• US network security fears deepen
• BT unit targeted by ransomware group
• The UK is no longer a FTTH laggard 

In today’s industry news roundup: With multiple telco networks having recently been breached by a coordinated attack, the US security authorities are offering advice to network operators; BT’s conferencing unit has also been targeted, with a ransomware outfit claiming to have stolen sensitive data; the UK is on track to meet high-speed broadband coverage targets; and much more!

With concerns growing about the vulnerability of communications infrastructure to hackers backed by China, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and international partners have today published a joint guide, Enhanced Visibility and Hardening Guidance for Communications Infrastructure, that “provides best practices to protect against a People’s Republic of China (PRC)-affiliated threat actor that has compromised networks of major global telecommunications providers.” The recommended practices are “for network engineers and defenders of communications infrastructure to strengthen visibility and harden network devices against this broad and significant cyber espionage campaign.” CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, Jeff Greene, noted: “The PRC-affiliated cyber activity poses a serious threat to critical infrastructure, government agencies, and businesses. This guide will help telecommunications and other organisations detect and prevent compromises by the PRC and other cyber actors. Along with our US and international partners, we urge software manufacturers to incorporate [CISA’s] ‘Secure by Design’ principles into their development lifecycle to strengthen the security posture of their customers. Software manufacturers should review our Secure by Design resources and put their principles into practice.” According to this Bloomberg report, US government officials say that eight networks have been breached by so-called Salt Typhoon hackers and that some networks are still currently compromised. The rumour mill is so strong about which US telco networks have been affected that T-Mobile US issued a statement last week stressing that it had repelled a recent attack but had not been compromised.  

And it’s the season, it seems, for telcos to be extra defensive… BT Group’s conferencing unit was targeted by a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group called Black Basta, which claims to have stolen 500 Gbytes of sensitive data (including financial information) from the UK operator, according to ISP Review. But BT claims it dealt with the attack, which was restricted to a few servers that were taken offline and isolated, and adds that its live conferencing services were not affected and the attack did not impact other parts of BT Group. 

In a dramatic turnaround from just a few years ago when the UK was regularly derided as a fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) laggard, 20.7 million UK homes, 69% of the total, now have access to fibre broadband, according to regulator Ofcom. According to its Connected Nations report, that number has increased from 17.1 million (57% of UK homes) in September 2023. Add in high-speed cable network connections and 25 million UK homes have access to broadband access services with the capability of providing at least 1 Gbit/s downstream links. “This suggests the [UK] government’s target of 85% coverage by 2025 is likely to be reached,” stated the regulator.  

Ericsson is once again expanding its Open RAN influence, noting in a press release about its latest multiyear, multibillion dollar mobile network equipment deal with Bharti Airtel that it is supplying India’s second-largest telco with centralised radio access network (RAN) and Open RAN-ready solutions. The Swedish vendor’s main RAN rival, Nokia, also landed an 4G/5G extension deal from Airtel.  

Belgian operator Telenet is outsourcing work and transferring 79 staff to Infosys and Accenture, the two companies that are now the core suppliers of its software development, the telco announced in this strategic update. It is also outsourcing 200 call centre staff to Teleperformance as it focuses more on using digital customer engagements. 

The value of the optical network equipment market shrank by 18% year on year in the third quarter of this year, according to research firm Dell’Oro Group, as network operator budget challenges and ongoing customer inventory trends impacted demand. However, the Dell’Oro team expects the sector to pick up again in 2025.  

– The staff, TelecomTV