Vodafone UK completes 3G shutdown to enhance 4G/5G services

Vodafone UK has followed EE's announcement this week by officially shutting down its 3G mobile network nationwide. This transition allows for the repurposing of related radio frequencies to bolster the faster 4G and 5G services.

While Vodafone claims the switch-off is complete as of this week, it slightly missed its initial target of finishing by the end of January 2024. Additionally, a "small number of locations" with "UK security significance" and some remote rural areas will...

28 February 2024 | 5G

SK Telecom and Intel develop low-latency 6G Core tech

SK Telecom (SKT) has collaborated with Intel to successfully develop technology that can significantly reduce communication delays in 6G Core networks.

The Core network acts as the gateway for all voice and data traffic from a user's mobile device to access the internet. As networks become more complex with 5G and 6G, communication delays within the Core network have increased, making it difficult to provide the speed and reliability needed for advanced services like...

2 February 2024 | 6G

Comcast agrees to stop misleading ’10G’ marketing

Comcast has agreed to discontinue its "Xfinity 10G Network" brand name following a ruling that deemed the term misleading. The decision, handed down by the National Advertising Review Board (NARB), comes after challenges from industry rivals.

Verizon and T-Mobile both challenged Comcast's advertising of "10G," a term cable companies have used since 2019 to refer to potential 10Gbps connections. Those speeds are much faster than what Comcast's standard cable networks can currently...

1 February 2024 | Broadband

RootMetrics: Three overtakes EE for best UK 5G network 

RootMetrics has unveiled its latest UK mobile report based on over 600,000 tests conducted in the second half of 2023.

The results cover the entire spectrum of user experiences, spanning the UK, individual nations, and 16 prominent metropolitan markets. Here's a breakdown of how the key players—EE, Three, Virgin Media O2, and Vodafone—performed during this extensive testing period.

EE maintains overall dominance

For the 21st consecutive time, EE clinched the...

29 January 2024 | 5G

Telefónica to deploy Helium hotspots for decentralised 5G network

Telefónica has partnered with Nova Labs to deploy Helium-powered 5G hotspots across Mexico City and Oaxaca. The companies announced the rollout on Wednesday as part of an initiative to expand Telefónica's network coverage in the country through innovative and cost-effective solutions.

The Helium network is powered by the Solana blockchain. Hotspot operators earn tokens on the Solana-based network as incentives for providing connectivity through decentralised nodes.

The...

25 January 2024 | 5G

EchoStar completes $26B acquisition of DISH Network

EchoStar has announced the completion of its $26 billion acquisition of DISH Network. The deal combines two of the nation's largest providers of satellite and wireless services into one telecoms giant.

Under the terms of the agreement, DISH Network has become a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. All outstanding shares of DISH Network's common stock have been converted into shares of EchoStar stock, valuing the transaction at approximately $26 billion. The conversion rate for...

3 January 2024 | 5G

CityFibre awards contracts for its Project Gigabit rollouts

CityFibre has awarded its first round of contracts to build partners as part of Project Gigabit.

Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion programme to connect 715,000 rural properties, ensuring they have access to high-speed broadband services.

CityFibre has appointed the following as its build partners:

Granemore Group in Cambridgeshire OCU Group and CCN Communications in Hampshire OCU Group in Norfolk Telelink, OCU Group, and Granemore Group...

22 September 2023 | Broadband

T-Mobile strikes $3.3B deal with Comcast to expand spectrum holdings

T-Mobile is bolstering its spectrum portfolio by acquiring airwaves from Comcast in a transaction valued at up to $3.3 billion.

The agreement was unveiled in a blog post on Comcast's website, where the company cited a reduced need for the 600MHz spectrum as the primary motivation behind this strategic move.

Comcast had initially announced its intentions to employ the 600MHz spectrum in the development of a 5G network to enhance its Xfinity Mobile service. Alongside this,...

13 September 2023 | 5G

Vodafone to use Amazon’s LEO satellite network to extend 4G/5G

Vodafone and Amazon's ambitious Project Kuiper have unveiled a strategic partnership to expand the accessibility of 4G and 5G services.

The venture will leverage Project Kuiper's cutting-edge low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network and promises to deliver connectivity in regions that have long been deemed logistically challenging and economically prohibitive for traditional communication infrastructure.

Dave Limp, Amazon's SVP for devices and services, expressed the...

6 September 2023 | 5G

EE issue causes problems for customers of all UK networks

Customers of all the UK's mobile networks found themselves grappling with connectivity problems after a technical issue hit EE.

Reports of the problems first surfaced around midday yesterday via customers of the UK’s second-largest mobile operator, Vodafone. The issues were shown through Downdetector, a platform used to track service problems and outages.

Vodafone assured the public that its network was functioning correctly. However, the hiccup lay in the inability of...

5 September 2023 | Networks