News 

Three UK is seeking to tackle urban network congestion in Glasgow by deploying over 50 small cells throughout the city  

The project, which will take 15 months to implement, will see 51 small cells deployed around the city of Glasgow to cope with the huge rise in consumer data consumption since the launch of its 5G services in 2019.  

According to Three, the average Three customer uses 30GB of data per month, which is 2.2x more data than the average UK user.

“These are huge levels of consumption,” said Iain Milligan, Three’s Chief Networks Officer, explaining the necessity for additional capacity in urban centres to journalists at a press conference in Glasgow.  

 The first phase of Three’s new project to meet this rising demand will see 20 small cells deployed, the first of which was unveiled in the city centre yesterday. 

For a major city, Glasgow is notable for its sporadic phone signal, which the journalists attending the project launch experienced first-hand. Milligan explained that in some parts of the city 5G coverage was excellent, while in others it was non-existent. Small cells, he explained, are a quick and cheap solution to this problem, costing around 1/9th of a macro site – which cost around £150,000 if being built from scratch. 

These small cells are not only cheaper than their macro counterparts, but also far quicker to deploy; a traditional mast might take a year to fully deploy, while a small cell can be set up in just a matter of weeks.  

Mavenir is providing equipment and software for the project, while site acquirement and deployment being carried out by Boldyn Networks. P.I Works will provide automation solutions, and Accenture will carry out performance measurements before and after.   

Three predicts a 61% increase in coverage in areas where small cells are deployed as part of the trial, and an incremental average increase in speed of 35%. If the project is this successful, there are plans to roll out this infrastructure to other cities throughout the country. For this to happen effectively, there has to be the right balance of high customer demand and local authority engagement, as has been the case with Glasgow City Council. 

“Without a fast, stable and secure connection to the internet, our citizens cannot be part of the limitless opportunities that are offered to them in the modern world,” said Glasgow City Councillor Paul Leinster, adding that the Council aims to to wipe out the digital divide within the city and to ensure that everyone’s access to the city’s economy should not be hampered by a lack of connectivity. 

But while Three’s dealings with Glasgow have been positive, Milligan noted that the same reception cannot be expected from all local councils. As such, if the trial in Glasgow proves a success, Three aims to package up the process into a sort of “rinse and repeat” strategy around the country. 

Beyond improving urban connectivity, this small cell trial is also interesting for another reason: its Open RAN architecture. 

The UK government has set a target for the UK’s mobile networks to carry 35% of the UK’s network traffic over open RAN by 2030. Currently, Three UK have 0% Open RAN traffic, with this trial representing their first significant move in this technology’s direction.  

Open RAN equipment is built to specifications that promote the interoperability, allowing mobile operators to theoretically cherry pick individual providers for each component within the RAN. This, Open RAN proponents argue, should allow for greater performance, customisation, and a reduction of reliance on the trio of major vendors: Nokia, Ericsson, and Huawei. (Although it is worth noting here that, in the case of Three’s small cell trial, there is still only one RAN vendor involved: Mavenir.)  

The UK government is particularly fond of Open RAN because of the plug-and-play nature of Open RAN architecture, which they say should allow for greater security of the UK’s networks. 

For Three, Open RAN remains an exciting prospect but not a necessity. 

“We support the ambition for it [the government’s 35% Open RAN goal], its just that within the financial constraints that we have, based on what revenue we have and flexibility, it’s not a priority for us at all,” explained Milligan. 

“But we have stated, regarding the government commitment, that we will do what we can within our means, but that’s as much as we can do.”  

If other operators share the same sentiment, hitting the target looks unlikely. 

Finally, pressed on the matter of the prospective merger with Vodafone and what this would mean for the companies’ Open RAN ambitions, Milligan stressed that it was too soon too tell.  

“We’re still in basic planning mode”, he said. 

Hear more about connectivity in the North of the UK at this year’s Connected North, in Manchester 22-23 April – book your tickets now! 

Also in the news:
EU telcos join forces against Gigabit Infrastructure Act
Jio releases ‘Jio Brain’ AI platform
Ofcom issues further crackdown on spoof phonecalls

News

As the risks associated with climate change grow, Telefonica is aiming to help businesses better understand the impact of adverse weather events

This week, international mobile operator giant Telefonica has announced an investment in Mitiga Solution, a company focussed on climate risk management solutions.

Mitiga is a company combining climate science with AI analysis, with their EarthScan™ software solution allowing them to accurately measure customers’ exposure to risk related to changes to environmental conditions, like flooding, heatwaves, and storms.

“Current traditional data models are inadequate for calculating impacts because they are based solely on past events projected into the future,” explained a press release from Telefonica. “[Mitiga] incorporates new data models based on physical and transient data to complement traditional models, enabling its clients in sectors such as finance, insurance, real estate, industry and retail to comply with European CSRD/SFRD legislation and make more cost-effective and sustainable investment decisions.”

The investment, for an unspecified amount, comes via Telefónica Ventures and Íope Ventures, the operator’s startup innovation arm Wayra.

Telefonica says the investment is in line with the Group’s strategy surrounding sustainability, with climate risk assessment viewed as an increasingly important field.

“Telefónica supports the transformative power of innovation and technology to build a sustainable future, which is why we have made a double commitment by investing in Mitiga through both Telefónica Ventures and Íope Ventures, the investment vehicle jointly created by Wayra and Telefónica Seguros. For us, Mitiga is a strategic partner that will help us drive our business in Climate Tech,” said Irene Gómez, director of Telefónica Innovación Abierta and CEO of Wayra.

“Climate change is the biggest challenge facing society today and in the coming decades, not least because of the large-scale economic impact it will have. We need to rethink our cities, homes and workplaces to build resilience to climate change on a daily basis. That’s why we’re excited about this strategic collaboration with Telefónica to bring our SaaS climate risk assessment technology to more businesses and public organisations,” said Alejandro Martí, CEO and co-founder of Mitiga Solutions.

Keep up with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
EU telcos join forces against Gigabit Infrastructure Act
Jio releases ‘Jio Brain’ AI platform
Ofcom issues further crackdown on spoof phonecalls

UK ISP Quickline, which is deploying a gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network across parts of England, has today announced that they’ve just gone live across four more villages in Rural North Yorkshire – Babthorpe and Hemingbrough, near Selby, and Killinghall and Ripley, near Harrogate (total of almost 2,000 premises). Among the premises in the […]

Gdańsk/London/Warsaw – February 8, 2024 – RETN, a leading international network services provider, is pleased to announce the introduction of a new route from Gdańsk to Warsaw and Poznań. The newly established Point of Presence in Gdańsk at the Artnet Data Centre now offers enhanced connectivity to Warsaw, Poznań and onwards to Berlin. This expansion benefits wholesale customers, ISPs, and enterprise businesses, marking RETN’s 12th Polish Point of Presence for market-leading domestic and international connectivity.

Amy Bajer, Managing Director RETN Poland & CEE, RETN: “This represents a significant milestone in RETN’s ongoing commitment to enhancing network connectivity in Poland, following the recent expansion of our Warsaw metro fibre ring and the establishment of a new route connecting into Poznań and Berlin. Through these strategic locations, we are equipped to deliver comprehensive data transmission services, reliable Internet Access (DIA), Cloud Connect, Wavelength, L2 and L3 VPN, IP across Europe and Asia, utilising connections to reach all our existing PoPs in these regions.”

Gdańsk, the largest city in Poland in terms of area, and home to the Port of Gdańsk — the Baltic Sea’s biggest container port — is a crucial market. The entire Tri-city (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot) metropolitan area is now encompassed by our extensive network. This ensures that customers receive top-tier, secure, and reliable connectivity across all offices, manufacturing, distribution, and retail locations throughout Eurasia.

About RETN

RETN is one of the fastest growing independent Eurasian network services providers, with unique resources to connect Europe and Asia. In 2023 RETN was awarded the ‘Best Pan-European Carrier’ title, at the prestigious Global Carrier Awards. Offering a wide range of connectivity services, such as IP transit, Ethernet & VPN, Capacity, Remote peering to major IXPs, Colocation and Cloud Connect, RETN’s network runs on leading equipment vendors such as Infinera, Juniper and Ciena.

RETN’s unique solution to connect Europe and Asia is built on its own homogenous DWDM and IP/MPLS Network Platform and widely branched land routes, passing through Western Europe, Eastern Europe and up to the border with China and further onwards into Southeast Asia.

RETN provides telecommunication services throughout its Eurasian network with short lead times, industry leading uptimes, and multiple layers of redundancy.

For more information on RETN and its services, please visit the company’s website at www.retn.net

For press enquiries, please contact pr@retn.net

Press Release

The event will bring together key stakeholders from across the US telecoms industry to discuss the latest developments in technology, policy, and strategy  

Dallas, TX – Connected America is returning to the Irving Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, for the second ever instalment of Connected America on 12–13 March.  

Hosted by telecoms media and events specialist Total Telecom, the event builds on the success of the Connected America’s debut in 2023, which saw over a thousand stakeholders meet to discuss the industry’s hottest topics. 

This year, the event is set to double in size, with over 2,000 attendees and 150 expert speakers combining to answer a fundamental question: what does a truly connected America look like and how can we turn this vision into reality?   

Expert sessions across the two-day event will focus on a wide variety of connectivity topics, from the ongoing evolution of 5G to the role of policymakers in expanding broadband access and shrinking the digital divide.  

Keynote speakers at the event include: 

Joseph Wender, Dir. Capital Projects Fund, U.S. Department of The Treasury 
Rocco Laurenzano, Chief Operating Officer, Google Fiber 
Karmen Rajamani, VP, Government Affairs, Wireless Infrastructure Association 
Amanda Toman, Director of the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) 
Scott Woods, President, PPP, Ready.net 
Nate Walowitz, Regional Broadband Director, Northwest Colorado Council Of Governments 
Thomas Tyler, Deputy Director, ConnectLA 
Glen Howie, Director, Broadband Office, State of Arkansas 
Andrea Pacheco, Outreach Coordinator, Texas Broadband Development Office 
Emily Hale, Grants & Program Manager, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development 
Jake Varn, Associate Manager Broadband, The Pew Charitable Trusts 
Marissa Mitrovich, VP Public Policy, Fiber Broadband Association 
Claude Aiken, Chief Strategy Officer, Nextlink Internet 

Over 800 organisations will be represented at the conference, with more than 75 exhibiting on the show floor. 

“We’re delighted to be returning to Dallas for Connected America 2024 after the huge success of our inaugural event last year,” said Total Telecom’s Managing Director Rob Chambers. “This year is so important for American connectivity. Government funding remains a real driver for increasing broadband access and digitalisation across the nation, presenting many opportunities but also a whole host of challenges for the connectivity industry.” 

“With Connected America, we’re creating an environment where the industry can meet to discuss these vitally important topics – whether on the exhibition show floor or in dedicated panel sessions – and work towards creating meaningful change for the American people.”    

The event is supported by the Fiber Broadband Association, 5G Americas, NATE, TIA, and more. 

For more information or to register to attend Connected America 2024, visit: https://www.terrapinn.com/conference/connected-america/index.stm 

About Total Telecom
Since 1997, Total Telecom has provided the connection between the buyers and sellers in the global telecom market. We do this through high quality editorial content and events to facilitate discussion on industry issues, and recognise innovation and excellence by companies and individuals. 

Our community of 120,000+ telecom professionals rely on Total Telecom for daily news and regular in-depth insight, delivered through a number of channels including online, video, social media, and at our series of events.

Our award-winning event portfolio includes, Broadband Communities Summit, the World Communication Awards, Connected North, Connected Germany, and the UK’s largest connectivity event Connected Britain. 

Network operator and UK ISP Connect Fibre, which aims to cover 100,000 premises across the East of England with their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network, has announced that they’re responding to recent price hikes from rival providers by opting to keep their prices frozen for a second year. The operator, which is backed by an […]

This will see B4RN’s backhaul speeds increase tenfold to 400Gbps around the entire ring allowing them to increase network bandwidth and decrease network latency deeper into rural communities. With this upgrade we are securing the long-term operation of the core network, allowing new communities to connect, and additional services such as transit and ethernet services to local businesses and the wider telecoms industry. 

B4RN has a completely 100% subsurface network, it’s all underground with no pole infrastructure, which gives the next level of resilience. There is a lot of severe weather in the rural areas and B4RN’s network is unaffected unlike other providers. All our customers get a full fibre into every home from the cabinet, ready for future growth and adoption of new technologies. 

“B4RN strives to deliver the best internet service in the country to the areas that are hardest to reach. With a 400G operational Juniper network, we can bring the benefits of digital connectivity to rural communities for generations to come.”

Tom Rigg

COO, B4RN

Our partners

B4RN worked with Kubus, an IT Solutions provider, who have longstanding relationships with world-leading tech providers. They supported B4RN by providing access to cutting-edge technology at cost-effective prices, advising and identifying the technology we needed.

“We worked closely with B4RN to help evaluate the leading routing vendors on the market, and Juniper offered the most scalable solution at the best cost with the best technology,” says Alex Hammond, client director at Kubus.

The Juniper MX304 Universal Router future-proofs B4RN’s core network, delivering high performance, efficiency and resilience to allow B4RN to serve more rural communities. The MX304 router offers massive scale and efficiency in a two-rack-unit form factor that’s ideal for space and power-constrained environments. B4RN has deployed a 400Gbps core network today, with an investment-protected path to rolling out 800G in the future.

“The Juniper router is powerful but fits into a regional utility cabinet, so we can bring really fast internet to our rural communities,” says Tom Rigg.

B4RN had previously worked with Juniper Networks – it is Juniper hardware that has been running B4RN’s core network since we put the first spades in the ground over a decade ago. 

Tom Rigg continues “By connecting the backbone in a ring formation, so that every core device has a North/South (or East/West) path back to the main datacentres, including the datacentres themselves, we will gain a greater level of resilience and redundancy. This will allow hard down circuit events to happen, to get repaired and resolved, with next to zero customer impact. It will also allow for maintenance, repair and upgrades to happen on any network segment without loss of service to our customers. We can also then onboard B2B customers who wish to take advantage of the high capacity, highly available and low latency core with confidence that their service has a level of physical resilience for service loss protection.”

Partnerships such as these with Juniper and Kubus, who are both industry-leading vendors and suppliers, world-renowned for high quality, high availability, low latency equipment and networks.

In seven years’ time the traffic growth trends on networks and the additional customers that B4RN will add, we will need that capacity. So we’ve invested in it now.

In recognition of this achievement, the partnership have funded a short film, not just about the delivery of the HALO project, but also capturing the real heart of B4RN, how they build, the incredible volunteers and the wider B4RN community.  

 

 

Video link: https://youtu.be/oWNMltBI3ZI

Uswitch.com has today revealed the winners of their annual 2024 Telecoms Awards event, which among things saw UK ISP Plusnet being named as the best ‘Broadband Provider of the Year’, while CommunityFibre won the best alternative network and Tesco Mobile scooped the win for best mobile ‘Network of the Year’. The comparison site selected its […]

Customers of Sky UK’s (Sky Broadband, Comcast etc.) internet, phone and Pay TV products have today been told to brace for an average annual price hike of 6.7% (down from 8.1% last year), which is planned to be introduced from 1st April 2024. But this is mercifully lower than the rises of almost 8% (here) […]

Broadband ISP Virgin Media (VMO2) recently announced that customers of their Stream (IPTV) Pay TV platform can now access a total of over 100 channels “at no extra cost” (up from c.50 at launch), including a range HD (High Definition) and +1 options. See below for a list of the recent channel additions. In addition, […]