Ofcom hits BT with £17.5M fine over emergency call system failure

Ofcom has imposed a £17.5 million fine on BT for its inadequate preparedness in handling a major disruption to its emergency call service last summer. The incident, which occurred on 25 June 2023, left nearly 14,000 emergency call attempts unsuccessful and potentially put lives at risk.

The failure, described as "catastrophic," affected BT's ability to connect calls to emergency services for over 10 hours, from 06:24 to 16:56. During this period, 12,392 different callers were...

22 July 2024 | Legislation & Government

Ofcom cracks down on unpredictable telecom price hikes

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, will require telecoms providers to clearly state any price increases in pounds and pence upfront, giving customers more certainty about their monthly outgoings.

The new regulations are set to take effect from 17 January 2025 and come in response to the growing trend of major UK phone, broadband, and pay TV companies including inflation-linked price rises in their contracts. Ofcom found that this practice left customers without sufficient...

19 July 2024 | 5G

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

Mint Mobile now includes free Canada roaming

Mint Mobile has announced the inclusion of free roaming services for all its customers visiting the Great White North. This new feature – which includes unlimited talk, text, and 3GB of high-speed data per month – is now available on all Mint Mobile plans.

The announcement comes as part of Mint Mobile's ongoing efforts to enhance customer experience following its acquisition by T-Mobile.

Mint Mobile’s latest benefit adds to the company's existing perks – such as...

12 July 2024 | Networks

Germany prolongs banning Chinese 5G equipment

Germany has announced plans to ban critical components made by Chinese firms like Huawei and ZTE from its 5G networks, citing security concerns. The decision – revealed by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Thursday – will be implemented in two phases starting in 2026, with a longer timeline than initially expected.

Under the new agreement, critical components from Huawei and ZTE will be barred from 5G core networks by the end of 2026, a year later than previously envisaged....

11 July 2024 | 5G

Vodafone tackles urban 5G challenges with Ericsson’s compact antennas

Vodafone has begun deploying Ericsson's innovative Interleaved AIR 3218 antennas to boost 5G network performance, capacity, and coverage without increasing the footprint of existing antenna installations.

The scarcity of suitable rooftop locations for additional 5G antennas has been a major hurdle in Germany's urban areas. Many available rooftop sites fail to meet the static requirements of network planners, while current LTE mast locations often lack space for extra 5G...

10 July 2024 | 5G

Vodafone and Meta collaborate on European network optimisation

Vodafone and Meta have joined forces to tackle network congestion and improve mobile user experience across Europe. The collaboration, which began in June, has already been implemented in eleven European markets.

The initiative aims to free up network capacity for all mobile customers, with a particular focus on enhancing the viewing experience of high-quality short videos. This development comes at a time when video content consumption on mobile devices continues to surge,...

9 July 2024 | 5G

Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 extend network sharing

Vodafone UK and Virgin Media O2 have announced a landmark agreement to extend and enhance their mobile network sharing arrangement for over a decade.

The agreement, which builds upon the existing partnership between the two telecom giants, is largely independent of the proposed merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK. However, should the merger receive regulatory approval, the deal includes provisions for Virgin Media O2 to acquire spectrum from the newly formed entity, dubbed...

3 July 2024 | 5G

Dutch 5G auction: KPN, Odido, and VodafoneZiggo secure crucial spectrum

Netherlands’ telecoms regulator announced this week that KPN, Odido, and VodafoneZiggo have each successfully acquired 100 MHz of spectrum in the coveted 3.5GHz band.

The long-awaited auction, which raised a total of €174.4 million, saw each operator secure their spectrum allocation for just over the reserve price.

KPN invested €58.4 million, VodafoneZiggo paid €57.5 million, and Odido (formerly T-Mobile Netherlands) acquired its share for a comparable amount....

2 July 2024 | 5G