Broadband ISP and mobile operator EE UK has today moved to improve the online and offline security of their internet connected customers by introducing a number of new products, including a new Norton powered online “Cyber Security” solution and a “Smart Home Security” (alarm etc.) system powered by Verisure. The first product we’re going to […]

The parents of ISP Virgin Media (Liberty Global) and mobile operator O2 (Telefonica) are reportedly considering a sale of their 50% stake in mast operator Cornerstone, which is part of a network sharing agreement with Vodafone (Vantage Towers). The extra funding would be used to help fuel their UK rollout of full fibre (FTTP) broadband. […]

The World Broadband Association (WBBA), which is a multilateral and industry-led association, recently published a new white paper that predicts residential broadband packages will be offering connection speeds of “up to” 50Gbps (Gigabits / sec) by 2030, while enterprise speeds will be “up to” 3.2Tbps (Terabits / sec). The report (Next-Generation Broadband Roadmap), which acknowledges […]

Fern Trading-backed broadband ISP Giganet (Cuckoo), which is investing £250m to build a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across the South of England, has today confirmed that they’re investing £20m to reach more than 18,500 homes in Hurstpierpoint and Storrington (West Sussex). The operator’s current plan is to cover a total of 300,000 premises […]

The Perth & Kinross Council (PKC) in central Scotland has announced that they’re seeking “expressions of interest” from suppliers (ISPs and network builders etc.) to help extend the benefits of gigabit-capable broadband connectivity to “nearly” 10,000 homes and business premises across the city. The plan appears to be based around opening up access to the […]

Interview

As telcos look to expand their portfolios and improve their offerings to customers, many are looking to space and how satellite connectivity can bolster their propositions. BT’s Space Strategy Lead, Mauro Mortali shares his take on the satellite opportunity for the telco sector.

Can you tell us about your role at your BT?

I wear two hats – I lead on Public Sector Strategy within BT Enterprise, our UK B2B Customer Facing Unit, where I am responsible for strategy development across BT’s Public Sector segments of Central & Local Government, Health, Public Safety & Justice, and Defence.

I am also BT’s Space Strategy lead, where I am responsible for our strategy for exploiting the commercial opportunity from Space, and taking a lead role in supporting the UK Space Agenda. 

What does it mean to be a modern telco according to BT?  

We operate in a rapidly changing environment. By understanding key trends we can take advantage of opportunities as they arise and act quickly to reduce risks where necessary. Growing demand from customers and for digital workspaces means a growth on the reliance of connectivity. All of this means that seamless, ‘always on’ connectivity and greater data consumption are here to stay too.

Shaping how customers interact with the digital world by always pushing forward the next generation of networks and technology. In the UK, 5G and full fibre rollout continues at pace and high capacity, high speed networks will support greater consumption of connectivity. These technologies open up new opportunities for BT like 5G private networks.

Digitalisation and the shift to cloud technology is changing the way our customers live. Businesses are continuing to digitise, with communication and collaboration tools, and with shifts to cloud technology, AI and machine learning, which are a critical part of new solutions and BT’s operations.

BT places a focus on connection through our devices, machines and sensors, each aspect plays an ever increasing role in our homes and in our workplaces. Alongside this, edge computing is changing how people and machines connect and what can be done with these connections.

Traditional telcos and new entrants in the consumer and enterprise connectivity markets continue to drive intense competition. Competitive markets are ever present in all our active markets and as connectivity and digital service markets intertwine, we continue to face a larger and wider set of competitors – big and small.

Furthermore, we care about our impact environmental and socially, as consumers, companies and other entities have an expectation that we uphold our social responsibilities and trust that we will aim to make positive environmental changes. As well as our social and environmental impact, we have to adapt to the continuous uncertainty present in our current economic climate. We have to work to deliver the best results we can during times of inflation, investment loss and smaller budget costs.

Lastly, a key part of being a modern telco like BT is having an increased focus on data privacy and the threats posed by cyber security. Every day, consumers, businesses and regulators want more insight and transparency on how and where their personal information is being used and why it’s being kept. An ever-growing amount of cyber-attacks and data breaches in the past year highlight the importance of having a trusted provider like BT to help prepare, identify, mitigate and manage threats.

As the Space Strategy Lead for BT, what is the opportunity? And do you foresee any potential barriers?  

Space is a very exciting area now – there is significant public and private investment going into the sector. Much lower cost access to space is democratising space, so we are seeing lots of interesting start ups coming to market in areas beyond traditional satellite connectivity, e.g. in space manufacturing. 

Additionally, technical limitations around latency are being removed through the emergence of Low Earth Orbit satellites and High Altitude Pseudo Platforms, so these are becoming more viable options for remote / rural connectivity as well use for cases around resiliency. 

We are also seeing an ever increasing convergence between terrestrial and non- terrestrial connectivity, facilitated by 5G 3GPP standards, which will make it easier to integrate satellite into fixed and mobile networks.

The main barrier remains that of cost of satellite capacity – the removal of technical limitations is a significant step forward, but cost can still be prohibitive. 

You’re speaking in the closing keynote panel about the need to collaborate and re-align the communications eco-system. Can you give us some insight into your views on this subject when approaching it from a satellite connectivity perspective rather than terrestrial?  

In a world of Internet of Things, network coverage goes beyond population coverage to geographic coverage, and there is no one silver bullet for rural / remote connectivity. It will be about bringing together the most appropriate earth, air and space based technologies and integrating them seamlessly to be able to deliver end to end services for both consumer and business customers. 

In a country like the UK with very high levels of terrestrial coverage, air and space based technologies will only ever be a small part of an overall solution, but none the less they will play a critical role both in terms of connecting hard to reach locations and providing additional resilience.

What are you looking forward to at Total Telecom Congress next month? 

Seeing and meeting my peers in person. Being inspired.

Mauro and 1,000 senior global connectivity leaders will be meeting in London on 1st and 2nd November for Total Telecom Congress 2022. Head to the event website to find out how to join.

The post The sky’s the limit for BT first appeared on Total Telecom.

NEWS

The government has rejected the proposed remedies initially offered by the two Canadian telcos, suggesting further measures are needed to maintain market competition

Back in March 2021, Rogers Communications agreed to purchase its rival Shaw Communications for $21 billion including debt, a move that would reduce the Canadian mobile market from four players to three.

The deal was immediately controversial, with detractors arguing that the merger would lead to less choice and higher prices for consumers.

Rogers and Shaw, meanwhile, held that the merger would not lead to higher prices for consumers, would create roughly 3,000 jobs in Western Canada, and accelerate the national rollout of 5G technology. They also suggested that the move would generate roughly C$1 billion in synergies.

While the deal quickly received the green light from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, approval from the national Competition Bureau was less forthcoming. Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell said that the deal threatened “to under the significant progress [the Commission] has made introducing more competition into an already concentrated wireless services market”.

As such, remedies to this regulatory quagmire have been sought throughout 2021, most of which being centred on the future of Shaw’s mobile unit, Freedom Mobile.

In May, Shaw and Rogers proposed divesting in some of Freedom’s wireless assets, but when this was rejected, the duo pivoted quickly to sell the unit in its entirety. By June, the pair had struck a deal with Quebecor, owner of wireless operator Vidéotron, who had offered to purchase the unit for C$2.85 billion – at a price significantly below analyst estimations.

However, this too has proved insufficient to placate the regulator, with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, this week saying that yet more conditions will be needed if approval is to be granted.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Champagne said that Vidéotron must commit to holding the Freedom Mobile unit for a minimum of 10 years, as well as pledging to offer their new customers in Western Canada prices similar to those offered in Quebec.

“I would expect to see prices for wireless service in Ontario and Western Canada comparable to what Videotron is currently offering in Quebec, which are today on average 20% lower than in the rest of Canada,” said Champagne.

In a statement to Bloomberg, Quebecor’s CEO, Pierre Karl Péladeau, said the company would comply with these stipulations, saying they were “in line with our business philosophy”.

The news will come as something of a blow to Shaw and Rogers, who had initially hoped to transfer all of Shaw’s spectrum licences to Rogers as part of the deal. This was always highly optimistic, however, with the government indicating very early on in the regulatory process that it was loathe to allow the new entity such a dominant market position.

“Earlier this year, I stated that I would—under no circumstances—permit the wholesale transfer of wireless spectrum licences from Shaw to Rogers,” said Champagne in a statement this week. “Today, I officially denied that request, which had been pending before me.”

Also in the news:
How smart city technology is transforming Sunderland
Vodafone announces flurry of Open RAN partnerships
Saudi Public Investment Firm seeks majority stake in STC towerco

The post Canadian govt applies more conditions to Rogers­–Shaw merger first appeared on Total Telecom.

Customers of UK ISP Sky Broadband appear to be suffering from significant service disruption to their internet access and phone services in parts of North West England today (mostly around the Greater Manchester, Warrington and Lancashire areas), although oddly Sky’s Service Status page remains green for many of those affected. The issue first started to […]

NEWS

The international operator group has previously announced that it aims to see 30% of its European mobile sites equipped with Open RAN equipment by 2030

This week, Vodafone has announced its latest string of Open RAN partners, further demonstrating the operator’s commitment to Open RAN network architecture.

First and foremost among these announcements is a partnership with Nokia, aiming to create a fully compliant Open RAN solution leveraging Nokia’s ReefShark system on a chip (SoC). The duo say they will create an Open RAN baseband system that can deliver services on par with traditional mobile RAN infrastructure, with live demonstrations using third-party COTS servers to take place early next year.

Nokia’s ReefShark technology is co-developed with Marvell, a chip specialist with whom Vodafone is becoming increasingly entwined. In fact, the company’s second announcement incudes an expansion of the operator’s existing Open RAN partnership with Samsung, inviting Marvell to join the duo’s Open RAN R&D efforts.

“Vodafone and Samsung are combining their technical leadership and embracing open standards with Marvell’s advanced silicon chipset. Together, we can deliver an Open RAN system with features and performance that rivals that of traditional mobile radio networks now, and can better them in future, whilst bringing much needed resilience to the vendor supply chain,” explained Vodafone CTO Johan Wibergh, who is retiring at the end of the year and will be replaced by current chief digital and IT officer Scott Petty.

Earlier this year, the Samsung and Vodafone had collaborated to launch the UK’s first live 5G Open RAN site.

The third deal is also closely related to chipsets, this time with US firm Qualcomm. The new partnership will see Vodafone work with the silicon specialist to develop, test and integrate next-generation 5G distributed units and radio units for use in massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) deployments. These units will make use of Qualcomm’s latest X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card and QRU100 5G RAN Platform, which the company announced back in September.

Lastly, Vodafone has signed a new memorandum of understanding with Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo, pledging to “harmonise mobile operator system integration and test processes”; in short, promising to share their Open RAN-related expertise, technologies, and test results with one another. In particular, the operators’ will reportedly focus on exploring two of Open RAN’s most exciting technical elements: the Service Management Orchestrator and the RAN Intelligent Controller.

“The collective R&D power of Vodafone and DOCOMO will lower the entry barrier for many more companies across Europe and Asia wishing to build Open RAN networks. Rather than fragmenting the industry, Open RAN is bringing us together, across continents, to drive diversification of network equipment vendors and ensure greater systems integration,” said Wibergh.

Alongside this new string of partnerships, Vodafone says it will be taking its Open RAN operations in Germany to the next level, following successful trials in the city of Plauen earlier this year.

A new 5G Open RAN pilot project is being planned to take place in early 2023, seeing the technology deployed in commercial networks in rural areas in Southeast Bavaria and Northeast Lower Saxony.

For Vodafone, this deployment will mark the beginning of a wider German rollout over the next two to three years; in total, Vodafone aims to have 30% of its mobile sites in Europe equipped with Open RAN tech by 2030.

“This will be the first Open RAN system in Germany that not only uses open interfaces but is built on both hardware and software from multiple vendors that is fully interchangeable and interoperable based on the choice of the operator,” explained Santiago Tenorio, Director of Network Architecture for Vodafone. “It brings timely resilience to the supply chain, allowing us to work with a greater number and more diverse pool of suppliers. Greater competition also encourages innovation, leading to a better mobile experience for our customers.”

It is still very much early days for Open RAN technology, which has yet to prove itself at scale in live networks. Nonetheless, Vodafone’s increasing commitment to the nascent technology is setting the operator apart from its rivals.

Will Open RAN ultimately disrupt the telecoms vendor ecosystem or is it hot air? Join the experts in discussion at this year’s live Total Telecom Congress

Also in the news:
The missing 3.2 billion…
New EXA investment serves customers across the Iberian peninsula
Startup stories: Facing up to cybersecurity risks

The post Vodafone announces flurry of Open RAN partnerships first appeared on Total Telecom.

PRESS RELEASE

Arqit Quantum Inc., a leader in quantum-safe encryption, has signed a contract with Nine23 Ltd, a cyber security solutions provider for UK regulated and compliant sectors, to deploy Arqit’s QuantumCloud™, a symmetric key agreement software, on Nine23’s UK Sovereign Secure Private Cloud infrastructure – Platform FLEX – to provide the highest level of assurance for its customers.

Nine23’s proprietary Platform FLEX provides a multi-private cloud environment with direct network gateway connectivity to all UK government networks including the PSN, PNN, RLI, HSCN and others. The proven, accredited platform offers data residency and solution integration that can be used for Official-Sensitive and higher classifications. Arqit and Nine23 will work together to address government and defence customers looking to improve the security of their infrastructure against cyberattacks, remove the vulnerabilities associated with legacy encryption method Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and prevent data security threats posed by Quantum computers.

This partnership will deliver a fully managed UK Sovereign deployment of QuantumCloud™ for government and defence customers across data networks and infrastructure without the need for significant changes to the existing hardware, software, or support.

The services will be available on the new G-Cloud 13 framework via the Digital Marketplace. G-Cloud 13, provides hosting and software services, together with associated support services to UK government departments, other public sector bodies, and Enterprise customers supporting Critical National Infrastructure. It will be launched on 9th November.

Commenting, David Williams, Arqit Founder, Chairman and CEO, said “We are pleased to work with Nine23 to deliver our product to classified UK government projects. We believe that sovereign cloud services have high growth potential and Nine23 has done a great job to become firmly established with existing security cleared contract frameworks through which Arqit is able to gain fast track market access to this government business.”

Stuart McKean, Nine23 CEO, said: “We are delighted to choose Arqit to work with Nine23. Arqit is renowned as one of the most innovative UK companies in the market providing us with the technology to accelerate stronger, simpler encryption via our Platform FLEX. QuantumCloud™ services are the future happening today and we look forward to delivering a true UK technology partnership.”

Arqit’s Chief Cryptographer, Daniel Shiu, is talking about the role of quantum technologies in telecoms at the Total Telecom Congress on the 1 November 2022. Make sure you don’t miss it by booking your place here

The post Arqit to provide secure cloud services for UK Government first appeared on Total Telecom.