Mobile Operators Shun Plan to Expand 4G on Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, which is an overground and underground light rail rapid transit system that is operated by Nexus (public body), looks unlikely to see 4G and 5G mobile coverage being expanded from O2 (Virgin Media), Vodafone and Three UK after the operators “turned down the opportunity to install equipment in the tunnels.” The transit system, which has had some 4G (mobile broadband) coverage from EE (BT) in the tunnels since 2019, currently serves Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North...
Welsh Government Sees Opportunity to Review Gigabit Broadband Plan
The First Minister of Wales, Vaughan Gething (Labour), has jumped on the recent 2024 General Election result by indicating that it gives them a “window of opportunity” to re-engage with the new Labour-led UK Government – in the hope of “putting right what’s gone wrong” with Project Gigabit‘s broadband roll-out plan. But big changes risk big delays. Just to recap. The £5bn (state aid) Project Gigabit broadband scheme (i.e. aiming for 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025 and “nationwide”...
Euro 2024 – Three UK Delays Opening Stores to 10am on Monday
Mobile network operator Three UK has announced that they will be opening all 244 of their stores in England and Head Office at 10am on Monday, apparently so “colleagues can enjoy the European Football Championship final this weekend” (translation – recover from a hangover or after seeing another flaky performance on the pitch). “This special adjustment to store opening hours will come into play on Monday 15th July and will allow colleagues in England to make the most of all the excitement...
AT&T data breach leaked “nearly all” of its customers mobile numbers
News The breach, which occurred in 2022, could affect tens of millions of customers Today, a regulatory filing from AT&T has revealed a major data breach that occurred in 2022, with hackers able to access call and text message records of “nearly all” of the operator’s wireless customers. The data was reportedly compromised between April 14 and April 25, 2022, as well as a single day in January 2023. The breach exposed call and text records, though AT&T says this does not include the...
Vodafone, Qualcomm, and Xiaomi clock 1.8 Gbps 5G download speeds
Press Release Vodafone, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Xiaomi continued their innovative streak with the successful test in Germany and Spain of a new 5G technology capable of download speeds close to 1.8 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) using a new smartphone. Specifically, they tested enhanced technology which improves the way data and video is transmitted from the radio network over 5G to a customer’s mobile device. Called 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), it is a step up from today’s...
SoftBank buys Graphcore, targets further AI investments
News SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son said earlier this year that AI will be SoftBank’s ‘next big bet’ when it comes to technology This week, Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has announced the acquisition of struggling UK-based AI chipmaker Graphcore. Official financial details have not been disclosed, but anonymous sources speaking to the Financial Times valued the deal at $600 million. Graphcore creates specialised AI chips, known as intelligence processing units, which can be used to train and...
CWP Offers Free Common Switching Platform Until OTS Launch
The Common Wholesale Platform (CWP), which is a non-profit member-owned organisation that helps alternative broadband networks to provide wholesale services to the UK ISP market, has announced that they’re offering retail ISPs free access to their Common Switching Platform (CSP) until the One Touch Switching (OTS) regulation launch on 12th September 2024. In case anybody has forgotten. Ofcom’s much delayed One Touch Switch (OTS) system aims to make it quicker and easier for consumers to switch...
Quickline UK Expand FTTP Broadband to 3 New North Yorkshire Villages
Broadband ISP Quickline, which is building a new gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) and fixed wireless (5G FWA) network across rural and semi-rural parts of the North East and Midlands of England, has confirmed that a further three villages across North Yorkshire have now been connected to their network. The latest additions include Brearton, Scotton, and Riccall in North Yorkshire. The new fibre across this area is understood to have reached some 1,600 premises (homes and businesses)....
brsk full fibre rollout passes 100,000 premises in the West Midlands
Brsk, who recently announced their merger with Netomnia, to form the second largest UKalternative network, is celebrating a new milestone in the West Midlands; now providing over100,000 homes with access to full fibre broadband. Across the Black Country and South Birmingham, homes and businesses can now enjoy rapidspeeds and seamless connectivity thanks to brsk’s full fibre. This is a huge milestone not just for brsk, but also for the West Midlands, an area where gigabit connectivity has...
Approaching Shannon’s Limit: KDPOF Evolves to KD
KDPOF (leading supplier for high-speed connectivity over fiberoptics in harsh environments) proudly announces its business upgrade and brand-new corporate identity, evolving from ‘KDPOF – Knowledge Development for Plastic Optical Fiber’ to ‘KD – Approaching Shannon’s Limit’. As the company keeps striving for technical innovation and new products, the new image perfectly fits with the ambitious designs, challenges, and future projects. “Since our founding in 2010, we’ve mastered the path of...