Bharti Global Acquires Altice UK’s 24.5 Percent Stake in BT Group
In a surprise development, Bharti Global, the Indian multinational conglomerate, has this morning formally agreed to acquire French billionaire Patrick Drahi’s (Altice UK) stake of 24.5% (issued share capital) in national broadband and telecoms giant BT Group. The move comes only a couple of months after the richest man in Latin America, Carlos Slim, became one of BT’s largest shareholders after he took a 3.2% stake in the company (here), which at the time was said to be worth around £400m....
Virgin Media UK Working to Fix Ping Spikes on 2Gbps Broadband Lines
A small number of Virgin Media’s (O2) broadband ISP customers, which appears to be largely impacting those on their latest 2Gbps full fibre package via nexfibre’s new XGS-PON (FTTP) network, have recently been suffering regular spikes in network latency (ping) and packet loss. But the good news is that the provider is working on a permanent fix. The problem was first brought to ISPreview’s attention over a week ago after some of Virgin Media’s customers, primarily those who enjoy playing...
Customers of UK Full Fibre Broadband ISP Toob Suffer Outage UPDATE
Alternative network operator toob, which has deployed a gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network across parts of Southern England (parts of Hampshire, Dorset and Surrey), appears to have been suffering from a service outage “across our network” this afternoon. The situation appears to have started at just after 5:30pm this afternoon and promptly spread to a significant portion of their customer base. According to a statement posted via X/Twitter (here): “We’re aware of an issue...
Starlink Shows How its Broadband Satellites Can Avoid Breaking Radio Astronomy
Elon Musk’s Starlink (SpaceX) service, which operates a mega constellation of ultrafast broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for the UK and the world, has issued a new update to explain how they dynamically adjust their network to mitigate the “significant risk” of causing interference for radio telescopes. At present Starlink currently has 6,313 LEO satellites (c.2,000 are Mini GEN 2A) in Low Earth Orbit at altitudes of c.500-600km and they’re in the process of adding thousands more...
HS2 project could boost rural broadband, new analysis reveals
News The railway line could improve the connectivity for thousands of rural households The High-Speed 2 (HS2) railway project could significantly enhance broadband connectivity in rural areas, according to a new analysis released today from High Speed 2 Ltd, a non-departmental public body run by the UK Department for Transport. As part of the railway deployment plan for HS2, mobile and broadband providers would be offered access to spare capacity in the 2,000km of fibre cabling and 80...
Vodafone Germany bolsters B2B unit, invests €250m
News Alongside the fresh investment, the company says it will expand the business unit by 120 roles In recent years, Vodafone Germany delivered lacklustre results for Vodafone Group, notably struggling to retain market share versus its major domestic rivals, Deutsch Telekom and Telefonica Deutschland. A ray of light, however, has been their B2B business arm, which has grown considerably, now accounting for around 20% of the company’s total service revenue. Now, it seems Vodafone Germany...
HPE’s Juniper Networks takeover gets UK green light
News The news follows from the European Union’s similar decision earlier this month This week, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given HPE’s proposed acquisition of Juniper Networks for $14 billion the go ahead. The CMA has not yet published the reasoning behind its decision, but released a statement saying the regulator had “cleared the anticipated acquisition by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company of Juniper Network Inc.” The full text on the decision will be released...
Three UK Named Fastest for 5G Broadband in Ookla H1 2024 Study
Network testing firm Ookla, which collects data from consumers via their popular Speedtest.net platform, has published their latest Q1-Q2 2024 (H1) study into the speed of 5G based mobile broadband networks in the United Kingdom. The results find that Three UK still delivers the fastest average download (255.23Mbps) and uploads (14.47Mbps). As we’ve said before, mobile data performance remains a difficult thing to pin down because related users are always moving through different areas...
Verizon leverages AI to reduce fibre cuts
News The launch comes ahead of “Call Before You Dig” day on August 11 Verizon has rolled out a new program aimed at protecting its fibre infrastructure from accidental damage during construction and excavation projects, ahead of the nationwide “Call Before You Dig” day on August 11. Each year, many fibre lines are unintentionally cut by homeowners and others digging around network sites, leading to connectivity issues for customers that can last from a few hours to several days....
Connected Britain Awards 2024 Shortlist
Total Telcom is delighted to announce the shortlisted entrants to this year’s Connected Britain Awards! With a record number of submissions, this year’s competition has been more competitive than ever. We would like to thank all those who entered the competition and offer our congratulations to those who have made the shortlist this year. The competition’s winners will be announcd at the Connected Britain Awards ceremony, taking place on Day 1, Wednesday 11th September, on the Keynote Stage at...