Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative broadband provider Wildanet, which has built a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across rural parts of Cornwall and Devon in South West England, has today become the latest altnet to withdraw from some of the Government’s publicly funded Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contracts, this time in Cornwall.

Until today Wildanet held the following Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contracts for Cornwall Central (Lot 32.03) and South West Cornwall (Lot 32.02) – both awarded in January 2023 (here) – and the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Lot 32) contract – awarded in April 2024 (here). The three contracts combined are worth £77m and would have helped to extend gigabit-capable broadband to over 37,000 additional premises in the county.

However, the government has just announced that Wildanet will be withdrawing from completing the build for Lots 32.02 and 32.03, where they’ve already covered around 13,200 premises to date out of the original plan to reach 19,250. This will leave 7,700 contracted premises in limbo until the Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency can find an alternative solution.

At the time of writing we don’t yet know why this has occurred, although a number of other altnets (e.g. Voneus, FullFibre Ltd. and Freedom Fibre) have previously dropped out or scaled-back their Project Gigabit contracts after coming under a lot of strain from high interest rates, rising build costs and competition. Wildanet is no stranger to this, after announcing job cuts last year (here), although at the time they informed ISPreview that this wasn’t expected to impact their ability to deliver on the Project Gigabit contracts.

BDUK Statement

Wildanet has informed us that it wishes to withdraw from fully completing the build on two contracts covering southwest and central Cornwall (Lots 32.02 and 32.03). Wildanet has successfully covered around 13,200 premises to date under these contracts but will no longer deliver to the remaining 7,700 contracted premises.

BDUK is now moving swiftly to put in place alternative plans with other suppliers to connect premises that were due to be covered by these contracts.

The expectation is that BDUK will typically take one of two probable approaches to resolving this. The agency will either run a new procurement for the remaining premises or, more likely, try to find a way of rolling those premises into one of Openreach’s wider Type C (Cross-Regional) deployment contracts (here and here). Type C can be used for these sorts of situations, provided it makes sense for both BDUK and Openreach.

Whatever the outcome, this situation does mean that those remaining premises will be left in a state of limbo and uncertainty, probably until later this year.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative network operator Elevate, which back in April 2025 won the contract to build a new “hyperfast” full fibre broadband network in the Merseyside (England) town of St Helens (here), has today confirmed that they’ve completed the roll-out in the town centre – paving the way for local residents and businesses to get faster internet speeds and better reliability.

The new network, which was supported by £2.5 million of funding from the previous Government’s £3.6bn Town Fund Programme (details), is being built by Elevate’s own engineers on behalf of the St Helens Borough Council and its Digital Infrastructure Programme. “The network will significantly increase internet speeds and reliability for residents and businesses across the Town Centre,” said Elevate’s original announcement.

Elevate, St Helens Borough Council and the St Helens Town Deal Board now intend to host an official launch event for the new full fibre network at the BrewDog Stadium on 12th March 2026. Local businesses are invited to hear presentations and take part in discussions on how to make the most of high-speed, reliable internet, and learn how the project is helping to boost the local economy and attract inward investment.

Dedicated business WiFi and cyber clinics will also be deployed to provide the opportunity to speak directly with WiFi and cyber security experts, learn more about the project’s social value initiatives, and network with other local businesses etc.

Councillor Keith Laird, Cabinet Member for People, Performance and IT, said:

“We’re thrilled to report that the network’s now live, and both businesses and residents across the town centre can now start to realise its benefits. This essential digital infrastructure will help to make us one of the most digitally connected towns in the region.”

Andy Tatlock, Chief Revenue Officer at Elevate, said:

“Taking the network from contract to completion in less than a year is a proud moment for everyone involved in the project, and due in no small part to the close working relationship between Elevate, St Helens Borough Council and infrastructure and programme delivery experts, the Founds Group.

This new digital infrastructure will give local businesses the speed, reliability and resilience they need to plan and scale confidently; unlocking opportunity, attracting investment and helping businesses across St Helens thrive.”

The deployment itself adopted a “Dig Once” strategy, which typically reflects the wide reuse of existing cable ducts, street furniture and other infrastructure to run new fibre (i.e. reducing the need for new street works). Projects like this tend to focus on building a full fibre network to connect local public sector sites and businesses, rather than individual homes, although the latter may often follow via additional private investment.

We should point out that the central part of the town is already partly covered by gigabit-capable broadband from Openreach (BT) and Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), with outer areas also being reached by various alternative networks.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Whitepaper

For years, the telco wholesale model was a predictable, linear affair. It was a world of minutes and megabytes, defined by simple value chains where connectivity was the sole currency. But as the global industry evolves, MDS Global is highlighting a shift toward something far more intricate: the value network.

In this new “Wholesale Plus” era, the boundaries between operators, mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), hyperscalers, and enterprises are dissolving. As CCS Insight explores in their latest report with MDS Global, communication service providers (CSPs) are becoming the essential platform for a massive ecosystem of digital services. From real-time network APIs to Open Gateway’s “Quality on Demand” API, the revenue opportunities are vast, but they bring a level of billing complexity that legacy systems simply cannot handle.

Ryan O’Hanlon, VP of Global Sales at MDS Global, joined the Beyond the Cable podcast in 2025 to discuss this transition towards sophisticated charging metric combinations. As Ryan noted, whether it is supporting a short-term quality boost for a specific event or managing application service plans, the billing engine must be a revenue catalyst, not a bottleneck. It requires a system that can orchestrate settlements across multilayer hierarchies, often involving four or five different partners in a single transaction.

In a market where technical agility is the true differentiator, agility is the only true competitive edge. To attract the most innovative partners, CSPs must move beyond the “one-size-fits-all” approach and embrace a platform that allows for rapid pivots and complex, real time settlement.

To find out how your organisation can unlock these new revenue streams and master the multilayer wholesale world, you can download the full CCS Insight whitepaper and listen to the latest industry discussion via the links below.

Unlock New Revenue: Download the Whitepaper

MDS Global will be showcasing these solutions at MWC Barcelona. You can find the team at the Lumine, Hall 2, Stand 2G11.

The post Navigating the multilayer wholesale era appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

A relatively new telecoms company called Boom Telecom Networks has revealed that it’s planning to build and operate a UK broadband network, which would be a Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) and Gigabit Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) hybrid, although the details are currently quite limited.

The plan was revealed as part of the company’s application for Code Powers from Ofcom, which are typically sought in order to help speed-up deployments of new fibre networks and cut costs, not least by reducing the number of licences needed for street works. The powers can also help with supporting access to run new fibre via Openreach’s (BT) existing cable ducts and poles (PIA).

According to that application, Boom Telecom intends to use its network for the sole purpose of wholesaling (open-access) connectivity to the consumer and retail telecommunications markets as well as other markets, including future UK government projects like the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) and other Rural Connectivity initiatives (the GBVS is due to end before too long, so they’ll need to be quick).

Extract from Boom Telecom’s Code Powers Application

The Applicant notes that the network would incorporate fibre access, transit and inter-connect services for customers via Points of Presence (PoP) or fibre-cabinets located in public and private highways.

The Applicant is seeking Code powers with national coverage to encompass deployments across the UK. For the first year, the Applicant intends to seek to connect end service points in the north west of England and, in subsequent years, the rest of England, Scotland and Wales.

Otherwise, the application doesn’t reveal much and the company, which was only incorporated on 7th August 2025, is currently being run by two Directors – Paul Brian Forster and Darren Keen. Paul is known to have a history with a number of companies related to fibre optic engineering, training and also rail work. Now is of course perhaps not the most ideal time to be starting a new alternative network or related street works firm, due to the wider economic strains in this sector.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Communications and broadband provider BT Business has today announced that they’re working alongside global IT consultancy Avanade and Microsoft to launch a tailored AI training for all 11,000 of its employees, which they say aims to “radically transform how we work and to better serve our customers“. Cost-cutting probably has a role to play too, we’d imagine.

Under the plan, all staff will receive a course of training modules that support people at all stages of AI knowledge – from AI fundamentals to role-specific training, supported by coaching from leaders and line managers. At the same time, they’re also launching the first BT apprentice and graduate roles fully dedicated to AI as part of their 2026 intake.

In parallel, BT Business said they’ll also be providing hundreds of new AI & Data apprenticeships for existing colleagues, enabling them to retrain in new fields, with roles available across the UK. Participants in both schemes will join more than 1,000 employees who are currently completing an apprenticeship at BT.

Jon James, CEO of Business, said:

“Investing to stay at the cutting edge of technology, including AI, is crucial to our customers and to our employees, and BT will continue to invest to ensure that we remain at the forefront of our industry, as we have for 180 years.

These new AI training and career pathways are designed to enable our current and future talent to ensure they have the lifelong skills they and BT need for the future, so we can innovate and deliver faster. AI does not transform businesses; people do.”

We should point out that BT is also a founding partner in the Government’s AI Skills Boost programme, which aims to upskill 10 million workers with AI skills by 2030.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile infrastructure company Cornerstone (CTIL), which was originally established as part of a UK network sharing agreement between O2 (Virgin Media) and Vodafone (Vantage Towers), has today announced a new strategic partnership with StonesThro to deploy a nationally distributed Micro-Edge cloud infrastructure via their estate of c.16,000 mast / cell sites.

The idea of installing what are effectively mini data centres on such infrastructure, across Cornerstone’s national estate, is an interesting one. The approach could be used to address the ever-present need for increased data processing speed and capacity, data sovereignty, and national infrastructure resilience etc. Obviously, this would make all those mast sites even more commercially attractive in the process.

Given the current international climate, it probably doesn’t hurt to be deploying a UK-centric solution to the growing dependency on centralised, often foreign-owned, cloud architectures – reducing exposure to international jurisdiction problems and external interference.

“The core of the Cornerstone and StonesThro partnership is the shared ambition that for critical systems to be truly resilient, computing power must reside within national borders and closer to the point of use,” said the announcement.

Pat Coxen, CEO at Cornerstone, said:

“The breadth and reach of our infrastructure estate has the ability to enable UK digital connectivity on an unrivalled scale. By partnering with StonesThro, we are evolving our estate infrastructure from being predominantly about communication to focussing on locally processing data, and the intelligent application of information.

We are providing the ‘where’ for the micro-edge, enabling a network that is not only resilient, but also physically situated within the communities and industries it serves.”

At present, it’s unclear precisely how many such sites will be deployed with the new solution or who will be looking to harness it, but in theory this might also help to improve the economic models for deploying new mast sites in some otherwise challenging areas. Time will tell.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Government has managed to get some of the UK’s biggest broadband and phone providers, including BT, Virgin Media (O2), VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK), Sky (Sky Broadband) and TalkTalk, to sign-up to a new Telecoms Consumer Charter that pledges to “stop unexpected bill increases“. But sadly, it’s not an end to mid-contract prices hikes.

Under the commitments, the government said that customers will now know “exactly what they’ll be paying when they sign up for a new mobile or broadband deal” – with “no unexpected price rises midway through a contract“. Customers will be given clear information on any future price changes up front, so the price they sign up to is the price they can expect to pay.

The move is largely seen as a belated reaction to last year’s controversial decision by mobile operator O2 (here), which suddenly increased the cost of their existing mid-contract price hikes policy and applied that to their existing customers too (i.e. those who had signed-up via the previous policy were forced to accept the new one and its higher prices).

Normally, existing customers would remain under the old terms, until they re-contract. But O2’s approach changed that and appeared to go against the spirit of Ofcom’s move to require a more transparent approach to mid-contract price hikes. The regulator did away with the old inflation-based model and replaced it with one that must now set out such price rises “clearly and up-front, in pounds and pence, when a customer signs up” (here).

In fairness, O2 did allow customers impacted by this to exit their contract penalty free, which Ofcom acknowledged when expressing their own “disappointment” at the change (here). The Government were similarly angered, although they did later roll back on suggestions that mid-contract price hikes could be banned entirely (here).

Otherwise, the new Telecoms Consumer Charter said it would also ensure that “eligible customers find it easier to access social tariffs“, which can sometimes still be hard to find on websites for service providers that offer them. “To support those who may be struggling to pay their household bills, providers will proactively signpost social tariffs to eligible customers and offer customers facing financial difficulty the chance to move to cheaper plans without any penalty and manageable payment plans,” said the announcement.

Technology Secretary, Liz Kendall, said:

“Broadband and mobile customers deserve to be treated fairly and not face sudden jumps in their bills.

Following action by this government, telecom companies have now agreed to end unexpected mid‑contract price rises and making social tariffs easier to access.

These changes will make a real difference to millions of consumers across the country and help with the cost-of-living pressures.”

On the one hand, this is a positive development and improves pricing transparency, at least for those providers that actually put their signature to it. On the other hand, its scope is limited, and it does NOT address the unfairness of how mid-contract price hikes are currently being applied (e.g. applying the same flat c.£2-£4 monthly increase to those who pay just c.£20 a month and those who pay c.£100 – disproportionately targeting those least able to afford it), which in our view is one of the biggest issues.

Given the above context, some of our readers might well point to the contradiction of how the Government are also busy calling on telecoms operators to “take proactive steps to move legacy customers onto the pounds and pence approach for price communications“. This is despite what we’ve just said above about the reality that, for some consumers, the old CPI + X% (inflation) policy will actually be resulting in lower mid-contract hikes than the new one.

We should point out that many smaller providers are still able to create stable fixed price contracts that don’t apply mid-contract hikes, and so it’s not beyond the bounds of realism for the biggest providers to do the same. But until the government and Ofcom recognise that, then big retail providers will continue to get away with bad practices.

On the bright side, switching between telecoms providers has been made significantly quicker and easier in recent years, thanks to systems like One Touch Switching (OTS) on broadband + landline phone and Text-to-Switch (Auto-Switch) on mobile. Consumers can often vote with their feet if they choose, but many remain wary of doing so.

Ofcom are expected to come back to all this in the future when try review the impact of their policy, although we certainly wouldn’t bet on them ultimately proposing the ban mid-contract hikes.

The Telecoms Consumer Charter

The Charter

1. Transparency: Customers should always receive clear and easily understandable information about their telecoms services, prices, and any changes to those, so they know exactly what they are paying for and why.

Under Ofcom’s current rules, consumers should expect:

• Clear contract information and contract summary
• Clear and easily understandable information on prices and contract length
• Clear information about service quality

Building on this:

• All providers commit that, where a contract includes a mid‑contract price increase, the core subscription price that customers sign up to is the price that they will pay. Any exception to this is limited strictly to unforeseeable and externally driven events that materially affect the cost of providing services.
• All providers commit that, for any customers still on legacy inflation-linked terms in respect of consumer services, April 2026 will be the final increase expressed in these terms for the core subscription, after which all such contracts will move to the clearer pounds-and-pence system. Where possible, some providers will communicate the increase in pounds and pence before this date.
• All providers commit to building on Ofcom’s rules and guidance, which set out the information that must be provided before the customer is bound by a contract, such as by presenting clearly and prominently a customer’s full package details in one clear place, including the headline price, contract length, key terms and any add‑ons, and by proactively highlighting and explaining any agreed changes, such as mid‑contract price increases, in a simple, easy‑to‑understand format throughout the life of the contract.
• All providers commit to continuing to work with Ofcom to improve the accuracy of their mobile coverage and network performance data through tools such as “Map Your Mobile”, and their own tools which are also available to the public.

2. Empowerment: Consumers should feel confident to manage their telecoms services easily, with the information and tools they need to make informed choices, free from unnecessary friction, penalties or complexities.

Under Ofcom’s current rules, consumers should expect:

• Simple switching processes, and where the right to exit applies, this is penalty-free
• End-of-contract notifications (ECNs) and annual best tariff notifications (ABTNs)
• Transparent information allowing informed choices

Building on this:

• All providers commit to ensuring that, in addition to the ECN and ABTN rules which require that these notifications are clear, timely, and set out the options available to customers, these notifications are in plain English so customers can easily compare choices and make informed decisions.
• All providers will continue to make it easy for customers to switch by ensuring that One Touch Switching, Text‑to‑Switch and related processes remain quick, simple and seamless and by supporting continued improvements in how these processes operate for consumers.

3. Support for those who are struggling to pay: Customers who are struggling to pay should receive practical, tailored support that keeps them connected and removes barriers to accessing essential online public services.Under Ofcom’s current rules, consumers should expect:

• Fair treatment throughout their customer journey.

Building on this:

• Providers commit to ensuring available social tariffs, for those on means tested benefits, are easy to find and signposted to eligible customers in communications, including, for example, in their ECNs, provider websites and app menus, as well as customer service scripts, ensuring they are easy to locate, understand and take-up. Government encourages more providers to offer social tariffs where they are able to do so.
• Providers commit to supporting all customers who are facing financial difficulty by offering practical support such as the ability to move to cheaper packages without charge or penalty or manageable payment plans.

Providers may become signatories at any time. Not signing at the point of launch does not preclude signing later.

UPDATE:

The announcement also included a bunch of samey commentary from the supporting broadband, mobile and phone providers, which we’ve stuck to the bottom of this article to avoid quote spam breaking the flow of things.

Allison Kirkby, Chief Executive of BT Group, said:

“We led the industry on price transparency and fairness, and now we’re calling on other mobile networks to do the same.

Protecting customers is as much about resilient infrastructure as it is about price. Nobody is investing in the UK like BT – and we’re encouraging the Government to take bold decisions to support continued investment. The more people, businesses and society connect, the more our networks fuel growth.”

Lutz Schüler, CEO of Virgin Media O2, said:

“We welcome this Charter which strengthens predictability and transparency for consumers while recognising the significant value the telecoms sector delivers. Virgin Media O2 is making one of the largest investments in the UK worth billions of pounds every year to bring fibre to more places and improve 4G and 5G mobile networks. Maintaining essential digital infrastructure investment like this is essential if the UK is to keep pace with growing demand and emerging technologies which greatly benefit consumers and businesses across the country.”

Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky UK, said:

“Sky is proud to support this voluntary Charter, which strengthens transparency and ensures customers have clear, straightforward information about their services. We also recognise the importance of supporting customers who are facing financial pressure. That’s why we continue to promote and improve access to our social tariffs, ensuring that those who need extra help can stay connected to the essential services they rely on. By working with Government and industry partners, we’re committed to raising standards across the sector and ensuring every customer receives great value, fair treatment, and the support they need.”

Paddy Paddison, CEO of the INCA, said:

“INCA welcomes this engagement between Government, Ofcom and industry through the Telecoms Consumer Charter. Strengthening consumer confidence is good for the whole sector. Customers should be able to understand, in plain pounds and pence, what they are signing up to and what they can expect to pay. It is important these commitments are practical and maintain the conditions for continued investment and network competition, because that is what delivers better coverage, service quality and value over time.”

Steve Leighton, Chair of the ISPA, said:

“ISPA is proud to be supporting the Telecoms Consumer Charter which builds on the range of pro-consumer regulatory reforms that our members are already putting in place. Providers are continuing to implement these in addition to providing support for those struggling with affordability through initiatives such as social tariffs, device donations and digital upskilling. Meanwhile, it’s easier to switch now than ever before.

With this in mind, we believe now should be the best time to be a telecoms customer, with lower prices, and greater competition. But, this can only be achieved through a stable policy and regulatory environment, spearheaded by a Government which places connectivity at the heart of its ambitions on productivity and growth. This is all whilst broadband providers, including our members, have invested over £50bn to support the Government’s target of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Government to ensure broadband continues to be seen as a national priority – ultimately resulting in better outcomes for consumers.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Aviva-backed alternative gigabit broadband operator Truespeed, which has rolled out their full fibre (FTTP) network across 177,000 premises (44k customers) in rural parts of South West England, has today confirmed that they’ve reached a major merger agreement with Freedom Fibre to consolidate their two networks.

Just to recap. Truespeed, which only last year went through a merger with County Broadband (here), has so far deployed most of their combined network across rural parts of Devon, Wiltshire, Somerset Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. The combined premises count of 177,000 may seem small, in the grander scheme of things, but the rural focus gives the operator a much more significant geographic reach.

However, over the past couple of years, Truespeed has also had to deal with some of the same challenges as many other alternative networks (i.e. rising build costs, high interest rates and growing competition) – resulting in some job cuts, a build slowdown and greater focus on commercialisation (here and here).

By comparison, Freedom Fibre, which has already done some consolidating of its own with VX FIBER and associated retail ISP LilaConnect in 2023 (here), has recently been facing some of the same challenges as Truespeed. This included having to scale-back and withdraw from some of their government contracts under the Project Gigabit programme (here, here and here).

Nevertheless, Freedom Fibre has managed to expand their own gigabit fibre network to cover c.350,000 premises (inc. 25,000 customers) across various parts of England and North Wales – primarily parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, North Wales, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Essex and North Shropshire. The good news, given today’s announcement, is that they have no appreciable overbuild with Truespeed.

The Merger

According to the announcement, the signing of a merger agreement between Freedom Fibre and Truespeed is aimed at “creating a scaled, capital-efficient full fibre platform” that will play a “leading role in the ongoing consolidation of the UK alternative network sector“.

The deal promises to deliver a combined footprint of 412,000 premises ‘Ready for Service’ (the earlier figures likely include some non-RFS premises) and 70,000 customers, while also expanding their reach via existing wholesale partners in the retail ISP space. “The merged group is well-positioned to scale efficiently and accelerate its route to profitability,” added the announcement.

Nathan Vautier, Proposed CEO of the Combined Group, said:

“This merger is a strategic step that demonstrates our commitment to ongoing industry consolidation and growth. As we combine expertise and scale, our new platform is primed to lead future M&A and drive broader transformation. Together, we are set to accelerate expansion, create value and shape the sector’s evolution.”

Nelson Missier, Proposed Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, said:

“This merger is an exciting development and the next logical step for Truespeed and Freedom Fibre. By combining complementary capabilities and business operations, we are creating a powerhouse to drive commercial growth, profitability and consolidation in the sector. Our shared vision is to grow further and faster, delivering world class connectivity and exceptional service to our wholesale and retail customers”.

Ian Shervell, Senior Director, Infrastructure Equity at Aviva Investors, said:

“We are glad to back this merger between Truespeed and Freedom Fibre. As the UK telecoms market matures, we believe Truespeed and Freedom Fibre bring together critical capabilities for future success, including experienced teams, high penetration levels, strong brand recognition, and a wholesale model underpinned by scalable technology and efficient operations. We believe the newly combined business is well-placed to capitalise on UK market trends, leading to improved performance prospects.”

James Burke, MD & Co-Head of InfraBridge, said:

“This combination is a highly logical next step for both businesses. Truespeed and Freedom Fibre bring complementary network footprints, operating models and go-to-market strengths, creating a stronger platform with greater operational depth, broader geographic reach and a more balanced wholesale and retail offering.”

The announcement confirms that existing investors – Aviva Investors, InfraBridge, and Equitix – have all backed the transaction. The combined group now says it will aim to boost customer numbers (i.e. continuing the focus on commercialisation rather than new network build), enhance service quality, and work to “achieve sustainable, capital-efficient growth“.

The combined group will of course benefit from holding a stronger position within the market, but at the same time they’re still not big enough to be considered a true scale player and thus further consolidation in the future still seems likely to follow. In the meantime, the new group will first have to go through the complex and expensive challenge of network integration, which often takes the best part of a year or so the run its course.

At present we note that the newly combined group doesn’t yet have an official name, thus it’s otherwise business as usual with their existing entities until further notice. The merger also remains subject to customary regulatory approvals, which seem unlikely to throw up any problems and are expected to be completed in Q2 2026.

Truespeed was advised by Acuity Advisors with legal advice from CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP. Houlihan Lokey acted as financial adviser to Freedom Fibre, with legal advice from Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Abingdon-based alternative broadband provider Gigaclear, which has built their full fibre (FTTP) network to cover 612,000 premises in rural parts of England and is home to c.160,000 customers, has this week slashed the price of their top 900Mbps (avg. speed) product from £39 a month to just £24 for new customers “until further notice“.

The 900Mbps package (current price point is an online exclusive) itself typically offers symmetric speeds, unlimited usage, an included Linksys Wi-Fi 6 router, a “FREE Smart WiFi Mesh” device (said to be worth £108) and attracts an 18-month minimum contract term. But there is currently a £30 one-off activation fee to pay when you sign up.

However, despite the mention of this new price point being available “until further notice“, the T&C’s on Gigaclear’s website do appear to suggest that this offer may only be available to take until 1st March 2026. The same terms also note that the post-contract price of their 900Mbps tier remains £85 per month, which is pretty hefty. The ISP does often allow for renegotiation during contract renewal, but they’re unlikely to ever reduce it back even close to a figure as low as £24, so bare that in mind.

The provider’s other packages include 300Mbps for £19 per month, 400Mbps for £22 and 500Mbps for £25 and no that last one isn’t a typo, it really is currently £1 more expensive than 900Mbps for new customers.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Industry trade body Mobile UK, which represents EE, O2 and VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK), has revealed that mobile operators have, to date, blocked an overall total of 2.7 billion scam SMS (text) messages (2,761,912,183 to be exact) from reaching customers and 97.1 Million of that total occurred in January 2026 alone.

Most of the United Kingdom’s major broadband, phone and mobile network operators have already implemented various technical measures to tackle things like Nuisance Calls, Scam Calls and Scam Texts. Mobile operators typically block an estimated 600 million+ such messages each year, although this figure tends to rise with time as both the quantity of messages increases and the detection systems get better at stopping them.

Now Mobile UK has moved to help shine a greater light on these efforts by launching a new tracker that will be updated monthly. The tracker is fairly simple and shows how many scam SMS messages were blocked during the prior month and how many have been blocked in total to date across UK mobile networks (we only wish it gave a figure for each network). The page also includes various details for consumers on how to report and tackle such messages.

We should point out that Ofcom are also busy developing new industry rules and solutions with mobile operators to help further tackle messaging scams (example).