And now for something completely different. Rural broadband ISP Quickline, which is rolling out a gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) and 5G powered fixed wireless access (FWA) network across rural parts of England (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire), has helped to launch a new children’s book that explains the work network operators do and educates on safety etc.

The book – ‘Cones and Rural Broadband‘, which was commissioned by Quickline and written by author Chris Madeley, is the latest in a series involving animated traffic cones that “come to life to explore the world around them“. The book introduces young readers to the world of broadband while reinforcing important health and safety messages.

The first copies were handed out, for free, at a special event at the University of Bradford, where Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Beverley Mullaney, joined around 100 pupils and teachers from eight West Yorkshire schools to celebrate the launch.

Sean Royce, CEO at Quickline, said:

“We’re delighted to support primary schools across Yorkshire with this donation. The books are a fun and engaging way for young people to learn about broadband and safety, while also sparking an interest in the telecommunications industry.

At Quickline, we believe in leaving a lasting legacy in the communities we serve. By mixing the best of both worlds – reading books and using digital tools – we can help our young people to learn, create and imagine the future. I’d like to thank everyone involved in this fantastic project for helping us get these books into the hands of local children.”

Chris Madeley, Author, added:

“The real purpose behind the Cones book series is to show children opportunities available to them when they grow up, teach them about different industries and careers and to get them engaged. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Quickline on this book explaining the importance of rural connectivity and it’s been really interesting finding out for myself about the technology and explaining it in a way that children will understand.”

Sadly, we weren’t provided a copy of the book, although we did get a nice picture of some semi-enthusiastic looking children enjoying a read. Perhaps they got to a cartoon section where the talking traffic cones were tasked with filling out Openreach’s PIA forms – lasting a full 10 pages, before ultimately walking into the path of an oncoming truck out of despair (disclaimer – no such pages actually appear in the book, we’re joking, hopefully).

On a more serious note, we’ve not seen anything quite like this being done by a broadband operator before, and it does seem like a very interesting and positive approach.

Insight

Access to backbone connectivity varies significantly across the European Union (EU) and, in some regions, inadequate connectivity can impact the development and performance of access networks. This disparity may also lead to potential imbalances in service pricing for both network operators and users. Fortunately, EU funding programme CEF-Digital plays a crucial role in addressing these connectivity challenges by supporting infrastructure development in those regions where market forces fail to address them.

Ensuring robust quality and resilience of the networks within Europe and beyond is of strategic importance to the EU. It is vital for safeguarding its sovereignty in this domain.

Therefore, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) is pleased to announce its third participation as an exhibitor at the Submarine Networks EMEA event. Hervé Dupuy, Head of Unit responsible for managing CEF-Digital, will present updates on the programme’s latest developments during the “News in Brief” session on Tuesday, 18 February 2025.

To date, the programme has awarded €420 million in grants to 51 projects, the majority of which focus on subsea cables. Currently, the EU is co-funding studies and cable deployment projects in regions such as the Arctic, the North and Baltic Seas, the Caribbean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, as well as cables connecting the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira.

As a key part of the European Union’s renowned Global Gateway Strategy, HaDEA runs CEF-Digital’s Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways programme that co-funds the deployment of backbone network systems within EU countries, between EU countries, and between the EU and its global partners. This initiative aims to ensure that gigabit connectivity becomes widely accessible and secure for businesses and individuals.

Projects co-funded by Connecting Europe Facility Digital in Backbone Networks.

According to Hervé Dupuy: “With our fourth call for proposals open until 13 February, we have earmarked €128 million to support the construction of infrastructures that meet the Union’s connectivity needs, including complementary routes that enhance redundancy. We are especially prioritising projects that incorporate state-of-the-art technological solutions, such as smart cables. Proposals that combine complementary initiatives to achieve a broader geographical reach and that avoid overlapping segments are also important to us.”

The Submarine Networks EMEA conference has proven to be an invaluable platform for the European Commission to connect with current and future beneficiaries of the CEF-Digital programme within the submarine cable industry.

CEF-Digital is a funding programme initiated by the European Union in 2021 to support and catalyse investments in digital connectivity infrastructures of common European interest, with a total budget of €1.5 billion.

Join HaDEA at Submarine Networks EMEA, the world’s most important subsea connectivity event

Also in the news:
From the bully pulpit: FCC’s Carr could pursuade allies over new subsea cable regulation
Labour to slash rural broadband funding
EE renews partnership with Home Nations Football Associations and Wembley Stadium

Broadband and mobile provider Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has today announced that they’re planning to create more than 100 early UK careers and re-skilling opportunities during 2025, which is about half the intake figure of last year (here) and down from the c.350 they pledged to create during 2023 (here).

The new positions – offered as permanent roles – are being created to cover a variety of different roles for people of “all ages“, such as in field engineering (i.e. keeping customers connected by installing and fixing products in homes). The roles, which are all entry-level permanent positions and pay between £22,500 and up to £35,000 (this is the same as last year), are primarily expected to be available in London, Reading and Manchester.

To help ensure a level playing field where people are hired based on their potential, VMO2 does not ask for CVs or require any prior work experience for any of its apprenticeship, graduate or internship roles. The recruitment process focuses solely on candidates’ skills, strengths, and motivations, instead of their education or work history. In addition to creating roles that require no previous experience, VMO2 also offers entry level positions that require no qualifications at all.

Karen Handley, Head of Future Careers at VMO2, said: “We believe in unlocking people’s potential and breaking down barriers to working and progressing in this innovative sector. Our apprenticeship programmes provide pathways to meaningful careers at the cutting edge of technology, creating exciting opportunities for everyone. We offer competitive salaries of up to £35,000 and run a blind recruitment process to ensure a level playing field for our candidates. Whether you’re a young person who excels in hands-on learning or a career changer looking to do something new, our apprenticeships give people the tools and skills they need to build a successful and rewarding career.”

Network operator nexfibre and retail ISP partner Virgin Media (O2) have today confirmed that they’ve made their 2Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network available to more than 12,000 homes in the port town of Exmouth (near Exeter in Devon, England) for the first time.

The move means that most premises will now have a choice between three gigabit-capable broadband networks, with Exmouth already being well covered by full fibre lines from both Openreach (BT) and AllPoints Fibre (Jurassic Fibre). In addition, OFNL also caters for a small patch of new build homes within the area. But there are still a few sizeable patches with little overbuild between all three.

Nexfibre itself has already covered 2 million premises across the UK with their new full fibre network (here) and many more will follow. Just for some context. Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners originally set up the new £4.5bn nexfibre joint venture in 2022 (here), which aims to deploy an open access fibre network to reach “up to” 7 million UK homes (starting with 5m by 2026) in areas NOT currently served by Virgin Media’s network of 16m+ premises. The funding reflects £3.3bn of fully underwritten financing and up to £1.4bn in equity commitments.

Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly have this week criticised UK broadband and mobile operators, particularly Vodafone, BT, EE, Sky Broadband, Vodafone, O2 and Fibrus, for their response to the damage caused by Storm Éowyn. The complaints touched on issues of slow repairs, absent compensation and poor communication with customers.

Just to recap. Storm Éowyn (pronounced ‘Ay-oh-win’), which was the result of explosive cyclogenesis (aka – a weather bomb), struck parts of the UK on Friday 24th January 2025 (here and here) and focused most of its destructive energy (wind speeds of up to 114Mbps) on Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Openreach has already reported that the storm “badly damaged“, among other parts of their infrastructure, more than 500 telecoms poles (here). But other networks were also hit hard and many are still in the process of trying to fully restore their services to all of the worst hit locations.

Suffice to say that some of the issues being caused by all this came up for debate on Monday in the NI Assembly. As Diana Armstrong (UUP) said: “All major telecom providers have sustained severe damage to the networks, and, unfortunately, it could be some time before normal services resume. I have liaised with all major providers, such as BT, Fibrus, Sky, Vodafone and O2, about the concerns of customers who have been left without service, particularly the elderly [and] vulnerable people.”

Diana added that she was aware that there would be a “shortage in the procurement of fibre cable and other components” that will compound the delays being felt in many homes and businesses. But she added that “many of the big providers” are bringing over engineers from Great Britain to “assist in the restoration efforts“. But plenty of other assembly members were quick to raise concerns and complaints, a few of which have been quoted below.

Deborah Erskine (DUP) said:

“Ten days ago, the storm took out five telecoms masts, even threatening critical blue-light communications, yet customers, many of whom are elderly, vulnerable or running businesses, are still without broadband and mobile services with no estimated restoration time. While NIE has been able to provide restoration times, multimillion-pound companies such as Vodafone, BT, EE and Fibrus have failed to do the same. People in my constituency are being forced to travel to access networks at their own expense.

This is not a time for telecoms companies to hide. They must communicate with customers urgently, and action must be taken.”

Patsy McGlone (SDLP) said:

“I think that £165 million of public moneys were spent on Project Stratum, which has been referred to. Minister, will you get your officials to urgently convene a meeting with those providers, because, at the moment, it seems that absolute non-communication with their customers is run-of-the-mill for them? I referred five cases to Fibrus this morning, and, in the last five minutes, I have been informed of another case in which a business has been told that it will be 10 February before anyone will be out to attempt to repair its supply.”

Steve Aiken OBE (UUP) said:

“Have your Department or your officials been in contact with the providers of mobile telephone communication systems in particular? Those are items of critical national infrastructure, and they seem to have failed at the first hurdle. There do not seem to be any examples of battery backup or internal power supplies to keep the systems working. That is probably contrary to what Ofcom would recommend.”

David Brooks (DUP) said:

“My colleague from Fermanagh and South Tyrone, who tabled the question for urgent oral answer, has told me today that one of her constituents has been told that it will be 16 February before Fibrus links them up again. Does the Minister agree that that is wholly unacceptable.”

Jonathan Buckley (DUP) said:

“We know that the storm caused significant damage across Northern Ireland, and I pay tribute to the many agencies that put in sterling work to get people reconnected. That was lacking from Fibrus; there were no communications, and constituents still face huge challenges in relation to broadband connection. “

Alternative broadband operator Fibrus was singled out a number of times during the debate, albeit perhaps disproportionately due to the publicly funded Project Stratum contract they hold that has seen them rolling out FTTP broadband to 80,000 premises across rural parts of Northern Ireland (due to complete in the coming months). Fibrus is also one the largest providers in the rural areas worst hit by the storm, where the lack of mains power has been one of the biggest holdups (this often gets conflated with broadband).

The Minister for the Economy, Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin), pointed out that 6,000 premises on the Fibrus network are “currently without connection” – mainly in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and Mid Ulster. But she also noted how that figure had significantly reduced from last week’s peak of 40,000 premises.

The question of compensation also came up a few times and it’s worth noting that some of this will be covered by Ofcom’s Automatic Compensation scheme, which is designed to compensate consumers by £9.76 per day for delayed repairs following a loss of fixed line broadband or phone (assuming it isn’t fixed within 2 working days). But this is a voluntary scheme and only supported by BT, EE, Hyperoptic, PlusNet, Sky Broadband (inc. NOW TV), TalkTalk, UW, Virgin Media, Vodafone and Zen Internet.

However, Gary Middleton (DUP) noted how Fibrus had indicated that, if your internet has been off for more than 48 working hours, “you are entitled to compensation“, although the exact details of this remain unclear (Fibrus are not a member of Ofcom’s own compensation scheme).

The issue of battery backup at mobile sites was also raised, although Ofcom is currently still examining the costly and complicated problem of improving battery backup (here). Ofcom previously noted that only around 20% of all mobile sites in the UK have some backup functionality at the Radio Access Network (RAN) level for more than 15 minutes, while only around 5% of sites are able to withstand a six-hour power loss (excluding battery backup for transmission traffic). Nevertheless, battery backup is not a panacea for all such difficulties and has its own limits, as well as not being viable for all mobile sites.

A spokesperson for Mobile UK, which represents the operators, told ISPreview:

“We understand how critical mobile service is, especially during emergencies. Our teams are working around the clock to repair damaged equipment, clear debris, and restore power to affected infrastructure. Mobile operators are committed to keeping customers connected and informed throughout this process.

The mobile industry recently met with the Economy and Infrastructure Ministers to discuss opportunities to progress the Mobile Action Plan for Northern Ireland to identify and mitigate barriers to mobile deployment. We hope that with the recent reshuffle to both these departments the commitment to explore a ministerial taskforce can be expedited quickly, especially in light of the recent storms.”

Mobile UK added that operators were also deploying portable cell sites to provide temporary coverage in areas where cell towers are down, as well as dispatching additional crews, working with power companies to get mains power back online and “providing regular updates to customers” (i.e. through social media, text messages, and other channels).

ISPreview also asked Virgin Media (O2) and EE (BT) to comment on the situation, although EE directed us to Openreach (they’ve already given a UK wide update – but not one for NI specifically) and Virgin Media didn’t respond. However, we did get a comment from Sky, which is pasted below.

A Sky Spokesperson said:

“A very small number of our customers may be experiencing issues with their Sky services as a result of the ongoing impact of Storm Eowyn. We are seeing that the majority of impacted customers have had their services restored. We are extremely sorry for any ongoing disruption this is causing; our teams are working tirelessly to ensure all issues are resolved as soon as possible.”

Caoimhe Archibald added that a post-incident review of the storm will take place on 10th February 2025, and it will assess all of the impacts and any lessons learned. “Clearly, there are lessons that have to be learned in respect of mobile and other connectivity. Officials are, of course, engaging through the structures that are there with all the relevant parties to ensure that, first, the response is happening but then to assess the way forward,” added the minister.

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. Suffice to say that this can manifest as delays, protracted outages and a weakening of communication / support as engineers try to reconnect everyone as quickly as possible.

This is before we even consider that the network operators have to work with suppliers (e.g. energy providers) that 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, constraints in the availability of engineering resources / materials and the requirement to make a site safe before engineers can start work.

We often expect telecoms engineers to work miracles, but the reality can be a bit more of a slog. On the other hand, poor communication with customers during major service outages remains far too much of a common occurrence, with many providers still in lack of an informative and regularly updated Service Status page.

News 

The transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close this year 

BT has agreed to sell its Irish wholesale and enterprise division, BT Communications Ireland Ltd (BTCIL) to Speed Fibre Group, in a €22 million deal. The sale includes BTCIL’s domestic network infrastructure, over 400 customers, and supporting teams but excludes its multinational clients, large Irish enterprises, emergency call services, and recently divested data centre business. As part of the deal, BT and Speed Fibre Group will enter a long-term connectivity partnership. 

Speed Fibre Group—parent company of Enet and Magnet+—is owned by Cordiant Digital Infrastructure. The acquisition strengthens its position in Ireland’s wholesale and B2B telecom markets, expanding its network and service capabilities. 

In April 2019, BT first announced that it was seeking to offload its Irish unit, which at the time was worth around €300 million. After a year-long auction process with many interested bidders, London-based private equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners ultimately prevailed, having met BT’s price expectations, which multiple reports suggest fell around €300 million. 

However, BT called off the deal in April 2020, having had “a change of heart”, as reported by The Times. Rumours began to swirl again in mid 2024. 

“Today’s announcement is another key milestone in focusing our international business on what it does best: providing secure multi-cloud connectivity to large organisations globally and in Ireland. Our Irish wholesale and enterprise business unit, which has been a leading alternative provider for more than 30 years, will enter a new era with Speed Fibre Group. We are confident that Speed Fibre Group will continue to deliver exceptional service to customers, and we look forward to working together with them as our future partner in Ireland,” said Bas Burger, CEO, Business at BT. 

This new chapter will see BT focusing on multinationals and large organisations in Ireland, with Speed Fibre Group as its wholesale network and national services partner,” said Shay Walsh, Managing Director at BT Ireland. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter!  

Also in the news:
From the bully pulpit: FCC’s Carr could pursuade allies over new subsea cable regulation
Labour to slash rural broadband funding
EE renews partnership with Home Nations Football Associations and Wembley Stadium 

News 

Any losses were aligned with company expectations, Vodafone said

Vodafone has reported a 5% increase in total revenue to €9.8 billion in its Q3 trading update, fuelled by strong performances in the UK, Africa, and Türkiye. The company’s service revenue grew 5.6% to €7.9 billion. However, Vodafone’s German business was under pressure, with service revenue declining 6.4% after a regulatory change that ended bulk TV contracts for tenants.  

The decline in Germany follows a major change in the country’s TV laws, which came into effect in July last year. Previously, landlords in multi-dwelling units (MDUs) could bundle cable TV services into tenants’ rent, meaning steady revenue for providers like Vodafone. However, the new law requires individual tenants to opt in and pay separately for their TV service, leading to significant customer losses. While Vodafone has managed to retain 49% of affected households, the shift has impacted on revenue. 

Vodafone’s broadband business in Germany has also struggled, with a reduced customer base and pricing pressures causing a 10.7% decline in fixed service revenue. Competition in the mobile market has also intensified. 

Despite challenges in Germany, Vodafone’s UK business saw service revenue growth of 3.3%, benefiting from significant investments in customer experience and broadband expansion. Africa also performed strongly, with a 11.6% increase in organic service revenue. 

“We are continuing to invest in the turnaround of our German business and we are starting to see improving customer trends, although conditions have become more challenging in the mobile market,” said CEO Margherita Della Valle on Tuesday. 

This quarter, Vodafone also completed the €8 billion sale of its Italian operations to Swisscom. The proceeds have been used to reduce net debt, they said with the company planning to return up to €2 billion to shareholders through share buybacks once its current program concludes.  

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter! 

Also in the news:
BT scraps managerial DEI targets
Nokia and AT&T extend voice core partnership
UK PM urges for more European cooperation as suspicious subsea activity increases 

News 

BT is expected to cut the diversity targets from its managerial bonus scheme, according to a recent article from The Telegraph 

The company has told its major investors that it will replace the DEI section of its managerial bonus scorecard with a “measure of employee engagement,” which will come into effect in April. 

Currently, ten percent of the BT annual bonus for its 37,400 managers is made up of DEI targets, comprised of representation of women, disabled people and ethnic minorities, as well as employee engagement of underrepresented groups. 

“We remain committed to our inclusion and representation targets and are making good progress towards them. Inclusion will remain part of our senior management bonus calculations and we have received strong support from our shareholders on the proposals to amend our group scorecard,” said a BT spokesperson. 

Just last week, Kirkby told employees in a company memo “It’s been hard lately to see companies and governments stepping back from their commitment to inclusion, equity and diversity. For many of you watching this unfold, I imagine it feels worrying and upsetting.  

“It sends the message that these things are optional, temporary or not worth prioritising. I want to be absolutely clear: that’s not what we believe at BT.” 

The news comes as President Trump signed an Executive Order the day after his inauguration, terminating DEI initiatives in federal contracting. Similar initiatives have been rolled other large corporations, including Meta and Amazon in the tech sector and Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford Motors, and Target in other sectors.  

Keep up to date with the latest telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter!

Also in the news:
Nokia and AT&T extend voice core partnership
UK PM urges for more European cooperation as suspicious subsea activity increases
From the bully pulpit: FCC’s Carr could pursuade allies over new subsea cable regulation

Network access provider Openreach (BT), working alongside new 50G PON technology from strategic supplier Nokia, has this morning announced that they’ve “successfully tested” the United Kingdom’s “first live” 50Gbps speed broadband connection from a residential property in Ipswich (Suffolk, England).

At present most of Openreach’s existing Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network, which covers over 17 million UK premises, is still using their old Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology – this places limitations on how fast they can go before capacity becomes an issue. GPON supports a capacity on each trunk line of up to 2.5Gbps downstream and 1.24Gbps upstream.

By comparison, many of Openreach’s competitors are already busy deploying 10Gbps capable XGS-PON technology (the ‘X’ stands for 10, the ‘G’ for Gigabits’ and the ‘S’ for symmetric speed), which is a significantly faster, more cost-effective and power efficient technology. But Openreach have since signalled a shift away from GPON by adopting a ComboPON approach (here), which allows them to adopt XGS-PON alongside GPON.

The first 1Gbps symmetric speed packages using this new technology are due to launch around April 2025 in some of Openreach’s contracted rural Project Gigabit areas (here). But the operator always likes to keep one eye on the future and has now tested something many times faster – 50G PON.

Trevor Linney, Director of Network Technology at Openreach, said:

“As the country’s largest full fibre provider, it’s crucial that we continue to research, innovate and evolve our network to meet our customers’ demands for decades to come.

The Full Fibre network we’re building today is a platform for the UK’s economic, social and environmental prosperity, and this test proves we can keep upgrading the speeds and services our customers experience over that network long into the future.

Today we’re deploying XGS-PON ready equipment, and this trial proves we’re ready for the next generational leap, as and when it’s needed.”

Sandy Motley, President Nokia Fixed Networks, said:

“This trial shows the incredible power of fibre to increase network capacity in an efficient way. As a futureproof, energy efficient technology, fibre is used by operators like Openreach to connect everything to multi-gigabit services. Our platform provides them with a full range of PON technologies and services that can be delivered over their existing fibre network. From 10G and 25G today to eventually 50Gbps or even 100G, our unique toolkit of fibre solutions allows Openreach to future-proof their network and flexibly address their evolving network demand.”

During the field test, Nokia’s 50G PON technology achieved astonishing real-world download speeds of 41.9Gbps (Gigabits per second) and upload speeds of 20.6Gbps. Just to be clear, this test was run over a section of Openreach’s existing Full Fibre network, although the exact setup wasn’t stated.

However, it’s debatable whether this really is the UK’s “first live” test of 50G PON, since Netomnia is already believed to have conducted tests of a similar prototype from ADTRAN. In fact, Netomnia are still planning to launch their first commercial 50G PON based broadband packages during 2025 (here), while by comparison Openreach are only testing it.

At this point it’s worth remembering that Openreach were boasting about having tested 25G PON technology from Nokia all the way back in 2021 (here), although no such commercial packages using that solution have ever emerged. So as fun as all this is to watch, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the imminent arrival of packages faster than 10Gbps.

The usual catch in all this is the difficulty of actually being able to harness all that speed when online. Most internet services still seem to struggle to harness more than a few hundred megabits per second, assuming they can do even that, while the 1Gbps+ domain is still a challenge (Why Buying Gigabit Broadband Doesn’t Always Deliver 1Gbps). On the other hand, marketing departments and consumers with deep pockets like big performance numbers, even if they’d struggle to harness all the speed.

Mind you, there was a time when even a 56Kbps dialup connection was considered “fast“. Internet connections and consumer demands are in a constant state of growth and evolution, so there will come a time when even 50Gbps+ speeds might seem positively pedestrian, but that’s still a long way off and Openreach are just ensuring that they’re ready when the time comes.

Internet benchmarking firm Ookla, which operates the popular Speedtest.net broadband and mobile connection testing service, has published a new study that examines the performance of Starlink’s (SpaceX) LEO satellite broadband service across Europe. Overall, the UK delivers the best latency of all the countries tested, but we’re poor for download and upload speeds.

At present Starlink has almost 7,000 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (c.2,800 are v2 Mini / GEN 2A) – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’re in the process of adding thousands more by the end of 2027. Customers in the UK typically pay from £75 a month for a 30-day term, plus £299 for hardware on the ‘Standard’ unlimited data plan (inc. £19 postage), which promises latency times of 25-60ms, downloads of 25-100Mbps and uploads of 5-10Mbps.

However, over the past couple of years we have observed a bit of a decline in Starlink’s performance, which reflects the changeable balance between rising customer demand and SpaceX’s ability to launch new satellites in order to keep up with that demand. This is also influenced by differences in access to data capacity at local ground stations and regulatory access to the necessary radio spectrum bands, among other things, which can vary between countries.

Ookla’s new report, which uses data collected during Q4 2024, digs a bit deeper into all this and gives us a useful overview of how Starlink performs across the UK and Europe. For example, the UK delivered the fastest latency (server response times) across Europe with a score of 41ms (milliseconds), which places us at the top of the performance table for this specific metric. By comparison, Cyprus was the slowest on 144ms.

The report also noted that latency is one area where Starlink has generally continued to improve. Speedtest Intelligence® data shows a consistent trend of double-digit declines in median latency across over a dozen European countries between Q4 2023 and Q4 2024, with the UK falling from around 50ms to 41ms and other countries seeing similar improvements.

In terms of the average median download speeds, the United Kingdom scored 87.06Mbps, while uploads came in at 12.78Mbps. In both cases, this placed the UK in the bottom half of the performance table, while the likes of Hungary delivered the fastest Starlink downloads of 135.11Mbps and Romania topped the table for uploads on 23.52Mbps.

Back to those speed declines. Between Q4 2022 and Q4 2023, Ookla stated that Central European countries saw some of the steepest declines in median download speeds. In Germany, speeds fell by 31% — from 94.37Mbps to 65.44Mbps — while Switzerland recorded a 24% drop, going from 136.03Mbps to 103.88Mbps. But it’s not all bad news.

“For the first time in Q4 2024, there were signs that the successive speed declines observed in previous quarters may have stabilized, with early indications of a potential recovery. However, given quarter-to-quarter variability, it remains to be seen whether this trend will hold in the coming year,” said the study. You can see what they mean below, where we’ve highlighted the UK’s performance line over time.

Starlink’s performance also stands a good chance of continuing to improve once SpaceX starts using their new Starship rocket to launch significantly larger quantities of satellites, as well as their next generation of bigger V3 (GEN3) satellites that can handle 1Tbps (Terabits per second) of capacity (here).