Telecom news

• Miffy pop-up store coming to London’s Chinatown

  15-03-2023 19:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  There’s going to be a Miffy store popping up in Chinatown for a few months, to mark the Year of the Rabbit.
  (c) Nic Crilly-Hargrave
  The three-month long pop-up will also stock a selection of limited-edition products, including Year of the Rabbit-themed merchandise within a space designed to reflect Dick Bruna’s signature colours and artistry.
  The pop-up will also feature a range of experiences, from a Miffy costume character during special meet and greet gatherings to greet guests on
  
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• T-Mobile is betting $1.35 billion that Mint will freshen-up its image

  15-03-2023 18:14
  The long-rumoured acquisition of MVNO Mint Mobile by T-Mobile US has completed, with an apparent premium paid to be associated with Actor Ryan Reynolds.
  We reported on those rumours a couple of months ago, speculating that the price tag may be around $800 million. In the end, TMUS will shell out up to $1.35 billion in a combination of 39% cash and 61% stock to acquire parent company Ka’ena, with the deal also including wireless service Ultra Mobile and wholesaler Plum. It could end up payi
  
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• Amazon unveils Project Kuiper terminals

  15-03-2023 17:10
  US hyperscaler Amazon has announced a range of products that will one day let customers connect to its satellite network.
  In terms of aesthetic, Amazon has gone with the outdoor furniture look, with three terminals of varying sizes, two of which look like cafe tables, and another that vaguely resembles a coffee table.
  Each one addresses a different market segment. Its standard model is 30 centimetres square, weighs just over 2 kilos, and is designed to be mounted on a roof, much like a satellite
  
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• Look out for a chemicals tanker visiting central London

  15-03-2023 16:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Tower Bridge usually opens for decorative boats plying the Thames, but in a couple of weeks time, something very unusual will visit central London – a large tanker.
  (c) James Fisher and Sons
  The MV Sir John Fisher is a new ship, and the first 6,000dwt chemical tanker to incorporate LNG dual-fuel propulsion technology and will be visiting London for its formal naming ceremony.
  Equipped with dual-fuel engines, the tanker, and her sister vessel Lady Maria (expected to follow in 2023), are abl
  
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• See a Georgian Print Shop in central London

  15-03-2023 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A small characterful side alley in central London currently boasts a replica of a Georgian era print shop.This is Goodwin’s Court near Trafalgar Square, a narrow well hidden alley that is a mainstay of tour groups as it’s lined with classic bow windows and looks not unlike Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley.
  In fact, so popular is it now, that there’s a sign asking tour groups to avoid blocking the alley.
  And at the moment it might be a little bit more popular and worth detourin
  
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• OpenAI makes GPT AI one better

  15-03-2023 13:40
  The notorious ChatGPT chatbot has apparently become more accurate thanks to the release of GPT-4, but it might still hallucinate.
  ChatGPT was based on a piece of generative artificial intelligence technology called GPT-3. The company behind it, OpenAI, has now announced GPT-4 and named the chatbot that runs on it ChatGPT Plus. Apparently it produces ‘safer and more useful responses’, which could mean anything from greater accuracy to increased censorship.
  The lengthy blog post offers
  
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• BT rebels launch new ISP

  15-03-2023 13:23
  A pair of former BT executives have launched a new Internet provider designed to take on the establishment in the UK called Rebel Internet, using the kind of rhetoric we are more used to hearing on the other side of the Atlantic.
  Rebel Internet came into being earlier this week, headed up by chief executive Tucker George, formerly Managing Director of Business Transformation at BT, and COO David Groth, who also includes the UK incumbent on his CV. But both also have telecoms experience on the ot
  
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• Exhibition looks at the design of Japanese braided cords

  15-03-2023 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Japan House in Kensington has brought together a display of something most of us barely think about and probably have no idea is an art form – braided cords. Literally translating as ‘joining threads together’, kumihimo is characterized by its vivid colours and intricate patterns and is created by craftspeople who combine up to 140 hand-dyed threads, often made of silk.The exhibition is a mix of examples of braids, the hand looms used to create them, and most interesting, the m
  
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• Meta wields the axe again amid looming identity crisis

  15-03-2023 12:50
  Another 10,000 workers at Facebook parent Meta will be shown the door in the coming months.
  In a company-wide memo, CEO Mark Zuckerberg provided an update on what he calls Meta’s “Year of Efficiency”, which is his own way of saying the company needs to become a leaner, more agile organisation with technology firmly at its core.
  Achieving this means axing multiple layers of middle management and increasing the ratio of engineers to non-tech roles. It also means closing down low-
  
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• VMO2 drafts in Ericsson to upgrade its 4G and 5G networks

  15-03-2023 12:06
  VMO2 will embark upon a campaign of ‘substantial network modernization’ covering hardware, software and service enhancements using Ericsson kit, with the aim of improving 4G and 5G across the UK.
  The multi-million pound contract will see new toys from Ericsson’s Radio System portfolio deployed in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – specifically the latest generation of quad-technology baseband, multiband, and 5G Massive MIMO radio AIR 3258. Aside form improvements in
  
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• UK government offers £80 million for Open RAN bright ideas

  15-03-2023 10:21
  The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has announced a competition to award up to £80 million of funding for projects around Open RAN.
  This pot of cash is part of the UK Open Networks Research and Development Fund, which is an even larger £250 million warchest. It will be given out to those working on hardware or software that enables ‘enhanced development and adoption of open and interoperable technology; as well as the opportunity to apply for funding for de
  
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• London’s Pocket Parks: Gibson Square Gardens, N1

  15-03-2023 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  This is an Islington public garden that’s famous(ish) for the classical building in the centre, which is actually a ventilation shaft for the London Underground.The gardens and the houses around are named after Thomas Gibson, an MP who promoted free trade and the abolition of the corn laws, and 200 years ago, in 1823 he leased land from the local landowner with the intention to develop it into housing.
  His estate surveyor and architect Francis Edwards, a pupil of Sir John Soane, laid out t
  
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• Telemach’s 5G network ranked among the best in the world

  15-03-2023 07:00
  In the recent Opensignal 5G Global awards, Slovenian telecommunications operator is awarded one of the best for 5G Video Experience category.
  Telemach’s network was ranked among the best in the world in a recent analysis by Opensignal, the leading global provider of independent insight and data into network experience*. Telemach Slovenija is awarded one of the best for 5G Video Experience and stood out as the best performing Slovenian operator, winning multiple Global awards, including two
  
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• A dose of reality is needed in the race to connect smartphones to space

  15-03-2023 06:00
  There are still substantial hurdles to cover the world’s communications black spots
  
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