Press Release

The ‘Intelligent Drones for Port and Highways Technology’ (InDePTH) project, which is part of the ‘Future Flight Challenge Phase 3’ programme, has received government backing, thanks to major new funding available via research agency UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to help achieve an ambitious vision for the UK’s future drone economy.

As part of the project, BT, Associated British Ports (ABP), Kier Highways, Connected Places Catapult, RoboK and Herotech8 are all working together to build and test the use of drones to carry out automatic ‘beyond visual line of sight’ (BVLOS) missions to monitor and control critical national infrastructure such as highways and ports. Specifically, the project will demonstrate value in three use case areas for ports and highways, including landside port operations and management, marine operations and highway safety and defect inspections.

The ambition for the project is to create efficient, low-carbon, cost-effective solutions for infrastructure management with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and practically showcase opportunities for ports and highways to use ‘drones as a service’. Using AI and data analytics, the project will develop the InDePTH platform offering seamless integration from UAS imagery, through operational systems, to actionable insights.

A key aim of the project is to enable near real-time data transfer from capture to insight generation. By doing this, the data gathered by UAS becomes a greater asset to a wider number of end users. Close collaboration between the two end users ABP and Kier will engage different industries with very similar requirements, sharing best practices and physical demonstrations.

Digital twins of Ports and Highways will be built and used with real-time data from drones to give a rich picture of current operations, incidents and asset condition. AI will be applied to analyse drone imagery in several use cases, including maritime infrastructure inspection, reactive ad-hoc flights to quickly identify hazards both on land and over water and inspection and auto-classification of safety critical highway defects such as potholes.

John Davies, Chief Researcher, BT commented: “As the UK’s leading communications provider we are constantly looking to find new, exciting ways to use technology to improve solutions, processes and networks and better serve our customers, across many industry verticals. As a network leader we’re delighted to be working with partners in this project to combine our skills, knowledge and expertise, to develop cutting edge drone-based solutions. Working collaboratively, we can realise the true potential of drone technologies and develop the innovative new use cases that can add value to ports and highways and many other industries. Together we are taking a leading role in demonstrating the positive impact drones can have on the economy – specifically helping businesses to become more efficient and supporting the path to net zero.”

Want to learn more about the latest exciting tests and trials taking place in the UK telecoms industry? Join us in April for our upcoming Connected North conference, bringing together the industry’s leading experts and national stakeholders

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BT warns of further job losses as soaring bills force bigger cost-cutting drive

The post UKRI selects BT consortium for intelligent drone project first appeared on Total Telecom.

News

The 1,700km cable system is set to connect Galway, Ireland, with Thorlakshofn, Iceland, just south of Reykjavík

This week, Icelandic international carrier Farice has announced the deployment of their new IRIS cable, a system set to directly link Iceland to Ireland for the first time.

Back in 2019, government-run international carrier Farice identified Galway as an attractive landing site for an Iceland–Ireland submarine cable system, noting both its suitable beaches and close proximity to the heart of the city itself.

In 2021, they contracted cable specialist SubCom to manufacture and deploy the IRIS system, with work beginning earlier this year.

Now, the company reports that the cable system is fully deployed, bringing the project into its final phase of implementation.

“IRIS, a new submarine cable connecting Iceland and Ireland, is a major milestone in strengthening and securing Iceland‘s electronic communications with Ireland and other countries. Together with Iceland‘s green and renewable energy sources this new submarine cable makes Iceland a highly competitive option for data centers, cloud service providers and high performance computing,” said Iceland’s Minister of Universities, Industry and Innovation, Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir. “Connecting Iceland and Ireland brings on new opportunities for both countries for co-operation in the highly connected digital world.“

The IRIS system comprises six fibre pairs, each of which can deliver 18Tbps of capacity for a total of 108 Tbps. It will offer both Ireland and Iceland more diverse data routes to connect to Europe, as well as providing the additional capacity to cope with the rapidly growing data demand in both countries.

The cable will be complementary to Farice’s existing pair of submarine cable systems: the DANICE, which links southwest Iceland to western Denmark, and the FARICE-1, connecting northeast Iceland to the Faroe Islands and northern Scotland.

The Irish government have been particularly vocal about the positive impact that the IRIS system will have on the country, not only directly benefiting the local region but also to transform Ireland into a regional subsea connectivity hub.

“Ireland is at the forefront of this digital development and is pursuing a strategy to be a gateway to Europe for all internet traffic. The IRIS subsea cable is a remarkable project which ensures we now have direct links from Ireland to Iceland and further diversifies the connectivity links across Ireland,” said Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. “This has extensive positive implications for Galway and the West, potentially opening up the entire region for new investment. And it highlights the West as a key destination for Europe’s internet connectivity infrastructure which is likely to attract future investments.”

“Today is a landmark in the history of Irish communications. Ireland is now open for business to further subsea cables,” said Minister of State Ossian Smyth.

The IRIS system is expected to be ready for service in Q1 of next year.

How is the European submarine cable industry evolved over the past year? Find out from the experts at the upcoming Submarine Networks EMEA event

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BT warns of further job losses as soaring bills force bigger cost-cutting drive

The post IRIS cable set to link Iceland and Ireland first appeared on Total Telecom.

Belfast-based UK ISP Fibrus, which is building a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across Northern Ireland and Northern England, has today launch a new range of packages targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises – all include a pledge NOT charge a connection fee or be subject to annual CPI price increases. The new Fibrus business […]

INTERVIEW

Local Authorities in the UK play a pivotal role in delivering the government’s target, and promise, to get Britain ‘ubiquitously’ connected by 2030. In order to achieve this, forward-thinking Local Authorities are looking for sources of information and/or blueprints to help, and support them, achieve this task successfully and efficiently. In Sweden, Local Authorities have been instrumental in delivering the third-highest FTTH/ B penetration rating in Europe (64.4%). This is thanks to the use of the innovative Open Access Model. This model encourages and increases take-up – especially when financing is still challenging for operators – as it allows multiple ISPs to use the network to deliver services. Ultimately, it opens up access to whole areas and ensures that no communities are left behind.

Why is this so important? Economic uncertainty and the cost-of-living is laying bare the true reality, and impact of, digital exclusion and digital poverty across the country. It is an issue that must be addressed to enable every citizen to flourish and ensure that no one is left behind. Unfortunately, if it’s perceived that a certain geographical demographic won’t subscribe to the service, understandably, network builders can be reluctant to deploy to that area. This might make ‘business sense’ in the current land-grab race in the UK. Still, for those communities being excluded, who, of course, in many cases, are the ones that need the connectivity most – for levelling up employment opportunities and access to funded services – this is disastrous. But herein lies the usefulness of consolidation, a natural and healthy part of market development. One collective race, amongst providers will offer a greater role for wholesale in the future and an increase in fibre competition that only secures a greater choice of options for consumers. And that’s something all providers should want.

Want to hear more about it? Check out our interview with VX Fiber‘s Chairman, Mikael Sandberg on open access networks, tackling the digital divide, as well as the inevitable future of consolidation.

To find out more about how VX Fiber and its Open Access Model is helping Local Authorities in their mission to get Britain Connected, visit: https://vxfiber.com/

 

The post Local Authorities, tackling the deepening digital divide, and the question of investment: A tell-all with VX Fiber’s Mikael Sandberg first appeared on Total Telecom.

News

On Friday, Orange launched 5G in Botswana – the Group’s first commercial 5G launch in Africa.

In a briefing last week, Orange Botswana’s CEO, Nene Maiga, outlined details of the launch announcing that 30% of the population would be covered with 5G available in 2 major cities including Gaborone and Francistown. Further cities will be covered by the network in due course.

Orange is planning launches in approximately 6 additional countries in the MEA region in 2023. Regulatory agreements are currently be negotiated in Jordan, which is likely to be the next launch, followed by the Ivory Coast. Then, subject to agreeing the regulatory conditions, Senegal should follow.

According to Jerôme Henique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, the Group sees 5G as an opportunity to complete their broadband portfolio in Africa. The limited availability and cost of 5G handsets is still a barrier to uptake of 5G in the continent, however Orange’s regional strategy will see the Group focus on connectivity for households through their 5G fixed broadband offering.

Offers will be available for residential customers, small and medium enterprises. The fixed offers are available from15Mbps for Prepaid and from 20Mbps for Postpaid with a monthly rental from BWP 699 (€53 per month).

Orange is also exploring the development of 5G use cases for enterprise customers in Africa with a particular focus on the mining industry and ports. Orange believes that the network of 5G labs, which the Group is opening in key locations in the MEA region, is a strong differentiator for Orange 5G. Henique said that the labs would be open to startups to develop new use cases which would prove beneficial for the local the local entrepreneur ecosystem.

 

 

The post Orange launches 5G in Botswana first appeared on Total Telecom.

A new report from Actual Experience, which has a vested interest in that it operates a hybrid workplace management system, has claimed homes that suffer from a “poor broadband” ISP connection have led to the loss of £1,000 per average worker – or £60bn across the whole UK economy – per year. According to a […]

When is a Static IP (Internet Protocol) address, not a Static IP address? The answer to this question should be simple (i.e. when it changes), but a recent consumer complaint against popular broadband ISP Hyperoptic has helped to highlight how the market appears to lack a common position on how to manage them. First, a […]

VIEWPOINT

Maria Lema is the Co-Founder of Weaver Labs, an open and shared marketplace of connectivity assets.

Many things have been said about smart cities in the last few years. In fact, we can find various definitions of it just by looking into different perspectives such as applications and infrastructure. The reality is that this concept keeps changing and evolving as well as the problems to tackle and the technology to do so.

The definition that may be more suitable for this matter is the one that points out cities using ICTs and telecommunications infrastructure to improve the efficiency and quality of their citizens. In the end, these last two terms are the ones that rule the success of a Smart city.

But there is another core concept that is key when we talk about Smart cities: connectivity. According to the European Commission, connectivity refers to all those technologies and services that allow end-users to connect to a communication network. It encompasses an increasing volume of data, wireless and wired protocols and standards, and combinations within a single use case or location.

In other words, connectivity is the one that allows people, governments, and businesses to use the benefits of digital technology in various ways.

However, even though connectivity is the piece that allows a city to be smart, it is currently suffering from many challenges that put at risk the capability to cope with the future and its adversities. Among these challenges, two main groups stand out: the growing demand for connectivity and the technical & financial challenges.

The demand

According to the World Economic Forum, the share of the world’s population living in cities is expected to rise to 80% by 2050, from 55%. In fact, Ericsson estimated that 37 billion sensors and smartphones are expected to be connected to the mobile network by 2027.

These projections are alarming in telecommunications since there are currently no case studies that can solve this problem. One viable, scalable, and profitable solution is to open and diversify the supply chain.

That’s why at Weaver Labs, we are building Cell-Stack, a software stack created to integrate telecoms infrastructure to make it discoverable and easy to be consumed. We help integrate telecoms assets, whoever they belong to (public sector or private sector), make them accessible “as a service” through a single portal, and empower supply chain diversification.
Opening and sharing the current infrastructure model would expand the possibilities for industries to share infrastructure, innovation, and data, elements that make possible connectivity easy to be consumed.

The technical and financial challenge

The traditional model of telecommunications operations is built in silos. Making innovation, infrastructure, and data difficult to be shared across sectors. For example, it is common that a transport authority may invest in an advanced wireless infrastructure to support intelligent transport systems, but this infrastructure is then not reused for healthcare. This represents a waste of valuable resources, time, and money.

For the last few years we have learned that without public sector investment in telecoms, the deployment of infrastructure is slower and deficient. One example of this is that many rural areas and low-income urban areas do not provide a sufficient business rationale for FTTH deployments as the short-term commercial incentives for building this type of infrastructure.

To resolve these issues, it is essential to open the supply chain of telecoms. By doing so, we will be welcoming new investors and players that will help with the evolution of the industry and furthermore, bring connectivity to everyone as it should be.

Key takeaways:

Being a smart city means that cities put the well-being of citizens and business growth at the center of their strategy. A Smart city is the promise of a place that offers the best digital solutions and provides connectivity for everyone.

The most viable solution to cope with the connectivity demand is to open up and diversify the telecoms supply chain. This will prevent both infrastructure and data resources from being wasted. Likewise, it will encourage the arrival of new players and investors.

Connectivity is everything! There are no smart cities without connectivity just as there is no progress without it either. Connectivity is the glue of everything: from the possibility of applying for a job to sending a medical report from an ambulance to a hospital so that doctors and nurses are ready and vital time is saved.

Weaver Labs have participated in Startup Villages at Total Telecom events. We have opportunities for exciting young companies to join us for Connected America (Dallas, March 2023) and Connected North (Manchester, April 2023). Spaces are limited. 

The post The solution for smart cities goes beyond the internet itself first appeared on Total Telecom.

News

The Russian operator says the Swedish vendor has refused to honour their commitments to provide equipment related to deals struck before the invasion of Ukraine

This week, Tele2 has launched a legal challenge against Ericsson, accusing the latter of failing to fulfil its contractual obligations.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 saw immediate condemnation from the international community, who quickly drew up enormous economic sanctions against Russian businesses.

Over the following months, international businesses fled Russia in droves, with both of the major Western mobile equipment vendors, Nokia and Ericsson, announcing they would suspend their existing operations and take no further orders. Since then, both companies have announced their intention to exit the country by the end of the year, gradually winding down their remaining operations.

The exit of these vendors has caused a major headache for Russia’s mobile network operators, forcing them to become more dependent on alternative suppliers, such as Chinese vendors ZTE and Huawei or domestic equipment maker Rostec. MTS, Tele2, Veon, and MegaFon have all been reported as being heavily reliant on Nokia and Ericsson.

Now, Tele2 has revealed that it had been trying to negotiate with Ericsson for the past eight months over the company’s refusal to provide additional equipment, which Tele2 says violates the terms contracts signed before the invasion of Ukraine.

As such, the Russian operator has now filed a legal challenge against Ericsson with the Moscow Arbitration Court.

“We have initiated proceedings against Ericsson Corporation and Satel TVK due to the refusal of the companies to fulfil their obligations to provide equipment. Most of the undelivered equipment refers to orders made long before sanctions were imposed,” Tele2 told Reuters via a statement.

Satel TVK is a Russian company that supplies Tele2 with Ericsson equipment.

Ericsson has yet to comment on the matter.

Also in the news:
Remaining competitive in an evolving telco landscape
Wi-Fly: Could AFC improve rural connectivity?
BT warns of further job losses as soaring bills force bigger cost-cutting drive

The post Tele2 sues Ericsson over Russian exit first appeared on Total Telecom.

News

With a telecoms space race seemingly underway, the EU may be days away from agreeing to create its own satellite communications system

This week, a report from Reuters suggests that various EU governments and lawmakers are set to plans to create a €6 billion European satellite internet constellation as early as next week.

Sources suggest that the European constellation could require the launch of up to 170 low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites between 2025 and 2027, allowing for satellite internet access throughout Europe, but also across Africa.

Exactly which companies will be involved in the project remains to be revealed. Eutelsat, Europe’s largest satellite player, would seem a natural choice, having agreed earlier this year to purchase the UK government-backed LEO satellite operator OneWeb.

It should be noted, however, that the UK government will retain its ‘special stake’ in any newly merged entity, giving the government a number of national security prerogatives and first-preference rights over domestic industrial opportunities. Whether these special measures would create a potential headache for the newly merged operator’s roll in a pan-European network remains to be seen.

The OneWeb-Eutelsat merger is currently awaiting regulatory approval, with the duo hopeful that the transaction will close by the end of H1 2023.

But it is not the potential choice of partners for this project that seem to be the largest point of discussion for the EU stakeholders right now, but rather the source of the project’s funding. The current plan is for €2.4 billion to be provided by various member states and siphoned from EU existing projects, with the remaining €3.6 billion to be supplied by the private sector.

According to sources, this funding plan is still contentious and will be the primary topic of discussion over the coming week.

Thierry Breton and the European Commission has been calling for the creation of an EU-specific LEO constellation for some time, positioning it as a key factor in the region’s digital self-reliance and sovereignty.

The emergence of large-scale low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink and OneWeb in the last couple of years have shown satellite networks to be increasingly viable connectivity avenues, helping to connect those in hard-to-reach areas and providing a resilient back-up to terrestrial networks. Starlink’s integral role in supporting Ukraine during its invasion by Russia has garnered the technology considerable legitimacy, demonstrating that

Naturally, there is also a significant geopolitical element to this discussion too. Starlink and Amazon’s nascent Project Kuiper constellation are both US companies, meanwhile China is working on what has been described as a national satellite ‘megaconstellation’.

Without a satellite communication system of their own, the EU is concerned that they will be left behind in the telecoms space race, perhaps becoming overly reliant on these international rivals for their non-terrestrial communication needs.

As such, the EU formalised a roadmap for creating their own constellation back in February, saying that their space-based communication system would ultimately provide worldwide uninterrupted access to secure and cost-effective satellite communication services.

The Commission claims that developing the infrastructure would provide a gross value added of €17–24 billion, as well as thousands of new jobs.

How is the emergence of LEO satellite internet impacting the European telecoms market. Join the German telecoms industry around this and other key topics live in Mainz at next month’s live Connected Germany event

Also in the news:
Remaining competitive in an evolving telco landscape
Wi-Fly: Could AFC improve rural connectivity?
BT warns of further job losses as soaring bills force bigger cost-cutting drive

The post Countdown begins for EU satellite internet constellation first appeared on Total Telecom.