WAN performance and optimisation

Need emerges for sustainable network infrastructure transformation

Survey of IT decision-makers and 1,200 office workers across EMEA region reveals that infrastructure users are committed to change but demand more positive action and greater understanding from leadership Continue Reading

Wi-Fi Alliance says momentum underscores need for entire 6GHz spectrum

Consortium of companies delivering products and services based on key wireless technology insists that recent new product availability and large-scale deployments from its members demonstrate readiness of Wi-Fi 6E standard Continue Reading

Largest 5,000 enterprises to increase WAN spend by 44% by 2026

Research predicts that revenue from port charges, software-defined wide area network and broadband will grow, while legacy networking’s contribution to overall market revenue set to decrease by 55% by 2026 Continue Reading

Singtel, China Telecom Global to lead undersea cable consortium

New Asia Link Cable system will connect Hong Kong and Singapore with the Philippines, Brunei, and Hainan in China Continue Reading

Vodafone, Altice create a fibre-to-the-home joint venture in Germany

A 50/50 joint venture partnership aims to build on operator’s next-generation network with broadband firm’s industrial expertise and proven fibre-to-the-home construction capabilities, enabling gigabit connectivity to customers in Germany Continue Reading

GBI taps Nokia to enhances optical network capacity between Middle East and Europe

Cloud, connectivity and content enabler undertakes optical network capacity upgrade between key markets to scale wavelength speed by a factor of x4 to offer high-speed connectivity across subsea cable and terrestrial network links Continue Reading

Indonesia’s NeutraDC outlines global ambitions

Formed from the consolidation of Telkom’s infrastructure assets, NeutraDC has set its sights on being a global player in datacentre and connectivity services Continue Reading

How Cloudflare is staying ahead of the curve

Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince talks up what has changed since the company’s first business plan was written in 2009 and how it keeps pace with the fast-moving network security landscape Continue Reading

Tata Communications further strengthens IZO Internet WAN for global enterprises

Tata has announced strengthened variants of its IZO Internet WAN offering for global enterprises, in particular those looking at introducing cloud services to their existing IT and networking architecture. Continue Reading

Cradlepoint unveils networking architecture addressing 5G, SD-WAN, zero-trust intersection

Cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network services provider launches software-based offering to manage remote connections and provide flow-level visibility Continue Reading

England and Wales councils unprepared for PSTN withdrawal in 2025

Freedom of information act request reveals worrying finding that over half of councils in England and Wales have no strategy for the prospective withdrawal of traditional PSTN communications networks Continue Reading

Global broadband reaches for the stars to connect the Earth

Despite fears of recession, especially in major economies, there is one thing that people can’t seem to have enough of: high-speed connectivity Continue Reading

Samsung, Kajeet collaborate to deliver smart private 5G network

Wireless connectivity provider teams with mobile technologies and CE giant to bring together private 5G platform and 5G RAN innovations Continue Reading

SASE vs SSE – Is SASE One “A” Better?

One of the problems with acronym-defined industry “go to’s” in IT, is that they can easily be misconstrued and/or a myriad variations on a theme emerge from the original – thereby confusing the ... Continue Reading

APAC organisations warm to cloud networking

Organisations in Asia-Pacific are getting up to speed with cloud networking services, even as they grapple with the challenges of managing a hybrid cloud environment Continue Reading

Juniper Networks looks to drive sustainable business with Cloud Metro

AI-driven networks provider claims industry first, with automation-driven metro networking service to deliver highest independently rated power efficiency, TCO reduction and industry-leading performance Continue Reading

Using A SASE Platform approach: What Are The Real Cost Benefits?

Following on from my previous blog - where I talked about the real costs of going down the DIY/product portfolio integration route, rather than opting for a “here’s one they made earlier” solution ... Continue Reading

AT&T Business launches managed wireless WAN

Telco unveils wireless wide area network designed to allow enterprises to untether locations, assets and people with a solution managed and monitored by network experts Continue Reading

Tata Communications further strengthens IZO Internet WAN for global enterprises

Digital ecosystems enabler announced strengthened variants of its IZO Internet wide area network offering for global enterprises, in particular those looking at introducing cloud services to their existing IT and networking architecture Continue Reading

Aryaka addresses accelerating European customer demand with Paris services PoP

As European businesses are hit by supply chain issues, telcos issues and a disrupted workforce, SD-WAN and SASE provider Aryaka claims to guarantee network and application performance through new Paris service point of presence Continue Reading

Connectivity partnership sees Tata Communications get in gear with Formula 1

Global communications firm charged with delivering a managed end-to-end network that will transform the F1 fan immersive video experience in more than 180 countries Continue Reading

Storage and 5G: Big impacts likely as wide-area topologies evolve

Enterprise 5G will boost the need for storage generally. It will also push capacity needs closer to the edge and create new locations for processing and storage Continue Reading

Manchester United signs Extreme Networks to modernise in-stadium connectivity experience

Football club sets out to transform the fan experience and increase its capability to deliver low-latency and secure digital services via fast and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity Continue Reading

UK parliamentary committee casts doubt on government’s gigabit connectivity targets

UK parliamentary committee pours scorn on Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s confidence in meeting targets for gigabit connectivity Continue Reading

‘Robust’ market opportunities ‘still abound’ in SD-WAN

Research reveals demand for cloud agility and cross-enterprise visibility, and that the integration of enterprise-grade 5G will continue to drive opportunities in software-defined wide area networks Continue Reading

Post-Covid tech world to see 89% of UK tech operations hosted off-premise

Leading UK ISP releases research showing that emergence of the hybrid era means that dependence on on-premise infrastructure to support a full capacity office is no longer required Continue Reading

New use cases revealed as Orange Belgium launches 5G Lab in Antwerp

Opening next-generation mobile laboratory facility in Antwerp, Orange Belgium invited companies to discover, test and develop new innovative use cases on standalone network technology Continue Reading

Telstra taps Infinera for 800G subsea cable connection

Telco chooses global supplier of open optical networking systems as part of its drive to increase capacity on all segments of its global network across its new and legacy cables Continue Reading

Global internet traffic, bandwidth ‘return to normal’

Global Internet Geography Research Service analyses internet capacity, traffic and IP transit pricing and finds average traffic growth and peak traffic growth drop as world accommodates post-Covid environment Continue Reading

Orange announces landing of new transatlantic submarine cable in France

Global telco claims significant reinforcement of connectivity and resilience after landing in western France with two next-generation transatlantic submarine cables Continue Reading

CityFibre takes the high road with gigabit broadband across Scotland

City of jute, jam and journalism now also the city of full-fibre gigabit broadband as leading network provider expands reach across Scottish Highlands Continue Reading

BT advances hollow core fibre research with world’s first trial of quantum-secure comms

Incumbent UK telco announces latest innovations in hollow core fibre by conducting trial of ultra-secure network communications using commercial equipment over a 6km long Lumenisity CoreSmart cable Continue Reading

Rural Wales broadband specialist ramps investment to connect hard-to-reach communities

UK government-recognised superfast and ultrafast broadband provider expands team to bring gigabit to rural Wales Continue Reading

Blackpool illumination for full-fibre broadband

Neos Networks unveils significant network expansion across Lancashire to facilitate high capacity fibre connectivity for hyperscalers, large-scale content providers and businesses using UK fibre network and connections to Ireland Continue Reading

How NZ schools are tapping managed network services

Using managed network services has freed up time and resources for New Zealand school teachers and alleviated the pressure and challenges of maintaining technology infrastructure Continue Reading

Submarine cable network nears 500 companies over 1.3 million km

New interactive map of sub-sea connectivity industry shows how providers are enhancing the user experience with new cables, landing stations, and upgraded search and select functionalities Continue Reading

CPaaS market hits record high for growth in Q2

Twilio, Vonage and Sinch drive a market that has been positively affected by the Covid crisis as demand for cloud communications over the past year expanded use cases and prompted new suppliers to enter the market Continue Reading

Zen gains Cisco SD-WAN accreditation

Leading UK provider of comms and technology services awarded Cisco Powered SD-WAN Service SD-WAN status, which it says leaves it well set to prosper Continue Reading

AppNeta achieves AWS Outposts Ready designation

Networking monitoring firm gains certification from cloud giant’s managed device and datacentre services division in a move that it says will demonstrate to customers that it has been fully tested to help deliver a truly consistent hybrid experience Continue Reading

UK government adds to Northern Ireland gigabit broadband funding

Further financial support given to develop next-generation full-fibre network across rural regions in province, particularly those that currently have the slowest speeds, such as Mid Ulster, Fermanagh and South Antrim Continue Reading

First priorities for the third workplace

Almost 18 months since Covid-19 caused an almost overnight pivot to home working for many firms, hybrid working seems here to stay for knowledge workers. But the role of the 'third workspace' is not yet entirely clear Continue Reading

Perth & Kinross council enlists Neos for full-fibre infrastructure

Latest deployment of gigabit connectivity in Scotland sees full-fibre network delivered to key council datacentres and public facilities in Perth and Kinross to help underpin the region’s digital future and navigate challenges such as the pandemic Continue Reading

CityFibre digs in to develop digital foundations for Sunderland full-fibre net

Former altnet turned third- largest fibre broadband provider maintains heady pace of UK gigabit roll-out by beginning work in key northeast city Continue Reading

Vocus enlists Nokia to drive 200G optical network over 4,000 km in Australia

Enterprise, government and wholesale customers set to benefit from improved broadband speeds and experience from 200G terrestrial optical network connecting Brisbane and Darwin Continue Reading

Virgin Media O2 gigabit capability covers more than half of UK network footprint

Latest gigabit switch-on from newly merged cable provider sees a further 1.5 million homes added to its network, allowing customers to access average broadband speeds of 1.13Mbps, said to be four times faster than the national average Continue Reading

DELTA taps Nokia to develop 400G optical transport network

High capacity optical network for both core and metro applications will support operator’s aggressive fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) roll-out in the Netherlands over the next decade Continue Reading

BSO named first non-domestic global connectivity provider for Indian stock exchange

Growing global infrastructure and connectivity provider BSO confirmed as one of the first official international approved connectivity partners to meet demand for trading at the National Stock Exchange of India International Exchange Continue Reading

UK broadband trial to investigate connectivity through water pipes

Government-backed scheme to target broadband for hard-to-reach homes with fibre optic cables fed through utility mains, businesses and mobile masts without digging up roads Continue Reading

Openreach announces 86 new copper network switch-off locations

BT-owned UK broadband provision firm accelerates its plan to stop selling copper-based broadband and traditional voice services across the UK by 2025 Continue Reading

Gigabit broadband funding targets over two million homes and businesses

Digital infrastructure upgrades planned for rural and hard-to-reach areas to support post-pandemic economic growth and improve home connectivity Continue Reading

Community Fibre hits milestone of 300,000 homes passed

Community-focused altnet adds 100,000 London homes passed in six months to drive the growing reach of its full-fibre network Continue Reading

Fibre to the fore as OECD countries add 21 million fixed broadband connections

The future is arriving fast in the broadband industry in developed nations, as OECD research finds fibre deployment is gaining traction at the expense of traditional copper-wire connections in a post-Covid environment Continue Reading

Accelerating UK full-fibre sees altnet association register record membership growth

Independent Networks Cooperative Association enjoys membership boom as altnets build momentum in UK and take on comms big guns in dash for fibre to the home and premises Continue Reading

Some 15 million UK consumers suffered major broadband outage in past year

Study covering first full year of lockdown reveals how millions of home-workers and home-schoolers experienced internet outages when they would usually have been at their workplaces or in school Continue Reading

Connectivity bottlenecks put $182bn in SME digital transformations at risk

Research finds ‘alarming’ gap between the approaches small businesses are taking in their post-pandemic digital transformations Continue Reading

Nokia and Xantaro eye up UK broadband altnet full-fibre opportunity

Leading comms equipment provider teams with channel partner and service integrator to fuel the UK altnet boom which has seen independent firms connecting more than two million homes with full-fibre gigabit connectivity Continue Reading

Openreach and Nokia test 25G PON full-fibre

Trials of next-generation full-fibre broadband will be based on passive optical network technology Continue Reading

Buoyant Nokia expects to raise 2021 guidance

Comms tech provider says positive news likely in forthcoming Q2 results and despite some headwinds in the second half, it has good foundation for the full year Continue Reading

CityFibre embarks on gigabit broadband roll-out in Sussex

Rapidly growing infrastructure provider spreads full-fibre connectivity in county’s key inland and coastal areas Continue Reading

Openreach warns UK firms to check comms CPE ahead of analogue switch-off

Ahead of current analogue phone network reaching the end of its life by December 2025, UK broadband provider advises firms to start checking digital compatibility of CPE such as alarm services, lifts, payment card readers and medical equipment Continue Reading

MWC 2021: Totogi aims to ‘do for telcos what Salesforce did for CRM’

Public cloud telco software launches charging engine to achieve what it says is the world’s best performance benchmark of one million transactions per second with usage-based pricing with free tier option for CSPs Continue Reading

Two-thirds of SMEs yet to consider impact of Openreach analogue and ISDN switch-off

Survey by network services provider reveals worrying lack of preparedness amongst SMEs regarding support for remote workers ahead of the end of analogue copper services form BT broadband provision division Continue Reading

Computers 1 Humans 0

It’s a reality – and one that becomes ever clearer, the more you travel and the more folk you meet – that the vast majority of people are actually quite stupid. Without getting all political, ... Continue Reading

More than $8bn forecast for cable investments over next three years

2021 Submarine Cable Map research reveals the changing dynamics in the market Continue Reading

Evidence emerges of new digital divide in UK connectivity

Study shows extent to which online connectivity impacts quality of life but reveals that renters are nearly twice as likely to describe their connection as only average or unreliable, compared with home owners Continue Reading

Verizon Business looks for edge with advanced SASE

Telco launches SASE solution merging SD-WAN capabilities with network security services, creating a unified, cloud-delivered service model that supports digital enterprises Continue Reading

UK altnets to invest nearly £12bn in fibre by 2025

Massive investments imminent by independent broadband providers to drive the creation and realisation of Gigabit Britain Continue Reading

Triggered dormant bug sees Fastly CDN cut to the quick

Cloud provider acts quickly to restore content delivery network after software bug disrupts service for major firms spanning media, e-commerce and government websites, including Amazon, The Guardian and Gov.uk Continue Reading

BT sets out to enhance UK digital infrastructure with next-generation street connectivity

UK telco unveils plans for Street Hub 2.0 units to help local communities stay connected, boost 4G/5G mobile coverage and bring environment monitoring to high streets Continue Reading

Cato expands SASE reach in DACH region

Secure access service edge ‘pioneer’ announces new point of presence and expanded sales investment reflecting strong SASE growth in Germany, Austria and across EMEA Continue Reading

Virgin Media O2 launches with mission to transform UK comms industry

Drawn-out merger of Liberty Global and Telefónica UK cable and mobile assets comes to fruition under new working brand aiming to power the UK’s recovery and create ‘unbeatable’ choice for consumers Continue Reading

BT begins trial on ‘revolutionary’ optical fibre

Researchers conduct trials of hollow-core fibre at BT’s research facility labs in collaborative project with Southampton University spin-out company and open radio access network mobile supplier Mavenir Continue Reading

Upstream data usage flattens but gigabit-speed subscribers continue to rise

As businesses emerge from the pandemic, research suggests the way in which firms use broadband may have changed for ever, with upstream data consumption flat amid seasonal average usage declines Continue Reading

Vodafone, CityFibre extend partnership to include Ethernet services

Partnership that has gained rapid traction on the home front is taken to the business environment, offering organisations more choice, lower cost and a faster private data network Continue Reading

Businesses hail new Openreach rural full-fibre focus

BT broadband provision division announces next step in gigabit broadband deployment programme to offer levelled-up connectivity for premises in hardest-to-reach parts of the UK Continue Reading

Giganet expands South of England service area through CityFibre

Leading ISP expands partnership with leading infrastructure provider to add 22 locations for its full-fibre home broadband services Continue Reading

Proximus claims world’s fastest live fibre network with Nokia PON

Accelerating build out of Belgium’s leading high capacity, open fibre network, operator taps comms tech provider to make first ever 25G PON live deployment running on the same fibre network equipment currently used Continue Reading

Openreach taps Ciena to boost connectivity services for UK carriers

To hasten full-fibre network build out and help meet growing customer demand, BT-owned broadband provision division deploys new routing, switching and optical solutions Continue Reading

Aruba claims enterprise-grade Wi-Fi 6E industry first

HPE subsidiary introduces new access points to take advantage of 6GHz spectrum band to deliver greater performance, lower latency and faster data rates to support high-bandwidth enterprise applications and use cases Continue Reading

Yeo Valley milks business benefits with full-fibre broadband

Truespeed converts farm and dairy business from ADSL to gigabit network to transform its business capability Continue Reading

Edge computing drives business innovation

Intel research identifies edge computing as a critical factor that businesses must harness to navigate and understand data now and into the future Continue Reading

Amdocs expands telco cloud strategic collaboration with Microsoft

Software provider boosts collaboration that will enable service providers to transform to the cloud with cloud-native systems and cloud transformation services Continue Reading

BSO draws on Arc to deliver on-demand connectivity in Middle East

Joint venture will interconnect companies’ network footprints in the Middle East, connecting digital hubs and providing inter-regional connectivity Continue Reading

Hard Rock Hotel checks in Extreme Wi-Fi 6 to enhance guest experience

Advanced cloud-managed Wi-Fi enables secure, reliable connectivity and simplified network management throughout historic site of renowned global hotel chain Continue Reading

Megaport claims transformation of networking at the edge with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN

Megaport Virtual Edge technology enables network managers to modernise their SD-WAN connectivity, optimise network performance and cut provisioning time Continue Reading

Work begins on CityFibre gigabit network for Middlesbrough

In second deployment in two days to a mid-sized conurbation, former altnet switches attention from north-west to north-east to “future-proof” digital foundations of Teesside hub Continue Reading

Brunel goes SD-WAN with Orange Business Services

Global specialist recruitment consultancy aims to accelerate time to market for new global offices with software-defined networking architecture Continue Reading

Toob teams with Neos Networks to facilitate full-fibre

Broadband provider and connectivity firm will utilise growing UK fibre network to deliver reliable broadband services addressing the needs of consumers in Hampshire and Surrey Continue Reading

Juniper Networks offers path to ease SASE transition

New cloud-based portal is designed to help customers transition seamlessly and securely to a secure access service edge architecture by safeguarding users, applications and infrastructure amid network transformation Continue Reading

Ericsson, Telarus team to take 5G-ready virtual workspace to small businesses

5G-ready virtual desktop subscription service will cover business applications, compute, storage and security needs for small and medium-sized businesses Continue Reading

WBA OpenRoaming enabled in forthcoming Telecom Infra Project OpenWiFi standard

Open technology initiative adopts OpenRoaming Wi-Fi roaming standard to facilitate what is claimed to be seamless roaming connectivity using the wireless network Continue Reading

Deloitte: Widespread broadband infrastructure critical to the US economy

Deloitte study finds that increased broadband coverage, adoption and speed is needed to create more US jobs and GDP, but warns of diminishing returns due to lack of widespread, high-quality broadband access Continue Reading

Community Fibre, City Fibre ramp up UK gigabit roll-out

Altnets further expand the reach of UK gigabit broadband networks with deployments in London and Ipswich Continue Reading

Gartner SASE 2021 Roadmap - You Know It Makes Sense...

As observed before in this blog, few of Gartner’s ‘inventions’ have caught on as quickly as SASE – Secure Access Service Edge. From traditional firewall vendors to declared SASE specialists, ... Continue Reading

BT, Fortinet team to expand managed network services with SD-WAN

UK telco boosts software-defined wide area network portfolio with new solution combining global connectivity and cyber expertise with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN Continue Reading

UK full-fibre broadband could deliver £25bn boost to productivity

Study from Centre for Economics and Business predicts that ultrafast fibre-to-the-premises broadband could bring one million people back into the workforce through remote working Continue Reading

Fujitsu, NTT look beyond 5G to realise sustainable digital society

IT giants come together, envisioning a new, energy-efficient digital society founded on global and open collaboration with a range of partners supporting the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network Continue Reading

Triangle shapes up to expand gigabit broadband services

Full fibre finds further momentum in UK with with new consumer ISP brand Fibrehop to offer gigabit services to locations including Cheltenham, Gloucester, Weston-Super-Mare, Bath, Swindon, Leicester and Plymouth Continue Reading

US O-RAN first as DISH and AWS form 5G-cloud strategic collaboration

Telco and cloud giant claim industry first by using infrastructure and services to build cloud-based, 5G open radio access network that is said to deliver consistent, cost-effective performance from core to the edge Continue Reading

How satellite connectivity can combat the digital divide

Research shows satellite connectivity is now a credible alternative for demanding customers, and there are various actions that operators can take to help combat the digital divide Continue Reading