How do you solve the problem of space debris?

NEWS

Small and inexpensive low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite are quickly becoming almost mainstream but as constellations spring up, so do the problems and dangers of space junk.

OneWeb, SpaceX, Starlink, Telesat are rarely out of the press at the moment, but flying slightly below the radar is the sticky problem of what happens to redundant hardware and who polices space traffic.

“With 1,700 satellites launched last year alone, the need to safeguard the space environment for the benefit of everyone on Earth has never been more pressing” points out Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency and indeed with an estimated 130 million plus pieces of space debris orbiting Earth, ranging from tiny flecks of paint through to old satellites and even tools dropped by astronauts, you can see the problem.

Now the UK Space Agency has committed £102 million, over the next three years to tracking and reduce debris, including granting £4 million to two UK-based companies to design missions to remove existing pieces of space debris. The companies ClearSpace and Astroscale are currently designing the programmes with a consortium of industry partners and may be granted more funding once designs are complete with a view to launching the UK’s first national space debris removal mission in 2026. The projects could create upwards of 70 new jobs.

Rory Holmes, ClearSpace UK Managing Director said “Space is getting more and more congested with defunct satellites, rocket bodies and other fragments – we have to act now to ensure this precious environment remains usable for future generations.”

Nick Shave, Managing Director, Astroscale Ltd, said: “We rely on space in so many areas of our lives, yet without the rapid development of the in-orbit servicing market we cannot start removing the hazardous debris that threatens our societal dependence on satellites.”

According to Paul Kostek, IEEE senior member and advisory systems engineer with Base2 solutions there’s going to be a big shake-up going forward and discussion around deployment and management of satellites needs to be taking place now.

The post How do you solve the problem of space debris? first appeared on Total Telecom.

ASDA Mobile UK Discount 4G and 5G Unlimited Mobile Data SIMs

The mobile division of supermarket chain ASDA has launched somewhat of an early “Black Friday exclusive” promotion by discounting the price of their Pay Monthly (1-month term) “unlimited data” (mobile broadband) bundles for new customers, which now start at just £15 per month. Under the deal, which will be available to order until 30th November […]

Revolving doors keep turning in US telecoms

NEWS

With hurricanes heading for the coast of Florida there is plenty of turbulence in north America at the moment, but the telecom industry has been far from immune to change.

The sudden departure of CFO Bob Gunderman from Windstream after eight years is the latest change as internal candidate Drew Smith replaces him – formerly treasurer and SVP of financial planning.

Tony Thomas, president and CEO of Windstream commenting on Smith’s appointment said “He has a deep understanding of the financial and operational drivers of our business, is data driven and results oriented. He will lead our efforts to continue to invest in our strategic growth areas to drive improvements in operating results.”

Earlier in the week Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge announced his retirement with Chief Operating Officer Chris Winfrey stepping up to succeed him. Rutledge has been CEO since 2012 and has overseen massive growth in the company, driven mostly by acquisitions including Bright House Networks and Optimum West and its merger Time Warner Cable.

Winfrey who has been with Charter for more than a decade restated his commitment the company’s success saying we “will continue our track record of delivering the best connectivity products and service to our customers, investing in the careers of our employees, and building long-term value for shareholders.”

Elsewhere Jeff Storey also announced his retirement from Lumen Technologies with him replacement coming from Microsoft in the shape of Kate Johnson, whilst Altice USA has also looked outside for a new CEO appointing long time Comcast executive Dennis Mathew to succeed Dexter Goei who will become Executive Chairman of the Board.

There will be executives in abundance at the Total Telecom Connected America event in Dallas next March. Find out more about how you can get involved here.

The post Revolving doors keep turning in US telecoms first appeared on Total Telecom.

Survey Finds Confusion Over UK Broadband and Full Fibre Jargon

A new Censuswide survey of 2,001 UK adults (aged 16+) that have broadband, which was commissioned by ISP Zen Internet and conducted during May 2022, has found that 32% of respondents still aren’t confident they can define what “full fibre” is – that’s up from 28% when the same question was asked in 2021. Overall, […]

They think it’s all over…but perhaps its’ not!

NEWS

Football legend Sir Geoff Hurst is at the core of a new campaign from BT aimed at helping older people make better use of technology by teaching digital skills.

Research conducted by BT shows that more than 40% of over 70s don’t feel fully confident using their mobile beyond simple calls but almost three quarters (71%) believing sharing videos and pictures with family helps tackle isolation. Currently only 17% do it regularly.

BT have teamed up with 1966 World Cup Legend, Sir Geoff Hurst, to encourage older Brits to learn new digital skills to improve their independence through the ability to connect with important services like GPs. The research found that more than 80% of over-65s wished they were more proficient in the digital world and over 60% wanting to learn a new skill.

Sir Geoff Hurst said: “What BT are doing to get older people to connect with technology is fantastic.

Last week, BT were recognised at the Connected Britain Awards for their work on the Skills for Tomorrow programme, which is a diverse 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.

BT have committed to reach 25 million people with help to make the most of life in the digital world by 2026 and have so far upskilled 14.7 million people.

Tania Caporaso, BT’s Director of Customer Care, said: “Personal connections are at the heart of everything we do, whether that’s helping families and friends stay in touch by phone, emails, texts or the small interactions our advisors make with customers everyday as we help solve their issues.

The digital skills agenda will be front and centre for the Total Telecom Connected North event in Manchester, 17-18 April 2023. Find out more at totaltele.com/connectednorth

The post They think it’s all over…but perhaps its’ not! first appeared on Total Telecom.

Government Visa Review to Tackle Shortage of UK Fibre Engineers

The British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, appears set to confirm earlier reports that she will make it easier for UK network operators and ISPs to tackle the ongoing shortage of skilled fibre broadband engineers by allowing the telecoms sector (as well as other industries) to hire more staff from abroad. At present, there are over […]

Three UK Add New ZYXEL 5G Hub for Unlimited Home Broadband

Customers of mobile operator Three UK, specifically those looking to adopt their 5G unlimited Home Broadband packages (£20 per month – first 6 months at £10), may like to know that they’re no longer shipping it with a ZTE based router and have instead replaced it with the Zyxel NR5103E. But getting 5G to work […]

Growth Plan Hints at Planning Changes to Boost Gigabit Broadband

The UK Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, has today published a new Growth Plan 2022, which proposes to “liberate the private sector” by encouraging investment (i.e. removing barriers to the flow of private capital) and boosting infrastructure by “liberalising the planning system and streamlining consultation and approval requirements“. The CEO of CityFibre, Greg Mesch, was quick to […]

Mayor of Greater Manchester launches Social Housing Digital Inclusion Pilot at Connected Britain 2022

NEWS

At this year’s Connected Britain conference, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, announced a new digital inclusion pilot programme, pairing five ISPs with five social housing providers to help thousands of residents

With the cost-of-living crisis only growing more severe in the UK, the question of digital exclusion was a major theme of discussion at this year’s Connected Britain conference in London. While the coronavirus pandemic has shed light on the now essential nature of connectivity for daily life, as inflation soars many people could soon be forced to choose between heating their homes or their broadband access.

This is why, earlier this week, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, took to the Connected Britain stage to unveil a new pilot programme that will see five ISPs matched with five social housing providers, aiming to better understand and mitigate digital exclusion throughout the region.

Greater Manchester has around 260,000 residents living in social housing – around 20% of the region’s population – with estimates suggesting that around 60% of these residents face the risk of digital exclusion.

The pilot scheme will see BT, Hyperoptic, TalkTalk, Virgin Media O2, and Vodafone each join forces with one of five social housing providers – Bolton at Home, Southway Homes, Stockport Homes, Wigan and Leigh Housing, and Wythenshawe Housing – to provide digital support to residents and work to gain a deeper understanding of the digital issues facing these communities.

This support provided will vary depending on the ISP in question but will likely take the form of digital skills training and discounted broadband packages and devices. Particular focus will be given to supporting some of the most vulnerable demographics in society, including those ages over 75, those with disabilities, and vulnerable young people.

Each of the five partnerships will explore digital inclusion issues and interventions for up to 1,000 residents via each of these five partnerships, with the pilot aiming to reach a total of 5,000 households. The project is thus the largest digital inclusion social housing intervention in the UK.

“We estimate up to 60% of social housing residents in Greater Manchester face levels of digital exclusion. I firmly believe that digital connectivity should be recognised as a basic human right – and treated as a utility like water, gas, and electricity. By bringing together five of the UK’s biggest internet service providers with five social housing providers from across the region, we’ll be able to understand better the challenges behind that belief, as we attempt to tackle digital exclusion within social housing setting,” said Burnham.

Vodafone, the only solely mobile operator of the ISP group, has already announced that it will provide free SIM cards to up to 1,000 residents, in conjunction with its everyone.connected scheme.

Further details from the rest of the ISPs are expected to be announced soon.

If the pilot programme proves successful, it is hoped the scheme will be expanded to other parts of the UK, with more ISPs and social housing providers joining forces to help close the digital divide.

For now, Burnham hopes that Great Manchester can be transformed into a UK-leading digital city, where no one is left excluded from the digital world.

“To get that crown of the UK’s leading digital city, what actually should that mean? It’s more than just the number of digital and tech jobs or the number of blue-chip players you have within the city region, it’s more than the infrastructure,” said Burnham. “We aspire to be a city region where everyone has got day-to-day connectivity so that they can take care of their finances, do their homework, find work, find opportunity, and book appointments from public services.”

The post Mayor of Greater Manchester launches Social Housing Digital Inclusion Pilot at Connected Britain 2022 first appeared on Total Telecom.

Startup Stories: the new age of surveillance

STARTUP STORIES

Historically video surveillance has been built on a complicated and expensive network of cables and low autonomy. TelWAI believes the future of surveillance is built on wireless mobile networks that can be rapidly deployed at low cost.

Tell us about your start up
TelWAI enables the autonomous detection of security and safety threats by utilising its wireless, Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven surveillance camera. TelWAI’s surveillance camera consists of edge-based video analytics, combined with mobile network data transmission. TelWAI’s proprietary surveillance camera offers the reliable detection of pre-defined security and safety risks, such as trespassing on rail networks and the illegal dumping of waste. Offering cost savings and the ability to redeploy surveillance assets across the users’ network, TelWAI cuts out the requirement for costly network cabling.

TelWAI’s customers include private land and critical infrastructure owners, security and policing agencies, city councils and transportation providers such as Network Rail. Operating in a global market, TelWAI has an initial focus on the UK and USA markets. TelWAI enables its customers to enhance safety and security and obtain critical video data of illegal activity for prosecution.

What is your USP, how do you stand out from your competition?
One of TelWAI’s primary USP’s is its ability to transfer video data across wireless networks (3G, 4G and 5G networks). This capability allows our customers to cut costs relating to laying expensive network cables and installation costs. In addition to this, it allows our customers to relocate cameras across their network, as installation and removal costs are significantly decreased.

Another USP is TelWAI’s utilisation of AI driven video analytics on the edge. This capability enables our customers to automatically detect potential safety or security risk. Fully configured based on the end-user’s requirements, alarm deluge is mitigated against, and false positive rates are reduced.

What is your relationship with the telecom sector?
TelWAI utilises wireless networks (3G, 4G and 5G networks) provided by telecom companies to transmit video data to central control rooms and hand-held devices.

How have you got to your current stage of development?
TelWAI is a spin out of its parent company Aralia Systems. In 2020 Aralia received funding from Innovate UK funded by Network Rail to develop a standalone surveillance camera. Having successfully developed and deployed this camera, Aralia proceeded to enrol in Wayra’s 5G smart cities program. Having founded TelWAI in 2022, additional VC funding is sought to accelerate the commercialisation of the wireless AI camera.

Why did you establish the business?
The business was established because of the market demand for standalone surveillance systems, combined with the requirement for additional commercialisation funding. Managed and driven by Eleanor Wright and Dr.Laurence Broadbent, TelWAI’s core team members obtain skills across business and engineering. Achieving a BA in Marketing and a MSc in Business Management, Eleanor has over eleven years of experience working in the surveillance sector across multiple business roles. Having achieved a BEng in Robotics and Automated Systems, and a PhD in 4D Facial Expression Recognition, Dr.Laurence Broadbent leads all technical aspects of TelWAI’s wireless AI camera.

Who inspired you?
We are inspired by technology and innovation and all business leaders that have managed to successfully commercialise innovation into profitable sustainable businesses. Inspirational individuals for us include Jack Welch whose innovation in business practices transformed GE. Steve Jobs, who’s understanding of marketing and product positioning saw Apple differentiate itself in a highly competitive market. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger for identifying value in companies, how to maximise this value and generating educated predictions on the future value of these companies.

What does the future hold for your business?
We believe that TelWAI will become a market leader in the wireless surveillance sector. Initially focussed on the UK and USA markets, we will achieve the position of market leader, within our key addressable markets, within the next five years.

COMPANY CV
HEADQUARTERS – Bristol, England
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES – 2
LAST FUNDING TYPE – No previous funding round
WEBSITE URL – www.telwai.com
FOUNDERS
Eleanor Wright
Laurence Broadbent

You can meet TelWAI in the Startup Village at Total Telecom Congress in London on the 1-2 November 2022. Find out more about attending or bringing along your own startup at www.totaltele.com/congress

The post Startup Stories: the new age of surveillance first appeared on Total Telecom.