A turboprop Britten-Norman Islander (BN2T-4S) aircraft has helped a group of UK companies, led by Stratospheric Platforms (SPL), to complete trials of a new advanced airborne 5G connectivity system that could be used to help extend mobile broadband coverage into remote rural areas or to provide coverage during events/disasters etc.

The goal of this project is ultimately to deliver an unmanned, possibly liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, designed with a 56-metre wingspan that will, due to its lightweight structure and significant power source, enable a flight endurance of over a week and covering a much wider area from the stratosphere. But first they needed to test the concept, and that’s where the agreement with Britten-Norman came in handy.

On 18th July 2024, the project team were joined by guests from potential customers and investors to observe the installation of the new 5G array under real flight conditions during an event at Britten-Norman’s Solent Airport aircraft maintenance (MRO) facility. The trial aimed to demonstrate the aircraft’s capability to operate safely with the large 5G phased array antenna installed.

Key aspects of the flight test programme included assessment of aircraft performance and handling qualities, covering both normal and emergency operation. This will support full certification of the system, enabling integration in terrestrial telecoms network at connection speeds of up to 200Mbps over 15,000km2 (the broadband speed is greater than the ‘up to 150Mbps’ expressed in earlier studies of the project).

Richard Deakin, CEO at SPL, said:

“Stratospheric Platforms is dedicated to creating pioneering innovative solutions that transform the connectivity landscape. Our commitment to delivering high-altitude, zero-carbon, long-endurance communication platforms will revolutionize how the world stays connected, especially in remote and underserved regions.

We believe that our cutting-edge technology will provide unprecedented opportunities for global communication and create a more connected and inclusive world. Today’s flight test is an important step in the continuing validation of our technology breakthroughs.”

Dr Garnet Ridgway, Head of Flight Dynamics at Britten-Norman, remarked:

“This project demonstrates the full capabilities of both Britten-Norman as an accomplished trials organisation and the turboprop Islander as a highly capable trials aircraft. Working closely with our partners, the project includes deliverables from our design, manufacture, MRO, flight test and flight operations teams. It’s always satisfying to deliver a safe and effective flight test programme, but the huge potential of SPL’s system and the collaborative nature of the team made this one particularly exciting.

The large and complex nature of the system places significant demands on the host aircraft. However, the BN2T-4S performed admirably; the combination of payload capacity, endurance, climb performance, twin engine reliability, robustness and electrical power generation makes it unbeatable for this mission.”

The next phase of the project will involve demonstrating the technology via a connection to a private UK-based national 5G telecommunications network. We suspect this will be EE since the group of companies includes BT and the trials used a 5G phased array that was connected via a backhaul link to the Adastral Tower in Suffolk, England (BT’s site).

Liskeard-based alternative network operator and UK ISP Wildanet, which is rolling out a gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband across South West England, has boosted connectivity at Cornwall Airport Newquay by deploying a new “lightning-fast” public WiFi network to replace the previous and somewhat slower service.

The work is said to form part of Wildanet’s wider partnership with Cornwall Airport Newquay, which will see their engineers working to “modernise and upgrade critical data connectivity infrastructure across the entire facility and its systems”.

According to the blurb, Wildanet is said to have created a high-capacity physical network spine throughout the airport estate, allowing easy upgrades and expansion in the future. Strategically placed access points then provide “comprehensive coverage across all areas of the airport terminal and waiting areas“, including outside the airport terminal, allowing customers to get connected and use services from the moment they arrive in the car park.

Helen Wylde-Archibald, Wildanet CEO, said:

“Cornwall Airport Newquay is a flagship business for Cornwall and, as a Cornish business ourselves, we are proud to be partnering with the airport and supporting its growth by designing and deploying innovative connectivity solutions for the benefit of passengers and the wider airport operations.”

Sam O’Dwyer, MD of Cornwall Airport Newquay, said:

“This significant upgrade not only elevates the passenger experience but also enhances our operational capabilities, ensuring Cornwall Airport Newquay is firmly on the front foot for both passenger convenience and technological advancement.”

The WiFi network is said to be free and “unlimited” for passengers to use.

News

The company is struggling to keep its financial health amid approaching debt repayments 

UK telco TalkTalk is racing to secure £200 million in funding from its founder Sir Charles Dunstone and other shareholders to avoid the business collapsing, according to a report from the Telegraph. Dunstone is set to meet with bondholders this week to discuss the potential cash injection. 

TalkTalk has a debt pile of £1 billion, with those deadlines for repayments approaching rapidly. Both Dunstone and other shareholders have previously said they would inject £200 million into the company, which, if confirmed, would keep it operational for the short term. 

TalkTalk has 3.8 million broadband customers, making it the fourth largest provider in the UK. But despite its scale, the ISP has struggled financially for years, finding little revenue growth in a highly competitive market. 

In the company’s latest annual report, which has been seen by the Telegraph, company directors warned that the business could collapse “in August 2024 or sooner”. 

“These risks represent a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt upon the group’s ability to continue as a going concern such that it may be unable to realise its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business,” the directors continued. 

Last September, TalkTalk announced plans to break up the business into three standalone companies, focusing on wholesale, consumer broadband, and small businesses. The company said this would allow for a more efficient sale process and allow it to meet its debt obligations. Since then, rumours of potential sales have been plentiful; most notably, reports at the beginning of the year said that TalkTalk’s wholesale division would be sold to financial services group Macquarie for £450 million, but a deal has yet to be formalised. 

“We anticipate agreement on new capital investment into the business in the near future, and discussions to achieve that are ongoing. Engagement continues with a potential new investor, together with potential new lenders,” said TalkTalk CFO James Smith. 

“At the same time, the group’s existing shareholders have confirmed their intent to provide new funding of over £200 million into the group to support working capital and operational costs,” he continued.  

Join the conversation around the UK’s telecoms market and join us at Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get your ticket here! 

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News

The FCC has released findings from an investigation into a Feb. outage at AT&T that blocked thousands of 911 calls and disconnected millions of devices.

This article was originally released by our sister publication, Broadband Communities

The direct cause of an AT&T outage in February that impacted 125 million devices and prevented 25,000 calls to 911 call centers was an error by an employee who misconfigured a single network element, according to a newly released report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The report, released by the FCC today, concluded the misconfigured network element caused the AT&T network to respond by entering a “Protection Mode,” which then disconnected all wireless devices.

It was one of several findings made during the course of the FCC’s investigation into the outage, which impacted users across all 50 states, according to the FCC.

According to the FCC’s report, the outage lasted at least 12 hours and blocked a total of 92 million phone calls.

The report also found that AT&T’s lab testing “did not discover the improper configuration of the network element that caused the outage.”

Additionally, lab testing conducted by the provider “did not identify the potential impact to the network of that or similar misconfigurations,” according to the report.

In comments included with a summary accompanying the report, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called the incident a ‘sunny day outage.’

“When you sign-up for wireless service, you expect it will be available when you need it – especially for emergencies,” Rosenworcel said. “This ‘sunny day’ outage prevented consumers across the country from communicating, including by blocking 911 calls, and stopped public safety personnel from using FirstNet.”

Rosenworcel’s comments continued.

“We take this incident seriously and are working to provide accountability for this lapse in service and prevent similar outages in the future,” the chairwoman stated.

The FCC summary of the report, which concludes with a statement saying the matter is being referred to the FCC’s enforcement bureau for potential violations, also noted that the outage “cut off service to devices operated by public safety users of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).”

“AT&T prioritized the restoration of FirstNet before other services but did not notify FirstNet customers of the outage until three hours after it began, and nearly one hour after service was restored,” the FCC’s summary stated.

Another finding included in the report involved post-installation testing.

The FCC’s investigation surmised the company “either lacked sufficient oversight and controls” to ensure post-installation testing practices were followed, or that the processes used by the company itself was insufficient.

However, AT&T’s corrective action following the outage occurred quickly, according to the FCC’s findings.

“Within 48 hours of the outage, AT&T implemented additional technical controls in its network,” the report stated. “This included scanning the network for any network elements lacking the controls that would have prevented the outage, and promptly putting those controls in place.”

Other steps taken by the provider following the outage included the implementation of additional network enhancements to boost network resilience and extra steps for peer review. The reviews serve a purpose of ensuring that “maintenance work cannot take place without confirmation that required peer reviews have been completed,” the report stated.

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The CTO of network operator O2 (Virgin Media), Jeanie York, has today become the first UK mobile provider to set out their plans for withdrawing the old 2G service, which will see the first customers beginning to be moved off that platform in 2025. But they won’t be switching 2G off completely, at least not for a long time.

The UK government and all major mobile operators have so far agreed to phase-out existing 2G and 3G signals by 2033 (here), which will free up radio spectrum bands so that they can be used to further improve the network coverage and mobile broadband speeds of more modern 4G and 5G networks, as well as future 6G services. The switch-off will also reduce the operators’ costs and power consumption.

Last year saw O2 (VMO2) become the final operator to reveal their plan for switching off the old 3G mobile (mobile broadband) network, which unlike their rivals is a process that won’t actually begin until 2025. The withdrawal will then occur in phases, with completion by the end of that same year. Vodafone and EE have largely already gone through this process, while Three UK expects to complete by the end of 2024.

However, the situation around 2G is more complicated, not least because older 2G signals remain useful as a low-power fallback (they’ll be sticking around for a lot longer) and are still necessary for some rural areas, as well as for particular applications (e.g. many Smart Meters and other Internet of Things (IoT) / M2M services are dependent upon 2G). Conversely, this means that 3G is going before anybody even starts to scrap 2G.

Suffice to say that, until now, none of the major UK mobile operators have given any solid details on their plans for sunsetting 2G services. But that just changed.

Jeanie York, CTO of VMO2, said:

“With [the 3G switch-off] work progressing well, we’re now assessing the future of our older 2G network. Currently, less than 1% of our customers use 2G-only devices, and the network carries less than 0.1% of data traffic. All mobile operators have agreed with Government to phase out 2G networks over the next decade. With future-proof networks now in place and ongoing investments helping to further expand them, next year we’ll start work to move almost all remaining traffic away from the 2G network.

Unlike our 3G network, we won’t be turning 2G off completely. In fact, we expect to continue operating it for several years and it will play an important role in carrying emergency calls in more remote areas without 4G coverage. We’ll also use it to support data traffic for smart energy meters, contributing to the UK’s transition to a lower-carbon economy.

By redirecting most ‘human’ traffic to newer, faster and more energy-efficient networks while reserving the older slower network for some data-light ‘machine’ communications, our customers will get the best possible experience whether they are calling, messaging or using data on the go.

For most customers, these changes will happen seamlessly in the background, and they won’t notice any change. However, a small proportion of customers will need to look out for messages from us telling them what they need to do – either because they’re using a very old device which won’t work on 4G, need a new SIM or because they need to turn on 4G calling.

We’re committed to helping those who may need additional support such as those very small proportion of customers still using older devices. We will be directly contacting any our customers who need to take action, guiding them through the process and explaining the steps they need to take.

As a technology business we’re forever changing and upgrading; standing still would mean failing our customers and not being prepared for future needs. From London and Cardiff to rural parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, we are committed to keeping our customers connected and delivering not only the services needed for today but ensuring we’re ready for the technologies of tomorrow too.”

At this point it’s important to highlight that the 3G switch-off did expose a few weak areas of 4G coverage, where some customers of different operators and in certain locations found they were only able to access a 2G service after the old 3G one was withdrawn.

Complaints like those above are in the minority, but we have seen a few of them. Suffice to say, operators will need to be particularly cautious with the 2G switch-off, as a tiny proportion of people may have no fallback if 4G isn’t improved first. Likewise, as expressed by Jeanie above, some people still use old 2G-only handsets and supporting their transition will be a key focus.

Finally, Jeanie York added that VMO2 invest £2m every single day into their mobile networks and have already brought 5G to over half of the UK, while 4G is available to 99% of the population with continued work taking place to address rural blackspots through the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme and boosting capacity. Jeanie added that they also “remain on track to switch off the [3G] service next year.”

The UK telecoms regulator has announced that, following a request from BT, it has launched a review of the annual licence fees they charge mobile network operators (EE, Vodafone, Three UK and O2) for use of three popular mobile spectrum bands – 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz – supporting 2G, 3G and 4G (mobile broadband) services.

As regular readers will already know, the cost of Annual Licence Fees (ALF) can be a highly divisive subject. Mobile operators often complain that hikes in this area can mean price rises for consumers and less investment going toward their networks. The horrifically overpriced 3G auction that netted a staggering £22bn in 2000, but which also hobbled the roll-out and network investment in related services, is just one such example.

In recent years, Ofcom and the Government have worked somewhat more effectively to address the issue of spectrum pricing, although some grumbles will always exist. But the cost of such licence fees can also be influenced by other factors, such as the ongoing removal of 3G services, as well as the desire to make modern 5G services available via the same bands.

Suffice to say that the market regulator has now decided to launch a review of the annual licence fees they charge for use of the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands.

Ofcom’s Statement

Annual licence fees (ALFs) are fees we charge mobile network operators to use certain spectrum bands. They typically come into effect after a mobile operator’s licence won at auction has come to the end of the initial licence period. The fees are designed to ensure that the spectrum is used efficiently. We currently charge ALFs for three mobile spectrum bands (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz).

On 28 March 2024, BT wrote to Ofcom to request a review of the ALFs we charge for 1800 MHz spectrum. We have now considered BT’s request, and we consider that the evidence suggests that a fee review is justified. As a result of the commonalities in the formula we use to set ALFs, we have decided to begin a review of all of the ALFs we currently charge (that is, ALFs for 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum).

At this stage there’s not a lot of official detail on the context for Ofcom’s decision and BT’s request, although we hope to have an update on this later. The regulator currently aims to report their “initial findings” by the end of 2024.

Viewpoint

Shanghai, China, June 26, 2024: During MWC Shanghai 2024, Mr. Victor Rodrigo Nilo Poyanco, service delivery manager of Chile Entel, delivered a keynote speech at the F5G-A All-Optical Network Summit on ” Lighting Up Digital Chile With F5G-A Optical Network “. As the largest telecom operators in Chile，Entel has consistently introduced new innovative technologies, is building F5G-A optical network, lighting up digital Chile.

Entel is the largest mobile operator in Chile and is developing fixed broadband and enterprise services. Its FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) subscribers have increased by four times in the past three years. Meanwhile, as the digital hub between South America and Asia- Pacific and the largest cloud service providers in Chile, Entel’s backbone network traffic have increased by nine times in the past five years, bringing an annual network traffic growth of over 50%. To cope with the ever-changing service requirements, Chile Entel is building F5G-A optical network to construct a digital foundation.

First, in terms of network architecture, Chile Entel changed the multiple layers traditional network to unified mesh network. It is like a 3D bridge to balance traffic without congestion, and support network 10 years evolution. Secondly, 400G/800G rate to enlarge network capacity and reduce cost per bit. High-performance 400G and super C+L band can be provided nationwide transmission without regeneration, and reducing transmission cost per bit by 30%. Single wavelength 800G is also introduced in Santiago metro network to provide a capacity of nearly 100 Tbit/s per fiber, meeting the requirements for massive data traffic in the future. Thirdly, all-optical switching can built flatten and mesh architecture covering national backbone and Santiago metro network, and reduce the equipment room space by 90% and power consumption by 40% for core nodes. In addition, all-optical one-hop connections between users and DCs and between DCs will be implemented, building a 1ms intra-city and 5-18ms inter-city low latency circle, enabling low latency and ubiquitous connections for thousands of industries.

At last, Mr. Victor said, “Entel is proud to have one of the world’s most advanced F5G-A optical network, using industry-leading 400G/800G technologies to provide premium connection to Chilean customers, accelerating industry digitalization and enabling digital Chile strategy.”

Press Release

Nokia today announced that it has successfully completed its first 5G non-standalone (NSA) Cloud RAN trial with Bharti Airtel (Airtel) in India.

The project supports Airtel’s strategy of delivering a superior customer experience using high-performing networks. It is expected to deliver higher levels of service innovation, higher network automation, flexibility and efficient scaling of resources to support end-user services.

The trial took place in an over-the-air environment utilizing 3.5 GHz spectrum for 5G and 2100 MHz for 4G. Data calls were successfully performed with commercial user devices over Airtel’s commercial network achieving a throughput of over 1.2 Gbps. The trial utilized Nokia’s RAN Software for virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) and virtualized Centralized Unit (vCU) running on x86 Hardware with a CaaS layer. The trial also used Nokia’s L1 acceleration that will enable enhanced power efficiency and support Nokia’s anyRAN benefits of using common RAN software with the purpose-built part of the network. This will enable common functionality and performance across the hybrid network.

The trial marks a significant milestone in Airtel’s overall cloudification journey and supports the operator’s ambition of bringing cloud networking benefits, such as scalability and agility, to their network.

Nokia’s anyRAN is an open approach to building future-ready radio access networks together with an ecosystem of best-in-class industry partners. It’s designed to give mobile operators and enterprises a collaborative advantage by offering them more flexibility in their choice of cloud infrastructure software, hardware, and technology suppliers. Operators can evolve their networks to a hybrid RAN approach with both Cloud RAN and purpose-built RAN deployments co-existing, delivering a consistent, high-quality performance.

Randeep Sekhon, Chief Technology Officer at Bharti Airtel, said: “This successful Cloud RAN trial is a significant step forward in our consistent efforts to integrate the latest and most efficient technologies into our network and leverage these to deliver brilliant customer experiences. This partnership with Nokia has enabled us to pioneer innovative solutions to upgrade our capabilities in 5G.”

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: “This successful trial with our long-term partner, Bharti Airtel supports their ambitions for building scalable, agile and highly automated networks. Nokia’s approach to Cloud RAN means that our customers can flexibly evolve to Cloud RAN with choices in Cloud infrastructure and data center hardware. This will drive efficiency, innovation, openness, and scale in their RAN evolution.”

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Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services

News 

The unrest centres around student protests over government job availability 

Bangladesh has entered the fourth day of a near-total internet shutdown following th outbreak of widespread student protests, in which 114 people have so far lost their lives. 

The unrest relates to the reintroduction of Bangladesh’s quota system for government jobs. The system reserves a third of government positions for relatives of veterans who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. This controversial system was scrapped in 2018 following pressure from the Student Quota Reform Movement but was reintroduced earlier this year after a court ruled the change to be unlawful. 

Following the quota’s reinstatement, student protests quickly erupted, which have since grown to include hundreds of thousands of people. Protests are still ongoing despite the Bangladeshi government backtracking and reducing the quota, meaning that now 93% of government jobs should be open to candidates based on merit. 

In an effort to curb the unrest, the country’s government has imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, a tactic that has been used by the country before.  

Telecommunications minister, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, said social media has been “weaponised as a tool to spread rumours, lies and disinfor mation,” according to the Guardian. 

“The government has temporarily suspended mobile internet services in the light of the ongoing situation in the country,” a spokesperson for Robi, the second-largest mobile operator in the country, told Rest of World in a statement. 

Palak said on Saturday morning that “government is trying to get the internet back but only after ensuring people’s physical and digital security.” 

The current protests and violence reflect broader dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, which is accused of authoritarian practices and suppressing differences in opinion.  

Despite government efforts to stop the unrest, including ordering schools and universities to close indefinitely, the demonstrations are continuing with students demanding justice for those killed and an apology from the Prime Minister.  

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

Also in the news: Also in the news:
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Vodafone Invests £120m in AI Chatbot ‘SuperTOBi’
 

Press Release

Altnets look to rapidly extend their wholesale offering to new ISPs through streamlined provisioning automation 

Strategic Imperatives, the UK market leader in SaaS provisioning, connectivity and monetisation solutions for the telecom industry, has today announced that UK Altnets Trooli and OFNL have joined its Fibre Café platform. This move enables both companies to leverage the platform’s unified interface into the UK’s growing FTTx ecosystem, gaining a strategic advantage and unlocking new opportunities in the wholesale market. 

Trooli and OFNL join a growing list of Altnets and service providers utilising The Fibre Café to streamline access to the UK’s FTTx ecosystem at a national level. Together, Trooli and OFNL collectively bring an additional 500,000 premises to The Fibre Café platform.  

Wail Sabbagh, Managing Director at Strategic Imperatives, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Trooli and OFNL to The Fibre Café and look forward to supporting their wholesale growth as a key partner. By joining the platform, both network owners gain a significant competitive advantage through streamlined onboarding, enhanced automation, and direct access to a rapidly expanding pool of service providers.” 

Having focused its own FTTx rollouts in rural and semi-rural postcodes, Trooli has captured hundreds of thousands of premises to date. Joining The Fibre Café marks the first step in Trooli’s wholesale strategy headed up by Wholesale Director, Rhiannon O’Neill, following her appointment to the role last year.  

Andy Conibere, CEO at Trooli, said: “We are delighted to be joining The Fibre Café which enables us to further deliver upon Trooli’s wholesale strategy, by enabling smooth interoperability between us and our wholesale partners, partners who will already have access to 370,000 Ready for Service Premises, with more to come on the Trooli network! With The Fibre Café becoming the de facto standard for supporting scalable connections between network owners and service providers, we are excited to be working in partnership with Strategic Imperatives as we enter this next phase of our wholesale strategy.”  

As the first independent company to own and operate fibre networks for the delivery of residential broadband services in mainland UK, OFNL specialises in ultrafast fibre networks on new-build housing and commercial developments which are ready the day the occupier moves in. Founded as an open-access wholesale operator from its inception, OFNL is always looking to automate the Lead To Cash process with its existing ISPs and welcome new ISPs through the streamlined access provided by The Fibre Café.  

Andrew Robinson, Managing Director at OFNL, commented: “At OFNL, our wholesale-first strategy has already attracted over 80 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to offer a wide range of residential and business packages on our network. We look forward to working with The Fibre Café to empower our ISPs to automate their provisioning process and further streamline the onboarding process for new ISPs joining our expanding network.” 

Join Strategic Imperatives at Stand 133 at Connected Britain 2024, the UK’s leading digital economy event

Also in the news:
Power play: Thailand’s biggest telco to merge with energy giant
Germany implements long-awaited Huawei ban
Telecom Egypt readies for country’s first 5G services