Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Contract-free mobile operator VOXI, which is a virtual network operator (MVNO) sibling of Vodafone, has today celebrated the milestone of reaching 1 million customers. The operator has come a long way since it first launched in 2017, when they initially appeared to be focused on the student market.

Since launching, the operator has expanded its availability to cater for all users and offers a distinctive mobile proposition by providing customers with unlimited access to popular social media, music and video streaming platforms without eating into your data (mobile broadband) allowance. The 30-day contract terms are handy too.

Scott Currie, Head of VOXI, said: “Reaching one million customers is an exciting milestone for VOXI and reflects our commitment to delivering innovative propositions tailored specifically to young people’s evolving needs. Our continued focus on understanding Gen Z has enabled us to differentiate in a highly competitive market, building a distinctive brand that genuinely resonates with our customers.”

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The deal will see over 185,000 premises added to CityFibre’s full fibre network

Today, wholesale fibre network operator CityFibre has announced the acquisition of smaller altnet Connexin’s network infrastructure.

The deal will see CityFibre integrate Connexin’s fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) network in Hull and East Riding, which currently reaches over 80,000 premises, with a further 20,000 planned for the future.

The deal will also see CityFibre take ownership of Connexin’s Project Gigabit contract, worth £58.6 million, which pledges to rollout fibre to 34,000 hard-to-reach premises in Nottinghamshire and West Lincolnshire. This project will also “unlock a future expansion to over 50,000 non-subsidised premises in the target regions”, according to the company’s press release.

In total, CityFibre says the deal will potentially increase their fibre footprint by over 185,000 premises.

Financial details of the deal were not released.

“Connexin has built an outstanding network and it’s a brilliant fit for CityFibre. Our mature wholesale model will now bring Hull’s homes and businesses increased choice and access to unrivalled connectivity products, services and prices. After our rapid integration of Lit Fibre’s network, we have demonstrated that this is an effective way to expand our footprint and we look forward to playing an active role in the sector’s accelerating consolidation in 2025,” said CityFibre CEO Greg Mesch.

“Given our major role in the government’s Project Gigabit rollout, we are also pleased to take on a further contract, delivering next-generation digital infrastructure for more hard-to-reach rural communities across Nottingham and West Lincolnshire,” he added.

Connexin’s ISP and Smart Home businesses are not included in the deal and instead will gain access to CityFibre’s network via a new wholesale agreement.

“The next phase of our growth is tremendously exciting as we accelerate our focus on expanding our Smarter Home, Business, Enterprise, Public Sector and Utilities products and services across the UK, enabling these rapidly evolving markets to achieve ambitious goals through adopting smarter technology,” said Furqan Alamgir, CEO of Connexin.

Connexin’s primary backer, global asset investor PATRIZIA, will also become a minority shareholder in CityFibre.

The news comes just a week after CityFibre announced it was aiming to double the number of customers on its network to 1 million by the end of the year, 70% of which would come from the acquisition of smaller network players.

To support this goal, the company is currently in negotiations with various banks to secure a £1 billion loan. It is also seeking to raise a further £500 million from existing investors, including Goldman Sachs and Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investor Mubadala.

Speaking to The Financial Times, CityFibre said that the company was in a “strong position”, with shareholders that are “committed to CityFibre’s long-term success”.

Join CityFibre and the rest of the UK fibre market in discussion at Connected North, live in Manchester

Also in the news:
Google announces agreement to acquire Wiz for $32bn
How small moves ignite industry-wide change
Liberty Global in talks to acquire Vodafone’s stake in Dutch JV VodafoneZiggo 

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Rome, 20 March 2025

Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, and Al-Bawaba for Telecommunications and Informatics Co., a Libyan ISP provider offering a wide range of ICT solutions, have enhanced their commercial partnership to provide international connectivity services to and from Libya.

The agreement is based on a state-of-the-art fully redundant infrastructure – which relies on Al-Bawaba’s Libyan national backbone and on Sparkle’s international capacity – for the provision of Ethernet MPLS connectivity services to corporate customers. As a result, Sparkle and Al-Bawaba will provide end-to-end solutions combined with value added services and customer care, leveraging Sparkle’s portfolio and international presence and Al-Bawaba’s local support.

“The partnership between Sparkle and Al-Bawaba represents a significant milestone in offering premium services on Libya’s telecommunications infrastructure” says Barbara Sole, Head of Data Sales for Africa at Sparkle. “By combining our global expertise and extensive submarine cable network with Al Bawaba’s strong local presence and market knowledge, we are committed to delivering enhanced connectivity solutions that will empower businesses across Libya. Together, we look forward to accelerating digital transformation in the region and creating new opportunities for growth and innovation in this important market.”

Mohammed Algharyani, Deputy Chairman of Al-Bawaba, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating: “At Al-Bawaba, our commitment to excellence drives everything we do. This partnership with Sparkle, a globally recognized leader in telecommunications, reinforces our dedication to delivering superior service quality, enhanced connectivity, and seamless global access. Together, we are set to provide our customers with secure, reliable, and high-performance solutions that meet the evolving demands of the telecom industry.”

About Sparkle

Sparkle is TIM Group’s Global Operator, first international service provider in Italy and among the top worldwide, offering a full range of infrastructure and global connectivity services – capacity, IP, SD-WAN, colocation, IoT connectivity, roaming and voice – to national and international Carriers, OTTs, ISPs, Media/Content Providers, and multinational enterprises. A major player in the submarine cable industry, Sparkle owns and manages a network of more than 600,000 km of fiber spanning from Europe to Africa and the Middle East, the Americas and Asia. Its sales force is active worldwide and distributed over 33 countries.

Find out more about Sparkle following its X and LinkedIn profiles or visiting the website tisparkle.com

About Al-Bawaba

Al-Bawaba for Telecommunications and Informatics Company is a leading telecommunications service provider in Libya, specializing in data connectivity solutions for multinational enterprises, government entities, NGOs, incumbent telecom operators, ISPs, and mobile operators.

Established in 2012, Al-Bawaba was founded with the mission of delivering high-quality, innovative international connectivity solutions, ensuring seamless global access to Libya. The company provides highly flexible, customized telecom solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of its clients.

Al-Bawaba is a strategic partner of Sparkle, a globally recognized telecommunications operator. Through this partnership, Al-Bawaba offers a robust and secure international network, leveraging protected IPLC, Ethernet-over-SDH (EoS), and MPLS-capable submarine and terrestrial fiber infrastructure. This ensures fast, reliable, and secure connectivity for its customers.

Sparkle Media Contacts

sparkle.communication@tisparkle.com

X: @TISparkle

Al-Bawaba Media Contacts

info@gateway.ly

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The E2A system, linking Japan and the USA, is expected to be ready for service in 2028

Today, an international consortium including Chunghwa Telecom, SoftBank Corp., SK Broadband, and Verizon Business has announced the start of construction of the East Asia to North America (E2A) submarine cable system.

The E2A system, which features 12 fibre pairs and a total capacity of over 182Tbps, will span approximately 12,500km across the Pacific, connecting Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan to the west coast of the US.

Photo courtesy of Chunghwa Telecom

The system will be deployed by subsea cable specialist Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and is expected to be ready for service in H2 of 2028.

According to the consortium, the driving factor behind the cable’s conception is the rapid growth in AI applications, data centres, and cloud services, which is taking place in both the US and East Asia.

“We’re very pleased to have initiated the project for a new submarine cable connecting East Asia and the United States. As we enter an era where AI is being fully implemented, the importance of international submarine cables connecting not only Japan and the United States but also major parts of Asia as arteries of information is increasing,” explained Teruyuki Oya, Vice President, Head, Mobile & Network, Technology Unit at SoftBank. “SoftBank will advance the development of global, multifaceted, and stable platforms by building infrastructure for the AI era.”

The importance of developing alternative data transport routes across the Pacific was also highlighted, with E2A expected to connect to additional subsea projects currently under construction, such as the Southeast Asia-Japan Cable 2 (SJC2) and Apricot systems.

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

Also in the news:
Google announces agreement to acquire Wiz for $32bn
How small moves ignite industry-wide change
Liberty Global in talks to acquire Vodafone’s stake in Dutch JV VodafoneZiggo 

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Welsh Government (WG) has revealed that their Access Broadband Cymru (ABC) grant scheme is to “reopen” this spring 2025, albeit with some changes. The scheme previously offered funding to help rural homes get a faster broadband service installed in areas of slow connectivity, until it was paused last summer (here).

The long-running ABC scheme essentially offered vouchers (grants) to homes in poorly served areas that weren’t expected to benefit from either commercial or other state-aid funded deployment projects in the near future. By poorly served, we mean areas which didn’t have access to a “superfast connection” speed of 30Mbps+ (i.e. £400 for 10Mbps+ or £800 for 30Mbps+).

However, the ABC scheme was starting to look a bit outdated next to the UK government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout programme, which has set a much more ambitious target – aiming to help extend 1000Mbps (download) capable broadband networks to reach “nationwide” UK coverage (c. 99%) by 2030 (currently at 86%+). The aim is to support this goal via a mix of bigger vouchers (Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme) and subsidised build contracts.

Suffice to say that the ABC scheme wasn’t just outdated, but it also risked conflicting with Project Gigabit’s efforts. Not to mention the 10Mbps broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO), but hardly anybody talks about that one any more and its impact has been very.. limited (here). Long story short, the ABC scheme required a bit of a re-think and ended up being paused by the WG.

WG Statement from August 2024

We are pausing the Access Broadband Cymru grant scheme from 7th August 2024.

The pause will allow us to:

– update the scheme to reflect new broadband technology and market changes
– review grant limits and how the scheme is run to keep it targeted, flexible, and responsive.

The pause should last no more than 6 months.

Applications received up to and including 6 August 2024 will be assessed and processed normally.

The good news is that Project Gigabit has since awarded a number of subsidised gigabit broadband roll-out contracts to Wales, which went to Openreach (here and here) and also sets the stage for ABC to return. The WG’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans (MS), recently confirmed their plans to re-introduce the ABC scheme this spring, but offered very little in the way of detail.

Rebecca Evans (MS) said:

“Work on the updates to the Access Broadband Cymru scheme system is entering the final testing phase. I anticipate being able to provide more news on our plans to re-open the scheme to applications in the coming weeks.

We still anticipate that the scheme will reopen in the Spring.”

At this stage we don’t know quite what approach the WG will take. One option is to do as other local voucher schemes have done before and provide top-up funding to the UK’s government’s main gigabit voucher scheme, which tends to result in bigger vouchers that are able to help bring FTTP broadband into even more challenging areas.

However, the WG could instead opt to keep ABC more independent and technology neutral, which might result in smaller vouchers but still enable the ability to fund a wider array of technology neutral solutions (e.g. fixed wireless networks, Starlink satellites etc.). By the sounds of it, we should find out the answer sometime toward the end of this month or during April 2025.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

A number of broadband ISPs from across the United Kingdom (and possibly other countries too), such as ICUK and Andrews & Arnold (AAISP), have this weekend noticed an unusual increase in internet disconnections among customers who have DrayTek routers at home or in the office. The issue seems to be caused by a “router vulnerability“.

Regular readers will know that DrayTek has been in the news a few times recently due to security vulnerabilities (here and here), although at this stage it’s not 100% clear if the latest event is due to one of those (i.e. an existing vulnerability that some customers have neglected to patch) or a newer exploit. But it appears to be the former.

According to A&A, the issue of related broadband lines dropping and then reconnecting seems to have started at around 9:28pm on Saturday (22nd March 2025) and ran until this morning. Several other ISPs observed the same activity (examples here and here) and the providers soon started linking it to a small number of users with DrayTek routers. The issue impacted both broadband connections and leased lines.

A&A Status Update @ Mar 23, 10:27AM

A problem with Draytek routers meant many around the country (or world?) had problems staying connected from 21:30PM on Saturday evening. We expect a software upgrade to resolve the problem and strongly suggest customers with Draytek routers upgrade their software or try a different make of router. We have sent SMS/Emails to many of the affected customers pointing them to this status post. We have also emailed Draytek for comment.

ICUK Status Update @ Mar 23, 9:55AM

Since 21:30 yesterday evening we have witnessed an unusually high volume of session drops, primarily impacting BT Wholesale and TalkTalk broadband sessions. The cause has been narrowed down to vulnerable firmware versions on Draytek routers.

If you are seeing broadband circuits exhibiting repeat short sessions, please upgrade the firmware to the latest version.

Likewise, if you are also using Draytek routers to support any Leased Lines, please also review the firmware version before undertaking any further trouble shooting.

Suffice to say, it’s quite telling that the title of ICUK’s status update is “Draytek Router Vulnerability“.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The chances are reasonably good that quite a few of our readers won’t have heard of the name DZS (DZSi / Zhone) before, but they’re a supplier of fibre optic networking kit to a number of broadband operators in the UK, USA and elsewhere across the world. Why is this relevant, you ask? This week, they “commenced a liquidation proceeding“.

DZS formally commenced a liquidation proceeding under chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on 14th March 2025, which occurred after the company said they had been “unable to secure the necessary working capital from either its current lender or any prospective lenders to sustain the business going forward.”

The situation is worrying because a number of alternative network providers in the UK make use of the kit that DZS produce, such as for things like Optical Network Terminals (ONT) inside homes and offices. But we don’t think the current issue extends to the OLT business, which now largely falls under Dasan after it was spun out in 2024 (even though some of this kit still uses the DZS branding).

According to the announcement, foreign subsidiaries of DZS, including those in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia, “may continue to exist” outside of the United States liquidation. Despite this statement, the company is still in the process of appointing a Chapter 7 Trustee to “control the liquidation process in the United States and evaluate how to proceed with foreign subsidiaries and affiliates“.

DZS Statement

Subsidiaries and affiliates outside of the United States will experience near term business disruption with day-to-day operations, which will include various IT (i.e., outlook/email), and other software programs. Please be patient as the Trustee assesses the situation and the manner in which to proceed, whether it be a going concern sale, administration under applicable local law, orderly liquidation or some other path.

During the Company’s 25 years, Zhone/DZS developed industry leading broadband access and connectivity solutions that today enable high-speed, secure and reliable internet access services to many service providers around the world.

Over the past nearly two years, the Company has been balancing its technology initiatives while optimizing operating expenses and securing the necessary working capital to stabilize the business. Please know that the Company has been working with extreme urgency to obtain a new working capital facility that would maintain the business and has otherwise been evaluating all possible strategic alternatives. Unfortunately, we have not been successful in those efforts.

As a result of the Chapter 7 asset liquidation process, the Company is hopeful that its market-leading broadband access, connectivity and cloud software solutions are acquired, and customers and suppliers are restored.

Suffice to say that altnets using related kit will be watching developments closely and considering their options. The hope is that DZS may either find a way to continue their UK business or secure a sale to somebody else, otherwise some network operators may need to consider replacement.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News  

UK incumbent BT has approached AT&T Orange regarding potential partnerships for its international business, Bloomberg has reported, citing sources familiar with the matter

The article suggested that this could include the sale of a portion of BT’s global division, although the discussions remain in the early stages, with no guarantee of fruition. 

“We’re keeping everything open and this means we’ve been speaking to third parties about a range of possibilities,” said a BT spokesperson. 

Since Allison Kirkby took over as CEO in February last year, the company has been undergoing a strategic refocus, which has included the sale of its Irish business last month, and key leadership changes, with Jon James set to take over as CEO of BT Business this month. 

In the release of its financial results for the quarter ending 31 December 2024, Kirkby confirmed that “In Business, our core UK channels were stable. Cost transformation remains firmly on track, with excellent progress on both energy costs and productivity in the quarter.” 

“We continue to make progress towards becoming fully focused on the UK, with the sale of our data centre business in Ireland,” she continued. 

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

Also in the news:
Google announces agreement to acquire Wiz for $32bn
How small moves ignite industry-wide change
Liberty Global in talks to acquire Vodafone’s stake in Dutch JV VodafoneZiggo 

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News 

Meta has announced the launch of ‘Meta AI’ in 41 European countries, its largest rollout to date 

Initially, it will support six European languages, with plans for further expansion. 

Users can access Meta AI for free through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger via a blue circle icon within these apps. The assistant can be used in one-on-one chats or in group conversations. This group chat feature is launching first on WhatsApp and will soon be added to Messenger and Instagram Direct Messaging. 

Meta AI launched in the US back in 2023 but was delayed due to regulatory challenges related to the region’s strict data protection and privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These regulations are more stringent than those in other regions, requiring Meta to ensure full compliance before rolling out the assistant in Europe. 

A key issue was how Meta AI’s large language models (LLMs) are trained using public content shared by users on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Meta needed to ensure that this data usage met European privacy standards. 

“It’s taken longer than we would have liked to get our AI technology into the hands of people in Europe as we continue to navigate its complex regulatory system – but we’re glad we’re finally here,” read a press release from the company.  

“Over the coming weeks, we’ll take the first step in making Meta AI’s chat function available in six European languages, with a view to find parity with the US and expand our offering over time,” it continued. 

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

Also in the news:
Google announces agreement to acquire Wiz for $32bn
How small moves ignite industry-wide change
Liberty Global in talks to acquire Vodafone’s stake in Dutch JV VodafoneZiggo 

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Contributed Article 

As 5G Advanced (5G-A) and AI continue to evolve, two industry players, Global Telecommunications Industry (GTI) and the GSMA, are taking big steps to advance their integration and commercialisation. At MWC Barcelona 2025, both companies introduced initiatives to foster innovation, strengthen industry collaborations, and explore new business opportunities in the 5G-A and AI ecosystem. With the launch of the GSMA Mobile AI Community Group and GTI’s 5G-A×AI 100 Commercial Campaign, these efforts reflect a growing focus on the role of AI-driven mobile networks in shaping the future of connectivity. 

The GSMA Mobile AI Community Group 

On the first day of MWC Barcelona , the GSMA and GTI, along with other industry leaders including China Mobile, du, Turkcell and Huawei, announced the creation of the GSMA Mobile AI Community Group at the Connect 5G Summit. The group will focus on two key areas: “Networks for AI” and “AI for Networks,” to boost 5G-A and AI integration across a wide range of industries. 

A large focus of the summit was 5G-A-driven business monetisation. GTI and the GSMA hosted discussions around the integration of 5G-A and AI technologies, with industry leaders highlighting how mobile AI can drive business monetisation opportunities. 

The summit explored applications such network slicing and Massive Internet of Things (MIoT), both of which rely heavily on AI and 5G-A to function at their full potential. A highlight was the appearance of humanoid and quadruped robots from Unitree Robotics, which provided a tangible example of how 5G-A and AI can be used in the real world. The robots, which are capable of performing complex tasks, demonstrate the potential of AI-driven mobile applications that could soon be commonplace both at home and the workplace. 

As the summit came to a close, twelve industry partners (GSMA, GTI, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, du UAE, LG U+, Turkcell, and Huawei, Leju Robot, Unitree Robotics, and Zhipu A) announced the establishment of GSMA Mobile AI Community Group. Together, the companies will explore more deeply into mobile AI applications, while also focussing on monetisation. In the future, the more partners and companies will be welcomed into the group. 

The 5G-A×AI 100 Commercial Campaign 

The following day, the GTI held a summit under the theme “5G-A×AI”. Here, GTI launched the 5G-A×AI 100 Commercial Campaign, a new initiative designed to accelerate the use of 5G-A (5G Advanced) and AI technologies. 

Established in 2011, the GTI is an international industry collaboration platform set up China Mobile, SoftBank, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, and T-Mobile (then Sprint). Its latest launch, in February 2023, aims to increase the global cooperation in developing 5G-A technologies, speed up the integration of digital, IT, and telecom sectors, and support 5G monetisation. It currently has 146 operator members and 266 industry partners. 

The campaign was announced in partnership with over 30 global companies including, GSMA, Turkcell Türkiye, Telefónica Spain, LG U+ South Korea, Salt Switzerland, HKT Hong Kong, Zain KSA, MTN, Unitree Robotics, Leju Robot, Zhipu AI, and Huawei.  

According to GTI, the initiative aims to “accelerate the integration and commercialisation of 5G-A and AI technologies, which will drive the mobile information industry forward and usher in a new era of digital intelligence and unparalleled user experience.” 

Importantly, the campaign has four key objectives: 

1. Unite 100 partners to advance the innovation of 5G-A and AI applications. 
2. Make 100 capability APIs publicly available, creating an ecosystem for collaboration and technology sharing. 
3. Launch of 100 benchmark projects that demonstrate the successful integration of 5G-A and AI.
4. Then, introduce these technologies to 100 cities worldwide, helping to drive digital transformation and value creation on a global scale.

The collaboration follows the launch of the 5G-A×AI Development Program by GTI in April last year, which encouraged partnerships and innovation between 5G-A and AI across technology, services, ecosystem development, and business models through open labs and collaborative efforts. The 2025 campaign emphasises a more concrete, large-scale push towards commercialisation. 

Huawei, as a member of both the programme and GTI, has played an active role in helping to improve the practical applications of 5G-A and AI. The company has been working with global partners on several initiatives, including intelligent O&M (operations and maintenance), network optimisation, intelligent energy saving, and the monetisation of user experiences.  

The power of industry collaboration 

The creation of the GSMA Mobile AI Community Group and the launch of the 5G-A×AI 100 Commercial Campaign once again highlight the vital role of partnerships in advancing 5G-A and AI integration. By bringing together operators, manufacturers, and AI experts, these partnerships are paving the way for the widespread adoption of 5G-A and AI, driving digital transformation across a huge variety of industries, from healthcare to manufacturing. And, as the technology continues to grow, the strength of these collaborations will become increasingly important.