Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 Sign UK Network Sharing Agreement
Mobile network operators Vodafone and O2 (Virgin Media) have today announce a new 10-year network sharing agreement. Crucially, the deal also includes a provision for Vodafone’s proposed merger with Three UK (aka – MergeCo), which will enable the merged company to “participate” in the same network sharing deal and divest some radio spectrum to O2. In case anybody has forgotten, O2 and Vodafone originally established a 50:50 network sharing agreement – via Cornerstone (CTIL) – all the way back...
Nokia and Telefónica collaborate for Spanish private networks
News Nokia and Telefonica have announced an agreement to drive the development of the 5G private network market in Spain The agreement will last three years and will allow Telefonica to offer customers up to 100 solutions, including the company’s Digital Automation Cloud (DAC), Modular Private Wireless (MPW), MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) solutions, and Industrial devices. These, the company’s say, can be deployed in a wide variety of industries, including ports, manufacturing, and logistics, to...
Fox Launches Free Ad-Supported UK TV Streaming Service Tubi
The chances are reasonably good that most internet users in the UK didn’t wake up this morning and, while craned offer a hot cup of coffee, think “gosh, I know what this already fragmented video content market really needs, ANOTHER streaming platform!“. But that is what Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation has just launched in Tubi. At least it’s “free“. The platform, which has been available in North America for a while and is now home to 80 million active users, takes a different approach from...
Wessex Internet recognised as rural enterprise of the year at the House of Lords
The awards, now in their 17th year and commonly referred to as ‘the rural Oscars’, recognise businesses that go the extra mile within their communities and support the rural economy. Wessex Internet was initially nominated anonymously by its customers and then – from thousands of nominees across the UK – the company topped a public vote in the southwest region and was selected as the overall national winner by a panel of judges. Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO at Wessex Internet, said: “I’m...
Freshwave Stick All Four UK Mobile Operators on One 4G Small Cell Box
Wireless infrastructure provider Freshwave and CommScope have jointly begun to deploy a new “world first” solution, which can bring 4G and 5G mobile (mobile broadband) connectivity from all four UK mobile network operators (Three UK, EE, Vodafone and O2) indoors via a single combined small cell box. Small cells are akin to mini shoebox sized mobile base stations, which have been designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around 80-120 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy...
Study Claims to Identify Best and Worst UK Train Line’s for WiFi
A recent study from business comparison service Bionic claims to have identified the best and worst UK train line operators for onboard WiFi internet access, which was achieved by analysing negative reviews that mentioned the service. The results suggest that the best operator for WiFi is ScotRail, while the worst came out as Cross Country trains. In order to arrive at its results, the study examined both the percentage of negative online reviews that referenced WiFi and the train line’s...
Full Fibre UK Broadband ISP Connexin Appoints New CFO
Alternative broadband ISP Connexin, which is currently aiming to deploy a new 10Gbps capable full fibre (FTTP) network across 500,000 premises in East Yorkshire and beyond (England), has today announced the appointment of Shameel Ahmed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Prior to Connexin, Shameel was at London focused altnet CommunityFibre, where he oversaw the network rollout of 1.3m homes across much of London. Shameel also played a key role in the acquisition of CommunityFibre by Warburg...
TIM finally completes NetCo sale to KKR
News The sale is the first time a former phone monopoly in a major European country is divesting its landline grid Telecom Italia (TIM) has finalised the sale of its fixed line network ‘NetCo’ to KKR, in a deal worth up to €22 billion. The sale saw TIM transfer its fixed network infrastructure and wholesale activities to its subsidiary FiberCop, which was then fully bought out by KKR, who already owned a minority stake in the business. The deal was first announced in November last year and...
Game, Set Matched: Vodafone pledges to donate up to 75,000 connections in Wimbledon ‘Connect Better’ challenge
Press Release 1 July 2024, London: Vodafone, the Official Connectivity Partner to The Championships, Wimbledon, has pledged to donate up to 75,000 connections over the course of this year’s event to help people and sports clubs cross the digital divide. The new ‘Connect Better’ challenge will take the on-court competition to new heights this year, with Vodafone challenging the players to hit their fastest serve and help them smash the donation target of 75,000 connections. Vodafone will be...
Dutch operators finally get their hands on midband 5G spectrum
News All three national mobile operators picked up additional spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band following a much-delayed auction process This week, the Dutch telecoms regulator has announced the conclusion of its latest 5G auction, with KPN, Odido, and VodafoneZiggo all acquiring additional spectrum licences. The auction saw each operator gain 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band, each paying just over the reserve price for the privilege. In total, the auction raised €174.4 million, with the...