The latest H1 2024 data from caller ID verification firm Hiya, which also works with broadband ISPs BT (EE) and Virgin Media (O2) to help detect and block SPAM and fraud calls, has revealed that residents of the UK received only 3 spam calls per person each month (down from 4 at the same time last year) – one of the lowest rates in Europe.

Overall, the latest report found that 3% of all UK calls were classified as “fraud calls” (down from 9.3% in H1 2023), while 25% were “nuisance calls” (up from 18%) and the remaining 72% reflected all other (normal) calls – this reflects a spam flag rate of 28% (up from 27.3%). In other words, fewer spam/scam calls are making it past the network-level filtering systems being adopted by various phone providers.

The top sources of scam calls in H1 2023 once again came from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) impersonators, which was followed by those trying to impersonate Amazon and Credit Card companies (i.e. Visa, Mastercard and other credit card companies).

The number of spam or scam calls you’re likely to receive depends a lot on where you live and how much effort has been put into tackling the problem. For example, Germans get just 2 calls per month, while Brazilians endure 26!

In the UK, Ofcom has recently moved to force mobile and fixed line phone providers into adopting stricter measures against “Presentation Numbers” that are used to identify who is making a call, but this won’t be introduced until Spring 2025 (here).

Alternative network operator and UK ISP RunFibre, which had been building a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across rural parts of South Gloucestershire and North Wiltshire in England, has now been fully acquired by the Fibreray Group for an undisclosed sum. The operator is now looking toward an expansion of their gigabit broadband network.

The network operator, which in 2020/21 started building in the Hawkesbury Upton, Inglestone Common and surrounding areas – often with support from the government’s gigabit voucher scheme, is a smaller player in the altnet space and had only covered 1,400 premises by April 2023 (last update). Some of their other locations include Falfield, Iron Acton, Sopworth and Little Badminton, Charfied West, Easter Compton and Over Lane.

Customers usually pay from £25 per month on a 24-month term for their 100Mbps (symmetric speed) package, which rises to £60 for their top 1Gbps tier (the fastest tiers also include Wi-Fi extenders and a Wi-Fi 6 router). Plus, they offer a cheaper 100Mbps Social Tariff for £20 per month. The provider also sells different services over the CityFibre network in Wolverhampton and Gloucester.

However, the provider appeared to be suffering from some challenges toward the end of 2023 and ended up being acquired by the Fibreray Group for an undisclosed sum, which after completing the acquisition is now looking to expand the network.

Rod Lawrence, General Manager of Runfibre, told ISPreview:

“With the resources and capabilities of Fibreray Group at its disposal as a delivery partner, Runfibre will be able to make full fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) services available to consumers and businesses swiftly and at extremely competitive prices.

For Runfibre customers, this acquisition brings the certainty and peace of mind that their services are backed by a specialist provider of fibre infrastructure with proven, end-to-end capabilities. It means that Runfibre will be able to offer customers a comprehensive service, from feasibility and design through to delivery, and consistent and dependable fibre connectivity. Having all of these capabilities entirely within the group accelerates our response time and ability to meet and exceed customer expectations.”

Daniel Herbert, CEO of Fibreray Group, said:

“This strategic acquisition enhances our mission to deliver high-speed fibre connectivity to underserved rural and semi-rural areas across the UK and will enable us to play our part in getting Britain fully connected by 2030. By utilising our turnkey expertise to deliver full fibre services in the smallest of rural clusters we believe we can make them as commercially viable as any metro area and create a real difference to the long-term prospects and prosperity of those communities. Drawing on Runfibre’s expertise in rural broadband and our comprehensive delivery capabilities, we aim to deliver unparalleled fibre solutions that meet the unique needs of these areas.”

The announcement states that Runfibre will continue to focus its future build on “smaller communities” (i.e. places where there are “fewer than 1,500 consumers and business premises” within an area of interest) and reveals that the operator has passed “over 1,500 premises“, which is up only slightly from where they were at over a year ago.

The Fibreray Group was advised during the acquisition of Runfibre by Prism Business Consulting, which continues to provide strategic consulting support to the board.

Customers of Sky’s (Sky Broadband) older Standard Definition (SD) TV service and devices (i.e. Digibox and Sky+ set-top-boxes) have been given a final warning to upgrade their service before October 2024 or face automatic cancellation. The warning appears to represent a slight delay on the original August 2024 deadline.

Just to recap. The upgrade drive, which has been running for a while (here), reflects the fact that Sky is currently “changing how we deliver our TV services“ (i.e. they’re changing the Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) method to DVB-S2 (second generation) from the DVB-S transponder, which many older SD-only boxes can’t receive). “This means if you have an SD box, you’ll need to upgrade to continue watching Sky channels,” said Sky.

The company and other broadcasters (e.g. BBC) on Sky’s platform have thus been gradually switching off their SD channels and focusing on HD (High Definition) supporting STBs and channels. Back in May 2024 we reported that the final stage of this transition was due to start from June and run until August 2024, which the company said meant “you’ll start to lose access to all Sky channels“, unless you upgrade.

Customers of Sky TV have thus spent the past few months being encouraged to upgrade their box to the more modern Sky Q platform “at no extra cost” (you can upgrade online or call 0333 759 5121). The new box will be installed by one of Sky’s engineers on a date selected by the customer. Customers that upgrade will once again then be able to access all the Sky channels in their Sky TV package.

“Without the upgrade, any subscriptions you have to these channels will be cancelled,” added Sky in May 2024. But Sky has now notified the remaining customers to say: “If you don’t contact us or upgrade, your Sky TV will be cancelled and you’ll lose access to these services on your payment due date in October [2024]” (details on their upgrade page).

The Affected STBs:

Digibox

➤ 4F01 to 4F08 (Amstrad)
➤ 4E01 to 4E05 (Grundig)
➤ 9F01 to 9F08 and 9F0A (Pace)
➤ 0F01 to 0F05 (Panasonic)
➤ 4E06 to 4E08 (Thomson)

Sky+

➤ 4F2001 to 4F2006 (Amstrad)
➤ 4F2101 to 4F2118 and 9F2101 to 9F2137 (Amstrad or Pace)
➤ 9F2001 to 9F2024, PVR2, 9F2201 to 9F2235, 9F2301 to 9F2339 (Pace)
➤ 4E2101 to 4E2141 (Thomson)

News

SpaceX says it will gradually replace its first-generation satellites with larger, more advanced alternatives

This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has confirmed that it will allow SpaceX to gradually replace its existing first-generation Starlink satellites with second-generation satellites.

SpaceX has roughly 6,281 Starlink satellites in orbit around the Earth, which are used to provide global coverage for communication services. The company currently has permission from the FCC to expand this total to 12,000 Starlink satellites, with its ultimate goal being to increase the scale of the constellation to roughly 42,000 devices.

However, having first been launched in 2019, some of these satellites are nearing the end of their five-year lifespan. As such, SpaceX has been applying to the FCC to be allowed to replace defunct satellites with newer models.

According to SpaceX, these new satellites will be equipped with “advanced beam-forming and digital processing technologies”, which will allow for “narrower beam capabilities to provide more targeted and robust coverage” of broadband services.

This new beamforming tech was a point of contention for satellite operator Dish Network, which said the tech could potentially cause interference with their existing services. However, the FCC dismissed these arguments, noting in its authorisation statement that it ‘disagreed’ that the technology would result “in SpaceX violating Commission and ITU EPFD (equivalent-power flux density) limits”.

SpaceX says it will replace existing satellites only when they reach the end of their commercial lifespan, which is typically around five years. Exactly how fast this means the entire existing constellation will be transitioned is unclear.

It is worth noting here that SpaceX is also in the process of launching satellites cable of direct-to-cell (DTC) connectivity, allowing customers to access their communication services directly via their normal smartphone, without the need for a Starlink terminal. So far, the company has launched over 100 of these DTC satellites, though it is forbidden to use them commercially until it receives approval from the FCC.

Unfortunately for SpaceX, the path to approval could be a difficult one, with both AT&T and Verizon this week writing to the FCC to again raise issues of potential service interference.

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

Also in the news:
Meet our Top 20 Telco AI Champions!
Are AI and Sustainability Compatible?
Singtel partners with Bridge Alliance to boost GPUaaS offering

News 

The deal will support SK Telecom’s ambition to launch a GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offerings across South Korea 

SK Telecom has this week announced a partnership with AI developer Lambda to expand cloud services in South Korea. 

In December, the two companies deploy NVIDIA GPU clusters in SK Telecom’s Gasan data center in Seoul, aiming to support AI cloud business opportunities around South Korea 

“SKT shares in our vision to make GPU compute as ubiquitous as electricity,” said Lambda CEO and co-founder, Stephen Balaban in a press release.  

“Given the rapid pace of AI innovation happening in South Korea, we’re excited to partner with SKT in their mission to transform their company and country into a global AI powerhouse,” he continued. 

“Through our strategic partnership with Lambda, we are able to bolster SK Telecom’s leadership in AI services and capabilities while unlocking new business opportunities,” said Kim Kyeong-deog, Vice President and Head of Enterprise Business Division at SK Telecom. 

For SK Telecom, the partnership will help support the rollout and scaling of burgeoning AI cloud services, including GPUaaS.  

SK Telecom is a founding partner of the Global Telco AI Alliance, which was launched in June in partnership with Deutsche Telekom, e&, Singtel, and SoftBank. The five companies have agreed to develop Large Language Models (LLMs) that are specifically designed to meet telco needs, in areas such as improving customer interactions via digital assistants and chatbots. Each company will invest in the JV equally, “to support its initial working capital requirements to develop the Telco LLM”. 

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

Also in the news:
Meet our Top 20 Telco AI Champions!
Are AI and Sustainability Compatible?
Singtel partners with Bridge Alliance to boost GPUaaS offering  

News

The funds will be used by the newly formed European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) to set up a new facility in Dresden

This week, the European Commission has given the greenlight to a German plan aiming to use €5 billion to build a new semiconductor plant in Dresden.

The plant will be built and run by ESMC, a joint venture being set up by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Bosch, Infineon, and NXP.

TSMC, based in Taiwan, is the largest semiconductor company in the world, and has been expanding its operations in both Europe and the US in respond to surging demand and geopolitical tensions between the US and China. Bosch and Infineon are also natural partners in the enterprise, with both already operating their semiconductor facilities in Saxony.

ESMC will operate as an open foundry, allowing any company to place orders to chip production. Special provisions for chip production will also be made for European SMEs and universities, ensuring that the plant will support European businesses and R&D efforts.

In explaining its decision to greenlight the investment, the Commission explained that the new facility will be the “first-of-a-kind”, filling a technological niche not currently served by the existing semiconductor ecosystem.

“This new centre qualifies under the European Chips Act as a first-of-a-kind facility. It will manufacture products that are not present or planned in any other facility across Europe. That means this facility is also entitled to national financial support,” said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

“ESMC will be the first open foundry that will produce silicon wafers with 28/22nm and 16/12nm technology nodes, using FinFET technology with logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency and embedded non-volatile memory technology processes,” explained the Commission in its more detailed assessment. “These specific technologies differentiate it from other existing capacity and complement the production capacities needed by European customers.”

The Commission added that it expects the development have wider positive effects for the European chip supply chain, making it less reliant on the US and China.

It is worth noting here that the chips being produced by ESMC will not be the most advanced available on the market – TSMC, for example, is already producing 3nm chips for use in smartphones, data centres, and other high performance computing applications. But while ESMC’s 28/22nm and 16/12nm technologies may be less advanced, they are far more widely utilised in automotive and industrial applications, both of which mainstays of the German economy.

ESMC is expected to be operational at full capacity by 2029, at which point it will be producing 480,000 chips annually, primarily for automotive and industrial applications.

In recent years, semiconductors have recently become a major technological battleground on the global stage, with China, Europe, and the US all racing to develop their domestic capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign powers.

In the US, the CHIPS Act has set aside $52 billion in subsidies for the semiconductor industry, which has spurred numerous companies to plan new fabrication plants on US soil, including Intel, Samsung, and TSMC.

While China’s subsidy programmes remain largely opaque, estimates suggest they are even larger than the US’s, potentially totalling around $142 billion. The latest batch of funding was announced back in May, with the government creating a state-backed investment fund of $47.5 billion to invest in the industry.

The scale of these investments from the US and China has left Europe scrabbling for semiconductor relevance between the two superpowers. The European Chips Act is set to mobilise €43 billion in funding until 2030 to support European projects. Combined with private investments, the Act has already generated investments of €115 billion, according to von der Leyen.

Can Germany become the lynchpin of Europe’s semiconductor strategy? Join the discussion at this year’s Connected Germany event live from Munich

Also in the news:
NTT to launch new AI company ‘NTT AI-CIX’
Thousands of kms of fibre could be left underutilised warns asset reuse specialist
IOH launches Southeast Asia’s largest digital intelligence operations centre

Crowdfunded mobile network operator Honest Mobile, which harnesses Three UK’s network via a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement, has today announced the launch of a new ‘Family Plan’ that is “designed to make managing multiple SIMs easier, saving 20% compared to standard individual plans“.

The new plan, which is available to families or groups of up to 10, can also be combined with Honest Mobile’s loyalty discount for further savings (i.e. rewarding customers by reducing bills every month, up to 30%). This comes in addition to an app that makes it easy to manage your family’s SIMs in a single account and bill.

Just to be clear, the loyalty discount means that bills for existing customers drop by 0.41% every month you stay with Honest Mobile, which rises up to 30%.

For a 30-day rolling plan you will get:

➤ Unlimited data, UK messages and minutes: A family of four will pay £80/month, dropping to £70 with the loyalty scheme after two years

➤ 10GB data, unlimited UK messages and minutes: Drops from £56 to £49

➤ 4GB data, unlimited UK messages and minutes: Drops from £43.20 to £37.80

Andy Aitken, co-founder and CEO of Honest, said:

“Broadband and mobile network providers have set the bar shockingly low. Even though Ofcom is stepping in to curb price hikes next year, major networks still have loopholes to get around these measures. People across the UK are fed up, with Honest research revealing top complaints as poor signal strength or coverage (37%), mid-contract price hikes (31%), and a lack of rewards programs (24%).

At Honest, we believe telecoms can—and should—do better, especially when families are already grappling with rising bills. Our Family Plan cuts out unexpected costs and confusing contracts, helping families save money and spend less time dealing with telecom issues, and more time with one another.”

SAN JOSE, Calif. and COLOGNE, Germany — Aug. 15, 2024 — German broadcaster RTL Deutschland has added eight new free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels to its video streaming service, expanding the number of viewing options for customers of its streaming service RTL+. The new FAST channels are powered by Harmonic’s VOS®360 Media SaaS, which simplifies all stages of media processing, including advanced playout, powerful graphics insertion, premium OTT encoding and distribution.

Integrating additional FAST channels into RTL Deutschland’s existing ecosystem was successfully handled by netorium, an application integrator from Wiesbaden. netorium ensured a smooth deployment leveraging its deep knowledge of RTL’s technical infrastructure and longstanding partnership with Harmonic.

During the integration, it was necessary to consider existing adjacent systems and ensure compatibility with various end devices. The implementation was carried out as an iterative process, allowing for flexible adjustments and testing. netorium provided consultancy, design, implementation and project management services, and continues to support the system.

Andre Prahl, chief distribution officer at RTL Deutschland, commented, “What particularly impressed us was the ability to easily launch eight channels. We had no high investment costs, as we operate the channels entirely on a software as a service model. This allows us to adapt the offering very flexibly to viewer preferences.”

RTL Deutschland uses the new channels as themed offerings for some of its most successful content formats, enabling the broadcaster to effectively target specific customer groups.

“For video streaming services to thrive, they must be precisely targeted to relevant viewers,” said Gil Rudge, senior vice president, products and Americas sales, video business at Harmonic. “With our VOS360 Media SaaS, RTL Deutschland can rapidly create and deliver FAST channels to retain existing customers and attract new ones.”

Running on the public cloud, Harmonic’s end-to-end video platform provides agility, resiliency, security and scalability. Leveraging the VOS360 Media platform, RTL can easily create and deploy additional FAST channels at scale. The VOS360 Media platform is based on a flexible business model that allows RTL Deutschland to only pay for what they use.

Harmonic will showcase the latest innovations in video streaming and broadcast delivery at IBC2024, Sept. 13-16 in Amsterdam. To schedule a meeting with Harmonic at stand 1.B20, visit www.harmonicinc.com/video-streaming/events/ibc/. Further information about Harmonic and the company’s solutions is available at www.harmonicinc.com. Additional information about netorium is available at www.netorium.de.

# # #

About netorium
Founded in 2002 netorium has since been developing individual solutions for media-creating companies in the areas of playout, storage, streaming and workflows together with customers and selected partners. Customers include public and private television stations as well as other media creating companies facing technological changes along their value chain. Currently, the focus is on digital transformation incl. Video over IP, audio, transcoding, automation, QM, distribution, archiving, etc. With its know-how and experience netorium solves these challenges – locally on the ground, in the cloud and hybrid. As application integrator netorium translates the individual requirements into technologies and profitably combines them into an effective whole that is fit for the future. The basis of the netorium solutions are the products of the partner manufacturers.

About RTL Deutschland
RTL Deutschland is Germany’s leading entertainment company, spanning across all types of media: TV and streaming, print and digital, radio and podcasts. It is home to some of the country’s strongest media brands from RTL to Stern, Brigitte to Vox and Geo to NTV, and operates Germany’s largest streaming service RTL+, with around 4.9 million subscribers and a cross-media offer including series, films, music, podcasts and audiobooks. RTL Deutschland owns 15 TV channels, more than 10 premium magazines, a broad podcast portfolio and numerous digital offerings.

About Harmonic
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in virtualized broadband and video delivery solutions, enables media companies and service providers to deliver ultra-high-quality video streaming and broadcast services to consumers globally. The company revolutionized broadband networking via the industry’s first virtualized broadband solution, enabling operators to more flexibly deploy gigabit internet services to consumers’ homes and mobile devices. Whether simplifying OTT video delivery via innovative cloud and software platforms, or powering the delivery of gigabit internet services, Harmonic is changing the way media companies and service providers monetize live and on-demand content on every screen. More information is available at www.harmonicinc.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements concerning Harmonic’s business and the anticipated capabilities, advantages, reliability, efficiency, market acceptance, market growth, specifications and benefits of Harmonic products, services and technology are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties more fully described in Harmonic’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2023, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Harmonic as of the date hereof, and Harmonic disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Harmonic, the Harmonic logo and other Harmonic marks are owned by Harmonic Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.

Link to Word Doc: www.202comms.com/Harmonic/240815-Harmonic-netorium_RTL.docx

Network benchmarking firm Opensignal has published new analysis of the “competitive headwinds” facing Three UK in the mobile market, which finds that the operator’s struggles are “driven by a low subscriber base and high churn resulting from many factors“. But it also warns that the situation could get worse if the proposed merger with Vodafone is rejected.

Just to recap. The proposed mega-merger (here), which has been promoted by both operators as something that would be “great for customers, great for the country and great for competition” (i.e. resulting in a £11bn investment to upgrade the country’s 5G mobile broadband infrastructure), would see Vodafone hold a 51% slice of the business and CK Hutchison (Three UK) retain 49%.

However, opponents of the deal warn that it could result in several negative outcomes, such as the potential for higher prices due to the lessening of competition at both the retail and wholesale (MVNO) level via the reduction in primary network operators from four to three.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has yet to approve the deal, have also questioned whether the claimed customer benefits will actually materialise. The authority similarly stated that both operators would in fact “continue to compete with each other, as well as with other mobile operators, in a broadly similar way as today” if the deal didn’t go ahead.

What does Opensignal say?

The new analysis from Opensignal leverages data from their Subscriber Analytics solutions to offer insights into the level of competitive churn at Three UK. The data suggests that the operator has been “struggling competitively” (i.e. it has a small subscriber base and high competitive losses relative to its market share), although this much was already obvious from their financial results.

For example, over the last year, Three UK has seen more and more of its losses going to virtual operators (MVNO) on their own network (primarily iD Mobile [Currys] and Smarty – the latter is Three’s own sub-brand).

Opensignal concludes that Three’s struggles are driven by a low subscriber base and high churn resulting from many factors “including the halted expansion of its 5G network and pressure from both its own budget sub-brand and competitively from MVNOs such as iD Mobile“, which compete heavily on price and offer flexible contracts.

“If these issues are not addressed they could lead to an even more precarious financial situation for Three, making it even harder for Three to resume 5G expansion if the merger were not to happen for some reason. This in turn could lead to even more Three customer churn as other providers have more capital to invest in their networks,” said Opensignal.

The reality here is that CK Hutchison would most likely have to find a way of pumping more investment into Three UK, assuming the merger didn’t proceed.

Press Release

Nokia has announced that it has been selected by TIM Brasil (TIM) to expand its 5G radio access network (RAN) coverage across 15 Brazilian states from January 2025. This partnership will increase the number of municipalities with access to 5G, bringing the benefits of secure, ultra-high-speed connectivity to a wider population. The expansion will also enable enterprises in these regions to digitalize their operations, fostering innovation and driving economic growth.

Under the deal, Nokia will supply a range of equipment from its industry-leading 5G AirScale portfolio, including baseband, Massive MIMO radios, and Remote Radio Head products. These are all powered by its energy-efficient ReefShark System-on-Chip technology and combine to provide superior coverage and capacity.

TIM will utilize Nokia’s intelligent MantaRay Networks Management system, which incorporates AI functionalities, for improved network monitoring and management. Nokia will also provide services, including digital deployment, optimization, and technical support services.

Marco Di Costanzo, CTO at TIM Brasil, said: “This agreement is a significant milestone in our long-standing partnership with Nokia, highlighting our mutual dedication to technological innovation. As 5G continues revolutionizing connectivity, we are committed to extending these advancements to more Brazilians. This will benefit industries and consumers with new services, solidifying TIM’s position as Brazil’s leading 5G provider based on the number of sites.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “We are thrilled to partner with TIM to expand their 5G network in Brazil. This collaboration demonstrates our dedication to providing cutting-edge technology that empowers TIM to deliver the fastest and most reliable 5G connectivity to their customers. Our best-in-class, energy-efficient radio solutions will play a key role in achieving this goal.”

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

Also in the news:
Meet our Top 20 Telco AI Champions!
Are AI and Sustainability Compatible?
Singtel partners with Bridge Alliance to boost GPUaaS offering