Insight

by Jamie Hayes, Chief Sales and Commercial Officer, Cornerstone 

As I reflect on our journey leading up to Connected Britain 2024, it’s incredible to think that seamless, high-speed internet—once a luxury—is now becoming a fundamental right that fuels innovation and growth across the UK. I’m genuinely excited about Cornerstone’s role in enabling a digitally connected society across all Four Corners of the UK through our national platform. Our goal is to ensure that your connected world is always within reach. 

Having recently toured the Four Corners of the UK, I saw firsthand how Cornerstone’s work is not just addressing today’s connectivity needs but is truly shaping a brighter, more interconnected future for businesses and communities nationwide. Here’s a snippet of my personal observations of our work alongside other leaders and colleagues in the industry who also have a part to play in shaping the UK’s digital economy. 

England: Strengthening Local Connections
My 1305-mile tour began in the small seaside town of Littlehampton. Our partnership with Isthmian League semi-professionals Littlehampton Town Football Club is a poignant example of how connectivity can uplift local communities. Following a severe storm that damaged a Cornerstone mast at the football club, our response ensured that vital community events could continue without disruption. What started as an emergency repair transformed into a meaningful collaboration. We supported the club not only by restoring functionality but also by enabling digital payment solutions that streamline matchday transactions. This initiative has reinforced the club’s role as a community hub, enhancing local engagement and supporting the club’s growth. Littlehampton FC’s ability to maintain its community activities and embrace modern technology reflects our commitment to strengthening the local economy and fostering community development. We are a proud sponsor. 

Wales: Bridging Digital Gaps in Rural Areas
My next stop took me deep into the most remote parts of Wales. Here, our efforts have focused on bridging the digital divide in some of the country’s most isolated regions. In Carmarthenshire, we addressed a critical need for our customers Vodafone, VMO2 and Three, supporting them to bring the necessary and reliable connectivity in a rural area that had long struggled with getting online access for the everyday things we take for granted. By deploying advanced satellite backhaul and power generation technology, we’ve transformed access for residents and businesses across a 20km radius, unlocking new opportunities for economic activity and social inclusion. The impact has been profound—local businesses can now reach new markets, and residents enjoy improved access to services and social connections in an area prone to isolation and with high unemployment and mortality rates. Similarly, in Builth Wells we overcame steep terrain and regulatory challenges with innovative solutions. We collaborated with local stakeholders such as council representatives, farmers and residents, who helped us navigate the terrain, demonstrating our commitment to blending modern technology with respect for the region’s unique characteristics and needs. We know that nature and technology can and must co-exist. 

Scotland: Driving Digital Innovation in Glasgow
A short flight later, we found ourselves in the bustling, vibrant city of Glasgow. Our initiatives here are enhancing the city’s digital infrastructure with a focus on both technological advancement and environmental impact. Our collaboration with Vodafone, Arqiva, Cambridge University, and others has led to the deployment of smart water meters across the city, revolutionising water management with real-time data. This project not only enhances resource efficiency but also supports Glasgow’s sustainability goals. Additionally, our Air Quality Sensor Network, measures pollution particulates and their movement, providing valuable data to tackle urban air quality challenges. By working closely with Glasgow City Council, we are not just enhancing connectivity; we are helping Glasgow emerge as a leader in digital excellence and sustainability. Our efforts contribute to a healthier environment and demonstrate our commitment to integrating technology with environmental stewardship. 

Northern Ireland: Enhancing Connectivity in Torr
Our final stop was to the breathtaking coastal town of Torr, just outside Ballycastle in Northern Ireland. Here, we demonstrated firsthand how improved connectivity can invigorate local economies and tourism. Located along the stunning Causeway Coast Road, Torr faced significant challenges with limited mobile and broadband access, impacting tourism, local businesses and public services. By installing new 4G infrastructure, we’ve enabled our customers to address these issues, providing visitors, residents and businesses with reliable connectivity to support economic growth and enhance the tourism experience. Our integration of this technology with the region’s rich heritage required careful planning and collaboration with the Historic Environment Division to preserve historical sites, including a Cold War Navy listening station and ancient burial grounds. Our work ensures that Torr can benefit from modern connectivity while maintaining its unique historical context, an area of outstanding natural beauty. This project highlights our dedication to respecting and enhancing local heritage while advancing digital progress. 

A Vision for the Future
As we look to the future, Cornerstone remains committed to building and maintaining the digital infrastructure that will enable the UK to thrive in an increasingly connected world. Whether it’s supporting community spirit in Littlehampton, bringing connectivity to rural communities in Wales, pioneering air quality monitoring in Glasgow, or driving innovation in remote Torr, our mission is clear: at Cornerstone, your connected world is always within reach.  

Connected Britain is a celebration of the achievements of our industry, but from our position, with the largest digital infrastructure in the UK, we know that many people and places are still left behind—without the basic and necessary mobile services that so many rely on. Every day, we design, build, and finance new sites or upgrades across our digital estate. And every single day, we operate and look after our network of 15,700 sites to ensure reliability and resilience for our customers. 

More than any other provider in the UK, we are safeguarding the critical infrastructure of the mobile sector. But we still face challenges in some areas where we can’t yet celebrate, held back by the need for more pragmatic reform of town planning. This reform is essential to bring 4G and 5G to over 3,000 places where we’re eager to invest. It’s about more than connectivity—it’s about enabling job creation and driving digital inclusion. 

The stories I’ve shared today are a testament to the real impact our infrastructure has on communities across the UK. But we have much more to do, and my appeal is simple: we need to work collectively, across public and private partnerships, to create an effective framework for digital infrastructure planning, one that attracts investment and builds a country for growth. 

We’d love to continue this conversation. Please visit us at Exhibitor stand 97 or at the Tower Café during Connected Britain 2024 to explore these exciting developments. Our team looks forward to discussing how we can collaborate to build a more connected and prosperous society. 

At Cornerstone, your connected world is always within reach. 

Jamie 

—

About Cornerstone
As the UK’s leading mobile and digital infrastructure services provider, Cornerstone is set to play a pivotal role in Connected Britain 2024. With an impressive portfolio of approximately 15,700 sites across the UK, Cornerstone stands as a beacon of innovation and excellence in infrastructure deployment. Their commitment to advancing the UK’s digital economy aligns seamlessly with the theme of Connected Britain, which aims to explore and enhance the future of digital connectivity.  

Mobile network operator and UK ISP EE (BT) has today officially taken the wrappings off their new next-generation and Qualcomm powered Wi-Fi 7 router (Smart Hub Pro) and booster (Smart WiFi Pro) for home broadband customers. At the same time, they’ve also formally launched their new 5G Standalone mobile network across 15 of the country’s major cities.

We’ll start with the Smart Hub Pro and Smart WiFi Pro. In case anybody has forgotten, Wi-Fi 7 introduces a number of new features, such as using the extra 6GHz channel with 320MHz of channel bandwidth for much broader capacity (Wi-Fi 6E is 160MHz), as well as Multi Link Operation (MLO), which allows data to be sent over multiple bands simultaneously, and 4K QAM, which offers up to 20% increase in peak data transmission performance (plus other enhancements).

Everything Everywhere (EE) had previously pledged to be one of the first UK broadband providers to introduce a Wi-Fi 7 router during 2024 and so it has today come to pass. The new Smart Hub Pro router, which is being complemented by a new Smart WiFi Pro coverage booster, will initially only be made available to customers on “selected” Full Fibre (FTTP) plans (e.g. 1.6Gbps) “in the coming weeks” (i.e. it’s a soft launch).

However, the new router will also be made available as an add-on to existing plans, although this will almost certainly cost extra (we expect it won’t be a cheap add-on). When used together with the new Smart Hub Pro device, Smart WiFi Pro pledges to give customers a minimum of 100Mbps (wireless) connection in every room, with a money-back guarantee if you don’t get that. EE has also added a promotional video of the new broadband kit:

Going Standalone

The second big announcement today, albeit one that won’t come as a surprise to our readers because we already spotted it (here), is the official launch of EE’s new 5G Standalone (5G SA) mobile broadband network and related plans across fifteen major UK cities (Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield).

The majority of UK 5G mobile networks today are Non-Standalone (NSA), which means they are still partly reliant on older and slower 4G infrastructure. But SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better upload speeds, network slicing, improved support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, support for Voice over New Radio (VoNR or Vo5G) and increased reliability and security etc.

However, EE are making some bold claims about their new 5GSA service, such as by stating that it will “offer near uninterrupted outdoor coverage in every city where it launches” and “allow customers to make calls and use data in areas where it wasn’t possible before” – both of which really require further elaboration from the operator.

Breaking news.. more to follow..

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today proposed to grant a UK Earth Station Network Licence (ESNL) to support Amazon’s long-in-gestation Project Kuiper, which represents their plan to launch a global mega-constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to deliver affordable ultrafast broadband and 4G/5G mobile services.

Currently, Amazon is still trailing behind established rivals such as OneWeb (Eutelsat) and Starlink (SpaceX). Nevertheless, the company already has approval to deploy and operate their own constellation of 3,232 LEO satellites as part of Project Kuiper, which will sit at an altitude of between 590km and 630km. The system can process up to 1Tbps (Terabits per second) of data traffic on each satellite, albeit shared between many users.

Each LEO is fairly small, but they make up for that in quantity, and this approach typically delivers lots of data capacity (100-400Mbps broadband speeds), as well as relatively fast latency times (often c.20-40ms) and wide global coverage. But only provided it’s all matched by plenty of Ground Stations and regulatory approvals in supporting countries, which is where Ofcom comes in for the United Kingdom.

The regulator states that they received an application from Amazon Kuiper Services Europe SARL (Project Kuiper) for a UK wireless telegraphy satellite earth station network licence (i.e. a non-geostationary orbit [NGSO] network licence) in July 2024. If approved, this would authorise Kuiper to operate user terminals in the Ka band in the UK and connect it to their satellites, which will be able to serve local homes, businesses and public sector sites.

Ofcom’s Proposal for Project Kuiper

This document sets out our initial assessment of Kuiper’s application for an NGSO network licence for its Kuiper system using Ka band frequencies between 27.5-27.8185 GHz, 28.4545-28.8265 GHz, and 29.5-30 GHz. Kuiper plans to provide satellite connectivity services to households, businesses and other potential customers in the UK.

Our preliminary view is that we will grant an NGSO network licence to Kuiper, having considered the technical coexistence and competition impacts of its NGSO system on existing and future NGSO systems and other spectrum services operating in the same frequencies.

We invite comments on Kuiper’s application and our preliminary views, as set out in this consultation, by 4 October 2024. Details of Kuiper’s application can be found under the “Applications received” section of our NGSO licensing webpage.

We will consider any responses to this consultation before reaching a final decision on whether to grant Kuiper an NGSO network licence to operate in Ka band frequencies 27.5-27.8185 GHz, 28.4545-28.8265 GHz, and 29.5-30 GHz.

Ofcom’s related consultation will remain open for feedback until 4th October 2024, although they’re highly unlikely to reject it, unless SpaceX or Eutelsat kick up an unexpected fuss about the risk of interference (that would probably only delay the outcome).

As it stands, Amazon have already launched a couple of test satellites (here) and their first production satellites are due to be carried into orbit by the end of 2024. The first commercial beta testing is thus likely to follow during the first half of 2025 (a little later than originally planned) and it will then take another 6 years to fully manufacture and launch their planned constellation, which takes us to around 2030.

Naturally, there remain plenty of concerns about all these new LEO constellations, not least from those working in observational sciences (astronomy etc.), as well as the growing risk of orbital collisions. But on the flip side, it will be good to have some more aggressive competition for SpaceX’s Starlink network, which until now has tended to dominate the direct-to-home side of LEO satellite broadband connectivity.

The Communications Ombudsman, which is one of the two Ofcom approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) providers for UK consumers of broadband ISPs, mobile and landline phone operators, has released its complaints data for the first half of 2024 and reported a 54% increase in telecoms cases accepted vs the same time last year.

Ofcom requires that all such providers – those offering services to consumers and small businesses – must be members of an approved ADR scheme. The schemes are free for consumers to access and designed to supplement (not replace) your provider’s own internal complaint procedure(s), although ISPs often have to pay sizeable costs regardless of whether they win or lose a case.

The ADR process is usually seen as a last line of defence for consumers and thus such schemes are generally only used after a dispute has gone unresolved for 8 weeks, or earlier with the agreement of their provider (i.e. the “Deadlock Letter” stage). See our ISP Complaints and Advice section for more information.

The new data reveals that, between January and June 2023, a total of 11,466 cases were accepted by the Communications Ombudsman, which compares to 17,695 between January and June 2024. The main complaint categories so far in 2024 are service quality, billing, and contract issues, which reflect a similar pattern to the previous year.

The five most common complaint types

Complaint type
Jan – June 2023
Jan – June 2024

Billing
2700
4403

Service quality
2795
3605

Customer service
1716
3934

Contract issues
1268
1895

Equipment
1033
982

Andy Eadle, Business Unit Director at the Communications Ombudsman, told ISPreview:

“We’ve seen an increase in complaints across all dispute categories, but primarily in service quality (speed and reliability of service), and billing – continuing into the first half of 2024.

In 2023 we onboarded an additional major provider, which means more consumers than ever are now able to access our free and impartial dispute resolution services in 2024. As Communications Ombudsman, we’re here to ensure any dispute between consumer and provider can be resolved independently and fairly.”

However, it is disappointing that they don’t include a breakdown of the data by provider, since we have no doubt that consumers would be interested to see which broadband ISPs and mobile operators are attracting the lion’s share of complaints and in what areas – particularly as these tend to reflect issues that the ISP has been unable to resolve with their customers.

Business connectivity provider York Data Services, which obviously focuses upon serving firms in Yorkshire (England) via their full fibre network, has been acquired by Communicate, a similar provider of cybersecurity and network infrastructure solutions, for an undisclosed sum.

The deal, which is the company’s fourth acquisition since partnering with private equity investor Rockpool Investments in June 2024, forms part of Communicate’s strategic expansion effort and should “significantly increase the group’s network coverage across Northern England and London.”

The acquisition will also allow Communicate to enhance its service capabilities and offer a wider range of IT support and cybersecurity services to York Data Services’ existing customer base.

Tony Snaith, CEO of Communicate, said:

“We are extremely excited about the integration of York Data Services and their talented team, their underlying network infrastructure and fantastic customer base. This really strengthens and supports Communicate’s extensive growth plans and it became immediately apparent that both businesses had a complimentary service portfolio and were an excellent cultural fit. We look forward to further developing and nurturing long term relationships with both the team and customers over the coming months.”

Mark Fordyce, Founder of York Data Services, said:

“York Data Services is extremely proud of its reputation for customer care, passion and transparency, built up over twenty years. Communicate not only share those values and company culture, but gives the opportunity to build on that reputation by investing in our team and our key services of connectivity, telecoms and managed solutions. We look forward to working with the team at Communicate to grow the York Data Services customer base across the region and the UK.”

Communicate was advised by Roxburgh Milkins on legal matters and AAB Corporate Finance on financial and tax aspects. York Data Services received advisory support from Knight Corporate Finance for M&A and Andrew Jackson Solicitors for legal counsel.

Viewpoint

Dr. Wen Tong, CTO, Huawei Wireless

At the IEEE PIMRC conference held on September 4, 2024, Dr. Tong Wen, Huawei Wireless CTO, presented his views on the development direction of the 6G industry. Titled with “The Architectural Framework for A-RAN and A-Core”, Dr. Tong Wen pointed out, “6G will not be a simple upgrade of 5G, it should integrate AI revolution for the past 20 months, so to reshape the wireless industry and take it to the next height.”

5G is a success and 6G is on track. Dr. Tong Wen shard the timetable of 6G standard. The first 6G standard discussion will start in 3GPP in 2025 and the first version of 6G standard will be frozen in 2030. In a nutshell, after 6 years, there will be a global 6G standard and the mobile industry ecosystem will rally to go to market.

However, 6G is a long-term game plan, its technology and standard should support the innovations during the future decade from 2030 to 2040. From the investment point of view, 6G technology also should have a long-shelf time, which is not a replicate of 5G technology, but an incremental generation of wireless.

At the conference, Dr Tong Wen elaborated on 6G Standardization Direction and Innovations Driving 6G Standardization.

First, 6G is a true generational technology disruption.

Currently, AI revolution is profoundly changing every aspect of our work and life, 6G for sure should consider the emerging AI revolution happed now and future. Therefore, we need to re-examine the new possibilities and potential for the mobile industry for the time-frame 2030 and beyond. Therefore, 6G standard, key technologies, and network architecture should be re-defined based on application scenarios and requirements from 2030 to 2040.

The 6G standard needs to adopt the disruptive technologies to enable a true generational capability improvement. Specifically, in terms of core network, RAN, and terminals, the day-one 3GPP 6G standard must have the original technologies and major air interface features to drastically improve network performance and energy saving, to deliver 10 to 30 times better user experience, 3 times more intrinsic spectral efficiency and energy efficiency.

In summary, 6G is not the continuation or upgrade of 5G technologies, it is also not another way to implement 5G. Instead, 6G is a new generation of capabilities, it should generate new values for the consumers.

Second, 6G should embrace the AI revolution with an OOM Quantum Leap 

Twenty years ago, the Internet was an enabler of the latest technology. Wireless industry embraced the Internet and achieved great business success. Today, AI is becoming the enabler of the latest technologies. It is no doubt that 6G should embrace AI. Thus, the 3GPP 6G standardization process needs to fully digest the disruptive changes of the AI technologies.

On the core network side, using Agentic-AI-based technology to re-architect 6G-Core to achieve full automation for the 6G-Core including generation, operation, and maintenance. 6G-Core is a new and beyond 5G SBA to support the primitive capabilities of 6G AI, Sensing and NTN.
On the RAN side, AGI and embodiment-AI will be the mainstream AI applications in 2030-2040. The industry needs to further study AGI and embodiment-AI, not just the current Generative-AI. Therefore, it is too early to draw conclusions on the 6G air interface design about how to supports 6G AI.
On the UE side, 6G UEs must support the “Full AI” function. The 6G transformation from 5G technologies will be difficult if 6G UE can not adapt to the rapid development of AI and sensing capabilities from 2030 to 2040. 

Third, 6G architecture should be a continuous innovation to create a bigger market

5G has proved its market success in the past years, and 5G technology is evolving into 5G-Advanced. In the next 5 years or more, 5G and 5G-Advanced can meet the customer requirements and will continue to deliver the value to the operators and protect their 5G investment.

Therefore, 6G technologies should not overlap and duplicate with 5G, as well as to compete with the 5G market space and waste operators’ investment. Instead, 6G technologies should create innovative industry values and expand the market space for the mobile industry.

Simply reusing 5G network architecture without generational and fundamental innovation, will limit the mobile industry’s aspiration and imagination to dive the innovation in the 6G era. In particular, to reuse the 5G core network will hinder the innovation in AI.

Fourth, 6G user device calls for a breakthrough

The breakthrough of terminal technologies is the key if not the only factor for mobile device evolution. In 2007, iPhones enabled the mobile broadband industry development with a phenomenal market success. It is hard to imagine that smartphone will continue to drive mobile industry beyond 2030.

Therefore, new breakthroughs must be made in terminal technologies in the 6G, and 6G system must be prepared for terminals in the 6G era.

In the end, Dr. Tong Wen further clarified the relationship between 5G and 6G: “ 6G must be an innovative generational technology, instead of a simple extension of 5G technology. Now, 5G deployment is rolling out globally, and the current market demand and requirement can be met by 5G-Adavanced. This will protect the investment of operators, and continue to expand the market space. To duplicate 5G technologies for 6G, is essentially a pseudo-6G technology, which is not the best use of investment for operators. We should not underestimate the capabilities of 5G-Advanced for current market, and we should not underestimate the potential of 6G.”

The UK Government’s (DSIT) c.£6.2 million “Fibre in Water” trial (Project TAWCO), which aimed to test the deployment of fibre optic (FTTP) broadband cables through a live water mains (used for drinking water), has still not progressed to Phase 2 after a decision was taken to “stop the live build trial” due to several key obstacles.

The original trial (details), which started in 2022 and was due to run for 2-3 years, planned to run fibre through 17km of live drinking water mains between Barnsley and Penistone (Yorkshire). In theory, this could then be used to help monitor the network for leakages, provide capacity to nearby 5G mobile masts and spread the coverage of gigabit broadband to an estimated 8,500 rural premises along the route (i.e. without costly street works).

The first phase of Project TAWCO – supported by a consortium of Yorkshire Water, Commsworld, Arcadis and the University of Strathclyde – completed in 2023 and was broadly focused on researching the legal and safety aspects of the plan, as well as some survey work.

Phase One developed a potentially workable commercial model between the two industries, but its survey work also found that a relatively high number of private landowners along the route needed to be negotiated with and compensated for access. Due to this, and other issues, TAWCO ended up proposing a more direct route with only 8km of Fibre in Water. This reduced the risk and cost, but the number of premises expected to benefit was also cut to 7,000.

Summary of Project TAWCO’s Original Phases

● Phase 1 – Research and Investigation
To carry out Research and Investigation into the viability of deploying Fibre in Water Technology. This phase would include reviewing the technology, understanding the operational risk of employing the technology, security risk assessment, agreement of design, ownership and maintenance principles, route design, commercial understanding and benefits of Fibre in Water, cost modelling, technical, operational and commercial viability assessments.

● Phase 2 – Detailed Design and Build
Delivery of a FiW pilot to explore the challenges and demonstrate the benefits to all stakeholders. This would cover the 17km between Barnsley and Penistone and connection via PIA to the Exchange. A private 5G shared spectrum standalone network would be installed at two remote locations demonstrating neutral hosting. FiW would be used for back-haul connectivity to a 5G core and the internet.

● Phase 3 – Operation and Evaluation
Benefits of the FiW solution would be evaluated and winners of the ‘5G in water’ competition would be commissioned.

However, since we posted the last update in May 2023 – a guest editorial from DSIT (here), ISPreview hasn’t been sent any further progress updates. Upon researching this we discovered that a final progress report had been quietly published in March 2024, which confirmed that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) had been unable to progress the project to build (Phase Two).

The decision to stop the trial appears to centre around three key issues – uncertainty around the best commercial model to adopt, the financial risk that only one small start-up has the capability of installing the cables and the somewhat crucial lack of Reg 31 approval.

Summary of the Key Challenges

Combining two industries meant there was a lack of clarity when it came to industry approved standards which meant certification became a challenge. An important aspect of using the clean water network is that anything installed within the network first needs Regulation 31 (Reg 31) approval from the DWI. For this project, approvals were needed for the installation method and the finished installed product. At the time of writing, almost 2 years after the TAWCO project was awarded funding, approval for the finished product remains outstanding and subsequently there is a barrier to adoption until this issue is resolved.

In addition to the enabling technology, alignment of the operational processes of two very disparate industries – from design and construction to ownership and operation, including ‘break-fix’ – presented a significant challenge. TAWCO successfully defined aligned processes and as such has created a useful template that can be adopted once the technology approval process is resolved.

The decision was made to stop the live build trial for project TAWCO. Despite the obvious benefits to interested parties, there remains uncertainty around the best commercial model to adopt to make a viable solution. There is also a financial risk that only one small start-up has the capability of installing the cables using their yet to be approved technology. When combined with the lack of Reg 31 approval, the project was unable to continue under the originally agreed scope, timescales, and financing.

Should the Fibre in Water technology receive Reg 31 approval, the commercial models, business processes and detailed designs produced by project TAWCO could still be used to implement the Fibre in Water solution at either the planned location, or elsewhere with some additional effort to translate the designs. Yorkshire Water remains in contact with other members of the consortium and will consider the opportunity for Fibre in Water implementation in the event that the regulatory barrier is overcome.

In addition, the Barnsley – Penistone route had originally been chosen because Penistone village appeared to be at risk of not having access to gigabit broadband services as the boundaries of “Lot 21” (the Project Gigabit procurement lot for the South Yorkshire area) evolved in response to successive Open Market Reviews (OMR).

The aforementioned uncertainty impacted CommsWorld’s valuation to the point where TAWCO failed to meet the Commsworld investment gate threshold. The “current situation is that Penistone is outside of Lot 21 boundaries and the commercial operator who had said they were going to build in the village has now withdrawn“, leaving Penistone once again without committed Gigabit delivery.

In short, the work done so far found “there is merit” in what they were trying to do and all of the participants had an incentive to find solutions for making it viable, but for now the project appears to be stuck on the shelf until Regulation 31 (Reg 31) approval can be secured.

Part of the problem here is that, at the time of the DSIT Fibre in Water competition, the technology to safely and efficiently install a fibre optic cable inside drinking water mains was considered to be largely a proven one. In 2019, a provider had achieved the all-important ‘Reg 31’ approval for the first iteration of their solution. This in theory meant that a solution was ready to deploy, but that approval was unfortunately later found to be “not applicable to the intended TAWCO FiW design and has since been withdrawn“.

In the meantime, Yorkshire Water said they remain in contact with other members of the consortium and will “consider the opportunity for Fibre in Water implementation” in the event that the regulatory barrier is overcome.

Mobile operator Tesco Mobile has once again extended their Home From Home (HFH) EU roaming offer for another year, until 2026. Customers can thus continue to tap into their UK minutes, texts and data (mobile broadband) allowances, at no extra cost, when travelling around 48 destinations in the EU and beyond.

The move isn’t surprising as the provider is a virtual operator (MVNO) on O2’s (Virgin Media) network, which has long opted to retain free EU roaming. But Tesco Mobile goes a bit further and doesn’t appear to apply a strict cap on data when roaming around the EU, although they do still have a somewhat ambiguous Fair Usage Policy (FUP).

A study of 1,000 adults across the UK, commissioned by Tesco Mobile, found that staying connected whilst travelling is crucial to families. Respondents revealed it’s important to have access to online maps / directions (53%), network access (52%) and the ability to search for local activities and restaurant ideas (57%).

Jonathan Taylor, CEO of Tesco Mobile, said:

“As well as benefiting from great savings and frozen prices, we’re delighted to confirm that customers on a Clubcard Prices deal (including both new & mid-contract customers) will now also enjoy EU roaming for no extra cost for the length of their minimum contract period. This extension to 2026 and its introduction to the Clubcard Price proposition is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional value and convenience to our customers.”

News 

The companies say that the deal will “accelerate future-ready fibre broadband growth” across the US 

Nokia has signed a multi-year deal with AT&T to help upgrade and expand its fibre network. 

Over the next five years, Nokia will supply AT&T with fixed broadband equipment to improve its current infrastructure and support future network growth. Nokia’s solutions will also help automate AT&T’s network operations. 

“Fibre plays a crucial role in providing the foundation for the services we offer to our customers. This expansion will not only enhance broadband access for millions of customers but also sets the stage for the next wave of digital innovation, including Industry 4.0, smart cities, IoT applications, and ultra-high-definition streaming,” said Chris Sambar, Head of Network at AT&T in the announcement. 

“Our fibre solution opens the door to a full range of PON technologies available on the same platform and fibre,” said Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia.  

“This includes 10/25G PON today and eventually 50/100G PON in the future. Ultimately this can help operators like AT&T make the most of their existing fibre broadband networks today and in the future. Together, we’re paving the way for a more connected and responsible future,” she continued. 

Just nine months ago, Nokia lost out to rival equipment maker Ericsson when AT&T selected the latter as their Open RAN equipment supplier.  The $14 billion deal will result in Nokia equipment in AT&T’s network being replaced with Ericsson tech in certain areas, with the new Open RAN gear aiming to carry 70% of AT&T’s wireless traffic by the end of 2026..  

This major loss contributed to recent rumours that Nokia was considering selling or spinning off its mobile networks business, which could be valued at around $10 billion, with Samsung mentioned as a potential buyer. Speaking to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter said the interest has come “amid increasing pressure to find new growth in the troubled telecom equipment sector.”  

Nokia has been quick to quash these rumours, saying that its mobile network business remains a core part of its overall strategy.
Join Nokia at next week’s Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get last minute discounted tickets here. 

Also in the news:
Coastguard’s emergency network gets an upgrade from Telent
AT&T fined nearly $1m over 911 failings
How will the CityFibre–Sky deal really affect BT?
 

News 

The company has cut 455 jobs this year already 

Swedish telco Telia is set to cut 15% of its workforce, around 3,000 jobs, in an effort to cut annual costs by $253 million.  

The company currently employs around 18,000 people across five markets. 

The move, according to Telia, is part of its strategy to streamline decision-making processes, improve commercial execution, and better align its operations with local market needs. 

“This is a tough decision, but one that is necessary to ensure the long-term success of Telia,” CEO Patrik Hofbauer in the announcement.  

“We need to be much more simpler in the way we operate, faster on decision making, and also when it comes to commercial execution, and we need to create more margin,” he added in an interview with Reuters. “We are changing the operating model … we are putting much more responsibility and accountability into the countries, because there we meet our customers.” 

The job cuts will take place across all five of the company’s operating markets, with the lion’s share (around 1,400 jobs) being cut from the company’s home market of Sweden. The layoffs are expected to be completed by early December. 

The restructuring will cost Telia around SEK 1.4 billion ($135 million) in the second half of this year, but this will not affect its overall annual financial goals, according to the company. 

The cuts are subject to union negotiations, with further details to be disclosed following the completion of these discussions.  

Telia had approximately 19,370 employees and external consultants as of December 31, 2023, and has already reduced its workforce by 455 positions this year. 

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

Also in the news:
Ogi received £45m funding to aid expansion
Eutelsat and Softbank sign multi-year satellite deal for Japan
Carlos Slim buys another £175m slice of BT