UK announces space infrastructure fund

The UK government is taking significant strides to bolster the country's space sector with the launch of the Space Clusters and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF).

This initiative marks the first dedicated fund for UK space infrastructure and aims to accelerate the development of R&D facilities necessary for making space products mission-ready and commercially viable.

Investment in space R&D infrastructure is crucial for fostering the growth of the UK's space and...

24 May 2023 | Hot Topics

Russia-linked hackers seek to ‘disrupt or destroy’ UK infrastructure

UK Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden has warned that Russia-aligned hackers are seeking to disrupt or destroy Britain's critical infrastructure.

In a speech at the CyberUK conference in Belfast, Dowden unveiled new measures to support businesses "on the front line of our cyber defences" and described the hackers as "Wagner-like," a reference to the Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine that have been repeatedly accused of war crimes.

The National Cyber Security...

19 April 2023 | Legislation & Government

EU greenlights Vodafone-Altice FTTH plans

The EU Commission has given the green light to a joint venture between Vodafone and Altice to deploy fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) across Germany.

The joint venture is called FibreCo and will see the partners deploy FTTH to up to seven million homes over a six-year period.

Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone Group, commented:

“This partnership builds on Vodafone’s significant next-generation network with Altice’s industrial expertise and proven Fibre-to-the-Home...

21 February 2023 | Broadband

Huawei: Current infrastructure can’t support the metaverse

huawei metaverse web3 blockchain networks infrastructure telecoms

Huawei’s chief strategist in the Middle East believes that current infrastructure cannot support the metaverse.

Most current “metaverse” experiences are just online games capitalising on the hype around the term. Long term, the ambitious vision for the metaverse is a series of decentralised interoperable virtual worlds. 

True metaverse experiences will allow users to take their avatars and items from one to another, control real world devices, conduct...

21 December 2022 | 5G

First operator goes live on ‘pioneering’ mobile infrastructure

The first operator has gone live on “pioneering” mobile infrastructure that will host multiple telcos.

EE has joined a connectivity pilot led by Freshwave that will deliver enhanced 4G and 5G coverage to users along Queen Victoria Street in London.

James Hope, Director of Mobile Radio Access Networks at EE, said:

“High capacity, super-fast connectivity is essential for consumers and businesses today, with demand for data and low-latency networks...

20 December 2022 | 5G

Ukraine braces for ‘massive’ Russian cyberattacks on infrastructure

A statement from Ukraine’s defense ministry has warned that Russia is preparing “massive” cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

Russia has carried out cyberattacks against Ukraine for many years. An hour before the country launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February this year, Russia conducted a cyberattack targeting Viasat which had a Europe-wide impact.

Since then, Russia has continued to launch many cyberattacks but few have had much...

27 September 2022 | Networks

Virgin Media O2, NEC and Rakuten activate Open RAN sites

Virgin Media O2, NEC, and Rakuten have activated their first commercial sites as part of an Open RAN partnership.

Open RAN helps to break up the relative monopoly held by a handful of telecom equipment vendors and provides greater diversity in national infrastructure.

“The successful activation of Virgin Media O2’s first UK macro-sites demonstrates the potential of the multi-vendor Open RAN model,” said Jeanie York, CTO at Virgin Media O2.

“We are...

30 August 2022 | 5G

Five Eyes warn of Russian cyberattacks on critical infrastructure

A joint cybersecurity advisory issued by members of the Five Eyes alliance warns of increased attacks on critical infrastructure from Russia.

The Five Eyes alliance consists of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Members cooperate in signals intelligence.

Canadian academic Srdjan Vucetic believes the Five Eyes’ originated from Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech in 1946, in which the British PM warned of open conflict with the Soviet Union unless the...

21 April 2022 | Legislation & Government

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...

19 April 2022 | Networks

Huawei reportedly halts Russian sales and furloughs staff

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has reportedly halted sales in Russia and furloughed some of its staff in the country.

Following the decisions this week by Ericsson and Nokia to cease operating in Russia, the country was expected to turn to Chinese vendors like Huawei for network equipment.

Huawei has regularly been accused of having close ties with Beijing, a close ally of Moscow. Beijing has refused to condemn the Kremlin not just for its illegal invasion of Ukraine but...

13 April 2022 | Networks