Press Release

Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation have partnered to launch a new apprenticeship programme where successful candidates will gain professional qualifications alongside undertaking critical work to increase digital inclusion across the UK.

The telecommunications firm has gifted around £200,000 to fund the ‘Good Things Foundation Future Skills Academy’ which will be delivered by EdTech provider Multiverse with the schemes ranging from Level 3 (the equivalent of A Level) right through to Level 6 (undergraduate degree level).

The analytical apprenticeship schemes delivered by Multiverse will help successful candidates develop business critical skills such as data analysis and project management.

As part of their schemes, the apprentices will split their time between working for organisations in Good Things Foundation’s National Digital Inclusion Network and working towards their fully funded apprenticeship qualification, which would not be possible without support from Virgin Media O2.

The skills candidates will learn through their apprenticeship will help them to digitally transform their organisation. It is envisioned this will free up their time and reduce costs, enabling them to provide even greater support to people who are digitally excluded in their communities.

In June 2021, Virgin Media O2 committed to hiring more than 1,000 apprentices, and earlier this year announced plans to hire more than 350 apprentices into the business in 2023.

Karen Handley, Head of Future Careers at Virgin Media O2, said: “As one of the UK’s largest apprenticeship providers, we know the real difference that apprentices can make to an organisation which is why we’re proud to help fund the Good Things Foundation’s Future Skills Academy.

“Through their apprenticeship schemes candidates will learn the skills that will help them tackle digital exclusion in their communities.”

“We’re committed to helping eradicate data poverty in the UK, and through our work in partnership with Good Things Foundation, we’re getting more people online and connected than ever before.”

Helen Milner OBE, Group Chief Executive, Good Things Foundation said “Data literacy and business transformation skills are becoming increasingly vital to help future-proof organisations.  These are the skills of the future that will help organisations adapt and respond to rapid technological development.

“Through partnering with Virgin Media O2 and Multiverse, we are offering members of our National Digital Inclusion Network access to fully funded professional development in business-critical skills. This opportunity will help build organisation resilience for members of our network so that they can continue to provide vital services to fix the digital divide in local communities.”

Jeremy Duggan, President of Multiverse said: “The pace of technological change is leaving far too many people behind without access to the skills and tools they need to thrive. Addressing this problem is an objective that unites Multiverse, Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation.

Through our partnership, we’ll empower individuals with the data and digital skills that not only open up their own careers, but also support the essential work of the organisations they belong to. Apprenticeships are simply the best way to deliver those skills, because the future of learning is working; applying skills everyday, in real-world settings.”

As well as working together on the Good Things Foundation’s Future Skills Academy, Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation founded the National Databank in July 2021, where people in need can access 20GB of free O2 data – enough for around 220 hours of internet browsing – per month.

Since the National Databank was launched, Virgin Media O2 has provided more than 70,000 free O2 SIM cards and 50,000 free O2 data vouchers and has committed more than 61 million GB of free O2 data to the initiative by the end of 2025.

How are the UK’s network operators helping to nurture the next generation of telecoms professionals? Join the ecosystem in discussion at this year’s live Connected Britain conference

Also in the news:
ECTA calls on the European Commission to think again
Research claims FTTH reduces internet CO2 emissions by a third
Fibre will underpin our 5G future, says ITS Technology Group at Connected North

News

The combined entity would control around two-thirds of the Sri Lankan mobile market

This week, Dialog Axiata and Bharti Airtel have announced their intention to merge their respective Sri Lankan units.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, though the announcement notes that Airtel will receive new shares in Dialog as part of the deal.

Dialog is already the current mobile market leader in Sri Lanka, with its roughly 18 million customers representing around 60% of the total market. Airtel Lanka, meanwhile, is the country’s second largest mobile player, with roughly 5 million subscribers.

Thus, if combined, the resulting entity would serve around 23 million customers, almost two thirds of the country’s 36.18 million mobile connections in 2023.

The merger still requires shareholder approval from both companies and will be subject to the typical regulatory oversight.

Hutch and SLT-Mobitel fill out Sri Lanka’s mobile tetrarchy, with Hutch having acquired the market’s fourth place player, Etisalat Sri Lanka, back in 2018.

This is not the first time that Dialog and Airtel have looked to join forces in Sri Lanka. The pair first entered merger discussions back in 2016. At the time, Airtel was a much smaller player in the Sri Lankan market, with the deal expected to carry a price tag of only around $100 million. Ultimately, however, a deal could not be reached.

The merger comes at an interesting time for Sri Lanka on a macroeconomic level. The country has been facing an economic imbalance for many years, with imports far outweighing exports and draining the nation’s foreign currency reserves. In recent years, coupled with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, the situation has frown to a full-blown crisis, with soaring inflation driving public protests to overthrow the civilian government last year.

Want to keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news? Click here to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter straight to your inbox

Also in the news:
ECTA calls on the European Commission to think again
Research claims FTTH reduces internet CO2 emissions by a third
Fibre will underpin our 5G future, says ITS Technology Group at Connected North

A few new IXs, some partnership expansions, and a new market: … [visit site to read more]

News

The consortium, including both telecoms and satellite specialists, will bid to jointly operate the European Commission (EC)’s burgeoning IRIS² low-earth orbit satellite constellation

Satellite communication networks have seen a meteoric rise in recent years, buoyed by the steady growth of Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation, which now comprises almost 4,000 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Soon, the expansion of similar constellations, such as the UK government-backed OneWeb and Amazon’s nascent Kuiper Project, will see the sky above our heads soon filled with orbiting devices capable of beaming down connectivity to hard to reach areas.

For a number of years, the European Union (EU) has expressed its wish to join this emerging space race, saying that the creation of its own LEO satellite network would be crucial to ensuring the region’s digital security and sovereignty.

Last year, these ambitions finally began to take shape with the announcement of the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) constellation, the EU’s €6 billion satellite project.

According to the EU’s plans, IRIS² will seek to cover the entirety of Europe and Africa, providing connectivity for governments, businesses, and citizens.

To achieve this, the project will require the launch of around 170 new LEO satellites, which will be incorporated with various existing orbital assets in Low, Medium, and geostationary orbits. The EC aims to launch the first of these satellites in 2024, with the entire constellation completed and ready for service in 2027.

The public tender process for the right to build and operate IRIS² was launched last month, with the EU having agreed that €2.4 billion in public funding would be provided, with the rest of the €6 billion to be provided by the private sector.

Now, this week has seen the formation of a new consortium that aims to bid for the IRIS², touting their collective expertise in both the satellite and telecoms sectors.

The consortium is to be led by Airbus Defence and Space, Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES, and Thales Alenia Space, with a wider ‘core team’ that comprises Deutsche Telekom, OHB, Orange, Hisdesat, Telespazio, and Thales.

The consortium is reportedly open to additional members, with startups and SMEs encouraged to join and build ‘amore innovative and competitive European space sector’.

“The integrated team aims to foster collaboration among all European space players across the whole connectivity value chain with a view to enabling EU’s strategic autonomy through the delivery of sovereign, secure and resilient government services to protect European citizens,” said the group in a statement. “The team will leverage synergies between government and commercial infrastructures. The teaming partners are also well positioned to provide commercial services to bridge the digital divide across European territories and to increase Europe’s global outreach and competitiveness as a space and digital power on the global market.”

Each members specific contributions to the project have yet to be revealed.

The EC is set to evaluate initial proposals until May 25, after which it will seek more detailed proposals. A final decision on the winner of the contract will be decided by the end of the year, with an official announcement expected to be made in late January 2024.

Want to keep up to date with all of the latest international telecoms news? Click here to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter straight to your inbox

Also in the news:
ECTA calls on the European Commission to think again
Research claims FTTH reduces internet CO2 emissions by a third
Fibre will underpin our 5G future, says ITS Technology Group at Connected North

Some new metro fiber, some financing, an integration update, and a buildout update: … [visit site to read more]

Yesterday we had a bit of consolidation out at the edge. DartPoints has acquired Venyu, a data center and cloud services provider based in Louisiana. … [visit site to read more]