Comms Dealer

BT has announced trials of a solution which could deliver superfast broadband to hard-to-access locations in cities across the UK.

The new form of Fibre-to-the-Basement technology - developed and funded by BT - will be piloted in two City of London buildings from next month.

As a result of the trial, 225 homes in the Middlesex Street Estate and around 50 SMEs based at 65 London Wall will have access to download speeds of up to 80Mbps from more than 130 different service providers for the first time. 

By integrating fibre broadband kit into a building basement or comms room, the need for street furniture, public civil engineering works and road closures will be reduced - and so will the time it takes for an installation to be carried out.

Graham Bell, Chief Information Officer of the City of London Corporation, said: "All businesses are keener than ever to be well-connected and this Fibre-to-Basement pilot is a welcome step forwards, especially for smaller SMEs who are critical to London's commercial dynamism.

"We hope the trials will lead to further expansion of fibre broadband across the Square Mile for residents and SMEs, complementing the Ethernet infrastructure already available to larger firms."

Joe Garner, CEO, Openreach, said: "City centre locations present unique challenges when it comes to upgrading consumer broadband. For example, there is less room for us to install a fibre cabinet on the pavement, and it is often harder to get permission to close roads to do the work.  We also need to secure permission from multiple landlords to run new cables across their land and properties.

"That's why we are being innovative with new technology solutions like this one. We are optimistic that this new solution will prove that fibre broadband can be installed into building basements quickly, smoothly and economically. It could also have the added benefit of being less disruptive for our customers and the general public."

Acquisition target EE has itself completed a strategic buy, snapping up distributor Mainline Communications Group to bolster its B2B channel capabilities. EE, the subject of a £12.5bn acquisition bid from BT, has been a prime mover in driving the adoption of 4G products and services in the business market.

The acquisition of Mainline enables EE to work more closely with its channel partners.

"Mainline is a responsive, efficient, and entrepreneurial distributor with excellent business practices and partnerships," said Gerry McQuade, CMO at EE.

"By acquiring Mainline, we will be able to extend their capabilities in support of our indirect B2B sales strategy."

The acquisition builds on EE's current share of 26% in Mainline, which will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of EE and will continue to operate under the Mainline brand.

"Having been a part of the EE family for some time, we are proud to have played a key role in building and supporting EE's business customer base," said Andrew Boden, MD of Mainline.

"We are excited to be entering this new chapter in our relationship with EE, and we look forward to helping EE forge even more successful relationships with its channel partners."

Excell Group has acquired the customer bases of Resource Utilities and virtual network operator Green Mobile (which offers a carbon zero service), adding significant turnover to the Group from a diversified customer base.

"The Group looks forward to delivering and supporting services to this diverse and socially responsible base of customers," said Excell's Head of Marketing Chris Attwood.

The Excell Group provides cloud-based managed services to businesses and the acquisitions advance its growth strategy and commitment to social value, building on charitable commitments already made to Teenage Cancer Trust and local charitable projects and initiatives.

"Customers will benefit from the continued offering of Resource Utilities and Green Mobile combined with Excell's support and range of cloud products and services," said Attwood.

"We will remain focused on our customers and strengthen our offerings to deliver more value."

The ONS announcement on unemployment falling to 6%, its lowest level since 2008, coincides with a widespread rethink in HR strategy, according to JMA MD Clive Jefferys.

"No great surprises there as 2014 has been notable for growing skills shortages right across the economy," he said. "It transpires that the active qualified candidate pool now is less than 500,000 people, lower than it ever was throughout the economic boom that ended in 2008.

"At every level, organisations are struggling to meet the headcount targets that underpin their growth strategy for next year. Whether they need more van drivers, production line workers, technical support, salespeople or CEOs, most companies have learnt that the UK is firmly a Seller's Market now."

Jefferys cited a survey of HR Directors commissioned by Robert Half, published on 15th December, which found that 56% are radically changing both their recruitment processes and the benefits on offer to attract talent.

"The battle for key hires in sales, marketing and technology has intensified to the point that hiring managers are being re-educated to act decisively," said Jefferys.

"With many positions remaining vacant for more than six months they are learning that they need to seize the opportunity presented by even single candidate applications.

"Benefits packages for new hires have gone up by average of 8% in response to competition, and this will also have ramifications for all staffing costs next year."

International digital services company Atos has successfully certified against the Cloud Industry Forum's (CIF) Code of Practice, demonstrating its commitment to transparency, accountability and capability in the provision of cloud services.

According to the Cloud Service Provider (CSP), best practice schemes, such as the Code of Practice, are key if the cloud industry is to arrive at maturity.

Atos is a digital services company with 2013 pro forma annual revenue of €10 billion and 86,000 employees in 66 countries.

Serving a global client base, the Group provides Consulting & Systems Integration services, Managed Services & BPO, Cloud operations, Big Data & Security solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry.

Rob Price, Head of Digital at Atos UK & Ireland, said: "As the industry continues to move and evolve at such pace it's important that we can publicly demonstrate our adherence to best practice.

"The next stage in the evolution of the cloud industry hinges on our ability to provide reassurances to the market that we can meet high industry standards, which is why schemes like the Code of Practice are so valuable."

Alex Hilton, CEO of the Cloud Industry Forum, added: "The CIF Code of Practice is all about building trust in the cloud industry between cloud users and cloud suppliers.

"Organisations seeking to use cloud services need a straightforward way to qualify potential suppliers that will accurately define the services offered and standards of operations and security."

Daisy Group has launched a new recruitment campaign for field technicians to join its engineering division.

Eight new positions have been created for people looking to get their first step on the engineering ladder.

The drive follows the recent success of participants that took part in Daisy's first engineering apprenticeship programme, all of whom are about to be offered full-time positions within the company upon completion.

Rik Horton, Engineering Director at Daisy, said the firm is keen to offer opportunities to talented engineers who will help to bolster the firm's capabilities in the IT services market, particularly in managed services.

"The new recruits will initially join our tier 1 team and be primarily responsible for cabling infrastructures and hardware deployments of varying sizes; however there are also various opportunities for progression within Daisy to eventually join one of our more technical teams," he said.

"It is widely-recognised within the IT and telecoms industry that it is difficult to hire highly skilled, qualified engineers without having to recruit from competitors. What Daisy wants to do is break that cycle and provide a platform for engineers to develop, ultimately leading to a new breed of engineering talent coming through the business."

C4L has deployed a free Wi-Fi network throughout the majority of its data centre PoPs across its UK network.

Once a user connects they are able to use the Internet for free, with no restrictions, regardless of device type, mobile, tablet or laptop.

With most C4L PoP sites activated, including City Lifeline, Telehouse and DRT, and since activating the network on 17th October, nearly 1,000 unique devices have already connected.

Agodo Dumbe, Installation Technician at C4L, said: "We are happy to have been able to deploy free public Wi-Fi in our PoPs across the UK.

"We recognised the need for this service based on our own experience which taught us that network engineers can really benefit from a separate Internet connection within a DC, and we wanted to provide this service to all professionals within the industry.

"The Internet connection is isolated from the main infrastructure so is does not affect any security within the data centre environment, and really helps out data centre and network engineers who are working in our DC environments."

Square 1 Products' Cheshire Head Office became a central collection point for local residents and businesses to drop off Christmas presents in aid of local children's charity Cash for Kids.

The charity responds to the needs of local children aged 0-18 who are disabled, disadvantaged or suffering from abuse or neglect, and at the festive season ensures no child goes without a present to open from Father Christmas on Christmas Day.

Along with Square 1 Products, the campaign is supported by high profile personalities such as actress Dame Helen Mirren, novelist Ian Rankin, singer/songwriter Cliff Richard and TV favourite Lorraine Kelly, all of whom generously give up their time and use their status to ensure the Charity gets exposure.

Square 1 Products' very own (under cover) Father Christmas, Sales Director Gary Conner (pictured), organised the Square 1 Products' toy donation.

"Last year the appeal raised in excess of £11 million with over £1.3 million raised in our local area, a target which exceed the previous total by almost a third," he said.

snom technology has updated its flagship line of phones with a streamlined new look, new branding and an upgrade of the internal processor that powers the handset.

The new D715 and D725 IP desktop phones now feature a Broadcom chipset for improved horsepower to handle current and future Unified Communications applications. Both models are now black, sleeker in design and feature snom's new corporate logo.

Moving forward, new models in the 7xx series line will all have the D nomenclature.

The D725 offers 18 multicolor function keys, wideband audio, Gigabit Ethernet and a USB port for expansion. With 12 SIP identities (or lines) the D725 is suitable for call-intensive business environments.

The D715 has Gigabit Ethernet, five programmable function keys and four SIP identities.

Both the D715 and D725 have a USB port for expansion with headsets, the snom D7 Expansion Module or Wi-Fi dongle.

"The updated 7xx series of phones is the latest example of snom's commitment to delivering the latest in IP telecommunications functionality for our customers," said Tommy Lee, snom's Director of Partner Alliance.

"We are not taking our foot off the gas and are excited about new capabilities we will deliver in 2015."

Diva Telecom has pledged to be the best friend of scores of dogs in need of a permanent home.

The Yorkshire company - which provides businesses with international telephone numbers and SMS services - has chosen to support Dogs Trust in its home town Leeds through sponsorship and fundraising.

As a Dogs Trust Corporate Friend, Diva Telecom will help the charity in its tireless work to find suitable new owners for hundreds of dogs of all ages left homeless each year.

In 2013, Dogs Trust Leeds successfully rehomed 876 dogs. The rehoming centre is currently looking for new homes for 80 dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Ten-week-old Yorkshire Terrier, Gracie, is one recent example of a puppy who was brought in by an owner no longer able to care for her. Luckily she has now been matched with a new owner.

About half of the dogs cared for by Dogs Trust Leeds are strays collected from kennels run by local councils, while the rest are brought in by owners for reasons such as illness, a change of circumstances and allergies.

Erica Lewis, managing director and founder of Diva Telecom, said: "As a company of animal lovers, we wanted to give this wonderful local charity a firm commitment of support.

"Our visits to Dogs Trust have made such an impression on us. Not only are these adorable doggies unforgettable but so are the people caring for them. Their round-the-clock hard work and dedication is really something and we're delighted to give what help we can."

Rehoming Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Leeds , Amanda Sands, said: "By becoming a Corporate Friend, Diva Telecom is giving our centre invaluable support, making it possible for us to continue caring for many more stray and abandoned dogs who deserve to be loved and cared for."