News

Working alongside NEC and Rakuten Symphony, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has deployed Open RAN technology in their live commercial network for the first time

This week, VMO2 has announced that they have activated an unspecified number of Open RAN macro-sites in Northamptonshire, handling commercial data traffic for customers.

The deployments are reportedly centred around NEC’s fully open end-to-end solution, paired with Rakuten Symphony’s Open RAN software, edge cloud, and radio management and operations system.

The news follows a successful trial that took place last year involving the three partners.

“The successful activation of Virgin Media O2’s first UK macro-sites demonstrates the potential of the multi-vendor Open RAN model,” said Jeanie York, chief technology officer at VMO2. “We are strong believers in the power of diverse Open RAN ecosystems and in NEC, we have a partner that really shares our view. Its industry-leading system integration capabilities are integral in helping us deliver the mobile networks of the future, today.”

The move makes VMO2 the UK’s second mobile operator to have activated Open RAN equipment in a live network, following Vodafone, who switched on their first 4G Open RAN site back in August 2020.

Since then, Vodafone has further deployed Open RAN technology to seven rural locations, aiming to improve 4G coverage for underserved locations.

Vodafone has previously announced that it was working with a variety of Open RAN vendor partners for its deployments, including Dell Technologies, NEC, Samsung, Wind River, Capgemini Engineering, and Keysight Technologies.

Ultimately, Vodafone aims to have 2,500 4G and 5G Open RAN sites live by 2027.

In contrast to Vodafone and now VMO2’s apparent optimism about Open RAN deployment, the UK’s other mobile operators, BT and Three, have been much more reserved with their Open RAN ambitions.

At the start of this year, BT announced that it was trialling Open RAN tech in Hull, installing and testing Nokia’s RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) technology across a number of sites across the city.

Partnering with one of the largest traditional RAN vendors for their Open RAN trial may seem somewhat counterintuitive, but it is in keeping with BT’s somewhat sceptical approach to the new technology, particularly around the added complexity that working with numerous vendors could entail.

Last year, BT’s Chief Architect Neil McRae said that the idea that Open RAN would save operators money was one of the “big myths” being perpetuated by the telecoms industry, though he stressed that Open RAN technology was still in its infancy and would “absolutely play a significant role in our network” in future.

“Open RAN is in its early stages… and having seen the pace it has moved during the past two years, it’s insane how quickly things are developing. But it’s still got some big hurdles to overcome,” explained McRae. “Could we build the network we have today in the UK, not just our network but other networks, purely with Open RAN. Right now, the answer to that is that we absolutely couldn’t. Could that be the future? Absolutely it could, and that’s where we’re engaged…”

Three is even less openly engaged in Open RAN development, having yet to announce a single trial with the developing technology.

Back in December 2020, Three CEO Robert Finnegan said that Open RAN was unlikely to play a major role in the company’s 5G rollout, given that they had already partnered with Ericsson for their RAN needs.

“I wouldn’t say the ship has sailed, but it is close to sailing because everyone is close to rolling out and you’re not going to change midstream,” Finnegan told reporters at the time.

All of these varied approaches to Open RAN are taking place alongside a national government that is a staunch advocate of the new technology, one that is increasingly incentivising the operators to .

In a joint statement with the UK’s mobile operators at the end of 2021, the government said it was now targeting 35% of the nation’s mobile traffic to be carried by Open RAN architecture by 2030. Since then, it has launched numerous initiatives to boost Open RAN R&D focussed around the £250 million Open Networks Research and Development Fund announced this summer.

The government is hopeful that Open RAN will be able to provide UK operators with a broader vendor ecosystem, providing additional security, resilience, and competition for telecoms technology providers.

What impact will Open RAN have on the dynamics of the UK’s mobile industry? Find out from the experts at this year’s live Connected Britain conference

The post VMO2 activates first Open RAN sites in live network first appeared on Total Telecom.

Broadband ISP WightFibre, which operates a network across the Isle of Wight – just off the South Coast of Hampshire in England, today claims to have become the first telecommunications operator in the UK to switch off their old copper network – beating KCOM, Virgin Media and Openreach (BT) to the punch. The operator is […]

The UK Government has announced that network providers (e.g. broadband ISPs and mobile operators) will become subject to new regulations – under the Telecommunications (Security) Act – from 1st Oct 2022, which aside from restricting the use of Huawei, will also impose changes to make networks safer from cyberattack. Just to recap. The TSA became […]

Ambitious superfast broadband provider, Upp, has appointed a new Director of Information and Cyber Security as part of the rollout of services across the East of England.

Upp which was founded as FibreMe in 2020 connected their first customer under the new brand of Upp in September 2021. Since then they have started connecting customers in the East of England, and plan to expand further across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk.

The latest appointment is Ian Hill who joins as Director of Information and Cyber Security and has a background that includes KCom and Drakken Internet which he founded in 1996. Ian said of his new role, “I’m really excited to be joining the great team at Upp, and it’s fantastic to be a part of the provider’s journey in the early stages, and help to really make a difference as we continue on what is a hugely exciting journey.”

Last year Upp committed to investing £1bn to deploy a full fibre network to 1 million premises in eastern England by 2025 and along the way hopes to create 600 new jobs. Upp’s investment plans are funded by international investment business LetterOne who said that they hoped their “substantial investment in connectivity will set Eastern England up to build back better for generations to come.”

Commenting on the appointment of Ian Hill, Alex Marshall, the Chief Innovation Officer at Upp, said “We are delighted to welcome Ian to the team. With over 35 years of IT experience, his knowledge and expertise will help make Upp one of the country’s most secure and trusted fibre broadband providers, by not only our customers but also our partners and regulators.”

To find out more about the latest rollout plans in the UK, make sure you attend Connected Britain in London on 20-21 September 2022 – Find out more

The post Upp to the job first appeared on Total Telecom.

Broadband and mobile giant O2 (VMO2) has today announced that their early tests of Open Radio Access Network (OpenRAN or O-RAN) technology – supported by NEC and Rakuten Symphony – are now being extended to the field phase, which will see the activation of the first live sites in VMO2’s commercial mobile network. The O-RAN […]

Network provider Netomnia (supported by UK ISP YouFibre) has today revealed more details about their planned rollout of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network in Middleton, Newbury, Folkestone and Dover – these form part of their recently announced build plan to 2023. The operator, which aims to cover 1 million premises – homes and […]

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) programme has today published the latest quarterly Summer 2022 update for their £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme, which reveals that they’ve launched new procurements in Hampshire and Shropshire, but are struggling in Staffordshire and Hertfordshire. Project Gigabit seeks to extend networks capable of delivering download speeds of 1000Mbps […]

Up to 38,000 of BT and Openreach’s unionised workers will today be heading back to hundreds of picket lines across the UK as they begin a second major national strike, which is part of an ongoing pay dispute. The strike, which will run through today and tomorrow, is expected to cause more delays to service […]

VIEWPOINT

Asia and the Pacific is the most digitally divided region of the world, and South-East Asia is the most divided subregion. The Covid-19 pandemic detonated a “digital big bang” that spurred people, governments and businesses to become “digital by default;” a sea change that generated vast digital dividends.

These benefits that have not been distributed equally, however. New development gaps have emerged as digital transformation reinforces a vicious cycle of socioeconomic inequalities, within and across countries.

Bridging these divides and ensuring advances in technology can benefit everyone will be a key challenge as the region seeks to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable post-pandemic recovery. A new ESCAP report, Asia-Pacific Digital Transformation Report 2022: Shaping our digital future, identifies five key “digital divides;” fault lines that separate those who can readily take advantage of new technology from those more likely to be left behind. These divides are related to age, gender, education, disability and geography.

Typically, those most comfortable with technological innovation are younger and better educated people who have grown up with the Internet as ”digital natives”. Older persons may be more distrustful, or slower to acquire the necessary skills or suffer declines in aptitude. But at any age, poor communities – especially those in rural areas – are most at risk as they may be unable to afford electricity or digital connections or lack the relevant skills, even if the necessary infrastructure and connectivity are there.

The most significant driver of digital transformation is business research and its development and adoption of frontier technologies. Another major component is e-government; the delivery of public information and services via the Internet or through other digital means. This has the potential for more efficient and inclusive operations; especially when linked to national digital ID systems. However, because e-government services often evolve in complex regulatory environments, providing appropriate levels of accessibility for older generations, the disabled, or those with limited education has become more challenging.

It is clear that digital technologies are enabling the delivery of previously unimagined services while enhancing productivity and optimizing resource use that helped reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants. These technologies also helped track and contain pandemic spread. Social networks are fostering and diversifying communications among people of all ages sharing common interests, irrespective of location. This helps them stay in touch, broaden their experiences, continue education or deepen subject knowledge. This provided a veritable lifeline that has continued as we enter the post-pandemic era.

At the same time, the risks have also proliferated. Social networks also created social ”echo chambers” and generated torrents of misinformation and hate speech. New cryptocurrencies have opened the way to speculative financial bubbles, while cybercrime increased alarmingly as it assumed prolific variations. In addition, digital gadgets and the Internet are thought to contribute to more than 2 per cent of the global carbon footprint. The manufacture of electronic hardware can also exhaust supplies of natural resources such as rare-earth elements and precious metals like cobalt and lithium.

Moreover, digital transformation has led to the creation of an immense amount of digital data which become an essential resource to understand digital transformation. However, it raises concerns about the ethical and responsible use of data for privacy protection. A common understanding among countries on the operationalization of such principles has yet to evolve.

This viewpoint is from by Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),

The post Shaping our digital future – a focus on Asia and the Pacific first appeared on Total Telecom.

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced that the first subsidy contract under their new £5bn Project Gigabit broadband scheme has today been signed with ISP Wessex Internet, which is a smaller local supplier deal that will aim to reach 7,100 premises in rural parts of North Dorset (England). Just to recap. Project Gigabit […]