Virgin Media will upgrade its entire UK network to full-fibre by 2028

Virgin Media has committed to upgrading its entire UK broadband network to full-fibre by 2028.

The operator’s network currently predominantly uses Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) technology but also some Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) via Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG). The network is currently being upgraded to support the DOCSIS 3.1 standard which is due to complete by the end of this year and should handle a peak theoretical download speed of up to 10Gbps and uploads of around...

29 July 2021 | Broadband

Ookla reveals the world’s capitals with the fastest and slowest 5G speeds

Ookla has published a new report that reveals which of the world’s capitals are enjoying the fastest 5G download speeds, or suffering the slowest.

As the owners of the industry-standard Speedtest service, Ookla has a huge amount of real-world data of the speeds that users are receiving across both mobile and broadband networks.

Oslo, Norway boasts the fastest 5G of any world capital, clocking a median download speed of 526.74 Mbps. Seoul, South Korea had the second...

28 July 2021 | 5G

Broadband outages triple as almost 15M Brits suffer in the past year

Nearly 15 million Brits suffered a major broadband outage during a year when reliable connectivity has never proved to be so vital.

Video meetings, checking in with loved ones, purchasing essentials, awkward virtual quizzes, getting help when needed, and keeping updated on the latest advice and developments all required a dependable internet connection.

However, research from Uswitch found that broadband outages have tripled in the last year.

Ernest Doku,...

27 July 2021 | Broadband

Juniper Research: Users of 5G roaming services will surpass 200M by 2026

According to a study by Juniper Research, the number of 5G roamers is set to surpass 200 million by 2026.

While much of life slowed to a crawl during the pandemic, the 5G rollout continued at pace. With the worst of the pandemic hopefully behind us, operators are now ramping up their deployments even further.

Juniper’s analysts predict an increase in the global number of 5G roamers from 4.5 million in 2021 to 210 million in 2026. As international travel cautiously...

26 July 2021 | 5G

RootMetrics: EE maintains performance lead, but rivals are catching up

The latest Mobile Performance Review report from RootMetrics shows that EE remains the UK operator to beat, but rivals are catching up.

EE swept six RootScore awards for overall performance, reliability, speed, and data, call, and text performance. The operator delivered the fastest median download speeds – across all network technologies – in every city.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said:

“Delivering the best mobile experience for...

22 July 2021 | 5G

Japan sets new internet record with 319Tb/s data transfer speed

Japan has set a new internet data transfer speed record of 319Tb/s just under a year after setting the previous bar.

Last year, Japan and the UK collaborated to achieve an internet speed record of 178Tb/s. That was an incredible feat, but the new record set by Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NIST) is simply astounding.

The 319Tb/s speed was achieved with a four-core fibre optic cable that remained around the size of a single. A...

19 July 2021 | Connectivity

Research: These countries are the ‘most connected’ in the world

Research from CircleLoop has found the countries which have the fastest and most widespread 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband connections.

South Korea, unsurprisingly, comes out on top with an overall “connected score” of 9.55 out of 10. The country’s score is based on an average mobile download speed of 186.06Mbps, fixed broadband download speed of 241.58Mbps, and 98.3 percent 4G availability.

On average mobile download speed, South Korea is just beat by the UAE which...

6 July 2021 | Broadband

UK satellite firm OneWeb receives a $500M boost from Bharti

UK-based LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) satellite firm OneWeb is continuing a big news week with a $500 million investment from Bharti Global.

OneWeb received $1 billion from the UK Government and Bharti Global last year.

Rt. Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, MP, Secretary of State, BEIS, said:

“Today’s additional $500 million investment in OneWeb by Bharti marks yet another vote of confidence in the company from the market. It’s clear that investors see a strong future for...

30 June 2021 | Connectivity

BT signs agreement with UK-owned satellite operator OneWeb to improve rural connectivity

BT has signed an agreement with UK-owned low-earth orbit satellite operator OneWeb to explore how connectivity can be improved in some of the most difficult areas to reach.

OneWeb operates innovative LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites that provide high-speed, low latency connectivity for governments, businesses, and communities around the world. The company continues to go from strength-to-strength, despite OneWeb almost having to shutter its operations following the pulling of...

28 June 2021 | Connectivity

Vodafone gives OpenRAN contracts to Samsung, NEC, Dell, Wind River, and others

Vodafone has given valuable contracts to Samsung, NEC, Dell, Wind River, and others as part of its commitment to use OpenRAN in its network.

OpenRAN gives the opportunity for smaller telecoms vendors to compete against legacy players with standards-based and interoperable equipment.

Matthew O’Neill, Head of Networks at NTT DATA UK, said:

“Vodafone’s announcement will progress the development of OpenRAN technology across Europe – a positive move that...

14 June 2021 | Connectivity