Telecom news

• Dazzling light trail brings 3D projections to the Old Royal Naval College

  13-11-2025 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  For eight days only, a large light display is filling the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.Some of it is visible from outside, behind the fences, but the headline light show is inside the chapel, where animated light displays have transformed the interior into a huge 3D cinema screen.
  This is Time by Luxmuralis, a combination of light and sound that starts in the Painted Hall, takes in the Ripley Tunnel, Queen Mary Undercroft, the Chapel, then continues outside through the Col
  
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• The London Buzz – 2nd July 2026

  02-07-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Old London – Oxford Circus
  Today’s London news round-up:
  A developer building homes for Enfield Council at Meridian Water has had a multibillion-pound lawsuit filed against it. Enfield Dispatch
  The future funding of Clapham Common Clapham Society
  Deputy prime minister David Lammy has come out against plans for a 24-hour adult gaming centre on Blackstock Road, in the latest twist in a fight that has united residents on the Hackney–Haringey border. Hackney Citizen
  Rotherham-based
  
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• Only Fools and Horses tribute in new South Acton station roundel

  02-07-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A tube roundel that says “you plonker” amongst many other things has appeared at South Acton station on the London Overground’s Mildmay line.It’s an artwork,  created through a series of community workshops led by local artist Maud Milton and her team at Artyface and references local cultural landmarks.
  And the “plonker” in the rounder comes from Only Fools and Horses, which, while set in Peckham, used the nearby Harlech Tower for the opening credits and
  
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• Railway workers pull a 25-tonne steam train by hand for charity

  02-07-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  When a steam locomotive runs out of steam, the traditional solution is to light the fire. The less traditional solution is to attach sixteen determined railway workers and ask them to do the pulling instead.That’s exactly what happened at Didcot Railway Centre, where a team of employees from Alstom’s Reading depot took on an unusual charity challenge to see how far they could haul a 25-tonne steam locomotive using nothing but muscle power.
  And rather than simply moving the engine onc
  
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• Barking workhouse’s pediment plaque restored and goes on display

  02-07-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A moss-covered stone slab that sat for decades in a back garden has been restored and installed in a public location close to where it once stood.This is the header plaque that once stood at the top of the Barking Workhouse, built in 1788 to replace older workhouses under the Barking Workhouse Act, which had transferred responsibility from the parish to ‘Directors of the Poor’.
  The Barking workhouse was one of the largest in Essex, and probably the grandest with its Neo-Palladian fro
  
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• Smithfield and Billingsgate relocation plans move ahead with Albert Island consultation

  02-07-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Plans are moving forward for the £220 million redevelopment of Albert Island in the Royal Docks, paving the way for the relocation of London’s wholesale Smithfield and Billingsgate markets to the site in 2029.
  Potential site (c) City of London
  Albert Island has been selected as the preferred location for the new co-located wholesale markets, but the land is owned by the Greater London Authority (GLA), so they are leading the initial development work.
  Planning permission already exist
  
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• Fisher’s Folly: The Tudor manor wall that survives in a Tesco backyard

  02-07-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A locked door at a Liverpool Street Tesco conceals one of London’s most remarkable Tudor survivals – the last substantial remains of Jasper Fisher’s once-famous mansion, better known as Fisher’s Folly.Jasper Fisher was a fast-rising star in the Tudor household, but maybe someone who later also overextended himself in building his grand house.
  Probably born in Great Packington, Warwickshire, around 1528, Jasper Fisher first appears in the records in 1549, when he seems to
  
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• A 53 foot long snake has arrived at London Zoo

  02-07-2026 01:05 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A 53 foot long snake has arrived at London Zoo, but ophidiophobics need not worry, as it’s a work of art.
  (c) ZSL
  The mosaic designed by British artist Linder has been unveiled as part of the Zoological Society of London’s 200th anniversary celebrations. The artwork, titled Sirona, pays tribute to pioneering zoologist Joan Beauchamp Procter, whose groundbreaking work transformed reptile care and public understanding of reptiles during the early 20th century.
  Constructed from around o
  
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• Bayeux Tapestry ticket frenzy sparks nine-hour online queue

  01-07-2026 17:45 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The British Museum has been flooded with people trying to book tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry, with online queuing running into several hours.In echoes of the first release of tickets to museum members, the website struggled with the huge demand to see the tapestry when it makes its historic return to England later this year.
  At one point, almost in an echo of The Queue to see the late Queen, the museum had to pause people joining the queue to see the tapestry, maybe wondering if they could
  
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• Duke of York’s Theatre to be renamed after Sir Tom Stoppard

  01-07-2026 17:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  London’s west end theatre, the Duke of York’s, is to be renamed the Tom Stoppard Theatre in honour of the late playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, creating a permanent memorial to one of Britain’s greatest dramatists.
  The future Tom Stoppard Theatre (c) ATG Entertainment
  The announcement comes less than a year after Stoppard’s death in November 2025 and coincides with the opening night of a new production of Arcadia, one of his best-known plays, which is currently running at the
  
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• Stratford’s abandoned Sphere site could become giant bus-themed food market

  01-07-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The empty plot of land that had been a possible site of a glowing Sphere could instead be filled with a boxpark-style temporary food venue, with 40 double-decker buses on it.
  (c) Stratford Junction
  After permission for the MSG Sphere was refused in 2023, the empty plot next to Stratford station was put up for sale and bought by the privately owned Hallmark Property Group last year for a reputed £30-£40 million.
  They are now applying for temporary meanwhile permission to use the site
  
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• UK watchdog launches probe into hotly anticipated broadband deal

  01-07-2026 10:04 via ft.com
  Review of Telefónica and Liberty Global’s planned takeover of Netomnia could delay consolidation in fibre broadband sector
  
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• UK watchdog launches in-depth probe into Virgin Media O2 owners’ £2bn deal

  01-07-2026 10:04 via ft.com
  Review of Telefónica and Liberty Global’s planned takeover of Netomnia could delay consolidation in fibre broadband sector
  
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• AI jitters give Indian IPOs a moment to shine

  01-07-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Two Indian listings this year are expected to raise a combined $7bn
  
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• Satellite TV group Dish files for bankruptcy to cut $9bn debt load

  30-06-2026 23:46 via ft.com
  Parent company EchoStar has surged to $30bn market capitalisation from windfall on SpaceX holding
  
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• BT’s turnaround is in the home stretch

  29-06-2026 20:21 via ft.com
  A streamlined domestic business and the end of a hefty investment programme mean it will soon start to generate cash
  
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• Comcast’s Hollywood break-up marks its GE moment

  29-06-2026 19:43 via ft.com
  Owning glamour businesses might be fun for the CEO and board but is not necessarily useful for shareholders
  
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• The London Buzz – 29th June 2026

  29-06-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  London Wall – WWII
  Today’s London news round-up:
  A man arrested following a serious collision at Ealing Broadway on Saturday afternoon has been charged with the attempted murder of five people. Ealing Times
  Westminster Council has been accused of ‘thwarting fun in Soho’ after they failed to apply for funding to boost their nightlife. Metro
  Goldsmiths, University of London has appointed a new vice-chancellor as the institution grapples with mounting financial pressures and
  
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• Victorian Thames stones transformed into permanent benches outside St Paul’s

  29-06-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A row of stone benches that appeared outside St Paul’s Cathedral a couple of years ago as a temporary idea has been refurbished into permanent benches.The ‘From the Thames to Eternity’ project repurposes 21 granite stones originally used in the construction of the Victorian river wall at Victoria Embankment.
  Installed in 1870 as part of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s embankment works following the ‘Great Stink’ of 1858, they formed part of the infrastructure that tra
  
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• Folded paper sculptures mark the Royal Ballet School’s centenary

  29-06-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  There’s a large paper art installation in Covent Garden at the moment, which, if you squint a bit, is supposed to be a celebration of 100 years of the Royal Ballet School.It’s a series of folded paper structures hanging from the ceiling, wafting gently in the wind.
  We’re told that it’s “designed to capture the fluidity, precision and grace of dancers in motion, the artwork, spanning 50 metres, will transform the space with a striking visual display that reveals new
  
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• HS2 contractor fined £400,000 after tipper truck plunges into excavation

  29-06-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A contractor working on the HS2 railway has been fined £400,000 after a tipper truck driver was injured when his 20-tonne vehicle fell from the edge of an excavation ramp at a construction site in west London.
  HSE / SCS Ltd
  The incident happened on 27 July 2021 at the Copthall North HS2 site near Uxbridge, where a ‘cut and cover’ tunnel was being built by SCS Railways, a joint venture between Skanska Construction UK, Costain and Strabag.
  The truck slipped around two metres from
  
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• BT and Verizon to create new international business in $625mn deal

  29-06-2026 08:01 via ft.com
  New 50:50 venture will be milestone in UK group’s strategy of refocusing on its domestic operations
  
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• BT and Verizon to combine international operations in joint venture

  29-06-2026 08:01 via ft.com
  Verizon to pay $625mn to BT as part of deal that helps UK group refocus on its domestic operations
  
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• London’s Alleys: St James’s Cottages, Richmond, TW9

  29-06-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  This row of Victorian cottages sits on the edge of Richmond town centre, with a mix of old on one side and modern on the other.The alley looks like a row of cottages that should be facing another row that has long succumbed to the bulldozer – but no, this has always been a one-sided passageway. It’s just that where modern buildings line one side used to be back walls of gardens for houses facing away from the alley.
  At the entrance to the alley, used to stand St Mary’s Parochia
  
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• Virgin Media O2 bonds slide as broadband rivals squeeze cash flow

  29-06-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Telecoms group’s bonds tumble as altnets take market share and investors fret over £2bn Netomnia deal
  
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• HS2 reset on track – but watchdog warns of risks ahead

  29-06-2026 01:05 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The government’s latest reset of the HS2 railway project is making progress but still risks repeating past mistakes unless ministers and HS2 fully stabilise the project before pressing ahead, according to a critical report from the National Audit Office (NAO).
  HS2 tunnel entrance next to the M25 motorway (c) ianVisits
  The watchdog says the Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 are taking a “considered approach” to overhauling the troubled high-speed railway, but warns there is
  
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• The London Buzz – 26th June 2026

  26-06-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Old London – East Ham High Street
  Today’s London news round-up:
  A huge fire ripped through a department store in Peckham with 100 firefighters needed to tackle the blaze. Metro
  Outrage as woman, 80, blocked from going up stairs at London tube station – ‘you’ve got legs’ Mirror
  Why is the City charging dockless bike operators only £31,860 a year? EC1 Echo
  The Green Party has held the Hackney Central ward seat in a by-election triggered by one of the party
  
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• Roof top bar opening overlooking Russell Square

  26-06-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A rooftop bar is opening this summer, which promises views across central London.
  (c) Imperial Hotel
  It’s based on the top floor of the Imperial Hotel overlooking Russell Square, which has been undergoing renovations over the past few years. The hotel is famous for its 1970s regimented modern frontage, which has been restored and a new floor added on top.
  Along the entire width of the top of the building, they’ve created a roof terrace that they say can seat 330 people. Described as
  
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• Battle of Britain flypast over central London on Sunday

  26-06-2026 14:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Look to the skies on Sunday lunchtime (28th June), as a WWII aircraft will (weather permitting) fly over central London.
  Lancaster bomber flypast in June 2012 (c) ianVisits
  Reasons are never given in the air traffic notice, but the location is Green Park, and the flypast is by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), so it’s likely to be for the Bomber Command memorial next to Hyde Park Corner.
  They’ve done similar flypasts on the same last Sunday in June before, so it’s a
  
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• Smithfield and Billingsgate markets set for Royal Docks move by end of 2029

  26-06-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The City of London’s markets at Smithfield and Billingsgate are expected to move to their new site in the Royal Docks by the end of 2029, according to evidence presented earlier this week.
  Smithfield meat market on Christmas Eve
  The City of London, which runs the two markets, had planned to move them to a site in Dagenham Docks before soaring costs made the plan unviable (and a 775-year-old charter made it difficult). The City still wanted to close the markets but offered support to the tr
  
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