Ofcom Finds Three UK Misses First Rural 4G Mobile Coverage Target
The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today published its first report on the progress of the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network project (i.e. extending 4G mobile (broadband) to cover 95% of the UK by the end of 2025), which confirms that Three UK is the only mobile operator to miss the first coverage target for Partial Not-Spot (PNS) areas. Just to recap. The SRN – supported by £501m of public funding and £532m from operators – involves both the reciprocal sharing of existing masts in...
BT Report HUGE Rise in Malicious IP Scanners Across UK Network
Telecoms and broadband ISP giant BT has today revealed that their UK network is logging 2,000 signals of potential cyber-attacks a second (200 million per day), while malicious scans of online (Internet Protocol) networks and devices have surged by over 1,234% in the last year alone. The data, which was unveiled at BT’s Secure Tomorrow cybersecurity festival at its Adastral Park research site, showed that web-connected devices are scanned over 1,000 times a day by known malicious sources – an...
Deal Brings Gigabit Broadband to 200,000 Social Homes in Manchester UK
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has today told the Connected Britain event in London that a new framework (wayleave) agreement has been reached with several network operators that will help to spread full fibre gigabit broadband across 200,000 social housing properties within the combined authority. At this stage there doesn’t appear to be an official press release available. But Thinkbroadband are reporting that the new agreement is being supported by Virgin Media (via...
One Touch Switch: An inflection point of opportunity
Viewpoint Article by Jarlath Finnegan is Group CEO of AllPoints Fibre Networks (APFN) As the industry approached the launch of One Touch Switch (OTS) on 12 September, there was an increasing amount of commentary on its perceived faults and features. Regardless of which side of that debate we stand, at APFN, we see OTS as an inflection point which should give pause for thought to all of us involved in the industry. Over the past ten years, our backers have poured billions of pounds of...
Broadband ISP Vodafone UK Reminds of £100 Switching Incentive
Mobile operator and UK ISP Vodafone has today celebrated the launch of faster One Touch Switching (OTS) between home broadband providers by reminding new customers that they will offer up to £100 towards exit fees with your old ISP, which should make it easier for those still stuck in longer contracts to migrate. Nearly all of the market’s largest broadband and phone providers, as well as many smaller players (i.e. those that lock you into a longer minimum contract term), will typically levy...
Virgin Media O2 UK Adds MUBI to Pay TV 360 and Stream Service
Customers of UK broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2), specifically those who take their pay TV service via one of the operator’s TV 360 or Stream platforms, may like to know that the operator has added support for MUBI‘s global streaming and film distributor platform via a new app on their set-top-boxes. You’ll also get a special discount. Customers will benefit from an exclusive 70% discount for six months (usually £11.99 per month or £95.98 per annum) when signing up to the service via their...
SCTE Membership App launches
The SCTE Membership App is designed to bring all the various verticals the SCTE is known for into one place. Under the various missions of the SCTE itself – Information, Communication and Collaboration – users can access the latest technical specifications, register for events and access discount codes, catch up on webinars, training sessions, lectures and podcasts via our Spotify and YouTube channels as well as read a mobile-friendly version of the SCTE’s quarterly publication, Broadband...
Sparkle and Airtel Business: Agreement for Blue & Raman Capacity Between India and Italy
Rome (Italy) /Gurugram (India), 12 September 2024 Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, has signed an agreement with Airtel Business – the B2B arm of Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers – for additional capacity on a diversified low latency route between Asia and Europe. Airtel Business is India’s leading and most trusted provider of ICT services with strategically located submarine...
WM5G extends service boosting connectivity in ‘uneconomical’ areas
Many regions struggle with poor connectivity because operators cannot find economically-viable sites for their infrastructure in key locations. Site Finder solves this problem by proactively identifying areas with poor connectivity and capacity, and facilitating the use of shared sites. WM5G’s Site Finder service identifies locations with poor coverage, finding sites on public land that can be shared by multiple operators. By bringing in neutral host providers and tower companies, Site Finder...
Boldyn Networks and West Sussex County Council to drive 5G powered smart food and wine production
A series of new private 5G networks is set to transform food and wine production across West Sussex, enabling local businesses with the tools and skills to thrive in the digital age. This transformative initiative will co-develop foundational 5G use cases, testing technologies like sensors, drones, and cameras that can revolutionise farming practices and promote sustainable food production. The announcement marks the next phase of the ‘Growing Sussex 5G Innovation Region’, an ambitious...