Gigabit broadband ISP YouFibre, which sells plans via Netomnia and Cityfibre’s respective UK Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks, has introduced a new suite of standard pricing tariffs for all new customers – starting from only £1 a month for the first 3 months of service on their 1Gbps plan. Plus, they recently added a Social Tariff. The […]

New research from Point Topic has revealed that world fixed broadband lines grew by 1.87% (24.59 million) in Q3 2022 to end the quarter on a total of 1.34 billion connections. But the subscriber growth rate of “full fibre” (FTTP/B) networks in the UK appears to have slowed in recent quarters. As usual, the largest […]

Press release

Expeto, Inc., which enables enterprise networking over private and public mobile networks, today announced a partnership with Portland General Electric (PGE) to accelerate grid modernisation and renewable energy outcomes. The fully integrated energy company with operations across Oregon has chosen Expeto’s NeXtworking™ platform for its commercial private wireless network deployment.

PGE’s mandated decarbonisation targets include an 80% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions associated with serving Oregon retail electricity consumers, compared to its baseline emissions levels by 2030​. The Expeto-enabled PGE private wireless network will support automated grid resiliency, monitoring of field conditions with smart sensors and devices, connected workers for enhanced employee safety and charging stations for electric vehicles on the public grid. This transformation will improve grid resilience and outage recovery times for the benefit of all PGE customers.

PGE selected Expeto to provide next-gen connectivity based on successful deployment in the Connected Utility Lab, which confirmed viability of PGE’s use cases over one year of extensive testing. Expeto has delivered a powerful, secure, virtual private network based on connectivity from tier-one mobile operators, providing the functionality of a private radio network without the capital and operating expenditures of a typical 10-year private network buildout that would require spectrum acquisition, RF analysis, hiring and training teams of engineers and subcontractors, and tower and radio infrastructure permitting and deployment. The result is less costs being passed to the consumer over time.

“We had a choice between dedicating a large capital outlay on a new network that would take many years to build or immediately growing our business through renewables and grid applications as part of a more cost-effective option,” said Ananth Sundaram, Senior Manager Grid Asset Engineering at PGE. “Expeto put sophisticated use cases within reach, like having a private network experience over public connectivity anywhere we need it. The company’s enterprise first approach has resulted in a strategy that gives us confidence our network connectivity is reliable and secure, freeing us to focus on accelerating the transition to a clean, reliable and equitable energy future.”

The Expeto approach provides the scalability needed to support the large number of grid nodes (e.g., DERS, EV charging stations) and devices (e.g., wildfire risk monitoring cameras, AMI) necessary to achieve carbon reduction, resilience and safety goals. The resulting network will eventually cover 4,000 square miles and connect 250,000 devices using existing cellular networks at one-tenth the cost of traditional solutions, helping PGE avoid significant capital and operating expenditures related to a self-built private LTE network over the next 20 years.

“However an enterprise deploys wireless networks for mission critical applications, they want the flexibility and agility to configure and manage it just like their existing IT network and from a multi-tenant, fully containerized platform,” said Expeto VP of product Brian Anderson. “Expeto is the only software platform that enables an enterprise to deploy and manage mobile connectivity according to mission critical business needs, offering unprecedented simplicity, agility and control, and the same seamless experience when roaming in and out of the public network. We are proud to support PGE’s leadership as they accelerate the transition to renewable energy.”

For more information, visit www.expeto.io. 

About Expeto

Expeto makes it easy for enterprises to extend private networks via any type of cellular connectivity and continue to operate just one enterprise mobile network that devices and people can move seamlessly across. The company goes to market directly and via system integrator, network vendor and MNO partners, powering next-gen mobile networking use cases for large, multi-site, mission-critical businesses in industries that include utilities, mining, automotive, agriculture, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing and more. Expeto is based in Vancouver, Canada with U.S. headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and research and development offices in San Francisco and Luxembourg. For more information, please visit https://expeto.io.

For the latest news and developments from the US connectivity sector, join us for the inaugural Connected America 2023 in Dallas, TX on 28th and 29th March.

 

City-focused gigabit broadband ISP Hyperoptic, which is aiming to deploy their “full fibre” (FTTP/B) UK network to cover 2 million premises by the end of 2023 (including 500,000 customers), has appointed ex-Vodafone Consumer Chief, Lutfu Kitapci, to the role of Chief Customer Officer (CCO). At present the operator’s network can already be found in parts […]

Mobile operator and ISP Vodafone has announced that they’ve extended their existing partnership with high-street retail chain Currys, which tends to involve supplying mobile products and services to the shop’s customers, to go beyond mobile and include their Home Broadband products too. The multi-year partnership will thus see Vodafone continued to act as the exclusive […]

Press Release

Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, and Microsoft, have announced a strategic collaboration to enable cloud-powered 5G core network modernization for telecom operators globally. The 5G core network transformation will help telecom operators to develop 5G core use cases and meet their customers’ growing technological (Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), IoT (Internet of Things), and edge computing) requirements. It will further enable them to modernize, optimize, and secure business operations and develop green networks with reduced costs and a faster time to market.

As a part of the collaboration, Tech Mahindra will provide its talent expertise, comprehensive solutions, and managed services offerings like “Network Cloudification as a Service”  and AIOps to telecom operators for their 5G Core networks. The modernization of network core systems and operations powered by AIOps will enable operators to deploy and manage their 5G Core networks and leverage the power of the cloud to deliver new and innovative services to their customers quickly and easily. AIOps will help operators combine big data and machine learning to automate network operations processes, including event correlation and anomaly detection, predicting fault and performance issues, thereby enabling self-serving network operations.

CP Gurnani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, “Today, it is critical to leverage next-gen technologies to build relevant and resilient services and solutions for customers across the globe. At Tech Mahindra, we are well-positioned to help telecom operators realize the full potential of their networks and provide innovative and agile services to their customers while also helping them meet their ESG commitments. Our collaboration with Microsoft will further strengthen our service portfolio by combining our deep expertise across the telecom industry with Microsoft Cloud. Further to this collaboration, Tech Mahindra and Microsoft will work together to help telecom operators simplify and transform their operations in order to build green and secure networks by leveraging the power of cloud technologies.”

Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said, “Harnessing the power of Microsoft Azure, telecom operators can provide more flexibility and scalability, save infrastructure cost, use AI to automate operations, and differentiate their customer offerings. The collaboration between Tech Mahindra and Microsoft will help our customers build green and secured networks with seamless experiences across the Microsoft cloud and the operator’s network.”

Tech Mahindra will leverage the Microsoft cloud for its Sustainability solution iSustain to measure and monitor KPIs across all three aspects of E, S & G. iSustain will help operators address the challenge of measuring and reducing carbon emissions from the networks while meeting demands of the countless energy intense digital technologies, from AR / VR to IoT. In addition, Tech Mahindra will further enhance the security posture of the operator’s network and operations powered by SenTindra, a cloud-based virtual security operations center developed on Microsoft Sentinel. SenTindra platform offers 300+ scenarios and workflows to support Telecom operators’ Cloud Visibility, Monitoring, and orchestration requirements, making the networks secure and free from downtime.

The partnership is in line with Tech Mahindra’s NXT.NOWTM framework, which aims to enhance the ‘Human Centric Experience’, Tech Mahindra focuses on investing in emerging technologies and solutions that enable digital transformation and meet the evolving needs of the customer.

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Also in the news:
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Press Release

Virgin Media O2 will be giving millions of its customers more data and extra benefits this year as it begins moving all Virgin Mobile customers over to O2’s range of plans

From February, the company will start sending communications to the first group of Virgin Mobile customers to let them know that their current service will transfer over to a new O2 plan. As part of this migration, millions of customers will receive unlimited texts and voice calls, and either double the data or unlimited data for the same amount each month – no customers will see the cost of their plan rise as a result of this move. This will be alongside access to Priority from O2 and other O2 benefits such as extra roaming destinations and continued inclusive EU roaming, something not offered to all customers by any other major mobile network.

The move will occur seamlessly and over the air for the vast majority of customers with no need to replace SIMs, port phone numbers or change billing dates or information. Exact details of the changes and steps will be outlined clearly to individual customers at least 30 days ahead of their migration taking place. Migrations will occur throughout the year, and by the end of 2023 all existing and newly joined Virgin Mobile customers will have been moved to O2 plans.

This represents a key pillar in Virgin Media O2’s integration, with the first stage of this plan completed at the end of last year when the entire Virgin Mobile base transferred over to using the O2 network – so all data, voice and text traffic is already using the company’s connectivity. This latest stage now marks the moment when customer plans start moving over to O2.

Virgin Mobile will continue to offer flexible handset contracts and 30-day rolling SIM only plans this year, with a variety of options under consideration regarding the use of the Virgin Mobile brand in future.

Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media O2 said: “This is a major milestone moment for Virgin Media O2 as our Virgin Mobile customers start moving over to O2 plans, receiving added value and benefits on top. Our teams will guide customers through every step of the migration, and we’re laser focused on making sure this all occurs in the most hassle-free way possible. With all of our mobile brands now powered by the award-winning O2 network, we are making fantastic progress in our integration plans while continuing to deliver a range of knockout mobile services that cater for all needs.”

Virgin Media and O2 merged in June 2021 creating the UK’s largest telecoms challenger with award-winning mobile services and the fastest widely available broadband in the market all under one roof.

O2 provides 4G services to 99% of the UK and 5G services to more than 800 towns and cities with a plan to cover 50% of the UK population with 5G this year. It also stands alone as the only major mobile network to not reintroduce EU roaming fees and, since the app launched, has provided more than £200 million of savings to customers through Priority from O2 which offer customers exclusive access to rewards, unique experiences and daily perks, as well as Priority Tickets for thousands of gigs and events across the UK.

How is the UK telecoms sector evolving in 2023? Join the operators in discussion with the wider ecosystem at this year’s live Connected North conference in Manchester

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Orange opens European solar farm to boost access to renewable energy
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News

The operator group will eliminate hundreds of jobs as part of wider efforts to generate €1 billion in cost savings

Back in November, Vodafone’s announcement of its most recent financial details was met with concern as the multinational mobile network operator group continues to struggle to turn its fortunes around. The company’s results in highly competitive markets like Germany and Spain were particularly poor, adding further weight to the operator’s long-held beliefs that consolidation is needed in various European markets.

Following these results, Vodafone announced that it would seek to cut its costs by €1 billion by 2026, partly though simplifying their portfolio. At the time, CEO Nick Read hinted that some of these cost-savings could be derived from job cuts, though the scale of these cuts was not yet clear.

Now, the first wave of cost-saving job cuts, with the Financial Times reporting that the company is seeking to cut “several hundred jobs”, with sources suggesting that most of these will come from Vodafone’s London office.

Vodafone reportedly employs around 104,000 people globally, around 9,400 of which are in the UK.

The news follows announcements earlier this week of a major leadership reshuffle within Vodafone, with the CEO of Vodafone Spain, Colman Deegan, stepping down from the role, and Vodafone Italy CEO Alado Bisio appointed group chief commercial officer.

This leaves Vodafone now hunting for two new CEOs, with Group CEO Nick Read having stepped down from his role at the end of last year.

Margherita Della Valle, previously the Group’s head of finance, is serving as interim CEO until the position can be filled.

However, the start of 2023 has not been all doom and gloom for Vodafone. At the start of this week, the company announced that it had agreed to sell its Hungarian unit to local IT specialist 4iG for €1.7 billion.

The operator said that the funds would be used to pay down the company’s debt.

What impact would the merger of Three UK and Vodafone UK have for the nation’s mobile market? Join the debate at the upcoming Connected North conference 

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Street Works UK (SWUK), which is a Trade Association that represents utilities and their contractors on street works issues, has published a new report that helps to highlight some of the barriers that civil engineers are facing as they attempt to upgrade the nation’s water, sewage, gas, electricity and broadband ISP infrastructure. The report – […]

Alternative network builder and UK broadband ISP Zzoomm has faced some criticism from locals in the North Yorkshire (England) town of Stokesley after resurfacing work conducted by their engineers left “mismatched Tarmac and bumpy paths“, which residents complained were potentially unsafe (trip hazard). The provider, which aims to reach 1 million premises across 85 UK […]