News

Voice networking and VoIP

• May 13, 2015 13 May'15

  Virgin adds Unify OpenScape UC software to public sector packages

  Virgin Media Business signs an agreement to offer Unify’s OpenScape unified communciations software to public sector customers

• May 11, 2015 11 May'15

  PSNGB rebrands to drive information sharing across PSN

  PSNGB, the trade association set up to promote the Public Services Network, rebrands itself as Innopsis and says its work is far from over

• May 07, 2015 07 May'15

  BT sales down at end of landmark year

  In fourth quarter and full-year results, BT revealed its revenues fell 2%

• May 06, 2015 06 May'15

  European Union rules Skype and Sky are too similar

  EU rules consumers may become confused between Skype’s video chat software and Sky’s TV and broadband services because the brands are too similar

• May 05, 2015 05 May'15

  Alcatel-Lucent to target enterprise UC market

  Alcatel-Lucent signs collaboration agreement with OTT unified comms firm Counterpath to target enterprise and operator customers

• May 05, 2015 05 May'15

  Cisco CEO John Chambers to step down in July

  Cisco CEO John Chambers announces plans to step down from the post after 20 years

• April 29, 2015 29 Apr'15

  Vodafone sends network in a backpack to Nepal earthquake zone

  Vodafone’s charitable arm, the Vodafone Foundation, deploys instant mini networks to help restore communications in quake-hit Nepal

• April 28, 2015 28 Apr'15

  UC Expo 2015: Cloud and mobile bring collaboration to the fore

  Unified communications is changing as organisations embrace cloud and shift away from on-premise and bringing collaboration to the fore

• April 15, 2015 15 Apr'15

  Nokia buys Alcatel-Lucent

  Networking suppliers hook up in £11.2bn deal with grand aims when it comes to network innovation

• April 15, 2015 15 Apr'15

  Microsoft rolls out Skype for Business in Office update

  Microsoft rolls out Skype for Business client in April Office update, marking the end of the line for Lync

• April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15

  EE offers Wi-Fi voice on Lumia 640 and Samsung Galaxy S6 devices

  EE launches a voice over Wi-Fi service to customers using selected handsets

• April 07, 2015 07 Apr'15

  Over-the-top services worth $14bn to carriers by 2020

  A study conducted by Juniper Research suggests that content paid for by carrier billing will be a lucrative money-spinner for communications providers

• March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15

  Brecon Beacons National Park soups up staff comms with Unify

  Brecon Beacons National Park Authority deploys Unify’s OpenScape voice technology to keep remote staff and home workers in touch

• March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15

  BT and Virgin warn of business broadband price rises

  BT, Virgin Media and Kcom have warned Ofcom that major regulatory changes to the business broadband market risk forcing price hikes

• March 31, 2015 31 Mar'15

  Huawei not spying on UK, concludes Oversight Board report

  A UK security probe into Huawei’s technology has concluded that the company has not presented any risk to national security

• March 19, 2015 19 Mar'15

  Queens Park Rangers signs BT as official comms provider

  QPR football club inks a multi-year deal with BT Business to supply voice and networking services at Loftus Road

• March 17, 2015 17 Mar'15

  Competition watchdog sinks teeth into BT over EE takeover

  The Competition and Markets Authority writes to stakeholders asking for views on BT's impending £12.5bn takeover of mobile operator EE

• March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

  Ofcom strategic digital comms review welcomed by industry

  Industry stakeholders have welcomed Ofcom’s wide-ranging review of the UK’s digital communications markets

• March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

  4G users willing to switch providers for free public Wi-Fi

  A survey conducted by comms backbone supplier Arqiva reveals that two-thirds of 4G users would switch providers if offered inclusive Wi-Fi

• March 12, 2015 12 Mar'15

  CIO interview: Ivor Nicholson, Nottinghamshire County Council

  Nottinghamshire County Council is facing £77m in cuts by 2018 and by rolling out new services, it plans to save £8m through technology alone

• March 11, 2015 11 Mar'15

  Vodafone to launch Wi-Fi calling and voice over 4G

  Vodafone will launch wireless calling and voice over 4G options in summer 2015

• March 05, 2015 05 Mar'15

  European mobile roaming charges set to remain until 2018

  The EU council of member states has reversed a previous decision to end European mobile roaming charges in 2015

• March 05, 2015 05 Mar'15

  Mobile World Congress 2015: Evolution but no revolution

  Mobile World Congress 2015 reflected less the handset innovation of recent years, and more the evolution of mobility

• March 04, 2015 04 Mar'15

  Williams Martini Racing signs multi-year BT network services deal

  Williams F1 teams forms long-term strategic partnership with BT for fixed and mobile communications and network services

• March 03, 2015 03 Mar'15

  Mobile World Congress: Vodafone deploys small cells for indoor environments

  Vodafone revealed as the launch customer for a new Cisco small cell system designed for large enterprises and venue environments

• March 02, 2015 02 Mar'15

  Mobile World Congress: Huawei announces NTT Docomo 5G trials

  Huawei is to trial 5G Radio Access Technologies in Asia together with Japanese mobile service provider NTT Docomo

• February 27, 2015 27 Feb'15

  EE shows off 400Mbps mobile broadband at Wembley

  EE conducts superfast mobile broadband trials using carrier aggregation at Wembley Stadium, in collaboration with Qualcomm and Huawei

• February 26, 2015 26 Feb'15

  Heavy 4G users head for Three as growth continues

  Mobile network operator Three reports growth around 4G data services, claiming subscribers are downloading more data than on other networks

• February 25, 2015 25 Feb'15

  Board-level executives to be held responsible for nuisance calls

  A proposed change to the law will give the ICO more clout to go after firms that bombard consumers with nuisance calls and texts

• February 17, 2015 17 Feb'15

  Smartphone costs drop as market reaches saturation point

  Latest market stats from analysts GfK show more than a billion smartphones shipped in 2014, but costs are now dropping as the market matures

• February 13, 2015 13 Feb'15

  Altnet Gigaclear gets funding boost to expand network

  Oxfordshire-based fibre broadband provider Gigaclear bags its second institutional shareholder and plans to expand network

• February 12, 2015 12 Feb'15

  Airwave's Tetra emergency services radio "costly and inflexible"

  Incumbent Airwave failed to advance to the next stage of the Emergency Services Network procurement because its Tetra radio technology was too inflexible for current needs, according to reports

• February 11, 2015 11 Feb'15

  EE gives £1.5bn to address UK’s ‘under-developed’ networks

  Mobile operator EE launches Signalling the Future network manifesto as it commits to spending £1.5bn on network improvements in two years

• February 10, 2015 10 Feb'15

  Engineering firm Smiths Group to embark on landmark SDN project

  Engineering and technology firm Smiths Group renews AT&T contract ahead of major network refresh, and plans to put SDN at the heart of its project

• February 09, 2015 09 Feb'15

  Ruckus adds carrier-class voice to Wi-Fi products

  Wireless supplier Ruckus introduces Smart Wi-Fi software enhancements to enable businesses to make carrier-grade voice calls over wireless connections

• February 08, 2015 08 Feb'15

  BDUK passes two million homes and businesses

  BDUK scheme passes its two-millionth property, as the controversial government-sponsored national broadband roll out continues

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  Vodafone returns to growth in the UK

  Mobile network operator Vodafone managed to squeeze some growth out of the UK market in the third quarter of its fiscal 2015

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  Atos UK & Ireland bids farewell to desk phones

  The UK and Ireland arm of services consultancy Atos removes desktop telephones from its London HQ in favour of a Microsoft Lync unified comms system

• February 05, 2015 05 Feb'15

  BT agrees purchase terms with EE

  BT has announced it has reached a definitive agreement with mobile operator EE to acquire it for £12.5bn

• February 04, 2015 04 Feb'15

  Milan Expo 2015 builds smart city with Telecom Italia and Cisco

  The organisers of Milan Expo 2015 have built a smart city site from the ground up with the support of Telecom Italia and Cisco

• February 02, 2015 02 Feb'15

  Gandalf to become the Speaking Clock

  BT reveals it has engaged the services of actor Ian McKellen to be the voice of the Speaking Clock for Comic Relief

• February 02, 2015 02 Feb'15

  Health trust proposed offshoring mental care through Skype

  Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust considered cutting costs by using Skype and low-cost staff to treat patients with depression

• January 30, 2015 30 Jan'15

  Government network services tender deadline slips again

  Crown Commercial Service pushes back deadline for tender submissions to Network Services framework to give suppliers more time to prepare

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Three and O2 talks no surprise, but strategic questions loom

  Three’s £10.25bn acquisition of O2 raises strategic questions over the future of mobile networks in the UK

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Property business enhances efficiency with Vodafone mobile… in 1985

  Property boom spurs a small business to enhance its workforce productivity with a mobile communications deployment – 30 years ago

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Kim Dotcom launches encrypted MegaChat service

  Kim Dotcom has launched a free voice and video chat service called MegaChat, promoted as encrypted end-to-end and a rival to Skype

• January 23, 2015 23 Jan'15

  Mobile network operator Three confirms talks to buy O2

  Hutchison Whampoa, parent of of mobile network operator Three, confirms it is in talks with Spanish operator Telefónica to buy O2

• January 19, 2015 19 Jan'15

  Airwave tackles network traffic spike on New Year’s Eve

  Emergency services comms supplier Airwave records its most concentrated network usage ever in central London on New Year’s Eve

• January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

  Government extends PSN in response to supplier query deluge

  The Crown Commercial Service is extending the PSN Connectivity and Services frameworks for a further 12 months, after receiving a deluge of questions about its impending replacement

• January 14, 2015 14 Jan'15

  Home Office cans Lot 4 of Emergency Services Network

  The Home Office concedes the fourth contract for the Emergency Services Network is to be scrapped

• January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

  Video, memes and music driving 4G data usage, says EE

  EE reports record mobile data usage in 2014, with sporting events and concerts driving major spikes in demand

• December 24, 2014 24 Dec'14

  Top 10 networking stories of 2014

  Computer Weekly takes a look back at the year in networking with a round-up of the biggest stories from 2014

• December 18, 2014 18 Dec'14

  Government scraps national roaming in £5bn "not spot" pledge

  Government strikes £5bn ‘landmark’ deal with UK MNOs to address mobile "not spots"

• December 17, 2014 17 Dec'14

  Technology needed to help ambulance services cope with increased demand

  The future of the ambulance and emergencies services needs more investment in networking

• December 15, 2014 15 Dec'14

  BT to buy EE for £12.5bn

  BT announces intention to buy mobile network EE from Deutsche Telekom and Orange, rejecting a takeover of O2

• December 11, 2014 11 Dec'14

  Avaya brings contact centres to Google Chromebooks

  Avaya and Google team up to streamline customer service agent workflows by enabling desktop contact centres on Chromebooks

• December 11, 2014 11 Dec'14

  Whitechapel Bell Foundry to ring in 2015 with 4G network

  One of the UK’s oldest running businesses uses EE 4G network to sell its iconic bells around the world

• December 11, 2014 11 Dec'14

  JCDecaux partners with Vodafone to build small cell networks

  Vodafone joins outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux to deploy small cell technology on billboards to increase network performance

• December 10, 2014 10 Dec'14

  BT to decide between O2 and EE before Christmas

  The BT board has been locked in discussions over the possible acquisition of mobile network operators O2 or EE

• December 04, 2014 04 Dec'14

  BT hires across Europe to meet broadband roll-out obligations

  BT updates MPs on its progress in getting broadband to rural communities to support the digital by default government policy

• November 28, 2014 28 Nov'14

  Three pondering bid for O2 or EE, say reports

  As BT conducts sales talks with both O2 and EE, reports have emerged the owner of Three is also preparing a bid for one or other of the two networks

• November 28, 2014 28 Nov'14

  CGI secures communications between pilots and air traffic control

  Satellite communications firm Inmarsat has outsourced the provision of security IT and services to CGI

• November 27, 2014 27 Nov'14

  Nottingham University Hospital embeds video in cystic fibrosis centre

  Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust used Cisco video technology to enhance care quality at a dedicated facility for cystic fibrosis patients

• November 24, 2014 24 Nov'14

  BT in talks to buy mobile operator O2

  BT is currently in talks with Telefonica over buying the mobile network operator O2.

• November 19, 2014 19 Nov'14

  UK SMEs lose ₤90m because of missed calls

  UK SMEs lost ₤90m sales last year by failing to pick up phone calls because customers will not call back again

• November 17, 2014 17 Nov'14

  CIO interview: Doug May, business systems director, LoneStar Group

  Doug May, business systems director at component maker LoneStar Group, has found a novel use for Raspberry Pi computers

• November 12, 2014 12 Nov'14

  Ericsson ranks Stockholm, London and Paris the world’s most connected cities

  Ericsson’s Networked Society Index puts London near the top of its connected cities table but others may challenge it soon

• November 11, 2014 11 Nov'14

  Microsoft Lync becomes Skype for Business

  Microsoft rebrands Lync before updating unified communications and collaboration suite

• November 11, 2014 11 Nov'14

  Vodafone launches UK residential broadband service

  Mobile operator Vodafone announces UK consumer broadband service as it steps up its 4G network investment

• November 07, 2014 07 Nov'14

  Ofcom to auction tranche of MoD-owned spectrum

  190 MHz of spectrum in two bands currently controlled by the Ministry of Defence is to go under the hammer

• November 07, 2014 07 Nov'14

  Vodafone’s Rural Open Sure Signal 3G communities begin to go live

  The first communities to receive 3G mobile coverage over femtocells under Vodafone’s Rural Open Sure Signal programme have been announced

• November 07, 2014 07 Nov'14

  How networking brought innovation and automation to Heathrow Terminal 2

  Heathrow Airport has put automation and collaboration at the heart of a £34m network deployment in Terminal 2

• November 07, 2014 07 Nov'14

  Ofcom launches initiative to plug SMEs' lack of confidence in communications services

  Regulator Ofcom launches online portal to help business owners exploit commercial communications services

• November 06, 2014 06 Nov'14

  Advanced Mobile Location pinpoints 999 calls to within 30m

  BT, EE and HTC deploy a new service to pinpoint the source of 999 calls from mobile phones with a far greater degree of accuracy

• November 05, 2014 05 Nov'14

  Why national roaming may not be the answer to mobile not-spots

  Industry suggests alternative strategies as government threatens to force mobile operators to allow national roaming

• November 05, 2014 05 Nov'14

  Government may force networks to accept national roaming

  The government plans to eliminate poor mobile coverage in the UK by making MNOs adopt national roaming

• November 03, 2014 03 Nov'14

  West Yorks Police deploys 4,000 Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phablets

  West Yorkshire Police force partners with Samsung to provide 4,000 Galaxy Note 3 devices to frontline staff

• October 30, 2014 30 Oct'14

  BT sees increasing fibre demand, but sales remain flat

  BT attracts new fibre customers but fails to translate growth to revenues in the second quarter of 2014

• October 27, 2014 27 Oct'14

  UK government cracks down on nuisance calls and texts

  Government consults over making it easier for the ICO to prosecute rogue firms that make nuisance calls and texts

• October 26, 2014 26 Oct'14

  How big data, mobile and cloud are fighting Ebola in Sierra Leone

  IBM applies data analytics, mobile technology and cloud computing to help fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa

• October 24, 2014 24 Oct'14

  Six networks that changed the world forever

  The Science Museum opens its Information Age gallery, dedicated to the history of information and communications

• October 22, 2014 22 Oct'14

  Mobile operators will lose $14bn to OTT services this year

  Report says mobile network operators will lose $14bn of potential sales to over the top services this year

• October 20, 2014 20 Oct'14

  Government seeks suppliers for £2bn telecoms framework

  The government is seeking suppliers for a £2bn procurement framework to replace Whitehall’s telecommunications requirements

• October 14, 2014 14 Oct'14

  Motorsport firm replaces ageing comms with cloud telephony

  Motorsport and automotive engineering firm Prodrive adopts cloud telephony to ease the pain of an office move

• October 06, 2014 06 Oct'14

  BT insists MVNO project is on course despite glitch claims

  BT denies reports its plans to set up as an MVNO have been pushed back after running into technical problems

• October 02, 2014 02 Oct'14

  Sunborn puts network in the cloud at Docklands’ first floating hotel

  Hospitality firm Sunborn picks Mitel 3300 IP Communications platform for London's first floating hotel

• September 29, 2014 29 Sep'14

  BT launches cloud voice service for businesses

  BT to deliver flexible cloud-based VoIP services to SME customers

• September 26, 2014 26 Sep'14

  BlackBerry losses narrow as restructuring plan bears fruit

  Losses at struggling mobile communications supplier BlackBerry narrowed significantly during the second quarter of its fiscal 2015

• September 25, 2014 25 Sep'14

  Lancaster University supports SDN development with HP Networking

  Lancaster Uni deploys 40 OpenFlow-enabled HP switches to run SDN research and production environments concurrently

• September 25, 2014 25 Sep'14

  Huawei ploughs $4bn into fixed broadband research

  Huawei announces major R&D investment in ‘ultra-broadband’ research over the next three years as interest in new networking standards grows

• September 24, 2014 24 Sep'14

  Virgin cuts travel costs by 20% after rolling out unified communications

  Employees saving 15 minutes a day as Virgin Media turns to social media, web conferencing and video

• September 19, 2014 19 Sep'14

  Peterborough City Council launches cloud-enabled technology strategy

  Peterborough City Council is launching a cloud-enabled technology strategy to improve how it connects with citizens

• September 17, 2014 17 Sep'14

  UK is third most network-connected country in the world

  The UK is behind only Germany and the US in its development of internet services, according to a study

• September 03, 2014 03 Sep'14

  Oxford University restructures communications systems to drive collaboration

  Oxford University replaces its communications systems with voice, video and messaging technology to drive BYOD and collaboration across campuses

• September 01, 2014 01 Sep'14

  Suppliers discuss Emergency Services Network with Home Office

  Suppliers have attended an event held by the Home Office to discuss details of the new Emergency Services Network

• September 01, 2014 01 Sep'14

  Chinese MSN Messenger service ends in October 2014

  Microsoft will switch off Windows Live Messenger (WLM) for its last users in China at the end of October 2014

• August 28, 2014 28 Aug'14

  Scottish government signs Virgin voice deal

  Scottish government to procure fixed voice and other communications services from Virgin Media Business

• August 28, 2014 28 Aug'14

  Time Warner network fault cuts million off internet

  A network fault at Time Warner Cable has cut off millions of US customers from the internet

• August 26, 2014 26 Aug'14

  Central Bedfordshire Council links up with Essex for PSN services

  Central Bedfordshire Council is to run services over Essex County Council’s NGN following Daisy Updata deal

• August 26, 2014 26 Aug'14

  IET proposes text-based 999 service

  The Institution of Engineering and Technology has called on the government to redesign the emergency 999 call service