Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release  

Telehouse Thailand, a renowned global provider of data center colocation services, has partnered with National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT) to deliver high-capacity international data transmission via submarine cable systems. This initiative serves to significantly enhance the country’s telecommunications backbone and support digital transformation across the public and private sectors.

The partnership sees NT’s international submarine cable network linking directly to the now fully operational Telehouse Bangkok facility, enabling Telehouse Thailand to offer domestic content providers and ISPs from neighboring countries seamless access to the Asia Direct Cable (ADC) and Asia America Gateway (AAG) systems.

The ADC network provides connectivity between China, Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, many of which host data centers for major cloud and content providers, while the AAG network extends connectivity from Asia to the United States, linking together major global economies from around the world.

NT’s domestic submarine cable system provides alternative routing via Thailand’s Gulf coast to NT’s international cable landing stations in Songkhla and Satun, ensuring reliable global reach across multiple regions.

Alongside benefits to private and public organizations, the partnership will serve to advance the Thai government’s vision of establishing the country as an ASEAN Digital Hub, enabling digital transformation of the Southeast Asian region and encouraging global investment.

Colonel Sanpachai Huvanandana, President, National Telecom Public Company Limited commented: “This collaboration expands Thailand’s business potential and telecommunications readiness in the AI era. With terabit-scale capacity and high-reliability network design, our international connectivity infrastructure addresses the critical requirements of global cloud and content providers when considering investment in Thai data center facilities.”

Ken Miyashita, Managing Director of Telehouse Thailand, added: “Leveraging NT’s submarine cable network, a core element of Thailand’s telecommunications infrastructure, enables our customers to efficiently handle the huge volumes of data traffic from Gen AI and cloud services, which are expected to significantly grow. As Bangkok’s leading carrier-neutral interconnection data center, Telehouse further strengthens this submarine connectivity and high service availability with the four diverse incoming fiber routes.

About National Telecom Public Company Limited (NT)

NT is Thailand’s leading integrated telecommunications and digital service provider, delivering end-to-end connectivity solutions domestically and internationally. Its network spans terrestrial fiber, more than seven international submarine cable systems, satellite communications, and wireless technologies.

About Telehouse

Telehouse, a subsidiary of KDDI Corporation, is a leading global data center provider, with 45 or more sites in 10+ countries and bringing together a range of business partners. With over three decades of expertise and partnerships with more than 1,000 network providers worldwide – including carriers, mobile and content providers, enterprises, and financial services companies. – Telehouse delivers highly reliable, interconnected, and carrier-neutral data center solutions.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network access provider Openreach has launched a new special offer, which will be available to UK broadband ISPs “nationwide” and gives a free connection on New to Network (NTN) orders for Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based lines. But this will only apply to related orders placed between 3rd October 2025 and 31st December 2025.

Openreach typically charges ISPs anything from £122.84 +vat (Standard Connection) to £297.84 (Advanced Connection) for new service provisions, although various discounts and retail pricing offers by broadband ISPs often reduce the impact of this.

However, it is important to caveat that New to Network (NTN) means a property (house, flat etc.) where there has been no Openreach products and services on the relevant line at any point in the last 90 consecutive days prior to the date of an FTTP order (excluding any premises on ‘New Sites’, like new build homes etc.).

Further details on the special offer can be found here and here. As usual, the decision about whether or not to pass related savings on will be up to each ISP, although many are already running free installation style offers.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative network operator and rural ISP Quickline, which is busy rolling out their new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England (3-Year Rollout Plan), has launched a new TV advert that will air throughout September 2025 on ITV.

The new campaign is said to come at a pivotal time. Over the next three years, Quickline’s rollout will extend gigabit-capable broadband to a further 360,000 premises across thousands of rural communities in the region. To date, the company has already invested more than £107m into rural areas and more will follow.

Kat Jeffery, Head of Marketing at Quickline, said: “Customers are at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. That’s why it felt only right for them to be the stars of our latest TV campaign. This advert is about celebrating their experiences and shining a light on the real difference connectivity makes to rural life.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Openreach (BT) has warned broadband and phone providers impacted by three of their pilot UK exchange closures – Deddington, Ballyclare and Kenton Road – that they only have c.90 days left to identify their risk cohorts (e.g. telecare customers) and migrate them. The network operator said they were growing “increasingly concerned” about the pressure on their resources from ISPs leaving it too late.

In case anybody has forgotten. Openreach currently operates around 5,600 UK exchanges, but only c. 1,000 of those are used to provide nationwide coverage of modern “fibre broadband” based services (FTTC, FTTP etc.) – the Openreach Handover Points (OHPs). However, the rollout of full fibre (FTTP), combined with the retirement of copper lines and legacy services (ADSL, WLR etc.), will make it economically unviable to support both the old and new exchanges.

The operator thus has a long-term plan for closing the other 4,600 exchanges – known as the Exchange Exit Programme, which starts with their initial pilot of 3 exchanges (see above) and then extends to an initial closure of 105 “priority exchanges” by 2030, with the rest gradually following through the early 2030s.

However, closing an exchange and migrating affected customers is a highly complex process, which typically takes around 4-7 years (depending upon the complexity of each exchange) – starting with a Stop Sell of old products and eventually ending with everything being switched off (Openreach and ISPs then remove their physical equipment over the remaining months).

The three pilot exchanges have already been in this process for a while, with Deddington (covers 1,200 premises) due to reach the final product switch-off on 28th November 2025, while the much larger Ballyclare (9,500 premises) and Kenton Road (9,500 premises) exchanges will reach this point just two days later (aka – Network Cease Date). There may be some exceptions to this date for Deddington.

What’s the problem?

As the deadline nears, Openreach have said they’re growing “increasingly concerned” that receiving orders for the full remaining volume over this reduced timescale may “challenge their available resources” (including engineering, civils etc), especially considering the volume of complex services still live at the pilot exchanges.

The operator is thus calling on communication problems to “urgently work to identify their risk cohorts asap” (Telecare, CNI/Complex, 2 stage FTTP provisions etc.) and share their plans for tackling them with Openreach before 12th September 2025. This is because related customers are expected to have longer than average lead times and orders must thus be placed by mid-September “at the latest” to allow enough time to tackle them before the final switch-off.

The situation is even more urgent for providers with Ethernet (EAD) circuits that still need to shift/cease, which really need to be tackled right now in other to avoid running into the final network cease. Similarly, any ISP that may be planning to use the bulk FTTP broadband ordering process must consider that it has a minimum 6-week lead time (i.e. these must already be underway or there could be issues).

The clear risk here is that some providers are in danger of leaving things so late that their customers could run the risk of being disconnected. “[Providers] who are non-responsive to these points and not actively sharing plans with Openreach should expect that they will see all remaining services being ceased from 1 December 2025, this will include any services with in-flight orders with a CCD that exceeds 30 November 2025“, said the operator. On top of this, providers that have signed up to the Openreach Exchange Exit commercial contract may have compensation withheld if they fail to migrate every line in their base prior to the final exit date.

At this point such issues aren’t too much of a cause for wider concern because Openreach’s pilot only impacts three relatively small exchanges. But the operator won’t want to see this situation repeated when it comes to expanding the process across hundreds and thousands of exchanges in the future, which would risk creating a nightmare scenario for their UK engineering etc. resources.

However, we should keep in mind that the purpose of any trial or pilot is to test and understand things like this, so the hope is that the learnings Openreach and ISPs take away from it will make future closures much less challenging. The first ones are always the hardest. But equally it might just be possible that it ends up taking the network operator a lot longer to shut their old exchanges down then they would have liked.

The alternative would risk a mass of unwanted customer disconnections, which nobody wants to see, especially as it could then turn it into more of a political issue.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The United Kingdom may not exactly be short on broadband ISPs at the moment, but today we welcome another one into the fold – Olilo. The new internet provider claims not to be targeting the mass market and has positioned itself more as a product for the “niche market … of geeks/nerds/homelabbers, sysadmins” etc.

The service has been in the private trial phase for the past few months, but recently began to open up for new customers, and their website certainly exudes that ‘coder’ vibe through its design. Prices start at £36 per month for speeds of 900Mbps and go up to £50 for their top 2.3Gbps plans (5Gbps is “coming soon“), supplied via both Openreach and CityFibre’s respective FTTP networks. But new connections do attract a one-off installation charge of £60 to £130, depending on network.

The good news is that Olilo doesn’t do CGNAT, but instead offers static IPv4 and IPv6 addresses by default (dual-stack) and seems to have a mix of 12-month and no contract options. On the flip side, you will need to bring your own router in order to use the service, as they don’t currently bundle their own options into the packages.

Liam Mulryan, Director of Olilo, said:

“We’re stripping out the contracts, hidden clauses and vague promises that plague traditional ISPs, and replacing them with straight-up transparency, technical freedom and speeds that actually match what’s on the tin.

We’re built for the geeks, the sysadmins, the home-lab tinkerers and anyone who hates being treated like they don’t know how the internet works. That means static IPs, no throttling, no traffic shaping, bring-your-own-router if you want, and real-time visibility of how our network is running – all on simple rolling terms so you can leave any time (where our partners allow flexibility with contracts we try and give everyone monthly rolling, and where we haven’t yet we are working with partners to try and get this done).”

Liam originally helped to found another internet provider, Yayzi, before moving away at the start of 2025 to setup his own independent ISP in the shape of Olilo with a new team and ideas etc. (company details). The provider currently appears to be running its own core network (after initially using Velox).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative network operator FullFibre Limited (Zzoomm), which has deployed their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines to cover 600,000 premises (RFS) and 80,000 customers across parts of 130+ market towns in England, has today announced that they’ve onboarded another ISP – Uptime Allies (The Cent.re Group) – to their UK network.

The Newcastle Upon Tyne based Uptime Allies is a relatively new ISP that was only founded in 2023. The company provides self-serve packages for broadband, email and website hosting, as well as leased lines, telephone and Voice over Internet (VoIP) services. The provider has also onboarded with several other broadband networks, such as Openreach (BT) and CityFibre.

Karl Mitchell, co-founder and operations director of Uptime Allies, said: “For many years, the broadband industry has been dominated by big players, but now AltNets like FullFibre are working on the ground to deliver a competitive and affordable service to business and residential customers alike.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Tesco Mobile, which is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on O2’s national platform, appears to be causing some confusion among their base by informing “all of our current Pay as you go (PAYG) customers” that they are in the process of being “migrated” to the provider’s new PAYG Essentials tariff.

Several of the operator’s customers have contacted ISPreview to complain about the migration, which seems to be making quite a few changes – not all of which may be viewed as positive. One of those customers (credits to Darren) was also kind enough to include a copy of the SMS (text message) they received this week:

SMS: “Pay as you go is changing. Your tariff will be replaced with our new Essentials tariff between 07 Oct and 02 Nov. To help you settle in, your first 30-day bundle is free. Based on your recent usage, we recommend the exclusive £2.50 bundle. You’ll get 100MB data + 100 mins & 100 texts. You can then set it to auto-renew from your top-up balance or use your balance for calls/texts/data at our standard rates.”

The new Essentials tariff appears to be replacing the operator’s original Rocket Packs, Triple Credit, and Lite plans, some of which have been used by Tesco Mobile’s customers for many years. At the same time, the operator has also introduced a new PAYG App, which is only available to customers AFTER they’ve been migrated (the old app has been renamed to the “Tesco Mobile Rocket Pack and Triple Credit app” – those still on the relevant plans should use that).

The New Essentials PAYG Tariff Options

Clearly, some of Tesco Mobile’s customers are also being offered an “exclusive” £2.50 bundle too, which doesn’t appear on the standard tariff list and is probably being offered to those who only made limited or infrequent use of their old plan (e.g. for emergencies) – most likely impacting older or more vulnerable users (many of these are still on the provider’s flat rate Lite plans – the original style of PAYG).

Otherwise, each bundle only lasts for 30-days (like the previous Rocket Packs, but different from the Lite plans) and, by default, it will then automatically renew at the end of that period. Customers with older 2G SIMS have also been told that they’ll need to swap to a 4G SIM “as soon as possible … [or we] won’t be able to move your mobile number” to the new plan (related customers will be contacted separately).

The new plans seem to be driving customers toward only managing their accounts via the new mobile App, although Tesco Mobile does state that: “alternatively, if you’ve bought a top-up voucher from one of our stores, you can call 4488 from your Tesco Mobile phone.”

Further details can be found on Tesco Mobile’s Pay as you go Changes (FAQ) page, which among other things notes that the new Essentials plan will no longer be able to store card details for auto or regular top-ups and has discarded the old “favourite numbers” feature. In addition, E top-up cards will no longer work and customers who don’t use their phone for a period of six months or more will be disconnected (not so good for those who only kept it for emergency contacts).

Clearly this will be more disruptive to some of Tesco Mobile’s customers than others, but the changes they’re making do reflect the wider industry tend toward moving away from the older PAYG models and adopting something that is closer to a basic Pay Monthly no-contract style plan. A not particularly popular trend, it has to be said.

One final point to make is that customers who get migrated should try to avoid buying a new bundle during their first 30 days on Essentials. Doing this will cause you to lose any of the remaining allowances in your free bundle. So, use those allowances up first.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Government’s (DSIT) Building Digital UK agency has today published their annual progress report on the £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme, which covers the April 2024 to March 2025 period and reveals that related interventions delivered 152,700 premises with gigabit-capable coverage during this period (total so far of 1.227m – including past schemes/years).

At present around 88% of UK premises can already access a gigabit-capable network (here) and Ofcom separately forecasts that this could hit c.97% by May 2027 (here). Most of this has been delivered by commercial deployments (predominantly focused on urban and semi-urban areas), but there are some areas in the final 10-20% of premises that are simply too expensive for commercial providers to tackle.

Project Gigabit itself was originally established in 2021 to help extend broadband ISP networks capable of delivering download speeds of at least 1000Mbps (1Gbps), and uploads of at least 200Mbps, to achieve “nationwide” coverage (c.99%) by 2030 2032 (here) – focusing on the commercially unviable areas (usually rural and semi-rural locations). The project has already committed most of its budget up to 2030, but there are still some contracts yet to be awarded and others that have failed or been scaled-back (here, here and here).

The latest update builds on BDUK’s recent July 2025 update, although that one was a partial progress update for the year, as it only included data for the April to December 2024 period. By comparison, this one represents the full year of progress and includes data up to the end of March 2025.

However, somewhat annoyingly, BDUK has decided to exclude the table showing contractual delivery by contract and supplier in this release, which was present in the prior update. But we understand that this is because they’re planning to “release contractual delivery information as management information on a monthly basis in a transparent and regular way” in the very near future. So we’ll keep an eye out for that as it’s the most important bit.

Summary of the latest BDUK data

Of the premises delivered by BDUK between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025: 

• 41% (62,760) were delivered under the Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy scheme (GIS, Gigabit contracts) 
• 37% (55,740) were delivered by vouchers (gigabit broadband voucher scheme)
• 22% (34,200) were delivered by Superfast (older SFBB contracts) and Hubs (Dark Fibre for public sector sites etc.)
• 89% (135,900) of premises delivered between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 were in rural areas.  
• 91% (139,000) of premises delivered between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 were classified as residential premises and 8% (12,000) were classified as commercial premises. 
• The highest delivery was in England (67%, 101,800 premises) followed by Scotland (23%, 34,700 premises), Wales (7%, 10,700 premises), and Northern Ireland (4%, 5,500 premises). 

The spreadsheets also include some additional data and a regional breakdown of the figures, some of which we’ve included below. One key thing to note below is that Project Gigabit itself has still only delivered a relatively small amount of gigabit coverage, with the earlier ‘Superfast Broadband Programme‘ (SFBB) still holding the lion’s share (largely because that has run for many years longer).

BDUK – Gigabit Premises Passed by Year, Country and Region

Finally, BDUK said they were also investigating their vouchers data quality. “We have identified that our primary approach to collecting vouchers data has diminished in quality, and may be resulting in a small underestimate of vouchers delivery for recent months“. But otherwise we’ll have to wait a bit longer before BDUK published a more useful update on the latest progress by each Project Gigabit contract.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today revealed that they’ve blocked more than 600 million scam text messages from reaching their customers phones so far in 2025 (more than double the number in 2023 and 2024 combined). But the operator warns that they’ve seen a “significant rise” in gambling, recruitment and car finance scam texts.

The telecoms provider has analysed messages reported and blocked throughout the month of August and identified that the “most commonly reported messages” right now are gambling or fake prize scams (i.e. where fraudsters offer free ‘credit’ on gambling sites, ‘prizes’ or ‘rewards’ with a link to an unsafe website).

The second most common tactic currently being used is the “Hi Mum / Hi Dad” scam, where criminals pretend to be a child reaching out to their parent in distress on a new phone number before asking them to transfer money (there’s also a disturbing AI version of this that works by cloning the voice of a known family member).

Third on the list is fake parking fines – where scammers threaten significant fines or for people’s ‘license to be revoked’ if they do not visit a suspicious website and make an immediate payment. Also on the rise are recruitment scams where fraudsters say they’re hiring for lucrative positions which don’t exist, and car finance scams in which victims are told they are entitled to compensation.

Murray Mackenzie, Director of Fraud Prevention at VMO2, said:

“Scammers aren’t sticking to old tricks; they’re evolving fast, tapping into trending news and targeting vulnerable people with fake prizes, job offers and financial compensation schemes.

we’re reminding people to remain vigilant; always be careful when you receive a call or text out of the blue, don’t share personal details with anyone, and report suspicious messages [and calls] for free to 7726.”

Customer with certain devices, including newer iPhones, can also use the “report junk” tool, which should appear at the bottom of messages from people not in their contacts.

TOP FIVE SCAM TRENDS – AUGUST 2025

1. Gambling / fake prize scams

EXAMPLES:

Your account is now loaded with GBP500 plus 150 FreeSpins Redeem and play today at: <website removed>

Congratulations! You’ve received a summer gift! Expires tomorrow. Open it <website removed>

2. Hi Mum/Hi Dad

EXAMPLES:

Hey mum save my new number

Hi Dad, did you get this?

3. Fake parking fines

EXAMPLE:

“Parking Charge Notice (PCN): The record shows that you have unpaid parking fines. The deadline for paying the parking fines is August 26, 2025. If you fail to pay the fine on time, you may be subject to additional fines and interest, and your credit record may also be affected. After reading this information, please enter your vehicle registration number in the link below (the information query is free) to view and pay the parking fines. <fake website removed>

Please complete the payment immediately to avoid having your license revoked and to prevent triggering more legal disputes. Thank you again for your cooperation.

4. Recruitment scams

EXAMPLE:

Hello, my name is Grace Mitchell, and I am the Human Resources Manager at Serviceplan Group.

We have reviewed your profile on several online recruitment platforms. Currently, we are offering a flexible part-time position that you can complete during your spare time.

The main task involves optimising software to improve its ranking, increase its visibility, and make the products we optimise more well-known and recognised.

This is a very simple task that can be learned in 10 to 30 minutes, and we provide free training to help you get started quickly.

The daily income ranges from £80 to £300, with payment made immediately upon completion of the data optimisation.

If you would like to join us, please contact us via <Whatsapp link> (Reply 1 and re-open this message to click the link, or copy it to your browser) (Please note that applicants must be at least 25 years old to be eligible for this position.)

5. Car Finance mis-sold

EXAMPLE:

Our records indicate you could be owed up to £2,382.58 in mis-sold car finance. Check for free: <FREE SITE> EXIT=88440

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Telecom operator Telia Lietuva, in cooperation with ALGO Poland, has completed the construction and launched the first ZeroSite® base station in the Užkanavė district of Palanga. Named “Meldas” (Lithuanian for bulrush), the project is a prime example of how modern telecom infrastructure can combine functionality with harmony in the landscape.

The new station delivers more stable and faster 5G connectivity for both residents and visitors and is ready to host equipment for all three mobile operators active in the Lithuanian market. In the future, its resources can be shared, ensuring more efficient use of infrastructure.

Technology in harmony with nature

“Meldas” is an intelligent, multifunctional ZeroSite® telecom pole standing 15 meters tall (8 m pole + 7 m head). The on-site installation took just two days and included both pole assembly and the full configuration of active equipment.

The structure was designed to minimise environmental impact:

• no large concrete structures or heavy fencing,
• a compact form that blends into its surroundings,
• ability to be dismantled and relocated in the future.

Partner statements

Sigita Šeputienė, Head of Real Estate Development at Telia Lietuva:

“We understand how important reliable connectivity is for the residents and visitors of Palanga. At the same time, we want to preserve what makes this place special – its unique natural beauty. ‘Meldas’ shows that modern infrastructure can coexist with nature.”

Šarūnas Vaitkus, Mayor of Palanga:

“Palanga attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, which places a significant load on the network. This investment ensures stable internet access, convenience for daily life, and the continued growth of our resort.”

Adam Gołąbek, COO ALGO Poland

“ZeroSite® is a blend of aesthetics, cutting-edge technology, and rapid deployment. We are proud to deliver a solution for Telia Lietuva that perfectly fits such a prestigious location.”

Palanga – a prestigious and historic resort

Palanga is one of the most important seaside resorts on the Baltic coast, visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. It is known not only for its sandy beaches and unique microclimate but also for its rich history dating back to the 19th century, when it became a fashionable holiday destination.
Today, Palanga combines the amenities of a modern tourist hub with cultural heritage landmarks such as the Tyszkiewicz Palace, the Botanical Park, and the iconic pier stretching into the Baltic Sea.

Next steps

Similar solutions are planned in Monciškės and Vilnius (Kalnų Park), where a new ZeroSite® station will enhance network performance during large public events.

Technical specifications – ZeroSite® “Meldas”

• Height: 15 m (8 m pole + 7 m head)
• Support for up to 3 operators
• Prepared to host: 3 sector antennas and 9 5G panel antennas
• Installation time: 2 days
• Optional features: environmental sensors, cameras, Wi-Fi, EV charging stations
• Compliant with Palanga City’s architectural and urban planning requirements

Contact: apg@algo.com.pl

Also in the news:

Djibouti Telecom DAREs to expand subsea cable connectivity in East Africa

Vodafone partners with Simetric for ‘Single-Pane-of-Glass’ IoT platform

Netomnia secures £300m for network expansion