Klaus Allion

It's a frustration many of us who travel regularly by train in the UK know all too well: the battle with on-board Wi-Fi. As a long-time advocate for improved commuter connectivity, I find this issue particularly galling, not just for the personal inconvenience it causes, it highlights the vast economic opportunity it represents for the country. An excellent piece in The Sunday Times last month perfectly captures this frustration and, more importantly, lays out the staggering business case for fixing it. The numbers are compelling. Better train Wi-Fi could reportedly generate £376 million in annual productivity gains, with a potential Return on Investment of nearly £50 for every £1 spent. This isn't a marginal gain; it's a massive economic lever waiting to be pulled. The elegant solution has been on the table for years: run high-capacity fibre along the rail corridors. This would not only provide seamless connectivity for passengers but also upgrade critical signalling systems and help boost rural 5G coverage. Yet, despite multiple announcements, the plan continues to stall due to a baffling lack of priority in Whitehall. The article brilliantly concludes by quoting rail pioneer Robert Stephenson, who in 1856 called the telegraph an "indispensable companion" of the railways that did the work of an "additional line of rails" for a fraction of the cost. Some 169 years later, that same logic applies to fibre. It's time to move from re-announcements to real action and finally build the digital infrastructure our railways deserve. #RailConnectivity #DigitalInfrastructure #UKRail #Investment #Productivity #5G #Fibre #UKbusiness #DigitalBritain

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Envirofone, one of the UK’s most established trade-in brands, has entered a new phase under fresh leadership and a renewed vision for growth. In July 2025, Matt Green and Sam Hargreaves successfully acquired Envirofone from SK TES, alongside their partner Lewis Cox. This latest move marks the start of Envirofone’s fourth corporate life. Envirofone will now operate as a separate entity from The iOutlet, with trade-ins and resale clearly divided. This structure allows for greater transparency, helping customers understand why resale values are often £ 100 higher than trade-in offers. Currently processing about 40,000 devices annually, Envirofone expects this number to rise significantly under the new leadership. The relaunch includes a full website overhaul, with outdated systems being replaced to deliver a modern, cost-effective, and customer-focused platform. Competition remains strong from Mazuma Business, musicMagpie, and Back Market, but Envirofone is confident that its legacy brand recognition will remain a key advantage. Looking ahead, international expansion is planned for 2026, with a potential re-entry into the European market. With over 35 years of combined industry experience, the new management team is aiming to restore Envirofone to its position as one of Europe’s leading trade-in brands. #Envirofone #SecondaryMobileMarket #RefurbishedTech #TradeIn

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Some good news for UK MNOs! Ofcom has reduced the amount the MNOs have to pay annually for spectrum license fees by £60 million – the previous total of £325 million per year has been reduced to around £265m per year. By lowering the annual cost it helps the MNOs to become more profitable when deploying the frequency bands in general and gives more of a reason for the MNOs to re-farm lower frequency bands in particular for other uses as there is less cost to do so, therefore more incentive to be innovative with how they use the spectrum today vs in the past. #connectivity #networks #investment #innovation #mnos #2g #3g #4g #5g #business #enterprise #UK #towers #masts #inbuilding #property #realestate #growth #mobile #mobilenetworks #telecoms #telecommunications #technology #wifi #spectrum https://lnkd.in/eR2Qc6pg

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High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS): The Middle Layer of Connectivity I was doing some research this week around a relatively new technology called High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS)… and the more I dug into it, the more I realised it could become a pivotal part of the connectivity ecosystem. At around 20 km above the earth, HAPS operate in the stratosphere — sitting neatly between terrestrial towers and satellites. This “middle layer” offers the potential to transform connectivity in ways neither can fully achieve alone. 1   A Brief History of HAPS Although it feels new, HAPS has been around for over 30 years: •    1990s–2000s: Early projects in Europe and Japan tested balloons and aircraft for broadband (e.g. the EU-backed CAPANINA project). NASA also experimented with stratospheric airships. •    2010s: Big Tech tried to make it work. Google’s Project Loon (balloons) and Facebook’s Aquila (solar drones) showed promise but couldn’t scale economically. •    2020s–Today: Momentum is building again. SoftBank (HAPSMobile), Airbus/AALTO Zephyr, and Stratospheric Platforms Ltd (UK) are pushing trials. The HAPS Alliance — with members like NTT Docomo, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica, China Telecom, and Bharti Airtel — signals operator-level interest. •    2026 onward: SoftBank is already planning pre-commercial HAPS telecom services in Japan. 2   Why HAPS Matters •    Wide coverage: One HAPS can cover an area the size of a small country. •    Low latency: Much closer to terrestrial speeds than GEO satellites. •    Flexibility: Can be repositioned, upgraded, or rapidly deployed after disasters. 3   Game-Changing Use Cases •    Rural & remote broadband – affordable coverage where towers and fiber don’t make sense. •    Disaster recovery – restoring connectivity when ground networks fail. •    Enterprise & government – serving mining, oil & gas, agriculture, defense, and border security. •    Hybrid ecosystems – bridging terrestrial and satellite networks for resilience and efficiency. 4   Challenges •    Commercial readiness is still a few years away. •    Spectrum and aviation regulation need harmonisation. •    Economics must prove sustainable versus LEO constellations and rural build-outs. 5   My Take HAPS has a real future, but not as a replacement for towers or satellites. Instead, it will be a strategic complement. In emerging markets, it could be the tipping point for digital inclusion. In developed markets, its role may be in resilience and niche enterprise services. The first commercial deployments may be here as soon as 2026–2030. Coming Monday: HAPS vs LEO — Competitors or Complements? With Starlink buying spectrum and investing heavily into Direct-to-Device (D2D), it’s time to ask: how do HAPS and LEO satellites coexist? On Monday, I’ll share my perspective on where each belongs in the ecosystem, and how — together with terrestrial networks — they can form a three-layer model of universal connectivity.

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Excited to be partnering with Ericsson and Nokia to support the delivery of world-class connectivity across the UK. Backed by a £11 billion investment, we’re building the UK’s best network and accelerating 5G Standalone (5G SA) to cover 99.95% of the population by 2034. Four British based site-build partners with extensive experience – Beacon Communication Services Limited, Circet Wireless Limited, M Group Limited and WHP Telecoms Limited – will accompany the technology partners, delivering vital work to enable the build across the UK.  Vodafone and Three customers are already feeling the benefits of the merger. Almost instantly, more than 7 million Three UK and SMARTY customers experienced a boost in 4G speeds (up to 40%) and, just three months in, millions of Vodafone and Three customers are automatically using each other’s network, providing access to roam at no extra cost. By the end of the year, this integration will remove a total of 16,500 sq/km of not-spots in the UK. https://lnkd.in/dbNs5tFC  #VodafoneThree #NationsNetwork #Connectivity #5GSA

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Handset / baseband manufacturers IMS stacks often contain little quirks, but this is a new one for me: We're seeing on certain Samsung phones when on an IMS calls, the phone stops sending RTP and instead is sending random unidentified data (Not IPv4 or v6) which makes the UPF unhappy and drops the bearer. https://lnkd.in/g4-evvXJ

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We all love affordable mobile and internet, but the race to offer "cheaper than ever" telecom services is creating significant challenges for operators in Europe. Across the EU, telecom prices have fallen by 15–25% in real terms since 2015 (Eurostat HICP), even as average household electricity bills have surged by 40–70% in the same years across Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the UK. Meanwhile, operators continue to invest approximately €50–60 billion every year in fibre, 4G, and 5G, etc. By contrast, Europe’s electricity grids have increased prices but spent on average 40-50 billion euros on their networks. (EU review). How long could this continue without denting the effectiveness and attractiveness of telecom as an industry? Read the full analysis and join the conversation at Mobile Ecosystem Forum: https://lnkd.in/ePdyWV7c

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