Telecom news

• Telcos commit to Facebook-backed TIP's disaggregated cell site gateway

  16-10-2018 02:00
  A group of major operators and vendors on Tuesday backed the Telecom Infra Project's (TIP's) disaggregated cell site gateway (DCSG), which promises to lower the cost and improve the efficiency of mobile network deployments.Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange and TIM Brasil have completed the specification for the new gateway…read more on TotalTele.com »
  
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• Drawing out Freud: The National Portrait Gallery looks beyond the oils

  12-02-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  An exhibition about Lucian Freud, an artist famous for his paintings, is generally not about his paintings, except when it is.The National Portrait Gallery, which holds the Lucian Freud archive, has rummaged through it and put on a display of his less well-known sketches, seeking to show that the artist was more than just an oil painter but also a skilled draughtsman.
  I have to start by confessing a heresy – I am not that keen on the artist’s work.
  He’s rightly lauded as one of
  
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• Pyx and Ceremony: London hosts one of England’s oldest legal rituals

  12-02-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Earlier this week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, was put on trial in Mansion House.
  In front of England’s oldest judicial officer, the King’s Remembrancer, a jury was sworn in, and the proceedings began — not with impassioned speeches, but with the distribution of very large gold coins.
  Mansion House
  This was the Trial of the Pyx — an ancient ceremony that is still, in every sense, a proper legal process. Held annually, it exists to answer a simple quest
  
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• The fading hopes of Europe’s telcos

  12-02-2026 06:00
  Sector companies are struggling to win Brussels’ backing for consolidation
  
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• Southbank’s skate undercroft turns 50 with a new exhibition celebrating its concrete legacy

  11-02-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  People have been skating in the Southbank’s undercroft for the past 50 years, and an exhibition is opening this spring to celebrate 50 years of kickflipping around the space.
  Undercroft Skate Space, 1978 © Tim Leighton Boyce_Jim Slater, Southbank. Images courtesy The Read and Destroy Archive.
  Widely regarded as the birthplace of British skateboarding, the Undercroft Skate Space emerged almost by accident. When the Queen Elizabeth Hall was built in the 1960s, the area beneath was left
  
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• Passenger numbers surge, but the railways still can’t fill the revenue gap

  11-02-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Rail travel continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic, with an 8% increase in the number of journeys over the past year to reach 467 million journeys in the July to September 2025 quarter, according to figures from the rail regulator, the ORR.
  Liverpool Street station
  However, journeys are also getting shorter, as while the number of trips rose by 8%, the total mileage travelled by all those passengers only rose by 6%. So, while overall revenue also rose by the same 6% in the quarter
  
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• Tickets Alert: Trooping the Colour 2026 tickets ballot now open

  11-02-2026 14:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Trooping the Colour is a big military parade that marks the King’s official birthday in June, and the ballot for tickets to be in the audience is now open.
  Trooping the Colour 2018
  It’s one of those genuine once-in-a-lifetime events to attend, even if the pomp and ceremony isn’t your sort of thing, because it’s a memory you’ll treasure and trigger many envious looks from friends when you tell them you’ve been in the audience for the Trooping the Colour.
  I
  
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• Visiting the Household Cavalry Museum

  11-02-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  If you’re a museum in the centre of London and hoping for lots of passing trade, having a great big statue in front of your entrance must be quite annoying.
  That’s the fate of the Household Cavalry Museum, which sits in the Whitehall building made famous by videos of tourists being shouted at for standing far too close to the horses, but with its entrance around the other side and a statue in front of it.But it’s more than just a museum, because you get to peer into the working
  
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• London’s Pocket Parks: Pat Hickson Garden, Southwark, SE16

  11-02-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  This is a corner park that was once houses, then a plain park, but owes its current appearance to a tunnel dug deep under South London.The tunnel carries electricity, and itself is a result of the huge power failure that plunged most of South London into darkness in August 2003. A later review recommended that Network Rail should improve the security of its own supplies in south London, and the result is a tunnel running from the National Grid disconnector at New Cross National Grid Substation t
  
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• Controversial Liverpool Street station redevelopment gets planning approval

  10-02-2026 17:46 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The controversial plans to redevelop Liverpool Street station have been given the go-ahead by the City of London.
  (c) Network Rail / ACME
  Supporters say the scheme is intended to deliver a fully accessible, modernised railway station capable of handling dramatic growth in passenger numbers. The plans include a larger concourse, step-free access to every mainline and Underground platform, and a substantial expansion of passenger facilities such as lifts, escalators, ticket gates and toilets.
  Netw
  
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• The “Hogwarts Express” will be at the Epping Ongar Railway through April

  10-02-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A steam train featuring in the upcoming Harry Potter television series is scheduled to visit the Epping Ongar Railway this spring, including the Easter weekend.
  Wightwick Hall photo by Louisa Richards / Bucks Railway Centre
  The nearly 80-year old steam locomotive 6989 ‘Wightwick Hall’ will star as the Hogwarts Express in the TV series. Repainted into red livery for its television role, the locomotive is expected to operate steam-hauled services along the Epping Ongar Railway thr
  
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• Queer Britain gets a refresh but makes a small museum feel even smaller

  10-02-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The museum devoted to the alphabet soup of sexualities has had a revamp of its displays and turned a small museum into a cramped one.
  It’s always been a small space, with one main room and a second, smaller temporary exhibition space, but they’ve added two more glass cases in the middle of the main room, turning a wide rectangle into a corridor.
  Opening with a temporary display marking 40 years of the BFI Flare film festival, the main space is a selection of nuggets from various LGBT
  
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• BT replaces Openreach boss in latest top-level reshuffle

  10-02-2026 09:12
  Deputy chief Katie Milligan must now decide whether to expand fibre coverage to millions more homes
  
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• Several weekend closures of Liverpool Street station through March

  09-02-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Passengers are being warned that several weekend closures of London Liverpool Street station will take place in March due to Network Rail engineering works.
  Liverpool Street station during the Christmas 2025 closure (c) ianVisits
  This work will affect weekend passengers on Greater Anglia, some c2c services, London Overground’s Weaver line and some Elizabeth line services.
  During the closures, Network Rail will be carrying out track renewals near Ilford station and Gidea Park.
  There will al
  
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• Seahorses, seals and sharks spotted in Thames as conservation boosts Thames habitats

  09-02-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Conservation efforts along the 153 miles of the River Thames have delivered mixed results for wildlife, according to a new report that finds improvements in some species and habitats alongside emerging threats from climate change and pollution.
  Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
  Researchers recorded increases in several wading bird species, marine mammals and restored natural habitats, including intertidal areas that act as nurseries for many fish. The river continues to support a surprising r
  
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• A medieval Persian allegory takes flight in a London gallery

  09-02-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A King’s Cross gallery is currently alive with birdsong, reimagining the 12th-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds as a gently immersive exhibition.The poem itself is an allegory: a gathering of birds set out on a spiritual quest, each one embodying a particular human flaw or attachment. Passing through seven symbolic valleys, they face trials and moments of revelation, before realising that the divine presence they seek lies within themselves.
  That sense of pilgrimage carries
  
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• Warning of four day closure on parts of the Metropolitan and Chiltern Railway next week

  09-02-2026 11:32 via ianvisits.co.uk
  There’s going to be a four-day closure of part of the Metropolitan line and Chiltern Railways next week, affecting services north of Harrow on the Hill.
  Affected area on TfL map
  The closure is due to London Underground signalling works between Harrow on the Hill and Amersham, and it means no trains on either the tube or the mainline can run along the line.
  From Thursday 19th to Sunday 22nd February, there will be no service on the Metropolitan line between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham,
  
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• TfL testing a new modular design bus shelter for London

  09-02-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A new design of sheltered bus stop could be coming to a street near you, as Transport for London (TfL) is starting tests of the new design.
  New bus shelter on Blackfriars Road near Southwark tube station (c) TfL
  Superficially, it doesn’t look radically different, but TfL says the new design incorporates better seating, lighting, and, in places, CCTV for the police – and is also easier to install at bus stops.
  Diamond Geezer has a more in-depth review.
  The trial of the first 27 bus sh
  
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• London’s Alleys: Alderman Stairs, Wapping, E1

  09-02-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Tucked away just east of the Tower of London, a narrow alley slips quietly between buildings and down towards the Thames. Today it’s easy to miss, but Alderman Stairs has been guiding people to and from the river for centuries.The story of this corner of London runs deep. The roots of settlement here stretch back to the 10th century, when King Edgar granted 13 acres of riverside land to 13 knights (yes, an acre per knight), with permission to use it for trading along the river. By 1125, th
  
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• ‘Hermès orange’ iPhone sparks Apple comeback in China 

  07-02-2026 08:00
  Vivid redesign and social media buzz lure Chinese buyers back after a prolonged slump
  
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• Photos from NASA’s manned space missions go on display in London

  06-02-2026 16:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  For just three days, visitors will be able to relive the thrilling dawn of the space age, stepping into the era when humanity first dared to leave Earth behind.
  Buzz Aldrin is seen clinging to the spacecraft during his spacewalk as he orbits Earth at over 17,000mph on Gemini 12 – 13th November 1966. Image Credit: NASA / ASU / Andy Saunders
  All because an exhibition of newly restored photographs from NASA’s Mercury and Gemini missions goes on display, revealing the moment when our blu
  
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• Japan’s KDDI finds up to $1.5bn in fictitious revenues

  06-02-2026 15:32
  Telecoms group postpones third-quarter results amid probe into ‘suspicions regarding inappropriate transactions’
  
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• Discount sale on tickets to see I’m Sorry, Prime Minister

  06-02-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Fans of the 1980s political satire, Yes Minister, will probably know there’s a stage version at the moment – but not that there’s a sale on tickets.
  From Yes Minister co-writer Jonathan Lynn comes I’m Sorry, Prime Minister – the final act between Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey.Jim Hacker (Griff Rhys Jones) is back — older, no wiser, and still gloriously out of his depth. Dreaming of a peaceful retirement at Hacker College, Oxford, Jim instead collides with a very
  
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• Arch over the trainshed: A different way to fund Liverpool Street station’s upgrade

  06-02-2026 14:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A rival design to Network Rail’s plans to build offices above Liverpool Street station has been submitted to the City of London, days ahead of a meeting to decide if the Network Rail scheme will go ahead.
  Liverpool Street station during the Christmas 2025 closure (c) ianVisits
  The station does need a revamp, mainly to fix a number of problems that weren’t really thought about during the last rebuild 40 years ago – mostly to do with surging passenger traffic and accessibility.
  T
  
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• Why the Mendini exhibition made me feel like I shouldn’t be there

  06-02-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Sometimes you can walk into an exhibition and think, it’s all very good, but still walk out with a bit of an uncomfortable shrug about what you’ve seen.
  Possibly because a designer who was at the cutting edge of design when he was active has now been copied so often that the radical is now familiar. If you lived through those early years, the work is exciting. If not, it can feel a bit like walking into the shop that furnished my teenage bedroom – Habitat.That’s the chall
  
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• London Museum staff vote for strike action in pay dispute

  06-02-2026 10:45 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Staff at the London Museum could go on strike in a pay dispute, according to the Prospect Union.The union says a pay claim was submitted in March 2025, but an employer offer was not made until September 2025. This and two other subsequent offers were rejected by members, with the final offer, £420 consolidated +1%, then another £150 consolidated being imposed.
  The union said this led to the industrial action ballot.
  In the ballot, 88% of votes were in favour of taking strike action,
  
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• Euston station rail passengers facing delays on Avanti and LNR services today

  06-02-2026 08:36 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Rail passengers travelling in and out of Euston station face disruption today after a fault on the West Coast Main Line caused delays and cancellations between London Euston and Watford Junction.
  Euston station
  Network Rail has reported a failure of the overhead line equipment on the busy stretch of railway, meaning fewer trains than normal are able to run between the two stations.
  As a result, Network Rail expects to run a reduced service for the rest of the day.
  The disruption is affecting lon
  
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• With tunnels under way, attention turns back to HS2’s missing Euston station

  05-02-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Now that HS2 has started digging tunnels to Euston station, thoughts are returning to building the station, and the government is now looking for developers to do just that.
  Euston station site Oct 2021 (c) ianVisits
  In an early market engagement document, the Department for Transport (DfT) says that it is exploring a public-private partnership model to deliver the HS2 Euston Station with private finance.
  The DfT’s proposal is to appoint a private company under a design, build, finance and
  
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• Balham rail bridge gets deep clean and new lighting scheme

  05-02-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The national rail bridge that spans Balham High Road, next to Balham station, has been given a deep clean and a new lighting scheme to improve its appearance.
  Balham High Road bridge (c) Wandsworth Council
  The bridge is the latest to benefit from Wandsworth Council’s £2m schedule of improvements to rail bridges and underpasses, which is being funded by its contributions from local property developers.
  The rail underpass on Balham High Road was deep‑cleaned before better pigeon&
  
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• Paddington could host TfL’s first sensory-friendly “quiet space” for travellers

  05-02-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Transport for London (TfL) is exploring how it can make journeys easier for passengers who find the city’s transport system overwhelming — by trialling a calm, quiet space for neurodivergent customers inside one of its busiest stations.
  Paddington Elizabeth line platforms
  In a preliminary engagement notice, Transport for London said it wants to hear from the market about possible off-the-shelf solutions that could provide a low-stimulus refuge for people who struggle with noise, crow
  
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