NEWS
Virgin Media O2 pumps £ 700 million into mobile network overhaul and 5G networks. This is underpinned by the deployment of additional spectrum and increased automation, all geared towards delivering a superior mobile experience for customers.
The investment will prioritise improved connectivity in key areas, including along railway lines, on major roads, at stadiums, in busy city centres, and in historically underserved rural locations known as‘ not-spots’.
By bringing its mobile and fixed networks closer together and utilising its own fibre, the operator aims to improve network resilience and speed up the deployment of new mobile infrastructure. Satellite technology will also be used to connect remote towers in hard-toreach areas.
Virgin Media O2 will inject around £ 700 million into its mobile network this year, as part of a major Mobile Transformation Plan. The significant investment aims to boost reliability, speed, and coverage across the UK in response to unprecedented demand.
The programme includes substantial upgrades to infrastructure, with new mobile masts, smaller cell sites, and enhancements to both 4G
Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer, Virgin Media O2, said:“ Our Mobile Transformation Plan combines the necessary financial investment with the latest technological innovation to make this a reality.
“ We’ re not just upgrading infrastructure; we’ re creating a platform for future innovation. This programme ensures our customers will continue to benefit from superior reliability as new technologies and demands emerge.”
SITA and NEC team up to propel digital identity adoption in global travel
Air transport IT leader SITA and biometric authentication specialists NEC have joined forces in a bid to accelerate the global adoption of digital identity technology within the travel industry.
NEC is now part of SITA’ s Digital Travel Ecosystem, an open framework designed to ensure different digital identity systems can work together seamlessly for realtime verification. The ecosystem, developed with Indicio, simplifies the integration process for airports, airlines, and governments by removing the need for direct connections between identity issuers and verifiers.
With 28 % of airlines and 43 % of airports planning to implement biometric identity management solutions in the next 12 months( SITA Air Transport IT Insights 2024), demand for interoperable systems is growing. A lack of standardisation has slowed widespread adoption, but the SITA-NEC collaboration addresses this challenge through a scalable framework for secure identity exchange.
According to SITA and NEC, the secure Trust Network – a central component of the ecosystem that governs the global sharing of digital credentials with a privacy-by-design approach, enables travellers to have control over their personal data.
“ After years of investment, aviation and other travel stakeholders are now seeing the full potential of digital identities, and the industry is gearing up to scale,” said Jeremy Springall, Senior Vice President of Borders at SITA.
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