The MLL Telecom Blog

How to Build a Successful Radio Link - Part 1 MLL Telecom - 11 Jan 2012

Most Network Managers know that microwave radio links require a clear line of sight and access to spectrum, but to achieve a successful link that is going to deliver service 99.999% of the time the devil is in the detail… Read more

Cloud in the Real World Ian Catlin - 08 Dec 2011

Recently I've been thinking about "real-world cloud" and what that means to our customers and I can't escape the conclusion that "cloud" itself isn't a solution, what customers want is a service, or services that they can rely on, measure and feel the&hellip… Read more

Does Social Media have a place in the workplace? MLL Telecom - 12 Oct 2011

Companies are increasingly embracing the role of social media in day to day working life - workers use it to network, or for research, or troubleshooting… Read more

"The CloudFrame" Ian Catlin - 09 Sep 2011

As I observed in a previous blog, current virtualisation and cloud technologies remind me of the way computing was delivered 20 years ago, i.e. centralised… Read more

PaaS (Pizza-as-a-Service) MLL Telecom - 03 Aug 2011

I realised how far the proliferation of apps had come when recently sitting in a pizza chain with the family and watched a guy on the next table tapping away on his iPhone… Read more

Is it Worth it? Ian Catlin - 28 Jul 2011

One of the things I often ask myself during the "dark days" of a new infrastructure or application deployment is: "is it even worth setting up all this monitoring stuff?" Invariably, as the system settles down and begins to become "part of the plumbing" the&hellip… Read more

Why Don't I Just Use the Browser? Ian Catlin - 08 Jul 2011

I just had a thought... One of the things that I now rely on is the ability to move between various computers, you know, laptop, desktop, server, phone, tablet etc… Read more

Rain Doesn't Stop Play MLL Telecom - 01 Jul 2011

It always rains at Wimbledon - it is an occurrence that practically defines the championship. Of course, typically, as soon as they build the roof on centre court we get two weeks of glorious sunshine for two consecutive years… Read more

The French call it "bouchon", for me it's an annoying bottle-neck Ian Catlin - 23 Jun 2011

Reading Nick Wood's blog ("Nick Wood, Total Telecom, in Singapore Tuesday 21 June 2011)":http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=465722 made me think about my recent trip to France... … Read more

Harry Potter and the Mobile Backhaul Upgrade MLL Telecom - 22 Jun 2011

If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be able to talk about Harry Potter and "mobile backhaul":http://www.mlltelecom.com/what-we-do/wireless-links in the same sentence I would have thought you odd… Read more

"Dad, where's all my bandwidth gone?" Ian Catlin - 06 Jun 2011

The other day I was happily working away on my laptop at home when all hell broke loose - "Dad, Dad! Where's all the bandwidth gone?" Child one was in the middle of some home work and was mortified at the performance she was getting… Read more

The End of Net Neutrality – An inevitability if we want fast mobile broadband MLL Telecom - 03 Jun 2011

Mobile Operators are dealing with surges in data demand that will require an upgrade of their networks. But I doubt this is breaking news to you. The issue of net neutrality is not really news either, but it hasn't achieved anywhere near as much coverage… Read more

Local Loop Unbundling MLL Telecom - 26 May 2011

With all the talk about Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) offering faster broadband speeds, and the promise of 'nationwide' fibre to the premises (FTTP/FTTH) - is this really the last hurrah for copper? Of course not… Read more

Royal Weddings, Cup Finals & Your Mobile MLL Telecom - 09 May 2011

The Royal Wedding in April broke the online streaming records - beating both President Obama's Inauguration and the 2010 World Cup, with an estimated 400 million viewers on YouTube alone… Read more

How Ready is the Public Sector for the PSN? MLL Telecom - 24 Mar 2011

A recent report from Cisco Systems stated that "Some 69 per cent of public sector IT budget holders are aware of the Public Sector Network (PSN), but just 13 per cent are using it." However an article from "Computing&hellip… Read more

What Makes the Best Wholesale Carrier? Richard Brandon - 09 Mar 2011

MLL Telecom is a wholesale carrier providing services to mobile and fixed operators across the UK… Read more

Can Academy Schools Enjoy the Benefits of Network Sharing? MLL Telecom - 01 Mar 2011

The current buzz around 'an inclusive society' has implications for Academy Schools… Read more

IPocalypse Now? MLL Telecom - 09 Feb 2011

Monday 31st January 2011 was an important day for the Internet. You probably didn't notice, and you could hardly be blamed… Read more

New Year and New Predictions Stuart Borgman - 01 Feb 2011

With the introduction of the New Year, I always look forward to reading the predictions for what we can expect for the year; a fresh year and new opportunity… Read more

Property Issues are STILL a bugbear for Telecom Operators Chris Stratton - 04 Jan 2011

Looking back on the development of mobile networks, the major constraint on roll-out was always the ability to deploy new sites… Read more

Rich information is sometimes just a matter of digging a bit deeper... MLL Telecom - 10 Nov 2010

A part of me is of a technical persuasion, this really isn't easy. The world constantly innovates, changes, resumes, reboots or drops into boot loader… Read more

The Joys of a Good Service... Ian Catlin - 19 Oct 2010

Oh the joy of good service! One of my greatest pleasures is stumbling across something, whether it be a product or a service, that simply does "exactly what it says on the tin"… Read more

Broadband Britain by 2015? Stuart Borgman - 27 Jul 2010

The new coalition government has pledged to make Britain the fastest broadband nation in Europe by 2015, as well as ensure a minimum broadband speed of 2Mb is available to every home in Britain… Read more

Telecom Operators v Property Landlords Chris Stratton - 14 Jul 2010

As a Chartered Surveyor and Town Planner that 'went native' and joined the Telecommunication Industry around ten years ago, I was flattered to be asked to speak on technology developments and their affect to the Property Profession's Henry Stewart Conference&hellip… Read more

Buzzword bingo! Ian Catlin - 21 Apr 2010

"Cloud" - it's the current buzzword in IT, but what does it actually mean for IT departments and the businesses they serve? Are you sitting comfortably? Yes? Then let me tell you a story... Many years ago, when I was just starting out in the technology&hellip… Read more

Network Monetization Stuart Borgman - 07 Apr 2010

My learned colleague Richard Brandon recently posted a blog to this site summarising his thoughts around the recent Barcelona Mobile World Congress… Read more

Microwave vs Fibre in the LTE marketplace. Pete Norris - 10 Mar 2010

I've recently been bombarded by invites to webinars, webcasts and product exhibitions all preaching to me the value of microwave in the world of 3.5G+ and LTE… Read more

Mobile World Congress 2010: Bread today, Jamon tomorrow? Richard Brandon - 19 Feb 2010

I have to confess I rather enjoyed this year's mobile fest in Barcelona. Aside from enjoying some excellent plates of local _Jamon_ I was also treated to a plethora of LTE network demonstrations… Read more

Radio Frequency (RF) Hazards Pete Norris - 26 Jan 2010

I was recently contacted by a very nice gentleman who was moving from rural Cornwall to Marlow, Buckinghamshire… Read more

The Today programme wakes up to mobile data Richard Brandon - 21 Jan 2010

My first waking moment is usually defined by the BBC's John Humphries as my alarm-radio tunes itself into Radio Four's Today programme. So I'm used to starting the day with news of one disaster or another, either humatarian, military or political… Read more