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Carlisle-based alternative broadband ISP Grain has revealed that their 2Gbps speed point-to-point full fibre (FTTP) network has now started to go live in the industrial North Northamptonshire (England) town of Kettering, which is home to a population of between 56,000 (parish) and 63,000 (built up area). But their initial coverage is very limited. (more…)
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The CEO of broadband and mobile giant Virgin Media (O2) has today published an Open Letter that it just sent to Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which makes their objections to the acquisition of TalkTalk and PlatformX Communications (PXC) by BT Group quite clear – despite the fact they didn’t bid themselves. (more…)
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Broadband and phone provider KCOM, which have built a full fibre (FTTP) network across parts of East Yorkshire (mostly Hull) and Lincolnshire in England, has this week become the latest company to launch their own eSIM-based virtual 5G mobile service with an “exclusive” discount for existing customers – offering unlimited calls, texts and data. (more…)
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As demand for faster, more reliable connectivity continues to grow, network infrastructure is under increasing pressure to deliver greater capacity, flexibility, and resilience. From broadband and telecoms networks to data centres, utilities, transport infrastructure, and connected communities, the pathways that house and protect communication cables play a critical role in keeping data moving.
Yet choosing the right innerduct is not simply a matter of selecting a product that fits inside a conduit. Network construction projects involve a range of considerations, from space availability and installation requirements to environmental conditions, costs, maintenance and future expansion. Getting those decisions right can have a lasting impact on the performance, scalability, and longevity of network infrastructure.
MaxCell’s ‘How to Choose the Right Innerduct’ whitepaper explores key considerations related to innerduct choice.
The nuance of innerduct selection
Among the key themes explored in the white paper is understanding that different deployments will have deeply different requirements. Network requirements rarely stand still, and infrastructure needs to accommodate changing technologies, increasing bandwidth demands, and additional cables over time. Understanding how innerduct can support future scalability is therefore integral to network design.
There are also major differences between indoor and outdoor applications to consider. Inside plant (ISP) environments can present tight spaces, corners and building constraints, while outside plant (OSP) deployments can expose infrastructure to corrosion, temperature fluctuations and other environmental challenges. Projects involving bridges, highways, railways, congested ducts, and other pathway obstacles can introduce even further constraints, making manoeuvrability and weight additionally important factors.
These different applications create distinct requirements that need to be considered during project planning.
Balancing performance, cost, and installation
Of course, alongside technical requirements, network operators must also consider cost. Product pricing is only one part of this equation, with labour, shipping, storage, and the practicalities of installation all impacting a project’s economics. The ease with which an innerduct solution can be installed, maintained, and adapted will also have significant implications for long-term returns.
Making the right choice for the network ahead
Innerduct selection is ultimately about looking beyond the immediate installation. Factors including application, available space, environmental conditions, installation requirements, total project cost and future network expansion can all influence the long-term performance, flexibility and economics of an infrastructure deployment.
MaxCell’s ‘How to Choose the Right Innerduct’ whitepaper provides a practical guide to these considerations across different network environments. For operators, contractors and infrastructure owners planning new deployments or upgrading existing pathways, it offers a useful framework for evaluating the options and making informed innerduct decisions.
Read the full white paper, How to Choose the Right Innerduct, to explore the key considerations, applications and solutions in greater detail.
Also in the news
Shared Rural Network rollout extends to UK national parks with over 150 4G masts live
Vodafone touts latest attempt to bridge the UK’s digital divide
Virgin Media O2 cuts 5,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions
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Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today announced that they’ve switched-on their next-generation 5G Standalone (5G+) mobile broadband network in the Bristol area, which is said to reach up to 495,000 people across the city – delivering “faster speeds, better coverage and lower latency at no extra cost.” (more…)
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The UK’s largest alternative 10Gbps capable Full Fibre (FTTP / XGS-PON) broadband network, CityFibre, has today revealed that their network now covers 4.8 million UK premises (4.6m RFS) and revenues grew to £164m (up 36% from £120m last year). But shareholders have also prepared £900m in a “new equity commitment” to help drive future altnet consolidation. (more…)
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The UK wants to lead in AI, cloud and digital services. Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently reinforced that ambition at the UN, committing to put AI at the heart of the UK’s 2027 G20 Presidency.
But delivering that ambition depends on physical infrastructure. AI, cloud and digital services all rely on the compute capacity, connectivity and data centres that underpin the digital economy.
At Connected Britain 2026, I chaired a panel with representatives from Deep Green, Ark Data Centres , Kao Data and Telehouse. The discussion highlighted an important tension: data centres are becoming more important to the economy just as public and political scrutiny of them is increasing.
This article shares some of the key points and takeaways from that panel discussion.
Data centres underpin email, social media, banking transactions, access to NHS records, video and music streaming, and many cloud-based business applications.
Tom Powlay of Telehouse provided a useful analogy: “Data centres are like vehicles. A bicycle and a cargo truck are both vehicles, but they serve very different purposes. Hyperscale, AI, connectivity-led and edge data centres similarly have very different requirements for power, cooling, connectivity and location.”
And critically, AI is not yet the dominant driver of UK data-centre demand. The panel highlighted that much of today’s demand still comes from cloud computing and the everyday digital applications we already use. AI is an important growth driver, but it should not become shorthand for the entire sector.
One of the strongest themes was that data centres respond to demand rather than create it.
Banking, healthcare, logistics, retail, communications and cloud services increasingly depend on this infrastructure. Judging a data centre simply by the number of people working inside it therefore misses its wider economic role.
Another panelist compared data centres to motorways: the value of a motorway is not the number of people working at a toll booth or service station; it is the economic activity travelling across it.
The takeaway was simple: judge data centres by what they enable, not just by the buildings themselves.
Power, water, jobs and local impact dominate much of the current debate.
Some concerns are legitimate. Data centres can consume significant amounts of electricity, while major developments need to demonstrate clear local benefits.
But context matters.
The panel highlighted how UK cooling models can differ substantially from the water-intensive US examples frequently cited in media coverage. One example discussed by Mark Lee of Deep Green was a UK facility using closed-loop cooling and reusing waste heat through a district heating network.
There was also broad agreement that the industry itself needs to do more. Public concerns are real, even where some of the assumptions behind them are wrong.
The industry’s response therefore cannot simply be to rebut criticism. Greater transparency, stronger community engagement and clearer local benefits are needed.
Investment appetite remains strong. One panelist cited a recent £1.7 billion investment as evidence that international interest in UK capacity remains significant.
The bigger constraints are high power costs, long grid-connection times, planning risks and wider uncertainty.
Developers compete globally for capital. Long grid-connection times, planning risk and inconsistent understanding between authorities all increase the risk attached to UK projects.
One idea raised by Mark Lee of Deep Green was for something akin to a “home buyer’s report” for data centres: a common framework covering power, water, efficiency, community impact and other key characteristics, helping planners and communities understand what is actually being proposed.
AI Growth Zones have helped focus attention on infrastructure, but the discussion questioned whether concentrating on a small number of very large sites adequately reflects the breadth of the UK market.
Existing clusters and city regions may offer a different route, combining brownfield land, power, connectivity, skills and supportive local leadership.
The policy question is therefore not simply whether Britain needs more data centres, but what types are needed, where they should be located and under what conditions they should be developed.
Source: Intelligens Consulting and Panel Attendees
Plan for data centres as economic infrastructure, not simply as another property use.
Differentiate between data centre types, because their power, water, connectivity and location needs vary significantly.
Give planners clearer guidance and evidence, so applications can be assessed consistently and with greater confidence.
Identify investable locations proactively, bringing together land, power, connectivity, planning and skills rather than waiting for proposals to arrive.
Quantify local and regional benefit properly, including supply chains, skills, business rates, innovation, digital services and the wider economic activity enabled by compute.
If Britain is serious about AI-led growth and the wider digital economy, data centres cannot be considered separately from energy, planning, connectivity, and regional economic development.
For local authorities, combined authorities and regions, the challenge is increasingly practical: where should data centre investment go, what kind of capacity is appropriate, and how can economic benefits be maximised while infrastructure and community concerns are addressed? If you are considering how to attract data-centre investment, identify suitable locations, strengthen your planning approach or quantify the economic case, we can help.
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Broadband and mobile operator Virgin Media (O2) has today announced the creation of a new dedicated team of 150 agents in Newcastle, who will be responsible for handling repeat customer calls. The goal is to help the telecoms provider to boost first-time resolution of more complex issues across their entire UK customer base. (more…)
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UK ISP Opus Broadband, which had previously been working alongside investment firm Alchemy Partners on a c.£100m bid for TalkTalk’s debt-ridden consumer business – before BT stepped in yesterday to avoid a sudden collapse, has today said they were “surprised” by the outcome as they had a “live offer for the consumer business which had not been rejected“. (more…)
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Network access provider Openreach (BT), which has a huge fleet of 23,000 cars and commercial vans to help their engineers roll-out and support their UK broadband infrastructure, has revealed that they’re testing Geotab‘s connected vehicle fleet telematics technology to improve driver safety, cut downtime and support their sustainability ambitions. (more…)