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 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 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 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.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of selective transmission of a communications message from a home telecommunications network to a visited telecommunications network for delivery to a subscriber device roaming via the visited network includes receiving the message at the home network; identifying a communications component of the visited network to which the messages is to be routed; defining an input vector for a classifier, the input vector encoding parameters of the communications component; executing the classifier to classify the communications component to determine a reliability state of the communications component; and forwarding the message to the communications component of the visited network for delivery to the subscriber device in dependence on the classified reliability state.

Abstract: A method of detecting blockchain miner code executing in a web browser including receiving a profile for the browser identifying typical resource consumption by the browser in use; responsive to a detection of a deviation of the resource consumption by the browser from the profile, intercepting a communication with the browser including a cryptographic nonce, training a plurality of classifiers based on generated training examples, each training example being generated by applying a hashing algorithm to the nonce such that each classifier is trained with training examples generated using a different hashing algorithm; intercepting one or more second communications with the browser, each of the second communications including a hash value; executing at least a subset of the classifiers based on the hash value of each of the second communications; and identifying malicious miner code executing in the browser.

Abstract: There is herein disclosed a method of communication between a client pair, the client pair including an upstream client and a downstream client, the method being performed over a first optical fiber in an optical fiber pair and including: transmitting a downstream DWDM signal over the first optical fiber, wherein the downstream DWDM signal has a first frequency and contains first data originating from the upstream client, transmitting an upstream DWDM signal over the first optical fiber, wherein the upstream DWDM signal has a second frequency and contains second data originating from the downstream client, wherein the first frequency is different to the second frequency, and performing Quantum Key Distribution over the second optical fiber of the optical fiber pair.

Abstract: A method of managing a network for delivering content to a client device, where content segments are delivered over multicast to a proxy. The received segments are stored at the proxy, before delivery of those segments is made from the proxy to the client device over unicast. Whilst the proxy receives further segments over multicast, it probes the network by making unicast requests for data (dummy data or additional content segments), and receiving those segments over unicast from the content server. The multicast rate reception rate and the unicast (probe) rate are measured and a maximum network throughput is calculated as the sum of these two rates. Subsequent segments are then delivered from the proxy to the client device at the calculated maximum network throughput rate, or at some rate dependent thereon.

Abstract: A method of managing a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network having a first user and a second user, the method comprising the step of: ascertaining a competitive characteristic associated with the first user and a competitive characteristic associated with the second user; comparing the ascertained competitive characteristics; identifying whether there is a disparity between the competitive characteristics that exceeds a threshold, thereby to identify a competitive advantage associated with the first or second user; and if it is identified that the disparity exceeds the threshold, adapting a network configuration of a network connection associated with the first user so as to offset the competitive advantage associated with the first or second user.

Abstract: A computer implemented method to identify a malicious database request including receiving a database query for retrieving data from a database; classifying the received query based on query instructions contained in the query to identify a class of query for the query, the class of query having associated attributes defining expected characteristics of queries of the class when executed by the database; monitoring characteristics of the received query executed to retrieve data from the database; and responsive to a determination that the monitored characteristics deviate from the expected characteristics, identifying the query as malicious.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of allocating a set of communications network resources to resource consumers in a digital communications system can include generating a set of multiple allocation schemes; iteratively applying a genetic algorithm to the set of allocation schemes to generate, at each iteration, a new set of allocation schemes as a generation of allocation schemes based on a preceding generation; and, responsive to a predetermined stopping condition for the iteration, assigning resource consumers to resources in the communications system in accordance with an allocation scheme in a most recent generation determined to satisfy a ranking condition.