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Global technology firm Immfly, inflight WiFi provider GoGo and European satellite operator Eutelsat (OneWeb) have teamed up in an effort to create an integrated ecosystem of entertainment, retail, and connectivity that aims to make it possible for even low-cost and ultra-low-cost aircraft (narrowbody fleets) to deploy onboard broadband for passengers.

As the somewhat comical spat between the bosses of budget airline Ryanair and satellite broadband provider Starlink showed this week, putting in-flight WiFi on smaller aircraft – those typically used for shorter haul trips (e.g. London to Paris, Barcelona, Rome etc.) – is a difficult proposition.

Leaving aside the extra cost of the system itself, issues can also arise with the antenna causing increased drag on the aircraft (i.e. higher fuel consumption / costs) and there’s a debate over whether those paying smaller sums for a short trip (e.g. some Ryanair flights can cost less than £20) would even be willing to pay extra for a premium WiFi pass.

However, Immfly, GoGo and Eutelsat (OneWeb) believe their new system, which uses a low-profile electronically steered antenna (pictured) to connect with OneWeb’s global network of 654 small broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), might just provide the answer. The system also includes WiFi distribution and an app / software solution for onboard service delivery.

Jimmy M. von Korff, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Immfly, said:

“This initiative marks a turning point for the LCC/ULCC industry. Narrowbody aircraft remain disconnected, and we’re bringing them into the digital era through Eutelsat’s OneWeb high-speed LEO connectivity services and Gogo ESA hardware – enabling ancillary revenue growth, streamlining operations, and providing passengers with connectivity on par with their ground experiences.”

The new system can apparently be fully installed on such aircraft in the space of just 24-30 hours, although it’s unclear how it compares with rivals in terms of overall cost, performance and drag. But we do know that OneWeb’s service generally can’t deliver the same sort of broadband performance as Starlink, although it should still be enough for a much smoother onboard WiFi solution than legacy satellite services.

Launch is planned for 2026, and Immfly is currently accepting requests for pilot programs. But in order to really make progress, they’ll also need to secure Boeing’s line-fit certification, with work already underway to integrate its hardware into the production lines of the “market’s most popular aircraft models” by the end of 2027.

OneWeb also plans to launch a further 440 satellites in the near future, which will replace some GEN1 satellites and also boost performance at the same time via enhanced capabilities (here).

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Energy and communications provider Utility Warehouse (UW), which offers broadband, mobile, energy and insurance services to UK consumers, has become the latest telecoms provider to sign the Government’s Public Switched Telephone Network Charter – committing them to protect “vulnerable customers” (e.g. those with telecare devices) when upgrading old phone lines to IP-based digital equivalents.

Just to recap. During 2024 the big legacy phone switch-off was delayed from the end of 2025 to 31st January 2027 in order to give broadband ISPs, phone, telecare providers, councils and consumers more time to adapt (details). The main focus of this delay was the 1.8 million UK people who depend upon vital home telecare systems (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people), which aren’t always compatible with digital phone services.

The industry-led shift to digital phones is being driven by two major changes, including the looming retirement of copper lines in favour of full fibre (FTTP) broadband (inc. future exchange closures) and the fact that reliability of the old network is in decline (i.e. it’s becoming harder for operators to source parts and skills for older technologies). Not to mention that it is not economically feasible to maintain both the old and new networks long term for only a few users.

The previous government had already responded to concerns over the digital phone switch by establishing a special charter (there’s also a variant for wholesale providers), which committed providers to protecting vulnerable customers during the migration via various measures (e.g. ensuring battery-backup and preventing forced switches, unless the users are ready).

The new government has since built on all this (here) via their Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP), but the original PSTN Charter still forms part of this effort and has added a number of new signatory providers over the past few months.

The most recent addition this week is Utility Warehouse, although the charter is also supported by Ogi, BT (inc. EE, Plusnet), Virgin Media and O2, Sky (Sky Broadband), TalkTalk (Consumer), Vodafone, KCOM, Zen Internet, Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN), Immervox and Digital Space.

Commitments for Signatories to the PSTN Charter

1. We will not undertake any non-voluntary migrations to digital landlines, until we have full confidence that we are taking all possible steps to protect vulnerable people through the migration process.

2. No telecare users will be migrated to digital landline services without us, the customer, or the telecare company confirming that they have a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place.

3. Where battery back-up solutions are provided, we will work to provide solutions that go beyond the Ofcom minimum of 1 hour of continued, uninterrupted access to emergency services in the event of a power outage.

4. We will collectively work with Ofcom and government to create a shared definition of ‘vulnerable’ customer groups that require greater support, specific to the digital landline migration.

5. We will conduct additional checks on customers who have already been non-voluntarily migrated to ensure they do not have telecare devices we were unaware of, and if they do, ensure suitable support is provided.

The move may, at first, seem a little odd for Utility Warehouse as they don’t currently have a digital phone product on their FTTP broadband packages. But it makes more sense when you consider that they’re currently gearing up to launch a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) based home phone product (here) for customers during the second half of 2026 (H2 FY26).

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National network operator Openreach (BT) has this afternoon published pricing details for their forthcoming pilot of XGS-PON based Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) home broadband ISP lines, which now includes the 5.5Gbps (550Mbps upload) and 8.5Gbps (850Mbps upload) tiers. The launch date for the pilot has also been put back slightly from 1st to 23rd March 2026.

As previously reported (here, here, here, here and here), Openreach are currently in the final stages of preparing to launch their first customer pilot of faster 10Gbps capable XGS-PON based full fibre technology with UK broadband ISPs (Passive Optical Network – the ‘X’ stands for 10, the ‘G’ for Gigabits’ and the ‘S’ for Symmetric speed). EE (BT) are currently the only retail ISP to have confirmed their involvement.

The new technology, which many of Openreach’s rivals are already using, will go beyond today’s top download speeds of 1.8Gbps on their GPON full fibre network and push up to 8.5Gbps. But until today the initial pilot announcement had so far only provided pricing details for symmetric speeds of up to 3.3Gbps.

The latest briefing adds pricing details for their two fastest consumer focused download tiers – 5.5Gbps (550Mbps upload) and 8.5Gbps (850Mbps upload). Take note that they will also offer a symmetric speed variety of these tiers, although that’s likely to cost extra and be targeted at premium (business) connections. The briefing also confirms changes to pilot connection charges applicable from 1st April 2026.

Openreach XGS-PON Pilot Pricing

Rental Charges

Readers should remember that Openreach’s pricing only reflects the wholesale cost of the line, while retail ISPs still have to add all sorts of extra costs on top before getting to the price you pay (e.g. 20% VAT, network/service features, general costs/support, profit margin etc.). Existing FTTP customers taking one of these new tiers will also require another engineer visit to install a 10Gbps capable Optical Network Terminal (ONT).

Openreach has previously informed ISPreview that their pilot would initially begin across an area of 40,000 premises in Guildford, although this could still be expanded. The classic catch with packages this fast is that most consumers would struggle to fully harness those top speeds, usually due to various Wi-Fi/device limits and any limitations of the online servers you’re connecting to (Why Buying Gigabit Broadband Doesn’t Always Deliver).

One other issue to consider is that it often takes time for retail broadband providers and their suppliers to upgrade their network capacity in order to support such tiers, so even once launched (commercially) it may be a while before adoption improves. Finally, pilot pricing and product details should always be considered tentative (subject to change).

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

With the sale of its stake in True, Telenor is left with just two mobile businesses in Asia

This week, Norwegian telco giant Telenor has announced the sale of its 30.3% stake in Thailand’s True Corporation for NOK 39 billion ($3.9 billion).

The deal will see Telenor immediately offload a 24.95% to Arise Digital Technology, a holding company owned by Thai billionaire Khun Suphachai Chearavanont.

The remaining 5.35% stake is to be sold in two years’ time via a mutual put/call option, allowing Telenor to sell the shares at the original deal price or the prevailing market price, whichever is greater.

Telenor gained its stake in True via the merger of their local mobile operator DTAC (Total Access Communications) was merged with True Corporation in 2023.

Since then, Telenor has faced significant headwinds in key Asian markets, often leading to rapid divestments at considerable loss.

In 2022, the company wrote off its business in Myanmar following coup. One year later, rapid currency devaluation in Pakistan ravaged Telenor’s, leading to its sale.

Now, with the sale of their stake in True, Telenor has just two major telco businesses in Asia: Grameenphone, the largest company in Bangladesh, in which Telenor holds a majority stake (55.8%); and CelcomDigi in Malaysia, in which it holds a 33.1% stake.

Outside of Asia, Telenor operates major operators in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Bang to rights! The West Midlands Police have a reason to be cheerful today after they arrested a gang of three people who were in the process of trying to steal Openreach’s (BT) copper broadband and phone cables from an underground site in central Birmingham, which most likely caused some significant and costly connectivity problems for locals.

Firearms officers who were patrolling nearby were flagged down by observant members of the public as a group of men were trying to steal cables on Great Charles Queensway at around 7.30pm on Tuesday (20th Jan 2026). Two men were immediately arrested on suspicion of theft at the scene, and a van carrying cables was also recovered.

Shortly after that a third suspect was identified as still being underground, and officers, with the help of Police Dog Riot, “encouraged him to climb up the ladder and onto the street, where he was also arrested on suspicion of theft.” The video pasted below does a good job of depicting this part of the event. Three men, aged 48, 45 and 37, remain in custody today.

Criminal gangs like this are often known to commit multiple thefts, frequently hitting parts of the same region several times before moving on. Suffice to say that these arrests may well have helped to prevent a string of similar incidents in the area and could potentially end up being linked to past events.

Det Supt Dave Sproson, of Birmingham Police, said: “This was a fantastic response from our firearms, dogs and Birmingham officers, in bringing three suspects into custody quickly.” 

Crimes like this have become increasingly common in recent years, driven in part by the high price of copper and the rising cost of living. But the criminals are also coming under pressure from a rise in the number of UK-wide arrests (examples here and here), which are often followed by some convictions.

Openreach also reported a 30% reduction in cable theft during 2023/24 after introducing a new forensic liquid marker (SelectaDNA) to help track and protect their network (here), although it doesn’t cover older cables that are already in the ground.

The ongoing deployment of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband lines should, eventually, help to reduce such thefts as fibre has no value to thieves. But this won’t completely stop the problem from occurring because fibre and copper cables often share some of the same ducts (i.e. damaging one also damages the other), and thieves sometimes confuse the two. Completely removing core copper cables will take quite a few years.

Credits to one of our readers, Shaukat, for the news tip.

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SpaceX has revealed that they’ll aim to launch the first batch of their “greatly enhanced” second generation (GEN2) Direct to Cell (DtC) capable broadband satellites in 2027 (probably Q4). The current service offers basic global coverage of a 4G mobile roaming service to unmodified Smartphones on the ground, typically alongside supporting mobile operators (e.g. O2 in the UK).

Starlink currently has around 9,500 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (c.6,000 are v2 / GEN2 variants) – mostly at altitudes of between c.340-525km. Residential customers in the UK usually pay from £55 a month for the ‘Residential Lite’ unlimited data plan (kit price may vary due to different offers), which promises downloads of up to 200Mbps (previously 250Mbps) and uploads of c.15-35Mbps. Faster packages exist at greater cost, while cheaper, albeit more restrictive (data capped), options also exist for roaming users (e.g. £50 per month for 50 GigaBytes of data).

However, approximately 650 of their active satellites currently also support DtC (aka – Direct-to-Device) technology, which enables them to work with mobile operator’s (e.g. O2 Satellite due to launch soon) to offer a basic 4G style connectivity solution. This ensures customers can stay connected, for basic tasks (calls, texts and pre-approved data apps/tasks), even in remote areas where terrestrial mobile signals are often weak or non-existent.

Despite this, Starlink has long planned to make the service much more capable (likely harnessing the spectrum they will acquire from EchoStar), particularly in terms of mobile broadband performance. Elon Musk has even hinted that the company may launch its own mobile service directly for consumers (here), which could put them into the awkward position of competing with their existing partners (mobile operators).

Whatever the goal, Starlink will need to launch an enhanced set of DtC capable satellites to deliver on their ambitions and a new regulatory filing with the FCC (credits to PC Mag) gives us an idea of when to expect them.

Extract from the FCC Document

Most significantly, the first commercial service to provide global coverage for satellite messaging, data, and voice service directly to ordinary mobile phones has already been deployed and is rapidly expanding. SpaceX’s first generation Supplemental Coverage from Space (“SCS”) service launched in the U.S. in partnership with T-Mobile in July 2025 and has already expanded to 22 countries, providing coverage to over 400 million people, with more than 6 million customers accessing the service each month. But this is only the beginning: SpaceX has also invested in spectrum that will enable it to launch a greatly enhanced second generation direct-to-device system in 2027.

At present we don’t have a lot of solid details on the GEN2 DtC satellites, although it’s understood that they’ll be aiming to deliver 5G-like connectivity and an overall capacity increase of more than 100 times that of the first-generation constellation, as well as more than 20 times the throughput capability.

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Business communications and internet provider Colt Technology Services (COLT) has joined forces with connectivity solutions provider STL (Sterlite Technologies) to successfully trial a new Multi-Core Fibre (MCF) cable – specifically STL’s Multiverse Multi-Core 4-core Fibre – across their metro optical network in London.

The new cable, which promises to deliver high-capacities across a cost-efficient backbone for next-generation networks, was built in the same cladding diameter as standard Single-Mode Fibre (SMF) cables – keeping coating size at 250/200 micrometres. The trial itself was conducted within the London Metro network between two of Colt Points of Presence (PoPs), covering distances of around 9km and 63km.

The trial is said to have successfully achieved an 800Gbps (Gigabits per second) line rate, including validation being performed for 100GE and 400GE services. Various tests were also carried out, such as Chromatic Dispersion (CD), Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD), Crosstalk, Throughput, Fault analysis, OTDR, Loss, and Optical Return Loss (ORL) measurements, all of which are said to have “delivered satisfactory results“.

Buddy Bayer, Chief Operating Officer at Colt, said:

“As demand for network capacity surges, customers need more bandwidth without compromising security, performance, or sustainability. At Colt, we’re pushing the boundaries of optical networking, and this pilot marks a breakthrough across Europe and the USA. It demonstrates our commitment to delivering future-ready, sustainable networks that meet growing needs without costing the earth.”

Dr. Badri Gomatam, CTO of STL, added:

“Partnerships like these exemplify how collaborative innovation can accelerate the evolution of optical infrastructure. STL’s Multiverse MCF portfolio is engineered to meet the high-density, ultra-low latency, and resilient connectivity demands of AI, hyperscale cloud, and next-generation digital ecosystems worldwide.”

At present MCF cables are still relatively new (commercially speaking) and their main selling point is that ability to significantly increase throughput, albeit within cables of a similar or the same physical size to what went before. This makes them particularly handy for tackling high-demand scenarios like data centres, national fibre links, and international submarine cables.

On the flip side, MCF cables can be more complex to splice together and there are some issues with standardisation to consider. Such cables may also compete with future Hollow-Core Fibres (HCF), which can offer faster latency times but are a bit more niche in their ideal use cases. But HCF is still somewhat of a work-in-progress technology and may carry added costs.

STL is currently one of the first companies globally to take MCF from the lab to real-world environments, spanning underground and duct networks with a complete ecosystem of fibres, cables, and termination solutions. The new trial helps to validate this and could lead to more deployments in the future.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The move comes after a previous takeover bid was rejected in October 2025

According to reports, Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, Orange have confirmed that they are once again at the negotiating table with Altice France for the purchase of rival operator SFR.

In a statement, the trio said that they had been conducting due diligence since early January, but no formal deal has yet been reached.

“The legal and financial terms of the transaction have not yet been agreed upon,” said the companies in a joint statement.

Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, and Orange first made a joint bid of €17 billion to acquire SFR in October last year. Bouygues was expected to acquire about 43% of SFR’s assets, Iliad 30%, and Orange 27%.

The deal covered the majority of SFR’s assets, but notably excludes stakes in Intelcia, UltraEdge, XP Fibre, and Altice Technical Services. Altice’s businesses in French overseas departments and regions are also excluded.

However, the approach was quickly rejected by SFR’s billionaire owner Patrick Drahi, who said the company was seeking an offer over €20 billion.

Today’s announcement suggests that the consortium is willing to increase their bid significantly, but by exactly how much is unclear. A report from BFM, published prior to the official statement from the consortium, suggested that the companies may meet Drahi’s wishes of around €20 billion.

If agreed, the deal would spark considerable regulatory scrutiny for reducing the number of mobile operators in France from four to three. While operators have long argued that four players in the market are too many, leading to inefficient investment in national infrastructure, regulators have traditionally been wary of reducing market competition.

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The post Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, Orange preparing new bid to carve up SFR appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Business UK broadband ISP Commsworld has today announced that they’ve secured a 15-year contract, worth £8.5 million, to deliver a new Wide Area Network (WAN) for West Lothian Council in Scotland. The work will upgrade the council’s existing service with a brand-new fibre optic network and provide a 10-fold increase in available bandwidth.

The new network will extend across the West Lothian Council ‘estate’, including local schools, libraries, community facilities, and administrative buildings. The fibre infrastructure will then be linked to Commsworld’s Optical Core Network (OCN), which it built specifically to boost the security and resilience of digital infrastructure.

In order to further extend the coverage in West Lothian, Commsworld will also establish new Points of Presence (PoPs) to help boost local latency and improved cloud application performance etc.

Craig Scott, Commsworld’s Public Sector Development Director, said:

“We are delighted to have secured this 15-year contract with West Lothian Council to provide a new WAN network for the region. We have successfully delivered massively enhanced infrastructure to local authorities across Scotland and England.

It means customers are now enjoying the full, transformative benefits of our Optical Core Network, including lower latency as well as increased bandwidth, resilience and security. We look forward to providing this step change in connectivity and resiliency in West Lothian.”

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Talk about confusing. The founder of internet retail giant Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has announced that he intends to launch a second mega constellation of 6Tbps (Terabits per second) symmetric speed capable broadband satellites, albeit via his Blue Origin rocket company, called TeraWave, which seems to conflict a bit with the existing Amazon Leo project.

We’ll start with a recap. The existing Amazon Leo service (formerly Project Kuiper) is currently in the commercial beta phase and will start to launch properly during 2026. The service currently has approval to deploy and operate their own initial constellation of 3,236 LEO satellites (altitudes of between 590km to 630km). A total of over 180 Kuiper satellites have already been placed into orbit (they need at least 500 for basic global coverage) and many more are due to follow over the next few years.

The initial service that Amazon plans to launch will offer three different end-user terminals to cater for different markets and performance levels. Broadband speeds are expected to target 100Mbps (20Mbps upload) for roaming users, before rising to 400Mbps (100Mbps upload) for homes and business users, then topping out at 1Gbps (400Mbps) for enterprises and government. Latency times should be similar to Starlink’s, but details on pricing have yet to be disclosed.

Suffice to say that Amazon’s approach is already starting life at somewhat of a disadvantage, given that it will have to go up against Starlink’s massive and better-established network. The context here is important because Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, has just announced – via his Blue Origin rocket company – that he now intends to launch a second mega constellation of broadband satellites, which seems to conflict a bit with Amazon’s project.

The new TeraWave on the block

The new TeraWave constellation is described by the CEO of Blue Origin, David Limp, as being “purpose-built for enterprise customers” (the network envisages serving around 100,000 such users) and able to offer “unmatched speeds of up to 6 Tbps through a multi-orbit constellation of 5,280 LEO and 128 MEO satellites with both RF and optical links“. At least that’s the goal, but it hasn’t launched any satellites yet.

Globally distributed customers will each be able to access up to 144Gbps (Gigabits per second) of capacity through Q/V-band links from LEO satellites (orbiting at between 520-540km), while up to 6Tbps point-to-point capacity can be accessed through optical links from satellites in a higher Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) – orbiting between 8,000 and 24,200km. MEO is good for coverage, but latency will suffer at those distances.

“This provides the reliability and resilience needed for real-time operations and massive data movement. It also provides backup connectivity during outages, keeping critical operations running. Plus, the ability to scale on demand and rapidly deploy globally while maintaining performance,” said Limp.

The official announcement adds that the service has been designed to address the “unmet needs of customers who are seeking higher throughput, symmetrical upload/download speeds, more redundancy, and rapid scalability,” before mentioning that it is intended to “complement fibre backhaul” rather than replace it.

The move is confusing given how Amazon Leo is also targeting the same enterprise market, albeit not to anything like the same levels of data performance. As such it could be seen as a response to SpaceX, which is working to launch Starshield using Starlink technology for customers in the government and military sectors.

However, Starshield does at least acknowledge and take advantage of Starlink’s existing network, while echoing some of the same branding. By comparison, Blue Origin seems to be keeping Amazon Leo and TeraWave totally separate, which seems like a recipe for unnecessary confusion and lost marketing potential. On the other hand, Jeff Bezos only owns about 8% of Amazon’s stock today (largest shareholder), so he’s not in total control there.

In any case, the deployment of the TeraWave constellation isn’t scheduled to begin until Q4 2027 and it will then take several years to fully deploy. The new constellation will also need to harness a sizeable amount of radio spectrum across those Q/V, E, Ka and S bands in order to deliver such capacity, which might present some challenges for regulators in other countries to consider.