Telecom news

• Orange wants a stake in Ethio Telecom

  21-07-2021 12:47
  
  Orange has formally declared its interest in buying into Ethio Telecom, almost three months after it declined to participate in the sale of new telecoms licences in the country.
  The announcement came from Henok Teferra Shawl, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to France, Spain, Portugal, the Holy See and Monaco. In a Twitter post, Teferra shared that he had held “fruitful discussions” with a team from Orange, “which has formally submitted interest to participate in the partial privati
  
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• Tickets Alert: Tours of Brompton Cemetery’s subterranean catacombs

  23-03-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Visitors will soon have the chance to explore the hidden catacombs beneath Brompton Cemetery during one of the cemetery’s occasional guided tours.
  Brompton Cemetery (c) ianVisits
  Brompton Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven Victorian cemeteries built in the countryside after burials within the City of London were banned in the 1830s. The cemetery was designed to resemble a large open-air cathedral with a central nave running from Old Brompton Road towards a central colonnade and chape
  
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• Why shorter HS2 trains might actually carry more passengers

  23-03-2026 13:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  There’s been a lot of chatter in recent weeks about whether the HS2 railway will redesign its trains or run them more slowly to save money.
  HS2 tunnel entrance next to the M25 motorway (c) ianVisits
  Usually, that many leaks means plans are afoot, and I am reliably informed that there are high-level talks that could see the HS2 train contracts amended, but the facts are less silly than the headlines suggest.
  One problem that does need to be addressed is how many trains the shrunken HS2 rail
  
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• The Chinatown London forgot: New exhibition explores Limehouse’s past

  23-03-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  When you say Chinatown, many people think of the West End of London, but there was a much older Chinatown in the East, and a new exhibition is telling its story.This is the story of Limehouse, and the migrant workers who came with the docks, and sometimes stayed, not always willingly, put down roots and settled in the country.
  As an exhibition, it’s split into two halves – the myths and the facts.
  The myths were thanks to the sinophobia whipped up by tabloid headlines about the yello
  
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• Greenwich’s Cutty Sark DLR station reopens after escalator overhaul

  23-03-2026 10:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  After ten months of closure, Cutty Sark DLR station reopened this morning with lots of shiny new escalators.
  Old escalators at platform level (c) ianVisits
  New escalators at platform level (c) ianVisits
  The station is also much brighter, not just because the escalators have rows of lights and the ceiling lamps are brighter, but also because it’s been whitewashed.
  The pale blue, rather cold panels have been replaced with white panels, which reflect light much better and have a noticeable ef
  
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• London’s Alleys: Carter Court, City of London, EC4

  23-03-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  This is a remarkable survivor, an alley that has changed very little over the past 350 years and gives off loads of Olde England vibes that appeals so very much.This is Carter Court, a small covered passage near St Paul’s Cathedral leading to an open – but now fenced off – courtyard.
  However, had you stood here in Roman times, you’d have had very wet feet, as the alley is just outside the old Roman Wall, and you’d have been in the often-flooded defensive ditch that
  
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• TfL’s Baby on Board turns 20 — and now it’s having twins

  23-03-2026 07:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Transport for London (TfL) is marking 20 years of its now-familiar ‘Baby on Board’ badge — a small roundel that is now old enough to have kids of its own, and in a neat nod to that milestone, TfL is introducing a new ‘Babies on Board’ version for those expecting more than one arrival.
  Babies on board! (c) TfL
  The new badge, available from today, is designed for parents expecting twins, triplets or more, with a simple plural twist on the classic design.
  The original
  
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• Poste Italiane launches €10.8bn bid for Telecom Italia

  22-03-2026 22:24
  Italy’s state-controlled postal service is hoping to become a key player in Italian and Brazilian telecoms markets
  
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• Ticket gates to be relocated at Lewisham station in bid to cut congestion

  20-03-2026 17:35 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Upgrade works are about to start at Lewisham station to tackle long-standing congestion on one of its busiest platforms.
  Platform 1 at Lewisham Station with its ticket barriers
  The aim is to reduce congestion on Platform 1 by moving the ticket barriers.
  The design is unusual as usually ticket barriers are at the point closest to the station entrance, but here, they are right next to the platform. Then people go down the stairs, through a subway under the railway and back up more stairs to l
  
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• Tickets Alert: Themed tours of the Royal Albert Hall archive

  20-03-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The Royal Albert Hall has an archive of the performances and shows that have taken place there, and they are offering some themed tours of the archive.They run over the next few months and cost £32 per person.
  Tickets can be booked here.
  Film and the Hall
  Thursday 30 April, Wednesday 6 May and Thursday 7 May
  The Hall has hosted many memorable film screenings, such as the premiere of Skyfall, but it has also played a role within the action, like in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew
  
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• Work begins on 900-home development next to Acton Town tube station

  20-03-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Construction has started on 900 new homes next to Acton Town tube station on surplus land owned by Transport for London.
  Bollo Lane development (c) TfL
  The location, Bollo Lane, runs alongside the District and Picadilly line tracks between Chiswick Park and Acton Town stations, and on the railway side, is mostly occupied by TfL car parks and a couple of office buildings.
  The site in Bollo Lane received the go-ahead in January 2021 by Ealing Council at the planning committee to deliver up to
  
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• South Kensington tube station upgrade finally getting started

  20-03-2026 12:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Upgrade works at South Kensington tube station are set to get underway later this year, as long-awaited plans to increase capacity at the overcrowded station finally get the green light.
  A fairly regular sight at Sth Kensington tube station (c) ianVisits
  There are two concurrent projects at the tube station.
  One will see the ticket hall revamped to create more space, roughly doubling the number of ticket barriers, while the disused surface platform will be brought back into use to double the sta
  
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• Tickets Alert: Perivale Wood’s 2026 bluebells open days

  19-03-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A usually closed nature reserve in west London will open for two days in April so the public can see the wood carpeted with bluebells.At 27 acres in size, Perivale Wood sits just next to the Central line railway and is one of the oldest dedicated nature reserves in the UK. Set up as a bird sanctuary at a time when all around here were fields, it was an unusually farsighted vision of how urban sprawl could someday leave no large swathes of woodland for birds.
  Now, each spring, the woods are blank
  
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• World’s largest private Victoria Cross collection finds new home at National Army Museum

  19-03-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  After leaving the Imperial War Museum last year, the world’s largest private collection of Britain’s highest gallantry medals is set to return to public display in London.
  National Army Museum
  Lord Ashcroft’s collection of Victoria Crosses (VC) and George Crosses (GC) has found a new home at the National Army Museum, restoring public access to the medals after the closure of the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum in September 2025.
  Built up by Lord Ashcroft over m
  
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• Two Tates, one Hockney: Artist to headline major 2027 exhibition season

  19-03-2026 10:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  There’s going to be a double dose of David Hockney coming to the Tate galleries next year, with a takeover of Modern’s huge turbine hall, and an exhibition down the road at Britain.They are part of the year of exhibitions announced by the Tate galleries.
  Tate Modern highlights
  Among the headline exhibitions, Monet: Painting Time (from 25th Feb) will be Tate Modern’s first show dedicated to Claude Monet. Drawing on new research, it will explore how the artist captured the passag
  
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• Cricklewood bus shelter sprouts a living roof in climate trial

  19-03-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A new bus shelter in north London is testing whether a sedum-covered roof can bring a little biodiversity — and rainwater control — to the capital’s streets.The bus stop, born out of the BarNET ZERO Challenge, where local residents put forward their best ideas for tackling climate change, can be found on Cricklewood Lane.
  It’s superficially a normal bus shelter, with the usual advertising board and seating, but it also comes with a low-maintenance sedum-covered roof. At t
  
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• Tube strikes for next week have been cancelled – but the future strikes are still on

  18-03-2026 18:58 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Next week’s tube strikes have been cancelled, but there might still be more strikes in the months ahead.Transport for London (TfL) had been expecting severe disruption from Tuesday 24th through to Friday 27th March across all tube lines.
  However, the RMT Union has suspended the tube strike – but only for next week.
  Unless a deal is struck, the strike action planned from Tuesday 21st until Friday 24th April, and from Tuesday 19th until Friday 22nd May, is still scheduled to go ahead.
  
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• Could London eventually approve its own transport projects without Whitehall delays?

  18-03-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The Mayor of London could gain the power to approve major transport upgrades without central government approval under an amendment that was proposed in Parliament.Although ultimately defeated, it raised the issue on the record, and some of the suggestions are understood to be considered anyway.
  At the moment, major transport upgrades require a Transport and Works Order to be approved by the Secretary of State for Transport, which can add lengthy delays to projects, even when funded entirely by
  
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• Lifeline for London’s largest city farm as Mudchute lease agreed

  18-03-2026 14:22 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  East London’s Mudchute City Farm, which has recently faced an uncertain future, looks set to stay with a new long lease — but will have to pay a much higher annual rent.Mudchute Park and Farm was established in the early 1970s as an urban farm, but was threatened just a few years later when the Greater London Council earmarked the land for a high-rise housing estate.  The plans sparked outrage (and indirectly, an episode of Yes Minister), and were eventually dropped, leaving the
  
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• Mind the bap! Morgan Freeman lends his loaf to Baker Street tube station

  18-03-2026 12:52 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Commuters at Baker Street tube station are being told to “mind the bap”, as Morgan Freeman is loafing his voice to the London Underground with a crumpet makeover from Warburtons.
  (c) Warburtons
  For two days only, the unmistakable tones of Morgan Freeman are echoing around Baker Street station, swapping cinematic narration for something a little more… toasted. The Oscar-winning actor has taken over the Tannoy on the northbound Jubilee line platform, delivering bakery-themed ann
  
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• TfL launches a new map of London Underground artworks

  18-03-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Transport for London (TfL) has launched a new edition of its Art Map – highlighting some of the public art on the London Underground.Although I will warn that it’s quite hard to find, as few stations have put them out on display at the moment. In fact, I am still finding pocket tube maps from December 2024 left out on display in some stations.
  A new leaflet, once you’ve found one, updates Art on the Underground’s 2016 Art Map and highlights six permanent commissions that
  
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• London’s Alleys: Church Yard Walk, Paddington, W2

  16-03-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  This is a short open passage that splits a church and its former graveyard, and was once likely a full-sized road, making this an early example of pedestrianisation.The passage sits alongside St Mary on Paddington Green, a church that has been a place of worship for at least 800 years. Originally a chapel to St Catherine, it was rebuilt as a parish church in 1678 and dedicated to St James.
  The current church, consecrated to St Mary in 1791, was built on a site slightly to the south of the origin
  
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• Step into Friends, House of the Dragon and more at free HBO Max pop-up in Piccadilly Circus

  13-03-2026 15:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  An immersive exhibition opening for two days in central London will let visitors explore TV sets, props and costumes from shows including Friends and House of the Dragon ahead of the UK launch of HBO Max.Opening in Piccadilly Circus on 25th March, visitors will be able to walk through themed sets, see original props and costumes, and take part in interactive installations inspired by the programmes.
  The immersive exhibition will also feature a projection-mapped experience inspired by Superman&rs
  
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• Giant TBM starts digging tube-train sized tunnel beneath the Thames

  13-03-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A giant tunnelling machine has started digging a tube-train-sized tunnel beneath the River Thames in east London, creating a 2.2-kilometre crossing between Kent and Essex.
  The TBM – with the statue of Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners on the side (c) National Grid
  But instead of trains, the tunnel will carry electricity cables.
  Earlier this week, a 270+ tonne tunnel boring machine (TBM) was launched to excavate the new tunnel, which will eventually replace the existing Thames Cable Tun
  
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• Looted from a royal palace: The medieval jug now on display in London

  13-03-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A bronze jug looted from West Africa and displayed in the British Museum might sound like the same old story — but this is a bit different as the jug was originally English, not African.A large bronze medieval jug bearing the English royal coat of arms would be a rare find if dug up in England, but somehow it had ended up in West Africa, in modern-day Ghana, thanks to early trading routes between nations.
  Dating from between 1340 and 1405, the jug is the largest surviving bronze ewer from
  
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• Go behind the scenes at London Transport Museum’s vast Acton depot this April

  12-03-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Next month, there will be one of the occasional open weekends at the London Transport Museum’s large storage warehouse in Acton, and tickets to visit are on sale now.
  Photos from the Transport Museum’s Acton Depot open weekend
  Visitors will be able to discover the Museum’s vast collection of more than 320,000 objects not on display in the Covent Garden Museum – from tiny palm-sized collectables to entire train carriages and old buses.
  April’s event celebrates 120 ye
  
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• Platform 37: Google names its huge King’s Cross HQ as staff prepare to move in

  12-03-2026 14:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Google’s giant groundscraper of a building, which has been a construction site next to King’s Cross station for longer than most people can remember, is finally getting its first occupants.
  Platform 37 (c) Google
  The building sits alongside King’s Cross station on land that was once a goods yard, and later an extension of the station. It also included the “hotel curve”, a rail tunnel that ran from the mainline station to the Metropolitan line, back when it was thoug
  
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• 200 Years of UCL: A small exhibition packed with big discoveries

  12-03-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  University College London (UCL) is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a small exhibition highlighting some of the university’s most notable discoveries, artefacts and moments from its history.Spread across the campus, most of the displays are concentrated in two locations: beside the famous Jeremy Bentham auto-icon and inside the university’s main Octagon Gallery.
  The Octagon Gallery contains four large display cases filled with an eclectic selection of objects. Some celebrate gr
  
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• Wheel good news: Thameslink bikes help fund skills for adults with learning disabilities

  12-03-2026 12:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Bicycles abandoned at railway stations are now helping fund training and work experience for adults with learning disabilities.
  The bikes, set to be donated to TAG in Huntingdon, on the back of a flatbed at Great Northern’s depot in Letchworth (c) GTR
  Bikes left behind at Thameslink and Great Northern stations are stored for three months, but if not claimed by the owner, they are delivered to TAG Bikes in Huntingdon, where adults with learning difficulties repair and refurbish them before
  
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• Free Friday performances at the Royal Opera House

  12-03-2026 11:03 via ianvisits.co.uk
  It’s not that well known outside the usual circles, but the Royal Opera House puts on regular free lunchtime performances.
  Paul Hamlyn Hall, Royal Opera House (c) ianVisits
  Artists from The Royal Opera, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, The Royal Ballet, and a range of guest artists perform at the Royal Opera House roughly twice a month on Friday lunchtimes, free of charge.
  You can’t book tickets as they are allocated on the day, on a first-come, first-served basis. Entry token
  
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