Alternative network operator and ISP Quickline, which is deploying gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and 5G powered fixed wireless access (FWA) broadband network across rural and semi-rural parts of England (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire), has just named three new villages in Lincolnshire that have been reached by their fibre optic cables.

The latest additions include Ancaster, Wilsford and Colsterworth, situated close to Grantham. The new fibre across this area is understood to have reached “more than” 1,700 premises (homes and businesses). Customers will typically pay from £14.50 per month for 200Mbps symmetric speeds (£29 after 12 months) on a 24-month term with free installation, which goes up to £24.50 for their top 900Mbps tier (£49 after 12 months).

Quickline is currently being supported by funding of c.£500m from Northleaf Capital Partners, as well as c.£296.4m of public subsidy from three Project Gigabit contracts (here, here and here), some £225m in term loans and debt guarantees from the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and a £25m term loan from NatWest.

The provider’s original ambition was to cover around 500,000 premises in rural and semi-rural areas across Northern England and beyond with “ultrafast broadband” – via both FTTP and FWA technologies – “by 2025” (here). Some 200,000 of those rural premises were due to be tackled by their wireless network, with the rest coming from FTTP.

However, since then they’ve secured several state-aid funded Project Gigabit contracts, which will bring full fibre broadband with public funding to almost 170,000 premises in mostly rural areas, which rises to 360,000 when you include the provider’s complementary commercial build.

The UK Government’s Minister for Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, has written a new letter to the bosses of major broadband ISPs that calls on them to help protect vulnerable users during the switchover from analogue (PSTN) to digital (IP) phone solutions by refraining from re-starting non-voluntary migrations and offering battery backup that can last “up to” 8 hours.

The shift to digital phones is an industry, not government, led programme that is partly driven by the looming retirement of copper lines in favour of full fibre (FTTP). Not to mention that modern mobile and Internet Protocol (IP)-based communication services have largely taken over from traditional home phones, and it’s become harder to find parts for the old network.

Just to recap. The plan to switch-off older phone lines was recently delayed by BT to 31st January 2027 in order to give internet and phone providers, as well as telecare providers and consumers more time to adapt (details). But the main focus of this delay was on the 1.8 million people who use vital home telecare systems in the UK (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people), which often aren’t compatible with the replacement VoIP / IP-based digital phone services (i.e. for everybody else the deadline is still technically Dec 2025).

One of the other challenges with modern digital phone lines is that they can’t be remotely powered from the exchange (e.g. electricity can’t flow down optical fibre cables, like it could with copper), which means that vulnerable users often need some degree of battery backup within their homes to help keep the service in operation during a power outage.

Ofcom’s current minimum requirement is that such backup systems, when supplied to vulnerable users, must be able to power the above kit for “at least an hour” if there’s a power cut. Suffice to say that longer outages, which are more likely to occur in rural areas, can be problematic.

However, Sir Chris Bryant’s new letter – as seen by ISPreview, which was addressed to Ofcom, TechUK and the bosses of TalkTalk, BT (EE), Openreach, KCOM, Vodafone, Virgin Media (O2), Zen Internet, Sky Broadband and INCA, has just encouraged internet and phone providers to propose a “clear plan for moving to best-in-class battery backup solutions, lasting up to eight hours.”

Sir Chris Bryant said:

“Finally, we discussed the battery back-up solutions you provide to vulnerable customers. I appreciate the levels of collaboration that you are all showing on this, but across the industry there is still a large difference in service provided, ranging from sixty minutes of power resilience to up to eight hours.

I am particularly concerned by this as customers in rural areas without good mobile signal are also the most likely to suffer long power outages. Therefore I would like you all to write to me by the end of September with a clear plan for moving to best-in-class battery backup solutions, lasting up to eight hours.”

The big obstacle here is likely to be one of cost (battery backup options). For example, BT and EE currently offer an inclusive Battery Backup Unit (BBU) to very vulnerable customers, but for everybody else who wants one they’ll charge you £85. BT plans to launch an Advanced Battery Backup Unit (ABBU) “later this year“, which they claim will be able to “last for the full duration of most power outages“ (here), but it’s unclear if this will stretch to 8 hours.

However, it hopefully goes without saying that a BBU capable of lasting 8 hours is likely to be very expensive (hundreds of pounds), which creates a risk that more providers (particularly smaller players) may see this as an incentive NOT to offer any digital phone services to vulnerable users (some already seem to take this approach).

The focus above is clearly on the end-user (service) side, rather than the network side, although the two are ultimately linked. Ofcom recently explored (here and here) whether to require fixed broadband providers to ensure their active street cabinets could support a 4-hour power backup (many already can). But in the end they acknowledged that this would be a very costly upgrade and instead adopted a softer recommendation that encouraged “power backup of approximately four hours to be good practice” (here).

Clearly Ofcom’s approach does not directly seem to align with the Government’s call for backup solutions that can last “up to 8 hours“, but then the term “up to” is one that could be considered widely open to interpretation. Ofcom are separately still consulting on the issue of introducing 1 hour of battery backup for mobile (radio) sites, but so far, they seem to have rejected that idea as being too expensive.

In addition, it’s worth pointing out that BT and Openreach are currently testing an additional (SOTAP for Analogue) phone line product that does NOT require a broadband connection to function, is powered (no need for battery backup) and will be targeted at vulnerable and edge use cases (inc. CNI) users – those with old analogue phone lines who would otherwise “face challenges” in migrating to IP based voice solutions by 2025. The solution, once introduced, would not be available for new service provisions (only existing customers) and is intended to be a temporary product (possibly running until around 2030).

Finally, Sir Chris Bryant’s letter also touched on the issue of non-voluntary migrations. Under the existing charter that was established to help protect vulnerable home phone users (here), both the Government and ISPs agreed “to not forcibly move customers onto the new [digital phone] network unless they are fully confident they will be protected.” The charter also pledged that no telecare users would be migrated to digital landline services without the provider, customer, or telecare company first confirming they have a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place.

Sir Chris Bryant said:

I also look forward to seeing the launch of the industry-funded national comms campaign aimed at encouraging telecare users (and their carers) to register their needs. For those using Openreach networks, I am interested in updates on progress of the media gateway product and the “prove telecare” trial process.

Because there is more to do, I am asking you to refrain from re-starting non-voluntary migrations for the rest of this calendar year. Safety must be our top priority, and I want to test that we have done all we can to avoid anyone further coming to harm as a result of this process.

Within this, I am content with non-voluntary migrations that specifically target users that haven’t used their landline in more than 12 months, as was previously the case. These customers are not ‘landline-users’ by common understanding. I urge you to take all possible steps to exclude any telecare users from being migrated via this route.

This change is somewhat less contentious than the proposed battery backup one above and isn’t likely to draw much disagreement. We should add that Virgin Media has also recently established a new agreement with TSA, the telecare advisory body, to enhance the support provided to telecare users as the UK transitions to Digital Voice (here) – this is roughly similar to Openreach’s Prove Telecare trial.

Alternative UK network builder and broadband ISP Quickline, which is rolling out a gigabit full fibre (FTTP) and 5G powered fixed wireless access (FWA) networks across rural and semi-rural parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, has adopted ADTRAN’s Mosaic CP and software-defined access hardware to boost their deployment.

The new solution is designed to help Quickline to create an efficient hybrid network that seamlessly blends with its existing fixed wireless access hardware. The Mosaic CP unlocks control and management functions from individual network elements, streamlining and enhancing service delivery.

After that, Adtran’s compact SDX 6320 and 6330 Series of software-defined optical line terminals (OLT) are claimed to deliver the industry’s highest service scale to cost-effectively support the growth of Quickline’s new 10Gbps capable XGS-PON (full fibre) network. And Adtran’s SDX 631q optical network terminals (ONT) are also being installed inside homes.

Darryl Petch, CTO of Quickline, said:

“At Quickline, we’re committed to providing ultra-fast connectivity to those in rural areas who need it most. Fiber is considered the gold standard for good reason. Reliable and future-proof, it opens up a world of possibilities for subscribers, and it’s also proven to be a major driver of job creation and economic growth.

Adtran’s flexible fiber access technology enables us to give residents the connectivity they need to thrive in a rapidly digitizing world. Together with Adtran, we’re leveling up rural areas across the North of England and unleashing a great deal of untapped talent and potential in the process.”

Quickline’s build is being supported by funding of c.£500m from Northleaf Capital Partners, as well as c.£296.4m of public subsidy from Project Gigabit (here, here and here), some £225m in term loans and debt guarantees from the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and a £25m term loan from NatWest.

The provider’s original ambition was to cover around 500,000 premises in rural and semi-rural areas across Northern England and beyond with “ultrafast broadband” – via both FTTP and wireless technologies – “by 2025” (here). Some 200,000 of those rural premises were due to be tackled by their wireless network, with the rest coming from FTTP.

However, since then they’ve secured £296.4m worth of public funding via Project Gigabit, which will bring full fibre broadband with public funding to almost 170,000 premises in mostly rural areas, which rises to 360,000 when you include the provider’s complementary commercial build.

Merseyside-based broadband ISP BeFibre, which sells packages to consumers and businesses via FullFibre Limited’s gigabit speed UK Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, has revealed that they’re aiming to introduce new multi-gigabit speed Wi-Fi 7 routers and extenders by Q2 2025 as part of a new deal with Israel-based Heights Telecom.

The strategic partnership, which will this year start with the introduction of a more traditional Wi-Fi 6 router and extender hardware, looks as if it might replace or supplement BeFibre’s existing CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) relationship that has seen them harnessing Wi-Fi 6 routers from Linksys. But it’s the Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) kit from Heights Telecom that carries most interest.

At this stage we don’t know exactly which models of WiFi 6 or 7 routers and extenders BeFibre are planning to field from Heights Telecom over the next few months, but they all look like fairly capable kit. The only downside is that the manufacturer isn’t a familiar name to UK consumers, and only time will tell how well they compare with the provider’s current crop of kit.

Louise Elliott, BeFibre’s Chief Customer and Operations Officer, said (Fibre Provider):

“Beginning this partnership with Heights Telecom will ensure that our customers can access the best connectivity experiences. This will redefine the local market and deliver on our promise of broadband as it should be for all of our customers.”

BeFibre is only the latest ISP after others, like EE and Zen Internet, to announce plans for the future launch of Wi-Fi 7 routers.

Interview

With Connected Britain just around the corner, Total Telecom caught up with Aprecomm Founder & CEO Pramod Gummaraj to discuss why now is the perfect time to expand into the UK and beyond

Aprecomm was founded in India by ex-Qualcomm employees back in 2016. At that time, the company was focused entirely on the enterprise segment, providing solutions to help service providers and businesses better understand the end-user experience on their networks. This included developing self-healing and self-organising tech to make networks more autonomous and easier to monitor.

“We saw consistent growth in the enterprise market,” said Pramod. “These were customers who really understood the value of having a more intelligent network, in terms of delivering a better user experience”.

But the scope of the company’s ambitions was set to change dramatically with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

“During the pandemic, almost every home also became a small office,” explained Pramod, noting that customers were now intimately aware of their network quality, especially with YouTube videos perpetually buffering and Zoom calls lagging.

“Consumers began holding CSPs to a higher standard,” said Pramod. “Making the shift to the residential side was natural for us and also crucial.”

Since then, the company’s client base has grown enormously, with Aprecomm’s customer experience (CX) suite managing 7+ million locations (homes and businesses combined) globally through more than 45 service providers. The company also partners with over 50 customer premise equipment (CPE) makers and over 180 individual CPE models have been integrated and certified for use with Aprecomm’s CX suite.

Quality of service as a differentiator

Explaining this rapid growth, Pramod explained that network quality and reliability had rapidly become a key differentiator for CSPs in a competitive market.

“Subscriber experience is increasingly a key element and to ensure a quality experience we need networks that can adapt in real-time,” he said. “Customers are willing to pay that extra dollar to ensure that they have a reliable connection.”

“India is a very cost-sensitive market. There are 2,000 to 3,000 Tier 2 CSPs in India, and it’s a similar story in Brazil where there are about 20,000. In these fracture markets, the only way they can compete is on customer service,” he continued.

Indeed, a customer study conducted by the company showed that using their end-to-end Wi-Fi QoE solution could massively decrease network issues for end users, with considerable benefits for the CSP as a result. The study, which examined a CSP with 400,000 customers over one year, saw a 62% truck roll reduction, a 35% improvement in first-call resolution, and a 30% reduction in call resolution time when the Aprecomm suite was used.

Even more crucially, this improved service significantly reduced churn by 20% in the first two months.

“The most important threat in all these markets is churn. There is a customer acquisition cost to gaining a customer, which takes months of revenue to recoup. So, it’s very expensive to lose customers, even if you’re replacing them with new ones. That’s what CSPs are worried about,” said Pramod.

The road to zero-touch

As AI, machine learning, and automation improve, there has long been a discussion about the journey towards zero-touch networks – networks that are entirely autonomous, able to optimise their services for customers and react to issues without human intervention.

For Pramod, the end is in sight.

“The biggest missing piece was understanding the customer experience on a technical level. Once you have that, teaching everything else becomes easier. We now can consider more network parameters on a more granular level, and that makes it easier to automate effectively,” he explained. “Physical damage to the networks will always need a physical response, but I think we’re pretty close to achieving zero-touch networks – a couple of years.”

Expansion plans

Having scaled considerably in India, plans are already in motion for Aprecomm to expand into the UK, the USA, and Latin America. All these markets feature many regional Tier 2 players fighting hard to attract and retain customers, where quality of service would be a key factor.

“The smaller players make up a significant portion of the addressable market, but they’re also a segment that’s been somewhat ignored,” said Aprecomm’s Head of Marketing Communications, Mark Goodburn. “Everyone tends to chase the big players and leave the smaller service providers largely untouched.”

This expansion process has already begun. Earlier this year, the company struck a partnership with Brazilian network solution provider OpenGlobe which is reselling Aprecomm’s CX suite in its territory. The partners hope to target the top 300 CSPs in Brazil.

This week, Aprecomm is turning its attention to the UK market at Connected Britain. The UK market is currently home to around 100 altnets, all of whom are facing a challenging economic environment and growing pressure from giants like Openreach and Virgin Media O2.

“We’ve got the scale and maturity now to expand into these new markets, at a time when there is more focus on customer experience by CSPs and chipset companies than ever,” said Pramod. “Lots of factors are coming together at the right time for us and we’re very excited to be looking at these new markets.”

Want to hear more from Pramod about in-home connectivity and the evolution of customer service? Join Aprecomm on stand #167 at Connected Britain on 11–12 September! Get your ticket today.

Contributed Article

You might know us as Avonline Networks, Magdalene, Morrison Telecom Services or Waldon Telecom but did you know we’re all part of one business?  

Together, we are M Group Services’ Telecom Division. We use our expertise to deliver comprehensive end-to-end services to our clients, including VMO2, Openreach and National Grid.  

M Group Services is the leading essential Infrastructure service provider within water, energy, transport and telecommunications sectors across the UK and Ireland. Collectively, we have over 11,000 employees, 6,000 commercial vehicles, 12,000 items of plant and a turnover of £2bn.  

Our scale, breadth and depth open opportunities for collaboration, creating solutions which deliver efficiently and cost effectively against our client’s needs, and ensure a positive legacy in the communities in which we work.  

We are passionate about protecting our people, the public and the planet.  Alongside our leading safety record, we work to introduce industry-firsts. This has  included our multilingual Safe Working in Civils course, upgrading our fleet, which is led by EV and other sustainable fuels and rolling out comprehensive first aid training for our 2,000+ staff. 

Our Telecom Division provides expertise and services to Fixed, Mobile and Private clients.  

Fixed 

We are building and delivering full fibre networks to over one million premises per year, supporting our clients’ ambitious broadband rollout plans.  

By bringing fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) to homes and businesses, we provide high-quality communications networks for our clients, supporting the wider socio-economic benefits that come with better connectivity for local communities. 

We also deliver repair and maintenance services, at scale, across the country, offering a cost-effective solution to our key clients.  

Many of our clients take advantage of our active technology services,  including core network services, covering switch sites, exchanges and data centres.   We also cover access networks, including cabinets to customer premises and complex business network installations. 

Mobile 

We provide a full end-to-end 5G upgrade capability for our Mobile Network Operator (MNO) and TowerCo clients. This includes site acquisition, design and construction (ADC), fibre backhaul, active equipment commissioning (DIC&I) and full lifecycle Notice to Quit (NTQ)The demand for network densification is growing, so we are installing increasing numbers of small cells for our clients across London and other major cities.   

As the market for Private 5G solutions continues to rise, we are providing a full turnkey service covering survey, design, installation, commissioning and operation.   This exciting new technology is being used in diverse locations such as ports, airports, sports stadia and heavy industry. 

We have a comprehensive high mast capability, with our specialist teams supporting both the onsite and offsite design and build.  Our tallest tower to date is at Bilsdale in North Yorkshire, standing at 308.5m high.  

There is huge importance in supporting our clients to manage the overall cost lifecycle of their networks and sites.  Our divisional nationwide platform provides 24/7 inspection, fault fix, repair and maintenance solutions.  

Private 

Our capital project delivery programmes enable our clients to meet their increasingly complex needs.   Programmes include transforming and upgrading connectivity platforms, extending the life of existing equipment, upgrading network security, improving monitoring and control of assets and moving towards net zero targets.  

Our Network Operations and Maintenance (NOAM) capability forms part of our divisional service platform, offering a comprehensive set of services including both shared and dedicated NOCs, as well as national 4-hour fault fix. 

Want to find out more? 

We’d love to tell you more about how we can help design, build, connect, operate and maintain your network! Come and visit us on stand 79 at Connected Britain on 11 and 12 September at London Excel.  

WALTHAM, MA — September 10, 2024 — Netcracker Technology announced today that Cyta, the leading telecommunications provider in Cyprus, has chosen Netcracker to deliver a full-stack IT deployment as part of a large-scale digital transformation. Cyta, which provides a wide range of services to residential and business customers, has built an island-wide 5G network and made a significant investment in fiber, necessitating the upgrade from a legacy IT infrastructure to a modern BSS/OSS platform in order to monetize its network and deliver exceptional experiences.

Netcracker Digital BSS and Digital OSS, part of the flagship Netcracker Digital Platform, form the foundation of an overarching transformation that will help Cyta shift away from an inefficient system that was inadequate for a next-generation network. The program will bring significant results to the consumer and business segments, including improved internal efficiencies, faster time to market and an enhanced customer experience.

“We are delighted to enter into this important agreement with Netcracker to evolve our critical BSS and OSS processes and give us the ability to maximize our investments in fiber and 5G while delivering the services and support our customers expect and deserve,” said Andreas Neocleous, CEO at Cyta. “We were impressed with Netcracker’s solutions and delivery record and look forward to a meaningful and successful partnership.”

“Netcracker is extremely proud to work with Cyta on this significant digital transformation program,” said Benedetto Spaziani, GM at Netcracker. “As Cyta modernizes its infrastructure to evolve its product and service offerings, improve customer experience and broaden its coverage, we are excited to enable this important program as a trusted partner.”

About Netcracker Technology

Netcracker Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, has the expertise, culture and resources to help service providers around the world transform their businesses to thrive in the digital economy. Our innovative solutions, value-driven services and unbroken delivery track record have enabled our customers to grow and succeed for more than three decades. With the latest technological advancements in key areas including 5G monetization, AI, automation and vertical industries, we help service providers to reach their transformation goals, advance their telco to techco evolution and realize business growth and profitability. To learn more, visit www.netcracker.com.

Media Contact

Anita Karvé
Netcracker Technology
MediaGroup@Netcracker.com

News 

Connected Britain 2024 is set to be our biggest event to date, featuring over 7,500 attendees, 350 speakers, and 2,000 organisations from every aspect of the UK telecoms sector and beyond 

Connected Britain is the UK’s leading digital economy event, featuring 12 tracks full of specialised sessions spanning everything from fixed line and mobile broadband to local connectivity initiatives and regulatory discussions.   

Let’s take a closer look at some at what the tracks below. Don’t forget, last minute tickets are still available – register here today! 

Connected Keynotes: 

Where is the UK connectivity sector headed? How can the UK position itself as a technology leader? How is digital infrastructure benefitting communities and businesses across the UK? What obstacles lie ahead for delivering ubiquitous connectivity and how does the industry overcome them? Find out at the Connected Britain keynotes. 

Digital Britain: 

In an increasingly digital world, the future of work is changing. New skills are needed, new mindsets, new partnerships. Is the UK taking the right steps to close the “skills gap”? What is needed both from government and the private sector to ensure that the UK remains a technology and business leader? 

Connected Networks:
New for 2024, the Connected Networks Stage will explore strategies for building, expanding, and future proofing communications infrastructure whilst also exploring the technologies which are driving innovation. 

Connected Infrastructure:
Digital connectivity is the cornerstone of the UK’s ambitions when it comes to intelligent transport system, smart utility networks, EV charging and more. The potential is huge, so how can the UK capitalise on these exciting opportunities? 

Gigabit Britain:
Taking strategic look at the commercial and regulatory context for the deployment of next-generation communications infrastructure in the UK. Gigabit Britain is the best place to learn about the state of play for the fixed and mobile sectors whilst also understanding what new technology opportunities might be around the corner. 

Project Rollout: 

Focussing on the realities of building communications infrastructure. Key themes will include the technologies enabling network rollout, engineering strategies, supply chain issues and public-private partnerships. 

Connected Society: 

Keeping people connected has never been more important. Tackling the digital divide, promoting digital inclusion, developing the provision of digital public services, providing support for those who need it most is crucial to delivering a more connected and inclusive Britain. 

Smart Britain: 

Smart Britain will focus on the delivery of smart places, the growth and regeneration of the UK’s cities, towns, and rural communities, and shine a spotlight on the key stakeholders who are shaping these developments. 

Connected Industries: 

From manufacturing to logistics, from healthcare to the creative industries, next-generation communications infrastructure is enabling exciting new use cases. Connected Industries will bring together CSPs, technology providers, enterprises, and the public sector to explore how cross-sector partnerships and connectivity are driving innovation. 

Connected Enterprise: 

From SMEs through to large-scale enterprises, the demands of private and public sector enterprise customers are constantly evolving. Connected Enterprise will explore the evolution of the UK’s enterprise market, the technologies that are re-shaping B2B communications as well new products and services. 

Local Authority Showcase: 

Local authorities are the driving force behind the innovative technology projects and trials which are underway across the UK to solve key challenges covering everything from mobility to housing, from healthcare to town planning. The Showcase Stage is a platform for digital champions from across the UK’s public sector to share their successes as well as their challenges and to learn from their peers. 

Innovate Britain: 

The Innovate Britain stage will offer a celebration of innovation. Startups will have chance to pitch their idea to potential investors, partners, and customers. Investors, accelerators, scaleups and SMEs will share their insights into the keys for business growth and success. 

Tech Britain: 

Tech Britain will delve into the latest innovations in the technology sector and what exciting new opportunities these developments unlock for businesses. 

Connected Britain 2024 promises to be bigger and better than ever before.  

Taking place THIS WEEK, 11-12 September, it’s not too late to grab your tickets.   

Visit the Connected Britain website to reserve your place now   

News 

Connected Britain 2024 is just around the corner and, with just days left to go, it is only fitting that we highlight some of our amazing keynote sessions, featuring some of the biggest names in the UK telecoms industry. Here is what’s on offer on the keynote stage on day 2:

Day 2 – Thursday 12 September 

Keynote interviews:

Discussions with some of the industry’s biggest names, including: 

Dana Tobak CBE, Founder and CEO, Hyperoptic (10:10) 

Amber Pine, Managing Director, Connectivity, Sky (10:20) 

Panel discussions:

Understanding the UK’s connectivity needs and challenges from the local leaders driving change (09:00) 

This panel will explore the following questions: 

What are the strategic priorities of regional leaders from across the UK and how can these be supported with digital infrastructure? 

Understanding the role of local authorities of connectivity enablers 

How is government funding being used in connectivity projects and pilots across the UK? 

Examples of successful collaboration between the public and private sector to drive innovation and socioeconomic growth across the UK 

Speakers: 

Raj Kalia, MD, Arkal Limited (moderator) 

Theo Blackwell MBE, Chief Digital Officer for London, GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY 

Anthony Okereke, Leader, Royal Borough of Greenwich 

Sarah Eynon, Broadband Programme Director, Scottish Government, Digital Connectivity 

Accelerating innovation and connecting communities in Greater Manchester (09:40) 

This panel will discuss the following topics: 

Dissecting the roles of the private sector and social housing providers in tackling the biggest challenges to connect Britain. 

Exploring how we can utilise investment in digital infrastructure to build better standards of digital equity and connectivity to benefit citizens in a sustainable, accessible and collaborative way. 

Building on the lessons learned from Greater Manchester Social Housing Digital Inclusion Pilot and the opportunities to think differently and innovative to helping UK citizens to thrive- particularly where the cost of living is widening gaps for economic participation. 

Speakers: 

Moderator: Phil Swan, Director for Digital, Greater Manchester Combined Authority 

Charlie Norman, Chair, Greater Manchester Housing Partnership 

Thomas Poad, Public Affairs Manager, Virgin Media O2 

James Prowse, Regional Manager – Social Housing, Hyperoptic 

Presentations and updates

Connectivity, Data, AI and winning Epic Races (10:30)

Speaker: 

Tim Vaesen, Commercial Director, United Autosport 

Ministerial Keynote Address (13:15)
Speaker 

Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will address the keynote stage audience about the new Labour government’s plans for the UK connectivity landscape. 

Connected Britain 2024 promises to be bigger and better than ever before. It’s not too late to join us! Last minute tickets are available here 

Viewpoint

It’s all too easy to overlook the fact that the quality of the network depends on the quality of the fibre cable, points out Richard Moyes, Digital Solutions Business Director at Prysmian

In building an effective digital infrastructure the hero of the network is (or should be) the fibre optic cable. As it generally accounts for only a fraction of the cost of installing a high-speed broadband service, however, it can be regarded as a commodity. It shouldn’t be: product quality and innovation are essential for the roll-out and long term performance of the networks currently being built.

Let’s focus on one issue that is slowing the installation of new connections: crowded ductwork. Many, if not most, new networks in urban areas rely on existing infrastructure and the competitive nature of fibre rollout means that already crowded ducts are pushed to capacity by overbuilding.

Overbuilding is not going to disappear: there are already 4.4 million overbuild premises (14% of the UK market) where both alt-net and Openreach services are available.

Market analysis for the Financial Times found that network operators collectively have plans to connect to around 80 million premises, in a nation with a total of 32 million premises. This indicates how many operators are likely to be targeting the same premises. It also points to a lot more fibre being installed, placing further pressure on already crowded ducts, particularly as the installation of new poles is becoming increasingly problematic.

Prysmian’s innovative response to duct overcrowding has been to steadily reduce the diameter of its fibre cable. Its Sirocco Extreme 864f microduct is its most recent advance. This novel cable has 864 fibres housed within a 9.8mm diameter cable providing a fibre density of 11.5 fibres per square millimetre. Importantly, it is possible to install this fibre in ducts with as little spare capacity as a 12mm diameter void.

In addition, this high-density fibre is ideal for use with innovative installation techniques such as overblowing, enabling it to be installed in quickly and easily in already crowded ducts with the additional benefit that it helps minimise access requirements.

Once installed, the network has to operate efficiently. With increasing reliance on digital technology, the consequences of disruption become more significant, meaning that the quality of the products and technologies used to build the networks should never be compromised.

Digital networks are made up of various elements, each with different expected lifespans. Terminal equipment, for example, is expected to last for three to five years; active equipment for around 10 years; while the passive fibre optic cabling forming the infrastructure’s backbone is expected to be operational for a minimum of 30 years and likely as long as 50 years. As part of its development of the Scirocco cable family, Prysmian carried out accelerated aging testing to demonstrate the product’s 50 plus year operational life

Crucially, this digital backbone is being built and will be maintained by privately funded commercial entities. The challenge they face is in selecting a fibre optic cable to deliver the optimum balance between performance and economic criteria.

The passive fibre infrastructure represents the most significant element of the overall cost of a network build. While this CAPEX is an important initial outlay, OPEX will be incurred repeatedly over the network’s lifetime, so it is essential for a provider not to give too much priority to reducing investment costs at the expense of operating and maintenance costs.

What’s more, replacement of this passive infrastructure will be even more costly, particularly where access to underground or aerial cables is difficult, and a network is live with customers connected.

Fibre longevity and long-term performance are the result of quality. Fibre quality will become increasingly important as the UK network market matures, and successful alt-nets seek to consolidate their position in the market with acquisitions. Organisations looking to merge with, or to acquire another network, would be wise to look closely at their potential liabilities, including the expected lifespan of the installed fibre infrastructure.

That said, it is up to network providers to decide on an appropriate fibre optic specification to give certainty of quality and performance. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) addresses system interoperability while international standards organisations such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) are responsible for specific performance and testing regimes.

Fibre quality is the result of more than 150 parameters, so how can network providers be sure that a particular manufacturer’s product is robust and of appropriate quality?

Europacable is the association representing Europe’s leading cable and fibre optic manufacturers. To ensure the quality of members’ products, the association has introduced a Charter, which requires an organisation to be committed to the principles and objective of ethical, sustainable, and high-quality cable development and manufacturing.

As a signatory to the Charter, Prysmian is committed not only to meeting the basic requirements of the law but also is committed to continuous achievement in the areas such as product compliance and innovation, health and safety and environmental performance. And, if further evidence were needed, Prysmian’s innovative Sirocco Extreme 864f microduct cable is proof of the company’s commitment to this charter, to quality and to innovation.