Homes and businesses on Shetland, which is a remote subarctic archipelago that resides some way north of Scotland, have suffered two breakages to different parts of their main SHEFA-2 (Faroese Telecom) submarine (subsea) fibre optic cable. As a result, a lot of broadband and phone connections on the island are being disrupted. The cable is […]

Residents of a block of flats in Edinburgh (Scotland) – called ‘Tytler Court‘ – have been left confused after Cityfibre, which had just completed the build of a new 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network in the area, told them that they could not serve the building because it was “too tall“.. at just four-stories […]

NEWS

The latest GSMA annual State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report has highlighted that 4.3 billion people were using mobile internet at the end of 2021 – an enormous number in anyone’s estimation, but still only slightly above half (55%) of the world’s population.

Putting it another way 3.2 billion people worldwide fall into the usage gap, they are covered by a mobile broadband network – which 95% of the worlds population now are – but other reasons prevent them from getting online.

This is the challenge for digital inclusion, addressing a raft of issues ranging from affordability (especially of handsets) and lack of literacy and digital skills through to safety and security concerns that are preventing people from getting online.

The issue is particularly acute in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where mobile is frequently the main and sometimes only form of internet access.

GSMA Director General, Mats Granryd said “It’s time to make real strides on the journey to reach the 3.2 billion people who are not yet using mobile internet despite living within the footprint of mobile broadband networks. We call on governments and organisations worldwide to work alongside the mobile industry and make digital inclusion a genuine priority. Removing barriers to mobile internet adoption will boost economic recovery, improve social mobility and gender equality, and transform the lives of millions worldwide.”

There is without doubt a mountain still to climb, but despite this 2021 was notable as it marked the first time that half the population of low-middle income countries were seen using mobile internet.

Almost 300 million people came online in the past year with most of the new users of mobile internet emanating from low-middle income countries – home to 94% of the unconnected population – whilst the percentage of people outside the reach of mobile broadband networks fell from 19% in 2015 to 5% at the end of 2021. That 5% however means there are still 400 million people worldwide living in areas not covered by a mobile broadband network.

Delivering ubiquitous connectivity for the hardest-to-reach is the subject for a panel discussion at the Total Telecom Congress on the 1-2 November 2022. Join Anuradha Udunuwara from Sri Lanka Telecom, Chris Voudouris of Neos Networks, Dean Bubley founder of Disruptive Analysis, and Lucie Smith from MNO JV Digital Mobile Spectrum (DMSL) as they discuss rural connectivity challenges in both developed and developing markets, the technology mix and commercial considerations. Register at www.totaltele.com/congress

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The post The missing 3.2 billion… first appeared on Total Telecom.

The third Local Supplier contract under the UK Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme – worth £7.3m – has today been awarded to rural ISP GoFibre (BorderLink), which will upgrade broadband for more than 3,750 hard-to-reach premises across North Northumberland (England). Project Gigabit aims to extend 1Gbps capable (download speeds) networks to reach at […]

Mobile operator and broadband ISP EE has today begun a new drive to become the “no.1 network for gaming in the UK” by launching a range of bundles for their 5G and full fibre (FTTP) customers, which match the latest PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles to their various connectivity packages. However, the announcement, which […]

Consumer site Expert Reviews has today revealed the winners of their annual ‘Mobile Network Awards 2022’ event, which surveyed their readers in an effort to identify the top performing UK mobile operators across a range of different categories. This year saw Smarty being named as the best overall mobile operator. The results stemmed from a […]

The post How to monetise next-gen telco networks first appeared on Total Telecom.

Infracapital-backed ISP Ogi, which is currently investing £200m to deploy a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across 150,000 premises in Wales by 2025, has expanded their existing civil engineering contract with Avonline Networks (M Group Services). The move will increase Avonline’s business for Ogi three-fold. The original £25m agreement between Ogi and Avonline, which was […]

PRESS RELEASE

EXA Infrastructure, the largest dedicated digital infrastructure platform connecting Europe and North America, today announced it will be investing in a new terrestrial transport route to Lisbon and Sines in Portugal. The new network connects to EXA’s Spanish backbone via Madrid, Barcelona and beyond, serving customer needs across the Iberian Peninsula. EXA’s strategic investment in the southern Europe transport route will provide customers the most diverse connectivity to high growth cable landing stations (CLS) and data centres.

Spain is fast becoming the epicentre for digital traffic with rising demand for digital infrastructure, centred on the cluster of data centres around Barcelona. EXA’s network investments across Spain to Portugal meets the industry’s demand for growth, harnessing customer expectations for resilient connectivity across the Iberian Peninsula.

“Expanding our network routes to Portugal builds on EXA’s strategy to be the leading provider of data centre to data centre and subsea cable connectivity,” said EXA infrastructure Vice President Network Investments, Steve Roberts. “We are delivering on our promise to offer our customers competitive choices from a specialist infrastructure provider by diversifying transport routes across the Iberian Peninsula from Spain to Sines and Lisbon.”

Expanding to Portugal will enable greater network diversity and connections to high growth CLS. The Iberian Peninsula is an attractive gateway into Europe, the Middle East and Africa for digital traffic. Last month, EXA announced a new 600-kilometre network link between Barcelona, Zaragoza and Bilbao, connecting data centre clusters that are growing in all three cities. This is in addition to enhancements to metropolitan fibre in the Barcelona area that are currently underway.

“In the last 12 months, EXA has promised to be the most expansive and dedicated infrastructure network for organisations looking to maximise scale and control,” said Chief Commercial Officer of EXA infrastructure, Nicholas Collins. “We are delivering on that promise and expanding our footprint to extend from Spain to Portugal is the next step in this journey. Our focus is firmly on building more diversity options for new and existing customers on one of the most advanced fibre networks in the market.”

The post New EXA investment serves customers across the Iberian Peninsula first appeared on Total Telecom.

Press release

Truespeed, the Bath based full fibre broadband provider, is delighted to announce the appointment of Nelson Missier as its Chief Commercial Officer.

With over 20 years of experience in telecoms, media and technology, Nelson joins Truespeed with a wealth of commercial experience to further strengthen the leadership team and accelerate the expansion of its full fibre network across the South West.

Nelson joins from Storytel, one of the world’s largest audiobook services, where he was Head of Europe and responsible for growth and profitability across all European markets. Prior to that, he was Commercial Director at the Swedish quadplay operator Tele2, and has previously led various product, commercial and strategy teams at BT, Booz & Company and Vodafone.

With his experience in scaling up organisations and driving customer growth, Nelson’s proven track record of delivering successful go-to-market strategies will play a pivotal role in helping drive awareness and take up of Truespeed’s B2C and B2B services.

In addition to his considerable industry experience, Nelson is a diversity and inclusion advocate with a passion for coaching teams and mentoring managers to evolve into strong and supportive leaders.

Nelson holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce from The American College, India.

Nelson Missier, Truespeed Chief Commercial Officer: “I was drawn to Truespeed as a rapidly growing business with an amazing mission to rollout world class connectivity across the South West.  I’m excited to join this fast-paced team and help even more communities and customers discover the benefits of ultrafast broadband.”

James Lowther, Truespeed CEO: “Nelson’s vast experience, drive and stellar record of delivering growth will be hugely influential as we continue scaling-up the business. His skillset will complement the high calibre leadership team we have at Truespeed and I look forward to working closely with him as we accelerate our rollout further.”

 

The post Truespeed appoints Nelson Missier as Chief Commercial Officer to strengthen leadership team and accelerate growth first appeared on Total Telecom.