News

The airline says its planes will be upgraded gradually to support the satellite connectivity

This week, Air France has become the latest airline to strike partnership with SpaceX’s low Earth orbit satellite subsidiary Starlink for in-flight WiFi.

The deal will see Air France’s fleet of aeroplanes gradually fitted with Starlink technology, allowing them to provide customers with a “ground-like” WiFi experience, with customers able to connect numerous devices at once.

The exact connectivity speeds expected to be available were not revealed, but Starlink has previously said that it’s constellation could provide in-flight WiFi speeds of 40–120Mbps.

Starlink equipment will begin being installed on the aircraft from 2025.

Once completed, the resulting WiFi service will be free to access for customers on Air France’s ‘Flying Blue’ loyalty programme (which is itself free to join).

In-flight Wi-Fi has long been a key use case for communications satellites. Starlink itself already has similar deals in place with numerous other airlines, including United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JSX, Qatar Airways, and Air New Zealand.

The largest of these, United Airlines, says it plans to have Starlink installed on over 1,000 planes next year.

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

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News 

The move, which could raise up to $1 billion, aims to take advantage of the global demand for data infrastructure 

Japan’s NTT Group is reportedly considering launching a billion-dollar Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in Singapore that would hold up to $3 billion-worth of data center assets, according to a Bloomberg article. 

The article states that the company is working with financial advisors to finalise the assets that will be included in this high-profile listing.  

According to reports, the listing could happen in late 2025 and would be expected to raise around $1 billion. 

If successful, listing would be the largest in Singapore since 2017, potentially revitalising the city-state’s sluggish IPO market 

NTT’s move would align with its broader strategy to optimise its assets while addressing the increasing global demand for data infrastructure.  

The company’s decision comes amidst rising global investments in data centers, driven by the need for expansive digital infrastructure to manage growing demand for storage and computing capacity. If successful, NTT’s REIT could set a precedent, encouraging other large firms to explore similar offerings in the region. 

When contracted by Bloomberg, a representative confirmed that “the company is considering a REIT,” but did not elaborate further.  

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

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Techwave announces strategic partnership with IQGEO
~ Partnership aims to accelerate fiber network design and deployment, enhancing operational efficiency for the telecom and utility sectors~

26th September ‘24, UK: Techwave, a global leader in IT and engineering services, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with IQGeo, a provider of innovative geospatial software solutions. This collaboration aims to elevate both companies’ ability to deliver cutting-edge solutions to the telecom and utility sectors, driving advancements in network planning, deployment, and optimization.

As a Certified Design Partner, Techwave now has access to IQGeo’s Professional edition of the Network Manager Telecom software, along with a fiber dataset for training, testing, and demonstrations. This partnership will enable Techwave to design and plan fiber networks with greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness, bringing substantial value to its clients. The partnership promises to reduce fiber planning and design time by up to 90%, allowing for faster project completion and quicker network deployments. By replacing manual processes with digital workflows, Techwave will significantly reduce man-hours while optimizing productivity. The software also facilitates seamless collaboration between office and field teams, eliminating file transfers and manual updates, further accelerating the design process and improving payment schedules for contractors.

In addition, the partnership offers access to IQGeo’s global support services, ensuring swift technical issue resolution and minimizing downtime. This strategic collaboration strengthens Techwave’s ability to deliver high-performance solutions and promotes better cooperation with clients, ensuring unified efforts in expanding fiber networks and optimizing operations across the telecom and utility sectors.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Chris White, Vice President – Global Competency, Techwave said, “We are excited to establish a new partnership with IQGeo that will mark a significant milestone as we continue to strengthen our capabilities to deliver engineering services to our clients across the globe. We believe this partnership will provide significant value as our respective companies share a common objective to drive growth in the telecom, fiber and utility industries. IQGeo’s proven platform capabilities and global reach are closely aligned to meet our strategic objectives and provide our delivery teams with the necessary solutions to design, deploy, and maintain world class networks.”

Adding to it, Mr. Jonathan Rosen – Associate Vice President, North America Engineering said “We are excited to start a new partnership with IQGeo. From rapid design to inspections and outage restoration, this partnership will help us in our objective to transform network data into efficient digital workflows for our clients. IQGeo’ s proven platform capabilities and global reach are closely aligned to meet our strategic objectives and provide our delivery teams with the ability to engineer world class infrastructure networks resulting in improved process optimization, predictable rollouts, increased workforce efficiencies, and maximizing of network revenue.”

“Our fiber design partner program has been tremendously popular with the fiber industry.” comments Jay Cadman, Senior Vice President at IQGeo, “As IQGeo’s market share continues to grow, we are keen to build a team of skilled fiber industry professionals to help support the demand for fiber network planning and design. Fiber operators can rest assured that all IQGeo partners have full access to our latest software and have been certified in the use of our products to provide the best possible design and support services. I’m excited to welcome these new eight companies to our partner network and look forward to expanding our ecosystem in the future.”

News

The decision is expected to bring significant improvements to the digital infrastructure in Guernsey and Jersey 

The States of Guernsey has approved the temporary suspension of competition law to allow Sure – a telecommunications company operating in the Channel Islands – to acquire 100% of local rival Airtel Vodafone.  

The acquisition is part of Sure’s strategy to enhance its service offerings and expand its market presence in the region, the company said. 

Sure plans to invest up to £48 million in developing a 5G mobile network for the islands. This investment aims to provide high-speed data services, improved coverage, and better value for money for customers. 

Having reduced the number of network operators in the market from three to two, Sure has made several legally binding commitments to help maintain competition, One of including the introduction of the Channel Islands Coop as a new mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).  

The new MVNO is expected to be operational within the next year. 

Sure and Airtel Vodafone initially reached this merger agreement in October 2022. However, acquisition required approval from competition regulators in both Guernsey and Jersey. While Jersey’s competition regulator approved the deal earlier in the year, the States of Guernsey took longer to deliberate before arriving at today’s conclusion. 

“Today’s decision is great news for Sure and Airtel customers and the future of telecommunications services in Guernsey and Jersey. We are grateful that Deputies have recognised the numerous strategic, economic and social benefits of our acquisition of Airtel,” said Sure Group CEO, Alistair Beak in a statement. 

“This merger will result in significant investment being made in the Channel Islands’ digital infrastructure at a time when demand for connectivity has never been greater.” 

The acquisition is expected to be completed before Christmas, with both Sure and Airtel Vodafone continuing to operate as separate entities until then,” he continued. 

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

Also in the news:
Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
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News

Meta is ending its peering relationship with Deutsche Telekom, accusing the German incumbent of “putting the open internet at risk” 

According to two statements published this week, a dispute between Meta and Deutsche Telekom over peering charges has reached an impasse, with Meta saying it will now route traffic through third-parties rather than directly with the German operator. 

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, accuses Deutsche Telekom of threatening net neutrality by imposing “unacceptable fees” for direct peering services. Meta argues that thousands of telecom providers worldwide maintain “settlement-free” peering relationships, where data transfers between both parties are free. After months of unsuccessful negotiations and a court ruling in Deutsche Telekom’s favor, Meta has chosen to reroute its data traffic via third-party providers, to avoid paying these fees. 

“Following months of discussion, we are surprised and disappointed by the breakdown in negotiations with Deutsche Telekom. Meta has taken significant steps to keep its apps available directly through Deutsche Telekom, but given the court ruling concerning the unprecedented and unacceptable fees demanded, we are now routing our network traffic through a third-party transit provider, instead of exchanging traffic directly with Deutsche Telekom,” said Meta’s statement. 

Deutsche Telekom, however, claims that Meta has “twisted the facts”. According to them, Meta was previously paying for direct data connections but stopped during the pandemic. After taking the matter to court and winning, Deutsche Telekom accuses Meta of dodging legal obligations by redirecting traffic through other networks to avoid paying. 

Meta frames this issue as a threat to net neutrality — the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally without preferential treatment. They argue that allowing telecom providers like Deutsche Telekom to charge for direct connections could set a dangerous precedent, potentially restricting user access to certain services. 

Deutsche Telekom counters that Meta is exploiting its market power to avoid paying its fair share. They argue that this is not just a corporate dispute, but a broader debate about fairness and how the internet operates, especially in balancing the power of large tech companies and telecom providers. 

Deutsche Telekom’s initial press release also included a slew of unrelated accusations  that tried to demonstrate that Meta’s actions “follow a pattern” of exploiting their dominant market position. These include: 

“- Meta is trying to avoid taxes in Europe  

– Meta disregards European data protection (see WhatsApp) 

– Meta is trying to force its users into payment models in violation of consumer protection laws 

– Meta lies to the public about hate speech  

– Meta gave data to Cambridge Analytica and thus indirectly influenced elections” 

These accusations have since been deleted from the statement.  

Both companies have reassured German customers that their access to Meta services will not be affected. 

Meta said it is “hopeful that a future agreement can be reached so that Deutsche Telekom subscribers can continue to access our apps in the way they rightly expect.” 

More widely, this dispute highlights the broader tensions between major tech firms and telecom providers, as both sides wrestle over how to fairly share the cost of maintaining the digital infrastructure that powers the internet. 

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

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Verizon Business signs 5G deal with teledriving company Vay
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Interview

In a tough economic environment like the UK, going over budget when building a network is not an option

At Connected Britain, the Total Telecom team spoke to Vitruvi Software’s As-built Consultant Felix Wright to discuss how the company is streamlining network deployments and why leveraging new technologies like AI and digital twins could hold the key to delivering networks on time and on-budget.

Check out the full interview here!

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Press Release 

Thursday September 26th, 2024: A further 4,500 homes and businesses across rural West Yorkshire and the York area can now access the fastest, most reliable broadband on the market, thanks to broadband provider Quickline Communications. 

The rollout is part of the government-funded Project Gigabit programme which will help to boost the region’s economic growth while addressing the digital divide affecting remote areas.   

Communities in rural West Yorkshire and areas surrounding York, including the villages of Escrick, Crofton, Elvington, Sutton upon Derwent and Wheldrake, are the first to benefit from gigabit-capable broadband under a £60 million government contract awarded to Quickline earlier this year.   

The Project Gigabit contract will fund connections for over 28,000 hard-to-reach rural properties across the region once completed, with thousands more set to benefit through additional commercial rollout by Quickline. 

Project Gigabit is the government-funded programme targeting areas that would be too expensive to be connected to gigabit broadband through commercial rollout because of their remote location.   

Residents and business owners in the region, many who struggle to carry out basic online tasks due to outdated broadband infrastructure, will receive major internet speed upgrades providing access to gigabit-capable, full fibre broadband.  

This is one of four contracts awarded to Quickline across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, which will bring over 170,000 premises out of broadband poverty, making Quickline one of the largest Project Gigabit delivery partners. 

More than 1,725 premises in West Yorkshire and the York area have so far received access to gigabit-capable broadband through Project Gigabit funding, with the remaining premises delivered as part of Quickline’s commercial efforts. 

Beyond broadband connections, Quickline is committed to delivering social value across West Yorkshire. With a focus on educating young people, a partnership has been established with The Lighthouse Futures Trust in Leeds where Quickline has delivering digital skills workshops to support students with learning difficulties to transition into the workforce. These workshops focus on essential skills such as writing emails and creating LinkedIn profiles. 

And this week Quickline participated in the Leeds Digital Festival Careers Fair, offering young people advice and information about employment in the telecommunications industry. In addition, Quickline has engaged with primary school children in the area through interactive “Digger Day” events, educating them about the construction of the full fibre broadband network and its importance in their communities.   

Sean Royce, Quickline CEO, said: “We’re proud to be delivering gigabit capable broadband to rural communities in West Yorkshire and the York area through the government’s Project Gigabit programme. Our mission is to connect these areas quickly and make a lasting impact. 

“Access to reliable broadband is essential, and we are committed to helping our customers thrive in the digital world – not only through the deployment of full fibre but also through our broader social value programme.”    

Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “Thousands of rural households, businesses and students in this region can now enjoy better connectivity without having to battle for bandwidth with neighbours or other family members to stream video and music or download big files crucial for work and education.    

“The digital divide affecting a region as bursting in opportunities as Yorkshire is unacceptable. Since my appointment, I have made it one of my highest priorities to plug digital gaps, and the government and I have vowed to achieve nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030.   

“It is fantastic to mark a new step towards this journey and start delivering the connectivity the region deserves to thrive and compete.” 

Homes and businesses can book their installation today and benefit from the much-improved connectivity available from Quickline. 

Network operator nexfibre, which shares some of their parentage with UK broadband ISP partner Virgin Media (O2), has announced that they’ve built to cover 11,000 additional homes in the Cheshire (England) city of Chester to their new 2Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) broadband network.

The top half of Chester is now well covered by Virgin Media and nexfibre’s gigabit-capable broadband network, although they’ve yet to do the bottom half. The city is also home to significant full fibre coverage from Openreach, as well as some modest to smaller deployments by CityFibre, Hyperoptic and OFNL etc.

Nexfibre itself has already covered over 1.3 million premises across the UK with their new full fibre network, and they’re currently in the process of investing another £1bn during 2024, which should enable them to cover an additional 1 million UK premises (reaching a total footprint of c.2m).

Just for some context. Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners originally setup the new £4.5bn nexfibre joint venture in 2022 (here), which aims to deploy an open access fibre network to reach “up to” 7 million UK homes (starting with 5m by 2026) in areas NOT currently served by Virgin Media’s network of 16m+ premises. The funding reflects £3.3bn of fully underwritten financing and up to £1.4bn in equity commitments.

Alternative network provider and rural broadband ISP Gigaclear has today revealed that, as part of “planning for the next stage of its development” and a “re-focus on ultra-rural areas“, their current pace of full fibre (FTTP) build will be slowing and that means job losses.

The “ultra-rural” re-focus mentioned above is likely to be Gigaclear’s way of alluding to the recent state aid supported contracts that they’ve secured under the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme, which includes a £16.6m build contract for East Gloucestershire to reach 4,400 premises (here) and the £26.5m contracts for North and South Oxfordshire to reach 10,000 premises (here).

The announcement doesn’t say how many jobs will go, but sources have told ISPreview that up to 100-150 roles could be on the chopping block (exact figures are subject to consultation), which may have a particularly strong impact upon their build teams. The provider’s community engagement team are also expected to take a hit, but the full team will not be wiped out.

Gigaclear’s announcement does, however, confirm that they’ve now built their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to over 560,000 premises (up from 500k in March 2024) – in some of the most hard-to-reach parts of the country – and serve over 120,000 customers (up from 100k in March 2024).

“With that growth in build achieved, the business is now planning for the next stage of its development and will re-focus on ultra-rural areas that are still reliant on the old-fashioned and out-dated copper network, which provides poor speeds and contributes to a digital divide across the country. Recognising that the amount of brand new build will not be of the levels of the last five years, a number of roles across our build teams will be reduced to match our increased focus on ultra-rural. A consultation period has now started with the impacted teams,” said the announcement.

Gigaclear’s Delivery Director, Tony Smith, told ISPreview:

“This important strategic decision is about ensuring we target our future builds on ultra-rural communities that do not have access to full fibre broadband which is crucial to continuing to ensure the long-term success and growth of the business.

When Gigaclear was established, our purpose was to deliver ultrafast, reliable broadband to the rural areas of Britain that were still lumbered with poor connectivity. We have shown that we can provide these communities with the speeds enjoyed by larger, urban areas.

I am immensely proud of our people and all they have achieved, the restructuring of our build teams is a very difficult but necessary decision to ensure the future strength of the organisation and will reinforce our unique position in the industry, focusing solely on ultra-rural parts of the country. We promise to do as much as we can to reduce the impact on our affected colleagues.”

The development surfaces in the same week as Gigaclear’s latest annual accounts to the end of 2023 were published, which we covered yesterday (here). The operator’s accounts revealed that their revenues had increased by 32% to £33.8m (2022: £25.7m) and their workforce had grown to 819 employees in 2023 (up from 670), but their losses for the year also grew sharply to £138.3m (2022: £21.8m).

At the same time Gigaclear are not immune to the same strains that many other network builders are currently experiencing, which can often be linked back to high interest rates, rising build costs and an aggressively competitive environment that can make it harder to both grow take-up or attract fresh investment.

On the other hand, the switch to focus on their Project Gigabit deployments is probably a sensible one (CityFibre did something similar earlier in the year), particularly if they hope to secure any other contracts in the future. In the past, Gigaclear has often struggled to deliver on some of their state aid backed deployments (e.g. Devon and Somerset), which is a mistake they won’t want to repeat.

News

The partnership will see Verizon’s 5G tech embedded within Vay’s remotely driven electric vehicle fleet

This week, Verizon Business has announced a new partnership with German start-up Vay Technology, aiming to provide the latter’s remotely operated electric vehicle fleet with 5G technology.

Berlin-based start-up Vay Technology was founded in 2019 with the idea of introducing a ‘new approach to driverless mobility’.

Using Vay’s app, customers can hire a remotely operated car, which is then driven to their location by a remote driver. This driver is located at a dedicated teledrive station, where they control the vehicle using a steering wheel and pedals, as well as screens linked to on-board cameras. On arrival, the customer then takes control of the vehicle and drives it for as long as they like, paying by the minute. Once they no longer need the vehicle, they use the app to return control to the remote driver.

Vay promises customers their journey will be ‘half the price of Uber’, according to the company website.

The company launched services in Las Vegas in January and this location is the focus of Verizon’s partnership with the company today.

“Vay’s unique operational model shows the importance of mobile connectivity for the future of transportation. From Vay’s app-based user interface to their high-tech teledriving command centers to the vehicle fleet itself, connectivity touches all corners of the business,” said TJ Fox, Senior Vice President of Industrial IoT and Automotive at Verizon Business. “We’re thrilled to work with a company as innovative as Vay, which can use our unrivaled network to fuel their expansions throughout the U.S.”

Verizon says that its 5G connectivity will be used by Vay for “data-intensive, mission-critical workloads such as providing mobility solutions for teleoperation-capable cars; transmitting telematics or diagnostic information from vehicles to Vay and/or Vay customers; and transmitting over-the-air updates to software and firmware in Vay vehicles”.

As part of the deal, Verizon will also provide Vay with custom data tariffs for the vehicles.

“Verizon’s coverage, performance and network reliability are essential for handling the data load inherent to teleoperating our fleet to the highest standards of safety and capability,” said Thomas von der Ohe, Vay co-founder and CEO.

Verizon has been increasingly exploring the connected vehicle market in recent years, announcing formal partnerships with Audi and Sony Honda Mobility earlier this year at Mobile World Congress.

How is the US connectivity landscape changing in 2024? Join the industry in discussion at Broadband Communities Summit West

Also in the news:
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Verizon’s 4,800 job cuts will cost over $1.9 billion
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