New customers of broadband ISP BT can currently get the first 3 months of service completely free across their various hybrid fibre FTTC and full fibre FTTP packages, which could save you up to £167.97 off the price of their top “Full Fibre 900Mbps” tier. Customers can expect to receive an included wireless router, a […]

Rural broadband ISP Quickline has announced that they’re creating a new 16-strong infrastructure Build Team, which will be tasked with helping the operator to accelerate their deployment of a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based “ultrafast broadband” network across North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England. From installing track, cabling and splicing to making fibre connections […]

Press Release

Zen Internet has approved near and long-term science-based emissions reductions targets with the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), as well as targeting net-zero science-based target by 2040

Zen Internet has responded to the SBTi’s urgent call for corporate climate action by committing to align with 1.5o C and net-zero through the Business Ambition for 1.5oC campaign.

As part of this commitment and validation, Zen has also become part of Race to Zero. Race to Zero is the UN-backed global campaign rallying to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world in time.

Zen is joining the SBTi’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign – the world’s largest and fastest-growing group of companies that are aligning with 1.5°C by making critical contributions to limiting the worst impacts of climate change and setting a net-zero target in line with a 1.5oC future. Zen’s commitment has been validated by the SBTi and is published by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the UN Global Compact and We Mean Business.

Zen’s path to net-zero will cover not only its own emissions, but also those that the company is indirectly responsible for, such as those created throughout its supply chain. The telecoms business has committed to set near- and long-term company-wide emission reductions in line with science-based net-zero with the SBTi to reduce:

·       Absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 50% by FY2028 from a FY2021 base year

·       Absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 50% by FY2030 from a FY2021 base year

·       Absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 90% by 2040 from a 2021 base year

Force for good

The only Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband, Zen is a business committed, through its B Corporation certification and Carbon Neutral status, to having a positive impact on people and the planet.

Recent attention on telecoms, and the wider technology industry, makes Zen’s pledge a significant shift towards greater positive actions, more accountability and transparency, and acknowledgement of the responsibilities of businesses on the world around them.

Paul Stobart, CEO at Zen, comments: “The Race to Zero is something I am not only professionally, but personally passionate about. It is therefore of the utmost importance to us, that while we run our business at Zen, we strive to make a positive difference to the world. Achieving B Corp certification in 2020 was a big milestone for us and today having our commitments validated by SBTi is another demonstration that we are not just paying lip service to the sustainability agenda, but have transparent objectives that we are determined to meet. We’re under no illusions that this involves a huge amount of work within the business, but it’s something that is non-negotiable for us. We want to show the industry that it’s possible to be a successful business without neglecting our social responsibilities.”

“Our commitments will focus on collaboration and action. Cross-industry collaboration will be key to achieving Scope 3 targets. For our own Scope 1 & 2 we have a number of initiatives in place from swapping out gas use in our HQ and refurbishing the equipment we send out to customers to minimise manufacturing to investments in our data centre for increased efficiencies.”

Are the UK’s operators doing enough to tackle the growing climate crisis? Join the telecoms community in discussion at Total Telecom’s upcoming Connected North conference

Also in the news:
Understanding the telco’s role in the IoT market
Startup Stories: A new approach to telecoms consultancy
MTN Group joins the Telecom Infra Project’s Board of Directors 

The post Race to Zero: Zen commits to Science-Based Targets initiative with ambition to achieve Net-Zero by 2040 first appeared on Total Telecom.

NEWS

Since 1999 the World Communication Awards have recognised innovation and excellence for global telecoms and so it is a logical step that

we now extend this to include the most exciting early-stage startups.

For several years we have been inviting ambitious startups to showcase their game changing solutions at our events, and this year we have gone a step further, recognising them at our awards.

We started this in September at the Connected Britain Awards where we named Curvalux the winner. Their solution to improve connectivity in suburban and rural areas not only caught our eyes but has also been recognised by Cambridge Broadband Networks Group (CBNG). The two annouced a merger in October, catapulting this award winner towards long term success.

Now we have gone one stage further adding a Startup of the Year category to this years WCA, with the winner to be one of ten shortlisted companies listed below. All can be found, along with many other innovative companies, in the Startup Village at Total Telecom Congress. The ten listed below will get to take part in a pitching competition judged by a panel overseen by well-known Strategy Advisor, Roland da Silva. The winner will be announced that evening at the 2022 World Communication Awards where they will pick up the iconic WCA sail trophy.

If you are interested to watch the startups pitch, you can observe the Startup Pitching Competition at Total Telecom Congress on the 1 November 2022, reserve your place HERE

MEET THE FINALISTS

Appsec Phoenix is a platform that helps you identify which vulnerability is going to hurt you most by prioritising the vulnerabilities and using Patent-pending AI and industry insight. It helps CISOs and executives set risk-based targets that translate to tasks for engineers.

Ariadne Maps provides an omnichannel solution for physical businesses such malls, airports, retailers that covers the holistic journey of their visitors. Ariadne’s solution anonymously and precisely tracks the customers’ in-premises activities, and measures the number of people, dwell time, heatmap, transitions between areas and more… without using application, network connection or cameras.

BrightBid is a AdTech company using AI and human expertise to create more refined Google Ads recommendations for businesses to drive customer acquisition. It enables companies to compete better in Google Search, seeing on average a 35% increase in results.

COYOSY claim to be “making ethically-made portable tech scalable,” covering all portable tech needs with two modular line-ups: Sense and Compute

FlexiFone say they are Europe’s first multi-network MVNO with 100% digital operations powered by eSIMs. They say customers can choose a carrier with the best coverage in their area and via subscription get a mobile plan and discounts on apps like Netflix, Disney+, VPNs, and more.

LabLabee is an interactive, on-demand, and gamified telco cloud skills platform. They believe they can make learning and training for telco cloud and other technologies, easier, more accessible, and more attractive for both students and professionals.

Net AI is a network intelligence company developing a deep traffic analytics platform that can reduces CAPEX/OPEX/TCO for mobile operators and enable new high-margin revenue streams.

PicUp have developed an AI powered platform that uses machine learning algorithms to identify every outbound call for the users and by that get more digital capabilities such as moving to chat and improving KPIs such as stopping spam and fraud, CX, increase sales, answer rate and more.

PixselChat allows communication in real time online without needing to know the other user’s language. PixselChat allows seamless translated conversation in real-time in over 100 languages in audio/video, text and synthesised voice using embedded AI.

TelWAI believes the future of surveillance is built on wireless mobile networks that can be rapidly deployed at low cost. TelWAI delivers the autonomous detection of security and safety threats by using its wireless AI-driven surveillance camera.

Good luck to all those pitching their businesses during the Total Telecom Congress. The winner will be revealed that evening at the World Communication Awards. Book your place at www.worldcommsawards.com

Total Telecom Congress takes place in London on the 1-2 November 2022. Operators / CSP’s and public sector employees can attend the conference free of charge – REGISTER HERE. We have a limited number of complimentary passes available for early stage startup investors, incubators and accelerators – to request one email rob.chambers@totaltele.com

The post Join Total Telecom as we recognise world class startups first appeared on Total Telecom.

NEWS

The new Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm, situated off the Yorkshire coast, is the largest in the world

This week, Vilicom, a BAI Communications (BAI) company, announces the successful live deployment of a Vodafone 4G mobile network at the world’s largest offshore wind farm in operation, Hornsea 2.

The windfarm itself, built by Danish firm Ørsted, became operational at the end of August and spans around 300 square miles of the North Sea, roughly 90km east of the Yorkshire coast. It will provide 1.3GW of renewable energy to the UK, enough to power over 1.4 million homes.

The wind farm’s LTE network will provide connectivity to the hundreds of staff that oversee the operation and maintenance of the wind farm, with the network coving not only the wind farm itself but also the route to and from port.

“Building a complete mobile infrastructure on an offshore wind farm is a technical challenge, but I’m delighted we’re able to provide the connectivity that Ørsted’s Hornsea 2 needs to connect to the outside world and be efficiently managed,” said Vodafone UK’s Business Director, Nick Gliddon. “It is testament to the great collaboration between us and Vilicom.”

The specific spectrum being used to operate the network has not been announced.

Vodafone and Vilicom have reportedly been working closely with the Ørsted team on the Hornsea 2 project for the past two years, including providing a temporary LTE solution throughout the project’s construction phase.

Offshore wind farms, naturally, present a difficult challenge when it comes to connectivity. Historically, offshore locations largely relied on very high frequency (VHF) radios or very small aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite technologies for their communications needs, but these carried inherent limitations when it came to bandwidth, latency, and reliability, particularly in rough weather.

More recently, however, it is mobile networks that are growing in popularity for offshore energy plants, being able to overcome their predecessors’ latency and bandwidth shortcomings.

Indeed, Ørsted itself appears particularly fond of using private mobile networks for their latest wind farm deployments, having worked with Chunghwa Telecom and Ericsson to deploy a private LTE network at their Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms in the Taiwan Strait just last year. They also deployed a similar private LTE network in partnership with Norwegian connectivity specialist Tampnet for the Hornsea 1 wind farm, Hornsea 2’s smaller predecessor, earlier this year.

How is the telecoms industry stepping up to the sustainability challenge? How are connectivity choices for challenging geographies evolving? Join the experts in discussion on these topics and more at the upcoming Total Telecom Congress

Also in the news:
Understanding the telco’s role in the IoT market
Startup Stories: A new approach to telecoms consultancy
MTN Group joins the Telecom Infra Project’s Board of Directors

The post Vodafone and Vilicom unveil 4G network for offshore wind farm first appeared on Total Telecom.

U.K. altnet market are facing big challenges. It’s time to look past the network build—and even further past the “race to the bottom” (only focusing on speed and price).

The post An interview with David Green, Sales Director Cloud Solutions, Calix first appeared on Total Telecom.

VIDEO INTERVIEW

U.K. altnet market are facing big challenges. It’s time to look past the network build—and even further past the “race to the bottom” (only focusing on speed and price).

In a competitive landscape like this, subscribers crave more. They want to be truly delighted with a seamless solution, including services like security and parental controls. With customer acquisition as a top priority, ISPs should be thinking of ways to truly differentiate.

Calix helps ISPs position themselves heads above others. This cloud platform offers a subscriber-first mindset in its approach, giving true value for ISPs that translates directly into realized KPIs like resolution time improvement, reduced truck rolls, and improved Net Promoter Scores (NPS).

As Calix continues to add services in the U.S., ISPs in the U.K. will keep benefiting in big ways. Watch David Green from Calix share his thoughts on the current state in the U.K. market—and how Calix can help. Speak with a UK ISP expert today.

 

To find out more about Calix, please click here.

The post Avoid the race to the bottom on speed – how experience providers beat the competition by embracing managed services ~ David Green from Calix shares exclusive insights first appeared on Total Telecom.

Contributed Article

While the UK’s North-South divide has its nuances in terms of word choice and accents, the cracks run deeper than tea versus dinner

The divide on access to broadband internet connectivity is stark. While the Government is striving for 85 per cent high speed broadband coverage by 2025, this is not enough when there are more barriers to getting connected. Here, Guy Miller, CEO of FTTP infrastructure provider MS3 Networks, explores the UK’s regional digital divide.

Connectivity is at the heart of all activities in the UK, especially in the increasingly digital future that lies ahead. Of course, it’s natural that some regions are going to develop more quickly than others, get connectivity more rapidly and unlock the benefits that a faster internet connection brings to all facets of life. But when it comes to progress, there’s a clear regional divide.

A national problem

The North-South divide is a historical element of British culture, society, politics, economics and, unfortunately, access to products and services. But it’s not just something of the past — it’s ingrained in the present and the future too.

Getting connected for the large majority of homes and businesses requires a comprehensive broadband connection. In 2022, this is synonymous with full fibre broadband. Full fibre or fibre to the premise (FTTP) enables speeds of up to one gigabit per second (Gbps) for every connection regardless of location. However, FTTP has more potential than one Gbps, and many FTTP providers have built their network to support ten Gbps without significant changes to infrastructure.

The Government aims for Gigabit-speed broadband, which is largely facilitated through full fibre solutions, to be available nationwide by 2030. When you look at the progress towards this goal there’s a clear regional divide. Constituency data on the availability of Gigabit broadband across the UK shows availability slowly decreasing the further North you go. So, while political intentions are good, the reality paints a different picture.

The infrastructural divide

Contrary to broad perceptions of connectivity, the key players in broadband infrastructure installation don’t cover the nation. In some areas across the North, there’s been a historic struggle to get providers to build networks resulting in a one-provider broadband monopoly.

Take the example of Hull. For years, there was just one broadband provider available to homes and businesses. Given its relatively small size, the broadband giants perceived the region as not worth the investment. The lack of competition on the broadband market meant there was no incentive for the provider to lower prices. The result? Hull endures the highest broadband costs in the UK.

What this created was a situation where, unless people have the ability and will to pay inflated prices for broadband, they weren’t able to access the internet. Thankfully, with a strong focus on getting the country connected, the vast majority of the FTTP rollout across the UK will be facilitated through private investment from companies that decide where to build infrastructure based on commercial factors.

MS3 Networks is a leading FTTP infrastructure provider, with a goal to connect homes and businesses across the north of England, with over 500,000 homes planned to be able to connect. With the infrastructure in place, several broadband providers can use the same ultrafast network to deliver connectivity to homes, fostering a culture of competition across the market, helping to bring down prices and improve the quality of service.

Barriers to access

It’s not just infrastructure that’s a problem — many people live in regions covered by broadband infrastructure but still aren’t connected to the internet. According to Lloyds Bank’s UK Consumer Digital Index 2021, the North East of England is the least connected region with eight per cent of people offline.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), when it comes to the reasons behind not getting connected, the top three reasons why people don’t use the internet are down to a perceived lack of need, as well as a lack of digital skills and education, and the cost of equipment and technology being too high.

Not accessing the internet has a negative snowball effect on other areas of life. Internet access positively correlates with improvements in other facets of life, including access to higher paid jobs, greater employability, cheaper retail prices through online stores and more frequent communication and socialising. However, the ONS found that the proportion of the population with five basic digital skills in the North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands and Wales were all below average for the UK — adding to the stark regional disparities.

Soon a digital connection and competence will become vital for accessing information and services and for meeting the demands of the future of the workplace. We’ve already seen this start to happen with health services. Throughout the pandemic, technology like contact tracing, COVID passports and the NHS app in general became essentials to getting by. This type of service will only become more commonplace as times goes on.

But the reality is that many people are cut off, and as digital services are rolled out, there needs to be a better solution. The digital divide is stalling the UK’s progress — the Government, investors and educators must view the country as more than just the South.

The UK signed up to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals back in 2015, including goal nine, which, among other things, seeks to provide universal and affordable access to the internet. Providing FTTP to the all-too-often forgotten northern half of our nation is supported by commercial investment, but it must be accompanied by education and financial support for those in need to ensure everyone can unlock the benefits that connectivity brings.

For more information on the work MS3 Networks is doing across the North of England, and to see network coverage, visit the website.

How can the telecoms industry work together with government to reduce the North-South divide in the UK? Join the experts in discussion at the upcoming Connected North conference in Manchester

Also in the news:
Understanding the telco’s role in the IoT market
Startup Stories: A new approach to telecoms consultancy
MTN Group joins the Telecom Infra Project’s Board of Directors

The post Bridging the North-South digital divide first appeared on Total Telecom.

STARTUP STORIES

We meet Technocomm, the UK startup behind EnviroSense, an IoT solution uses a network of connected terminals that continuously monitor the air in real time

Tell us about your start up
We have developed a common platform ‘CommonSense’ for connecting a visualising data from Sensors for the IoT. Our first product EnviroSense is a fully integrated sensor to end customer graphical interface for Air Quality monitoring. Our target customers are city councils seeking to better understand where they have pollution related problems.

What is your USP?
Our system is small, portable, connected to the 4G network with CAT-M1 and can be mounted on vehicles travelling and sensing air quality all over urban areas instead of single stationary locations

What is your relationship with the telecom sector?
We use the 4G Cat-M1 networks with 2G fallback, and this allow us to have efficient cost effective data transmission to our cloud platform.

How have you got to your current stage of development?
We received an investment grant from West Berkshire council to allow us to fund the manufacturing of our first products. Following this funding a local private company became an investor in our company

Why did you establish the business?
We realised that much of the information collected by government bodies is not suitable for making decisions and policies on air quality improvement, and most had very little or useless data to make qualified decisions. We are three entrepreneurs with technology backgrounds in hardware software and networks and we consider we have a leading performance solution

What was your motivation for the business?
“Only the paranoid survive” (Any Grove – Intel ex CEO) is a good motivation. Our company only recruits driven people who always have “10 reasons why something can be done”

What does the future hold for your business?

We need investors, partners, and support from influential motivated people or companies who are connected and can help us scale our company to an international leader in air quality measurement.

COMPANY CV
HEADQUARTERS: Newbury Berkshire UK

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 3

LAST FUNDING TYPE: Local Council + Local private investor
URL: www.technocomm-iot.com
FOUNDERS:
Bijan Mohandes
David Wallace
Steve Levitt

Meet Technocomm in the Startup Village at Total Telecom Congress on the 1-2 November 2022. CSP’s and public sector attend for free: www.totaltele.com/congress 

Related Content: Read more Startup Stories on Total Telecom

The post Startup Stories: breath easy first appeared on Total Telecom.

Mobile operator Three UK has today announced the launch of their new 5G powered Business Broadband package, which they say will “offer a game changing alternative to fixed line broadband” and costs from just £14.17 per month (excluding VAT) with no upfront charges – this includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Business Broadband package itself, […]