businessinfomag.uk magazine 06 BULLETIN Many happy returns (and departures) This month marks the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel on May 6, 1994. As well as providing a vital transport link between the UK and France, the Channel Tunnel carries ultra-low latency, high bandwidth fibre optic cables operated by Colt Technology Services, the sole digital infrastructure company with connectivity access between the UK and mainland Europe. In September 2021, Colt Technology Services signed an exclusive 25-year contract with Getlink to take over the operation of dark fibre installed in the Tunnel in 1998 and to install a new fibre optic network to increase bandwidth between the UK and Europe in anticipation of traffic growth driven by new technologies such as AI and the Metaverse. Last June, it completed the deployment of a new dark fibre cable connecting London to Paris, giving organisations access to the Colt IQ network, supported by reliable low latency, high-bandwidth connectivity and service guarantees through the tunnel. Colt says cables installed in the Channel Tunnel offer significantly more capacity than subsea cables and are not vulnerable to piracy, ship anchors, commercial fishing or shipping. www.colt.net ... Time running out for EV chargepoint grants Chargepoint manufacturer CTEK is advising businesses and individuals to act fast if they want to benefit from financial incentives for installing EV chargepoints, many of which have less than one year to run. Grants available from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) that are due to close on 31 March 2025 include: n The Workplace Charging Scheme: offering businesses, charities and public sector employers up to £350 per charging socket, for up to 40 sockets in total across each applicant’s site or sites. n State-funded education institutions: 75% off the cost of buying and installing chargepoints, up to a maximum of £2,500 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites. n Infrastructure grant for staff and fleets: for building work to install multiple chargepoint sockets now and in the future, up to £350 per chargepoint socket installed and up to £500 per parking space Exploring tech EE has cut the ribbon on the first of 10 new Experience stores it is planning to open over the next 12 months as part of a £6 million investment in the UK high street. The bricks-and-mortar Experience store in Bristol’s Cabot Circus gives shoppers an opportunity to see the latest in connected technology and get guidance and advice from in-store experts. EE research shows that only 5% of Bristolians get technical advice from retail staff, even though 52% say speaking to a specialist would give them more confidence when choosing technology products. Part of BT Group’s Consumer business unit, EE announced its new retail strategy in June 2023 with the launch of the EE Studio store in Westfield London. www.ee.co.uk B U L L E T I N enabled, to a maximum of £15,000. n Chargepoint and infrastructure grants for landlords: up to £350 per socket, with a maximum of 200 grants a year for residential properties and a further 100 for commercial properties. Infrastructure grants for the wider work needed to install multiple chargepoints are £500 per parking space, for chargepoints installed now or envisaged in the future. n For renters or flat owners: up to £350 to install a chargepoint at a dedicated offstreet parking space. n Households with On-Street Parking: Up to £350 for EV drivers who are installing a cross-pavement solution to enable them to use a home chargepoint for an EV parked in the street outside their home. Daniel Forsberg, Marketing Manager EVSE at CTEK, said: “Applying for these grants involves partnering with OZEVapproved installers and, in some cases, directly with OZEV. Our UK team of experts are on hand to help installers and their customers with technical and operational advice and information.” ctek.com ... AI-generated web content growing fast AI-based text analysis and plagiarism detection specialist Copyleaks is calling for more transparency around AI use after discovering that 1.57% of all web pages now feature AI-generated content. Its study of the period from 2013 to March 2024 shows that AI content on the web surged by 8,362% between November 2022, when ChatGPT 3.5 was released, and March 2024, driven by the use of AI to automate content creation. Before ChatGPT 3.5 there was only a very modest increase in the number of web pages containing AI content – even after June 2020, when ChatGPT3 was released. Alon Yamin, CEO and Co-founder of Copyleaks, said: “Of course, it was expected to see AI utilised within online digital content, but the saturation of it is possibly more rapid than we might have initially imagined. Generative AI poses excellent opportunities within digital content, but it still presents many challenges, especially around accuracy and transparency.” He added: “If this past year is any indication, AI technology will continue to evolve exponentially. That’s why having the necessary tools to provide transparency around AI’s presence is crucial.” Hannah Davies, Brand Marketing Manager, Colt Technology Services
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