Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release 

Boldyn Networks (Boldyn) and Virgin Media O2 have significantly enhanced 5G connectivity at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland with Boldyn’s connectivity-as-a-service (CaaS), the UK’s first full neutral host RAN managed service in a high-density demand venue.

O2 customers are the first to benefit from this innovative network delivered by the Sunderland Open Network EcosysTem (SONET) project, which will bring enhanced mobile connectivity to the iconic stadium, improving the way fans experience and engage with live sports.

Pioneering technology

Boldyn’s CaaS showcases the potential of advanced Open RAN technology, featuring an enhanced connectivity managed service that combines an evolved DAS system supporting O-RAN fronthaul interface standard and JMA XRAN®, a pioneering 5G O-RAN technology stack, with Boldyn’s Network Management System (NMS). This fully virtualized O-RAN-based platform reduces space and power requirements by up to 60% compared to traditional indoor architectures. The integration with Boldyn’s NMS reduces operational costs through the digitisation and automation of the service assurance processes.

With its innovative CaaS, Boldyn provides dedicated network management, monitoring, and optimisation resources for the venue— increasing the levels of service assurance while reducing involvement from the mobile operator’s own resources. Most importantly, the 49,000 stadium spectators benefit from high-speed 5G connectivity, a significant upgrade from its decade-old network system, resulting in richer connectivity experiences for everyone.

For mobile customers, the new network will translate into high-quality connectivity and more interactive, digitally enabled services, including seamless uploads and downloads of videos and social media, increased safety, and personalised experiences during events like in-seat food ordering.

A public-private collaboration

The forward-looking project is part of SONET’s aim at driving innovation and digital transformation across Sunderland, with the deployment of high-speed 5G connectivity at the Stadium of Light and the new British Esports Arena. Partially funded by UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), it represents a true collaborative effort between public and private entities to bring top of the line digital experiences to fans and visitors.

This will be especially important as the venue prepares to host the opening match of the Women’s Rugby World Cup and Sunderland AFC returns to the Premier League, now supported by a network that’s as ‘Premier’ as the football on display.

“This project underscores our commitment to delivering innovative connectivity solutions that enhance the digital experience for users in high-density environments, without sacrificing cost or energy efficiency,” said Brendan O’Reilly, CEO of UK & Ireland at Boldyn Networks, during a tour of the iconic stadium together with Igor Leprince, Group CEO of Boldyn Networks.

 “The launch of CaaS at the Stadium of Light is a testament to Boldyn’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of digital connectivity and setting new standards in the industry. We are incredibly proud to play our part in the SONET project and in enabling more engaging interactions at stadiums and arenas across the UK”, he added.

Dr Rob Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at Virgin Media O2 said: “We have a long history of giving our customers access to the best live entertainment, so it’s only natural that they will be the first to benefit from the next generation 5G network at the iconic Stadium of Light. Our Mobile Transformation Plan is focused on improving the connectivity experience for our customers no matter where they are and this work with Boldyn Networks is ensuring match going fans can experience a seamless connectivity experience.”

David Bruce, Chief Business Officer of the Sunderland Association Football Clubsaid: “The launch of an enhanced 5G network at the Stadium of Light marks another exciting step forward, not just for Sunderland AFC, but for the entire city. This technology will unlock incredible opportunities to enhance the matchday experience for our supporters through faster connectivity, richer content, and more immersive engagement than ever before. It reflects our ongoing commitment to putting fans at the heart of everything we do and forms part of a continued period of investment in the Stadium of Light. As part of the City of Sunderland’s vision for innovation and growth, we’re proud to play our part in shaping a smarter, more connected environment for our community.”

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

Ocean Networks, the Hawaii-based telecom development and service company, has moved a step closer to delivering the Hawaiian Islands Fiber Link (HIFL) by naming Prysmian and International Telecom (IT) as its partners for the new inter-island cable.

The HIFL is part of Hawaii’s Connect Kākou broadband initiative, aimed at expanding access to high-speed connectivity across the state. The system will span roughly 740km between Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kauaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Molokaʻi, and include 24 fibre pairs.

Prysmian will supply approximately the cable itself while IT will provide essential engineering and installation services for the HIFL system. Ocean Networks is responsible for the supply, construction, operations and maintenance of the system, under the oversight of the University of Hawaiʻi System Office for Information Technology with support from the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi.

“We are thrilled to be working with industry leaders like Prysmian and International Telecom, whose expertise is crucial to achieving our goal of enhancing high-speed broadband access across Hawaiʻi,” said David Blau, Chief Operating Officer of Ocean Networks. “Securing these contracts represents a major step forward in the construction timeline for the HIFL project, bringing us closer to fulfilling the promise of improved connectivity for all of Hawaiʻi’s residents, businesses, education, and government entities.”

The project’s funding and governance were first laid out in 2024, including a $120 million funding package, partially drawn from federal grants and private equity.

The system is expected to be ready for service in late 2026.

How is the subsea network ecosystem changing in 2025? Join the industry in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA 2026

Also in the news:
US judge rules Huawei must face charges of fraud and racketeering
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Nokia launches digital twin platform Enscryb to digitalise energy sector

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative network operator and ISP Grain, which recently secured a major £225m funding boost (here), has announced a second expansion of their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network this week. The latest location to benefit from this is the Leicestershire (England) city of Loughborough.

The operator’s broadband network, which is home to over 43,000 customers and covers 270,000 UK premises (aiming to reach 600,000 in the future), doesn’t currently appear to be present in Loughborough. But a quick scan of local road works suggests they’re in the process of preparing to build around some central parts of the city.

The official announcement doesn’t say much, but it’s worth noting that the city is already well covered by a number of other gigabit-capable broadband networks, such as Openreach, Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), CityFibre and a few smaller players. Grain typically tries to work around this by focusing on areas with less overbuild or undercutting on price etc.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Some customers of mobile and broadband ISP EE (BT), specifically those on their top 1.6Gbps speed full fibre (FTTP) package via Openreach’s UK network, appear to be experiencing some repeated connectivity problems with the provider’s latest Wi-Fi 7 capable Smart Hub Pro router (slower packages get the different Smart Hub Plus device).

At present EE’s premium 1.6Gbps broadband package doesn’t have a huge number of subscribers, but some of those who are taking the service have recently been complaining about sporadic but frequent connectivity drops. So far as we can tell, these appear to be related to how the Smart Hub Pro handles the provider’s Domain Name Servers (DNS).

As one of those impacted by the problem told ISPreview: “The short story is that it looks like EE have a firmware issue causing the hub to regularly drop out. From most users perspectives, they will see a DNS error occasionally when browsing, but in reality the hub throws a full wobbly every 30 mins or so (it is variable), causing latency or even packets to completely drop.”

The issue also appears to have been covered in a lengthy thread on EE’s Community Forum, which notes that the problem goes away when customers use a different third-party router. According to feedback from EE’s support team, the provider did “put through some temporary changes to some devices” on Tuesday, which seemed to provide an initial improvement, although some of those affected report that the issue has since fully returned.

An EE spokesperson told ISPreview:

“We’re aware of a small number of customers who are reporting brief interruptions to their connectivity when using our latest Smart Hub Pro. Our engineers are working with those impacted and will promptly implement any fixes should they be required.”

Sadly, the Smart Hub Pro doesn’t allow customers to set third-party DNS servers as an alternative, but even if it did, then doing so might not resolve the problem. Customers report that there is no difference between using the router as the resolver or using a third-party (e.g. Google Public DNS, Cloudflare, OpenDNS and Quad9 etc.) and it makes no difference if they use ‘DNS over HTTPS’ or ‘DNS over TLS’ either. In addition, disabling IPv6 has no impact.

So far as we can tell, the issue appears as if it may have been introduced in a recent Firmware update, since it doesn’t occur on Smart Hub Pro’s that seem to be running an older software version and this changes as soon as the latest version is applied. Some tentative feedback from EE’s testing also indicates that the problem may be somehow linked to the device’s WiFi Optimisation feature, since the issue seems to go away when that is disabled from EE’s side.

In the meantime, the odd customer has informed us that, after ISPreview got involved, EE offered them a bill credit and the option to exit their current contract without penalty, if they so desired. Interestingly, some of EE’s staff still seem to describe their 1.6Gbps package as more of a “trial” product, which is not how it’s advertised (i.e. it could be a reference to the router or how their 1.6Gbps package is not underpinned by BT Wholesale).

The hope is that a permeant solution to this bug will be found sooner, rather than later.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Building on its ongoing cloud transition with Amazon Web Services (AWS), BT Group is expanding this relationship with a new five-year strategic agreement that will deliver more agile, responsive, and customer-focused digital experiences. This agreement aligns with BT’s “Build, Connect, Accelerate” strategy and is designed to elevate BT’s customer solutions by modernising its technology from the inside out.

Transforming Technology to Transform Customer Experience

BT Group’s extension with AWS will push BT Group’s cloud journey forward from simple workload migration to cloud-native upgrades that customers will experience firsthand. Working with AWS Professional Services (ProServe), BT will shift its legacy systems into modern, customer-centric microservices. Developed in line with the TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture (ODA), BT’s focus on cloud-native systems will enable faster innovation and more personalised, reliable customer experiences.

“This isn’t just a technology upgrade – it’s a customer promise,” said Tom Meakin, Chief Strategy and Change Officer at BT Group. “By modernising our systems with AWS, we’re creating the agility to respond to customer needs faster, deliver more reliable services, and introduce new features that make everyday interactions with BT simpler and more secure.”

How Customers Benefit

• Working with AWS enables BT to deliver more value to customers:
• Scalability: Services that grow with customer demand and are adaptable to changing business needs.
• Resilience: More reliable connectivity and service availability.
• Agility: Faster rollout of new features and improvements based on customer feedback.
• Cost Efficiency: Lower long-term operational costs.
• Security: Enhanced data protection and compliance, giving customers peace of mind.

“BT Group is putting customers at the centre of its continued cloud transformation,” said Jan Hofmeyr, VP, Telecommunications at AWS. “By working with AWS, BT is innovating faster, resolving issues more quickly, and delivering smarter, more secure services that better serve today’s digital-first consumers.”

A Smarter Network for a Smarter Future

BT’s new agreement with AWS marks a major leap forward for its business transformation. By adding AWS capabilities into its Mobile Network for both Core operations and its Radio Access Network (RAN), BT is laying the foundations for a distributed, AI-ready data platform that supports autonomous network operations. BT is also automating several operations processes in its Network Operations Centre (NOC) powered by AWS’s machine learning and Generative AI technologies. This is a critical step in BT’s journey toward a self-healing network—one that can anticipate, detect, and resolve issues in real time, dramatically improving resilience and customer experience.

“Our ambition is to build a network that thinks ahead – one that can fix itself before customers even notice a problem,” said Meakin. “We’re in the early stages of this process, but through our work with partners like AWS, we’re one step closer to making it a reality.”

This new agreement represents a bold transformation of how networks are run. By combining BT’s telecom leadership with AWS’s cloud and AI innovation, the two companies are redefining what’s possible in telecom: a more autonomous, reliable, and customer-centric future.

Real-World Improvements Already Underway

BT Group’s use of AWS will also support transformational work already in progress:

• Simplified Payments: BT is redesigning its customer payments system to make setting up and managing direct debits easier and more secure. With reusable, tokenised data across brands and channels, customers will experience less friction and more confidence in how their information is handled.
• Smarter Service Delivery: A new engineering workflow platform is streamlining how BT manages customer orders and field engineer visits. By integrating order tracking, task management, and subcontractor coordination into one interface, BT can deliver engineering operations faster and with greater accuracy.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The company responsible for developing a system of sending micro-satellites up into orbit by using a massive centrifuge instead of rockets, SpinLaunch, has partnered with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to help it separately develop a new global network of highly compact ultrafast broadband satellites – called ‘Meridian Space‘ – for Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The initial network is expected to consist of around 250 microsatellites (minimum required for them to achieve global coverage), each of which will weigh about 70kg and harness the latest 5G based NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) protocols for wide compatibility. This should deliver a sellable global capacity of over 2Tbps (Terabits per second), focused on serving businesses (backhaul for mobile networks, maritime, corporations, aviation etc.).

According to the website, each satellite will feature a number of innovative features, such as a reconfigurable reflectarray antenna that’s highly compact and operates across multiple frequency bands. The satellites also act more as relays for ground stations using “bent-pipe” architecture, which means that the signal processing will all be done on the ground (not onboard the satellites), thus reducing complexity, size and power requirements.

In addition, each satellite will adopt fixed-track orbits, which should help to simplify the setup and design of ground-based user terminals and gateways (i.e. no need for complex tracking antennas). The result is a lightweight satellite that’s cheap to build and can be deployed at scale via a single rocket launch (SpinLaunch won’t be using their centrifuge system for these, at least not yet).

The initial plan is to deploy a number of test satellites as part of an In-Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) mission planned for sometime in 2026, but if all goes well then a single rocket launch could conceivably allow the first customer links to go live in that same year. But we’d caution that space related programmes often suffer delays, so 2027 may be more realistic.

Assuming all goes well, the constellation could eventually be expanded to contain at least 1,200 micro satellites, but that will be a few more years down the road. In any case, this may help to provide yet more competition for SpaceX’s otherwise fairly dominant Starlink network, while also putting pressure on OneWeb (Eutelsat) and Amazon (Project Kuiper), although SpinLaunch aren’t themselves going to be offering direct consumer broadband services.

One to watch.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network analyst firm Streetwave has today published its results from the UK’s “largest mobile coverage survey“, which used bin lorries to test the 4G/5G (mobile broadband) network coverage and speed of each mobile operator across the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) – reflecting 33 councils in Wales and England’s West Midlands.

The company has already spent the past few years harnessing waste (bin / refuse) collection trucks to map mobile network performance across various parts of the UK (e.g. here, here, here, here and here). In this setup, rubbish collection trucks are installed with several off-the-shelf Smartphones using special software, which run continuous network tests (once every 20 metres in rural areas and 5m in urban areas) as the vehicles go around their routes.

The data this creates is usually considered to be more detailed and accurate than the estimates of mobile network coverage that are so often produced by mobile operators and Ofcom, which is because bin lorries need to go down almost every single road in order to conduct their collections and do so on a regular basis. Suffice to say that this makes them a uniquely useful and cost-effective resource for conducting this sort of study.

The data they collect is then used by local authorities to help identify areas that may require additional intervention in order to improve local mobile coverage and or network capacity. In addition, members of the public also gain access to some of this data via address-based coverage checkers and interactive maps (example).

The Results

The data was collected from across some 31,780km of road network within 33 councils in the west of England and eastern Wales, with the results for each area being summarised below using Streetwave’s definition of ‘Essential Coverage‘ – reflecting locations where the network provides users with speeds of above 1Mbps download, 0.5Mbps upload, and below 100ms (milliseconds) of latency (i.e. covering or allowing only the most basic of use cases / needs).

Overall EE was found to have delivered the highest ‘Essential Coverage’ – covering 80% of the region and pushing the fastest mobile broadband speeds (average download of 18.4Mbps and uploads of 5Mbps), while O2 produced the lowest result – covering 48% of the region. Vodafone ranked second with a 69% score for Essential Coverage, while Three UK came next on 50%.

However, it was noted that Essential Coverage falls as low as 35–40% in several councils, underlining the digital divide faced by many rural communities. Sadly, Streetwave’s summary didn’t include any scores for stronger types of coverage with faster speeds, but residents can access this and more data by using the digital coverage and performance checker (remember to zoom-in for the most detail or use your address).

Residents can access the coverage checker here:
https://app.streetwave.co/coverage-checker/river-severn-partnership

Otherwise, the ‘Essential Coverage’ results for each primary council in the region can be found below.

Entire River Severn Region

EE – 80%

Vodafone – 69%

Three – 50%

O2 – 48%

Herefordshire

EE – 74%

Vodafone – 74%

Three – 59%

O2 – 57%

Worcestershire

EE – 86%

Vodafone – 75%

Three – 57%

O2 – 46%

Warwickshire

EE – 90%

Vodafone – 72%

O2 – 57%

Three – 55%

Shropshire

EE – 72%

Vodafone – 72%

O2 – 50%

Three – 48%

Powys

EE – 60%

Vodafone – 56%

O2 – 46%

Three – 35%

Staffordshire

EE – 87%

Vodafone – 74%

Three – 57%

O2 – 50%

Gloucestershire

EE – 89%

Vodafone – 71%

Three – 63%

O2 – 54%

Monmouthshire

EE – 65%

Vodafone – 60%

Three – 45%

O2 – 39%

Telford & Wrekin

EE – 74%

Vodafone – 67%

Three – 58%

O2 – 51%

One catch above is the recently approved merger between Vodafone and Three UK (VodafoneThree), which over the next few years will change the results as both networks are slowly brought closer together. Not to mention the planned coverage and performance improvements under that agreement.

The survey was also tasked with studying the coverage of Long Range Wide Area Networks (LoRaWAN), which harness a small slice of lower frequency radio spectrum (e.g. bands like 868MHz and 915MHz) to support relatively slow and low power data links. Such networks are often used to support Internet of Things (IoT) style sensors (water meters etc.), although the results of this side will be less relevant to the public and weren’t included.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Internet access providers Zzoomm and BeFibre, which are both now part of the recently merged FTTP broadband network from FullFibre Limited (here), appear to have recently become the latest ISPs to introduce a new Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) capable wireless router – this will be available on all plans for new customers. Some packages and prices have also been refreshed.

Sadly, we couldn’t find any details of the new kit on Zzoomm’s website, while BeFibre was similarly vague, but they did at least provide a picture of the kit and a general comment. The picture was enough for us to identify the router as being one of HT-6766 models from Switzerland-based Heights Telecom (Heights Telecom UK Ltd), which is a familiar brand for BeFibre (here).

All the HT-6766 models tend to include 1 x FXS (phone) port, 1 x USB 3.1 port, 3 x 1Gbps RJ45 LAN ports, 1 x 2.5Gbps or 10Gbps LAN port, 1 x 2.5Gbps or 10Gbps WAN port and the usual array of WPS and power buttons etc. The dual-band model offers peak theoretical WiFi speeds of up to 6.5Gbps (5GHz = 5.8Gbps and 2.4GHz = 700Mbps), while the tri-band kit will do up to 18.1Gbps (6GHz = 11.6Gbps, 5GHz = 5.8Gbps and 2.4GHz = 700Mbps).

However, it’s not known whether Zzoomm has adopted identical kit to BeFibre, although they are now owned by the same group and did both introduce the change at the same time in early August 2025. BeFibre has now also aligned their prices to Zzoomm’s. Credits to one of our readers, Michael, for spotting the router development.

Rob McElroy, Product Manager at BeFibre, said:

“We’re pleased to confirm that WiFi 7 is now available to all new BeFibre customers. This cutting-edge technology delivers ultrafast speeds, lower latency, and improved stability, ideal for modern homes where multiple devices are always connected.

New customers will receive a brand-new WiFi 7 router as standard, along with a matching WiFi 7 Mesh extender if they add BeMesh, enabling them to take full advantage of the benefits straight away. It’s an important step in ensuring our broadband meets the ever-evolving needs of our users.”

In terms of Zzoomm refreshing their prices a bit, both their 200Mbps and 500Mbps packages have reduced their pricing by £2 extra per month, while their 1000Mbps tier is now £3 cheaper and the top 2300Mbps packages have been reduced by £6 (BeFibre of course mirrors all this). But the provider’s post-contract prices remain unchanged from what they were before.

The combined Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network of FullFibre and Zzoomm currently reaches 600,000 premises (RFS) and 80,000 customers across England – serving parts of 100 market towns, which makes it one of the UK’s largest altnets. This reflects both their open access wholesale network (FullFibre) and their in-house retail ISPs (BeFibre and Zzoomm).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband ISP WightFibre, which is building their own gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across the Isle of Wight – just off the South Coast of Hampshire (England), has revealed that their full fibre network now covers 72,000 premises (87% of the island) and they’ve just connected their 25,000th customer to it.

On June 18th, 2025, Noemi Pataki of Ryde officially became the provider’s 25,000th customer. To celebrate this special occasion, Noemi received a brand new laptop and mobile phone, presented personally by their Residential Sales Advisor, Matthew Lovett, who assisted her in signing up.

The operator currently expects to have invested around £110m by 2030 as part of their ongoing “Gigabit Island” project, which is presently aiming to extend their full fibre network to reach 90% coverage by the end of 2025 and then 96% Coverage by the end of 2027 (c.80,000+ premises).

John Irvine, WightFibre CEO, said:

“Reaching 25,000 customers is a testament to the trust the people of the Isle of Wight place in us to deliver an essential service, and I want to say thank you to each and every one of them for their continued support. Our future-proof full-fibre network, now reaching over 72,000 homes and businesses, is combined with a dedication to customer service that truly sets us apart.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Carlisle-based alternative network operator and ISP Grain (Grain Connect), which recently secured a major £225m funding boost (here), has announced that they’re expanding their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network in the Midlands (England) city of Nottingham.

The operator’s broadband network, which is home to over 43,000 customers and covers 270,000 UK premises (aiming to reach 600,000 in the future), has mentioned being active in Nottingham once or twice before. But we’ve previously struggled to find much evidence of that. Suffice to say that we read today’s announcement as being more reflective of the start of their main local build.

The official announcement doesn’t say much more than to confirm that their new network is “coming soon to even more homes in Nottingham,” although after a bit of digging we did identify that their teams seemed to be planning works near the city centre – initially either side of a stretch along Sneinton Dale road. Most of this is due to get underway next month.

The City of Nottingham is of course already well covered by a number of other gigabit-capable broadband networks, such as Openreach, Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), CityFibre (partial), ITS Technology (partial) and Hyperoptic (partial). A number of smaller networks, such as Glide and OFNL, also have a presence.