Author Archives: Derek McManus

The Shared Rural Network: Connecting rural communities in the UK

by Derek McManus, Thursday 24 October 2019
by Derek McManus, Chief Operating Officer, Telefonica UK In a year where events in Westminster have often been characterised by uncertainty, today’s announcement by the Government that it is willing to accept the Shared Rural Network (SRN) is a refreshing and welcome piece of news. Refreshing, because the SRN is based on collaboration and partnership; … more »

Internet access in the UK

by Derek McManus, Tuesday 13 August 2019
This week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published the latest statistics around internet access in the UK. The report shows how many people in the UK have access to the internet, how they access it and what they use it for. According to the ONS, 87% of adults used the internet daily in … more »

Working with the regulator to build a stronger Mobile Britain

by Derek McManus, Friday 28 June 2019
Earlier this year, O2 and the other mobile operators wrote to Ofcom asking for a technical change to our spectrum licenses. This week Ofcom has said yes, and the result will be a huge connectivity boost for our country. Let me explain.   Ourselves, EE, Three and Vodafone all asked for changes to our 5G … more »
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O2's COO: Harnessing the transformative potential of 5G

by Derek McManus, Monday 17 June 2019
Last week, I spoke at the ‘5G and Extended Reality Showcase’ event as part of London Tech Week. Some of the conversation was about the consumer benefits of 5G, which we have already heard lots about. High definition video downloaded in seconds rather than minutes, online gaming benefiting from super-low latency and the opening up of … more »

UK Cities Face a Digital Divide: 5G is the Answer

by Derek McManus, Thursday 12 July 2018
As we reach the end of an eventful week of politics, you could be forgiven for thinking that nothing else matters in Government at the moment. While clearly there is a big job to be done at the top of Government to ensure Britain can prosper in the coming years, I want to look at … more »

#WalkTheTalk for Gender diversity

by Derek McManus, Wednesday 9 November 2016
This week, the #WalkTheTalk campaign launches supported by O2, encouraging men everywhere to actively engage in the gender equality debate. Ahead of its launch on The Drum’s Do It Day 2016 (10th November) Derek McManus, O2 COO and Diversity and Inclusion champion, discusses the importance of gender diversity for businesses of all sizes. Last month, the … more »

Building a network ready for the future

by Derek McManus, Tuesday 12 April 2016
From this week O2’s 4G service will cover 6,000 towns across the UK, providing 87% coverage to the outdoor population. Launched just over two and a half years ago in August 2013, it is remarkable the speed at which O2’s 4G network is connecting more people, all as part of our £3bn network modernisation programme. … more »

2015: New Year, new digital resolutions

by Derek McManus, Monday 12 January 2015
By Derek McManus, COO Telefónica UK From exploring the trends within enterprise technology, we can see that many organisations aren’t making the most of the solutions available to them. As it’s been often demonstrated, becoming a truly integrated digital organisation can deliver amazing real-world benefits – so why are many slow to react? Are organisations still … more »