BT updates price hike policy ahead of new regulations

BT is overhauling its policy on mid-contract price hikes ahead of strict new regulations being imposed by the UK's communications regulator Ofcom. The company said it will stop linking price rises to inflation and instead specify clearly in monetary terms what increases customers can expect. 

The move comes after Ofcom found last year that the way telecoms companies raise prices lacks transparency and can be confusing for consumers. Under BT's current model, tariffs are adjusted...

Vodafone demos flying real drones in the metaverse over 5G

Vodafone has demonstrated how real-life drones can be piloted in the metaverse over a 5G network.

The low-latency aspect of 5G enables new use cases that were not possible over previous generation networks.

One early 5G application was cloud gaming. Longer-term, 5G combined with advancements in robotics will enable remote surgery when a patient isn’t expected to make it to a hospital or when a specialist is based elsewhere in the country (or even the...

Wildanet awarded £36M to connect thousands of rural premises

Cornwall-based provider Wildanet has been awarded £36 million by the UK government to connect thousands of rural premises.

The contracts will enable Wildanet to deliver fast broadband connectivity to left behind communities in Cornwall. Up to 19,250 homes and businesses are set to be connected.

Helen Wylde, CEO of Wildanet, said:

“This is great news for remote communities in Cornwall as we continue to connect Cornwall’s homes and businesses to full fibre...

OneWeb successfully deploys 36 new LEO satellites

OneWeb has successfully added 36 new LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites to its constellation.

With the UK not set to bring its vertical space launch capabilities online until next year, the British satellite operator turned to NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to conduct the launches from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Radhakrishnan D, Chairman-cum-Managing Director at NewSpace India Limited, said:

“The successful launch of 36 OneWeb...

US Air Force hands SpaceX $1.9M for battle-tested Starlink services

The US Air Force has awarded SpaceX with a $1.9 million contract for its now battle-tested Starlink satellite broadband services.

As part of the contract, the US Air Force will use Starlink to support operations at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. SpaceX will provide Starlink terminals and service access for both fixed sites and mobile users.

Starlink is currently designed for use at fixed sites. A new ‘Portability’ feature was launched earlier this year – for an...

Web 3.0 is on the horizon and Dish aims to embrace it

During an analyst event, a Dish executive hinted at the company embracing Web 3.0 trends for its wireless services.

Dish is currently building its own network to replace Sprint, which is being purchased by T-Mobile. It’s taking a unique approach by using Open RAN (Open Radio Access Network) equipment which promises to be cheaper and more flexible while avoiding the “vendor lock-in” of the past.

As part of the conditions of the T-Mobile and Sprint merger, the latter...

CityFibre’s full-fibre to deliver over £40B of direct economic benefits

New research suggests that economic benefits worth over £40 billion will be reaped by CityFibre’s full-fibre rollout.

The research – conducted by consultancy firm Hatch – covers a 15-year period and examines the rollout across 285 cities, towns, and villages in England and Scotland.

Boosts to productivity and innovation account for £22 billion of the economic benefits; with poor connectivity no longer posing a barrier.

As more people transition to...

SaaS can slash telcos’ costs by 25% over 5 years 

Research from Analysys Mason suggests that communication service providers (CSPs) can achieve cost savings of around 25 percent over five years by adopting SaaS.

The research – commissioned by Nokia – makes the projection based on comparing the cost of CSPs buying, managing, and maintaining their own hardware and software infrastructure.

Justin van der Lande, Research Director at Analysys Mason, said:

“As this research shows, there are many factors that...

FCC announces winners of $313m from Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

The FCC has announced the latest winning bidders of a $313 million pot from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund aims to fund new broadband deployments in areas across the US with limited or no connectivity.

Now in its eighth round, the fund has provided over $5 billion in funding to date for new deployments across 47 states—bringing broadband to over 2.8 million locations.

The winning bidders from the latest round...

CityFibre attracts over £1.4B in ‘largest-ever’ raise for UK full-fibre

CityFibre has attracted over £1.4 billion in the “largest-ever capital raise” for a UK full-fibre deployment.

The milestone was reached following a further equity commitment of £300m from its existing shareholder, Mubadala Investment Company.

Greg Mesch, Chief Executive at CityFibre, said:

“Mubadala’s confidence in our business is testament to our growing momentum and progress.

The need and appetite for carrier-neutral wholesale network...