Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

As the telecoms industry descends on Manchester for this year’s Connected North conference, I wanted to reflect on the great work we have done to deliver a more connected and inclusive future in the North

At Virgin Media O2, we believe that connectivity is more than just cables, masts and signals: it’s the foundation of opportunity, innovation and community. That’s why we’re proud to be investing heavily in the North of the UK, ensuring that homes, businesses and public services can thrive in an increasingly digital society. 

Take our broadband network. We have invested more than £1 billion to connect over 3.4 million homes and businesses in the North to our ultrafast network in the last ten years. This investment means that nearly ten million homes in the North can access our gigabit broadband, offering services 16 times faster than the national average.  

Our mobile network is also growing and improving rapidly. Virgin Media O2’s 5G coverage now reaches more than 75% of the UK population and last year we switched on our next generation 5G Standalone network, which is available in major Northern cities such as Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.  

With an investment of around £2 million per day as part of our Mobile Transformation Plan, we’re continuing to enhance mobile connectivity where it matters most. From train stations in Manchester and stadiums in Leeds and Sunderland to rural areas and ‘not-spots’ across Cumbria and Scotland, we’re ensuring no one is left behind. This comes on top of the work we did last year to complete the first phase of the Shared Rural Network, bringing reliable 4G coverage to 237 rural communities. 

As we look to the future, it’s clear that enhanced connectivity can revolutionise industries. One standout example is the work we are doing to pioneer 5G enabled Agri-tech, where we worked closely with Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley. There, we enabled mobile communication from anywhere on the farm and installed a network of sensors to monitor everything from soil conditions, machinery, livestock and land boundaries.  

We are now building on this innovative trial in other parts of the country, like with our collaboration with the River Severn Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSAWIR), where we’re trialling a 5G-powered “farm of the future”. Using AI cameras and IoT devices, we’re testing how cutting-edge tech can improve agricultural efficiency, animal welfare and environmental impact.  

But connectivity alone isn’t enough. We must address the pressing issue of digital exclusion, which is a challenge that affects millions in the UK. According to a report from Deloitte conducted on behalf of The Digital Poverty Alliance, solving digital poverty could unlock £17 billion of economic potential. Yet, 2.1 million people remain offline, and one in four households struggle to afford communication services.  

That’s why we created our Connecting Communities Plan, a comprehensive effort to ensure everyone can access, afford, and benefit from digital services. We’ve pledged to connect one million digitally excluded people and equip six million with digital skills and tools by the end of this year. Communities across the North have been amongst those benefitting most from this transformational programme. 

Through partnerships like the National Databank, co-founded with Good Things Foundation, we provide free mobile data to those in need across a network of 5,000 community hubs. In the North, we worked with Good Things Foundation and Manchester City Council to run a National Databank pop up in Manchester Central Library in December. It was a great success, and we were able to issue 165 SIM cards in just four hours. 

We’re also expanding our efforts in Scotland through a new partnership with Connecting Scotland, initially donating 1,000 refurbished devices with connectivity and hoping to grow this initiative throughout the year. 

Whether it’s rolling out next generation networks, supporting innovation or providing a boost to communities that need them the most, we remain committed to helping level up Northern connectivity and creating the equitable and innovative ecosystem needed to thrive. 

Join us at Connected North, tomorrow and Thursday in Manchester. Get discounted tickets here!

Also in the news:
Colt offloads eight data centres in strategic refocus
No sign Baltic subsea cable damage was deliberate, say Swedish authorities
A Northern Ren-AI-ssance

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News 

The shift comes as cloud providers face growing investor scrutiny over AI-related infrastructure spend 

Amazon Web Services (AWS), is reassessing its approach to data centre leasing, with a particular focus on international markets, according to analysts at Wells Fargo.  

The report suggests AWS has paused some leasing discussions, indicating a short-term slowdown in large-scale infrastructure expansion. Rather than cancelling existing agreements, the move appears to reflect a reassessment of recently secured capacity, as AWS looks to align its growth with projected demand over the next two years. 

“It does appear like the hyperscalers (big cloud companies) are being more discerning with leasing large clusters of power, and tightening up pre-lease windows for capacity that (would) be delivered before the end of 2026,” Wells Fargo analysts noted. 

This comes on the heels of Microsoft’s decision to shelve data centre projects totalling 2 gigawatts across the US and Europe, citing oversupply concerns based on revised demand forecasts. 

“It looks like hyperscalers are becoming more selective when leasing large power clusters and are shortening pre-lease windows for capacity expected before the end of 2026,” Wells Fargo noted. 

AWS has downplayed the move. “This is routine capacity management,” said Kevin Miller, Vice President of AWS Global Data Centers, in a LinkedIn post.  

He addressed speculation around AWS’s data centre plans, stating that demand for both generative AI and core workloads remains strong. He noted that the company regularly evaluates multiple infrastructure options to meet customer needs efficiently. He confirmed there have been no fundamental changes to AWS’s expansion strategy. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter 

Also in the news:
No sign Baltic subsea cable damage was deliberate, say Swedish authorities
Colt offloads eight data centres in strategic refocus
A Northern Ren-AI-ssance

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

SpaceX’s Starlink service, which offers ultrafast broadband speeds via a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), appears to have removed its capacity restrictions from the South East of England (originally covering the Greater London area and beyond). But new customers in that same area may now be hit with a £195 one-off “congestion charge” instead.

Regular readers may recall that Starlink imposed the original restriction toward the very end of last year, after the network reached its capacity limit. This meant new customers could not be added in that area (i.e. they were put on a waiting list), at least not until more data capacity had been introduced. This was done to avoid the impact of excess subscriptions causing a bigger detriment to service quality (performance / speeds) for existing customers.

The issue of capacity isn’t just a matter of how many satellites Starlink has in orbit and their capabilities (inc. any limitations of the chosen radio spectrum bands), but also of how many ground stations you have active in the same area and whether they have enough capacity to effectively feed current demand. Localised capacity issues often tend to reflect more of an issue with ground stations, which can take a little bit of time to rectify (usually a few weeks or months).

The good news today, as spotted by Thinkbroadband, is that the capacity limit has now vanished from Starlink’s map of the South East of England. The bad news is that many people within that area are now being told this: “Due to network congestion in your area, there is an additional one-time charge to purchase Starlink Residential services.” The charge itself comes in at £195, which isn’t exactly small change.

Starlink has over 7,200 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (c.3,300 are v2 Mini / GEN 2A) – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’re in the process of adding thousands more by the end of 2027. Residential customers in the UK typically pay from £75 a month, plus £299 for hardware on the ‘Standard’ unlimited data plan (a small postage/shipping fee may or may not also apply), which promises latency times of 25-60ms, downloads of 25-100Mbps and uploads of 5-10Mbps.

Interestingly, we have noted that the above pricing and congestion charge is correct for the South East of England, but other parts of the UK are now being offered a 12-month term with free hardware. The fact that those in the South East cannot benefit from this thus makes the setup costs even more expensive than the £195 congestion charge may at first suggest.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The National Farmers Union, which represents over 44,000 Farmers and Growers in England and Wales, has warned that a good proportion of farms in rural parts of the country are still being excluded from the ongoing deployment of gigabit-capable broadband ISP technology – often even when the network covers the local road.

At the end of 2024 Ofcom revealed that gigabit broadband ISP networks now covered 84% of the UK (up from 78% in 2023), which falls to 69% for Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology. In terms of urban areas, some 88% can now access a gigabit network, but this falls away to just 54% for those in more rural locations.

The disparity in coverage typically reflects the fact that, up until now, most of the deployments have predominantly been fuelled by commercial builds – these tend to target the easiest and cheapest areas (i.e. urban locations, where networks can reach lots of premises over a shorter distance).

On the flip side, rural areas tend to be last on the list to be upgraded, which is due to the economic challenges of building expensive networks to cater for so few users over a wide area. Suffice to say, rural builds can often be several times more expensive to deliver, which is why public investment (e.g. Project Gigabit) is often needed to help finish the job.

Now a new report on the BBC News, which focuses upon the issues in Derbyshire that the NFU have recently raised (although this is very much a national challenge), appears to have homed in on a particular issue where network operators need to “dig trenches to install [fibre] individually to each home or business premises“.

Andrew Critchlow, NFU County Advisor, said:

“The cost is higher for them (telecoms companies), so installing into one property is no where near as cost effective as when they are doing multiple properties and I think that’s why they (remote properties) get dropped off in these schemes.”

One of the difficulties here is a lesser-known issue that crops up when homes and businesses exist too far away from the new fibre, which in some cases may already be passing down the local road (this usually applies if the property is over 100 metres or so away from the fibre). This can result in some areas appearing to be covered, when in fact getting connected could attract a significantly higher cost due to excess construction charges.

Such issues are naturally much more likely to occur with remote rural farms, where there could be a lengthy farm track between the main road and the farm building(s). Farmers could potentially help to tackle this by digging their own trench. But that requires some coordination with the network operator, and such things aren’t always easy or quick to arrange.

A spokesperson for Openreach responded to highlight how they had already delivered FTTP to more than 339,000 premises across Derbyshire and understood the frustrations of such properties. “We continue to work closely with Digital Derbyshire (the council led programme) and UK government on reaching more areas,” said the operator.

Some locations like this may alternatively be able to pursue a 4G or 5G based mobile broadband connection, although the coverage and performance of such networks in remote rural areas can be a problem for those operators too. Satellite based solutions, like Starlink from SpaceX, may be another option, but that’s more expensive and not something that cash strapped farmers can always afford.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today begun to notify customers about the next batch of four UK locations to go through their 3G mobile (broadband) switch-off programme, which recently started with a pilot in Durham (here). Norwich, Telford and Guildford will be the next areas to have 3G withdrawn on 16th July, with Torquay to follow on 4th August 2025.

The process, which is due to reach nationwide completion by the end of 2025, should free up radio spectrum so it can be used to further improve the coverage and mobile broadband speeds of their modern 4G and 5G networks. O2 noted how they had already upgraded masts in the new locations ahead of the switch-off. The switch-off will also reduce the operators’ costs and power consumption.

The switch-off means that customers in these locations, including those on O2’s virtual / MVNO operators (e.g. Sky Mobile, giffgaff, Tesco Mobile), will require at least a 4G SIM and handset to continue using mobile data. But they are not switching 2G services off yet, which means that affected customers will still be able to use voice calls and send text messages as they currently do, at least for now – O2 will start shifting customers off 2G during 2025 too, but they won’t be able to completely withdraw it for several years (here).

Known vulnerable customers have also been contacted with an offer of a 4G-ready device “free of charge“, while all other customers who do not currently have a 4G handset or SIM are said to have been offered a new device at a reduced price.

Jeanie York, VMO2’s Chief Technology Officer, said:

“We’re switching off our 3G network to focus our attention and investment on upgrading faster and more reliable 4G and 5G networks that will give our customers a better overall experience.

Following the successful pilot in Durham earlier this month, we will now be switching off 3G in Norwich, Telford and Guildford in July, and Torquay in early August, with the rest of the UK to follow by the end of the year.

While we know that the vast majority of our customers already have a 4G or 5G device and will not have to take any action, our priority is to provide support to those who need it. That is why we are reaching out directly to customers who do not have a 4G or 5G handset, and calling those we know are vulnerable, to provide information about their next steps. It is important these customers upgrade their handsets in order to continue using mobile data after 3G is switched off.”

The main thrust of O2’s national 3G switch-off programme is currently due to begin from August 2025. At this point they will stop announcing individual locations due to the scale and pace of the effort.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The national telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today confirmed that it will ban UK phone operators from leasing Global Titles (GTs) – numbers like +44 (for the United Kingdom) that support mobile services – to third parties. Sadly, such leasing can be misused to try and intercept messages and calls, disrupt the operation of networks and track the location of users of other networks.

According to Ofcom, a small number of operators have been leasing their Global Title numbers to third parties, which can also be done to facilitate the provision of legitimate mobile services. But the regulator has previously found that this can make it easier for bad actors to abuse the system. As a result, +44 Global Titles are “one of the most significant and persistent sources of malicious signalling“ – an issue that affects mobile networks globally.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is also aware that +44 Global Titles have been exploited for malicious purposes, such as location tracking and the interception of SMS (text messages) used for 2-step verification (2SV) to target both UK residents and populations globally.

The fact that those who intend to cause harm can lease, rather than own, these numbers mean that they can also hide their identities with greater ease, allowing them to “work in the shadow of legitimate communications networks“.

The industry has attempted to tackle these problems itself, such as via the GSMA Global Title Leasing Code of Conduct and controls implemented by some Global Title lessors (e.g. signalling firewalls that block unauthorised message types and monitoring tools). But Ofcom stated that those efforts “have not been effective” and so they’ve opted to ban the leasing of Global Titles with immediate effect (details).

Natalie Black, Ofcom’s Group Director for Networks and Comms, said:

“We are taking world-leading action to tackle the threat posed by criminals gaining access to mobile networks.

Leased Global Titles are one of the most significant and persistent sources of malicious signalling. Our ban will help prevent them falling into the wrong hands – protecting mobile users and our critical telecoms infrastructure in the process.”

Just to be clear. The ban on entering new leasing arrangements is effective immediately. But for leasing that is already in place, the ban will come into force on 22nd April 2026. The aim of the latter is to “give legitimate businesses who currently lease Global Titles from mobile networks time to make alternative arrangements“.

The only exception to the above deadline relates to two specific migration journeys, which have been given until 22nd October 2026 to adapt. “We received detailed evidence on the significant challenges arising from the changes to network functionality associated with these migration journeys which distinguish them from others. We also have no evidence of misuse associated with the use of the relevant Global Titles,” said Ofcom.

The decision should help to improve the reputation of UK mobile numbers, by making them harder to abuse. However, this approach ideally needs to be followed by regulators in other countries, in other to be fully effective. Such things are often easier said than done, internationally speaking.

Just to get a bit technical. The issue above specifically relates to the Signalling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol suite, which is used by 2G and 3G mobile networks (not 4G, which uses the Diameter protocol) to facilitate the provision of mobile services (e.g. authenticating handsets to the network, setting up and terminating calls, sending SMS messages, subscriber profile management and to facilitate roaming).

The above consultation is thus about the security risks arising from SS7 signalling associated with GTs formed from +44 mobile numbers. But users of 4G and 5G networks can also be affected by malicious SS7 signalling because 2G and 3G networks operate alongside 4G and 5G networks, providing fallback coverage in areas where 4G or 5G coverage is not yet available.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband, mobile and TV giant Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has today revealed that they’ve reduced carbon emissions by 56% against their 2020 baseline (up from 45% last year). At the same time, they also increased their fleet of Electric Vehicles (EV) to 350 (up from 281) – edging slowly toward their target to transition to a fully EV fleet by 2030 (c. 4,300 vehicles).

The figures were released as part of VMO2’s update to their sustainability strategy (Better Connections Plan), which among other things aims to achieve Net Zero Carbon (i.e. removing as many emissions as they produce) across their operations, products and supply chain by 2040 – some 10 years ahead of the UK’s goal.

The data suggests that VMO2 remains “on track” to meet its near-term Science Based Target goal of reducing operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 90% come 2030. In addition, the operator said it had already achieved 15% savings in Data Centre cooling energy across 20 sites, eliminated plastic packaging from own-brand products delivered to customers and worked with suppliers to cut plastic packaging at source by 27% against a 2022 baseline.

On top of that, VMO2 has continued to use 100% renewable energy across sites where it controls the bill and introduced a programme to reduce Scope 3 carbon emissions from its supply chain. Since 2022, the company has also helped people take 8.5 million “circular actions” as part of its 10 million goal by the end of 2025 (i.e. recycling tech such as smartphones and tablets via O2 Recycle – they’ve so far processed more than 4 million devices and paid out £350m to consumers).

Furthermore, over 170,000 people experiencing data poverty were connected in 2024 thanks to the National Databank scheme (i.e. like a foodbank but where people in need can access free O2 data, texts, and calls), which is now available at more than 300 O2 stores nationwide, and in total 3,000 locations across the country. Speaking of which, more than 21,000 smartphones have been donated to VMO2’s Community Calling initiative with environmental charity, Hubbub, which sees devices rehomed to people in need.

VMO2’s Other Commitments:

· Launched a mobile social tariff, the O2 Essential Plan, which along with Essential Broadband, is available for people receiving certain government support payments,

· Rolled-out 2,000 internet-enabling Get Boxes in partnership with technology charity, Jangala, to help people in temporary accommodation get online,

· Provided tablets and smartphones to help people experiencing homelessness and domestic abuse get online so they can rebuild their lives through a £400,000 device lending scheme,

· Pledged to donate up to 12,000 devices to people in need across 2025. The smartphones are being sourced from Virgin Media O2’s customer returns and its O2 Recycle service to ensure unwanted devices are put back into circulation and given a second life,

· The company is now working in partnership with the Government and charity, Supporting Children with Diabetes, to provide donated smartphones to help children of low-income families access technology so they can monitor their blood glucose levels.

Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at VMO2, said:

“With our Better Connections Plan, Virgin Media O2 is leading the way in helping people to live more sustainable lives.

As we enter the final year of our industry-leading sustainability strategy, we will continue to lead as a sustainable and responsible business that strives to make a positive difference across the UK.

Whether it’s cutting carbon, tackling e-waste, or helping those in need to get online, we’ll continue to use our purpose, people and products to have a lasting impact on the planet and the communities we serve.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Most internet providers typically try to entice new customers via a mix of direct discounts (e.g. cheaper monthly rental), gifts (e.g. free TV, shopping vouchers) or the inclusive addition of attractive value-added extras. But people often overlook that some ISPs also offer another type of switching incentive, a contract buyout, which is often not well promoted but can be significant.

At present most of the market’s largest broadband and phone providers (i.e. those that lock you into a long minimum contract term), as well as many smaller players, will typically levy some form of Early Termination Charge (ETC) against customers that choose to exit their contract early. Often this reflects a portion of your normal monthly fees and will vary depending upon how many months your current term has left to run.

Some ISPs that want to entice you away from your existing provider will often try to tackle this obstacle by offering bill credits as an incentive to those who have incurred ETCs by switching before the end of their contract (aka – Switching Credit, Welcome Credit or Contract Buyout). Such rewards do have their limits (i.e. it’s usually only enough to cover a few months’ worth of ETCs), but they’re still significant enough to warrant consideration.

The tricky part is that a lot of providers don’t promote these credits as directly or openly as their other discounts (you may have to go actively hunting to find them). Not to mention that you also have to be able to put together the evidence to prove you’ve suffered a financial detriment from ETCs (e.g. final bill from your old provider). But if you’re willing to do that, then this really can help to open up more flexibility in your ability to switch.

However, in order to make such a judgement you first need to know what kind of switching incentives are being offered by the different providers and networks, which is where our new summary may come in handy. ISPreview asked a cross-section of providers, including all of the biggest ISPs and some smaller players, whether they offered any special incentives to help consumers cover the ETCs they might incur by switching while still under contract.

Examples ETC Switching Incentives by UK ISP (Feb 2025 Data)

➤ EE

“We’ve made your switch to EE as easy as possible. If you have fees for leaving your old provider we’ll credit you back up to £300 to help with the cost” (here).

➤ BT

BT doesn’t appear to offer a switching credit online, but their “flagship consumer brand” EE above does. However, we’ve been informed by the provider that BT will also honour the same credit, but only if customers either visit them in-store or calls to speak to one of their guides.

➤ Plusnet

This provider does not offer switching credit.

➤ Sky Broadband

Sky offers a credit of up to £100 when switching to Sky TV or broadband, or up to £200 when switching to both (here).

➤ TalkTalk

Given the provider’s debt problems, it’s probably no wonder that they don’t currently offer a switching / welcome credit to cover ETCs.

➤ Virgin Media

Virgin often runs various discounts and gift bundles, but they don’t currently offer a switching / welcome credit to cover ETCs.

➤ Vodafone

“We’ll cover your early termination charges from your previous broadband provider of an equivalent amount, up to a maximum of £100” (here) – only on a 24-month term.

➤ Zen Internet

Zen does not appear to offer switching credit.

➤ Hyperoptic

“Our Switch Now offer gives you up to 9 months’ free Hyperoptic service while your current contract ends” (here) – only on a 24-month term.

➤ KCOM

“Get up to £200 in welcome credit when switching to us” (here) – varies between packages.

➤ YouFibre

“We will ‘buy-out’ the remainder of your contract with your existing residential broadband provider up to the value of £300 if you sign up to an 18-month contract with us” (here)

➤ Brsk

“Brsk will apply a credit on activation of your account of up to £150 to cover cancellation or early termination fees” (here) – only on a 24-month term.

➤ CommunityFibre

This provider does not appear to offer switching credit.

➤ CityFibre

Despite its position as a wholesale provider (not a retail ISP), CityFibre has often offered credits/rewards worth c.£50 to £200 to those who decide to switch to a provider on their network. You’re most likely to see one of these if you’ve signed up for updates via their availability checker. But at the time of writing (Feb 2025) their last “Switch and Connect £150” promotion ended in December 2024, and they weren’t offering a new one.

➤ Airband

“If you have up to 6 months left on your contract with another broadband provider, we will pay your early termination charges” (here).

➤ LightSpeed Broadband

“We’ll pay up to £250 towards buying you out of your existing contract” (here).

➤ GoFibre

“We’ll cover your broadband exit fees up to £200” (here).

➤ BeFibre

Offers up to £200 via a “Contract Buyout” (here).

➤ G.Network

“We can buy out your current contract up to £150” (here) – only on a 24-month term.

➤ Fibrus

Seems to offer an “Existing Contract Buyout” and the related page states that the “maximum payable is £400 including VAT” (here), but the maximum figure does vary.

➤ Connect Fibre

“With contract buyouts from Connect Fibre, you don’t have to wait around. Switch to us straight away and we’ll give you up to 3 months free to get you connected earlier” (here).

Take note that switching credits, much like other promotions, can change like the wind, and so what you see above may not stay that way for long. In addition, just because a provider doesn’t publicly show that they’ll give you such a credit, doesn’t always mean to say they won’t (e.g. BT), provided you ask them about it directly (it never hurts to ask, although bigger ISPs may be more amenable to this).

However, credits like this tend to scale depending upon your choice of package, and location (i.e. you’ll get less credit on cheaper plans). For example, KCOM’s offer of a “Welcome Credit” is only available to those covered by their recent network expansions (outside Hull) and scales by package, thus those taking out a 100Mbps plan will only get £50 and those opting for 900Mbps will get the full £200. The headline claims don’t always reflect what you’ll get.

Suffice to say it’s easy to overlook promotions like this, particularly since you often have to apply for them manually, but for some people they could be a dealbreaker (assuming you’re aware they exist). So always check and consider such offers when contemplating a switch, as you might not have to stay stuck in an existing contract for as long as you think.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Startup stories

Introducing Synthetiko

Picture a platform that transforms the way enterprises view and act on customer behavior, one that gives them the power to train and own their own deep learning models for web analytics. That’s exactly what we do at Synthetiko. We enable businesses to dive beneath the surface of traditional dashboards and spreadsheets to uncover granular, real-time insights about how users navigate digital experiences. The ability to quickly identify and respond to user behavior can be the difference between leading the market and falling behind.

It matters now more than ever because budgets are tight, teams are being asked to do more with fewer resources, competition is fierce: A single bad user experience can push customers toward a competitor, and user behaviors change rapidly. Without real-time analytics, organisations are perpetually playing catch-up.

Synthetiko is here to bridge those gaps—helping enterprises achieve speed, agility, and deep understanding in their digital strategy.

The Spark That Drove Us Forward

Our story begins with firsthand experience. While consulting for large enterprises like Vodafone, Pernod Ricard, The AA, and NatWest, we repeatedly witnessed a glaring challenge: teams were drowning in data but struggling to interpret it in a way that led to clear, actionable insights. Traditional web analytics solutions offered dashboards of numbers and percentages but left the “why” behind user actions unanswered.

This constant bottleneck of manual effort and slow iteration became our inspiration. If businesses could quickly reconstruct every step of a user’s online journey, seeing exactly where they paused, clicked, or abandoned, imagine how effectively they could optimise digital experiences.

The Journey So Far

Building a deep learning ecosystem capable of capturing and analysing real-time user behavior was no small feat. Our earliest challenge was designing a neural network architecture that could handle the sheer volume of granular data generated by high-traffic enterprise websites. Many existing tools were built to deliver summary metrics—like bounce rates and time on site—but few could dissect a user journey down to the micro-interactions in real time.

Despite these complexities, we launched our 1.0 Analytics Neural Network for alpha partners, and the results have been remarkable:

Reduced analysis time: What once took days or weeks to interpret can now be understood within minutes.

Increased conversion opportunities: Our partners can isolate the exact moments where users lose interest or encounter friction, then optimise accordingly, often leading to immediate improvements in key performance metrics.

Stronger collaboration: Departments from marketing to engineering can finally work off the same, detailed data, speeding up the overall decision-making process.

Witnessing how this technology cuts down weeks of data sifting into a near-instant view of customer behavior is a testament to our central belief: real-time, AI-driven insights can be a game-changer for any enterprise serious about digital growth.

Future Vision

In the coming year, our ambition is to expand the scope and capability of Synthetiko in several ways with a Flagship Optimisation Model

We’re on track to launch our v1 Optimisation Model, which will go beyond identifying behavior trends. It will proactively recommend which site improvements or content changes have the highest potential to boost conversion and engagement, well before a human analyst would even suspect an issue.

Ultimately, we see a future where enterprises own an evolving intelligence layer—one that not only optimises their own user experiences but could even be licensed out, helping them generate new revenue streams from their proprietary models.

Excitement for Connected North

With all this momentum, Connected North is the perfect platform for us to share our vision. We’re eager to:

Demonstrate our technology in front of an audience ready to embrace AI-driven solutions.

Engage with forward-thinking enterprises that see the value in deep, immediate insights into user behavior.

Connect with potential investors who recognise the long-term scalability of owning a proprietary AI analytics engine.

We believe Connected North is a unique opportunity to showcase what’s next in web analytics—an approach that’s agile, granular, and truly data-driven. By telling our story and sharing our real-world results, we hope to spark meaningful conversations about the transformative power of deep learning in customer experience and digital strategy.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

SpaceX’s Starlink service, which offers ultrafast broadband speeds via a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), has notified the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the USA of their intent to launch a new Wi-Fi router for their customers – model code UTR-251. The new kit appears positioned to replace the previous Gen 3 (UTR-231) kit, but it has some caveats.

At present Starlink has over 7,200 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (c.3,300 are v2 Mini / GEN 2A) – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’re in the process of adding thousands more by the end of 2027. Residential customers in the UK typically pay from £75 a month for a 30-day term, plus £299 for hardware on the ‘Standard’ unlimited data plan (inc. £19 postage), which promises latency times of 25-60ms, downloads of 25-100Mbps and uploads of 5-10Mbps.

However, every 2-3 years the operator does tend to refresh their broadband routers and dishes with new kit, which often reflects enhancements to previous services and support for new features. At present it is already known that Starlink are developing a higher performance dish (terminal) / package, which will support their aim of reaching gigabit broadband speeds.

The news of a new router, as spotted by PC Mag, may well feed into the above plans. But it is also likely to end up supporting other plans too. The UTR-251 currently looks likely to be a fully-fledged Gen 4 router to replace the older Gen 3, which itself was only first introduced in 2023. The new kit looks designed to stand upright, much like the older Gen 2 kit, but it’s also a step back in terms of only having a single Ethernet port (the Gen 3 had two) and can only be used indoors (not rugged).

Otherwise, the new kit appears to have similar WiFi specs to the Gen 3, but enhanced support for additional radio frequency bands has been introduced to help boost broadband speeds on the satellite connection itself. The new router is also expected to be more power efficient than the existing model, although we will only know for sure once that can be tested in the wild.