Telecom news

• The Telecoms.com Podcast: Smart moans

  19-03-2018 15:11
  Now with added video! 
  
  Read more

• Get tickets to visit the House of Dreams

  30-01-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  There is an outwardly unremarkable terraced house in South London that conceals an explosion of colour and art within – the House of Dreams.It’s also open to the public, but tickets tend to sell out months in advance.
  So, call this a reminder that if you haven’t visited, then it’s a good time to book some tickets, as the wait can be lengthy.
  The House of Dreams is the domestic home of the artist and designer, Stephen Wright, who over 20 years ago, turned his back on train
  
  Read more

• From this Sunday: London Northwestern and West Midlands trains become publicly owned

  30-01-2026 15:15 via ianvisits.co.uk
  This weekend, two more train operators will pass into public ownership as London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway are brought under state control and folded into the future Great British Railways (GBR) network.
  (c) London Northwestern Railway
  Between them, the two brands cover a large swathe of the Midlands and the West Coast Main Line. London Northwestern Railway runs services linking Liverpool and Birmingham with London Euston, while West Midlands Railway operates local and regio
  
  Read more

• BAFTA’s restaurant is open to the public for breakfasts

  30-01-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Normally reserved for film and television insiders, the private Members’ Bar & Restaurant inside BAFTA’s Piccadilly headquarters was recently opened to the public to use as well.
  (c) BAFTA
  The restaurant, usually accessible only to BAFTA members and industry guests, sits on the top floor of the academy’s historic building and is better known as a networking hub for actors, directors and producers than a place to book a table.
  The decision to open the building in the morning
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Samurai, but not as you know them: British Museum exhibition rewrites the warrior myth

  30-01-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  For many of us, our overriding image of Japan’s samurai comes from a school trip where we stood in front of a suit of armour and were told about fearless warriors, epic battles and an unbreakable code of honour.
  Now, the British Museum would like to gently suggest that stereotypes might not be all that they seem.
  But obviously, any exhibition about the Samurai has to open with a warrior’s armour, even if it ends, maybe unexpectedly, with Darth Vader. That is, it aims to show how the
  
  Read more

• French government blocks Eutelsat asset sale to EQT

  30-01-2026 11:37
  Satellite operator says €550mn sale of ground-antenna business to private equity firm is off
  
  Read more

• Syria plots mobile phone auction to lure international investors

  30-01-2026 06:00
  New licence part of plan by Damascus to revamp dated infrastructure affected by 14 years of civil war
  
  Read more

• Thunderbirds and Space:1999 exhibition gets mission extension

  29-01-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Attention all personnel: This is International Rescue and Moonbase Alpha with a joint transmission.The original closing date for the Museum of Brands’ exhibition devoted to all things Gerry and Sylvia Anderson has been affected by a critical systems failure! After an emergency consultation between Tracy Island and Moonbase Alpha, a new flight plan has been authorised.
  Revised mission duration: now extended to 18th April 2026.
  Commander Koenig has confirmed there is no need to evacuate the
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• West London commuters get boost with more Elizabeth line trains from this spring

  29-01-2026 15:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Three west London stations will get more Elizabeth line trains calling at them in the morning peak hours from later this spring.
  Elizabeth line trains at Southall station (c) ianVisits
  Transport for London (TfL) is making the changes by arranging for trains leaving Heathrow Terminal 5 in the morning to call at more stations on their way to central London.
  Under the changes, which come into effect from Monday 18th May 2026 for services between 8am and 9am:Southall currently has 8 trains stopping
  
  Read more

• Nine blue plaques, hanging on a wall — Nine blue plaques for London in 2026

  29-01-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  London is to get nine more blue plaques this year, as English Heritage confirms which nine people are to be celebrated.
  Blue plaque installed in 2024
  Spanning science, photography, film, literature, performance, journalism, activism and military history, the new plaques will celebrate individuals whose lives and work helped shape London’s intellectual, cultural and social landscape.
  The selection ranges from Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, whose discoveries transformed our understanding of the s
  
  Read more

• Peckham Rye station to get £5m makeover while waiting for step-free rebuild

  29-01-2026 13:20 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Peckham Rye station is to get a £5 million upgrade as an interim measure while it waits for funding for step-free access to be approved.
  Recently restored station frontage (c) ianVisits
  To be carried out over the next 18 months, the upgrades will focus on making the station easier to use and reducing crowding at busy times, particularly in the small ticket hall entrance.
  The Booking Hall will be restored to its 19th-century heritage look, fully repainted and enhanced with improved lighting
  
  Read more

• Forgotten Mughal Banaras revealed in free London photo exhibition

  29-01-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Photos of one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities are on display in central London right now.This photography exhibition seeks to challenge the familiar image of India’s Banaras (Varanasi) as a city defined by Hindu pilgrimage and the Ganges River’s sacred waters.
  Instead of dwelling on its famous riverfront scenes, the exhibition turns its lens on lesser-seen communities and Banaras’s often-overlooked Mughal history, which increasingly sits uncomfortably
  
  Read more

• Lost stretch of London’s Roman Wall could reappear in the pavement outside Guildhall

  28-01-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A lost section of London’s Roman Wall could be highlighted in the pavement as part of a scheme to pedestrianise a road next to the City of London’s Guildhall.
  Aldermanbury
  The road is Aldermanbury, named for the Aldermen of the City of London, which runs along the western side of the Guildhall and also provides the main entrance to the City of London’s library. As part of plans, which are just getting started now, to refurbish an office block on the other side of the road (65 G
  
  Read more

• Train operator Lumo awarded its own officially registered Scottish tartan

  28-01-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A few weeks ago, a notice quietly appeared on the Scottish Register of Tartans authorising a train company to commission its very own tartan design — the corporate equivalent of being knighted, but in wool.
  The company in question is low-cost train operator Lumo, which can now officially claim to be the proud owner of an officially official tartan.The design was first shown off last month when Lumo launched its Glasgow–London services, but this wasn’t just a case of splashing a
  
  Read more

• World’s oldest gasholder to be restored and opened to the public

  28-01-2026 12:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The world’s oldest surviving gasholder is to be restored and repurposed as part of a housing development in west London.
  Historic Photograph of the Gasholder – source planning documents
  Hammersmith & Fulham Council has approved plans that will see the Grade II* listed Gasholder No.2 at King’s Road Park restored, securing the future of a structure that will soon reach its 200th birthday.
  Built between 1829 and 1830, Gasholder No.2 is believed to be the oldest surviving gasho
  
  Read more

• Goldman-backed broadband provider set to axe third of jobs

  28-01-2026 12:13
  UK’s third-largest fibre network looks to streamline operations amid widespread cost-cutting in indebted sector
  
  Read more

• Why the most interesting things in museums are sometimes the ones that aren’t there

  28-01-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  As you wander through a museum, you sometimes notice that things are missing. And oddly enough, it’s often the missing things that tell the best stories.
  You’re ambling past a cabinet of carved stones when — there it is. A gap. A neat rectangle of absence. In its place, a small white sign politely apologising on behalf of the missing stone, as if it’s just popped out for lunch and will be back shortly.The excuses are familiar enough: removed for conservation, away for stu
  
  Read more

• Euston, we have lift-off as HS2 starts tunnelling towards central London

  27-01-2026 18:16 via ianvisits.co.uk
  HS2 moved a step closer to reaching central London today as a giant tunnel boring machine began the 4.5-mile journey from Old Oak Common towards Euston.
  HS2 CEO Mark Wild and Minister for Rail, Lord Hendy starting the first TBM (c) HS2
  The start of tunnelling in west London comes as part of wider progress on the HS2 railway, following the completion of 23 miles of tunnels, 19 bridges and two viaducts along the route between London and Birmingham.
  The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones
  
  Read more

• London Overground strike called by RMT for next month

  27-01-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  There could be disruption to services on the London Overground’s Windrush line after the RMT union called for strike action next month. The Windrush line runs from Highbury and Islington to Clapham Junction, West Croydon and Crystal Palace.If it goes ahead, the strike will affect the Overground’s Windrush line on three Thursdays, with possible impacts on the Friday mornings.Thursday 26th February
  Thursday 26th March
  Thursday 23rd AprilA Transport for London spokesperson said:  &
  
  Read more

• Courtauld Gallery recieves £10 million gift to fund expansion of its art galleries

  27-01-2026 15:15 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The Courtauld Gallery in central London has secured £10 million in funding to open two new galleries dedicated to contemporary art.
  Courtauld Gallery – Somerset House
  The funding comes from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, which has supported the Courtauld for many years and its gifts to the Courtauld have now topped £20 million.
  Located on the top floor of the North Wing of Somerset House within the new Courtauld Campus, the two new galleries restore a space designed in the 18
  
  Read more

• TfL eyes major upgrade so Tube can accept National Rail barcode tickets

  27-01-2026 13:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  London Underground could start accepting National Rail style barcoded train tickets in the future, as TfL has started looking at plans to add barcode scanners to its tube station ticket barriers.
  Barcode scanners coming to a tube station near you?
  Transport for London (TfL) has looked into the issue before, as National Rail tickets issued in barcode format can include travel on the London Underground, and that can cause issues when barcode tickets aren’t accepted at London Underground stat
  
  Read more

• A crumbling head and every English word: the Mithraeum’s latest puzzling artwork

  27-01-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A crumbling head, a newspaper and a postcard make up the latest somewhat baffling art exhibition above the London Mithraeum.The Temple of Mithras sits underground as a free visitor attraction, and the ground floor entrance is a mix of historic display and a modern art gallery.
  The challenge sometimes is to understand the art.
  This time, they’ve commissioned three works by the Dutch artist Mark Manders.
  We’re told that the artist “has developed what he describes as a ‘self
  
  Read more

• Kirkland & Ellis quits as counsel to Altice USA amid Wall Street pressure

  27-01-2026 05:18
  Investors including Apollo and Ares had been upset by an antitrust lawsuit
  
  Read more

• Save up to 60% on West End hits with this week’s theatre offers

  23-01-2026 15:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  This week’s sale and discount theatre ticket offers from London Theatre Direct.
  MAMMA MIA!
  From £19
  STALLS SEATS FROM £35Hamilton
  The hit musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
  From £25
  SAVE UP TO £31Oliver!
  Experience the Olivier Award-winning family musical today!
  From £25
  SAVE UP TO £48Titanique
  All aboard the Titanique!
  From £25
  SAVE UP TO 48%Back To The Future
  Playing until 12 April 2026, book your tickets yesterday!
  From £24
  SAVE UP TO 47%Wicke
  
  Read more

• A 2026 calendar of City of London ceremonies

  23-01-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The City of London, being very ancient, has many traditions and ceremonies, and as many of us still like dressing up in livery finery, many of them still happen today.
  Many of the ceremonies take place in private and aren’t open to the public, but as they involve processions from Halls to Churches, that part can be observed.
  So it’s no surprise to be wandering around the City sometimes and run into a group of people wearing furs and lace, carrying something special to a ceremony.
  Eve
  
  Read more

• Tickets on sale now for Kew Garden’s Henry Moore exhibition

  23-01-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Tickets are now on sale for the largest exhibition of Henry Moore’s sculptures ever held in London.
  Two Large Forms, 1969 (c) Jonty Wilde
  This summer, his outdoor sculptures will be displayed at Kew Botanic Gardens, as Moore believed that landscapes provided the perfect setting for his sculptures, where the natural architecture of the environment could amplify their visual and emotional impact.
  The exhibition will also fill the entire 320-acre site, in contrast to a 2007 presentation
  
  Read more

• Londoners can abseil off a Premier League stadium for a lifesaving cause

  22-01-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  If you fancy abseiling off the side of a football stadium while raising money, then the London Ambulance Charity is offering you the chance to do so.Abseilers will be able to descend 42 metres from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday 19th March, to raise money for wellbeing support for frontline crews and defibrillators in priority areas across London.
  The funds raised will support wellbeing initiatives for ambulance crews and 999 call handlers.
  A £25 registration fee per person will app
  
  Read more

• £2m heritage funding will make London’s papyrus archive easier to visit

  22-01-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The London headquarters of the Egypt Exploration Society (EES) will become easier to visit, as it has been awarded a £2 million grant to upgrade its building.
  What the EES premises could look like following its refurbishment (c) Egypt Exploration Society
  The EES says that following an application, it has received a £2 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which is to be spent on upgrading its heritage centre, protecting its archival and manuscript collections, and en
  
  Read more

• Oyster cards could be loaded onto smartphones under new TfL deal

  22-01-2026 14:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Oyster cards could be coming to smartphones, as Transport for London (TfL) confirms that Spain’s Indra Group has been awarded a seven-year contract to run its revenue collection systems.Indra Group will replace USA-headquartered Cubic, which has operated the Oyster card since its launch in 2003. The decision to swap suppliers was announced last year but was challenged by Cubic, which had the handover put on hold while it pursued its case in court.
  Although the dispute is still pending, a c
  
  Read more

• UK’s broadband ‘altnets’ need some serious rewiring

  22-01-2026 13:59
  Even with the benefits of merging, it is hard to see the numbers stacking up
  
  Read more

Follow @Telecom_UK_ on Twitter!