Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The LLM will be carefully trained on Ukrainian data in an attempt to avoid undue Russian influence

Kyivstar and Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation have chosen Google’s Gemma model and Google Cloud’s Vertex AI to form the technical backbone of a national large language model (LLM) intended to capture the breadth of Ukrainian dialects, terminology, and history.

The project, announced today, will be operationally led by Kyivstar, the country’s largest mobile operator and a unit of telecoms group VEON.

Kyivstar and the WINWIN AI Centre of Excellence at the Digital Ministry said the model will be trained on curated Ukrainian datasets and will keep sensitive national data stored and processed within Ukraine, an explicit priority for future use in government, healthcare, and financial services.

“We are building the Ukrainian LLM on a ready-made open-source model. The main task in development is to train it on our unique data further. When choosing a model, we focused on how well it already handles Ukrainian-language texts and how controllable it is during additional training. This will help minimize linguistic and ethical risks in our LLM,” said Danylo Tsvok, Chief AI Officer at the Ministry of Digital Transformation and CEO of the WINWIN AI Center of Excellence.

Google’s Gemma was selected after an “extensive evaluation”, the partners said. Google Cloud’s Vertex AI will provide the computing infrastructure for large-scale training. Krzysztof Kaziów, Director Customer Engineering CEE at Google Cloud, commented: “We are honored that the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Kyivstar have selected Gemma as the foundation for the Ukrainian national LLM. This choice underscores Gemma’s strategic value, offering an optimal balance between performance and resources alongside its strong multilingual support. Leveraging its proven success as the base for leading Ukrainian LLMs, we are committed to supporting this vital initiative to enhance digital experience in Ukraine.”

VEON described the project as part of a broader strategy to develop local-language AI across its markets, pointing to prior initiatives such as KazLLM in Kazakhstan and an Urdu LLM in Pakistan. “Kyivstar and the Ukrainian Digital Ministry have taken a major step forward today. With a sovereign Ukrainian LLM, Ukrainian consumers, businesses and government institutions will be empowered to integrate cutting-edge technologies using augmented intelligence that truly speaks Ukrainian and understands Ukraine,” said Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of VEON Group. “We have a responsibility to bring the benefits of augmented intelligence to the countries we serve , through large language models trained not only on words, but on local context.”

Technical work will include optimising Gemma for Ukrainian, refining its tokenizer, and creating benchmarks for fine-tuning and application-specific adaptation. Intended use cases span regulatory and legal analysis, education, finance and healthcare.

While not explicitly stated by the partners, project’s cultural significance for Ukraine should not be understated. Much of the data used to train existing Ukrainian LLMs was produced under substantial Russian influence, leading to significant bias. A domestically-led LLM could correct this influence, creating a model that better represents Ukrainian linguistic, historical, and civic perspectives.

Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

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Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
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Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Podcasts

Trent Edwards used to climb telephone poles. Now he’s the CEO of TAK Broadband, bringing with him an appreciation for network builders and the often-dangerous work they perform.

By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Trent Edwards, the CEO of an end-to-end fiber network construction firm called TAK Broadband, is worried about the future of industry’s workforce.

“We don’t do a good job of making sure that the younger generation understands the opportunity within construction,” he said.

According to Edwards, many hold assumptions that construction work is unpleasant because it requires working outside in many different conditions.

“And the people that do that, they want to do that,” he said on a recent episode of Beyond the Cable, a Broadband Communities podcast. “They have that in their DNA. It’s a respectable and highly looked upon job in my opinion.”

However, Edwards said the younger generation doesn’t think network construction work is sexy. He said the negative perceptions will cause issues down the line, making it hard to recruit talent.

“We’ve got to do a better job at promoting that and bringing construction back,” he said. “We’ve got to make it sexy again.”

Edwards also said there is substantial room for innovation and entrepreneurs in network construction.

Climbing telephone poles and the corporate ladder

Edwards holds what many might consider to be an unconventional road to the C-suite.

Others, however, would say his rise to CEO of TAK Broadband shows everything that’s right with the industry, representing a clear example of vertical mobility.

Once upon a time, Edwards climbed telephone poles and dug in the dirt, working in entry-level positions that he says are underappreciated for the dangerous work they do.

TAK Broadband in the news:

Acquisition firms up TAK Broadband’s Southern California presence (October 2025)

“We work in extremely dangerous conditions,” Edwards told Beyond the Cable. “Take the roads for example. You have the entire public out driving by you all day.”

Edwards said people can become hurt when drivers become impatient. He also flagged the potential for injury when it comes to working with large equipment, as network builders do.

He also said all of the environmental components associated with working in the field can present dangers.

Excited about MDUs

Edwards says TAK Broadband (also known as TAK Communications) has evolved their strategy bring high-quality fiber products to multi-dwelling units (MDUs).

“We have the skillsets for all those tight spaces, those complex wiring conditions,” he said, adding that TAK prides itself on minimal disruption to properties.

He said fiber can create value for MDU properties while bringing a top-notch service to residents.

Edwards also said many residents need fiber connectivity to support work from home setups.

With custom designs, Edwards said TAK prides itself on delivering efficient construction plans. As a result, he said many headaches associated with work in MDUs are avoided.

“We have it down to a science,” he said, adding that MDUs provide an opportunity to get large take rates.

“It’s an opportunity to enter a place, do it correctly, have a process that’s start to finish – design, construction – and it’s tailored for each property.”

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Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The regulator said thousands of vulnerable customers had been put at risk during the migration from analogue to digital landline services

Ofcom has imposed a £23.8 million fine on Virgin Media, marking the largest financial penalty the regulator has issued this year, due to the telecoms giant’s mishandling of vulnerable customers during its planned migration from analogue to digital landline services.

The media watchdog’s investigation was triggered by incidents reported by Virgin Media itself, involving the disconnection of “telecare” customers, typically elderly individuals reliant on phone lines for emergency support, during the transition period in late 2023.

According to Ofcom, Virgin Media’s failure to properly identify and support these telecare customers placed thousands at direct risk of significant harm. The regulator found that Virgin Media disconnected users who did not engage with the migration process despite being aware of the critical safety implications, effectively severing these customers’ connections to alarm monitoring centres.

The telecoms provider also exhibited systemic failures in recording and screening telecare customer status, resulting in inadequate support during the migration.

Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, condemned the company’s actions as “unacceptable,” emphasising that vulnerable customers should never be left exposed during service upgrades. He stated that the fine sends a clear message to firms about the gravity of protecting vulnerable users or facing enforcement action.

“It’s unacceptable that vulnerable customers were put at direct risk of harm and left without appropriate support by Virgin Media, during what should have been a safe and straightforward upgrade to their landline services,” said Strawhorne. “Today’s fine makes clear to companies that, if they fail to protect their vulnerable customers, they can expect to face similar enforcement action.”

Virgin Media admitted to its shortcomings during the investigation and cooperated fully throughout the process. The company has since taken significant steps to improve the safety of its migration process, including pausing the migrations in December 2023 and revising its policies and procedures.

“As traditional analogue landlines become less reliable and difficult to maintain, it’s essential we move our customers to digital services,” said a spokesperson for Virgin Media. “While historically the majority of migrations were completed without issue, we recognise that we didn’t get everything right and have since addressed the migration issues identified by Ofcom.”

“Our customers’ safety is always our top priority and, following an end-to-end review which began in 2023, we have already introduced a comprehensive package of improvements and enhanced support for vulnerable customers,” they added.

Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The ITS Technology Group, which has deployed various open access and business-focused full fibre broadband and Ethernet networks across parts of the United Kingdom, has today announced that their XGS-PON powered 10Gbps capable fibre network has now gone live across parts of Newcastle upon Tyne (Tyne and Wear, England) and Glasgow (Scotland).

The operator’s full fibre network is currently said to “pass” more than 465,000 UK businesses (inc. commercial premises), and they often claim to “reach the rest” through their trusted operator partners’ infrastructure, which includes the likes of BTWholesale, Sky, PXC and Virgin Media Business.

In terms of the operator’s latest two network expansions. Glasgow marks their first roll-out into Scotland, with the network now “ready for service for more than 7,000 business premises”. Organisations across the city can now access gigabit-capable connectivity, with coverage extending to key hubs such as the International Financial Services District, the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District, and Merchant City.

In Newcastle, the network reaches over 4,000 business premises. The city has a higher than average concentration of large employers and a growing base of organisations in health, education, and technology sectors, increasing demand for scalable, high-capacity services. Newcastle is also home to innovation hubs including Newcastle Helix, the National Innovation Centre for Data, and the Digital Quarter.

Dave Ferry, Chief Sales Officer at ITS, said:

“Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne are among the UK’s most forward-looking cities, and switching on our networks marks an important milestone in our nationwide rollout, including our first build in Scotland.

Our focus is on delivering infrastructure designed for business, enabling thousands more organisations of all shapes and sizes to access reliable, high-capacity connectivity.

Full fibre is the foundation of the digital economy, underpinning everything from cloud adoption to AI. These networks will help to attract further investment and ensure businesses in both cities can take full advantage of emerging technologies.”

Breaking news.. more to follow..

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers of Virgin Media and O2’s various broadband, mobile, phone and TV packages may like to know that their ‘Priority’ app, which rewards existing subscribers with various special offers and discounts, is now offering the ability to enjoy one hot drink or savoury treat for just £1 every single week, and up to five times per month – doubling the monthly savings previously available.

According to the blurb: “[This] means members can save on their festive favourite hot drinks of any size – including the Gingerbread Latte, Mint Mocha and Hot Chocolate drinks, saving up to £1.50 per redemption. For those fuelling their Christmas shopping expeditions, Priority members can also enjoy a range of savoury products including a Sausage Roll, Vegan Sausage Roll, Festive Bake, Cheese & Onion Bake, Steak Bake and more, saving themselves up to £1.10.”

The reward doesn’t currently have a cut-off date, with VMO2 saying it will “continue to be available into 2026“.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Telecommunications infrastructure provider and licensed UK retail service provider Teleauora has revealed that they’re seeing new powers from Ofcom to help provide customers with “gigabit-capable fibre and wireless” broadband services – focusing on residential homes, offices, and business estates, in rural and urban areas across the UK.

In order to do this, the operator is first seeking Code Powers from Ofcom, which are typically pursued to help speed-up deployments of new fibre networks and cut costs, not least by reducing the number of licences needed for street works. The powers can also help with supporting access to run new fibre via Openreach’s (BT) existing cable ducts and poles (PIA).

The application doesn’t reveal much, but it does state that the operator’s network is a fixed wireless 5G MMWave setup, which will utilise fibre backhaul and fronthaul infrastructure to connect 5G radio access points. Teleauora will also “rely on Openreach’s physical infrastructure (PIA) services to install ducting and will use highway and/or private land where PIA is not available“.

According to the document, the company intends to provide businesses and consumers with connectivity in rural and urban locations, with an “aim to reach 20,000 customers in the first twelve months“. But no information is provided on where this deployment is expected to take place. Teleauora’s primary focus here seems to be to deliver “high speed fixed wireless wholesale networks“, which will in turn also feed retail connections. The company’s website also states: “Retail Services coming soon!”

The company itself (details) appears to have been first incorporated on 24th April 2025 and is being run by two Directors – Sabtir Singh Thakral and Matthew John Harrison. Hopefully more details will emerge in the future. Ofcom rarely rejects such applications.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband ISP and phone provider Virgin Media (O2) has today been hit with a £23.8 million fine by telecoms regulator Ofcom, which occurred after they were found to have “failed to protect vulnerable telecare customers” during their programme to migrate them from analogue phone services to IP-based digital landlines.

The regulator’s General Condition rules typically require every communications provider to “take all necessary measures to ensure … the fullest possible availability of the Public Electronic Communications Network and Publicly Available Telephone Services provided by them in the event of catastrophic network breakdown or in cases of force majeure; and uninterrupted access to Emergency Organisations” (police, fire, ambulance etc.).

Much of the industry is currently having to deal with the challenge of migrating old analogue based landline phone services to newer Internet Protocol (IP / VoIP) based digital phone services, which is a complicated process and one that does sometimes run into problems.

For example, over the past few years there had been a growing concern that this process was overlooking the needs of vulnerable customers, particularly those with telecare systems (c.1.8 million people) that hadn’t always been adapted to work with the new digital phone methods.

The above was mostly the fault of the telecare providers themselves for being slow to adapt, but internet providers also hold some responsibilities. General Condition C5.2 states that regulated companies “must establish, publish and comply with clear and effective policies and procedures for the fair and appropriate treatment of consumers whose circumstances may make them vulnerable“. 

The good news is that all of the major players with legacy phone services that need migrating, particularly Openreach, BT, and Virgin Media, have since responded to those concerns and adopted a better approach alongside telecare providers (example). But prior to that, there was a period where the flaws in this process had yet to be fully patched, which is what Ofcom’s recent investigation into Virgin Media had focused upon.

In particular, Ofcom’s investigation was concerned with whether Virgin Media had been treating vulnerable consumers correctly and “ensuring uninterrupted access” to emergency services (here). The risks here were tragically underlined by the previously reported deaths of two “vulnerable” Virgin Media Phone customers (here). The provider is said to have first notified Ofcom about a number of serious incidents related to the migration of telecare customers in November and December 2023.

What did Ofcom find?

The regulator said their investigation uncovered “serious systemic failures” in Virgin Media’s migration process between August 2022 and December 2023, which ultimately meant they had failed to comply with their own policies and procedures for the fair and appropriate treatment of vulnerable consumers – and in doing so had broken Ofcom’s consumer protection rules.

Virgin Media’s Key Failings

1. Virgin Media failed properly to identify and record the status of telecare customers, resulting in significant gaps in the screening process. This meant that those affected did not receive the appropriate level of tailored support through the migration process.

2. Virgin Media’s approach to disconnecting telecare customers who did not engage in the migration process, despite being reasonably aware of the risks posed, put thousands of vulnerable customers at a direct risk of harm and prevented their devices from connecting to alarm monitoring centres while the disconnection was in place.

As a result of Virgin Media’s “serious failures“, Ofcom has fined the company £23,800,000, which will be passed on to HM Treasury (the provider has been given four weeks to pay). This figure includes a 30% discount as a result of Virgin Media’s admission of liability and its completion of the regulator’s settlement process.

In setting the penalty amount, Ofcom took into consideration that Virgin Media had self-reported the issue; the vulnerability of the customers affected; the significant duration of the contraventions; the seriousness of the breach; and the “significant degree of potential harm caused“.

Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, said:

“It’s unacceptable that vulnerable customers were put at direct risk of harm and left without appropriate support by Virgin Media, during what should have been a safe and straightforward upgrade to their landline services. Today’s fine makes clear to companies that, if they fail to protect their vulnerable customers, they can expect to face similar enforcement action.”

As stated earlier, Virgin Media has since taken significant steps to remedy the issues. Following a pause on migrations in December 2023, the provider updated its policies and procedures and introduced a number of further safeguards.

The remedies Virgin Media has put in place include:

➤ Conducting manual reviews of customer service records to further identify Telecare Customers and incorporating this into operational best practice for the remainder of Virgin Media’s digital phone switchover;

➤ Conducting an assurance campaign, contacting 42,991 identified Telecare Customers to support them in migration;

➤ Developing a new engagement plan for Telecare users, which includes keeping non-engaging Telecare users in a continuous loop of engagement rather than disconnecting them; and

➤ Working with local authorities to establish an “end of process” for Telecare customers who have not engaged by the time Virgin Media decommissions the analogue network.

➤ Signatory to the UK Government’s, Public Switched Telephone Network charter, (18 December 2023), including the PSTN non-voluntary migration checklist (18 November 2024).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers connected to UK ISP Youfibre (and possibly other ISPs) on one of the country’s largest alternative full fibre (FTTP) broadband networks, Netomnia (Substantial Group), are currently understood to be experiencing “intermittent connectivity or slower-than-usual performance” due to an ongoing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.

DDoS attacks work by attempting to overload target servers or end-user with masses of data requests from multiple internet connected devices (often malware hijacked computers / botnets etc.), which can cause the intended target to crash or suffer performance problems until the bad traffic stops or can be mitigated. On rare occasions, such attacks may also expose other weaknesses to exploit, such as happened with TalkTalk in 2015 (here).

Sadly, it’s not uncommon for UK broadband providers and networks to be hit by DDoS attacks, which happen all the time. But most of those can be mitigated and only very few are usually big enough to actually be noticed by customers. Sometimes such incidents may not even be an attack against the network operator, but rather somebody targeting a specific customer or upstream network provider for the ISP etc.

Most internet providers usually prefer not to speak about such things in public, often putting related incidents down to ambiguous network connectivity faults instead. But some are more open and honest than others. In this case, Youfibre’s CEO, Jeremy Chelot, has confirmed (X) that a DDoS is ongoing: “Please bear with us. We are under attack.”

Youfibre Service Statement

We are currently experiencing an unexpected issue affecting parts of our network, which may result in intermittent connectivity or slower-than-usual performance. Our network engineers are investigating the source of the disruption and are taking immediate steps to mitigate the impact and restore full service.

UPDATE 11:46am

Customers are reporting a return to normal service and the ISP has provided the following update: “We can confirm that the issues have been fully resolved. We appreciate your understanding and patience during this time.”

UPDATE 3:40pm

Clearly the attackers have adapted their methods or started a new assault (not uncommon with DDoS). We’ve seen customer reports of more problems, and YouFibre just issued the following update (X): “We are sorry to report that YouFibre has been subjected to a DDoS attack today (28.11.25). We are working very hard to resolve this. From a high level, a DDoS attack is a malicious attack that creates a flood of internet traffic affecting service performance. Please keep an eye out for updates in your inbox and on our network updates page here on X – @youfibre_status . We hope normal service will return quickly.”

UPDATE 29th Nov 2025 @ 7:30am

Youfibre has yet to issue a further service status update, but the provider does appear to have had some success in mitigating the attack. Separately, ISPreview has noted that Cogent reported a DDoS taking place yesterday afternoon against one of their customers in Equinix’s MA1 Manchester Data Centre, which could have impacted those with Cogent transit in MA1 (e.g. Youfibre).

We have also seen reports of several other – larger – ISPs being hit by a big DDoS yesterday (e.g. BT), although if so they were quick to mitigate it on the first pass (scale helps) and most customers won’t have noticed, while those that did only saw a fairly brief period of disruption.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile network operator Vodafone has revealed that they’ve started a new “Enhanced Power” initiative, which will work to boost resilience and extend power backup time at around 10,000 key mobile sites across Europe and Africa using a mix of AI and other technologies. This is also likely to benefit the UK, although specific country details aren’t yet available.

Mobile operators in the UK currently have a legal obligation to identify, prepare for and reduce the risk of anything that compromises the availability, performance or functionality of their networks. But such networks are highly complex and outages can still occur, with Ofcom previously warning that the consequences of these are “likely to become more severe as society becomes increasingly dependent on them to function.”

However, the issue of improving power backup for Radio Access Networks (RAN) is not an easy one to resolve, with a number of UK mobile operators being known to have balked at the potential costs of deploying national battery backup (here and here); costs that could potentially work their way into higher retail prices for consumers.

Despite this, Vodafone is moving forward with the introduction of a new network resilience programme – the Vodafone Enhanced Power initiative. The programme is designed to boost resilience for emergency and critical online services, public safety, as well as maintain connectivity of vital services for its mobile customers across Europe and Africa, in the event of a major outage.

The “primary objective” of the new initiative is to further enhance resilience at more than 10,000 critical mobile infrastructure sites that support emergency services (police, fire, ambulances etc.) across Europe. It is being rolled out throughout Vodafone’s European markets over the “next two years“, starting with Portugal.

Vodafone’s Enhanced Power Initiative

The initiative is based on both existing temporary backup systems and innovative software-based solutions using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict, control and conserve backup time as long as possible. Power supplies are designed to best handle an outage depending on its severity and size on local, regional, and national levels. All the solutions also aim to reduce current CO2 emission levels.

For smaller localised outages, which typically affects up to 10 mobile sites, Vodafone will continue to use portable solutions known as Cells on Wheels (COW). This will be complemented by Vodafone’s unique Instant Network Emergency Response, providing free Wi-Fi and phone charging stations during disaster relief efforts. Several Vodafone engineers form part of the Instant Network Emergency Response (INER) team. Since 2012, the INER programme has deployed to over 28 disasters worldwide and recently supported in Jamaica after the outbreak of Hurricane Melissa.

To tackle wider regional blackouts, affecting tens or more than a hundred mobile sites, Vodafone will draw on its arsenal of temporary and back up units, as well as deploy Adaptive Power Backup. This is a new AI-controlled intelligent technique to remotely extend the base station battery backup time, potentially doubling it in certain scenarios.

Vodafone has also drawn up a more comprehensive network resilience and power backup plan in the case of a national or cross-border blackout. In addition to reinforcing over 10,000 critical sites across Europe, Vodafone is initially prioritising the following network areas:

• Core mobile sites: Commonly known as the “brain” of a mobile network, it comprises of over 400 mobile data centres and large backbone sites located across EU countries. These facilities are equipped with battery backups and diesel generators, providing a minimum of 72 hours of backup power or guaranteed refuelling support within at least 48 hours.
• Aggregation mobile sites: Ensuring a minimum of four hours of backup power for key locations that serve as network junctions to route customer data efficiently. The four-hour battery specification for aggregation sites is a conservative estimate based on maximum site load.
• Critical Access Sites: Over 10,000 essential radio and backhaul access sites in Europe supporting mobile coverage for emergency services, command and control centres, hospitals, government offices, airports, and other major transport hubs, will be equipped with a minimum of four hours’ backup power. This is the first phase of a wider programme to equip many more sites with the latest generation of battery technology.

Vodafone is also looking to space to build resilience by connecting everyday smartphones and other cellular devices of emergency responders via satellite, even in the most dangerous and challenging environments.

The reason for kicking this off in Portugal has to do with the fact that the country suffered a significant power blackout back in April 2025, which hit essential services such as telecommunications, transportation, and banking and even extended to certain regions of Spain and France. At the peak of the power outage, about 60% of mobile users in Portugal lost connectivity or struggled to connect.

Vodafone has also launched an AI-driven Adaptive Power Backup service in Greece, and is trialling it in Turkey, before deploying to additional markets during 2026. The system uses AI to predict outages and optimise power consumption, which enables nearly twice the backup duration and ensures emergency services remain connected three times longer than the industry standard. It works by remotely and autonomously shutting down non-essential equipment or putting it into a low-energy state (cell sleep mode) whilst leaving open crucial channels for emergency services, voice calls and text messages.

The mobile operator noted how just mandating 4-hour backup at every telecom site belonging to all operators in the UK would require a one-time investment of between £2.2–4.4 billion (€2.6–5.2 billion), according to a study by the regulator Ofcom, with similar proportional costs predicted across Europe. Hence the focus on AI and alternative approaches, such as utilising idle capacity and generating revenue through energy trading via Virtual Power Plant (VPP) services.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The One Touch Switching Company, which is the industry-led company responsible for helping to deliver Ofcom’s solution for easier and quicker UK switching between home broadband and phone providers on different networks (One Touch Switching), has provided an update on their progress toward refining the OTS solution as it passes 2 million successful switches since launch.

The OTS system, which went live on 12th September 2024, remains a Gaining Provider Led (GPL) process, where the customer contacts their new (“gaining“) ISP to start and manage the process on their behalf. But despite a bit of a bumpy start and some ongoing issues, which we won’t recap today, this has now been widely adopted by the vast majority of ISPs; TOTSCo is now also working to make a similar switching system available to businesses in “early 2026” (here).

The latest update reveals that TOTSCo’s related messaging hub has now processed 2 million switches since its launch, running at a rate of roughly 1.8 million over every 12-months. Hub match rates (switch match success rates) are also trending upwards in the long term, with overall rates up around 10% since go-live, and a record daily figure of 69.7% last week (this is the observed rate – the customer experience will be better as some retries will be successful).

At the same time, the best observed match rate between two larger users (unamed major broadband ISPs) stands at 83%, which TOTSCo said shows “what can be achieved … these figures are an indication of how the ecosystem is maturing as more providers refine their processes and data“. Take note that Black Friday should be having an impact on the most recent stats via an uptick in switching.