The UK Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has today begun their annual hunt for the best ISPs and internet companies ahead of their forthcoming 2025 awards event (the 27th one they’ve held), which this time adds several new and refreshed categories (total of 20) to help reflect the trends and successes of the industry.

The winners of the previous 2024 awards event were unveiled back in November 2024 (here), which among other things saw several ISPs taking home two awards each across different categories, including Brsk, CommunityFibre, and Vorboss.

However, there have been a few big changes this year, such as via the introduction of five new categories – ‘Best Wholesale Platform’, ‘Best Network Integration’, ‘Best Technology Partnership’, ‘Engineer of the Year’, and ‘Best Customer Loyalty’.

As usual, the ISP categories will undergo several months of “technical testing” from 1st May to 20th July, while a good-sized panel of judges will also help to select some of the winners. The full list of categories now open for entry can be seen below. Internet providers, network operators, technology partners, and industry stakeholders can apply to take part in the event here (registration is open until 11th April 2025).

2025 ISPAs Award Categories
Best Rural ISP
Best Business ISP
Best Consumer ISP (under 100k customers)
Best Consumer ISP (over 100k customers)
Best Fibre Infrastructure
Best Wholesale Platform
Best Voice Provider
Most Innovative Fibre Deployment
Best Technology Partnership
Best Customer, Network and Data Security
Best Network Integration
Engineer of the year
Best Customer Experience
Best Customer Loyalty
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion
Sustainability Champion
Best Community Engagement
Digital Inclusion Champion – Industry
Digital Inclusion Champion – Charities and Communities
Internet Hero – 30th ISPA anniversary

The winners will be announced during a black tie dinner on 13th November 2025 in central London, bringing together over 500 senior leaders in the broadband sector for a night of celebration and networking. This year’s awards will be hosted at City Central at the HAC.

Press Release

The North East’s pioneering role in advanced wireless innovation took centre stage at the 5G Innovation Regions (5GIR) Showcase.  

Bringing together industry leaders, government representatives and technology innovators, the event celebrated the progress, impact and future potential of advanced wireless infrastructure use cases across key sectors, including smart port operations, agritech, connected transport and creative industries.

Spearheaded by Sunderland City Council in collaboration with the North East Combined Authority, this initiative is driving regional innovation and connectivity. The 5GIR programme has established the North East as a national leader in digital innovation and demonstrated close partnerships with industry, academia and technology providers. With investment from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the region has accelerated the deployment of cutting-edge technologies that are shaping the future of connectivity, industry and sustainability. 

Through these four pioneering projects, the region is demonstrating how connectivity can enhance efficiency, safety and engagement, ensuring no one and nowhere is left behind. 

Opening the event at City Hall in Sunderland, Patrick Melia, chief executive of Sunderland City Council and digital lead officer for the North East Combined Authority, reinforced the region’s commitment to harnessing technology for economic growth, social impact and environmental sustainability. Patrick said: “5G innovation is not just about infrastructure, but about real-world benefits. Our goal encompasses more than leveraging technology alone, it’s focused on the impact technological advancement has on people’s lives, prospects and the opportunities it opens for them.” 

This sentiment was echoed by Rob Hamilton, chief economist at the North East Combined Authority, who highlighted that: “Technology must serve a purpose, driving real benefits for businesses and communities across the North East. 

“5G infrastructure is underpinning the region’s ambitions for economic resilience, digital inclusion and future skills development.” 

The showcase event focused on the impressive progress across four main projects, each demonstrating the vital role of advanced wireless technologies, including 5G, in reshaping regional industries: Connected Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), Creative Industries, Smart Port and Agritech. 

Connected Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS):
One focus of the showcase was the Connected Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) project, which leverages 5G to improve the movement of people and goods across the region. Mark Wilson from Sunderland City Council’s Highways Authority said: “5G connectivity is enabling real-time traffic management, multimodal journey planning and enhanced safety measures.  

“By integrating live data, we are creating a smarter, more efficient transport network across our region, whilst demonstrating how this can be transferred and implemented throughout the UK.” 

Adrian Molloy, Head of Delivery at Boldyn Networks, discussed the role of 5G private networks in enabling autonomous vehicle integration and AI-driven analytics for transport efficiency. Simon Edwards, Senior Researcher in Inclusive Mobility at Newcastle University, further emphasised the role of CITS in supporting connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) trials, highlighting the potential for real-time data exchange between vehicles and infrastructure to optimise mobility solutions. 

Creative Industries
The showcase also featured groundbreaking applications in the Creative Industries, with a focus on immersive digital experiences and real-time broadcasting. Two major use cases were introduced: live 360º video broadcasting and the Sunderland EXPO Pavilion, one of the UK’s largest immersive screens, developed in collaboration with Animmersion and ArtAV. 

Marion Dixon, Assistant Director Regulatory Services and Events at Sunderland City Council, said: “The EXPO Pavilion serves as a dynamic digital canvas, showcasing the city’s culture, music and heritage. It’s been incredible to see live demonstrations in Keel Square – broadcast in real time using 5G-enabled cameras and dual-SIM broadcasting technology – redefining audience engagement as we merge technology and creativity to bring digital content to life in public spaces.” 

The project team at Port of Tyne – part of the 5GIR North East Showcase. 

Smart Port
On the second day, attendees visited Port of Tyne’s Innovation Hub, where Dr Jo North, innovation ecosystem director, and Mark Stoner, chief financial officer at the Port, highlighted how 5G is transforming port operations. Mark said: “The expansion of our private 5G network, in partnership with BT and Ericsson, is enabling real-time monitoring of road conditions, vehicle movements and environmental impact. This enhanced connectivity allows us to proactively manage safety risks, optimise logistics and improve operational efficiency across the Port.  

“By leveraging data-driven insights, we are creating a smarter, safer and more sustainable port environment that supports the wider supply chain and maritime industry.” 

The implementation of AI-enhanced PPE monitoring, vehicle tracking and automated maintenance insights, are further reinforcing the Port’s vision to become a smart, green and fully connected logistics hub. 

Agritech
The showcase concluded with a visit to Newcastle University’s Nafferton Farm, where attendees explored advanced wireless farm sensors for soil health monitoring and methane reduction. Dr Elisa Lopez Capel, senior lecturer in soil science at Newcastle University, demonstrated how LoRaWAN-connected sensors are providing continuous soil condition data, while James Standen, director of Newcastle University Farms, detailed the use of IoT technology in precision agriculture to improve sustainability and efficiency.  

Dr Hannah Davis of Newcastle University introduced the methane monitoring use case, explaining its critical role in reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint. By leveraging advanced wireless infrastructure, researchers have developed low-cost methane sensors, which are now installed in the dairy parlour at Nafferton Farm. This technology advances environmental sustainability whilst unlocking opportunities for carbon credits and additional revenue streams. 

The 5GIR North East Showcase reinforced the region’s status as a leader in digital transformation, demonstrating how collaboration, investment, and innovation are shaping the future. With projects already delivering tangible benefits, the North East continues to drive forward as a blueprint for connected, intelligent and sustainable communities. 

For all the latest updates on the region’s 5GIR projects, visit http://www.sunderlandoursmartcity.com/5GIR. 

How is 5G impacting the northern economy in the UK? Join industry stakeholders in discussion at Connected North 2025 live in Manchester

Press Release

Colt Technology Services (Colt), the global digital infrastructure company, today announced an expansion to its technology portfolio with Managed LEO+, a new managed service which integrates Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity with cellular 4G/5G.  Managed LEO+, now available to Colt customers across 65 countries, brings a greater choice of networking technologies to businesses with operations – such as production facilities, manufacturing sites and retail locations – in rural and hard-to-reach areas. The new service complements Colt’s fibre connectivity by providing businesses with alternative back-up options for their infrastructure and is ideal for organisations looking for rapid deployment*.

Managed LEO+ is launched following a successful trial with a global biopharmaceutical company which has operations in 30 countries, some of which are in rural locations previously underserved by network providers. The company needed a secure, sustainable, futureproof digital infrastructure to connect and integrate its operations; to run tools and applications; and to share data between sites in areas such as research and development and supply chain management.

The company required consistently high levels of performance and reliability, regardless of whether they were located in urban or rural areas. Colt’s managed LEO 4G/5G network met these requirements and more, enabling efficient remote access, improving collaboration and ensuring robust levels of regulatory compliance.

Managed LEO+ demonstrates Colt’s commitment to delivering innovative connectivity solutions which address the unique needs of its customers while maintaining business continuity in the most challenging environments.

Annette Murphy, chief commercial officer, Colt Technology Services said, “Businesses with operations in remote and hard-to-reach areas are disadvantaged by patchy, low-quality access to their enterprise networks. This isn’t just frustrating for them: it slows progress, stifles innovation and excludes them from the digital economy. Our new Managed LEO+ service complements our existing fibre network and provides an exciting new option for high-performing, secure network access – and it’s fully managed by Colt, so businesses benefit from our mission to remove complexity and make life easier for them”.

Colt’s expansive global network spans four continents, with a land-based network in 40 countries and ten subsea systems, including subsea cables and landing stations.

Managed LEO + completes Colt’s trio of digital infrastructure across land, sea, and low Earth orbit, offering wide coverage and secure, low-latency networks to help global businesses succeed.

*The site survey determines the optimal location for the satellite antenna and establishes the required works guidelines to install the necessary equipment. Following approval of the works by the customer or site owner, the deployment is scheduled taking no more than 24 hours including installation, commissioning and testing.

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news:
Navigating the depths: Strategies for delivering successful subsea cable projects
Vodafone–Three reveals leadership team
French energy giant EDF offers up land for data centre projects

Digital entertainment platform Netgem TV has today announced that their IPTV box and service, which is typically bundled by broadband ISPs like Brsk, TalkTalk, Connect Fibre, CommunityFibre and others, will benefit from a new collaboration with the FIFA+ streaming platform that will bring “unparalleled access to free, high-quality football content” to users of the service.

The agreement will see FIFA+ support being added to their platform, starting with the UK and Ireland “this month“, followed by France and other regions across Europe. Netgem users in the UK will thus get access to FIFA+’s content, including original documentaries such as Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World, Captains, and Golden Boot. Fans can also re-live iconic moments from past FIFA World Cup and FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, all available on-demand, among various other content.

The set-top-boxes Netgem provide – like the Netbox 4K (inc. HDR, bluetooth pairing, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB and Dolby Atmos sound) – tend to be similar to some of those supplied by rival video streaming companies and include an often familiar array of premium content, apps (iPlayer, itvx, 5, UKTV play, Amazon Prime Video etc.), live TV channels (Freeview) and catch-up content.

Sylvain Thevenot, Chief Commercial & Customer Officer at Netgem, said:

“We are thrilled to partner with FIFA+ to bring free, premium sports content to our users. This collaboration reinforces our dedication to providing a comprehensive and engaging entertainment experience, with a focus on delivering high-quality content at no extra cost to our audience, and further enhances the value we bring to our operator partners.”

We’re not so sure if this really does qualify as “free, premium sports content“, but it’s otherwise worth noting that FIFA+ can also be accessed by lots of different platforms too (as well as a regular web browser).

Contributed Article

This is part 1 of a two-part series exploring how Vitrifi leverages NATS in building its Workflow Automation Platform.

Building on concepts discussed in its Synadia Guest Blog which explores the technical underpinnings of NATS, this blog examines how Vitrifi’s platform transforms telecoms workflows, highlighting how advanced automation enables agility, resilience, and scalability in an increasingly complex industry landscape.

The future of workflow automation in telecoms

The telecoms industry is at a pivotal juncture.  With growing demand for seamless connectivity, operators must balance real-time responsiveness, scalability, and reliability while managing legacy constraints and fragmented workflows.  Traditional approaches struggle to meet these challenges, leading to inefficiencies, higher costs and customer dissatisfaction.

Vitrifi’s cloud-native Workflow Automation Platform solves this problem.  It unifies workflows, reduces operational complexity, and enables dynamic scaling – all powered by NATS, a cutting-edge messaging system optimised for real-time automation.

The platform is designed to be industry-agnostic, yet its initial focus on telecoms highlights the unique challenges and opportunities within this sector.  By enabling cost savings, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing customer satisfaction, these advantages underscore the platform’s transformative potential, equipping telecoms operators to navigate today’s fast-paced and evolving landscape with greater efficiency and agility.

Why telecoms needs smarter workflow automation

Effective automation in telecoms requires more than just task execution.  It must:

• Handle thousands of concurrent events in real-time.
• Deliver resilience and fault tolerance, ensuring uninterrupted service.
• Adapt to diverse environments, integrating across multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructures.
• Provide scalability, customisation and dynamic responsiveness.

Existing tools do not meet these needs, so Vitrifi created a Workflow Automation Platform designed for efficiency and flexibility.  It supports industry-standard workflows with BPMN 2.0 compatibility, processes data in real-time and works seamlessly across multi-cloud environments.  At its core is Shar, an open source workflow engine developed by Crystal Construct with Vitrifi’s support, alongside NATS, which enables real-time state management and seamless communication.

How Vitrifi’s workflow automation platform works

The platform consists of two key components:

1. Content Management System (CMS): A user-friendly hub for designing tasks, creating workflows, and monitoring performance.
2. Core Engine: The operational backbone of the platform, that brings workflows to life, featuring:

• Shar – a workflow engine that interprets BPMN 2.0 files and orchestrates task execution.
• Trigger Server (TS) – converts events into workflow triggers/initiation commands.
• Task Runner (TR) – dynamically scales processing based on demand.

With NATS serving as both a messaging platform and a key-value store, Vitrifi’s workflow automation architecture ensures real-time updates and fault-tolerant workflows, even in the most complex environments.

The diagram below illustrates how Vitrifi uses NATS to facilitate seamless communication and real-time updates across these components:

Key: UI (User Interface), TS (Trigger Server), API (Application Programming Interface), Shar (Workflow Engine), DB (Database), TR (Task Runner)

Leveraging NATS for next-gen workflow automation

At the core of Vitrifi’s platform lies NATS, a lightweight yet powerful messaging system that acts as the backbone of its architecture.  NATS extends far beyond basic message passing, serving as a universal transport layer for real-time automation.  It’s versatility enables real-time state management, event-driven workflows and seamless cross-system integration, making it indispensable for telecoms-grade automation.

To illustrate its impact, let’s examine how NATS operates in real-world scenarios.

A real-world scenario: Imagine deploying workflow automation in a multi-cloud environment:

• The Content Management System (CMS) and Core run in a cloud provider.
• Another Core deployment operates in a private data centre.
• A NATS cluster spans both environments.

If the cloud deployment encounters issues, the private data centre seamlessly takes over operations. This is possible due to NATS’ asynchronous event-processing capabilities and cross-cluster extensions. Coupled with the Core’s reliance on NATS as a messaging and state-management platform, this architecture guarantees resilience, continuity, and fault tolerance, even in complex distributed environments.

Here’s how Vitrifi is leveraging NATS across key application areas:

1. Real-time state management (NATS as a Database)

NATS’ Key Value (KV) Store functions as a distributed, real-time database, enabling precise tracking and management of workflow states.

• Live State Tracking: Workflows progress in real-time with precision.
• Data Consistency: Synchronisation across multi-cloud and hybrid deployments.
• Built-in Auditability: Secure revision history for compliance and debugging.
• Automatic Cleanup of Transient Data.

For example, in a global telecoms network, the KV Store synchronises workflow states seamlessly, minimising downtime during outages.

2. High throughput message streaming (NATS JetStream)

In telecoms operations, the ability to efficiently handle high throughput is non-negotiable.  NATS JetStream processes thousands of workflow states per minute with high reliability and minimal latency, enabling:

• Event Replay for Auditing and Debugging: Ensures operators can audit, debug, or retry workflows without risk of duplication or data loss.
• Dynamic Workload Scaling: Adapts instantly to demand fluctuations, ensuring stable performance during peak operations.
• High-Volume Message Handling: Ideal for operations like provisioning services or handling simultaneous customer requests.
• Low-Latency, High Reliability Processing: Essential for telecoms-grade automation.

3. Exactly-once execution for business-critical tasks

In telecoms workflows, data integrity is paramount. Precise, non-duplicated execution is non-negotiable.

This capability guarantees precision in critical workflows such as billing operations, service activations and fault management, where even minor inaccuracies can have significant consequences.

• Billing Operations: Preventing overcharges or missed transactions.
• Fault Management: Ensuring network events trigger exactly one resolution action.

4. Seamless integration with other systems

Telecoms workflows often involve interactions with a diverse array of third-party APIs, legacy systems, and cloud services. NATS acts as a central integration hub, bridging gaps between disparate systems and enabling seamless interoperability across hybrid architectures.

Whilst Vitrifi’s Workflow Automation Platform is a standalone solution, it also integrates across its wider portfolio.  For instances where integration with other systems is required, such as receiving messages from another NATS deployment or cluster, Vitrifi leverages NATS Leaf Nodes to establish seamless and efficient connectivity, enabling:

• Cross-Platform Communication: Connecting legacy and cloud-native systems.
• Multi-Region Deployments: Ensuring seamless failover and business continuity.

5. Resource management

Efficient resource utilisation is critical in telecoms operations, where demand can fluctuate dramatically. NATS centralises real-time scaling, load balancing, and resource optimisation, ensuring peak efficiency.

Key capabilities include:

• Dynamic load balancing: Tasks are distributed across workloads, optimising performance and preventing bottlenecks.
• Real-time scaling: Resources are automatically scaled up or down based on live demand, ensuring efficiency during workload peaks.
• Streamlined monitoring: Operators can track performance metrics directly within the system to address bottlenecks proactively.

For example, before initiating a workflow, NATS ensures all necessary validations are complete through asynchronous request-reply messages, enhancing overall reliability while maintaining the loosely coupled design of distributed systems.

6. Handling multi-tenancy

Being able to serve multiple telecoms operators and their respective retail service providers simultaneously requires robust multi-tenancy capabilities with built-in data security, operational isolation, and equitable resource distribution capabilities.

NATS achieves this through:

• Account-level isolation: Provides separate environments for each tenant, ensuring no overlap of data or workflows.
• JWT-based authentication: Adds an additional layer of security while maintaining flexibility.
• Hierarchical data segmentation: Organises data streams by tenant, workflow, and task, simplifying debugging and monitoring.

This model allows telecoms operators to manage multiple customers, regions, and service tiers simultaneously while maintaining performance and security. With NATS, Vitrifi can offer seamless scalability to telecoms operators while preserving the integrity of their multi-tenant environments.

Operational and financial impact

By embedding NATS into its architecture, Vitrifi delivers significant measurable advantages for telecoms operators:

• Cost Efficiency: Reduces operational inefficiencies and frees-up resources for higher value/strategic initiatives.
• Operational Efficiency: Faster workflows and dynamic resource management minimise delays and optimise performance.
• Enhanced Resilience: Built-in fault tolerance ensures uninterrupted service delivery, even in complex, distributed environments.
• Effortless Scalability: Operators can handle increasing workloads seamlessly without the need for significant infrastructure upgrades.
• Energy Efficiency: Dynamic scaling reduces energy consumption, supporting sustainability goals.
• Superior Customer Experience: Rapid issue resolution and real-time updates enhances customer satisfaction and builds loyalty.

These benefits empower telecoms operators to optimise their operations, improve customer retention, and stay competitive while preparing for the demands of a rapidly evolving industry.

Beyond telecoms: A platform for all industries

Whilst initially focused on telecoms, Vitrifi’s Workflow Automation Platform is designed for broader applications.  Examples include (but not limited to):

• Finance: Automating compliance and fraud detection.
• Healthcare: Streamlining patient data management across systems.
• Logistics: Optimising supply chain operations in real-time.

This industry-agnostic approach ensures that businesses across sectors can leverage automation for improved efficiency and resilience.

Final thoughts: Redefining automation with NATS

For Vitrifi, NATS is more than just a messaging system, it is the foundation of its scalable, event-driven Workflow Automation Platform, enabling telecoms operators and businesses across industries to simplify complex workflows and drive meaningful transformation.

What’s next?

Part 2 of this series will explore Shar, the purpose-built workflow engine, and how it works alongside NATS to redefine automation for the telecoms industry.

About Vitrifi

Established in 2021, and headquartered in London, UK – Vitrifi is an innovative platform designed to transform the telecoms industry’s fragmented legacy systems into a unified, data-driven ecosystem. By treating everything as data, Vitrifi enables operators to deliver seamless customer journeys while automatically fixing, adapting and optimising processes in real time.

This revolutionary approach empowers telecoms operators to overcome the limitations of legacy systems, creating a platform that reflects the ideal infrastructure they would build from scratch today. Leveraging live analytics, machine learning and AI, Vitrifi’s autonomic ecosystem integrates seamlessly to deliver unparalleled efficiency and performance.

With Vitrifi, telecoms operators can streamline workflows, enhance operational efficiency, and deliver exceptional customer experiences, paving the way for long-term transformation and success.

To learn more, visit www.vitrifi.net

Sources have indicated to ISPreview that UK ISP Truespeed, which has deployed their alternative full fibre (FTTP) broadband network to over 105,000 rural premises (inc. over 21,000 customers) in parts of Devon, Wiltshire and Somerset in England, may have recently put more workers on notice of future redundancies.

The operator, which originally held an “ambitious” overall target of reaching 500,000 properties by 2025, previously suffered a build slowdown and job losses in the latter half of 2023 (here). Like many broadband operators they had come under pressure from the current market conditions (high interest rates, rising build costs, competition etc.) and wisely opted to re-focus their efforts more toward greater commercialisation.

However, sources informed ISPreview this week that Truespeed were allegedly considering another round of redundancies, albeit impacting a smaller number of roles (the suggestion is c. 10-15 people) than the 2023 cuts (c. 150) – a number of staff have also recently marked themselves as #opentowork on LinkedIn (mostly from the network side). But this is still a notable figure for an alternative network of Truespeed’s relatively small size (their ‘About‘ page says they employ over 100 people).

The official line from Truespeed on all this today is one of “no comment“. The same sources also informed us that the operator had then contacted all staff, seemingly including those about to be made redundant, about a pay rise. But we understand that this may simply have been a case of unfortunate timing, as Truespeed were also conducting their annual pay review process, which they do every year at this time.

According to the company’s latest annual accounts to the end of 2023 (published in August 2024), Truespeed reported a 23% increase in turnover to £6.625m (2022: £5.397m), but they also suffered an operating loss of £12.876m (2022: £8.924m) and a loss before taxation of £25.749m (2022: £17.626m). In addition, the company had net liabilities of £84.899m (2022: £59.157m).

In 2024, we also reported that Truespeed and County Broadband were potentially working toward a merger agreement (both are backed by Aviva), which sources tell us is still in the offing. The operators have previously both declined to comment on these reports.

London, 18th February 2025 – EXA Infrastructure, the critical digital infrastructure platform provider, has been chosen by IOEMA as the landing partner for its new submarine cable in Leiston, UK. From the cable landing station EXA will also provide critical backhaul connectivity to major data centers, including London Telehouse and Equinix.

Launched in May 2024, IOEMA is a 1,600 km repeated high-capacity submarine fiber optic network linking five key Northern European markets: the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Norway. This project is a game-changer, connecting strategic locations favored by Hyperscalers and Content Providers – due to power availability – with the primary landing points linking Europe’s core FLAP (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris) data hubs.

Leiston, one of EXA Infrastructure’s 20 cable landing stations, serves as a critical gateway between the UK and the Netherlands via the Concerto cable. It offers low-latency direct links to London, alternative routes to Dublin and northern UK regions bypassing London, and access to multiple transatlantic pathways, further strengthening connectivity to the Nordics.

Steve Roberts, SVP of Strategic Investments and Product Management at EXA Infrastructure, stated: “Being selected as the landing partner for this advanced fiber optic project highlights our expertise in delivering complex subsea landing solutions. Our commitment to providing diversity and resiliency through our extensive owned fiber network in Europe, coupled with vital transatlantic routes, positions us as a market leader in enabling advanced connectivity”

Eckhard Bruckschen, CTO at IOEMA Fibre Ltd., stated: ‘We are thrilled to announce our Landing Partnership for our second UK Landing point in Leiston.  Working with EXA Infrastructure enables IOEMA to link to one of Europe’s largest infrastructure footprints and beyond, increasing the connectivity solutions, diversity and reach of our system.’

About EXA Infrastructure
EXA Infrastructure is an award-winning portfolio company of I Squared Capital and the largest dedicated digital infrastructure platform throughout Europe, connecting North America and Asia via the Middle East. 

With over 20 years of experience in building resilient networks, EXA Infrastructure provides the critical modern infrastructure and unrivalled engineering expertise that serves as the backbone for digital and economic growth. This includes mission-critical networks for governments and enterprises, hyperscale infrastructure for the world’s most innovative and influential businesses, and ultra-low latency, high bandwidth networks for financial, gaming and broadcast services.

Headquartered in London, the company owns 155,000 kilometres of fibre network across 37 countries, including six transatlantic cables and the lowest latency link between Europe and North America. For more information, see exainfra.net

About IOEMA Fibre Ltd.

IOEMA is a state-of-the-art, high-capacity, 1600 km repeatered submarine fibre optic project that will arc across five key northern European markets – the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Norway. The 24-fibre pair system will support a minimum overall capacity of 1.0 Pb/s. www.ioemafibre.eu

BubbleRAN, a leader in intelligent network solutions, and Khalifa University’s 6G Research Center, renowned for cutting-edge telecommunications research, today announced a pioneering collaboration to demonstrate SLM-driven RAN Intelligence at Mobile World Congress 2025 (Barcelona, March 03-06). This first-of-its-kind showcase will highlight how Small Language Models (SLMs) are redefining the role of GenAI in telecom network automation accelerating telecom network operations. This initiative is further strengthened by Aalto University’s research expertise, contributing to advancements in AI-driven Telecommunications.

The shift to SLMs: Smarter, Leaner AI for Telecom. 

While Large Language Models (LLMs) excel in general-purpose tasks, their computational demands and latency challenges limit their usage in telecom applications. BubbleRAN and Khalifa University’s solution leverages specialized SLMs (1–7 billion parameters) tailored for the telecom domain, delivering resource efficiency, domain expertise, real-time decision-making.

Traditional AI tools struggle to contextualize the flood of data in modern networks. BubbleRAN Intelligent Telco Agent, powered by Khalifa University’s SLM technology, addresses this by automating troubleshooting, enabling proactive optimization, and simplifying operations. 

Use Case in Action:

Operator asks: “Why did throughput drop in Sector X?”

Agent responds: Cross-references live data, pinpoints a misconfigured transmit power, and guides remediation – all in under 5 seconds.

This effectively replaces the command-line interface (CLI) tools with intuitive, context-aware dialogue!

“We are delighted to collaborate with BubbleRAN for this first-of-its-kind showcase at Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, the perfect platform for innovative technologies. Our initial pioneering work with Telecom domain specific LLM laid the foundations. Now, this joint demo on SLM-driven RAN intelligence represents the next big step—leveraging specialized, efficient models with reasoning capability to reshape the future of wireless communications with real-time adaptability and automation,” says Professor Merouane Debbah, Founder-Director, 6G Research Center, Khalifa University. 

Navid Nikaein, CEO of BubbleRAN, added, “Our Intelligent Telco Agent acts as a controlled autopilot – empowering operators with actionable insights while retaining human oversight. This is how we make 6G sustainable.”

Unlike generic chatbots, BubbleRAN’s solution is tailored for telecom: it not only replies to generic questions about the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) stack or 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard but it also integrates live network data for real-time to answer specific questions related to the current network deployment, anomalies and how to troubleshoot or how to optimize the network, all in a form of actionable insights. The full demonstration will be displayed from 3 – 6 March 2025 at BubbleRAN stand (6E9) at MWC Barcelona 2025. 

The latest Q4 2024 results from Virgin Media and O2 have been published, which saw their fixed broadband base grow by +12,000 in the quarter (vs 16.2k in Q3) to total 5,738,900. The provider’s full fibre (FTTP) network also built to another 485,500 premises, primarily via nexfibre (up from 281k in Q3), while mobile connections grew to total 45.7 million.

The combined Virgin Media and nexfibre fixed broadband network now reaches a total of 18,255,600 Homes Serviceable (up from 17,770,100 in Q3) across the UK and the vast majority of that new build is from nexfibre. The nexfibre network alone now accounts for over 2 million UK premises passed of this total.

The results reveal that a total of around 6.4 million Virgin Media and nexfibre premises (footprint) are now covered by full fibre FTTP lines (XGS-PON and RFOG), which is up from 5.3m in Q3 2024. But this also factors in Virgin’s ongoing upgrade of existing Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) areas to FTTP under Project Mustang (i.e. aiming to convert all of Virgin’s existing HFC and RFOG lines to XGS-PON by 2028).

In addition, the c.175,000 premises passed by Upp, which was previously acquired by nexfibre, also appear to have been largely included into the latest quarterly build total as VMO2’s results highlight the “successful integration of the altnet“. Finally, a tiny portion of the nexfibre figures below will include a bit of infill build for Virgin Media itself (e.g. usually taking place on existing new build homes sites).

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

Just for context. Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners established a new £4.5bn joint venture called nexfibre in 2022 (here), which aims to deploy an open access full fibre (FTTP) network to reach “up to” 7 million UK homes (starting with 5m by 2026) in areas NOT served by Virgin Media’s own network of 16m+ premises. But Virgin Media, which shares some of the same parentage, is currently the only major ISP on this network (here).

Elsewhere, Virgin Media has long stopped giving any solid figures for their Pay TV (video) base, which often happens when a base is in decline.

VMO2 Q4 2024 UK Customer (Connection) Figures
5,738,900 Fixed Broadband – (up from 5,726,900 in Q3)
45,700,700 Mobile inc. Wholesale – (up from 45,412,100)

The latest results also state that outdoor 5G mobile coverage is now available to 75% of the UK population (up shrongly from 68% in Q3 and 65% in Q2) and we note that their mobile base has returned to growth in Q4 too (it declined a bit in Q3). On the financial front, VMO2 reported total revenue of £2,716.2m in Q4 2024, which is up from £2,701.8m last quarter.

Lutz Schüler, CEO of VMO2, said:

“We said 2024 was a year of investing to support our long-term growth and these results reflect that. We close the first chapter of Virgin Media O2 having delivered our full year guidance and hitting our JV synergy targets 18 months ahead of schedule, meaning we are well set for the future.

We ended the year with another quarter of fixed customer and ARPU growth, positive mobile contract additions and improved customer satisfaction through a relentless focus on customer experience.

Our investments of more than £2 billion across the year helped us to significantly boost our 5G coverage, improve mobile network quality and enhance rural connectivity. We also expanded our fibre footprint faster than ever as we build on our existing gigabit leadership and push ahead with creating the biggest fibre challenger in the UK along with nexfibre.

In 2024 we laid the foundations for future success, and in 2025 we will get back to growth in core revenues and profitability while continuing investment in our networks and services. Throughout the year we’ll also deliver on key strategic moves, including the creation of a fixed NetCo and the expected acquisition of spectrum from Vodafone-Three which will further improve mobile performance. This is the start of a new chapter for Virgin Media O2.”

Sadly, the latest results didn’t include much in the way of any useful updates on Virgin Media’s plans for opening their existing fixed broadband network up to wholesale via their new NetCo in the first half of 2025, but they did state that this was “on track” to “support the long-term underpinning of fibre upgrade activity and take up“.

However, recent media reports have suggested that VMO2 may have made progress on their efforts to raise an additional £1bn to support the NetCo project (here), which is understood to have recently received several non-binding offers from investors (potentially including BlackRock and CPP Investments etc.). The effort would hand investors up to a 40% stake in the planned NetCo business.

The big challenge for such a NetCo will be to attract any significant ISP support, at least beyond those already owned by the likes of Liberty Global or Telefónica (i.e. O2, Virgin Media, Giffgaff). Potential ISP partners will be looking to be treated fairly (wholesale agreements), which is always a tricky thing to balance vs the desire by some for exclusivity agreements.

The NetCo must at the same time be competitive with the dedicated wholesale platforms from larger providers like CityFibre and the regulated Openreach, while also making what they build as easy to harness as possible. One potential issue here is that Virgin Media’s own retail broadband pricing, particularly its post contract pricing, is still relatively high compared to a lot of other FTTP providers. The NetCo will need to be more competitive than that, which could be a hard thing to balance.

Network operator and UK ISP LightSpeed Broadband, which has already built their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) network to cover 250,000 premises across the East of England and West Midlands, has today revealed that their new network has started to launch “in the Staffordshire region” with the town of Kidsgrove and village of Scholar Green (the latter is more in Cheshire).

The announcement states that approximately 5,400 premises (homes and businesses) have already been covered in both locations, although this should increase to a total of 10,000 by the end of this Spring. The development follows shortly after LightSpeed confirmed that they’d begun to go live across the neighbouring coastal Norfolk towns of Cromer and Sheringham (here).

The provider, which in 2023 was acquired by Kompass Kapital (here) after suffering some job cuts and a build slowdown in the East of England (here), is currently busy deploying across parts of over 30 market towns in South Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Cambridgeshire, and Rutland.

In terms of Kidsgrove and Scholar Green, both Openreach and Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre) already have strong levels of gigabit-capable broadband coverage, but there is no other significant presence from any alternative networks.

Brett Shepherd, CEO of LightSpeed, said:

“We’re bringing our offering to Kidsgrove and Scholar Green to support the changing ways society stays connected.

From keen gamers to businesses and everyone in between, LightSpeed delivers a broadband connection experience that is seamless and ultrafast.

We’re excited for Kidsgrove and Scholar Green residents to see the benefits of joining our network for themselves and welcome our first customers to their new digital experience.”

Residential customers of the service typically pay from £18.99 per month on a 24-month term for symmetric speeds of 75Mbps, which rises to £54.99 for their top 2,000Mbps tier. The package includes a wireless router and free activation, except on their 75Mbps plan, where there’s a £30 one-off activation charge. A number of packages are also throwing in Amazon shopping vouchers worth between £30 and £130.

Customers can optionally add a Home Phone plan for £4.80 a month, as well as a Static IP for £6 or a signal-extending Wi-Fi mesh from £8.99.