Telkom takeover talks collapse once again
News The South African operator has rejected a takeover offer from the Public Investment Corporation, a consortium led by former CEO Sipho Maseko This week, struggling South African telco Telkom has announced it has rejected yet another takeover offer, this time from a consortium led by the company’s previous boss, Sipho Maseko. The Public Investment Corporation consortium, comprising Axian Telecom, Afrifund Investments Proprietary, and the Government Employees Pension Fund, approached Telkom...
Study Claims Sky Has Most Confusing UK Broadband Contract of Big ISPs
A new study by Uswitch, which adopted a Flesch–Kincaid readability test to examine the Terms & Conditions (T&Cs) of all the major UK broadband ISPs, has concluded that Sky Broadband’s terms are the “trickiest” for customers to understand. On the other hand, Plusnet’s terms were found to be the “most straightforward“. In an ideal world, […]
802.11bb Standard Released for WiFi Style Visible Light LiFi Networks
After years of development, the new Visible Light Communication (VLC) based networking method – called LiFi (Light Fidelity) – now has an official global standard after the release of IEEE 802.11bb, which is based off the hugely successful WiFi standard and should help with commercialising related devices. The idea of using light as a communication […]
Starlink’s Broadband Satellites Found Leaking EM Radiation
Radio astronomers have raised concerns after a new study revealed that SpaceX’s global network of Starlink broadband satellites, which form part of a mega constellation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), were found to be leaking “unintended” electromagnetic radiation that overlaps with the protected radio frequencies used for astronomical observations. At present Starlink has 4,430 LEO […]
Qwilt to Improve Vodafone’s Streaming Delivery on Mobile and Broadband
Cisco-backed global delivery network Qwilt has today signed an extended partnership with Vodafone, which will see them deploy a new Content Delivery Network (CDN) to increase the quality and capacity of the operator’s streaming delivery to its mobile and broadband ISP customers across Europe (inc. UK) and Africa. Content delivery networks typically function by moving […]
MNOs begin EU Digital ID trial
News The trial will see Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone test the EU’s digital identity wallets during SIM activation, in anticipation of broader usage This week, Germany’s three mobile network operators have announced their participation in a new EU trial seeking to further the development of mobile wallets for digital identities. The scheme is being carried out by the EU consortium ‘POTENTIAL’, the largest of four consortia currently operating pilot programmes aiming to provide...
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it: ACM rules against regulating Dutch wholesale broadband market
News The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) says its analysis of the broadband market found it to be competitive with no dominant players Having concluded a lengthy investigation into the Dutch broadband market, this week the ACM has ruled that it will leave the wholesale broadband market unregulated. The regulator’s investigation, which began in mid-2020, segregated the country into five geographical regions, based on these areas’ access to wholesale networks delivered by...
Dish and EchoStar consider merger
News The companies, both owned by Charlie Ergen, have reportedly hired advisors to detail how the merger could play out EchoStar Communications, once a distributor of satellite television equipment, was founded by Ergen in 1980. In 2008, the company was renamed Dish Network after its consumer arm, and its satellite assets were carved out as a separate unit that retained the name Echostar. After some reorganisation over the past decade, today Dish Network controls the broadcast satellite...
Ethio Telecom stake sale attracting interest from Orange and e&
News Reports suggest that both companies are exploring bids for a 45% stake in the state-run telco, hoping to capitalise on of Africa’s most rapidly growing markets Anonymous sources speaking to Bloomberg suggest that both Orange and e& have been separately consulting with advisors to consider taking a stake in Ethiopia’s incumbent operator, Ethio Telecom. According to the sources, discussions are at an early stage and no decisions have yet been made. “We are looking closely at Ethio...
Wildanet Says Gigabit Broadband May Give Devon a £1bn Boost
A new “independent report” from policy institute Curia, which was commissioned by rural UK ISP Wildanet, has claimed that the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband across Devon (England) could generate £1.125 billion of new business gross value added (GVA) for the county by 2030. The report was designed to assess the potential impact of gigabit-capable broadband […]