Investment group Fern Trading (Octopus Investments) has today begun the next phase of customer migrations on their alternative UK full fibre broadband ISP networks, which are shifting to a central retail provider under Cuckoo. Customers of Jurassic Fibre and Swish Fibre have already been through this process, and today it’s the turn of Giganet.

Cuckoo originally started life around four years ago as an independent ISP, which changed in 2022 after they were acquired by Fern-backed Giganet (here). But last year’s decision by parent Fern Trading to consolidate almost all of their full fibre operators into a single wholesale network – AllPoints Fibre – changed all that (here and here).

Giganet, which was born out of M12 Solutions some years earlier, was arguably the best known and most reputable of Fern’s network and ISP brands. Suffice to say that the migration may come as more of a surprise to their customers. We should also point out that Giganet, unlike Swish and Jurassic, also has a good-sized base of Openreach and CityFibre customers (FTTP).

A Cuckoo spokesperson told ISPreview:

“As part of our ongoing Group consolidation, Giganet customer contracts have now been transferred to Cuckoo Fibre Limited and follows earlier transfers of Swish Fibre and Jurassic Fibre customer contracts to Cuckoo fibre in January this year.

As with the Swish and Jurassic transfers, the broadband services, monthly charges and contract details provided to Giganet customers will stay the same.

Starting in June 2024, Giganet customers will notice a name change on their financial statements to Cuckoo Fibre Limited.

Additionally, all Giganet branding will now feature the phrase “Powered by Cuckoo” to reflect Cuckoo’s ownership of the Giganet brand.

Customers do not need to do anything as part of the update but should they have any further questions, the Giganet customer care team are on hand to support on 0330 333 3006 or email via service@giganet.uk.”

Customers began to be informed about the change this morning, and more notices are expected to go out over the next few days.

News

A new deadline of January 2027 has been set, allowing more time for vulnerable customers to prepare for the switch-off 

BT has confirmed today that it will delay the switch-off of all copper-based phone lines across the UK until 2027, two years later than originally planned. 

The news was hidden deep in the company’s full year financial results for 2023, but has been confirmed again in a separate press release this morning. 

The delay will apply to all customers, both business and consumer.  

The analogue networks are decades old and are increasingly difficult to service, with replacement parts  hard to source. 

The delay follows a wave of concern over the exposed vulnerability of predominantly elderly customers, who rely on landline-based medical and security alarms. While these systems can also work over digital landlines, they are vulnerable to power cuts or other outages, unlike legacy copper connectivity.  

Around 2 million people in the UK currently use these devices. 

Last December, companies including BT and Sky agreed to stop the forced switchover onto the digital lines after several incidents involving telecare devices were reported. In April this year, BT’s Consumer division started switching zero-use landline customers who have a broadband connection to its Digital Voice landline service. 

“The urgency for switching customers onto digital services grows by the day because the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile. Managing customer migrations from analogue to digital as quickly and smoothly as possible, while making the necessary provisions for those customers with additional needs, including telecare users, is critically important,” said Howard Watson, Chief of Security and Networks at BT. 

“Our priority remains doing this safely and the work we’re doing with our peers, local authorities, telecare providers and key Government organisations is key. But more needs to be done and we need all local authorities and telecare providers to share with us the phone lines where they know there’s a telecare user,” he continued. 

All customers are expected to be moved off the analogue network by January 2027. 

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

Also in the news:
UK government conditionally approves £15bn Vodafone–Three merger
Nokia and Vodafone trial Open RAN with Arm and HPE
T-Mobile and Verizon to buy US Cellular, reports say

Mobile operator Three UK (Hutchinson 3G) has asked Ofcom to make a useful technical change to its existing licence for the 3.9GHz (3925 – 4009MHz) spectrum band, which is held by sibling UK Broadband Ltd. The change, if approved, would enable them to use this with 5G technology to boost their Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) packages.

Just to recap. Three UK currently operates both a traditional mobile network – primarily using 4G and 5G technologies – and a range of FWA style home broadband products. Prior to that, the 3.9GHz band used to help underpin fixed wireless broadband ISP Relish in London, before that provider was gobbled up for £250m as part of H3G’s move to acquire UK Broadband Ltd. in 2017 (here).

The 3.9GHz licence itself sits within the 3.8–4.2 GHz band. Ofcom’s established policy for the 3.8–4.2GHz band is for it to be accessed on a “shared and first-come-first-served basis“, which means that different users with localised spectrum needs can geographically share spectrum with each other by requesting spectrum where and when they need it. When users no longer require spectrum at a particular location, they can relinquish their rights to use the spectrum so that it becomes available for others, thus enabling more efficient use.

The band in question was initially shared between H3G, satellite earth stations and point-to-point fixed links. Satellite earth station and fixed link use of the band has been relatively stable over recent years and, in 2019, Ofcom opened the band to new users under the Shared Access Framework, with the aim of facilitating deployment of local networks in different sectors and promoting innovation (there are around 500 live Shared Access licences in 3.8–4.2GHz).

Ofcom’s new consultation notes that Three UK / H3G has now requested a “minor technical changes” to the licence in order to enable it to “use 5G technology to improve and expand its 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) offering.”

What Ofcom are proposing – in brief

We are proposing to vary the technical terms in the 3.9 GHz licence in line with H3G’s request to support 5G technology. We believe this can bring additional benefits to consumers without creating harmful interference for other spectrum users. It is also consistent with the approach we have taken in other licences.

In reviewing H3G’s request, we also identified an opportunity to update the terms of access to 3.9 GHz spectrum to better align with our policy objectives for the 3.8–4.2 GHz band, in which the 3.9 GHz licence sits.

Our proposals are:

• To clarify how H3G can reserve spectrum under its 3.9 GHz licence, consistent with the first-come-first-served, shared framework for all users in the 3.8–4.2 GHz band. Specifically, we are proposing to introduce a requirement for H3G to use the spectrum ‘assignments’ that it requests (a ‘use clause’). This is similar to the requirement already in place for Shared Access users in the band. We will phase in this requirement over 5 years.

• To change the technical assumptions used for coordinating H3G with Shared Access users. These changes will reduce the area sterilised by each of H3G’s assignments.

The regulator is not currently proposing to change the level or structure of fees for the 3.9GHz licence at present, but they may review this in the future. The consultation itself will run until 15th July 2024, and, barring any major disputes from rival network operators, they plan to publish their final decision (approval) in Q4 2024.

In addition, it’s noted that H3G currently has around 26,000 assignments (at nearly 9,000 locations across the UK) in the 3.9 GHz spectrum. “These assignments are currently not in use and prevent other users from accessing this spectrum,” said Ofcom.

Contributed Article

Analysis by Xtera’s Chief Operating & Sales Officer, Leigh Frame (human)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a major disruptor, sparking stock market excitement, corporate collaborations, and infrastructure advancement. The growing enthusiasm for AI, exemplified by models like ChatGPT, has driven companies such as Nvidia to frothy valuations (bigger than Alphabet or Amazon?) and spurred partnerships between tech giants and AI startups. However, amidst this fizzing excitement lies a profound transformation silently unfolding within the corridors of data centres and the depths of subsea cables. 

AI’s dual facets, Training and Inference, create divergent demands on data centre architecture.  The high demand for computing power in Training AI has led to an increase in power-dense servers. This trend requires data centres to be located where there is ample energy and cooling resources available. On the other hand, Inference AI, which relies on low latency for the user experience, tends to be located in urban areas to serve proximity-driven applications. These drivers have resulted in a divergence of data centre locations, increasing the need for connectivity between terrestrial and subsea networks. 

Industry titans such as Amazon and Google envision dedicated data centres tailored to accommodate the colossal computational demands of AI training, heralding a new era characterised by unprecedented scale. But AI’s impact on data centres goes beyond just spatial factors; it is leading to a significant change in infrastructure design. The shift from air to liquid cooling, demonstrated by Nvidia’s AI racks with power densities of 30-40kW, highlights the necessity for specialised AI facilities.   

Data centres are at the core of AI’s predicted proliferation, with forecasts of exponential growth in power consumption and operational expenditures. Analysts foresee a sevenfold surge in AI-related power consumption by 2026, heralding a lucrative $12 billion revenue opportunity for data centre operators. Equinix has reportedly earmarked a $21 billion addressable market for AI-centric data centre services by 2026, propelling a seismic shift in revenues. Tirias Research predicts a substantial 212-fold increase in data centre power consumption by 2028, driving the industry’s value to an estimated $76 billion. 

Amidst these growing trends, forecasts consistently show strong Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) for the data centre market, largely driven by the rise of AI. However, there’s a lack of thorough analysis focusing on AI’s impact, which clouds the true extent of its influence on infrastructure. AI’s rapid growth also coincides with various supply-side challenges, including power, land, and chip shortages.  These uncertainties loom over the industry’s future and raise questions about the industry’s ability to maintain its projected growth trajectory amidst mounting obstacles. 

I am, like all of us in the subsea community, closely watching the uptake and influence of AI, and trying to relate it back to our space.  What is currently all-but impossible to estimate (and it seems there are no public forecasts for this) is the likely growth in demand for international connectivity and in the subsea market, that will be generated by the possibly dramatic evolution of AI.  The difficulty comes in building a model – even a qualitative one – that considers the interplay and the relationship between these various factors and, even more difficult, tries to ascribe a figure to any of them:   

The overall growth in the data centre market. 
The accelerating growth in AI as a proportion of the workload of a hyperscaler data centre, or the impact of inference AI on data centres at the lower tiers. 
The potential growth vs possibly constrained growth. 
The effect of the algorithms and operating models that determine how data and processing is shared or duplicated between data centres nationally and internationally.  
The changing pattern of data centre locations – due to i) concerns over sovereignty of data, ii) shifting patterns of AI and the other data centre workloads, and iii) endeavours to circumvent anticipated supply-side issues related to power, for example. 
The almost completely unknown conversion factor between a given data centre capacity (usually expressed as a function of MWatts power consumption) and bandwidth capacity on any given route, expressed as Tbits. 
The conversion factor from a known demand of Tbits on a given route into cable capacity needed and number of cables needed, taking into account meshing or redundancy policies, latency demands, insistence on owned and controlled infrastructure, etc. 

However, given that the hyperscalers control or strongly influence a figure probably in excess of 80% of the current subsea market (a historic high), it is fair to assume that the impact of AI will, in the upside case, create a likely material step-up in demand for long-haul subsea cables or at the very least, in the conservative scenario, a sustained period of historic highs in global demand at or around the current level.   

The most bullish commentators suggest that the step-up in build of subsea cables generated by AI could itself be dramatic, but the effect of the demand growth is more likely to be seen in a firming up of prices and margins in the short to medium term, given that the subsea cable industry is also supply-side constrained with long lead times on ships and cable factories and regulatory issues that are increasingly creating obstacles to fast deployments. 

What next? 

As AI continues to grow, its impact on data centres, bandwidth, and subsea cables will become increasingly pronounced and, with AI’s high demand for computational resources, it will for sure change how infrastructure operates.  Yet, in trying to strategise or quantify a future for the subsea industry and for our businesses we are navigating a landscape littered with uncertainties and, worse, those irritating unknown unknowns. So, conclusions around future subsea demand are tricky, even if a trend is perhaps clear.  

But don’t take my word for it… I prodded and coaxed ChatGPT for an answer, and I quote: “While it’s challenging to provide precise quantitative figures, it’s evident that AI will contribute to a significant increase in the demand for subsea cables.”  

This could yet be a wild ride!  

You can join Xtera at Submarine Networks EMEA coference next week! Get your tickets now

News

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed billions of dollars in cuts to broadband expansion programs across the state in an effort to address a budget shortfall

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

The California Alliance for Digital Equity is calling on policymakers in California to reconsider proposed cuts that the organization has claimed would jeopardize the future local broadband projects.

The organization, which describes itself as a community-based coalition that advances digital inclusion, said they were disappointed after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a series of proposed public broadband cuts to the tune of nearly $2 billion, according to published reports.

With a May 14 statement posted on X, the California Alliance for Digital Equity took aim at the governor’s proposed slash in funding to the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative (MMBI), a planned middle-mile open access network that was granted $3.25 billion of funding with Senate Bill 156 in July 2021.

“We are extremely disappointed to see the governor’s promised $1.5 billion investment in the (MMBI) has been retracted,” the organization’s statement read. “The MMBI is a once in a generation state broadband infrastructure project that needs additional investment to meet its goal of bringing equitable high-speed broadband service to all Californians.”

Without secured future investment, the California Alliance for Digital Equity warned that a fifth of the network could be left uncompleted.

The organization’s statement continued.

“The MMBI is once again at risk of becoming a broadband infrastructure investment that effectively perpetuates the same divestment practices of industry stakeholders who have bypassed high-poverty urban, rural, and tribal communities for generations.”

The California Alliances for Digital Equity’s statement also said it would be “deeply regrettable” to see funding for the MMBI collapse.

“California communities deserve better,” the organization’s statement read. “The governor and the state should hold to their promises.”

A revised budget from Gov. Newsom would cut $19.1 billion in one-time spending and ongoing spending by over $13 billion, according to a fact sheet released by the governor’s office.

The fact sheet described the cuts as “reducing non-essential spending” to address a current and projected budget deficit of over $27 billion for 2024-2025, and over $28 billion for 2025-2026.

Along with a $1.7 billion reduction in broadband infrastructure project funding, CalMatters.org has reported that the cuts would include $325 million for broadband projects backed by local communities, tribes, and non-profits, along with $34 million in cuts from funding that would have provided rural libraries with high-speed broadband.

Earlier this month, the California Department of Technology announced that over 65 percent of the MMBI “has reached the critical milestones of pre-construction, construction, purchase, and/or lease—nearly 15 months ahead of schedule.”

“With approximately $2.9 billion currently at work and creating jobs, the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative has signed four leases for 3,485 miles, purchased 435 miles, and with private sector partners and (California Department of Transportation) the program is on track to construct 2,664 miles by the end of this year,” the department’s May 6 announcement stated.

Gov. Newsom addressed some of his proposed cuts with a May 10 statement on his office’s website.

“Even when revenues were booming, we were preparing for possible downturns by investing in reserves and paying down debts – that’s put us in a position to close budget gaps while protecting core services that Californians depend on,” he said. “Without raising taxes on Californians, we’re delivering a balanced budget over two years that continues the progress we’ve fought so hard to achieve, from getting folks off the streets to addressing the climate crisis to keeping our communities safe.”

To get content like this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter.

Also in the news:
UK government conditionally approves £15bn Vodafone–Three merger
Nokia and Vodafone trial Open RAN with Arm and HPE
T-Mobile and Verizon to buy US Cellular, reports say

Telecoms and broadband giant BT (EE) has this morning announced a revision to its timetable for moving all customers off the old Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and onto digital landlines (Digital Voice), which follows last week’s confirmation (here and here) that the deadline for migration had been extended from Dec 2025 to 31st Jan 2027.

BT’s Consumer division officially re-started the migration process for certain customers in April 2024 (details below), which followed an industry-wide pause in December 2023 and the introduction of the Government’s Charter to protect vulnerable customers (here), especially telecare users, while making the switch from analogue to digital landlines.

The new approach is designed to align more closely with Openreach’s national roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband using Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology, which is expected to cover 25 million premises by the end of 2026 (80%+ of the UK), before rising up to 30m by 2030 (nearly universal coverage).

According to today’s announcement, the newly revised approach will “result in a single switch for the majority of customers (businesses and consumers) – from copper to fibre – with all customers now expected to have moved off the old analogue PSTN by the end of January 2027.” Just to be clear on this, copper broadband and phone (IP-based phone) services will continue to be available in areas not covered by their FTTP network.

BT’s Revised Timetable for Digital Voice

➤ In April 2024, BT Consumer resumed non-voluntary migrations for customers who have not used their landline in the last 12 months, who do not identify as vulnerable or have additional needs, have not contacted an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) in the last 24 months and live in an area where a data sharing agreement – which identifies vulnerable customers and detects alarm numbers is in place with the Local Authority or Telecare provider. Switching them to a digital landline provided over full fibre where available on an opt out basis initially.

➤ From Summer 2024, BT Consumer will ramp-up non-voluntary migrations for customers who do not identify as vulnerable or have additional needs, in areas where data sharing agreements have been signed with the local authority or telecare provider.

➤ For customers who don’t use broadband, which includes landline-only consumer customers and business customers with specialist connectivity requirements, including some alarms, lift and emergency lines, ATMs and payment terminals, the company is working on an interim, dedicated landline service [SOTAP for Analogue] designed to keep these customers connected while moving them off the analogue PSTN.

➤ New equipment will be installed in local telephone exchanges that will allow consumer and business customers who do not have broadband to use their landline in the same way as they do today until a digital solution becomes available or 2030, if that comes sooner. Trials have already begun with a nationwide rollout for eligible customers expected this Autumn.

➤ BT Business is urging all of its business and public sector customers to register their interest to test this temporary ‘pre-digital phone line’ product, so it can work with them to understand specific business use cases.

➤ From Spring 2025, BT Consumer will contact customers who identify as vulnerable or with additional needs about the switch in areas where data sharing agreements with Local Authorities or Telecare companies are in place and in-home support for telecare users is available.

➤ All customers will be contacted at least four weeks in advance before making the switch, to ensure they are ready to move to a digital landline. Engineering appointments will be made ahead of the switch and additional support will be provided on the day to ensure that customers are left with a working telecare device.

Howard Watson, BT Group’s Chief Security and Networks Officer, said:

“The urgency for switching customers onto digital services grows by the day because the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile. Managing customer migrations from analogue to digital as quickly and smoothly as possible, while making the necessary provisions for those customers with additional needs, including telecare users, is critically important.

Our priority remains doing this safely and the work we’re doing with our peers, local authorities, telecare providers and key Government organisations is key. But more needs to be done and we need all local authorities and telecare providers to share with us the phone lines where they know there’s a telecare user.”

Breaking news.. more to follow..

The North Wales Economic Ambition Board (NWEAB) has approved the business case for their new 4G+ project, which is more widely investing £8.9m from the North Wales Growth Deal in order to improve the availability of mobile voice and data services, as well as full fibre broadband, to key commercial sites and transport networks.

The 4G+ (Connected Key Sites and Corridors) project forms part of the North Wales Growth Deal’s Digital Programme, which back in 2022 worked with FarrPoint to conduct a survey that measured 4G mobile (mobile broadband) coverage across the region’s main transport routes (here) – primarily A and B roads. This helped to identify a number of weak points for improvement.

Since then, the NWEAB has developed a business case (OBC) for the project, which covers the planning phase and identifies options which deliver public value following detailed appraisals. The good news is that the OBC for 4G+ has now been approved, although the specifics of precisely what it will deliver remain unclear.

Alongside improving mobile network coverage, the project also aims to support the migration to 5G, deliver jobs and attract investment.

Mark Pritchard, Councillor and Lead Member for Digital Connectivity on the NWAB, said:

“The impact of mobile connectivity on the economy is well established and shouldn’t be underestimated. Our city and town centres, business parks and communities all need good mobile connectivity, and that demand will continue to grow, as it is across the rest of the country.

Approval of this penultimate stage before delivery is an important milestone. As well as supporting national and regional economic strategies, improving mobile connectivity and capacity has to be part of our efforts to increase local GVA and create jobs.”

One gripe we have with the “Digital” side of all these Growth Deals is that they can take an exceedingly long time to go from planning to deployment, during which time a lot can happen that may change the original base case assumptions (e.g. improvements in network coverage and technologies etc.).

The latest decision means the project can now move to develop a “full business case“, which is said to be the “final phase in the process to secure Growth Deal funding before delivery“. Hopefully it won’t take them another full year just to get that done.

Sources have informed ISPreview that broadband ISP EE (BT) appears to have started inviting customers, specifically only those on one of their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) products, to take part in a new “Hub Enhancement Trial“. This is testing “new technology that’s designed to provide a coverage boost/enhanced Wi-Fi experience in the home“.

The trial will involve “new equipment“, which will be sent to successful applicants free of charge. The mobile and internet provider has also pledged to cover the cost of your bill for the duration of the trial. The trial itself is currently expected to run for approximately 6 months.

The fact that new equipment will be involved makes us think that this is highly likely to be EE’s new Qualcomm-powered and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be – Extremely High Throughput) capable home broadband router (see prototype – pictured above), which is currently still expected to launch sometime this year (here).

On the other hand, it could also reflect a new Wi-Fi 7 based mesh/repeater system, which might accompany the new router. The launch of a customer trial tends to indicate that the hardware is in its final beta testing stages before a full commercial launch. EE are expected to launch their future Wi-Fi 7 kit alongside a new premium broadband package.

News 

Australian subsea cable company SubCo has announced an upgrade to the capacity of its SMAP subsea cable system that connects Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth (S-M-A-P)

The cable spans roughly 5,000km, was supplied by Alcatel Submarine Networks, and was installed by Optic Marine Systems. 

SMAP was originally designed with twelve fibre pairs, but SubCo has now upgraded the system to a sixteen fibre pairs, increasing the total capacity of the system by 33%. 

“This increased investment in capacity is to ensure we are able to support Australia’s digital infrastructure needs both now, and in the future,” said SUBCO Co-CEO Bevan Slattery in a press release. 

“AI and Cloud are driving the accelerating expansion of hyperscale Data Centres throughout the region, which is driving an increase in demand for hyperscale connectivity. This upgrade will provide for an additional 100Tbps between Melbourne and Perth and 120Tbps between Sydney and Melbourne,” he continued. 

Once completed, SMAP is set to be the world’s first zero carbon long haul subsea cable system, which the SubCo says it will achieve by purchasing renewable infrastructure at every landing station and buying 100% renewable energy.  

Slattery said in a separate statement last August that once operational “SMAP will be the most advanced, secure and innovative submarine cable ever built in Australia.” 

The cable is expected to be ready for service by December next year.  

According to SubCo’s website, the cable is on day 274 of the build, and is 24% complete. 

Join us at this year’s Submarine Networks EMEA event in London, 29-30 May in London. Get tickets here! 

Also in the news:
UK government conditionally approves £15bn Vodafone–Three merger
Nokia and Vodafone trial Open RAN with Arm and HPE
T-Mobile and Verizon to buy US Cellular, reports say

News

US House of Representatives passed bipartisan bill to reauthorize NTIA and modernize its role

On Wednesday 15 May, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation to reauthorize the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for the first time since 1992.

The goal of the bill is to “update the mission and functions of the agency” due to the extensive evolution of the NTIA since its last reauthorization. New Street Research analyst Blair Levin said that the bill “reflects that in this moment in time, NTIA has become a much more important player in telecom issues.”

The bill was originally spearheaded by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) in July 2023 as the agency’s “duties have changed since it was last reauthorized.” Rodgers and Latta stated that they “look forward to considering several bipartisan solutions to reauthorize NTIA and help ensure that the agency is adapting to meet the needs of a dynamic communications sector.”

Having passed by a vote of 374-36, the legislation extends the NTIA’s mandate through the fiscal year 2025 and introduces several key changes to the agency.

Significantly, the head of the NTIA will be elevated to the rank of Under Secretary of the Department of Commerce. The bill codifies a number of NTIA’s current responsibilities and grants statutory authority for two NTIA offices which focus on public safety communications and international telecommunications policy.

The bill also grants statutory authority to NTIA Office of Spectrum Management and imposes new procedures for disclosing federal concerns. The NTIA must also enhance spectrum resource efficiency.

Crucially, the legislation includes the Plan for Broadband Act, which requires the NTIA to develop a strategy to close the digital divide. The agency must also implement a new process to assess the national security implications of foreign ownership in telecommunications.

Earlier this week, NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson remarked that the NTIA was last reauthorized in 1992, “before Google existed, before the web was popular.” The latest reauthorization seeks to provide clarity about NTIA’s responsibilities in a quickly-changing telecommunications landscape, addressing emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and open radio access networks (O-RAN).

The passing of the bill is supported by industry groups, including the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), USTelecom, and WISPA.

Also in the news:
UK government conditionally approves £15bn Vodafone–Three merger
Nokia and Vodafone trial Open RAN with Arm and HPE
T-Mobile and Verizon to buy US Cellular, reports say