KPN is to be the first European operator to try out a new, more environmentally friendly fiber cable developed by Italy’s Prysmian. The Sirocco HD 96f cable is 4.5mm in diameter with a 10mm sleeve, compared to the traditional 6mm cable in a 14mm sleeve, thus guaranteeing an approximate halving of plastic volumes used. Also, the reduced diameters mean that a longer length of cable can be supplied on a single reel, reducing transport and storage costs. The pilot projects will be developed in Buitenpost and Nijmegen. One of the companies to benefit from the Openreach program is Telent, based in the English Midlands, which has announced it will be doing the spadework for Openreach in a dozen of the projected buildouts. Telent will be responsible for construction tasks such as surveying, building and testing.
Nokia is playing buzzword bingo with the launch of its upgraded Self-Organizing Network (SON) software, which the vendor claims can “provide communication service providers with the promise of zero-touch network automation for 5G and increased operational efficiencies.” SON, says Nokia, removes the traditional operator console and replaces it with an “objective driven dashboard,” which apparently is a good thing. In a proof of concept pilot with a “leading North American operator” SON increased operational efficiency by 80%, claims Nokia. Uber, the company behind the (almost) all-conquering taxi-summoning app, begins its legal battle today to overturn London’s decision to ban it from its streets over safety concerns. As Reuters reports, the city’s transport regulator, Transport for London, refused to grant Uber a new license in 2019 after what it described as a “pattern of failures,” some of them relating to driver identification.