BT and CityFibre Scoop 2024 RoSPA Awards for Health and Safety
Telecoms and broadband giants CityFibre and BT have both scooped up wins at this year’s annual Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Awards 2024 event. CityFibre secured the Gold Achievement Award for its third consecutive year (four if you include lower awards) and BT won the Industry Sector Award for ‘Information & Communication’. The RoSPA states that winners of the Gold Achievement Award “have achieved a very high level of performance, demonstrating well developed...
Openreach Update as Analogue UK Phone Switch Off Delayed to 2027
In case anybody missed it after being buried in yesterday’s BT results (here). The plan to withdraw BT and Openreach’s old copper-based analogue line services (PSTN phones and WLR), which was due to complete by December 2025, has been delayed until 31st January 2027 in order to give broadband ISPs, telecare providers and consumers more time to adapt. The announcement wasn’t particularly well signposted in BT’s results, but if you read the full report it said this: “Following the industry-wide...
Bolton Council Take Enforcement Action Against IX Wireless Broadband Poles
The Bolton Council in Greater Manchester (England) has revealed that they’re taking enforcement action against broadband network operator IX Wireless, which is accused of installing antenna equipment on their pole (mast) erections without consultation or consent from the local authority. Just to recap. IX Wireless is currently building a new UK fibre-fed fixed wireless access (FWA) network across parts of the UK using WiFi based technology (e.g. Accrington, Blackburn, Blackpool, Burnley,...
Virgin Media O2 Expands Collaboration With Netcracker in Multi-Year, Large-Scale Digital Transformation Program
WALTHAM, MA — May 14, 2024 — Netcracker Technology announced today that it has extended and broadened the scope of its partnership with Virgin Media O2 in an ongoing expansive digital transformation program that will benefit the operator and its customers across the UK. This phase of Virgin Media O2’s digital transformation includes deployment of the flagship Netcracker Digital Platform – including end-to-end Digital BSS as well as Digital OSS functions such as Active Resource Inventory –...
Microsoft advises China-based AI employees to relocate as geopolitical tensions flare
News The move comes days after the US raised tariffs on Chinese imports Microsoft is asking around 800 China-based staff working in cloud-computing and AI to consider relocating, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The employees, most of which are Chinese citizens working as engineers, have been offered relocation opportunities to countries including the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. In a statement, Microsoft confirmed that it had “shared an optional internal...
Crown Commercial Service partners with VMO2 Business for public sector digitalisation
News The three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will see the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) help the UK public sector gain access to telecoms products and services at scale from Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) Business Today, VMO2 and CCS have signed a new MoU “to provide enhanced technology and telecoms solutions to support ongoing digitisation efforts within the UK Government and broader public sector”. CCS is a government organisation that supports public sector procurement efforts, helping to...
Boldyn Networks closes acquisition of Apogee Telecom in the US
Press Release LONDON, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Boldyn Networks (Boldyn), today announced the close of its acquisition of Apogee Telecom (Apogee), the leading provider of on-campus connectivity infrastructure in the US Higher Education (HED) industry. This bold move expands Boldyn’s connectivity offering in the growing education segment by combining Apogee’s strong reputation and experience with Boldyn’s global expertise and full portfolio of wireless and fiber solutions. It reinforces...
BT announces plans to cut costs by further £3bn
News This week, BT released its financial results for the full year to 31 March 2024 Reported revenue currently stands at £20.8 billion, up 1% from this time last year, as a result of price increases for broadband customers, fibre-enabled product sales in Openreach, and increased revenue in the consumer division. But despite an increase in revenue, the company’s profits took a significant hit, with pre-tax profits falling 31% to £1.18 billion. Adjusted EBITDA stood at £8.1 billion, up 2%. ...
London Internet Exchange Sees Record UK Traffic of 9.5Tbps
Internet traffic travelling across the London Internet Exchange (LINX), which excludes data being passed by private interconnection (PI), reached a new record peak of 9.5Tbps (Terabits per second) on the Tuesday 14th May 2024 at around 8:25pm this week. The figure, which just for comparison, is up from 7.83Tbps recorded during August 2023. Such peaks typically occur when major new software releases, large video game updates or Premier League football streams are occurring – this tends to rise...
Connectivity Problems in Telford After Openreach Network Attacked
An unspecified number of Openreach’s broadband ISP and phone customers, including some Ethernet links, appear to have been disrupted in the Shropshire (England) town of Telford after the operator’s network was “badly damaged” in an attack. The operator informs that this “attack” is not being linked to cable theft. The event appears to have started at around 1-2am last night after 5 cables were cut in a manhole along the A4169 Queensway, which impacted services in and around the Cuckoo Oaks...