Eurobites: UK signs Project Gigabit contracts worth £289M with OpenreachEurobites: UK signs Project Gigabit contracts worth £289M with Openreach

Openreach has signed four more contracts worth £289 million (US$362 million) under the UK government's Project Gigabit, which was set up to connect remote parts of the country to faster broadband. The new deals will make gigabit-capable connections available to over 131,000 homes and businesses in areas including the Dee Valley, Isle of Anglesey and Shropshire Hills. According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the dozens of contracts signed under the project have brought connectivity to 1.1 million premises and represent over £2.2 billion (US$2.8 billion) in investment.

Nottingham gets better 5G from O2

Virgin Media O2 has boosted its 4G and 5G network in parts of Nottingham, concluding a project that commenced early last year. This is part of the operator's pledge to spend £2 million ($2.5 million) a day on improving its mobile network in the UK. 

Vodafone UK in trouble?

Vodafone UK has been accused of misusing pandemic-era financial support intended for small and medium businesses, the Guardian reports, saying the government has been urged to refer the matter to the COVID corruption commissioner. This comes after 61 of the telco's franchisees launched a £120 million ($151 million) high-court lawsuit against it, saying Vodafone had, among other things, used its knowledge of financial aid received by the franchise operators to reduce its commission payments to them. (See also Eurobites: Vodafone's UK franchisees launch £120M lawsuit over cuts to commission.)

Deutsche Telekom brings wholesale under one roof

Deutsche Telekom has decided to consolidate its domestic and international wholesale offering under a single brand, T Wholesale. Previously operating separately as Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier and Wholesale of Telekom Deutschland, the new unit will serve over 1,150 customers and partners – most of them international. The products on offer include IPX and fiber-optic networks, security protection and data center services.

Elisa fixes subsea cables cut in December

Finnish operator Elisa has repaired its two subsea cables connecting the country with Estonia. They were severed on 25 December and inclement weather delayed repairs, but Elisa has said the cuts didn't affect services thanks to built-in redundancies. An oil tanker has been seized in connection with the incident, which also involved damage to a power cable between the countries, and it is suspected to be linked to Russia. (See also 2024 in review: Submarine cables become a battleground and Taiwan seeks Korean help after latest suspicious cable cut.)

Nokia reaches 7,000 5G patent milestone

Nokia has reached 7,000 patent families it calls essential for 5G, including 5G radio protocol design, 5G security and interface technologies that define how devices like smartphones connect to the network.