Hopefully bad things don’t come in threes. Graeme Oxby, the CEO of London focused full fibre broadband ISP CommunityFibre, has apologised to customers after the operator suffered a second service outage yesterday, which much like the first one appears as if it could have been related to their Domain Name Servers (DNS). But this outage was much shorter.

In case anybody has forgotten, CommunityFibre was hit by a protracted outage on Monday (here), which lasted for several hours and impacted a sizeable portion of their customer base. But some savvy customers were able to work around it by using a third-party DNS provider (Quad9, Google Public DNS, OpenDNS, Cloudflare DNS etc.) to circumvent the ISPs own domain name system.

The DNS service typically works by converting Internet Protocol (IP) addresses into a human-readable form and back again (e.g. 123.56.32.122 becomes – examplezfakedomainlols.uk). Services like this tend to be provided automatically by your broadband and mobile provider, usually operating seamlessly in the background.

However, it’s not uncommon for ISPs to very occasionally suffer from problems with their DNS servers, which may arise due to a fault or misconfiguration in the system. When this happens, your physical broadband connection may still be live, but many of your requests to online domains will fail (other issues can also cause this, so we’re not 100% certain it was DNS).

Sadly, a similar outage struck CommunityFibre yesterday at around 3:45pm, although unlike the first outage they were able to resolve it within the space of about 30 minutes. Once again, some customers reported that they could work around it by changing DNS provider, but a few others found this didn’t work and opted to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) instead. The situation prompted the provider’s CEO, Graeme Oxby, to issue a personal apology to his customers.

Graeme Oxby said:

“Unfortunately, I am having to apologise again as we had a network outage for 30 minutes this afternoon. Most customers should have had service restored immediately and we will keep working to get everyone restored.

If you’re still experiencing any issues getting online, please switch the power off to the fibre box for 2 minutes and turn it back on. Then, switch off the power to the router for 2 minutes and turn it back on. Your connection may take 1 to 3 minutes to re-establish.

Please do not attempt any other troubleshooting steps like adjusting any settings or taking out any cables as this may prevent service restoring automatically.

Thank you so much and sorry for any inconvenience.”

We have to give credit to the provider, and it’s CEO, here for taking responsibility and responding in a much more personal way than we’re used to seeing from ISPs in this market. Most providers tend to just fob customers off with a vague notice and then offer no follow up after the event (although it would have been even better to get some explanation for the cause).

However, brief outages like this are of course to be expected in the complexity of modern broadband networks, although in this case CommunityFibre appears as if it may have been dealing with a reoccurrence of the same or a similar / related issue to the one that struck on Monday. Hopefully there won’t be a third event anytime soon.

Several credible sources have informed ISPreview that broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) is gearing up for an important new product launch, which is expected to occur in March 2025 (delays still possible). The expectation is that this will reflect the opening up of their new XGS-PON powered full fibre network in existing coax (cable) areas to live customers.

The operator is currently in the process of upgrading millions of their legacy Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC / DOCSIS 3.1) powered areas to support the latest Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) technology, which is a programme they’re aiming to complete by 2028. On top of that, they’re separately rolling out the same technology to an additional 5-7 million premises via nexfibre (this can already reach 2 million premises).

Despite this, Virgin Media has so far only made nexfibre’s newly built XGS-PON network available to new customers, while those existing customers in HFC (non-nexfibre) areas (c.16 million premises) are NOT currently able to access or order packages using their XGS-PON upgraded areas (aka – Project Mustang / Fibre Up). The latter includes those served by Virgin’s older Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG) based FTTP lines.

Admittedly, most of their HFC / RFOG areas have yet to see the XGS-PON upgrade take place (it’s a multi-year upgrade programme, costing c.£100 per premises), but several million premises do now have both Virgin’s HFC / RFOG and XGS-PON networks existing side-by-side. The fact that XGS-PON is just sitting there, doing absolutely nothing (i.e. not generating revenue), makes very little sense. But that may, finally, be about to change.

Several credible sources have informed ISPreview that Virgin Media is gearing up to launch new products in March 2025 (although delays are still possible). The expectation is that this will also involve making their network upgrade (XGS-PON) areas, at least those that have been fully completed, available to customers for the first time.

ISPreview has seen no indication of any bulk automated HFC to XGS-PON upgrade plans, which would be very difficult due to the need for an engineer visit (e.g. installing an optical modem / ONT inside homes). Instead, this is likely to be a much more organic process, with the change only occurring when customers choose to upgrade or re-contract their package.

However, this is not strictly the first time that Virgin Media has made their XGS-PON upgrade areas available, since a brief test or soft launch also appeared to occur late last year. Several customers reported that they had been upgraded via a door-step sold trial in selected areas, which gave them 6 months of free service and £200 worth of Amazon vouchers alongside an FTTP package (most appeared to have got Virgin’s 2Gbps package). But we understand this was paused due to problems with Virgin’s ordering/billing system, which have hopefully now been ironed out.

The official line from Virgin Media on all this is, of course, “no comment“, which is generally what they seem to say for absolutely every query we send their way about future products. Finally, we should point out that Virgin Media are also gearing up to make these same XGS-PON upgrade areas available to wholesale during the first half of 2025, but we don’t yet know precisely when that will occur (we suspect much later in the spring than March, but you never know).

Four years have passed since we first reported on the emergence of a new alternative network (altnet) called WhyFibre (here). The operator had expressed a plan to build a new gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network across “underserved” parts of South England, but until recently they had appeared to be dormant.

Just to recap. ISPreview’s original article in 2021 noted how WhyFibre were busy securing Code Powers from Ofcom to help speed-up their planned deployment of new fibre optic infrastructure and cut costs, not least by reducing the number of licenses needed for street works. But until now we’ve seen no major activity and assumed that the operator had given up on their plans.

The company, which in 2021 was controlled by Dumitru Ban, then appears to have gone through several changes of control and its sole Director is now listed as Stephen Parry (here), while Rodica Ciobotaru gained “significant control” of the business in November 2024. But WhyFibre’s most recent “micro company accounts“, which admittedly only run to the end of June 2023 (published 11th March 2024), don’t yet show the sort of financial activity needed for an FTTP build and lists a single employee.

Nevertheless, one of ISPreview’s readers (Sánchez) recently reported (here) that a business called FibreOne (could also be Fibre1 – several businesses use similar sounding names) had been spotted building a new FTTP network in the Hertfordshire (England) town of Letchworth, which when challenged said they were working on behalf of WhyFibre. The contractor appeared to be laying fresh fibre through Openreach’s existing ducts (PIA).

After roping in Marcus of the Better Internet Dashboard (BIDB) project, we were then able to identify another two locations where WhyFibre (SWA code of 7572) appeared to be building, including one fairly extensive network in the large Bedfordshire town of Luton (an odd choice given how well covered the town is by Openreach, Virgin Media and CityFibre, as well as some smaller altnet builds) and neighbouring Hitchin (Hertfordshire).

In addition, a couple of smaller works were also spotted in the West Yorkshire town of Normanton, which is well covered by Openreach and Virgin Media’s gigabit-capable broadband networks, albeit admittedly without much in the way of any competing altnets.

At present, we cannot find any public announcements about any related projects from WhyFibre and have no contacts for them, although more information may surface once they publish their next batch of annual accounts (due next month).

Similarly, it’s unclear whether they’re acting as a civil engineering organisation for another network or still intend to run their own retail ISP or wholesale platform. The provider’s website domain is currently just a holding page, although you can still view their old partly-finished ISP website from 2021 by using this URL instead – https://whyfibre.co.uk/home.

Suffice to say that launching a new altnet deployment into an already overcrowded market, which is also one that remains under considerable strain due to high builds costs, competition and high interest rates, is currently quite a risky endeavour.

European satellite operator Eutelsat has announced that their OneWeb network, which is a global constellation of broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that is partly still supported by the UK government (11% stake), has just conducted the “world’s first successful trial” of a 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN).

OneWeb (aka – Eutelsat OneWeb) currently has 654 small (c.150kg) first generation (GEN1) LEO platforms in space – orbiting at an altitude of 1,200km (c.600 of them for coverage and the rest for redundancy). The network was completed in March 2023 (here), promising both ultrafast broadband speeds and fast latency times. But a further 15 satellites (plus one GEN2 prototype) were then launched in May 2023 to add “resiliency and redundancy to the network” (here) and then 20 more in October 2024 (here).

However, Eutelsat has long held an ambition to adopt mobile (5G) communications support into their satellite network, which would use the Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) standard within the 5G specification (3GPP Release 17). The latest test using a live commercial network is thus said to “pave the way for deployment of the 5G NTN standard, which will result in future satellite and terrestrial interoperability within a large ecosystem, lowering the cost of access and enabling the use of satellite broadband for 5G devices around the world“.

The trial used OneWeb satellites, with the MediaTek NR [5G New Radio] NTN test chipset, and NR NTN test 5G g-NodeB (gNB) provided by ITRI, implementing the 3GPP Release 17 specifications. Sharp, Rhode & Schwarz provided the antenna array and test equipment and the LEO satellites, built by Airbus, carry transponders, with Ku-band service link, Ka-band feeder link, and adopting the “Earth-moving beams” concept.

During the trial, the 5G user terminal successfully connected to the 5G core via the satellite link and exchanged traffic. “With the integration of 5G standards shared and accepted by the entire mobile industry, all compatible satellite constellations will naturally and seamlessly complement terrestrial networks, enabling truly ubiquitous connectivity with economies of scale, and opening up new markets for smartphones, the automotive industry and the Internet-of-Things,” said Eutelsat.

Arlen Kassighian, Chief Engineering Officer at Eutelsat Group, said:

“These trials show the commitment of Eutelsat Group in developing and adopting new technologies, in order to provide the best possible services to our customers, in collaboration with trusted partners. 5G NTN will be a key feature of the IRIS2 constellation, and Eutelsat is at the forefront of this innovation and active member of the ecosystem. We are proud to be the first satellite operator to demonstrate the 5G air interface working on a commercial fleet in Ku-band and paving the way for new applications in future constellations.”

In case anybody has forgotten, OneWeb conducted a related test back in October 2023 (here), although Eutelsat’s latest test is much closer to a final commercial product. The 2023 trial saw a team at the University of Surrey test a 5G mobile network by connecting Surrey’s 5G core to a cell site through the LEO constellation. But that wasn’t the same approach as Starlink or AST Space Mobile are using, where the satellites can directly connect to existing Smartphones (i.e. OneWeb’s original test seemed to be more about providing the backhaul (capacity) for 5G cells, which is still useful).

Network access provider CityFibre, which has so far built their 2.5Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 4.3 million UK premises (4.1m Ready for Service), have confirmed the completion of their “primary” £59m build in the city of Aberdeen (Scotland).

The long-running network deployment, which was originally announced in February 2018 (here), has now built to over 105,000 homes in Aberdeen (around 97% of the city’s premises) via over 762km of new fibre cable. The full fibre network also connects more than 160 public sector sites, including council offices, schools, libraries and leisure centres (this bit is more akin to Dark Fibre).

As usual, CityFibre aren’t the only gigabit-capable broadband network present in the city, with Aberdeen also being home to significant FTTP coverage from Openreach’s network. On top of that there are several smaller deployments from Hyperoptic, OFNL, Grain and probably others.

The operator said they would now “continue to explore opportunities to connect more homes and businesses, including flats, new-build homes, business parks and homes on private roads.”

Paul Wakefield, Partnership Manager at CityFibre, said:

“We’re really excited to have finished our primary build in Aberdeen. Across the city, residents can now access all the benefits full fibre connectivity has to offer, enabling more people in the area unlock seamless homeworking, streaming and learning.

“Aberdeen’s economic strength and vitality make it a cornerstone of prosperity, not just for Scotland, but for the entire UK, and we look forward to building on our previous success powering the city’s future economic development.”

The alternative network operator, which has so far attracted 518,000 live customers and also expects to have upgraded their entire network to 10Gbps capable XGS-PON technology by mid-2025 (here), currently still aspires to cover up to 8 million UK premises with their new full fibre network (funded by c.£2.4bn in equity, c.£4.9bn debt and c.£800m of BDUK / public subsidy) – representing c.30% of the UK. But quite when they’ll reach that point is unclear, and they’re known to still be in need of fresh funding (here).

News

Using Taara’s wireless optical networking tech, two drones can establish a birectional connection over multiple kilometres, allowing the operator to bypass damaged sections of its network

This week, Vodafone has announced it is piloting a new drone solution aimed at helping networks stay operational in the event of cable damage.

The drones, operating in pairs and equipped with wireless optical technology from the Taara Project, aim to provide a wireless bridge across damaged network infrastructure. The Taara terminals themselves include a mirrors and sensors that point, acquire, and track beams of visual light, which is delivering data point-to-point.

Vodafone says it has completed a success trial of this technology in Seville, Spain, which saw one drone tethered to a mobile mast and another tethered to a Vodafone data transport hub 3km away.

Little detail was given about the quality of the ‘temporary connection’ achieved by this pilot project, but in tests back in 2021, Taara’s optical technology was shown to be capable of delivering bidirectional throughput of up to 20Gbps at a range of up to 20km.

Vodafone says that the drone solution’s versatility lies in its speed of deployment, making it ideal for quickly responding to cable breaks from construction or vandalism. It could also be a useful option for providing emergency connectivity in the event of natural disasters.

Taara itself suggests its technology has far broader applicability, such as establishing connections across difficult terrain, such as across rivers and sea straits, and connecting areas where terrestrial infrastructure may not be permitted, like national parks. In these more permanent deployments, deploying the Taara equipment directly on suitable fixed infrastructure will likely be preferred if available.

Further details of the partnership are expected to be shared at this year’s Mobile World Congress event.

The Taara Project is a product of X (previously Google X), part of Google’s so-call ‘mooshot factory’ that also produced the now defunct Loon connectivity platform project.

Taara’s technology is already being used by a handful of operators worldwide, including Bharti Airtel in India, Digicel in various parts of the Pacific, and T-Mobile in the USA.

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Also in the news:
Navigating the depths: Strategies for delivering successful subsea cable projects
Vodafone–Three reveals leadership team
French energy giant EDF offers up land for data centre projects

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About Subtonomy

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At Subtonomy, we’re on a mission to rethink telecom support. Are you with us?

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CSA Cyber today announced it has become a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), an ecosystem of independent software vendors (ISVs) and managed security service providers (MSSPs) that have integrated their solutions with Microsoft Security technology to better defend our mutual customers against a world of increasing cyber threats.

Microsoft lies at the heart of CSA Cyber’s Security Operations Centre (SOC), with Microsoft Threat Protection and Microsoft Sentinel underpinning a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service that provides 24/7 protection for clients. Continuous monitoring by experienced security analysts enables threats to be spotted before they become breaches – giving customers peace of mind while they focus on their core operations.

“At CSA Cyber we have been supplying cyber security services using the Microsoft suite of products for the last 3 years,” said Dave Woodfine, Managing Director, CSA Cyber. “Our relationship with Microsoft has been going from strength to strength and we are delighted that we have been accepted to be a member of MISA.  This will enable us to expand our cyber services further and continue to learn and implement the range of Microsoft services available for us to enrich what we can offer to our clients.”

“The Microsoft Intelligent Security Association has grown into a vibrant ecosystem comprised of the most reliable and trusted security software vendors across the globe,” said Maria Thomson, Director, Microsoft Intelligent Security Association. “Our members, like CSA Cyber, share Microsoft’s commitment to collaboration within the cybersecurity community to improve our customers’ ability to predict, detect, and respond to security threats faster.”

Established in 2018 to bring together Microsoft leaders, ISVs, and MSSPs, MISA focuses on collaborating to combat security threats and create a safer environment for all. Its mission is to provide intelligent, industry-leading security solutions that work together to help protect organizations at the speed and scale of AI in an ever-increasing threat landscape.

Partners who are interested in learning more can visit the MISA Website: Microsoft Intelligent Security Association.

About CSA Cyber:

Founded in 2013 by Managing Director Dave Woodfine and Technical Director James Griffiths, Cyber Security Associates Limited trading as CSA Cyber provides cyber consultancy and cyber managed services which help to detect, protect and educate against the ever-changing cyber threat. We have built our team from a foundation of Government (ex-Military) and commercially experienced specialists all holding current and relevant cyber certifications. Today our core services are based around a 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) based in Gloucester, while also providing trusted and professional cyber consultancy advice and guidance to both new and existing clients.

CSA Cyber continues to grow its capabilities and security certifications to ensure it remains a world-class cyber security provider. CSA is a Microsoft Certified Partner and an Advanced Security Specialist Partner in Threat Protection and an IASME Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus Certification Body.

Since a strategic investment in 2021, CSA Cyber has been a part of the FluidOne family, where it acts as the cyber centre of excellence. The addition of a dedicated cyber security centre to its portfolio strengthens FluidOne’s secure Connected Cloud Solutions offering, which encompasses products and services across IT and cyber, alongside comms and connectivity.

For additional information:

Please contact us via –

Email: hello@csacyber.com

Phone: +44(0) 300 303 4691

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – 20 February 2025 – DataVolt, a developer, investor, and operator of sustainable digital infrastructure, and The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) have agreed land lease terms for the development of a state-of-the-art AI-Ready data center in Riyadh. The 55,000 square meter plot is located in east Riyadh’s First Technology Park. The data center facility will be designed for advanced AI processing and will serve growing demand from hyperscalers, cloud and content providers, and enterprises in the KSA. 

DataVolt will build a sustainable data center facility on the plot with cutting-edge cooling systems, and with an advance circularity approach. The data center facility will also be powered by optimized energy solutions.

“We are providing mission-critical digital infrastructure that will support the KSA’s position as a global leader in AI while offering customers sustainable data center solutions. Over many months, we have worked in collaboration with MODON to develop this project and we are proud to move forward and deliver another state-of-the-art facility,” said Rajit Nanda, CEO at DataVolt. “Every step we take directly aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 and supports the government’s goal of diversification and sustainability across the economy and society as a whole.”

DataVolt’s investors and team have successfully developed and operated over 20GW of renewable energy assets across nine countries, deploying scalable and cost-effective solutions. Its unique approach increases operational efficiencies, reduces carbon emissions, and enables customers to grow their digital footprint while meeting sustainability goals. 

“The opportunity in artificial intelligence is accelerating and we are focused on both enabling AI innovation while ensuring we minimize its impact on the environment. We have the technology, expertise, and talent to deliver trusted sustainable data center facilities and ensure that society benefits from a cleaner and greener digital economy,” said Nanda.   

DataVolt has demonstrated its technical, development, delivery and operational capabilities as part of the assessment process to deliver sustainable, high performance data centers. This development is part of DataVolt’s $5 billion investment in the Kingdom, which supports digital infrastructure delivery.

ABOUT The Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON)

Modon since its establishment in 2001 has been undertaking the development and supervision of industrial lands and integrated infrastructure. Today, it oversees 39 existing and under development industrial cities across the Kingdom, in addition to private industrial cities and complexes.

Modon succeeded in raising the area of developed industrial lands until now more than 219 million m² . These cities manage more than 7000 industrial and investment contracts and more than 6900 factories between producer, existing and under construction and establishment, employing more than 590,000 male and female employees.

https://modon.gov.sa/

ABOUT DataVolt

DataVolt is an operator of data centers, integrating dedicated high-availability multi-technology renewable energy infrastructure solutions and green fuels, with a strong focus on innovation, sustainability, and scalability. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, with offices currently in the USA, Uzbekistan, India, and the UAE, and presence in South Korea and South Africa. DataVolt has strong global ambitions spanning across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. DataVolt’s core focus is servicing the needs of hyperscalers, large enterprises, and government institutions. 

www.data-volt.com

For any enquiries, please mail: enquiries@data-volt.com

At MWC 2025 Barcelona, BubbleRAN is showcasing in collaboration with Telenor Research & Innovation and NVIDIA agentic AI-based Intelligent network slicing technology for private 5G.

Network slicing is a technology that enables telecom operators to guarantee quality of service or specific applications or users, enabling them to offer premium services to enterprise customers. In current software implementations, a rules-based approach is used to create dedicated slices across access, transport and core. With advances in generative and agentic AI, complex reasoning and decision making is now possible for large-scale and dynamic data sets, making these technologies perfectly suited for a use case like network slicing. BubbleRAN’s intelligent network slicing solution leverages AI to significantly improve network experience and reduce operating expenses.

Telenor Research & Innovation, the experimental arm of the leading mobile network operator in the Nordics, is exploring differentiated services for private 5G networks in maritime transportation. Isolating network resources for different usage profiles is critical in applications where non-identical classes of service are involved. “In a cruise ship environment, we want to ensure that mission-critical traffic flows are treated with priority in the presence of other traffic types such as robotic remote inspection information, and broadband data for the passengers. This scenario requires an effective implementation of network slicing of the cruise private network,” says Senior Researcher Geir Egeland (Telenor R&I) and CTIO Knut Fjellheim (Telenor Maritime).

The intelligent network slicing solution, developed by BubbleRAN leverages NVIDIA NIM microservices (for both lama 3.1 70B Instruct and lama 3.1 8B Instruct), part of the NVIDIA AI Enterprise platform, and NeMo microservices to create and train large telecom models (LTMs). The LTMs provide foundation functionality for network agents that not only understand different traffic types but the optimizations required to support the desired quality of service across the end-to-end network. These agents actively observe the network states and metrics and continuously apply reconfiguration, management, and control actions to meet the desired quality of service. The LTM agents also offer a conversational interface to network engineers and are able to access various datasets through APIs to provide contextual answers related to network performance, service intent and suggested actions.

This groundbreaking technology greatly improves the quality of service for end users and streamlines joint RAN and core network slicing by means of a Kubernetes Slice Operator. This slice-aware engine replaces the pre-configured schedulers particularly in the radio access domain, enabling a more dynamic approach to network slicing. In this maritime pilot, three slices are autonomously deployed, operated, and their resources are dynamically allocated over time as their requirements evolve.

BubbleRAN’s Intelligent Telco Agent technology scales beyond network slicing to transform daily network operations with significantly improved accuracy, reduced computational overhead, and lower inferencing latency. “Through this collaboration, network automation can reach a level never seen before in telecom,” said Navid Nikaein, CEO at BubbleRAN. “By integrating AI-driven intelligence into 5G, we are not just improving efficiency—we are transforming mobile network operations.”

This collaboration demonstrates how AI-powered network automation helps solve real-world challenges in mobile networks. The technology has the potential to scale across industries such as manufacturing, mining, and logistics, ushering in a new era of AI-driven network efficiency and optimization.

The full demonstration will be live from March 3-6, 2025, at BubbleRAN stand 6E9 at MWC Barcelona.