Openreach and major utilities to trial fibre optic sensing for water and gas leak detection

14 August 2025

Openreach, the UK’s leading fibre optic broadband provider, has announced collaborations with several prominent partners to test innovative methods for detecting water and gas leaks by utilising its existing fibre optic infrastructure.

These trials aim to leverage fibre sensing technology — originally developed for earthquake monitoring and subsea cable protection — to provide real-time, early warning signals for underground utility networks.

Find out more
Interworking of LMR networks with 3GPP Mission Critical Services

08 August 2025

Image courtesy of Capgemini

Image courtesy of Capgemini

With the increasing development of critical broadband networks, the key issue for network operators is how to ensure mission critical services delivered over broadband interwork with the existing narrowband land mobile radio (LMR) networks such as TETRA.

A new white paper from TCCA titled ‘Interworking Function (IWF) Interworking of LMR networks with 3GPP Mission Critical Services’ explores the opportunities and challenges of interworking LMR networks with 4G/5G-based 3GPP Mission Critical Services (MCX) solutions by leveraging the standard-defined Interworking Function (IWF). The aim of this integration is to strengthen communication capabilities, achieve seamless interoperability, and enable a gradual and successful adoption of broadband technologies.

Find out more
Upgrades to 4G mobile masts in Hawes enhance connectivity across Yorkshire Dales

06 August 2025

Mobile network enhancements in Hawes, North Yorkshire, have gone live, significantly improving connectivity throughout the Yorkshire Dales as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme.

This latest upgrade is part of the government’s £1.3 billion initiative aimed at boosting rural mobile coverage, delivering greater mobile internet access to areas including Hardraw, Appersett, Snaizeholme, and Sedbusk.

Find out more
Sitehop accelerates quantum-ready encryption testing with Teledyne LeCroy Xena Platform

01 August 2025

Sitehop has enhanced its testing capabilities by bringing critical performance validation in-house. Supported by a five-figure Productivity Grant from South Yorkshire Mayoral Authority, the company invested in a cutting-edge Teledyne LeCroy Xena Loki 100G traffic-generation and testing platform, supplied by Red Helix.

This in-house setup enables Sitehop to perform bi-directional testing of ultra-low latency, high-speed networks — specifically, sub-microsecond latency at 100Gbps — eliminating delays associated with outsourcing. Previously reliant on an external lab in France, which involved a minimum two-week turnaround costing over £18,000 per cycle, the new UK-based testing facility allows the company to complete comprehensive validation within a single day. This shift significantly boosts engineering productivity and accelerates product development.

Find out more