The CEO and Co-Founder of UK ISP Fibrus, Dominic Kearns, has apologised to the several thousand premises in Northern Ireland that are still without access to their full fibre broadband network following Storm Éowyn (pronounced ‘Ay-oh-win’), which struck nearly three weeks ago. But most of their customers are now back online.

The storm, which was the result of explosive cyclogenesis (aka – a weather bomb), struck parts of the United Kingdom on Friday 24th January 2025 (here and here) and focused most of its destructive energy (wind speeds of up to 114mph) on Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Since then, network operators across the country, particularly Openreach and Fibrus, have scrambled to repair significant levels of network damage (here).

At its peak Fibrus was having to deal with the loss of service to 40,000 premises (customers), which by around 5-6th February had been reduced to 6,000 premises and the latest figure given yesterday is that around 2,800 customers are still offline. We should point out that sometimes the ultimate cause for such issues has been a lack of mains power, which often gets conflated with broadband, but is ultimately an issue for the power companies.

Most of those still offline are understood to be in the Fermanagh, South Tyrone and Mid Ulster areas. Fibrus is already offering compensation to those customers who have been offline for more than 48 working hours, which amounts to £5 per day – until the service is back online.

Dominic Kearns, CEO of Fibrus, said:

“Since recording this message our teams have made further progress and our storm faults now sit at less than 1% of our network at around 2,800 customers out of service. We are making great progress but I wanted to take the opportunity to apologise to those that remain offline. This storm has left its mark on rural NI.

Unlike the electricity network ours is more complex and we have dependencies on others such as Openreach to enable us to make the necessary fixes. Our engineering resourcing on the ground are 700% of what they normally are and our call centre has 80% more capacity than usual. I want to assure you that we are working tirelessly to get our communities and customers back connected again.”

Readers can find a video of Dominic’s apology on LinkedIn (we wish they’d put it on YouTube too so it can be embedded) and it’s worth noting that at least one other alternative network, Welsh ISP Ogi, has sent some of their engineers into Northern Ireland (here) to help support Fibrus’s teams in the field.

We should point out that it’s sadly not uncommon, after a major storm, for some remote rural areas to experience protracted network outages lasting several weeks or longer (Openreach sees a few of these each year). Such major events, which can impact a wide area, represent an extreme challenge for network operators to tackle and this can put a strain on their resources.

This is before we even consider that the network operators have to work with other suppliers (e.g. energy providers), which will be facing challenges of their own. Not to mention the usual delays from the need to secure road permits/permissions from local authorities for certain jobs, as well as constraints in the availability of materials and the requirement to make a site safe before engineers can start work.

After launching their first commercial 5G Standalone (SA) based mobile broadband network for consumers in February 2024 (here), mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today expanded the service’s availability to include large enterprise, public sector, and SME (business) customers on eligible tariffs.

Just to recap. 5GSA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for IoT devices, support for Voice over New Radio (VoNR or Vo5G) and increased reliability and security etc. Most existing 5G networks use a Non-Standalone (NSA) approach, which is hobbled by being partly reliant upon older and slower 4G infrastructure.

Breaking news.. more to follow..

Mobile operator and UK ISP Vodafone has today confirmed to ISPreview that customers of their fixed line consumer broadband packages, which are supplied over Openreach and CityFibre’s national networks (FTTC and FTTP), should still be able to request a Static IP (Internet Protocol) address. But this is despite some support staff telling users the opposite.

Most home broadband users will either have a changeable (Dynamic) or shared (CGNAT etc.) IP address, while a ‘Static’ (or ‘Fixed’) IP address doesn’t change, unless there’s a major network migration. Static addresses are useful for running servers, hosting domains, certain security environments, advanced network setups and getting around problems caused by Carrier Grade NAT (where relevant) etc.

Vodafone’s home broadband packages have typically always been sold alongside a Dynamic IP address, which is fairly normal. But the provider has long had a policy where customers could contact support and get a Static IP added to their accounts for free. This is an attractive offer, given that a lot of other providers will charge premiums of c.£1-£5 or more per month to get such an address (it’s usually considered more of a ‘business’ feature).

The bad news is that one of our community members (5GAllDayLong) recently spotted that Vodafone appeared to be rejecting new requests for a Static IP address when asked via Live Chat (here). In response, one of Vodafone’s community moderators simply said: “The Static IP service is no longer available for consumer account customers.” But Vodafone’s media team now says the feature is still available.

A spokesperson for Vodafone told ISPreview:

“Vodafone strives to meet our customers’ connectivity needs wherever possible and continues to offer IPv4 static addresses upon request for both consumer and business customers. Given the global scarcity of IPv4 addresses, we have implemented several strategies and are actively transitioning to IPv6, which provides a significantly larger address space.”

Naturally, we have queried what the operator means by “several strategies“, as clearly the odd customer has struggled to get a Static IP assigned to their accounts. But it’s currently unclear whether this is part of such a strategy or merely an isolated facet of a poorly informed support agent (hopefully only the latter).

Speaking of IPv6, the roll-out of related addresses to their fixed broadband base should be on course to complete by around the end of March 2025 (here), assuming the operator is still keeping to its plan. But Vodafone’s mobile base is another matter, and there’s currently no known plan for when that may see the same transition.

Mobile network operators Vodafone and Three UK (CK Hutchison) have this afternoon announced their newly formed General Management Team for the future merged company. The new appointments followed a selection process and were approved by the MergeCo Governance Board, with representatives of both operators as shareholders of the new entity.

Just to recap. The merger, which was approved by the CMA in December 2024 (here) and is said to be worth £15bn+, will see Vodafone retain a 51% slice of the business and CK Hutchison (Three UK) hold 49%. Both operators have previously promoted the deal as being “great for customers, great for the country and great for competition,” while also resulting in a major £11bn investment to upgrade the UK’s 5G mobile (broadband) infrastructure and coverage.

The final deal is expected to reach completion in the “coming months” and, just ahead of that, Max Taylor, CEO of Vodafone UK, and CEO of the future merged entity, has today appointed the following people to lead the new company. Max Taylor added: “I would like to congratulate everyone on their new appointments. The new leadership team are all looking forward, following completion of our merger, to integrating our two companies and deliver on our commitment to build the UK’s best network for our customers”.

• Darren Purkis, CFO
• Kelly Barlow, Strategy and Portfolio
• Clare Corkish, HR
• Andrea Dona, Networks
• Nick Gliddon, Business
• Stephen Lerner, Regulatory, Government Affairs & Company Secretary
• Nicki Lyons, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability
• Stephen Reidy, IT
• Jon Shaw, Consumer Operations
• Rob Winterschladen, Consumer
• Andy Yorston, Legal, Security, Compliance & Risk

The General Management Team appointees will transition into their new roles once the CMA process is fully complete and the new company, [MergeCo], is created, with the date of completion yet to be announced. Until then, all appointees will continue in their current roles at either Vodafone UK or Three UK, with both companies and teams continuing to operate separately until the merger is finalised.

News 

UK altnet CityFibre has announced its 2024 annual results, reporting its first full year of profitability, with a 34% revenue increase to £134 million

The company’s consumer revenue rose by 73%, while it added 181,000 net new customers, bringing the total number of live customers to 518,000. CityFibre’s fibre network now covers 4.3 million premises, with 4.1 million Ready for Service (RFS). 

CityFibre’s involvement in the Project Gigabit initiative also delivered £865 million in government subsidies to bring fibre to underserved areas. The company added 900,000 premises through new government-funded projects and the acquisition of Lit Fibre, which contributed 280,000 premises to its network. 

“2024 was a definitive year for CityFibre. We achieved our first full year of profitability, signed a new strategic partnership with Sky, which doubled our retail sales capacity, and solidified our position as the UK’s leading independent wholesale network, said CEO Greg 

“As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, we are confident in delivering accelerated, profitable growth across our expanding platform, with half the UK broadband market now served by our partners. We will also harness our increased participation in government’s Project Gigabit and make the most of a rapidly emerging altnet consolidation opportunity, realising the benefits of infrastructure competition for consumers, businesses and for the UK.” 

Key highlights of the year included Sky and CityFibre announcing a long-term partnership allowing Sky to offer full fibre services over CityFibre’s network. The agreement significantly expands CityFibre’s addressable market, which now covers 49% of the UK broadband market. Services are set to launch this year. 

Join us at Connected North, 23-24 April in Manchester. Get discounted tickets here! 

Also in the news:
Vitrifi’s cloud technology transforms M&A in the global fibre broadband market
French energy giant EDF offers up land for data centre projects
Connected America 2025 is now less than one month away

The UK government has published its revised Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP), which will require major UK broadband and phone providers (e.g. BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Sky Broadband) to go further with protecting vulnerable telecare users when upgrading legacy phone lines to new digital (IP based) networks.

Just to recap. The industry-led shift to digital landlines is partly being driven by the looming retirement of copper telecoms lines in favour of full fibre (FTTP) broadband, as well as the fact that reliability of the old network is in decline. Put another way, it’s becoming harder for operators to source parts for older technologies and those with related skills (older engineers) are slowly going into retirement.

The plan to switch-off older phone lines was recently delayed by BT and Openreach to 31st January 2027 in order to give internet and phone providers, as well as telecare providers and consumers, more time to adapt (details).

However, the main focus of this delay was on the 1.8 million people who use vital home telecare systems in the UK (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people), which aren’t always compatible with the replacement VoIP / IP-based digital phone services (i.e. for everybody else the deadline is still technically Dec 2025). Not to mention the need for additional battery backup solutions to help protect connectivity during power cuts.

The previous government had already responded to all these concerns by establishing a special charter (there’s also a variant of this for wholesale providers), which committed providers to protecting vulnerable customers during the migration via various measures (e.g. preventing forced switches, unless the users are ready). But last year the new government promised (here) to go further and replace this with a Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP), which has now been published.

Key Outcomes of the TNAP

➤ No telecare user will be migrated to digital landline services without the communication provider, the user, or the telecare service provider confirming that the user has a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place.

➤ Use of analogue telecare devices is phased out to ensure that only digital devices are being used. DHSC will be working with stakeholders over the coming months to set a deadline for this.

➤ Telecare users, their support networks and their service providers understand what actions they need to take to ensure a safe migration to digital phone lines.

➤ Stakeholders identified within the plan collaborate to safeguard telecare users through the digital phone switchover.

The new approach also encourages network providers to offer an engineer visit, often alongside telecar providers, to help vulnerable customers switch to the new service and ensure everything works. Both Virgin Media (here) and Openreach (here) have already been conducting trials of just such an approach.

In addition, the action plan reminds that BT and Openreach are currently working toward this year’s launch of a Pre-Digital Phone Line (PDPL) product (aka – SOTAP for Analogue). This essentially attempts to replicate how the old phone service worked, albeit over a more modern network (i.e. it does NOT require a broadband connection to function and or require battery backup).

However, PDPL is only a temporary solution until 2030 (i.e. when exchange retirement starts), and it will only be available to vulnerable and edge use cases (inc. CNI) users on existing lines (not new customers) who would otherwise “face challenges” in migrating to IP based voice solutions by the deadline. But there is a catch as “PDPL is not compatible with lines connected to broadband“.

Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care), said:

“Our action plan is predominantly aimed at communication providers, local authorities, housing providers, third sector organisations and commercial providers. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to working with the telecare and telecommunications industries and ensuring that telecare users’ safety is put first during the switchover. Officials have worked closely with stakeholders to develop and agree the actions set out in this plan.

…

Given the complexity of the issue, it is possible that additional necessary actions might be identified. We will review progress against the Telecare Nation Action Plan every six months and identify new actions as needed.”

Readers may recall that Ofcom and the government have also been pushing broadband and phone providers to improve their battery-backup options (here), such as to ensure they last a lot longer than 1 hour in the event of a power cut (Ofcom’s minimum requirement). The new plan notes that options in this area are still being reviewed, including better resilience of mobile networks (here), and thus the new plan hasn’t set any specific targets.

Finally, the Government said they were “working closely with the telecommunications industry (who provide telephone services) on a national communication campaign“, which will work to raise awareness of the switchover and the support that now exists. This is due to be “launched in early 2025“.

News

Four sites have been identified by the utility company, with two more targeted by 2026

France’s state-owned utility company Electricite de France (EDF) says it has identified four locations on its land that could be ideal for data centre deployment.

The energy giant says each site could host a data centre campus with 2GW of capacity, with the benefit of already being connected to the electricity grid.

“For digital companies who wish to do so, EDF will also offer personalized support for the end-to-end completion of the necessary steps to develop their project,” said EDF in an announcement.

The company added that the broad availability of nuclear power in France makes it a highly competitive environment when it comes to reliable, clean energy.

France currently has 57 active nuclear power plants, by far the most on the continent, with only Russia and Ukraine also passing double digits among its European neighbours.

EDF has been quick to capitalise on the AI-fuelled data centre investment boom, with reports last year suggesting the company has already entered into discussions with three companies to provide power infrastructure to three corresponding 1 GW data centre projects in France.

The identification of yet more possible data centre sites came alongside a slew of French infrastructure investment news this week, capitalising on the AI summit being hosted by the French government in Paris. The meeting saw meetings between major political and business leaders from around the world, seeking to align themselves on the technology’s future direction.

Before the summit kicked off, French AI unicorn Mistral announced that it is preparing to invest ‘several billions of euros’ to build its own data centre in the country. At the same time, Swedish startup Evroc has also announced plans to build a French hyperscale data centre.

Both of these announcements follow a major deal last week that will see the UAE announced that it is investing ‘up to €50 billion’ to build a 1GW AI data centre in France.

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

Also in the news:
Why network infrastructure needs a rethink in the age of AI and Edge computing
Iliad once again eying Italian consolidation with TIM
Eutelsat connects one million Sub-Saharan Africans to satellite 

Mobile provider spusu, which holds a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement via BTWholesale to harness EE’s national 4G and 5G network, today claims to have launched its “most affordable plan yet” at just £4.90 per month.

As above, the spusu 5 plan costs £4.90 per month on a rolling monthly term and for that customers will get 5GB of data (mobile broadband), as well as unlimited calls and texts, 500 free international minutes and free EU roaming (roaming data is capped to just 3GB). The plan also includes support for 5G, VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling.

“We know that customers are looking for reliability and value, particularly as mobile prices continue to rise across the industry,” said Christian Banhans, UK managing director of spusu. “spusu 5 is our most affordable plan yet, offering everything a customer needs — without sacrificing quality — for less than £5 a month, with the price frozen until 2026“.

News

Connected America 2025, scheduled for March 11-12 at the Irving Convention Center in Texas, is officially one month away

By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Tickets remain available for Connected America 2025, an event next month that will bring together communications service providers, the public sector, enterprise verticals, and suppliers.

The event, now in its third year, kicks off March 11 at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas, just outside of Dallas.

Also featured will be more than 150 leading solutions providers on the event’s bustling exhibition floor.

Speakers like Gary Bolton, the CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, and Roger Timmerman, the CEO of Utopia Fiber, are among those slated to speak.

Edyn Rolls, who serves as the Chief Strategic Officer for the Oklahoma Broadband Office, is also confirmed to speak.

Comments from her were included in a preview video promoting the event, published on YouTube.

“Events like this, it provides a really wonderful opportunity for offices, like the Oklahoma Broadband Office, to be able to find vendors to help us as we begin deploying broadband across our state,” Rolls said in the video.

In addition to keynote addresses, Gigabit America and Digital America will be key themes featured at the event.

Connected Networks, Smart America, Connected Society, and Connected Industries are listed as key themes as well.

Meanwhile, sponsorship and exhibition opportunities also remain available, and inquiries can be lodged here, through the event’s website.

Stay tuned to BBCMag.com for more coverage as the event draws closer.

Looking for an event this summer too? Learn more about Broadband Communities Summit 2025 in Houston.

Also, click here to subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter. 

The self-proclaimed “deep tech innovation organisation“, Digital Catapult, has today become one of the first sites to connect to the University of Bristol (UB) led JOINER project (Joint Open Infrastructure for Networks Research), which is working to research and help accelerate the commercial deployment of future 6G based mobile broadband technologies across the UK.

The 6G standard is currently still in the early R&D phase, and the first commercial builds aren’t due until around 2028-30 (3GPP aim to complete the specs for 6G networks and terminals by 2029). But the next gen mobile technology is thought to be aiming for theoretical peak data rates of up to 1Tbps (Terabits per second) and may be able to harness radio spectrum up to the TeraHertz (THz) bands, while also using AI optimisations, new antenna designs and other changes to improve network efficiency.

The UK is conducting its own work to prepare for 6G and the JOINER platform is just one part of that. This brings together 11 universities and research organisations to create environments for large-scale 6G research and experimentation. As part of this, Digital Catapult will integrate its Autonomous Network Service Management and Orchestration System into JOINER, enabling the creation of “intelligent, resilient 6G networks capable of adapting to changing demands from UK industry“.

The rest of the announcement largely seems to be an exercise in how to fit as many hype induced soundbites and jargon heavy terms into 2-3 paragraphs as possible, which doesn’t add much and thus we’ll skip right to the comments.

Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, Director of Smart Internet Lab (UB), said:

“The JOINER platform is going to revolutionalise the way we undertake telecoms R&D and innovation in the UK. By creating a national experimentation platform and having leading organisations such as Digital Catapult connected to it, we’ll be able to accelerate the rate at which we can collaborate and innovate, ultimately driving UK growth and global advancements in future telecoms.”

Dritan Kaleshi, Director of 5G Technology at Digital Catapult, said:

“We are thrilled to be among the first sites connected to the JOINER platform, a significant step forward in the evolution of future communications and networks research and innovation capabilities in the UK. This collaboration with University of Bristol, and the interconnection with all the other JOINER nodes, highlights our role as a key enabler in telecoms innovation, bringing academia, industry, our leading technical expertise and independent facilities together to drive tangible technical progress and deliver benefits for the UK’s economy and society.”

However, in practical terms, it’s worth noting that the final 6G technology will almost certainly end up being constrained by the real-world restrictions of existing data capacity and spectrum availability, with most UK mobile operators preferring to harness more economically viable lower and mid-band spectrum between 700MHz and 4GHz.

Naturally, you can get faster speeds from using even higher frequencies, but this tends to make the signals very weak and offers poor coverage. Admittedly, 6G will bring enhancements for existing mobile bands too, but it’s always important not to get too lost in the hype train of future mobile technologies as the realities can be underwhelming.