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Rural UK ISP Quickline, which is busy deploying a new gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) and fixed wireless (FWA) network across parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (3-Year Rollout Plan), has revealed that they’ve so far built to 40,000 premises out of the total 121,210 premises contracted across its publicly subsidised Project Gigabit contracts.

Just to recap. The provider holds four contracts under the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit scheme, worth a total of c.£300m in public subsidy. In terms of current progress, they’ve so far completed 7,150 premises passed for South Yorkshire (54% of contract), 6,660 premises passed in North Yorkshire (20% of contract) – ahead of target, 13,610 premises passed in West Yorkshire (52% of contract) and 13,270 premises passed for the East Riding of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire (28% of contract).

Quickline currently aims to extend gigabit-capable broadband to a further 360,000 UK premises across thousands of rural communities (roughly 170k via publicly funded projects and almost 200k from commercial builds). The provider recently reported that they ended 2025 with 200,000 premises passed via full fibre (plus 200k more via wireless).

Customers of the service currently pay from just £24.99 per month on a 24-month minimum term for symmetric speeds of 200Mbps, which rises to £32.99 for 1000Mbps (1Gbps). New subscribers can also benefit from up to £300 of switching credit, which helps to cover early termination chargers if you choose to leave your old provider while still within contract.

Dan Hague, Project Gigabit Delivery Director at Quickline, said:

“Delivering more than 36,000 Project Gigabit connections during 2025 – and passing 40,000 early in 2026 – is a huge achievement for our teams and a clear demonstration of the pace, capability and commitment we bring to these contracts.

Each programme brings its own challenges, but across all four we’re seeing strong momentum, milestone delivery and, most importantly, real impact for rural communities that have waited far too long for reliable broadband.

We’re proud of what’s been achieved so far and are firmly focused on maintaining this pace as we continue to deliver through 2026.”

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Alternative network operator Netomnia (Substantial Group), which has deployed their own full fibre broadband (FTTP) network to cover 3 million UK premises RFS (inc. 445,000 customers), have today confirmed that they’ve been acquired by the owners of Virgin Media (O2) and nexfibre (i.e. InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica) for £2bn. But rival bidder CityFibre may yet raise a competition complaint.

At present Virgin Media (O2), which is controlled by Telefónica UK and Liberty Global as part of a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV), operates a gigabit-capable fixed line broadband network that covers over 16 million UK premises (mostly in urban areas). The network itself reflects a mix of hybrid fibre coax (HFC) and full fibre (FTTP) connections, although they’re aiming to upgrade all of that to full fibre (costing c.£100 per premises).

In addition, Telefónica UK, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital also jointly own the semi-separate nexfibre business, which has rolled out an open access (wholesale) full fibre network to 2.5 million premises in areas NOT currently served by Virgin Media’s own network. But at the time of writing, the only two retail ISPs selling services via nexfibre all share some of the same parentage (Virgin Media and giffgaff).

As previously reported on these pages, VMO2’s parent – Liberty Global – and CityFibre have spent the past few months battling over a major network consolidation deal to acquire Netomnia / Substantial Group (here and here), which could have a notable impact upon the competitive landscape. The big news today is that InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica have won the competition.

Netomnia is expected to have more than 3.4 million FTTP premises and over 500,000 customers by deal completion. The acquisition will be made through the parties’ joint venture company, nexfibre, and will unlock £3.5 billion of investment in the UK market (this figure reflects the projected nexfibre capex spend between 2026-2040 as a result of the transaction).

Joint statement – Vincent Levita, Founder & CEO of InfraVia Capital Partners, Mike Fries, Chairman & CEO of Liberty Global, and Marc Murtra, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica, said:

“By bringing our strengths together, we are creating a scaled and financially secure wholesale fibre challenger to BT Openreach – one that will enhance competition, strengthen the UK’s digital infrastructure and deliver greater choice and quality for consumers and businesses.

This transaction unlocks £3.5 billion in international investment and reflects our shared confidence in the UK as a highly attractive market for long‑term investment, supported by the government’s economic policies. We are committed to accelerating full‑fibre coverage and helping ensure the UK remains competitive and ready for the future.”

Jeremy Chelot, Group CEO of Substantial Group, said:

“This landmark transaction with nexfibre represents the natural evolution of the UK’s fibre market. Consolidation has been inevitable, and this deal creates the scaled, sustainable platform needed to drive genuine wholesale competition. Importantly, our retail brand, YouFibre, will remain post-close, ensuring our customers continue to receive the same trusted service they know today, while benefiting from the financial strength and infrastructure scale this combination delivers. This is about building a stronger future for UK fibre.”

As part of the deal, nexfibre will sell Substantial Group’s retail ISP businesses, including the YouFibre and Brsk brands, to VMO2 for £150m “ensuring customers continue to receive the same trusted service they know today“. In addition, nexfibre said they will finance the FTTP upgrade of the 2.1m VMO2 Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) homes (i.e. those that are adjacent to the Netomnia footprint) with VMO2 paying wholesale fibre access fees on its customers in those homes as the fibre becomes available (with the “majority expected to be ready by the end of 2027“).

In exchange for the wholesale traffic commitment on the 4.6 million premises, VMO2 stands to receive 1) c.£1.1bn in cash, and 2) an indirect 15% stake in nexfibre. The vast majority of the proceeds will be available for deleveraging and the £150m to finance the purchase of Substantial Group’s 500,000 customer base. VMO2 will also provide a full suite of managed services to nexfibre – including construction – in return for ongoing management and construction fees.

On the surface, such a deal would appear to be of debateable merit. Netomnia’s fibre has already overbuilt a good chunk of Virgin Media’s existing network, although there’s only a smaller overlap with nexfibre’s FTTP. VMO2/nexfibre would thus gain some additional FTTP coverage through the deal and a nice boost in customer numbers, but whether that’s enough to justify the price tag is another question. The faster upgrade path in HFC areas is a benefit too, but it’s not like VMO2 were spending much on those in the first place.

However, the buyers also gain by removing a rapidly rising competitive player in the alternative network space, which at the same time prevents the market’s largest altnet – CityFibre – from securing its own merger with the Netomnia and thus growing the scale it needs to properly compete; this alone could be seen as a win for VMO2, albeit a potentially expensive one.

On the flip side, a sizeable portion of Netomnia’s customer base will have chosen them for their faster speeds, lower pricing and to escape from legacy incumbents like Virgin Media O2 and their cycle of inflation busting mid-contract price hikes. Suffice to say that most of the feedback we’ve seen from earlier reports suggests that many subscribers will be deeply unhappy with VMO2 gaining control.

On this point it’s positive that the YouFibre brand and its current services are to be maintained (seemingly adopting a similar approach to giffgaff), although over time we can’t help but wonder how their service and prices may change (i.e. will VMO2 be able to resist importing their old habits to the same base). A question mark also remains over the impact upon Netomnia’s pool of third-party ISPs at wholesale (e.g. Aquiss).

For consumers, a deal between Netomnia and CityFibre is likely to have been much more palatable, which is due to the limited level of network overbuild and their shared position as lower cost broadband disruptors; this would have made for a more competitive market. But in the end, CityFibre simply struggled to deliver the most attractive offer.

The big question now is over how the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) may view the deal, although we suspect they’d be unlikely to view VMO2 and nexfibre as being completely separate. The CMA is thus likely to consider the wider competitive ramifications of such a major operator buying into control of the altnet space like this, and our sources suggest that CityFibre are prepared to raise a competition complaint.

However, given the CMA’s recent flexibility toward big telecoms mergers (e.g. Three UK and Vodafone), it’s reasonable to expect that they may still allow the deal to go through – possibly with some concessions. Quite what form those concessions, if they do indeed materialise, may take is as yet unclear. But we wouldn’t be surprised if it included stricter wholesale requirements for Virgin Media’s consumer focused broadband network, which is something the operator has already been trying to develop (here).

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected by Q3 2026. But after that will come the long, costly and complex process of network integration work.

UPDATE 2:13pm

CityFibre’s boss has responded to the deal.

Simon Holden, CEO of CityFibre, said:

“There’s an 80 percent overlap between these two players and, if the deal goes ahead, it would significantly reduce competition and the choice available to consumers, as well as force hundreds of thousands of Netomnia customers back to VMO2. Given the scale of this overlap, the CMA must thoroughly examine the deal.

Competition has driven lower prices, faster speeds and better services and this deal risks re-establishing an ineffective duopoly of BT and VMO2 and undermining the significant progress the UK has made.”

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The remote Ascension Island, which is a British Overseas Territory that sits in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean and is home to almost 900 people (many of them visitors and rotating military personnel), appears to be going through a dramatic shake-up of local broadband and mobile connectivity; some of which may risk the island being temporarily cut off.

In short, Sure South Atlantic, the incumbent telecoms provider for the volcanic island, is pulling out on 28th February 2026 (here). The company first made the announcement in August 2025, when it said they would “no longer provide telecommunications services on Ascension Island … unless a new, sustainable agreement can be reached with the Ascension Island Government (AIG).”

Sure explained that the “difficult decision” had come as a result of ongoing economic challenges, which they explained had been “significantly exacerbated” by the introduction and licensing of a second public telecommunications provider by AIG. Sure added that they had “consistently expressed concerns that the island’s small market cannot viably support multiple operators … Despite government subsidies, the current commercial model is unsustainable.”

Part of the issue may stem from the fact that the AIG has allowed people to use Starlink’s rival LEO satellite solution for faster and more affordable broadband connectivity, which much like on other remote overseas territories (e.g. the Falklands) has had a tendency to shake up the local market – previously dominated by a single supplier (Sure). But while Sure maintains a strategic presence on the Falklands, it’s opted to pull out completely from Ascension.

However, this does leave a much more complex challenge when it comes to local mobile connectivity, which in December 2025 saw the AIG respond by announcing a partnership with Australian company Omnitouch as the incoming telecommunications service provider for Ascension Island (here) – an unusual choice, perhaps, given how this is an overseas territory with RAF and US Space Force presence. “This partnership should ensure the ongoing availability of reliable telecommunications for the community from 1st March 2026,” said the announcement.

AIG Statement

Omnitouch Network Services designs, builds, and operates cellular networks in geographically remote and challenging parts of the world. They have provided telecom services in various regions and for other operators, including Australia, Alaska, Norfolk Island, the Pacific and Indian Ocean Islands, and Central America.

Omnitouch will collaborate with AIG and key stakeholders to plan and deliver the transition. Work is already underway to design, install, and test the new systems, including a mobile network provision with 4G mobile. Package details, eSIM, and SIM cards will be released in the new year. While every effort will be made to ensure a smooth transition, residents and businesses should note that there may be some risk of temporary disruption and/or teething problems as we work at pace to put in place the new arrangements.

The December 2025 announcement was followed by an update on 23rd January 2026, which confirmed that the new telecommunications service for Ascension Island will operate under the name Ascension Island Mobile (AI Mobile or AIM), which is currently still just a holding page where locals can register their interest.

“Ascension Island Mobile will operate a newly built network, separate from Sure’s existing infrastructure. As a result, the way some services are delivered may differ from current arrangements, and not all services will transition on a direct like-for-like basis. AIG is working to minimise disruption wherever possible and will provide further information as arrangements are confirmed,” said the announcement.

So with only 10 days to go until Sure’s exit, the new mobile network still isn’t operational and the AIG can’t guarantee that some people won’t be left disconnected for a period after 28th February 2026. The most recent island council meeting also highlighted other issues of concern, such as with the fact that they don’t yet have any Ofcom-issued UK number ranges and no ITU registration under MCC 658. Securing international roaming agreements without these will be difficult, especially for visitors and rotating military personnel who won’t be able to roam onto the network, while islanders wouldn’t be able to roam off the network either; a significant concern.

The AIG claimed that multiple companies reportedly bid, but the tender doesn’t appear to have been publicly advertised, which has also created some issues over transparency of the process. Suffice to say that an island of some military significance appears to be placing quite a lot of eggs in one very uncertain and rushed basket, which is facing the risk of imminent disruption to vital communication services and means locals may need separate SIMs, new phone/mobile numbers etc.

On the flip time, the benefits of cheaper, faster broadband and hopefully also an improved mobile service (assuming they can get it working properly) should ultimately benefit the tiny island community. But it appears as if there may be some pain to come first.

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Alternative UK broadband operator FullFibre Limited, which back in March 2025 completed its merger with Zzoomm (here), has today confirmed that the pair have now also completed their brand integration. Much as we leaked in June 2025 (here), this means that Zzoomm will now become the single retail ISP brand for the service (BeFibre customers will shortly be moved).

The combined gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network currently reaches 600,000 UK premises (ready for service) and “over” 90,000 customers (up from 80k in July 2025) across England – serving parts of approximately 110 market towns, which makes it one of the country’s largest altnets. This reflects both their open access wholesale fibre network alongside their in-house retail ISP(s).

At the same time, Zzoomm has also unveiled a mild “brand refresh“, which has been shaped around customer needs for fast, reliable, and great-value broadband for homes and businesses. The Zzoomm brand is said to be underpinned by several core values: Trusted Performance, Standout Service and Real Value.

The successful integration is said to mark a major post-merger milestone, “delivering an integration programme on time, on budget and fully to plan, which unifies operational, commercial and technology systems“.

James Warner, CEO of FullFibre, said:

“Completing this integration over the last nine months, on time and on budget, is a huge achievement and a real credit to all involved. We now fully operate as one business, on one platform, with a single retail brand in Zzoomm. Having completed a second merger in as many years, we continue to materially extend our capabilities, and are well placed to continue our growth story and further pursue future strategic opportunities.”

New customers of the service can expect to pay from £24 per month on a 24-month term (shorter 12-month and 30 day options are also available, at extra cost) for symmetric speeds of 200Mbps, which rises to £49 per month for 2,300Mbps. A mix of e-Gift cards – valued at between £50 and £75 – are currently also being offered alongside some other discounts.

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The latest Q4 2025 results from Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) have just been published and reveal that their gigabit broadband network increased its UK coverage by 115,100 premises in the quarter (down from 139k in Q3), while related customers fell to total 5,687,600 (down by -16.7k in Q4 vs +60.8k in Q3). But their mobile base grew and 5G outdoor population coverage hit 87%.

The results confirm that Virgin Media and nexfibre’s combined UK broadband network now reaches a total of 18,790,200 Homes Serviceable (up from 18,675,100 in Q3). As before, the vast majority of the new quarterly network build is from nexfibre’s full fibre lines (accounts for over 2.5m premises of the total coverage), although the recent impact of Telefonica’s strategic review has disrupted their plans (here and here).

The results reveal that a total of 8.3 million Virgin Media and nexfibre premises (footprint) are now covered by FTTP lines (XGS-PON and RFOG), which is up from nearly 8m in Q3. This figure also factors in Virgin Media’s ongoing upgrade of existing Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) areas to FTTP (i.e. they’re aiming to convert all of Virgin’s existing HFC and RFOG lines to XGS-PON by 2028).

Finally, a tiny portion of the quarterly nexfibre build figures (shown below) may also include infill deployments from Virgin Media itself, which usually takes place on sites for existing property developments (i.e. the legacy of long contracts with housing developers for new build homes). But otherwise, the Q4 deployment has clearly slowed. We expect another sharp fall in nexfibre builds come Q1 2026, since no major new roll-out beyond the current coverage plan has been confirmed, yet.

Just for context. Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners originally established the £4.5bn nexfibre joint venture in 2022 (here), which originally aimed to deploy an open access full fibre (FTTP) network to reach “up to” 7 million UK homes (starting with 5m by 2026) in areas NOT served by Virgin Media’s own network of 16m+ premises.

Nexfibre Rollout Progress
Q4 2025 = 115,100 Premises
Q3 2025 = 139,300 Premises
Q2 2025 = 114,900 Premises
Q1 2025 = 165,000 Premises
Q4 2024 = 485,500 Premises
Q3 2024 = 281,100 Premises
Q2 2024 = 295,300 Premises
Q1 2024 = 194,000 Premises
Q4 2023 = c.299,000 Premises
Q3 2023 = 250,800 Premises
Q2 2023 = 175,500 Premises
Q1 2023 = 107,800 Premises
Q4 2022 = 24,000 Premises

Elsewhere, Virgin Media has long stopped giving any solid figures for their Pay TV (video) base, which often happens when a base is in decline. But their mobile base has grown, albeit primarily due to their wholesale base (i.e. MVNOs like Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile, giffgaff etc.). On the flip side, O2’s contracted mobile base suffered a net reduction of 164,800 in Q4 “primarily due to [the] October price rise announcement“.

VMO2 Q4 2025 UK Customer (Connection) Figures
5,687,600 Fixed Broadband – (down from 5,704,300 in Q3)
46,739,900 Mobile inc. Wholesale – (up from 46,584,600)

On the financial front, VMO2 reported total revenue of £2,556.9m in Q4 2025, which is up slightly from £2,549.3m last quarter. The operator added that it had invested more than £2 billion into its network and services during 2025.

Lutz Schüler, CEO of VMO2, said:

“Against a tough market backdrop we met our full year guidance, with revenue and profitability growth and improved fixed trading momentum throughout the second half of the year.

Our core strategy of targeted investment, amounting to more than £2 billion across the year, and a focus on fixing fundamentals for customers has delivered real results. Our customer service transformation saw a consistent reduction in complaints levels; we are well on our way to being the clear scaled fibre challenger to Openreach; we maintain a leading mobile wholesale market position; and we have the UK’s largest 5G Standalone network, with O2 recently named as the most improved network in Europe.

While we expect challenging market conditions to continue in 2026, we are well positioned to seize the right opportunities in each of our business areas – consumer, B2B and wholesale – and the foundations we’re putting in place today will help to build long-term customer trust and fuel future profitability and cash generation.”

Despite the challenges, VMO2 remain one to watch during 2026. For example, the imminent launch of O2 Satellite is the first of a new breed of mobile connectivity products, which could shake up how we think about network coverage. O2 has also expanded their spectrum holdings over the past year, not least by acquiring some from Vodafone, as well as 800MHz of 26GHz spectrum and 1000MHz of 40GHz spectrum through Ofcom’s recent auctions. All of that could serve to give their mobile network and services a much-needed boost, both in busy urban areas and the remotest of rural locations.

Lest we also forget all that recent talk about VMO2 and nexfibre’s parents moving to potentially acquire Netomnia’s alternative broadband network (here), which would be one way to mildly boost the coverage of their national full fibre network and to disrupt rivals from being able to build a truly scale-competitor. But CityFibre are still trying to come up with an attractive counter-offer, and it’s plausible that the competition regulator may raise concerns over any deal with VMO2’s parents.

The other question mark now is over what will happen to those Virgin Media engineers who had previously been focused on building out nexfibre’s network. In theory, VMO2 could re-task them toward the XGS-PON upgrade programme or perhaps find a way to continue the nexfibre build, although there may also be some redundancies if they don’t. Time will tell.

The next thing to watch will be the effectiveness of nexfibre and VMO2’s wholesale drive on consumer fixed line services. The operators really need to be able to make a wholesale product that’s competitive and can thus attract third-party ISPs that aren’t merely extensions of their own group of companies, which has yet to happen. But any deal with Netomnia may also change matters, since they’d be inheriting a small wholesale base of ISPs.

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The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today approved a request by the parent of mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) to vary its spectrum licence to allow for the launch of their imminent O2 Satellite service, which will harness Starlink’s satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to connect with standard smartphones in the UK.

Just to recap. A good number of Starlink’s satellites support Direct to Cell (DtC) technology, which enables them to deliver “robust” global coverage of their new 4G mobile roaming service and supply it directly to unmodified Smartphones on the ground. This service is currently less about performance (currently capacity constrained) and more about ensuring customers can stay connected, for basic tasks, even in remote areas of weak terrestrial mobile signal.

However, in order to work, DtC requires Starlink to do deals with a local mobile operator, which is where O2 comes in as the new service will use a portion of O2’s licensed mobile spectrum. Ofcom officially approved mobile and satellite operators to harness their airwaves (mobile spectrum bands) to support similar Direct to Device (D2D) services during December 2025 (here) and today’s announcement represents the “first licence variation of its kind to be approved” by the regulator.

The new O2 Satellite service will initially deliver basic messaging and data (broadband) services to 4G mobile “not spots” across the UK, with further improvements and applications to follow in the future across a range of handsets. App support will grow over time, with a focus on targeting support for the most asked-for applications at launch, primarily messaging, maps and location services.

Ofcom Statement

This is the first licence variation of its kind to be approved by Ofcom. We have also made the final regulations to support the rollout of new services powered by ‘direct to device’ (D2D) technology.

D2D services involve satellites in space beaming down signals to smartphones on earth, enabling people to stay connected in coverage ‘not-spots’ – including in hard-to-reach rural areas and mountainous regions.

Having received and approved the first licence variation request from VMO2 under the new authorisation framework, we have now inserted the frequencies on which the company is allowed to provide D2D services and formally made the regulations that allow existing handsets to use the service.

These regulations are intended to come into effect on 25 February 2026.

At present, we still don’t know how much O2 will charge for their new satellite calling and data service (or add-on), although it’s initially expected to launch with limited landmass coverage of the UK (rising to more than 95% within 12 months of launch). The coverage is set to increase even further when Starlink’s next-generation DtC satellites are deployed, alongside further enhancements in performance, application use and an expansion of use cases. Officially the service is still planned to go live during “early 2026“.

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New customers looking to switch to broadband, phone and TV provider Virgin Media (O2) may like to know that they’ve just introduced “Bill Credits” (i.e. Switching Credits or Contract Buyout), which will be available until 1st April 2026 and are said to be worth up to £250 on their top packages.

Despite the slightly generic and thus perhaps confusing name of “Bill Credits“, Virgin Media are really introducing switching credits, which are intended to help customers who switch to their service to cover some or most of the Early Termination Charges (ETC) that may have been levelled against them by their old ISP (this usually occurs if you attempt to exit your old contract early).

New customers who want to take advantage of this must raise a claim within 60 days of activating their service. A final bill from their old provider must also be presented, which needs to clearly show the disconnection fee that has been charged by their previous provider (the bill must not to be older than 30 days from the date the customer ordered their Virgin Media service). Any early termination fees must have also been paid in full to the losing provider. Virgin Media’s bill credits are capped at the value of their early termination fees, up to £250 (whichever is lower).

Student broadband contracts, 30-day rolling contracts and Essential (social tariff) broadband customers are not eligible for these credits.

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The recently launched virtual mobile operator (mvno) for the Channel Islands, Coop Mobile, has complained to the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) that rival operator JT has been disrupting the ability of consumers to switch to Coop’s service by preventing them from being able to keep their existing mobile number as part of the process.

Just to recap. Coop Mobile came about after the States of Guernsey last year voted to temporarily suspend local competition law in order to allow the merger between Sure and Airtel Vodafone to proceed (here and here), which set in motion a £48m deal to build a new “world-class” 5G mobile broadband network across the islands. The establishment of Coop Mobile (Channel Island Co-Op) formed a required part of that agreement.

However, the BBC News reports that both Sure and Coop Mobile have complained that customers who want to switch to their mobile service from JT (Jersey Telecom) are struggling to do so, primarily because the latter is currently unable to ensure that customers can keep their existing mobile number during the porting (switching) process.

In response, the CEO of Coop Mobile, Mark Cox, said the operator is “actively challenging this with the regulator and will continue to push hard to have number transfers made available as soon as possible“. On the flip side, JT confirmed they were working on the “complex” problem as part of a “significant network upgrade programme“, although they have yet to determine when they’ll be in a position to support number porting.

The JCRA views number porting as an “important feature of a competitive telecoms market” and is working with all sides to “ensure that the mobile market continues to operate in a way that promotes fair competition and protects consumer choice,” although they don’t currently seem to know when number porting will be fully supported either.

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The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised a comical TV advert for Virgin Media’s (O2) UK broadband service, which featured a Walrus driving a speedboat, after rival ISP BT complained that the promotion included a claim that could not be verified of the provider being “Awarded Best Broadband Experience”. But one other BT complaint was rejected.

The ASA noted that the advert, which was shown all the way back on 29th September 2024 and is one of Virgin Media’s more entertaining promotions, had, for the duration the award was referenced, superimposed text that stated, “GWS network award comparing UK providers’ average performance scores (including speed & reliability). To verify, see virginmedia.com/legalawards. User speed depends on package choice”.

The link for that went to another page and link, highlighting a Global Wireless Solutions (GWS) report from 2024, which contained information on the nine measures used to determine the award. In addition, the document explained that the nine elements were weighted depending on the importance to consumers, as determined by a poll done by GWS. But the ASA correctly pointed out that GWS had failed to explain what those weightings actually were.

For its part, Virgin Media argued the ad was not misleading because it was claimed to have “accurately described” an independently adjudicated award they had won. They said that the GWS award for Best Broadband Experience came from tests comparing major providers’ performance over a six-month period.

The tests were said to have used actual end user experience to the consumer’s device (not just up to the router), so both the fixed line performance and the internet service provider’s (ISP) wireless router performance were considered in the results. The results came from 5,000 UK consumers in their homes who were tested at random times over the period.

ASA Ruling Ref: A24-1267830 Virgin Media Ltd

However, while Virgin Media had provided further detail to the ASA, at no point in the document did it explain what the weightings were and we considered that was fundamental to understanding what the award had been given for. Because the ad did not include, or direct consumers to, sufficient information to allow them to understand the comparison, we concluded that the claim “Awarded Best Broadband Experience” in the ad was not verifiable and therefore breached the Code.

On that point, the ad breached BCAP Code rule 3.35 (Comparisons with identifiable competitors).

In addition, BT also questioned whether the same award statement was “misleading and could be substantiated“, although the ASA did NOT uphold that complaint as they ruled that the ad had made clear that the award was based on speed and reliability measures, which they understood accurately reflected the award criteria. The study also “did not imply Virgin Media’s technology would surpass their competitors’ technologies on all criteria … the ad did not mislead for the reasons raised by BT“.

The ASA ended up merely telling Virgin Media to ensure that they provided sufficient information to enable consumers to verify comparisons with identifiable competitors, or signposted consumers to such information.

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Rochdale-based UK ISP Zen Internet appears to have recently discounted the monthly prices of their CityFibre based full fibre (FTTP) home broadband packages by between £2 to £3. For example, the provider’s top 2.3Gbps (symmetric speed) plan has fallen from £57 to £54 per month. But Zen’s Openreach based packages remain unchanged.

The other discounts, as spotted by one of our readers (John), include their 155Mbps package falling from £30 to £28 per month, while 500Mbps is now £34 per month and 910Mbps has dropped to £39. All packages are on an 18-month minimum term, including a FRITZ!Box 7530 AX WiFi 6 wireless router (except on 2.3Gbps where it’s an Amazon eero Pro 6E by default), Static IP address and “free” setup.

The aforementioned pricing is currently targeted at new customers, although as it appears to be a change in standard pricing then it’s possible that existing customers who choose to re-contract may also be able to benefit (not yet confirmed, but we’re checking). Zen also pledges to guarantee “no in-contract price increases“.