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...

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...

Brits are unaware that 3G switch-offs begin next month

Research from Uswitch has found that most Brits are unaware that 3G networks will begin to be switched off from next month.

Just over half (51%) of surveyed Brits were unaware of the impending switch-off. Over 55s were the most unaware (61%) of the switch-off. In the 18-34 age range, that dropped to just 40 percent.

Ernest Doku, Mobiles Expert at Uswitch, says:

“It is clear that millions of mobile phone users aren’t aware that 3G is being phased out, or...

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...

Vodafone confirms merger talks with Three UK

Vodafone has confirmed that it’s in talks with Three to merge their UK operations.

Following recent speculation, Vodafone confirmed today that it’s in discussions with Three-owner CK Hutchison Holdings Limited to combine the companies.

The proposed transaction would result in Vodafone owning 51 percent of the combined business while CK Hutchison would own the remaining 49 percent.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch, comments: “Two of the UK mobile...

European telecoms firms call for web giants to contribute to soaring network costs

European telecoms companies have called on the world's web giants to contribute financially to the increasing costs of maintaining internet networks.

16 chief executives of telecoms firms, including BT, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, released a joint statement this week, in which they said the likes of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Netflix should be made to pay some of the soaring costs for the huge amount of global internet traffic they carry on their telecoms...

Vodafone working on satellite tech that can locate IoT devices within centimetres

Planet Earth as seen from Space.

Vodafone and Topcon Positioning Group are developing a new mass-market precise positioning system that will locate Internet of Things (IoT) devices, machinery, and vehicles with a greater degree of accuracy than using only individual global navigation satellites systems (GNSS).

Vehicles, scooters, and even robot lawn mowers can be securely monitored in real-time to within a few centimetres when connected to Vodafone’s global IoT network and using technology from Topcon which...

RootMetrics names EE the best UK network for ninth year

Mobile network performance measurement firm RootMetrics has named EE the UK’s leader for the ninth year running.

Overall, EE came out on top for all UK-wide RootScore categories ('Reliability', 'Accessibility', 'Speed', 'Data', 'Call', and 'Text').

Marc Allera, CEO of the consumer division at EE-owner BT, said:

“We are proud to be named the UK's best network for the ninth year running. Reliability is of huge importance to our customers, and we pride...

Vodafone is now the UK’s largest full-fibre provider

Vodafone has become the UK’s largest provider of full-fibre broadband.

Full-fibre is up to 25 times faster than copper broadband and five times more reliable. Vodafone’s full-fibre services are now available to over eight million homes—more than TalkTalk, Sky, BT, and Virgin Media.

Broadband provider (consumer sales)Number of premises Full Fibre (FTTP or FTTH) is available atVodafone8,007,839TalkTalk7,918,492Sky7,361,859BT7,267,221Virgin Media1,104,862

Max...

Vodafone UK waives Ukraine call and roaming fees

Vodafone UK is waiving all call fees to Ukraine in addition to providing free data roaming to customers in the country.

Ahmed Essam Shelbaya, CEO of Vodafone UK, tweeted:

https://twitter.com/AhmedShelbaya/status/1497191194887135269

In addition to the decision to help people keep in touch with their loved ones, Vodafone is making a donation to relevant humanitarian efforts.

“We will also donate, through the Vodafone Foundation, up to €500k from its...