Tech Digest daily roundup: Amazon announces rockets for Project Kuiper
Over the next five years, three new heavy-lift rockets will put thousands of satellites into low earth orbit as part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The project aims to provide broadband connections using a constellation of 3,236 satellites. Rival Starlink is said to have more than 2,300 satellites in orbit already. The rockets will be made by Arianespace, Blue Origin – which was founded by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos – and United Launch Alliance. Amazon says Project Kuiper aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband to customers including households, businesses, government agencies, disaster relief operations, mobile operators, and other organisations “working in places without reliable internet connectivity”. BBC
High-speed broadband will be run through water pipes in an area of South Yorkshire as part of government plans to get better internet access to people sooner, it has been announced. Proposals from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will see fibre-optic cables deployed through 11 miles of drinking water pipes between Barnsley and Penistone, reaching up to 8,500 homes and businesses as part of a trial of the technology. The scheme aims to speed up the process of rolling out faster broadband without having to dig up roads or carry out other works which can cause disruption, and will also see fibre sensors be used to help the water industry detect leaks in the system. Yahoo!
The City’s top regulator has warned Facebook that it must take action to rein in scam investment adverts following a surge in fraud attacks on social media platforms. Nikhil Rathi, head of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), singled out Facebook’s owner Meta and Twitter as companies that need to do more to take on fraudsters. It comes amid concerns at the watchdog that tech titans are allowing criminals to attract vulnerable customers online. At present, it is possible for investment companies to post adverts on Facebook and Twitter regardless of whether they are regulated by the FCA. Telegraph
While iOS 15.4 is still pretty recent, we’re already looking to iOS 15.5, as the first beta for Apple’s next iPhone operating system upgrade has started rolling out for developers, and we can use it to see what features are on their way. It seems that the Apple Wallet app, which many iPhone users open daily for contactless payments and other transactions, could be getting the most upgrades. As spotted by MacRumors, there are now big ‘Pay’ and ‘Request’ buttons under your card right at the front of the app – and it doesn’t take Einstein to work out what these do. Like in many banking apps, these let you easily transfer money or request it from a friend, which should cut precious seconds over the previous method of paying. Tech Radar
Scientists have discovered a fossil of a perfectly preserved dinosaur leg that may have been ‘ripped off’ by the asteroid that sparked a mass extinction. The find is extraordinary because the Thescelosaurus is thought to have been killed by the asteroid that brought around the demise of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The specimen was found at a fossil site in Tanis, North Dakota, 3,000km miles away from the asteroid impact site in the Gulf of Mexico. Evening Standard
