Owen Moody

As we navigate through these turbulent times, it’s essential to stay informed and vigilant about changes to your mobile plan. Keep an eye out for notifications from your provider regarding any upcoming price adjustments, and don’t hesitate to explore alternative options if necessary.

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Bulk Broadband Contracts are the very reason there is more competition and more providers to choose from than ever before in our industry! However, well intended regulation could put a halt to this competition and the increasing provider choices we have to service residents! Come hear the discussion.

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The GREAT BT SWITCH OFF...........has now been extended! As you may have heard, BT has announced plans to switch off its analogue phone network for voice services on the 31st December 2025. However, after further discussions this has now been pushed back to January 2027. This means that all traditional landline phones will no longer be supported after this date and businesses will need to upgrade to digital alternatives. But what does this mean for you and your business? For some, it may be a simple matter of upgrading to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system or a cloud-based phone service. But for others, it may require more significant changes to their infrastructure and operations. Whether you're a business owner, IT manager, or just someone who's curious about the impact of this change and have any questions, then please reach out by passing comment below or connecting with me.

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Culprit no. 1: the new ECC, regulatory overreach that slowed Britain’s 5G roll-out to a crawl while the developed (and even some of the developing) world sprinted ahead. The U.S.: limited regulation, 95% 5G coverage across a country the size of a continent. The EU: slightly more regulation: 81% 5G coverage. The UK: dramatic regulatory overreach giving operators and infrastructure companies significant power to reduce rents without requiring that the resulting savings be used for network roll-outs: complete market collapse, 51% 5G coverage. Even Bulgaria, Costa Rica and the Philippines are doing better.

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The Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh recently unveiled Labour’s plans for the UK railway system.     We were pleased to see mobile connectivity, including 5G, recognised as a core way to improve passenger service quality.    The integration of advanced 5G technology can transform travel, offering passengers seamless internet access for work and entertainment and providing railway staff with instant access to crucial operational data.    In addition, implementing 5G-enabled sensors on railway tracks could significantly improve infrastructure. Our research shows that by reducing faults and delays, these upgrades are expected to save over 25 million hours for passengers over the next five years, boosting both productivity and well-being with an estimated value of £326 million.    As a result of our proposed merger with Three UK, we can provide extensive 5G coverage for the majority of the UK’s railway stations and tracks, contributing to a more efficient and connected future for UK rail transport.   #TogetherWeCan #5G 

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Below is FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel's nifty video explaining the broadband labels rule. Background: Beginning April 10, 2024, consumers should look for broadband labels at any point of sale, including online and in stores. The labels must disclose important information about broadband prices, introductory rates, data allowances, and broadband speeds. They also include links to information about network management practices and privacy policies. While many providers will begin displaying their labels in April, providers with less than 100,000 subscribers have until Oct. 10, 2024, to comply with the FCC rules to display broadband labels at their points of sale.  Regarding accessibility - the new rules require that the broadband label be accessible to people with disabilities at all points of sale, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are strongly encouraged to comply with the legal requirements included in the ADA and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). New 47 CFR Sec. 8.1(a)(1) expressly states: "Any person providing broadband internet access service shall create and display an accurate broadband consumer label for each stand-alone broadband internet access service it currently offers for purchase. The label must be prominently displayed, publicly available, and easily accessible to consumers, including consumers with disabilities, at the point of sale with the content and in the format prescribed by the Commission in “[Fixed or Mobile] Broadband Consumer Disclosure. . .”. https://lnkd.in/eCdpWa6X). Outstanding accessibility issues in this proceeding include: Additional ways to improve accessibility of the broadband label, such as video calling services to provide customer service in American Sign Language, irrespective of whether the broadband label information is provided in hard copy or digitally; whether to require Braille or a Quick Response (QR) code with a tactile indicator for blind or visually impaired consumers at the point of sale; and whether to mandate any specific WCAG suggestions, sections, and criteria for the broadband label, such as specific sections of WCAG 2.1, which suggests providing text alternatives for any non-text content, or providing definitions of idioms, jargon, and abbreviations. The comment period closed March 16, 2023. https://lnkd.in/eD77veYn. For general broadband labeling information, visit: https://lnkd.in/eJWQjv4k. For accessibility questions, contact us at dro@fcc.gov, 202-418-2517, or 844-432-2275 (ASL/videophone). #fcc #disabilityrights

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An insightful blog by Aerial Direct regarding the evolution of 1G to 5G. Have a read! #5g #telecoms #aerialdirect

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Driving penetration is now the number one focus for the Altnets in the UK. The average consumer take-up across altnet networks is currently at 16%, half that of Openreach at 32%, despite the collective footprint of challengers now equalling that of the incumbent. We explore why this is and what needs to change to address it. I'm very happy to talk to anyone with a view on the situation and ways it can be addressed. In Part two (watch this space) we will provide valuble insights and actionable recommendations to drive penetration from some of the very best practice.

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I've had many conversations with people about IcyTea over the past two weeks, and there has been a question that keeps coming up... What even is a 'Managed Connection'?! 🤔⁉️ With connectivity you have two main types of connection: 🛜 Wires-only 🛜 Managed Think of a wires-only connection as plain-old vanilla internet. It gets you connected, keeps your business online and generally does the job. The difference between this and a #managedconnection is clearly visible when there are #connectionissues. With a wires-only connection, things go like: You realise that your internet has gone down 🤬 You get on the phone to your supplier 🤳 Supplier raises a support ticket 🎟️ Network provider/carrier gets to work on finding the issue and getting you back online ✅ With our MANAGED connections, however, see if you can spot the difference: IcyTea's monitoring equipment notifies our service desk that your connection has failed ⚠️ We contact you, and run you through the basic checks - including any possible quick fixes 📃 Info in hand, we raise a ticket with the network carrier 🎟️ We liaise with the carrier, keeping you updated until the issue is fixed ✅ As you can see, the key part to highlight here is the value of us being a #proactiveprovider, not a reactive one. Our monitoring ticks away in the background and lets us know as soon as something doesn't look right, enabling us to act fast and get your back online in the fastest possible time. Efficiency is key in business, and a managed connection encourages efficiency at the time you need it most - when issues inevitably crop up. Even if you pay £1000's a month for a 10Gbps leased line, issues will always occur at some point - this is exactly why no provider can ever guarantee 100% uptime. So, if you know you will have an issue at some point, ask yourself this question: 🤔What would happen to MY business if I had no internet for 1 hour/5 hours/2 days etc. etc. If the answer is that you start to sweat and your heartbeat raises... let's have a chat!

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More consolidation in the UK Fibre market with Netomnia and Brsk announcing a merger. Not a surprise given the amount of altnets in the market, and a trend that mirrors the MNO landscape of consolidation in order to pursue growth. Will be interesting to see what happens next. #connectivity #networks #merger #investment #innovation #mnos #fibre #business #enterprise #altnet #UK #fibre #property #realestate #growth #telecoms #telecommunications #technology

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Is the 2025 telecoms network switch-off going to be switched off? Or at least delayed? Reports suggest extending the deadline for BT and Openreach's copper-based analogue line services switch-off until the end of 2027. 🆘 This follows a pause implemented in December after pensioners could not call for help when lines were changed to IP! The delay stems from challenges in ensuring uninterrupted access to emergency services like Telecare and addressing the needs of vulnerable home users during the transition. 😴 This really should have been sorted out a long time ago! “𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘉𝘛 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳-70𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩.𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 2024 ! 🤔 Meanwhile, are businesses breathing a sigh of relief at this delay? Russell Tilsed at telecoms company 8 x 8 highlights the impact on businesses, emphasising the financial implications: "𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩-𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘚𝘛𝘕, 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪s𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘩-𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴." Amidst this turmoil, Vidicode UK continues to support businesses with their call recording and speech analytics needs, whether they're transitioning to all IP or using existing on-premises systems like Unify's new Openscape X1R or cloud-based solutions such as Mitel, Teams, 3CX, Wildix, and NEC. Stay tuned as the telecommunications industry navigates this critical transition phase. #Telecoms #DigitalTransformation #BusinessImpact #CallRecording ......................................................... PS: Our new Partnership Prosperity Programme offers special concessions to IT and Telecoms resellers when they bundle our call recording with their own phone system offering.

Spectrum sharing announcements are always welcome. Recently in Spain, three MNOs have agreed to share spectrum, marking a step in the right direction though I have not seen tangible details or build-out commitments. Resource sharing among MNOs is becoming increasingly compelling due to flat ARPU, rising customer usage, the deployment of more spectrum with related equipment (antennas, RRUs, BBUs, power supplies, etc.), and the undeniable need for more coverage and capacity. Cellular sites will continue to proliferate for these reasons. We see deployments in-building, on campuses, for private networks, as small cells in populated areas, and macros in more rural locations. Rural applications include expanded coverage for basic connectivity, 911/Public Safety via programs like FirstNet, and Fixed Wireless Access. However, funding expansion for these use cases remains a challenge. Exclusive spectrum licensing places deployment in the hands of a few MNOs in the US, who are primarily accountable to Wall Street. These MNOs are tied up with their own pressing matters and lack (have not built in) the capacity to collaborate with smaller providers on innovative spectrum sharing or resource sharing via neutral host options. Historically, there has been little incentive to work with smaller providers, but this may be changing. CBRS has provided some relief, though power levels are extremely limited compared to the adjacent C-Band. Without a CBRS PAL channel, small providers face the power and interference constraints of GAA and unlicensed bands. The MNOs and their organization, the CTIA, call for more exclusive mid-band spectrum. However, this only extends the runway for FWA capacity growth and avoids addressing the fundamental issues of financial viability for deployments and practical means to deploy more sites through partnerships. Spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing, and Open RAN are potential solutions. While each comes with significant operational challenges, it's clear that we cannot meet future needs by continuing with the status quo.

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Another positive announcement regarding rural connectivity, this time from Virgin Media O2. The company has announced it has now provided reliable 4G coverage to 150 rural communities with the remote Isle of Eigg being the 150th location benefiting from improved connectivity. One interesting point is that of the 150 locations, 117 are in Scotland – 78% of the sites. There has been some negatively about the SRN rollout, with talk that delays will mean fines for the MNOs involved (EE are not), so good news is welcome. #connectivity #networks #investment #SRN #Sharedruralnetwork #masts #mnos #2g #3g #4g #5g #business #enterprise #scotland #UK #strategy #growth #mobile #mobilenetworks #telecoms #telecommunications https://lnkd.in/eae4GmPs  

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The #pstnswitchoff is all about opportunities to remove business challenges. From real-time wallboards to full reporting suites, get sight of all calls within the business, identify bottlenecks and drive efficiency. Drop me a message if you want any more insights on the opportunities you have.

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Monday Musings : Network Automation with 4 RAN Vendors! With 3 options for every session (Track A, B and Exhibition/Networking space) it’s impossible to catch every session, so I’m catching up with last weeks FutureNet World on demand.   ThreeUK CNO Iain Milligan’s fireside chat with Erol Hepsaydir, teased out several significant points. 🎤That AI might be a ‘sledgehammer to crack a nut’ if used over-enthusiastically as a magic bullet. Don't overhype. 🎤That networks can be built with rather poor routing inefficiencies which wouldn’t normally be identified through desktop review, but AI can objectively tease out and reduce ‘lost latency’. 🎤That having 4 tRAN (Traditional RAN) vendors in one area (Nokia 3G, Samsung 4G, Huawei 4G&5G and Ericsson 4G&5G) is not something that AI can really get it’s teeth into. But having a network with common SW in an area would be an opportunity. Inadvertently Iain had identified an undervalued benefit of (Open) vRAN. Iain talked about a great Ericsson tool, but this can clearly be applied only in the Ericsson sites. There’s often a (selfish?) bias in how traditional RAN vendors present a ‘single hand to shake’, as though there is only ever a single vendor in the (RAN) network. But – even excluding the one-off HRV impact in the 3UK network – networks are almost always in the throes of swap. A typical deployment takes 3.5 to 4.5 years and happens every 7-10 years. ThreeUKs case demonstrates that the tRAN vendors erroneous implication that swaps are quick and are completed negates some of their claims. Nokia equipment from 2000’s and Samsung equipment from 2013 is still live. So if these sites were built as Open vRAN, the SW in an entire city (or county or country) could be swapped, and the legacy radios talk to the new vDU SW vendor. Now either through vDU vendor apps – or 3rd party xApps and rApps – the MNO or carrier can optimise the network holistically.  #EveryDaysaSchoolDay #Mobile 🤳🏼 #Telecommunications #vRAN #Infrastructure Previous Post: https://lnkd.in/e5gVU5SS

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More to follow on this.

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