Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Podcasts

Adlane Fellah, of Maravedis, joined Beyond the Cable to discuss why MDU connectivity has become attractive for market disruptors.

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Speaking to Beyond the Cable at Broadband Communities Summit last month in Houston, Maravedis’ chief researcher, Adlane Fellah, says he sees a big opportunity for MDU brownfield deployments in the coming months and years.

According to Fellah, there remains a large stock of multifamily dwelling unit (MDU) facilities with outdated infrastructure where “deploying fiber is not really practical.”

Strategically, he said Maravedis, a boutique research firm that provides insight on the evolution of wireless infrastructure, is also keenly interested the potential for conversions between fixed wireless services and mobile services.

Fellah watching development of MVNO/MSP collaborations

He said collaboration between mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and managed service providers (MSPs) are something we could see more of in the future.

MVNOs, as Fellah pointed out, typically lease capacity from larger mobile network operators “to provide a very specific mobile service offering targeted to a segment.”

He said MVNOs exist for segments like the Latin community, along with price-sensitive consumers.

Additionally, he called MVNOs a “super segmentation of mobile services.”

Also, in his appearance on the podcast, Fellah stressed the need for research when it comes to strategic decision-making regarding MDU connectivity.

“The main themes that I hear a lot is the need for education,” he said.

Fellah also said there are a lot of misconceptions about the differences that exist between bulk and managed Wi-Fi.

He continued, saying the financials for successful managed Wi-Fi business models can be embedded within in-depth research.

As such, Fellah also said a clear understanding of that data can lead to improvements in net operating income.

Furthermore, he said a clear understanding of data can help technology vendors “speak the property owner’s language,” translating to enhanced outcomes for all parties.

To listen to the full interview with Fellah on Spotify, click here.

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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Residents in the tiny rural Gwynedd (Wales) village of Llangwnnadl have been left without access to fixed broadband and phone services for several weeks. Local news reports claim that the situation began after a telecoms pole replacement was carried out by Openreach, which is unusual as normally such work is carried out to fix and not cause a fault.

According to the BBC News, the situation, which impacts around 40 homes across the small community, started on 4th July and is currently ongoing. Outdoor mobile coverage in the area appears to be quite variable, so it’s likely that some people may not be able to rely upon that as an alternative (experiences will vary between mobile providers and locations).

Openreach has acknowledged how “frustrating” the issue is and said that their “engineers are working to get everyone back up and running as quickly as possible“, albeit seemingly without providing any further details. ISPreview has also contacted the network operator in the hope of clarifying the unusual cause.

Openreach has previously informed ISPreview that it can take around 20 days to fix damaged poles, such as after a major storm. But over the years we’ve seen examples where, in rare cases of extreme damage, rural areas have been left to wait for several months before repairs (here, here and here). Such long waits can stem from a variety of issues, such as with the need to seek prior permission for traffic management, safety considerations and limited local resources etc.

Resolving such problems in urban areas is normally a lot quicker and a downed pole can often be corrected within only a matter of hours or a few short days, but even these may be dependent upon some of the aforementioned caveats. We will update again once Openreach has responded.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service is powered by SpaceX’s Starlink constellation

This week, T-Mobile has concluded the open beta phase of its D2D satellite service, officially launching it under the name ‘T-Satellite’.

The service, powered by 650 next-generation low Earth orbit satellites from Starlink, provides coverage across the continental US, Hawaii, parts of southern Alaska, and Puerto Rico, theoretically eliminating ‘not spots’ in most of the country.

For now, Starlink’s D2D capabilities are limited to text and location services, with data services set to be added in October. Voice and video services will need to wait for later generations of the Starlink satellites.

T-Mobile launched the open beta phase of the service in February, inviting not only its own customers to try it out but also those of AT&T and Verizon. Since then, the service has attracted over 1.8 million users, including thousands from the company’s rivals.

The service is curretly supported by around 60 commercial smartphones, with customers on eligible devices automatically shifted to the satellite network when they enter an area with no terrestrial coverage.

For a ‘limited time’, ‘T-Satellite’ is being offered for an additional $10 a month, with prices expected to then increase to $15 per month. In addition, the service is included by default in a number of T-Mobile’s premium plans, such as Go5G Next and Go5G Business Next. Previous announcements suggest the service will also be available to AT&T and Verizon customers from $20 a month.

An infographic on the company’s website (see below) compares its satellite service to that of rivals AT&T and Verizon, describing them as “scrambling to catch up”. The graphic says customers are “still searching the skies for signs of life” from AT&T’s satellite service, while Verizon customers will be “waving [their] device in the air like a magic wand”.

Image by T-Mobile

Verizon launched its own free satellite service with Skylo earlier this year. Skylo does not own its own satellites, but rather partners with multiple existing satellite operators to provide D2D satellite services using its proprietary technology. Verizon is also partnering directly with AST SpaceMobile for similar services, with the AST having launched five commercial ‘BlueBird’ satellites in September last year.

AT&T is similarly betting on AST, having announced the results of its latest satellite tests with the satellite operator shortly after the T-Mobile announcement. An official timeline for of the launch of commercial services, however, has not yet been released.

Keep up with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
US judge rules Huawei must face charges of fraud and racketeering
Optus ditches football rights to focus on telecoms
Nokia launches digital twin platform Enscryb to digitalise energy sector

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Government’s (DSIT) Building Digital UK agency has today published their first 2025 progress report on the £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme, which covers the April to December 2024 period. The data reveals that some 1,188,400 UK premises have received gigabit-capable broadband coverage by BDUK’s gigabit programmes since their inception.

At present around 88% of UK premises can already access a gigabit-capable network (here) and Ofcom separately forecasts that this could hit around 97% by May 2027 (here). Most of this has been delivered by commercial deployments (predominantly focused on urban and semi-urban areas), but there are some areas in the final 10-20% of premises that are simply too expensive for commercial providers to tackle.

Project Gigabit itself was originally established in 2021 to help extend broadband ISP networks capable of delivering download speeds of at least 1000Mbps (1Gbps), and uploads of at least 200Mbps, to achieve “nationwide” coverage (c.99%) by 2030 2032 (here) – focusing on the commercially unviable areas (usually rural and semi-rural locations). The project has already committed most of its budget up to 2030, but there are still some contracts yet to be awarded and others that have failed or been scaled-back (here, here and here).

The project primarily consists of several support schemes, including the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (£210m), funding to extend Dark Fibre around the public sector (£110m) and gap-funded deployments with suppliers (mostly the rest of funding) – known as the Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy (GIS) programme.

However, the progress reports on this scheme have, over the past year or so, become gradually less and less detailed (they also used to be published on a quarterly basis). The latest one follows this trend, but we do get a fair bit of detail in the spreadsheet, even if there seem to be no updates on Project Gigabit’s future contract pipeline.

What’s New in the July 2025 Update

Overall, BDUK sestimate that their interventions delivered 113,700 premises with gigabit-capable broadband coverage between 1st April 2024 and 31st December 2024. In total this means that a cumulative estimate of 1,188,400 premises have received gigabit-capable coverage via BDUK’s gigabit programmes since their inception.

Of the premises delivered by BDUK between 1 April 2024 and 31 December 2024:

• 38% (43,400) were delivered under the Government Infrastructure Subsidy scheme (GIS, Gigabit contracts)
• 38% (42,900) were delivered by Vouchers (gigabit broadband voucher scheme)
• 24% (27,500) were delivered by “Superfast & Hubs”

Take note that BDUK count both directly subsidised premises as well as uncommercial premises that were not directly funded but received connections as a result of nearby BDUK funded projects. “As a result, all premises passed figures are estimates based on a combination of raw supplier data and modelled estimates,” said BDUK.

The spreadsheets also include some additional data and a regional breakdown of the figures, as well as by each contract, which we’ve included below. One key thing to note below is that Project Gigabit itself has still only delivered a relatively small amount of gigabit coverage, with the earlier ‘Superfast Broadband Programme‘ (SFBB) still holding the lion’s share.

BDUK – Gigabit Premises Passed by Year, Country and Region

Premises Passed by Year and BDUK Intervention Type

Premises Contracted and Passed by GIS Contracts (Progress to Dec 2024)

Project Gigabit / BDUK Delivery Performance
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/bduk-delivery-performance-quarterly-april-2024-to-december-2024

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Partner Article

As AI becomes increasing ubiquitous, the capabilities of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) is growing vital to operator success

Since the release of 3GPP’s Release 18 last year, the mobile industry’s adoption of 5G-A has been steady. Over 30 mobile operators worldwide have already launched the technology commercially, with many more expected to follow in the coming year. As expected, China has taken an early lead in this regard, with China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom collectively making the 5G-A available in 300 cities, in 30 provinces, to over 10 million subscribers. 

The advantages of the new technology are undeniable. With downlink rates of up to 10 Gbps, improved upload speeds, lower latency, greater reliability, and precision positioning, 5G-A is unlocking a host of new use cases, from autonomous vehicles to industrial automation. But while these use cases have long been coveted by operators, in fact the greatest benefit of 5G-A is still emerging: its integration with AI. 

AI: A catalyst for 5G-A transformation 

Since the explosive launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, AI usage has grown exponentially both at home and at work. Recent research from Salesforce showed that AI usage in the workplace is soaring, rising 233% in the last six months alone.  

Speaking at this year’s MWC Shanghai, James Chen, President of Huawei’s Carrier Business, noted that the technology was rapidly becoming more affordable, allowing it to be integrated more freely with existing systems.   

“As AI adoption continues to rise, the annual decline in AI inference costs exceeds 90%, making AI as ubiquitous as water and electricity,” he said, emphasising that the networks, functioning as the “central nervous system” for AI, must evolve to meet this rising demand. 

5G-A is foundational for this evolution, enabling intelligent services for both consumer and B2B sectors. With AI agents now capable of executing real-time instructions, such as uploading a screenshot to the cloud within seconds, network design must pivot toward upstream capacity and low latency.  

“In the same way that 5G laid the foundation for the success of mobile internet, 5G-A is the key supporting pillar of the mobile AI era,” said Chen. 

New connectivity: IoT and the Edge 

To maximise the potential of mobile AI’s integration with 5G-A, operators need to consider three strategic imperatives, described as “new connectivity, new network planning, and new business models” by the VP of Huawei’s Wireless Network Product Line, David Li. 

‘New connectivity’ here refers to a focus on connectivity technologies that have a major role to play in the growing AI ecosystem. Edge computing, for example, will be crucial in this context, allowing AI inference to take place closer the end-user. To this end, Huawei is investing in “cell-free” technologies to ensure uniform signal quality from cell center to cell edge, vital for billions of intelligent endpoints. 

Another growing focus area will be on the IoT. As the number of IoT devices continues to grow and be increasingly infused with AI, supporting this ecosystem is crucial to industrial and enterprise success. Here, 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) will play a leading role, allowing 5G network to support intelligent IoT at scale. In future, Enhanced RedCap (eRedCap) will take this one step further, allowing the IoT become more sophisticated and support video surveillance and IoT livestreaming. 

“Today, the cost of RedCap modules has dropped below 100 RMB (~$14), and in the next year or two the cost of RedCap will be comparable to or even lower than that of Cat-4 IoT,” said Li. “With IoT technology, our vision is to connect all physical assets in the network and convert them into data simultaneously.” 

New network planning: Prioritising uplink and latency  

A major challenge presented by the boom in mobile AI usage is the strain it places on networks in terms of uplink. Historically, networks have been deployed with a focus on downstream capacity, with users focussed on downloading content. With AI, however, users are uploading data far more frequently and expecting AI-generated answers in real-time – a challenge that will only grow as AI agents like Zhipu AI begin uploading data on users’ behalf. As a result, high uplink capacity and low latency will become a crucial feature of, representing a significant paradigm shift in network deployment strategy.  

In this regard, Li argues that telcos should be aiming for the “double 20” benchmark of 20 Mbps upload and 20 ms air interface latency, to ensure their networks are ready to deliver novel AI use cases effectively.  

New business models: An AI opportunity 

With these new connectivity technologies and a more robust 5G-A network in place, operators can begin to explore more flexible, user-centric business. Instead of focussing their proposition on data traffic and KPIs, operators can instead create unique packages targeting specific demographics, whether they are latency-sensitive gamers or live streamers. With the integration of AI within the network, these services can be more easily provisioned, offering quality of experience assurance autonomously at the click of a button.   

“Traffic monetisation has hit a bottleneck. Operators need to find new monetization methods, namely seizing the entry points of intelligent services,” said Li. “Our networks should be flexible, able to identify what users, scenarios, and applications are running on the network, and adapt accordingly.” 

5G-AxAI in action in China 

At MWC Shanghai, one did not have to look far for examples of the powerful combination of 5G-A and AI. China Unicom Beijing and Huawei, for example, were showcasing the world’s first 3D smart 5G-A network, deployed in Beijing. China Unicom Beijing is leading the transition from single-band networks to a layered communications system, with high bands for network capacity, mid-bands for continuous coverage, and low bands and space-air-ground coordination for wide-area coverage. At the same time, integrated AI is helping to automate the network, with the partners aiming “to achieve automation across all network settings by 2026, covering site deployment, maintenance, optimization, and complaint handling”, according to a company press release. 

Further to the north of China, in Harbin, China Unicom Heilongjiang deployed 5G-A for the 2025 Asian Winter Games, providing full coverage across all the event’s venues and enabling peak download rates of over 10 Gbps using millimetre wave and three-carrier aggregation. As part of the company’s broader ‘CHARMS’ (Cloud, Hi-tech, AI, Reduction, Metaverse, and Safety) strategy, the 5G-A network was used to support real-time 8K livestreaming, intelligent drone monitoring, and AI-powered network scheduling, which established a solid digital foundation for the “Ice and Snow City”. 

A collaborative industry drive to take the next steps 

As 5G-A and AI technology become more mature we will see their further integration in deployments worldwide. For now, however, there remains much work to be done, and operators are at risk of missing out on a major opportunity for revenue growth. There is a deep need to foster collaboration across the telecoms industry, build new value chains, and seize the growth opportunities this convergence brings. 

“The era of AI agents is here, ready to reshape how we live and work. Grounded in powerful networks, sharpened by relentless innovation, and propelled by thriving ecosystems,” concluded Eric Fang, President of the 5G-A Domain of Huawei Wireless Network Product Line. “Let’s work together to advance 5G-AxAI demands and applications, foster cross-domain collaboration, and drive industrial and economic growth.” 

The AI era has well and truly begun, but without the deployment of 5G-A and other advanced connectivity technologies, operators will be trying to grasp at its potential with one hand tied behind their backs.  

Keep up with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
US judge rules Huawei must face charges of fraud and racketeering
Optus ditches football rights to focus on telecoms
Nokia launches digital twin platform Enscryb to digitalise energy sector

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) and network technology provider Ontix have this morning announced that they’ve enhanced 4G mobile (mobile broadband) capacity in the city of Bristol in South West England, specifically the historic Clifton area, by extending their deployment of several small cells.

Small cells are mini shoebox sized mobile (radio) base stations, which are designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around 100 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy urban areas and specific sites – it’s not uncommon to find these sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or old payphone cubicles (i.e. they can be more cost-effective than building new street assets or trying to secure wayleaves on buildings etc.).

The latest project follows similar small call deployments in other large towns and cities across the UK (e.g. London, Birmingham, Reading, Cambridge, Plymouth and Chester). In this case, O2 and Ontix have partnered to deploy them in some of the busiest areas across Clifton, including around the University of Bristol’s key buildings, the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge visitor centre, and popular shopping and dining areas.

Dr Rob Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at VMO2, said:

“Our Mobile Transformation Plan will see us invest £700m into our mobile network this year to ensure our customers consistently receive an exceptional network experience wherever they are and even at the busiest times.

Small cells are an important part of this investment, offering an effective way to provide a local network boost to keep up with rising customer demand. Clifton Suspension Bridge is one of the most iconic locations in the country and customers can now benefit from a more reliable network when visiting this local landmark.”

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Telecoms giant BT Group just published a short trading update to the end June 2025 (Q1 FY26), which reveals that Openreach lost another 169,000 total broadband lines to rival networks over the past quarter (down from 243k in the previous quarter). But they also saw their “full fibre” (FTTP) coverage grow to over 19 million premises (up by 1m) and take-up increased to 37% (up from 36.13%).

Firstly, our usual reminder that the BT Group now only publishes a short trading update during calendar Q1 and Q3, thus we only get a very limited summary this time around – the full half-yearly reports come in Q2 and Q4. As such, we’ve opted to do a similarly brief update on the key details below.

In terms of the other headline changes, BT today announced that Simon Lowth will retire as their Group CFO, with Patricia Cobian appointed as successor. Patrician is currently still Virgin Media and O2’s (VMO2) chief financial officer (since 2021), but has now been poached by the BT Group. She will thus join the BT Group Board and its Executive Committee in the summer of next year (2026).

Otherwise, on those broadband line losses, at the start of 2025 Openreach noted that around 80% of those had come from areas where they haven’t yet deployed their new FTTP network (i.e. copper-based ADSL and hybrid fibre FTTC broadband and phone-only lines). This underlines the importance of Openreach’s rapid roll-out, but it also highlights the importance of a first-mover advantage for altnets in targeting those areas.

However, despite the negatives, BT’s CEO can probably still feel reasonably confident of the operator’s direction, particularly after having somewhat succeeded in getting the stock market to better recognise the value of the fibre they now have in the ground (here and here). The group’s share price has gone from around 140p in January 2025 to around 200p this morning.

Nevertheless, there’s still a long way to go, and many uncertainties remain about how today’s market will evolve over the next few years, particularly with respect to consolidation. But the relative fibre build stagnation among many altnets and Virgin Media’s (O2) unexpected build slowdown (here) does tend to give BT more of an edge than they’ve had for a while.

BT’s CEO, Allison Kirkby, said:

“BT has had a solid start to the year, with our full fibre broadband now reaching more than 19 million homes and businesses and our 5G network available to over 87% of the UK population. We’re seeing strong customer demand for our next-generation broadband and mobile connectivity across all our brands, with record Openreach fibre take-up again this quarter. And we’re delivering on our transformation, as we radically simplify our business while improving customer experience.

BT is investing more than anyone else in the nation’s networks, we’re connecting customers faster, and we’re on track to deliver our targets for this year, next year, and the end of the decade – creating a better BT, for all of us.”

As usual, it’s worth contrasting the latest results against BT’s future targets for 2030, which among other things have predicted that their total labour force would shrink to between 75,000 and 90,000 (i.e. many of the engineers they have today won’t be needed post-2030) and FTTP coverage would grow to between 25-30 million premises, while delivering take-up of around 40-55% (this will grow even faster once the roll-out pace slows).

BT also holds a target of 13.0-14.5 million retail 5G mobile connections via EE, and today’s update reports that they’ve already reached 13.5m, up 12% year-on-year.

BT Group’s June 2025 Performance Summary

➤ More than 1m premises passed with FTTP for a sixth consecutive quarter, at an average build rate of 81k per week, on track to achieve up to 5m this fiscal year; FTTP footprint reached more than 19m premises, of which 5.2m in rural locations

➤ Record customer demand for Openreach FTTP with net adds up 46% year-on-year to 566k; total premises connected 7.1m, increasing our market-leading take up rate to 37%; Hyperoptic has entered into a wholesale agreement with Openreach, further extending its national footprint; Openreach broadband ARPU up 4% to £16.6, driven by higher FTTP take-up, speed mix and price increases

➤ Openreach broadband lines fell by 169k, driven by losses to competitors and a weaker broadband market; our full year expectation remains unchanged from that given in May

➤ Retail FTTP base grew by 32% year-on-year to 3.7m of which Consumer 3.4m and Business 0.3m; 5G base reached 13.5m, up 12% year-on-year

➤ Consumer customer base grew in the quarter, with broadband base up 11k and postpaid mobile base up 41k; Consumer broadband ARPU2 down 2% year-on-year to £41.9 and postpaid mobile ARPU2 of £19.4 broadly flat year-on-year, and we continue to expect a similar seasonal growth pattern as FY25; Consumer fixed and mobile convergence grew to 25.5% from 24.6% last quarter; EE proud to be sponsors of the Lionesses as they head towards the UEFA Euro 2025 final

➤ Business adjusted UK service revenue down 2%, stable excluding traditional voice; EBITDA pressure was mainly in the international segment; Business will be reported as two separate customer-facing units from Q2 FY26 for our UK and International operations

➤ Cost transformation delivered efficiencies across all units, fully offsetting higher employer costs of National Living Wage and National Insurance: year-on-year energy usage in our networks was down 5%, total labour resource was down 5% to 113k and Openreach repair volumes were down 14%

➤ BT Group NPS of 30.4, up 5.6pts year-on-year, with improved customer experience across all our customer facing units

On track to achieve full year guidance:

➤ Reported and adjusted revenue1 £4.9bn, down 3% year-on-year mainly due to weaker handset sales in Consumer and continued challenging international trading, offsetting the benefit of FTTP growth in Openreach and price increases; Adjusted UK service revenue1 £3.9bn, down 1%, largely due to the seasonal impact of price changes in Consumer and traditional voice in Business

➤ Adjusted EBITDA1 £2.1bn, down 1% with adverse revenue offset by strong cost transformation

➤ Reported profit before tax of £468m, down 10% primarily due to an increase in net finance costs and depreciation and amortisation

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband and mobile operator Vodafone has published their first combined Q1 FY26 financial results with Three UK. The figures show that the merged entity has 1.654 million fixed broadband customers (up by 44k in Q1 vs 61k in the previous quarter) and a huge combined mobile base of 28.765m – making them the “biggest mobile network operator in the UK“.

In terms of their fixed broadband services, Vodafone reported more growth, with a quarterly addition of 44,000 customers – thanks in part to being widely available across both Openreach’s and CityFibre’s national networks. The provider’s full fibre (FTTP) coverage can now reach a combined total of 20.3 million UK households (up from 19.4m last quarter).

As for their mobile base, the combined operator reported a quarterly fall of -46,000 in Pay Monthly customers (vs an increase of 41,000 in Q4) and there was another fall of -235,000 in Prepaid / PAYG customers (vs -166k in Q4). Finally, quarterly mobile broadband (data) usage across their UK network increased to 722,621 TeraBytes (up from 655,568 TB last quarter).

However, it’s important to remember that the prior quarter’s results reflect a pre-merger structure and so may not make for a useful apples-to-apples comparison this time around, since Vodafone now has to consider the impact of Three UK’s base. The results also include an update on some of their initial merger benefits:

“Within just two weeks, through sharing of combined spectrum, 7 million Three and SMARTY customers have benefitted from improving 4G speeds by up to 40%. Within a few months, 28.8 million Vodafone and Three UK customers will start to benefit from seamlessly using both networks. By the end of the year this will remove a total of 16,500 km2 of ‘not spot’ areas,” said Vodafone (future plans and extra detail).

Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group CEO, said:

“We have had a good start to the year with strong revenue and EBITDAaL growth. Germany has started its improvement trajectory and our emerging markets are delivering strong broad-based growth. In the UK, we have completed the merger with Three and are moving quickly to combine our networks to benefit customers.

Today, we reiterate our full year guidance of growth in profit and cash flow. After two years of transformation and change, Vodafone is now well positioned for multi-year growth across both Europe and Africa.”

Finally, the operator saw their quarterly UK service revenue reach €???m (up/down from €1,489m in the previous quarter). The full report is here (PDF).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Rural UK broadband operator Voneus, which continues to deploy a gigabit-capable fixed wireless access (FWA) and full fibre (FTTP) networks across poorly served rural areas, has announced that they’ve deployed their wireless network across the small Carmarthenshire (Wales) town of St. Clears.

At present St. Clears is home to around 3,200 people and, in only 90 days since the first build, Voneus has managed to deploy a gigabit wireless network in the area. The new network appears to harness Cambium Networks’ 60GHz cnWave mesh technology, which is the same solution they’ve used in other areas too.

The rapid deployment is also said to have only been possible thanks to the operator’s close collaboration with Carmarthenshire County Council, which took a proactive approach. “Their support was instrumental from start to finish and the Council’s broadband engagement lead played a vital role in helping us navigate local processes and ensure a smooth, efficient rollout,” said a spokesperson for Voneus.

Residential customers of the service typically pay from £38.99 per month for a 250Mbps (symmetric) speed service on a 24-month term (first month free and free installation), which rises to £74.99 for their top 900Mbps package. But it should be said that Openreach’s rival full fibre (FTTP) network also reaches some properties in the town and is due to cover more of the area in the near future.

The company’s most recent accounts, which cover the year to 31st March 2024, reveal that turnover has increased by 34% to £4.417m, while gross profit shrank by -17% to £768.6k and total employees grew from 156 to 238. But the latter doesn’t take account of the recent redundancies and build slowdown (here).

The company’s loss before tax has also more than doubled to £36.65m (up from £14.83m), although their net assets have grown to be worth £93.43m (up from £23.32m).

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

Major investments planned by both the private and public sectors could see connectivity flourish

This week, a consortium of 61 German companies have announced the launch of the ‘Made for Germany’ initiative, aimed at streamlining private sector dialogue with government and roadblocks for investment.

According to a shared press release, the initiative aims to create “a key point of contact for the government, working to define priorities, develop targeted measures and implement reforms effectively”. This, the companies say, will help to boost Germany as an economic hub and create a stable and inviting investment landscape for investors.

The 61 private companies participating in the initiative include major players from a wide variety of industries, from banking and automotive to semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. The full list of initiative members can be found here.

The initiative is supported by a collective pledge to invest €631 billion by 2028, demonstrating the companies’ continual commitment to the growth of the national economy.

The investments reportedly includes a mix of both planned and new capital investments and R&D efforts, although exactly how much of the total comprises new commitments is unclear.

“Germany needs a new operating system – one focused on growth, technology, and competitiveness. The time for change is now. Government and business must forge a new kind of partnership and take joint responsibility for society,” said Roland Busch, the CEO of Siemens. “This initiative embodies that spirit of solidarity and stands for a fresh start: with less bureaucracy, and more innovation. Germany is home to world-class companies, has a strong industrial base, and exceptional talent. We have everything it takes to reclaim a leading economic role – especially in digitalization and artificial intelligence.”

Busch’s reference to ‘joint responsibility’ should not come as a surprise given the recent pressure on the German government to make its investment landscape more appealing. In fact, the initiative’s announcement follows major government reforms to debt handling announced earlier this year. These reforms focus primarily on revising the strict borrowing rules that were introduced after the 2008 global financial crisis, removing what has been described as a ‘fiscal straitjacket’ on Germany’s economic growth.

In parallel, the government also pledged to create a €500 billion infrastructure fund to modernise the nation’s infrastructure and bolster national defence. Industries targeted for this funding include energy, transport, R&D, education, and healthcare.

“We are facing one of the largest investment initiatives that we have seen in Germany in recent decades,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a news conference announcing the ‘Made for Germany’ initiative. “The investment tasks we are facing cannot be achieved by public budgets alone. On the contrary, the lion’s share must be provided by private investors.”

But what does this all mean for the German telecoms sector?

While Deutsche Telekom and United Internet (1&1) are the only explicitly telecoms companies directly listed as participating in the ‘Made for Germany’ initiative, the sector as a whole has much to gain from its creation. When combined with the newly created infrastructure fund, the German market can expect €1 trillion to be poured into infrastructure and industrial projects in the coming years, all of which will need to be backed by the provision of high quality connectivity. This opportunity will be particularly acute around heavy industries like the automotive sector, where digitalisation efforts to expand the use of robotics, IoT, and AI will rely on high capacity low-latency connectivity – at least, that is what the telcos will argue.

At the same time, the reduction in bureaucratic hurdles and closer public–private cooperation could allow for the further acceleration of fibre rollouts, an area where Germany still significantly lags behind the rest of Europe.

In short, as the German public and private sectors grow more closely aligned on investment, German telcos will strive to position themselves key enablers of national digital transformation, without whom economic growth will remain unattainable.

How is the German connectivity market changing in 2025? Join the discussion at Connected Germany live in Munich

Also in the news:
US judge rules Huawei must face charges of fraud and racketeering
Optus ditches football rights to focus on telecoms
Nokia launches digital twin platform Enscryb to digitalise energy sector