Business Insights

The global market for broadband network equipment is still on the up but it is approaching peak, while broadband subscriptions have hit a new milestone, according to new data published this week.

Japan's SoftBank and OpenAI are reportedly discussing a deal that could see the telco become the ChatGPT maker's biggest single shareholder.

That title is currently held by Microsoft, which has so far ploughed $13 billion into OpenAI – more than any other individual entity.

After a difficult few quarters, Nokia returned to sales growth in Q4 after its fixed-line and data centre networking divisions put in particularly solid performances.

• Rowan Chesmer, Vodafone engineer, makes historic first space mobile video call from a remote area of Wales to Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, using satellites built to offer a full mobile broadband experience.
• Astronaut Tim Peake joined Margherita in Newbury, UK, for unveiling of first space to land gateway i

The Future Networks Awards offer an opportunity for Future Network Programmes projects (any project part-funded by DSIT) to showcase their innovation, impact and intentions to a panel of independent judges. 

Swedish kit vendor Ericsson managed to grow its revenues for a change in the last quarter of 2024, with the RAN business cycle becoming a bit more favourable.

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. 

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. 

Hello – I’m Norbert Sagnard, and I work at the Centre for Wireless Innovation (CWI) based at Queen’s University Belfast.

Half of Scottish homes and businesses can now get connected to ultrafast broadband from Openreach, which says the fibre rollout could generate £4 billion for the Scottish economy.

BT Group has reached a major milestone with the first-ever real-world implementation of 5G Standalone (SA) network slicing capabilities on the EE mobile network.

Freshwave has teamed up with the National Robotarium in Edinburgh to deploy a portable 5G private network to test out agriculture robots.

Escalating cyberthreats and AI anxiety are among the biggest risks telcos will face this year, according to EY.

According to the consultancy's annual top-10 ranking of telco risks, CSPs "face substantial challenges" to their status as data custodians.

Europe’s connectivity leaders, Nokia and Ericsson, alongside ASML and SAP, are spearheading a critical summit in Brussels today to drive a bold vision for the continent’s digital future.

UK mobile operator Three has selected Ericsson to build it a new cloud-native core network – replacing Nokia who has been doing the job since 2019.

Connectivity remains a critical but evolving priority for local authority digital leaders, as the importance of 5G grows, connectivity data and funding challenges persist, and the adoption and take-up of digital solutions become a bigger focus. 

LightSpeed has partnered with Neos Networks to accelerate the rollout of fibre-to-the-remises (FTTP) and wholesale services.

As a result, the partnership strengthens LightSpeed’s pledge to deliver Gigabit broadband to underserved communities while also enhancing its network infrastructure.

Ofcom is looking to slash the time it takes to resolve telco customer complaints through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

ADR is available free of charge for telco customers either unhappy with the outcome of a complaint against an operator, or if their complaint goes unresolved after eight weeks.

​It’s that time of year again when we all gear up for the world’s biggest connectivity event! To keep the tradition alive, we’re excited to bring back the Telco WebWeaver MWC Social—a networking event where we’ll reconnect, strengthen partnerships, and, most importantly, celebrate friendships.

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

Hello, I’m Helen Duncan, Chief Executive Officer at Blueshift Memory, a next-generation computing technology company in Cambridge. I have also managed my content agency, MWE Media, and sit on various committees including the UKTIN Semiconductor Expert Working Group. 

While 5G will become the dominant mobile technology in Europe by 2026, the mobile industry lobby group says ‘urgent policy reforms’ are needed to drive access to investment to keep the continent competitive globally.