Sky (Sky TV, Sky Broadband etc.) has reportedly informed its trade suppliers that they will cease installing “new” satellite TV dishes on customer homes by the end of 2023, which is widely understood to reflect their increasing adoption of broadband internet based IPTV (video streaming etc.) delivery methods. At present most of Sky’s TV services […]

Contributed Article

Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of ConsumerLab at Ericsson, shares insights on UK consumer perceptions of 5G and the reasons for its sluggish uptake across the country

Consumer adoption numbers for 5G services in the UK make for sobering reading. According to our ConsumerLab research, UK customer numbers lag behind leading markets such as the US and Asia, almost half of non-5G smartphone users have no plans to upgrade, while the cost-of-living crisis has already led to 15% delaying plans to purchase a 5G device.

When you consider that we’ve passed the three-year anniversary of 5G’s UK launch, flagship phones from major manufacturers all have 5G capability, and coverage is available from all UK operators in almost every major city, this lack of interest in the UK is concerning.

The reality is that only hardcore early adopters have signed up for 5G in the UK. This leads us to an obvious question. Why has the public been so slow in adopting a technology that promises so much?

It is within the question that we see an answer. 5G’s promise, more specifically the fact that consumers in the UK are yet to see much of a difference from 4G, is the crux of the issue. It’s a catch-22 situation for operators, who can’t convince consumers to buy exciting new services built on 5G if such services don’t exist in any meaningful way, but can’t justify the creation of such services without strong demand…

Population coverage is no longer King

The first thing telco operators need to do is to wean themselves off the idea that success means covering large swathes of the population with 5G.

In truth, even this has yet to be fully achieved, as the UK’s total population coverage stands at 54 percent, while our ConsumerLab research shows that only 13% of consumers perceive being connected to 5G more than 50% of time.

The fact is the telco industry has sacrificed performance in its focus on coverage. We have relied on low-band spectrum, Non-Standalone Core and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing, all of which combine to deliver an experience only marginally better than 4G. When you look at benchmarking from Opensignal, the UK is not in the top 15 countries when it comes to 5G performance and user experience.

Part of 5G’s real potential lies in better performance and content-rich experiences in densely populated areas, the type of service you can achieve with targeted, smaller-scale coverage and mid-band spectrum.

Sports stadia, airports and other congested areas would benefit hugely from such deployment, while consumers would see a real difference in mobile performance. Operators need to deliberately consider the places where people use mobile broadband and focus on delivering real step-change 5G experiences in those locations.

Converting customers and reaping the rewards

Operators in leading markets show the way forward. For example, SK Telecom in South Korea has a growing portfolio of immersive 5G services and platforms, notably its metaverse platform, ‘ifland’. The first month after its launch, the download rate doubled and its active users increased by over 24 percent.

Leading operators from across various markets that offer differentiated 5G experience and valued services see a rise in customer loyalty. They enjoy an NPS on average 4.9 points higher compared to competitors, a much higher rating for brand quality (32 percent more) and are three times more likely to retain their subscribers.

They also benefit from a notable commercial bump, driving significant ROI. Operators offering strong 5G performance and services are twice as likely to grow ARPU and mobile service revenues through a smart blend of pricing innovation and bundling of 5G services. Our research shows that while consumers aren’t willing to pay a premium for just speed and connectivity, they will pay up to 20 percent more if innovative 5G services are offered as an add-on.

Until UK operators launch similar rich, enhanced applications and services that can really showcase the technology’s true power, why should consumers switch from 4G?

Enabling and promoting step change 5G

We have to be clear that if we fail to turn the tide on consumer interest in 5G quickly, we are going to miss out on the biggest benefits of the technology. More customers will be lost during the cost-of-living crisis, investment in the sector will dwindle, and 5G innovation will occur outside of the UK.

However, there is also a fantastic opportunity – the consumer demand for the ‘promise of 5G’ remains strong, and the UK market is primed for a step-change 5G experience with feature-rich services and applications. The operator(s) that can deliver and market it will emerge as the true winners of this mobile generation.

For insights on how leaders in other countries have achieved increased customer loyalty and ROI from 5G, along with detailed insights on what matters most to consumers, visit Ericsson’s ConsumerLab.

The post UK consumers aren’t seeing the value of 5G – and it’s up to the telco industry to address this first appeared on Total Telecom.

We are delighted to announce the winners of the Connected Britain Awards 2023, celebrating excellence throughout the UK’s connectivity industry and beyond.

The winner of each award can be found below, alongside the judges’ commentary.

 

B2B Service Provider of the Year

Winner: Pangea Connected

Highly commended: Giganet B2B Service

“The judges called this an important set of IoT services for the industry, with clear evidence of customers’ problems being taken into account during design. 

With great customer retention and NPS score demonstrating excellent customer service, this is a service that is thriving in a competitive, high-growth part of the industry.”

 

Broadband Provider of the Year

Winner: Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN)

“The winner in this category has always had a commitment to ‘leave no-one behind’ and deliver quality service in challenging rural areas through community engagement. 10 years after connecting their first customers, this company looks sustainable – and now even scalable. 

One judge called this company “a leading light in the fibre industry”, with their entry showing great evidence of excellent customer service, innovative packages, and effective local partnerships below Council level.’”

Digital Skills Award

Winner: BT Skills for Tomorrow

Highly commended: Good Things Foundation

“The winner in this category demonstrated a diverse programme already having a wide impact across the UK, with an ambition to go considerably further by 2026. This is a project reaching many varied communities, including parents, children, job seekers, the elderly, vulnerable people, and even small businesses, bringing major benefits to communities on a national level.”

 

Enterprise Solution of the Year

Winner: Nokia, Vodafone UK & Kinected Solutions – Banshee Mobile Radio

“The winner of this brand new award featured a very interesting and innovative set of partnerships, bringing together an important solution for humanitarian disaster. This collaboration between the armed forces and technology companies has produced an advanced and rapidly deployable mobile private network.”

Project Rollout Award

Winner: CityFibre

“The winner of this award presented the judges with solid evidence of their numerous initiatives, which included improving deployment, deliverability, network quality, and acceleration of their fibre rollout. 

One judge described the winning company as ‘trailblazers in rolling out gigabit connectivity’, while another noted the company’s ‘outstanding progress to become the #2 UK network’.”

The Access Innovation Award

Winner: 5G RuralDorset

“Judges described the winner of this brand new award of having “ground-breaking ideas for addressing how to reach difficult-to-reach coastal and offshore areas”, backed up by a great case study with impressive results. 

One Judge went so far as to say that similar rural regions in the UK should look to the winner of this category as a role model in the field of access innovation.”

The Barrier Removal Award

Winner: Trenches Law

“Another tough category here, with the winner demonstrating fantastic innovation to a long-standing manual process, rapidly accelerating one of the most significant barriers to connectivity, with tangible benefits to its users. 

When it comes to wayleaves, one of the biggest barriers to infrastructure deployment in the UK, this company has become unbeatable.”

The Community Improvement Award

Winner: Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN)

“The Connected Britain judges were full of compliments for this company’s entry, with one describing it as ‘a legendary scheme that shows how to engage communities through volunteering to build out a future-proofed network.’ 

This company is famed for helping rural communities to take connectivity matters into their own hands.”

The Full Fibre ISP Innovation Award

Winner: Wessex Internet

“This was a highly competitive category with a myriad of entrants from all over the country.  

The winner here told a great story, supported by comprehensive evidence, showing how a successful rural ISP can be grown to solve one of the most challenging problems in rolling out fibre to rural areas.” 

The Industrial Innovation Award

Winner: South Gloucestershire Council & Toshiba Europe Ltd, Bristol Research and Innovation Lab

“The winner in this new category presented an important contribution in stimulating technology development, business start-ups, and growth. 

By creating one of the world’s largest open, programmable, smart city and industrial IoT testbeds, the winner of this award continues to drive innovation in the journey towards Industry 4.0.” 

The Smart Places Award

Winner: South London Partnership InnOvaTe project – with DORIS care

“The Smart Places Award winner showcased an excellent project that has deployed IoT solutions at scale, creating real impact for local authorities. 

Tackling real world problems for people across their target region, the winning entry was even shown to be saving lives through their impressive use of the IoT.”

The Sustainability Award

Winner: BT’s ECO Programme

“The winner of this important award demonstrated a broad variety of sustainability initiatives, including recycling e-waste at scale and a deeper engagement with the circular economy.  

The project recycled over 2,500 tonnes of equipment last year, with the judges saying that the company’s overall approach and understanding of these issues should be applauded.”

Startup of the Year Award

Winner: Curvalux

Unlike the other awards, which were chosen by the judges weeks in advance, the new Startup of the Year Award was decided at the Connected Britain conference itself. Ten shortlisted startups were invite to pitch their products and services directly to a panel of four judges live at the event, with the judges scoring on a variety of metrics, including creativity, scalability, and real-world impact.

“Curvalux has developed and deployed a patented multi-beam technology that pushes the envelope on current solutions and improves connectivity in suburban and rural areas, as well as enabling FWA. Their energy efficient solutions and experience in both Mobile and Satellite connectivity and field trials with MNO’s and ISP’s in US, Africa, Latin America, and Asia will help connect the 3.2 billion unconnected and poorly connected populations worldwide and enable digital services such as education, healthcare and communication with friends and family.”

The post Connected Britain Awards Winners 2022 first appeared on Total Telecom.

The UK Government has issued their response to last year’s technical consultation on changes to the existing ‘Building Regulations 2010‘, which sets out their final position on the legal framework for making it mandatory for property developers to ensure that new build homes are constructed with support for faster broadband. As it stands today around […]

The Welsh Government (WG) has shared a Q2 2022 progress update on their £52.5 million Phase 2 Superfast Cymru contract with Openreach (BT), which reveals that a total of 32,949 extra premises (up from 29,959 in Q1) have now gained access to a 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network. The original deal consisted of […]

Press Release

Joining the initiative offers the TIM Group the opportunity to play a decisive role within a coalition supported by the EU Commission and Parliament that aims to harness the potential of digital solutions in green transformation

The TIM Group has become part of the European Green Digital Coalition, a project launched by leading European companies in the ICT sector and supported by the European Commission and Parliament, with the aim of harnessing the potential of digital solutions to enable the green transformation.

TIM has signed the Declaration to support ‘The Green and Digital Transformation of the EU’ which establishes the commitment to bring forward achievement of the ‘net zero’ objective to 2040, set as 2050 by the ‘European Law on Climate’, to underline the commitment to reduce the emissions of its production chain and the selection of ever more sustainable suppliers.

Entry into the European Green Digital Coalition is further confirmation of the centrality of ESG objectives in the TIM Group’s Industrial Plan, strengthening the commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2040. Climate strategy, circular economy, digital growth and the valorisation of human capital are the main pillars on which the Group focuses to offer people and businesses the opportunities of a sustainability-based digital transformation.

The Coalition, established in 2021, aims to demonstrate the telecommunications industry’s enabling role in the achievement of climate targets, contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions both directly and indirectly, through the development and distribution of green and efficient digital solutions also in other sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture and construction. The Coalition will also collaborate with some European organisations to define standards that can scientifically demonstrate emission reduction by implementing digital solutions. The Coalition, whose Secretariat is managed by GESI, ETNO, GSMA and the SME Alliance, will work in close collaboration with the European Commission.

The recent validation of the decarbonisation objectives by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) also moves in the same direction: with respect to 2019, by 2030 TIM will reduce by 75% emissions from the company’s production (Scope 1) and the purchase of electricity (Scope 2), also thanks to the commitment to purchase 100% renewable energy by 2025, and by 47% emissions from its value chain (Scope 3) relating to the purchase of goods and services, the acquisition of capital goods and the use of products sold to customers.

The post TIM joins ICT sector’s ‘European Green Digital Coalition’ first appeared on Total Telecom.

Press Release

Cellnex UK has partnered with deep tech innovation organisation CPI to launch a new private 5G testbed for demonstrating and commercialising HealthTech innovations. The showcase facility is at CPI’s Coxon Building within the North East Technology Park (NETPark), County Durham and will host organisations as they design, develop, test and upscale digital and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for the healthcare sector.

Private 5G networks and IoT can transform the patient experience and provide NHS Trusts and other healthcare providers with critical improvements in network reliability, capacity, speed, and security. The technology has the potential to alleviate many of the key issues faced in the healthcare industry today.

The testbed will showcase how 5G networks enhance data security, boost communications to drive efficiencies and improve patient wellbeing in healthcare. It will demonstrate the use of 5G and IoT-enabled technologies in a healthcare setting – ranging from real-time asset management of equipment and medical supplies to VR headsets for surgery.

Steven Bagshaw, Head of Business Strategy – HealthTech at CPI, said: “The collaboration between Cellnex UK and CPI provides an incredible opportunity to accelerate the commercialisation of next-generation connected healthcare devices and solutions into the healthcare sector. Underpinned by digital innovation and multi-partner development programmes, our role is to bring together the HealthTech ecosystem to unlock existing pain points, whilst creating a reduced risk environment for partners to explore novel digital innovations which ultimately help improve the patient experience of the future.”

“Supporting digital innovation up and down the country is key to Cellnex UK, and this partnership with CPI is an exciting prospect for the healthcare sector,” said David Crawford, Managing Director, Cellnex UK. “Wireless connectivity is a critical foundation for success, and this private 5G testbed will enable the advancement of digital transformation in society, with the potential to revolutionise the way we care for people. For example, we are testing remote refrigeration monitoring, which will reduce waste from medical supplies including highly-perishable vaccines. This will reduce healthcare providers’ costs and – most importantly – mean that we can deliver more life-saving vaccinations to people who need them in a shorter period of time.”

Cellnex UK and CPI are working with an advisory board of senior healthcare professionals and have engaged with 5G stakeholders, regulatory experts, universities and Government agencies to identify key challenges in the sector; allowing the prioritisation of projects to develop and deploy in the 5G testbed before commercialisation in a live environment.

The project aims to have at least one innovation commercially adopted by the healthcare sector within 12 months.

Looking to the future, the testbed has the potential to act as a blueprint for industries beyond just healthcare, as private 5G technology can open doors for innovation and digitised operations across multiple sectors including manufacturing, energy, transportation and logistics.

Technology companies and healthcare providers wishing to find out more about the collaboration are invited to a launch event of the testbed at CPI’s facilities in County Durham on October 19. Find out more: https://www.uk-cpi.com/events/enabling-a-private-5g-healthcare-ecosystem-2

The post Cellnex UK partners with CPI to accelerate HealthTech innovation with new 5G testbed first appeared on Total Telecom.

Contributed Article

Daren Baythorpe, CEO of wholesale full fibre provider, ITS Technology Group discusses how the progress and delivery of ‘Gigabit Britain’ is being accelerated with joined up thinking across the public and private sectors

The road to ‘Gigabit Britain’ continues to gather pace. In the last twelve months, 70%[i] of the UK now has a gigabit broadband technology option, while true full fibre access has grown from 25% to around 40%.

This has been achieved thanks to an extraordinary push by infrastructure providers such as ITS. During this period, the altnet community has also continued to grow substantially, with combined financial firepower behind it now comparable to the scale of many of BT and Virgin’s investments.

While the delivery capabilities of these organisations are vital to get fibre into the ground, collaboration is a key enabler, bigger than the sum of its parts, that will ensure we meet the government’s ambitious targets for universal access to gigabit-capable services by 2030.

This was why ITS launched its Faster Britain programme in 2020, as a vehicle to work collaboratively with our stakeholders including our partner ISPs and resellers. A brand that they can get behind, helping them to go to market selling connectivity solutions to businesses, as we continue to accelerate our full fibre builds to major towns and cities across the UK.

Making the most of reuse

As a business, we have long recognised the benefits of reuse and ‘dig once’ network build methods which offer a more sustainable, environmentally friendly approach to delivering full fibre.

As well as being Openreach Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) accredited, ITS works closely with local authorities to maximise their existing assets, building on the success achieved across Nottingham. Having signed the first agreement of its kind with the City Council – a concession to reuse its city centre and tram ducts – we have forged many similar agreements since.

With increased joined up thinking, projects that are designed to utilise existing infrastructure are delivered more efficiently with less disruption to the local communities they are designed to serve.

The next level of collaboration

One of our most notable public private projects currently underway is LCR Connect, a £30m 212km rich full fibre spine that will reach 29k businesses across the six local authority areas of the Liverpool City Region – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

With more than 30% already built, LCR Connect is bringing to life a key manifesto pledge by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, designed to drive economic growth and better equip the businesses of the Liverpool City Region. It is a joint venture that takes public private collaboration to the next level being 50%-owned by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA), in partnership with ITS working alongside our construction partner NGE, who is managing the build and roll out of the network.

At the heart of LCR Connect’s delivery strategy is the collaboration between the JV and each of the six local authorities that make up the Liverpool City Region. This approach is not only harnessing the opportunities of full fibre, it is also helping to overcome many of the challenges and barriers that are part and parcel of building full fibre networks; from wayleaves to highways.

Smart collaboration facilitates smarter builds

To sum up, we cannot underestimate the complexities associated with infrastructure builds. These challenges are simplified when there is greater stakeholder collaboration. While the public sector is forward thinking in its mindset to creating better, smarter environments for its communities, there is still some way to go before there is true collaboration between the wider ecosystem such as landowners, developers, and housing associations. As these mindsets shift, the rewards will be great, and will further smooth and accelerate the path to a truly Gigabit-Great Britain.

[i] Source: ThinkBroadband

 

 

The post The art of smart collaboration first appeared on Total Telecom.

Ookla, which maintains the Speedtest.net service, has published their latest Q2 2022 report into the internet download, upload and latency speeds for UK customers – and those in other countries – on SpaceX’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) based Starlink ultrafast broadband satellites. The bad news is that speeds have fallen sharply over the past year. […]

Mobile operator and ISP Vodafone UK has launched a flexible new package called ‘Pulse Connect‘, which for one monthly fee will bundle together business broadband, unlimited calls to UK mobile and landlines, collaboration software (Microsoft 365 Suite), and cloud calling tools for small and medium enterprises. Customers can build their own bespoke bundles too, with […]