Network hardware
Network hardware products such as routers, switches, hubs, appliances and gateways form the vital infrastructure for successful enterprise IT. We look at the latest trends in technologies in building LANs, WANS and Ethernet networking.
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News
29 May 2025
Nokia accelerates multi-Gig PON fibre broadband services
Line card product optimised for cost-effective mass market 25G PON, while co-existence network element enables ability to run single fibre 10G, 25G and 50G services Continue Reading
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News
28 May 2025
HPE Aruba Networking expands distributed services switch platform
Leading network tech and services provider extends offer with distributed services switches, and expanded wired and wireless portfolio, to meet increasing AI and high-performance computing demands Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2012
Cisco updates ASR 5500 series for 4G networks
Cisco's updated ASR 5500 series aims to help businesses with increasing mobile traffic moving across networks as 4G looms Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2012
Cambridgeshire launches PSN to cut £1m per year
Cambridgeshire County Council will save £1m per year with the launch of its public services network (PSN) Continue Reading
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News
28 May 2012
EU to launch trade case against Chinese telcos Huawei and ZTE
The European Union has accused the two Chinese telecoms firms of obtaining illegal government subsidies and selling products below cost Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2012
European economy dents Cisco forecast
The stormy outlook for the European economy leads the networking firm to predict a weak quarter Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2012
Canary Wharf stress test underway ahead of London Olympic Games
Businesses in Canary Wharf are running two days of stress testing to prepare for the London Olympic Games, including flexible staff working Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2012
Avaya provides networking education to Leeds Metropolitan University
Avaya today announced a deal with Leeds Metropolitan University, which has seen the firm build out a network for the 28,000 staff and students across the organisation’s campuses. Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2012
BT pays out £90m bonus package
BT will hand out bonuses of nearly £90m after a scheme to improve the company’s struggling global services division paid off Continue Reading
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News
16 Mar 2012
Cisco buys UK video company NDS for $5bn
Cisco is paying $5bn for NDS, a UK company which specialises in securing subscription TV services Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Mar 2012
How to make your network green
Make sure your network and datacentre run efficiently as part of a green networking strategy Continue Reading
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News
29 Feb 2012
London Borough of Southwark gets 4G connectivity
Network provider UK Broadband has switched on its first 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) system in the London Borough of Southwark Continue Reading
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News
29 Feb 2012
Does the PSN need to happen before the cloud?
The deployment of public services networks (PSN) will need to happen before widespread uptake of CloudStore services occur, IT heads said at a roundtable meeting. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Feb 2012
Buyer's Guide: How to upgrade to IPv6
IPv6 is an increasingly hot topic in the networking industry. We examine the issues for older hardware support. Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2012
WAN optimisation: improving the performance of business applications
How can WAN optimisation support IT consumerisation and cloud computing? Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Feb 2012
Buyer's Guide: Tips for small companies on IPv6 migration
There is no rush to switch from IPv4 to IPv6, but there is no harm in being prepared for IPv6. We look at the practical issues for SMEs. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Feb 2012
Buyer's Guide: How to prepare your organisation for IPv6
The switch to IPv6 – on 6 June – shows just how imminent the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 is. Is your organisation ready? Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2012
Cisco back on acquisition trail after record quarter
Cisco Systems has reported record revenues of $11.5bn for the second fiscal quarter that ended 28 January 2012, up 11% on the year-ago quarter, and profits of $2.6bn or 47 cents a share, up 27%. Continue Reading
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News
06 Feb 2012
Buyer's Guide: Optimising networks for cloud computing and virtualisation
This six-page Computer Weekly Buyer's Guide to cloud networking highlights the factors CIOs need to consider for their networking strategies. Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2012
Cisco unveils product consolidation plan
Cisco has unveiled details of the product line consolidation it hopes will turn around the company after its struggles with poor financial performance. Continue Reading
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News
05 Jan 2012
Gartner: Enterprise software spending to rise by 6.4% in 2012
For 2012, Gartner expects telecommunications equipment and enterprise software to see the biggest growth in spite of the looming recession. Continue Reading
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News
03 Jan 2012
Hacktivists plan to use satellites to by-pass internet censorship
Hacker activists plan to launch communication satellites to overcome the threat of internet censorship. Continue Reading
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News
16 Dec 2011
CIOs must trade off innovation and maintenance in 2012
CIOs face major challenges in trading off stretched budgets between innovative projects and keeping the business running as usual in 2012. Continue Reading
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News
12 Dec 2011
Cloud leaves many firewalls wanting – but could automation prove the silver bullet?
Most companies rely on firewalls, but the IT landscape is changing and so must approaches to security. Is there a silver bullet? Continue Reading
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News
29 Nov 2011
Standard Life overhauls IT department and cuts jobs
Insurer Standard Life is to axe a number of IT staff following a review of its IT and operations division. Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2011
BT second quarter sales fall 2% despite 166,000 new broadband customers
BT sales fell 2% in its fiscal Q2 despite the addition of 166,000 broadband customers and continued growth in its Openreach and Global Services businesses. Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2011
Amazon launches Kindle Fire tablet but experts doubt its use as a business device
Amazon has confirmed its much-anticipated entry into the tablet market with the US launch of its Kindle Fire device - but analysts doubt it will appeal to corporate IT buyers. Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2011
Microsoft starts roll-out of Mango update for Windows Phone 7
Microsoft has started rolling out the next major version of its Windows Phone 7 operating system, codenamed Mango. Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2011
BASF extends BT network contract
Chemical group BASF has signed a €200m deal with BT for networking 900 BASF sites in more than 80 countries. The contract includes the provision of IP telephony and local network services (managed LAN services) at 300 sites in North and South America as well as in Asia. Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2011
How to justify the business case for virtual desktop infrastructure licensing
Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) technology can cut energy bills, increase business agility and improve mobile working flexibility. But licensing cost and complexity can wipe off the financial savings of VDI deployment. Jenny Williams explores the labyrinth of VDI licensing. Continue Reading
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News
14 Sep 2011
Cisco halves sales forecast as CEO John Chambers eyes Huawei market share
Following Cisco Systems' warning it is to halve its sales forecast as it struggles with reduced demand and increased competition, CEO John Chambers said he intends to battle with Chinese network provider Huawei. Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2011
Openreach expands fibre to 114 more exchanges
BT Openreach has unveiled 114 exchanges that will be upgraded to deliver fibre broadband as part of its plan to deliver fibre to two-thirds of the UK by the end of 2015. Continue Reading
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News
08 Sep 2011
University challenge: using IT to improve services and reduce costs
Universities face a balancing act as they become increasingly expected to improve the experiences of more demanding students while making budgets go further, and IT is a critical tool in finding this balance. Continue Reading
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News
01 Sep 2011
Ofcom gives green light to use TV spectrum for rural broadband
Telecommunications regulator Ofcom has given the go-ahead for internet providers to use unused TV spectrum to deliver broadband to rural areas. Continue Reading
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News
24 Aug 2011
Nokia launches three smartphones running Symbian Belle operating system
Nokia has unveiled three smartphone devices running its new operating system, Symbian Belle. Continue Reading
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News
24 Aug 2011
Durham University upgrades communications infrastructure and adopts IP telephony
Durham University is to upgrade its communications infrastructure after signing a deal with Siemens Enterprise Communications (SEC) which will see the university adopt IP telephony. Continue Reading
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News
16 Aug 2011
Information Commissioner calls for more privacy improvements at Google
The Information Commissioner's Office says an audit at Google's London office shows the company has taken reasonable steps to improve its privacy policies, but could do more. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2011
Blackberry to co-operate with police after youths used BBM to organise riots
Research in Motion has said that it will co-operate with the police after it was revealed that London rioters used Blackberry Messenger rather than Twitter to organise looting sprees across the capital, with violence later spreading to Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol. Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2011
Sunderland City Council signs multimillion-pound 10-year network deal with BT
BT will deliver a corporate network connecting 188 sites. Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2011
eBay boosts virtual servers with 100 terabytes of flash memory
Online auction site eBay has deployed more than 100 terabytes of flash memory to power its VMware virtual server infrastructure. The S-class flash storage from solid state disk provider Nimbus is believed to be among the world's largest consolidated deployments of network-attached flash storage for virtualisation. Continue Reading
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News
02 Aug 2011
Amazon closes Android appstore submissions in Germany after Apple lawsuit
Amazon has closed submissions for its Android app store in Germany following a lawsuit from Apple. Continue Reading
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News
01 Aug 2011
CIO interview: Michael Foster, European vice-president of IT, FedEx Express
What role should IT play in business? This is the question Michael Foster, vice-president of IT at Fedex Europe, tackles at the global courier. Cliff Saran reports. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2011
Apple and Samsung overtake Nokia as worldwide smartphone shipments grow 76%
Nokia's woes continue as Apple and Samsung overtake the Finnish giant to become the largest global smartphone manufacturers, according to analyst figures. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2011
BSkyB wins 174,000 new broadband subscribers
BSkyB has reported a surge in its broadband business in yearly results, taking its subscriber base to 711,000. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2011
KLM deploys RightNow natural language search for mobile website
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has rolled out software-as-a-service provider RightNow's CX Intent Guide on its mobile website. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jul 2011
Virgin Media sees small drop in business sales, and loses 18,000 broadband users
Cable telecoms supplier Virgin Media has reported a small drop in business revenue for its second quarter, while the firm also revealed it has lost 18,000 broadband users... Continue Reading
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26 Jul 2011
UK fails to make world’s top 10 high-speed broadband countries - but Ireland scrapes in
The UK has failed to make it into the top 10 countries with the highest average broadband speed, but neighbouring Ireland scrapes in... Continue Reading
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25 Jul 2011
Virgin Media trials 1.5Gbps broadband at London's Silicon Roundabout
Virgin Media has rolled out broadband speeds of up to 1.5Gbps as part of a trial for businesses in the "Silicon Roundabout" area of London... Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2011
Vodafone increases UK enterprise sales, driven by greater data traffic
Vodafone's latest results reflect increased use of smartphones and data consumption within the workplace. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jul 2011
Carphone Warehouse uses business process management to increase customer satisfaction
Retailer Carphone Warehouse is claiming a 25% jump in its customer satisfaction ratings after investing in BPM software to help staff deal with sales, queries and complaints. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jul 2011
Ofcom UK broadband speed map shows wide areas of internet underinvestment
An interactive map of broadband speeds has revealed large sections of the UK need investment in internet connectivity. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
01 Jul 2011
The IT that serves Wimbledon 2011
IBM provides an integrated end-to-end scoring system that delivers live tennis results to the BBC TV graphics, on-court scoreboards, match information displays, official web site and Wimbledon's own iPhone app. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2011
Betfair sees 120% increase in mobile customers
The online gambling firm increased sales via mobile applications by 88% as customer mobile use grows. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jun 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jun 2011
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. Continue Reading
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10 Jun 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jun 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jun 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
25 May 2011
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. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 May 2011
Buyer's Guide: HP's Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) put to the test
In the world of datacentres and large-scale enterprise networks there has always been some form of perceived trade-off between performance and resilience. Building in resilience is absolutely essential of course, but it has historically affected service and application ability when brought to play. Continue Reading
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13 May 2011
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? Continue Reading
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12 May 2011
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. Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2011
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. Continue Reading
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15 Apr 2011
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. Continue Reading
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13 Apr 2011
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 Continue Reading
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News
11 Apr 2011
Manageability issues impede adoption of virtualisation
Virtual infrastructure management challenges are hindering the adoption of virtualisation within businesses, according to research. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
04 Apr 2011
How pay-as-you-behave technology could transform car insurance
New IT systems can help calculate unique insurance premiums based on driver behaviour Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2011
Community networks to be part of Devon and Somerset broadband projects
Devon and Somerset county council has issued requests for tenders worth... Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2011
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. Continue Reading
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30 Mar 2011
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. Continue Reading
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11 Mar 2011
Rural broadband fund triggers technology tussle
News that the government may be giving serious thought to a "last mile first" approach when it comes to spending public money on broadband projects emerged this week to a cautious response from industry. Continue Reading
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News
07 Mar 2011
Intel launches second generation Core vPro processor
Intel says new chip will increase the speed of business applications by 60% Continue Reading
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News
04 Mar 2011
Azure propels Southampton's Windows Phone 7 balloon above the clouds
Microsoft Azure is helping Southampton University to reach above the clouds in a first-of-its-kind experiment to probe the stratosphere using an unmanned vehicle. Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2011
UPDATE: Stolen network equipment causes Vodafone UK network outage
The theft of specialist equipment has prevented thousands of users from accessing the Vodafone network. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2011
Huawei asks US to investigate it for threats to national interest
Huawei, the Chinese telecoms equipment maker, has called for the US government to make a formal investigation of the company to lay to rest allegations that it represents a threat to US national interests. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2011
Intel rolls out high speed cable 'Thunderbolt'
Intel has rolled out a high-speed PC connection technology named Thunderbolt, in collaboration with Apple. Continue Reading
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News
22 Feb 2011
Middle East governments stepping up internet control, study shows
The internet has proved to be a powerful tool for rallying social and political change, but Middle East governments have also recognised their capability to disrupt communications Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2011
Vodafone protests Egyptian government propaganda on network
Vodafone has described the Egyptian authorities' use of its network to send pro-government texts as unacceptable. Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2011
Every IPv4 address is now allocated and could run out within weeks
It's official: the IPv4-based internet is full, or at least it will be within a few weeks Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2011
Broadband boosts BT profits to £531m
An early return to positive cash flow at Global Services helped BT to produce earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation 7% higher on sales that fell 3% Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2011
O2 to apply for e-money licence to support NFC payments
O2 will apply for an e-money licence this year, signalling its commitment to support contactless payments in the UK in the near future. Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2011
Interactive crime map site experiencing problems as millions log on
An interactive crime map has been launched to allow people to monitor criminal activity in their area. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2011
Vodafone restores services to Egypt after mobile shutdown
Mobile operator, Vodafone, has restored mobile phone services in Egypt after a 24-hour shutdown. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jan 2011
Tesco rolls out in-store mobile phone network
Supermarket Tesco is rolling out a converged fixed and mobile voice network across its stores based on GSM technology. Cliff Saran finds out how the rollout is progressing. Continue Reading
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27 Jan 2011
Sky buys The Cloud
BSkyB has confirmed plans to acquire UK Wi-Fi network provider The Cloud. The deal allows the broadcaster access to 5,000 public wireless hotspots Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2011
Zuckerberg's Facebook page hacked
The personal page of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was hacked and an unauthorised update was placed on it Continue Reading
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26 Jan 2011
Virgin supplies London schools with 10Mbps fibre optic broadband
Virgin Media's business division is to supply a managed fibre optic network to London's Grid for Learning that will replace a broadband network supplied by Symmetrix, a Capita company. Continue Reading
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24 Jan 2011
Bluwan's FTTA promises cheap high-speed comms
Start-up French wireless comms company Bluwan has previewed microwave technology that promises to slash the cost of providing high-speed broadband to rural areas to between 2% and 5% of traditional microwave and fibre networks. Continue Reading
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24 Jan 2011
McDonald's to roll out contactless payments in 1,200 UK stores
Fast-food restaurant chain, McDonald's, will roll out contactless payments in all of its 1,200 UK stores by the end of October Continue Reading
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21 Jan 2011
Rackspace launches system administrator app
Rackspace has launched an app that allows a CIO or system administrator to dial up or take down servers and storage moment by moment. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2011
Iran gets access to Google Earth, Picasa and Chrome
Google has announced that Iranians are to be able to download Google Earth, Picasa and Chrome, available for the first time following the easing of US export controls. Continue Reading
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17 Jan 2011
Babcock outsources next-gen network to C&W Worldwide
UK-based global engineering firm Babcock has hired Cable&Wireless Worldwide as its sole telecoms supplier for the next three years to consolidate Babcock's legacy network estate and connect its 250 UK and international sites Continue Reading
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14 Jan 2011
Vodafone Australia sacks employees over data leak
Vodafone Australia has sacked several people after four million customer records were exposed in a privacy leak Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2011
Government wants hard evidence before changing fibre tax
The government wants concrete evidence that the business rates tax on lit fibres - the so-called fibre tax - unduly hampers network investment before it considers reviewing the system Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2011
Cambridge village competes with South Korea on broadband speeds
Residents of Broughton have become among the first UK consumers to get access to 1Gbps broadband speeds Continue Reading
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News
11 Jan 2011
BT to develop Goonhilly satellite site for deep space comms programme
After closing the Goonhilly visitor's centre in March 2010, BT has announced it is planning to invest in the historic telecommunications satellite site. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2011
Ofcom frees spectrum for better data, internet access
From Thursday UK mobile network operators will be allowed to offer data services over their 2G networks, giving consumers better indoor and outdoor access... Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2011
Most people who sell their old mobiles don't clear personal data
Just over three quarters of the UK population have sold on old mobile phones, but only 31% wiped all personal information before selling, a survey has revealed. Continue Reading