020 16 Oct'20

  Small businesses’ remote working frustrations threaten exodus of best talent

  While large firms mull massive investment to return to offices, over a quarter of European small business workers would switch jobs to somewhere better equipped for remote working