BTRSS

UK nears broadband competition milestone

Copper remains dominant in the UK's broadband network

The UK has passed 9 million unbundled broadband lines, according to new figures from watchdog Ofcom.

BT: “We expect to take fibre to 95% of Cornwall, UK”

Ranulf Scarbrough, BT

We speak to Ranulph Scarbrough, director of the Superfast Cornwall broadband programme at BT, about winning last year’s Broadband InfoVision Award in the ‘Changing Lives’ category.

BT to help build O2’s 4G network as it searches for operator partner

BT has signed a ten year deal with mobile operator O2 to support its launch of 4G LTE services

UK incumbent BT has signed a ten year deal with mobile operator O2 to support its launch of 4G LTE services. BT will build a high capacity transmission network for the Telefónica subsidiary as O2’s roll out of 4G services later this year is expected to place even greater pressure on its network.

BT boss blasts ‘copper luddites’

Copper begone: the war of words is escalating over BT's fibre roll-out

BT’s CEO Ian Livingston has blasted critics of his company’s fibre broadband roll-out, such as TalkTalk chairman Sir Charles Dunstone, describing them as “copper luddites” with a vested interest in preventing UK homes from getting access to fibre through BT Openreach.

Orange tops UK’s broadband complaints

Orange continued to disappoint its broadband subs in Q4

The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has revealed the telcos with the worst customer experience ratings in the country, with Orange generating the most complaints for broadband in the fourth quarter of 2012 and BT receiving the most pay-TV complaints.

BT and Vodafone pay premium for preferred spectrum

BT and Vodafone have paid an additional fee to UK regulator Ofcom for preferred 4G spectrum

UK 4G spectrum licence winners BT and Vodafone have paid an additional fee to UK regulator Ofcom for preferred spectrum in the regulator’s final ‘assignment’ stage of the nation’s 4G auction. The final stage determines where each bidder’s holdings will sit in the radio spectrum.

The UK 4G auction: What the industry is saying

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The UK’s four mobile network operators have secured 4G spectrum, along with BT subsidiary Niche Spectrum Ventures.However, much of the discussion following regulator Ofcom’s announcement was around the revenue generated for the public purse. Just £2.34bn was raised; Chancellor George Osborne had hoped to secure £3.5bn from the auction.

UK 4G spectrum winners announced

EE, Vodafone, O2, 3UK and BT all won LTE spectrum in the UK

The UK’s four mobile network operators and a subsidiary of fixed line incumbent BT have won LTE spectrum, regulator Ofcom has announced. But bidding was cautious, with the auction raising £2.34bn; £1bn less than the UK Treasury had hoped.

ANALYSIS: Can commodity hardware cut it in SDN world?

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Of late there seems to be an SDN (software defined networks) related announcement every few days, as vendors get their ducks in a row to pitch the next evolution of technology to carriers at MWC. But the concept demands a change in mindset for the vendors as much as it does the operators.

BT unshackles broadband packages and adds cloud services

The shackles are off as BT removes traffic caps from its packages

UK incumbent telco BT has announced that, bar its entry-level deals, broadband packages will no longer have any usage limits or traffic management applied. The move applies upwards from its £16 a month upto 16Mbps copper-based ADSL package, and to its 38Mbps and 76Mbps FTTC offerings.

BT launches VoIP smartphone app

BT is has launched an app offering customers cheaper calls from their iPhones

UK fixed line incumbent BT is looking to take a slice of mobile operators’ revenues with an app that it has launched today. The BT SmartTalk app allows customers to make calls over a data connection from their iPhones,in a similar way to over-the-top solutions providers such as Skype and Viber, billed at the same rates that they are charged for calls from their BT landlines.

Europe’s wholesale telecoms market remains stable, reports Ovum

Almost all of the leading wholesalers in Europe experienced falling revenues from fixed voice, reported Ovum

Despite the economic downturn, intense competition, and regulatory actions, revenues for the European wholesale telecoms market remained steady between 2010 and 2011, according to research firm Ovum. In the firm’s annual analysis of the size of the European wholesale market it revealed that the market was worth $48.4bn in 2011, just 0.5 per cent less than in 2010. This represents 11 per cent of the leading wholesalers’ total European revenues.

UK sees surprise 4G bidders

EE, 3UK, O2, Vodafone, HKT, MLL Telecom and Niche Spectrum Ventures have all qualified to bid for the UK's 4G auction

Seven firms have qualified to bid in the UK’s 4G spectrum auction, including three new entrants. Joining EE, 3UK, O2 and Vodafone are HKT – a subsidiary of PCCW; MLL Telecom; and Niche Spectrum Ventures – a subsidiary of BT.

BT adds big data analytics to its toolkit

The new trials will add flexibility to BT's FTTP rollout

UK telco BT has chosen Alcatel-Lucent to strengthen its customer service capabilities by using a new set of data collection and management solutions in its broadband and IPTV support departments.

BT 10Gbps connection trial is world’s fastest broadband

A BT trial with ZTE is delivering 10Gbps connectivity to a UK business

UK incumbent BT is trialling what it claims is the world’s first 10Gbps broadband connection using proof-of-concept technology called XGPON (Tens of Gibabits on a Passive Optical Network).