Interview

At this year’s Connected Britain, Total Telecom caught up with Rajiv Datta, CEO of Nexfibre, to discuss the company’s fibre rollout progress since hitting 1 million premises, investor tensions around market consolidation, and what a competitive broadband market will ultimately look like. 

Check out the full interview here! 

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News

Swisscom first announced the €8 billion deal back in March, and notified the EU in August  

The European Commission has given the green light to Swisscom’s acquisition of Vodafone Italia, without conditions. The clearance, granted under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, is a crucial step toward finalising the transaction. 

The Italian Competition Authority is still reviewing the deal, having launched a deeper investigation earlier this month to assess the transaction’s impact on market competition, Swisscom noted. 

Swisscom expects the deal to be finalised by the first quarter of 2025. 

Once completed, Swisscom plans to merge Vodafone Italia with its Italian subsidiary, Fastweb, creating Italy’s second-largest fixed-line broadband provider, behind market leader Telecom Italia.  

The merger is expected to save around €600 million through synergies related to increased scale and efficiency, Swisscom says. 

Swisscom’s CEO, Christoph Aeschlimann, called the merger a “strong strategic fit”, saying it will add significant value to both companies.  

Vodafone will also continue to provide services to Swisscom for the next five years as part of the deal. 

The transaction forms part of Vodafone’s broader strategic efforts to streamline its European footprint in recent years. This shift has involved selling off or merging various business units across Europe, including the sale of its Spanish business and a merger with Three in the UK. 

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
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CMA questions Vodafone–Three merger after second probe

News

A key focus of the fund will be on enhancing the digital skills of young people 

UK incumbent BT has launched a £4 million Apprenticeship Fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), charities, and public sector organisations across England.  

The funds will be delivered over the next four years, helping these organisations to recruit and train apprentices. 

Since 2017, companies in the UK with an annual wage bill over £3 million have been required to pay an ‘apprenticeship levy’, with 0.5% of the company’s annual wage bill being paid to the government to support various apprenticeship programmes. Larger businesses such as BT can transfer up to 50% of their levy to other companies directly, which is what BT is doing here.  

BT has partnered with Babington, a leading apprenticeship training provider, to manage the fund and guide applicants through the process.  

Eligible organisations can apply for funding and, if successful, will be matched with appropriate training providers within 20 days. The fund could support up to 550 apprentices and is expected to generate a £21 million economic impact. 

“SMEs make a significant contribution to our economy, but their uptake of apprenticeships is low,” said Chris Sims, Managing Director for Small and Medium Business at BT in a press release. 

“By sharing up to £4 million from our apprenticeship levy funds, we’re giving these businesses the financial support they need to invest in talent. This not only helps create a more skilled, diverse, and competitive workforce, it also provides SMEs with additional resources to grow and scale their business,” he continued. 

The fund is available to SMEs, charities, and public sector organisations across England, including the NHS. It focuses on apprentices aged 22 and older and seeks to support local economic growth, reduce the digital divide, and enhance social mobility. 

As one of the UK’s largest employers, BT is already a major player in the UK’s apprenticeship landscape, having recruited around 3,000 apprentices and graduates in the past five years. 

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Press Release

Nokia today announced the launch of a new sustainability calculator for private wireless networks for enterprises. This tool helps companies estimate the environmental and social benefits of using private wireless networks and the new Industry 4.0 applications they enable. Notable benefits include improved operations, reduced costs and carbon emissions, and fewer workplace accidents.

Nokia commissioned PwC UK to support the development of a Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator, based on Nokia’s extensive experience in deploying private wireless networks for more than 760 industrial customers worldwide. Nokia’s tool, initially created for mining, manufacturing and port industries, aids businesses in leveraging private wireless to reach their environmental and social objectives, catering to the growing demand from investors for transparency.

Digitalization is key to accelerating industry sustainability and enabling enterprises to achieve long-term growth. Private wireless networks provide high-performance connectivity for digitalization, enabling new applications such as drone inspections, digital twins, and real-time environmental monitoring. These applications, when combined with private networking and edge computing, improve operational efficiency and contribute to sustainability goals.

Industry 4.0 applications powered by private wireless networks offer significant improvements for businesses.

• Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A GlobalData and Nokia report found 79% of surveyed enterprises saw a 10% or greater reduction in emissions after deploying private wireless solutions like drones, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and digital twins.
• Improved Worker Safety: Medium-sized chemical manufacturing plants utilizing private wireless networks can save approximately EUR 1.4 million in societal costs (assuming consistent production volumes) and witness an average 35% decrease, on average, in health and safety incidents. Societal costs refer to the economic and social burdens associated with accidents, injuries, and illnesses, including healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and the impact on families and communities. This is due to factors like remote machine control, which reduces worker exposure to hazardous environments.
• Improved Efficiency: Autonomous trucks powered by private wireless networks results in a 7% reduction in fuel consumption and wear and tear. Additionally, operations became 10% more efficient, leading to reduced energy consumption and improved worker safety.

The Nokia Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator draws on PwC UK’s expertise in measuring and valuing impacts, and its Total Impact Measurement and Management (TIMM) framework to develop the environmental and social impact methodologies for private wireless networks. TIMM is rooted in impact pathways, going one step further than most other methodologies to translate the costs and benefits to society in monetary terms.

The Nokia calculator uses data from multiple sources, including previous quantifications in other projects and network models to provide a comprehensive understanding of the private networks’ impact. From there, the model’s insights support users to identify opportunities to enhance business operations, including improving equipment lifecycles, reducing transportation downtime and fuel consumption, and improved worker health considerations. Through this process, the Nokia Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator offers enterprises vital findings and insights to improve their business – from improved operational efficiencies, worker health and safety, potential reductions in costs and environmental footprint.

Subho Mukherjee, Vice President of Sustainability at Nokia, said: “Many physical industries are heavy emitters of greenhouse gas and haven’t had the opportunity to reap the full potential of digital technologies yet. To reach our climate goals, we need to speed up their digital transformation through the power of networking, AI and cloud. Nokia is helping industries go digital to become smarter, more automated, sustainable, and efficient. Our new Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator is the first of its kind, showing our private wireless networks can help businesses be more environmentally friendly. It’s a strong step towards quantifying what Nokia believes in, that there is no green without digital.”

Mukherjee said the new Nokia tool underscores the company’s commitment to addressing climate change and resource efficiency in its value chain. Nokia has committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, accelerating its previous target by 10 years. This places Nokia ahead of the Paris Agreement goal to reach net zero by 2050. This initiative is part of Nokia’s broader strategy to integrate sustainability benefits into its solutions for industries and develop Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) as a competitive advantage.

Tom Beagent, Sustainability Partner at PwC UK, said: “Technology has a huge role to play in tackling social and environmental challenges. It is great to see Nokia using its expertise to support its customers to see the potential of private wireless in tackling issues such as health and safety and carbon emissions. Monetizing impacts with frameworks like TIMM really help decision makers to understand the social and environmental return on investment and the role technology can play in delivering on their sustainability goals.”

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Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
Verizon’s 4,800 job cuts will cost over $1.9 billion
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Interview

Is the new Labour government’s approach to digital infrastructure going to be effective?

In this Connected Britain interview, Simon Miller, Director of Public and Regional Affairs at Virgin Media O2, describes the “encouraging” discussions with government so far and how the UK’s digital infrastructure landscape is shifting in 2024.

Check out the full interview from the link below:  

News

The operator says it is the first in the country to launch 5G standalone (SA) on a “national scale”

This week, French mobile network operator Free, owned by telecoms giant Iliad Group, has announced the launch of 5G SA services.

“Today, Free is announcing that it has deployed 5G SA (Standalone Access) on the 3.5 GHz frequencies of its public network on a national scale. By doing this, it has become the first mobile operator in France to offer this technology to its subscribers,” reads the company’s translated press release.

More specifically, the operator says it has switched on 5G SA at 6,950 of its 20,000 5G sites across the country, with customers able to access the new technology on compatible devices at no extra cost.

The new SA architecture will provide customers with higher speeds and lower latency, as well as unlocking a host of potential new use cases, from extended reality to network slicing.

“5G SA is the final phase of the development of the 5G network, enabling faster speeds, lower latency, and higher reliability,” explained Free. “Its large-scale deployment will allow the full potential of 5G technology to be realized through the massive take-up of new services and 5G applications in many domains, ranging from industry, health, education, and entertainment through to smart cities.”

It should be noted that while the announcement claims the standalone deployment to be at a “national scale”, this is presumably not the same as ‘nationwide”. Free says its 20,000 5G sites provide coverage of coverage of roughly 95% of the French population, which would suggest that there are still many thousands of sites left to upgrade before truly national coverage can be achieved.

This is the second major 5G SA announcement this month, with EE (BT) having announced the launch of the new technology in 15 cities a few weeks ago. Interestingly, EE’ 5G SA network will only be available to customers via new premium packages and will not be accessible for customers on existing plans.

This is in contrast to rivals Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, both of whom will allow existing users to access the new network at no additional cost.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

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News

The savings come as part of a partnership with data centre software specialist EkkoSense

According to Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), working in partnership with EkkoSense across 20 of the company’s UK data centres has led to an average saving of 15% in data centre cooling energy usage.

In environmental terms, this means reducing the company’s carbon footprint by around 760 tonnes per year. In financial terms, it’s a reduction in energy bills of over £1 million a year.

These savings have been achieved through better understanding the data centres’ existing energy usage, leveraging various monitoring and analytics solutions from EkkoSense. These include using IoT sensors, AI analytics, and digital twin technology.

“With our software collecting thousands of data points every five minutes – adding to the millions of data points already collected, we’re able to continually refine the effectiveness of our machine learning algorithms for Virgin Media O2,” said Dean Boyle, EkkoSense’s CEO. “Having access to this level of real-time insight means that Virgin Media O2’s operations team are able to track how their data centres are performing from a cooling, power and capacity perspective. They are also able to identify further energy optimisation opportunities in terms of cooling energy usage and overall savings.”

This additional insight from EkkoSense has allowed VMO2 to adjust its energy usage in real-time to meet demand, enabling them to run more efficiently.

“In partnership with EkkoSense, we’ve optimised our data centres so they operate efficiently, using real-time data so we can make airflow and cooling improvements, resulting in significant cooling energy savings,” explained Adrian Lazenby, Head of Technical Site Engineering and Delivery at VMO2.

In recent years, the data centre industry has experienced a surge in growth, much of which is related to the ongoing boom in AI. However, providing energy – particularly renewable energy – for these power-hungry data centres, remains a major challenge. Indeed, we have even seen data centre projects rejected recently due to fears that the local energy grids could not support the additional demand.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
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News

The regulator said the operator had not done enough to protect consumer data

This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reached a settlement with telco giant AT&T, fining them $13 million for their lack of oversight over customers’ data security.

Back in January 2023, bad actors gained access to the data of 8.9 million AT&T customers via a cyberattack on an unnamed third-party cloud vendor.

According to the FCC, this vendor was used by AT&T “to generate and host personalized video content, including billing and marketing videos” for the affected customers.

As part of the vendor’s service agreement with AT&T, the company was required to destroy or return customer data once it was not longer needed. However, the FCC claims that AT&T did not enforce these obligations, thereby creating the conditions for the data theft to take place.

Customer data stolen included that from the period 2015 to 2017, which should have been deleted in 2017 or 2018.

Today, following an investigation, the FCC has fined AT&T $13 million for its failure to protect consumer data.

“The Communications Act makes clear that carriers have a duty to protect the privacy and security of consumer data, and that responsibility takes on new meaning for digital age data breaches,” said FCC chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel. “Carriers must take additional precautions given their access to sensitive information, and we will remain vigilant in ensuring that’s the case no matter which provider a customer chooses.”

As part of the settlement with the FCC, AT&T will be required to increase its data security and supply chain integrity practices, as well a carry out annual compliance audits.

It is worth noting that this is not the only cybersecurity breach of AT&T being investigated by the FCC. Earlier this summer, AT&T revealed a data breach that took place in April affecting roughly 109 million customers – almost the company’s entire subscriber base.

The FCC’s investigation into this incident is still ongoing.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
Verizon’s 4,800 job cuts will cost over $1.9 billion
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News

The five new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are the first step in providing mobile coverage to ‘not spots’ across the USA

AST SpaceMobile has successfully launched its first five BlueBird LEO satellites, which will ultimately form part of a constellation aimed at delivering direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity to mobile subscribers.

The five satellites carry antenna arrays that each cover around 700 square feet, making them the largest ever deployed by a commercial space craft.

For the next three months, the quintuplet will undergo various calibration testing, after which beta tests with AT&T (and likely Verizon) customers will begin.

Each of the satellites’ beams are designed to support a capacity of up to 40 MHz, enabling peak data transmission speeds of up to 120 Mbps. and will target approximately 100% nationwide coverage from space with over 5,600 coverage cells in the US.

Initial coverage from the satellites will be limited; the devices will orbit the Earth twice a day, providing about an hour of combined connectivity across the US. AST aims to launch 17 additional satellites during Q1 next year, with plans for up to 155 to be built by 2030, which will ultimately provide global coverage.

“This is a pivotal moment for AST SpaceMobile as we bring our vision to enhance cellular connectivity globally, with the support of our strategic partners and the unwavering commitment of our team,” said Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. “As we shift our manufacturing focus to increase Block 2 production of the active payload systems and other components for the first 17 Block 2 satellites, we are excited to bring this revolutionary technology to the world. We believe space-based broadband cellular connectivity will revolutionize how people connect, empowering communities and driving economic growth on a global scale.”

Both AT&T and Verizon have deals with AST SpaceMobile to make use of the satellites to deliver connectivity to ‘not spots’ across the country. The services will use the operators’ respective 850MHz spectrum and will connect to unmodified smartphones.

“This is an exciting next step to a future where our customers will only be hard to reach if they choose to be – giving them the power to go anywhere and the possibility to do anything while staying connected with just an everyday cell phone” said Jeff McElfresh, Chief Operating Officer at AT&T. “This moment has been several years in the making, and I am proud of our teams’ work, in collaboration with AST SpaceMobile, to help make space-based connectivity a reality.”

Exactly how the mobile operators will commercialise these services remains to be seen, but AT&T’s network chief Chris Sambar has previously hinted that the service will be available as-standard on premium packages or as a paid addition to cheaper packages.

Besides AT&T and Verizon, AST SpaceMobile also has partnership and investments from the likes of American Tower, Google, Rakuten, and Vodafone.

It should also be noted that AST SpaceMobile is not the only satellite operator to be eying D2D connectivity. Indeed, SpaceX’s more than 7,000-satellite Starlink constellation has plans to launch its own D2D connectivity services later this year.

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Meta resumes use of UK user posts to train its AI models
Verizon’s 4,800 job cuts will cost over $1.9 billion
CMA questions Vodafone–Three merger after second probe

News 

The company initially received backlash back in June before an intervention from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) 

Meta has announced that it will begin training its AI models using public content shared by users on Facebook and Instagram in the UK, having paused the training in June due to regulatory clashes. 

The company intends to start this process in the coming months, with customers of their platforms to be informed via in-app notification.  

Meta argues that the use of this training will allow the company’s AI models to better reflect British culture, history, and language. In reality, of course, this is more about accessing the many millions of posts that will help to enhance their product offerings and maintaining a competitive edge against rival models. 

The decision follows discussions with the ICO after Meta paused its AI training in the UK to address regulatory concerns. Meta has since received clarity from the ICO, which confirmed that using public data under the legal basis of “Legitimate Interests” is acceptable. As a result, Meta expects its AI models to launch in the UK sooner than originally planned. 

Stephen Almond, Executive Director Regulatory Risk at the ICO has released the following statement:  

“Meta has since [since June] made changes to its approach, including making it simpler for users to object to the processing and providing them with a longer window to do so. Meta has now taken the decision to resume its plans and we will monitor the situation as Meta moves to inform UK users and commence processing in the coming weeks.” 

“We have been clear that any organisation using its users’ information to train generative AI models needs to be transparent about how people’s data is being used. Organisations should put effective safeguards in place before they start using personal data for model training, including providing a clear and simple route for users to object to the processing. The ICO has not provided regulatory approval for the processing and it is for Meta to ensure and demonstrate ongoing compliance.” 

Meta remains under scrutiny from various regulators over its handling of consumer data, particularly in Europe where the rollout of its Generative AI products remain paused as a result of regulatory inquiry.  

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