UK ISP Cerberus Networks has given ISPreview an unexpected surprise this afternoon after they began informing their customers about their decision to introduce “high-speed satellite internet services“, which will aim to deliver broadband speeds of “up to 150Mbps” and should complement their existing range of fixed line plans.

According to the notice, seen by ISPreview, the new service will harness Eutelsat’s recently launched Konnect VHTS (Very High Throughput) broadband satellite, which went live back in October 2023 (here) and is currently in a high Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) of around 35,000km. The VHTS weighs 6.3 tonnes, supports 230 beams over Western Europe and has a large Ka-band (radio spectrum) capacity of around 500Gbps (Gigabits per second).

However, the same announcement refers to their service as also offering a “Low Earth Orbit Business Broadband” service, before saying that both their “LEO and GEO satellite packages offer speeds of up to 200Mbps with various data usage options to suit your needs.”

In other words, Cerberus Networks have launched a set of both GEO and LEO powered satellite broadband packages, although it’s not completely clear what satellites they’re harnessing for the LEO service. But we assume it’s OneWeb, as Eutelsat is the only company named.

Extract for Cerberus Network’s Customer Letter

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Short Lead Times: Unlike traditional fixed-line services, satellite installations can be completed within days. We handle shipping and schedule the installation at your convenience.

Broad Coverage: Satellite services are ideal for remote, rural, or underserved areas where traditional internet services may not be available.

Resilient and Dependable: Our high-speed broadband is perfect for business communications, offering reliable connectivity for areas with poor internet access or as a failover for wired broadband.

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If you are experiencing slow broadband speeds or unreliable connections, satellite broadband might be the perfect solution. It works almost everywhere, providing internet services similar to a wired service. While latency is slightly higher with GEO networks, it is suitable for many business applications. Our experts can help you choose the best service for your needs.

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Your satellite service will be activated once your equipment is installed. Our team will contact you to arrange an installation date within a few days of processing your order. We offer packages with different speeds and data allowances to match your specific requirements, from businesses to busy households to occasional users.

The customer email includes a link to a promotional document, which right at the bottom also adds some details on their business-focused satellite broadband packages and prices – both the GEO and LEO solutions. Naturally, as OneWeb’s LEO solution isn’t normally aimed at the domestic market, then that particular solution is a bit more expensive.

The GEO packages typically start at £40 +vat per month for their entry-level 30Mbps (5Mbps upload) package with 20GB (GigaBytes) of priority data, after which the service speeds will typically be throttled. But take note that their GEO packages will only be able to offer slow latency times of around 600-700ms (milliseconds) and there’s no mention of that the LEO service can deliver, but it’ll probably be below the 100ms mark.

News

The newly appointed CEO blamed planning setbacks for the state of UK infrastructure 

BT CEO Allison Kirkby has said that the Scandinavian countries are “way ahead” of the UK in terms of its telecoms infrastructure. 

Speaking at the Deloitte and Enders media and telecoms conference in London this week, Kirby said: “What I would say is Scandinavia is way ahead of the UK. Part of that is very much driven by the regulatory environment, the planning environment and the general adoption of digital skills and digital services.” 

BT have plans to deploy undertake what it calls a ‘monumental change to the UK’s communication infrastructure” by deploying ultrafast fibre broadband to 25 million premises by 2026, hoping to reach 30 million by the end of the decade. 

Kirkby emphasised that it’s not the market structure that is preventing the development of UK networks, but the red tape surrounding the planning. She then called on the UK government to improve “regulatory and fiscal policy certainty”. 

“The Swedes, the Norwegians, the Finnish all expected their highways, their trains, to have great connectivity wherever you were, even when you were up in the northern part of the country. A lot of what is not working in the UK is the planning legislation.” 

Last month, the company released its financial results for the full year to 31 March 2024. Revenue stood at £20.8 billion, up 1% from the same time last year, but profits took a hit, with pre-tax profits falling 31% to £1.18 billion. Openreach’s FTTP deployment rate reached 1 million homes in the last quarter, working out at like 78,000 premises per week. 

The CEO of Three Robert Finnegan also attended the conference and took the opportunity to once again plug the upcoming potential Vodafone–Three merger. Finnegan emphasised that if the venture does not get approved, it will mean less investment in UK infrastructure and customers would end up “short changed.” 

The £15 billion merger received conditional approval from the UK government last month. A separate investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is ongoing, with its results expected by September. 

Join the conversation around UK connectivity at this year’s Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get discounted tickets here! 

Also in the news:
German government sells $2.7 billion stake in Deutsche Telekom
News in Brief: Cable updates from Submarine Networks EMEA
STC joins e& in eying up United Group 

Rural-focused ISP and alternative network builder Wessex Internet, which is deploying a full fibre (FTTP) gigabit broadband service across parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset in England, has today appointed their first Chief Operations Officer (COO) in the shape of Gavin Davies.

The operator’s existing network footprint is currently said to cover “tens of thousands of homes” (some of this may include their old fixed wireless network too), while their business plan targets an “additional” 150,000 premises by 2027 through a combination of subsidised and unsubsidised capital investment. The ISP has also secured four Project Gigabit contracts from the UK Government to connect 36,000 premises to their fibre.

Suffice to say that the company has a lot of building to do over the next few years, and that’s where having a COO could come in handy. Gavin himself brings leadership experience from operational roles in other technology and utility companies, including, most recently, at civil engineering firm Avonline.

Gavin Davies said:

“I have helped to lead telecoms and utility companies through periods of rapid growth and efficiency improvement, and look forward to bringing this experience to Wessex Internet. In the sector, Wessex Internet is known to be unique in its approach to building its fibre network, both in engineering and technical terms, and in how it engages with the communities it serves.

On a personal level, I am already relishing working in the glorious countryside after more urban-based recent roles, and I have been fascinated by the innovative methods developed by Wessex Internet to provide broadband in challenging areas that would otherwise not be connected by other providers.

I believe that businesses and individuals should not face a digital divide based on where they are located and am excited to be part of a company that is removing these barriers. Relatedly, I take seriously the role we play in providing high-quality employment across multiple disciplines in a predominantly rural area.”

Prices for their full fibre packages start at £29 per month for a 100Mbps (15Mbps upload) tier on a 12-month term, but this only comes with a meagre 100GB data allowance (£44 for unlimited), and you’ll have to pay £49 (one-off) for activation. By comparison, their top unlimited usage plan will give 900Mbps (450Mbps upload) for £79 per month, which is fairly expensive by today’s standards, albeit still good if nobody else can supply FTTP.

The wholesale division of broadband and Ethernet provider Virgin Media UK (VMO2) are suing the “owners and all persons claiming an interest” in a fishing trawler, the Irish-registered MV The Lida Suzanna, for €800k (£680k) after the ship allegedly damaged one of their subsea fibre optic cables between Ireland and England.

The Sirius South cable itself was originally deployed in 1998 by NTL, which later became part of Virgin Media after the merger with Telewest. Virgin also operates a second cable on a similar route called Sirius North, which affords them some redundancy should one of the two links end up being damaged.

Sadly, cable breaks are not uncommon on subsea routes. Most such damage occurs due to accidents by deep sea fishing trawlers, as well as ships dragging their anchor over them or marine life deciding to take a nibble (smaller cables have been broken by hungry sharks in the past, but modern cables tend to be resistant). A whole industry exists to repair such cables, but it often takes a few days or weeks to fix related damage.

In this case, Virgin Media has claimed in the High Court that the vessel in question was allegedly conducting scallop fishing, which involves dredging the seabed. According to Breaking News, Virgin Media wants the vessel’s owners to pay damages and, failing that, they would like to see it sold to help pay off the claim.

A Virgin Media spokesperson said:

“We have brought this claim following significant damage caused by a fishing trawler to one of our undersea fibre optic cables, and are seeking to recover the costs associated with repairing the cable.

As a business with millions of customers who rely on fast and reliable connectivity, we hope that through taking this action, third parties will be better aware of the cost that can be involved and disruption it can cause when our cables are damaged.”

Cases like this can be complicated and tricky to pursue, which may help to explain why it’s taken so long for this one to reach the courts. In keeping with that, the vessel’s owners have denied that they were the cause of the damage and have asked for proof of this. The owners have also accused Virgin of being negligent by failing to take sufficient measures to protect the cable when it was installed, such as by burying it.

Finally, the owners claim that the location is an “area of fishing ground established centuries past” and that they were doing nothing more than the lawful exploitation of fishing rights. The owners say that Virgin Media has no entitlement to expect or demand that fishing be modified, or stopped, just because it laid a cable across the same area.

However, Virgin Media contends that shipping regulations require such vessels to carry publications that would have alerted the vessel’s owners to the location of subsea cables, and that there was also an alleged failure to ensure the skipper and/or crew were adequately aware of the location of such cables.

Virgin has previously filed a similar case again the MV Willie Joe trawler, which was settled in 2022.

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has been fined £1.34m (inc. costs of £15,858) by the Llandudno Magistrates Court in Wales for breaching Health and Safety laws for staff working near water. The case occurred after one of its engineers – Alun Owen (32) – tragically died after being swept away by a flooded river in October 2020.

According to the BBC News, Alun was working on a customer’s broadband and telephone line in the village of Abergwyngregyn, near Bangor, which had recently been flooded after the River Aber burst its banks. The local lines were understood to be crossing the river and, as Mr Owen attempted to wade into the rival to throw a new line across, he slipped and was swept away. Alun was a father of two children.

Network operators like Openreach typically do have policies in place for working near water, but in this case, they were not followed (no engineer should be working alone near water). The court also heard that Mr Owen had not taken an online training course about working on water. Openreach admitted it “could have done more” to make sure engineers had the right guidance, processes and training when working on, or near, water.

In another incident, Openreach used a wedding picture of Mr Owen as part of a case study in new health and safety training, albeit without seeking permission from the family. Openreach’s Dominic Kay KC said the company wanted to express its “genuine and sincere remorse for what happened“.

In a statement, Openreach’s CEO, Clive Selley, also apologised for failings after the death, including withdrawing a staff discount for the family’s broadband services, because Mr Owen no longer worked for Openreach. “I am deeply saddened that Openreach added to the grief and suffering,” said Mr Selley.

The situation helps to underline that related engineering tasks often carry risks for those working in the field, which is why it isn’t always possible to immediately repair some faults until those risks can be mitigated.

An Openreach spokesperson told ISPreview:

Nothing can ever make up for the loss of Alun. He was a very well-respected and popular colleague, and the impact of his death remains significant and is felt directly by people across Openreach. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

As an organisation, we accept that we could’ve done more to make sure our engineers had the right guidance, processes and training when working on, or near, water. We’re very sorry that we fell short of the required standards, and we deeply regret the loss of Alun, as well as the impact on his family, friends and colleagues.

The safety of our entire workforce, customers and the public remains our priority, and we’re working hard to make sure something like this never happens again.”

Out of respect for the family, comments will be closed on this article.

Alternative network operator and UK ISP Brsk has today announced that their roll-out of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network is being extended to include 60,000 premises across St Helens in Merseyside, and neighbouring Ashton-in-Makerfield in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

The operator – 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). Some 28,000 customers (1st Mar 2024) already use the service, which has so far covered 552,000 premises passed (536,000 as 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.

Ian Kock, Brsk’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“Quite frankly, we think it’s criminal that so many residents have had to suffer with slow, expensive broadband for so long. Not to mention, the extremely poor customer service that comes with it. Luckily, we’re on the case. We look forward to bringing broadband the way it should be experienced. Fast, affordable and fair – nothing less.”

In terms of local gigabit-capable competition. Openreach’s new FTTP network already covers most of St Helens and a little bit of Ashton, while Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre) is widely available across both locations, except for a sizeable business park or two. As for altnets, the only other provider with any presence is Grain in a patch of St Helens. CityFibre began working in the same location during 2022, but so far we’ve yet to see much live coverage.

Mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today “refreshed” their ‘Like New’ scheme, which offers customers the ability to take a refurbished mobile phone alongside a big discount and decent warranty period. The changes are largely said to reflect “huge savings and benefits“.

Just to underline that claim of “huge savings“, O2 are celebrating the refresh by offering a limited time discount of £360 on selected mobiles for all customers, as well as an additional £70 upfront saving on a number of phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S23 5G 256GB, for existing customers via the My O2 App. Both offers can be used in conjunction, meaning existing customers could potentially save up to £430.

Take note that the additional £70 discount will be applied to existing customers’ baskets when they select a specific phone (covering a range of recent Samsung, iPhone and Google Pixel devices) and a) Set the upfront cost of their device to at least £70 via the My O2 app, b) Select their desired phone plan length and tariff, and c) Paste the voucher code found on the My O2 app into the ‘Got a promo code?’ section during checkout by 15 July 2024.

New and improved benefits of buying a ‘Like New’ phone include:

➤ Money-saving: Customers can save up to £200 compared to buying the same model brand-new through O2, all year round.

➤ Better for the planet: Buying a refurbished phone instead of a brand-new one lowers the device’s carbon footprint, uses fewer virgin materials and helps keep devices out of landfills.

➤ They’re ‘Like New’: A phone will undergo at least 40 quality checks to ensure every screen, microphone, flashlight, volume key, speaker, camera, battery and fingerprint scanner meets the same or similar standard of a new phone.

➤ Peace of mind: Customers that purchase a Plus Plan contract get a three-year handset warranty and those on a Classic Plan get one years, just like they would if they bought a brand-new phone. And if they decide the phone isn’t quite right for them, they have 14 days to exchange or return it.

➤ O2 perks: According to Uswitch, O2 customers can save nearly £500 over the duration of their contract on benefits such as Priority from O2 and inclusive EU roaming – that’s higher than any other mobile network provider in the UK.

➤ Battery health: Every Like New phone must have a battery capacity that is at least 80%.

➤ Flexible payment: Customers can find a payment plan that suits them by spreading the cost of their Like New phone over three to 36 months and can flex their plan’s data allowance up or down each month with O2 Refresh.

➤ Next day delivery: Once the mobile is ordered, it will arrive the next day.

The refurbished Like New phones are currently available on both O2’s Classic Plans or Plus Plans and come with the same benefits as new devices. People could of course potentially save more money by grabbing a second-hand device from eBay or another auction site, but that arguably carries more risk because there won’t be a long warranty or third party checking to ensure the device you’re receiving meets certain basic requirements.

LONDON, UK – 4 June, 2024 – Westcon-Comstor, a global technology provider and specialist distributor, today announced an expansion of its partnership with Juniper Networks, a leader in secure, AI-Native Networking solutions, into the UK & Ireland and France.

The distribution agreement will see Westcon drive adoption of Juniper’s full portfolio of industry-leading AI-Native Networking products and solutions across the new markets, recruiting new channel partners through awareness and marketing campaigns and enabling existing partners to achieve growth, for example through support with financing and implementation.

Westcon is a strategic distribution partner for Juniper Networks, driving partner education and enablement and providing a suite of value-added services and technology insights, powered by a dedicated team of in-house Juniper specialists.

The expansion into the UK & Ireland and France represents a further strengthening of the two companies’ partnership in EMEA, with distribution agreements already in place in Benelux, Cyprus, DACH, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Sub-Saharan Africa and UAE.

It comes at a time of rapid innovation by Juniper Networks. Juniper launched its AI-Native Networking Platform earlier this year, designed from the ground up to assure that every connection is reliable, measurable and secure for every device, user, application and asset. This was followed by the latest evolution of its global Juniper Partner Advantage (JPA) programme. The new elements will help partners leverage AI for IT Operations (AIOps) to offer managed networking services for increased reliability, agility and reach on the path to unlocking new revenue opportunities.

“Juniper has a long-standing reputation as a constant innovator, delivering networking solutions that make every connection count in the AI, cloud and 5G era,” said Marianne Nickenig, VP Networking EMEA & VP Revenue Operations EU, Westcon Europe at Westcon-Comstor. “This expansion of our strategic relationship is testament to the success we have achieved together within the EMEA region, and we are thrilled to now bring Juniper’s innovative products and services, wrapped in Westcon’s value-added services, to partners in the UK & Ireland and France.”

“Westcon has exceptional expertise across our entire portfolio, international reach and a compelling range of value-added services. Juniper’s distribution partners play an important role in the success of Juniper and our market ecosystem and we are pleased to be further strengthening our ties through this geographic expansion,” said Bert Zeleken, Head of Partner and Distribution Sales, EMEA at Juniper Networks. “AI represents the biggest technology revolution since the creation of the internet itself, and we are excited, through this agreement with Westcon, to further enhance the reach of our AI-Native Networking solutions to Westcon’s audiences in the UK & Ireland and France.”

KUALA LUMPUR — May 31, 2024 — Amagi, the leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), deployed on Amazon Web Services (AWS), today announced its partnership with Malaysia’s leading media and entertainment company, Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro).

Astro, in partnership with Amagi, is modernizing systems and infrastructure for the playout and origination of its existing linear channels and playout disaster recovery capabilities and transitioning them to AWS, the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. This marks a milestone in ASEAN’s broadcast industry. The Amagi playout deployment will help Astro optimize its media operations, enhance business agility, increase service resilience, and mitigate the risks of maintaining legacy systems.

The upcoming launch of the AWS Asia-Pacific (Malaysia) region complements Astro’s ongoing broadcast transformation journey, which aims to further enable the deployment of innovative media and entertainment solutions. By capitalizing on the robust cloud infrastructure, unparalleled scalability, and advanced services provided by AWS, Astro aims to further improve enhanced in-country network infrastructure resiliency and performance, thus delivering enriched customer experiences.

Defining the Future of Broadcast
Broadcasters have traditionally managed their channel automation and playout systems within on-premises data centers. As Astro continues its expansion across multiple regions, the organization will see workflows being optimized, media operations enhanced, and playout system management streamlined. To further complement the company’s pursuit of these goals, Astro will implement Amagi’s flagship products on AWS: the Amagi CLOUDPORT channel playout platform and the Amagi MONITORING solution. These advanced solutions will support Astro’s commitment to operational excellence, offering enhanced resiliency and enabling quicker upgrades to service capabilities, thereby meeting the evolving needs of the broadcasting landscape.
Mauro Di Pietro Paolo, Chief Technology Officer at Astro, said: “As Malaysia’s leading broadcaster, Astro continues to drive innovation, and our partnership with Amagi underscores our continuous dedication to pioneering advancements in the industry. At Astro, we needed a playout platform that would align with our vision for transformation in our broadcast and media operations, have in-built disaster recovery capabilities, and provide a modernization path for our end-of-life on-premises systems. We’ve selected Amagi because of their proven track record of deploying playout systems on AWS and have demonstrated their ability to be a transformational platform.”

Srinivasan KA, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Amagi, said: “We are delighted to partner with Astro, one of the most innovative and forward-looking media companies in Asia, to help them achieve their cloud transformation goals. By leveraging our cloud-native solutions built on AWS’s global infrastructure, we can provide Astro with a scalable, secure, and cost-effective playout platform to support their current and future needs. This collaboration also demonstrates our commitment to empowering media companies with cutting-edge cloud technology and best-in-class service.”

“The broadcast industry is rapidly changing, requiring broadcasters to stay competitive with increased agility, resiliency, cost efficiency, and unified workflows, which can be achieved with AWS cloud. AWS is proud to work with solutions providers like Amagi to drive the industry forward,” said Pete Murray, Country Manager at AWS. “We’re thrilled to see our long-term customer Astro continue its transformative journey to delight their customers, and with Amagi, we look forward to digitalizing and advancing the future of Malaysia’s media and entertainment industry.”

Amagi and Astro launched broadcast station playout origination on AWS for the first channels and disaster recovery services in May 2024. This marks the first large-scale, cloud-based playout solution by a broadcaster in Malaysia. To meet the ever-changing needs of these networks, Amagi will continue to work closely with Astro to scale and evolve its Amagi CLOUDPORT solution. More information about Amagi and its solutions is available at www.amagi.com.

# # #

About Astro
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (Astro) is Malaysia’s leading content and entertainment company, serving 5.3 million homes or 67% of Malaysian TV households, 8,400 enterprises, 18.2 million weekly listeners across FM radio and online, and 15.6 million visitors to our digital brands every month. We serve Malaysians with three distinct services – Astro Pay-TV, NJOI Prepaid and sooka, our own OTT for the millennials; and Astro Fibre, our own broadband service, offers greater value with its content-broadband bundles. Close to a million homes are already streaming the best of home entertainment via our Hybrid 4K UHD Ultra Box and HD Ulti Box, which can be self-installed and run on both satellite and broadband. Today, our customers enjoy streaming our local signatures, Astro Originals, live sports and the best global shows from Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, HBO GO, iQIYI, TVBAnywhere+, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, BBC Player, Viu, ZEE5, WeTV, Qalbox by MuslimPro, and our own TV companion app Astro GO. Astro Radio, home to the country’s highest-rated radio brands across all key languages, and our digital brands including AWANI, SYOK, Gempak, Xuan and Astro Ulagam, connect Malaysians to content and stories that matter.

About Amazon Web Services
For over 15 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 200 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning, and AI, Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), media, and application development, deployment, and management from 102 Availability Zones (AZs) within 32 geographic regions around the world.
In March 2023, AWS announced plans to launch an AWS Infrastructure Region in Malaysia in 2024. As part of its commitment to the region, AWS is planning to invest $6 billion (approx. MYR 25.5 billion) in Malaysia by 2037.

About Amagi
Amagi is a next-generation media technology company that provides cloud broadcast and targeted advertising solutions to broadcast TV and streaming TV platforms. Amagi enables content owners to launch, distribute, and monetize live linear channels on Free Ad-supported Streaming TV and video services platforms. Amagi also offers 24×7 cloud-managed services bringing simplicity, advanced automation, and transparency to the entire broadcast operations. Overall, Amagi supports 800+ content brands, 800+ playout chains, and over 3800+ channel deliveries on its platform in over 150 countries. Amagi has a presence in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, and broadcast operations in New Delhi, and innovation centers in Bangalore, Zagreb, and Lodz.

Link to Word Doc: www.wallstcom.com/Amagi/240531-Amagi-Astro_AWS_Playout_Services.docx

Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/Amagi/PR_Astro_banner.jpg
Photo Caption: Amagi and Astro PR Announcement Banner