Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu
The satellite spectrum battle that could shape the new space economy
In early August, when corporate activity was in a summer lull, Elon Musk’s SpaceX quietly opened up a new front in a global battle over a scarce and precious resource: radio spectrum. Its target was an obscure international regulation governing the way spectrum, the invisible highway of electromagnetic waves that enables all wireless technology, is shared by satellite operators in different orbits.
UK government consulting telecommunication companies about how to accelerate the rollout of high-speed broadband to apartment buildings
The UK government has informally consulted telecommunications companies about how to accelerate the rollout of high-speed broadband in blocks of flats as groups race to provide full fibre across the country.
Two died after UK shift from analogue to digital phone lines
The telecommunications industry’s transition from an analogue to a digital telephone system was partially paused after two Virgin Media O2 customers died following the failure of their telecare devices after the upgrade process. The incidents in 2023 triggered the government’s announcement in December that it had secured industry commitments to protect vulnerable customers.