Life on the inside: 10 things that may never be the same again
The lockdown has been tough for many but after a decade of austerity and four years of a nation torn in half by the Brexit debate, Covid-19 has reignited a sense of community in Britain.
Broadband
Openreach: Broadband traffic up significantly but previous record not broken
Broadband usage increased significantly last week but has not topped the record set during the last Christmas period and live football streaming through Amazon Prime, Openreach has said.
NHS applause sets all-time traffic record on Virgin Media network
The nation’s applause for the NHS on Thursday evening led to an all-time record of upstream traffic on Virgin Media, as people uploaded videos of the moment on social platforms.
Curzon to curate home film viewings with live director Q&As
Directors including Andrew Haigh, Celine Sciamma and Joanna Hogg will take part in live Q&As as people are encouraged to watch their films at home at the same time during the coronavirus crisis.
Avoid using microwave to get faster internet – Ofcom
People should avoid using their microwave at the same time as their wifi in order to get better internet speeds, media regulator Ofcom has said.
Virgin Media reveals daytime broadband surge as lockdown takes effect
Virgin Media has said overall internet use during daytime hours on its network has roughly doubled as the UK locked down during the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus: Openreach tells engineers to avoid entering people’s homes
Openreach has said it will prioritise “essential work” during the coronavirus lockdown, advising its engineers to avoid entering people’s homes.
Openreach sees 20% surge in daytime network usage before lockdown
Openreach has said usage of its network has surged by about 20% as a growing number of people turn to the internet for work and entertainment during the coronavirus outbreak.
What to you do if you encounter technical problems when working from home
Despite assurances from internet providers that the UK’s broadband network is able to withstand the added strain, technical issues can still occur like any normal day.
Internet providers insist they can take strain as traffic jumps during outbreak
Internet service providers have revealed that traffic on their networks has increased as more people work from home or self-isolate during the coronavirus outbreak.
Disney+ to launch with two episodes of Star Wars series The Mandalorian
Disney’s new streaming service will launch in the UK with the first two episodes of Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
Developers to be forced to make new-build homes gigabit-speed capable
Developers could be forced to make sure new-build homes are fit to carry gigabit-speed broadband.
Chancellor’s gigabit-capable broadband pledge welcomed by industry
The telecoms industry has welcomed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a £5 billion investment to introduce gigabit-capable broadband across the whole of the UK.
Coronavirus: Internet providers ‘ready’ to handle extra demand from home workers
The UK’s internet service providers have said they are “ready” to handle any extra broadband demand if more people work from home as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Millions of homes have slower broadband than London Underground, report suggests
More than four million UK households have slower broadband than the London Underground, according to new research.
Government sees off Tory rebellion over Huawei involvement in UK 5G network
Boris Johnson has survived the first Conservative rebellion of the new Parliament over the involvement of Chinese telecoms firm Huawei in the UK’s 5G network.
Ministers seek to see placate Tory Huawei rebels
Ministers have moved to head off a damaging Commons revolt over Chinese telecoms firm Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network.
Banning Huawei will damage UK’s broadband ambitions, says ex-BT chief
Excluding Huawei from Britain’s 5G network will “significantly set back” the Government’s ambitions to extend broadband access, a former chairman of BT has warned.
Chancellor expected to confirm £5bn investment for faster broadband
A £5 billion investment to roll out faster broadband across the UK by 2025 is expected to be confirmed by the Chancellor in Wednesday’s Budget.
Rishi Sunak set to confirm £5bn investment for faster broadband in Budget
A £5 billion investment to roll out faster broadband across the UK by 2025 is expected to be confirmed by the Chancellor in this week’s Budget.
Praise for broadband rollout in Aberdeenshire town
An MSP has welcomed the news that 2,200 homes and businesses in a north-east town can now access fibre broadband.
MPs launch inquiry into Government high-speed broadband pledge
MPs are to launch an inquiry into the UK’s broadband and 5G networks to examine the Government’s pledge to bring high-speed internet to every home and business in the UK by 2025.
UK device designed to improve astronauts’ internet speed reaches ISS
A UK-built device that will allow astronauts to communicate with Earth at home broadband speeds has reached the International Space Station (ISS).
Vodafone to take £169m hit on stripping out Huawei from EU core network
Vodafone has said it will remove Huawei systems from its sensitive “core” networks in Europe at a cost of around 200 million euros (£169 million) in the wake of decisions to restrict the Chinese firm’s 5G role.
BT boss welcomes ‘clarity’ over Government’s Huawei decision
The boss of BT has welcomed the Government’s “clarity” over its decision to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei access to the UK’s 5G phone network infrastructure.
Huawei and 5G: the key questions
Ministers are due to decide on Tuesday if Chinese tech firm Huawei should be allowed a place in the UK’s 5G network infrastructure.
Openreach to expand full-fibre broadband network
Openreach is planning to make ultrafast broadband available in more than 200 market towns and villages across the UK as part of its aim to reach four million homes and businesses with full-fibre technology by March 2021.
Internet speeds too slow for more than half of all small businesses, poll finds
More than half of all small and medium businesses (SMEs) in the UK are without a high-speed internet connection, according to a new survey.
TalkTalk users in Liverpool and Manchester hit by broadband outage
TalkTalk customers in parts of the North West were left without broadband on Thursday morning after a fault with the company’s service.
TalkTalk sells fibre networks business to Cityfibre for £200m
TalkTalk has sold its fibre networks rollout business to Cityfibre for £200 million.