Broadband Journal is the SCTE’s quarterly glossy magazine and is the leading authoritative journal in global cable and broadband markets, offering insight and independent coverage.
Volume 46 No. 1 MARCH 2024
The FTTH Show Berlin 2024 SCTE Spring Lecture Inspirational Women in Telecoms, THEPost Office Scandal, New Acronyms section! Plus we hear from Mills Ltd, Techwave, Abloy, Maus Systems, HARMONIC, CISCO, CALIX & CommScope THE SCTE and BROADBAND HAve A FRESH NEW LOOK FOR 2024!
WE ARE HAPPY TO WELCOME YOU! HALL 25, STAND P03
netceed.com
contents editor’s letter Editor’s Letter Welcome to the March 2024 issue of Broadband Journal. from the scte SCTE News All the latest news and events from the SCTE. scte benelux news Benelux News All the latest news and events from the SCTE's Benelux Group. scte balkans news SCTE Balkans Update from Ambassador-at-Large
Volume 46 No. 1 - March 2024
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ISSN 1751-0791
Thanks to our supporters The SCTE ® is grateful to the following supporters for their continued support of Broadband Journal: Amphenol, ANGA, BTV Netceed, Cable Center, FTTH, DCT Delta, Technetix and Webro
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SCTE ® - The Society for Broadband Professionals
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Officers and Members of the Executive Committee President and Chair Dr Anthony Basham FSCTE Vice President Dave Hodges FSCTE Director Dr Roger Blakeway FSCTE Secretary Beverley Walker FIAM Members Laura Baskeyfield, John Callas, Melissa Cogavin, George Dyckes, James Harwood, Dave Hodges, Costas Kyriacou, Peter Sealey, Chris Swires and Peter Veerman
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scte member focus Besim Latifi, VP Sales Asia Pacific/Emerging Markets, Technetix
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from the industry Industry News scte long read Unraveling the Post Office Scandal: A 2024 Update
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SCTE ® Communications House, 41a Market Street, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0PN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1923 815500
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The latest global news from the industry. Standards Update
office@theSCTE.eu www.theSCTE.eu
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DAVE HODGES provideS HIS report on another year of standards work and on the annual meetings of CENELEC TC 209 and IEC TC100/TA05 during November 2023 Unplugged: Interview With Jerry Mills CEO, Mills Ltd Enabling new experiences as air transport and data transport come together
Managing Editor Melissa Cogavin Tel: +44 (0)7501 780342 melissa@theSCTE.eu
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Winning the Customer Acquisition Battle by Going Beyond Connectivity, With Calix 38 Empowering Futures: Celebrating International Women’s Day and Progress in the Tech Workplace 42 Safer Internet Day: 10 Ways You Are Making Yourself Vulnerable Online 50 Delivering a Superior Product Through Collaboration 54 Building Industry Resilience With Tequity 58 Establishing a successful streaming business 62 eCLIQ increases uptime for Telecoms giant 66 Life in the Fast Lane: Why Service Providers Need to Prepare for Wi-Fi 7 70
Publisher Evolution Print & Design Ltd
143 Cavendish Road, Leicester LE2 7PJ, UK Tel: +44 (0) 116 274 7700/0330 010 0004 sales@evolutiondc.co.uk
Broadband Journal is published on behalf of the SCTE ® (Society for Broadband Professionals) by Evolution Print and Design Ltd. Neither the editor nor the Society, as a body, is responsible for expression of opinion appearing in the journal unless otherwise stated. Papers and contributions for consideration for publication in Broadband or for reading at meetings are welcome and should be sent to Melissa Cogavin. Letters Broadband Journal is your forum for debate on issues affecting the industry. Let us have your news and views. Write to The Editor, c/o Communications House, marking your letter ‘for publication’ or email melissa@theSCTE.eu. For reasons of space, we reserve the right to edit letters published in Broadband .
technical Routed Optical Networking: Understanding the value of modern end-to-end IP/MPLS transport networks
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Top 10 Telco Trends 2024
How Harmonic’s cOS Platform Reinvents Next-Gen Broadband Access for Unified DOCSIS and PON
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© 2024 Broadband Journal Information in Broadband Journal may not be reproduced, changed or used without prior written permission from the SCTE ® .
spotlight on... Surveying Multiple Dwelling Units
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industry events ANGA COM 2024 First Top Speakers and new Features
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FTTH Conference 2024 Europe’s leading fibre optic event of the year
acronym explainer
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service finder
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diary dates
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MARCH 2024 Volume 46 No.1
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EDITOR’s LETTER
Editor’s Letter
of his family firm. With more reinventions than Madonna, Jerry’s company, now in its fourth generation with the appointment of Elliot Mills as head of Sales, is embracing the smart revolution - there is no doubt the explosion in the Internet of Things is going to be keeping Jerry and family busy for a long while yet. You can read about Jerry’s achievements on page 30. The ongoing Post Office scandal continues to shock and appal us all, and further to the revelations raised in the acclaimed ITV drama, Mr Bates v The Post Office over Christmas, we decided to reprise the Long Read article that Broadband Journal produced on this over two years ago. The scandal formed part of a wider examination of costly, inept digital upgrades across government departments; it is hoped that the ongoing press attention will finally see convictions overturned and adequate compensation for the victims of this disgraceful miscarriage of justice. You can read about that on page 14. Finally on page 98, Spotlight takes a look at a recent innovation that should assist network designers and ISPs in the provision of broadband in MDUs; Techwave’s Richard Reis talks to us about the application their Survey App, and how it is going to be such a game changer in historically complex and demanding environments. Overall we have the usual bumper issue for you with a contemporary new look and feel. We hope you like it as much as we do. Your feedback would be very welcome! Do drop us a line at office@ theSCTE.eu and happy reading..
It seems very late to be wishing you all a happy new year but that’s the nature of a quarterly publication; how is it March already? You’ll have noticed Broadband Journal has had a bit of a facelift! The Executive Committee decided it was time to give the jewel in our crown a bit of attention, along with a broader rebrand across our various platforms - the logo, website and social media - which will all look and feel newer and refreshed. We are also introducing a brand new app, replacing the hard copy Members Handbook, with a launch party for our app at ANGA COM on Wednesday 15 May on our stand. Do come and join us. This issue of Broadband might look different but is just as packed with articles, interviews, analysis and commentary from across our great industry. We are about to launch into trade show season and we kick off with the CAI show, which you can read about on page 23, followed by the FTTH Show in Berlin in March (page 104), then ANGA COM is of course fast approaching in May (page 100). International Women’s Day is on March 8 and for the third year we celebrate the substantial achievements of women in our industry, with a few key take aways summarised for you at the end, on page 42. We have two new Corporate members to welcome to the SCTE – MAUS Systems and Abloy UK, whom you can read about on page 6. Our technical section includes work by Harmonic, Juniper Research and Cisco, looking at topics including DOCSIS, routed optical networking, PON and emerging trends in 2024. Thanks too to our friends at CommScope, Calix, MwareTV, GalsnGear and new members Abloy, whose thought leadership and opinion is always valuable but especially now, as our industry shifts gear into a new era of service, post roll out. Our Unplugged section features the charming Jerry Mills, CEO of Mills Ltd, one of our long-time Corporate members, who takes us on a 100-year, West London odyssey, tracking the evolution
Melissa Cogavin Managing Editor SCTE ® , Society for Broadband Professionals melissa@theSCTE.eu www.theSCTE.eu
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Volume 46 No.1 March 2024
Human Skills training courses for all members FREE
Training
Awards
Networking Opportunities
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Publications
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Professional Qualifications
Events
Would you like to join our Executive Committee and help influence the direction of the SCTE? Enquire today! +44 ( 0 ) 1923 815500 OFFICE@THESCTE.EU WWW.THESCTE.EU
Dr Anthony Basham
James Harwood
Bev Walker
Melissa Cogavin
Peter Veerman
Laura Baskeyfield
scte news
app to replace the familiar spiral-bound SCTE Members Handbook many of you will have on your bookshelves. This app will contain a mobile-friendly Broadband Journal with the ability to like and share articles. It will contain a members area as you are used to within the website, access to our lectures online, standards updates and a booking facility for training programmes and upcoming events. We will be hosting our launch party on Wednesday May 15 at our new-and- improved stand at ANGA COM and you are very warmly invited!
The SCTE has engaged the services of a creative agency to rebrand its image and launch new initiatives to help with its mission to educate and inform its members.
Along with the logo, website and magazine refresh we are launching an
Tickets going fast SCTE Spring Lecture
Brian Gilbert CANOPUS NETWORKS LTD
Søren Baldus-Kunze
Dan Gledhill HARMONIC
Adam Soccorsy
AMPHENOL CABELCON
Places are limited and going quickly. Don’t miss your chance to network with the best in the business, keep abreast of industry developments and come away well fed, informed and entertained.
service to differentiate themselves from their competition.
It’s that time again and we are thrilled to be returning to One Great George Street with an excellent line up of speakers for the Spring Lecture. Entitled ‘Fibre, Service and a DOCSIS Love Story,’ this event examines the length and breadth of the supply chain, from network design through to customer service. The latter is especially pertinent as the industry matures from the cluttered landscape of altnets to an increasingly consolidated industry characterised by a few big players focused on customer retention, depending on high quality
Our speakers include Søren Baldus- Kunze, whose talk, Beyond Shine, The art of Brass Plating and Product Enhancements focuses on the technical; Adam Soccorsy gives us a juxtaposition of DOCSIS over PON, Dan Gledhill examines the economics behind customer churn and offers insight into improving Net Promoter Scores, while Brian Gilbert of Canopus Networks speaks to us about the relationship between customer and ISP.
Register here: https://www.thescte.eu/
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Volume 46 No.1 March 2024
scte News SCTE 79th Gala Dinner and Awards Announced
students to the Bar of England and Wales.
After the success of the first Gala Dinner and Awards in four years at the fabulous Warwick Castle last October, the SCTE is delighted to announce the next Gala Dinner & Awards will take place on Saturday October 12 at the beautiful venue of The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in London. A collection of historic buildings dating back to the 15th century in an oasis of calm in the middle of central London, Lincoln’s Inn is a society of barristers which make up the Inns of Court, the institution that has the right to call
A larger event this time, accommodating up to 200 guests in black tie, the evening features a champagne reception, 4 course banquet with wine and liqueurs, the presentation of SCTE Awards, plus entertainment and dancing and a gift for every guest - it is certainly the biggest event in the SCTE calendar and one not to be missed. Put October 12 in your diary now and we’ll be back to you shortly with details about how to obtain tickets!
SCTE at FTTH Show, March 19-21 Berlin
you’d like to meet up while we’re in Berlin, Melissa and Tony will be in attendance and delighted to see you. Drop us a line: office@theSCTE.eu .
over Europe. We’ve managed to secure discounts on entry for both Corporate Members and Individual Members, so if you are an SCTE member, make the most of that discount and please get in touch. If
The SCTE will be at the FTTH Show in Berlin later this month in its capacity as media partner and is delighted to be supporting the great work that the FTTH Council does for our industry all
MARCH 2024 Volume 46 No.1
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scte news
SCTE Welcomes New Members
MAUS Technology
to the most distant network areas, MAUS feel their expertise to be pivotal in the transition of ‘telcos to techcos.’” Richard said, “The team at MAUS are delighted to have been accepted as a corporate member of the SCTE. With our founder already being a long-time Associate Member we are looking forward to contributing to and benefiting from this esteemed community of professionals, especially at a time when the telecoms industry faces many challenges and changes. We are excited to meet fellow members at upcoming SCTE events for networking and sharing of ideas.”
We are delighted to welcome Richard Reis and Hadley Reis of MAUS Systems as our newest Corporate SCTE Member. Many of you will know Richard as a longtime individual Member of the SCTE and a familiar face at SCTE events; Richard and his son decided to join the SCTE as Corporate Members after launching MAUS Systems last year. MAUS is passionate about guiding traditional telecom operators towards becoming cutting-edge tech companies, an inevitable shift as the fibre roll out reaches its conclusion. As experts in AI software and hardware innovation, MAUS specialises in crafting high-performance, reliable solutions specifically tailored to their clients’ evolving needs. Their focus extends to pioneering edge deployments, a critical element in this transformation. By enabling operators to push their services The SCTE is also delighted to welcome Abloy UK, the UK’s leading expert on high quality door locking and functionality, with a rich heritage in producing the world’s most trusted access control hardware, and a special interest in the broadband industry, offering security solutions to ISPs and telecoms operators. As a pioneer in the industry with a history of patented innovation, Abloy’s solutions are secure, robust and easy to use. Telecoms need to be protected and controlled, as each asset inside data centres, base stations, poles, or any other site, is critical for business continuity. A service interruption can have a serious impact on both business and residential customers and might incur penalties, which would be very costly and also damage a supplier’s reputation. Abloy have been working with Gigaclear and pride themselves on their digital, electromechanical and mechanical solutions, which provide security and
https://maus.systems/
Hadley Reis
Richard Reis
Abloy UK
access control for the entire telecom ecosystem, from cabinet locks for telecoms offices to padlocks for utility poles. Steve Wintle, Head of CNI said, “We are very much looking forward to seeing where our partnership with the SCTE takes us. This is an exciting time to be in the broadband and telecoms industry and we feel sure we have both lots to offer and lots to learn as we begin our journey with SCTE membership.”
www.abloy.com
Steve Wintle, Head of CNI, Abloy UK
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Volume 46 No.1 March 2024
CONGRATULATIONS 2024 HONOREES
LIZ CLAMAN Anchor,
BONNIE HAMMER Vice Chairman, NBCUniversal
YVETTE KANOUFF Partner, JC2 Ventures
LARRY E. ROMRELL Board Member, Liberty Media and Liberty Global
STEVEN A. WHITE President, Special Counsel to CEO, Comcast Cable
ROUZBEH YASSINI-FARD Founder and
FOX Business Network, The Claman Countdown
Board Member, YAS Foundation
REGISTER NOW FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE A SPONSORSHIP RESERVATION, CONTACT US AT
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scte balkans news
Letter from the Balkans Broadband Journal caught up with our Ambassador-at-Large, Besim Latifi based in Kosovo to find out what’s happening in the Balkans.
As NGN expands its reach across Kosovo, the impact of these initiatives is expected to resonate far beyond technical training. By establishing a presence in various cities, NGN strives to empower communities, unlock potential, and pave the way for a brighter, digitally connected future. The SCTE’s next steps will be working with private universities in Kosovo to open the new Department of Telecoms with master classes of SCTE training Academy. I am currently working with the Government to understand how this process qualifies, and what measures we need to take. The education of teams working in networks remains a vitally important part of technology evolution trends. It is proven that the market has a significant need for qualified professionals. The SCTE, as quite literally the society of broadband engineers, has a responsibility to provide sustainable qualified engineers to our industry as it evolves.
In a ground-breaking initiative with the support of the SCTE, Next Generation Networks (NGN) is spearheading Fibre Optics and Wi-Fi training programmes for underserved communities in Kosovo. The ongoing Wi-Fi training at the Municipality of Graçanica marks a significant step towards bridging the digital divide, and now NGN is set to extend its impact by expanding into other cities. The latest endeavour sees NGN establishing a Youth Innovation Center in Vitomerica, situated in the vibrant city of Peja. This centre is designed to serve as a hub for both youth and minorities, providing them with a dedicated space to acquire essential skills in the field of Fibre Optics and Wi-Fi technology. More than just a training facility, the Youth Innovation Center aims to be a catalyst for learning, innovation and empowerment. NGN’s commitment to fostering digital literacy and technological proficiency among underserved communities reflects a broader vision of creating a more inclusive and connected society. Through these training programmes, NGN not only equips individuals with valuable skills but also opens doors to opportunities that were once inaccessible.
Besim Latifi, SCTE Ambassador- At-Large
www.theSCTE.eu
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Volume 46 No.1 March 2024
scte BEnelux News
SCTE Benelux Dinner in Breda
On Thursday, February 1st, SCTE Benelux welcomed in the new year with the annual SCTE Benelux Dinner. In the beautiful Hotel Nassau in Breda, situated halfway between Antwerp and Rotterdam, 50 telecommunications specialists and their partners gathered around the table. All attendees shared a common interest: the world of telecoms and how this sector can play a relevant role in the future. It was an enjoyable evening of new insights, knowledge sharing and networking, accompanied by the acoustic trio “De Gasten,” as you can see from the photos. We were also delighted to welcome our good friends from the UK office, pictured here working the room. A fantastic evening in a beautiful venue - if you’d like to attend next year do drop us a line.
www.scte-benelux.eu
Tech Summit
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
On Wednesday, April 17, SCTE Benelux, in collaboration with NLconnect is organising the first Tech Summit of the year. This event takes place at the headquarters of Huawei in Rijswijk, near the Hague, which also houses an Experience Centre. The afternoon session starts with lunch, followed by a guided tour as part of the programme. The theme of the Tech Summit is DOCSIS vs PON. Representatives from three companies, Huawei, Harmonic and VodafoneZiggo will share their various perspectives with the delegates. Want to participate in this knowledge session? Register by sending an email to: secretary@scte-benelux.eu
MARCH 2024 Volume 46 No.1
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scte member focus
Member FOCUS BESIM LATIFI VP Sales Asia Pacific/ Emerging Markets, Technetix
At the SCTE we take great pride in our individual members, who have made such a contribution to the growth and development of our industry. This new section of Broadband Journal shines an overdue light on you wonderful people in every issue going forward, as well as regularly online.
talking and listening carefully to what customers want and what they want to be supported with. Being a part of a wonderful company like Technetix, which is very technology-driven, customers are our top priority, serving in the best way that we can let the customer see the value of our technology. Solving the problems using our intimate knowledge of the customer’s business, this is the Technetix DNA. As I am covering quite a large region with different cultures and ways of doing business, I have learned a lot about similarities and diversity within global business. The company culture of serving customers crosses successfully across all borders; I love that. What memories really stand out for you over the years you’ve been involved in this industry? Telecoms is a very vibrant business. However in my experience, it’s not an exact science. Being a leading company in technology is very exciting, as you need to provide the best of the best more than everyone else to the customer. Being part of that process, creating a future of technology for customers, expecially utilising existing technology and making it sustainable for the future, is a very valuable experience for me. HFC has been around for 40-50 years; I feel that building in new features in existing technology like HFC has been both surprising and rewarding. It means we HFC’s life span is expanded by another 20 years.
What got you interested in a career in the industry when you first started? My previous engagement was in human rights, particularly in conflict management and resolution. After a decade spent with international organisations like the United Nations, Care International and others, meeting Technetix at a somewhat tough and interesting juncture of my career, in order to pivot as I did, was serendipitous. Business is all about human interaction, I feel; it’s about finding consensus on value and price. This is the same in principle as in conflict resolution; reaching consensus on peaceful and mindful agreement. I believe the context changed but the purpose is the same, to agree. You’ve had a varied career and have a lot of strings to your bow. How would you best describe what you do, and what do you enjoy best? That is very true! Life is unpredictable. We start with what we love as a teenager, that was music for me, then we realise in the circumstances where we live it is not sufficient. Then we look for the best alternatives that are less emotional, so I studied economics and some other academic level studies. For 18 years, I have been leading the Technetix entity in Southeast Europe and in recent years have been taking care with the Kosovo team the Asia/Pacific/Emerging Markets regions. My driver and motivation are
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Volume 46 No.1 March 2024
scte member focus
The sector has changed a lot over the years; what for you has been the biggest shift? I believe HFC will remain in the industry with big investment behind it, as innovation responds brilliantly to competition with the optical technology. I know that optical technology sounds very trendy, but as far as the concept of green field area is concerned, it’s true. However, the tendency to combine HFC with optical networks offers a new dimension of integration of two networks in specific areas. I believe HFC has at least 20 to 30 more years of being equal or better than optical networks. When it comes to sustainability, upgrading existing networks is far more sensible than ripping them out and replacing them with new ones. What do you get out of being a member of the SCTE? The SCTE is the home of all enthusiasts of telecoms; it is an excellent resource where you can meet a lot of interesting people. I love to contribute to the SCTE, providing the customer with insight; how to efficiently install equipment and build a sustainable network, for example. Sharing knowledge and experience is the most important element of the SCTE. I also receive a lot of industry knowledge in return. Every territory seems so different in terms of legacy builds and how fast they are embracing fibre. What are your overall thoughts about the longevity of coax? There has been a lot of discussion for over a decade on what the future of coax is. From DOCSIS 2.0, cable moved to DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1. We now have DOCSIS 4.0 competing with all the variety of optical technology at the present time. This evolution of HFC makes me think “never say never”. Your training initiatives are having a massive impact on opportunities in Kosovo. What’s your dream?
important part of being human. Training, reading, being coached is an everyday task for everyone, including network operators in Kosovo and other regions. They need consistent investment in education of new standards and norms which enable the society to perform in the best way for end users. Training staff provides customers with the opportunity to rationalise on all the CAPEX and OPEX investments. The investment of a few thousand pounds allows millions of pounds of investments to properly be installed and used. The majority of field interventions by the technical teams are related to poor installations or poor maintenance, which relates fundamentally to poor training. Did you have any mentors over the course of your career, and how did they help you? Yes, I had a couple of mentors over the course of my career, especially in Technetix. I have been honoured to have “I was very lucky to have a few great mentors; you learn something from every kind of boss!”
Sharing knowledge and experience with people, helping them, is the most
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scte member focus
senior executives helping me, advising me, investing in me to be better and better every day in my professional life. In my view Technetix is like the best kind of academy, where you can learn how to excel in business as well as grow as an individual. I am very proud that Technetix has been in my DNA for over 18 years. What would you tell a young entrant just about to get started in this industry? My advice to a young entrant to the industry is to always think outside the box, be consistent, explore your strengths and don’t give up. Great ideas come from individuals and are shared within a group. Be patient, work smart and hard, read a lot and avoid comfort zones. This will make your dreams come true! What is the best thing about this sector? As the Internet becomes the fourth most important utility in our lives, after air, water and energy there is no doubt that this sector is crucial to the entire world for business, culture, information and living together on one planet. That’s why I am so proud to be a part of it. It is essential for communication, for connectivity. It’s what life is all about. Tell me about your hobbies; I know you’re a clarinet player…. I used to play clarinet for over 15 years, it’s something I have invested in and taken very seriously, including
studies at Conservatorium of Music in Namur, Belgium. Being a musician is amazing, especially when you look at the instruments, they are simple, yet the combinations of musical notes are infinite. To be a good clarinet player, you need to practice a lot and it is a great way to communicate with just a piece of wood, to produce miracle sounds, music uses the right brain to complement the left brain. I hope I will have time to continue playing the clarinet, especially when I celebrate business achievements with our team.
Great ideas come from individuals and shared within a group. Be patient, work smart and hard.
Where can we hear you play?
I will be happy to play at the next SCTE Gala Dinner!
Amazing! What would you like to see the SCTE do next? I believe the SCTE has the potential to extend the values in other regions; we have plans together with the SCTE to explore new countries and transfer the knowledge and experience to young engineers. That to me is what success looks like.
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Volume 46 No.1 March 2024
SCTE GLOBAL
The SCTE is a global organisation with chapters in the Netherlands, Kosovo and New Delhi, working together to raise and maintain technical standards across the industry. The SCTE offers technical support, training courses and bursaries for students, newly qualified and returning engineers from all backgrounds.
Do you want to represent your region with the SCTE?
Find out more: office@theSCTE.eu
scte long read
Unraveling the Post Office Scandal
A 2024 Update
By Melissa Cogavin, Managing Editor, SCTE
THE GREAT POST OFFICE SCANDAL The fight to expose a multimillion pound IT disaster which put innocent people in jail NICK WALLIS
‘The definitive account of the scandal – from the journalist who pursued every twist and turn.’ MISHAL HUSAIN ‘A tale brilliantly told by Nick Wallis, who has dedicated ten years of work to establishing what happened, why it happened and calling those responsible to account. I urge you to read it.’ THE REVEREND RICHARD COLES In 2022, as part of a wider examination of what happens when digital upgrades go wrong, Broadband Journal delved into the sprawling Post Office scandal, exposing a harrowing tale of injustice and ORGANISATIONAL failure trailing back over 20 years, further to the publication of Nick Wallis’ critically acclaimed exposé. ‘Nick’s narrative has the power of a great thriller as he lays bare the lies and deceit that ruined so many lives.’ DAME JOAN BAKEWELL ‘Nick has come to understand the ultimately destructive management culture that pervaded the Post O ce from the top down.’ TOM HEDGES, FORMER SUBPOSTMASTER Nick Wallis is an award-winning freelance journalist and broadcaster. In 2010 he was contacted by a man who told him his pregnant wife had been sent to prison for a crime she did not commit. Since then, Nick has pursued the Post Oce Horizon scandal, building an unparalleled understanding of the story. Nick broadcast his first investigation about the Post Oce for the BBC in 2011. The same year he took the story to Private Eye. He has subsequently made two Panoramas, a Radio 4 series, and raised thousands of pounds to crowdfund his own court reporting for the Post Oce Trial website. Using newly-uncovered documents and interviews to piece together a comprehensive picture of one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in recent times, Nick has written a gripping, definitive account of this scandal.
On 23 April 2021, the Cour convictions of 39 former Sub their prosecutions were an a conscience. For some, this m the end of a 20 year battle f three Subpostmasters did no see their reputations restore The 39 were just a few of the between 2000 and 2015, we Post Oce for criminal oe false accounting and fraud. T based on evidence drawn fro Oce’s deeply flawed accou software showed apparent lo branch accounts, they were f from their own pockets, or fa livelihoods. Subpostmasters w discrepancies were sacked an lost their homes and reputat into bankruptcy. The really u to prison. This is the story of how a gro fought back to clear their na background of institutional a obfuscation, a fight dragged refusal to accept responsibili journey takes us through yea obstruction and denial, to th Court of Appeal. It also chro single-minded former Subpo lone public voice of dissent, w Post Oce – against overwh of the highest courts in the l With cries for a full public inq government to act, this story Post Oce Scandal is a gripp serve as a landmark piece of full impact of this shameful e to unravel.
“An extraordinary journalistic exposé of a huge miscarriage of justice” IAN HISLOP
ISBN 978 1 9163023 8 9
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Volume 46 No.1 March 2024
scte long read
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to empower individuals and communities, Britain's most venerable institutions, but in the meantime, here is the Long Read that examined the scandal, as well as countless others, affecting upgrades from prisons to ambulances that we would prefer not to think about.
represents a shift from civil proceedings to potential criminal charges against individuals involved in the oversight and management of the Horizon system. The outcome of this investigation could have far-reaching consequences, further exposing the extent of wrongdoing within the Post Office. Looking for someone to blame as emotions ran high, attention has turned to the former CEO of the Post Office, Paula Vennells, who was awarded a CBE as late as 2019 for services to the Post Office and charity. Vennells, who served as CEO from 2012 to 2019, and who is also an Anglican minister, faced intense scrutiny for her role in the scandal, with allegations of negligence, lying to Parliament and a lack of accountability during her tenure. An online petition went viral in the weeks subsequent to the drama airing on TV, leading to Vennells’ bowing to pressure and relinquishing her CBE altogether, an extraordinary expression of the level of public outrage - the petition received 1.2m signatures in less than a week. She will appear before the enquiry later this year. As investigations unfold and the legal landscape shifts, the Post Office's future hangs in the balance, with serious questions to answer as far as organisational accountability is concerned, never mind the pursuit of justice. One hopes that from the ashes of such catastrophic failure rather more than bland platitudes about lessons being learned will be achieved this time. Broadband Journal will continue to monitor and report on developments in this multifaceted story as it shapes the future of one of
It took a critically acclaimed ITV drama over Christmas last year to catapult this appalling situation into the imaginations of an enraged British public; one of those rare times when everyone was talking about it at once; the collective outrage was palpable. Boris Johnson and his Partygate was probably the last time that happened. The outcry forced a red- faced government, already under intense pressure to call an election amid a flurry of scandals, into hurriedly announcing a new law that will overturn all convictions. There is still an ongoing government inquiry that concludes next year, as well as a recently announced Metropolitan Police criminal investigation. The perilous financial position of the Post Office has also come to light, amid looming threats of legal costs and tax evasion on an epic scale. There is even feverish talk of bankruptcy, and now the Post Office are in consultation with the Royal Mail about scaling back its delivery services to 3 days a week. It may have to in order to pay those bills. The inquiry has become a focal point for stakeholders seeking answers and justice, as it delves into the complex web of decisions, oversight, and organisational culture that allowed the Post Office Scandal to persist over decades. The findings of the inquiry are anticipated to shape the future of the Post Office and potentially lead to broader reforms within the financial and justice sectors. In a significant escalation of legal action, the Metropolitan Police recently announced a criminal investigation into the Post Office Scandal. This move
as it creates new opportunities for economic, social, and personal
development. But it also could lead to the marginalisation of some groups, exacerbate inequality, create new security risks and undermine human relationships.”
By Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum
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The Great Post Office Scandal Original Article published in broadband February 2022 scte long read
Alliance and his band of Subpostmaster campaigners, aided by some extraordinary politicians/experts/lawyers who got them to where they are today.” Thanks to his efforts and those of a few dedicated experts, this an overdue triumph of David and Goliath proportions, the scale of which is only just fully emerging. The inquiry into the scandal has not yet begun, but the trial has gone some way to providing overdue vindication for the victims and their families, some of whom are sadly no longer even with us. One might think bringing the Post Office into the 21st Century is a tricky brief, but hardly impossible surely? There are multiple moving parts of course, but was that all? “It’s worth pointing out the colossal scale of the Post Office in the UK,” Nick explained. “There are only just fewer post offices than banks and supermarkets altogether. It is a vast and sprawling network. The Post Office is the biggest retail network in the country by far. There are outposts in the tiniest of highlands and islands, so you might imagine correctly that connectivity issues are huge. Data dropouts are common, and they can cause different numbers to appear on your balance sheet.” What went wrong The book goes into forensic detail. “Conceptually, Horizon was relatively straightforward. The front-end terminals would be custom-specced PCs running Microsoft Windows NT operating system. These would sit in a box under each Post Office counter window. Each PC would be connected to a custom keyboard, a barcode scanner, a 3.5 inch receipts printer and a touchscreen, which would sit on top of the counter. Running bespoke Horizon software, each counter PC would write both manually- and barcode-inputted transactions into the branch accounts. Every night all the information collected from the brand would be uploaded to the ISDN (or in some cases) satellite to a centrally located Post Office mainframe.”
As revolutions go, the Digital one rolls off the tongue a little less easily than perhaps the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions. Arguably we are still working our way through it; the vantage point of history isn’t quite in view yet. It still feels too soon to comfortably give any of this unregulated chaos a name. A curious and expensive phenomenon has occurred repeatedly over the last 20 years during this Digital Revolution and is not limited to any one nation, or any one industry. In the name of progress, billions have been wasted, lives ruined, reputations shattered and criminal investigations launched as governments, slow moving machines at best, have been variously forced, inspired or politically motivated to move with the times. Wholesale upgrades of antiquated manual systems have been replaced by automated ones, connecting a network of remote sites to a central operating system, introducing shiny new back-up systems in the cloud, making data widely accessible and so on. The list of system failures across the board over the last 20 years is extraordinary and ongoing, and it is clear lessons are not being learned; the same mistakes occur time and time again. This article examines the causes of some of these debacles with a look in particular at the Great Post Office Scandal and asks why those lessons aren’t being learned. “The Great Post Office Scandal” covers the story in sympathetic yet forensic detail, further to a High Court trial last year compensating the 2000 victims. More than 700 people were convicted between 2000 and 2015. 72 of these have been cleared so far by the Court of Appeal in England. There are 2,000+ compensation claims in the pipeline. £1bn has been earmarked by the government, but hardly anyone has received what they are actually owed to date. Journalist Nick Wallis has spent the last decade covering every possible element of this injustice in exhaustive, granular detail, and his book is a compelling read. With typical modesty, Nick shuns the credit. “No - that’s reserved for Alan Bates from the Justice for Subpostmasters
Nick Wallis
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At corporate level however, that kind of view is at best irrelevant and at worst completely wrong. James Christie, an IT security manager and auditor is as passionate about ensuring the victims see justice as Nick Wallis and has written a powerful and scathing blog on the subject. In his introduction he says, “It’s very rare for an internal accounting system to attract massive publicity, but this has been a special case. Many lives have been ruined by a mixture of bad software and truly dreadful management.” Equally as passionate about ensuring the victims see justice, as an IT auditor and Information Security Manager with 20 years’ experience in blue-chip organisations, James rejected the notion that the Horizon debacle could be put down to the ‘wild west nature’ of the IT landscape at the time. “No, that isn’t right. Fujitsu and the Post Office were doing things that more mature corporations had stamped out maybe 10 years previously. Both corporations were deeply irresponsible, doing things that would have cost me my job working for IBM on large, outsourced contracts at that time. There was a general slackness in the management of IT that was unacceptable given the size of these organisations.” It seems surprising that chancers only appeared at contractor level; surely that attitude prevailed further up the ladder? “I think the line that people from the Post Office and Fujitsu are wanting to put out is that this happened a long time ago and people didn’t really know better then,” James answered. “I’ve seen it being argued, and that’s not so because even 20 years ago it was quite clear that the things they were doing were wrong. He went on, “ When I was an Information Security Manager working with Nokia, there was a €30,000 a week penalty if I didn’t ensure there was a proper control regime for powerful user accounts. Between the Post Office and Fujitsu, 19 years on, they’ve still not got these things sorted out. 19 years, that’s more than many people’s career in IT. They were never going to get it sorted out.” There is of course usually the beleaguered taxpayer in between, too often unaware where increasing and eye-watering amounts of their money is being wasted. The NAO have kept grim track of every one of these disasters and offered a
stored on site and uploaded at the end of each working day by ISDN to a series of back-end servers. After 2010 Horizon Online was brought in which provided real-time ADSL connectivity to the back end. Reconciliation issues were common as a result. “If you have electricity suppliers, banks, various other systems bolted onto the back end, well you can imagine the damage that got done. Bureau de change was a nightmare at first.” Horizon still exists today; it has limped on through various upgrades and revisions.
Nick added, “I have some sympathy with Fujitsu as out of the original 366 criteria for the project; 323 were changed by the government over the course of the tender process alone. However, both the government and Fujitsu massively underestimated the complexity of automating 20,000 post offices, to the extent that within months of signing the contract they had to renegotiate the terms as they just couldn’t do it.” From the start the process was besieged with problems, not least because the government opted for the cheapest provider, not the best. The management structure and culture of the Post Office meant that money could go to waste without question and decisions made at a senior level unchallenged. The officer- class nature of senior management within the Post Office and the dim view they took of their parochial Subpostmasters up and down the country added very much to an us-and-them dynamic. This impeded the chances of Subpostmasters at trial, who were considered guilty, and it was very much up to them to prove their innocence. The nature of Horizon backed that approach up; the deficits appeared while the Subpostmasters were at work, so it was nobody’s fault but theirs. The Horizon IT system was built on a Windows NT operating system on a PC using a database software program called Riposte. Even at the time, Nick says, it wasn’t written properly. Matters were not helped by Microsoft, who stopped providing support for NT a few years into Horizon’s existence. One can only guess at the security given such a shaky start. Nick went on, “Then it all went really wrong, and the Benefits Agency and the Post Office served a notice of non- compliance to Fujitsu, who rejected it. The Benefits Agency walked away, leaving the Post Office to deal with it.” A slew of financial incentives and contract revisions later, Fujitsu had benefitted handsomely in order to make the project work and in 2000 a report by the NAO (National Audit Office) estimated that £500m of public money had been wasted on the project before it had even been rolled out. Connectivity Issues Contract revisions aside, how much was actually wrong with the software and the connection? At the time Internet connections were via modem, if at all. Nick explained. “Initially – between 2000-2010 most of the transactions were
Given what the Post Office has experienced since, and the other
digitisation projects that the government has poorly executed one might imagine the appetite to have another crack at it - with new software, across all these lines of businesses, with all these retail outlets nationwide and the potential for bad publicity - is low.
The Landscape
With the benefit of hindsight it is perhaps too easy to assume that the lack of oversight, regulation, best practice, independent scrutiny were symptoms of a broader ‘wild west’ period in history where technology is concerned. After all, the mid 90s were when most of us will have sent an email for the first time; the Internet was powered by forgotten browsers Netscape and Lycos, and we didn’t really know what the Internet was for anyway. Friends Reunited and MySpace were still light years away. Hotmail – the preposterous idea that you could send an email from your own address regardless of your location – blew your writer’s mind, so much so that I stuffed airmail envelopes into my backpack ahead of a round the world trip in 1999, so dubious was I at the viability of the world wide web. Certainly as far as contractors are concerned there were, as Nick Wallis confirms, “plenty of chancers talking themselves into jobs they weren’t qualified to do. Coders, testers, systems and network engineers were all in demand, alongside the usual project managers, sales and marketing people. There were also plenty of middle-ranking execs with little understanding of what the young Turks in their charge were up to but had learned just about enough to bluff their way through.”
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incompetency, that is a lazy approach and ignores the sheer number of projects that have failed and the similarities their failures share. Each of the projects over-run in the time they take to roll out, they all bloat considerably in budget, and many of them never even make it to fruition. Often the solution during the process is to terminate the contract with the service provider and start again or fire the senior manager responsible. Neither of these options saves money or time, and usually achieves the reverse in compensation pay outs and more red faces in front of the NAO or the PAC (Public Accounts Committee). Meanwhile the approach of these committees, while well-intentioned, probably knocks the confidence of humiliated managers already out of their depth and the damning language attributed to their reports does not help: “Optimism bias and failing to set clear objectives”, “a masterclass in incompetency”, “a catastrophic waste of money” are just a few.
and Technology Committee in 2020 for a clear definition of its mission. The latest update on the GDS website itself is revealing: “We’ll soon be publishing the first version of the 2021/2022 roadmap so you can see more of the details of the work we’re intending to do.” Management styles Taking a step back, it is more likely that the application of 20th century management styles are not fit for purpose in a 21st century setting. Steve Denning is a Management Consultant and author of several books on the subject. His view is straightforward.
Management as most of us know it is characterised like this:
n The goal of the firm is to make money for the firm and its executives. Maximising shareholder value has been the catch cry of large organisations for the last 50 years and is still, despite recent language change, driving the behaviour of most large organisations. n The architecture of work is bureaucratic with individuals reporting to bosses and filling defined roles. n The dynamic of the firm is a top-down hierarchy of authority. The top is assumed to know best.
withering assessment of the knowledge gap between digital leaders and senior management in a report published only last year: ‘Initiating digital change involves taking a difficult set of decisions about risk and opportunity, but these decisions often do not reflect the reality of the legacy environment and do not fit comfortably into government’s standard mechanisms for approval, procurement, funding and assurance. This report found that digital leaders understand these issues well and bring much needed expertise to the public sector, but they often struggle to get the attention, understanding and support they need from senior decision-makers who lack sufficient digital expertise.’ Last year an NAO Cross Government Report entitled ‘The Challenges in Implementing Digital Change’ even spent tax-payers money looking into why so much tax-payer’s money had been wasted, concluding that “only a small proportion of permanent secretaries and other senior officials have first-hand experience of digital business change and as a result many lack sufficient understanding of the business, technical and delivery risks for which they are responsible.” This means that many of the problems stem from the inability of senior decision- makers to engage effectively with the difficult decisions required to implement technology-enabled business change.” While it is tempting to work ourselves up into a froth about inefficient government departments and their collective
Government Response
You can’t knock the government for trying. There are white papers, strategies, committees and units all over Whitehall trying to get to grips with the problem and avoid further staggering losses, scathing reports and embarrassment. A common response to failed public sector projects is to set up a crack response team, a task force dedicated to weeding out the rot and instilling best practice all along the supply chain. Boris Johnson announced one just last week in response to the ongoing Partygate scandal even, the new “Office of the Prime Minister”, in order to “improve the No 10 operation and deliver the change necessary to get on with the job.” It makes for good optics in the media, and voters like to see their governments “delivering for the British people.” Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, these departments are often no more fit for purpose than the projects they are overseeing. The Government Digital Service (GDS) is one example, founded in 2011 as a ‘Cabinet Office unit in charge of driving digital transformation within government.’ While it has achieved some of its objectives, it has seen off countless directors and at the time of writing the exact brief for the department remains unclear, despite calls from the Science
(Source: Forbes Magazine, Sept 2020)
We have seen this in other areas covered by Broadband Journal but the broad thrust is that technology is moving faster than large companies can keep pace with it. Apply that to public sector departments not driven by profit and the problem is even more acute. Senior management will likely not have grown up with technology as it is in 2022 (case in point: Nadine Dorries, Culture Secretary told Sky News only last week that ‘we’ve had the Internet for ten years’ to hoots of derision on social media. She also boasted on Twitter in 2017 than she and her staff, including interns on exchange programmes, routinely shared each other logins. Such poor education is endemic and not helpful to the overall IT ecosystem) and while they may certainly be computer literate, they are not pioneers. In technology pioneers appear at a junior level, hence the tech landscape is characterised by young, dynamic
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