Rural Connectivity

Passengers and businesses are set to benefit from enhanced broadband connectivity along the soon to be reopened passenger railway line between Bicester Village and Bletchley.

The Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday it has approved a license for T-Mobile and Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink unit to provide supplemental coverage from space in a bid to extend internet access to remote areas.

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.

Where technology, policy and commerce converge

Searching for a signal, dropped calls and poor internet connections are on the way out in Chester as the city welcomes increased mobile capacity and coverage in the New Year.

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.

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.

The mobile industry has experienced another significant year in 2024, marked by continued advancements in nationwide connectivity. As we approach the end of the year, we’ve invited industry experts to share their insights and predictions for what 2025 might hold for the mobile industry. Check out these fascinating forecasts below.

Ceredigion County Council is proud to be part of the groundbreaking Rural Connectivity Accelerator (RCA) project, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

A new innovation project is steaming ahead in Dorset to test if WiFi can work on even the most rural and oldest railway networks. 

Dorset Council has been awarded £163,000 government funding from DSIT (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) to bring 21st century technology to Swanage Railway.

Rural broadband provider, Quickline Communications, is teaming up with social value specialist, Ahead Partnership, to bring a bespoke innovative, tech-focused engagement programme to 16 secondary schools across the region.

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.

BT Group has activated its first self-powering mobile site in the Shropshire Hills, with approximately 70% of the site’s energy requirements met by on-site solar panels and a wind turbine.

The Shropshire Hills site provides reliable 4G and 5G connectivity to EE customers living, working, and travelling in the area.

The call for speakers has now opened! Don’t miss your opportunity to speak to 500+ major industry players, from technologists and entrepreneurs to academics and investors. We want to hear your stories of resilience, innovation and challenge, welcoming applications from organisations of any size or age.

Rural broadband specialist Quickline Communications has teamed up with Tech She Can, a leading tech education and careers charity, to tackle the issue of gender disparity in technology roles across the UK. 

Hello, my name is Gary Littledyke and I am the Senior Technical Officer for Telecoms at Dorset Council. I have forty years of experience in the telco industry; I joined the army as an apprentice at age 16 and spent eight years working as a British Army Royal Signals Communications Specialist. 

A further 4,500 homes and businesses across rural West Yorkshire and the York area can now access the fastest, most reliable broadband on the market, thanks to broadband provider Quickline Communications.

• Operator claims a US direct-to-cell first in partnership with Starlink
• Beta testing of the wireless emergency alert messaging service is still to be carried out and there is no timeframe for commercial launch
• T-Mobile says satellite-to-smartphone tech paves way to providing critical

Connected Britain took place at ExCeL London from the 11th to the 12th of September. The comprehensive two-day programme brought together 7,500 industry experts, innovators, and policymakers to shape the future of connectivity.

FarrPoint, a leading connectivity consultancy, unveiled its new report on digital connectivity readiness across the G7.

A new funding competition is supporting local businesses and industries in the Belfast region to harness the power of 5G and digital technologies to deliver enhanced operations and solutions.

CityFibre has announced a long-term partnership with Sky to expand its network reach.

As a result, Sky’s Full Fibre Broadband is expected to launch on CityFibre’s network starting next year.

• Research firm reports that fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) subs growth in UK is faster among altnets than major ISPs
• Altnets accounted for nearly 30% of retail UK FTTP connections at the end of Q2 2024; market leader BT had a 37% share
• Stinging rebuke for Virgin Media O2’s “premium pric

The UK Government will make an investment of up to £800 million to upgrade broadband infrastructure for 312,000 rural homes and businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.

The injection aims to close the digital divide that has left many remote areas with slow internet speeds.