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NEWS NExsT 2 I 2024

NEWS NExsT 2 I 2024

London mayor considering single free Open Access Wi-Fi Network

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, has launched a consultation to investigate the possibility of launching a free city-wide, open access Wi-Fi broadband network for use by the general public: “I want every Londoner and visitor to have the very best experience possible and in our connected world that means having access to fast, reliable, seamless internet access. This consultation will be the first step towards delivering better digital services for all, building a better and more prosperous city for everyone.”

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Highest annual FTTH growth record for the USA

The Fiber Broadband Association recently announced the results of its 2023 North America Fiber Provider Survey. The research concludes that 2023 set a record for the highest annual FTTH growth, with nine million homes newly passed by network operators this year alone. FTTH homes passed and being marketed to consumers in the U.S. grew 13% in 2023 to 78 million homes. Fibre broadband now passes nearly 69 million unique U.S. homes (excluding second or third passings of the same home).

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India introduces Telecommunications Bill to transform industry

India’s government has introduced a Telecommunications Bill, aiming to replace and consolidate existing laws, such as the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933, and the Telegraph Wire Act of 1950. However, the new Telecommunications Bill is not without controversy: it allows central government to take control of any telecom service in the interest of public safety.

Connecting Tunisia’s schools

Tunisia’s government is implementing a program to connect 3,300 schools to high-speed internet during the current school year. Nizar Ben Néji, minister of communication technologies, announced a project to connect 3,307 schools with fibre. The program, financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), is part of a government program to digitize the national education system.

South Carolina: over $112 m in grants for 17 broadband projects

The South Carolina Broadband Office has announced a funding commitment for 17 broadband expansion projects, amounting to more than $112 m, through the state’s Capital Projects Fund grant program. A new round of broadband expansion projects in South Carolina will provide this funding to eight ISPs planning to connect more than 16,000 locations across the Palmetto State. The news was announced by South Carolina’s Broadband Office on Dec. 18. Jim Stritzinger, director of the state’s broadband office, said: “With these investments, ISPs are now penetrating hard-to-reach areas from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, and lives are changing by the day.”

Scientists discover new system to control light’s chaotic behaviour

Harnessing and controlling light is key to technological advances and impacts areas such as communications and computation. The behaviour of light presents challenges for efficient control. In a new study published in Nature Physics, a team led by researchers at the CUNY Graduate Center describes a new platform for controlling the chaotic behaviour of light by tailoring its scattering patterns using light itself.

“In a cavity that supports chaotic patterns of light, any single frequency injected into the cavity can excite thousands of light patterns, which is conventionally thought to doom the chances of controlling the optical response,” explains Xuefeng Jiang, assistant professor of Physics with Seton Hall University. “We have demonstrated that it is possible to control this chaotic behaviour.”

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ETNO “State of Digital Communications 2024” Report

Europe’s gigabit-capable fixed network coverage reached 79.5% in 2023. In South Korea, the USA, and Japan this was 97.0%, 89.6% and 81.4% respectively. ETNO states that ‘significant additional investment’ in roll-out is needed before the current targets of full 5G and full gigabit coverage by the end of the decade are reached.

FTTH coverage of population (excluding FTTB) reached 63.4% in 2023, up from 55.6% the previous year.

Although 5G in Europe reached 80% of the population in 2023, up from 73% the previous year, 5G coverage was much higher in South Korea (98%), the US (98%), Japan (94%), and China (89%).

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Slow APAC GB broadband migration despite broadband speed growth

While specific average speeds vary greatly between APAC countries, those with well-developed infrastructure like Singapore, South Korea, and Japan tend to have higher average speeds, often exceeding 100 Mb/s. However, over 80% of Asia-Pacific broadband users subscribe to broadband plans at sub-1 Gb/s speeds, in spite of gradual user migration to Gb plans in recent years, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan data. By year-end 2022, 18.2% of total broadband users did have broadband plans with download speeds of 1 Gbps or higher.

New record: 17 million UK homes have access to full-fibre broadband

17 million UK homes have access to full-fibre broadband, with 4.6 million now taking it up, according to Ofcom’s latest  Connected Nations report. For the first time ever, full-fibre broadband is available to more than half of all homes in four UK nations. Northern Ireland leads the way. Over nine in 10 homes (91%) have access to full fibre. Overall, 28% of homes and businesses that can access full-fibre have taken it up, and 4.6 million premises nare ow connected. Rural take-up in is nearly double that of urban homes (49% vs. 25%).

Download the report here