British satellite operator OneWeb, which is partly owned by the UK Government and various other investors, is reportedly seeking funding of around £3bn from a group of banks to help it cover the cost of massively expanding their ultrafast broadband network with second-generation (GEN2) satellites. The company has so far managed to launch 428 of […]

During the week we revealed that Openreach were preparing to pilot a faster 1.2Gbps and 1.8Gbps tier on their UK FTTP broadband ISP lines (here). As part of that, they also intend to test two new Optical Network Terminals (ONT / ONU) for installation inside homes, and we’ve now got some details on those too. […]

Press Release

Initial projects will include manufacturing quality inspection and defect detection, healthcare connected asset management, and drone-based visual inspection of roads and bridges

Verizon and the University of South Carolina are exploring how 5G Ultra Wideband can transform industries including manufacturing, healthcare and civil infrastructure, among others. To do this, Verizon and the university launched the Innovation Experience Hub, powered by Verizon 5G housed in the McNair Center in Columbia, SC where students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and corporate partners can collaborate to test and create new solutions powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, which is available in select areas.

Innovators at the hub will leverage 5G connectivity and solutions to help improve manufacturing processes with quality sensing and defect detection. In healthcare, they’ll test how 5G can enhance emergency response by enabling remote health monitoring and real-time analysis of patient vitals, as well as hospital connected asset management, to streamline asset retrieval and dispatch operations. When it comes to civil infrastructure, researchers will examine how 5G communications can enhance monitoring of roads and bridges with condition analytics and reporting, as well as drone-based visual inspection of roads, bridges and buildings, using AI-driven computer vision.

“Working with the University of South Carolina, we have a great opportunity to collaborate with dozens of partners to ideate and develop new 5G-powered solutions leveraging the latest technologies, including large-scale IoT, artificial intelligence, computer vision and augmented reality,” said Jennifer Artley, Verizon Business Senior Vice President of 5G Acceleration. “Verizon is the network America relies on. Giving researchers access to Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband, with its high bandwidth and low latency, can accelerate the innovation process, leading to new solutions that will transform how enterprises operate and grow.”

“Our relationship with Verizon exemplifies the benefits of partnerships between the University of South Carolina and the business community,” university president Michael Amiridis said. “This aligns with our focus on expanding research opportunities that solve problems and accelerate discoveries.”

This engagement is part of Verizon’s broader strategy to partner with enterprises, startups, universities, national labs and government/military organizations, to explore how 5G can disrupt and transform nearly every industry. Verizon operates several 5G Labs in the U.S. that specialize in developing use cases in industries ranging from healthcare to public safety to entertainment. In addition, Verizon is collaborating with various customers to establish 5G Innovation Hubs on-premises as part of an ongoing initiative to co-innovate and create new 5G applications.

The battle for 5G supremacy in the US is still red hot! Join the operators in discussion about their 5G plans and more at the upcoming Connected America conference

Also in the news:
BT and Atos strike computer vision partnership
South West ISP Truespeed appoints non-exec to accelerate rollout
Nothing changes if nothing changes: The UK’s full fibre rollout cannot rely solely on central government

The post Verizon launches 5G Innovation Hub with the University of South Carolina first appeared on Total Telecom.

NEWS

Japanese SAR satellite data and solutions provider, Synspective, has successfully reached target orbit with its third SAR satellite, StriX-1.

StriX-1 was launched from New Zealand by Rocket Lab, an end-to-end space company who offer a range of services including launch and satellite manufacture. The satellite was put into its target orbit, a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), with an altitude of 561km with the purpose of providing observation and data acquisition to monitor cities and infrastructure. Use cases for such satellites range from monitoring shipping and transport through to observing potential geohazards.

Synspective founder and CEO, Dr. Motoyuki Arai said “With our “StriX-α” and “StriX-β” satellites already in orbit, Synspective has been able to develop its techniques and acquire the know-how for multiple operations. With the addition of our third satellite, we will be able to increase troves of data to analyze and interpret for real-world applications and our client’s wide range of needs as well as further accelerate the construction of the satellite constellation.”

The post Rocket man – Synspective founder celebrates StriX-1 orbit first appeared on Total Telecom.

Contributed Article

Gigabit Britain will level up SME access to highspeed connectivity from ‘north to south, country to coast’ boosting local economies according to Dave Hudson, Head of Partnerships & Alliances at wholesale full fibre provider ITS Technology Group

The benefits of a high-speed internet connection are well documented and understood. Futureproof full fibre is essential to underpin technologies and communications, and the drive to rollout this infrastructure is vital for the UK to remain competitive on the world stage.

While we learn to live with a backdrop of COVID, the lockdowns of the last couple of years have necessitated the use of technology to allow people to work from home, keeping the wheels of industry turning, which has accelerated the digital transformation journeys of many SMEs.

The emergence of full fibre

However, connectivity, specifically high-speed connectivity, has been an eternal challenge for many businesses. There are substantial areas of the UK where older, unreliable copper-based networks are yet to be upgraded, which means that access to a gigabit-capable internet connection has been a postcode lottery. With a dedicated service cost prohibitive for a lot of businesses, they have been left with no choice but to get by and make do with slow speeds, feeling unable to take advantage of technologies that should be available to them.

The rollout of Gigabit Britain is changing this. The latest statistics from Thinkbroadband reveal that full fibre coverage has increased by 15% to 40% in the last 12 months, giving more businesses access to the kind of digital infrastructure that supports the technologies that will transform their business.

Full fibre is a leveller. Allowing ‘Davids’ to compete with ‘Goliaths’. Even contended full fibre broadband services are inherently more reliable and faster. This has opened the doors for SMEs to adopt game-changing technologies with confidence, such as cloud, as-a-service, and AI which have been the territory of enterprise with big budgets. It is allowing SMEs to punch above their weight, trade more easily across the globe, while delivering a significant boost to their local economies.

The barriers to adoption

As a wholesaler of full fibre connectivity, we launched the Faster Britain brand in 2020, a programme that our ISP and reseller partners can really get behind, to help them go to market, educate on, and sell gigabit-capable services to businesses. We have recently updated our Faster Britain solutions portfolio in response to feedback from our partners around the misconceptions surrounding FTTC vs. FTTP that still exist in the marketplace. We have developed a product that gives our partners the business case to help customers step off copper onto full fibre.

With the retirement of copper now around the corner, the reality of its switch off hasn’t hit home yet for many businesses. Education around the benefits, including the reliability of full fibre vs. last mile copper is still ongoing. Businesses need to be, and must be supported through this transition. In a way, it is reminiscent of the switch from analogue to digital TV which started in 2007 and was completed in 2012.

The full fibre opportunity

We know that SME businesses like to buy from other SMEs, and this UK-wide rollout is creating a great opportunity for local ISPs and resellers to deliver connectivity to local businesses, further bolstering local economies.

Once full fibre is deployed, it is a catalyst of change for good, creating opportunities, driving inward investment, and attracting talent. We are now at the point where digitalisation has become a fundamental prerequisite for almost all paths to innovation.

 

Connected Britain 2022 is taking place live in London next week! Join ITS and thousands of other telecoms delegates at the UK’s seminal digital economy event

Also in the news:
BT and Atos strike computer vision partnership
South West ISP Truespeed appoints non-exec to accelerate rollout
Nothing changes if nothing changes: The UK’s full fibre rollout cannot rely solely on central government

The post Levelling up the connectivity playing field for UK businesses first appeared on Total Telecom.

A new experimental test of early 6G mobile broadband technology, which was conducted by LG Electronics (LG) at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Germany, has demonstrated a wireless signal working over the TeraHertz (THz) band that could reach a distance of 320 metres (significant, given the spectrum). At present existing 5G networks are […]

PRESS RELEASE

Powered by Arabsat’s BADR-7 high-throughput satellite and based on Forsway’s Xtend platform, XtndNet offers users 50 Mb download speeds. Many consumers in under- connected locations – more than 100,000 in the UK according to OFCOM – have under 3 Mb and no other options for an affordable, fast, and reliable broadband connection. The XtndNet service is available now in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and will expand to Germany, Scandinavia, the Baltics, and Africa in the next year.

-“There are more than 100,000 households throughout the UK without an adequate broadband connection. Those people are left behind – as everything from government services to grocery shopping and television now rely on broadband connectivity,” says Travis Mooney, CEO at XtndNet. “Our service uses a satellite download to immediately remedy this challenge for users throughout the UK and Ireland; simply point a dish, install a router, and we can provide almost anyone an immediate upgrade, bridging the digital divide.”

-“We are excited to showcase the XtndNet solution at Connected Britain and demonstrate how easy it can be for ISPs to extend their service offering to rural, underserved areas – with no investment required.”

Details of the robust, cost-efficient XtndNet hybrid service

Business benefits for resellers and ISPs: XtndNet helps ISPs reduce churn through a zero-Capex access platform, available immediately. XtndNet can be offered as an ‘add-on’ or to ‘boost’ existing broadband offerings. XtndNet can also be tapped by Video-OTT service providers struggling today with poor connectivity.

Reseller or ISP leverage: No investment in infrastructure is required. XtndNet services can be seamlessly offered as a complementary service to end-users lacking robust connectivity, creating a “stickiness” factor for underserved users. Billing, provisioning, and specialist end-user support are included. XtndNet also provides resellers and ISPs sales & marketing, technical and operational support to launch their local services.
Benefits for end-users: XtndNet is an easy-to-use, revolutionary connection for underserved areas. We offer five-star customer service, with an affordable, always available broadband connection. Our 12 Gigabit Space Superhighway is powered by satcom leader Arabsat. Arabsat’s BADR-7 satellite has coverage of the following European countries: UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, the Baltics, Norway, and Sweden.

Download speed, the delay or latency: Download speed is up to 50 Mb which provides capacity for end-users to enjoy high-value content such as video streaming services. 

XtndNet provides individual wholesale satellite broadband internet access services to resellers (e.g., DSL providers), which may be taken to market by the reseller under their own brand. It is a one-way service via satellite using existing broadband services for the return channel requests.

The service is offered as a one-stop shop for terrestrial providers to improve rural broadband performance. BADR-7, made by EADS Astrium, was launched in 2015 and operates at the orbital position of 26 degrees East. The satellite uses several Gateway locations, which are all based in Europe. The Gateways bridge terrestrial broadband services with the satellite via well-equipped ground stations using Ka and Ku band. 

Features of the breakthrough service solution will be shown during Connected Britain 2022’s “The Future of UK Connectivity” conference and expo, Sept. 20 – 21, London, at XtndNet Stand #S206.

 

The post ISP start-up XtndNet features innovative solution that delivers 50 Mb broadband to underserved UK and Irish users first appeared on Total Telecom.

SpaceX’s global Low Earth Orbit (LEO) based ultrafast satellite broadband service – Starlink – has made it possible for residential customers to optionally take their “High Performance” dish (antenna) instead of the “Standard” one, which could result in better service performance (speeds). But you’ll need deep pockets. Starlink’s mega constellation currently has around 3,023 LEO […]

News

The joint proposition will provide customers with a powerful AI-based analytics tool to extract value from their digital images and videos

As part of a multi-million pound partnership, BT and Atos today launch Digital Vision — a new computer vision solution that will help revolutionise industries, including manufacturing and logistics among others.

Computer vision is a field of artificial intelligence (AI) that enables computers and systems to interpret information from digital images, videos and other visual feeds (including live video streams from a fixed camera or a moving drone) and take automated actions or make recommendations based on the information.

It will combine BT’s leading digital connectivity with Atos’s Computer Vision Platform, a scalable end-to-end solution, providing pre-trained & customizable AI models developed by more than 300 computer vision experts in labs around the world.​

AI video and image analysis is used industry-wide in applications such as transport safety and traffic monitoring, quality control in manufacturing, and location tracking. The joint BT-Atos solution will improve security and monitoring for customers by enabling effective, real-time use of video and image data.

Digital Vision will use BT’s 5G/FTTx multi-access connectivity and edge computing. This ensures business customers receive a scalable, ready-to-deploy service with round-the-clock support and expertise.

The partnership comes after BT recently announced it was investing almost £100 million over the next three years in its ‘Division X’ unit to accelerate the development of customer solutions which integrate emerging technologies like 5G, IoT, Edge Compute, Cloud and AI.

Marc Overton, Managing Director for Division X, part of BT’s Enterprise unit, said: “This partnership with Atos gives us access to the Computer Vision market for the first time, providing us the opportunity to play an even bigger role in the digital transformation of businesses around the world. 

“Working together, we have been able to combine our skillsets to create an innovative platform that provides a host of potential use cases for facilities such as smart ports and transport hubs, to retail and fuel forecourts, to manufacturers. Utilising cutting edge technologies such as 5G, AI and edge computing, this new platform is linked to our wide partnership with Atos and we see huge potential for growth in this space over the next few years.

“Not only will businesses be able to better leverage their video stream data, improve their operational efficiency and enhance their monitoring, but they will also be able to mitigate risk, increase revenue through data monetisation, unlock new applications and open new channels to market.”

Jean-Claude Geha, Global Head of Telecom, Media & Technology at Atos commented: “As our clients are going through their digital transformation, they need the right and best digital services to accelerate the next step of their journey. As a global leader in digital transformation, Atos plays an essential role in co-developing innovative use cases with CSP (Communications Services Provider) for real-time businesses, thanks to its extensive knowledge of Edge and AI technologies and its deep expertise in system integration. We are excited to work, once again, with BT to unlock new capabilities for the Enterprise market where BT is seeking to offer much needed Vertical Digital use cases to increase efficiency, boost productivity, and to improve business opportunities and customer experience.”

BT and Atos have a long-standing relationship with a major outsourcing agreement signed in 2013 and extended in March 2022 until 2026. BT provides Atos with network and communication services to connect its own operations as well as network infrastructure and service to support its customers. Earlier this year, the companies expanded their relationship to co-develop solutions with a focus on sustainability that will combine BT’s capabilities in secure connectivity and infrastructure, including private 5G and edge computing, with Atos’ digital expertise in sectors such as manufacturing.

Connected Britain 2022 is right around the corner! It’s not too late to secure your ticket to join the UK’s largest digital economy event 

Also in the news:
UK telcos to face stricter cybersecurity obligations under new govt rules
Jio prepares to plough $25bn into 5G
VMO2 activates first open RAN sites in live network

 

The post BT and ATOS strike computer vision partnership first appeared on Total Telecom.

Residents in parts of the Bournemouth and Poole area on the South Coast of Dorset (England) have expressed frustration over ongoing delays in CityFibre’s local deployment of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which was due to go live in some areas several months ago. At present the operator is investing a total […]