In a significant development aimed at bolstering fiber access across the United States, Zyxel Communication, a leading provider of secure broadband networking solutions, has joined forces with Windstream to supply essential WiFi 6E hardware for their 8 gig expansion. This collaboration marks a major milestone for both companies, as they strive to bring high-speed internet connectivity to underserved communities in Windstream’s 18-state service area.
UK-based CityFibre has acquired a significant £318 million in public funding, aiming to increase high-speed broadband access nationwide. Supported by the government’s Project Gigabit, funds were awarded for bring fibre connectivity to selected regions needing better broadband access. A challenging and expensive task, especially in rural areas, but this initiative could shine a beacon of connected hope. Is the government’s £5 billion goal achievable? Read on to explore the potential impact of this massive contribution to rural telecommunications.
The UK faces a digital exclusion dilemma, with lack of strategy and leadership leaving millions potentially unconnected. Baroness Stowell highlights the imperative of bridging this gap for global competitiveness. However, the effectiveness of suggested solutions remains debatable, and conversations around online safety further complicate the situation. With potential threats to end-to-end encryption, a revised approach to digital skills may be necessary.
Unveiling the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funds allocation, the Biden-Harris administration aims to bridge the digital divide. While each state proposes spending plans, concerns over potential delays in broadband deployment due to the Build America, Buy America Act emerge.
Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, is developing a service offering named Global Roaming Service. This service would allow customers to access the Internet from practically anyplace on Earth. The service will cost $200 each month in addition to the $599 Starlink Kit, according to a statement addressed to Starlink subscribers. Starlink employs inter-satellite connections, or space lasers, to enable global connectivity. As such, users can expect the service to be interrupted with brief periods of weak or no connectivity. Despite the promise of access to the internet almost everywhere, Starlink is still awaiting regulatory clearance in numerous countries, including India, Pakistan, and Cambodia. The current $135 a month Starlink RV plan allows users to equip their RVs with Starlink’s hardware for internet connection while traveling. However, it is only available in specific regions of the world, and internet connectivity is not prioritized as it is for residential customers.…
The SHEFA-2 underwater cable, which connects the Faroe Islands to Scotland’s mainland through the Shetland and Orkney Islands, suffered damage in two separate instances last week, rendering much of the island without Internet access. In separate events, three critical subsea cables linking Marseille to Lyon, Milan and Barcelona were deliberately severed in the south of France, according to the cable’s operator, affecting internet service for consumers in Europe, Asia and the United States. Cloud service providers worked quickly to repair the backbone infrastructure. According to a report by the cloud security company Zscaler, the unanticipated cable damage caused packet loss and increased latency for websites and apps transiting the damaged pathways. While the French authorities believe sabotage occurred, their Scottish colleagues are still unsure of what actually severed the wires. “We expect it will be fishing vessels that damaged the cable but it is very rare…
Telefonica and Facebook have joined forces to launch an open access wholesale rural mobile infrastructure operator, Internet para Todos (IpT) Peru, together with IDB Invest (Inter-American Investment Corporation) and CAF (Development Bank of Latin America). The project aims to bring faster mobile Internet to rural markets and consequently bridge the digital divide in Latin America. An estimated 20 percent of the Latin American population, which is around 100 million people, lack sufficient access to mobile broadband and therefore are deprived of enjoying the benefits offered by the digital economy. “Our new approach will leverage our network as a service to bridge the digital divide as fast as possible while providing any mobile network operator access to rural markets,” said Teresa Gomes, Managing director of Internet para Todos. “Our goal now is to launch and scale the project in Peru and prove what’s possible to the rest of Latin…
