Latest news with #Openreach
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 days. Pat Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 April. Ms Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May. A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone". "They were absolutely alarmed," she added. She is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said. "I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead." While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network. "Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service." Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic". Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Copper wiring stolen from mobile CT scanner Invisible marker reducing cable theft - Openreach Openreach
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
Woman feared dead after wire theft cut her off for weeks
A woman says her family feared she was dead after thieves stole copper pipes, wiping out all methods of communication for 23 Lowe, 88, noticed she had "no BT telephone lines, no WiFi, no email, no WhatsApp, no message facilities" at her property in Viney Hill, Gloucestershire on 28 Lowe, who has cancer, said hospital specialists were trying to contact her to arrange appointments but could not reach her, leaving her "in danger of getting much worse" until she was reconnected on 21 May.A spokesperson for Openreach said: "These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk." Ms Lowe said when you're 88 years old and in difficult times with your health, your family think "you must have died because mum always answers the phone"."They were absolutely alarmed," she is currently receiving treatment from a cancer specialist at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and medics were trying to contact her to arrange blood tests. "I was in danger of getting much worse because I couldn't get any of these messages," she said."I had no security alarm system working, no medical alarm system working, no CCTV surveillance on the house. Everything was dead."While Ms Lowe said her WiFi and telephone line are now working, it caused "incredible and continuous stress". A spokesperson for Openreach said: "We're really disappointed that residents in the Forest of Dean have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network."Complex jointing works were needed to restore the network and this required permission for temporary traffic lights to keep our engineers safe. All customers should now be back in service."Gloucestershire Police said its intelligence teams were unaware of a large increase in copper cable thefts, which are "sporadic".
North Wales Live
3 days ago
- North Wales Live
People in some parts of UK now spend more than five hours a day online
People in parts of the UK now spend more than five hours a day online, according to the first research of its kind to mark 25 years of home broadband. Openreach has combined its own data with consumer research to map UK cities by their online activity. The results show that the city where the average family spends the most overall time online is Sheffield - with a third saying they spend more than five hours online per day compared to 11% in Brighton, the city with the lowest overall time online. The busiest hour of the day for internet usage in the UK in 2025 is between 8-9pm, followed by 9-10pm and then 7-8pm. And the highest peak of the year so far was on 14 January at 9pm - when a major Fortnite download coincided with four live Premier League fixtures on streaming services. The survey found that more than six in 10 people spend time online between 11pm and 6am - with YouTube emerging as the most common internet usage during these times, followed by internet shopping. Only a third of UK adults don't engage with any online activities during off-peak hours, meaning two thirds do. Checking e-mails was the most common online activity for UK adults, with 66% placing this in their 'top 5 most common online activities' outside of work. This was followed by general browsing, which was in the top five for 59% of people, using WhatsApp or other messaging apps (55%), and online shopping (49%). The survey showed that 43% of people feel they waste time online, and 37% are concerned about the amount of time they spend 'doom-scrolling.' A quarter of people (26%) say that faster internet speeds help in cutting down their time online - enabling them to 'speed up to slow down', with 34% saying if they spent less hours using devices and connected technology at home, they'd be able to communicate better with their families. And 33% said they'd feel more relaxed if they spent less time online. Katie Milligan, Deputy CEO of Openreach, said: 'It's fascinating to see how different parts of the UK are embracing the online world and adapting to it in unique ways. At the same time, it's encouraging that many recognise the importance of taking time away from devices and digital connectivity.'
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Wales Online
People in some parts of UK now spend more than five hours a day online
People in some parts of UK now spend more than five hours a day online Research has shown when people log on, and what they are doing People in parts of the UK now spend more than five hours a day online, according to the first research of its kind to mark 25 years of home broadband. Openreach has combined its own data with consumer research to map UK cities by their online activity. The results show that the city where the average family spends the most overall time online is Sheffield - with a third saying they spend more than five hours online per day compared to 11% in Brighton, the city with the lowest overall time online. The busiest hour of the day for internet usage in the UK in 2025 is between 8-9pm, followed by 9-10pm and then 7-8pm. And the highest peak of the year so far was on 14 January at 9pm - when a major Fortnite download coincided with four live Premier League fixtures on streaming services. The survey found that more than six in 10 people spend time online between 11pm and 6am - with YouTube emerging as the most common internet usage during these times, followed by internet shopping. Only a third of UK adults don't engage with any online activities during off-peak hours, meaning two thirds do. Checking e-mails was the most common online activity for UK adults, with 66% placing this in their 'top 5 most common online activities' outside of work. Article continues below This was followed by general browsing, which was in the top five for 59% of people, using WhatsApp or other messaging apps (55%), and online shopping (49%). The survey showed that 43% of people feel they waste time online, and 37% are concerned about the amount of time they spend 'doom-scrolling.' A quarter of people (26%) say that faster internet speeds help in cutting down their time online - enabling them to 'speed up to slow down', with 34% saying if they spent less hours using devices and connected technology at home, they'd be able to communicate better with their families. Article continues below And 33% said they'd feel more relaxed if they spent less time online. Katie Milligan, Deputy CEO of Openreach, said: 'It's fascinating to see how different parts of the UK are embracing the online world and adapting to it in unique ways. At the same time, it's encouraging that many recognise the importance of taking time away from devices and digital connectivity.'
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
BT boss Kirkby expects AI to deepen job cuts: Report
BT Group Chief Executive Allison Kirkby said advances in artificial intelligence could deepen significant job cuts under way at the British telecoms company, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Kirkby told the newspaper that BT's plans to cull more than 40,000 jobs and strip out 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) of costs by the end of the decade "did not reflect the full potential of AI". "Depending on what we learn from AI . . . there may be an opportunity for BT to be even smaller by the end of the decade," the FT quoted her as saying. Britain's biggest broadband and mobile provider had said in 2023 that it would cut as many as 55,000 jobs, including contractors, by 2030. Its CEO at the time, Philip Jansen, said the company would rely on a much smaller workforce and significantly reduced cost base by the end of the 2020s. Kirkby, who took over from Jansen a year ago, has also opened the door to a possible future spin-off of Openreach, the company's network infrastructure business, the FT said. She said she did not feel the value of Openreach was reflected in the company's share price and if that persisted, BT "would absolutely have to look at options". In an emailed response to Reuters, BT said that Openreach is not something the company is actively looking at right now. It did not provide further comment on Kirkby's FT interview. BT said last month that strong demand for fibre broadband and more than 900 million pounds of cost savings had helped to shore up its full-year earnings and boost cash flow. Resilience at Openreach offset declines in revenue and profit at its business and consumer units, where legacy voice services continued to wane and handset sales fell.
