Original article Total Telecom:Read More

ISP partners of VeloxServ, one of the UK’s fastest growing independent wholesale connectivity providers, will benefit from greater choice and competitive pricing for business connectivity in London thanks to a new collaboration with Vorboss.

“The demand for cost-effective and high-performance connectivity for businesses in London is growing rapidly in a fast moving and data-driven economy, which is why we’re delighted to be able to work with Vorboss to offer our ISP partners an even greater choice of competitive full-fibre products to serve the needs of their customers,” said Craig Messer, Managing Director of VeloxServ.

The leading provider of internet connectivity, server hosting and data centre colocation is working with the business-only network provider and owner Vorboss, to offer its partners 10/25/100 Gbps full-fibre services in the capital.

“Building, operating and maintaining our own award-winning network in London enables us to offer leading wholesale connectivity providers like VeloxServ an unbeatable quality of service, installed quickly and at an extremely competitive price,” said Malcolm Puddefoot, Chief Revenue Officer at Vorboss.

The collaboration with Vorboss marks the latest milestone in an exciting phase of growth for VeloxServ, which has recently been shortlisted for three UK Fibre Awards and has built a trusted reputation for excellent customer service over the last 17 years.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Research Nester’s recent market research analysis on “Data Center Interconnect Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2037” delivers a detailed competitors analysis and a detailed overview of the global data center interconnect market in terms of market segmentation by type, application, end-user, and by region.

Increased Advancements by Data Center Providers to Promote Global Market Share of Data Center Interconnect

Data center providers are improving their cloud and co-location offerings, which is one of the major factors propelling the growth of the market. The public, financial, OTT, and ISP sectors will all be developing use cases for DCI networks as a result of the expansion and dispersion of data centers, increased fiber consumption, and affordable pluggable modules. Product innovation is a crucial way for market players to set themselves apart. Vendors like Ciena, Infinera, Huawei, and Nokia have been pushing the limits of contemporary optics since the beginning of 2020. For instance, in 2022, one of the top digital network integrators in the country, STL unveiled India’s first multicore fiber and cable. This innovative breakthrough will transform India’s optical connection environment.  This has been conceptualized and developed in-house with leading interdisciplinary R&D specialists at STL’s Centre of Excellence in Maharashtra. Using space division multiplexing, STL’s Multiverse increases transmission capacity per fiber by 4X while maintaining the same diameter.

Some of the major growth factors and challenges that are associated with the growth of the global data center interconnect market are:

Growth Drivers:

• Increase in the Number of Data Centers
• Surge in the Global Demand for 5G Network

Challenges:

Several factors must be considered when preparing for the construction of the data center. Some of these aspects are engineering, authorizations and approvals, power systems, insulated generators, conduits or cables for electrical equipment, data center lighting, illumination protection, air quality control, fire suppression, etc. These expenses may soon be compensated for by capital investments. Consequently, the growth of the data center interconnect market may be hindered by this factor.

Some other factors such as data privacy issues and capacity limitations may impede the growth of the data center interconnect market.

By end-user, the global Data Center Interconnect market is segmented into communication service providers, internet content providers/ carrier-neutral providers, governments, and enterprises. The internet content providers/carrier neutral providers segment is expected to hold a share of 32% during the forecast period. Several of the biggest ICPs, like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook (Meta), are producing enormous amounts of internet traffic. For this reason, to connect their data centers, many ICPs are also choosing to construct fiber networks. Several carrier-neutral colocation facilities are making significant investments in DCI technology since flexibility is crucial for these types of facilities. Therefore, this factor is accelerating the growth of the segment.

By region, the Middle East & Africa data center interconnect market is anticipated to hold a share of 15% by the end of 2037. Major international cloud service providers are present in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) region. These providers include Amazon Web Services, Tencent, Microsoft, Google, Alibaba, Oracle, and Huawei Technologies. Microsoft, for example, plans to set up a cloud region in Saudi Arabia. Operators in several Middle Eastern and African nations are encouraged to build data centers by the availability of industrial parks, land, and government assistance. With the introduction of new submarines, the connectivity of the Middle East and Africa data center interconnect market is continuously expanding. It is anticipated that these factors will bolster the market growth in the region.

Research Nester is a leading service provider for strategic market research and consulting. We aim to provide unbiased, unparalleled market insights and industry analysis to help industries, conglomerates and executives to take wise decisions for their future marketing strategy, expansion and investment etc. We believe every business can expand to its new horizon, provided a right guidance at a right time is available through strategic minds. Our out of box thinking helps our clients to take wise decision in order to avoid future uncertainties.

Source:https://www.researchnester.com/reports/data-center-interconnect-market/5904

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The business division of mobile network operator O2 (VMO2) has today revealed that their O2 Recycle for Business service, which helps companies of all sizes to trade in their old technology (usually in return for cash, credits or a charitable donation), has helped to save 45,000 devices from waste (earning nearly £330k) since it was relaunched in October 2023.

The traded tech (e.g. Smartphones, routers etc.) is typically data wiped, and then repaired, refurbished and resold, or recycled – with zero parts going to landfill, helping prevent electronic waste (e-waste). But the business service is admittedly still dwarfed by the O2 Recycle service for consumers, which since 2009 has recycled more than 4 million devices and paid out over £350m to consumers (last year alone it saved 100,000 devices).

However, VMO2’s own research has suggested that there could be approximately 11.8 million unused business devices gathering dust that could still be reused or recycled, although it remains difficult to get an accurate figure for such things.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at VMO2, said:

“We know businesses want simple solutions to help them become more sustainable. That’s why Virgin Media O2 is leading the way in helping companies to reduce their waste, recycle their unwanted tech, and reuse their unwanted devices.

Businesses can also play a vital role in supporting digital inclusion by accessing tech donation programmes, where their unused devices can be given a second life and used by someone in need, helping them to get online, access essential websites and build digital skills.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Nexfibre, which shares some of their parentage with ISP partner Virgin Media (O2), recently published their latest quarterly (Q1 2025) build update and confirmed that their new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) broadband network now covers 2.2 million UK premises. But a big chunk of their future build plan for 2025-26 has now vanished.

Just to recap. Back in 2022 Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners setup nexfibre as a new £4.5bn joint venture (here), which aimed to deploy an open access (wholesale) full fibre 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. The funding reflects £3.3bn of fully underwritten financing and up to £1.4bn in equity commitments.

However, it’s worth noting that nexfibre’s latest Q1 2025 build update was recently published, which now reflects the impact from wider events that we covered last week (here). In short, nexfibre now only expects to reach 2.5 million premises in 2025 (they had previously been adding c.1m premises per year), which compares with 2.2 million premises ready for service today (up from 2m in Q4 2024).

The CEO of Liberty Global, Mike Fries, attributed part of this slowdown to JV partner Telefonica and their recently announced strategic review, including the related uncertainty flowing from the Spanish operator’s new leadership (inc. political influence from the government of Spain).

In addition, Fries talked about Liberty Global’s desire toward “retaining capital discipline in an increasingly irrational altnet environment“, although he also spoke of pursuing more growth through M&A (consolidation) with other alternative network operators. So less new build, but possibly more consolidation, seems to be the plan.

Suffice to say that the above changes within the JV have already had an impact on the latest nexfibre build update. For example, a lot of areas across South West and South East England, as well as Wales, seem to have completely vanished from the Q1 map of planned build locations in 2025-26. But on a more positive note, much of nexfibre’s planned deployment across Scotland remains intact.

You can get a better idea by looking at the visualisation of nexfibre’s earlier Q3 2024 and Q1 2025 build maps below.

Nexfibre Build Maps – Q3 2024 (Left) vs Q1 2025 (Right)

The above comparison may also provide some clues as to where nexfibre may be looking when they contemplate future mergers and acquisitions. Speaking of which..

Rajiv Datta, CEO of nexfibre, said:

“As we look ahead, we are mindful that a significant proportion of our build plan would result in overbuild with existing altnet infrastructure in the current fragmented environment. This would clearly be an inefficient use of the significant capital we have available and do nothing to help move the market to a healthier place.

We’ve long said that the current market structure is unsustainable, and we continue to believe that industry rationalisation and consolidation is both inevitable and necessary. That’s why we’re reassessing our plans with a view to using some of our financial capability in a smarter way to seize opportunities as they emerge.

Our mission remains unchanged: to create a national-scale challenger to Openreach, in collaboration with our partner Virgin Media O2”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Welsh Government (WG) appears to have quietly reopened their Access Broadband Cymru (ABC) grant scheme during the middle of last week. This is being backed by an investment pot of £1 million (annual budget) and offers funding to help rural homes get a 30Mbps+ broadband service installed in areas of slow connectivity.

Just to recap. The WG’s scheme was paused at the end of last summer to help bring it more up-to-date (here), particularly in light of the UK’s government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout programme – this has long aimed to help extend gigabit broadband (1000Mbps+) networks to reach “nationwide” coverage (c. 99%) by 2030 (here). A number of related contracts for Wales have since been awarded to Openreach (here and here).

The WG had previously stated that the pause in their ABC scheme would allow them to update it to “reflect new broadband technology and market changes“, while also reviewing the “grant limits and how the scheme is run to keep it targeted, flexible, and responsive“. In March 2025 we then posted an update on all this (here), which revealed that the WG “anticipated that the scheme [would] reopen in the Spring” with some changes.

The good news is that, without any big announcements being made, readers of ISPreview have spotted that the WG appears to have quietly re-opened the ABC scheme last week (here). But the updated scheme only appears to have benefitted from a few smaller tweaks, and thus retains much of the same focus as it had before the pause.

For example, there’s no longer the option of a smaller £400 voucher for 10Mbps+ speeds, but they do still offer a single voucher worth “up to” £800 per premises for areas looking to get a 30Mbps+ capable connection installed (funding is split between equipment [£550] and installation costs [£250]). The scheme is open to both homes and businesses.

ABC Core Eligibility criteria

The scheme is open to premises provided they meet all the following criteria:

➤ is within the geographical boundary of Wales.

➤ is not able to achieve a connection of a minimum of 30mbps download speeds via any provider.

➤ has not previously received any public funding from any other UK public sector broadband intervention.

➤ has not received funding from the ABC Scheme within the past 48 months (including the paused scheme) regardless of speeds achieved during this timeframe.

➤ has a unique premises reference number (UPRN)

The scheme states that “any technology is eligible” (e.g. satellite, fixed wireless access, 4G/5G mobile, FTTP etc.), provided the installation is capable of achieving download speeds of at least 30Mbps. But the limited level of funding involved per premises does tend to rule out FTTP as a choice in most rural areas, where such deployments are often a lot more expensive than £800 per premises, except in a few cases.

The revised vouchers are thus unlikely to have a huge impact on the market or even gigabit coverage. But they do at least provide another option to help fully or partially fund solutions for those who can’t get access to a 30Mbps+ connection via existing fixed broadband lines.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

This quarter, BCE, Rogers, and Telus collectively reported their lowest wireless subscriber growth in four years

Canada’s crackdown on immigration is hamstringing growth for the nation’s telcos, according to a report in The Toronto Star.

The latest financial reports from all three of the country’s national mobile network operators – BCE, Telus, and Rogers – show a significant drop in subscriber growth this quarter, which they attribute to the government’s immigration policies.

Collectively, the three telcos added just 54,000 net mobile subscribers over the past quarter, the lowest amount since the coronavirus pandemic.

For the past four years, these telcos have typically enjoyed six-figure subscriber growth, buoyed by a steady stream of foreign students and temporary workers entering the country.

By last year, however, it was becoming apparent that this level of immigration – around half a million newcomers annually – was putting a major strain on both the country’s healthcare and housing systems.

As a result, the government has introduced a host of new immigration policies, aimed at both slowing the number of permanent residents and foreign students. In 2025, the country aims to welcome 395,000 permanent residents, 305,900 students, and 367,750 temporary workers, down 21%, 10%, and 16%, respectively, compared to 2024.

While this deceleration in growth was to be expected, it will nonetheless come as a painful blow to the operators, particularly BCE and Rogers which are feeling the pressure of mountains of debt and falling revenues.

Both companies stock prices have fallen to levels not seen for over a decade, with BCE even deciding to slash its dividend by 56%, reducing it for the first time since 2009.

Also in the news:
Germany appoints first ever digital minister
Signify and Cornerstone to deploy city-wide multi-operator wireless network through street lighting
BT opens new flagship Manchester office

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The combined business is valued up to £3 billion

Today, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) Business and Daisy Group have announced their intention to merge, creating a new B2B communications and IT giant.

The combined company will have roughly 700,000 customers, annual revenues reaching around £1.4 billion, and an estimated value of £2.5–£3 billion.

VMO2 will own 70% of the merged business and Daisy Group will hold 30%.

The deal is expected to deliver around £600 million in synergies, primarily through “leveraging Virgin Media O2’s own networks, reducing duplicated costs, pursuing cross and up sell opportunities and integrating IT systems”, according to the companies’ press release.

Roughly half of this total cost saving is expected to be delivered within three years.

VMO2 CEO Lutz Schüler described the deal as the “perfect pairing”, saying the deal would create a B2B “powerhouse”.

“For us, it’s a big step forward in our journey to boost B2B growth and provide UK businesses of all sizes with the best digital and connectivity offerings,” he said. “Following completion, the new company will have the scale, talent, focus and infrastructure needed to drive digital transformation and provide business customers with an innovative one-stop shop for all their communications and IT needs. We can’t wait to get started on this next chapter in partnership with Daisy.”

Daisy founder Matthew Riley will serve as Chair of the organisation, while VMO2 Business’s managing director Jo Bertram will handle the day-to-day operations as CEO.

The deal is subject to typical regulatory oversight from the Competition and Markets Authority, but an inside source told Sky News that the companies did not expect any objections.

Assuming approval, the deal is expected to close in early H2 this year.

Join the telecoms ecosystem in discussion at Connected Britain 2025, the UK’s leading digital economy event

Also in the news:
Germany appoints first ever digital minister
Signify and Cornerstone to deploy city-wide multi-operator wireless network through street lighting
BT opens new flagship Manchester office

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Independent wholesale, broadband and data centre connectivity provider VeloxServ has today announced that their UK ISP partners will benefit from their new “collaboration” with London-focused provider Vorboss, which operates a 100Gbps capable full fibre network in the city.

Just to recap. Vorboss has so far completed the deployment of a 700km+ dedicated point-to-point fibre optic network across Central London (covering most of zones 1 and 2), which we’re told is enough to potentially connect all commercial buildings in the area to their direct internet access and Ethernet network (this is up from the 500km they reported last year, suggesting the network has expanded).

Under the new deal, VeloxServ’s partners will gain access to the new network and full fibre speeds that go from 10Gbps to 100Gbps. “The demand for cost-effective and high-performance connectivity for businesses in London is growing rapidly in a fast moving and data-driven economy, which is why we’re delighted to be able to work with Vorboss to offer our ISP partners an even greater choice of competitive full-fibre products to serve the needs of their customers,” said Craig Messer, MD of VeloxServ.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Almost 12,500 more homes and businesses in Cumbria can now benefit from Full Fibre broadband 

A Cumbrian farmer who describes receiving Full Fibre broadband as “transformational” is among the homes and businesses now able to connect to lightning-fast speeds through Project Gigabit.

Project Gigabit is the government-funded programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. Fibrus is rolling out next generation broadband services to homes and businesses that might have otherwise missed out on gigabit upgrades across Cumbria, part of a £108 million connectivity boost.  In November 2022, Fibrus was awarded the contract, which initially covered 32,000 homes and businesses in Cumbria.

Today the company is proud to announce that it has achieved a major milestone in its Project Gigabit contract, successfully delivering reliable connectivity to almost 12,500 homes and businesses in Cumbria – on time and within budget.

This milestone comes after the announcement that Fibrus’ UK Government contract has been extended, allowing the company to deliver Full Fibre broadband to an additional 21,000 previously underserved premises in Cumbria. Once completed, alongside other commercial expansion plans, 99% of homes and businesses in Cumbria will have access to next-generation broadband.

Among those benefiting from wider access to lightning-fast Full Fibre broadband is Cumbrian dairy farmer Andrew Williamson from High Hesket who says his connection has been a game changer.

“It has made a huge difference,” said Andrew, who farms 240 pedigree Holsteins at Inglewood House at Calthwaite near Penrith.

“The farm is right on the end of the line and continually had problems with phone lines and internet speed. We’ve gone from 2mb at the best, up to 500mb overnight. The reliability has made a huge difference to the farm, it has made everything more efficient.”

He added: “Farming has changed massively in the last 20 or 30 years, and everything we do is data driven. The problem is, as things get more sophisticated you need more speed. All the milk recording and information we need on the pedigree of the cows is web based, so having good internet and website access is really important.”

Jenny Lennon, Managing Director of Hyperfast Networks, said: “The fibre rollout in Cumbria has been one of the most challenging we’ve encountered, with geographical challenges, heritage sites, and tourism restrictions all playing a role. Reaching this significant milestone under Project Gigabit is a huge achievement.”

“Stories like Andrew’s are a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. This project is making a lasting impact on digital infrastructure, bringing Full Fibre broadband to those who were previously left behind and truly transforming lives in these communities.”

“Focused on our next milestone, we’re excited for the future and fully committed to delivering 99.9% Full Fibre broadband coverage across Cumbria.”

Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “Fast, reliable broadband is essential to help grow businesses and our economy as a whole, and Project Gigabit is rolling out the connectivity to help make this growth a reality for people. For farmers like Andrew, it demonstrates how businesses can thrive with access to great digital connectivity.

“We’re breaking down barriers to opportunity and nowhere is this more apparent than in Cumbria, where almost 12,500 more homes and businesses now have access to lightning-fast broadband.”

Fibrus’ impact in Cumbria extends far beyond broadband. In April 2023, the company launched the Community Fund Cumbria to help combat digital poverty, with a special focus on supporting older and younger members of the community. By the end of this year, Fibrus will have invested £180,000 to help tackle digital exclusion in the region.

To further support local youth, Fibrus also introduced the Play it Forward Fund in 2023, providing vital funding to grassroots, non-profit sports clubs across Cumbria. To date, 40 clubs have benefited from this initiative. Fibrus’ commitment to young people is also demonstrated through its apprentice training facility at the former agricultural college at Newton Rigg, Penrith. Here, 46 apprentices have completed their training, with 74 more set to be trained by 2026.

Join the telecoms ecosystem in discussion at Connected Britain 2025, the UK’s leading digital economy event

Also in the news:
Germany appoints first ever digital minister
Signify and Cornerstone to deploy city-wide multi-operator wireless network through street lighting
BT opens new flagship Manchester office

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Infracapital-backed network operator Fibrus has today revealed that their £108m publicly funded Project Gigabit broadband rollout contract in Cumbria (Lot 28), which was awarded to the operator in November 2022 (here), has so far managed to reach “almost” 12,500 more homes and businesses. But many more are due to follow.

The contract, which Fibrus says has so far been delivered “on time and within budget“, has gone through the odd modification (here) since it was first announced and is currently valued at £149.75m with an aim to bring the operator’s Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to a total of around 53,500 extra premises in the hardest to reach areas.

Once completed, alongside other commercial expansion plans (including by other network operators), some 99% of homes and businesses in Cumbria will have access to gigabit broadband. But it’s still not entirely clear when the Project Gigabit roll-out for this county is due to complete.

Jenny Lennon, Managing Director of Hyperfast Networks, said:

“The fibre rollout in Cumbria has been one of the most challenging we’ve encountered, with geographical challenges, heritage sites, and tourism restrictions all playing a role. Reaching this significant milestone under Project Gigabit is a huge achievement.

Stories like Andrew’s are a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. This project is making a lasting impact on digital infrastructure, bringing Full Fibre broadband to those who were previously left behind and truly transforming lives in these communities.”

Focused on our next milestone, we’re excited for the future and fully committed to delivering 99.9% Full Fibre broadband coverage across Cumbria.”

Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said:

“Fast, reliable broadband is essential to help grow businesses and our economy as a whole, and Project Gigabit is rolling out the connectivity to help make this growth a reality for people. For farmers like Andrew, it demonstrates how businesses can thrive with access to great digital connectivity.

We’re breaking down barriers to opportunity and nowhere is this more apparent than in Cumbria, where almost 12,500 more homes and businesses now have access to lightning-fast broadband.”

The operator’s wider full fibre network currently reaches over 410,000 UK premises and has connected 100,000 customers, although most of that has come from their large deployment in Northern Ireland.

Fibrus’ local apprentice training facility, which is situated at the former agricultural college at Newton Rigg (Penrith), has so far also helped 46 apprentices to complete their training, with 74 more set to be trained by 2026.