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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Government Classifies UK Data Centres as Critical National Infrastructure

12th September, 2024 (13 Comments)

The Government’s Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) has today announced that they’ve classed data centres – the buildings which store much of the networking and data generated in the UK – as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). The move affords such sites greater protections, much like energy supply, water supply, transportation, health and telecoms (e.g. broadband and mobile).

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70 Percent of the UK is Now Covered by Full Fibre Broadband

11th September, 2024 (19 Comments)

The latest independent data on national broadband coverage has revealed that 70% of premises across the United Kingdom have now been put within reach of a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, which is up strongly from 60.54% at the end of last year and 67.68% in July 2024 (these premises are all classed as ‘Ready for Service’).

Ofcom’s 2024 Report on Openreach’s Independence Finds Only Minor Breaches

11th September, 2024 (2 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has published their annual 2024 monitoring report into Openreach’s independence from BT, which found only a few minor breaches and noted that they’d seen “evidence of efforts by BT Group to renew and refresh its engagement with the framework” since the appointment of new Group CEO, Allison Kirkby.

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Wessex Internet Start Project Gigabit Broadband Build in South Wiltshire UK

11th September, 2024 (0 Comments)

Rural broadband ISP Wessex Internet has just started the construction phase of their £18.8m state-aid supported Project Gigabit ‘Lot 30’ contract in South Wiltshire (England), which will see the provider extending their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to cover “around” 14,500 hard-to-reach homes and businesses in the area.

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Gov Asks UK Broadband ISPs to Offer 8 Hours of Battery Backup

10th September, 2024 (35 Comments)

The UK Government’s Minister for Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, has written a new letter to the bosses of major broadband ISPs that calls on them to help protect vulnerable users during the switchover from analogue (PSTN) to digital (IP) phone solutions by refraining from re-starting non-voluntary migrations and offering battery backup that can last “up to” 8 hours.

Report Claims Fixed Wireless Broadband Could Give UK a £4bn Boost

9th September, 2024 (0 Comments)

A new report from the UK Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (UKWISPA), which was put together by Intelligens Consulting, has claimed that fostering greater use and acceptance of the latest innovations in fixed wireless broadband networks by the government could deliver £4bn of “quantifiable impact” in the UK.

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Ofcom Sets Guidance to Improve Resilience of UK Broadband and Mobile Networks UPDATE

6th September, 2024 (13 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today set out how they intend to update their guidance on network resilience in order to give broadband ISPs, mobile operators and other digital network providers greater clarity on how they can “reduce the risk of network outages“. But proposals to improve battery backup on mobile networks will come later.

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Trial to Run Fibre Optic Cables via the UK Water Mains Has Stalled

5th September, 2024 (10 Comments)

The UK Government’s (DSIT) c.£6.2 million “Fibre in Water” trial (Project TAWCO), which aimed to test the deployment of fibre optic (FTTP) broadband cables through a live water mains (used for drinking water), has still not progressed to Phase 2 after a decision was taken to “stop the live build trial” due to several key obstacles.

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Powys and Ceredigion Locals Get New Mobile Coverage Checker

4th September, 2024 (1 Comment)

The Growing Mid Wales (GMW) programme and network analyst firm Streetwave have today launched a “groundbreaking coverage checker” for 3G, 4G and 5G mobile networks in the region, which uses the data they’ve been collecting on mobile broadband coverage and speeds by harnessing waste collection vehicles (bin lorries).

UK Tops New G7 Focused Digital Connectivity Readiness Index

4th September, 2024 (0 Comments)

Technical consultancy firm FarrPoint has today published their first International Digital Connectivity Readiness Index (IDCRI), which ranks the United Kingdom top against the G7 nations. The index ranks countries by the quality and coverage of their digital infrastructure (broadband, 5G etc.), as well as other areas like digital skills and online security etc.

Virgin Media O2 Business to Build Dark Fibre Network in Swansea

3rd September, 2024 (2 Comments)

Broadband ISP Virgin Media O2 Business (VMO2) last week won the contract to deploy a new Dark Fibre network as part of the Swansea Bay City Region project (Digital Infrastructure Programme). The new network should deliver significantly improved data capacity and speed to 36 public sector sites throughout Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

Virgin Media UK Partners with TSA Telecare Body for Digital Phone Switch

3rd September, 2024 (3 Comments)

Broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) has today given their Digital Landline Switchover (DLS) programme (i.e. migrating old analogue landline phones to IP-based services) a boost by signing a “first-of-its-kind partnership” with TSA, the telecare advisory body, to enhance the support provided to telecare users as the UK transitions to Digital Voice.

Gov Considers Easier Access to Blocks of Flats for UK Broadband Upgrades

3rd September, 2024 (11 Comments)

The new UK Government has begun informally consulting with the telecoms industry after network operators called on them to make it easier and cheaper to access large residential buildings (MDUs – blocks of flats or apartments), which could help to upgrade related buildings to gigabit-capable broadband. Easier said than done.

MS3 and Brsk Face More Protests Against UK Broadband Poles

29th August, 2024 (34 Comments)

Alternative network operators MS3 and Brsk are separately facing more public protests against their use of wood poles for the deployment of new gigabit-speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP networks, this time in Hull (East Yorkshire) and St Helens (Merseyside), respectively.

GoFibre Grows UK FTTP Broadband Coverage to 115,000 Premises

28th August, 2024 (4 Comments)

Edinburgh-based UK alternative network ISP GoFibre (BorderLink) has revealed that their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network now covers 115,000 rural premises (RFS) across the North of England and Scotland, which is up from 105,600 premises on 17th June 2024. One of the latest locations to benefit from this is the Angus town of Forfar.

Streetwave Prep Largest Mobile Network Coverage Survey in UK History

28th August, 2024 (7 Comments)

Network analyst firm Streetwave is working with the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) to conduct what they’re called the “largest mobile coverage survey ever conducted in the UK“. This uses bin lorries to survey the coverage and speed of 4G and 5G mobile (broadband) networks across 33 West Midlands (England) and Wales councils.

62,000 Premises in Scotland Benefit from R100 Fibre Broadband Build

27th August, 2024 (3 Comments)

The latest progress update on the Scottish Government’s state aid supported £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project with Openreach (BT), which is predominantly rolling out full fibre (FTTP) broadband, has revealed that a total of 62,000 premises in some of the hardest to reach parts of the country have now been reached (up from 57,000 last month).