EE Extends Sky Partnership and Brings Sky Stream to UK Customers
Mobile operator and broadband ISP EE (BT) has today announced that they’ve extended and expanded their strategic partnership Sky UK, which among other things means that Sky Stream will launch in EE retail stores, via the their website, and telesales from 15th October 2024; it can also now be taken alongside EE’s home broadband and mobile services. The move is interesting because Sky’s internet-based TV and streaming service, Sky Stream, is technically a competitor for EE’s own TV product. But...
Brsk UK to Extend FTTP Broadband Network into Colne, Lancashire
Alternative network operator and ISP Brsk, which has already built their 2Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to cover “over” 676,000 UK homes and is in the process of being merged with Netomnia (here), has today announced that their full fibre service is being extended to cover 11,000 premises in the Lancashire town of Colne. The town of Colne already has access to gigabit-capable broadband from Virgin Media (O2), while Openreach have also expanded their own FTTP across much...
Voneus Bring Gigabit Broadband to Tiny Pembrokeshire Village of Dale
After some false starts in the past, residents of the tiny coastal Pembrokeshire (Wales) village of Dale can now finally start enjoying access to a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network, which is thanks to a deployment by local ISP Voneus that was funded by the government’s gigabit voucher scheme. The original deployment for Dale was actually planned several years ago as part of Broadway Partners involvement with the local authority’s Digital Connectivity Programme...
Vodafone UK Spotted Preparing Wi-Fi 7 Broadband Routers for Launch
Mobile and broadband ISP Vodafone appears to be preparing to launch a new range of Wi-Fi 7 capable routers and wireless mesh extenders for their fixed line customers in the future, including the Ultra Hub 7 Fibre (FG4278VF), Super Wi-Fi 7 (RP761BVDF) and Ultra HUB7 (DG4278VF). But the details are currently wafer thin. In case anybody has forgotten, Vodafone only recently introduced a new range of Wi-Fi 6 / 6E capable routers and extenders – the ‘Power Hub‘ router and ‘Super Wi-Fi 6 Booster‘...
US telcos targeted by Chinese hackers in national security breach
News Authorities are still working to discover exactly what data may have been obtained by the hackers A Chinese hacking group, reportedly connected to the country’s government, has breached several US telcos in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday citing sources familiar with the matter. The sources suggest that telcos and broadband providers, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen, were among the targets of these attacks. Investigators believe these hackers may have...
From GIS to computer vision: Building a unified platform for fibre deployment
Interview At Connected Britain 2024, we caught up with Sitetracker’s Global Product Lead Michael Roach to discuss how the company is using the latest technologies to make planning and deploying fibre networks simpler, faster, and more cost effective. From leveraging Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to equipping engineers with computer vision capabilities, Roach explains why building a unified platform is key to harnessing the wealth of deployment data now available to telcos. You can...
FCC licences Starlink’s direct-to-device services as part of hurricane relief efforts
News The direct-to-device (D2D) services will be available in the parts of North Carolina most badly affected by Hurricane Helene On Sunday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave temporary approval for Starlink to provide D2D satellite services to parts of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. The hurricane, which impacted the US southeast late last month, has heavily damaged communication infrastructure across multiple states. According to figures from the FCC, over 74% of...
Vodafone Idea expands Ericsson 5G partnership
News The deal follows a $3.6 billion network equipment deal signed with Samsung, Nokia, and Ericsson just last month This week, Vodafone Idea (Vi) has expanded its partnership with Ericsson by signing new contracts to upgrade its 4G network and introduce 5G services in in key regions, including Delhi, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. This new deal builds on the long-standing relationship between the two companies and is aimed at strengthening India’s digital infrastructure to meet...
SMF Study Identifies Weaknesses in UK 5G Mobile Deployments
A new report from the Social Market Foundation (SMF), which is a cross-party think-tank, has highlighted how the UK is still a long way from reaping the benefits of achieving ubiquitous 5G mobile (mobile broadband) connectivity. The report finds this is partly because previous policies toward mobile telecoms have “unintentionally hindered investment.” Solving that won’t be easy. According to Ofcom’s data from January 2024 (here), some 85-92% of UK premises can now get...
Wi-Fi Calling and VoLTE Now Available to All Giffgaff UK Customers
Mobile network provider giffgaff, which is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on O2’s platform in the United Kingdom, has announced the completion of their effort to deploy two long awaited new service features – Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling (VoLTE). This process originally began during the spring (here). Just to recap. 4G Calling is another name for Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) technology, which means that any regular calls you make or receive will stay on the 4G mobile network (signal...