Michael Tobin OBE

VMO2’s Satellite Strategy: Bridging UK’s Digital Divide Effectively The modern telecommunications landscape is ever-evolving, with mobile services providers persistently innovating and experimenting to optimize connectivity. One noticeable trend in these advancements is the utilization of Starlink’s network of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites for backhaul services. This innovative approach is being adopted by the mobile provider VMO2, which aims to use a constellation of over 5,000 LEO satellites for backhaul communication needs across the UK. Historically, mobile service infrastructure has leaned heavily on fibre optic cables or wireless point-to-point connections for backhaul. This means transmitting data between the cell towers and the network core. However, such traditional means are hardly effective, especially in remote and rugged landscapes like the Scottish Highlands where the cost of deployment is prohibitively high due to geographical challenges. Through the adoption of Starlink’s network of LEO satellites, VMO2 can bypass these hurdles, establishing reliable backhaul connections to remote masts without necessitating expensive terrestrial network infrastructure. The company readily asserts that its tests of the technology in the Scottish Highlands have been successful: https://lnkd.in/e_SAQrAP #telecoms #broadband #connectivity #satellites #technology #solutions #VMO2

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Did you miss Connected North 2024? 💡 Get an insight into our CEO's talk on Connexin’s vision and how we’re focusing on the purpose and potential of our infrastructure in TelcoTitans round-up below ⬇️ #ConnectedNorth2024 #ConnectedNorth

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📡 The UK telecoms market is witnessing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, particularly within the fibre network sector. These strategic moves are not just about expansion; they are reshaping the entire landscape. Curious about how these mergers are transforming the future of UK fibre networks? 📈 In my latest article, I delve into the key factors driving these changes and what they mean for the industry as a whole. Whether you're an industry insider or just interested in the future of high-speed internet, this is a must-read. Read the full article here: https://buff.ly/3x6rEVE #UKTelecoms #FibreNetworks #MergersAndAcquisitions #TelecomIndustry

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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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Rumors swirl around the potential sale of #KCom by Macquarie due to rising UK altnet competition. Possible buyers in frame like Virgin Media O2 and CityFibre. Review on KCom's long-lasting impact in Hull's telecom sector ongoing. 💼🌐 #telecommunications

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Ofcom recently published telecoms market data for the UK. https://lnkd.in/ehJa-5Xf 🔗 It shows mobile data growth rates of only 15% over the last year. Mobile data growth rates are slowing and at a rapid rate. Interestingly, mobile revenues in the UK increased 6.6% from the same period a year earlier. ARPU increased from £12.52 in 2022 up to £13.05, bucking the trend of years of steady decline. This increase is thanks, in no small part, to inflation-linked price increases from the major operators. Historic predictions out of Ofcom in 2022 offered data growth scenarios up to 55% by now. I wonder how many MNOs considered this data when assessing the ROI of 5G implementations! The debate continues about whether 5G is actually needed by the 98% of ‘normal’ users, where 4G seems perfectly sufficient. However, one could argue that the UK is still predominantly not sufficiently 5G SA, and therefore, do 5G users experience the full benefits 5G has to offer yet? The data growth story gets skewed when looking at a global view where countries with large populations are still experiencing significant growth. Ericsson is putting numbers out like 59Gb by 2029 in Western Europe. Ofcom shows growth from Q3-Q4 2023 was only 1.5%, or 6% if annualised. So question marks arise over Ericsson’s view❓. What is apparent from Ofcom is that data growth rates in many mature markets are decreasing. What will be the new device or use case that drives growth again? Virtual reality, connected cars….? #mobile #data #telecoms

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“Nothing is middling about the middle mile” In this commentary, Sterling Perrin, Senior Principal Analyst, Heavy Reading, looks at why the middle mile network is a crucial part of fibre broadband rollouts. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eCHXz8pY Sterling will be addressing this topic in depth during LR Network X Americas, in the session, "Developing the Middle Mile Network". Find out more about this presentation, and the rest of the event's agenda, here: https://lnkd.in/eV6Bvu5r #FixedNetworks #MiddleMileNetworks #Fibre #Broadband #BEAD #NetworkXAmericas #HeavyReading #InformaTech #InformaTechFixedNetworks 

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IT'S LIVE! - The WBBA'S Webinar on Investing in Broadband Infrastructure Globally - Watch here --> https://lnkd.in/e8Wkn-gT Don't miss this incredible opportunity to gain invaluable insights from industry leaders, including speakers from the WBBA's working groups, China Telecom Global, and Swisscom. They'll be analysing lessons learned from various global deployments and providing crucial advice for all stakeholders considering broadband infrastructure investments. Key Highlights: - Real-time Q&A sessions with subject matter experts from top organizations. - Understand critical metrics for successful broadband infrastructure projects. - Explore strategies to enhance investment viability and discover innovative financing models. Whether you've registered or not, it's not too late to join! Secure your spot now and be part of the conversation shaping the future of broadband infrastructure investments worldwide. #WBBA2024 #BroadbandInfrastructure #ConnectivityInvestment #TelecommunicationsInnovation #GlobalBroadbandDeployment #InvestmentStrategies

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📶 Public Sector #Telecoms Market - 3x key facts 📊 New analysis from Tussell finds that the #publicsector spent a staggering £2.4 billion with #telecommunications suppliers in 2023. As efforts to connect and digitise the UK accelerate, this figure is bound to grow further in years to come. Tussell's new Public Sector Telecoms Market Snapshot provides the latest overview of this multi-billion market. Our analysis finds that: 👉 Spending with telecoms suppliers accelerated following the COVID-19 pandemic - the market has since locked-in those gains 👉 The market is highly concentrated, with the 10 largest suppliers occupying >75% of the market 👉 The top 3 telecoms suppliers - BT Group, Motorola Solutions & Virgin Media O2 - have retained their market-leading positions for the past 5 years If you're looking to supply telecoms goods & services into the #publicsector, you won't want to miss this critical piece of market intelligence. Access our 2024 Public Sector Telecoms Market Snapshot - for free - in the comments below 👇 #procurement #marketanalysis #businessintelligence

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Connexion CEO Furqan Alamgir and my colleague Eoin Heaney were recently featured in a TelcoTitans article discussing the need for broadband service providers (BSPs) - or altnets as they’re referred to in the UK - to shift from being just ‘connectivity providers’ to ‘experience providers.’ To do so, BSPs need to use the data available to them to continuously identify and meet the needs of their end-users – and I couldn’t agree more. Just a few weeks ago, I illustrated how BSPs need to use insights and data as one of the five strategies to provide innovative customer experiences.     Take a look at the full article below and feel free to share your thoughts on best practices for BSPs in the comments. Like Eoin states, “Where we innovate, we have to continue to innovate.”     https://lnkd.in/e97ssXPS #broadband #innovation #customerexperience

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🚀 Exciting insights from Spencer West, Technology, Media and Telecoms Partner Dhana Doobay, in a recent Comms Business feature! The article dives into the opportunities for data services in the UK telecoms and IT Channel, highlighting key trends, challenges, and the crucial role of AI. 🤖 Dhana shares: "Leveraging AI tech and tools continues to be a gamechanger for telcos and service providers. Executive teams and boards are now increasingly willing and ready to invest in differentiated and focused solutions that will drive sustainable growth for their businesses, with telecoms/IT channels providing the network and platform enablers for this." Don't miss out on this comprehensive look at the future of data services! Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gxghyWKW #Telecoms #IT #DataServices #AI

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Transforming UK connectivity with full fibre broadband In today's digital age, connectivity is crucial. The booming digital economy demands higher speeds, greater resilience, and better quality. The UK has lagged behind Europe in deploying full-fibre broadband due to monopolistic control and underinvestment. New market entrants are making progress, but financial challenges mean consolidation is inevitable. nexfibre aims to transform access to full-fibre #Broadband and reshape the competitive landscape. As a wholesale-only provider with strategic investors and Virgin Media O2 as a key partner, Nexfibre is poised to drive progress and innovation. This year, they plan to invest £1bn in broadband infrastructure and have already reached 1 million premises, targeting 5 million by 2026. CEO Rajiv Datta emphasizes the importance of sustainable competition for the UK’s digital future. #Broadband #UKConnectivity #DigitalEconomy #Nexfibre #Innovation #Competition https://lnkd.in/epDGYAX3

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Transforming UK connectivity with full fibre broadband In today's digital age, connectivity is crucial. The booming digital economy demands higher speeds, greater resilience, and better quality. The UK has lagged behind Europe in deploying full-fibre broadband due to monopolistic control and underinvestment. New market entrants are making progress, but financial challenges mean consolidation is inevitable. nexfibre aims to transform access to full-fibre #Broadband and reshape the competitive landscape. As a wholesale-only provider with strategic investors and Virgin Media O2 (Telefónica UK) as a key partner, Nexfibre is poised to drive progress and innovation. This year, they plan to invest £1bn in broadband infrastructure and have already reached 1 million premises, targeting 5 million by 2026. CEO Rajiv Datta emphasizes the importance of sustainable competition for the UK’s digital future. #Broadband #UKConnectivity #DigitalEconomy #Nexfibre #Innovation #Competition https://lnkd.in/epDGYAX3

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Another excellent piece by Iain Morris at Light Reading, this time a recap of TM Forum’s Digital Transformation World Series along with a candid review of the industry’s challenges. Full article in the comments 👇 The telecom industry is grappling with significant challenges. The article quotes several important figures from the operator side, giving candid views on the financial challenges and innovation woes threatening the sector's stability. “The reality is that our return on investment, our growth, is not good enough, and we can't be happy with where we are as an industry at the moment," said Kim Andersen, the chief technology officer of Australia's Telstra, in a DTW call to arms. "We need to reinvent this industry and save this industry." An unusually candid view from the CTO of a major telco. Genuine product innovation is occurring all around the telcos and is difficult to watch. For me, real change will only be possible with a total upheaval of the industry’s culture. Which, unfortunately, is the hardest part to change. Therefore, the much-needed innovation is probably going to have to come from an outside disrupter. In the meantime I suggest the short term answer from the vast majority of telcos will likely be more consolidation and cost cutting….Sniff 🥲. #TelecomIndustry #DigitalTransformation #TMForum #Innovation #telecoms

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According to Ofcom’s 2023 Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes report, 1.9 million UK households have no internet access - up 1% from what was reported in 2022.     The current approach to solving this is focused on investments in fibre infrastructure, however, this isn’t always the best or most appropriate solution. mmWave FWA is a complementary technology that can deliver fibre-like internet connectivity in both rural and urban areas, meeting the growing demand for high-speed internet across the country.     In an article for The Fast Mode last year, our CEO Wim Van Thillo spoke about why mmWave FWA is a great technology to help the UK bridge it’s growing digital divide. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3UXswUC  

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The UK has a new government and a new Secretary of State for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle. At the time of writing the department's junior ministers - and specifically whoever is responsible for #telecoms and so-called "digital infrastructure" - had not yet been named, but I'll update this post when it happens . I wrote a quick thread on X yesterday about some thoughts and recommendations for the new people coming into office. These are repeated here, with a couple of edits and additions. Some recommendations for telecoms & innovation: - Don’t get hung up on specific network technologies like #5G or fibre #FTTP. There’s a wide range of alternatives & having a mix is good (for instance #satellite connectivity and #WiFi) - Be wary of numerical targets that are easy but not meaningful. You'll be given headline stats on gigabit "homes passed" or "mobile coverage" which need to be rethought. - #AI is important & shiny, but don’t ignore equally-important tech domains like connectivity & semiconductors - Don’t just listen to big companies or their lobby groups. Diversity of size & specialism is key in tech/telecom - Infra-sharing will be everywhere - wholesale networks for mobile & fibre, spectrum-sharing, datacentres etc - Ignore calls to try to tax Internet traffic, regulate interconnect or emulate the worst elements of the EU’s DMA or its white paper. Understand the criticisms - Liaise closely with colleagues involved with planning, electricity / transport infra to optimise network deployment & synergies - Be wary of large consulting companies churning out huge forecasts or parroting boilerplate views. NB the tyranny of consensus - Radio #spectrum is more important than you think. Consider if the VF/3 merger allows “national infra spectrum” as a remedy - Plenty of techs are important but overhyped. Satellite, 5G, #edgecompute, #GenAI etc. Seek out the underhyped ones - Push for collabs with US, Japan, EU, S Korea - but also don’t be scared of UK-specific approaches to regulation & policy - Avoid the word “digital”. It’s cringe - UK fibre deployment is fast-growing but a messy patchwork. Expect consolidation, encourage “open access” models - DSIT telecoms & broadband teams are good. So are many at Ofcom. Lots of tech expertise - If anyone says the word “nationalisation”, kick them out - The EU pushes agendas driven by old-school big telcos & against US tech companies. Take a different path for UK. Avoid temptation to be an asteroid that protects dinosaurs & kills mammals - Work with likeminded countries on key topics like cybersec & future #6G - Don’t be too risk-averse. Be wary of anyone citing the so-called “precautionary principle”. It’s often just Luddism & lack of weighing risks/benefits - Study the phenomena of path-dependency & tech lock-in. Keep options open & consider how to switch paths - Don't re-merge DSIT & DCMS - Reach out to independent analysts and experts 😉 Congrats & enjoy the role!

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