Networking and communication

CW Middle East: Qatar strengthens cyber defences ahead of FIFA World Cup

Being the first Arab country to host the World Cup is pressure enough on Qatar, but there is also a massive cyber security challenge associated with any event of this magnitude. Read about its preparations. Also in this issue, find out about the unique challenges of hiring IT professionals in Saudi Arabia. Continue Reading

UK gigabit broadband expansion rolls on for CityFibre, Hyperoptic

Deployment in South Yorkshire adds to largest independent provider’s estate as part of £8bn development plan, while fibre provider announces internal and external milestones as it clocks up 11 years in business Continue Reading

Indonesia’s NeutraDC outlines global ambitions

Formed from the consolidation of Telkom’s infrastructure assets, NeutraDC has set its sights on being a global player in datacentre and connectivity services Continue Reading

Qualcomm unveils next-gen MR, VR devices based on Snapdragon platform

New premium-tier extended reality platform is said to deliver 50% higher sustained power and 30% improved thermal performance to enable more immersive metaverse experiences in smaller, lighter form factors Continue Reading

UK Atomic Energy Authority makes call on new UC telephony

National nuclear-based research facility replaces inflexible cloud-based system to add agility to enable staff to collaborate more effectively in a hybrid working approach Continue Reading

Meta presents vision for business metaverse

How can hybrid teams collaborate seamlessly? Meta believes virtual reality tied to business applications is the way forward Continue Reading

Community Fibre secures £985m finance facility

London and South East-based gigabit connectivity provider announces massive cash injection Continue Reading

Boingo Wireless claims commercial use first with open source software for Wi-Fi 6E

Telecom Infra Project hits new milestone as wireless operator expands its converged technology portfolio with new flexible Wi-Fi architecture to streamline network deployments Continue Reading

Gitex 2022: Avaya aims for innovation without disruption as it reveals cloud comms partners

Global communications and collaboration firm showcases business outcomes at leading expo and announces new strategic partnership with conversational AI provider and cloud telecoms and technology solutions company Continue Reading

Small businesses bask in broadband benefits as UK full-fibre reaches 11 million homes

As more SMEs shift towards hybrid working, better broadband becomes a priority. Studies from research firm and UK comms regulator show full-fibre availability is on the increase, with almost two in five able to access services Continue Reading

Nokia launches SaaS for fixed networks portfolio

Comms tech giant intros software as a service for fixed networks portfolio line-up covering broadband and Wi-Fi controller, as well as operational tools Continue Reading

How Cloudflare is staying ahead of the curve

Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince talks up what has changed since the company’s first business plan was written in 2009 and how it keeps pace with the fast-moving network security landscape Continue Reading

Oracle unveils 5G cloud-native network analytics suite

Data giant claims to put communications network data analytics function first with portfolio of statistical and predictive 5G network core analytics services Continue Reading

Broadcasters reveal 5G, satellite connectivity deployment for live coverage of Queen’s funeral

Standalone 5G network in a box and integrated wireless connectivity based on Starlink satellite broadband used in live remote broadcast production in coverage of transport of late Queen to Edinburgh Airport and of London funeral Continue Reading

Satellite 5G boost as SES-20 and SES-21 launches confirmed

As part of its plan to continue delivering network services while freeing up C-band spectrum to enable the deployment of 5G across the US, satellite operator SES has announced the successful launch of its SES-20 and SES-21 craft Continue Reading

Australia to amend telecoms regulations following Optus breach

Amendments to Australia’s telecoms regulations are in the works to temporarily allow sharing of individuals’ identifier information between telcos and financial institutions Continue Reading

Private investors back innovators to boost African connectivity

Local operator research finds nearly four out of five VC and private equity firms believe innovation in connectivity will drive expansion in Africa, despite infrastructure issues Continue Reading

Top 13 IoT blogs to follow in 2023

Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned expert, there's an IoT blog for you. Find out where to go for the latest use cases and trends. Continue Reading

India telcos chart revenue growth with cloud and OTT services

Telcos in India are eyeing new revenue streams from cloud and content services, but whether they can successfully monetise the offerings remains to be seen Continue Reading

Policy action needed for EU to achieve 5G goals

Report finds that economic contribution of mobile continues to expand in Europe, but market dynamics are impeding 5G’s progress throughout the region and further regulation may be needed to hit digital goals Continue Reading

Hybrid working: Preventing damage to company culture

The hybrid working model is still a work in progress, and most employers are at an early stage in learning and finding their way towards achieving its benefits Continue Reading

Orange Belgium, KPN plot 5G course for world’s smartest waterway

Operators plan to submit grant application to European Commission for project to use 5G to ensure secure and highly reliable connectivity and accelerate further digitisation in one of Europe’s most important corridors Continue Reading

How to build a zero-trust network in 4 steps

While network teams are responsible for deploying the elements of a zero-trust network, security teams should also be involved in developing the overall zero-trust framework. Continue Reading

Mavenir to deliver cloud-based 5G solutions on Google Cloud

Telecoms software provider and cloud giant team to offer combined system with containerised and micro-serviced converged 5G packet core, IP multimedia subsystem, messaging, orchestration, AI and telco analytics, and Open RAN products Continue Reading

UK a broadband laggard as altnets grab share from incumbents

Ookla overview of UK broadband market reveals that while fibre development is accelerating throughout the country, median fixed broadband download and upload speeds compare badly with global market Continue Reading

Harrison Drury elevates its employee, customer experience with Avaya OneCloud UCaaS

Solicitor’s transition to cloud-based unified communications-as-a-service platform modernises communications and sets up platform to support business’s strategy of providing a hybrid workplace Continue Reading

Vodafone confirms Three UK merger talks

UK’s mid-sized operators begin negotiations on consolidation to gain the scale to accelerate roll-out of 5G in the UK, expand broadband connectivity to rural communities and small businesses, and offer stronger competition Continue Reading

BT Group sees network gains through AI Accelerator

Telco announces new platform to orchestrate, accelerate and monitor artificial intelligence model deployments developed by its data community and to drive efficiencies Continue Reading

Three-quarters of business professionals want to embrace the metaverse

Study from networking systems, services and software company reveals business professionals’ interest in metaverse pointing to utilising more immersive and connected digital applications in the workplace Continue Reading

4 tips for network capacity planning and provisioning

To avoid network overprovisioning, teams should review baselines and roadmaps, assess limitations and consider business strategy changes when focusing on network capacity planning. Continue Reading

Edge storage: What it is and the technologies it uses

Storage is moving from the datacentre to the edge. We define edge storage, look at the characteristics of edge computing that shape it and the technologies it requires Continue Reading

City of Las Vegas bets on NTT for largest private 5G network in US

Sin City sees no gamble in placing its chips on private 5G networks in new infrastructure designed to create opportunities for businesses, government and educational institutions Continue Reading

Hyperoptic, Community Fibre take gigabit highway to Islington

Inner London local authority signs deal so that more than 90% of homes and businesses will be connected to gigabit by August 2025, including 50 community hubs Continue Reading

UK government rolls out Project Gigabit to rural Teesdale

£6.6m contract granted in north-east England as part of national programme to upgrade broadband for hard-to-reach premises, with GoFibre engaged as principal contractor for build out Continue Reading

CDO interview: Danny Gonzalez, chief digital and innovation officer, London North Eastern Railway

The rail franchise is driving a wide-ranging digital transformation, encompassing back-office improvements and enhancing passenger experience Continue Reading

Du, Nokia, MediaTek combine three 5G TDD carriers to claim ‘highest throughput ever’

Comms tech provider and mobile chip company team with Middle East operator in first carrier aggregation of its kind, combining high-speed 5G bands to aggregate 300MHz of spectrum for throughput of up to 4.520 Gbps Continue Reading

BSH Home Appliances takes on Twilio to revamp digital customer engagement

Customer engagement platform partners with Deloitte Consulting to support plan by home appliances firm to revamp its entire digital infrastructure within customer service organisation Continue Reading

Koch’s networking: Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

Matt Hoag, CTO of Koch Business Solutions, discusses networking as a service Continue Reading

IoT success fuelling further expansion

Survey reveals profound change around the benefits derived from internet of things over past 12 months, with senior decision-makers focused on operational efficiencies, reducing costs, and increasing revenue and profit Continue Reading

Neos Networks to connect Viking Wind Farm to SSE Renewables HQ

Business connectivity provider constructs communications links between wind farm being built on Scottish island and headquarters on mainland more than 300 miles away with machine-to-machine network to control and monitor performance of wind turbines remotely Continue Reading

Zain Kuwait taps Accedian, Cisco for ‘unparalleled’ network performance monitoring and analytics

Middle East mobile voice and data services operator deploys automated assurance network technology to boost customer experience of performance and availability Continue Reading

Telefónica, Qualcomm collaborate to build XR, metaverse systems

Partnership designed to grow metaverse and extended reality ecosystem using Snapdragon Spaces as well as upskilling Telefónica’s internal teams and external innovation programmes in XR hardware and applications Continue Reading

Nokia, Speedcast deploy private wireless connectivity for Origem Energia in Brazil

Private wireless solution will deliver critical network operations to 600 gas production wells at Brazilian sustainable energy firm Continue Reading

Businesses see fixed broadband charges rise as average bandwidth increases

Latest roundup of global fixed broadband arena shows residential consumers reaping speed and cost rewards of fibre proliferation, while B2B subscribers see little improvement in bandwidth versus monthly charges Continue Reading

Making digital a key ingredient at Mondelez

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to snack giant Mondelez, the owner of Cadbury, about how AI and data are transforming its business. SAP is increasing support costs for the first time in years – we assess the impact on customers. And a Ukrainian tech CEO tells us how his company kept going despite the Russian invasion. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Ofcom turns its attention to the hyperscalers

The regulator sees its role expanding into emerging areas of communications technologies and public cloud services Continue Reading

Batfish use cases for network validation and testing

Automated pre-change network validation with Batfish can save time in the network change management process and minimize configuration and policy errors when deploying changes. Continue Reading

Mobile operators work on holographic calling pilot

Thanks to 5G, it may soon be possible add a third dimension to video calls using ‘realistic’ holograms Continue Reading

5G fixed wireless access services to see huge growth

Spending on 5G fixed wireless access services is set to explode globally over the next 12 months Continue Reading

When network performance is the name of the Games

Major sporting events are now major IT and networking events. For Aruba, being in charge of networking for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games meant 20 simultaneous major projects - how did it go? Continue Reading

A gold medal performance for networking

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how the IT team behind the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham delivered a winning performance. We also look at how the centuries-old London insurance market is going digital, thanks to Lloyd’s of London. And we find out how low-cost high street stores succumbed to the inevitable and are going online. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Flex muscles up 5G SA private wireless, Industry 4.0 in advanced manufacturing

Leading comms tech provider teams with multinational electronics company to combine 5G SA private wireless and Industry 4.0 expertise for advanced manufacturing services in Brazil Continue Reading

WBA unveils ‘world-first’ combination of Wi-Fi 6E, OpenRoaming

Trial of combined wireless technologies at Polytechnic Institute of Viseu said to showcase the future of higher education, including 8K video and interactive experiences in classrooms Continue Reading

Tata Communications further strengthens IZO Internet WAN for global enterprises

Tata has announced strengthened variants of its IZO Internet WAN offering for global enterprises, in particular those looking at introducing cloud services to their existing IT and networking architecture. Continue Reading

APAC organisations warm to cloud networking

Organisations in Asia-Pacific are getting up to speed with cloud networking services, even as they grapple with the challenges of managing a hybrid cloud environment. Continue Reading

CW APAC: Trend Watch: Cloud networking

Organisations are waking up to the importance of utilising updated cloud services. In this handbook, focused on cloud networking in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at the technology’s advantages, how Cloudflare keeps its customers protected, Tata’s efforts to strengthen its offerings, and how networking and security might evolve in the future. Continue Reading

Linksys lines up deals with UK gigabit ISPs for Wi-Fi 6 mesh solutions

Business Wi-Fi networking solutions firm partners with growing UK full-fibre gigabit broadband ISPs to offer mesh wireless network systems claimed to deliver four times faster coverage across the home Continue Reading

EU Cyber Resilience Act sets global standard for connected products

European Commission lays out proposed security regulations on device and software security to better protect consumers and drive global standards Continue Reading

Smartphone trade-in value rises as average age of devices breaks 3.5-year threshold

Analysis of mobile trade-ins reveals increasing handset longevity and rising value of used devices, with US$767m returned to US buyers in the second quarter Continue Reading

Full-stack observability top priority for IT teams

Annual forecast reveals observability – the ability to see everything in the tech stack that could affect customer experience – has become a board-level imperative, but only a quarter of organisations have achieved it Continue Reading

IBM and Airtel team to bring secured edge cloud services to Indian enterprises

Indian telco teams with IT giant with aim of using network of edge datacentres to help businesses address critical business needs with greater efficiency, making it easier for companies to process workloads where their data resides Continue Reading

Airtel to deploy edge computing platform

Bharti Airtel will deploy its multi-access edge compute platform across India to support edge computing applications in manufacturing and other industries, as India gears up for 5G Continue Reading

BICS partners with Thales to simplify eSIM integration for IoT

International connectivity and global IoT enabler partners with technology provider to take simplicity of consumer eSIMs to the broader internet of things while further streamlining connectivity activation for enterprises Continue Reading

Deutsche Telekom deploys converged packet core to boost enterprise 5G

Leading German operator deploys cloud-native standalone core, marking key milestone in the evolution of 5G architecture with scale and flexibility required to deliver innovative 5G standalone services to enterprise customers Continue Reading

Amdocs claims industry’s first 5G-native charging system

5G- and cloud-native charging product will provide ‘endless’ monetisation opportunities for advanced standalone 5G and beyond, backed by proven multicloud deployment experience, says Amdocs Continue Reading

New networking era imminent as global internet bandwidth rises 28% in 2022

TeleGeography’s Global Internet Geography research service shows continuing return to ‘normal’ following the pandemic-generated bump of 2020, as demand looks to quickly transcend terabyte measure Continue Reading

Nokia boosts business software to enhance time to value

Leading communications technology provider strengthens software portfolio to focus on security, automation and monetisation, while introducing digital ecosystem programme to accelerate innovation through collaboration with partners and customers Continue Reading

Verizon VRAN velocity gains as fibre pushed to almost half of cell sites

Communications giant takes advantage of extensive fibre broadband network to support mobile infrastructure, which is seeing significant push into virtualised radio access network technology in cell sites Continue Reading

Gigaclear selects EXFO fibre monitoring to assist rapid network expansion

Developer of test, monitoring and analytics services engaged by UK ISP for remote fibre testing and monitoring offering to improve efficiency of deployment and fault identification Continue Reading

Spaceflight takes Astrocast IoT constellation to orbit

Global nanosatellite IoT network inks commercial arrangement with NewSpace India to launch four spacecraft aboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle mission Continue Reading

Nokia, Telia Finland claim world-first commercial 5G SA FWA network with network slicing

Finnish operator and compatriot comms technology giant announce the launch of world’s first commercial 5G standalone network with network slicing for fixed wireless access services Continue Reading

CISOs should spend on critical apps, cloud, zero-trust, in 2023

Faced with a global recession next year, security buyers should try to direct investment towards technology that protects customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads, say analysts Continue Reading

Full-fibre gathers pace as Lightning strikes across South East while CityFibre looks north

East Sussex-based altnet spreads its wings across coastal regions of southern England with fibre offer into two neighbouring counties, as leading independent provider lands in Hartlepool Continue Reading

Third of IT decision-makers rely on gut feel when choosing network operator

Study from customer experience technology provider shows lack of transparency is cited as the most consistent quality failure of network providers Continue Reading

CW Europe: Why Russia could become the world’s biggest market for illegal IT

Faced with international sanctions and the departure of many global IT suppliers from Russia, companies there are seeking alternative, and sometimes illegal, routes to access IT products. Also read how new requirements are driving scientists and engineers in Europe back to the lab to start developing 6G technology. Continue Reading

Singtel and Intel team up on 5G

Singtel and Intel have started an incubation programme to spearhead the development of enterprise 5G applications in areas including content delivery and video analytics Continue Reading

CGI gets ESA order to develop predictive routing tool for satellite constellations

Tool will support increased need to equip satellite networks with software-defined networking to deliver simplified management, better end-to-end network automation support and streamlined delivery of network services Continue Reading

Teams in Grenoble work on 6G breakthrough technology

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NEC, Mavenir drive mMIMO through Open RAN on Orange France 5G SA

IT and comms giant teams with cloud-native telecoms software provider to drive open and advanced radio access network functionality with deployment of massive MIMO on leading telco’s experimental 5G SA network in France Continue Reading

EE upgrades 5G network across 14 new UK locations

BT-owned MNO extends mid-band next-generation network capability across 14 UK towns and cities to support the latest 5G smartphones and pay monthly mobile plans Continue Reading

Minor League Baseball hits in-stadium connectivity to new level

Cloud networking provider partners with Minor League Baseball to provide in-stadium tech and help its teams and players to become smarter and faster in improving their games and optimising the overall in-stadium experience Continue Reading

Qualcomm adds bite to Snapdragon platform

Just days after kicking off IFA show outlining plans to embed its Wi-Fi, 5G and satellite connectivity technology to drive connected experiences in a world that Qualcomm sees as one where everything is intelligent and everyone connected, chip giant launches new version of core mobile platform Continue Reading

How Sweden goes about innovating

A country of only 10 million people, Sweden is holding its own in the international community when it comes to innovation – and it’s no accident Continue Reading

BICS, Lynk forge satellite direct-to-mobile coverage agreement

Companies form agreement enabling mobile network operators to expand mobile coverage to underserved rural communities without terrestrial cell towers Continue Reading

ScottishPower charges up connectivity with BT

Leading UK telecoms provider enters into strategic partnership with Glasgow-based integrated energy company in to help connect renewable growth and provide integrated and bespoke telecommunications services to approximately 100 locations across the UK, France, and Germany Continue Reading

Smartphone users ready to join eSIM revolution

Survey of 2,500 consumers across the US, UK and Australia reveals strong appetite for the enhanced flexibility, convenience, speed and sustainability enabled by eSIM technology Continue Reading

Rugby try for full-fibre connectivity as CityFibre reveals value of Wolverhampton gigabit

Warwickshire town named as the next location in line for a multimillion-pound digital full-fibre investment, while data is released showing potential benefits of such infrastructures in Black Country urban environment Continue Reading

Telstra launches suite of enterprise 5G Standalone automated and orchestrated services

Global operator announces 5G service-based architecture combined with automation via network orchestration, allowing customers to imagine and deploy new differentiated services quickly and scale them economically Continue Reading

Out with the old at Asda

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to Asda’s CIO, Carl Dawson, about the supermarket’s cloud-oriented renovation of its technology stack. We narrate the security woes at Twitter. And we examine best practices for data backup. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Global 5G subscriptions growth stays strong in Q2 2022

Updated analysis reveals massive uptick in uptake of 5G in Q2 2022 analysis with 690 million global 5G subscriptions offered over 218 services, 24 of which are 5G standalone networks Continue Reading

Giganet takes Cuckoo under wing to further full-fibre ambitions

Acquisition of full-fibre ISP described as marking a meeting of minds at a time when gigabit broadband consumers deserve more from the internet, while the UK’s largest independent broadband provider claims landmark in fibre delivery in Derby Continue Reading

New connectivity options driven by low Earth orbit satellites

Huge reductions in the cost of building and launching satellites has led to an explosion of interest in space-borne projects and services Continue Reading

Ericsson claims sustainability gains with tri-sector 5G radio

Swedish comms tech provider makes further inroads into more sustainable networks with the introduction of a new triple-band, tri-sector radio that is said to be able to do the job of nine radios Continue Reading

IFA 2022: Qualcomm announces Meta partnership as it stakes out connected future

Chip giant unveils plans to embed its connectivity technology – encompassing Wi-Fi 7, 5G and even satellite – within virtual and real-world environments to drive connected experiences Continue Reading

Energie AG, Austria lights up optical transport network

Austrian energy supply and infrastructure company invests in optical transport network spanning 7,000km to improve customers’ experience and gain opportunity to grow by scaling as it broadens customer base Continue Reading

Oracle Red Bull Racing gets into gear with Zoom to power team unified communications

Collaboration technology provider’s Chat, Events and Meetings products taken up by championship-leading Formula 1 team to enhance key communications and hybrid experiences on and off the track Continue Reading

Community Fibre claims UK first with 5 Gbps broadband for businesses

London and South of England fibre broadband provider expands out of consumer-focused sweet spot and claims new benchmark for gigabit business connectivity package Continue Reading

Major shift detected in smart home technology deployment  

Research from personalised communications services provider Plume finds consumers’ appetite for internet of things and smart home technologies continues to grow Continue Reading

Peeking into the metaverse: Taking a look at VR headsets and AR smart glasses

Extended – augmented and virtual – reality is capturing the imagination of media and investors alike. Use cases abound, and market opportunities proliferate as more and more companies discover applications that might help their operations or serve their customers Continue Reading

Swedish Electronics Protection Act coincides with major cyber spend

Swedish cyber security law comes at a time of heavy government investment Continue Reading