• Some telcos argue it isn’t possible to sustain a healthy business without regulatory change
• Iliad Group is proving there is growth to be had and money to be made in the telecom services sector
• The European operator grew its customer base, revenues and earnings in 2024

Is telecom a viable business these days?

• CityFibre has grown to become a major fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) wholesale network operator in the UK
• It has long been expected to play a major role in the consolidation of the UK’s still over-crowded FTTP sector
• It has announced the acquisition of the infrastructure assets of regional fibre network builder Connexin
• Additional acquisition deals are expected to follow 

Major UK fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) wholesale network operator CityFibre has kickstarted its anticipated M&a

The trial, part of the government-backed 5G MoDE (Mobile O-RAN for Highly Dense Environments) project, was delivered by VMO2 and Mavenir and took place during the England vs Italy Six Nations match.

The project involved rolling up a temporary ‘O-RAN Cell on Wheels’ at the O2 Blueroom, outside Allianz Stadium at Twickenham. The idea was to show off how open network solutions can help manage connectivity and “ensure robust and reliable mobile networks” during big events.

Nokia’s new 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) gateway with Wi-Fi 7 is supposed to enable wifi speeds of up to 4Gbps.

The FastMile Gateway 4 is loaded with high-gain antennas (up to 8 dBi), and dual-band Wi-Fi 7 that can apparently be self-installed by the consumer in the home.

Qualcomm might just have something to worry about, as early indications suggest that Apple's first 5G modem is up to snuff.

Network test and measurement specialist Ookla has been gathering data from early adopters in the US to see how the C1 – which made its debut in February on Apple's expensive entry-level iPhone 16e – fares in the real world.

Hello – I’m Sideqe Askre, an Engineering Technician at the University of Sheffield’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I am responsible for seven communication labs, equipment maintenance, training and inductions, health and safety paperwork and internal and external customers. 

• Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group already owns a majority stake in UK chip designer Arm 
• Now it is adding US chip developer Ampere Computing to its portfolio
• The catalyst, as in many cases these days, is AI and its infrastructure demands
• It would also give SoftBank Group an additional pitch in the radio access network (RAN) infrastructure sector

SoftBank Group, the Japanese technology and investment giant founded and run by its chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son, has taken the next

• Telco spending on network technology dipped by 11% year on year in 2024, according to research firm Dell’Oro Group
• The only sector that didn’t shrink was fixed broadband equipment 
• Don’t expect a recovery – overall, telco spending on network gear is expected to be flat this year, notes the Dell’Oro team
• Huawei is still the biggest vendor (even excluding China)

Network equipment vendors hoping to see an uptick in telco spending in 2025 might need to think again, according to the

DSIT and UKTIN hosted Connected Reflections Live at The Minster Building on Wednesday the 19th of March. The exclusive showcase celebrated groundbreaking innovations, ecosystems, and market-shaping insights from the Future Network Programmes.

Keith Bullock, Director of DSIT’s Future Network Programmes opened the day by referring to the event as “an opportunity to gather everyone involved and reflect on what has happened. We also need to understand where digital infrastructure is heading, “ he said.

The UKTIN Strategic Groups bring together academic and industry leaders and experts, governmental and regulatory specialists, and representative bodies to cohesively communicate the needs of the broader ecosystem and propose a shared public and private sector strategic vision for UK telecoms. 

UKTIN spoke to Professor Maziar Nekovee, Chair of The Academic Future Networks Strategic Group to learn more about the group’s most recent paper.