The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today begun fielding industry views on how it could improve Shared Spectrum Licences, which enable small businesses to create their own local wireless broadband and mobile networks across various radio spectrum bands (many of these could previously only be used by national operators). The existing Shared Access Licence (SAL) […]

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Workers at state-run fixed network provider Ogero began an ‘open ended strike’ on Friday in protest against pay freezes reflecting the sharp depreciation of the nation’s currency

Speaking to The National newspaper, Ogero chairman Imad Kreidieh said, ‘We are heading to a catastrophe if a deal is not found with the government: the network will completely stop working as our generators will gradually run out of fuel.’ Kreidieh warned that ‘Lebanon completely relies on Ogero for its bandwidth, leaving no one exempt from a blackout,’ noting that both state MNOs Alfa and Touch would be effected.

Kreidieh also called on parliament to address workers demands, as it convened yesterday stating “The issue of public servants’ salary is supposed to be on the table. We will see what comes from the session: maybe politicians need a sudden blackout to realise how important the telecom sector is.”

The National’s report highlighted how the country’s currency crisis has slashed Ogero’s budget to USD4 million – barely enough to cover expenses for fuel required to operate internet relay stations leading to drastic salary cuts. Lebanon’s currency hit a record low last week, with LBP100,000 now only worth USD1 as opposed to USD67 before the onset of the economic crisis in 2019. The report also quoted an Ogero union member as “our salary is worth nothing because of the currency collapse, our demands are the same as other public sector employees: we want our salaries to be tied to the dollar.”

The country’s rampant inflation rate, currently at 180%, has far outstripped any financial aid afforded to public servants or pay increments on salaries. In a statement last week, Ogero employees invited contractors and non-salaried workers to join them in downing tools “given the continuous disregard for our demands to amend salaries”, which they claimed “are now equivalent to 1%” of their former value.

 

Residential customers on UK ISP Virgin Media’s top “Gig1 Fibre Broadband” package (avg. 1130Mbps down and 52Mbps up) could soon receive an upload boost to 100Mbps+ (110Mbps max profile rate), which comes after we spotted a rise in the number of users receiving a related profile boost over the past few weeks. The provider, which […]

One of the UK’s newest alternative broadband network providers, Spring Fibre, has quietly updated their website to name the first 3 locations – all in Lincolnshire – for their plan to build a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) ISP network to cover 1 million premises in England. Just to recap. Spring Fibre, which was initially […]

Openreach (BT) has announced that they’re extending their “Connect the Unconnected” special offer, which makes it possible for UK ISPs to waive FTTC (VDSL2) broadband connection fees for any customers who receive “Universal Credit” with no other earnings, and who aren’t currently connected to its network. The one-off connection fees on Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL) […]

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Reports suggest that the unit could be worth up to £200 million

This week, media reports suggest that UK ISP TalkTalk is exploring the possibility of selling off its B2B arm, TalkTalk Business Direct.

The unit, which currently serves around 80,000 enterprise customers in the UK, could fetch a price tag of £200 million, according to sources.

Any deal would also include a long-term wholesale agreement, giving the buyer preferential access to TalkTalk’s network.

Investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey has been hired to oversee the sale.

The news comes at an interesting time for TalkTalk, which has been a recent undergoing a management reshuffle.

Until late last year, the company was in discussions about possibly being acquired by Virgin Media O2 for a sum of around £3 billion. However, regulatory hurdles ultimately saw these discussions shelved, leaving TalkTalk’s future uncertain.

Also in the news:
Fibre overtakes cable in the Netherlands
Ericsson IoT Accelerator to manage the connectivity for Lyft e-bikes and scooters
Spring Equinox? It seems Ofcom aren’t certain of the balance

Rural UK ISP Gigaclear has confirmed that the villages of Buckden and Kimbolton have just been added to their ongoing £39m effort to deploy a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across Cambridgeshire in England, which adds to the recent additions of Warboys, Sawtry, Ramsey and Stilton (here). During the engineering work, Gigaclear will be utilising […]

Exeter-based broadband ISP Jurassic Fibre, which is rolling out a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across parts of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Dorset in England, has announced that deaf customers who use British Sign Language (BSL) are now able to use a video link interpreter when they contact customer support. The operator, which is currently being supported […]

Internet provider SWS Broadband (Rural Broadband Solutions Plc), which serves homes in rural parts of Shropshire (England) and Wales via both wireless and full fibre (FTTP) connectivity, has today announced they’ve taken on 16 members of staff and moved to a new office location in Shrewsbury ahead of a big rollout. The company revealed last […]

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Accessibility is taking a step forward for Jurassic Fibre users as they announce that deaf customers who use British Sign Language (BSL) are now able to use a video link interpreter when they contact the customer service centre.

The UK home broadband provider is one of the fastest growing companies in the South West appears to be poised for further growth with a fresh injection of £250m in capital investment from Fern Trading, advised by Octopus Investments.

The provision of BSL interpreter services for deaf customers is more common in large organisations, so this is a positive step for Jurassic Fibre to make their customer service more accessible and inclusive.

Sarah Howells, Chief Customer Officer from Jurassic Fibre, said: “People are at the heart of everything we do at Jurassic Fibre. Our business is to connect communities, and we need to make sure we include customers who need or want to communicate with us using any method they choose. So, we’re really excited to be able to offer this service for Deaf people who communicate using BSL.

“Our Deaf customers have already told us that they value the fast, reliable broadband that we install in their homes to connect them to the many online communications platforms they benefit from in day-to-day life. But for those that use BSL, contacting our customer service centre needs to be just as smooth. Major organisations including the NHS offer this service, but it’s fairly unusual with a company our size. We want to go above and beyond to connect all our customers not only to the outside world but to our customer support.”

The plan is being made possible with the help of Sign Solutions, who specialise in solutions to aid communication between deaf and hearing people.

Sophie Kang, Customer Development Manager with Sign Solutions, said: “Sign Solutions are delighted to be providing Jurassic Fibre with our on-demand service InterpretersLive!. InterpretersLive! enables Deaf customers to contact Jurassic Fibre in British Sign Language through a secure link on their website. The link connects Deaf callers to one of Sign Solutions National Register of Communications Professionals working with Deaf/Deaf-Blind People (NRCPD)-registered interpreters, who then makes an onward audio call to the team at Jurassic Fibre. Providing this service to customers will ensure equal access to services and further breaks down the barriers in communication that the Deaf community so often face.”

This will hopefully be good news for customers of the Exeter based ISP, who have been who have been developing a custom-build full fibre broadband network to rural communities in Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and Dorset.