Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK’s largest alternative full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network, CityFibre, has today published their latest results and revealed that they now cover 4.6 million premises and have seen record growth in customer connections, with 108,000 customers connected in Q3 2025 (up from 58k in Q2) to total 730,000.

CityFibre has long aspired to reach up to 8 million UK premises – representing c.30% of the UK, but their original target of hitting that by the end of 2025 will be missed. Instead, they’ve more recently been looking to boost coverage via greater consolidation of rival networks (here and here) and coverage expansion under c.£860m worth of Project Gigabit contracts (state aid), while also having to deal with some of the same pressures as many other networks (e.g. high interest rates, rising build costs and competition).

Despite those challenges, the operator recently secured a crucial UK funding agreement worth £2.3bn (here) and also saw major ISP Sky Broadband begin to offer services over their network to consumers at speeds of up to 5Gbps (here). The latter seems likely to be what has helped to give CityFibre a record quarter in customer growth.

The operator has today also reported that their Q3 2025 revenue was £43m, (Q3 2024: £34m), with an annualised run rate of £172m, up 26% year-on-year. Adjusted EBITDA was £7.6m in Q3 2025, (Q3 2024: £1.4m) up more than five times year-on-year, and now at an annualised run rate of £30m.

Simon Holden, CEO of CityFibre, said:

“Our rate of customer growth has real momentum, with our ISP partners making the most of CityFibre’s market-leading services and growing across our full fibre network.

We are proving the strength of CityFibre’s wholesale business model as we reach an inflection point, with our recent financing providing the firepower to significantly expand our reach through acquisitions and bring world-class digital infrastructure to people, businesses and communities across the UK.”

As well as posting a limited and somewhat sanitised summary of their latest quarterly results, CityFibre have today also published their annual group accounts to the end of December 2024 (here). This reveals that total revenue for the year grew to £134m (2023: £100m), while their operating loss fell to £176.6m (2023: £213.8m) and Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) achieved a profit of £6m (2023: £55m loss).

However, underlying net finance costs, comprised of finance income of £72m and finance costs of £279m, did increase by £82m (2023: £125m) driven by increased use of their facility to support capital expenditure, combined with rising interest rates, the impact of which was partially mitigated by hedging arrangements in place.

The company also reported having total assets worth £4.75bn, total liabilities of £4.22bn and the average number of staff employed (including Directors) by the Group ended the year on 1,594 (2023: 1,876).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Internet video streaming provider Disney+ has followed its usual annual trend by once again hitting new UK customers with a fresh round of price hikes, which are due to all be introduced from on or after 4th November 2025 (or 25th November 2025 if you have an annual plan).

In terms of the actual price changes. The “Standard with Ads” plan has increased by +£1 to £5.99 per month, while “Standard” increases by +£1 to £9.99 (or £89.90 to £99.90 annually) and “Premium” surges by +£2 to reach £14.99 (or £129.90 to £149.90 annually). This represents another annual inflation busting increase that ranges from 11% to 20%, depending upon your plan and whether it’s a monthly or annual payment.

The Extra Member option now also costs £4.99 per month for users of “Standard with Ads” (up from £3.99), and £5.99 for both the “Standard” and “Premium” plans (up from £4.99). Suffice to say that the endless price hikes and ever-increasing fragmentation of streaming TV and movie content continues to get worse, which increasingly risks driving many consumers back to more unlawful pursuits.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Glasgow-based full fibre broadband ISP Brillband, which was acquired by AllPoints Fibre Networks (APFN) back in October 2024 (here) and sells packages to homes over the same wholesale platform, has today announced that “every new Brillband customer” will receive their next-generation Wi-Fi 7 router as standard. No price hikes needed.

A number of broadband providers have launched WiFi 7 capable routers over the past year, although only a very few have made them the standard choice (e.g. YouFibre). Brillband has today joined this club and they appear to be shipping Amazon’s latest dual-band eero 7 routers to new customers “at no extra cost” (packages start at £38 per month for 900Mbps on a 24-month term).

The base eero 7 model is a dual-band unit that features 2 x 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, 1 x USB-C port and wireless speeds of up to 1.8Gbps via the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands (it doesn’t do 6GHz). Unlike other providers, Brillband say they also guarantee no mid-contract price hikes for 24 months.

Duncan Di Biase, CEO and Founder of Brillband, said:

“I founded Brillband to challenge the old way of doing broadband and give people a service that is fair and fast. Launching Wi-Fi 7 with eero 7 as standard for every customer ensures we stay true to our mission whilst delivering a significant upgrade to the service our customers receive.

Our aim is to future-proof our customers’ homes with our 900Mbps speeds delivered via the incredible Aquila network, combined with a WiFi standard that their devices will grow into plus network security without an extra cost.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) and partner Freshwave have today revealed that they’ve expanded their 4G mobile (mobile broadband) network coverage in the centre of Perth (Scotland). This has been achieved via the deployment of six new 4G outdoor small cells.

Freshwave typically deploys small cell style solutions, which are akin to small shoebox sized mobile (radio) base stations that are designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around 100 metres) and thus tend to be more focused on busy areas and specific sites – it’s not uncommon to find these sitting on top of lampposts, CCTV poles or old payphone cubicles (more cost-effective than building new street assets).

The new units in Perth are being deployed under an open access agreement between Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) and Freshwave to access their street assets. The small cells are intended to boost outdoor mobile signal and data capacity for O2’s customers in key public spaces, such as outside Perth Railway Station and on the High Street.

Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2, said:

“We’re proud to be boosting connectivity in Perth as part of our £700m Mobile Transformation Plan. Customers want fast, reliable coverage wherever they go, and by teaming up with local authorities and partners like Freshwave, we’re making that happen.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator Lebara, which harnesses Vodafone UK’s mobile virtual network operator (mvno) platform, today finally confirmed to ISPreview that they had begun rolling out eSIM (Electronic SIM) support in a phased manner. But initially this will only be available to new customers joining with an Apple iPhone Air, although support will soon expand.

The eSIM standard is an alternative to physical SIM cards, which works by essentially embedding an electronic SIM into your device (Smartphone) that could – once fully implemented – make it easier and quicker to switch between operators (e.g. not having to wait for a SIM card to arrive), as well as to use additional networks alongside your main mobile plan (e.g. eSIMs for travel when abroad).

In terms of device support, Lebara said that they will be making eSim available for other devices – for both new and existing customers – within this year (starting over the next few weeks as they enhance the service).

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

Fibre optic networks across the country have been deactivated, causing widespread disruption

This week, the Taliba have imposed a nationwide internet blackout in Afghanistan, largely cutting off the country’s 42.65 million people from the outside world.

The internet shutdown began with little warning yesterday, with citizens waking up to find they were no longer able to get online.

According to internet watchdog Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, Afghanistan’s connectivity is “at 14% of ordinary levels”.

The shutdown was reportedly ordered by the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) and the Ministry of Telecommunications at the behest of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, but no official statements have been made.

The Taliban first began cutting fixed internet across the country’s northern provinces earlier this month, with Attaullah Zaid, a spokesperson for the local government in Balkh, saying that Akhundzada had issued the order to ‘prevent immorality’.

As is to be expected, the cutting of fibre network cables is having widespread repercussions for Afghanistan far beyond fixed broadband services. These backbone networks carry data supporting a wide array of critical services, including banking and education, as well as being a key component of local mobile service delivery. As a result, much of the country has ground to a halt, with reports suggest that Kabul airport is at a standstill and banks are overflowing with customers that can no longer access their money online.

“All our business relies on mobiles. The deliveries are with mobiles. It’s like a holiday, everyone is at home. The market is totally frozen,” Najibullah, a 42-year-old shopkeeper in Kabul, told news agency AFP.

None of the country’s mobile operators, including Afghan Wireless (AWCC), Etisalat, and Roshan, have issued an official statement on the blackout.

The Taliban say the shutdown will last until further notice, with Zaid noting in the aforementioned social media post that “alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs”.

Far reaching internet shutdowns have long been a feature of repressive regimes, seeking to limit dissenters’ ability to communicate with each other and with the outside world. Perhaps the most notable example of this in recent years is Myanmar, which has instigated multiple blackouts since the military junta overthrew the civilian government in 2021.

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

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Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Partner Article 

The rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud services, coupled with the new emerging high-capacity use cases, such as ultra-high-definition video streaming, telemedicine, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Gaming, are placing unprecedented demands on networks.  

The recent Huawei Optical Summit, themed “No Fiber, No AI: All Optical Networks Power AI for All Industries,” highlighted the growing relevance of high-capacity optical networks for different industry verticals to address the growing capacity and performance requirements. The summit shed light on global advancements in optical networks and their central role in driving digital transformation across various industries.  

Marcus Brunner, Vice-Chair of ETSI ISG F5G

“Digitalization, cloudification and AI-fication of applications are the key drivers of F5G Advanced (F5G-A) standards. Key features of F5G-A include isolation and separation of traffic, fibre sensing, AI-based optimization of the networks and AI-based data center networking, which enable a high-speed, ultra-reliable network and accurate sensing,” said Marcus Brunner, Vice-Chair of ETSI ISG F5G.  

The use of F5G-A is crucial to address the growing AI workloads, which will also help in bringing down the energy consumption. He also highlighted several emerging industrial use cases of F5G-A, such as intelligent power grid, urban rail, robotics as a service, smart sensor cloud for AI in industrial manufacturing, Wi-Fi 7 coordination for large campus networks and smart hospitals, among others.  

Kim Jin, Vice President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line

“Optical networks are now moving beyond the data center interconnect, extending into industrial sites and campuses. By enhancing and empowering computing with fiber, these advanced networks are vital to making the benefits of AI accessible and inclusive for different industries,” said Kim Jin, Vice President of Huawei Optical Business Product Line. He mentioned that over 2,000 enterprises across the globe have deployed AI applications based on all-optical networks this year, making it imperative to use all-optical networks for the rising use of AI applications.  

Huawei also released ten global all-optical network showcases, covering the government sector as well as industries such as electric power, transportation, education, healthcare, manufacturing, ISP, and hospitality.  

Spotlight on finance sector: Release of Whitepaper  

The Summit saw the release of a White Paper on Innovative Applications of Financial Optical Network Devices, by Huawei and Beijing National Institute of Financial Standardization. “Optical networks are gaining prominence in the financial industry as they are crucial to address three key challenges: a sharp increase in network load, growing security and compliance pressure and limitations of the traditional network architecture,” mentioned Han Zhuwu, director of Beijing National Institute of Financial Standardization. 

Advanced optical networks are designed to provide extremely high capacity, ultra-low latency and unprecedented reliability. This ensures seamless data transfer between headquarters and branch offices, ensuring service continuity. In addition, optical networks can also be integrated into security systems to improve the security and intelligence capability of financial infrastructure.  

Apart from the finance industry, the Summit also highlighted how other industries, including utility, transportation and medicine, are benefiting from high-performing optical networks. For instance, the utility distribution companies are under pressure to ensure more efficient business operations to reduce losses and provide greater transparent information systems for stakeholders and consumers.  

 “Fine Grain Optic Transportation Network or fgOTN is emerging as a solution of choice for utility providers as it integrates with the existing services and provides extreme reliability as well as bandwidth for AI-powered services,” said Marcio Szechtman, Past Technical Council Chair of CIGRE.  

 New-age Optical networks are also extremely relevant for medicine and smart cities. The growing usage as well as the increasing number of connected devices, is placing new demands on the networks.  

 “Huawei’s F5G-A FTTO campus solution has transformed our Pudong campus by enabling us to provide a smart teaching solution to our students. On the other hand, it is helping us to foster and accelerate research and innovation in our campus,” said Lu Qin, Director of the Network Information Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.  

 Huawei’s FTTO solution is designed to meet the requirements of local AI applications, Internet of Things (IoT) and ultra-HD video services. Deployed in over 10,000 campuses in more than 60 countries, FTTO is helping organizations build green, simple but smart campus networks.  

In Conclusion 

The Huawei Optical Summit underscored a central message that all-optical networks are no longer just about faster connectivity, but they are the foundation for AI-driven industries. From finance and utilities to healthcare, education and smart cities, optical networks are emerging as a critical enabler of next-generation digital services. As AI workload grows, industries that invest in advanced optical infrastructure will be better positioned to lead in the digital economy of the future. Without the foundation of robust all-optical networks, the promise of AI and digital transformation cannot be fully realized.  

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

The IOEMA Project, planning to lay subsea fiber optic cables in Northern Europe, has selected Greenhouse Datacenters as an additional landing partner for the landing of the IOEMA subsea cable in Scheveningen (Rotterdam/The Hague area). This marks the seventh landing point in Northern Europe and the second in the Netherlands for the IOEMA cable. The first Dutch landing will be at Eemshaven, in the country’s northern region.

The IOEMA project is establishing a state-of-the-art, AI-ready, high-capacity fiber optic connection between the five key Northern European markets. The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway will be directly connected via a 1,600-kilometer repeatered subsea cable (further connectivity to France is under consideration). IOEMA is taking international tensions and security into account by fully armoring and protecting the subsea cable system over its entire length. IOEMA is also considering adding sensors to the system to make it the first SMART cable in Northern Europe. IOEMA is collaborating on this initiative with partners including Eurofiber, Arelion, Colt, EXA Infrastructure, Relined, Bulk, and EWE TEL.

The latest collaboration with Greenhouse Datacenters is driven in part by its strategic South Holland location, just 12 kilometers from where the subsea cable from the North Sea comes ashore in Scheveningen (Rotterdam/The Hague). The extensive presence of connectivity partners in Greenhouse’s data centers also plays a role, including AMS-IX, Lumen, Delta Fiber, Odido, and DCspine, in addition to IOEMA partners such as Eurofiber and Relined.

“We are pleased to announce an additional landing partner for the second Dutch landing point for the IOEMA fiber optic cable in the Netherlands, in the Rotterdam/The Hague area,” says Eckhard Bruckschen, CTO of IOEMA Fibre Ltd. “By partnering with Greenhouse Datacenters, IOEMA connects directly into a rich connectivity ecosystem, including an on-site AMS-IX PoP. This makes the IOEMA cable accessible to the broader market in South Holland and beyond. Organizations in this area can benefit from ultra-fast, redundant, secure, and AI-ready connections to other Internet hubs in Northern Europe via Greenhouse.”

Strategic Digital Hub at Greenhouse Datacenters

Greenhouse Datacenters CEO Ruben van der Zwan says the selection of Greenhouse as landing partner for the IOEMA subsea cable highlights the strategic importance of its data centers for the Dutch South Holland region and the Netherlands as a whole.

“The Axiom/Terabit report ‘Study on the development of the submarine cable market’, which was recently on the agenda of the Dutch House of Representatives, extensively examined the strategic national importance of new submarine cables for the Netherlands,” says Van der Zwan. “The deployment of new submarine cables contributes significantly to stimulating the digital business climate in the Netherlands. Together with data centers and Internet Exchanges, submarine cables form the basis for further economic development of the Netherlands as an international digital hub. The landing of this submarine cable at Greenhouse Datacenters is therefore much more than just the addition of a strong international network connection. It strengthens the European digital and economic competitiveness of the Netherlands, our data sovereignty and digital resilience, while reducing vulnerability to network sabotage and damage.”

“At the same time, it positions Greenhouse more clearly as a strategic addition to the busy Amsterdam data center market,” added Van der Zwan. “Greenhouse combines ultra-low latency connections to Amsterdam and an on-site AMS-IX PoP with sustainability, available power, and scalability. With the addition of direct connections to Northern European Internet hubs via the IOEMA subsea cable, Greenhouse positions itself as a strategic data center alternative to Amsterdam in South Holland.”

“The landing station for the subsea cable at Greenhouse is much more than a technical facility. It is a strategic digital hub,” says Rick Pijpers, who is involved in the project as a strategic advisor via PWDR.AI. “A data center that functions as a landing station becomes a gateway to international data traffic, attracting ecosystems of carriers, cloud providers, and enterprises, thereby strengthening the digital economy. For Greenhouse and IOEMA, this not only strengthens their own position, but also boosts international connectivity between Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium. It creates a new sovereign AI corridor connecting the locations where AI factories will be established in the coming years with important locations such as The Hague, Rotterdam, and Brussels.”

According to Peter van Burgel, CEO of AMS-IX, the landing of the subsea cable in Greenhouse’s data centers in the Rotterdam/The Hague area will strengthen the AMS-IX Point-of-Presence located here. “This makes Greenhouse a powerful digital hub and an important alternative to the Amsterdam data center market,” says Van Burgel. “Enhanced by AI applications, the IOEMA subsea cable will bring huge amounts of international network traffic to Greenhouse, while the existing AMS-IX PoP will enable direct exchange with international and regional carrier, cloud, ISP, and content networks. This will deliver speed, redundancy, and (cost) efficiency in digital traffic, reinforcing the South Holland region as a digital hub for AI-driven growth.”

How is the global submarine cable industry evolving? Join the discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA, the world’s largest subsea connectivity event

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Rome, 30 September 2025

Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, and Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%) and one of the world’s biggest suppliers of satellite solutions and services, are marking a new chapter in their collaboration at the Fucino Space Centre (L’Aquila) with the expansion and upgrade of Sparkle’s point of presence (PoP) already active at the teleport.

The Fucino Space Centre – active since 1963 and recognized as the world’s first and most important teleport for civil use – is specialized in satellite orbit control, telecommunications, television and multimedia services. These services require resilient and stable connections with a high level of performance.

By expanding its PoP, Sparkle guarantees additional resilience and scalability with a connectivity capacity of over 400 Gbps, allowing Telespazio to enhance its portfolio – for space, government and industrial applications as well as for the media and telecommunications sectors – with integrated solutions that combine satellite services and advanced terrestrial infrastructure.

The collaboration between the two companies, based on the synergy between telecommunication networks and space services, is also operational at Telespazio’s Scanzano Space Centre, which is connected via a fiber optic ring to Sparkle’s Sicily Hub in Palermo, a state-of-the-art neutral data center. With the expansion of its long-standing presence in the Fucino teleport, Sparkle confirms its role as a leading technology partner and reference provider of high-speed connections and services.

About Sparkle

Sparkle is TIM Group’s Global Operator, first international service provider in Italy and among the top worldwide, offering a full range of infrastructure and global connectivity services – capacity, IP, SD-WAN, colocation, IoT connectivity, roaming and voice – to national and international Carriers, OTTs, ISPs, Media/Content Providers, and multinational enterprises. A major player in the submarine cable industry, Sparkle owns and manages a network of more than 600,000 km of fiber spanning from Europe to Africa and the Middle East, the Americas and Asia. Its sales force is active worldwide and distributed over 32 countries.

Find out more about Sparkle following its X and LinkedIn profiles or visiting the website tisparkle.com

Media Contacts:

sparkle.communication@tisparkle.com

X: @TISparkle

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

NEW YORK – September 29, 2025 – TechSee, a global leader in visual agentic AI for customer experience, today released findings from its State of Home Connectivity 2025 survey. The results highlight that Wi-Fi problems remain widespread and disruptive, even among premium subscribers, fueling consumer frustration, repeat support calls, and growing churn risk.

Connectivity challenges remain nearly universal. 68% of U.S. households reported Wi-Fi issues in the past 12 months, with disruptions frequent: 18% experience them daily and another 20% weekly. Even among those with whole-home Wi-Fi packages marketed to guarantee coverage, 72% reported connectivity issues, underscoring a sharp gap between customer expectations and actual performance. Coverage gaps add to the frustration, with 76% said they experience weak or unreliable Wi-Fi in specific rooms. These dead zones are not minor inconveniences, they directly impact productivity, streaming, and the connected devices people rely on every day.

Consumers are not passive in the face of these challenges. More than half (51%) said their first instinct is to troubleshoot on their own, most commonly by restarting their router (80%) or purchasing extenders (27%). Yet only 62% succeed in resolving problems fully without help, leaving a large share dependent on their providers when frustrations persist.

When problems escalate, they take a toll on service operations. Two third of households contacted their ISP at least once in the past year for connectivity issues, and nearly 39% had a technician dispatched. While most visits resolved the issue, around 20% of those visits failed to do so, creating repeated frustrations for households and driving up costs for providers.

The loyalty impact is stark. More than half of consumers (51%) said they would switch providers if their issues were not resolved quickly, while 48% would leave for better whole-home coverage. And 34% even said they would pay more for reliable connectivity, proof that reliability, not price, is now the real driver of loyalty.

Consumers are equally clear about what they expect next. 76% want providers to proactively flag coverage gaps during installation, and 77% expect technicians to test and demonstrate that every room is connected before leaving. More than half (56%) said they would be open to purchasing additional equipment if given clear, evidence-based recommendations.

Visual tools are emerging as a critical solution. 66% of consumers said they would use a mobile app that maps Wi-Fi coverage in their home, and 69% said step-by-step visual guidance would help them avoid calling support. Together, these findings point to a future where connectivity becomes not only reliable but transparent and visible.

“Connectivity experience has become the new battleground,” said Eitan Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder of TechSee. “Consumers don’t just want faster speeds, they want reliability they can see and trust. Providers who embrace proactive testing, visual diagnostics, and guided self-service will not only cut churn and support costs, but also create new opportunities for growth in the connected home.”

TechSee polled nearly 4,000 consumers in the U.S for the census-weighted study. Men and women ages 18 to 60 of varying incomes, educations, and geographic locations. More details can be found here.

About TechSee
TechSee is the leading Agentic AI-powered platform harnessing computer vision to transform customer service. By enabling businesses to see and resolve what their customers see, TechSee eliminates friction, reduces costs, and enhances satisfaction. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies and global leaders in telecom, home automation, and consumer electronics, TechSee delivers seamless, intelligent service experiences at scale. The company is headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in New York, London, and Madrid. For more information, visit www.techsee.me.