This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Andy Burrell, Head of Portfolio Marketing, Nokia
The climate crisis is putting pressure on all industries to become more sustainable, with cutting carbon emissions now a top priority for the C-suite. With energy prices remaining worryingly high, slashing the energy used by telecom networks is also good for the bottom line. And AI-based software can help not just communications service providers (CSPs) but also enterprises with … [visit site to read more]
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Today, BT has reportedly informed staff at its Adastral Park site in Ipswich that it intends to reduce the site’s workforce by roughly 1,100 over the next two years.
The site, which spans over 100 acres and includes BT Labs, currently employs around 2,900 people in various roles, from research and development to core network operations.
Some members of staff will face redundancy, with the operator offering staff the chance chance to relocate to other BT locations in the UK “wherever possible”.
Back in May, BT announced that it will aim to cut roughly 55,000 jobs – around 40% of its current workforce – by the end of the decade, citing the need for more streamlined operations and digitalisation in today’s tough economic climate. The company has been trying to generate significant cost-savings for years, last year increasing its target to £3 billion in cost-reductions by 2025, of which job cuts will play a key role.
However, today’s announcements surrounding staffing at Adastral Park are seemingly not part of these wider cost-saving measures, but are rather taking place as a result of the company’s Better Workplace Programme, which aims to consolidate staff in fewer and more modern buildings.
“We’re consolidating into a smaller number of buildings around the UK that provide cutting edge technology and great working environments for our people,” explained BT in a statement. “As part of these activities, we’re proposing to reduce the size of our presence at Adastral Park and move some roles to other BT Group locations over the next two years.”
Nonetheless, the operator says it remains “committed to Adastral Park for the long-term” and will continue to invest in the site in future, nothing that the location requires “significant investment to modernise”.
The operator said that it currently has no plans to sell the land or any of the roughly 100 buildings it owns at Adastral Park, but it will be consolidating staff into a smaller number of offices and other spaces on-site.
What do the latest job cuts mean the UK telecoms sector? Join the operators in discussion at the UK’s largest digital economy event Connected Britain
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Fibre broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions says it has rolled out 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) fibre connectivity at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 (NAIA T4) in Manila as part of its Free Wi-Fi project for the benefit of the country’s international and local gateways.
Through the Converge Free Public Wi-Fi, travellers can surf the internet for 120 minutes at speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Converge aims to roll out this project in all the terminals of nine Philippines airports.
Converge formalized the project through a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and airport operator the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), and Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) last year. NAIA Terminal 4 is the first terminal to be launched in the project under the MOA.
According to the MIAA, some 1.7 million international passengers travelled through NAIA in April of 2023, with 9,089 flight movements.
“Local and international travellers can maximize our fibre-fast connection especially in digitally supported processes in checking in and boarding, or even just surfing while waiting for departure or upon their arrival,” says Converge CEO and Co-founder Dennis Anthony Uy.
In 2020, Converge embarked on a nationwide expansion plan to ensure that its fibre broadband service would be available to all unserved and underserved areas nationwide. Today, Converge says it has the country’s broadest FTTH network, with over 646,000 kilometres of fibre assets, and 15.9 million households covered. Converge serves nearly 2 million residential customers and 40,000 business customers.
“Now that our infrastructure is in place, Converge is ready and able to serve more facilities such as our airports, schools, and government offices all over the country,” says Converge Chief Operations Officer Jesus C Romero.
Following 101 complaints from non-profit organisation None of Your Business (NOYB) of unlawful data transfers from the EU to the US, the IMY found that Tele2 and three other Swedish companies (CDON, Coop and Dagens Industri) had unlawfully transferred data between the EU and USA.
The illegal data transfers reportedly took place as a result of the company’s use of Google Analytics following a ruling by the European Courts of Justice (CJEU) in August 2020 that prohibited the transfer of personal data to the US.
The European data security code GDPR stipulates that the transfer of personal data to third party countries – those outside of the EU/EEA – may only take place if the European Commission decides that they have an “adequate level of protection for personal data”. In the Schrens II ruling in 2020, the CJEU deemed that the US does not meet these criteria, and therefore the actions of Tele2 were unlawful.
In its investigation, IMY noted that the data shared to the US through Google Analytics is considered personal because the data can be linked with other unique data that is transferred.
Audits by the IMY also showed that additional security measures taken by Tele2 to mitigate this security risk when transferring data to the US were insufficient by EU standards. The security measures used by Tele2 and CDON were not as extensive as those implemented by Coop and Dagens Industri, hence the former companies were fined while the latter companies were not.
Tele2 has recently halted its use of Google Analytics independently, and the other three companies have been ordered to stop by IMY.
Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter
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Some data centers are changing hands over in Europe. Earlier this week, DataBank announced that it has entered into an agreement with Etix Everywhere to sell off five data centers in France totalling some 73,000 square feet of colo space. … [visit site to read more]
This week, Reliance Industries, parent company of Indian mobile operator Reliance Jio, has announced the launch of a 4G-enabled phone costing just Rs 999 ($12).
The new 4G phone, named Jio Bharat, runs on Reliance Jio’s proprietary operating system and comes with a suite of home-grown applications, including the video streaming app JioCinema, music app JioSaavn, and mobile finance app JioPay.
Jio says Jio Bharat is the cheapest 4G-enabled phone in the country, a fact which they hope will entice some of the roughly 250 million Indian customers currently only capable of using 2G connectivity to make the purchase.
“There are still 250mn mobile phone users in India who remain ‘trapped’ in the 2G era, unable to tap into basic features of the internet at a time when the world stands at the cusp of a 5G revolution,” said Reliance Jio chair Mukesh Ambani.
“Six years ago, when Jio was launched, we made it clear that Jio will leave no stone unturned to democratize internet and pass the benefits of technology to every Indian. Technology will no longer remain a privilege for a select few,” he added.
Jio’s initial beta trial is the sale of one million devices – no small feat, but still only a tiny dent in market that contains nearly 1.5 billion people. Nonetheless, if successful, the move could further consolidate Jio’s position as the frontrunner of the Indian mobile market and pile pressure onto its rivals, particularly the struggling Vodafone Idea (Vi).
Some analysts suggest that the introduction of the new phone model with its accompanying cheap data plans could represent a significant threat the competitiveness of Jio’s rival Bharti Airtel, which has been vying for the country’s top spot for over a year now.
“We believe with this phone Jio can take market share at the lower end of the market. This also puts Bharti at risk as it can see increased churn from its recent 2G price action of increasing the Rs 99 plan to Rs 155 plan,” said JP Morgan in a note. “We believe this is negative for Bharti as any hopes of a tariff hike should be diluted over the next 12–18 months.”
Others, however, say Airtel could be less concerned. Brokerage firm BNP Paribas argues that the customers Jio is targeting with this new phone already had a chance to jump to Jio’s now discontinued smartphone, Jio Phone, in previous years and refused to do so. Airtel argues that Jio Phone had numerous additional features and advantages compared Jio Bharat, and could even be attained for a cheaper price, but this was not enough to lure customers away.
The exact impact of Jio Bharat’s launch remains to be seen but, given Jio’s intense track record when it comes to aggressive marketing strategies, this latest entrance into the mobile phone market has every reason to turn heads.
Will the launch of Jio Bharat help Jio to extend its subscriber lead over its rivals? Join the operators in discussion around market disruption at this year’s Total Telecom Congress
Also in the news:
SK Telecom overhauls AI service ‘A.’ using ChatGPT
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SKT invests $100m in flying taxi company Joby Aviation
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
