Networking and communication

State of Delaware launches Covid-19 tracing app

US state taps leading Irish developer of contact-tracing technology for free app using Google/Apple platform and protecting user privacy Continue Reading

SSE Enterprise Telecoms further extends 100Gbps capable network across the UK

New connections built to provide 100Gbps optical and Ethernet services will enable SSE Enterprise Telecoms to reach more than 90 datacentres across the UK Continue Reading

Singapore partners Apple on LumiHealth

Singapore’s Health Promotion Board has developed a programme with Apple to encourage healthy living following a similar partnership with Fitbit last year Continue Reading

Staff recognise productivity value of tech investments

Two surveys, one conducted before the UK coronavirus lockdown, one after, show a shift in attitudes among employees towards modern IT Continue Reading

Openreach adds 67 locations to broadband fibre build plan

Growth accelerates in UK full-fibre network, with 32,000 homes and businesses gaining full-fibre broadband access every week Continue Reading

How data has helped in the fight against coronavirus

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the Office for National Statistics about the important role data plays in the battle against Covid-19. We also look at the speedy deployment of the Scottish contact-tracing app and report on a discussion about the UK government’s delayed response to its digital identity consultation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

7 top 5G enterprise use cases and business opportunities

While 5G is not fully baked yet, early business use cases are intriguing. Connections between branch offices and headquarters, for instance, could be improved with fixed wireless. Continue Reading

UK government furthers investment in rural broadband

Quarter of a million rural homes and businesses across England have been given access to more financial help to get super-fast and above broadband speeds up to gigabit Continue Reading

EU announces cross-territory contact-tracing app gateway

European Union announces ‘milestone’ in project developed and set up by T-Systems and SAP to ensure that member states’ apps will work seamlessly across borders, meaning users will only need to install one app for use across EU countries Continue Reading

Can Nvidia expand software business through £31bn Arm deal?

Nvidia is to buy rival chip designer Arm for £31bn in a deal it hopes will put it at the forefront of artificial intelligence for edge computing Continue Reading

Security concerns remain a major barrier to IoT adoption

Survey finds that internet of things decision-makers regard security as a short-term focus and see 5G as able to ‘transform the industry” in the medium to long term Continue Reading

NTT taps data analytics and cloud for Tour de France

NTT’s analytics and cloud capabilities stood up to the test amid crashes and poor weather conditions during the first stage of this year’s Tour de France Continue Reading

Telecommunications book highlights spectrum, fiber cabling

5G touts faster download speeds and new application types, but other major 5G changes will be in spectrum and fixed wireless. Learn more in this telecommunications book excerpt. Continue Reading

Multimedia data and 5G drive network transformation

Emerging networking trends and touted innovations always showcase faster speeds and new use cases. Yet, new challenges keep pace, too, such as security and privacy issues. Continue Reading

NHS Covid-19 contact-tracing app to launch in England and Wales on 24 September

After a catalogue of delays, missteps and a complete technological volte-face, UK government finally pencils in the date its contact-tracing app will become available nationally Continue Reading

Small businesses projected to add £1.8tn to global GDP growth by 2024

Small Business Digital Maturity research finds nearly three-quarters of global small businesses surveyed are accelerating their digitisation rates to address Covid-19 challenges and respond faster to the new normal of remote working Continue Reading

Zoom adds two-factor authentication for all users

Latest enhancements to Zoom security make it easier for organisations to protect users and prevent breaches and unauthorised meeting access Continue Reading

Amstrop

The reality of our planet living through a pandemic has seen office culture successfully adapt to home working, but as businesses start building towards their employees’ safe return, one impatient ... Continue Reading

Mobile stable as UK full-fibre broadband increases significantly over first half of 2020

Second interim 2020 update to UK comms regulator’s examination of connectivity shows fibre and superfast broadband proliferate since March as millions remain at home to work, learn and be entertained during the pandemic Continue Reading

Scotland confirms launch of contact-tracing app

Mobile users north of the border get opportunity denied to those in England and Wales – namely the use of a widely available smartphone app designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 Continue Reading

Edinburgh council to create smart city operations centre

Edinburgh council extends an outsourcing agreement with CGI as it steps up its smart city programme Continue Reading

Emerging markets on par with rest of world in 5G roll-outs

Despite limited 4G penetration, so-called developing nations get on board with 5G faster than developed markets Continue Reading

Broadcom launches Brocade gen7 Fibre Channel switches

New generation Fibre Channel doubles performance to 64Gbps with switches and HBAs now available. But what future for Fibre Channel with NVMe-over-fabrics hitting the datacentre? Continue Reading

Connected vehicle association makes call for wireless spectrum to develop use cases

5G Automotive Association pinpoints harmonised use of the 5855-5925 MHz band as key for mass adoption of cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) services and to boost overall international digital traffic ecosystem Continue Reading

Coventry University calls on Vodafone standalone 5G for virtual reality teaching

UK’s first commercial standalone 5G network to offer students at Coventry University virtual reality seminars with interactive remote learning Continue Reading

5G roll-out delay could see £18.2bn hit to UK economy

Huawei publishes research showing the huge potential financial cost of removing its 5G products and services from the UK’s next generation Continue Reading

Webex vs. Zoom vs. Teams: Consider future needs, innovation

As organizations evaluate unified communications products from Cisco, Zoom and Microsoft, they should consider how the vendors are investing in their respective products. Continue Reading

Helping Users Help Themselves - Wherever They Are

Well - the pandemic is still very much at large, along with the impacts on life, the universe and everything. And so, the new normal becomes the normal normal as the old normal doesn’t exist any ... Continue Reading

Ericsson 5G rides on Shenyang subway, goes live in Denmark and launches in Spain

The leading Nordic telecommunications provider unveils a flurry of wins spanning Asia and Europe for its radio access network and core 5G technologies Continue Reading

Scottish health bodies accelerate mobile Covid-19 detection technology

Scottish regional and national government take the high and fast road to developing contact-tracing technology to assist in preventing further spread of Covid-19 Continue Reading

Aberla Utilities forges UK fibre partnership with Gabitel Ingenieros

Spanish telecommunications expert digs out deal with Cheshire-based telecoms, energy management, renewables and engineering services to provide fibre communications Continue Reading

Verizon advances 5G network security

US comms provider Verizon reveals details of efforts to future-proof next-generation network by developing solutions for possible security threats Continue Reading

NHS whistleblowers at risk due to poor IT policies

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our investigation into NHS practices shows how poor IT policies are putting whistleblowers at risk. Our buyer’s guide examines the networking implications of the surge in remote working. And we assess how well the public cloud giants responded to the demands of the coronavirus pandemic. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

EE tops RootMetrics UK 5G survey

BT-owned mobile operator EE is named as having the best overall 5G availability in the UK, as well as consistently fast 5G speeds against competitors by RootMetrics’ independent, real-world network testing Continue Reading

Adtran eyes IoT scale opportunities and enhances gigabit switch portfolio

As part of a sweep of moves to help service providers grow IoT applications, services and revenue, business connectivity solutions provider announces new gateways and brings carrier-class feature set to gigabit switch portfolio. Continue Reading

Kudelski IoT Labs authorised as Alexa Voice Services test facility

Internet of things division of cyber security firm brings device testing and certification expertise to implementers of Amazon Voice Services in speakers, headphones, vehicles and other connected devices Continue Reading

Three expands full-fibre connectivity partnership with CityFibre

The UK’s third national digital infrastructure platform provider teams up with telco on backhaul project Continue Reading

Two-fifths of UK small businesses claim productivity increases since lockdown

As UK government mulls programme to encourage big return to the office, survey finds that commuting time has been swapped for work time as homeworkers notch up almost a month in overtime Continue Reading

Nokia powers the grid in China for the world’s biggest utility company

Nordic comms tech giant’s WaveFabric supports power grid expansion with resilient, scalable optical network Continue Reading

Enterprise WLAN market takes a tumble

Quarantines and lockdowns due to pandemic are presenting a headwind for the enterprise WLAN market, with falls in first quarter persisting over the next three months of the year Continue Reading

Western Europe dominates global broadband speed

Annual assessment of global broadband speeds calculates that the gap is widening between the leaders and the laggards, with the countries focusing on pure fibre achieving the most success Continue Reading

UK government claims major leap in rural 5G roll-out plans

Boost for rural phone coverage in programme clearing 700MHz spectrum of radio waves for 5G, with spectrum to be auctioned off in bid to deliver nearly 20% more capacity for mobile services Continue Reading

New normal of remote working compounds enterprise security challenges

Sudden changes in priorities, poor network visibility and lack of time cited by Juniper Networks as key issues for security professionals struggling to cope with new norms Continue Reading

Mobile workers to form 60% of total US workforce by 2024

IDC offers more evidence of how Covid-19 has changed the face of work in the US, with CIO investment in mobile-based management and security systems to take precedence in 2020 and beyond Continue Reading

Businesses go all in on wireless WAN for post-pandemic recovery

Report reveals extent of wireless WAN use, demand for 5G and how wireless connectivity will play a big part in businesses’ efforts to recover from the economic damage of Covid-19 Continue Reading

Zoom continues boom in second quarter

Lockdown breakout video conferencing provider continues hot streak through second quarter of 2020, racking up record revenues of over half a billion dollars Continue Reading

LoRa vs. 5G: Can they coexist for IoT network connectivity?

LoRa vs. 5G technologies differ in terms of cost, use cases and technology types. However, LoRa and 5G may complement each other well for IoT connectivity. Continue Reading

The Smart, Post Covid, Business Case for Investment in Broadband

Most of the interest groups representing network operators, large and small, fixed and mobile are having good meetings on how to encouragement investment in their members current business models ... Continue Reading

Best practices to maintain VPN security

Enterprises looking to maintain VPN security should focus on proper endpoint security and authentication, VPN server security and documentation for security policies. Continue Reading

Tour de France 2020 fans to get virtual experience delivered by NTT

This year’s Tour de France was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. IT services company NTT has teamed up with event organiser ASO to offer a virtual experience to fans who cannot be at the roadside Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Bergen’s tech hub seeks global success

Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen, is building a tech ecosystem that is beginning its development with a focus on the city’s industrial heritage. Also in this issue, read why now might be the time for businesses to consider how they will invest in outsourcing IT once the Covid-19 pandemic wanes. And read how Norway’s government has had to backtrack on a law that removed tax relief on energy consumption at datacentres that process cryptocurrency mining. Continue Reading

Ministers urge local councils to lead on broadband and mobile

Digital minister Matt Warman and local government minister Simon Clarke want local councils to do their bit to help ensure better access to connectivity during the Covid-19 recovery Continue Reading

Benefits of intent-based networking for modern networks

Intent-based networking can benefit network teams working remotely with increased workloads due to COVID-19. Benefits include reduced human error and automated manual tasks. Continue Reading

Unwired Planet wins patent licensing case against Huawei

Landmark ruling goes in favour of Unwired Planet and Conversant Wireless and may define the future of telecoms patent licensing Continue Reading

Council to connect hundreds of its sites through wide area network

Local authorities invest in networking and contact centre technology through IT outsourcing contracts Continue Reading

Gartner: Enterprise sales of smartphones show low 5G uptake

There is little demand for new devices and 5G technology, as enterprises focus on saving cash rather than upgrading corporate smartphones, says Gartner Continue Reading

How to keep IT staff safe when they are needed on-site

One of the challenges for IT departments during the coronavirus pandemic is that staff sometimes need to come into the office, which poses health risks Continue Reading

Scottish government reveals broadband voucher scheme to make up project shortfall

Government reveals details of funding for Scottish residents who fall outside reach of its primary broadband project Continue Reading

3 SD-WAN cloud connectivity options to explore

Enterprises can connect their SD-WAN infrastructure to cloud providers' platforms using three methods: back-to-back access, private PoP connections and internet VPN. Continue Reading

Zoom dials into Southeast Asia with Singapore datacentre

Zoom’s new Singapore datacentre is expected to shore up the performance of its conferencing tool and phone service in the city-state Continue Reading

UK government needs a joined-up internet policy

Global internet firms want government to ensure its new digital strategy has coherent policy and regulatory goals Continue Reading

Enterprises prefer private 5G networks over network slicing

Large enterprises are wary of network slicing within public 5G networks because of potential security risks. But SMBs see network slicing as a viable 5G option. Continue Reading

Department for Transport seeks industry views on autonomous vehicle technology

The government wants industry’s views on plans to use automation technology to take control of cars travelling at speeds of up to 70mph, keeping them safely in the lane on motorways Continue Reading

How to keep IT staff safe when they are needed on-site

One of the challenges for IT departments during the coronavirus pandemic is that staff sometimes need to come into the office, which poses health risks Continue Reading

How Covid-19 elevated the datacentre

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how datacentres and their workers became part of our critical national infrastructure due to the pandemic. Firms considering upgrading to SAP S/4 Hana face hefty bills – we look at how to keep costs down. And we analyse the increasing rate of applications being migrated to the cloud. Continue Reading

StarHub starts 5G commercial trial for consumers and businesses

StarHub customers will be among the first in Singapore to access 5G services which are being delivered through a non-standalone network Continue Reading

What is the difference between SNMP and RMON?

While Simple Network Management Protocol tracks network devices, Remote Network Monitoring tracks traffic. As a team, SNMP and RMON are essential for network management. Continue Reading

O2 Business debuts IoT toolkit to support UK firms in post-lockdown return to office

Suite of internet-of-things products includes thermal-imaging tablet that can read a user’s surface body temperature from a metre away Continue Reading

DBS Bank teams up with AWS on AI skills

Singapore’s DBS Bank is organising an AWS DeepRacer League to equip thousands of employees with skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning Continue Reading

Cisco-led consortium eyes up rural UK 5G opportunities

Part government-funded communications project develops first-of-its-kind deployment toolkit for next-generation networks using 5G technologies to empower rural and poorly connected communities Continue Reading

Gigaclear to take on 120 engineers for rural broadband expansion

New full-time field engineers will join rural broadband provider’s in-house team by the end of March 2021 to increase company’s build capacity Continue Reading

Bayer taps Verizon for global network infrastructure

Pharmaceutical giant chooses Verizon to provide software-defined infrastructure to support its future cloud-based business needs Continue Reading

UK government redesigns contact-tracing app and begins new trial phase

No official launch, but app is upgraded to offer alerts based on postcode, QR check-in at venues, symptom checker and test booking in conjunction with the official Test and Trace programme Continue Reading

PCCW Global furthers global IoT reach with Nayar Systems

Industrial internet of things firm collaborates with global comms services provider to reduce the time and cost of deploying the services most required by high-tech elevator systems Continue Reading

CW Benelux: Security system concerns at Schiphol Airport

A report has revealed problems with critical security systems at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Also read why the Netherlands’ digital sector is yearning for attention from the government, and how data weaknesses persist despite Dutch companies investing heavily to comply with GDPR. Continue Reading

Ericsson hits 100th 5G commercial agreement milestone

Century up for Swedish communications tech firm in next-generation infrastructure wins with deal at Telekom Slovenije to supply essential RAN and Packet Core technology Continue Reading

Broadband upstream usage, speeds spike higher in Q2 2020

As the need for remote working, learning, information and entertainment makes broadband access more important than ever, a consumption report finds mass usage of applications such as Zoom driving uptake of higher-speed packages Continue Reading

CIOs raise IT budgets as increased remote working drives security concerns

Research finds that as the pandemic forces companies to accept the idea of permanent massed remote working, CIOs are waking up to the threat of increased cyber attacks Continue Reading

SD-WAN revealed as key enabler for ‘new normal’ remote workforces

Research from software-defined network and cloud platform provider shows the increased importance of software-defined infrastructure to the new work environment Continue Reading

PCCW Global and Sure Universal team up for home-based medical IoT

Leading IoT software and platform developer teams with Hong Kong telco to offer global network of connected solutions for medical care from home, providing a customisable platform and interface to deliver global connectivity, simplify device management and IoT operations Continue Reading

DAG Wireless unveils 4G/5G infrastructure for in-flight connectivity

Broadband access products provider announces new FCC and DO-160 certified in-flight broadband network designed to offer first-class wireless connectivity experiences Continue Reading

UK government gigabit broadband scheme nears half a million new premises benchmark

UK government celebrates reaching gigabit broadband services deployment milestone as part of its ambitious target over the lifetime of parliament Continue Reading

EE expands emergency services network to 500th site

BT-owned UK operator announces milestone for emergency services network as it accelerates its strategy towards bringing 4G to more places across the country, particularly rural communities Continue Reading

SD-WAN gains momentum with enterprises in Australia

As Australian businesses accelerate migration to the cloud, the underlying network will play an increasingly important role and nearly 60% of enterprises in the country have already implemented SD-WAN Continue Reading

Poor connectivity sees home workers lose over half an hour of work a day

Business leaders reveal pressure of new normal with research revealing four-fifths of home workers experiencing unreliable internet connection while working from home, and nearly half having slow and/or unreliable internet connection Continue Reading

Isle of Wight trial shows positive effect of contact-tracing app, but data privacy body slams UK

Rare piece of good news for long-awaited but much-criticised mobile app as technical conference highlights the positive outcomes for first large public test of coronavirus contact-tracing service Continue Reading

Virgin Media customers targeted in Twitter phish

Customers seeking help from the ISP are being targeted by a scam Twitter account Continue Reading

Intel, VMware broaden 5G collaboration across radio access network

Leading software and chip companies embark on a pre-integrated software platform for virtualised RAN designed to reduce development cycles for communications service providers Continue Reading

‘Inadequate’ broadband impacts bottom line for London’s SMEs

Research reveals as many as 85% of small businesses in UK capital do not know how fast their broadband speed needs to be for their business to thrive, and only two-fifths were able to transition to a fully online business model after Covid-19 hit Continue Reading

Bandwidth Inc wraps up Ribbon deal to boost home network capacity for AWS

Session border controller software edition deployed on AWS to enable enterprise communications company’s customers to improve home working with no disruptions to network performance Continue Reading

Centrica calls on Vodafone 5G tech to assist delivery of gas storage facility

Gas supplier aims to address 1970s problems at Easington storage terminal with 21st century private 5G mobile network solution Continue Reading

Virgin brings gigabit speeds to Glasgow, Leeds and Bradford

Cable provider extends gigabit broadband footprint to more than 12 million homes with coverage in Scotland’s largest urban conurbation and West Yorkshire twin cities Continue Reading

Extreme delivers secure access to virtual health services in Madrid

Madrid Digital Telehealth Network expands access to essential health services to 1.5 million citizens, ensuring the safety of patients and staff Continue Reading

Covid collapses secondary smartphone sales but trade-in values increase

$225 million returned to US mobile device consumers in Q2 2020, down by 50% compared with the same quarter last year, however US consumers see 9% increase in the value of their older devices Continue Reading

Nokia to set up robotics lab at Indian Institute of Science

The Nokia Centre of Excellence for Networked Robotics will explore the use of drones, advanced communications and artificial intelligence in agriculture and industrial automation, among other applications Continue Reading

Inside Juniper’s radical IT transformation

Western Australia’s aged care provider Juniper embarked on an aggressive strategy to completely transform its IT operations in just two years Continue Reading

‘Precipitous’ rise in network disruptions since March 2020

Research finds that since lockdown, regional network availability and performance has differed between ISP and cloud networks, with cloud provider networks showing greater resilience Continue Reading

Tata Communications unveils new secure digital experience

Global digital ecosystem enabler Tata aims to allow businesses to adapt to the realities of enterprise transformation, workforce mobility and consumer experience in the new digital-first environment Continue Reading

UK government ignored civil service warning of no benefit in acquisition of OneWeb

Civil service revealed to have taken the rare step of alerting government that $500m investment in troubled satellite company would bring no discernible benefit Continue Reading

The UK’s $500m space technology gamble

In this week’s Computer Weekly we ask why the UK government is spending $500m on a bankrupt satellite technology company. After a European court quashes the EU-US data sharing agreement, we examine the implications for a UK-EU data protection deal after Brexit. And how have small cloud suppliers coped in the pandemic? Read the issue now. Continue Reading