BT has switched off its last 3G mobile sites as the telco moves forward with its 4G and 5G rollouts. Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT, commented: “Belfast cemented itself as part of BT Group’s rich history last week as the location where we switched off our final 3G mobile site, bringing an end […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published its proposed framework which could allow satellite operators to use spectrum from terrestrial cellular businesses for their smartphone connections, and when beyond the reach of conventional mobile towers. Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC chair, says the final draft of rules have been sent to the regulator’s other four Commissioners that, […]

The latest EY Reimagining Industry Futures Study confirms generative AI’s (GenAI) status as a breakthrough technology, with 43 per cent of the 1,405 enterprises surveyed investing in it. Overall, GenAI ranks third among the nine emerging technologies tracked in the study, with ‘Automation and AI’ ranking first. Of those currently investing in GenAI, 80 per […]

The UK government’s plans to extend 4G mobile connectivity and broaden consumer choice in rural areas are behind schedule, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report. Launched in March 2020, the Shared Rural Network (SRN) is a joint programme funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the UK’s four mobile […]

Virgin Media O2 has announced the switch on of its 5G Standalone network in 14 cities across the UK. Customers in the 14 locations ( Manchester, Liverpool, London, Lincoln, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, York, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham and Slough) will be the first to access this major upgrade which brings wider 5G coverage, higher […]

Mobile coverage in rural parts of North Yorkshire has been improved after EE announced it has upgraded or built more than 40 masts in the county in the last two years. Five masts have been upgraded in recent months to bring enhanced 4G mobile connectivity to the villages of Chapel-le-Dale, Rievaulx, Blubberhouses, Danby Wiske and […]

Fledgling satellite operator AST SpaceMobile has signed up Japanese telco Rakuten to its planned direct-to-smartphone service. Rakuten says it will deploy AST services starting in 2026. Rakuten joins Vodafone, AT&T and Google to AST SpaceMobile’s growing club of telcos promising a satellite-based service. Other members of the club include Bell Canada and American Tower and […]

SpaceX has informed the FCC of its plans to expand its current broadband-by-satellite service to include Text and ultimately Voice services. On February 13th SpaceX wrote to the FCC saying it wanted to take another step towards realising the FCC’s own vision of a ‘Single Network Future’ which would bring ubiquitous mobile connectivity to consumers […]

StarHub has achieved the milestone of over 99 per cent coverage for its outdoor 5G network in Singapore. “Just like other necessities, connectivity has become an integral part of our daily lives,” said Nikhil Eapen, StarHub’s Chief Executive. “Aligned with DARE+, StarHub is proud to continue elevating how our Singapore community live, work and play, […]

Isle of Skye, the second-largest island in Scotland, has become the 100th site to benefit from improved mobile connectivity after Virgin Media O2 used helicopters to deliver and install new 4G masts to the island. The milestone means Virgin Media O2 has gone further than any other operator to date to deliver new infrastructure as […]