Communications
SpaceX To Destroy International Space Station
NASA has given Elon Musk’s SpaceX the contract to ‘deorbit’ (and destroy) the International Space Station at the end of its operation as NASA transitions to commercially owned space destinations closer to home. SpaceX To Develop The Deorbit Vehicle US space agency NASA has chosen SpaceX to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that…
Read MoreEE and Plusnet Customers To Get Refund From BT
After an Ofcom investigation that found BT didn’t give clear and simple information to customers who signed up to deal with its subsidiaries EE and Plusnet, BT has been told it must refund early exit fees and let existing affected customers walk away penalty-free. What Happened? Under new consumer protection rules, known as ‘General Conditions’…
Read More21-Fold Increase in AI-Assisted Jobs
Human content writers have surged in demand recently, as part of a broader effect, where ‘prompt engineers’ have seen salaries of $300,000. LinkedIn’s figures show that job posts in English with references to “GPT” or “ChatGPT” have increased 21-fold since November 2022. Interestingly, after almost a year of generative AI and predictions that it could…
Read MoreThrottling And The “Big Switchoff”
With OpenReach now ‘throttling’ broadband speeds and limiting phone calls as measures designed to gently “nudge” customers to upgrade as the “Big Switchoff” approaches, we look at exactly what’s happening, why, and when. What Is The Great Switchoff? The “Big Switchoff” refers to the switch from the old copper phone network to a new ‘Digital Voice’ alternative. Back…
Read MoreSatellite Connection For Android Phones
Iridium, a satellite phone company, and Qualcomm, a chip manufacturer, are partnering to bring satellite connectivity to premium Android smartphones later in the year. Connect To Satellites The Partnership will mean that in areas where there is no mobile coverage, users will be able to connect to passing satellites to send and receive messages using…
Read MoreStarlink Broadband Trial In Cumbria
As part of Project Gigabit, the UK government has announced a trial of Starlink satellite broadband in the Lake District as part of wider plans to connect highly remote areas. What Is Starlink? Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company uses a constellation of low orbit satellites around the earth (launched by SpaceX rockets)…
Read MoreOfcom Now Investigate Competition In Cloud Services
UK communications regulator Ofcom has announced that it will soon be launching a market study under the Enterprise Act 2002 into competition in the UK’s cloud sector and its ‘hyperscalers’. What Is The Enterprise Act 2002? The Enterprise Act 2002, which came into force on 20 June 2003, reformed competition, and consumer law enforcement in…
Read MoreWikipedia : Queen’s Status Updated In Just 2 Minutes
The speed at which the deaths of famous people are updated on Wikipedia was highlighted by the Queen’s Wikipedia page being updated just minutes after the first news reports of her death were made public. Twitter Account Monitored Update The “depths of Wikipedia” Twitter account reported that “the FIRST editor to update her death was Sydwhunte,…
Read MoreStarlink At Sea : Boating Broadband Boost
Cruise company Royal Caribbean Group has announced that it will be using Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink satellite Internet for broadband connections aboard its ships. What Is Starlink? Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company uses a constellation of low orbit satellites around the earth (launched by SpaceX rockets) to provide broadband internet. Starlink…
Read MorePros and Cons of Weakening Encryption
With the Online Safety Bill threatening to undermine end-to-end encryption, we look at the strengths and weaknesses of this security trade-off. Encryption Encryption comes from the science of cryptography. In today’s digital world, encryption refers to using electronic devices to generate unique encryption algorithms which essentially scramble messages and data, making them unintelligible to anyone…
Read More