WAN performance and optimisation

BT sets out to enhance UK digital infrastructure with next-generation street connectivity

UK telco unveils plans for Street Hub 2.0 units to help local communities stay connected, boost 4G/5G mobile coverage and bring environment monitoring to high streets Continue Reading

Cato expands SASE reach in DACH region

Secure access service edge ‘pioneer’ announces new point of presence and expanded sales investment reflecting strong SASE growth in Germany, Austria and across EMEA Continue Reading

Virgin Media O2 launches with mission to transform UK comms industry

Drawn-out merger of Liberty Global and Telefónica UK cable and mobile assets comes to fruition under new working brand aiming to power the UK’s recovery and create ‘unbeatable’ choice for consumers Continue Reading

BT begins trial on ‘revolutionary’ optical fibre

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

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

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

Vodafone, CityFibre extend partnership to include Ethernet services

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

Businesses hail new Openreach rural full-fibre focus

BT broadband provision division announces next step in gigabit broadband deployment programme to offer levelled-up connectivity for premises in hardest-to-reach parts of the UK Continue Reading

Giganet expands South of England service area through CityFibre

Leading ISP expands partnership with leading infrastructure provider to add 22 locations for its full-fibre home broadband services Continue Reading

Proximus claims world’s fastest live fibre network with Nokia PON

Accelerating build out of Belgium’s leading high capacity, open fibre network, operator taps comms tech provider to make first ever 25G PON live deployment running on the same fibre network equipment currently used Continue Reading

Openreach taps Ciena to boost connectivity services for UK carriers

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

Aruba claims enterprise-grade Wi-Fi 6E industry first

HPE subsidiary introduces new access points to take advantage of 6GHz spectrum band to deliver greater performance, lower latency and faster data rates to support high-bandwidth enterprise applications and use cases Continue Reading

Yeo Valley milks business benefits with full-fibre broadband

Truespeed converts farm and dairy business from ADSL to gigabit network to transform its business capability Continue Reading

Edge computing drives business innovation

Intel research identifies edge computing as a critical factor that businesses must harness to navigate and understand data now and into the future Continue Reading

Amdocs expands telco cloud strategic collaboration with Microsoft

Software provider boosts collaboration that will enable service providers to transform to the cloud with cloud-native systems and cloud transformation services Continue Reading

BSO draws on Arc to deliver on-demand connectivity in Middle East

Joint venture will interconnect companies’ network footprints in the Middle East, connecting digital hubs and providing inter-regional connectivity Continue Reading

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

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

Megaport claims transformation of networking at the edge with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN

Megaport Virtual Edge technology enables network managers to modernise their SD-WAN connectivity, optimise network performance and cut provisioning time Continue Reading

Work begins on CityFibre gigabit network for Middlesbrough

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

Brunel goes SD-WAN with Orange Business Services

Global specialist recruitment consultancy aims to accelerate time to market for new global offices with software-defined networking architecture Continue Reading

Toob teams with Neos Networks to facilitate full-fibre

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

Juniper Networks offers path to ease SASE transition

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

Ericsson, Telarus team to take 5G-ready virtual workspace to small businesses

5G-ready virtual desktop subscription service will cover business applications, compute, storage and security needs for small and medium-sized businesses Continue Reading

WBA OpenRoaming enabled in forthcoming Telecom Infra Project OpenWiFi standard

Open technology initiative adopts OpenRoaming Wi-Fi roaming standard to facilitate what is claimed to be seamless roaming connectivity using the wireless network Continue Reading

Deloitte: Widespread broadband infrastructure critical to the US economy

Deloitte study finds that increased broadband coverage, adoption and speed is needed to create more US jobs and GDP, but warns of diminishing returns due to lack of widespread, high-quality broadband access Continue Reading

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

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

Gartner SASE 2021 Roadmap - You Know It Makes Sense...

As observed before in this blog, few of Gartner’s ‘inventions’ have caught on as quickly as SASE – Secure Access Service Edge. From traditional firewall vendors to declared SASE specialists, ... Continue Reading

BT, Fortinet team to expand managed network services with SD-WAN

UK telco boosts software-defined wide area network portfolio with new solution combining global connectivity and cyber expertise with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN Continue Reading

UK full-fibre broadband could deliver £25bn boost to productivity

Study from Centre for Economics and Business predicts that ultrafast fibre-to-the-premises broadband could bring one million people back into the workforce through remote working Continue Reading

Fujitsu, NTT look beyond 5G to realise sustainable digital society

IT giants come together, envisioning a new, energy-efficient digital society founded on global and open collaboration with a range of partners supporting the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network Continue Reading

Triangle shapes up to expand gigabit broadband services

Full fibre finds further momentum in UK with with new consumer ISP brand Fibrehop to offer gigabit services to locations including Cheltenham, Gloucester, Weston-Super-Mare, Bath, Swindon, Leicester and Plymouth Continue Reading

US O-RAN first as DISH and AWS form 5G-cloud strategic collaboration

Telco and cloud giant claim industry first by using infrastructure and services to build cloud-based, 5G open radio access network that is said to deliver consistent, cost-effective performance from core to the edge Continue Reading

How satellite connectivity can combat the digital divide

Research shows satellite connectivity is now a credible alternative for demanding customers, and there are various actions that operators can take to help combat the digital divide Continue Reading

Neos Networks launches business-grade Ethernet FTTx service across UK

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

Virgin Media innovation trials deliver 2.2Gbps broadband speeds

Latest stage in cableco’s trials of multi-gigabit broadband speeds in Southampton and Manchester deliver speeds around 40 times faster than the local average connection Continue Reading

MPLS is Dead – Yeah Right… But Transformation IS King

Of all the regularly repeated “yeah right” claims within IT, “MPLS is dead” probably ranks highest (if not in Rome). Analyst prediction realties show that the managed MPLS market was valued at over ... Continue Reading

CityFibre switches on Milton Keynes to gigabit and names Edinburgh infrastructure lead

Gigabit provider City Fibre says it is enabling thousands more residents in Milton Keynes to access its full-fibre network and high-speed broadband services, and names Paul Wakefield as lead of infrastructure build in Edinburgh Continue Reading

KDDI teams with Cato Networks to take SASE services worldwide

Japanese telco joins forces with software-defined networking firm to demonstrate how CSPs can use secure access service edge systems to address digital enterprise requirements for pervasive secure access Continue Reading

Openreach selects STL as a strategic partner for full-fibre build-out

BT-owned broadband provision division teams with digital network integrator to hasten full-fibre network build and provide skills and innovation to extend reach and scope Continue Reading

Hyperbat accelerates industry 4.0 with 5G virtual 3D engineering model

Vehicle battery manufacturer uses the latest 5G-enabled technology to speed up the manufacturing process for hybrid and electric vehicle production in the UK Continue Reading

Software République consortium to cash in on intelligent, sustainable mobility opportunities

With new value propositions at stake, five IT, industrial, automotive and comms leaders have laid the foundations for an open innovation ecosystem in the mobility market Continue Reading

More than two-thirds of staff want flexible working to stay

Microsoft research finds 71% of UK workers want flexible work options to remain after the Covid crisis has passed and one-third are likely to move to a new location in the next year because they can work remotely Continue Reading

Verizon and AWS team on private MEC to bring enterprises an edge

Partnership forged to allow enterprises to deploy a dedicated, private edge compute platform fully integrated with AWS cloud services and Verizon 5G private networks to improve productivity, safety and operational efficiencies Continue Reading

Clearer service information could add 1.6 million full-fibre homes by 2025

Report finds that the speed at which Britain could benefit from the economic and social impact of billions of pounds of full-fibre infrastructure investment could be improved by clear labelling and information on broadband services Continue Reading

Employees express high expectations of IT in world of ‘work from anywhere’

Research from network performance monitoring solution provider AppNeta finds pandemic pushing organisations to transform workplace models to accommodate ‘new normal’ of work Continue Reading

Belgium’s Federal Justice Service advances digitally with fast networks

Security and networking firms team to claim 20 times faster connectivity for Belgium’s justice system so it can hold court hearings and prison visitations remotely and exchange information between services and applications securely Continue Reading

SD-WAN surges over past two years as MPLS plummets

Survey reveals increasing site capacity and using alternative access solutions as main drivers for 43% of enterprise wide-area network (WAN) managers to install software-defined WAN in 2020, more than double that recorded in 2018 Continue Reading

Alstom global network gets on track with BT for digital future

New software-defined managed network from UK’s incumbent telco deployed by smart mobility technology provider to optimise connectivity to cloud at manufacturing plants, offices, depots and datacentres Continue Reading

Big four make small impression in Which? UK broadband survey

As remote working became the default during the UK lockdown, the importance of dependable and enterprise-acceptable home broadband was never more crucial, but Which? shows that the country’s largest providers have proved a let-down regarding connection reliability, internet speeds and value for money Continue Reading

UK online traffic soars during year in lockdown

Research from leading UK ISP reveals online usage in the UK has increased by 78% year-on-year since the first lockdown Continue Reading

UK government aims to get national broadband project back on track with Project Gigabit

First areas revealed in £5bn government scheme to deliver gigabit broadband connections to help recovery from the pandemic, achieve growth and levelling up Continue Reading

Viavi expands fibre network test and measurement portfolio

Fibre optic testing and measurement portfolio designed to address businesses’ rapidly changing infrastructure needs Continue Reading

Cisco, University of Strathclyde and Scotland 5G Centre announce 5G Cloud Core network

Networking tech giant, leading university and national hub for accelerating deployment and adoption of 5G team up to create enterprise-grade cloud and core systems to deliver benefit to communities and businesses Continue Reading

Mavenir extends AI and analytics portfolio

End-to-end cloud-native communications network software provider Mavenir deploys software and API-led connectivity, deep AI/ML knowledge and virtualised network expertise critical for 5G AI use cases Continue Reading

LogMeIn refreshes GoToConnect to support permanent shift to flexible work

Collaboration technology provider enhances core suite to empower customers to connect from anywhere and integrate with leading collaboration systems Continue Reading

AT&T adds managed SASE to portfolio

Comms and IT provider AT&T teams with security specialist Fortinet to offer network solution based on SASE principles to support distributed workforces and solve associated challenges Continue Reading

CityFibre embarks on £34m Thames Valley full-fibre project

UK’s third-largest broadband provider announces plans to light up fibre in key area of southern England, addressing the current and future digital needs of residents and businesses in the region Continue Reading

Vodafone promises ‘unbreakable’ broadband without breaking the bank

New hybrid Pro Broadband product aims to deliver Wi-Fi in every room through hybrid router that is claimed to deliver uninterrupted wireless connectivity Continue Reading

UK network users burn through unprecedented data in lockdown 3

Coinciding with the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone update, Virgin Media records its busiest day on record, with the average user downloading more than 20GB of data Continue Reading

AI, fibre investment sees Comcast ride out massive wave of network traffic in 2020

Smart hardware and software technologies allow national US network provider to manage unprecedented traffic driven by major growth in online video and gaming Continue Reading

Being the brand: Virgin takes SD-WAN to the next level

Companies are increasingly turning to software-defined wide-area networks to address the needs of remote workforces Continue Reading

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

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

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

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

Juniper adds WAN, Virtual Network Assistant technology to networks portfolio

Artificial intelligence-driven networks provider builds on wired/wireless access leadership and record year for campus/branch switching with new AI-driven EX switch Continue Reading

Community Fibre claims progress in London gigabit roll-out

ISP doubles the number of London homes enabled with its full-fibre broadband to more than 200,000 and increases its customer base by 130% in a year Continue Reading

Verizon Business, Cisco expand SD-WAN managed service offer

US comms provider enhances software-defined wide area network portfolio with three new offers from network equipment and services firm to provide more options for building flexible and agile networking infrastructure Continue Reading

Nokia furthers Open RAN push with CPQD partnership

Collaboration between Nokia and CPQD set to explore Open RAN-compliant RIC platform to develop 5G use cases such as fixed wireless access smart cities and Industry 4.0 Continue Reading

Truespeed and CityFibre accelerate UK fibre roll-out

More fuel to fibre roll-out across the UK, with leading west of England ISP Truespeed propelling Bath into the gigabit era, while third national broadband provider CityFibre heads to Inverness with its gigabit net Continue Reading

Vodafone UK adds Digitalk to MVNO portfolio

UK telco taps global mobile virtual network enabler service provider, offering cloud-based real-time communications platforms, to assist in on-boarding partners to virtual network Continue Reading

Deutsche Telekom taps Nokia for optical transport network modernisation

Global operator signs deal to deploy optical transport portfolio to deliver more automated, higher-capacity network to meet growing demands of residential and Industry 4.0 Continue Reading

5G to the fore as Ericsson beats expectations in financial year

Strong year recorded by comms tech firm from continued high activity levels in North America, Northeast Asia and Europe, with 5G strong Continue Reading

Dell, SK Telecom, VMware bring 5G edge to enterprises

IT giants team with telco to collaborate on an integrated multi-access edge computing system with the aim of providing more secure and reliable access to data at edge locations Continue Reading

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

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

Hybrid working a reality but business leaders not yet giving up on the office

Research finds C-suite executives and business leaders will primarily split their workforces between on-site and remote work, with markedly small numbers looking to adopt exclusive on-site or remote working practices Continue Reading

Mavenir, VIAVI enter into collaboration to validate 5G RAN options for US market

Partnership will focus on lab testing of cloud-native radio access systems for major US mobile network operators Continue Reading

AE Aerospace claims 5G landmark in transforming manufacturing productivity

Leading UK manufacturing business and partners trial 5G to pioneer productivity improvements and drive recovery in key sector hit hard by Covid Continue Reading

Hyperoptic offers free broadband packages for home schooling

Full-fibre broadband provider helps to address issues facing UK schoolchildren in digital poverty who lack a reliable Internet connection for home learning Continue Reading

Airband to supply full-fibre broadband across rural Cheshire

One of the UK’s largest UK rural connectivity providers wins £4.5m project to provide ultrafast full-fibre broadband to rural and hard-to-reach areas of Cheshire Continue Reading

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

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

Telstra International appoints South Asia head

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

EXFO forms full-fibre testing initiative with Openreach

BT broadband provision division to deploy permanent full-fibre monitoring technology to assist in programme to deliver broadband across UK homes Continue Reading

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

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

Jeremy Darroch steps down as Sky Group chief executive

Exec who transformed former satellite TV provider into Europe’s largest multi-platform communications provider with mobile, telephony and FTTH steps down after 13 years Continue Reading

Iskratel top of the world with Potosí fibre-optic deployment

GPON broadband network deployed to meet the needs of thousands of residents in the highest city in the world Continue Reading

Qualcomm appoints new CEO

Claiming validation of its business model and leadership in 5G, the communications chip giant appoints successor to retiring chief executive with brief to drive value Continue Reading

Cloud Application Acceleration

First, we had WanOp, then we had “son of WanOp” AKA SD-WAN (and its much misunderstood – mainly by vendors – sibling, SDN) and then the cloud came along and, well, clouded the scenario somewhat. If ... Continue Reading

Operators join UK government’s kids’ mobile access scheme

UK mobile operators join scheme to help families that need access to connectivity to support their child’s learning needs during the latest lockdown, while BCS calls for free mobile access to education sites Continue Reading

euNetworks rounds on The Loop Manchester

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

Openreach takes the strain as broadband usage more than doubles in 2020

In what it says is a year like no other, BT broadband provision division reveals added infrastructure pressures from “new normal” Continue Reading

EU looks to enter broadband space race

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

Digital infrastructure flourishes in 2020

Study from co-operative trade association for next-generation broadband services notes increased industry investment and roll-out growth, marking a significant year for network infrastructure Continue Reading

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

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

5G roll-outs to continue apace in 2021

New 5G launches will be led by telcos in forerunner markets, but the industry’s near-term outlook will depend on the timing of an economic recovery Continue Reading

Openreach announces massive job creation plan for gigabit network deployment

New green fleet for engineers as BT broadband provision aims to create 2,500 new roles in its own organisation and about 2,800 with partners to supporting full-fibre network build-out Continue Reading

CityFibre, PQMS expand network construction training partnership

Former altnet brings online two new training centres in Bury and Pulborough alongside existing site in Coventry Continue Reading

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

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

EY: Coordinated action vital to meet Gigabit Britain network deployment targets

With gigabit connectivity crucial to supporting the UK’s ‘levelling up’ agenda and plugging the digital divide, an EY study shows half of UK SMEs believe investment in gigabit connectivity is vital for the economic development of their region after Covid-19 Continue Reading

Optus teams up with VMware on SD-WAN

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

Aryaka offers hybrid workplaces “risk-free on-ramp” to SASE

New managed secure private access solution claimed to be able to make remote employees “first-class citizens” for corporate applications Continue Reading

Cato boosts network management with SASE cloud API

GraphQL-based API designed to extract security and networking information globally with a single request allows enterprises to automate provisioning and management of SASE deployments from third-party platforms Continue Reading

API, API, API, API (aye aye aye aye)

I very recently spoke at a webinar for a long-time client emanating from the artist formerly known as helpdesk market - Sunrise Software - on the increasing importance of APIs - usable ones, not ... Continue Reading