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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Gov Commit GBP80m to Help UK Develop Open Mobile Networks

14th March, 2023 (0 Comments)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is inviting applications for up to £80m of funding to support the development of open network solutions, such as 4G and 5G OpenRAN on mobile networks and other technologies that can help to standardise their design, functionality and interoperability.

Hard Choices for UK Gov – Block or Don’t Block WhatsApp and Signal

10th March, 2023 (49 Comments)

Two of the internet’s most popular secure messaging platforms, WhatsApp and Signal, have now both said that they would rather be blocked by the UK’s controversial new Online Safety Bill (OSB) than undermine the security (end-to-end encryption) of their platforms by allowing private messages to be filtered and moderated.

Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Illustration

GBP15bn Vodafone and Three UK Mobile Merger Looks Imminent

10th March, 2023 (95 Comments)

Sources close to the proposed merger talks between mobile network operators Vodafone and Three UK (CK Hutchison), which could value the combined business at around £15bn, have reportedly indicated that a deal may be announced as soon as before the end of March 2023.

Engineers in Training up Telegraph Poles

Diana Johnson MP Petitions UK Parliament to Tackle Telecoms Poles

9th March, 2023 (45 Comments)

The Labour MP for Hull North, Dame Diana Johnson, has presented a petition to parliament – signed by residents of Hull North – that urges the government to make it a requirement for new telecoms poles to apply for local planning permission and consult residents before being built – risking delays to the gigabit broadband build.

Vodafone Extend 4G Mobile to 57 UK Rural Locations via SRN

9th March, 2023 (11 Comments)

Mobile operator Vodafone has today issued an update on their deployment progress under the £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, which reveals that it has already rolled out 4G (mobile broadband) connectivity across 57 rural locations in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland under the programme.

NAO Criticise Huge Delays to UK 4G Emergency Services Network

8th March, 2023 (7 Comments)

The National Audit Office has today published an assessment of the progress being made by the UK Government’s 4G based Emergency Services Network (ESN), which finds that it continues to be massively over budget and has “fallen further behind schedule“. In fact, not even the Home Office knows when it’ll be ready, but 2029 or later is hinted.

Error message concept. Alert, attention notification. Important reminder

Steeper UK Fines for Nuisance Calls and Texts Inch Closer

8th March, 2023 (4 Comments)

The UK Government’s Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan MP, will today re-introduce the new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDI No.2) to parliament, which among other things will increase fines for nuisance calls and texts to be either up to 4% of global turnover or £17.5 million, whichever is greater.

Q4 2022 Openreach Progress Update on Wales FTTP Rollout

7th March, 2023 (10 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) has published a Q4 2022 progress update on their £52.5m Phase 2 Superfast Cymru contract with Openreach (BT), which reveals that a total of 35,770 extra premises (up from 34,122 in Q3) have now gained access to their gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network.

Bundle of optical fibers with lights in the ends lay on keyboard.

Commsworld Agree £22m Full Fibre Upgrade for Northumberland UK

2nd March, 2023 (1 Comment)

Business broadband ISP Commsworld has signed yet another agreement with Northumberland County Council in England, which is worth £22m and will see them replace the council’s ageing Wide Area Network (WAN) with modern full-fibre infrastructure. Local businesses and homes could also see improved connectivity.

Deutsche Telekom Ponders Future of its 12.5 Percent BT Stake

28th February, 2023 (27 Comments)

The boss of German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom (DT), Tim Höttges, has said that taking out a £5.6bn stake in UK broadband and telecoms giant BT Group in 2015 has turned out to be the “biggest mistake” he ever made, after its value fell by almost £4bn. But DT hasn’t given up on the possibility of doing a deal for BT.

Winter 2023 Update on Project Gigabit UK Broadband Rollout

27th February, 2023 (13 Comments)

The Building Digital UK team has today published their latest quarterly Winter 2023 update on the Government’s £5bn rural Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme, which has so far awarded six contracts – worth £164.8m – and launched 14 further procurements with a combined estimated value of £906.7m.

BT Calls for Tax Relief to Aid UK FTTP Broadband and 5G Builds

22nd February, 2023 (8 Comments)

BT Group’s Chief Financial Officer, Simon Lowth, has today called on the UK government – ahead of next month’s 2023 UK Budget – to consider the introduction of “a much more competitive system of capital allowances” in order to help operators roll-out new gigabit-capable broadband and 5G mobile networks.

UK Gov Debates Surcharge-Free Mobile Roaming in Iceland and Norway

22nd February, 2023 (10 Comments)

The government began debating the Draft Trade (Mobile Roaming) Regulations 2023 in parliament yesterday, which at present represents an extension of the UK-Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein free trade agreement that contains provisions for regulating (capping) mobile roaming charges at wholesale (calls, texts and mobile broadband).

The First 6G Mobile Broadband Networks Could Surface in 2028

21st February, 2023 (27 Comments)

The Government of South Korea has set somewhat of a marker down for the world this week after announcing that they would aim to bring forward the timetable for launching the first commercial 6G based mobile network, which would see it being introduced from 2028 instead of 2030 (with pre-6G trials staring in 2026).

West Sussex Council UK Sets Aside £13m for Gigabit Broadband UPDATE

19th February, 2023 (5 Comments)

The West Sussex County Council (WSCC) in England has officially published their plan and budget for the 2023 – 2024 period, which among other things has set aside a total of £13 million to invest in supporting the “roll out of high speed gigabit broadband for businesses and residents“.

New UK Gigabit Broadband Voucher Site Causes Headache for Suppliers

18th February, 2023 (15 Comments)

Network operators that are participating in the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), which is overseen by the Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency, are complaining that a newly launched supplier portal has significantly increased the admin burden they face and allegedly suffered from serious security failings.

Shropshire UK Council Boost Gigabit Broadband Vouchers to £7k

17th February, 2023 (0 Comments)

The Shropshire Council in England has allocated another £500,000 (total so far of £2.5m) to help boost the value of gigabit broadband vouchers for rural areas, which means that local homes and businesses will now be able to apply for vouchers worth up to £7,000 to help them get a faster connection installed.