Eurobites: Can the copper, BT tells UK critical infrastructure providersEurobites: Can the copper, BT tells UK critical infrastructure providers

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: TalkTalk hit by data breach; Nokia defends LINX against DDoS attacks; Storm Éowyn disrupts UK mobile services.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

January 27, 2025

3 Min Read
BT logo on London headquarters
(Source: BT)

BT is once again urging UK providers of national critical infrastructure – such as utility companies and emergency services – to ditch their copper landlines and go digital by the end of 2025, telling them that continued use of the existing public switched telephone network (or PSTN) is "simply too risky." The operator says that though it moved customers off almost 300,000 "legacy" business lines in 2024, its data shows that many critical infrastructure providers are still relying on what BT describes as "outdated analogue connectivity." The UK's PSTN is scheduled to be switched off by the end of January 2027, and any technology still relying on it will stop working when the network is retired. (See Eurobites: BT tweaks digital migration strategy and BT tech clean-up could save it £500M, says CTO.)

'b0nd' villain lays claim to TalkTalk attack

UK fixed-line operator TalkTalk has been hit by another significant data breach, according various media reports, including one from TechCrunch. Someone using the name "b0nd" claimed to have stolen the personal details of more than 18.8 million current and former TalkTalk customers, says the report, though TalkTalk, whilst not denying the breach, dismissed this figure as "wholly inaccurate and very significantly overstated." It's not the first time that TalkTalk has been hit by such an attack – in 2015 shares in the company fell by 9% in the wake of a massive DDoS raid.

Nokia lands DDoS defense gig at LINX

Talking of which, Nokia's Deepfield Defender software has been chosen by the London Internet Exchange (LINX), to deliver network protection against DDoS threats. The Nokia Threat Intelligence Report, released in October 2024, found that the frequency of DDoS attacks had grown from one or two a day to well over 100 per day in many networks, with the malicious use of generative AI playing a major role in this increase.

Latvia's state broadcaster falls victim to subsea 'sabotage'

More Baltic subsea cable damage came to light over the weekend, with Swedish authorities seizing a ship suspected of damaging a data cable belonging to Latvia's state broadcaster, LVRTC, the BBC reports. Latvia is working with Sweden and Nato to get to the bottom of the incident, which is just the latest in a series of similar events in this part of the world which many believe are the handiwork of Russia. (See Eurobites: Sabotage suspected after latest subsea cable cut.)

Storm Éowyn blows UK mobile networks off course

Testing firm Ookla has revealed the impact that Storm Éowyn had on the telecom services of the UK and Ireland over the weekend. On the day the storm made landfall (Friday, January 24), median mobile download speeds in Ireland (10.04 Mbit/s) were 78% lower than the preceding seven-day average, while median latency was 23% higher at 47.6 ms. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, mobile download speeds dropped significantly on the same day, falling by 63% to 2.19 Mbit/s and by 74% to 1.31 Mbit/s, respectively, compared to the seven-day average preceding Friday.

Telia unplugs from amps icon Marshall

Telia has agreed to sell its 9.6% stake in Marshall Group, a company best know for its rockstar-pleasing amps, to HongShan Group for 1.15 billion Swedish kronor (US$105 million). The operator said that now was the "right moment" for it to exit its holding, as it was getting a "fair valuation" of its shares at a time when it was shifting its focus to growing its core business.

Blavatnik tops up DAZN coffers

Ukrainian-born billionaire Leonard Blavatnik has injected another $827 million into DAZN, his London-headquartered sports streaming company, as it looks to compete with the likes of Netflix, according to City AM. The company's latest set of results show that its 2024 revenues reached $3.4 billion in 2024, more than doubling the figure it achieved in 2021.

Freshwave brings 4G DAS to new London office block

Freshwave has installed a 4G distributed antenna system at the 8 Bishopsgate development in London's financial district, connecting its users to all four UK mobile networks. Sixteen occupiers have already opted into the service, says Freshwave.

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About the Author

Paul Rainford

Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.

He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.

During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.

Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.

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