Advanced Television

Broadband

Ofcom proposes ‘Fair Deal’ rules

Half of British households could switch to faster broadband today, UK comms regulator Ofcom has found, as it announces a range of action to protect loyal broadband customers and help people get a better deal. Ofcom figures show that 94 per cent of UK homes and offices can now get superfast broadband, but less than […]

December 14, 2018By Colin Mann

The Switch, Eutelsat network partnership

Global video solutions service provider The Switch and satellite operator Eutelsat are joining forces to provide a new, independent offer delivering what they suggest is an “unparalleled” satellite and fibre video contribution network. The partnership will provide The Switch’s user community of over 800 of the world’s leading content producers and distributors with the ability […]

December 13, 2018

OneWeb could save $1bn+ by trimming satellites

The OneWeb ‘mega-constellation’ of low orbiting broadband satellites, originally planned to be around 900 in total, will now initially be around 600, says founder and Executive chairman Greg Wyler, and reported by specialist publication Space Intel Report (SIR). In the process, OneWeb will save an estimated $500,000 per satellite (and it could be more) leading […]

December 13, 2018By Chris Forrester

Spain: Orange to deploy 5G in 4 cities in 2019

Orange Spain will deploy 5G networks in “three or four” Spanish cities in 2019 to pave the way for the commercial launch in 2020. The Innovation Director of Orange, Bertrand Rojat, told Europa Press that the network will be deployed in “three or four cities” with the list still to be made. Orange Spain has […]

December 13, 2018From David del Valle in Madrid

Orange adds smart speaker to control TV

In 2019 Orange Spain will launch Djingo, a smart speaker that will enable subscribers to manage their TV service, make calls and control all home connected devices. Djingo will make its debut in France in the spring and then in Spain later in the year, announced Orange’s executive president Stéphane Richard at an event in […]

December 12, 2018From David del Valle in Madrid

Ofcom sets out geographic market views    

As part of long-term plans to support investment in fibre networks, UK comms regulator Ofcom has set out initial views on how to define geographic markets from 2021, when carrying out the next review of wholesale telecoms networks. By spring 2021, Ofcom plans to have regulation in place that varies by geographic area. To promote […]

December 12, 2018By Colin Mann

Vivendi looking at Indonesian pay-TV operators?

Vivendi is looking to make an investment in two Indonesian TV operators, according to Bloomberg. The report says that the investment targets are: a 50 percent stake in PT MCN Vision Networks, which controls the group’s listed Pay-TV & its high-speed Internet services, and a 10 percent holding in PT Media Nusantata Citra, which runs […]

December 12, 2018By Chris Forrester

Research highlights broadband speed disparities

The slowest broadband in the UK, with an average download speed of 0.14Mbps, is found on Greenmeadows Park in Bamfurlong, Gloucestershire, according to the latest consumer speed tests collected by uSwitch.com, the price comparison and switching service. Greenmeadows Park suffers average speeds that are 1,899 times slower than the UK’s fastest street, Abdon Avenue in […]

December 12, 2018

ISRO claims total success for GSAT-11

India’s Space Research Organisation (ISRO) says its massive and heaviest-ever GSAT-11 satellite has arrived at its geostationary orbit (at 36,000 kms) and with its all-important solar panels and reflectors correctly deployed. ISRO says that four orbit-raising manoeuvres were carried out over the recent weekend, following the launch by an Ariane rocket on Dec 5th. The […]

December 11, 2018By Chris Forrester

Report: HEVC 25% of worldwide traffic

The annual State of Live report from video transport technologist LiveU has confirmed the growing adoption of the HEVC protocol as the industry standard with 25 per cent of LiveU-generated traffic now HEVC-encoded. These figures reflect the increasing demand for professional-grade video quality, a trend most evident at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia. […]

December 11, 2018