Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Hong Kong conglomerate behind mobile operator Three UK and several other operators in different countries, CK Hutchison Holdings (CKH), has confirmed that they’re currently engaged in talks that could see them spinning off their global telecommunications network in the near future. But an agreement is not yet certain.

At present CKH operates both mobile and fixed telecommunications (broadband and phone) networks in over ten global markets, including the Three brand in the UK (Three UK), Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden, and under its namesake brand in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

According to Reuters, Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, who founded CKH, has reportedly already begun preparations to spin off CKH’s global telecommunication assets and list the business – valued at around £10bn to £15bn – in London. The new entity would host CKH’s telecoms businesses in Europe, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

The listing could reportedly be ready this year, but nothing is currently certain. In addition, CKH wouldn’t be able to make much progress on this until after the full finalisation of the recently approved merger between Vodafone and Three UK (here), which could make it difficult to proceed with a listing in 2025. CKH initially declined to comment on this news, but has today confirmed the following.

Statement by CKH

TELECOMMUNICATION ASSETS

INSIDE INFORMATION

This announcement is made by the board of directors (the “Board”) of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited (the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) pursuant to Rule 13.09(2)(a) of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities (the “Listing Rules”) on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and the Inside Information Provisions (as defined under the Listing Rules) under Part XIVA of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong).

The Board has noted certain reports in the media recently relating to a potential spin-off of the Company’s global telecommunication assets and businesses.

From time to time, the Group receives proposals and explores and evaluates opportunities that may be available, with a view to enhancing long term value to shareholders, including possible transactions relating to the assets and operations of the Company’s global telecommunication businesses (including a spin-off listing). As at the date of this announcement, the Board has not made any decision to proceed with any transaction related to the Company’s global telecommunication businesses. Shareholders and potential investors in the Company should note that there is no certainty that any transaction will or will not take place.

If required, the Company will make further announcement(s) in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Shareholders and potential investors in the Company should exercise caution when dealing in the shares and/or other securities of the Company.

By Order of the Board

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency has today tweaked the language on the information page for their Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) in a number of key ways. This sees the removal of “rural” specific language and the introduction of language stating that some areas are “open for urban voucher projects“.

The GBVS usually offers grants worth up to £4,500 to help rural premises (homes and businesses) get a gigabit-capable broadband (1Gbps) ISP service installed, which is available to areas with speeds of “less than 100Mbps” – assuming there are also no near-term plans for a gigabit deployment in the same area (either via private investment or state-aid). Until now, this has been almost exclusively focused upon helping poorly served rural areas.

However, ISPreview has previously reported that BDUK were also exploring the possibility of expanding the GBVS to cater for poorly served parts of urban areas too (here), which may otherwise sit neglected as patches of poor service, typically dotted about like small islands inside major cities and towns.

The latter problem can be caused by all sorts of challenges (e.g. high build costs, issues with securing wayleave / access and permits or road closures etc.), while state aid and competition laws often make it very difficult to use direct public funding in such areas (i.e. locations where private investment should be able to resolve without intervention).

The easiest solution to the aforementioned legal and competition dilemma has typically been to use a voucher scheme, which was tried before (‘Connection Vouchers’) and eventually morphed into today’s more rural-focused scheme. But not everybody is a fan of expanding vouchers to urban areas and some opposition MPs have criticised the idea, which is despite it first being proposed under the previous government (here).

What’s changed today?

In short, the government has today updated the GBVS scheme so that it’s no longer using rural-specific language and is also open to “urban voucher projects“. At present the urban side of this is only open to several regions, including Birmingham and the Black Country (suppliers: E-volve Solutions, Exascale, Openreach), Merseyside and Greater Manchester (suppliers: B4RN, Freedom Fibre, Openreach, TalkTalk), Greater London (suppliers: Openreach, Trooli) and the following parts of Scotland – Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Glenrothes (suppliers: Highland Broadband, Openreach).

According to a related supplier briefing, there is £2m available for projects to bring gigabit broadband to urban homes and business that have thus far been left excluded by commercial deployments. The eligibility criteria for all this remains largely unchanged, albeit with some tweaks for businesses and the exclusion of premises that “are not vacant/unoccupied or derelict and have not been built in the last two years.”

Who is eligible?

Homes and businesses must meet the following criteria to be considered for a voucher project:

• existing available broadband download speeds are less than 100Mbps
• a gigabit-capable network is unlikely to be built to the area commercially in the near future
• there is no government-funded contract planned or in place to improve the network
• the premises are not vacant/unoccupied or derelict and have not been built in the last two years

BDUK makes available to suppliers an indicative list of eligible premises in areas that are open to voucher projects. Suppliers conduct further eligibility checks and are then responsible for developing project proposals and requesting vouchers. 

A project must cover at least two eligible premises, with two or more eligible residents and/or businesses using their vouchers towards the shared cost of installation. Single connections are not eligible for the scheme.  

All projects are subject to BDUK commercial and value for money assessments.

New connection speeds must reach:

• at least double the existing speed if the current speed is less than 50Mbps
• at least 100Mbps if the current speed is more than 50Mbps

Business eligibility

In addition to the above, in order to qualify for a business voucher, beneficiaries  will be asked to self-certify as a Small or Medium size Enterprise (SME), as defined by sections 465 to 467 of the Companies Act 2006 which can be summarised as:

• up to 249 employees and annual turnover no greater than £36 million; and/or
• an annual balance sheet total not exceeding £18 million

SME beneficiaries in designated high competition locations, defined by Ofcom as Central London and High Network Reach Areas, must also establish the following to qualify for a voucher:    

The relevant organisation is no larger than a micro-sized company under sections 384A to 384B of the Companies Act 2006 which can be summarised as:

• not more than 10 employees and annual turnover no greater than £632,000; and/or
• an annual balance sheet total not exceeding £316,000

Beneficiaries will be asked to provide evidence of their status as a SME or sole trader and self-certify that the organisation will have received less than €325,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) in public grants over any period of three fiscal years including the current year, including the voucher contribution.

The Special Drawing Rights amount has replaced the €200,000 de minimis grant limit following the UK’s exit from the European Union on the 31st December 2020. The SDR to GBP exchange rate can be found here.

Not-for-profit and charitable undertakings which qualify as SMEs are eligible in the same way that for-profit enterprises are.

BDUK is also known to have been seeking expressions of interest for projects to cover premises in specific urban areas in certain other regions, which is intended to support their plans for achieving nationwide gigabit broadband coverage by 2030. Further urban areas are also expected to be added to the voucher list in due course.

Overall, we think this is a positive development, although it remains to be seen whether expanding the voucher scheme in this way will be enough to overcome some of the complex challenges that building in the remaining urban pockets of poor connectivity can often present (i.e. it’s not always just a money problem). On the other hand, £2m doesn’t seem likely to go very far, so if this proves to be a successful change then the government may need to allocate more funding.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Contributed Article  

At MWC in Barcelona this year, the topic of AI pervaded every aspect of the show. From AI-powered robots to agentic AI assistants, there is no doubt that we are rapidly entering the AI era  

But to make the most of this transformational technology, telco infrastructure will require modernisation. Networks themselves will need to leverage AI to become more automated and efficient, while also powerful enough to handle the unique pressures of merging AI use cases.   

To meet these challenges, Huawei unveiled a vast array of new AI infrastructure products and solutions at its Product & Solution Launch during MWC 2025, with executive team highlighting nine of their most exciting offerings on stage.  

1. AI-Centric Network solution

Yang Chaobin, Huawei’s Director of the Board and CEO of the ICT Business Group began the Product & Solution Launch by introducing the AI-Centric Network solution. This is designed to capitalise on AI-driven opportunities. It will use AI to make networks smarter and more efficient. It helps carriers improve connectivity, automate maintenance, and offer better services to users. The solution focuses on four key challenges: 

• All-domain connectivity.With more in-depth collaboration between AI and networks, carriers will be able to optimize resource orchestration for routing, bandwidth, and so on. This will provide intelligent applications with universal network access, ultra-high uplink and downlink, and SLA assurance. 

• Application-oriented O&M.Advances in AI applications will give rise to more complex service scenarios and massively diverse experience requirements. This will necessitate a shift from traditional, resource-oriented network O&M to a more application-oriented approach. Huawei’s Telecom Foundation Model supports predictive and proactive O&M, experience optimization based on application-level awareness, and tailored, more fine-grained operations. Carriers will be able to significantly enhance the efficiency of network O&M while taking user experience to entirely new levels. 

• Enhanced AI-to-X services.At the individual user level, AI-Centric networks can deliver the right experience for different AI scenarios by assigning the exact levels of bandwidth, latency, and reliability needed. At the organizational level, they can break through bottlenecks in capacity and response times configured for person-to-person interactions, evolving networks to support person-to-agent and even agent-to-agent interactivity. And at the societal level, AI-Centric networks will enable ubiquitous connectivity to speed up AI adoption in public services like education and healthcare, providing more inclusive value for communities around the world. 

• Innovative business models. Different experience requirements will give carriers the opportunity to explore new business models that monetise a broader range of metrics. Essentially, AI-Centric networks will allow carriers to go beyond traditional traffic-based monetisation and start monetising experience itself. This will unleash the full potential of connectivity and open up new revenue streams. 

Yang Chaobin, Huawei’s Director of the Board and CEO of the ICT Business Group

2. AI-Centric 5.5G solutions for the mobile AI era

Secondly, Cao Ming, Vice President of Huawei and President of Huawei Wireless Solution, took to the stage to discuss the interplay between AI and 5.5G. In the mobile AI era, mobile networks must support the fast expansion of AI applications, addressing three major transformations in the industry. 

• Evolving user experience from conventional downlink-based interactions to AI powered engagements that requires more diverse capabilities. 

• Advancing network O&M with higher levels of automation, from autonomous network (AN) L3 to AN L4 and beyond, to manage the substantial increase of AI traffic. 

• Redefining business models, shifting from traditional traffic-based revenue to experience monetisation. 

The company’s AI-Centric 5.5G portfolio includes three core solutions to help support operators on their mobile AI journey: GigaGear, which enhances network resource scheduling; GreenPulse, which delivers AI-driven energy efficiency across the network; and GainLeap, for improved network service orchestration. 

Cao Ming, Vice President of Huawei and President of Huawei Wireless Solution

3. The industry’s first AI core network

George Gao, President of Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line, announced the launch of the industry’s first AI Core Network. This network marks a shift from AI-powered to AI-native infrastructure, capable of self-optimisation and self-management.  

The rollout of this new technology will occur in two phases. Firstly, we have the 5G-A Intelligent Core, which integrates AI agents for enhanced network intelligence. This will ultimately make way for the Agentic Core, a fully autonomous system that adapts to real-time service needs. 

George Gao emphasised that operators should consolidate 5G-A Intelligent Core with three types of AI agents and Telco Intelligent Converged Cloud to claim service, experience operation, and O&M entries and monetise intelligence now, and evolve to the Agentic Core gradually. 

George Gao, President of Huawei Cloud Core Network Product Line

4. Building an AI Optical Network (AI ON)

Next, Bob Chen, President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line, took to the stage to highlight the three defining traits of the AI era: ubiquitous AI applications, computing power, and AI-native technologies. All three of these elements put considerable strain on fixed networks, requiring that they handle data more efficiently and more autonomously. 

In this regard, Chen explains that Huawei’s AI ON solution includes five key features: 

1. Awareness: Networks must identify service types and adapt to bandwidth, latency, and reliability needs.
2. Always On Demand: Real-time, differentiated connectivity that will replace undifferentiated network access.
3. Assurance: Networks will ensure high-quality connectivity, with deterministic latency and zero packet loss, even during network fluctuations.
4. Autonomous O&M: Proactive network management will prevent faults and optimise performance autonomously.
5. AI Native: Full-stack AI integration across all network layers will enhance intelligence and service quality. 

Bob Chen, President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line

5. The AI WAN Solution

Just as we are seeing AI playing a crucial role in the evolution of the mobile network, so too is it becoming critical to the evolution of IP networks. Leon Wang, President of Huawei’s Data Communication Product Line, revealed how Huawei is incorporating AI into the company’s new AI WAN solution, designed to prepare IP networks for the Net5.5G era. The solution includes building AI directly into the router, while also leveraging AI agents to help improve carriers’ O&M costs. 

The solution features three layers:   

1. AI Routers: Provide real-time flow reporting and advanced security.
2. AI New Connections:Allow flow-level scheduling to meet diverse application needs.
3. AI New Brain: Uses AI agents for simulation, fault diagnosis, and improved O&M efficiency.

In addition to unlocking new AI capabilities, AI WAN can also greatly improve the delivery of traditional services. For example, MTN South Africa saw a 25% increase in data usage after deploying AI WAN for base station management.  

Leon Wang, President of Huawei’s Data Communication Product Line

6. AI-Ready Data Storage

Peter Zhou, President of Huawei Data Storage Product Line, gave a keynote speech about how the rise of AI in various industries is creating huge demand for better data storage and service capabilities. 

Huawei is addressing these challenges with its AI-Ready data storage, which simplifies data management and access, including: 

•  OceanStor Dorado Converged All-Flash Storage and OceanStor A Series High-Performance AI Storage, offering fast and reliable performance for critical workloads like AI training and mobile financial services. 

• OceanStor Pacific All-Flash Scale-Out Storage, which stores twice the data volume with the same space and energy consumption  for large amounts of data from services like live streaming and XR games. 

• OceanProtect All-Flash Backup Storage, which offers five times faster data recovery for critical services and AI application development. 

Zhou also highlighted Huawei’s DCS AI Solution, which provides diverse data storage services and helps carriers develop AI models faster and more efficiently, and FlashEver business model, which contains an evolutionary, flexible architecture and Huawei storage platform services, to maximise customers’ investment.  

Peter Zhou, President of Huawei Data Storage Product Line

7. Huawei ICT Services & Software Enable Digital Intelligence Acceleration

Of course, in the AI era, traditional ICT functions will also need improvement. Bruce Xun, President of Huawei Global Technical Service, introduced five innovative ICT solutions at MWC, aiming to improve network performance, enhance customer experience, and support digital transformation. The solutions include:
1. CO Modernisation Solution: This solution speeds up the modernisation of traditional equipment centres, saving space, energy, and costs, while supporting new services and improved ROI.
2. Intelligent Operations Solution for MBB Cross-domain Service Keepalive: Using AI, this solution helps detect and resolve faults in mobile networks quickly, minimising service disruptions and traffic loss.
3. Mobile Network NPS Improvement:This solution improves user satisfaction by analysing network performance and making precise optimisations to reduce issues that affect users’ experiences.
4. Differentiated Service Experience Monetisation: Huawei’s AI tools analyze tariff performance and optimise network experience, improving the effectiveness of new tariff designs and customer experience.
5. Enhanced Mobile Money: Huawei’s Mobile Money solution expands into micro-finance and digital services, improving credit assessment and supporting over 250 partners to build mobile-based financial services. 

Bruce Xun, President of Huawei Global Technical Service

8. Integrating AI into the Cloud

Alongside the role of AI itself, much of the discussion among telcos at MWC was around how AI was enabling their transition from telcos to techcos. For Bruno Zhang, Huawei Cloud CTO, the key to this transition lies in the effective use of AI in the cloud. 

Speaking on stage, Zhang introduced Huawei’s CloudDC solution, giving carriers access to over 30 global data centres and accelerating the development of AI computing centres. 

In addition, Zhang also highlighted Huawei Cloud’s GaussDB for intelligent databases, DataArts for AI-powered data management, the Cloud Device solution that improves device-cloud integration, and Cloud Media Edge enhances real-time interactive experiences.  

Bruno Zhang, Huawei Cloud CTO

9. Efficient solutions for carriers’ energy infrastructure

Finally, He Bo, President of Huawei Data Center Facility & Critical Power Product Line, discussed the explosion of AI data centre investments that are currently taking place around the world, underpinning the global AI transformation. These new data centres will have far greater infrastructure demands than their predecessors, particularly with regards to energy consumption. 

As such, He introduced two supporting innovations: the Single SitePower architecture and the RAS™ AI data centre construction guideline. These solutions aim to help operators thrive as energy producers and build more efficient ICT facilities in the AI-driven era. 

Single SitePower is an intelligent architecture for telecom site power that integrates power facilities, wireless networks, and power grids. It improves energy efficiency, power availability, and reduces network carbon intensity through advanced technologies and resilient, green, and reliable design features. 

Huawei’s RAS™ guideline addresses the challenges faced by AI data centres: reliability, agility, sustainability, and high-power demand. 

He Bo, President of Huawei Data Centre Facility & Critical Power Product Line

The next steps 

As AI continues to shape the future of technology and telco, infrastructure must evolve to keep pace. Huawei’s latest innovations showcased at MWC 2025 highlight the critical role AI will play in transforming networks, storage, and operations. As the industry moves towards becoming more intelligent, the integration of AI into every layer of telecoms infrastructure will be key to driving sustainable growth and innovation. 

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News 

Ericsson and SoftBank have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of next-generation telecom technologies, including AI, Cloud RAN, Extended Reality (XR), and 6G, aiming to establish a strategic partnership towards 2030 

The partnership, built around the concept of “NextWave Tech,” Ericsson and SoftBank’s partnership, centred on NextWave Tech, aims to speed up the development of future networks by testing new technologies and business applications. They will focus on Cloud RAN deployment, AI-driven automation, and XR connectivity, while also exploring ways to improve spectrum use—particularly in centimetre Wave technology—to strengthen Japan’s position in 6G. 

By working together on network roadmaps, the companies plan to stay ahead of the industry’s move towards AI-powered, cloud-based telecom infrastructure. Their goal is to make networks more efficient, cost-effective, and high-performing, shaping the future of mobile connectivity. 

“This new collaboration with SoftBank marks a significant step forward in realising the full potential of AI-powered connectivity technologies. By combining our expertise in RAN and AI, we are poised to drive innovation and shape SoftBank’s future of mobile networks, empowering their technology leadership through 2030,” said Jawad Manssour, President and Representative Director of Ericsson Japan in a press release. 

 “Our new partnership with Ericsson allows us to explore cutting-edge solutions that will redefine network capabilities and customer experience. Our joint efforts in areas such as 6G and AI will not only enhance the performance of our network, but also pave the way for new business opportunities and technological breakthroughs,” said Hideyuki Tsukuda, EVP and CTO at SoftBank Corp. 

Ericsson and SoftBank intend to align their efforts with the broader industry shift towards AI-powered, cloud-based telecom infrastructure. Last June, SoftBank was one of the founding companies of the Global Telco AI Alliance, along with Deutsche Telekom, SK Telecom, e& and Singtel. The joint venture was signed for telco AI development, with each company equally investing.  

The five companies have agreed to develop Large Language Models (LLMs) that are specifically designed to meet telco needs, in areas such as improving customer interactions via digital assistants and chatbots. The LLMs will be tailored to the needs of the five companies in their respective markets, allowing them to reach a combined customer base of around 1.3 billion people in 50 countries. 

In an additional move to strengthen the company’s position in AI computing, last week, Softbank announced an agreement to acquire US based semiconductor design company Ampere Computing Holdings LLC for $6.5 billion. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom newsletter  

Also in the news:
BEAD staffers ‘constantly concerned’ about job security under Trump govt
Quickline to extend Yorkshire’s Project Gigabit rollout
‘Adapt or die’: VOX Solutions’ message to telcos in the age of AI 

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Infracapital-backed network operator Fibrus has today confirmed what we first reported last week (here), which is that their £108m publicly funded Project Gigabit broadband rollout contract in Cumbria (Lot 28) has been “extended” to cover an additional 21,000 premises in hard-to-reach areas. But it’s a bit more complex than that.

Just to recap. The Lot 28 build was the first large-scale Regional Supplier contract to be awarded under the wider Project Gigabit programme in 2022. Since then, it’s been making progress, with premises already connected to the new “full fibre” (FTTP) network in villages including Workington, Aspatria, Kendal and Penrith.

The original announcement stated that this contract aimed to cover “around 60,000 premises in the county” and at a cost of “more than £100 million of government investment“. However, some readers may thus be confused by today’s announcement of an extension, which states that the original contract was intended to “initially [cover] 32,000 homes and businesses” and today’s extension thus pushes the new total to around 53,500 premises.

The above situation arises because the original announcement included further homes and businesses that could potentially be brought into the rollout, called deferred scope premises (some other contracts also have this), which is perhaps something that Fibrus and BDUK (Gov/DSIT) could have been clearer about in 2022.

A spokesperson for Fibrus clarified to ISPreview: “The extension includes 21,000 additional homes, and is broken down by 11,000 completely new premises which have been added to the contract, and 10,000 which were within the deferred scope. These new premises were not in the scope of the original contract and have now been introduced following changes in the build programs of other operators” (i.e. commercial build plans by rivals may expand or even shrink their coverage plans – for various reasons, which can impact the Project Gigabit programme).

The new announcement also fails to mention that, according to the government’s contract modification notice, the awarded contract value has increased by £50.7m to £149.75m from the initial stage committed value. But this shouldn’t distract from the fact that this latest agreement will bring gigabit broadband to rural communities like Leece, Threlkeld, Abbeytown, Slack Head (fantastic name for a hamlet) and beyond.

Dominic Kearns, CEO at Fibrus, said:

“I am proud of the transformational impact we have had on digital infrastructure in NI and Cumbria. We have been delivering Full Fibre broadband to some of the most challenging geographies and rural areas, ensuring no one gets left behind by the digital divide.

Our internal build team and our partners have demonstrated market leading expertise in rural delivery through our Stratum project and now the Project Gigabit Cumbria build.

Lightning fast, reliable, Full Fibre broadband at affordable prices is what our customers need, and we’re pleased to be the number one provider in our connectable footprint, having connected our 100,000th customer in November last year.

Being awarded this contract extension is a testament to the moves we have made so far, and we’re only just getting started.”

Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said:

“Better broadband will not only enhance the quality of life for tens of thousands of homes and businesses across rural Cumbria, but it will also help us put an end to disparities between urban and rural areas.

Only last month, we launched our Digital Inclusion Action Plan, setting out our next steps to shrink the digital gap. This announcement is a fantastic example of how a Government-backed contract will help ensure people in rural areas are not left behind and have the tools they need to thrive in the digital age.”

Once this state aid fuelled contract is delivered alongside other commercial plans and deployments, in a few short years’ time (including by different network operators), it means that 99% of homes and businesses across Cumbria should have access to “next generation broadband” – a huge achievement for such a rural county in England.

This is in addition to Fibrus’ separate delivery of Project Stratum in Northern Ireland, which is currently around 98% complete and scheduled to finish in June 2025 “on time and within budget“. Fibrus added that they’re also continuing to see “exceptional levels of customer take-up in both its subsidised and commercial footprints“. Penetration at the end of March 2025 will exceed 27% for Fibrus as a whole and exceed 34% in its subsidised footprint, with earlier cohorts already above 50%.

Customers of the service typically pay from £24.99 per month for an unlimited 159Mbps (34Mbps upload) package with an included router and free installation, which rises to £44.99 per month for their top 982Mbps (310Mbps upload) tier on a 24-month contract term. The service discounts may vary between different parts of their build.

Finally, Fibrus currently expects to achieve “EBITDA profitability” for the coming financial year, with annualised recurring revenues in February 2025 already exceeding £32m and growing steadily month on month.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

[Barcelona, Spain, March 3, 2025] Huawei supported by content from GSMA Intelligence, hosted the “Green Development Elite Club” during MWC Barcelona 2025. The event, themed “Pave the Way for Green Telco,” convened key stakeholders including UNFCCC, GSMA Intelligence, ITU-T, and over 20 leading global operators such as China Mobile, Globe, Turkcell, and HKT, to deliberate on the imperative of green development within the ICT sector. During the session, GSMA Intelligence unveiled the “Green Network Index” report, proposing innovative methodologies for assessing and rating the evolution of green networks, thereby bolstering operators’ carbon neutrality strategies and promoting sustainability within the ICT landscape. 

Zhouyu, President of Huawei Network Consulting and System Integration, delivering “Fast, Secure, Valuable – Accelerating Green Development” 

Mr. Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence, underscored green development that constitutes a global objective and a crucial mission for the ICT industry. As a proponent of environmental accountability, GSMA Intelligence is dedicated to advancing green practices within this sector. In response to the demand for a cohesive framework, GSMA Intelligence developed the Green Network Index with comprehensive metrics and measurement of green network evolution, thereby facilitating the successful implementation of sustainable development initiatives. 

From top-level consensus to industry implementation 

Mr. Massamba Thioye, Project Executive of UNFCCC-GIH (UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub), shared a global perspective on green development, asserting that addressing climate change demands more than mere technological solutions but a multifaceted approach including policies, standards, financial support, business models, and decisive leadership. He highlighted that beyond promoting sustainable development, ICT technologies were increasingly serving as a “digital lever” for catalyzing green transformations across multiple sectors.  

Mr. Paolo Gemma, Chair of ITU-T SG5 WP2/5, elucidated that fuel and electricity constitute 90% of network expenditures. He stated that the establishment of green visions, principles, and standards was vital for operators aiming to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The ITU-T actively supported this initiative through the introduction of green indicators such as NCIe and NEE, which focused on enhancing both network energy efficiency and user experience, and encourages operators to engage actively in this endeavor.  

From technological innovation to business success 

Mr Richard Cockle, Head of GSMA Foundry and Connected Industries, guided operators in using a comprehensive Green Realization, Planning and Execution (GRPE) framework. Four carriers from different regions implemented the framework in real-world use cases. 

Mr. Singleton Zhou, President of Huawei Network Consulting and System Integration, articulated in his address titled “Fast, Secure, Valuable – Accelerate Green Development” that global operators stand to save 338 billion kWh of electricity annually, along with 115 million square meters of equipment room space. The potential waste of electricity and space occupied by legacy equipment represents a significant resource deficit that is critical for the development of new business ventures, such as computing power. 

The Green Target Network aimed to assist operators in conserving resources through the integration of communication systems with energy networks and the alignment of green infrastructure with digital transformation. In 2024, Huawei employed its AI-driven Full Service Area solution to assist operators in planning and constructing green, resilient networks, resulting in the upgrade of 100,000 sites and 4,000 data centers, achieving reductions of $140 million in OPEX and 740 million kWh in electricity savings. This endeavor also necessitated 800,000 significant network changes, with a configuration success rate of 99.99%. 

Huawei capitalizes on core capabilities such as 3DGS spatial modelling, lossless fiber locating, AI-driven Full Service Area planning, and one-stop delivery to empower operators to expedite transformation, enhance business leadership, and achieve superior profitability. 

From green strategy to best practice 

Panel discussion

A panel discussion featuring representatives from Globe, Turkcell, and HKT concentrated on strategies, standards, and practices for advancing green networks. Globe talked about how sustainability metrices, such as the GSMA Green Network Index, can help accelerate the company’s green network strategy. As part of its net zero roadmap, the company utilizes renewable energy and continuously deploys green network solutions nationwide. Turkcell also commenced large-scale construction of green sites and solar power plants, with expectations of substantial carbon emission reductions and a target of 100% renewable energy. By the end of 2024, Turkcell had achieved a 40 MW installed capacity through solar farms, wind turbines, and green sites. Furthermore, Turkcell is committed to becoming a NET-ZERO operator by 2050 through targeted carbon reductions. HKT has significantly enhanced operational efficiency through AI scheduling, providing a range of green services to communities and enterprises, thereby accelerating the vertical industry ‘s green transformation. 

Despite variations in business focus and market dynamics, all operators unanimously acknowledge the necessity of establishing a green network index system, reaching a broader consensus on pathways to achieve global green network transformation. 

From standard leadership to industry collaboration 

Emanuel Kolta, Lead Analyst at GSMA Intelligence, introduced the “Green Network Index” model, which encompassed four dimensions: energy and carbon efficiency, renewable energy, performance and availability, and vertical enablement. This framework was designed to assess operators’ sustainable development, establish benchmark networks, and disseminate successful practices to drive effective green evolution within the ICT industry. 

The green sustainable development of the ICT sector is now transitioning from strategic planning to practical implementation. Operators are demonstrating numerous best practices to tackle critical business challenges such as unreliable electricity supply, high energy consumption from legacy equipment, and obstacles in network evolution and market expansion. These initiatives are yielding significant energy savings, cost reductions, and enhanced market competitiveness. As leading operators continue to benefit from green transformation, operational cost optimization, and business development, the momentum for green transformation among global operators is accelerating. 

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The enterprise division of Hull-based broadband ISP KCOM, which has spent the past few years deploying a new full fibre (FTTP) network across 305,000 premises in parts of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (England), has today been appointed to a new public sector YPO procurement framework for Connectivity and Telecommunications Services.

In case anybody doesn’t know. The Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) is a publicly owned central purchasing body based in Wakefield, which is owned and governed by a consortium of county, metropolitan and borough councils in Yorkshire and the North West of England. It exists to help the public sector achieve the best possible value when buying products and services.

The news means that KCOM has been awarded a position on five “LOTS” of the YPO 1229 Network Connectivity and Telecommunication Solutions 2 Framework: Wide Area Network (WAN) Services, Local Area Network (LAN) Services, Education Connectivity and Associated Services, Cyber Security Solutions and Communication Services.

The operator will thus now be able to deliver its service to major public sector organisations in Yorkshire and beyond.

Jan Collins, KCOM Enterprise MD, said:

“We’re proud to provide vital Infrastructure and Managed Services to support public sector organisations deliver for their communities. By working with YPO through this framework we’re able to facilitate even more effective procurement of these services, with all the benefits that brings for value, quality and experience.”

Robyn Lamport-Rann, YPO ICT Category Manager, said:

“YPO is delighted to welcome KCOM as a supplier on the new Network Connectivity and Telecommunication Solutions 2 framework. YPO’s compliant framework offerings make it easy for public sector customers, from schools to social housing providers, to source cost-effective solutions from the market leaders. “

YPO currently provides more than 22,000 products and 100 compliant frameworks to customers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Sky UK (Sky Broadband, Sky TV, Sky Mobile etc.) has confirmed that as many as 2,000 workers (7% of its total workforce) could be facing redundancy as part of a proposed plan to close three of its ten UK customer service centres, which reflects the company’s sites in Stockport, Sheffield and Leeds Central.

The change, which is said to have been prompted by changing consumer preferences (i.e. they’re focusing more on online messaging and emails) and declining call volumes (Sky expects this to decrease by a third in the next few years), will apparently also impact the company’s operations in Dunfermline and Newcastle too. But the details of the latter remain unclear and subject to consultation.

According to the Sky News report, Sky intends to try and mitigate against the impact of this by making a multi-million pound investment in its Livingston site to create a “centre of excellence” that can “deliver quicker, simpler and more digital customer service“.

A Sky UK (Comcast) spokesperson said:

“We’re transforming our business to deliver quicker, simpler, and more digital customer service.

Our customers increasingly want choice, to speak to us on the phone when they need us most and the ease of managing everyday tasks digitally.

We’re investing in a new centre of excellence for customer service, alongside cutting-edge digital technology to make our service seamless, reliable, and available 24/7.

This is about building a future-ready Sky that continues to put our customers and their needs first.”

We tend to take the mention of a “more digital customer service” as meaning greater use of self-service online communications tools and AI style chatbots (something we’ve already seen other broadband and mobile operators adopt), although Sky’s announcement wasn’t terribly specific.

According to Ofcom’s figures for consumer complaints (example), Sky has consistently attracted some of the lowest complaint levels of all the industry’s major providers of broadband, phone, TV and mobile services. But this will also make it easy to spot if their customer support quality starts to decline post-closure. However, the regulator takes time to catch up with current events, which means we won’t start to see the first impacts from today’s news until late 2025 or early 2026.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Tech charity Jangala has published a new report that reveals the findings from one of its recent pilot projects with mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media), which provided free WiFi internet access to 429 people in temporary accommodation around Coventry in England. The pilot also worked with local charities, NHS services, and housing associations.

Just to recap. Jangala’s approach involved providing internet-enabling “Get Boxes” to charities and local authorities across the country (here), which has so far delivered free WiFi hotspots to help thousands of people affected by “data poverty” to get online. The Get Boxes are effectively small (book sized) WiFi routers that can each connect up to around 20 people (there’s a larger Big Box unit for connecting up to 5,000 users).

The idea is that these routers can be posted to a user, who can then simply plug it into mains electricity and establish a secure Wi-Fi network instantly – linked back to O2’s mobile broadband (3G / 4G) connectivity, using data from the National Databank.

The new Digital Lifelines report helps to show why this approach can be so beneficial to those most in need of support, but it also identifies areas where the approach falls short. For example, the report notes how “many end users” ran out of data (25GB allowance) before the month was out, which isn’t surprising given how easy it is to consume that much data on the modern internet.

We should point out that some users were also given unlimited data, and they tended to use about twice as much data than those with a capped allowance.

Rich Thanki, Managing Director at Jangala, said:

“This research vividly highlights the critical role that internet access plays in so many aspects of welfare. We’re thrilled that our Get Box technology, with incredible support from VMO2 and Coventry Council, has been able to positively impact the lives of such a diverse range of digitally-excluded people.”

Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at VMO2, said:

“We’re proud that Virgin Media O2’s partnership with Jangala is providing a lifeline to people in need, helping them to get online and access essential online services from applying for accommodation to booking medical appointments or building their skills via online training course, and is helping them to stay in touch with loved ones.”

Learnings from the Pilot Project

➤ Learning 1: Temporary housing residents face a Catch-22 of needing internet without having good access to it.

Residents are penalised if they do not bid weekly for permanent housing, but are often on low incomes and cannot install internet in their temporary homes.

➤ Learning 2: For residents of temporary housing, increased internet access through Get Box resulted in vital social outcomes.

These include improved emotional and mental wellbeing, increased independence and freedom, improved opportunities to learn, increased social connection, increased safety and improved access to essential services.

➤ Learning 3: Many users place ‘essential’ services with equal importance to ‘leisure’ activities.

Users place a high value on connecting to loved ones and streaming services, and to ‘leisure’ activities which are fundamental to a sense of freedom, normalcy and wellbeing. If programme providers and evaluators try to rigidly differentiate activities under ‘essential’ or ‘leisure’ categories, this can undermine the social impact of internet access.

➤ Learning 4: Jangala’s Get Box is especially suited to swiftly addressing gaps in digital access in temporary accommodation settings.

Because it is portable, easy to install and free to end users, it can provide internet quickly to people who need it urgently. Although suitable to a range of contexts, it is especially compatible with supporting temporary accommodation providers to get people the internet they need.

➤ Learning 5: In this Get Box pilot, boxes with unlimited data used more data per month (approximately four times) than Get Box users with limited data.

This is partly because of differences in situational usage, but also because many end users require more data.

➤ Learning 6: Many end users with 25GB of data run out by the end of the month.

End users experience distress and frustration when they run out of data, especially if it is unexpected.

➤ Learning 7: The improved social outcomes of increased internet access are reduced by limited data packages.

Improvements in mental health, freedom and independence and other domains, are inhibited when end users run out of data or must ration their data.

➤ Learning 8: Key elements of the Get Box product and service can be improved to offer a better user experience.

These include visibility of data usage, key design elements and information provided.

The report also includes a bunch of recommendations, such as calling for all temporary housing providers to provide “unlimited” Wi-Fi internet access at a “reasonable speed” for residents, wherever possible (this also goes for other settings where the Get Boxes can be used). This is of course an easy thing to say, but such things invariably carry a cost for network operators that may not always be economically viable to deliver.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator and ISP Trooli (Call Flow) has confirmed to ISPreview that a small number of their customers are at risk of disconnection, which will occur when they shut one of their old hybrid wireless and fibre optic broadband networks in rural Hampshire (England). This was originally deployed around ten years ago with public funding (Building Digital UK).

At present, Trooli is focused on deploying their FTTP gigabit broadband network (covering 410,000 premises) across towns and large semi-rural villages in parts of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, West Sussex and Wiltshire in England. As well as parts of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Fife in Scotland (formerly part of Axione UK’s network).

However, in the past, Trooli – formerly better known as Call Flow Solutions – did also deploy a number of hybrid broadband networks into several rural communities using Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and sub-loop unbundled Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technologies. One such deployment occurred as part of a £1.258m (state aid) BDUK Market Test Pilot back in 2014-16.

The aim of the aforementioned pilot was to deliver “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) to poorly served residents in the hard-to-reach rural areas of Bramdean and Ropley, including the hamlet of Monkwood. The service has been working reasonably well since then, at least it was until earlier this year when residents in Monkwood were informed that their service would be terminated at the end of March 2025.

What went wrong in Monkwood

The above situation appeared to be in response to local connectivity problems, which started in January 2025. “We’re aware of an issue impacting customer connections in the Monkwood area. Our networking team are aware of the issue and are currently investigating the cause,” said the statement on Call Flow’s website (dated to 5th Jan 2025), which has remained the same since then.

Call Flow/Trooli followed that up later by issuing another update directly to residents, which identified that the “fault itself is related to a particular part of our network which is connected via a radio link“, specifically a “natural limitation of this radio link“. But then came the really bad news.

The provider’s message revealed that this “is not an issue that we will technically be able to resolve” and, after exploring “all other options for replacing” that link, the ISP admitted they had been “unable to find a commercially viable, alternative solution” and said the service would be “terminated” at the end of March 2025.

On March 18th, residents of the nearby village of Four Marks were similarly told they would also be losing their Call Flow service at the end of May 2025, which prompted people in another nearby village, Ropley, to worry that they might be next to suffer the same fate. Suffice to say that ISPreview has raised this with Trooli and they’ve since provided more information.

A Spokesperson for Trooli told ISPreview:

“In 2016, Call Flow was granted funding by BDUK for an experimental project delivering a hybrid solution, primarily mixing Fibre To the Cabinet (FTTC) and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technologies. The aim was to deliver superfast broadband to residents in the hard-to-reach areas of Bramdean and Ropley, including the hamlet of Monkwood. In the nine years since then, Trooli’s Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) broadband network has commercially overbuilt to the majority of the homes covered by this experimental service, providing them with an ultrafast, modern alternative.

Some of the original network has not been commercially viable for Trooli to overbuild. Given the age of the network, now approaching nine years, some components have started to fail and have become too difficult and costly to maintain. Consequently, it is no longer commercially viable to maintain some parts of the original Call Flow network being delivered to a handful of premises in the Monkwood area.

The planned withdrawal of service at the end of March was shared with the affected households in January, with free internet offered throughout February and March. Over this period, most customers have migrated to alternative services, which have developed substantially in the intervening nine years, most typically 4G. We continue to work with the very small number of customers who continue to use our legacy solution.

In an entirely separate situation, we have been in touch with a number of customers whose broadband service is at threat from Openreach’s Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) switch off. These customers, who are connected to the SLU/FTTC SMPF broadband solution employed by Call Flow, were originally informed that their service would be switched off in May.

However, as the Openreach WLR switch-off is not scheduled to take place until the end of the year, we have decided to use this time to continue our attempt to find an improved resolution with Openreach. This postponement has been communicated to potentially impacted customers.

We will, of course, provide further updates to these customers and keep them updated on how our conversations with Openreach progress.”

In fairness to Trooli/Call Flow, the operator did deliver on their contracted commitment and has actually kept the hybrid broadband network running longer than they had pledged. As above, many of the premises that were originally reached by this network have also since been overbuilt by the operator’s newest FTTP infrastructure, which marks a big improvement over the original service.

Ultimately, nothing lasts forever, but the hope is that a new home can be found for all of those affected by the current problems, although a few may yet be left with little in the way of viable alternatives before they’re disconnected.