2020.07.17 – Open Broadband News

New generation of talent needed to reach next generation broadband target

The Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) says the development of new engineers will be crucial to achieving the UK’s connectivity goals.

2020 began auspiciously for the UK fiber broadband industry, with the new government budget committing £5 billion to the rollout of full-fiber around the country. Fiber deployment was rapidly accelerating to meet the government’s target of gigabit broadband for all by 2025, but such positivity was short lived. Looming on the horizon was the coronavirus pandemic, the effects of which the UK will continue to feel for many years to come.

Revitalizing a coronavirus-stricken economy is no easy task, but UK Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs, goes some way to address the floundering job market across the country.

However, INCA is warning that such measures may not be enough when it comes to overcoming the skilled engineer shortage and achieving the country’s broadband targets.

“We are pleased that the Chancellor has recognized the need to help provide young people with the basic skills to secure full-time work. Now we need the same commitment made to developing a new generation of engineering talent or we risk falling short of the 2025 gigabit broadband target by some way,” said INCA CEO Malcolm Corbett.

Enterprise video communications revenues zoom as COVID-19 still looms

The millions of employees working and networking from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has proven that video is a powerful and successful tool for marketing, collaboration, training, and many other use cases for businesses across multiple industries.

Evolving video delivery technologies, coupled with smart content management solutions, continue to provide benefits to enterprise video deployments. As a result, the enterprise video market is forecast to generate US$18.7 billion in 2020, according to a new report from global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.

“Artificial Intelligent (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies enable enterprise video applications to be more efficient. Facial and object recognition, scene detection, and speech to text capabilities are making video indexing and search functions easier, faster, and more accurate. AI-assisted content screening allows enterprises to make sure the videos are in-line with regulations. Such features are driving more enterprise video deployments across different industries,” said Khin Sandi Lynn, Industry Analyst at ABI Research.

No more Biden his time – presidential nominee lays out telecom policy with broadband & 5G funding

The Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden has been talking telecoms.

According to Mike Dano at Light Reading, the most noteworthy development in Biden’s telecom platform is his support for net neutrality. Biden’s new position was rolled out ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention via a joint document issued by Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT).

The document states that the FCC should “take strong enforcement action against broadband providers who violate net neutrality principles through blocking, throttling, paid prioritization, or other measures that create artificial scarcity and raise consumer prices.”

Biden’s other target developments surround universal broadband, rural broadband funding and 5G funding.

Wi-Five! Telstra guarantees wall-to-wall broadband coverage

Australian operator Telstra has announced that its Smart Wi-Fi Booster (Gen 2) now comes with a “guarantee of wall-to-wall Wi-Fi coverage.”

Telstra reports that, once connected to the NBN network, some customers, especially those with larger, double brick or multiple-storied houses, struggle to connect devices in rooms that are far away from the modem. If customers think they do not have wall to-wall Wi-Fi coverage, they can add a Smart Wi-Fi Booster (Gen 2) which pairs with the Telstra Smart Modem. The operator claims that this “will ensure coverage reaches every room.”

Nobody is Ghana stop us now! Vodafone invests in extensive fiber rollout

Vodafone Ghana has invested in an extensive fiber infrastructure rollout to provide seamless ultra-high speed Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) connectivity for its customers at home and at work.

As part of this initiative, Vodafone has started a campaign to upgrade customers on its copper-based broadband to its FTTH service for free.

The campaign is part of Vodafone’s FTTH rollout strategy, aimed at progressively replacing its copper network nationwide with fiber.

Vodafone’s fiber broadband service is already transforming communities in Ghana by enabling businesses and customers to do so much more. These communities including Abeka, Abelemkpe, Achimota, Adenta, Airport Residential Area, Ashongman, Asylum Down, Avenor, Awudome and Botwe.