Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Paris, France, October 15, 2025 – During the NetworkX 2025 Next-Generation Optical Networking (NGON) Forum, Huawei introduced its groundbreaking Intelligent OTN solution, positioning it as the cornerstone for future-proof optical transport infrastructure. Gavin Gu, President of Optical Transport Network Domain of Huawei, detailed how this innovation addresses the escalating demands of AI-driven digital transformation in his keynote “Intelligent OTN, Intelligent Foundation.”  

AI fuels rapid transformation of the Optical Transport Industry 

The rapid construction of global AI data centers is injecting unprecedented momentum into the optical transport industry. The technology iteration cycle has accelerated from the past “10 years per generation” to the current “2-3 years per generation.” This shift drives a steeper decline in the cost-per-bit for network construction. Furthermore, the new collaborative model of real-time “Device-Pipe-Edge-Cloud” interaction in the intelligent era is shifting networks from “one-way” to “interactive,” and from “best effort” to “deterministic.” 

Mission-critical AI workloads demand unprecedented network performance. Data Center Interconnection (DCI) requires “six nines” (99.9999%) reliability and terabit-level capacity, while Data Center Access (DCA) needs millisecond-level latency with flexible bandwidth allocation for diverse applications from industrial AI to immersive experiences. 

Intelligent OTN Solution enhances network capabilities  

To better support DCI and DCA scenarios, Huawei launched the Intelligent OTN solution, focusing on two core directions – “OTN for AI” and “AI for OTN” – with multiple key capabilities. 

In the “OTN for AI” direction, addressing efficient DCI connectivity needs, the backbone network should upgrade with three key technical capabilities: The wavelength advancing towards 800G and even 3.2T in the future, significantly reducing the cost-per-bit for network construction; network architecture upgrades from C-band ROADM to C+L-band OXC, doubling switching capacity; and achieving zero packet loss transmission between computing nodes via the DC-OTN solution. For the user-side DCA scenario, four key capability upgrades enable the construction of an ultra-low latency metro network: Realizing “1ms to the data center” via mini-OXC devices; 100G to the edge, providing sufficient bandwidth for applications; the fgOTN solution supports fine-grained, hitless bandwidth adjustment starting from 10Mbps; and the enhanced WSON solution reduces service restoration time to within 50 milliseconds, significantly improving network reliability. 

In the “AI for OTN” direction, Gavin Gu noted that OTN networks were traditionally often called “dumb pipes.” However, Intelligent OTN introduces new technologies like digital twins and AI technologies to enable upgrades throughout the entire optical network lifecycle. By building a three-dimensional digital twin model encompassing services, network, and optical fibers, the network becomes visible, manageable, and optimizable. In the planning and construction phase, service provisioning time is reduced from months to days. In the operations and optimization phase, the system can proactively identify network risks, substantially reducing potential network failures. Intelligent OTN drives the evolution of optical networks from traditional “dumb pipes” to “intelligent pipes” with self-awareness, self-decision-making, and self-optimization capabilities, advancing towards high-level autonomous networks. 

“As the intelligent era fully arrives, driven by both ‘OTN for AI’ and ‘AI for OTN,’ Huawei’s Intelligent OTN solution will provide powerful transport support for global digital development,” said Gavin Gu. “It is both the transmission artery for the intelligent era and an evolving intelligent entity, solidifying the foundation for the future of the intelligent era.  

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Interview

The service aims to simplify collaboration between network operators and device manufactures when it comes to rolling out new services

The GSMA has unveiled a new cloud-based platform, the Entitlements Service, designed to fundamentally streamline the relationship between mobile network operators and device manufacturers. Announced on last month, the service is positioned as the final piece of a three-part solution aimed at solving a long-standing industry challenge and ensuring a seamless, out-of-the-box experience for consumers. 

Speaking to Total Telecom, the GSMA’s Senior Director of Product Management, Shamit Bhat said the platform was conceived as a solution to a fundamental lack of coordination between operators and equipment manufacturers, which typically leaves both sides spending lot of time exchanging optimum network and device parameters and conducting strings length tests to ensure devices and networks are technically aligned for best performance.  

“The operators sometimes struggle to get through to the manufacturers and vice versa,” he said, adding that this is especially true for smaller operators and manufacturers who lack the resources to engage directly with industry behemoths. “There’s a lot that needs to be done in order to bring these two worlds together, even though the end customer is the same.” 

According to Bhat, this disconnect in communication leaves the industry moving far slower than necessary, with each new device, new operating system update, or new network technology being tackled individually by the mobile ecosystem. 

Streamlining interoperability 

To address this challenge, the GSMA offers a suite of three products. The first is interoperability testing, a service that standardises the testing process for voice, data, and messaging services particularly focusing on Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and 5G services.  

“If I have to test your capabilities with thousands of companies, it’s practically impossible to scale a service,” explained Bhat. “Our goal is to remove the unnecessary repetition of those tests by making test data readily available to relevant ecosystem players.”  

By certifying a network or device against GSMA standards (such as IR.25 for voice and NG.143 for 5G), the GSMA provides an authoritative stamp of approval that can be trusted by the entire industry. 

Building on this foundation is the Network Settings Exchange (NSX), a platform that simplifies the pre-configuration of devices. It allows operators to securely send their optimal network settings to manufacturers instantly, once again reducing the need for maintaining a one-on-one relation for enabling services.  

“When customers buy a device off the shelf, they want to know that it will work optimally from day one,” said Bhat. “This service tells the manufacturer the optimal settings for 2G to 5G, voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi), voice over LTE (VoLTE), APNs, IMS, etc… We have around 400 different settings between different technology stacks, all of which can be communicated at the click of a button.”  

So far, over 850 equipment manufacturers and 250 operators are using NSX, significantly reducing the burden on customer care across the device ecosystem. 

The Entitlements platform 

With the two previous services, the GSMA has focussed on the deployment and optimisation of the mobile industry’s core technologies. With the Entitlements platform, based on the TS.43 standard, the GSMA is penetrating even more deeply into the ecosystem, aiming to harmonise the activation of individual advanced features. 

Traditionally, launching a new feature – anything from eSIM transfer to the pairing of smartwatches – meant a lengthy and costly development project, often with separate builds required for iOS and Android. With the GSMA’s Entitlements platform, this is no longer the case.  

“When you look at an individual subscriber, you need to know what they are entitled to do with their device. Can they use VoLTE, for example, or VoWiFi? Can they use satellite messaging? What about connecting to a companion device? Operators typically build their own entitlements infrastructure for that,” explained Bhat. “We’re taking away that integration burden and shortening the time to market.” 

The potential gains here through using a unified platform are significant, both in terms of cost and time. 

“It just takes four to six weeks with two or three developers to do all the integration,” Bhat explained, contrasting it with the “months and months” or even “years” a traditional build would take. “It’s much, much faster, and it doesn’t need any new time and money to be invested in new use cases. They’re just added to the platform by default, and you can integrate the APIs and off you go. It’s far more efficient and far more scalable.” 

At a time when operators are struggling to drive up ARPU, bringing new use cases to market quickly and simply has never been more important. 

Removing roadblocks for the ecosystem  

Taken together, these three interoperability solutions from the GSMA represents a significant boost in agility for the mobile ecosystem. By replacing bespoke, time-consuming integration projects with unified, cloud-based platforms based on industry standards, the GSMA is removing a costly barrier that has long hindered innovation.  

Whether  you’re an operator, device manufacturer or industry innovator, now is the time to get involved — collaborate, contribute and help build a world where every device connects seamlessly, intelligently and securely.  

Contact GSMA today to learn more about these services.  

Your customers are entitled to more  

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Telecoms giant BT Group has today announced the retirement of industry veteran Howard Watson as its Chief Security and Networks Officer (CSNO), which will take effect in March 2026. Greg McCall, the operator’s current Chief Networks Officer (CNO), will be promoted to replace him – effective 1st January 2026.

Howard Watson is one of the industry’s most familiar figures and will leave behind a strong legacy. Howard spent more than a decade at BT and over 40 years in the telecoms industry.

Meanwhile, since joining BT in 2013, Greg has held various senior roles across the business and helped spearhead the UK’s first 5G network, among other things.

Allison Kirkby, CEO of BT Group, said:

“I am delighted to appoint Greg as our new Chief Security and Networks Officer and a key member of BT’s Executive Committee. Greg is a fantastic example of the bench strength we have within BT, having contributed over many years to our network leadership position. With Howard now passing the baton to Greg, our network, and its trusted status, is in strong hands. We are also all incredibly grateful for Howard’s dedication, deep technical expertise, and the lasting impact he’s made not just on BT, but on the industry, over many years, and wish him well in his retirement.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Infracapital-backed alternative network operator and ISP Ogi, which has deployed their FTTP broadband network across 100,000 homes and businesses in South Wales (RFS), has managed to expand their full fibre spine in Cardiff to reach more businesses following an earlier deal to hook up Cardiff Arms Park as an anchor tenant.

Some of the city’s best-known food and drink retailers have now been connected as part of the recent expansion, with Ogi’s new full fibre spine cable running through the westgate entrance to Central Square. Work is now continuing in areas around the bay and north Cardiff, with a growing number of city centre businesses also on board.

Speaking of all this. Ogi’s parent company, Spectrum Fibre Limited, recently posted their annual accounts to the end of December 2024 and reported a turnover of £7.8m (2023: £4.2m), although the company also made a loss for the financial year of -£32.9m (2023: -£26.8m). The company also reported total assets less current liabilities of £102.6m (2023: £110.6m), albeit with net liabilities of -£88.2m (2023: -£55.2m). But there was no update on their latest premises passed or customer figures.

Ogi’s Director of Business Sales, Andy Dow, said:

“We’ve now got a major piece of digital infrastructure right in the city centre – and the Arms Park install was the catalyst for that. It means we can offer business-grade services to more and more businesses across the capital, with ultrafast speed and enterprise-level support baked in.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of BT Group, Simon Lowth, has called on the UK government to “rethink” its proposed changes to UK business rates, which they warn could “risk a slowdown” in digital infrastructure (broadband and mobile) investment and lead to “higher bills” for consumers and businesses.

The issue centres on the Government’s major plan to abolish the notoriously complex Valuation Office Agency (VOA), which oversees how business rates are calculated, and shift its functions into HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). In theory, this could be a positive move, especially if it results in a fairer and more transparent system for everybody, but the expectation is that business rates will remain an industry-wide bugbear.

The financial impact of this and related changes by the VOA on firms like BT (see below) is currently said to be “unknown“, and will depend on the outcome of ongoing discussions with the VOA, and on decisions taken at the next Budget on 26th November 2025. But BT’s CFO fears that the government’s plans may increase the tax on digital infrastructure and “threaten investment across a broad range of [other] infrastructure sectors“.

“Our in-depth analysis suggests that this reform could reduce business investment by £1.4 billion over five years, and permanently shrink the UK’s economy by £1.5 billion a year. That turns a supposedly revenue-neutral policy into one that actually costs the Government £600 million annually,” warned Lowth.

Simon Lowth, BT Group CFO, said:

“The VOA is currently revaluing every commercial property in the UK. This is a major concern to businesses of all sizes, as it has been argued that its approach can lack transparency and accountability. There is also a significant risk that the VOA takes decisions which stifle economic growth.

At the same time, the Government is also introducing a new reform charging a higher rate to businesses with properties and physical infrastructure valued over £500,000, which aims to fund lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure firms.

The goal was to get online giants to pay more while giving high street firms a much-needed break. But the reality is more complicated – with serious unintended consequences for the services that keep the country and the economy running.

These changes could instead result in a small number of UK infrastructure providers bearing a disproportionate level of the cost – potentially up to £400m between them each year. These are businesses investing in the energy, transport, and digital networks that underpin the economy and the country as a whole. Penalising them risks slowing investment in the fabric of the nation and the networks and services we need to fuel growth.

Meanwhile, large distribution warehouses – often associated with online tech giants – could end up contributing just £250 million a year between them. But that figure also includes warehouses used by haulage firms and UK retailers, meaning that tech giants may only pay a small portion of what is needed to properly support small businesses.

As a result, these reforms are unlikely to rebalance the system in favour of the high street. And more than that – the new business rates could become a tax on UK infrastructure, at a time when the country needs investment most.”

The remarks echo what BT’s CEO, Allison Kirkby, said last month when she warned against further increases in the country’s already high tax burden and specifically highlighted business rates (here). The risk is that, if the tax burden becomes too aggressive, then BT may shrink or slow some of its planned deployments and that could in turn impact the government’s own digital infrastructure targets (BT won’t be the only ones to react in such a way).

The catch is that BT is currently up against stiff competition in both the mobile and broadband sectors, thus any slowdown in their ambitions or scaling back might leave them at more of a competitive disadvantage in some areas. On the flip side the government is busy trying to make its public finances work without borrowing more and increasing the country’s already hefty debt mountain. But tax too much and investment may fall.

The UK’s public sector net debt was approximately 96.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in August 2025, and general government gross debt was 101.3% of GDP at the end of 2023. In other words, the total national debt is roughly the same as the country’s annual economic output. The UK has to pay interest on its national debt, with payments on central government debt reaching £8.4 billion in August 2025 alone.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Ryan O’Hanlon, the VP of Global Sales at MDS Global, joined Beyond the Cable at Connected Britain. 

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

As a vendor in the business support systems (BSS) space, Ryan O’Hanlon said MDS Global has built a diverse portfolio of customers, including BT and Virgin Media O2. 

O’Hanlon, the VP of global sales for MDS Global, said mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are also included among MDS Global’s customers. 

His comments came during a recent appearance on the Beyond the Cable podcast at Connected Britain.

“Customers like iD Mobile, who are fast growing, we’ve been with them since day one,” he said, adding that iD Mobile has grown to over 2 million subscribers to date.

Additionally, O’Hanlon said MDS Global supports the Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) platform in South Africa. Similarly, O’Hanlon said the MVNE platform supports a multitude of verticals, including an agricultural MVNO and digital media brands.

MVNE was founded “with the vision of becoming Africa’s leading Mobile Virtual Services Enablement partner,” according to MVNE’s website.

Also, O’Hanlon said MDS Global is focused on supporting who want to be able to scale quickly.

‘It’s not just about billing’

He said MDS Global strives to support customers who want to innovate.

“The way to innovate is to bring other types of packages in,” O’Hanlon said, referencing a speaker at Connected Britain earlier who discussed selling security services to end users.

“By doing that, that introduces another metric into the mix,” he said.

O’Hanlon also praised PXC, or PlatformX Communications, which has a strategic partnership MDS Global.

“They’ve got an aggregated platform,” he said. “And just hearing the (PXC) team speak this morning around how they’re looking to sell that last mile as part of their package.”

As a result, O’Hanlon said PXC is actually reselling some of their competitors.

“It’s not just about billing,” O’Hanlon said. “It’s about revenue management – orchestration between those particular partners and parties together – to allow them to be more innovative.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has this morning revealed the initial (principal stage) results from their auction of the 26GHz and 40GHz millimetre wave (mmW) spectrum bands for use by 5G mobile (mobile broadband) operators, which saw EE (BT), O2 (Virgin Media) and Vodafone (VodafoneThree) pay a combined £39m to secure more airwaves.

Overall EE, O2 and VodafoneThree each won 800MHz of spectrum frequency in the 26GHz band and 1GHz of spectrum frequency in the 40GHz band – each paying £13m for this spectrum. The total revenue raised from the Principal stage is £39m, which will now go to HM Treasury. But this isn’t the end of the process.

Just to recap. The major mobile network providers already have access to several 5G capable bands between 700MHz and 3.8GHz. Such frequencies reflect the same sort of low and mid-band radio spectrum that the mobile operators have been using since the advent of the first 3G and 4G data networks.

The move to auction off 26GHz (25.1-27.5GHz) and 40GHz (40.5-43.5GHz) is intended to complement those existing bands by providing lots of additional spectrum frequency, which means more data capacity for extremely fast speeds (e.g. multi-Gigabit).

However, such high frequency mobile signals tend to be very weak and can’t cover a wider area without a much denser and thus more expensive network, which in practice means they’ll primarily be used for serving busy urban areas (shopping malls, airports etc. – “High Density Areas“) and fixed wireless broadband (FWA) links. This is why Ofcom has made the spectrum available in a clock auction (200MHz lots) with 15-year licences across 68 “high-density” areas (i.e. cities and select transport hubs).

The detailed results from the first principal stage of this auction can be seen below, which saw the three operators bid for airwaves in ‘lots’ to determine how much spectrum each company wins in each band, but not the specific frequencies within each band.

David Willis, Ofcom’s Group Director for Spectrum, said:

“Today’s results are an important milestone on the path to better, faster 5G. The large amount of spectrum we’ve released will help support innovation, open doors to new applications and growth, and can bring noticeable improvements to mobile services in busier places up and down the UK.”

The auction will now move to the final Assignment Stage, which is where the operators will be able to determine the specific frequencies that winning bidders will be allocated. The catch is that it will take time for the network operators to fully harness the new bands, not least because many modern devices (Smartphones, routers etc.) don’t yet support them, and they’ll also need to upgrade their respective networks.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media), which just spent £13m to secure 800MHz (frequency) of 26GHz (band) spectrum and 1,000MHz of 40GHz spectrum in Ofcom’s auction of the two 5G centric millimetre wave (mmW) bands (here), has revealed that a test of the new spectrum has already delivered mobile broadband speeds of 4Gbps (4,000Mbps).

The “real-world” test is said to have involved O2’s latest 5G Standalone (SA) network using a trial licence for the mmWave spectrum, which saw speeds of 4Gbps being hit on a single device. But key details of the test remain unclear, such as precisely which of the two bands it used, how much spectrum frequency was harnessed, where and over what distance. Suffice to say that the headline figure of 4Gbps doesn’t tell us much without more context.

However, O2 has indicated that they already operate the “largest deployment of small cells in the UK“, reaching more than 2,000 sites, which are said by the operator to be “ideally suited to make use of mmWave spectrum“. This is because the new bands, which are too weak to deliver wide coverage, are best suited to serving busy urban areas (shopping malls, airports etc. – “High Density Areas“) and fixed wireless broadband (FWA) links with multi-gigabit broadband speeds via 5G.

Lutz Schüler, CEO of VMO2, said:

“This new investment in high speed, high capacity mobile airwaves is a strong result from the auction and pairs perfectly with our strategy to transform our mobile network and give our customers a trustworthy and reliable mobile connectivity experience wherever they are.

This is an investment for the future, building on the £2 million we already spend each day on our mobile network, with this high frequency spectrum perfectly suited to delivering incredible connectivity in crowded places like the O2 arena and other stadiums, train stations and airports.

We’ve already broken the speed barrier on our network through tests of these airwaves, and we’ll be fired up and ready to deploy our new spectrum at the right moment so our customers can benefit as soon as possible.”

The new spectrum naturally complements VMO2’s existing Mobile Transformation Plan, which sees the operator invest approximately £700m this year to future-proof its mobile network. This plan is focused on expanding wide area 4G and 5G coverage, a further dedicated small cells rollout to boost capacity in dense urban areas, and innovative solutions to address persistent network pain points including along railway lines, at airports, on motorways, and in stadiums and arenas.

We’ve asked O2 if they can provide some more details on their mmW trial and will report back if or when they respond.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Hundreds of people in the Dorset town of Beaminster have reportedly been left without working broadband and digital phone connectivity for several days after a car crashed into one of Openreach’s telecoms (telegraph) poles in the area and promptly burst into flames. Police are currently still trying to locate the driver, which could suggest a criminal aspect.

The event itself, which happened near the A356 in Beaminster, occurred on Sunday (12th October 2025) night and a crew from the Beaminster Fire Station (credits for the picture), using one breathing apparatus and two hosereel jets, were finally able to extinguish the fire by 10:49pm. Unfortunately, the pole must have been carrying one of Openreach’s primary fibre cables, as it was initially reported to have disrupted connectivity for 1,000 customers in the area.

In an urban area it might only take a few hours to resolve a downed pole, or a few short days, but the situation becomes more complex once there’s something like a fire and car crash involved. In this case, the mitigating circumstances will have involved the need to make the site safe for engineers to work (e.g. the car was finally removed on Tuesday) and to allow time for the police to conduct their investigation first. Not to mention that the operator may have had to seek prior permission for traffic management measures etc.

An Openreach spokesperson said (BBC News):

“We’re fully assessing the impact and how much damage has been caused. Then we hope to have a clearer indication of exactly how long it will take before services are restored.

Installing a new pole and rebuilding the damaged fibre network is a complex task, but we understand how disruptive it is for local residents to be without broadband.

Our engineers are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore services and get things back to normal.”

At present it’s not known precisely when Openreach will be able to complete replacement of the pole and its cables. The operator has previously informed ISPreview that it can take an average of 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, some smaller remote rural areas have been left to wait for several months before repairs (here, here and here).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

A scientist from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Mathematics and Physics has successfully bid for £772,372 of funding from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, which will be used to design a surveillance algorithm and maritime training programme to help identify, repair and reduce damage to undersea infrastructure (e.g. energy pipes and fibre optic internet cables).

Damage to submarine pipes and cables is, sadly, not uncommon and can take several weeks to repair when it occurs (sometimes longer). Most such incidents occur due to accidents by fishing trawlers, bad weather (usually only relevant near to cable landing sites), earthquakes, as well as ships accidentally dragging their anchor over a restricted area or sometimes even deliberate sabotage. Not to mention abrasion and general equipment failure etc.

A number of cable monitoring technologies are already being developed and tested to help tackle this, as well as to do other things like detecting vessels both on and under the ocean. The University of Portsmouth’s Professor Dylan Jones will now join this effort by leading a collaborative project, involving colleagues from universities in the Philippines and Brazil, which will attempt to develop a state-of-the-art monitoring and surveillance system.

The new system is intended to enable rapid incident detection, immediate incident response and longer-term repair to restore functionality. The system will incorporate weather and data about the state of the ocean to ensure that monitoring can be continued safely during severe weather.

Additionally, two case studies will be developed and the results used to increase and improve maritime stakeholder awareness and create effective training programmes for the maritime community.

Professor Jones said:

“This is a matter of growing concern worldwide. Loss of an energy supply or internet, for example, leading to interruption in services that are relied on to function daily and to do business which can have severe consequences for society and the economy. In extreme incidents, potentially it could be life-threatening if healthcare services are severely affected.”

The focus for this project will be undersea infrastructure safety in Brazil and the Philippines, two countries experiencing rising and differing issues, although it could also be used elsewhere. Overall, this project seems to go well beyond merely monitoring such infrastructure and is clearly aiming to set out “rigorous undersea infrastructure safety policy and practices“.

Maritime stakeholders that will benefit from the research include ship owners, operators and crews (from the fishing, energy support and freight sectors), maritime authorities and coastguards, port operators, oil and gas sector operators, environmental agencies, local and national governmental policy makers etc.

Each has a unique set of concerns, needs and preferences that must be identified and addressed in order to develop inclusive solutions to undersea infrastructure safety.