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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

EU Court Overturns 2016 Block of O2 and Three UK Merger

28th May, 2020 (7 Comments)

The European Court of Justice (General Court) has today annulled a decision by the European Commission’s competition authority, which in 2016 blocked mobile operators O2 and Three UK from merging. The ruling found that the decision to block the £10.45bn deal had failed to prove that such a merger would damage competition.

optical_fibre_black_broadband_cable_illustration

Most EU Countries and UK Set to Miss Targets for Fibre Access

28th May, 2020 (12 Comments)

New research from Analysys Mason, which was commissioned by Chinese technology firm Huawei (vested interest), has today warned that the United Kingdom and most EU countries will miss the European Commission’s (EC) future broadband targets unless they tackle the remaining challenges and barriers being faced by operators.

NIC Seeks Stress Tests of UK Broadband and Mobile Infrastructure

28th May, 2020 (0 Comments)

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has today published a new report that examines the issue of infrastructure resilience in the face of major disruption (floods, power cuts etc.), which among other things recommends that digital (mobile and broadband etc.) infrastructure may benefit from new standards and stress testing.

Government Considers Zero Huawei Kit in UK Telecoms by 2023 UPDATE2

23rd May, 2020 (68 Comments)

At the start of 2020 the UK gave broadband ISPs and mobile operators a green light to use only non-core focused telecoms kit from Chinese giant Huawei (here), including a cap to reduce their market share. But new reports allege that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, could be about to do a dramatic U-turn and shock the industry.

Granahan McCourt Exits N.Ireland Superfast Broadband Project

22nd May, 2020 (3 Comments)

Northern Ireland’s long awaited £165m Project Stratum, which originally hoped to extend “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) to cover 97,000 extra premises but is now targeting “approximately” 78,500 premises, has lost one of its three potential bidders in Granahan McCourt. Only BT and Fibrus remain.

Manx Telecom to Cover Isle of Man with Full Fibre Broadband

20th May, 2020 (3 Comments)

The Isle of Man Government (British Crown Dependency) has agreed to invest £10m with local ISP Manx Telecom in order to help them extend the coverage of their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network from 25% (10,000) of local premises today to 99% by around the end of 2025.

infrastructure broadband transport mobile uk

NIC Nudges UK Government for More Action on Broadband

19th May, 2020 (10 Comments)

The Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, Sir John Armitt, has written to the UK Chancellor in order to encourage the Government to “bring forward” their roll-out of “gigabit broadband” – particularly for towns and cities outside the South East of England – and to support this via a new National Infrastructure Bank.

COVID-19 – Mobile and Broadband ISPs Agree Extra NHS Support

18th May, 2020 (5 Comments)

Last month saw most of the United Kingdom’s largest broadband and mobile providers agree to a set of new commitments (free data / calls, prioritised upgrades etc.) with the Government to help NHS workers during their fight against COVID-19 (here). Today more providers have joined and the support has been expanded.

North Yorkshire UK Full Fibre Rollout Project Extended to Filey

16th May, 2020 (2 Comments)

The North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) and Nynet have confirmed that their on-going £15.1m project to roll-out a new “gigabit-capable” fibre broadband network (here), which aims to connect 370 public sector sites, has been extended to include the small town of Filey.

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

BT Scoops Plymouth and South West Devon Full Fibre Contract

15th May, 2020 (16 Comments)

The Plymouth City Council (PCC) has announced that BT have been awarded the contract to install a new gigabit-capable “fibre broadband” network across Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon, which will use £2.2m of public funding to help connect 131 public sector sites (e.g. hospitals, schools, libraries and council buildings).

Red Road Closed road sign in a UK city street.

New UK Specification for Micro Trenching to Help Broadband

15th May, 2020 (4 Comments)

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has today published the 4th Edition of their ‘Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways‘ (SROH), which might not sound particularly sexy but if you’re a civil engineer deploying “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband then the new specification for Micro Trenching will be of interest.

Government’s UK Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme Ends Today

14th May, 2020 (21 Comments)

As predicted the UK Government’s (DCMS) £68.5m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), which offered up to £2,500 to help businesses and some homes gain access to a “gigabit-capable” ISP connection, will today close to new applications at 1pm after having exhausted all of its remaining funds.

Cityfibre Deal Brings FTTP Broadband to Derby’s Social Housing UPDATE

13th May, 2020 (2 Comments)

Some 13,000 council house tenants in the UK city of Derby (Derbyshire) will soon be able to access Cityfibre’s new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband ISP network, which is thanks to a new partnership with Derby City Council and Derby Homes.

EU Publish Handbook to Help New Rural Broadband Networks

12th May, 2020 (10 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has published a “dedicated handbook” for rural policy makers and broadband project managers who plan to roll-out new ISP networks into remote areas, which uses examples from the UK (e.g. B4RN etc.) and other EU countries to show how the job can be done both “effectively and efficiently.”

UK Internet Providers Celebrate Key Workers in COVID-19 Crisis

11th May, 2020 (5 Comments)

The UK Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA) has today launched their new “Keeping Britain Connected” campaign, which essentially names and celebrates some of the key workers in the telecoms and broadband ISP sector who have been working throughout the lockdown to maintain and support the network.

Interview – Scotland’s R100 Boss Talks Future Broadband Plans

9th May, 2020 (12 Comments)

The Programme Director for the Scottish Government’s £600m R100 (Reaching 100%) programme, Clive Downing, has kindly provided ISPreview.co.uk with some insight into their approach toward the planned extension of “superfast broadband” into some of the hardest to reach premises across Scotland.

N.Ireland Broadband Project Appears to Scale Back Rural Focus UPDATE

8th May, 2020 (14 Comments)

Concerns are growing that Northern Ireland’s long awaited £165m Project Stratum, which originally hoped to extend “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) to cover around 97,000 extra premises, may shun many rural villages due to a decision that could see it only focus on areas with a larger population. But the project team denies this.