Net neutrality rules suspended by federal appeals court

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has dealt a significant blow to net neutrality advocates by blocking the recently reinstated rules from taking effect. This decision extends an earlier temporary pause, effectively putting net neutrality on hold until further notice.

The court granted a stay after reviewing petitions from broadband providers who opposed the rule. In their ruling, the panel of judges stated that the internet service providers (ISPs) had "successfully showed they...

2 August 2024 | Broadband

Top 8 benefits of cloud-native telecom development for service providers

Technologies in the IT field do not stand still. The pace of improvement in tools that enable developers to create better products is constantly accelerating. At the same time, standards and approaches to work are changing — the time frame for bringing a finished product to market is decreasing, and the quality bar is steadily increasing. 

Fortunately, telecom software development companies have found a simple and effective way to speed up processes without sacrificing quality....

1 August 2024 | Operators

Gen Z abandons broadcast TV as streaming dominates

A recent study by Ofcom has revealed a significant shift in media consumption habits among younger generations, with less than half of 16-24-year-olds now watching broadcast TV in an average week. This marks a historic low and signals a dramatic change in how younger audiences consume content.

According to Ofcom's annual study on the nation's media habits, only 48% of young audiences tuned in to broadcast TV in an average week last year, a sharp decline from 76% in 2018. The trend...

31 July 2024 | Research

Ofcom tightens rules to combat foreign scam calls

Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has introduced new measures to protect consumers from scam calls originating overseas. The strengthened industry guidance, announced today, requires phone companies to block calls from abroad that falsely display UK landline numbers.

This move aims to tackle a common tactic used by fraudsters who 'spoof' trusted phone numbers to deceive victims. By imitating numbers from reputable organisations or government departments, scammers increase...

30 July 2024 | 5G

France hit by coordinated attacks on telecom infrastructure

France has been targeted by a new wave of sabotage attacks, this time focusing on telecom operators. The incidents occurred on Sunday night and have affected fibre optic networks across six regions of the country.

French authorities have confirmed that installations belonging to major telecom providers SFR and Bouygues Telecom were vandalised. The attacks appear to be well-coordinated, with damage reported in southern France and near the Luxembourg border, as well as in areas...

29 July 2024 | Broadband

The dawn of OpenRAN: Revolutionising mobile networks

Born from the need for greater flexibility and cost-efficiency in mobile networks, OpenRAN (Open Radio Access Networks) emerged in the mid-2010s as a radical reimagining of cellular infrastructure. The concept gained momentum in 2016 when the xRAN Forum was established, later merging with the C-RAN Alliance to form the O-RAN Alliance in 2018. This collaborative effort aimed to break the stranglehold of proprietary, integrated systems that had long dominated the...

25 July 2024 | 5G

T-Mobile and KKR to broaden US fibre network with Metronet acquisition

T-Mobile and KKR announce strategic acquisition of Metronet to broaden U.S. fibre network

T-Mobile has entered into a joint venture (JV) with KKR to acquire Metronet in a move that will significantly expand T-Mobile's fibre footprint. Metronet, it's worth noting, is currently the fastest-growing pure-play fibre company in the US.

"This is a unique opportunity and a smart, capital-efficient deal that enables T-Mobile to profitably build on our success in broadband and provide fast, affordable, and reliable connectivity options to millions more customers nationwide as a...

25 July 2024 | Broadband

Berlin’s 5G shift: Germany to phase out Huawei and ZTE components

In the wake of mounting global concerns over national security, Germany has become the latest nation to join the ranks of countries restricting Chinese technology in critical infrastructure. Following in the footsteps of the US, Britain, Sweden, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, Europe's largest economy has announced plans to bar components from Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE in core parts of its 5G networks.

This decision marks a significant shift for...

19 July 2024 | 5G

AT&T data breach affects 109 million US customers

Data breach at AT&T affects 109 million U.S. customer accounts

AT&T has disclosed a significant cybersecurity incident that has sent ripples through the security and tech communities.

The breach, which occurred in April, resulted in the unauthorised access and download of data from approximately 109 million customer accounts, primarily consisting of call and text records from 2022.

Scope and nature of the breach

According to Reuters, the scale of this breach is particularly alarming, affecting nearly all of AT&T's...

16 July 2024 | AT&T

ITU-R appoints Samsung researcher to lead 6G coordination group

Samsung will spearhead the standardisation of 6G technologies in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) until 2029.

HyoungJin Choi, a researcher from Samsung Research, has been appointed as the chair of the Coordination Group on IMT-2030 (6G) at the recent ITU-R Working Party 5D (WP 5D) meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. This appointment marks Choi's second leadership role in 6G standardisation efforts within the ITU-R,...

15 July 2024 | 6G