Customers of mobile operator O2 (VMO2) in the rural Norfolk (England) village of Horning have complained of signal problems after one of the operator’s key mobile masts in the area was disconnected, which was done in order to avoid it causing interference with a new Ministry of Defence (MoD) radar dome. At quick look at […]

Network builder and broadband ISP Brsk, which has already deployed their gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to cover 266,000 UK premises (rollout plan), has today confirmed that they’ve chosen Neos Networks to provide them with diverse national backhaul services as they expand their coverage. Last year saw brsk, which currently focuses their rollout on parts […]

Belfast-based network operator and broadband ISP Fibrus, which is building a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) network across parts of Northern Ireland and England, has revealed that 44 out of their 110+ strong fleet of vehicles (37%) are now powered by electricity (up from 14 in Dec 2022). As of May 2023, the […]

Mobile operator O2 (VMO2) has today continued their campaign against abuse of airtime contracts that cover the cost of both your handset and mobile plan, which can leave some consumers overpaying for mobile phones they already own, by launching a new online calculator to help check if you’ve overpaid for your Smartphone. A few months […]

Network access provider Openreach has announced a new special offer on bandwidth modifies, which essentially makes it cheaper for UK ISPs to upgrade customers on Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL2) and SOGEA broadband lines to an 80Mbps max download (20Mbps upload) speed. The deal, which will be available for a period of six months between 4th […]

Press Release

New study shows that graphene-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) could finally unlock nature’s wasted energy

Scientists may have finally found a solution to effectively harvesting energy from humans into electrical energy.

Researchers from the Institute of Thin Films, Sensors and Imaging (ITFSI) from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) explored the use of the 3D graphene foam material Gii™ by Integrated Graphene as an active layer in an energy generator (known as a TENG).

The investigation aimed to transform mechanical energy wasted in nature into electrical energy that could be used to power small electronic devices and sensors in the booming global market for Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

The research, published in ScienceDirect, shows that the force of a human footprint on a pressure-sensitive mat, equipped with Gii-TENG sensors, can produce enough energy to anonymously identify people entering or leaving a room. As well as providing a low-cost and energy-efficient solution to monitoring building occupancy, the mats could also help to optimize energy resources by, for example, controlling room temperature upon entrance or exit.

The findings of this study will be of particular interest to schools and universities who could employ the technology to link the measurement of room occupancy to a ventilating system and a CO2 monitor, reducing the volume of CO2 which has been shown to reduce the ability to focus.

Mechanical energy is one of the most abundant and versatile energy sources available in nature. For around 20 years, TENGs have been investigated as a technique for converting mechanical energy from our daily actions into usable electrical energy which can power both small IoT electronic devices and sensors but also more power-hungry items such as electric cars and drones.

However, efforts to develop a commercially viable TENG have, to date, been hampered by issues relating to low durability, limited energy output and inefficiency. The addition of Gii™ to TENG has opened up a whole new world of possibilities due to its unique properties including high surface area, porosity, light weight, and superior electrical properties. The energy autonomous, pressure sensing nature of Gii-TENG has the potential to transform various aspects of our lifestyles, society and economy including, for example:

Harvesting energy from sports such as golf, running, and tennis to power smart devices which generate performance data
Self-powered wearable biosensors for early diagnosis of health conditions including cardiovascular disease, gout and diabetes.
Harvesting energy from cars on roads and people walking in the creation of smart cities
A smart energy solution for industry 4.0
Extending the hovering time of drones, allowing transportation of parcels – and even people in the future – for longer distances and longer times

Marco Caffio, CSO, Integrated Graphene said: “The possibilities of Gii-TENG are endless, with the potential to push the limits of technology beyond human expectations. With the number of IoT devices interlinked worldwide forecast to reach 100 billion by 2030, there is a clear need for new sustainable energy sources and technologies which can meet the power demand from our reliance on technology for work, life and play. Our Gii-TENG platform could potentially prevent the constant replacement of batteries in trillions of devices, and reduce the utilisation of wires, making the IoT technology of the near future to be wireless and energy autonomous. We’re excited by its potential and believe it could play a key role in society’s journey towards a smart world.”

Dr Carlos Garcia Nuñez, Lecturer, School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS), UWS, said: “We’re very excited by these findings. Through our work with Integrated Graphene, we have proven that using Gii-material – an advanced type of three-dimensional graphene (3DG) foam – as an active layer in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can work as a reliable and cost-effective energy harvesting power source for autonomous sensors and electronics. This discovery has enormous potential for the booming global Internet of Things (IoT) industry. Given the global need for alternative sources of green energy, Gii-TENGs can potentially provide a sustainable source of power for the multitude of small electronic devices which we use in our everyday lives. Bringing us one step closer to realising a greener and more energy-abundant future.”

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Also in the news:
UK government explores £160m satellite fund
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High Court denies BT’s attempts to sue Virgin Mobile

News

Airtel says the service will provide high-speed internet to areas of the country without access to fibre connectivity 

This week, Bharti Airtel, one of India’s largest telcos has launched a 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) service called ‘Airtel Xstream AirFiber’. 

The FWA offering is delivered to customers as a plug-and-play solution with built-in Wi-Fi 6 technology. It will allow users to connect up to 64 devices simultaneously with initial plans offering speeds of up to 100 Mbps. 

In its press release, Airtel noted that fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology currently only reaches 34 million households in India out of a possible 303 million, leaving millions of people unable to access high speed internet at home or at work. As such, this FWA solution can offer a viable alternative in areas yet to receive the fibre upgrade. 

“India has seen the rapid growth of home broadband but there still remain areas with no access to hi-speed internet at home due to the physical challenges of laying fiber in a country the size of India,” said Consumer Business Director Shashwat Sharma. “While fiber to the home will always define the best experience of Wi-Fi at home, AirFiber helps bridge the experience gap for everyone else.”   

The service also notably eliminates the need for the installation of costly wired fibre connections, offering additional flexibility and convenience to consumers. 

Airtel will roll out the service across the country in phases, with Airtel 5G users in Delhi and Mumbai being the first to gain access. New locations will be added as the company’s 5G network rollout itself progresses. 

However, Managing Director Gopal Vittal noted that the economics of the FWA devices remains challenging, as they are twice the price of the home-broadband router. 

The newly launches service will also drive-up domestic manufacturing, as the firm plans to produce the units in India as part of the government’s “Make in India” initiative, which was launched in 2014 and designed to make India a global manufacturing hub. 

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Also in the news:
Airtel Business passes 20 million IoT connections
Airtel Rwanda launches its own 4G network
Could triboelectric nanogenerators be key to powering the IoT? 

News

A group of 37 shareholders are suing Sweden’s Ericsson for a combined total of SEK 1.8 billion ($170 million) over claims the company withheld information regarding its internal investigation into its dealings in Iraq 

A report by Dagens Industri says that the shareholders are seeking compensation after revelations of Ericsson’s potential wrongdoings in Iraq last year saw the company’s share price tumble. 

Ericsson has been quick to dispute the shareholders’ claims, saying it will ‘defend itself vigorously in this matter’. The share price has since halved, to 52.71 crowns on Friday. 

The report of the internal investigation, which published back in February 2022, saw Ericsson CEO Borjie Ekholm disclose “unusual expenses dating back to 2018” relating to their activities in Iraq, which may have included bribery payments to Iraqi terrorist groups. 

Ericsson said that the money was used for access to alternative transport routes which avoided Iraqi customs.  

“What we are seeing is that transport routes have been purchased through areas that have been controlled by terrorist organizations, including ISIS,” said Ekholm. 

The report saw Ericsson’s share price collapse and now, over a year later, it still sits at roughly half the value it held before the report was released.  

The Ericsson shareholders in question accuse the company of deliberately withholding the results of the company’s internal investigation for over two years, a move which they say breaches Market Abuse Regulations. These rules say that share issuers must promptly inform the public about relevant inside information, allowing them to make an accurate assessment. 

Ericsson has been quick to dispute the shareholders’ claims, saying it “disputes the claims in their entirety itself vigorously in this matter”. 

Ericsson is no stranger to accusations of corruption. In 2019, the firm was fined $1 billion by the US Department of Justice in one of the largest ever enforcements of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Charges against Ericsson included bribing government officials in China, Vietnam, and Djibouti.  

“Swedish telecom giant Ericsson has admitted to a years-long campaign of corruption in five countries to solidify its grip on telecommunications business,” said the US Department of Justice in 2019. “Through slush funds, bribes, gifts, and graft, Ericsson conducted telecom business with the guiding principle that ‘money talks.” 

As part of the settlement with the US government, it was agreed that Ericsson would not face criminal conviction if it revealed all company wrongdoings and submitted itself to additional scrutiny. However, in March this year, it was revealed that Ericsson broke this deal by intentionally omitted details about its dealings with Iraq, leading to the company being fined another $206 million. 

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Ericsson begins 5G manufacturing in Malaysia
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Nokia looks for a slice of BEAD funding with new Sanmina Corporation partnership 

News 

The job cuts represent roughly 5.5% of the company’s 108,500 employees 

Canadian telco Telus has announced that it will cut 6,000 jobs to free up cash flow and remain competitive, the company revealed on Friday.  

According to reports, roughly 4,000 of the jobs will be cut from Telus itself, with a further  2,000 at Telus International.  

In an announcement, company President and CEO Darren Entwistle said were prompted by the “evolving regulatory, competitive and macroeconomic environment.” 

“Against the backdrop of rapid transformation in our industry and the ways in which our customers want to engage with us, today we are announcing a significant investment in an extensive efficiency and effectiveness initiative across Telus,” he explained. 

According to the firm, the company restructuring will cost Telus C$475 million ($356 million) this year but will result in future annual savings of over C$325 million ($243 million). 

The restructuring news comes shortly after Telus revealed that its net income for this year’s second quarter had fallen by nearly 61% compared to last year, down to C$196 million ($146 million). 

As well as job cuts, Telus said it will implement additional cost-saving measures, such as developing more automated and AI-enabled systems to streamline operations. 

Telus are not alone in their restructuring strategies, as other Canadian telcos have also made sizeable job cuts this year. BCE Inc, parent company of network operator Bell Canada, announced in June that it will cut 1,300 jobs to cut costs. Meanwhile, Rogers Communications said earlier this year that it will make job cuts as a result of its merger with Shaw, which was given the green light in April this year. Exactly how many jobs are expected to get the axe is currently unclear.  

In fact, similar job cuts are taking place all over the world in the telecoms sector, with pressures on the global economy and rising inflation taking their toll on operators’ bottom lines. In the UK, for example, BT has announced its intention to reduce its headcount by around 55,000 – around 42% of its global workforce – by 2030, suggesting that greater use of AI will help absorb many of these roles. Similarly, Vodafone has said it will cut 11,000 jobs over the next three years in an effort to accelerate growth. 

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Also in the news:
Virgin Media O2 announces 2,000 job cuts
Vodafone warns of investment cuts if Three merger is blocked
O2 Slovakia and Slovak Telekom to share mobile networks

News

The operator has deployed 100 new 4G sites across the UK, helping deliver much needed connectivity to some of the country’s most remote locations

Today, Three UK has announced its latest achievement as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN), having now deployed 100 4G sites to some of the hardest-to-reach areas in the country.

The new sites, 65 of which are in Scotland, provide additional mobile coverage of across roughly 2,800km2, as well as bringing 4G connectivity to over 37,000 premises.

“With mobile connectivity becoming increasingly critical to everyday life, it is vital that we provide a network capable of supporting local economies and communities in every part of the UK,” said Iain Milligan, CNO of Three UK. “The 100th site in Three’s SRN network is another significant milestone and will transform rural access to 4G. We continue to deliver on our commitments, but the locations we are focusing on are remote and challenging, and we continue to work with local authorities to try and progress as best as possible.”

The £1 billion SRN is a joint project between the UK’s four mobile operators and the national government, aiming to help expand to expand the geographic coverage of 4G to 95% of UK by the end of 2025. This involves upgrading existing infrastructure as well as the deployment of new equipment, all of which will ultimately be shared between all four operators.

The SRN is backed by £500 million of public funding, with a further £500 million provided by the mobile players.

Since its launch in 2020, progress on the SRN has been fairly modest, due largely to the copious amount of research and planning that must go into deploying new mobile sites in remote areas. Nonetheless, in recent months all four of the UK’s operators have provided related rollout updates, perhaps indicating that the programme is now beginning to pick up steam.

Earlier this month, Vodafone announced the activation of two new sites in Dumfries and Galloway, bringing their total to 49 sites deployed. Virgin Media O2 reportedly has a similar of new sites operational, with 50 sites built or upgraded as part of the SRN as of May this year.

EE, meanwhile, is playing its part in the SRN largely by upgrading its existing sites in selected areas. Earlier this year, the operator said it had upgraded relevant 1,500 sites across the UK, delivering 4G coverage to over 2,000 square miles.

Is the UK on track to meet its lofty coverage goals? Join the operators in discussion at the UK’s largest digital economy event, Connected Britain

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