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This week in mobility – February 13, 2015

Graham Franklin
February 13, 2015

Mobility in rural Britain continues to dominate the headlines this week – testament to the fact that being connected and mobile is more important to all us Brits than ever before. Network operator EE has said it will spend £1.5billion over the next 3years, bringing 4G services to 99% of the population. It’s even considering using drones to place transmitters and receivers in the sky to connect rural areas to mobile services. Want more magnificent mobility stories? Of course you do!

• Just this morning Virgin Media announced it is set to invest £3billion to improve its broadband network. This will increase the reach of the network from 13 million to 17 million homes, and represents the biggest investment in broadband infrastructure in the UK in more than a decade. This will also see the creation of 6,000 jobs, including 1,000 apprenticeships.

• The government has pledged to invest £48million in making free WiFi available on trains from 2017. The Department for Transport will work with four train operators to identify which routes will carry the service. None of the UK’s other 25 train services, however, will be included. The funding will come from a £53million fine on Network Rail’s punctuality record.

• A report by MicroMarket Monitor says the UK is set to become a leader in mobile device management, with our market growing to $219 million by 2019. The report attributes the growth to the UK’s booming use of mobile devices for work purposes, and the security concerns that brings.

What are your reactions to this week’s news? Will the proposed rollout on WiFi on trains help you? Are flying phone masts just castles in the sky? [couldn’t resist] Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below, or tweeting @Graham Franklin or @CiscoUKI.

• broadband
• enterprise mobility
• mobility
• wifi