Rochdale-based UK ISP Zen Internet has today announced somewhat of a reverse after the provider’s current CEO, Paul Stobart, announced his intention to retire at the end of March 2023, after five years in the role. Replacing him will be the company’s original CEO, and current Founder and Chairman, Richard Tang. Stobart has overseen a […]

CityFibre has today announced the completion of their £25m “primary build” in the West Midlands (England) town of Solihull, which has expanded their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 44,000 premises (around 85% of residential properties), including most businesses. The town-wide deployment – delivered via civil engineering firm Callan Connect – originally began […]

News

The Finnish vendor will be providing private wireless connectivity, network edge equipment, and analytics to support The Ocean Cleanup’s conservation operations

Pollution of the world’s oceans, particularly with discarded plastic, has been a growing problem for over half a century.

The scale of this challenge cannot be underestimated. UNESCO suggests that plastic waste comprises 80% of all marine pollution, with 8–10 metric tons of plastic arriving in the world’s oceans each year. Indeed, a recent study suggested that 82 and 358 trillion plastic particles, weighing between 2.4–10.8 billion pounds, are floating across the world.

Indeed, nowhere is the challenge of oceanic plastic pollution more obvious than the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – roughly 1.6 million square kilometres of plastic waste floating at the heart of the Pacific.

Now, Nokia has partnered with environmental non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup, aiming to lend their technological expertise to tackling this growing ecological crisis.

As part of the partnership, Nokia and MCS, its partner for Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) distribution in the Benelux, have already deployed a Nokia DAC private wireless solution for The Ocean Cleanup’s operations in the North Pacific.

This will provide the organisation with “a high-performance, end-to-end private wireless networking and edge computing platform” for The Ocean Cleanup’s two ships involved in the clean-up operation.

Nokia will also provide support in the form of their MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) and analytics, which will be used for applications including high-end video connectivity over 4G technology, which can be used to help scout future areas for clean-up.

“Through our subsea optical fibre networks, innovations such as acoustic sensing technology, remote environmental monitoring, or private wireless, Nokia can – and will – continue to play an important role in the marine environment,” explained Subho Mukherjee, Head of Sustainability at Nokia. “We are proud to support and collaborate with The Ocean Cleanup, and look forward to see how our technology can genuinely drive sustainable change and help protect critical natural resources and habitats.”

Nokia says that additional solutions will be developed and deployed in future, in line with the company’s new ESG strategy announced last year.

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Also in the news:
Fibre overtakes cable in the Netherlands
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Spring Equinox? It seems Ofcom aren’t certain of the balance

News

Streetwave creates mobile network performance maps to continuously monitor and check the quality of the UK’s 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks

Tell us about your start up?

Streetwave is the market leader in providing independent mobile coverage surveys. They set themselves apart by focusing on user experience and ensuring that their online web application (digital map & analytics) is incredibly easy to use, ensuring everyone can understand the information presented e.g. identifying if a user can HD video stream or browse the internet in their location. These real-life use cases give users of the platform, such as local authority customers, the ability to effortlessly assess the coverage and quality of the mobile networks that they depend on both professionally and personally.

Streetwave has a strong capacity for surveys, giving clients maximum flexibility on how data is collected whether on roads, rail, foot, buses or ferries. Clients can even permanently install Streetwave’s autonomous data collection equipment on their own vehicles, giving daily updates on user experience of the mobile networks from wherever the vehicles have been.
The comprehensive nature of Streetwave’s data collection ensures that more technical customers (digital leads, mobile network operators, tower companies, consultancies) can also benefit from the unique platform.

For local authority customers, insights from the data can drive decision making when selecting which mobile network to procure for service provision and employee connectivity. Benchmarking coverage enhances economic development plans, regeneration efforts, and highlights where digital divides are located. These are all strategic considerations for local governments who are working to unlock the digital economy.

Why did you establish the business?

Streetwave was established to tackle the significant issues that arise when government, businesses and individuals don’t understand the coverage quality of the mobile networks that they depend upon.

Everyone understands the importance of the mobile networks. Smart phones are essential to modern living – allowing us to do banking, shopping, socialising, working and navigating all while on the move. However, this is only made possible when users are well connected where they are located. Unfortunately, around 9% of mobile customers in the UK remain unhappy with their mobile contracts. Many of these consumers commit to long-term contracts without accurate insights into the quality of the mobile network that they are signing up for, only to bring their phones back to the places that they live and work to find they can’t get signal. With the average cost of a 12-month mobile contract being £566.40 in 2021, this represents a very real financial burden to millions of people across the UK when they are not receiving mobile connectivity from their network.

This is also a problem for businesses that depend on the mobile networks for some aspect of their service delivery. For example, electric car charging stations are essential infrastructure for the government’s plans to replace petrol/diesel cars by 2030. However, many require users to connect to an app to pay digitally before charging. When these sites are built in areas with poor connectivity, people are unable to make the payments required to charge their vehicles. Understanding connectivity at charging sites is therefore a vital prerequisite before building begins.

Furthermore, this issue affects government. Poor coverage data will make it difficult for the UK Home Office to assess whether the new Emergency Services Network has the necessary coverage to consistently keep first responders connected before its Airwave TETRA network is switch off.

Streetwave established itself to be the leading provider of independent mobile coverage surveys so that consumers, businesses, governments, and operators could understand how users experience the mobile networks no matter where they are in a country.

What are your USP’s?

Unparalleled insight into user experience of mobile networks.
Extensive capacity for mobile surveys, giving clients maximum flexibility on how and where data is collected.
Exceptional presentation of survey results, making it easy to communicate with all stakeholders.

What is your relationship with the telecom sector?
We work directly with tower companies, collecting data to improve their site selection. We also work with MVNOs to help them better understand which operator to lease infrastructure from. Our data can also be used by MNOs for their marketing and by regulators to check coverage claims.

How have you got to your current stage of development?
As a team we were fortunate to have been hosted by an incubator called the Alacrity Foundation for the first 15 months of building up Streetwave. The Alacrity Foundation is a Newport based charity that is actively building the next generation of UK communications and cyber start-ups. The Foundation brings together business and computer science graduates and presents them with real industry problems that need solving.

Our team were presented with the challenge of building a solution that democratises access to high fidelity mobile coverage intelligence for people and businesses. Each co-founder received a stipend during the programme that allowed us to focus fully on developing Streetwave. Alacrity also supported us in meeting investors as the 15-month programme ended.

Recognising the significance of the challenge Streetwave is solving, we were able to attract a seed investment round led by the Wesley Clover investment group. Wesley Clover also support Streetwave through more than just capital investment. They have given us free office space, access to an experienced designer and used their international presence to help us enter the North American market. The team is further complemented by two successful industry veterans who have joined our board as Non-Exec Directors.

Who inspired you?
Something that has surprised us as a team is just how generous people in the industry have been in lending us time and advice. If we were to list all of the people who have gone out of their way to support us, we would probably have a list that is 100 names long! These people continue to inspire us through both the intelligence they have earned through past successes and the modesty they retain in their willingness to give back to others.

What does the future hold for your business?
Streetwave continues to grow its client base and the locations surveys are carried, with recent expansion into the North American and European markets. The company will not waiver from achieving its mission – to create the world’s most detailed mobile coverage map.

HEADQUARTERS: Newport – Wales
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 5
LAST FUNDING TYPE: Seed Funding
WEBSITE URL: https://streetwave.co/
FOUNDERS
Angus Hay – CEO and Co-Founder
George Gibson – Operations Director and Co-Founder
Dylan Hampton – Product Director and Co-Founder
Nick Broom – Technical Director and Co-Founder

You can meet Streetwave in the Startup Village at Connected North: 17 – 18 April 2023 | Manchester Central. Register at www.totaltele.com/connectednorth

 

Contributed Article

by RouteThis

Fast and reliable broadband has become the lifeline to millions of homeowners for work, education, and entertainment. Service Providers are now expected to deliver new levels of connectivity to their customers, and WiFi is at the center stage of that effort.

In today’s competitive landscape, speed and price alone are no longer feasible strategies for Service Providers to retain market share. Reducing churn and its associated costs requires maintaining customer satisfaction through a high-quality of experience. This begins at installation, and when done right, everything else will fall into place.

Our research with Maravedis shows that more than 1/3 of Service Providers don’t have a well-documented system for their installation process, thus they can’t provide the WiFi performance guarantee that their customers want. In addition, most field technicians aren’t salespeople, meaning they’re not comfortable suggesting mesh nodes to customers who may need them, but are wary of paying extra. By visually mapping out the in-home WiFi experience, technicians can help customers understand the importance of proper router placement and mesh nodes.

RouteThis Certify is a WiFi optimisation app designed for field technicians. Using GIS technology and WiFi heat mapping, Certify assists technicians during their CPE installation workflow from router and mesh placement, to verification of speeds and completion of birth certificate. Its user-friendly interface also enables them to visually demonstrate how the impact of a less-than-optimal router or node placement can impact the network quality of experience. RouteThis Certify makes it easy to facilitate educational and upsell opportunity conversations. When an installation is properly configured, Service Providers will see less churn and return tech visits, and customers can experience flawless WiFi connectivity on every device, in every room, from day one.

Click here to learn more about RouteThis Certify

Join RouteThis and the rest of the US telecoms industry at Connected America live in Dallas, Texas, on March  28-29

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Mobile network operator O2 (VMO2) appears to have launched a tariff refresh of their Pay Monthly (SIM-Only and Phone) plans today, which sees some prices rise (others stay the same), tweaks to data allowances and possibly a few additional changes that we’ve yet to fully identify. As usual, all of O2’s Pay Monthly plans continue […]

Press Release

Nationwide coverage now surpasses 2.91 million square miles, with tribal land coverage increasing by 40% over the past two years

From Fiber to 5G, AT&T* has hit significant network milestones that are aggressively expanding coverage, increasing capacity and strengthening network resiliency. Over the past 5 years (2018–2022), AT&T invested more than $140 billion primarily in our U.S. wireless and wireline networks, including capital investments and acquisitions of wireless spectrum. It’s helping us open the door to a world of possibility for people and businesses across the AT&T network and helping first responders save lives with mission-critical connectivity on the FirstNet® network. See how we’re doing it:

Setting the bar for network resiliency: We’re focused on becoming the best, biggest and most resilient network in America. Last year, we led the industry by establishing a 3rd “emergency” pathway to each mobility network hub (MTSO) to combat extreme weather and climate events as well as increasing instabilities in the commercial power infrastructure landscape. Thanks to this initiative, we’vereduced the likelihood of major outages by nearly 35%. And we’re undergoing the largest refresh of our power backup systems in the history of our network – investing millions of dollars in generators, batteries and systems to help keep our network up and running when there is a local power outage. In addition, using network digital twin, we’re able to simplify processes, model resiliency measures and forecast how to optimize our build. And we’ve been working with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to model future climate impacts through our Climate Change Analysis Tool. These insights are helping us make data-driven decisions for how we prioritize resiliency investments for the future. And when Mother Nature does strike, we’re at the ready with one of the largest and most advanced disaster recovery programs of its kind.

Connecting people on the go: We have the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider. And with the largest wireless network in America, we now cover more than 2.91 million square miles. That’s an increase of about 100,000 square miles in 2022, or like covering the entire United Kingdom. And we’ve grown America’s Most Reliable 5G Network4 to reach 290 million people in nearly 24,000 cities and towns across the U.S.

We’ve also increased coverage by more than 40% on federally recognized tribal lands in the last 2 years (2020 – 2022) thanks to public-private partnerships like FirstNet and those created through the American Rescue Plan, as well as our own investment initiatives. This includes places like Cherokee Nation in Kenwood, Oklahoma where people previously had to drive more than 10 miles to get
mobile cell service.

Plus, as of the end of 2022, more than 150 million people could take advantage of our mid-band 5G spectrum – more than double our original end-of-year 2022 target. We also doubled the number of venues and airports with AT&T 5G+ last year to now bring super-fast speeds and increased connectivity to parts of more than 50 cities and nearly 70 venues and airports in the U.S.

Connecting first responders: As America’s public safety’s communications partner, we’re giving more of the public safety community access to their network. FirstNet already covers 99%+ of the U.S. population, covering more first responders than any network. And now public safety on FirstNet has access to 250,000+ more square miles than competing commercial network offerings. We’ve also surpassed 99%+ of our Band 14 coverage target with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), delivering more dedicated connectivity to federal, state, tribal, territorial, urban and rural first responders when they need it.

Building a network for tomorrow: Fiber is our foundation. In fact, we have so much fiber that you could stretch it to the moon and back 3 times. In 2022, we laid more than 60,000 miles of fiber in the U.S. alone. All that fiber helps carry more than 594 petabytes of data traffic on an average day, up 23% year-over-year (or the equivalent of streaming nearly 40 million 2-hour long movies in HD).

And as the nation’s largest fiber internet provider, we’re committed to providing more Americans with access to reliable, high-speed broadband. This is critical as people are consuming roughly 30 times more data in their own homes than on the go with smartphones. Currently, AT&T Fiber is available to more households than any other fiber internet service. And we’ve passed 24 million locations – including 4 million business locations – in 100+ U.S. metros – that’s on track to pass 30+ million locations by the end of 2025.

As much as we depend on connectivity today, we think this is only the beginning. It’s why we’re also testing and helping develop innovative, out-of-this-world satellite solutions for remote and challenging geographic locations. This includes our collaboration with AST SpaceMobile on testing the first-of-its-kind space-based cellular broadband network (i.e., voice, text and video) accessible directly by standard mobile phones – helping to one day keep you connected, anywhere.

“Society thrives on connection. And our people, resources and expertise are what’s making AT&T the best connectivity provider. These network milestones reinforce this, and we’ll continue to expand and fortify our infrastructure to give more communities – rural, urban and tribal – access to the connectivity we all rely on,” said Chris Sambar, Head of AT&T Network.

“There has been historical underinvestment in broadband infrastructure on Tribal Nations. FirstNet, Built with AT&T is helping tackle this problem by making buildout for Tribal communities a priority. With this expanded connectivity, Tribal first responders have new tools to help them communicate and coordinate their emergency operations to serve our tribal communities,” added Lynda Zambrano, Executive Director, National Tribal Emergency Management Council.

Chris Sambar will be speaking on the opening keynote session at this year’s Connected America conference, taking place in Dallas, Texas, next week! Get your tickets now

Also in the news:
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Spring Equinox? It seems Ofcom aren’t certain of the balance

News

The Italian operator has reportedly reached an agreement with unions that 2,000 staff will take voluntary early retirement as part of ongoing cost-cutting measures

At the start of last year, Italian incumbent operator TIM announced that the company would seek to save €1 billion by 2024 through various cost-saving measures, including cutting jobs.

At the time, reports suggested that the operator was looking to reduce its domestic workforce of roughly 42,500 staff by up to 20% by 2030.

By the summer, the first outlines of the job cutting process were becoming clear, with the operator reaching an agreement with unions to cut 1,200 jobs by the end of 2022 via a voluntary retirement scheme.

However, this was quickly revealed to be just the first round of cuts, with TIM soon back at the negotiating table with unions to cut a further 2,200 jobs by the end of 2024.

This week, nearly half a year on, an agreement has finally been reached, with unions agreeing to a new voluntary early retirement scheme encompassing 2,000 Italian employees.

In total, this will mean TIM will have cut around 3,200 of its domestic staff through early retirement by the end of the year.

In related news, TIM recently launched a bidding process for the sale of NetCo, its network unit that comprises its access network as well as its wholesale submarine cable unit Sparkle.

TIM received an offer for NetCo from US investment firm KKR back in February, which was followed up by a counter offer earlier this month from state bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and Australia’s Macquarie Group.

KKR now has the option to increase its bid.

Want to keep up with all the latest international telecoms news? Sign up now to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter direct to your inbox

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

VIEWPOINT

[Barcelona, Spain, March 22, 2023] During the Mobile World Congress 2023 (MWC 2023), Oi SA, the second largest broadband service provider in Brazil with more than 4 million subscribers,  signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Huawei on commercializing fiber to the room (FTTR) services after the two parties reached a strategic cooperation agreement on FTTR products and solutions. The MoU aims to help Oi to build fiber broadband and FTTR networks, shift from bandwidth monetization to experience monetization, provide premium broadband experience and digital services for individual and enterprise users, and boost the development of the digital economy in Brazil.

Rogerio Takayanagi (Chief Revenue Officer for Residential and SME at Oi, left) and Liu Shi (Director of Huawei Oi Account Dept, right) signing the cooperation MoU

Rogerio Takayanagi, Chief Revenue Officer for Residential and SME at Oi, and Liu Shi, Director of Huawei Oi Account Dept, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective parties. Daniel Hermeto (CPO at Oi), Caio Gusmon (CIO at Oi), Lu Libo (President of Huawei Carrier Network Marketing & Solutions Dept), and Feng Zhishan (President of Huawei Optical Access Product Line) witnessed the MoU signing ceremony.

According to the MoU, Oi and Huawei will cooperate in fiber to the home (FTTH), FTTR, and intelligent O&M of home networks in terms of technology research, showcase building, premium services, and marketing, and set up a joint team for innovation. Oi will speed up its “FIBRA X” strategy and accelerate FTTR construction, promote FTTR in the home broadband and small- and medium enterprise (SME) markets, and provide premium digital experience for Brazilian users. Huawei will provide full support for Oi in FTTR commercialization to help Oi succeed in the fixed broadband market.

Rogerio Takayanagi, said, “With the rapid development of digital smart home applications, users are in urgent need of ultra-fast and reliable broadband and broad Wi-Fi coverage. Oi will use FTTR, an advanced and differentiated solution, to provide Brazilian users with premium whole-house Wi-Fi experience, enrich digital home applications, and promote digital transformation of SMEs.”

Lu Libo, President of Huawei Carrier Network Marketing & Solutions Dept, said, “Based on the FTTR solution, Oi will provide Brazilian users with superior networks and premium services. We are honored to reach a strategic cooperation agreement with Oi to explore, innovate, and practice together and start a wonderful cooperation journey.”

Feng Zhishan, President of Huawei’s Optical Access Product Line, said, “FTTR is a leading-edge innovative home networking solution in the industry. We are glad to reach a strategic cooperation agreement with Oi on FTTR. Huawei will do its utmost in FTTR products and installation and maintenance services to build digital solutions for Oi to succeed in the market. Huawei believes that the cooperation between the two parties will bring remarkable success to Oi.”

Network builder FullFibre Limited, which is deploying a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based gigabit broadband ISP network that aims to cover “at least” 500,000 premises by 2025, has today launched a new Community Investment Fund to promote digital connectivity in over 80 of its build towns. The fund – APPLY HERE – will be open to […]