News 

The group announced the trial in July last year 

BT Group’s startup incubation arm, Etc., has upcycled a now obsolete BT street cabinet in East Lothian, Scotland, into an electric vehicle (EV) charging point.  

This is the first installation as part of a wider initiative aiming to explore the feasibility of using BT Group’s existing street cabinets for EV charging, helping to address the country’s shortage of vehicle charging infrastructure. 

The charger in East Lothian has been deployed as part of an initial pilot scheme allowing residents to use the charger for free until the end of the month.  

The pilot program is set to expand West Yorkshire in the near future, with plans to ultimately test 600 sites across the UK. 

EV drivers can access the charging point via an app, which allows drivers to find available charging points, monitor charging sessions, and view charging history. 

In Scotland specifically, there are only 5,052 EV chargers, an amount which, according to BT, is unable to meet the current demand. The repurposing of street cabinets could provide up to 4,800 additional chargers in Scotland, nearly doubling the available infrastructure.  

Consumer adoption of EVs is that being greatly hindered by this lack of charging infrastructure, with BT noting that 78% of petrol and diesel car drivers see not being able to easily charge an EV as a barrier to purchase.  

The UK government aims to increase EV charging points in the UK from 53,000 to 300,000 by 2030, a plan they say will cost the country £1.6 billion. In 2022, when this aim was announced, this tied in with the government’s decision to ban the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030, although this has now been pushed back five years. 

“It’s critical that we start looking at existing infrastructure to drive innovation at speed,” said Tom Guy, Managing Director at Etc. in a press release.  

“These trials present a unique opportunity to tap into existing assets to drive the important transition to electrification in the UK, and we’re proud to be working with local councils in East Lothian and more widely across the UK at this critical stage to play our part,” he continued. 

Join us at this year’s Connected Germany event, 5-6 November in Munich. Get tickets here!

Also in the news:
Transpacific Honomoana cable to be extended to New Zealand
SES to buy Intelsat for $3.1bn
Generation Hack: Breaking the telecom innovation age code 

New customers of UK internet provider TalkTalk, specifically those who are also looking to take their Android (Google) powered Pay TV service, may like to know that the ISP has started offering a 33% discount on their TV and NOW Entertainment Membership (NOW TV) – reducing the bundle to just £9.99/month for 12 months, saving £5 a month.

Customers who take this deal will also receive a NOW Boost included (RRP £6 per month), so they can enjoy streaming in Full HD video quality, ad-free and with Surround Sound on up to three devices at once instead of one. But we still wish the NOW Boost gave 4K + HDR rather than just HD, since HD is somewhat of a minimum standard these days, and you shouldn’t have to pay extra for it. But then Sky will be Sky.

TalkTalk TV customers also have the freedom of no long-term commitments, which means “customers have the flexibility to cancel their TV package before the 12 months is up, with no added fees.” The new discount will be available to take until 30th May 2024.

News

Australian telco Vocus has agreed with cable owner Google to connect the existing route to Aukland, New Zealand

This week, Australian telco Vocus has announced that it has struck a new deal with Google that will see the Honomoana cable extended to New Zealand.

The transpacific Honomoana cable was first announced in October last year, connecting the US to Australia via French Polynesia. It is part of Google’s South Pacific Connect initiative, which includes a second cable system, Tabua, which connects to US and Australia to Fiji.

Through these two complementary cable systems, Google aims to crate a ring between Australia, Fiji, and Frech Polynesia, supporting the digital traffic throughout the entire south Pacific regio.

“This agreement with Google will massively expand Vocus’ digital infrastructure footprint. When combined with our existing cables, our network will span from South-East Asia to the US via multiple diverse landings in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific,” said Vocus CEO Ellie Sweeney.

“Pacific Connect will significantly uplift trans-Tasman data capacity with the new Auckland landing, and brilliantly complements our existing network both in Australia and internationally – allowing Vocus to provide our customers with unprecedented network capacity and redundancy across three continents,” she said.

“The new Sydney to Melbourne route will also allow Vocus to provide our customers with another redundant route on Australia’s east coast, complementing our existing coastal and inland terrestrial routes that have recently been upgraded to offer 400Gbps services.”

The Honomoana cable itself is slated for completion in 2026.

Google has been very active recently in the submarine cable space, announcing last month that they would invest $1 billion in two new cable systems linking the US to Japan.

How is the submarine cable ecosystem evolving in 2024? Join the cable operators in discussion at this year’s Submarine Networks EMEA conference

Also in the news:
T-Mobile and EQT form JV to buy Lumos
Korean Air shows off comprehensive urban air mobility system backed by 5G
Virgin Media O2 reaches plastic waste milestone

Alternative network operator and ISP Airband, which has a target of reaching 400,000 premises in UK rural areas via a mix of fixed wireless access (FWA) and full fibre (FTTP) networks by 2026, has today announced the appointment of Kash Rahman as its new Managing Director. But the company’s CEO and Founder, Redmond Peel, is standing down.

The operator, which has been going through a period of restructuring that disrupted some builds and caused redundancies (here and here), has otherwise spent the past few years expanding their network across multiple UK counties, including parts of Wales, the South West, the Midlands, Cheshire and Oxfordshire. Airband has also scooped up various state aid funded contracts, such as around Shropshire, Devon and Somerset.

Despite the recent struggles, Airband recently announced that they were able to secure additional investment from abrdn to “accelerate rural broadband expansion” across the West of England (here). To date, abrdn has invested over £200m into growing the Airband business, but such major investments are often followed by changes in senior management, which may partly help to explain today’s news.

The new MD, Kash Rahman, has actually been with Airband since 2020 – as Director of Business Planning, Strategy & Transformation – and was unanimously chosen to take on the leadership of the business by the Senior Management Team, shareholders and non-executive directors. Before joining Airband, Kash studied engineering and has previously held senior positions at various other businesses across the UK and Europe.

Redmond Peel, Non-Executive Director of Airband, said:

“As both Founder and CEO of Airband it has been an honour to lead the business to where it is today, and having worked with Kash for the last few years, I know I am passing its leadership on into very capable hands. I look forward to Airband’s further growth and development in the coming years, as well as supporting the team from my new Non-Executive Director position.”

Broadband ISP Exascale, which is building a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to several thousand premises – mostly around Telford and Wrekin, has revealed that several core Dark Fibre cables – between Telford and Wolverhampton – were cut this week in what appears to have been a targeted attack by vandals.

The incident appears to have started just before midnight on Sunday (28th April 2024) in Wolverhampton and is understood to have affected other network operators too (networks sometimes share ducts or wavelengths on the same cables). By 2am on Monday, it was clear that vandals had “cut a number of fibre cables on the entry into our Wolverhampton point of presence” and third-party contractors were promptly engaged to pull in 70 metres of new cables and splice them back together.

After finding further damage during the repair work (ISPreview understands that 8 of Exascale’s fibres ended up needing repairs), the incident was finally declared resolved just before 4pm on Monday. The strong suspicion is that this was a targeted attack by somebody who appeared to know the route.

Thomas Bibb, CEO of Exascale, said:

“Yesterday evening Exascale had the unfortunate experience of vandalism on one of our core high capacity links into Telford from Wolverhampton. We have lost a large number of high bandwidth optical wave lengths. The Exascale team and our layer 1 provider have been working through the night to resolve. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

ISPreview readers will already be aware that, over the past year, there seems to have been an increase in physical attacks against UK broadband networks. Some of the most recent examples include a “targeted attack” against Ogi’s full fibre (FTTP) network in Wales that left customers disconnected (here), as well as a similar attack against Netomnia’s (YouFibre) network in Liverpool (here) and a smaller incident against Pine Media’s network in Sheffield (here). In addition, MS3 recently had some of their poles cut down by chainsaws in East Yorkshire (here).

The situation recently prompted a group of full fibre operators, led by alternative network providers Ogi and Vorboss, to call on the UK Government and Ofcom to urgently help tackle the problem (here). In response a government spokesperson (DSIT) said that the UK has “one of the toughest telecoms security regimes in the world and we continue to work closely with relevant organisations to identify risks and ensure the security and resilience of our telecoms network infrastructure.”

Customers of broadband ISP Virgin Media (VMO2), specifically those who take Pay TV services via one of the network operator’s TV 360, STREAM or v6 box platforms, may like to know that the company has added a selection of 11 new FAST channels to its TV service “at no extra cost“.

The new FAST channels include History Hunters (A+E Networks), Deal Masters (A+E Networks), Qello Concerts (Stingray), Trace Sports Stars (Trace), Real Crime (Little Dot Studios), Real Life (Little Dot Studios), ZenLIFE (Stingray), UKTV Play Laughs (UKTV), UKTV Play Heroes (UKTV), UKTV Play Full Throttle (UKTV) and UKTV Play Uncovered (UKTV).

The new channels join the existing 19 FAST channels which include three from Pluto TV that launched in March – Catfish, CSI: New York and 5Cops.

David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer at VMO2, said:

“The introduction of these fantastic new streaming channels demonstrates our ambition to continue enhancing our entertainment offering, giving our customers even more choice and 24/7 access to their favourite shows.

Having launched 30 streaming channels in the last year alone, we are constantly striving to offer our customers even more entertainment, providing them with easy access to shows we know they’ll love, at no extra cost.”

The new additions to Virgin Media’s TV line up can be found on the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and come as part of the company’s expanding FAST channel offering, providing an alternative and complimentary experience to traditional linear TV.

The FAST channels can be found on:
History Hunters (Ch234)
Deal Masters (Ch254)
Qello Concerts (Ch299)
Trace Sports Stars (Ch557)
Real Crime (Ch237)
Real Life (Ch238)
ZenLIFE (Ch298)
UKTV Play Laughs (Ch241)
UKTV Play Heroes (Ch228)
UKTV Play Full Throttle (Ch229)
UKTV Play Uncovered (Ch227)

Telecoms giant BT, specifically their awkwardly named UK digital incubation team, Etc., has today “powered up” their first Electric Vehicle (EV) charger under a 2-year pilot, which is one of potentially tens of thousands that could be established by repurposing Openreach’s old fixed broadband street cabinets.

The operator has been planning the pilot since mid-2023 (here), although the process of actually getting it underway didn’t officially start until January 2024 (here) – a few months later than the original plan. The core idea is for BT and Openreach to “convert or upgrade” up to 60,000 street cabinets (from a potential pool of 90,000). BT previously clarified to ISPreview that the focus here is on their FTTC (VDSL2) / DSLAM broadband cabinets, rather than older Primary Connection Points (PCP).

The charging solution works by retrofitting the cabinets with a device that enables renewable energy to be shared to a charge point alongside the existing broadband service, with no need to create a new power connection. EV charging can be deployed to cabinets that are in-use for current copper broadband services, or in those due for retirement, depending on the space and power available to the unit.

Once the cabinet is no longer needed for broadband, as the nationwide deployment of full fibre (FTTP) lines progresses, the broadband equipment can then be recycled, and additional EV charge points added to replace what went before. Naturally, this isn’t going to work in every location, since not all cabinets are suitably positioned and there may be other obstacles too (e.g. issues of council approval, road access, physical location etc.).

Likewise, street side chargers need to be kept as small as possible, which means that they’ll only be able to support slower charging speeds (up to 7.8kW). We should point out that a lot of Openreach’s existing cabinets typically use no more than a few hundred watts, but that power supply can be upgraded and often without needing major works.

First BT Trial EV Charger Goes Live

Fast-forward to today and the first EV charging point has, as previously expected, just gone live at an unspecified location in East Lothian, Scotland. The charger has been installed for use by local residents, who will be able to charge their EVs “at no cost” until 31st May 2024 as part of the pilot. The pilot will focus next on West Yorkshire, with ambitions to scale up to 600 trial sites across the UK.

EV drivers can use the charge point by downloading a trial app from Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store (no links for these were provided). Customers who download the app at the location as part of the trial will naturally need to ensure they have a 4G or 5G (mobile broadband) capable handset and an active data plan or pay-as-you-go data services.

The app was developed by Etc. in conjunction with EV drivers and includes various features, such as visibility of EV chargers across the UK, alongside real-time pricing, availability and charge speed, the ability to start, stop and monitor charge sessions via the app and to filter by connector type, kW speed and charging network. EV owners can connect their car to the app to get live updates on battery levels, smart estimated costs and charge times, and access their charging history.

Throughout the pilots Etc. at BT will test elements ranging from the digital customer experience to engineering and technology choices, planning and local engagement, operational and commercial options. Interestingly, the project claims to have “identified up to” 4,800 street cabinets that could be used for potential upgrade in Scotland, which is almost double the 5,052 public EV chargers that already exist in Scotland (Zapmap’s data).

Tom Guy, MD of Etc. at BT Group, said:

“With our research showing that 78% of petrol and diesel drivers see not being able to conveniently charge an EV as a key a barrier to purchasing one, and the UK behind government-set sustainability targets, it’s critical that we start looking at existing infrastructure to drive innovation at speed. These trials present a unique opportunity to tap into existing assets to drive the important transition to electrification in the UK, and we’re proud to be working with local councils in East Lothian and more widely across the UK at this critical stage to play our part.”

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport at Scottish Government, said:

“This is an exciting and innovative development in the provision of electric vehicle charging so I’m really pleased that the first trial in the UK is taking place in East Lothian.

This government is committed to supporting people to make the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles, and our vision for Scotland’s future public EV charging network highlights the need for private sector finance and delivery to build on our significant investment in the network to date.

I’m really looking forward to seeing more partnership working like this as we continue to help people in Scotland to make greener transport choices.”

The move supports the UK Government’s ambitions to increase the number of EV charge points from almost 60,000 today (Zapmap data) to 300,000 by 2030. Access to charging is currently creating a significant barrier to EV purchase for many. BT Group’s recent research found that 60% of people think the UK’s EV charging infrastructure is inadequate, with 78% of petrol and diesel drivers saying not being able to conveniently charge an EV is a barrier to adoption.

At the same time BT and Openreach’s own staff, particularly their engineers, may also benefit from being given preferential access to the chargers in the future, although it remains unclear precisely how this will be handled. Openreach is currently in the process of upgrading all of their c. 30,000 strong fleet of UK diesel vans and cars to EVs by March 2031 (4,000 have already been done).

However, at the time of writing it remains unclear how much BT will charge consumers to fill up their EVs, which is somewhat of a contentious issue given the high price of electricity and the tendency of some EV charging networks to charge astronomical sums (this does vary, some are much more affordable). The number of chargers they end up deploying may also depend, at least in part, on how much public subsidy they can access from key government schemes (around £1.6bn of public funding has been committed up to 2030).

Welsh internet provider Ogi, which is deploying a gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to homes and businesses across South Wales, has developed a new bespoke and in-house 8-week fibre engineer training programme and the first recruits have just completed the course.

The new training programme is said to be made up of a mix of regulatory e-learning modules, peer-led training and a ‘last mile’ practical assessment pilot facilitated by Future Networks Training (FNT). All new engineers are also being equipped with customer service skills.

All new engineers start with a ‘buddy’, learning on the job as they progress through the Ogi-led induction programme. From classroom-style training covering regulatory modules and the health and safety principles to on-site practical training, all new engineers undertake the programme before a planned final five day ‘last mile’ validation course at FNT’s bespoke training facility outside Bristol.

During the final assessment, engineers are tasked with a series of real-world scenarios including block paving, soft verge and asphalt reinstatement, work at height, accessing aerial subscriber nodes (ASNs), and the connection of an optical network terminal (ONT) to a property.

Ogi’s Director of Service Operations, Louise Healey, said:

“This peer-led approach makes sure we equip new recruits with not only the necessary regulatory practices from day one, but with an understanding of our company culture and approach to excellent customer service too – something that’s really important to us at Ogi.

It’s all about teamwork and trusting each other out in the field, and back at base. By encouraging people to share knowledge, we’re not only continuously upskilling existing engineers, but creating a collaborative and supportive team environment across the business too. It’s really unique, I think – and is helping us embed engineers with the skills and confidence they need much quicker than before.”

Ogi states that an average of 3 new employees join them every week, although it’s unclear how many engineers will ultimately benefit from the new programme.

Ogi’s Rollout Locations:

➤ Bridgend: Caerau, Cwmfelin, Garth, Llangynwyd, Maesteg^, Nantyffyllon, Pencoed^, Porthcawl^

➤ Caerphilly: Blackwood^, Cefn Fforest, Cefn Hengoed, Fleur-de-lis, Hengoed^, Pengam, Ystrad Mynach, Maesycymmer, Pontllanfraith, Tir-y-Berth, Woodfieldside.

➤ Cardiff^

➤ Monmouthshire: Abergavenny^, Caerwent, Caldicot^, Chepstow, Crick, Monmouth^, Portskewett, Rogiet, Sudbrook, Undy.

➤ Newport: Langstone, Llanvaches^, Underwood^.

➤ Pembrokeshire: Haverfordwest^, Johnston, Milford Haven^, Neyland^, Pembroke^, Pembroke Dock^. Tenby^.

➤ Rhondda Cynon Taf: Cymmer, Dinas, Llwyncelyn, Mount Pleasant, Porth^, Tonyrefail^*, Tonypandy^*, Trebanog, Trehafod, Ynyshir.

➤ Torfaen: Griffithstown, New Inn, Pantymoile, Penygarn, Pontypool^, Sebastopol, Trosnant, Wainfelin.

➤ Vale of Glamorgan: Dinas Powys^, Llantwit Major^, Rhoose^, St Athan.

^Local Network Exchange

Some of our readers have spotted that low-cost UK mobile operator iD Mobile (Currys), which uses Three UK’s national 4G and 5G network via a virtual operator (MVNO) agreement, has recently introduced eSIM (Electronic SIM) support to their mobile service.

The eSIM standard is an alternative to physical SIM cards, which works by essentially embedding an electronic SIM into your device (Smartphone) that could – once fully implemented – make it easier and quicker to switch between operators (e.g. not having to wait for a SIM card to arrive), as well as to use additional networks alongside your main mobile plan (e.g. eSIMs for travel when abroad).

The good news, as recently spotted via ISPreview’s community forum (credits to meritez), is that iD Mobile have finally introduced eSIM support to their service (here). But you’ll need to double-check if your mobile phone is eSIM compatible first (dial *#06# into your keypad and if you see a pop-up which includes an EID number on the screen, then your device should be compatible).

One other possible catch is that iD Mobile’s related Q&A page appears to be indicating that they don’t currently support eSIM on the Apple Watch (here).

Meanwhile, one of Three UK’s other MVNO providers, Smarty, still has yet to add any eSIM support and would only say (here) “it is something we may look to have in future.”

News 

The deal comes less than a year after the two companies broke off merger talks 

Luxemburg-based satellite company SES has signed a deal to buy Intelsat Holdings for $3.1 billion. 

A joint press release from the two companies explained the combination as creating “a stronger multi-orbit operator with greater coverage, improved resiliency, expanded suite of solutions, enhanced resources to profitably invest in innovation, and benefit from the collective talent, expertise, and track record of both companies.”  

Once combined, SES’s orbital assets will include 100 Geostationary Earth Orbit and 26 Medium Earth Orbit satellites. 

The deal gives Intelsat an enterprise value stands of $5 billion, with SES suggesting the deal will deliver synergies worth €2.4 billion ($2.6 billion). 

“Going forward, customers will benefit from a more competitive portfolio of solutions with end-to-end offerings in valuable Government and Mobility segments, combined with value-added, efficient, and reliable offerings for Fixed Data and Media customers,” said SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh. 

Rumours related to a potential acquisition had first began to swirl last year, with SES confirming talks were taking place in a statement. However, these discussions appeared to fizzle out, leaving it unclear if discussions were ongoing. 

Now, the deal has been unanimously approved by both company boards and is expected to close in the latter half of next year, pending regulatory approval.   

The deal represents the latest stage in consolidation of the global satellite industry, as European companies attempt to compete against newer rivals such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, which launched in 2019 and has come to dominate in terms of sheer scale. 

However, in terms of financials and with its well-established customer base, this newly combined SES–Intelsat could become an even more significant player in the satellite communications industry.  

Indeed, some industry onlookers suggest that this combination could itself create a dominant market leader.   

“The combined entity is poised to be the world’s largest satellite company in terms of revenue, and could dominate the market, leveraging its extensive resources and expertise to shape the future of satellite communications and deliver on new use cases,” commented Christof Kern, Business Development Lead in Satellite & Space at satellite consultancy TTP.  

In related news, this week Intelsat announced that it will install and operate ruggedised multi-orbit satellite terminals on farm equipment from CNH in remote areas of Brazil. This will enable farmers to effectively implement precision farming, the practice of using technology to use precise amounts of water, fertiliser, and pesticides to maximise crop yield. The satellites will provide the connectivity allowing farmers to implement the practice. 

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Also in the news:
T-Mobile and EQT form JV to buy Lumos
Korean Air shows off comprehensive urban air mobility system backed by 5G
Virgin Media O2 reaches plastic waste milestone