Back in early 2020, Virgin Media Business announced it had partnered with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to help deliver fibre optic connectivity to more than 1,500 public sector sites throughout the region.
The move came as part of the UK government’s broad Local Full Fibre Networks Programme (LFFN), with the £23.8 million deal in Greater Manchester the largest of its type in the country…
M1 Group finds a Burmese partner to greenlight Telenor Myanmar deal
As a result of the military coup in February 2021, providing services as a telecoms operator in Myanmar has become harder and harder. For Telenor, one of the country’s largest operators, the situation soon became untenable, with the company writing off their investment in May last year.
By July, the Norwegian operator had agreed to sell the struggling unit to Lebanon&rsquo…
Netomnia begins fibre rollout in West Yorkshire
Netomnia will provide FTTP broadband infrastructure to more than 71,000 premises in Wakefield and 48,000 premises in Pontefract, delivering access to its robust and reliable broadband network, helping to future-proof and diversify the local economy.
Wakefield and Pontefract are among the fastest growing economies in the region1 and the deployment of ultrafast and reliable broadband will provide new opportunities to enhance their internationally renowned business sectors including digital…
Is GalaxySpace China’s answer to Starlink?
Chinese state media is reporting that burgeoning satellite firm GalaxySpace is planning to launch 1,000 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, ultimately aiming to compete with SpaceX’s high-profile Starlink constellation.
According to the media, the first batch of six satellites have already been produced, tested, and delivered to their launch site.
Naturally, this new constellation will have some catching up to do, with Starlink having already launched around 2,000 devices, with plans to increase the constellation size to 42,000. However…
LibDems in New UK Push for Mandatory Social Broadband Tariffs
The MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Jamie Stone – with backing from 14 Liberal Democrat peers, is to meet with the UK Minister for Digital Infrastructure, Julia Lopez, in an attempt to force all broadband ISPs to offer mandatory “universal social tariffs” to help those who are struggling to pay their bills. Broadband […]
Nicola Sturgeon Gives Brief Update on R100 LOT1 Broadband Progress
The First Minister of the Scottish Government, Nicola Sturgeon, has issued a short update on the LOT 1 (North Scotland and Highlands) contract with BT (Openreach) under their £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project, which is extending the coverage of “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) across the remaining bits of Scotland (mostly via FTTP). The LOT 1 contract, […]
Safaricom’s first data centre reaches Ethiopia ahead of service launch
In May last year, the Ethiopian regulator announced that a Safricom-led consortium, then named the Global Partnership for Ethiopia, had won one of two available licences to offer commercial telecoms services in the country.
The special purpose acquisition company, now known as Safaricom Ethiopia, is majority owned by Safaricom (55.7%), who is joined by Sumimoto (27.2%), CDC Group (10.9%), and Vodacom (6.2%).
The successful $850 million bid marked the end of one of the world&rsquo…
76% of Brits willing to adopt digital IDs
Vaccine passport technology has become an intrinsic part of society over the past year, as governments across the globe search for solutions that help protect citizens from the pandemic. This new familiarity could soon lead to digital IDs becoming an accepted method of verification, according to new research of over 12,000 consumers, including more than 2,000 in the UK, from Okta and Statista.
Over three-quarters (76%) of Brits would be comfortable having some of their data incorporated into a digital ID, because they sound easy to use (57%), all their information would be in one place (37%), and they’re more difficult to lose than physical IDs (35%). Almost a third (29%) also feel their personal data would be sufficiently protected…
Broadband ISP BT Defends 9.3 Percent UK Price Hike for 2022
The MD Consumer Customer Services at UK ISP BT (EE), Nick Lane, has today confirmed yesterday’s report (here) that they would hit customers with an annual price increase of 9.3% (up from 4.5% last year) from 31st March 2022 and said it was as a “necessary part of business … [to] keep up with the […]
GBP20,000 Reward to Help Catch Openreach UK Cable Thieves
A string of damaging copper cable thefts in rural Cambridgeshire (England), which repeatedly knocked out broadband and phone services for hundreds of homes on Openreach’s (BT) network in the villages of Swavesey and Witchford, have resulted in the operator offering a reward of £20,000 to help catch those responsible. Since the end of last year […]