Network access provider CityFibre has revealed that its roll-out of a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network across the city of Glasgow in Scotland, which started in 2021 and is costing c. £270m, is now “expected to reach completion in 2029” (the original goal was to be “substantially completed by 2025“). The operator’s […]

News

The UK government has mandated all UK operators to remove Huawei equipment from the core of their networks by the end of this year

Customers of UK mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Sky Mobile have reportedly suffered from signal outages, seemingly leaving some without mobile internet access and others without any signal at all.

According to anonymous sources speaking to The Financial Times, the outages are linked to the removal of Huawei equipment from the core of Sky’s network, a process mandated by the government to be completed this year.

The outages seemingly occurred in May and June this year.

Back in 2020, the UK government made the decision to ban Huawei equipment from the country’s mobile networks, following in the footsteps of the US in arguing that the Chinese equipment provider represented a risk to national security.

The decision was initially met by a level of incredulity from the UK’s mobile network operators, who said that removing all of the equipment and replacing it would cause significant disruption, costing them millions of pounds and potentially slowing down their rollout of 5G infrastructure.

Indeed, BT initially said complying with the government’s orders could cost the operator up to £500 million over five years, though they later reduced this figure due to the government extending the deadline to remove the equipment.

After numerous revisions, last year the government finally issued the operators with a formal notice that they must remove Huawei technology from the entirety of their networks by the end of 2027 and from the more vulnerable core of their networks by the end of 2023.

Sky Mobile, as an MVNO, provides mobile services over O2’s infrastructure, but also use their own networking equipment.

“Sky is fully complying with government requirements on our mobile network, whilst making every effort to ensure we limit any potential impact on customers,” said the company in a statement to the FT.

Sky, of course, is not the only UK operator still removing Huawei equipment from its network. BT (EE) notably began the process back in 2021, with Vodafone more recently suggesting that at least some of its removed Huawei equipment would be replaced with Open RAN alternatives.

Also in the news:
Stonepeak buys minority stake in Cellnex Nordics
Telefonica Germany partners with Skylo for satellite-supported IoT
Ofcom unveils plan for mmWave spectrum auction 

Some customers of Lyca Mobile, which is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on EE’s (BT) national platform (previously O2), have – since Friday – been reporting that they’ve been unable to make any mobile calls or send text (SMS) messages. Most customers also report that they’ve been unable to get through to Lyca’s support. […]

Customers of broadband ISP Virgin Media’s (VMO2) Pay TV services may like to know that, from today until 6am on 31st October 2023, they will all be given access to additional premium kids TV channels “at no extra cost“, including Sky Kids, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Cartoonito, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr and Nicktoons. All shows will also […]

Reports coming in from Germany over the past couple of weeks appear to suggest that AVM, which manufactures the popular FRITZ!Box range of broadband ISP routers and smart home devices (these are widely used in the UK too), could be sold on to new owners as a way of preserving the company’s future. The company […]

Network operator nexfibre, which is working in a wholesale partnership with broadband ISP Virgin Media (VMO2) to deploy a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across up to 7 million UK premises, has today announced that they’ve covered 500,000 premises (RFS) and appointed Rajiv Datta as CEO. Breaking news.. more to follow..

New customers looking to take out a service with ISP Sky Broadband may like to know that the provider has just further discounted the price of their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) powered packages on Openreach’s national network, which is currently available to 11.5 million UK premises (inc. 3.7m in the hardest to reach rural areas). As a […]

Mobile network operator giffgaff has launched a special autumn promotion that adds an extra 15GB of free data for the first six months of service to their existing 25GB SIM Only mobile plan (total of 40GB) for just £10 a month on an 18-month term. All plans also come with unlimited UK calls and texts. […]

Interview

On Day One of this year’s Connected Britain conference, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jamie Hayes, Managing Director of Fiber and Streetscape at Boldyn Networks, one of the world’s largest neutral host providers

We discussed the state of the connectivity landscape in the UK from a neutral host perspective, and the most important things that Boldyn Networks look for in the areas they work in: political leadership, advance supply, and demand. 

“Its great to see all the suppliers here, it’s a thriving ecosystem of startups through to large companies,” said Jamie,  

“An event like this [Connected Britain], a concentration of demand is vital for the places that we want to go to.” 

We also discussed the company’s work with the London boroughs, helping the city to access gigabit fibre and making the London underground safer through connectivity. 

Ending on the topic of local authorities and connectivity, Jamie noted: “we’d like to see more emphasis on connectivity, because it seems to have a real close correlation to many deprivation indexes like health, wealth, income, and inward investment.” 

You can watch the full interview below:

Want to keep up to date with the latest developments in the world of telecoms? Subscriber to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter here     

Also in the news:
Stonepeak buys minority stake in Cellnex Nordics
Ericsson: We’re “exploding with use cases” for private 5G
Telefonica Germany partners with Skylo for satellite-supported IoT

News 

The newly formed entity is ‘strategically positioned to be a global leader in space communications’, according to the two companies 

Satellite operators Eutelsat communications and OneWeb have this week announced the completion of their $3.4 billion merger, following a Eutelsat shareholder meeting. 

The two companies have combined to form Eutelsat Group, which will be headquartered in Paris. OneWeb will become a subsidiary of the Group, operating as Eutelsat OneWeb, with its operations remaining in London. 

The merger will see OneWeb’s constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites added to Eutelsat’s geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, creating the “only GEO–LEO operator in satellite communications that can offer a ubiquitous connectivity service,” according to Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke 

“This is an historic moment for the satellite industry. We are bringing together two businesses that are at the forefront of delivering integrated, seamless and reliable connectivity to customers worldwide,” said Dominique D’Hinnin, Chairman of the Board of Directors in a statement. 

“This exciting combination will be transformative for communities and businesses worldwide, utilising the unique blend of GEO and LEO technologies,” said Bharti Airtel’s Sunil Bharti Mittal, Vice-President of the Board of Directors. 

“Closing the digital divide is a critical mission for Eutelsat Group and the combination of these two businesses, which have each pursued this goal separately, accelerates our progress,”said Sunil Bharti Mittal Co-Chair of the Board of Directors. 

The UK government owns a minority stake in OneWeb, following a rescue deal in 2020 that prevented the firm’s collapse. According to a statement released last year after the Memorandum of Understanding between the two firms, the UK government will retain this special share in OneWeb and a number of exclusive rights. 

Upon the news, Eutelsat shares rose 3.5%. 

Competition in the space communications industry is increasing steadily, with analysts at Morgan Stanley estimating that the industry could be worth more than $1 trillion by 2040, up from a $550 billion today, as the industry becomes increasingly lucrative.  

Indeed, this is not the only major satellite merger we have seen this year, with global communications firm Viasat buying the UK’s Inmarsat for $6.2 billion back in May. 

“Satellite communications is a hugely significant and strategic global market for the U.K. space sector, now poised for an exciting next phase,” said George Freeman MP, the UK’s Minister of State at the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology. 

Mergers such as these could be set to provide significant competition for Elon Musk’s LEO constellation Starlink, which has quickly established itself as one of the world leading satellite internet providers. 

Want to keep up to date with the latest developments in the world of telecoms? Subscriber to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter here    

Also in the news:
Stonepeak buys minority stake in Cellnex Nordics
Telefonica Germany partners with Skylo for satellite-supported IoT
Ofcom unveils plan for mmWave spectrum auction