Abstract: Presented is a method of detecting a loop length change in a digital subscriber line. An Uncalibrated Echo Response (UER) trace is obtained from the digital subscriber line by running a Single Ended Line Test (SELT). A historical (baseline) UER trace from the same line is retrieved. A line that has experienced a small change in loop length will have the same overall shape, but be compressed or stretched in the frequency domain. Thus, to detect such a change, a comparison between the two traces is made to determine if the difference between the two traces is less than a threshold but non-zero. Then a range of scale factors are applied in the frequency domain on either one of the traces, before determining which of the scale factors results in the lowest difference between the unscaled and scaled traces. The determined scale factor is above a certain threshold, then the line is determined to have had a loop length change. The value of the scale factor can be used to determine the amount the length has changed.

Abstract: A computer system comprising a plurality of computers, each computer comprising at least one processor, respectively, such that the computer system comprises a plurality of processors, and an orchestration system comprising an orchestrator. The orchestration system is configured to: forecast a traffic load of the plurality of processors to obtain a forecast traffic load: determine, in dependence on the forecast traffic load, a clock frequency for each of the plurality of processors so as to decrease a power consumption of the computer system; and using the orchestrator, instruct adjustment of the clock frequency for each respective processor of the plurality of processors to the clock frequency determined for the respective processor. This patent application further relates to a telecommunications network comprising a computer system, and an orchestration system.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the security of user devices connected to local networks, such as devices comprised in the Internet of Things' (IoT). An aspect relates to a computer-implemented method of securing functionality of a user device connected to a local network provided at a premises, the method comprising: determining a premises trust score indicative of a likelihood that an authorised user of the user device is present at the premises, the determining being in dependence on: (i) data received from one or more biometric-capable devices, distinct from the user device, connected to the local network, that data being indicative of continuous biometric authentication of a current user of the respective biometric-capable device; or (ii) a lack thereof; then causing the user device to respond to a request for functionality made through a local user interface it comprises in a manner which depends on the premises trust score.

Abstract: This disclosure provides an electromagnetic field detector, and a method of operating the electromagnetic field detector in a wireless telecommunications network, the electromagnetic field detector including a first optical transmitter, a second optical transmitter, and a transmission medium, wherein the first optical transmitter is configured to transmit a probe signal at a probe frequency and the second optical transmitter is configured to transmit a coupling signal at a coupling frequency, wherein the probe frequency is set to excite electrons of the transmission medium from a ground state to a first excited state and the coupling frequency is set to excite electrons of the transmission medium to a predetermined excited state so as to induce an Electromagnetic Induced Transparency (EIT) effect such that an incident electromagnetic field at the transmission medium causes a detectable change in the probe signal.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of receiving a plurality of data streams at an electromagnetic field receiver in a wireless telecommunications network, the method including obtaining data indicating detection of a first electromagnetic field incident at a transmission medium during a timeslot of a first subset of a plurality of timeslots; associating the detected first electromagnetic field with a first data stream of a plurality of data streams; obtaining data indicating detection of a second electromagnetic field incident at the transmission medium during a timeslot of a second subset of the plurality of timeslots; and associating the detected second electromagnetic field with a second data stream of the plurality of data streams.

Abstract: A system of transmitting optical pulses from a transmitter to first and second receivers for the purposes of quantum key distribution is disclosed. The system can include a transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of optical pulses; first and second receivers configured to receive some or all of the plurality of optical pulses; a guide for guiding the plurality of optical pulses, the guide having first and second output ports, the first output port being in optical communication with the first receiver and the second output port being in optical communication with the second receiver, the guide being configured to output a proportion of the optical pulses at the first output port and a proportion of the optical pulses at the second output port, modification means for modifying the guide so as to change the proportion of the optical pulses output at the first output port.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method of allocating a resource in a virtualized radio access network, wherein the virtualized radio access network includes a first virtual machine delivering a first service type and a second virtual machine delivering a second service type.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method (300) of operating a telecommunications network (110-1), said telecommunications network comprising a plurality of nodes (150), and the method comprising the steps of: storing: a set of historic reconfiguration instructions, said instructions having been used to reconfigure the telecommunications network; first status information from each of the plurality of nodes, wherein said first status information is received prior to reconfiguring the telecommunications network according to a given historic reconfiguration instruction; and second status information from each of the plurality of nodes, wherein said second status information is received after reconfiguring the telecommunications network according to the given historic reconfiguration instruction; receiving a new reconfiguration instruction (310); prior to reconfiguring the telecommunications network according to the new reconfiguration instruction, identifying from the set a similar historic reconfiguration instruction havin

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of analysing anomalous network traffic in a telecommunications network, said telecommunications network comprising a plurality of network entities (120, 110) and a security analyser (130-3), wherein the method comprises the steps of: receiving at the security analyser a network communication from a first network entity; identifying the first network entity; by means of the security analyser: analysing the network communication and/or a performance of the first network entity thereby to identify the network communication as an anomalous communication (310); in response to identifying the network communication as an anomalous communication, communicating an instruction to the identified first network entity to respond with origin information regarding the anomalous communication, wherein the origin information identifies a preceding network entity from which the anomalous communication was directly received by the first network entity (320, 330); and commencing with the preceding n

Abstract: A method of operating a radio access point so as to provide network slicing functionality, the radio access point providing a radio access network for a telecommunications network and the radio access point comprising a plurality of antenna elements, the method comprising the steps of: reserving a portion of the plurality of antenna elements for use only by a given network slice, the reserved portion of the plurality of antenna elements forming a set of antenna elements; receiving, at each of the plurality of antenna elements, a wireless signal from a User Equipment of the telecommunications network identifying the UE from the received wireless signal; determining that the identified UE is allocated to the given network slice; in response to the determining, the radio access point processing only the wireless signal as received by the set of antenna elements.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method (200) of managing a telecommunications network (110), the telecommunication network comprising a network orchestrator (120), a plurality of network nodes (150) and a network ledger (140) for electronically storing data, the method comprising the steps of: the network orchestrator generating an instruction for reconfiguring at least one of the plurality of nodes (210); in response to generating said instruction, requesting and retrieving first status information from the at least one of the plurality of nodes (240); recording the instruction and the first status information to the network ledger (240)); communicating the instruction to the at least one of the plurality of nodes thereby to effect the instructed reconfiguration (230); in response to effecting the instructed reconfiguration, requesting and retrieving second status information from the at least one of the plurality of nodes; and recording said second status information in the network ledger (280).

Abstract: There is herein disclosed a system for performing Quantum Key Distribution, the system including a transmitter adapted to transmit a plurality of optical pulses, a first receiver, a second receiver, an optical switch with an input which is in optical communication with the transmitter, the switch being switchable between a first switching position in which the input is optically connected to the first receiver, and a second switching position in which the input is optically connected to the second receiver, the system further including a guide for guiding a portion of the plurality of optical pulses to the first receiver via an optical path that bypasses the optical switch.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a network node for a wireless telecommunications network, and a method of operating the network node, the wireless telecommunications network including a first access point configured to transmit in a first coverage area, a second access point configured to transmit in a second coverage area, and a first User Equipment (UE) connected to the first access point, the method including causing a reconfiguration of at least one of the first access point or the second access point to implement at least one of first transmission parameters or second transmission parameters.

Abstract: Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) transmitters, receivers and transceivers are disclosed, as well as other associated devices, systems and methods. In particular, aspects and embodiments of the disclosure relate to MIMO transmitters, receivers and transceivers implemented as modules of relay devices for signals transmitted to and/or from base-stations and/or mobile-stations, in particular when such devices are implemented on mobile and/or aerial vehicles, and in particular for transmitting, receiving and/or forwarding wireless communication signals at frequencies in what is termed the “millimeter-wave band”. In such devices, a power control unit is configured to determine an energy availability measure and/or a power demand measure and, in response, cause a switching unit to connect a plurality of RF chains to a plurality of antenna elements in different states.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of configuring a wireless telecommunications network, the wireless telecommunications network including a first wireless transmitter. The method can include obtaining data indicating an amount of data transmitted by the first wireless transmitter in each Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) of a plurality of MCS; estimating a received signal strength change for the first wireless transmitter when using a first candidate configuration; estimating a first spectral efficiency for the first candidate configuration based on the amount of data transmitted by the first wireless transmitter in each MCS of the plurality of MCS and the received signal strength change for the first wireless transmitter when using the first candidate configuration; comparing the estimated first spectral efficiency for the first candidate configuration to a reference spectral efficiency; and causing a reconfiguration of the wireless telecommunications network based on the comparison.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for monitoring a network connection (13) at a first sampling rate to generate monitoring data for the network connection for determining a performance issue in the network. The method involves identifying a communication occurring via the network connection (13), wherein performance metrics are available for the communication; and responsive to a trigger in respect of the communication, adapting the sampling rate to a second sampling rate greater than the first sampling rate so as to determine whether a performance degradation in the communication is attributable to the network connection (13). The adapting of the sampling rate to a second sampling rate is triggered by comparison of one or more of the available performance metrics for the communication with an adjustable threshold.

Abstract: A method of authenticating User Equipment (UE) to a wireless telecommunications network, wherein the UE is subscribed to a first wireless telecommunications network, and authenticating being performed so as to subscribe the UE to a second wireless telecommunications network, and wherein there is an absence of a roaming capability between the first wireless telecommunications network and the second wireless telecommunications network for the UE, the method including generating, at the first wireless telecommunications network, a network key for authenticating the UE at the second wireless telecommunications network; loading the generated network key to the second wireless telecommunications network; subsequently communicating the generated network key to the UE from the first wireless telecommunications network; and authenticating the UE at the second wireless telecommunications network by communicating the network key from the UE to the second wireless telecommunications network, thereby to permit the UE to s

Abstract: This disclosure provides a method of configuring a wireless telecommunications network, the wireless telecommunications network having a first transceiver serving a first plurality of User Equipment (UE) in a first coverage area.

Abstract: Examples describe a method of operating a distribution point unit (DPU) having a wireless backhaul connection, such as a 4G or 5G connection. The distribution point unit is reverse powered electrically by connected subscriber lines. The radio configuration (number of antennas, frequencies, etc.) used by the wireless backhaul connection is switched according to the power available from the subscriber lines. Changes to the available power can trigger a switch to a new radio configuration. Higher capacities (data rates) can be achieved with higher power radio configurations, which can be switched over to if the available power is sufficient. Similarly, when the available power drops, a switch can be made to an appropriate lower powered radio configuration.

Abstract: There is herein disclosed a method of measuring the performance of a first communication channel at a first access point in a WLAN, in which the first access point is associated to a client device so that the first access point can send data to, and/or receive data from, the client device on a second communication channel, the method including disassociating the first access point to the client device and associating a second access point to the client device; switching the working channel of the first access point from the second communication channel to the first communication channel; and making one or more performance measurements in respect of the first communication channel at the first access point.