Hiya Finds 32 Percent of Unknown UK Calls are SPAM in Q4 2024
The Q4 2024 Global Call Threat Report from Hiya, which works with broadband ISPs and mobile operators (BT, EE, O2, Virgin Media etc.) to help tackle SPAM and fraud calls, has revealed that UK residents received 4 spam calls per person each month (unchanged from Q3) and the percentage of unknown calls that are spam hit 32% (up from 28%). Overall, the latest report found that 3% of all UK calls were classified as “fraud calls” (unchanged), while 29% were “nuisance calls” (up from 25%) and the...
London Ranks Bottom in MedUX Test of UK and EU 5G Mobile Performance
Network testing and benchmarking firm MedUX has today previewed a new study, which examined the performance and quality of 5G (mobile broadband) networks from EE, O2, Vodafone and Three UK across London. Sadly the results, which also tested 14 other major European cities, put the UK’s capital at the very bottom of the table. The measurement campaign is said to have consisted of drive tests that were conducted during Q2 and Q4 2024 in 15 major cities across Europe, covering more than 5,500km...
Wireless Broadband Provider Dyfed Telecom Hit by Winding Up Petition
Kidwelly-based wireless broadband provider and supplier Dyfed Telecom Limited, which over the past few years has helped to connect various premises in rural Wales to broadband using a mix of mobile (EE powered 4G/5G), satellite (Starlink) and WiFi based solutions, has suffered a blow after HMRC filed a winding-up petition against the business. For those who may be unfamiliar with this process, a Winding Up Petition (WUP) is a legal action that is usually taken by a creditor or creditors, which...
Algeria Telecom partners with Huawei to deliver 400G WDM national backbone network, accelerating digital economy development
Press Release [Algiers, 21 Feb, 2025] Algeria Telecom and Huawei jointly announced the official launch of the national 400G WDM project, building an all-optical premium transmission foundation covering the whole country, helping Algeria accelerate the development of its national digital economy. As the largest telecommunications operator in Algeria, Algeria Telecom has always been committed to promoting the national digital transformation. This cooperation with Huawei aims to enhance the level...
UK ISP Virgin Media Suffers Broadband Outage After Routing Issue
Broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) should now be coming back online after some of the provider’s customers suffered a partial outage of their internet connectivity this morning. This appears as if it could have stemmed from a peering/routing issue with some of their network partners (this may have also impacted other online services / providers). According to Down Detector, the outage itself started at around 10am and only began to improve just before midday. A spokesperson for Virgin Media said:...
TOTSCo Clarifies Status of Change Freeze in UK ISP Switching Process
The industry-led One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo), which is the central messaging platform for implementing Ofcom’s recently launched (Sept 2024) solution for easier and quicker consumer switching between broadband and phone providers (One Touch Switching), has caused some head scratching after clarifying the status of a key change freeze. Regular readers will already know that OTS has had a bit of a bumpy start. One of its biggest challenges has flowed from the difficulty of getting the...
Starlink Quietly Add £8 Roaming Plan to UK Satellite Broadband Service
SpaceX’s Starlink service, which offers ultrafast broadband speeds via a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), appears to have quietly added a new and super cheap £8 per month roaming plan for customers in the UK. But as usual, there are a few catches to consider. At present Starlink has over 7,000 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (c.3,00 are v2 Mini / GEN 2A) – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’re in the process of adding thousands more by the end of 2027....
EU commits €8 billion to strengthen submarine cable security
News The European Commission has announced an €8 billion investment to improve the security and resilience of submarine cables This includes major funding for projects such as the Baltic Synchronisation (€1.23 billion), the Great Sea Interconnector (€658 million), Bornholm Energy Island (€645 million), the Biscay Bay Interconnector (€578 million), and the Celtic Interconnector (€531 million). Speaking in Helsinki, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen outlined the EU’s plan to protect...
Study Compares UK and EU 5G Standalone and NSA Mobile Broadband Speeds
Network testing firm Ookla (i.e. Speedtest.net, Downdetector.co.uk) has today published an interesting new report that examines the adoption and performance of 5G Standalone (5GSA) based mobile broadband networks across the UK and Europe. This also compares the new technology against existing Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G networks. Just for some context. 5G SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G connections that remove the legacy of slower 4G connectivity (still present in current NSA networks) and can...
CEO of Broadband ISP Community Fibre Apologises After Second Outage
Hopefully bad things don’t come in threes. Graeme Oxby, the CEO of London focused full fibre broadband ISP CommunityFibre, has apologised to customers after the operator suffered a second service outage yesterday, which much like the first one appears as if it could have been related to their Domain Name Servers (DNS). But this outage was much shorter. In case anybody has forgotten, CommunityFibre was hit by a protracted outage on Monday (here), which lasted for several hours and impacted a...