News

Customers of Sky’s (Sky Broadband) older Standard Definition (SD) TV service and devices (i.e. Digibox and Sky+ set-top-boxes) have been given a final warning to upgrade their service before October 2024 or face automatic cancellation. The warning appears to represent a slight delay on the original August 2024 deadline. Just to recap. The upgrade drive, which has been running for a while (here), reflects the fact that Sky is currently “changing how we deliver our TV services“ (i.e. they’re...

News SpaceX says it will gradually replace its first-generation satellites with larger, more advanced alternatives This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has confirmed that it will allow SpaceX to gradually replace its existing first-generation Starlink satellites with second-generation satellites. SpaceX has roughly 6,281 Starlink satellites in orbit around the Earth, which are used to provide global coverage for communication services. The company currently has permission...

News  The deal will support SK Telecom’s ambition to launch a GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) offerings across South Korea  SK Telecom has this week announced a partnership with AI developer Lambda to expand cloud services in South Korea.  In December, the two companies deploy NVIDIA GPU clusters in SK Telecom’s Gasan data center in Seoul, aiming to support AI cloud business opportunities around South Korea  “SKT shares in our vision to make GPU compute as ubiquitous as electricity,” said Lambda CEO...

News The funds will be used by the newly formed European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) to set up a new facility in Dresden This week, the European Commission has given the greenlight to a German plan aiming to use €5 billion to build a new semiconductor plant in Dresden. The plant will be built and run by ESMC, a joint venture being set up by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Bosch, Infineon, and NXP. TSMC, based in Taiwan, is the largest semiconductor company in...

Crowdfunded mobile network operator Honest Mobile, which harnesses Three UK’s network via a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement, has today announced the launch of a new ‘Family Plan’ that is “designed to make managing multiple SIMs easier, saving 20% compared to standard individual plans“. The new plan, which is available to families or groups of up to 10, can also be combined with Honest Mobile’s loyalty discount for further savings (i.e. rewarding customers by reducing bills...

SAN JOSE, Calif. and COLOGNE, Germany — Aug. 15, 2024 — German broadcaster RTL Deutschland has added eight new free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels to its video streaming service, expanding the number of viewing options for customers of its streaming service RTL+. The new FAST channels are powered by Harmonic’s VOS®360 Media SaaS, which simplifies all stages of media processing, including advanced playout, powerful graphics insertion, premium OTT encoding and distribution....

Network benchmarking firm Opensignal has published new analysis of the “competitive headwinds” facing Three UK in the mobile market, which finds that the operator’s struggles are “driven by a low subscriber base and high churn resulting from many factors“. But it also warns that the situation could get worse if the proposed merger with Vodafone is rejected. Just to recap. The proposed mega-merger (here), which has been promoted by both operators as something that would be “great for customers,...

Press Release Nokia has announced that it has been selected by TIM Brasil (TIM) to expand its 5G radio access network (RAN) coverage across 15 Brazilian states from January 2025. This partnership will increase the number of municipalities with access to 5G, bringing the benefits of secure, ultra-high-speed connectivity to a wider population. The expansion will also enable enterprises in these regions to digitalize their operations, fostering innovation and driving economic growth. Under the...

News  The Chinese government continues to funnel money into its domestic chip capabilities in order to reduce reliance on US technology  The Shanghai Semiconductor Industry Investment Fund (SSIIF), managed by the local government to support the city’s chip industry, has doubled its size to around $2 billion after a recent funding round.   The new funds were primarily contributed to by state-backed entities based in Shanghai, in the city’s strategic push to bolster its semiconductor industry...

News  The move should give CityFibre a huge competitive boost as they look to take on market leader Openreach   Sky and CityFibre have announced a long-term partnership allowing Sky to offer full fibre services over CityFibre’s network.   As the UK’s largest altnet, CityFibre’s network currently reaches 3.8 million premises, with plans to expand to at least 8 million in the coming years. CityFibre is also a key player in the Government’s Project Gigabit Programme, with contracts in place...