News 

Freshwave will deploy a portable 5G private network at the Edinburgh facility to help support robots and AI applications  

The collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), is designed to improve robotics testing and drive innovation in the agritech sector. 

The first use case for the portable 5G network features Spot, a four-legged wireless robot.. Using the 5G network, Spot streams live video, generates 3D maps, and conducts infrared scans in real time to support agricultural work. This data-driven approach aims to improve farming productivity and sustainability. 

Portable 5G networks provide fast, reliable internet access in rural areas where traditional broadband is limited. With low latency, these networks enable real-time data analysis for tasks such as crop monitoring and equipment adjustments. Their portability makes them ideal for seasonal or mobile operations where permanent mobile infrastructure is not viable.  

“Robots have the potential to transform the agricultural sector, similar to the way equipment such as tractors did so many years ago, but they need the right networks to power this data-driven approach,” said Steve Maclaren, COO at the National Robotarium in a press release. 

 “This portable 5G private network is going to allow us to unlock exciting new applications for our customers. One day we’ll see multiple robots in the field working together on different tasks, from weed removal to nutrient-analysis to pesticide application, creating a co-bot (human and robots working together) workforce to achieve results that simply aren’t possible without harnessing technology. It’s truly a gamechanger and the future of agritech.”    

The UK agritech sector is growing rapidly, projected to reach £15.6 billion by 2026.  

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Also in the news:
FBI agents’ data exposed in AT&T cyberattack
France and Germany partner on cross-border 5G corridor
Over half of Brits have never heard the term ‘data centre’, finds Telehouse study

News 

The infrastructure is designed to operate for at least a decade 

Vantage Towers, TOTEM, Orange, O2 Telefónica, and Saarland University of Applied Sciences have joined forces to deploy a 5G highway corridor connecting Metz in France to Saarbrücken in Germany. 

The “5G Autobahn to Autoroute” (5G A2A) project spans 60km, with construction beginning in early 2025, aiming to complete in late 2027. 

The corridor will include a 55km section in France and a 5km stretch in Germany. In France, TOTEM and Orange will install nine new masts and upgrade eight existing ones to provide 5G connectivity using 3.5GHz spectrum. On the German side, Vantage Towers and O2 Telefónica will deploy up to five masts equipped with distributed antenna systems (DAS) on the 3.6 GHz frequency. 

Combined, these two deployments will provide reliable 5G coverage along the entire international roadway, supporting advanced mobility services such as lane-changing assistance, collision prevention, and real-time traffic updates. It will also provide a testing ground for autonomous vehicle trials and improve connectivity for travellers crossing the border. 

Financial support for the project comes from the EU’s “Connecting Europe Facility Digital” programme and France’s Grand Est administrative region. 

“With the establishment of the Franco-German mobile communications corridor, we are advancing digital transformation in Europe. We are creating infrastructure that enables uninterrupted cross-border connectivity and, in the future, the use of advanced mobility applications such as autonomous driving functions – setting new standards for digital connectivity,” said Christian Hillabrant, CEO of Vantage Towers in a press release. 

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

Also in the news:

Ofcom cracks down on mid-contract price rises
Over half of Brits have never heard the term ‘data centre’, finds Telehouse study
EXA Infrastructure enters into agreement to acquire Aqua Comms

Press Release

Telehouse launches educational initiative featuring character ‘DC’ to enhance public understanding of data centres and their impact on digital lives

Half of UK consumers (51%) have never heard of the term ‘data centre,’ highlighting a significant lack of awareness about their critical role in powering daily digital life. New research from Telehouse reveals how, despite the increasing reliance on digital services and their recent categorisation by the government as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), 67% of UK consumers admit they do not know what a data centre is or does.

The survey, which involved over 2,000 UK consumers, identifies a significant gap in public understanding. While 48% of respondents believe data centres positively impact the digital services they use at home and work, such as video streaming and online shopping, there remains a substantial knowledge gap about the scale and scope of data centre operations. Nearly half (43%) of the respondents are unaware of the vast number of people, applications, and data supported by these facilities.

Telehouse’s findings also highlight a mixed perception of data centres’ importance in the context of remote working, a trend that has surged in recent years. While 59% see data centres as critical to enabling remote work, 19% are unsure how these facilities support such activities, and 15% consider them not very critical or not critical at all.

The study underscores the public’s partial understanding of data centres, with misconceptions about their roles. In an effort to bridge this knowledge gap, Telehouse has launched an educational initiative featuring a character named ‘DC.’ Through an engaging video, DC aims to demystify data centres, explaining their functions and significance in everyday technology use.

Mark Pestridge, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Telehouse Europe, commented on the initiative: “We realise there’s a significant knowledge gap regarding data centres and their impact on digital lives. By introducing ‘DC,’ we hope to educate people about the critical work done in data centres and inspire our future generations to consider careers in this field. We also hope that bridging this knowledge divide may be key to increasing trust in the digital infrastructure that underpins our connected lives.”

Telehouse’s commitment extends to supporting education and career development in the technology sector, offering apprenticeships and work experience opportunities to young people. The company also advocates for more educational programs focused on data centre technologies in schools and universities.

For more information on the crucial role of data centres and to watch Telehouse’s educational video featuring the ‘DC’ character, visit their website.

How is the growing data centre ecosystem impacting the UK economy? Join the discussion at Connected North live in Manchester   

Also in the news:
EXA Infrastructure enters into agreement to acquire Aqua Comms
“European competitiveness has one foot in the morgue,” warns Nokia CEO
BT quietly scraps EV charging pilot 

Shropshire-based UK ISP Aquiss has this morning announced that they’ve launched an additional range of broadband packages based off FullFibre Limited‘s (Fibre Heroes) network, which has so far deployed an open access Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to cover 380,000 UK premises ‘ready for service’ (23rd Aug 2024).

The provider, which already supplies services via Openreach and CityFibre’s growing national FTTP networks, appears to be offering a range of packages via FullFibre Ltd that start from £32 a month for speeds of 150Mbps (average) on a 12-month minimum contract term (discounted to £16 pm for the first 3 months), which rises to £48 (£24 pm for the first 3 months) for their top 900Mbps tier.

All packages include symmetric service speeds, unlimited usage, a 12-month minimum contract term, a pledge of no mid-contract price rises, free activation, a static IPv4 address and static IPv6 addresses (/56). But new customers will be expected to supply their own broadband router, which is not included.

FullFibre’s underlying network typically covers around 130 towns across parts of Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire in England.

Interestingly, Aquiss’ website states that the new network covers 500,000 properties, although we’ve yet to see that being confirmed as an RFS figure by the operator itself.

Network operator CityFibre has today announced that they’ve begun the roll-out phase of their £112 million state-aid supported Project Gigabit contract for Kent (Lot 29) in England. This will extend their 10Gbps capable FTTP broadband ISP network to an additional 50,000+ premises in hard-to-reach rural areas.

The announcement means that CityFibre has now begun construction work in all 9 of their Project Gigabit contract areas (here). The projects reflect over £782m in government subsidies to serve more than 464,000 hard to reach rural premises across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Sussex, Kent, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire & Milton Keynes.

The network operator has also committed their own funding to help build commercially beyond those contracted areas (i.e. a total of £1.2bn in combined public and private investment and 1.366 million extra premises may be delivered as a result of these contracts). But sadly, today’s announcement doesn’t provide any details of where CityFibre are starting to build in Kent or how long it will take to complete the deployment.

All of this will help to support CityFibre’s wider ambition to eventually cover up to 8 million premises (funded by c.£2.4bn in equity, c.£4.9bn debt and £782m of BDUK / public subsidy) – representing c.30% of the UK. So far, they’ve already managed to cover 4 million premises.

Greg Mesch, Chief Executive Officer at CityFibre, said:

“Bringing full fibre connectivity to hard-to-reach homes and businesses across Kent will create new possibilities, empowering local communities to thrive. We are excited for residents to experience the benefits of enhanced connectivity, leaving behind the limitations of copper technology.”

Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said:

“Everyone deserves the chance to thrive in both their professional and personal lives, and lack of reliable connectivity should never be a barrier to that. Thanks to this government-funded programme, hard-to-reach parts of Kent are now being equipped with the fastest speeds on the market, allowing communities to stay connected.”

The operator is supported by various ISPs like Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet and more (Sky Broadband will follow in 2025), although they aren’t all available in every single location yet.

The wholesale division of UK broadband ISP Virgin Media Business (VMO2) has today announced that they’ve started offering their high-bandwidth products, such as National Ethernet (NE) and Direct Internet Access (DIA), over their new “next generation” Converged Interconnect Network (CIN).

Just to recap. Virgin’s new CIN brings their fixed line (FTTP, DOCSIS etc.) and mobile networks (4G, 5G etc.) together in a way that they say will make them more efficient, resilient, scalable and flexible. This takes the core deeper into VMO2’s network, with IP routed networks deployed in the access network, and allows different services to coexist on the network and be managed more easily, with the end customer moving closer to an optimised, scalable and high-capacity network (i.e. data is aggregated closer to the end user before routing it back to the core network).

On the business connectivity side, VMO2 Business said the new infrastructure provides pre-provisioned ports and capacity for wholesale partners, creating scalable, automated, lower-cost delivery for 10Gbps services. Where the new architecture is enabled, “delivery time will drop by up to 40 days” and network orchestration “will improve reliability of configuration tasks, bringing wholesale partners’ connections online seamlessly“.

The provider’s wholesale division also said it would increase the availability of 100Gbps External Network-to-Network Interfaces (ENNIs) at strategic locations to prepare for increasing demand, “becoming available to request soon“.

John Chester, Director of Wholesale Fixed at VMO2 Business, said:

“Our partners face growing bandwidth demands from their customers. It’s our priority to provide them with the best possible experience going forward. Our new architecture is the latest phase of Project Spark, a huge investment in accelerating the reach and diversity of our network across the country, allowing us to meet the UK’s growing need for connectivity.”

As part of Project Spark, a multi-million-pound investment programme to bring benefits across 10Gbps services, VMB Wholesale also launched its new NHCS core platform last year, which built a foundation for the CIN update. A few weeks ago, the core network was extended to five additional sites in the North of England and Scotland, bringing the total number of upgraded core sites to 23.

With CIN in operation, VMB Wholesale’s improved 10Gbps products are now said to be enabled at over 177 hub sites, equivalent to roughly 75% of national wholesale demand. National Ethernet and Direct Internet Access are the first wholesale products enabled on the platform, with High Capacity Services (HCS) to follow in 2025.

Mobile operator Three UK has this morning announced that they’ve selected Ericsson to build their new cloud-native core network, which it claims will be the “largest in Europe” and one that will end up “more than tripling its core capacity” to 9Tbps (Terabits per second).

Data (mobile broadband) usage on Three UK’s network has grown significant in recent years, surpassing 2Tbps in December 2024 due to Premier League streaming on Amazon Prime and gaming updates. Customers of the service currently use an average of 31.5GB (GigaBytes) of data per month, up 18% year-on-year and “more than 2.5x the national average“.

Similarly, 5G usage has increased by 40% year-on-year, accounting for almost two fifths of data (39%) now used, while Video Gaming is said to be contributing to two-thirds of network peaks through the year (i.e. they mean the downloading of new game updates, rather than multiplayer traffic itself).

The new cloud-native core network, powered by Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core solution and supported by their Cloud Native Infrastructure solution, will thus aim to tackle this and sit on Three’s nationwide distributed data centre network. All of this will bring the operator’s core network closer to their customers, helping to support improved latency.

Iain Milligan, Chief Network Officer at Three UK, said:

“The last few years have seen a tsunami of data growth with traffic at peak times doubling in a little over two years driven by home broadband, streaming and gaming usage on our network grow faster than ever. Our new core network with Ericsson ensures we are able to support our customers’ data usage over the medium and long-term.”

Katherine Ainley, CEO of Ericsson UK & Ireland, said:

“We are incredibly proud to support Three UK in this next stage of their network transformation. Our longstanding partnership with Three is one built on trust, innovation, and a shared commitment to delivering exceptional mobile experiences. This project is a significant milestone in our collaboration, and we’re excited to help Three build a new Core network to meet the ever-growing data demands of their customers.”

The operator is also anticipating other benefits from the upgrade, such as enhanced stability with less downtime, greater network insights (helping to manage demand more effectively), the ability to upgrade infrastructure without having to drain traffic from a data centre (in-service software upgrades) and enhanced environmental performance from the use of more modern kit.

However, the announcement doesn’t say how long all of this will take to implement, and some readers might be wondering why Three UK are announcing this at a time when they’re supposed to be in the process of merging with Vodafone. But the fact is that their merger will take several years to fully realise, and Three UK can’t simply sit on their hands during that process, while demand continues to rise.

Speaking of the merger, it’s worth noting that Vodafone began rolling out a similar upgrade, also using Ericsson, back in 2020 (here). In that sense, there’s really no reason why the two operators can’t upgrade towards common ground.

Ofcom has today launched a new consultation that proposes to exempt lots of additional devices (equipment) from needing a wireless telegraphy licence, such as 5G handsets and dongles on an aircraft or ship and 5.8 GHz (5725-5850 MHz) Fixed Wireless Access kit – used by many wireless broadband ISPs to offer rural connectivity.

Under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, the regulator can grant licences for the use of radio frequencies. This is to “ensure spectrum is used efficiently and to prevent interference“, but not all devices that use radio spectrum necessarily need a licence.

“Exemptions support economic growth by reducing the regulatory burden on manufacturers and users of innovative new wireless technologies. We periodically review our licence exemptions to reflect changes in technology and usage,” said Ofcom before outlining the changes they intend to make.

Ofcom’s Proposals

We are consulting on proposals to introduce new licence exempt use of some equipment and amend the current technical conditions that apply to existing licence exemptions. The proposed changes fall into two primary categories, as set out below:

Exemptions to harmonise the conditions of use of certain equipment in the UK with other countries.

Under this category, we propose to either introduce a new exemption or make amendments to an existing one in relation to the following equipment:

• Mobile Communications onboard Aircraft (MCAs) and Vessels (MCVs) –we propose to amend the existing licence exemptions to enable the use of 5G terminals (handsets and dongles) connecting to a dedicated mobile base station on an aircraft or ship.

• Short Range Devices (SRDs) – we propose to introduce new licence exemptions for use of additional SRD equipment and to amend existing licence exemption rules for a range of SRDs. The proposals affect some indoor security scanners; audio Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) devices; inductive (Radio Frequency Inductive Device) RFID systems; active medical implants; assistive listening devices; low duty cycle / high reliability devices; transport and traffic telematics devices; and the non-specific SRD category of devices.

• Ultra-Wideband (UWB) – we propose to introduce new licence exemptions and amend existing ones for operating certain UWB equipment. These proposals affect location tracking devices (e.g. for parking management, home security and access control systems), general vehicle applications (e.g. for use at high density road crossings) and indoor only applications (e.g. tracing people within buildings) in the 6-8.5 GHz frequency band, and existing rules for generic UWB devices.

• Autonomous maritime radio devices (AMRDs) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for use of AMRD equipment categorised as ‘Group B’ equipment where this uses a specific channel. These devices alert other users of their presence and can include diver and fishing net locating devices.

Exemptions identified by Ofcom through our simplification programme of work.

We have identified a number of areas where we think we could simplify how we authorise some equipment. Under this category, we propose to introduce either a new exemption or make amendments to an existing one in relation to the following equipment:

• Coastal Station Radio (Training School) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for use of these very low power indoor systems used for training purposes. Training schools would still be required to abide by the existing technical conditions of operation.

• Testing and Development Under Suppressed Radiation Conditions – we propose to amend the existing licence exemption to increase the spectrum ceiling from 960 MHz to 275 GHz. This change would remove the need for some users to obtain an Innovation and Trial licence when testing or developing equipment in an indoor, suppressed environment at specified power levels.

• Amateur Radio Full (Temporary Reciprocal) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for short-term use of Radio Amateur equipment by Radio Amateurs visiting from countries that are not covered by the CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02, but with whom the UK has a bilateral reciprocal agreement.

• 5.8 GHz (5725-5850 MHz) Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) – we propose to introduce a new licence exemption for use of this equipment. Operators of the equipment would still need to comply with the existing technical conditions set out in IR 2007.

Ofcom are now taking comments on these proposals until 5pm on Friday 28th March 2025 (here).

Openreach (BT) has released the next January 2025 batch of 163 exchanges (Tranche 19) in their “FTTP Priority Exchange Stop Sell” programme, which reflects areas where over 75% of premises are able to get full fibre lines and will thus stop selling copper based analogue phone and broadband products (i.e. FTTP becomes the only product option).

Currently, there are two schemes for moving away from old copper lines and services, which can sometimes cross-over. The first starts with the gradual migration of traditional analogue voice (PSTN / WLR) services to digital all-IP technologies (e.g. SOGEA), which is due to complete by 31st January 2027 and is occurring on both copper and full fibre products (i.e. ISPs are introducing digital voice / VoIP services). The national “stop sell” on analogue phone services began on 5th September 2023 (here).

The second “FTTP Priority Exchange” programme involves the ongoing rollout of gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines – using light signals via optical fibre instead of electrical signals via slow copper lines. Only after this second programme has largely completed (75%+ FTTP coverage) in an exchange area can you really start to completely switch-off copper-based products, which will come later as you have to allow time for natural customer migrations.

Between the scrapping of analogue phone services, the full fibre rollout and the gradual switch away from copper lines themselves, this process will take several years in each area to complete, and the pace will vary (i.e. some areas have better coverage of full fibre than others). Naturally, premises that can’t yet get FTTP will continue to be served by copper-based broadband products.

163 New Exchange Locations (Tranche 19)

In this programme, the migration process away from legacy services starts with a “no move back” policy (i.e. no going back to copper) for premises connected with FTTP, which is followed by a “stop-sell” of copper services to new customers (12-months of notice is given before this starts and that is what today’s list represents). This stage is then followed by a final “withdrawal” phase, but that comes later.

The stop sell is applied at premises level, so it shouldn’t impact you if you don’t yet have access to FTTP, although edge-case conflicts may still occur due to rare quirks of network availability.

The 163 exchanges announced today takes the total number of exchange upgrades that have already been notified as part of the aforementioned process (including trial exchanges), or which are actively under “stop sell” to 1,338 (up from 1,175 at the last update). The “stop sell” in the Tranche 19 areas will be introduced from 14th February 2026.

The operator also has a Stop Sells Page on their website, which makes it easy to see all the planned changes. Otherwise, the following list is tentative, so changes and delays will occur (exchanges can and are often shifted around into different tranches).

163 Stop Sell Exchanges in Tranche 19

London-registered network operator EXA Infrastructure, which was acquired by investment firm ‘I Squared Capital’ in 2021, has today announced that they’ve signed binding agreements to acquire specialist connectivity services provider Aqua Comms, which operates a number of transatlantic and intra-European subsea infrastructure systems (fibre optic cables).

EXA Infrastructure currently operates over 150,000km of digital infrastructure across 37 countries, including 20 cable landing stations that provide critical connectivity to subsea systems. Meanwhile, Aqua Comms is an Ireland-based service provider specialising in operating submarine cable systems and supplying fibre pairs, spectrum and wholesale network capacity to the global content, cloud, carrier & enterprise markets.

Aqua Comms is also the owner/operator of the America Europe Connect-1 (AEC-1), America Europe Connect-2 (AEC-2), CeltixConnect-1 (CC-1) and CeltixConnect-2 (CC-2) subsea fibre links and is part of a consortium that owns/operates the Amitié cable system (AEC-3).

Jim Fagan, CEO of EXA Infrastructure, said:

“The acquisition of Aqua Comms demonstrates EXA Infrastructure’s commitment to build a modern and diverse Transatlantic platform to fully serve AI, Cloud and Content demand, now and in the future. The combination will offer our customers more routes, more capacity and increased diversity, all on a scaled platform.”

At present, it’s not known how much money or shares will change hands, although the planned transaction is currently expected to complete in approximately 12 months, subject to customary closing conditions. Akur Capital and RBC Capital Markets are acting as financial advisors to EXA Infrastructure in connection with the transaction and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is serving as legal M&A advisor to EXA Infrastructure.

Goldman Sachs also acted as financial advisor to D9 in connection with the transaction, and Shoosmiths is serving as legal advisor to D9.