Network operator Neos Networks, which runs one of the fastest growing, high capacity business fibre networks in the UK – spanning 34,000km and 550 exchanges, has today announced that its existing CEO, Colin Sempill, is to be replaced by Lee Myall, who joins the business from Kao Data where he is the CEO. Colin Sempill […]

The FTTH Council Europe has today released their 2023 ranking of the European countries with the strongest take-up and annual growth of gigabit-capable “full fibre” (FTTP/H/B) broadband ISP networks. Once again, the United Kingdom continues to see exceptional growth (42% in homes passed) over the past year. Admittedly, it’s still a slow climb for the […]

A new study from SaaSGenius.com, which contacted ten of the UK’s “leading utility companies” to test the quality and responsiveness of their customer help desks, has perhaps surprisingly found that home energy and broadband ISP Shell Energy came top of the table with a customer support score of 80.1 out of 100. The study reportedly […]

A new study from economic consultancy firm Fideres has accused UK telecoms regulator Ofcom of “tacitly allowing” TalkTalk, Virgin Media (VMO2) and other voice-only landline providers (e.g. SSE) to overcharge consumers by up to £200 million since 2009 (£100m by TT, £50m by VMO2, and a further £50m by smaller providers). Just to recap. Ofcom’s […]

NEWS

The Italian incumbent has received two new bids for its fixed assets from investment firm KKR and a consortium of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and Macquarie

TIM confirmed receipt of two new non-binding bids yesterday, meeting the deadline it had set for interested parties to improve their bids for the operators fixed network business and assets. Reports in Reuters indicated that the bids were from both KKR and the CDP-Macquarie consortium, both of which originally bid earlier this year.

The new bids, would add around €1bn-€2bn to their offers, with the Italian financial press reporting that the CDP/Macquarie consortium had raised its offer to €19.3 billion, from its original bid of around €18 billion, while KKR has added about €1 billion to its bid, taking it to €19 billion plus €2 billion in earn-outs in the event of a TIM/Open Fiber network merger.

As noted in both Reuters and reports in Italy, TIM’s share price dropped from €0.31 to €0.30 at the news, with the market seemingly underwhelmed by the new offers – both of which are still far below the €31bn valuation of Vivendi, TIM’s largest shareholder.

TIM has been looking to sell its largest asset to tackle its debt which stood at €25.4bn at the end of last year, with further plans to sell of its wholesale division Sparkle part of a broader restructuring. With TIM indicating that a decision (if any) won’t be made until early May, this announcement adds to the sense that a resolution is still out of reach.

News

The 2021 American Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has a stated goal of reaching 100% of US households with fast, affordable internet service. To many this means fibre for all.

Now a new cost estimation model from next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) provider, Tarana Wireless highlights that, based on a study of 132 previous projects, a fibre-only approach to ensuring all un- or underserved households are connected could cost around five-times the $42.45 billion allocated to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program (BEAD) – the broadband component of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Tarana model sets out to recognise that whilst fibre broadband maybe an ideal outcome for all, it isn’t always cost-effective or fast to deploy, no are costs always clear, which has serious implications for states abilities to deliver on their broadband plans.

The study behind the model is based on publicly available data from132 projects funded by stae broadband offices in Alabama, California, Michigan, Nebraska, and Virginia since early 2019. The projects were selected to give a cross section of household densities and terrain conditions and challenges across the US and averaged out at $13,900 per household, which would equate to over $200 billion to connect around 16 million households identified as un-or underserved by the FCC’s current broadband re-mapping.

Tarana highlighted this study as an indication that utilising multiple technologies — beyond just fibre — is essential to delivering on the US ambitions for a Connected America, with VP of Government Affairs, Carl Guardino, commenting that “A fiber-only diet isn’t healthy for people, and it’s equally unhealthy for fulfillment of America’s aspirations to provide universal access to high-capacity, reliable home broadband.”

Nextlink Internet who specialise in connecting rural communities are one of the companies who believe fixed wireless technologies have thier place. Chief Strategy Officer, Claude Aiken, who spoke on a panel Is Fiber the Future at Connected America last month said “Fiber is a fantastic tool for connecting communities, but we need an all-of-the-above approach to get affordable broadband to everyone.”

Claude shared the limelight with Kimberly McKinley of UTOPIA Fiber, Allison Ellis of Frontier Communications and Katie Espeseth of the FBA. Tarana Wireless were sponsors of the event, which returns in 2024.

News

The Loch Ness Monster might be pleased to see the latest upgrades from EE, but Loch Ness is just one of the locations to benefit from expansion of the company’s 4G network to 1,500 rural communicates across the UK, making the benefits to rural communities far from mythical.

EE claims to be the first UK MNO to build or upgrade 1,500 remote sites under the UK government’s Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, the £1 billion scheme aimed at delivering reliable mobile broadband to 95% of the UK by bringing 4G coverage to the areas that need it most.

Philip Jansen, Chief Executive of BT Group, commented: “From farming and fishing to hospitality and tourism, Britain’s countryside communities are vital to the success of the wider economy and BT Group’s huge investment into our mobile network infrastructure is delivering the connectivity boost local people and businesses need.”

Since signing up to the SRN deal in March 2020, EE has delivered more than 2,000 square miles of additional 4G connectivity to rural areas across the UK and claims their 4G network is the biggest and fastest in the UK, covering more than 99 percent of the population – claims supported by Rootmetrics UK Mobile Performance Review.

The tourist hotspot of Loch Ness in Scotland and surrounding villages along the River Moriston are the 1,500th site upgrade benefitting both residents and tourists alike. It is EE’s largest single SRN upgrade to date.

Julia Lopez, UK Government Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, said: “The improved connectivity being delivered by the Shared Rural Network is transforming countryside communities, boosting productivity and giving people reliable and fast mobile connectivity wherever they live.”

EE are not the only MNO developing the Shared Rural Network with other initiatives including the Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone initiatives in Peeblesshire and Rossshire, covered recently by Total Telecom, whilst more localised projects received a funding boost earlier this month with the Government announcement of the Rural England Prosperity Fund. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said that driving investment in rural areas is a vital part of our vision for levelling up the country.

Although the SRN scheme involves only the UK’s four mobile network operators (MNOs) – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, they are far from the only players looking to enhance rural connectivity. Only yesterday at the Connected North conference in Manchester, Sean Royce, CEO of rural connectivity specialists Quickline Communications took to the stage in a fireside chat with Zen Internets Richard Tang and Spring Fibre’s Ros Singleton to debate the issues around connecting Northern Communities. Royce highlighted that he didn’t see the issue as a North South divide but rather as an urban rural divide.

To discuss the subject of rural communities and eliminating partial not-spots further, join Total Telecom for Connected Britain in London this September.

Network operator and UK ISP Connexin, which is investing £80m from Whitehelm Capital (PATRIZIA) to roll out a 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across parts of Hull and Yorkshire (here), has today launched a new SmartHome app for all new customers (it can be downloaded immediately after installation). The application is said to be “packed […]

Broadband and mobile operator EE (BT) has today revealed that, as part of their commitment under the industry-led £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, they’ve expanded (built or upgraded) their “fast and reliable” 4G mobile network to over 1,500 remote sites across the United Kingdom (up from 500 in Dec 2022). The SRN is an […]

The FTTH Council Europe‘s annual conference in Vienna (Austria) has today announced the winners of their 2023 awards, which among other things saw national UK network operator Openreach being named as the winner of their ‘FTTH Operator Award‘. The award is typically given to an operator company that has made a clear decision in favour […]