Telecom news

• Your artwork could light up Battersea Power Station this Christmas

  06-11-2025 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Battersea Power Station is going to project images of Christmas trees onto its famous chimneys, and they want you to design them.It’s actually a design competition run by Apple, which has its UK offices in the Battersea estate. As an Apple competition, your design has to be created on an Apple device.
  They don’t like Android Christmas trees.
  As it happens, there’s a related fitness in apples, as the Christmas tree baubles indirectly derive from the Biblical story of Adam and Ev
  
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• Tickets Alert: Discounted tickets to Open Gardens Weekend 2026

  05-12-2025 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Tickets for an annual weekend when loads of London’s usually private gardens are open to the public have gone on sale, with a Christmas discount for early buyers.
  Bramham Gardens (c) ianVisits
  The event began with volunteers’ passion to open up private West London squares and has since grown to embrace gardens across central London – from roof spaces owned by city banks, to historic institutions, community allotments and even the Prime Minister’s own Downing Street garden
  
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• Elizabeth line to run every three minutes on Saturdays as service ramps up

  05-12-2025 16:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  There will soon be an Elizabeth line train through the core section of the network every three minutes on Saturdays, as TfL prepares to increase the service.Currently, there are 16 trains an hour through the core section on Saturdays, but this will increase to 20 trains an hour from Saturday 20th December, the week of the national timetable change which kicks in earlier that week.
  The additional services will run between approximately 11am and 8pm each Saturday, with two additional trains per ho
  
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• Southeastern rufurbishing its 20-year old Class 376 trains

  05-12-2025 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Southeastern has begun a full mid-life refresh of its 20-year-old Class 376 suburban trains, with the first upgraded unit, 376027, returning to passenger service last week.
  Refurbished interior (c) Southeastern
  The multi-million programme will cover all 36 five-car units in the fleet, delivering around 11,000 newly refurbished seats, more than 4,000 power and USB sockets, and the replacement or overhaul of some 29,000 interior components, including wall and ceiling panels, grab poles, trims and
  
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• Christmas sale on tickets to see The Moustrap

  05-12-2025 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Famously the world’s longest consistently running play, Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap has now been running for over 70 years, and is one of those plays that everyone is presumed to see once in their lives.The murder-mystery storyline is set in “the present”, presumably England, around the time the play was published in 1952, including the continuation of World War II rationing.
  The play is based on a short story, but Christie asked that the story not be published as long as
  
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• Billionaire Drahi comes out fighting as creditors fall through ‘trap doors’

  05-12-2025 06:00
  Lenders to Franco-Israeli tycoon’s Altice empire are guessing his next move after falling victim to an aggressive restructuring
  
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• Auf Wiedersehen, Jet? Eurostar and DB revive plans for direct London–Germany trains

  04-12-2025 18:52 via ianvisits.co.uk
  There could be direct rail links between London and Germany from the early 2030s, after Eurostar signed an agreement with Deutsche Bahn (DB).
  Eurostar Celestia at St Pancras station (c) Eurostar
  If the service launches, it would likely see journey times of four to five hours between London and Frankfurt, with possible stops at Cologne and Brussels. Although that would be slower than flying, it would be comparable when you factor in that the railways would drop people off right in the centre of t
  
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• British Museum is promising ‘Good Vibrations’ for the Bayeux Tapestry’s trip to the London

  04-12-2025 16:17 via ianvisits.co.uk
  When the Bayeux Tapestry makes its historic visit to the UK next year, it will need to travel in a container that is exceptionally resistant to vibrations.That’s one of the conditions applied to the transfer, which the government has just revealed, ensuring that the precious tapestry does not experience more than 2 millimetres of vibration per second on its trip to London.
  This is going to be a very interesting challenge for the engineers tasked with constructing a cargo box that can be lo
  
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• Elizabeth line drives Liverpool Street station to nearly 100 million entries and exits

  04-12-2025 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  London Liverpool Street has retained its title as Great Britain’s busiest railway station for the third year running, with almost 100 million entries and exits, according to figures from the Office of Rail and Road.
  It’s quite possible that the station could have broken the 100 million barrier if it hadn’t been closed for 8 days last Christmas (and will be again this Christmas) for engineering works.
  Liverpool Street station
  At the other end of the spectrum, Elton and Orston in
  
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• From BHS to Gothic revival: Oxford Street tower lined up for cathedral-inspired rebuild

  04-12-2025 12:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A familiar Oxford Street landmark, once home to the London College of Fashion and British Home Stores, could be in line for a rather unexpected reinvention — a rebuild inspired by medieval cathedral architecture.
  Currently
  Proposed (c) Planning documents / developer
  The original complex was completed in 1958 under the plot-ratio rules introduced in 1947, which encouraged taller structures set back behind lower street-frontages. Hence, the classic mid-century “podium with tower”
  
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• Look on His Works: Ramesses the Great exhibition is coming to London

  04-12-2025 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Ramesses the Great is coming to London next year, as a large exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts goes on display at Battersea.
  (c) Ramses & the Pharaohs’ Gold
  Ramesses II, better known as Ramses the Great, ruled more than 3,200 years ago and is widely hailed as the mightiest pharaoh of Egypt’s most powerful era, the New Kingdom. His 66-year reign – the longest of any pharaoh – cemented his reputation as a supreme builder, warrior, statesman and, with around 90&nd
  
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• TfL bids to take over Moorgate mainline with plan to increase Great Northern services

  04-12-2025 09:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Transport for London (TfL) has formally applied to take over the mainline railway out of Moorgate station north to Welwyn Garden City and to Stevenage via Hertford North.
  Although expected, and also suggested as an option in the government’s recent new towns paper, a Freedom of Information request has given some more details of what a TfL run service would look like.
  What is known as “Great Northern Inners” comprises the tunnels from Moorgate to Finsbury Park, and just north of
  
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• Disused telephone box becomes solar-powered herb garden

  04-12-2025 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  An old red telephone box in Waltham Forest has been turned into a vertical farm growing herbs for a local charity.Funded by the local council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the transformation of a disused British red telephone box, located just outside the William Morris Gallery on Forest Road, has turned it into a self-watering vertical garden.
  Inside the phone box is a custom designed, 3D printed ‘Petal Planter’ vertical system, complete with solar-powered ventilati
  
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• TfL Go adds real-time line alerts and improved train info in latest update

  03-12-2025 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Transport for London (TfL) has rolled out a new set of upgrades to its free TfL Go journey-planning app, adding features to provide passengers with personalised travel information across the network.
  (c) TfL
  The most significant change is the introduction of real-time line status notifications. Users can now receive instant alerts when their selected Tube, Elizabeth line, DLR, London Overground or Tram routes are being delayed. Notifications can be customised by line and time of day, and paused
  
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• Tickets Alert: Luxmuralis light and sound show to fill a central London church

  03-12-2025 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  For one week next February, St Martin-in-the-Fields will swap its usual calm for a full-blown assault of colour and projection as Luxmuralis brings its latest Son-et-Lumière installation to the church.
  From the 2022 show (c) ianVisits
  The journey begins outside, where the façade becomes the first canvas, before descending into the crypt, transformed by sweeping washes of light, and finally into the main church, where the full spectacle unfolds.
  Based on the shows in 2022/23, it&rsq
  
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• India reverses order to install government app on all smartphones

  03-12-2025 12:36
  Communications minister says use of state-run cyber security app is ‘completely voluntary’ following public outcry
  
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• Stansted Airport’s contactless train ticketing delayed as Greater Anglia hits software snag

  03-12-2025 12:26 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The planned rollout of London-style contactless payments at Stansted Airport has been delayed after encountering software issues.The plan had been for 50 stations around London to enable contactless pay as you go ticketing from 14th December, but problems with the Greater Anglia route means its stations are being delayed.
  For pay as you go with contactless to work correctly, train company fares must be fully integrated with TfL’s fare system.  During testing, the system identified iss
  
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• Government to broaden railcard train travel access for disabled travellers

  02-12-2025 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The eligibility for disabled people to get discounted rail travel is to be improved, reflecting a better understanding of disabilities.The application process for the Disabled Persons Railcard (DPRC), which offers a third off rail travel for themselves and a companion, is to be expanded so that both visible and non-visible disabilities are better recognised and supported.
  The changes follow a review that concluded that the Railcard’s eligibility criteria should better reflect modern unders
  
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• Mayor of London urged to restart Crossrail 2 – and seek new tax powers to fund it

  02-12-2025 14:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The Mayor of London should restart planning for Crossrail 2 while also arguing for more powers to raise local taxes to pay for it, concludes a report by the London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee.
  The Crossrail 1 portal at Royal Oak
  The report spends most of its time looking at why building new infrastructure in London (and the UK generally) is so much more expensive than in most other countries, and suggests that the UK could slash costs if it wanted to.
  The headline claim is
  
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• Hyakkō reveals the art of imperfection in Japan House’s label-light exhibition

  02-12-2025 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A static sushi conveyor belt of handmade domestic craftwork has gone on display in central London, celebrating the makers of Japan.Japan has long been associated with a rich culture of craft, with many practices such as urushi (lacquerware) and metalwork being passed down through generations, often as the result of strict apprenticeships.
  However, in the 1920s, the mingei (folk craft) movement drew attention to the beauty of handcrafted, utilitarian objects.  Integral to this philosophy was
  
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• India demands installation of government app on all smartphones

  02-12-2025 09:24
  Privacy advocates raise concerns about potential snooping
  
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• A little noticed statue of St George and the Dragon in the City of London

  02-12-2025 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Just behind St Bride’s Church in the City stands a large sculpture of St George and the Dragon, surrounded by an unmistakable air of neglect.Created by Michael Sandle, the work was commissioned by the Mountleigh Group for what, at first glance, looks like a quintessentially 1980s office block. In fact, the building was St Bridget’s House and built in the early 1950s and later reclad in the 1980s, when its main entrance was shifted from Bridewell Place to what had previously been a se
  
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• Carnaby Street set for heritage makeover

  01-12-2025 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Soho’s Carnaby Street could get a bit of a makeover as the estate owners are consulting on plans.
  Early concept (c) Shaftesbury Capital
  The consultation proposes a general revamp of Carnaby Street and improvements to its links with the surrounding streets.  They want to create new wayfinding signs, change the lighting and increase the amount of planting in the area.
  The main change is likely to be the pavement though, as they propose removing the existing artificial stone paving and r
  
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• Borehamwood set for major new museum honouring EastEnders, Star Wars and Hitchcock

  01-12-2025 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  A museum of TV and film history could open on the edge of North London, after the local council offered £2 million towards the cost of building it.
  Stormtrooper Parade at Elstree Studios 2021 (c) Elstree Studios
  The museum, with the somewhat long-winded name of the “Elstree Immersive Experience and Borehamwood & Elstree Film and TV Heritage Centre”, would open in Borehamwood, which has long been home to a number of historic TV and film studios.
  According to the organiser&he
  
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• The Gingerbread City returns with real architecture baked in icing and imagination

  01-12-2025 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Once upon a time, a wicked witch lived in a house built entirely from bread, cake and sugar — and now whole towns of the stuff have sprung up in London.
  This is the annual Gingerbread City, and it’s not just a festive sprawl of icing and sprinkles, but a showcase of genuine architectural ideas, all realised in gingerbread by actual architects.Threaded between the sweets and gummy bears, the biscuits and fondant façades, are explorations of how real-world places might evol
  
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• Patrick Drahi’s ‘super aggressive’ asset move hits Altice International bonds

  01-12-2025 12:21
  Franco-Israeli tycoon has locked horns with creditors over debt-laden telecoms empire
  
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• Empty trains to Euston highlight why scrapping HS2 to Manchester makes no sense

  01-12-2025 12:12 via ianvisits.co.uk
  UPDATE – the regulator has reversed its decision.
  —
  If you wanted an example of why the UK needs to build HS2, look to the news that a rush-hour train will travel from Manchester to London but can’t carry passengers.In the upcoming railway timetable change on 15th December, Avanti West Coast’s 7am service from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston will cease to carry passengers. The service, which is quite busy as it’s timetabled to arrive in London just before 9am
  
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• London’s Alleys: Victoria Place, Richmond, TW9

  01-12-2025 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  This is an old alley in Richmond town centre that underwent a major change in 1909.Victoria Place is an alley that leads off busy George Street, lined with shops, and was originally a short, dead-end alley offering access to the backs of shops and houses. That was the northern end of the alley, and the southern side was filled with tenement housing and warehouses, which, by the end of the 19th century, were in poor condition.
  OS Map 1894
  In 1905, Richmond Council wanted to clear away the slums a
  
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• British Museum could gain a traffic-free entrance under new Holborn neighbourhood proposals

  28-11-2025 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  The crowded road outside the British Museum could be pedestrianised under updated plans shown off by Camden Council.
  The council first announced plans for a Holborn Livable Neighbourhood last year and is currently running a consultation on their suggestions. They’ve now released some updated images, including what the space outside the British Museum could look like if the road were pedestrianised.
  Current layout (c) Camden Council
  Proposed layout (c) Camden Council
  The plans for Great Rus
  
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• Honest Burgers to hand out 3,200 free meals across London this Wednesday

  28-11-2025 14:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  Upmarket burger chain, Honest Burgers, is giving away 3,200 free meals across London on Wednesday 3rd December.
  (c) Honest Burgers
  They will give 100 free burgers from each of their locations across the UK (32 in London) to the first 100 people to queue up outside their restaurants. Not just a burger, but also a portion of their rosemary salted chips to add some carbs to the protein-rich meal.
  Honest’s Double Smashed Burger features two smashed British beef patties, American cheese, brown
  
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