A number of UK Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) on BT’s (EE) national UK mobile network, such as the mobile solutions offered by broadband providers like Plusnet and The Phone Co-op, may soon gain access to modern features (ultrafast 5G etc.) as a result of an expanded deal with Transatel (NTT Group). Transatel is a […]
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BT and Transatel Deal Means 5G Mobile Upgrade for UK MVNOs
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Government Start £5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Plan for 85%+ by 2025 UPDATE
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has today published his 2020 Spending Review and in so doing has kicked off the new £5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Programme, which previously aimed to ensure that “every home” could access a 1Gbps capable connection by the end of 2025 but now expects a “minimum” of 85% coverage by that date. […]
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Study of 5G and 4G Congestion Finds Three UK Suffers Most
Crowdsourced benchmarking firm Tutela has just published the results of a new study, which examined the effect of network congestion on 4G and the latest ultrafast 5G based mobile broadband networks from EE (BT), Vodafone, O2 and Three UK. Sadly Three suffered the most and slowed by over 36% during peak hours, on average. Tutela […]
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Gov Tightens Huawei 5G Mobile and FTTP Broadband Restrictions
In another telecoms policy surprise the UK Government has today announced that mobile operators, such as Three UK, EE (BT) and Vodafone, must stop installing “any” Huawei equipment in ultrafast 5G networks from the end of September 2021. A 35% cap on kit will also apply to FTTP and gigabit broadband from Jan 2023. Just […]
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Three UK Build Ultrafast 5G Mobile to 154 UK Towns and Cities
Mobile operator Three UK has today announced that their 5G based (mobile broadband) network has now started to go live across busy parts of some 154 UK towns and cities (via a total of 800 cell sites and masts), which also includes the launch of their first Ericsson powered 5G sites in Manchester, Glasgow and […]
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Vodafone UK Extend Free Mobile Broadband to 350k School Kids
Last month saw Vodafone UK offer free Data SIMs, packed with a 30GB (GigaByte) allowance (valid for 90 days), to help 250,000 primary and secondary school children to stay connected with their education this winter. The scheme was so successful that it’s now being extended to reach another 100,000 children and young people. The schools.connected […]
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Vodafone UK Gives Customers 30 Days of Unlimited Mobile Data UPDATE
Mobile operator Vodafone UK has announced that their Pay Monthly customers (i.e. those not already on an unlimited plan) the chance to enjoy 30 days of free unlimited mobile data (mobile broadband) via their 4G and 5G network this Christmas, but you’ll have to hurry as they’ve only made 200,000 passes available. The operator claims […]
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Three UK Offers “Business Boost” to Firms – 10 SIMs for £20
Mobile operator Three UK has launched a new “Business Boost” offer for small and medium sized businesses, which will give such SMEs 10 SIM-only plans for just £20 +vat per month. Each plan within this boost comes with unlimited calls and texts, plus 2GB of data (mobile broadband), on a simple 30-day contract. Mike Tomlinson, […]
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5G Mobile Networks up to 90% More Energy Efficient Than 4G
A new joint study between Telefonica (e.g. O2 UK) and telecoms kit maker Nokia, which focused on the power consumption of the RAN (Radio Access Network), has claimed that the latest generation of ultrafast 5G based mobile (mobile broadband) networks are up to 90% more energy efficient “per traffic unit” than existing 4G ones. The […]
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Ofcom Consults on Future UK Spectrum Management Strategy
Ofcom UK has today launched a new consultation to help define their future spectrum management strategy for the 2020s, which among other things aims to boost support for localised spectrum access (e.g. creating local wireless networks via 5G etc.) and promote greater sharing of existing spectrum in higher frequencies. Radio spectrum is of course a […]
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World Distance Record as 5G mmW Pushes 1Gbps Over 6.5km
A new world record has been achieved after a collaboration between TIM, Ericsson, Casa Systems and Qualcomm resulted in the companies, for the first time, reaching a broadband speed of 1Gbps over a distance of 6.5km from a radio antenna. This was done using 5G tech in the millimetre-wave (mmWave) band on a live network. […]
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Comparison of UK 5G Mobile Broadband Speeds and Operators
Telecoms analyst firm Point Topic has published the results of a new study, which examined how 4G and 5G based mobile broadband speeds compare across the United Kingdom and between different operators. Overall EE appeared to deliver the best speed, but Vodafone or Three UK are close behind. The new research appears to be based […]
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Vodafone UK Makes Big Changes to Pay As You Go 1 Tariff
Mobile operator Vodafone UK are set to make a bunch of big changes to their ‘Pay As You Go 1’ tariff from 12th January 2021, which depending upon how you use the service could result in significantly higher charges being applied to customers. The cost of some non-standard calls will also be hiked. We should […]
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O2 UK Tests OpenRAN to Boost Indoor 4G and 5G Coverage
Mobile operator O2 (Telefonica UK) has today announced that they’ve completed a successful pilot of Open Radio Access Network (OpenRAN) tech from Vilicom, which unlike other trials was this time used to extend indoor 4G and 5G mobile coverage in order to tackle signal blackspots. At present if an operator wants to buy mobile equipment […]
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Wessex Internet Start 5G Project to Connect Rural Dorset Farms
UK ISP Wessex Internet has today kicked off their side of the 5G RuralDorset (5GRD) project, which will use a mix of 5G technology and their existing fibre optic infrastructure to help bring data connectivity to remote rural farms. All of this will support the use of new sensors, drones and other so-called Internet of […]
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Three UK Discount Unlimited Data 5G SIM Only Plan to £10
Mobile operator Three UK has recently reintroduced a big discount on their top 4G and 5G SIM Only plan, which is offering unlimited data (mobile broadband), calls and texts at just £10 per month for the first six months of service (£20 thereafter). But you’ll have to sign-up for a longer 24-month term. As usual […]
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Wales Infrastructure Report Wants Focus on Mobile, Not FTTP Broadband
The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) has published a report that calls on the Welsh Government to “urgently establish” a Barrier Busting Taskforce to aid investment in broadband, but they also warn that “too much attention” has been paid to FTTP and “not enough” on improving Mobile Broadband (e.g. 5G). According to the latest […]
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BT Aim to Establish UK’s First Commercial Drone Corridor
Broadband and mobile giant BT has today announced that they will lead a new Government backed consortium as part of ‘Project XCelerate‘, which seeks to establish the UK’s first commercial drone corridor in open and unrestricted airspace (i.e. enabling automated drones and manned aviation to safely co-exist). The project, which is supported by the Future […]
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VOXI Offer 96,000 Freebies to Mobile Customers this Christmas
Contract-free UK mobile operator VOXI, which is a sibling of Vodafone, have today said they’re offering customers over “96,000 freebies” this Christmas as part of their reward scheme, which includes everything from £50 Just Eat vouchers, to a Sony 50 inch Smart TV and even a Fiat 500 Hybrid car. Some of the other festive […]
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Three UK Sees Average Mobile Data Use Per Customer Hit 15GB
Mobile operator Three UK has today revealed that the average 4G and 5G data usage (mobile broadband), per customer, per month on their network smashed the 15GB (GigaBytes) barrier for the first time in October 2020 – this is said to reflect a 50% increase in data usage since the start of 2020 (10 months). […]
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