NATO funds satellite backup for subsea internet cables

A NATO-backed initiative is looking to bolster the internet's resilience against disruption by quite literally taking things to the next level: space.

The ambitious £2 million project – dubbed HEIST (Hybrid Space/Submarine Architecture Ensuring Infosec of Telecommunications) – received the greenlight on 31 July 2024, with partial funding coming from NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) programme.

The goal of the project is to create a space-based safety net...

Bringing SpaceX to the wild: Is Starlink Mini right for backpackers?

Bringing the internet to the wild: Is Starlink Mini right for backpackers?

SpaceX has introduced Starlink Mini, a new portable solution to access the internet-from-space service that is already in use on boats, planes, by "van-lifers," in Amazonian villages, and in rural homes across over 75 countries.

The Verge reports that the new Starlink Mini is a DC-powered device as thick as a laptop and incorporates a Wi-Fi router into the dish itself. Although it's tiny, the Mini is no slouch and can achieve speeds of more than 100 Mbps. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk...

FCC votes to restore net neutrality protections

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to reinstate net neutrality protections, marking a significant shift in policy that aims to ensure the internet remains fast, open, and fair for all users. The decision comes after years of public outcry and regulatory shifts that saw the rollback of previous net neutrality rules.

The rules prohibit Internet service providers from blocking and throttling lawful content and ban paid prioritisation. Cable and telecom companies...

FCC to decide on net neutrality’s future

The FCC is gearing up for a vote aimed at regaining regulatory power over ISPs and reinstating federal net neutrality rules discarded by the Trump administration in 2017. Net neutrality is designed to ensure that the choices of internet users, not ISPs, dictate online activities.

Early in April, the FCC revealed its draft rules, which have since garnered praise for various reasons. Notably, the rules demand an end to the practice by mobile carriers such as T-Mobile, AT&T, and...

Glasgow has UK’s biggest broadband gap

A busy Glasgow street.

Glasgow is the UK’s most unequal city for broadband connections – with its fastest area 866 times the speed of its slowest, according to analysis of 16,500 consumer speed tests by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.

The highest average download speed measured in Glasgow was 840.4Mbps, logged in the Milton district. Yet just four miles away in the suburb of Bearsden, speeds as low as 0.97Mbps were recorded. This is less than a tenth of the 10Mbps download speed...

Starlink will be available for moving vehicles in December

SpaceX has announced that its Starlink service will soon be available for moving vehicles.

The company’s Starlink for RVs service was initially launched in May but was designed for stationary vehicles.

However, some enterprising folk managed to get Starlink working for moving vehicles anyway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PDVURcvWeg

From December 2022, a new Starlink service is launching that is meant for in-motion use.

The new service...

European telecoms firms call for web giants to contribute to soaring network costs

European telecoms companies have called on the world's web giants to contribute financially to the increasing costs of maintaining internet networks.

16 chief executives of telecoms firms, including BT, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom, released a joint statement this week, in which they said the likes of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Netflix should be made to pay some of the soaring costs for the huge amount of global internet traffic they carry on their telecoms...

FCC authorises nearly $800M from RDOF to Nextlink, Starry and others

The FCC has announced the approval of nearly $800 million from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) that will go to providers including Nextlink and Starry.

Fixed wireless access (FWA) providers are the main beneficiaries of the RDOF fund as the FCC bets on their ability to achieve rural broadband availability targets.

"We are excited to partner with the FCC to deploy gigabit connectivity to households across rural America," said Nextlink CEO Bill Baker in a...

OneWeb turns to SpaceX for satellite launches after Roscosmos snub

OneWeb is turning to rival SpaceX to launch its LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites after Russian space agency Roscosmos snubbed the British firm.

A rocket carrying 36 of OneWeb’s satellites was due to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome earlier this month.

In the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Roscosmos refused to launch the satellites unless OneWeb accepted two demands—for the British government to sell its stake in the firm, and to guarantee they will not...

Internet backbone provider Lumen joins exodus of Russia

Lumen, a major internet backbone provider, has announced that it will be joining the exodus of Russia.

Russia has found itself increasingly isolated on the world stage after its decision to illegally invade Ukraine—including carrying out heinous acts that are now being investigated as likely war crimes.

The pariah state has already been cut off from global payment systems. Meanwhile, a growing number of companies have taken independent decisions to halt or limit...