All UK government articles
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Suppliers & SCM
EE, IBM assemble ecosystem to rescue UK’s emergency services network
BAPCO Annual Event: Emergency Services Network contract holders EE and IBM build out programme supply chain, with calibre of partners adding confidence in the Home Office that ESN will deliver.
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Network & Infrastructure
Freedom Fibre becomes latest UK altnet to terminate Project Gigabit contract
Operator cancels £43m subsidy deal, the fourth contract to be terminated.
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Network & Infrastructure
ESN: UK mission-critical comms network has a new (potential) launch date
BAPCO Annual Event: Home Office programme lead lays out new, heavily-caveated Emergency Services Network milestones, with early integration testing this year building towards a late-2029 Airwave closure. Ifs and buts remain, and ‘race still needs to be run’…
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Network & Infrastructure
Shared Rural Network expands reach as BDUK cutback rumours swirl
Weekend reports suggest operators are irked by possibility that their coverage investment and network optimisation improvements could see the government scale back financial commitments to rural coverage…
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Interview
CityFibre sees commercial promise, ‘moral obligation’ in Project Gigabit
CityFibre’s public sector lead Andy Nash talks to TelcoTitans on the altnet’s emergence as a strategic government supplier for Project Gigabit, answering “the big exam question” on going beyond initial goals, and the moral duty of delivering rural connectivity…
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Innovation (R&D)
BT ‘needs more’ quantum tech suppliers and partners
Research & Networks Strategy lead Gabriela Styf Sjöman emphasises need for growth in the quantum supply chain and ecosystem as technology matures.
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: healthtech flatlines; real-world network slicing
Latest from BT and its ecosystem as Etc. shutters healthtech and resets EV charging; BT’s Division X marks network slicing milestone; 2G closure prep work begins; and EE learns its ESN vendor peers…
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Strategy & Change
Is UK’s AI Action Plan under-powered?
UK government unveils aspirational plan for growing the AI sector, with a partner sought for a new data centre in its first AI Growth Zone, but questions remain about the power capacity to underpin the impending data and AI explosion…
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Operations
BT electrifies fleet, charges on with EV infra transition
The BT/Openreach fleet inches towards zero emissions with a 3,500-vehicle order from Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Renault, backed by gov grants. Challenges remain, but Etc.’s charging pilot rolls on with a new focus…
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Weekly Briefings
BTwatch Weekly: full fibre flying, NaaS launch imminent
Latest from BT and its ecosystem, including more Project Gigabit contracts for Openreach; a strong showing in Clive Selley’s 2024 review; Colin Bannon promotes Global Fabric potential in AI age; and more…
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Network & Infrastructure
UK’s Project Gigabit: billions committed, but just 1.6% take-up at last count
Nearly four years in, government’s Project Gigabit spend reaches £2.2bn with latest Openreach contracts, but connections faltering at just 11,000 as commitments and subsidies yet to translate to boots on the ground. With another £400m in the procurement pipeline for 2025, when will cash finally convert to real impact? In depth non-chummy review of UK rural fibre programme inside…
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Public Affairs
UK Home Office backs £650m class action against Motorola in latest Airwave twist
Emergency services network provider faces a claim that excessive pricing policies over a three year period cost up to 2,000 public safety organisations more than £600m.
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Network & Infrastructure
UK struggles to get space strategy off ground as satellite demand rises
Ofcom data shows satellite connectivity lines doubled in the year, with rural users taking up the offer as an alternative to terrestrial networks.
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Network & Infrastructure
Ofcom plots spectrum fee overhaul after MNOs’ calls for change
UK regulator sets out proposal to cut £40m from mobile operators’ collective annual spectrum licence bill after BT’s call for change.
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Enterprise (B2B)
BT set to miss out on £895m ESN services deal — report
IBM–Samsung bid expected to be preferred over BT–Leonardo for Emergency Services Network IT services contract. Public sector remains BT Business’s biggest earner, but management notes impact of new government…
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Network & Infrastructure
EE rings up £1.29bn Emergency Services Network deal
Extended agreement takes EE engagement to at least 2032, with 4G RAN the focus.
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Network & Infrastructure
Special report: When UK fibre hits its limit, do altnets go wireless?
INCA Summit 2024: debate spills from panel to panel as altnet leaders target the last 2% of ultra-rural premises where fibre is too costly to deploy without massive subsidies. Wireless re-enters the room with new spectrum, enhanced technology…
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Network & Infrastructure
Boldyn’s Igor Leprince: Connections built on trust
CEO reflects on a personal and professional mission to lead his neutral host venture on a journey that is embracing network complexity to transform lives and organisations, binding together the fabric of industry and communities worldwide, and helping mainstream operators bear the load. Read more…
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Public Affairs
Deep dive: What UK FibreCos want from Labour gov’t
Fibre builders share what they want from the new Labour government, with policy consistency and demand-side support topping wishlists, divergence on the detail. Read more…
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Public Affairs
UK Minister hints at fixes for FibreCos’ apartment access woes
Operators vent about barriers to accessing MDU access as new Telecoms Minister offers support for reforms, but little in the way of detail or firm commitments…