Airtel joins the 5G race in Nigeria
News The operator becomes the third in the country to launch 5G, following in the footsteps of market leader MTN and newcomer Mafab Communications. This week, Airtel Nigeria has announced the commercial launch of its 5G services, with its initial deployment focussed on the major cities of Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. According to the operator, users with a 5G-capable handset or router will now be able to access improved services, featuring lower latency, higher speeds, and increased...
Virgin Media’s UK Broadband ISP Customers Suffer Email Outage UPDATE2
Customers of UK ISP Virgin Media’s (VMO2) internet service, specifically those that still use their email platform, appear to be experiencing an outage that seems to have started late on Sunday evening. But the majority of people only began to notice it earlier this morning, and the situation is currently ongoing. At the time of […]
VMO2’s deal with Nokia leaves scope for Open RAN
News The three-year partnership will see Nokia provide the operator with its latest RAN solutions, as well as the potential for Open RAN and Cloud RAN pilots This week, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) have announced that they will expand their partnership with Finnish vendor Nokia in a new three-year deal. The agreement covers various parts of Nokia’s Airspan portfolio, which allows a single base station to deliver 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G services simultaneously. More specifically, Nokia will supply VMO2...
The EU’s stance on Chinese 5G vendors exposes internal fractures
VIEWPOINT The declaration of Chinese telecommunications giants Huawei and ZTE as high-risk vendors (HRV) is revealing a split between EU member states. Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Markets made the announcement at a recent news conference on 15 June. Several telecom executives and government ministers in Germany and Austria are questioning the EU’s conclusions regarding cybersecurity risks and have publicly voiced their opposition to the restrictions. This could have far...
KNP buys Primevest’s Dutch fibre network
News The deal will add 127,000 premises to KPN’s fibre footprint, bringing the operator closer to its goal of covering 80% of the Netherlands with fibre by 2026 This week, Dutch telecoms giant KPN has announced the acquisition of a local fibre access network from investment firm Primevest Capital Partners. Primevest, then known as Bouwfonds, first announced its fibre ambitions in 2017. Since then, the firm has launched numerous fibre projects around Europe, with networks currently expanding in...
BT’s Professor Tim Whitley Scoops King’s Birthday Honours
The annual King’s Birthday Honours (2023) were published at the end of last week, which sadly only included one figure from the United Kingdom’s broadband and telecoms sector. Professor Tim Whitley, a distinguished engineer and BT’s Managing Director for Applied Research. The honours’ system is technically designed to recognise people who have made achievements in […]
Virgin Media O2 UK Extends Nokia Deal for Faster 5G Mobile Kit
Mobile operator O2 (VMO2) has confirmed that they’ve signed a new 3-year extended supplier agreement with Nokia, which will see them continue deploying and upgrading their UK 5G network using Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment (Airscale) from the Finnish company – focused on delivering “increased reliability, performance, and capacity.” The deal will cover 2G, 3G, […]
EE UK Boosts 4G Mobile Broadband Capacity in Wimbledon
Mobile operator EE (BT) has moved to upgrade their network coverage and data capacity for residents and visitors to the famous London village of Wimbledon, which involved upgrades to 17 existing 4G and 5G (mobile broadband) sites, as well as the deployment of new Small Cells to improve coverage in busy areas. Unlike big base […]
US govt allocates $930m in grants for ‘Middle Mile’ connectivity
News The funding will allow the deployment of over 12,000 miles of additional fibre across the country The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced the allocation of $930 million in government funding for fibre projects across the US. The funding, part of the $1 billion Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program, will support projects in 35 states and Puerto Rico, allowing for the deployment of roughly 12,000 miles of fibre. The grants range in...
UK easy Group to Launch easySim for Low Cost Mobile Travel Data
A new mobile operator called easySim.global, which is part of the familiar Stelios-owned group of brands (e.g. easyJet, easyMoney, easyCar) and last existed around a decade ago as easyMobile before vanishing, appears set to launch this summer. But the focus this time will be on giving people low cost travel data all around the world. […]