Technology Archives - Am Paipear

Apply now for Vodafone indoor mobile coverage in your rural community centre

August 4, 2016

Rural communities across the UK – including those in the Outer Hebrides – are being encouraged to apply to have indoor 3G mobile coverage and internet access from Vodafone installed at their local community centre.

Whether it is for an independent or community run pub and shop, village hall, scout hut, doctor’s surgeries or visitor centre, mobile coverage is provided through Vodafone’s Community Indoor Sure Signal (CISS) programme and is open to up to 100 rural community hubs. Any community hub that does not have reliable mobile coverage but does have a suitable fixed broadband connection can apply.

Am Pàipear has spoken with Vodafone and confirmed that community centres in the Western Isles are eligible for this scheme. However, this is dependent on there being a fast enough broadband connection at the centre in question (full requirements below). Community groups can contact Vodafone – which says it is keen to receive enquires from this area – to discuss eligibility.

The programme uses a Sure Signal+ ‘femtocell’ unit, which is no bigger than a broadband router, and is typically used by large businesses to ensure visitors and employees receive good quality indoor mobile coverage throughout an office building or campus. The CISS unit simply plugs into a standard fixed broadband router in order to provide mobile coverage to users with a Vodafone device.

How to apply:

Successful applicants will need an unlimited broadband package, download speeds of at least 4Mbps and upload speeds of 2Mbps and a domestic plug-in power point.

Further information and application details are available at www.vodafone.uk/CISS

The application process is open until 1st September 2016 with the first selected communities being announced in the autumn.

Next areas to connect to superfast broadband announced

July 13, 2016

Digital Scotland partners have today announced the next areas where fibre broadband will be rolled out across Scotland.

Stuart Robertson, Director of Digital at HIE, said: “Roll-out continues across the Highlands and Islands, and it’s great that we are seeing growing numbers of rural towns and villages with better access to fibre broadband than ever before. When we started this project fibre services were only available to four per cent of the region’s homes and businesses. Coverage has come a long way, and the new core infrastructure we’ve rolled out gives us a much better base to build on into the future.”

HIE is quoting latest independent figures from Think Broadband that confirm 75 per cent coverage across the Highlands and Islands region. They indicate that 61 per cent of Highland and Island premises have access to more than 30Mbps and that 70 per cent of premises have access to more than 10Mbps.

Customers are reminded that fibre services are an entirely different product than existing broadband. You have to #CheckandOrder if available. See the phone number/postcode checker here www.hie.co.uk/whereandwhen

Below are details for the next phase of roll-out for the Outer Hebrides:

New areas where work will be starting in the next six months – Balallan, Carnan, Gravir, Grogarry, Locheport, Sollas
Current number of premises where fibre based broadband is now available – more than 6,500
Number of new fibre broadband cabinets built and taking orders – 46
Towns and villages with services available – Back, Barvas, Callanish, Carloway, Crossbost, Garrabost, Leverburgh, North Tolsta, Shawbost, Stornoway.

Browse safely with Voove’s ‘Friendly WiFi’

July 12, 2016

Benbecula-based technology solutions company Voove is supporting the ‘Friendly WiFi’ scheme, the world’s first accreditation system designed to verify whether a business’ public WiFi service meets a minimum level of filtering to block out access to pornographic and child abuse websites…

Initiated by the UK government and managed by the RDI Trade Organisation, ‘Friendly WiFi’ aims to help parents, children and young people make informed choices about using public WiFi and protects them from viewing inappropriate material.

Created and launched in collaboration with the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), ‘Friendly WiFi’ is being supported by the government and WiFi providers after concerns were raised by leading child safety charities that children and young people were being put at risk of viewing and accessing inappropriate material when using public WiFi.

Voove is now encouraging all its clients to join the ‘Friendly WiFi’ scheme and become accredited as ‘Friendly WiFi’ venues.

With more and more places offering public internet access it is increasingly important businesses take the right steps to protect individuals, in particular children, from seeing upsetting or disturbing images, videos or websites.

Each venue signed up to ‘Friendly WiFi’ accreditation and may display the scheme symbol either on their landing page as you sign into their public WiFi, or on signage within the venue.

Voove is a ‘Friendly WiFi Approved Provider’, meaning the company’s public WiFi offering meets the scheme’s specification, making joining the scheme a straightforward process for Voove clients.

Wherever this symbol is displayed on site or online, parents and young people can be assured that the venues displaying the symbol have the correct filters in place and their public WiFi service is safe to use

More information about the ‘Friendly WiFi’ Scheme and how to join can be found at www.friendlywifi.co.uk.

Angus MacNeil MP: “Mobile coverage will improve greatly”

March 2, 2015

Poor mobile reception is a common complaint in the islands.

Following a series of questions from Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP, Angus MacNeil, on mobile and 4G mobile coverage, the UK Minister Edward Vaizey responded that under the 4G mobile coverage improvement agreement announced on December 2014, the Scottish islands will see one of the greatest improvements in the UK. According to the minister’s response, under this agreement, partial not-spots will be halved and not-spots will be cut by two-thirds.

Angus MacNeil MP said: “I have maintained pressure on the UK Government on the issue of the badly needed 4G coverage in the Western Isles. I am anxious to see these important improvements and to do so sooner rather than later, particularly as 2G and 3G coverage in the Western Isles has failed miserably.

“The SNP Government is in the process of having high speed broadband cable installed which is an important component of better mobile coverage as it provides what is called ‘backhaul’ support to wireless mobile, in addition to providing homes and businesses with high speed broadband over the next two years.

Angus MacNeil MP.

“I am glad that pressure and continual work on mobile coverage has led to this situation where the failings are appearing to be understood in Westminster. I will of course keep pressing this issue to ensure that there will be delivery and that we have a mobile service in the islands as good as other similar places in northern Europe and the mainland.

“Mobile telephones are no longer a luxury, but are a social economic and sometimes even a health service utility. It is high time that the UK Government fulfils its responsibilities to the islands as in the past we have been left behind badly by their approach to mobile coverage.”

Balivanich, Lochboisdale, Lochmaddy and Tarbert shortlisted to receive 3G mobile coverage

January 23, 2015

· Balivanich, Lochboisdale, Lochmaddy, Tarbert, named as four of 100 rural communities across the UK shortlisted for the Vodafone Rural Open Sure Signal programme

· Community-led initiative with Vodafone brings much needed mobile coverage to help boost rural economy

· Vodafone spending more than £1 billion on its UK network and services

Vodafone UK has announced the beautiful rural communities of Balivanich, Lochboisdale, Lochmaddy and Tarbert in the Outer Hebrides are four of the 100 rural mobile not-spot communities shortlisted to receive 3G coverage under its Rural Open Sure Signal programme.

The communities have until now suffered from unreliable mobile coverage and slow network speeds. With the installation of Vodafone’s innovative Sure Signal technology, the local communities will benefit from high quality 3G voice services, and much needed access to the internet via mobile devices, contributing positively to business and everyday life.

The names of the latest communities shortlisted to join the Rural Open Sure Signal 100 programme have been announced. The list includes communities from across the UK including Trevose (Cornwall), Benacre (Suffolk), Sandness (Shetlands) and Silchester (Hampshire). Vodafone will now start working with the Village Champions on a full assessment of the application made to take part in this community-led initiative, with the service expected to go live this year.

The Rural Open Sure Signal 100 programme is a national initiative by Vodafone UK to provide reliable mobile access to up to 100 rural communities in mobile not-spot locations. Launched in July 2014, with support from local MPs, councils and rural action groups, the programme has received an overwhelming response from around the country. Applications have come from island communities in rural Shetlands to rural communities in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, picturesque villages on the south west coastline as well as along the east coast in Norfolk.

Mobile connectivity plays a vital role in keeping communities in touch and helps support local economies. However, rural and remote locations often miss out on advantages provided by modern communication tools, due to the complexity of delivering network coverage. This can be because of the geography of the area or difficulties with planning permissions in places of outstanding natural beauty. The Rural Open Sure Signal programme uses innovative ‘femtocell’ technology to provide an alternative solution to bring mobile access in locations where it isn’t possible for networks to provide coverage through traditional means.

Isles MP Angus MacNeil, who supported this programme locally and urged local communities to apply said:

“This is certainly a welcomed initiative from Vodafone, which has the potential to improve mobile telephone coverage to 3G standard for many not-spots in rural and island areas.

“I am hopeful that in the next round of applications, other places in the islands will apply and be successful.

“I was pleased to attend Vodafone’s reception yesterday at Westminster, with Anne MacLellan from Lochboisdale.”

Jeroen Hoencamp, Vodafone UK Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted Balivanich, Lochboisdale, Lochmaddy and Tarbert have been shortlisted as four of our 100 ROSS communities and I’m excited about the transformation this pioneering programme could bring to these communities. The communities who have worked with us to introduce Open Sure Signal have all told us how life has improved markedly, from the ability to make an appointment at the local doctor to telling their families they are running late for lunch. We are committed to investing hugely in our network and using innovative technologies such as Sure Signal to provide coverage to rural communities means we can reach areas where it’s been impossible to reach using traditional means.”

Vodafone’s Rural Open Sure Signal programme has now seen the connection of 13 rural communities across the UK. Communities connected so far have been enjoying social media using mobile internet whilst businesses, from GPs to pubs to a mussel farmer in the Shetlands, now have mobile signal to help make their businesses work better.

As well as using Rural Open Sure Signal to plug rural “not-spots”, Vodafone is spending more than £1 billion on its network and services across the country, including extending its 4G coverage to 395 cities and towns and thousands of smaller communities across the UK.

Vodafone responds to complaints about loss of service

January 16, 2015

Vodafone has responded to complaints from island customers, many of whom have been without reception since the onset of severe weather conditions a week ago.

Many readers have contacted Am Pàipear this week – including several from as far away as Lewis, Skye and Lochgilphead – describing the loss of signal.

Today, Vodafone has said that due to the continuing “challenging” weather conditions, it is not yet clear when full service will be restored.

A spokesman for the company commented: “We are aware that due to the extreme weather conditions across the Highlands and Islands, some of our customers are suffering from limited mobile coverage.

“Our engineers have this as their highest priority and are working hard to restore full service.

“However, the weather conditions remain extremely challenging with snow and high winds, which make it unsafe for them to climb masts, hampering our engineers’ efforts to restore services at affected sites.

“We’d like to apologise to any customers affected for any inconvenience and will update customers on improvements as soon as we can.”

Complaints were also received about loss of service experienced by customers of other networks, as well as individuals who have had no landline connection for several days.

Am Pàipear is awaiting responses from those other companies.

More to follow…

MacNeil questions UK Government on 4G coverage for islands

January 14, 2015

Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MP, Angus MacNeil has tabled a parliamentary question regarding 4G mobile phone coverage.

The UK Government announced a deal in December that will deliver 90% geographic coverage from each mobile operator by 2017. Edward Vaizey MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in a previous answer to Angus MacNeil MP, indicated that there would be 90% mobile phone coverage for 4G. Mr MacNeil asked when this coverage will apply to our islands.

Due to the high data speeds of 4G, it could also be a useful tool for accessing the internet as the speeds can be 5 to 6 times higher than the current broadband speed available domestically.

Commenting, Angus MacNeil said: “The UK Government has ambitious targets of 90% geographical coverage for 4G. I am anxious that this 90% should apply to the Western Isles also, particularly as 2G and 3G failed to achieve anything close to 90% geographical coverage. In the recent storms we saw just how important mobile phone coverage is, particularly when many people were unable to use their landlines following the lightning.

“With the arrival of the high speed fibre there is the potential for the islands to have a 4G network but the UK Government has to be aware the mobile phone market, as they currently regulate it through Ofcom, has failed miserably as regards mobile phone coverage.
The high speed fibre will help improve broadband in many areas, but it can also enable 4G which due to the high data speeds enable people to get online where cable cannot reach them.

“Recently we have seen that mobile telephones are no longer a luxury, but are a social utility and it is high time that the UK Government recognised that in island and rural areas. For too long they have allowed piecemeal patchy network to exist in our islands, something that would not be tolerated in other northern European countries. The Faroe Islands for instance, with a mountainous geography, more challenging than ours, manages to have comprehensive coverage, including their two under sea tunnels.”

Apply now for Vodafone indoor mobile coverage in your rural community centre

Next areas to connect to superfast broadband announced

Browse safely with Voove’s ‘Friendly WiFi’

Angus MacNeil MP: “Mobile coverage will improve greatly”

Balivanich, Lochboisdale, Lochmaddy and Tarbert shortlisted to receive 3G mobile coverage

Vodafone responds to complaints about loss of service

MacNeil questions UK Government on 4G coverage for islands

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