Network builder and broadband ISP Lit Fibre, which aims to reach 500,000 UK homes by 2026 with their new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, has today confirmed that they will aim go live in the West Midlands (England) towns of Aldridge, Erdington and Kingstanding from spring 2023. The provider, which began their rollout last year […]

Rural UK ISP Gigaclear has announced that their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network is being extended to cover 3,500 homes and businesses in two neighbouring communities – the village of Aspley Guise and town of Woburn Sands – on the border between Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. The provider’s network, which has already covered 360,000 premises (up […]

The Leicestershire County Council (LCC) in England has secured £1.55m of public funding from the UK government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme in order to help it connect 43 public sectors sites (e.g. schools, council offices, GPs etc.) in rural areas to a new gigabit-capable full fibre broadband and Ethernet network. The GigaHubs deployment contract, which […]

The large town of Eccles, which is home to a population of around 40,000 in the City of Salford area (Greater Manchester), has today been announced as the next UK location to benefit from ISP Freedom Fibre’s ongoing rollout of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network. At present the provider, which is being support […]

In a surprise development, Nick Read, the CEO of UK-based broadband and mobile giant Vodafone, has “agreed with the Board” that he will step down as Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as a Director on 31st December 2022. The move is part of an effort to find somebody who can improve their “operational performance“. […]

Rural-focused UK broadband ISP Airband, which is deploying a mix of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks across various parts of the country, appears to be suffering some problems in the Shropshire and Herefordshire (England) areas after customers reported a sharp drop in speeds. According to customers, the issues started a couple of […]

News

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has recommended to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that they deny a permit for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) to connect to Cuba

This week, the US DoJ’s special purpose committee known as ‘Team Telecom’ has urged the FCC to reject an application that would see a submarine cable route link the USA directly with Cuba for the first time.

The ARCOS-1 spans roughly 8,400km in a ring across the Caribbean Sea, connecting 15 countries in the region, but notably not Cuba.

The system has been in service since 2001 and it is only in the last few years that an extension linking to Cuba has been considered.

Following the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the US government banned its citizens from doing business with Cuba. Since then, these restrictions have been gradually reduced, with the FCC removing the last barrier to a US–Cuba cable in 2016.

As a result, the ARCOS-1 consortium proposed adding a Cuban branch to the system in 2018, officially filing for specific permission from the FCC last year.

While this link to ARCOS-1 would be the first commercial subsea link between the two countries, it is worth noting that there is already a non-commercial subsea cable system that connects the USA to Cuba: the GTMO-1 cable, linking Florida to the infamous US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The GTMO-PR system also links the base directly to Puerto Rico.

However, these two cables are fully owned and operated by the US, which circumvents Team Telecom’s main misgivings about the new ARCOS-1 link.

The issue stems from the fact that Cuba’s state-run operator Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (Etecsa) would manage the cable’s Cuban landing station, therefore potentially giving the Cuban government access to sensitive US data.

“As long as the Government of Cuba continues to be a counterintelligence threat to the United States and is allied with others who are the same, the risks to our infrastructure are simply too great,” said Deputy Homeland Security Attorney Matthew G. Olsen in a statement.

The FCC’s decision on the matter is expected next year.

Want to learn of the latest news from the submarine cable industry? Join the key players in discussion around the hottest topics at the upcoming Submarine Networks EMEA event

Also in the news:
SKT takes its Ifland metaverse platform global
CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”
Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion

The post US–Cuba subsea cable link in jeopardy over national security fears first appeared on Total Telecom.

Press Release

Australia’s National Broadband Network Co’s (NBN Co) fixed wireless access (FWA) footprint is set to grow by up to 50 percent nationally by the end of 2024 under an exclusive ten-year partnership extension with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to deploy 4G and next- generation 5G connectivity.

NBN Co (nbn) is a publicly owned corporation of the Australian Government, tasked to design, build and operate Australia’s digital backbone as a wholesale broadband access network provider.

The deployment is a significant move in addressing the geographical challenge of bringing improved service to communities and businesses across Australia – one of the largest countries in the world with huge variations in population density.

FWA currently covers more than 650,000 premises across Australia. Under the new partnership, Ericsson will supply the next-generation technology critical to 5G-enable many existing towers across the nbn Fixed Wireless network.

The additional capacity and reach of the upgraded network will provide up to 120,000 homes and businesses in nbn’s satellite footprint access to fixed wireless for the first time.

Jason Ashton, NBN Executive General Manager for Fixed Wireless and Satellite, says: “Our network is the digital backbone of Australia, and it is constantly evolving as we help keep communities, businesses and all areas of society connected, and our nation productive. Investing in 5G mmWave is a part of our commitment to evolve the nbn Fixed Wireless network for future needs and continually enhance customer experience. We’re committed to maximizing the performance of both our fixed wireless and satellite networks, and our work with Ericsson will help us push the boundaries of its capabilities to the benefit of the more than one million homes and businesses covered by these networks across Australia.”

Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: “NBN Co’s Fixed Wireless and Satellite Upgrade Program is an important part of Australia’s digital evolution. After working with nbn for more than a decade, I’m pleased that Ericsson’s technology continues to play a pivotal role in supporting the program to deliver better broadband services to people in regional Australia. With the extended range innovation showcased in Ericsson’s industry-leading radio access and microwave transport solutions, more Australians will have access to faster fixed wireless broadband in more places around the country.”

THE TECH

The partnership sees Ericsson become the sole supplier of 4G and 5G radio access and microwave transport solutions. Deployed solutions will include Ericsson’s 4G and 5G antenna-integrated radios across nbn’s current and future spectrum bands, and the latest Massive MIMO solutions providing best-in-class performance and energy efficiency in a lightweight small footprint form factor.

Also being deployed are Ericsson’s latest high-powered 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) solutions, the latest RAN Processor for 4G and 5G, and MINI-LINK microwave transport solutions such as dual carrier solutions in traditional frequency bands, all outdoor E-band, and long-haul.

Ericsson’s extended-range innovation will enable NBN Co to expand its Fixed Wireless network cell range from 14 km to 29 km.

By utilizing the latest 4G and 5G solutions, including 5G in nbn’s mmWave spectrum band, the upgrade program aims to support higher speeds in the fixed wireless network and deliver improved customer experiences. Importantly, the new infrastructure will also support a future upgrade from 4G to 5G for nbn’s existing spectrum bands.

The post Australia’s NBN teams up with Ericsson for FWA first appeared on Total Telecom.

INTERVIEW

We had the pleasure of interviewing Volker Leyendecker from SES ahead of Connected Germany, being held in Mainz next week on December 6-7 2022.

Can you introduce yourself and your current role?

Als Sales Director DACH bei SES Networks verantworte ich die Vertriebsaktivitäten im deutschsprachigen Raum. Mein Schwerpunktthema ist Datenkommunikation via Satellit. Seit Mai 2022 bin ich zudem Mitglied im Präsidium des Verbands der Anbieter von Telekommunikations- und Mehrwertdiensten (VATM).

Where does SES sit within Germany’s broadband ecosystem?

SES ist mit seinem Angebot der Datenübertragung via Satellit unter anderem für terrestrische Daten- und Mobilfunknetze durch Zuführung von Bandbreite sowie als Fall-Back-Lösung interessant. Grundsaetzlich kann ueber Satellit jeder Ort kurzfristig mit Bandbreite versorgt und damit mit schnellem Internet erschlossen werden. Eine wichtige Rolle können unsere Satelliten außerdem bei der Versorgung mit Internet und Mobilfunk als Backup oder im Fall von Naturkatastrophen fuer Desaster Recovery einnehmen.

Will satellite and other non-fixed solutions become a bigger part of the conversation around providing connectivity for Germany’s rural areas?

Satelliten spielen bei der Versorgung des ländlichen Raums eine wichtige Rolle dort, wo der Ausbau des Glasfasernetzes langwierig oder nicht wirtschaftlich ist. Mit unserer neuen O3b mPower Flotte können wir Bandbreitenzufuehrung fuer die Erschliessung mit Internet mit bis zu 10 Gbit/s und einer maximalen Latenz von 150ms selbst in entlegenen Regionen anbieten.

What are you most looking forward to at Connected Germany

Ich freue mich vor allem auf den Austausch mit unseren Kund:innen und Kolleg:innen zum Jahresabschluss und auf spannende Gespräche über den Start unserer neuen MEO-Satelliten-Flotte O3b mPower, die in Kürze ins All startet und bald unseren Partner:innen für schnelles Internet aus dem All zur Verfügung stehen wird.

You can hear from Volker and the rest of our amazing speaker line-up by securing your place at next week’s Connected Germany – follow the link to book your pass!

The post ‘Satelliten spielen bei der Versorgung des ländlichen Raums eine wichtige Rolle dort, wo der Ausbau des Glasfasernetzes langwierig oder nicht wirtschaftlich ist’ first appeared on Total Telecom.

British-registered space company OneWeb has today confirmed that its first use of SpaceX’s Falcon9 rocket will take place “no earlier than” Tuesday 6th December 2022, which will send 40 of their ultrafast low-latency broadband satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The operator has so far lofted 462 of their small c.150kg LEO based ultrafast (100Mbps+) […]