Dutch operator KPN is tapping into the increasingly prevalent fear of data abuse with the launch of a "sovereign" email service that promises better protection for emails and associated files by offering data storage within the boundaries of the EU and additional security measures such as two-step login. All emails, files, contact and calendars are stored and processed within the bloc, says KPN, making the data subject to EU privacy regulations. Existing customers upgrading to the sovereign service will keep their current email address, emails, contacts and folders, adds the operator. (See Eurobites: Forget hyperscalers and use our sovereign cloud, says Deutsche Telekom.)
O2, Nokia test AI-RAN in London #
O2 and Nokia have completed what they claim is the UK's first live deployment of AI-powered radio access network (RAN) technology. The deployment, which took place at O2's Giga Site in London, found that the technology improved spectral efficiency at the site by approximately 20%, allowing the site to carry more data using the same spectrum and existing network capacity. (See AI-RAN – lots of talk, little action, no guarantees and Nokia badly needs big AI-RAN deals – Musk would be a great start.)
Ofcom counts the customer complaints #
UK communications regulator Ofcom has revealed its latest tot-up of customer complaints about broadband, mobile, pay-TV and landline providers. Just as it is (probably) about to be snapped up by BT, TalkTalk seems to have upped its game, getting the rosette for the least complained-about pay-TV provider and seeing a fall in its broadband complaints – although it was still one the most complained-about broadband providers, along with BT, EE and Vodafone. On the mobile front, EE, Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile, Three, Vodafone and iD Mobile came up smelling of roses, relatively speaking, while O2 and Sky Mobile were on the naughty step.
DNA climbs aboard the 6G-Rocket #
Finnish operator DNA has signed up to the 6G-Rocket program, which was launched by the University of Oulu and counts Nokia, Nvidia, Keysight and MediaTek – among others – as project partners. The project aims to change mobile networks' reliance on manual interventions and separate AI tools by creating AI-native RAN technologies that proactively anticipate network needs. The university provides the 5G/6G test network infrastructure, Nokia its expertise in mobile network systems, Nvidia its AI-RAN infrastructure and DNA its real-world network experience.
UK streaming hold up #
The UK's streaming performance holds up well against that of other comparably sized countries (with a land area between 180,000 and 310,000 sq. km.), coming top of the tree, according to independent Internet performance measurement platform nPerf. It achieved a streaming index of 86.27%, ahead of Finland (84.57%) and Italy (82.50%). This index measures the quality of video streaming for users who watch movies, TV series or online videos.
Digital Arena Sweden is go #
The Digital Arena Sweden project, first announced in June, is to kick off in earnest in November with events in Lund, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Luleå. The project, which is led by Lund University and backed by Ericsson and Telia, among others, is intended to strengthen Sweden's innovation capacity and global competitiveness. The Arena will provide a platform for organizations wanting to test, learn and collaborate around relevant technologies.
VodafoneThree joins wildfires fight #
VodafoneThree is offering its connectivity to National Parks UK to help bolster resilience in the face of the growing threat of wildfires. Specifically, the new program will support practical measures designed to strengthen protection against wildfires in the Cairngorms region of Scotland. This includes ecological monitoring and spatial mapping to assess burn severity and identify habitats and landscape features that helped slow or stop the spread of fire. In July, a major incident was declared by the emergency services as they tackled a wildfire which had been burning in the Cairngorms for ten days.