The Growing Mid Wales (GMW) programme has launched a major new project in Mid Wales, which aims to identify areas with poor 4G mobile (mobile broadband) coverage and network capacity (“mobile not-spots“) by installing “advanced mobile data-capturing devices” on waste collection vehicles across Powys and Ceredigion.

Under this approach, the waste collection vehicles will continue their regular routes, while ensuring thorough data collection and without the additional logistical costs of needing to hire a specialist team and vehicles to achieve a similar outcome. This cost-effective approach provides an efficient solution for mapping mobile coverage across the region.

Data from the four main Mobile Network Operators (MNO) – EE, O2, Three UK, and Vodafone – will be collected. GMW will then use this data to develop targeted projects and interventions to address connectivity challenges in key areas, which will help to enhance digital infrastructure across the mid-Wales area.

Supported by local authorities in Powys and Ceredigion and funded by the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund from the UK Government, the project will also produce a coverage checker tool. This free tool, to be launched on the Growing Mid Wales website “later this summer“, will allow people to check mobile coverage in their areas and determine the most suitable mobile providers for their needs, enhancing digital transparency.

GMW Team Statement

“We are thrilled to launch this groundbreaking project in Mid Wales. Identifying and addressing ‘mobile not-spots’ and areas of poor network capacity is crucial for the region’s development.

This initiative aligns with GMW’s overarching goals, supporting decision-making for digital infrastructure deployments, regional economic development, and innovation. Having better information about coverage will increase our ability to work with commercial providers to address genuine not-spots and problem areas in coverage. In turn, this will help us pinpoint the areas where public intervention may be required to accelerate and/or enable deployment to ensure we have safe, reliable coverage across the region.”

Admittedly rubbish trucks can’t reach every location and so this sort of mapping will invariably have its limits, but it’s still an interesting and novel approach that should produce some useful results. GMW is understood to be collaborating with mobile network analysts at Streetwave, who have been chosen for their “groundbreaking and cost-effective approach“, crucial to the project’s success and impact.

No doubt if this works, we might well see similar projects cropping up elsewhere in the UK.

Alternative network operator Airband, which aims to reach 400,000 UK premises in rural areas via a mix of fixed wireless access (FWA) and full fibre (FTTP) networks by 2026, has been hit with fines and charges totalling more than £11k in Somerset for “failing to ensure the safety of the public while doing work” in the County.

The operator, which has recently been going through a period of restructuring that disrupted some builds and caused redundancies (here and here), has otherwise spent the past few years expanding their network across parts of Wales, the South West, the Midlands, Cheshire and Oxfordshire. Airband has also scooped up various state aid funded contracts, such as around Shropshire, Devon and Somerset.

Naturally, such an effort involves a lot of street works, and sometimes things go wrong. In this case, Somerset Council prosecuted the firm following works carried out in Kingston-St-Mary. Airband pleaded guilty at Taunton Magistrates Court earlier this month to two offences committed under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) – both committed on 21st November 2023.

The Two Offences

➤ Airband carried out street works at Nailsbourne Road, Kingston-St-Mary, Somerset, in contravention of S65 of NRSWA 1991 by failing to install traffic management to ensure the safety of the travelling public affected by the works.

➤ The company carried out street works at Dodhill Road, Kingston-St-Mary, Somerset, again in contravention of S65 of NRSWA 1991 by failing to ensure the safety of the public.

In passing sentence, the court gave full credit to Airband for guilty pleas entered at the earliest opportunity and accepted in mitigation that Airband showed genuine remorse and took steps to remedy the breaches and ensure compliance with NRSWA 1991 in the future.

The aggravating factors were that Airband “had previous convictions under NRSWA 1991 dating back to 2022“. The company was sentenced to fines totalling £7,400, costs of £2,282 and a victim surcharge of £2,000. ISPreview has approached Airband for comment and will update when they respond.

In somewhat of a first for the United Kingdom, Police in the City of London area last week reported that they had arrested two men in connection with the investigation of an “illegitimate telephone mast” and antenna that is believed to have been setup for the purpose of acting as an “SMS blaster”.

For the uninitiated, Smishing (aka – SMS Phishing) describes a text message that attempts to trick people into divulging personal information. Smishing texts are often designed to look authentic and may even appear in a chain of texts alongside genuine messages, but despite this such messages will contain links to fake websites or dodgy phone numbers (follow these and you’ll end up giving away sensitive personal data to fraudsters).

In this case, the “mast” in question above is believed to have been used to send “thousands of smishing messages“, posing as banks and other official organisations, to members of the public. The approach taken was unique in that it was designed to “bypass mobile phone networks’ systems in place to block suspicious text messages.”

We’re just speculating, but it sounds like a type of attack that may have only been able to target those who passed within range of the mounted antenna, although the exact means of how they set this all up has naturally not been disclosed.

David Vint, Temporary Detective Chief Inspector and Head of the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), said:

“The criminals committing these types of crimes are only getting smarter, working in more complex ways to trick unknowing members of the public and steal whatever they can get their hands on. It is vital we work with partners to help prevent the public from falling victim to fraud.

Remember, a bank or another official authority will not ask you to share personal information over text or phone. If you think you have received a fraudulent text message, report it by forwarding it to 7726.”

In this case a combined effort by the police, mobile operators, Ofcom and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) ultimately resulted in an arrest on 9th May in Manchester and another one on 23rd May in London. As a result, Huayong Xu, 32, of Alton Road, Croydon was charged on 23rd May with possession of articles for use in fraud and was remanded in custody. He will appear at Inner London Crown Court on 26th June 2024. The other arrested person has been bailed.

News

The new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will see application developers get greater access to Telstra’s network capabilities

This week, Australian telco Telstra has signed a new MoU with API specialist Vonage, now a part of Ericsson, that will see its network APIs added to Vonage’s platform.

The non-exclusive agreement, the partners say, will help them to increase collaboration on API development and open a clear pathway for developers to gain better access to Telstra’s network functionality.

Telstra currently offers developers access to eight APIs, including messaging, tracking and monitoring, and network telemetry, all of which will now be added to the Vonage platform. The partners will also work together to develop new APIs, such as those related to network slicing, edge computing, fraud and spam protections, and network analytical insights.

“We see this partnership with Vonage as one of a variety of ways we can evolve and build a thriving ecosystem around our network product,” said Kim Krogh Anderson, Telstra’s Group Executive for Product and Technology. “Opening up new avenues for connectivity to be consumed will lead to new monetisation opportunities – in the same way hyperscalers monetise compute on their cloud as a platform. This is just one of the ways we’re addressing the Business-to-Business (B2B2X) developer market opportunity.”

APIs have become a major focus for the telecoms industry in recent years, being viewed an integral step towards network monetisation and the development of valuable new services. Perhaps the best example of this is the GSMA’s Open Gateway project, which aims to create a unified telco API platform that will allow developers to roll out new services seamlessly across any participating telco network worldwide.

According to the GSMA, operators accounting for 65% of all mobile traffic worldwide have already signed up to the initiative.

But while opening up the networks to better allow developers to play with their capabilities is clearly appealing to the operators, real monetisation opportunities are relatively few and far between.

Ericsson bet big on APIs when it acquired Vonage back in 2021 for $6.2 billion, saying that unlocking networks for developers would be at the core of their company’s growth strategy. Two years later, however, and the deal has failed to deliver the growth promised by Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm, with Ericsson forced to write off $2.9 billion of Vonage’s value last year.

Nonetheless, Vonage has been gaining momentum steadily of late, having signed similar deals with the likes of Verizon and Deutsche Telekom in recent months. APIs may not have been the rapid money-spinner that Ericsson had hoped for, but they will certainly play a major role in the telco ecosystem’s future evolution.

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Also in the news:
AI is shaking up the submarine cable ecosystem
Cyber and other threats to submarine cables
Old copper networks: A gold mine for telcos? 

Press Release

The agreement allows Telecom Namibia to leverage a diversified, low-latency route between Africa and Europe

Rome 12 June 2024 – Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, and Telecom Namibia, the national telecommunications operator, have signed an agreement for provision of capacity services on the Equiano subsea cable connecting Portugal to South Africa, with the common objective of accelerating Namibia’s digital transformation journey.

Wholly owned by the Government of the Republic of Namibia, Telecom Namibia runs the largest digital telecommunication network in the country, serving more than 619,000 customers with a wide portfolio that includes voice, text, data, and video solutions.

In an exclusive agreement, Sparkle will provide Telecom Namibia with capacity services on the Equiano submarine cable, thus ensuring a diversified, low latency route between Africa and Europe, supporting Namibia’s digital development and the growing demand for data from neighbouring countries.

This partnership offers a diversified, high-capacity route for data transmission, reducing latency and enhancing network resilience, thus ensuring uninterrupted service continuity also in the event of outages on the SAT-3 and WACS cables. The resulting high-speed connectivity will empower businesses and government institutions to accelerate digital transformation initiatives, fostering economic growth and propelling Namibia towards a knowledge-based economy.

Concluding the agreement, Telecom Namibia CEO Dr. Stanley Shanapinda said: “We are thrilled to partner with Sparkle to leverage the Equiano cable’s advanced capabilities. This strategic alliance underscores our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional connectivity solutions to our customers and fostering Namibia’s digital transformation. The Equiano cable’s high-speed, low-latency connection will serve as a catalyst for innovation and economic growth across the nation.”

“We are very pleased for this agreement with Telecom Namibia which confirms our shared vision on the importance of international connectivity to support the digital growth of the country,” said Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle. “We are also proud to see how our infrastructure on Equiano is proving crucial for the evolution of the telecommunications sector in the African continent”.

Sparkle is the leading global Tier-1 operator in Africa thanks to its Seabone IP backbone, boasting extensive coverage in the continent, a wide network of Points of Presence (PoPs) across North Africa, Nigeria, South Africa, and Djibouti, as well as fiber capacity on the Equiano subsea cable.

Alternative network and broadband provider Truespeed, which is deploying a 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across rural premises in South West England, has revealed that they now cover “over” 100,000 premises RFS (up from 95k in Feb 2024) and are home to 21,000 customers (up from 17k in Aug 2023).

Over the last 2 years, the company says they’ve invested significantly into their home city of Bath and expanded their network to villages such as Batheaston, Bathampton and Bathford. On top of that they’ve also reached various rural villages and market towns across Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. But as will be clear above, their build did slow down a bit last year and some jobs were also cut (here).

Since then Truespeed has been putting more of their focus on customer growth, with the operator today noting that it’s now reaching a take-up rate of over 33% within 3 years and 50% within 5-6 years of making a property Ready for Service (RFS).

James Lowther, Chief Executive, Truespeed, said:

“Since we started in 2014, our mission has been to provide communities not only with world class broadband, but also world class customer service. The South West is one of Britain’s most under-served regions for broadband and we are on a mission to bridge the digital divide and deliver high-quality, reliable broadband to communities across the region.”

We are delighted that over 21,000 customers have chosen to upgrade their broadband to Truespeed and that we have been able to deliver on our promise of a truly better broadband service as demonstrated by our Excellent Trustpilot scores. These industry leading metrics are testament to the effort the team puts in to delivering amazing service for our customers every day”.

Residential customers of the service tend to pay from £25 per month on a 12-month term (£45 thereafter) for a 150Mbps symmetric speed package with free installation and a router, which rises to £39 (£75 thereafter) for their top 900Mbps tier.

The helicopters have been out in force over Scotland’s Outer Hebrides again, this time to help O2 (Virgin Media) fly-in and install three new 4G mobile phone masts to the remote Uist islands under the £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, which aims to extend geographic 4G cover (aggregate) to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025.

The three masts were deploying in the area over a single Bank holiday weekend and will address a location that is known to suffer from being a partial not-spot (PNS) for mobile reception. O2 is currently building more than 35 sites in Na h-Eileanan an Iar as part of the SRN Programme. Take note that the new 4G sites may also help to facilitate the expansion of 5G and 6G networks connectivity in the future too.

Currently, over 20% of the area lacks 4G coverage from all four mobile network operators – O2, Vodafone, EE and Three UK – with signal blackspots creating an issue for local people and visitors alike. But this work should play a big role in helping to resolve that problem, and delivery faster mobile broadband speeds to boot.

However, despite the progress, the Public Accounts Committee (here) and National Audit Office (NAO) recently confirmed (here) that Three UK, Vodafone and O2 were “each likely to miss their Ofcom licence obligation to provide 88% 4G coverage by June 2024” (i.e. the target for PNS) and had requested to “discuss an 18-month extension to the PNS element of the programme” (EE has already completed this target). At present, this only impacts the PNS, not the main target for Total Not-Spot (TNS) areas, which is due by early 2027.

Jeanie York, CTO of VMO2, said:

“We are absolutely committed to bringing reliable mobile coverage to even more rural communities across the UK, having built or upgraded more sites than any other operator as part of the Shared Rural Network programme. This work is absolutely vital in closing the urban-rural digital divide that exists in the UK.”

Many rural parts of Scotland are already benefiting from our rollout of new and upgraded masts, and we are delighted to bring enhanced mobile connectivity to the beautiful area of Uist. We are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to bringing connectivity to rural communities, with our team using helicopters to deliver three new masts to Uist over the recent Bank Holiday weekend. Our Shared Rural Network rollout continues at pace, with more locations set to benefit in the near future.”

There’s also a video to go along with this news, which we’ve extracted and pasted below (note to VMO2, please use YouTube instead):

Alternative network provider Brsk, which is busy rolling out a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network across parts of England, has confirmed that they’re in the “early” process of deploying Novas11’s IP Infusion technology into their network infrastructure.

Specifically, Brsk will be adopting the company’s OCNOS-SP-Plus software to serve as a P Router (i.e. a kind of transit router to the core network) for aggregating Optical Line Terminal (OLT) traffic. The related software runs on Edgecore routers and is platform-agnostic. Brsk is also evaluating other vendors to ensure supply chain redundancy.

At present, it’s still too early in the deployment phase to talk about what kind of return on their investment this might deliver, but the goal of such things is to both enhance their broadband services while also achieving strong cost efficiencies.

Brsk – fuelled by an investment of at least £259m – is currently building out its new network across parts of West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and the West Midlands (Birmingham and The Black Country). Suffice to say that anything able to help bring down their costs will support their business model and network expansion.

Steven Glendinning, CTO of Brsk, said:

“We chose IP Infusion technology as it provides significant CapEx and OpEx reductions compared to our incumbent Juniper solutions. Novas11 is a trusted partner that brings value-add, innovation, and excellent lead times. Additionally, we can source a range of other vendor equipment from Novas11 to meet our network requirements, supported by a variety of professional services.”

The operator’s network has so far acquired a total of some 41.2k customers (up from 28k on 1st Mar 2024) and covered 552,000 premises across the country (536,000 Ready for Service, which is up from 486k RFS on 30th Apr 2024). Residential customers typically pay from £23 per month for a 100Mbps (symmetric) package and this rises up to £32 for their top 900Mbps tier on a 24-month term, which includes a router and free installation.

Some 30,000 students and staff at the University of Bristol in England look set to benefit from a series of significant upgrades being delivered by Telent, which will improve both the local WiFi network and upgrade the university’s core network and infrastructure that connects buildings across multiple campus locations.

The company has already completed the design and is now testing the new Wi-Fi solution, which will be deployed across 229 separate campus locations using over 12,000 wireless access points. The full network, once live, should be able to support over 300,000 devices at the same time.

As part of this project, Telent is also designing and implementing a management platform to help the university effectively deliver the new IT services that the network will enable. The design of the network began in 2023 and will be a “multi-year programme of work” to deploy across campus.

Jo Gretton, CEO at Telent, said:

“With an array of devices and technologies now available and necessary to enrich the learning experience of students in the higher education sector, high-performance and world-class connectivity and IT services are essential. The new network will be fundamental to power the university’s mission to continue to attract world-class students and research projects and help drive the University of Bristol up the UK and world university rankings.”

The Modern Network Programme is said to be adopting a “wireless-first” approach that is incorporating “many innovative new features“, although none are specifically mentioned in the announcement itself. As this is such a large project, then Telent has already setup a sort of replica of what they plan to do at their Camberley facility, which has helped to test everything out before deployment.

Neterra, a global provider of telecommunication services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gustavo Burnier as Chairman of the Advisory Board and the addition of Peter Hase as a new board member. These strategic appointments bring a wealth of experience and expertise, further strengthening Neterra’s leadership as the company continues to innovate and expand.

Gustavo Burnier, a seasoned technology entrepreneur and innovation executive, steps into the role of Chairman of the Advisory Board. Burnier has a proven track record in launching new ventures, leading scale-ups, and transforming large enterprises. He expressed his dedication to the role, stating, “I am honoured to take on the role of Chairman of the Advisory Board at Neterra. This is an exciting time for our company as we continue to innovate and drive forward in the technology and telecom sector. I am committed to working closely with our talented team and stakeholders to build on our successes and achieve our ambitious strategic goals. I am confident that we will deliver exceptional value and groundbreaking solutions that will shape our industry.”

Joining the board is Peter Hase, an international business leader with over 35 years of experience in IT&T. Hase currently chairs US based PacketFabric and has played pivotal roles in companies such as Megaport Plc and Telstra. Hase shared his enthusiasm for joining Neterra, saying, “My background and experience are well aligned with the ambitions of Neven and his team, and I am proud to be working with such a professional and proven service provider. This advisory board is an innovative concept and shows that Neterra is again taking steps to offer more value to customers. Having discussed with Neven the vision for the company, especially as we see more global needs for customers, I am well qualified to help with my international background. Neterra is an established leader in Bulgaria with a comprehensive portfolio of high-value managed services, which is primed for more growth and expansion, and I aim to be of help to achieve more value for Neterra customers.”

Last week, the board welcomed Simon Vye, a senior partner at Cambridge Management Consulting. Vye has extensive experience in telecommunications, having held key positions such as Head of Wholesale at Expereo and CEO at BSO/IX Reach. Vye is eager about his new role, stating, “I was attracted to joining Neterra Telecommunications advisory board as I’ve been greatly impressed by Neterra’s strategy, ambition, and energy. Not least by its focus on supplying businesses with global connectivity, managed data centre, cloud, and security services all with a low touch, automated approach whilst keeping 80% of customers as promoters. I am delighted to be able to assist Neterra’s highly motivated teams grow revenues, develop business plans, and focus on the WIGS (wildly important goals).”

Neterra’s founder and CEO, Neven Dilkov, Maya Kalcheva, CEO of Neterra.TV and Chief Marketing & PR Officer for Neterra Group Companies, and George Szlosarek, Non-Executive Director of Neterra, remain permanent board members. Dilkov expressed gratitude to the previous board members for their significant contributions in elevating corporate governance and strategic thinking at Neterra to a higher global standard.

About Neterra

Neterra is an independent global communications service provider, winner of the Capacity Global Carrier Awards for “The Best Central & Eastern European Carrier 2023”. It is trusted by 9 out of 10 of the world’s largest telecoms, as well as close to 1000 global enterprises. The company has been providing international connectivity, network management services, and security for almost 30 years across its network of over 220 locations in more than 65 countries.

Neterra’s overall customer satisfaction (CSAT) rate is 88%, which is a record for the telecommunications industry, and 71% of Neterra’s customers would recommend its services to their colleagues or business partners (Net Promoter Score), which puts the company in the top 1% of the best telcos in the world.