A district councillor has claimed that CityFibre’s £50m project to deploy a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network across the Norfolk city of Norwich, which began in September 2021 and was being supported by civil engineering contractor Telec Networks, could be at risk of a protracted suspension. The new network, which was originally […]

Non-profit policy developer Promising Trouble – supported by Impact on Urban Health – are preparing to launch a new 18-month project in London (likely around Southwark or Lambeth) next year that will pilot a community-owned broadband service, offering a free or very low cost internet access to those excluded by affordability. At present very little […]

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All four of the nation’s mobile network operators – Play (P4), Polkomtel (Plus), Orange Polska, and T-Mobile Polska – have reportedly submitted their initial bids for 5G spectrum licences

Polish telecoms regulator, the Office of Electronic Communications (Urzad Komunikacji Elektronicznej, UKE), has announced this week that it has received opening bids from all four of the nation’s mobile operators, who are seemingly hungry to get their hands on the long-awaited 5G spectrum in the 3.5GHz band.

Poland is one of just two countries in the EU (the other being the Netherlands) not to have made spectrum in the highly sought after 3.5GHz band available to operators, though this was not by design; plans to auction this spectrum band were first announced back in 2020 but, like so many spectrum auctions at the time, the process was delayed significantly by outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Further delays were later caused by the uncertainty around the Polish government’s amendments to the Act on the National Cybersecurity System, which could potentially limit the operators’ choice of 5G vendors.

Today, these amendment discussions are still ongoing, but the UKE has decided to push forward with the auction process anyway, arguing that Poland is at risk of falling far behind its neighbours in terms of 5G capabilities.

The regulator launched an initial public consultation in December 2022, followed by a second in April this year. As a result, the amount of spectrum being made available for each licence was increased from 80MHz to 100MHz, while the reserve price per block remained unchanged at PLN450 million (roughly $108 million).

Now, the auction is finally taking place, with the process expected to conclude in the next few weeks.

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This week marks one year since President Biden launched the CHIPS and Science Act, which includes investing $52.7 billion into domestic US chip manufacturing 

Part of the Biden Administration’s $2 trillion dollar infrastructure plan, the funding in US chip production aim to improve national security by decreasing reliance on foreign countries.  

As of last year, the US only produced 12% of the world’s chips, leaving many US firms heavily dependent on international chip manufacturers, primarily in Asia. In particular, Taiwan produces 22% of global chip production and more over 90% of the most advanced chips made. 

The fragility of the chip supply chain has been exposed in recent years, especially since President Trump’s executive order that banned the use of telecommunications equipment from foreign companies deemed a national security risk, impacting Chinese firms like Huawei. In an effort to combat this over reliance on international manufacturing, the US hopes investment from the CHIP act will result in a much needed boost for US domestic chip manufacturing. 

One firm taking advantage of the CHIPS act is Intel. One year on from the announcement, the firm has released progress updates on their new manufacturing facilities. In 2021, Intel announced over $43.5 billion in manufacturing investments across the US, including in Arizona, New Mexico, and Ohio.  

In Arizona, Intel will expand its production capabilities, growing from two to four semiconductor factories at an estimated cost of around $20 billion each; in New Mexico, the company is investing $3.5 billion in equipment upgrades for the existing plant; and in Oregon, the company is planning a ‘multi-billion-dollar expansion and modernisation’ of their facilities.  

They also announced a $100 million dollar investment into the expansion of semiconductor education, research, and employee training across the country, to give their American workforce the necessary skills to outperform competitors. 

The company has reaffirmed its commitment to deliver on its promise of creating ‘five process nodes in four years’ and bringing back process technology leadership to the US by 2025 but is hoping to be ahead of schedule. 

But while Intel is reaffirming its dedication to US domestic technological progress, but for other firms is the journey is less simple. 

Despite the CHIPS Act being signed over a year ago, no money has yet been awarded. The Commerce Department said it has received more than 460 statements of interest to manufacture semiconductors in the US, with each application needing extensive evaluation. 

“We will start to give out the money later this year,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “We’re pushing the team to go fast, but even more important, to get it right.”  

Even though potential for government funding has sparked huge private sector investment, many of these investments are dependent upon the release of the federal funding, as operating margins are too slim for firms to achieve their goals without the financial aid. 

Integra Technologies, for example, which provides semiconductor packaging and other services, plans to build a 1 million-square-foot facility in the Wichita, Kansas, area, provided it can receive federal funding. 

CEO of SkyWater Technology, Tom Sonderman, noted that “in terms of industry speed, maybe it’s not as fast as we’d like, but in terms of the government really stepping up and preparing for what’s coming, I’ve been impressed.” 

A group of 140 staff members have been hired by the Department of Commerce to assess funding applications. Whilst firms wait for the outcomes, the Department of Commerce has said “we’re going to have a bunch of tough choices ahead in terms of how we allocate our capital. There’s definite expectations that not every applicant is going to be happy. Some will be disappointed.” 

You can hear more about US mergers at next year’s Connected America – secure your place here  

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A new trial has just been conducted by UK telecoms giant BT (EE) and supplier Ericsson, which is claimed to be somewhat of a “European first” after it successfully demonstrated the transmission of Standalone 5G services in a wideband Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) radio carrier (over 20MHz) within a sub-3GHz spectrum band. There’s a lot […]

Network builder and UK gigabit broadband ISP toob has today announced that their long-planned £13m project to deploy a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across the Surrey (England) town of Woking has begun. The work is expected to result in 32,000 local homes and businesses gaining access to their network. Construction of the new network in Woking […]

Network access provider Openreach has faced complaints from residents in the small rural Wiltshire village of Little Cheverell, which occurred after most of the community was left cut-off from broadband ISP and phone connectivity for three weeks due to a tree that fell and damaged the operator’s overground pole network. In total, 95 out of […]

Internet video streaming firm Disney+ appears to have taken a leaf out of Netflix’s book by today announcing the launch of its new ad-supported subscription plan (aka – “Standard with Ads“) for the United Kingdom, which will become available from 1st November 2023 and costs several £ pounds less than their regular plan. At present, […]

The latest Q2 2023 data from caller ID verification firm Hiya, which among other things also works with UK broadband ISP BT (EE) to help detect and block SPAM and fraud calls, has revealed that 27.3% of UK calls from non-contacts are spam (79.3 million) and, of that figure, 18% were classified as “nuisance calls” […]

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The company follow in the footsteps of MTN Uganda, the country’s largest telco, which recently celebrated its first anniversary as a publicly listed company 

Mobile operator Airtel Africa has announced that its Ugandan subsidiary, Airtel Uganda,  will soon be floated on Ugandan Securities Exchange (USE) exchange. 

The firm plans to sell a 20% stake – roughly 8 billion shares – as part of its initial public offering (IPO). 

“The offer is expected to result in meaningful local ownership of Airtel Uganda Ltd, with preference to be given to Ugandan investors, and to contribute to the development of the capital markets in Uganda,” said Airtel Africa. 

If the move gets approval from the Capital Markets Authority of Uganda, the shares will be offered to investors both via traditional channels and through the Airtel Money platform, with the aim of increasing retail participation. 

The firm have chosen Absa Bank Uganda as its lead transaction advisor for the process, which it hopes will be completed by the end of the year. 

In 2019 the Ugandan government mandated that all telecom companies operating in the country must list at least 20% of their shares on the USE within two years of the issuing of a license, with the aim of to increasing local ownership and boost the national economy.

The government claimed that the move would ensure that the capital would therefore be kept within the country and not be taken back to each telco’s country of origin. 

Airtel Uganda were expected to list on the USE by December last year, but the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) allowed the company to delay the listing, as they cited they were not ready due to unfavourable economic conditions. 

Uganda is not alone in its thinking, with other African countries such as Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania, and Nigeria taking similar action.

How is the African telecommunications market evolving in 2023? Join the operators in discussion at this year’s Total Telecom Congress live from Amsterdam. 

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