Hampshire-based UK ISP Onestream, which sells broadband packages using Openreach’s national full fibre network, has complained about the poor performance of the new One Touch Switching (OTS) system, which aims to make it easier for consumers to change ISP. But this is currently failing on 56% of requests to join the provider.

The OTS system, which is being introduced via the industry-led One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo), finally went live last month. But Ofcom promptly acknowledged that TOTSCo’s industry-led messaging platform still needed to improve the success rate of its “matching process” (i.e. ensuring that customer switches are correctly verified and migrated between providers) and, as a result of that, they opted to temporarily retain the old migration process (Notification of Transfer / NoT+) – until 24th October 2024 – to act as a fallback for OTS failures.

In addition, Ofcom recently drafted in the Telecoms Adjudicator (OTA) to help “coordinate and facilitate industry efforts“, not least by helping to identify the sources of the remaining issues and get them resolved before the deadline (here). The situation with the matching process is gradually improving (here), but it remains unclear whether the issues will be fully resolved by 24th.

The problems have been underlined again today after Onestream revealed their dissatisfaction with the fact that 56% of switch requests (where Onestream is the gaining provider) are currently going unmatched.

Aaron Brown, Co-founder of Onestream, told ISPreview:

“We’re huge advocates of consumer choice – everyone should be able to easily switch to the provider they believe provides the right coverage, reliability, customer service, speed and value.

Ahead of the launch of OTS, our dedicated team worked hard on a detailed plan, flawlessly rolled out, to ensure all our systems were tested and worked with OTS from day one. We’re proud to have been among the first to join the platform and have already used it to enable the smooth and swift transfer of customers to Onestream.

However, we’re disappointed that for 56% of requests to join Onestream, we have failed to find a match for the losing provider via OTS. This suggests to us that a significant number of connection providers are dragging their heels.

We would urge them to get their act together because at the moment, the system isn’t delivering what it promised and customers are losing out.”

In fairness, the problem isn’t just being caused by rival connection providers, but also by bugs and other issues (e.g. a lack of clear standards in certain areas) that exist within the current messaging platform. As a result, switches can sometimes fail even when both sides are trying their best to follow the design.

The important thing to remember here is that most providers have a vested interest in making OTS work and for that reason we do expect a positive outcome, it’s just a matter of when.

Press Release

A first-of-its-kind outdoor small cell project in the City of London has been such a success that it has now moved beyond the trial phase. Twenty-five new sites for mobile network operator (MNO) EE are now live on Freshwave’s infrastructure, adding capacity and enhancing the 4G and 5G network experience for EE mobile users in one of the world’s preeminent financial districts. Dozens of additional new sites for EE are also currently being built and will enhance mobile connectivity to the UK’s best network[1] in even more of the Square Mile when they are brought live in the future.

Freshwave, a connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service provider, built new mobile infrastructure for the project and EE was the first MNO to go live in December 2022. Across all of the sites involved in the initial pilot, EE is seeing up to 7.5TB of data downloaded per week.

Freshwave’s bespoke solution enables the network to accommodate all four MNOs on 4G and 5G from day one with no adjustments needed to the infrastructure – making it a UK first. The solution features specially designed wideband antennas, cabinets and columns and extensive dark fibre to each cabinet.

As a neutral host, Freshwave operates the network deploying shareable infrastructure, reducing equipment duplication and creating a more cost-effective solution. This approach also minimises street clutter and the associated disruption during street works. Shareable infrastructure also reduces the environmental impact, while still assuring the mobile connectivity people expect when out and about.

The 25 new live sites are strategically located throughout the Square Mile, including notable landmarks such as outside St Paul’s Cathedral, Cannon Street and the Bank of England on Threadneedle Street.

Outdoor small cells are installed at street level which make them ideal for adding capacity to mobile networks. In busy urban areas, where large numbers of people use their mobiles simultaneously, demand on the macro network can be substantial. Outdoor small cells help alleviate some of this demand themselves, relieving the macro network and ensuring a better experience for users.

Simon Frumkin, Freshwave’s CEO, said: “We believe that multi-operator, shareable digital infrastructure is the future of mobile connectivity. Our unique approach allows the mobile network operators to enhance their networks where they need it most with minimal disruption for the surrounding communities and we’re looking forward to continuing to expand the network.”

James Hope, Director of Mobile Radio Access Networks at EE, said: “With our customers using more data than ever we’re committed to ensuring they enjoy the same great experience with EE in more places. Outdoor small cells are an important part of our mobile network and we’re happy to be extending our work with Freshwave using their cutting-edge approach.”

Shravan Joshi, Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, said: “The Square Mile is a world-leading business and leisure location in a dense urban environment. People expect to have world-class connectivity and be able to stay in touch as they move around. We’re thrilled to see the network being extended in this way.” 

[1] Based on the RootMetrics® UK RootScore® Report: H1 2024. Tested at locations across the UK with the best commercially available smartphones on 4 national mobile networks across all available network types. Your experiences may vary. The RootMetrics award is not an endorsement of EE. Visit ee.co.uk/claims for more details.

Press Release 

Munich, Germany – Connected Germany, the country’s Dedicated Digital Economy Event is returning to Munich for its largest ever edition 

Hosted by telecoms media and events specialist Total Telecom, the two-day event will feature 150 speakers debating and discussing the topics most important to building next-generation networks across Germany. Split across five key themes, the event will cover topics such as the country’s investment landscape, fibre & 5G delivery, and the regulatory environment. 

With over 1,800 attendees, Connected Germany will provide a forum where leading experts, decision makers, equipment suppliers, investors, companies, and others can exchange thoughts, discover new perspectives, and form invaluable partnerships.  

This year’s event boasts an impressive lineup of key speakers, including:  

– Wolfgang Metze, Managing Director of Consumer Business, Telekom Deutschland 

– Valentina Daiber, Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer, Telefonica 

– Marc Sauter, Head of IoT Product Management, Vodafone 

– Frederic Ufer, Managing Director, VATM 

– Jan Simons, Head of Local & Regional Politics, BREKO 

“We’re delighted to be returning to Munich for Connected Germany 2024,” said the event’s senior producer, Rowan Thompson.  

“The event is set to be our most impactful yet, bringing together the brightest minds in telecom and digital innovation. As Germany continues to evolve its digital infrastructure, the event will provide a crucial platform for industry leaders to collaborate, exchange ideas, and shape the future of connectivity across the country,” he continued. 

For more information or to register to attend Connected Germany 2024, visit: https://www.terrapinn.com/conference/connected-germany/index.stm   

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

About Total Telecom
Since 1997, Total Telecom has provided the connection between the buyers and sellers in the global telecom market. We do this through high quality editorial content and events to facilitate discussion on industry issues, and recognise innovation and excellence by companies and individuals.   

Our community of 120,000+ telecom professionals rely on Total Telecom for daily news and regular in-depth insight, delivered through a number of channels including online, video, social media, and at our series of events.  

Our award-winning event portfolio includes, Broadband Communities Summit, the World Communication Awards, Connected North, Connected Germany, and the UK’s largest connectivity event Connected Britain.   

News

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined the operator $31.5 million following a series of data breaches over the past four years

This week, US mobile giant T-Mobile has agreed to pay $31.5 million a part of a settlement with the FCC related to multiple cybersecurity failures.

The settlement comprises a $15.75 million civil fine and a pledge to invest an equal amount to bolster their cybersecurity capabilities.

In its statement, the FCC told T-Mobile to “work to improve cyber hygiene, and adopt robust modern architectures, like zero trust and phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication”.

The fines relate to data breaches which took place between 2021 and 2023 and affected “millions of current, former, and prospective customers” of both T-Mobile and its mobile virtual network operator partners.

According to the FCC’s statement, customer data accessed in these incidents included “PI (Proprietary Information, such as customers’ names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers) and CPNI (Customer Proprietary Network Information, such as the features customers subscribed to and the number of lines their accounts)”.

“Today’s mobile networks are top targets for cybercriminals,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. “Consumers’ data is too important and much too sensitive to receive anything less than the best cybersecurity protections.”

T-Mobile is becoming worryingly familiar with fines related to poor cybersecurity, having been fined $60 million by the  Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. back in August.

The company was also fined $80 million by the FCC in April for illegally sharing access to consumers’ location data without obtaining their consent. AT&T and Verizon were also fined in the settlement, with the total fines reaching $200 million.

How is the US connectivity landscape shifting in 2024? Join the operators and their communities in discussion at Broadband Communities Summit West live in San Diego

Also in the news:
Vodafone and Three defend merger amid CMA warnings
Verizon offloads mobile towers to Vertical Bridge for $3.3bn
Korea Telecom and Microsoft sign multibillion-dollar AI partnership

News 

Minority stakeholder TPG Capital will assume full company ownership 

AT&T has announced that it will sell its remaining 70% stake in satellite TV provider DirecTV to private equity firm TPG Capital for $7.6 billion, marking its full exit from the pay-TV market.  

TPG, which already owns 30% of the business, will take full control of the company, according to an SEC filing on Monday. 

AT&T acquired DirecTV in 2015 for $67 billion (including debt), banking on the pay-TV market continuing to grow. However, the boom of streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime meant this growth never came. DirecTV’s value fell steadily, with the company valued at around $16.25 billion when TPG Partners bought a 30% stake for $1.8 billion in2021. 

Writing in the Financial Times noted yesterday, Robert Armstrong said that “there is no doubt that the DirecTV deal turned out badly for AT&T.” 

“Two big things happened to make the DirecTV deal a failure. The bottom fell out of the traditional pay-TV market as streaming grew, and the synergies the dealmakers saw in the combination never materialised,” he continued. 

The sale is necessary, said AT&T in a statement, in order for the telco “to continue to focus on being the leading wireless 5G and fiber connectivity company in America.” 

“This transaction also continues to strengthen AT&T’s balance sheet by pulling forward cash expected over the next several years.” 

Simultaneously, DirecTV is also acquiring DISH TV for just $1 as part of a larger debt-exchange deal between DirecTV and EchoStar, DISH’s parent company. Rather than paying a large sum upfront, DirecTV is taking on DISH TV’s $9.75 billion debt pile.  

The merger will form the biggest pay-TV provider in the US with 18 million subscribers, and is expected to cut costs, offer more affordable packages, and improve its streaming options.  

“The merger was inevitable… These are both melting ice cubes with plenty of competition increasingly being delivered over the Internet in the vast majority of the US, and they will be better positioned to navigate that environment post a merger,” said Jeff Wlodarczak, analyst at Pivotal Research Group speaking to Reuters. 

Both transactions are expected to close in the latter half of next year. 

Join us at this year’s Broadband Communities Summit West, 30-31 October in Dallas. Last minute tickets available here

Also in the news:
AltNets’ path to success for FTTx Build Acceptance in Openreach PIA
T-Mobile hit with yet another fine over data breaches
“We were into AI before it was cool!”: Chatting AI and telco trust with Juniper’s Neil McRae

The Guernsey Competition & Regulatory Authority (GCRA) has ordered broadband and telecoms operator Sure (Guernsey) Limited to refund a total of £115,360 to customers of their wholesale leased line services, which occurred after the regulator found they had “overcharged” for the service between 1st January 2021 and 31st July 2022.

According to the GCRA’s statement (credits to the BBC News): “Sure has been directed to refund the overpayments to affected operators and provide evidence of the refunds to the GCRA within two months. This decision reinforces the GCRA’s commitment to fair competition in Guernsey’s telecommunications market.”

At the time of writing, Sure is still studying the direction and has yet to issue a formal response. The development comes shortly after the States of Guernsey voted to temporarily suspend local competition law in order to allow the dominant telecoms and broadband operator, Sure, to acquire Airtel Vodafone (here). The reward will be a £48m deal to deploy 5G services.

Viewpoint 

[İstanbul, Türkiye] Turkcell and Huawei have completed single-wavelength 800G long-haul transmission over 2500km distance without electric regeneration, which achieved the longest distance data transfer rate in the region. The test verified that 800G transmission performance, and proved the 800G long-haul transmission could further be commercially deployed towards the 5.5G era.

Turkcell, the leading comprehensive telecom carrier in the world, provides high-quality fixed and mobile communication services for more than 43 million subscribers in Türkiye. Turkcell’s network traffic has been increasing significantly year on year and continue to do so with the emergence of 5G, 4K/8K Video, cloud computing, digital service. Therefore, the construction of fiber infrastructures and evolution of innovative technology must make strides to cope with the challenges of digital floods.

Turkcell has cooperated with Huawei to successfully achieve 800G long-haul transmission trial. It leverages high-performance 800G/channel optical module, empowered by a built-in high baud bandwidth modulator with state-of-the-art non-linear compensation algorithm, established connection over 2,500 kilometers without Raman amplifiers. The trial verified that powerful 800G technologies can be implemented nationwide in backbone transmission, and is a significant milestone for unparalleled network speeds towards 5.5G era.

Prof. Dr. Vehbi Çağrı Güngör, Turkcell Chief Network Technologies Officer said, ” Turkcell is committed to deliver the premium experience to our customers while enhancing our networks by technological innovation. The single-wavelength 800G transmission performance is impressive. We will continue to improve our network capabilities by using new technologies, and provide high-quality connection services to cope with the explosive traffic growth.”

Victor Zhou, President of Huawei’s Optical Transmission Domain, said, “The 800G long-haul trial with Turkcell is a significant milestone in the ultra-high-speed optical industry. Huawei will continue to provide global carriers with superior solutions that feature high quality, reliability, and sustainable evolution.”

ABOUT TURKCELL: Turkcell is a digital operator headquartered in Türkiye, serving its customers with its unique portfolio of digital services along with voice, messaging, data, and IPTV services on its mobile and fixed networks. Turkcell Group companies operate in 4 countries – Türkiye, Belarus, Northern Cyprus, and Ukraine (discontinued operations). Turkcell launched LTE services in its home country on April 1st, 2016, employing LTE-Advanced and 3 carrier aggregation technologies in 81 cities. Turkcell offers up to 10 Gbps fiber internet speed with its FTTH services. Turkcell Group reported TRY34.9 billion revenue in Q224 with total assets of TRY299.7 billion as of June 30, 2024. It has been listed on the NYSE and the BIST since July 2000, and is the only dual-listed company in Türkiye. Read more at www.turkcell.com.tr.

Interview

Speaking at this year’s Connected Britain, we caught up with Juniper Networks’s Chief Network Strategist Neil McRae to discuss the impact of AI on telco networks, as well as security and the ongoing debate on public vs private cloud.

From being into AI before it was cool to using Gen AI to put a human face on the network with virtual network assistants, Neil shares his thoughts on the latest tech trends and the future of the telecoms industry.

Check out the full interview below!

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

Also in the news:
Vodafone and Three defend merger amid CMA warnings
Verizon offloads mobile towers to Vertical Bridge for $3.3bn
Korea Telecom and Microsoft sign multibillion-dollar AI partnership

Alternative network builder and UK ISP Connect Fibre, which aims to cover 100,000 premises across the East of England with their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network, has today updated their social tariff by reducing the price of their 150Mbps package and also making it available to all those born before 1958 (aged 66+, state pension age).

The operator, which is backed by investment from the Foresight Group (here), is currently rolling out their new open access (wholesale) full fibre network – using ADTRAN’s XGS-PON technology – across various locations in Essex, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Cambridgeshire.

However, the provider had previously also launched a 50Mbps social tariff for those on state benefits at £20 per month (Basic Essentials) or £25 for 150Mbps (Essentials). But the 150Mbps package has now been reduced to £20 per month and appears to be the main social package now being promoted on their website.

In addition, this social tariff is now also available to pensioners born before 1958 or individuals receiving the following benefits (Connect Fibre’s postcode checker can be used by residents to check their eligibility):

Income Support
Pension Credit
Income-related Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
Housing Benefit
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Disability Benefit
Attendance Allowance
Universal Credit
Care Leavers Support
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Connect Mesh – for improved Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home
Connect Phone – an affordable home phone service
Connect TV – streaming and entertainment at your fingertips

Deryck Shepherd, Chief Commercial Officer at Connect Fibre, said:

“We understand the immense pressures families and pensioners are facing during the cost of living crisis. Internet access is not a luxury; it’s a necessity for staying connected with loved ones, accessing services, and managing day-to-day life.

With recent changes to the winter fuel allowance leaving many elderly individuals with less financial support, this updated social tariff ensures pensioners and those in need can still access vital online services without worrying about the cost of internet connectivity.

By extending the eligibility of our leading 150Mbps Essentials social tariff, and also reducing the cost of our flexible add-ons, we’re committed to our goal of ensuring that no one is left behind in this digital world, no matter their financial circumstances.”

Finally, a quick reminder. We know social tariffs can be a divisive topic for some, but that is not an excuse to abuse the comment system in order to post offensive remarks toward those who take state benefits. Such posts are against our rules and will be removed.

The UK Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (UKWISPA), which is the official trade body for wireless broadband ISPs, WiFi hotspot providers and associated networks, recently unveiled the winners of their annual awards event – the UKWISPA Awards 2024.

The annual event is naturally intended to celebrate the best wireless internet providers across the sector, although quite a few of this year’s winners have increasingly started to focus on FTTP instead of wireless builds – often via a complementary approach.

Sadly, the organisation’s award page reveals nothing about how the awards themselves were chosen or judged (i.e. take them with a pinch of salt), which makes it difficult to cover them. But the headline winners seemed to be Quickline and Voneus, which are jointly listed as having won the award for ‘Best Hybrid Fibre / Wireless Project‘. The rest of the winners can be found below.

UKWISPA Award Winners 2024

Best Hybrid Fibre / Wireless Project
Quickline Communications

Best Hybrid Fibre / Wireless Project
Voneus

Best Community Engagement
Country Connect

Best Customer Experience
W3Z

Best Customer Experience
Juice Broadband

Best Gigabit Wireless Project
Voneus

Best Urban Deployment Project
GigaAir

Rural Hero
Rural Communications

Innovation
Cromarty Firth Wireless Networks

Outstanding Team Member
Liam Laird (marykirk.com)