UK multi-award winning full fibre provider brsk is celebrating another milestone in their North West rollout. They have announced today that work is underway to bring full fibre broadband to St Helens in Merseyside, and neighbouring Ashton In Makerfield in Wigan, Greater Manchester, further increasing their national footprint which has already passed 552,000 premises.

Speaking of the network expansion into new areas, Chief Operating Officer Ian Kock, said, “Quite frankly, we think it’s criminal that so many residents have had to suffer with slow, expensive broadband for so long. Not to mention, the extremely poor customer  service that comes with it. Luckily, we’re on the case. We look forward to bringing broadband the way it should be experienced. Fast, affordable and fair – nothing less.” 

The investment will provide approximately 60,000 homes and businesses in the area access to full fibre, the fastest and most reliable broadband in the UK, with symmetrical upload and download speeds, and a guarantee of no unexpected mid-contract price increases. 

Bringing better broadband to underserved areas across the UK is brsk’s mission, which is no small task. Discussing what contributes to a successful rollout, Ian Kock credits, “strong collaboration between Local Authorities and Operators proves crucial to drive digital inclusion by making sure that world-class technology is available and usable for everyone, rather than a select lucky few.

In addition to lack of access to better technology, people across the country are struggling financially in this economic climate, yet major broadband providers are implementing annual price increases instead of supporting customers. We don’t believe that’s right, especially because customers never know exactly how much they will end up paying, when initially signing up. We believe in simplicity and, more importantly, transparency,” continues Kock. 

Brsk is increasing their extensive coverage across the North West and West Midlands within the UK, including Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, Lancashire, The Black Country and South Birmingham.  

Anyone wanting to check their full fibre coverage with brsk can do so at brsk.co.uk.

Rural network builder and ISP Voneus, which aims to cover 350,000 UK premises via both their gigabit-capable fixed wireless access (FWA) and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband networks, has received an additional capital injection of £18m from existing investors that appears to have changed its ownership structure a bit.

Until recently Voneus was being backed by up to £250m from investors including Macquarie Capital, IIF, Tiger Infrastructure Partners and bank lenders. But the situation became a bit more complex after last year’s merger with SWS Broadband (Rural Broadband Solutions), Cadence Networks and Broadway Partners (here).

The above deal meant, among other things, that Rural Broadband Solutions Holdings Limited (RBSHL) held a significant stake in Voneus, while Global Connectivity PLC (G-CON) retained their existing 15% stake in RBSHL. The situation changed again in January 2024 after a further £25m investment boost from G-CON, which meant that RBSHL ultimately increased its stake in the operator to 38%.

According to a new press release from G-CON today (here), RBSHL has now injected a further £18m (capital) into the business and thus increased their stake again to 41%.

G-CON Voneus Investment Statement

The most conservative method of valuation, particularly in the early period of a merged entity, is to use the cost of investment as the principal determinant. This is what we have adopted, which mirrors the practice of Tiger Infrastructure, partner in and majority shareholder of RBSHL. To date Tiger has invested £72 million in RBSHL.

The vast majority of investment has been made since the merger of and interests into Voneus was announced in September 2023. Moreover, by prior agreement, the extent of this subsequent investment has far exceeded that made by Macquarie. As a result, percentage ownership of Voneus has increased from an initial 25% to approximately 41% with a consequent increase in in-direct ownership.

Moreover, Voneus now operates on a fully integrated basis with a resultant increase in the rate of growth of homes passed, those ready for service and sales to customers. The historic valuation of approximately £6.8 million or 1.9p per GCON share in our audited accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 reflects neither increased percentage ownership of Voneus since the 25% starting point, nor the growing maturity and success of the underlying business.

In addition to all this, G-CON has also published an interesting investor’s document, which with respect to Voneus notes that the network operator is now aiming to reach a “target pipeline of 370,000 (up from
an initial 350,000) homes passed“, which they add “will appeal to strategic buyers within the next 12-18 month” (this sounds a bit like they’re positioning the business for an acquisition).

The same document notes that Tiger is currently planning to fund the final rounds of investment in a “similarly disproportionate manner” and take the RBSHL ownership to “at least 44%” in the not too distant future. The catch with Voneus is that we still know relatively little about the provider’s broadband rollout plans and progress, as they’ve historically not been an operator that likes to boast much about their achievements.

Voneus currently has broadband networks in over 35 counties across England, Scotland and Wales. Residential customers of their full fibre broadband packages pay from £38.99 per month on a 24-month term for their 250Mbps (symmetric speed) package with free installation, which rises to £74.99 for 900Mbps.

News

CEO Tim Cook called Apple’s AI launch the ‘next big step’ for the company 

At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this week, Apple has announced a new partnership with OpenAI that will integrate ChatGPT directly within Apple devices. 

In the day one keynote speech, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the company’s new integrated ‘Apple Intelligence’ system, which he characterised as “the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models right at the core” of your Apple device. 

The new features, the company says, are a “new chapter in Apple innovation,” and will include: 

– Writing tools, allowing users to summarise, rewrite, or proofread text on different apps such as Mail, Notes, or third-party applications. 

– Image generation, including ‘Genmoji’, which creates personalised and instantly curated emojis. 

– A Siri overhaul, making platform is more natural and personal, with more control over apps and actions, for a wider range of actions. 

“AI has to understand you and be grounded in your personal context like your routine, your relationships, your communications and more. It’s beyond artificial intelligence. It’s personal intelligence,” said Cook. 

“We’re excited to partner with Apple to bring ChatGPT to their users in a new way,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a press release, who did not attend the event. 

“Apple shares our commitment to safety and innovation, and this partnership aligns with OpenAI’s mission to make advanced AI accessible to everyone. Together with Apple, we’re making it easier for people to benefit from what AI can offer,” he continued. 

Apple has kept its AI cards close to its chest for some time, leaving users that the company could fall behind other US tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta. Despite this, rumours of discussions with OpenAI had been circulating for some time. 

Apple has emphasised its dedication to privacy when it comes to its new AI solution, with Cook confirming that Apple Intelligence accesses user information in a “completely private and secure way”. 

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, told attendees that the Private Cloud Compute that the feature uses means it works with “groundbreaking privacy,” and is the “most advanced security architecture ever deployed for cloud AI at scale”. The company say that it will only use user data to make the AI request and never store it, meaning it is not accessible to anyone, not even Apple.  

The integration of Chat GPT, however, has brought these claims into question, as using the features would mean personal data is sent outside of Apple’s secure ecosystem. 

X CEO Elon Musk has emphatically expressed his disapproval, calling the deal an “unacceptable security violation” in a post on X. 

It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy!

Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2024

Conversations surrounding data privacy have reached a critical point in the last few weeks as Open AI has found itself embroiled in a scandal involving Scarlett Johansson. Last month, the company launched a chatbot named “Sky” with a strikingly similar voice to the actress, after she declined to voice the chatbot herself. The ordeal has brought the ethics of OpenAI into question and highlighted the ways in which such companies can seemingly bypass consent to advance their platforms.  

Most importantly, it has emphasised the need for ethical guidelines and legal protection as the AI field evolves rapidly. 

Alongside the Apple Intelligence announcement, the company also revealed new satellite messaging capabilities for its iMessage app, in an effort to solve connectivity issues caused by “not spots”. With this new capability, iMessage users can send and receive messages even when a terrestrial mobile or Wi-Fi connection is not available.  

Since 2022, users of the iPhone 14 and higher have been able to use a satellite connection to make emergency calls. 

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

Also in the news:
AI is shaking up the submarine cable ecosystem
Cyber and other threats to submarine cables
Old copper networks: A gold mine for telcos?

News

CEO Tim Cook called Apple’s AI launch the ‘next big step’ for the company 

At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this week, Apple has announced a new partnership with OpenAI that will integrate ChatGPT directly within Apple devices. 

In the day one keynote speech, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the company’s new integrated ‘Apple Intelligence’ system, which he characterised as “the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models right at the core” of your Apple device. 

The new features, the company says, are a “new chapter in Apple innovation,” and will include: 

– Writing tools, allowing users to summarise, rewrite, or proofread text on different apps such as Mail, Notes, or third-party applications. 

– Image generation, including ‘Genmoji’, which creates personalised and instantly curated emojis. 

– A Siri overhaul, making platform is more natural and personal, with more control over apps and actions, for a wider range of actions. 

“AI has to understand you and be grounded in your personal context like your routine, your relationships, your communications and more. It’s beyond artificial intelligence. It’s personal intelligence,” said Cook. 

“We’re excited to partner with Apple to bring ChatGPT to their users in a new way,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a press release, who did not attend the event. 

“Apple shares our commitment to safety and innovation, and this partnership aligns with OpenAI’s mission to make advanced AI accessible to everyone. Together with Apple, we’re making it easier for people to benefit from what AI can offer,” he continued. 

Apple has kept its AI cards close to its chest for some time, leaving users that the company could fall behind other US tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta. Despite this, rumours of discussions with OpenAI had been circulating for some time. 

Apple has emphasised its dedication to privacy when it comes to its new AI solution, with Cook confirming that Apple Intelligence accesses user information in a “completely private and secure way”. 

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, told attendees that the Private Cloud Compute that the feature uses means it works with “groundbreaking privacy,” and is the “most advanced security architecture ever deployed for cloud AI at scale”. The company say that it will only use user data to make the AI request and never store it, meaning it is not accessible to anyone, not even Apple.  

The integration of Chat GPT, however, has brought these claims into question, as using the features would mean personal data is sent outside of Apple’s secure ecosystem. 

X CEO Elon Musk has emphatically expressed his disapproval, calling the deal an “unacceptable security violation” in a post on X. 

It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy!

Apple has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI. They’re selling you down the river.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2024

Conversations surrounding data privacy have reached a critical point in the last few weeks as Open AI has found itself embroiled in a scandal involving Scarlett Johansson. Last month, the company launched a chatbot named “Sky” with a strikingly similar voice to the actress, after she declined to voice the chatbot herself. The ordeal has brought the ethics of OpenAI into question and highlighted the ways in which such companies can seemingly bypass consent to advance their platforms.  

Most importantly, it has emphasised the need for ethical guidelines and legal protection as the AI field evolves rapidly. 

Alongside the Apple Intelligence announcement, the company also revealed new satellite messaging capabilities for its iMessage app, in an effort to solve connectivity issues caused by “not spots”. With this new capability, iMessage users can send and receive messages even when a terrestrial mobile or Wi-Fi connection is not available.  

Since 2022, users of the iPhone 14 and higher have been able to use a satellite connection to make emergency calls. 

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

Also in the news:
AI is shaking up the submarine cable ecosystem
Cyber and other threats to submarine cables
Old copper networks: A gold mine for telcos?

The Conservative Party has today published their own Manifesto for the 4th July 2024 UK General Election, which naturally echoes their existing pledges around fixed line gigabit broadband coverage, as well as their efforts to improve 5G based mobile network coverage across the country.

One of the advantages – or disadvantages (depending upon your perspective) – of being the party of Government is that people often go into a General Election with a better idea of what you’d actually aim to deliver and how. In that sense, the current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, can only really repeat the pledges they’ve already made in this area.

The party is currently backing several programmes for improving broadband and mobile. The first is the industry-led £1bn Shared Rural Network project, which aims to boost geographic 4G coverage to 95% of the UK (or 84% for areas where you’ll be able to take it from all operators) by the end of 2025 (part of this is delayed).

In addition, they’ve also set a target for “all populated areas to be covered by ‘standalone’ 5G (5G-plus) [network] by 2030“ (here), although we would have preferred to see a stronger target based on geographic coverage and one that was a bit more binding on the operators.

The final one is their £5bn Project Gigabit programme, which aims to make 1Gbps+ fixed broadband speeds available to at least 85% of UK premises by the end of 2025 and to then push that “nationwide” (c.99%) by 2030.

As above, the new Conservative 2024 Manifesto Document (PDF) doesn’t add anything new and makes two related mentions of broadband and mobile policies. The only slight annoyance below is the unnecessary switch in terminology from “high-speed internet” to “gigabit coverage“, which later changes to “high-speed broadband” (just to be clear, they’re all talking about the same thing – gigabit speeds):

➤ “We have transformed our digital infrastructure by rolling out gigabit broadband to over a million hard to reach premises, helping to deliver high-speed internet to over 80% of the country. We are set to achieve at least 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025 and nationwide coverage by 2030. Our ambition is for all populated areas to be covered by ‘standalone’ 5G mobile connectivity and to keep the UK at the forefront of adopting and developing 6G.”

➤ “Over 80% of properties across the country can now access high-speed broadband, up from just 7% in 2019, with a record £714 million committed to boosting rural broadband coverage in 2024. We will invest in new technology to achieve our ambitious broadband targets for hard-to-reach areas.”

At present, the first 2025 pledge (85%) for gigabit broadband under Project Gigabit looks likely to be exceeded. Ofcom currently forecasts that gigabit coverage will reach around 87-91% by May 2025 (here), albeit thanks mostly to commercial builds. But the 2030 goal for “nationwide” (c.99% of the UK) coverage will still be a challenge, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it fell a little short.

By comparison, the party’s targets for 4G and 5G mobile coverage have, in the past, often been a bit of a mixed bag, and it doesn’t help that gauging the progress of mobile coverage remains notoriously difficult due to the highly variable environment for related signals and performance. The SRN shows just how challenging such projects can be, particularly with so many unknowns around planning approvals (i.e. local opposition) and the current delays (here), thus it remains unclear how close the country will get to hitting these mobile targets.

Network builder and UK ISP Connect Fibre, which is currently deploying their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network to cover 100,000 premises across the East of England, has today revealed that they’ve become the latest Altnet to secure the ISO certification for quality management standards (ISO 9001).

ISO certifications are a seal of approval from a third-party body, which represents a series of global standards developed and published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). The idea is that by securing these companies can show that they’re safe, reliable and of good quality for particular tasks, features, management and / or services etc.

As part of that, the Quality Management Systems ISO 9001 standard is generally designed to help companies improve customer satisfaction levels, internal efficiency and process consistency. The operator sees this as bringing “numerous benefits to Connect Fibre, enhancing various aspects of its operations and service delivery. From greater levels of accountability and cultural improvements, to enhanced leadership engagement.”

Dale Regan, Connect Fibre’s Chief Delivery Officer, said:

“Achieving ISO9001 certification is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. Our primary focus has been to optimise our operational processes, and obtaining this validation rubber-stamps the efforts that have been put in.

It not only highlights the high standards maintained in our work but also provides a framework for continuous improvement. This achievement positively impacts our customers by guaranteeing consistent, quality services while also having huge benefits for our internal team. We are excited about the future and remain dedicated to delivering the best possible broadband experience to our customers.”

Business focused UK broadband ISP, IT and Cloud solutions provider FluidOne has today announced that they’ve agreed a long-term refinancing package with Pemberton Asset Management (Pemberton), which will be used to fuel their “ambitious plans to treble in size over the next five years“.

The financial details of this agreement haven’t been revealed, although it is noted that the facilities will be enough to support full refinancing and is providing a committed acquisition facility. The latter will support FluidOne’s plans to acquire multiple businesses a year going forward, which is something they’ve already got some experience with.

The provider’s recent acquisitions include Computer and Network Consultants Limited (CNC) and SureCloud Cyber Services (via FluidOne’s Cyber Security Associates (CSA)). Overall, the business has conducted 8 acquisitions since 2019, and many more now seem set to follow.

Russell Horton, FluidOne CEO, said:

“It gives me great pleasure to announce our new partnership with Pemberton. To support our ambitious plans, we ran a process to seek a refinance package that would give flexibility and facilities to support us over the long term. During this competitive process Pemberton stood out as the ideal partner given how their expert team engaged to devise a tailored package to fit our requirements and due to their track record of supporting high growth, evolving businesses. We have our next acquisition in process that will be the first deployment of our new facility, and a pipeline of follow-on targets that fit our Connected Cloud Solutions strategy.”

Since investment from Livingbridge in 2019, supporting a management buyout by CEO Russell Horton, the business has quadrupled in size with revenue growing to £109m on the back of eight acquisitions whilst delivering strong customer service (NPS 89).

Oxfordshire-based broadband ISP Zzoomm has today announced that they’ve built their 2Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to cover 200,000 premises (Ready for Service) across 29 locations in England, which is up from 190,000 premises passed (RFS) on 5th March 2024.

The operator, which is being fuelled by an equity investment of £100m from Oaktree Capital (here) and a £100m debt facility via an international banking consortium (here), has typically focused their roll-out on smaller towns in parts Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Wiltshire and Cheshire. But their deployment has recently suffered a slowdown and job cuts (here and here).

Customers who take their residential service typically pay from £29.95 per month for an unlimited 150Mbps (symmetric speed) package on a 12-month term with an included router, which goes up to £54.95 (normally £64.95) if you want their top 2Gbps tier.

Matthew Hare, CEO of Zzoomm, told ISPreview:

“We have continued our strategic approach to build, adding a further 50,000 homes and businesses to the Zzoomm network since passing 150,000 last year; and we’re seeing excellent take-up in these locations.

We are welcoming thousands of new customers to Zzoomm each month as we bridge the digital divide for those living in underserved towns – with an exceptional product and exceptional customer service offering.

We’re rapidly heading towards 30,000 customers, who now have access to some of the fastest broadband speeds anywhere in the world!”

Alternative network operator and UK ISP Brsk has this morning announced that they’re going to significantly expand the coverage of their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across Calderdale (West Yorkshire), which currently covers 23,000 premises and will now be increased to 47,000.

Currently, Brsk’s network already reaches into parts of Brighouse, Elland, Hipperholme, Bailiff Bridge, Hove Edge, Woodhouse, Rastrick, Lower Edge, Greetland, Stainland, Sowood and Holywell Green. But the additional areas of Calderdale to benefit from their full fibre investment will include Siddal, Skircoat Green, Salterhebble, Outlane, Copley, Bank Top, Lee Mount, Boothtown, Pellon, Ovenden, Illingworth, Holmfield and Northowram.

Overall, the operator – fuelled by an investment of at least £259m – is currently building out its new network across parts of West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and the West Midlands (Birmingham and The Black Country).

A total of some 41.2k customers (up from 28k on 1st Mar 2024) already use the service, which has so far covered 552,000 premises across the country (536,000 Ready for Service, which is up from 486k RFS on 30th Apr 2024) and 126,000 of those come from West Yorkshire.

Darryl Niewenhuizen, Brsk’s Regional Head, said:

“The meticulous planning, dedication, and hard work of our team has enabled us to surpass expectations and complete the first phase of our rollout way ahead of schedule. We’re thrilled to share our plans to connect even more homes and businesses in West Yorkshire with our award-winning full fibre optic technology, so that thousands more can enjoy lightning-fast internet speeds, seamless video streaming, and robust connectivity for various online activities.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Local Authorities for their unwavering support and collaborative spirit throughout the entire process. Together, we have laid the foundation for a digitally connected future, empowering communities with better broadband, no mid-contract price rises and fair prices.”

Residential customers typically pay from £23 per month for a 100Mbps (symmetric) package and this rises up to £32 for their top 900Mbps tier on a 24-month term, which includes a router and free installation.