The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has invited public comment on the proposed merger between mobile operators Vodafone and Three. This consultation marks the initial stage of a process that could bring significant change to the UK mobile telecommunications sector. Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said: “We will be carefully considering how this … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is urging the public to download and use its Speed Test app so the agency can gain a clearer picture of the internet speeds consumers actually experience. Regulatory data often fails to reflect real-world conditions. For example, the FCC’s broadband coverage maps have been criticized for inaccuracies. Advocates say those … Read more

The first mobile operator has gone live on pioneering shared infrastructure designed to host multiple telcos and improve connectivity along Queen Victoria Street in central London. EE has joined a connectivity pilot led by Freshwave to deliver enhanced 4G and 5G coverage for users along this busy corridor. James Hope, Director of Mobile Radio Access … Read more

BT has entered a seven-year strategic partnership with NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services, to modernise and secure the organisation’s critical network infrastructure. The collaboration will strengthen NATS’ technical foundation by consolidating and upgrading its data network, creating a resilient, scalable architecture to support air traffic operations across the UK. NATS … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/alice-photo) The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence has launched a new initiative to analyze live video feeds and identify behavior that might be considered suspicious. Known as Deep Intermodal Video Analytics (DIVA), the project will bring together academic researchers, private industry partners, and ODNI’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/monkeybusinessimages) While rival operator Three has been exploring network-level ad blocking, Vodafone has implemented a system to stop spam and scam calls from ever reaching its customers’ handsets. The new measure is intended to reduce distress and protect customers from increasingly sophisticated telephone fraud. Hundreds of thousands of unwanted calls—many of them fraudulent—are … Read more

The Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme has attracted substantial media attention recently. The government selected BT to roll out superfast connectivity across the UK using fibre-optic infrastructure, but the initiative is expected to leave roughly 10% of the country without access to superfast broadband. One major reason is that fibre deployment is not always commercially … Read more

At Software Advice, many retailers ask about mobile payments and often find the subject confusing. That’s understandable—the market is fragmented, and although the technology has advanced, widespread adoption remains limited. Besides the shortage of NFC-capable handsets, another reason adoption is slow is the lack of consumer demand: most merchants still don’t accept mobile payments. Retailers … Read more

Hans Vestberg, Chief Technology Officer of Verizon, asserted that his company’s network will be the first to launch 5G service in the United States. Vestberg made the statement while participating in a panel discussion about 5G at CES. When asked whether there was a race among major carriers to be first, he expressed confidence that … Read more

(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/skarau) The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report has been released, examining how customers feel about various telecommunications providers. After two years of declining satisfaction, the sector has finally stabilized and stopped its slide. T-Mobile emerges as a clear winner in this year’s index, outperforming the three largest competitors: AT&T, Sprint, and … Read more