The UK’s independent public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), has today published a new report into £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network project (i.e. extending 4G mobile / broadband cover to 95% of the UK by the end of 2025), which finds that it’s “behind schedule” and at risk of cost overruns. The SRN […]

Broadband provider Connexin, which is busy deploying a new 10Gbps capable full fibre (FTTP) network across parts of Hull, East Lincolnshire and Yorkshire in England, has introduced a new-ish argument into the debate over wood poles by highlighting how using them is “less carbon intensive than digging ducts.” But we suspect it won’t sway the […]

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Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed 

UK full fibre network operator MS3 Networks has added Fusion Fibre Group, known until recently as FACTCO, as a network partner.  

As a result, Fusion Fibre Group will now be able to sell services to customers using MS3’s 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, which currently covers 174,261 premises in the North of England, as of January 4. 

MS3 is backed by investment from Madrid-based Asterion and focuses their deployment primarily in East Yorkshire. The company is currently deploying its new network in 30 locations across the area, aiming to reach 535,000 UK premises by the end of 2025. 

Fusion Fibre Group is itself a fibre network operator as well as an ISP, with 14 networks complete or under construct in Durham, Northumberland, the North West, and Yorkshire. Combined with the companies five wholesale partners (which now includes MS3), Fusion Fibre can now sell its full fibre services to 15 million properties. 

“Our recent rebrand has allowed us to fuse together all areas of our expertise to offer a brand that truly represents who we are and what we’re working to achieve”, said Fusion Fibre’s Managing Director Adrian Marshman in a statement. 

“Partnering with MS3 plays a key role in our expansion plan. Access to MS3’s fibre network will allow us to connect customers in areas that have been historically difficult to reach. We can now provide connections to more than 15 million properties across the UK.”  

Stay up to date with connectivity in the North at this year’s Connected North event in Manchester – get your tickets now! 

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European Commission approves Orange–MásMóvil merger 

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The operator has upgraded one of its existing Open RAN masts in Devon with NEC equipment, demonstrating the benefits of interchangeable RAN components

Today, Vodafone has announced the deployment of NEC’s Massive MIMO technology to one of their live 5G Open RAN sites in Devon.

The deployment is notable for being one of the first examples of Open RAN components being swapped in a live commercial network deployment – a fact which Vodafone says exemplifies the flexibility of Open RAN.

“Massive MIMO is the cherry on top of any 5G installation,” said Vodafone UK Chief Network Officer, Andrea Dona. “It dramatically improves the efficiency of the site, and as a result, provides an enhanced mobile experience for our customers. This is an exciting development because it proves the benefits of OpenRAN. Here, we have replaced a component of a live mobile site with one from a different vendor, without operational complications, and it is running on software from Samsung. This is interchangeability and interoperability in action.”

While the components being swapped out for NEC kit are not specified, it seems likely to be Samsung equipment, given the South Korean vendor was announced as the company’s radio partner for the Open RAN deployment back in 2022. Vodafone also notes that the new NEC equipment is continuing to be run on Samsung software.

NEC has been one of Vodafone’s key partners on Open RAN since 2021, alongside the likes of Dell Technologies, Samsung, Wind River, Capgemini Engineering, and Keysight Technologies.

“We now have NEC Massive MIMO working in tandem with Samsung Networks radios, both of which are powered by Samsung management software. Underneath the hood, we have Dell Technologies servers with Intel chips, supported by the Wind River container-as-a-service software,” said Dona in a LinkedIn post.

Vodafone says it will use this new RAN configuration for the 2,500 Open RAN sites it aims to have deployed in th UK by 2027, primarily in Wales and the South West of England.

When the concept of Open RAN first hit the international stage around 2020, it came with the promise of a far more diverse vendor ecosystem, where interoperable RAN components from multiple providers could coexist happily within a single base station. Part of the motivation was to wean operators off their reliance on single RAN vendor giants – particularly Huawei –

Since then, however, this promise has gone largely unfulfilled. There have been relatively few commercial Open RAN deployments, and those that do exist are still typically reliant on a small number of players – far from the vibrant vendor tapestry vaunted at the start of the decade.

To further complicate matters, major vendors like Nokia and Ericsson are playing an increasingly significant role in the Open RAN ecosystem. Despite initially claiming that Open RAN could never contend with the capabilities of their single RAN solutions, both companies notably joined the O-RAN Alliance and have been gradually increasing their commitment to the concept of interoperability.

Indeed, we only need to look at AT&T’s decision to partner with Ericsson in a $14 billion Open RAN deal late last year to see that an Open RAN future for the telecoms industry need not necessarily mean a reduction in the network presence of the vendor giants.

The good news is, as proven by Vodafone’s announcement today, that this need not be the case forever. As Open RAN technology grows in popularly and maturity, component switching will become an even simpler process, potentially allowing operators greater opportunity to experiment with smaller vendors in live networks.

Whether this will be enough to persuade them to diversify significantly, however, remains to be seen.

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From humble beginnings: The amazing journey of Hormuud Telecom CEO Ahmed Mohamud Yusuf

A new type of mobile SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card is being launched today – supported by Deutsche Telekom and Tele2 – called resilient SIM (rSIM), which can effectively upgrade a single SIM device to Dual-SIM by automatically switching between the two in case of any network issues, minimising the impact of a lost connection. […]

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The investment is Microsoft’s largest in its 37-year history in Spain 

Microsoft has announced that it will invest $2.1 billion in its Spanish AI and Cloud infrastructure over the next two years. 

The company will open a Cloud Region of data centers in Madrid, as well as a data centre campus in Aragon (Northeastern Spain). These deployments, the company says, will provide “Microsoft’s cloud services with the maximum guarantee of security, privacy and data sovereignty, and will make the company’s entire range of Artificial Intelligence solutions available to Spanish and European companies and public administrations”. 

“Our investment is beyond just building data centres, it’s a testament to our 37-year commitment to Spain, its security, and development and digital transformation of its government, businesses, and people,” said Microsoft Chair and President Brad Smith said on X, following a meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez. 

This investment is part of a newly established collaboration between Microsoft and the Spanish government, in which the two parties will work on the application of Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the improvement of citizen services, the promotion of AI-based innovation, and the reinforcement of national cybersecurity of Spanish companies, public bodies, and critical infrastructure. 

Microsoft argues that the investment in Spain could add €8.4 billion to the Spanish national GDP, creating 69,000 jobs up to 2030.  

The news follows Microsoft’s announcement last week to spend €3.3 billion on data centre capacity and AI in Germany by the end of 2025, which will double the country’s AI infrastructure and cloud computing capacity. 

Microsoft have also recently invested in the UK, pledging £2.5 billion over the next three years in data centre infrastructure. The investment, which will include new sites in London and Cardiff, will see Microsoft double the number of its data centres in the UK.  

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the investment a “turning point for the future of AI infrastructure and development in the UK,” in a statement. 

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

Also in the news:
Aqua Comms CEO jumps ship to EXA Infrastructure
Millicom expands partnership with Harmonic in Latin America
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The move will be effective as of 1 August, with EXA’s executive chair Nick Read continuing to oversee the business until that time

Today, EXA Infrastructure have announced that Jim Fagan, currently CEO of Aqua Comms, will be taking over as premanent CEO later this year.

Fagan has served as the CEO of Aqua Comms since May 2023, before which he had worked in various telco and data centre-based roles at Global Cloud Exchange, Telstra, Pacnet, and Rackspace.

EXAs’s previous CEO, Martijn Blanken, stepped down from the role in November last year, leaving EXA’s chair of the board of directors (and former Vodafone CEO) Nick Read holding the reins on an interim basis.

Blanken, meanwhile, has since started a new role as non executive director of Speed Fibre Group earlier this month.

“This announcement marks the next phase in EXA’s growth story, where we will see EXA continue to focus on strategic investments to support our customer growth driven by Cloud, Content, and AI.  Jim brings a deep sector knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of our customers coupled with the ability to optimise our operations to ensure we excel in industry leading service delivery,” explained Read.

 “EXA Infrastructure is recognised in the industry for its unique footprint of owned network assets and a skilled team that specialise in digital infrastructure.  I am excited to join at this pivotal moment, where the data growth demand driven from AI, will need to be met by secure & resilient players like EXA,” added Fagan.

Aqua Comms had little comment about the move, putting out a simple press release thanking Jim for his time at the company and noting that Andy Hudson, the company’s Chief Network Officer is now the acting CEO, effective immediately.

“Aqua Comms would like to thank Jim Fagan for the excellent work he has done in creating a healthy and growing business since joining in 2023, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. Aqua Comms continues to be in a strong position in the market and are optimistic about the future of the business,” commented Aqua Comms chairman Alan Harper.

The motivation for Fagan’s sudden departure from Aqua Comms, having been in the role less than a year, remains unclear.

Join EXA and the rest of the submarine cable industry in discussion at this year’s live Submarine Networks EMEA conference

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Alternative network operator and UK ISP Connect Fibre, which aims to reach 100,000 premises across the East of England with their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network, has announced the adoption of Deepomatic’s First Time Right Automation platform to help boost their rollout. The new platform aims to benefit the operator by automating the control of […]

Mobile operator Vodafone UK, which last year began work to deploy Open Radio Access Network kit to 2,500 sites across mostly rural parts of Wales and the South West England by 2027 (here), has successfully deployed NEC’s Massive MIMO (mMIMO) technology to one of their live 5G (mobile broadband) capable O-RAN sites. The O-RAN approach […]

Press Release

CJ Founds Associates has announced the appointment of Lynne Wilson as Senior Digital Programme Manager as the business further grows its digital proposition

Lynne brings a wealth of experience and expertise from her recent position on the Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group (DIG), a role where she was instrumental in delivering key initiatives such as the Digital Adoption Strategy, Digital Connectivity Infrastructure and the Superfast Berkshire Programmes as well as establishing Digital Champions across the region.

Her efforts have significantly impacted the digital landscape within the Berkshire Authorities, marking her as a pioneering figure in digital strategy implementation.

Her proven track record and strong working relationships with Local Authorities and Suppliers will support CJ Founds Associates on multiple digital infrastructure projects across the UK in the year ahead.

Chris Founds, Managing Director of CJ Founds Associates, is excited by the appointment and the strength it adds to the organisation’s digital team.

“We are thrilled Lynne has chosen to join us to strengthen and develop our Digital Infrastructure offer,” he said.

“Lynne is an amazing individual who has trailblazed Digital strategy implementation across the Berkshire Authorities and brings excellent working relationships and a deep understanding of Local Authorities and DSIT across the UK.

“We are very much looking forward to welcoming Lynne and driving forward some of the amazing pioneering infrastructure work we are delivering for our Local Authority clients across the UK.”

On joining CJ Founds Associates, Lynne said: “I’m thrilled to join this exceptional team, known for its integrity and successful track record in implementing innovative technologies and infrastructure solutions for local authorities.

“I eagerly anticipate furthering my support to local authorities nationwide and central government, in close collaboration with the CJ Founds Team to drive the benefits of a connected nation”.

CJ Founds Associates has worked with a wide range of Local Authority clients to lead some of the UK’s most innovative digital programmes, notably Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Berkshire Authorities DIG and Mid-Sussex District Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove Council.

Want to learn more about digital infrastructure strategy for local authorities? Meet CJ Founds Associates at this year’s Connected North conference live in Manchester