News

The boss of UK ISP Zen Internet, Richard Tang, has given an interesting new interview in which he’s quizzed by the CEO of Freedom Fibre, Neil McArthur, on the state of the market for alternative networks and what such operators need to do in order to attract more ISPs to their platforms. Just for some context. Freedom Fibre is itself an alternative network, which, after recently merging with VX FIBER (here), has now covered 300,000 premises (27th Mar 2024) across the United Kingdom with their...

The latest update from Transport for London (TfL) has revealed that 4G and 5G mobile (mobile broadband) signals have now been extended to cover the first tunnel sections on the Elizabeth line (running approximately 5 miles). Further tunnelled sections to Whitechapel, Canary Wharf and Woolwich will be connected this summer. Just to recap. Boldyn Networks (formerly BAI), using kit from Nokia and others, currently holds a 20-year concession deal with TfL, which was signed in June 2021 (here) and...

Alternative broadband ISP Fibrus has today put out a second announcement, which reveals that they’ve just put their new multi-gigabit speed capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network live for 1,100 premises in the Cumbria (England) town of Longtown. The deployment follows similar builds in towns like Workington, Wigton and Ambleside. Chris Collins, Fibrus’ Head of Network Build, said: “We’re delighted to be able to bring the benefits of our Full Fibre network to even more communities in...

News   The partnership is set to improve the notoriously difficult indoor connectivity problem This week, Freshwave has announced the fruits of a partnership with infrastructure vendor CommScope, reportedly achieving a “world-first” by combining 4G connectivity from all four of the UK mobile network operators (MNOs) in a  single small cell solution.  Freshwave’s Omni Network approach uses CommScope’s ONECELL technology, a small cell solution built to provide strong and reliable LTE and 5G...

Belfast-based alternative UK network builder and broadband ISP Fibrus, which is backed by investment from Infracapital, has today announced that they’ll be issuing grants worth a total of £60,000 to 30 community groups across Northern Ireland, which are being supported as part of their 2024 Community Fund. So far Fibrus have already allocated £175k to local groups in Northern Ireland since launching the fund in 2021, with a further £120,000 allocated to Cumbria. The grants, which are worth up...

News The new deal will see Nokia’s radio solutions enhance Solis’ private wireless offering, helping farms to maximise the value of real-time data insights and the latest agritech solutions This week, Nokia has announced a new partnership with Brazilian infrastructure specialist Solis Tower Telecom do Brasil, aimed at deploying private networks for the agricultural sector. The deal will see Solis incorporate a wide variety of Nokia products into their private wireless service offering,...

Network operator MS3, which is building a new 10Gbps capable open access (wholesale) full fibre (FTTP / XGS-PON) broadband ISP network across 30 locations in the UK (mostly East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire), has signed a new partnership that will enable them to serve tenants of the Lincolnshire Housing Partnership (LHP). The master wayleave agreement (i.e. a legal land / property access deal) is expected to benefit over 450 residents (social housing tenants) living in LHP’s low and medium-rise...

The European Commission has this week published their annual 2024 ‘Broadband Coverage in Europe’ study, which reveals how the EU’s fixed gigabit broadband and 5G mobile networks compare across all of its 27 countries, plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The EU’s main target for digital infrastructure is for every European household to have access to “high-speed internet” coverage by the end of 2025 (defined as 100Mbps+) and gigabit (1000Mbps+) connectivity by the end of...

Three, the UK’s Fastest 5G Network*, has today become Chelsea Women’s first women’s-only Principal Partner, including sponsorship of the team’s training kit. As Three continues to be the Official Telecommunications Partner of Chelsea Football Club, the mobile network’s branding will now also be front and centre on the reigning Women’s Super League champions’ training kit as the team prepare for major tournaments including UEFA Women’s Champions League, FA Cup and Women’s League Cup this...

Network benchmarking firm MedUX has today published the results of a new study, which examined the fixed broadband performance and quality of three major UK ISPs – BT, Sky Broadband and Vodafone. Overall, BT ended up topping the rankings, but it’s unclear why they left out TalkTalk and Virgin Media, both of which are bigger than Vodafone. The methodology and data gathering of the new study is a little unclear, but it claims to be using an independently developed scorecard to evaluate the...