Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 61 | Page 20

NEWS

£ 26 million broadband network reaches 85,000 across Staffordshire

“ Research shows that this new network will give businesses an edge and provide families and home-workers with future-proof connectivity , no matter what life throws at us next ,” said Kasam Hussain , Openreach ’ s Partnership Director for the Midlands .
“ Our investment across Staffordshire continues at pace and we ’ re determined to deliver a great service which helps this community thrive and supports people to work from home easily , keep in touch with their loved ones and build connections and opportunities .

More than 85,000 homes and businesses across Staffordshire can already order some of the fastest , most reliable broadband in Europe thanks to a £ 26 million investment by Openreach .

And more areas are set to benefit , as engineers are now starting work to extend the full fibre network to most homes and businesses in Burton upon Trent , Leek , Newcastle-under- Lyme , Stafford and Uttoxeter .
Full fibre is up to 16-times faster than the average UK broadband connection and around five-times more reliable than the old copper-based network it ’ s replacing .
“ Gigabit-capable broadband can have a huge impact on people ’ s lives and it ’ s great for the economy , but upgrades aren ’ t automatic ,” said Hussain . “ People need to place an order with their chosen providers to get connected and we ’ ll do the rest . Our network offers the widest choice of providers such as BT , Sky , TalkTalk , Vodafone and Zen – which means people have lots of choice and can get a great deal .”

Porsche Engineering and Vodafone Business push 5G infrastructure for development of connected vehicles

Porsche Engineering and Vodafone Business have established one of Europe ’ s first 5G hybrid Mobile Private Networks ( MPN ) at Nardò Technical Centre ( NTC ).

The proving ground in southern Italy , which is owned by Porsche and operated by Porsche Engineering , offers its customers a real-time communication network , which promises reduced delays , wider bandwidth , improved security and reliability and faster deployment time . The NTC thus further underlines its role as a leading technology partner for the integrated development and validation of intelligent and connected vehicles of the global automotive industry .
“ At our proving ground in Nardò , we are committed to constantly push technologies to the next level – so our customers can successfully meet the increasing demands of future mobility ,” said Peter Schäfer , CEO of Porsche Engineering and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Nardò Technical Centre . “ With the new 5G network , NTC offers its customers now an even better infrastructure to develop and test intelligent , autonomous and connected vehicles .”
The new mobile network infrastructure enables 4G and 5G coverage throughout the testing centre , which occupies an area of over 700 hectares in the Apulian region and has more than 20 tracks for highperformance testing .
With the Vodafone Business 5G solution , NTC aims to enable its customers to efficiently develop and validate a wide range of future business-critical applications , from new connectivity , vehicle-toinfrastructure , vehicle-to-vehicle and highly automated driving functions to self-driving vehicles . p
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