Broadband ISP Wessex Internet has boosted their existing rollout of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network in South England by securing a new contract to connect 35 public sites (schools, libraries etc.) under the ‘Gigahub Connectivity in Rural Dorset Project‘, which is supported by £900k from Dorset Council.

Among the 35 sites included in this project are 22 primary and secondary schools – from the Purbecks in the south to Gillingham in the north. Durlston Country Park is also set to be connected, and the funding will also help two libraries, a care home and a children’s centre.

The first sites are due to be connected to the new full fibre network in June 2022 and all sites will then be completed by September 2023.

Read the full story here.

FTL are pleased to announce the launch of their new E-Commerce division, FibreDistribution.com

The new website allows you to order fibre optic components, cables, and consumables online with same day dispatch when ordered before 3pm. 

With thousands of products in stock, our technical sales team are on hand during business hours to help guide you on choosing which product is most suitable for your requirement. 

We have a flat rate shipping fee and use reliable couriers to ensure your delivery arrives quickly and in perfect working order.

Payments are taken by credit or debit card and can be processed either through our secure payment gateway provided by BarclayCard or via PayPal. Our website is PCI DSS complaint, and SSL encrypted ensuring the security of your data and payment information which we do not store. 

FTL is also a Cyber Essentials accredited business and as a division, FibreDistribution.com enjoys the same high security standards employed by FTL. 

To celebrate our launch, we’re offering a 15% discount for anyone registering for our newsletter on FibreDistribution.com.

Our FibreDistribution.com newsletter is packed with product information, end of life notices and news on the fibre optics industry, as well as product reviews and guides. 

We look forward to welcoming you as customer to FibreDistribution.com.

This multi-year agreement will see Samsung’s 5G network solutions – comprised of 5G O-RAN-compliant virtualised RAN (vRAN) software and a variety of radio units (including Massive MIMO radios) – deployed across DISH’s 5G Smart Network in the US

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and DISH Network Corporation have announced that Samsung Electronics was selected for the deployment of 5G Open Radio Access Network solutions across DISH Wireless’ SMART 5G™ network. Per the multi-year agreement, the companies will collaborate to deploy Samsung’s 5G O-RAN-compliant virtualized RAN (vRAN) solutions and radio units in markets across the U.S., supporting DISH’s 5G commercial services.

“Samsung’s 5G solutions will play an integral role in our network expansion, giving us the flexibility to deploy our cloud-native network with software-based solutions that support advanced services and operational scalability,” said John Swieringa, president and chief operating officer, DISH Wireless. “We look forward to working with Samsung, whose industry leadership in vRAN and O-RAN innovation will help support our vision of delivering open, interoperable cloud-based 5G services to consumers and enterprises across the U.S.”

“Samsung is excited to join this 5G journey with DISH, a pioneer in bringing new experiences to households and businesses around the country, leveraging openness and virtualization that sit at the heart of network evolution,” said Mark Louison, executive vice president and head of the Networks Business, Samsung Electronics America. “Our advanced 5G vRAN and radio solutions bring telco-grade quality and cloud-based agility together, building on these benefits to enable more customers to experience the full value of commercial 5G Open RAN.”

Samsung Networks Business will supply DISH Wireless with its 5G and RAN solutions, vRAN software and a variety of O-RAN compliant radio units, including Massive MIMO radios. Samsung’s vRAN can operate on any commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server, while still delivering performance on par with traditional hardware-based equipment. With its cloud-native architecture, DISH Wireless’ Open RAN deployment is based on open interfaces, allowing for multi-vendor interoperability and various deployment scenarios. The Samsung radios will also support all of DISH’s Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum bands (including n71, n29, n66, n70, n48 and n77).

Read the full story here.