Infrastructure

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.

• Ofcom plans to maintain pro-competition regulation to bring faster, more reliable connections to businesses and communities across the UK to boost economic growth
• Full-fibre broadband projected to reach almost all homes and businesses by 2027 with right support

Full-fibre broadband is on

• A new action plan will cast a wide net to keep malicious actors at bay
• An enhanced fund will help to pay for increased protection of Europe’s “vital interests”
• A fish-eye lens to focus on prevention, detection, deterrence, repair and sanctions
• Cable diplomacy

Swedish police investigate suspected sabotage of undersea telecom cables operated by Finnish cable operator Cinia at the Baltic Sea.

• Meta is to invest billions in a new submarine network that will span the globe
• It has been dubbed Project Waterworth 
• It will connect the Americas, Africa and Asia – but not Europe

In a bid to guarantee access to vital international data networking capacity

As the Future Network Programmes conclude, UKTIN is working with DSIT to reflect on the government-funded projects, outlining the key outcomes and the lessons learned to help improve future telecoms initiatives.

• Telefónica Tech to integrate IBM quantum safe technology into its cybersecurity services to create specific use cases aimed at addressing new and future risks associated with the advancement of cryptographically relevant quantum computers.
• The agreement includes deployment of IBM’s quantum-safe technology infrastructure at Telefónic

FarrPoint consultancy has released the latest update to its Digital Connectivity Readiness Index (DCRI), providing critical insights into the UK’s progress in digital connectivity. 

Amazon is investigating the possibility of creating a transatlantic subsea fibre optic cable that would stretch from Ireland to the US East Coast.

Vantage Towers, TOTEM, Orange, O2 Telefónica and the Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar), announce a pioneering collaboration to create one of Europe's first cross-border 5G highway corridors. 

• Ericsson, in collaboration with IBM, is set to deliver a new network to transform frontline emergency services in Great Britain
• The project will utilize products and solutions from Ericsson’s Core Network, and Business and Operations Support Systems portfolios, alongside its mission-critical expertise and other professional services

As the Future Network Programme concludes, UKTIN is working with DSIT to reflect on the government-funded projects, outlining the key outcomes and the lessons learned to help improve future telecoms initiatives. 

The 5G Innovation Region (5GIR) programme has seen 10 regions throughout the UK receive a share of £36m of funding as part of our wider programme to drive 5G adoption.

The Commission has signed 21 grant agreements for €142 million with backbone cable projects, bringing total funding to €420 million under the first CEF Digital Work Programme, reinforcing the EU's commitment to a connected and secure digital future.

Google is expanding its Australia Connect initiative with two new subsea cables connecting Australia with Christmas Island.

The Bosun subsea cable, named after Christmas Island’s White-tailed “Bosun” tropicbird, will connect Darwin, Australia to the island which has onward connectivity to Singapore.

Join us on 6 February in London for the Future Telecoms Conference 2025. This conference will bring together stakeholders from across the public and private sectors to set the agenda for the future of connectivity for the UK.  

Hello, I’m Rafay Iqbal Ansari, a Technology Strategy Connectivity Consultant at WSP. We’re a  world-leading multi-disciplinary professional services consulting firm that supports significant projects in built and natural environments, and I consult on the company’s UK operations. 

In a groundbreaking step for rail connectivity, The Clarus Networks Group is now offering Starlink for trains. Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency internet access, tackling connectivity challenges that have long hindered rail operations and passenger experience in remote areas. 

In the lead up to MWC, join UKTIN and the other organisations on this year's UK Innovation Pavilion for a series of webinars to hear from latest insights and find out more about what we’ll be sharing at the show.

Webinar 1: UK Government Innovation Discussion

At the end of October, UKTIN invited a select group of investors to a VIP lunch. The aim? To facilitate a frank conversation about the future of connectivity, the perceptions of telecoms among the investor community and the opportunities available in our sector.

Schiphol has activated Ericsson Private 5G to explore new applications of 5G

• Research firm IDC predicts that datacentre electricity consumption worldwide will more than double between 2023 and 2028, reaching 857 terawatt hours.
• Increasingly power-hungry AI workloads are a major factor
• Rising electricity prices and growing carbon emissions add an urgency for d

The Broadband Forum is working on an initiative aimed at delivering "significant power savings" for fibre service providers when customers access the internet.

UKTIN is proud to be an editorial partner for a new programme from ITN Business which features organisations that are playing a part in the digital revolution and enabling connectivity, along with the people implementing this transformation.