Openreach Still Struggling with Underground Petrol Leak in Surrey UK
Network operator Openreach (BT) has issued an update on a long-running petrol leak in the village of Bramley (Surrey, England), which is having a “significant and ongoing impact” on their underground broadband and phone network. Sadly, the dangers involved mean that the problem is now likely to affect their local work and services for “several months“. According to a new notice sent to local communication providers and seen by ISPreview, the situation technically began “at least two years ago”...
STC joins e& in eying up United Group
News A deal could value United Group at approximately €8 billion, including debt Saudi Arabia’s STC group is considering the takeover of European telecom and pay-TV operator United Group, according to a report from Reuters that cited three anonymous sources familiar with the discussions. The article confirmed that United Group’s owner, BC Partners, which acquired the company from KKR in 2019, is currently working with advisors to start a sale process in the coming weeks. If the...
Survey Reveals Most Common UK Mobile Operator Complaints
Consumer magazine Which? has revealed the results of a recent consumer survey of 3,739 UK mobile users, which found that the most common complaints related to poor signal, price rises, receiving SPAM from their provider and poor customer service. Three UK and Lyca Mobile were also most likely to have had customers experiencing a problem in the past year. The results, which are somewhat intended to complement their annual 2024 consumer survey of UK mobile operators (here), found that problems...
OneWeb Broadband Satellites Gain Platinum Score for Space Sustainability
Eutelsat’s global network of OneWeb broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which was partly supported by the UK Government, has just secured a platinum score in the Space Sustainability Ratings (SSR) that is designed to encourage such companies to create and implement sustainable space missions and operations. OneWeb (aka – Eutelsat OneWeb) currently has 634 small (c.150kg) first generation (GEN1) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) platforms in space – orbiting at an altitude of 1,200km above the...
Telecom Italia looks ahead to new M&A
News Just days after the sale of the company’s fixed network infrastructure to KKR was given the green light by the EU, the company is already considering new M&A opportunities Telecom Italia (TIM) is open to new business deals once the sale of its fixed-line network NetCo is completed, CEO Pietro Labriola told reporters on a podcast interview for Bloomberg. The sale of NetCo for €22 billion, which got the go ahead from the European Commission last week, will allow TIM to cut its debt...
ITS Technology Refreshes Business-grade UK FTTP Products
The ITS Technology Group, which operates 36 wholesale full fibre broadband and Ethernet networks (“Faster Britain“) across urban parts of the UK for businesses and ISPs, has today announced that they’ve “refreshed” their suite of wholesale Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based products aimed at businesses that need to get digital-ready. Just to recap. ITS’ XGS-PON-enabled (10Gbps capable) network is currently said to “pass” approximately 465,000 businesses (inc. commercial premises), and they can...
AST SpaceMobile shares rocket after Verizon investment
News The direct-to-device satellite telecoms operator now has deals in place with two of the US’s three major wireless carriers Last month, AST SpaceMobile agreed a new partnership with Verizon, promising to use its upcoming satellite network to deliver ubiquitous connectivity across the US. Now, weeks later, the company’s value continues to surge, with its share price rising 70% to its highest level since November 2022. Verizon is planning to invest $100 million in AST SpaceMobile so that...
Openreach Extend 2.5Gbps ONT Trial for Slower FTTP Broadband Tiers
Network access provider Openreach (BT) has extended their already nearly year-long trial of 2.5Gbps Optical Network Terminals (ONT) for installations of specified bandwidths on Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP lines. The trial, which was due to end next month, will now run for another year. Just to recap. ONTs (aka – Optical Network Unit) are usually installed inside your home (wall hung), near to where the fibre optic cable physically enters the property. The primary job of...
Rural UK Broadband ISP Gigaclear Discounts 900Mbps to £29
Rural broadband ISP Gigaclear, which has already extended their gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to cover 500,000 premises (RFS) in England (inc. 100,000 customers), has launched their new “Summer Savings” and discounted the price of their top 500Mbps and 900Mbps tiers to just £25 and £29 a month, respectively. The promotion is due to run until the 2nd July 2024 for the 500Mbps package and 31st July for their top 900Mbps tier. New customers who take up this offer will get the...
NTT DOCOMO and Space Compass commit $100m to HAPS specialist AALTO
News The investment will support the planned commercial launch of AALTO’s High Altitude Platform Station, Zephyr, in 2026 This week, a consortium including two Japanese banks, mobile operator NTT DOCOMO, and non-terrestrial network (NTN) specialist Space Compass Corporation, have announced an investment of $100 million into HAPS developer AALTO. The investment, the companies say, will help support the industrial ad commercial roadmap for delivering AALTO’s services to customers, including a...