Fibre

• The UK universities of Bristol and Cambridge have been collaborating on quantum-safe networking developments
• They have achieved live, quantum-secure transfer of encrypted medical data, secure remote access to a distributed datacentre and the world’s first long-distance quantum secured video call.

According to a recently published report from Dell’Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the telecommunications, security, networks, and data center industries, telecom operators scaled back wireless and wireline investments in 2024.

• 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 regi

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. 

• 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

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

Spanish operator group Telefónica has set up a secure comms link between two hospitals in Madrid, encrypting it using a quantum key distribution (QKD) system.

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, provides a financial and operational update for the year ended 31 December 2024

Record revenues and first year of profitability:

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.

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.

New for 2025, visit the UK Innovation Pavilion to see the latest R&D, innovations and opportunities available across the UK.

Spotlight on 5G is back! From 3-6 March, we’ll bring you comprehensive, multimedia coverage of the hottest industry news, game-changing announcements, cutting-edge solutions, and groundbreaking product launches that take place at MWC25.

Vodafone Spain and MasOrange have officially signed a binding agreement to launch a new fibre network company in Spain.

Japan's NTT claims to have made a breakthrough that could herald a new era in high-capacity backbone networking.

According to Ofcom’s latest annual report on the nation’s broadband and mobile networks, 20.7 million UK homes can now access full-fibre broadband.

That figure is up from 57%, or17.1 million homes, in September 2023. Northern Ireland tops the charts with 93% of homes able to access full fibre.

The UK’s fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) alternative network (altnet) providers face mounting challenges in competing with established telecom players. Despite substantial investments in infrastructure, many altnet operators struggle to achieve profitability, with limited market penetration and insufficient customer acquisition.

IQ Fiber, a provider of 100% fibre-optic internet, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ThinkBig Networks, a Maryland-based fibre-optic internet provider.

Where technology, policy and commerce converge

Quickline’s fast and reliable full-fibre broadband is now live and bringing high-speed connectivity to rural communities across West Yorkshire, thanks to the government’s Project Gigabit.

Worldwide spending on telecommunications and pay TV services will reach $1,544 billion in 2024, representing an increase of 2.4% year-on-year, according to the Worldwide Semiannual Telecom Services Tracker published by International Data Corporation (IDC).

On 15 November, the Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) invited academia and industry to a symposium in London. 
It was an opportunity to hear from each of the four hubs that make up FTH and understand their ambitious collective goals to better drive the gap between telecoms R&D and translation to commercialisation.

Setting a new standard in business networking with unparalleled fiber and 5G convergence in a single device

The European Commission will contribute €865 million to the development of fibre and 5G networks, among other things, over the next three years and is ready to call for proposals to spend its cash.

Advanced multi-speed OLT-ONU platform enables operators to run mission-critical AI applications at the edge while providing the most cost-effective and power-efficient upgrade path for current GPON and 10G PON networks