British satellite operator OneWeb, which is partly owned by the UK Government, has – for the first time – successfully launched 40 of their compact Low Earth Orbit (LEO) based ultrafast broadband satellites aboard a Falcon9 rocket from SpaceX at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida (USA). The company had, until today, launched 462 of […]

UK ISP Zen Internet has confirmed to ISPreview.co.uk that their work to make their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband packages available – nationwide – across Cityfibre’s entire network will take longer than originally announced, with completion now expected by the “end of 2023“. Just to recap. Cityfibre currently aims to cover up to 8 million premises […]

Broadband ISP Lightning Fibre, which is currently deploying a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across parts of Sussex and Kent in England, has today reduced the price of its entry-level 100Mbps residential package to £18 (until 31st Dec), launched a new 50Mbps (symmetric) social tariff and begun testing a 3Gbps package. The operator, which is being backed […]

Good news. One man has been charged, and three others arrested (currently released on bail), in connection with several thefts of Openreach’s copper broadband and phone cables across Kent (England) during the late spring and early summer this year. The incidents caused significant service outages across several villages. The perpetrators of such crimes never have […]

Cityfibre has today confirmed that they are investing £15 million to deploy their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network to cover “almost every home and business” across the market town of Wokingham in Berkshire (England). The construction work on the new full fibre network in Wokingham, which is a continuation of their existing £58m […]

PRESS RELEASE

HALO Networks, an independent innovating wireless infrastructure operator and market leader for indoor and outdoor neutral host connectivity solutions, has completed a major rebranding. Its new name and accompanying rebranded marketing elements more clearly represent the company’s expanding solution set while addressing the needs of the evolving wireless industry.

“As the wireless market accelerates, our new brand and position more clearly articulate our expanded suite of critical products and services that support it,” stated Jim Hyde, CEO of HALO Networks. “Our model is changing and extends beyond DAS.”

HALO delivers powerful technologies to enable 5G, LTE, and CBRS services through its wireless infrastructure. The company owns and operates multi-carrier networks including all design, installation, upgrades, and ongoing network monitoring and maintenance. The transition to HALO Networks will encompass the company’s complete product suite and will not affect the scope of work provided by its team of industry experts. A redesigned logo, website, and other marketing deliverables represent the new name and expanded solution set.

“We are excited to make the transition from HALO DAS to HALO Networks,” said Tony Schaffer, HALO Networks president. “This move embodies the broad portfolio of services HALO can provide. Our dedicated team of in-house engineers, designers and construction experts utilize the most advanced technologies and methods to deliver the highest grade wireless infrastructure to our partners and clients.”

“HALO DAS as a brand has served the company well,” declared Mr. Hyde. “However, the industry’s business model is changing along with the wireless technologies necessary to support it. With HALO Networks, we can address vital mobile communications needs from the rooftop to the meet me room, and develop and service the mobile edge while enabling Industry 4.0. With us, a business’ end-to-end network will remain on the cutting edge of the wireless industry.”

 

About HALO Networks

HALO Networks is an industry leader in wireless infrastructure, DAS, and next generation in-building and outdoor mobile wireless systems. The company delivers powerful technologies that enable 5G, LTE, and CBRS services. With over 14 years building wireless systems and 1,000+ deployments across the United States, HALO Networks delivers solutions for commercial office, hospitality, higher education, retail, and healthcare venues, along with multi-family residential properties, industrial locations, transportation hubs, and stadiums and arenas. HALO Networks offers flexible funding options, and direct oversight of design, engineering, deployment, project management, installation, monitoring, and maintenance.

For more information, visit HALONetworks.com or follow HALO Networks on LinkedIn

 

NEWS

BT Group have struck a deal with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to manage the decommissioning of over 70% of the Digital Units legacy technology estate, with an aim of delivering annualised savings of £65 million by end of FY25.

The deal forms part of BT’s modernisation and simplification programme and will play its part in achieving £3bn in gross annualised savings by the end of FY25.

The programme should speed Digital’s transition to a new technology architecture whilst reducing the risks associated with transition from legacy systems. Around 400 BT Group employees worldwide may join TCS during the transition.

Harmeen Mehta, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, BT Group said of the partnership “It removes complexity and intensifies our strategic focus on delivering the leading-edge tech to meet our customers’ needs and drive growth.”

Whilst Debashis Ghosh, President, Business Transformation Group, TCS highlighted that “This is a truly innovative and ground-breaking deal that presents a replicable model for other large enterprises seeking to pivot into the new, while mitigating operational risks.”

NEWS

A new study published by comparison website Uswitch has revealed the shocking disparity of broadband speed experienced in some cities.

Topping the list is the Scottish city of Glasgow where the highest average download speed is 840.4Mbps, 866 times faster than in the slowest region which fails to even reach the level required by UK Government’s universal service obligation (USO) as an acceptable broadband speed.

The fastest speed in Glasgow was recorded in the deprived district of Milton, whilst four miles away the slowest was in posh Bearsden, which regularly hits the headlines for having some of the highest house prices in the city, perhaps at odds with perception that the digital divide is perpetuated by poor connectivity in less affluent areas.

At the other end of the spectrum, Bradford had the smallest disparity between fast and slow broadband with a gap of just 129Mbps between its fastest and slowest areas.

The research shows the broadband gap between UK households is widening as many customers upgrade to faster services. Across the UK 7% of broadband customers now get average ultrafast speeds of over 300 Mbps, but in Glasgow for example, more than a third of addresses (37%) in the slowest area did not have access to a superfast package.

Ernest Doku, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, says: “While the average UK broadband speed is increasing year on year, not everyone is benefiting. We are seeing a large and growing gap between customers benefiting from ultrafast speeds and those who are getting the bare minimum.”

Why not join Total Telecom for Connected North in Manchester on the 17-18 April 2023 to understand more about the connectivity landscape for the region.

 

PRESS RELEASE

“We are proud to have won this contract with Ice. Ice’s 5G development plans are ambitious, and we will provide the best mounting solutions available in today’s market. Griptel look forward to supporting Ice’s plan to deliver 5G services to their Norwegian customers,” says Pål Bjørdal, CEO of Griptel.

Griptel is Norway’s leading provider of mounting solutions for critical technical equipment such as 4G and 5G antennas for cellular networks. The company will supply Ice for the next five years, as Ice realises its ambition to build a world-class 5G network in Norway.

Ice is upgrading its current 3,200 base stations and plans to build 3,900 new base stations.

“High-quality and network reliability has been our top priority from day one. Vi deliberately chose Nokia, a European supplier for network and infrastructure. We have now chosen Griptel, a Norwegian supplier, who have designed custom-made mounting solutions of premier quality. Our goal is to build the best and most reliable 5G network in Norway,” says Eivind Helgaker, CEO of Ice.

Griptel provides specially designed mounting solutions to its customers, which already include both Telenor and Telia. With the Ice agreement, Griptel becomes a main supplier to all three mobile network operators in Norway.

Depending on how much equipment Ice will order, Griptel estimates the contract to be worth approximately NOK 200 million.

The agreement includes Griptel’s solutions to mount solar panels on base stations to reduce energy use.

Griptel has experienced strong and rapidly growing demand for its custom-made mounting solutions the last couple of years. The company is now looking to expand beyond Norway in close cooperation with its customers. Griptel strongly believes more challenging climate conditions will stress the need for robust and safe mounting solutions both in the telecommunications sector as well as other industries subject to severe weather conditions.

“Through the safest mounting solutions on the market, as well as our unique B2B online shopping solutions, our customers can make sure they avoid downtime, accidents, or other unwanted incidents, in addition to cutting costs. We will continue to deliver the best solutions for our customers,” adds Pål Bjørdal.

About Griptel AS

Griptel designs and manufactures mounting equipment in galvanized steel. The company’s products are the safest mounting equipment for vulnerable electronic equipment, communication equipment and other technical infrastructure. With mounting equipment of the highest quality, Griptel contributes to reduced downtime for electronic equipment, better HSE and lower maintenance costs. Own design and production at Griptel’s own factory give full control over the production process and quality. Griptel’s head office is located on Vøynenenga in Bærum, Norway.

The Director-General of the BBC, Tim Davie, has given broadband ISPs and mobile operators something extra to think about after he proposed that the corporation could plan to “switch-off” terrestrial TV and radio signals by the end of 2030. In their place, the broadcaster would focus on online content and streaming (e.g. iPlayer). The last […]