News 

Tesco Mobile was formed as a joint venture by supermarket giant Tesco and Telefonica UK (O2) back in 2003 

Today, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) and Tesco  have announced a ten-year renewal of their ongoing partnership surrounding joint venture Tesco Mobile. 

Tesco Mobile was formed twenty-one years ago as a joint venture between the two companies and has since become the largest mobile virtual network operator (MNVO) in the UK, with over 5.5 million customers. In 2022, the business reported a 9.4% increase in sales to £970 million. 

According to VMO2’s press release, 99% of the population is covered by the operator’s 4G services. As a MVNO, Tesco Mobile does not own a spectrum license itself, but instead sells its mobile services using VMO2’s extensive mobile network. 

“With demand for mobile data greater than ever, we’re continuing to invest heavily in our network to give our customers, and those of other providers who use our connectivity, an even better experience with the fast and reliable mobile services they expect and rely on,” said Lutz Schüler, CEO of VMO2. 

“This renewal will ensure that our customers can continue to benefit from excellent connectivity across the UK, while enjoying all the benefits of supermarket mobile, including exclusive deals with Clubcard Prices,” said Tesco CEO Jonathan Taylor. 

Back in 2015, Tesco was preparing to sell its stake in the mobile unit in an effort to cut its debt pile, which at the time stood at £22 billion. However, this did not materialise. 

Catch up with Virgin Media O2 at this year’s Connected North Event – 22-23 April in Manchester. Book your tickets today! 

Also in the news:
EE dominates RootMetrics benchmarking study but loses 5G crown to Three
FCC updates spectrum rules to facilitate broadband access on ships and aircraft
UK government strikes deal with Vodafone over e& security concerns

HAUD AND ORANGE FORGE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO BOOST INTERNATIONAL A2P MONETISATION AND ENHANCE MESSAGING PROTECTION

Uppsala Sweden – HAUD, a leading telecommunications security company, has officially announced a transformative strategic partnership with Orange Wholesale commitment to identify, address, and mitigate revenue leakage across all channels within the Orange group, ensuring sustained protection and revenue growth across the entire portfolio of Orange operating companies worldwide.

As part of this long-term partnership, HAUD is set to deliver a comprehensive suite of services, to bolster Orange’s A2P Monetisation business. These services encompass vulnerability testing assessments, strategic consulting, and award winning security software deployment throughout the Orange group. HAUDs mission is clear – to fortify the identification and prevention of A2P revenue leakage across diverse messaging channels, securing and optimizing the A2P Monetisation ecosystem.

“The partnership with HAUD signifies a strategic move towards fortifying the integrity of our messaging platforms and maximizing revenue generation. HAUDs solutions ensure we can maximize revenue from our messaging platforms in partnership with our operating companies and affiliates, solidifying our commitment to providing secure and innovative services,” said Cedric Gonin, VP Global Business Support at Orange Wholesale.

The Smart Ecosystem is meticulously designed to prioritize the protection of subscribers and systems, against potential threats while ensuring sustainable, scalable revenue streams. By embarking on this strategic journey with Orange Wholesale, HAUD reinforces its commitment to pioneering advancements in telecommunication messaging security. The partnership marks a pivotal step towards fortifying messaging protection and maximising the value derived from A2P Monetisation initiatives within the global telecom landscape, “said Erik Angelow, CEO at HAUD.

 

For further information, please contact:

Emily Morgan

emily.morgan@haud.com

 

About HAUD

HAUD stands as a distinguished leader in telecommunications security, dedicated to serving global Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Our comprehensive expertise spans a suite of award winning solutions, including A2P Monetization, Messaging Protection and Security, Messaging assurance, and SMS and Messaging Firewalls. 

With an unwavering commitment to empowering our clients, HAUD facilitates the imperative to “Stay in Control” of network dynamics, wholesale revenue, and overall customer experience. As the enduring and trusted partner for telecom operators and messaging partners worldwide, HAUD delivers cutting-edge services that redefine the benchmarks of telecommunications security.

Press Release

Over 150,000 premises in south and east London do not have access to high speed – Gigabit capable – internet connections

Contrary to perception, hundreds of thousands of addresses in London are affected by slow digital connectivity, causing digital inequalities that impede the lives of people and businesses.

The ‘Sub-regional Digital Infrastructure Strategy’ launched today by Local London and the South London Partnership, identifies gaps in 14 south and east London boroughs. It includes recommendations for driving up the quality and accessibility of services in them and will help channel investment to areas of economic opportunity.

There are over 103,000 premises in Local London and 53,000 South London Partnership unable to obtain a Gigabit capable broadband service with many sitting in a ‘not spot,’ unable to receive even a 30 Mbps service.

Mapping out the digitally poor postcodes, the strategy highlights best practices, learning and actions that the public and private sector can take together to build world-leading digital infrastructure for some of the fastest growing parts of London.

Commissioned by the Mayor of London’s Infrastructure Coordination Service, the ‘Sub-regional Digital Infrastructure Strategy’ is part of a wider pilot which will deliver an interactive mapping tool and an online digital toolkit that will assist borough officers to deliver digital infrastructure to their sites and leverage additional commercial digital infrastructure investment in the sub-regions.

The ‘Sub-regional Digital Infrastructure Strategy’ provides a compelling argument for actively pursuing digital investment along with step-by-step guidance to public sector officers to attract investment and promote better quality and more accessible services, including:

Map and statistics illustrating clearly where poor digital infrastructure issues lie.
Recommendations for public sector resourcing and roles, industry engagement, procurement options and commercial models, and key components of a successful delivery strategy.
Case studies and examples from across the UK demonstrating successful ways of working and benefits gained.
The strategic, commercial, financial, management case and options analysis.

Theo Blackwell MBE, Chief Digital Officer, Greater London Authority said “Widely available, easily accessible digital connectivity is essential for people to reach public services and is key to helping cities grow through driving innovation and the creation of new businesses.

“Yet there are still parts of London that suffer from a lack of commercial investment in digital infrastructure, and this results in gaps in internet coverage or ‘not spots’.

“We must address these gaps and drive the up the quality and accessibility of the services that are already available, to help the capital to be a fairer, more prosperous, and more equal London for everyone.”

Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE, Chairman of Local London and Leader of London Borough of Bexley said “We are delighted to launch the ‘Sub-regional Digital Infrastructure Strategy’ with our colleagues at South London Partnership. This provides step-by-step guidance to public sector colleagues for unlocking inward investment and maximising existing infrastructure to benefit people and businesses in the area. Along with the database and digital toolkit, this pilot approach will help all 14 boroughs tackle the digital divide, whilst also creating a legacy of learning that have even wider benefits.”

Cllr Gareth Roberts, Chair, South London Partnership and Leader of London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Council commented “This joint strategy demonstrates the benefits of a cross-boundary approach. Addressing the issues at a sub-regional level, with colleagues at Local London, this strategy provides clear guidance for unlocking rapid deployment of next generation wireless infrastructure and gigabit capable full fibre, to align us with other urban areas in the UK, whilst responding to the distinct social and economic needs of each borough.”

Rochdale-based ISP Zen Internet has notified customers about a network migration that will result in them being assigned a new Internet Protocol (IP) address or addresses, which for most users should only result in a brief service disruption and no major changes. But for some customers it may be a bigger problem. Most consumers tend […]

2023: growth on every front

Over the last four years, ielo has achieved continuous annual growth of 33%, making it one of the most dynamic players in the digital infrastructure sector. These positive results were driven by the continued support of its 400 active operator customers, who were joined in 2023 by 60 new national and international players.

As a neutral infrastructure operator, ielo’s model is based on the design and operation of its own national network, the deployment of which required the mobilisation of significant capital and the involvement of ielo’s teams.  Since 2020, ielo has increased the size of its metropolitan network tenfold and created its own national long-distance network. These homogeneous, very high-capacity networks provide a unique end-to-end quality of service and a competitive advantage for its operator partners.

In 2023, ielo continued to gain ground and by the beginning of 2024 had:

A 16,000 km metropolitan fibre network to be as close as possible to end-customer sites
An 11,000 km long-distance network to transport the data of its partners and their customers from one end of France to the other

2023: the year of industrialisation 

In order to improve its performance and accelerate its rollouts, ielo has concentrated its efforts on industrialising its processes, particularly with regard to the delivery of links and the densification of its backbone network.

With 350 employees (of which 250 are field technicians), ielo has been able to significantly increase its operational capacity to overcome the challenges of its growth.

2023 was also marked by the creation of a dedicated customer support team to guarantee a high quality end-to-end service. 

Finally, 2023 saw the integration of the Quantic Telecom team into ielo. Having stopped the expansion of its direct sales of digital services in order to adopt ielo’s “pure wholesale” model, the team in Rouen completes the operator’s presence in Normandy. 

Heading into 2024 with ever-higher speeds and FTTO guarantees

Unlike traditional fibre networks based on a shared, mass-market architecture (FTTH), ielo has focused on designing and deploying its own dedicated local loop fibre optic network. ielo’s FTTO offering is supported by an end-to-end infrastructure that is 100% dedicated to businesses and local authorities. This gives them the guarantees they need to run their digital businesses smoothly, through reliable, ultra-high-speed infrastructure.

In 2023, more than 2/3 of the requests transmitted by ielo’s partners achieved a guaranteed speed of at least 100Mb/s, compared with only 1/3 in 2022.  All came with a 4-hour Guaranteed Recovery Time.

These figures reflect the growing need among businesses for ever-higher speeds and guarantees tailored to their requirements. In order to keep up with this growing demand, ielo rolled out its FTTO collection service in 2023, with guaranteed speeds of up to 10Gb/s throughout the country.

The first quarter of 2024 will see the launch of a new range of FTTO solutions. This new stage in ielo’s development will enable the company to continue democratising FTTO throughout France and provide a technology that is perfectly tailored to businesses’ reliability and performance needs. This will be possible thanks to a neutral infrastructure base controlled by ielo’s teams from start to finish.

Arthur FERNANDEZ, CEO of ielo, commented: “Our results are the fruit of our teams’ commitment and the trust placed in us by our partners. They embody our promise: to be and remain the only neutral infrastructure operator in order to boost the business telecoms market in France over the long term. Since we are not dependent on any French telecoms group, we are able to keep this promise to our partners, with whom we are working in close collaboration to accelerate the digitisation of businesses in France. With this is mind, we intend to continue developing our service offering to help them increase the opportunities for switching to fibre at a time when the copper network is being phased out.”

About ielo 

ielo is an independent French telecoms infrastructure operator specialising in very high-speed fibre optic networks, providing a high-quality solution to the needs of the business and local authority markets.

Now operating in more than 3,300 municipalities, ielo offers a network dedicated to the uses of the business customers of its operator partners and assists local authorities in rolling out their own networks to support their public service missions. ielo’s next-generation infrastructure is designed, deployed and maintained internally to offer the highest level of availability. In 2023, ielo had 350 employees, including 250 technicians, working in 12 Regional Technical Centres to provide a consistent, controlled quality of service.

Press contacts

Stéphanie Lefebvre – slefebvre@aromates.fr

Cynthia Trulès – cynthia.trules@ielo.net

Santa Clara, Calif. – January 30, 2024 — Ataya, the leaders of unified connectivity for Industry 4.0 and beyond, today announced the launch of Chorus, a standalone 5G Access Point (AP) that brings unparalleled simplicity and low cost benefits to enterprises needing to rapidly deploy Private 5G networks. With a focus on true Zero-Touch deployment, Chorus eliminates the complexities, additional hardware, and high costs that have traditionally hindered the widespread adoption of 5G in private networks, particularly in small to medium deployments. MWC Barcelona takes place February 26-29 and attendees can see Chorus and Ataya products in action at Hall 5, 5A61 and Hall 2, 2A11MR. To schedule a meeting, please visit www.ataya.io/mwc-barcelona-2024/.

An Underserved Market Segment

The needs of customers requiring small to medium deployments are distinct from larger-scale deployments. Such scenarios have little space for additional server or hardware (ex: construction sites, parking garages), lack of IT expertise for configuration, and a smaller budget envelope. The complexity, additional hardware, and costs associated with 5G private networks have proven to be inhibitive factors, while attempts at simplified systems have limited functionality by permitting single node-only deployments or necessitating that all user traffic is routed through a public cloud.

Key Features of Chorus 

Targeted for small to medium sized operations, the launch of Chorus marks a significant development in the Private 5G market. The emphasis on simplicity, turnkey solutions, and lower costs opens up the market for many deployments, out of reach with traditional Private 5G solutions including gas stations, retail parking lots, smart agriculture, public-emergency infrastructure among others.

Simplicity and Scale: Chorus offers unparalleled ease of deployment, making 5G accessible to a wider range of users including small-scale and niche operations.
Multi-tenancy & Multi-Site: Manage all your deployments from a centralized dashboard
Lower Cost: By eliminating the need for additional hardware and expert IT technicians, Chorus significantly reduces the overall cost of Private 5G deployment.

Customer Benefits

Chorus users can deploy Private 5G without the need for extensive technical expertise or additional hardware. As a turnkey solution, Chorus ensures that the 5G network is operational immediately after plugging in the AP, all with significantly reduced overall cost of Private 5G deployment, making it accessible to a broader customer base.

“Existing solutions don’t go far enough in simplifying Private 5G deployments. They typically require additional hardware or high costs or expert IT technicians to deploy 5G,” said Puneet Sethi, SVP of Products at Ataya. “Chorus enables all the security and low latency functionality expected of 5G deployments without any of the traditionally associated overhead cost and complexity, allowing the Industry 4.0 revolution to extend to nearly all participants in the manufacturing sector.”

“We have been working with Ataya Harmony for global markets including Korea and Japan, and the customer feedback has been excellent. Now, we are expanding our relationship to Chorus. Simplification is much needed for certain segments of our customers who want to rapidly deploy small-scale 5G networks. While we have looked at other solutions, the innovation offered by Chorus uniquely meets the needs of the customers who prioritize simplicity, security, and fast service delivery.” Said Jeff Kim, Deputy CEO, Qucell

By eliminating the need for elaborate installations, Chorus is the simplest and most cost-effective solution in the market. Customers no longer have to buy servers, configure, maintain and upgrade software. The Chorus platform can support a range of deployments from a small network with a single AP to multiple APs deployed across multiple sites. The Chorus network grows, discovers and scales as the customer simply adds more Chorus AP and powers them on, allowing Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to rapidly meet customers needs by allowing them to direct-ship Chorus APs to new and existing customers, and remotely onboard and monitor networks, lowering MSP costs and enhancing customer experiences. 

“Chorus is a game-changer for Opticoms and our customers in the world of edge computing and private 5G networks. As an MSP catering to diverse sectors, we have always seen the potential of these advanced technologies but faced challenges in deploying them effectively. But with Chorus on the horizon, we are confident that those barriers will be shattered. It promises to provide us with the tools and capabilities to fully leverage the potential of Opticoms‘ edge computing and private 5G solutions, empowering our customers to do more, faster, more secure and more efficiently than ever before. Chorus represents a new era of possibility, and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of this exciting development,” said Johann S. Schmid, CEO of Opticoms.

IS-Wireless has inaugurated the first 5G campus network at the Polish university, built in the Open RAN model and using the local frequencies. Experts emphasize that it is a milestone in the development of the telecommunications industry in Poland. The network, delivered at Bialystok University of Technology, will contribute to the education of the future 5G and 6G specialists. This is another groundbreaking implementation by IS Wireless, a regional 5G private networks leader.

Open RAN is the fastest-growing segment in the telecommunications area. Currently, it’s being implemented in 5G networks, but the industry leaders are convinced that it will be the preferred model in 6G networks. 

“That’s why the installation in Bialystok, the first of its kind at a Polish university, is so important,” explains Slawomir Pietrzyk, CEO and Founder of IS-Wireless. “Together with the University and partners involved in creating this network, we have delivered state-of-the-art solutions in a short time. Local frequencies have only been made accessible and we are already delivering a fully functional campus network.”

Pietrzyk adds that one of the main advantages of the Open RAN model is the use of solutions from multiple suppliers, as evident at Bialystok University of Technology. “The interfaces of the network components are open and specified, allowing the use of hardware and software from different companies. That is the essence of Open RAN,” he explains. He mentions that components provided by Emitel S.A. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) were utilized during the network construction. Emitel S.A. provided the distributed antenna system (DAS) and HPE took care of the compute infrastructure.

“Due to the growing role of efficient and fast communication between devices in the modern world, 5G networks operating at high frequencies require skillful design and implementation, as well as a reliable radio signal distribution system. The quality of services provided in office or industrial buildings depends on this,” emphasizes Piotr Guziewicz, Director of the Network Planning and Service Development Office at Emitel.

 

“Cutting-edge telecommunications solutions are one of the driving forces of the economy, enabling smart factories and cities, as well as automation and the introduction of new services that require rapid data transfer. As a provider of end-to-end solutions from the edge to the cloud, including a full portfolio of services for wired and wireless connectivity, we are pleased to see Polish science and business collaborating in this field,” notes Krzysztof Kowalczyk, Sales Director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Poland.

It isn’t the first such implementation by IS-Wireless – a few months ago, the company launched a similar network at Riga Technical University (RTU), Latvia. Additionally, the company was responsible for implementing Poland’s first industrial network in the Open RAN established at the Hub4Industry in Krakow.

Training network’s impact on Industry 4.0

The 5G network built at the Bialystok University of Technology will help students gain the knowledge necessary for building and maintaining mobile networks in an open model. In the coming years, the majority of telecommunications networks worldwide will be built using this approach. Therefore, Bialystok University of Technology aims to educate future professionals who can contribute to the dynamic development of this sector in the region.

“Students will have access to the latest technology,” emphasizes Professor Mirosław Świercz, Vice-Rector for Development at Bialystok University of Technology. “They will be able to test commercial devices and perform tests related to 5G radio transmission – for example, check what server computing resources this network uses,” says the scientist. 

Andrzej Zankiewicz, PhD from the Department of Photonics, Electronics, and Lightning Technology at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Bialystok University of Technology adds that in the newly established laboratory students will practically examine the impact of signal modulation and coding of the signal on communication. “They will be able to change parameters and observe how they affect the data transmission rate, transmission reliability and its resistance to interference from the surrounding environment,” he concludes.

Press Release

Join Germany’s leading fibre event on 27 & 28 February 2024

Germany’s leading trade show for fibre roll-out and digitalization
Extensive congress program with high level panel discussions
New focus on sustainability, diversity & municipal roll-out
Media hall: Germany’s leading congress on FAST Channels & the TV of the future

Germany’s leading trade show for fibre deployment and digitalization will take place 27-28 February at the RheinMain CongressCenter (RMCC) in Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt. The exhibition in two halls with more than 200 national and international exhibitors includes an extensive conference program on all key topics for the fibre roll-out in Germany.

High profile conference program

In addition to panels on open access, investments, strategic topics, technical innovations and European regulation, there will also be a panel discussion on the intersection of the energy transition and fibre optics for the first time.

English language panel discussion

Another highlight on the first day of the fiberdays, especially for international visitors, will be the English language panel discussion on the future of telecoms market regulation in Germany. Representatives from FTTH Council Europe, the Danish Fiberalliancen, and the Infranum from France will provide insights from around Europe, which will help stakeholders prepare for potential regulatory changes in Germany during the coming years.

200+ exhibitors

The fiberdays show floor will span more than 10.000 square meters, covering both exhibition halls of the RMCC Wiesbaden, with more than 200 international exhibitors from the fibre and digital industries presenting their latest innovations and services.

Media hall: conference on the TV of the future

The TV congress media hall is already entering its third round this year. Broadcasters, network operators and media professionals will meet there to discuss the future of TV. Following last year’s great success, there will once again be a varied program of presentations and discussions on all current TV topics, including FAST Channels and AVOD, live sports, in-car entertainment, TV marketing and, of course, this year’s key date in the German TV market – the end of the possibility to include cable TV fees in ancillary rental costs on 1 July 2024.

New young talent network

In order to strengthen young employees in the telecommunications industry and make the sector more diverse and attractive for the young professionals of tomorrow, BREKO and carrierwerke will jointly launch the industry network “nextgen”. Following a related panel discussion, the new network will also hold its first gathering at fiberdays 24.

Exclusive free tickets for Total Telecom readers

As an official fiberdays 24 partner, we are able to offer our readers a limited number of free tickets. To book your free ticket, please click the link below, select “Kooperationspartner 1”, and enter 4344794743 as “membership or advantage number”.

Get your ticket now!

More info: fiberdays.de

News

The subsidies will be used to fund the joint research and production of cutting-edge optical technology semiconductors

Today, the Japanese government has announced it will provide roughly $307 million in subsidies for a semiconductor project backed by NTT, Intel, and SK Hynix.

The chip specialists from Japan, the US, and South Korea, respectively, are set to collaborate on the development of optical semiconductor technology, a field that potentially offers higher data processing speeds and lower energy consumption than its electrical counterparts.

Under the current plan, the companies plan to begin producing related products by 2027.

“We hope the (project), by enabling faster communications and realizing reduced power consumption, will be a game changer in the future,” Ken Saito, minister of economy, trade and industry.

The move comes as one of the West’s latest instances of government intervention aimed at increasing domestic chip competencies and lessening reliance on China.

Japan has quietly been bolstering its position in the international semiconductor industry over th past year, typically investing indirectly in domestic chip production and adjacent technologies in efforts to carve out a niche on the world stage.

Last summer, for example, the Japan Investment Corporation (JIC) – a government-backed fund overseen by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry – announced the takeover of esoteric microelectronics specialist JSR for $6.4 billion.

JSR produces photoresists, chemicals crucial for the photolithographic process used when making microchips. The company is the global leader in the photoresist market – perhaps the only aspect of the global chipmaking economy in which Japan plays a vital role.

In addition to this acquisition, in October the government announced $1.3 billion in subsidies for US firm Micron to set up a semiconductor firm in Hiroshima. Then, in December, the JIC also moved to takeover Fujitsu’s semiconductor packaging arm Shinko Electric Industries for around $4.7 billion.

According to JIC CEO Keisuke Yokoo, the government fears that Japan’s medium-sized enterprises in the microelectronics sphere will not be able to compete in the long-term with giants from rival nations in the US and China, hence requiring government support to remain competitive on the international stage.

Keep up with all the latest news from the international telecoms community with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
EE dominates RootMetrics benchmarking study but loses 5G crown to Three
FCC updates spectrum rules to facilitate broadband access on ships and aircraft
UK government strikes deal with Vodafone over e& security concerns

Network builder and UK ISP Vorboss, which is investing £300m to deploy a 100Gbps full fibre network (Ethernet and broadband) – dedicated to business – across central London, has today appointed Zayo Group’s former VP of European Corporate Development and Strategy, David Gilbey, to be their new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Prior to his posting […]