“As the United Kingdom gears up for a General Election on July 4th, the future of our society hangs in the balance. For us at the Keeping Digital Foundation, a digital inclusion charitable organisation dedicated to ensuring every resident has equal opportunity to get online, this election is a critical juncture. We urge all political parties and candidates to recognise the fundamental importance of digital inclusion and make it a cornerstone of their policy agendas.

The Importance of Digital Inclusion

“In today’s interconnected world, digital inclusion is not a luxury; it is a necessity. The internet is the backbone of modern society, offering access to essential services, educational resources, job opportunities, and social connectivity. However, millions of people across the UK remain digitally excluded, unable to fully participate in this digital age due to lack of access, skills, or confidence. This digital divide exacerbates existing inequalities and marginalises those who are already vulnerable.

Bridging the Digital Divide, once and for all

Access to Information and Services: In a world where more services are moving online, from banking to the NHS to government services, those without internet access are at a significant disadvantage. They struggle to perform everyday tasks, access critical information, and engage with services that many of us take for granted. 
Educational Opportunities: The educational landscape has transformed with digital technology. From online courses to virtual classrooms, the internet provides limitless learning opportunities. Yet, students without reliable internet access or digital devices are left behind, widening the educational attainment gap.
Employment and Economic Growth: The job market increasingly favours digital literacy. Many job applications, training programs, and professional networks are now online. Without digital skills, individuals are less competitive in the job market, which impacts economic growth and personal livelihoods.
Social Inclusion: Social isolation is a growing concern, especially among the elderly and those with disabilities. The internet can be a lifeline, offering social interaction, support networks, and community engagement. Digital inclusion fosters social cohesion and enhances quality of life.

The Role of the next UK Government

“The next UK Government must take decisive action to promote digital inclusion. Here are key areas that need attention:

Infrastructure Investment: Ensure high-speed internet access is available to all, particularly in rural and underserved urban areas. This requires significant investment in broadband infrastructure and technology.
Affordable Access: Work with internet service providers to make broadband affordable for low-income families. Subsidies or pricing models, like Social Broadband Tariffs, that make connectivity accessible to all residents are essential.
Digital Skills Training: Implement nationwide digital literacy programs to equip individuals with the necessary skills to navigate the online world. Schools, libraries, and community centres should serve as hubs for digital education, similar to our Digital Cafes format.
Accessible Technology: Promote the development and distribution of devices and software that are accessible to people with disabilities. Technology should be a bridge, not a barrier, for those with additional needs.
Public Awareness Campaigns: Raise awareness about the importance of digital inclusion and the resources available to support individuals in getting online. Public campaigns can demystify technology and encourage adoption among hesitant users.

 

“As we approach this pivotal election, we call on all political leaders to commit to a vision of the UK where everyone can participate in the digital world. Digital inclusion is not just about technology; it’s about fairness, opportunity, and empowerment. By prioritising digital inclusion, the next UK Government can build a more equitable, connected, and prosperous society for all. Let’s make digital inclusion a reality. For every resident. For a better UK. The next UK Government cannot continue to fail the most vulnerable.”

Graystone Strategy, specialist consultants in mobile and virtual mobile networks, announces today that it is acting as the principal advisor to The Channel Island Cooperative (Coop) and its proposed launch of Coop Mobile. As Sure progresses the purchase of Vodafone Airtel, the launch of a new MVNO is part of a remedial plan to ensure consumer choice is protected in the Channel Island’s mobile market.

Acting as the principal strategic and commercial advisor to the Coop, Graystone Strategy has helped Coop secure its wholesale contract with Sure and leverage the capabilities of its mobile network infrastructure, manage the regulatory process, develop the detailed business and investment case, and formulate the initial customer propositions.

The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority will now initiate a public consultation about the merger and the proposed MVNO. Provided the consultation concludes favourably, and the Guernsey Competition Regulatory Authority provides approval, it’s intended that Coop Mobile will launch 12 months later. If awarded the licence, Coop Mobile will provide residents in the Channel Islands with a third choice for competitive mobile deals and give those who are also Coop members a multitude of perks when they shop in retail stores.

Graystone was selected as special advisor because the team has extensive knowledge of launching and running retail MVNOs, particularly those used to stabilise markets following a significant merger.

Mark Cox, CEO of Channel Islands Coop, said the advice from Graystone Strategy was invaluable as it negotiated its strategic deal with Sure: “Our strategic agreement with Sure represents a significant alliance, providing us with a low-risk, cost-effective way to enter the local mobile market. It was therefore imperative we had a compelling proposition and the right commercial terms in place to make it a success for our members and the wider market.”

“Graystone’s in-depth knowledge in launching MVNOs has underpinned our approach to bidding for a licence. Thanks to their involvement, we have developed an offer that enhances our commitment to giving loyal members great value for money and leverages our existing membership and retail footprint.”

Globally, retail MVNOs have seen remarkable success, with notable examples from the UK’s leading supermarkets. James Gray, managing director of Graystone Strategy, believes there is huge scope to replicate the success in the Channel Islands: “We’re very excited to be working with the team at the Coop on what will be an historic move for the industry. I believe this is a superb opportunity to bring innovative and competitive mobile deals to the Channel Islands.”

“As a team, we’ve worked with most of the UK’s major supermarkets on their MVNO offers and several of us have launched and run MVNOs. We have used our collective experience and expertise to guide the Coop to a credible business case that’s built around the customer. I wish them every success with their MVNO strategy,” he adds.

More information about the proposed MVNO can be found here https://www.sure.com/jersey/latest-news/2024/sure-and-channel-islands-coop-agreement-paves-way-for-mobile-revolution/

Belfast-based UK network builder and broadband ISP Fibrus has just extended their multi-gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network into the coastal town of Millisle in County Down (Northern Ireland), which is home to around 2,300 people. The new service is currently said to be serving 1,268 premises.

The provider’s gigabit broadband network has, as of 31st March 2024, already been expanded to cover 354,000 premises (337k RFS) across parts of England and N.Ireland, which is up from 339,000 premises on 31st January 2024 (321,000 RFS). Many of their locations are in rural communities and Millisle is the latest to benefit from this, joining other areas like Whitehead, Kirkubbin and Randalstown, which have all been connected in recent months.

As usual, the challenge for Fibrus is that they’ll also be competing against an existing network in the shape of Openreach, which has already deployed FTTP across most of the community.

Shane Haslem, Chief Operating Officer at Fibrus, said:

“Fibrus is committed to improving connectivity in rural and regional communities, having already extended our network to over 350,000 premises in Northern Ireland and Cumbria.

We aim to enhance the lives of residents in underserved areas, addressing longstanding connectivity challenges. The introduction of full fibre broadband services in townlands such as Millisle will have a positive impact on the daily experiences of locals, redefining the way families and businesses go about their lives.”

Residential customers can expect to pay from £24.99 per month for download speeds of 159Mbps (average) and uploads of 34Mbps on a 24-month term (£39.99 thereafter), which rises to £44.99 for their top 982Mbps (310Mbps) tier (£59.99 thereafter). The packages also include an Amazon Eero 6+ router (or routers), UK support, free setup and the pledge of “no mid-contract price hikes“. Prices may differ in areas of subsidised build.

Contributed Article 

The global connectivity landscape is undergoing a transformative evolution. A wave of highly anticipated submarine cable systems is poised to come online, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for the African continent to seamlessly integrate into the global digital ecosystem. These game-changing initiatives will deliver a quantum leap in connectivity capabilities for the region, empowering customers with the unparalleled capacity, low latency, and redundancy they demand in today’s hyperconnected world.

Demands for fast, reliable connectivity continue to intensify, driven by the widespread digital transformation underway across developing regions in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and the sustained technological innovation propelling growth in more advanced economies. The growing adoption of broadband has heightened the mission-critical importance of high-performance submarine cable in structure seamlessly interconnecting these international markets.

In response to this surging global demand, China Mobile International (CMI) has strategically invested and strengthened its terrestrial and submarine cable infrastructure. As part of the strategic buildout, four new cable systems – 2Africa, IAX, IEX, and PEACE – are targeted to launch in 2024. Together with the submarine cables that are already deployed, these new systems will create a new diversified interconnected backbone for international data traffic, especially on the Asia–Europe and Asia–MEA Region routes, ultimately delivering the mission-critical resources most in demand in the globe.

Unleashing Africa’s digital potential

Circumnavigating the entire African continent and linking it to Europe and Asia, 2Africa is set to be the longest submarine cable system ever deployed, spanning over 45,000km, with 46 planned cable landing stations and directly serving 33 countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The continent is becoming increasingly digitalised, especially with the booming use of mobile data. In the 2023 Mobility Report, Ericsson found that Sub-Saharan Africa is the fastest-growing region in the world when it comes to total mobile data traffic, with a CAGR of 33% anticipated between 2023 and 2029. As such, access to high-quality submarine cable infrastructure is imperative.

The cable is expected to be operational on the Eastern side in 2024: (Marseille)–(Djibouti), (Marseille)–(Mombasa), (Djibouti)–(Mombasa), (Mombasa)–(Dar Es Salaam), (Mombasa)–(Duynefontein, Cape Town), (Mombasa)–(Amanzimtoti, Durban) and (Amanzimtoti, Durban)–(Duynefontein, Cape Town). This is a major achievement for all the members involved and the subsea planning company!

Furthermore, the 2Africa project’s PEARLS branch will not only connect the main cable system to the Gulf region but also provide access to the entire Asia Pacific market through strategic interconnections with self-invested cable assets. This visionary future infrastructure will unlock Africa’s digital potential, ushering in new possibilities.

Diversifying global connectivity

The PEACE submarine cable offers a distinct, innovative approach to global connectivity, operating on an open-cable model to reduce network latency by adopting the shortest direct route between Asia, Africa, and Europe. PEACE announced its expansion to Singapore this year, becoming a critical Asia–Europe interconnection and the fastest route between Southeast Asia and East Africa.

Spanning 25,000km and landing in over 20 countries, PEACE is a future-focused system that diversifies global infrastructure, empowering customers with unparalleled routing flexibility and resilience to complement expansive projects like 2Africa.

Transformative IAX & IEX submarine cable system

The forthcoming India Asia Xpress (IAX) cable and India Europe Xpress (IEX) cable represent a transformative 200Tbps intercontinental data infrastructure. Scheduled for completion in 2024, these 16,000km projects will further enhance the region’s connectivity. This diversified topology enhances redundancy and unlocks a revolutionary express route connecting Europe and Asia, bypassing India when needed to optimise transport efficiency. Converging these systems will empower global stakeholders with lightning-fast, resilient connectivity across dynamic economic hubs, serving the exponentially growing digital economy.

Join China Mobile International and the rest of the submarine cable ecosystem at Submarine Networks EMEA live in London this week! Get your ticket today

News 

The news comes after Millicom abandoned acquisition talks with Apollo Global Management and Claure Group last year 

French billionaire Xavier Niel is exploring the acquisition of Latin American telco group Millicom, which has been confirmed by both parties and a regulatory filing today. 

The Millicom Board of Directors released a statement yesterday confirming that it has received a non-binding expression of interest from Atlas Investissement, which already has a 29% stake in the company and is owned by Niel’s NJJ Holdings. Atlas also released a statement confirming it is “exploring a potential all cash tender offer for Millicom securities”.  

Atlas’s current offer stands at $24 per share, giving the deal value of around $4.1 billion.  

Millicom’s statement said it would “carefully review any offer, should one be made.” 

Millicom operates under the brand name Tigo, and this quarter has seen revenue increase 8.6% year-on-year to $1,487 million. In a press release, CEO Mauricio Ramos confirmed that he is “very pleased to report that 2024 is off to a good start.” 

Atlas is currently Millicom’s largest shareholder and has previously described it as an “attractive investment” due to its strong position as a regional market leader in Latin America, with 41 million mobile customers.  

Atlas first acquired a 7% stake in Millicom in November 2022 and has gradually increased it to roughly 29.1% today, according to the company’s website. 

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

Also in the news:
UK government conditionally approves £15bn Vodafone–Three merger
Nokia and Vodafone trial Open RAN with Arm and HPE
T-Mobile and Verizon to buy US Cellular, reports say 

A ruling by the Employment Tribunal has found that Rochdale-based UK broadband ISP Zen Internet acted “unfairly” when they dismissed former CEO, Paul Stobart, in March 2023. The move was followed by Zen’s original CEO and Founder, Richard Tang, being re-appointed as CEO after stepping aside in 2018.

Just to recap. Stobart was promoted from the position of Chairman to CEO in August 2018 (here), which occurred shortly after the introduction of a new business plan that ambitiously aimed for the venerable ISP to become a £100m business within 3 years and a £250m one within 10 years.

Nevertheless, there was a dash of surprise when, during March 2023 (here), the ISP suddenly announced that Stobart would retire at the end of that same month – after 5 years in the position – and swap the role of CEO back to Richard Tang. At the time, this all seemed very amicable, with Zen heaping praise on the then outgoing CEO. But behind closed doors, there was a fair bit of drama.

Following his dismissal on 31st March 2023, Stobart is said to have presented a claim form to the Tribunal on 21st June 2023 – this was following a period of early conciliation from 11th April to 23rd May 2023. The former CEO raised a single complaint of unfair dismissal contrary to Part X Employment Rights Act 1996.

Overall, there was a great deal of evidence for the judge to consider, and we don’t plan to dive into the drama that it covers, which will be familiar to anybody who has run a modest sized business. But according to the judgement of an Employment Tribunal, Stobart ended up being “unfairly dismissed” because Zen, after raising some “potentially fair” concerns with his performance and the company’s “profitability” (i.e. not meeting expectations), ultimately “failed to follow a fair procedure“.

Judge’s Conclusion

Accordingly, my finding in this case is that Mr Stobart as claimant was unfairly dismissed by the respondent Zen Internet Limited in that although the potentially fair reason of capability was correctly raised by the respondent, they rendered the dismissal unfair by failing to follow a fair procedure.

However, the dismissal would have been fairly dismissed by no later than 31 May 2023 had a fair process been applied by reason of the claimant’s capability arising from his poor performance.

The full judgement is well worth a read because it’s not often that we get to see such a detailed insight into the internal dramas of a key UK broadband ISP, particularly when it comes to the most senior levels of management. However, the remedy for this will ultimately still need to be considered at a separate hearing on a date to be confirmed in the Manchester Employment Tribunal. Zen Internet has declined to comment.

Network operator Openreach (BT) has today announced a HUGE update, which reveals the next batch of 517 new locations – covering 2.7 million UK premises – to benefit from their roll-out of a 1.8Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network. The operator has already covered 14m premises, and this update largely completes their build plan to 2026.

The overall deployment, which is expected to cost up to £15bn and has also already reached around 3.8 million homes in some of the hardest to reach rural areas, is currently running at a build rate of c.78,000 premises per week (here). More than 4.7 million customers have also adopted the service via various different internet providers (more than 50,000 orders are being placed per week), which gives them a strong take-up rate of 34%.

The latest announcement, covering 2.7m additional premises, means that Openreach has now announced enough deployment plans to effectively reach their first goal of 25 million premises in 2026. But there might still be a few smaller additions and changes before they reach the finish line, as is normal for any tentative build plans. Overall, around 3,500 towns, cities, boroughs, villages and hamlets are now included in the build programme.

The new locations also include 400,000 premises in the hardest to reach, most rural parts of the UK (i.e. Ofcom Area 3) with a spread across the UK, including Tobermory in Scotland; Haworth in West Yorkshire; Saundersfoot in South Wales; Pinxton in Derbyshire, Harlow in Essex; Southampton in Hampshire; and Roborough in Devon.

Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, said:

“This is a UK infrastructure success story. We’re on track and on-budget to make this life-changing broadband technology available to 25 million homes and businesses, and no company is building faster or further in Europe, that we’re aware of.

We won’t be stopping there either. We plan to build right across the UK, from cities and towns to far-flung farms and island communities. Ultimately, we’ll reach as many as 30 million premises by the end of the decade if there’s a supportive political and regulatory environment.

Over time, we’ve learnt to deliver predictably, consistently and at a rapid pace – despite this being a hugely complex national engineering project. That gives us confidence to be even clearer about our build plans, and we want to be as transparent as possible about where and when we’re building. Today we’re publishing more detail than ever about the places we’re building in now, and the communities we’ll be upgrading next.”

The operator’s website is currently in the process of being updated to reflect the latest changes, including via their online map and their latest build plan. The operator typically aims to update the build information on their website at a minimum of every 3 months to adjust timings and add new locations as necessary.

In fact, in this case, Openreach have also made some changes to “give the public a clearer, regularly updated view of its plans and progress between now and 2026“. The map now shows the levels of current and future expected Full Fibre coverage as of today, taking data from all of its major build programmes, whilst the postcode checker continues to offer the most personalised view of the connectivity available to an individual home or business.

Otherwise, the service itself, once live, can be ordered via various broadband ISPs, such as BT, EE, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk, Vodafone and many more (Openreach FTTP ISP Choices) – it is not currently an automatic upgrade, although some ISPs are doing free automatic upgrades as older copper-based services and lines are slowly withdrawn.

However, Openreach’s commercial build will still leave some premises unserved by their full fibre network, although many of those should hopefully be tackled by alternative network providers (as is already the case in quite a few areas) and the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme (Openreach have just been named a preferred supplier for future Type C procurements, so there’s more to come).

Finally, Openreach expects to add a total of 4 million extra premises to their UK FTTP coverage across the 2025 financial year (FY25), which will be up from around 3.5m in FY24.

List of 517 New Full Fibre Build Locations

Exchange Name
Exchange Location

Abbots Bromley
Abbots Bromley

Abercrave
Abercrave

Aberporth
Aberporth

Adwick Le Street
Adwick le Street

Albrighton
Albrighton

Alderton
Alderton (Tewkesbury)

Quatt
Alveley

Weyhill
Andover

Armthorpe
Armthorpe

Ashover
Ashover

Ashtead
Ashtead

Aspatria
Aspatria

Insch
Auchleven

Bacton
Bacton

Ashton (Worcestershire)
Badsey

Balmullo
Balmullo

West Wratting
Balsham

Bampton Castle
Bampton (West Oxfordshire)

Wroxton St Mary
Banbury

Banknock
Banknock

Barkway
Barkway

Cadnam
Bartley

Greatford
Baston

Combe Down
Bath

Kingsmead
Bath

Hexton
Bedford

Ravensden
Bedford

Bedlington
Bedlington

Bedworth
Bedworth

Belford
Belford

Bentley
Bentley (Doncaster)

Bentley (Hampshire)
Bentley (East Hampshire)

Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted

Bildeston
Bildeston

Billingborough
Billingborough

Billinge
Billinge

Tickhill
Bircotes

Chelmsley
Birmingham

Druids Heath
Birmingham

Edgbaston
Birmingham

South
Birmingham

Wythall
Birmingham

Blakeney
Blakeney (Forest of Dean)

Blantyre
Blantyre

Blockley
Blockley

Blunham
Blunham

Laughton
Blyton

Bothwell
Bothwell

Northbourne
Bournemouth

Sellindge
Brabourne Lees

Bradford
Bradford

Brancaster
Brancaster Staithe

Brighstone
Brighstone

Pailton
Brinklow

Bitton
Bristol

Fishponds
Bristol

Henbury
Bristol

Kingswood
Bristol

Winterbourne
Bristol

Brockenhurst
Brockenhurst

Binbrook
Brookenby

Aberdeen Bucksburn
Bucksburn

Burford
Burford

Burgh
Burgh le Marsh

Burghfield Common
Burghfield Common

Brent Knoll
Burnham-on-Sea

Bursledon
Bursledon

Burton Bradstock
Burton Bradstock

Burwash
Burwash

Burwell
Burwell

Barrow
Bury St Edmunds

Butterwick
Butterwick

Camberley
Camberley

Science Park
Cambridge

Rockcliffe
Carlisle

North Carlton
Carlton in Lindrick

Chalfont St Giles
Chalfont St Giles

Bisley
Chalford

Charlbury
Charlbury

Chatteris
Chatteris

Cheveley
Cheveley

Campden
Chipping Campden

Ongar
Chipping Ongar

Christchurch (Dorset)
Christchurch

Highcliffe
Christchurch

Chulmleigh
Chulmleigh

Churchill
Churchill (Somerset)

Clare
Clare

Claydon
Claydon

Humberston
Cleethorpes

Osgathorpe
Coalville

Cockfield
Cockfield

Birch
Colchester

Fordham Essex
Colchester

Purleigh
Cold Norton

Buckminster
Colsterworth

Comberbach
Comberbach

Conisbrough
Conisbrough

Copplestone
Copplestone

Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle

Rockingham
Cottingham

Walsgrave On Sowe
Coventry

Dudley (Tyne and Wear)
Cramlington

Cranbrook
Cranbrook

Crondall
Crondall

Cockwells
Crowlas

Aberdeen Bieldside
Cults

Deeping St Nicholas
Deeping St Nicholas

Dinnington
Dinnington (Rotherham)

Dickleburgh
Diss

Pulham Market
Diss

Dobwalls
Dobwalls

Cradley Heath
Dudley (Dudley)

Dundee Fairmuir
Dundee

Invergowrie
Dundee

Dundee Steeple
Dundee

Toddington
Dunstable

Cambridge (Gloucestershire)
Dursley

Aberdeen Dyce
Dyce

Earl Shilton
Earl Shilton

Earls Colne
Earls Colne

East Bergholt
East Bergholt

East Leake
East Leake

East Peckham
East Peckham

Chandlers Ford
Eastleigh

Eastleigh
Eastleigh

Fair Oak
Eastleigh

Eckington
Eckington

Eckington (Worcestershire)
Eckington

Pentland
Edinburgh

Wester Hailes
Edinburgh

Elstead
Elstead

Embleton
Embleton

Emsworth
Emsworth

Evanton
Evanton

Tadworth
Ewell

Eynsham
Eynsham

Constantine
Falmouth

Faringdon
Faringdon

Farnborough (Hampshire)
Farnborough (Hampshire)

Farnham
Farnham

Filton
Filton

Flookburgh
Flookburgh

Fortrose
Fortrose

Foulsham
Foulsham

Fowlmere
Fowlmere

Gainford
Gainford

Felling
Gateshead

Low Fell
Gateshead

Possil
Glasgow

Glenrothes Central
Glenrothes

Glenrothes South
Glenrothes

Gloucester
Gloucester

Godshill
Godshill (Isle of Wight)

Newton
Gorefield

Goring
Goring

Grantown On Spey
Grantown-on-Spey

Chafford
Grays

Great Bardfield
Great Bardfield

Great Glen
Great Glen

Great Horkesley
Great Horkesley

Nayland
Great Horkesley

Great Yeldham
Great Yeldham

Barnet
Greater London – Barnet

Colindale
Greater London – Barnet

Golders Green
Greater London – Barnet

Hendon
Greater London – Barnet

Cricklewood
Greater London – Brent

Harlesden
Greater London – Brent

Kingsbury
Greater London – Brent

North Wembley
Greater London – Brent

Willesden
Greater London – Brent

Euston
Greater London – Camden

Hampstead
Greater London – Camden

Soho
Greater London – City of Westminster

Whitehall
Greater London – City of Westminster

Westminster
Greater London – City of Westminster

Addiscombe
Greater London – Croydon

Croydon
Greater London – Croydon

Lodge Hill
Greater London – Croydon

Sanderstead
Greater London – Croydon

Acton
Greater London – Ealing

Ealing
Greater London – Ealing

Southall
Greater London – Ealing

Enfield
Greater London – Enfield

Palmers Green
Greater London – Enfield

Ponders End
Greater London – Enfield

Greenwich
Greater London – Greenwich

Hammersmith
Greater London – Hammersmith and Fulham

Shepherds Bush
Greater London – Hammersmith and Fulham

West Kensington
Greater London – Hammersmith and Fulham

Muswell Hill
Greater London – Haringey

Isleworth
Greater London – Hounslow

Clerkenwell
Greater London – Islington

Upper Holloway
Greater London – Islington

Kensal Green
Greater London – Kensington and Chelsea

Nine Elms
Greater London – Lambeth

Deptford
Greater London – Lewisham

Lee Green
Greater London – Lewisham

Stepney Green
Greater London – Tower Hamlets

Canary Wharf
Greater London – Tower Hamlets

Mile End
Greater London – Tower Hamlets

Poplar
Greater London – Tower Hamlets

Battersea
Greater London – Wandsworth

Farnworth
Greater Manchester – Bolton

Scartho
Grimsby

Grundisburgh
Grundisburgh

Puttenham
Guildford

Worplesdon
Guildford

Guisborough
Guisborough

Much Hadham
Hadham Cross

Halesowen
Halesowen

Knockholt
Halstead

Hamilton
Hamilton

Harlow
Harlow

Oatlands Mount
Harrogate

Harston
Harston

Ramsey
Harwich

Hatherleigh
Hatherleigh

Hawes
Hawes

Haworth
Haworth

Headcorn
Headcorn

Hemswell
Hemswell Cliff

Hermitage
Hermitage

Bourne End
High Wycombe

Hightown
Hightown

Thursford
Hindringham

Hockliffe
Hockliffe

Holbrook
Holbrook

Holme On Spalding Moor
Holme-on-Spalding-Moor

Hook Norton
Hook Norton

Horndean
Horndean

Waterlooville
Horndean

Horning
Horning

Danehill
Horsted Keynes

Houghton Regis
Houghton Regis

Scillonia
Hugh town

Hulland Ward
Hulland Ward

Hullavington
Hullavington

Watton Dummy
Hutton Cranswick

Hutton Rudby
Hutton Rudby

Hythe (Hampshire)
Hythe

Immingham
Immingham

Twigworth
Innsworth

Ipstones
Ipstones

Jarrow
Jarrow

Kegworth
Kegworth

Kelsall
Kelsall

Kemble
Kemble

Kenilworth
Kenilworth

Boars Hill
Kennington

Kessingland
Kessingland

Rock
Kidderminster

Kimbolton
Kimbolton

Kings Somborne
King’s Somborne

Kingsley
Kingsley (Cheshire West and Chester)

Longworth
Kingston Bagpuize

Kintbury
Kintbury

Kirkby Stephen
Kirkby Stephen

Kirkby In Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield

Bletchington
Kirtlington

Kiveton
Kiveton Park

Lower Peover
Knutsford

Lambourn
Lambourn

Larkhall
Larkhall

Aylestone
Leicester

Belgrave
Leicester

Braunstone
Leicester

Leicester Haymarket
Leicester

East Wigston
Leicester

West Wigston
Leicester

Leire
Leire

Letterston
Letterston

Waddington
Lincoln

Liss
Liss

Littlehampton
Littlehampton

Rustington
Littlehampton

Livingston Bridge
Livingston

Llansteffan
Llansteffan

Llanybydder
Llanybyther

Lochwinnoch
Lochwinnoch

Long Crendon
Long Crendon

Longhope (Gloucestershire)
Longhope

Crafts Hill
Longstanton

Loughborough
Loughborough

Axbridge
Lower Weare

Lydbrook
Lydbrook

Lydd
Lydd

Prestbury
Macclesfield

Maiden Newton
Maiden Newton

Otham
Maidstone

South Cockerington
Manby

Marden
Marden (Maidstone)

Warsop
Market Warsop

Market Weighton
Market Weighton

Marks Tey
Marks Tey

Ramsbury
Marlborough

Marlow
Marlow

Marnhull
Marnhull

Stratton Audley
Marsh Gibbon

Marshchapel
Marshchapel

Melbourn
Melbourn

Melksham
Melksham

Methwold
Methwold

Mickleton
Mickleton (Cotswold)

Steeple Aston
Middle Barton

Winterslow
Middle Winterslow

Eston Grange
Middlesbrough

Linthorpe
Middlesbrough

Marton (North Yorkshire)
Middlesbrough

Stainton
Middlesbrough

Middleton Cheney
Middleton Cheney

Middleton In Teesdale
Middleton-in-Teesdale

Middleton (East Riding of Yorkshire)
Middleton-on-the-Wolds

Milborne St Andrew
Milborne St Andrew

Tittleshall
Mileham

Milverton
Milverton

Mobberley
Mobberley

Moreton In Marsh
Moreton-in-Marsh

Parson Drove
Murrow

Nailsea
Nailsea

Hamble
Netley

New Milton
New Milton

New Ollerton
New Ollerton

New Romney
New Romney

Rossington
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Newborough (Anglesey)
Newborough (Isle of Anglesey)

Newcastle Emlyn
Newcastle Emlyn

Kenton
Newcastle upon Tyne

Exning
Newmarket

Newport Dyfed
Newport (Pembrokeshire)

Newport On Tay
Newport-on-Tay

Newton Ferrers
Newton Ferrers

Ninfield
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Bubwith
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North Somercotes
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North Thoresby
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Weston Favell
Northampton (Northamptonshire)

Chiselborough
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Oakley (Hampshire)
Oakley (Basingstoke and Deane)

Burrowbridge
Othery

Ottershaw
Ottershaw

Swavesey
Over

Meare Heath
Oxenpill

Cowley
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Headington
Oxford

Pangbourne
Pangbourne

Papworth St Agnes
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Pattishall
Pattishall

Pencader
Pencader

Rilla Mill
Pensilva

Roborough
Plymouth

Treforest
Pontypridd

Lytchett Minster
Poole

Parkstone
Poole

P.G.Newark
Port Glasgow

Poynton
Poynton

Prudhoe
Prudhoe

Puckeridge
Puckeridge

Kenfig Hill
Pyle

Marston Magna
Queen Camel

Radstock
Radstock

Raglan
Raglan

Blidworth
Rainworth

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Ranskill

Ridgewell
Ridgewell

Ripon
Ripon

Surlingham
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Rolvenden

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Snape
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Scone
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Seaton Delaval

Seend
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Sharpthorne
Sharpthorne

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Twycross
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Shepshed
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Sherston
Sherston

Shifnal
Shifnal

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Harlescott
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St Davids
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Stalbridge

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Stanford In The Vale
Stanford in the Vale

Stanley (County Durham)
Stanley

Staplehurst
Staplehurst

Steeple Bumpstead
Steeple Bumpstead

Steeple Claydon
Steeple Claydon

Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden

Steyning
Steyning

Stickney
Stickney

Stillington Xmidd
Stillington (Stockton-on-Tees)

Stocksbridge
Stocksbridge

Fulmer
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Ash Bank
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Endon
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Stone
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Stonesfield
Stonesfield

Lye
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Stourbridge

Hagley
Stourbridge

Stow-On-The-Wold
Stow-on-the-Wold

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Sturminster Marshall

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Finmere
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Tockwith
Tockwith

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Trearddur Bay
Trearddur

Tring
Tring

Beragh
Unmapped

Gortin
Unmapped

Glenwherry
Unmapped

Stoneyford
Unmapped

Tulnacross
Unmapped

Upavon
Upavon

Uppingham
Uppingham

Chirton
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Waddesdon

Wallingford
Wallingford

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Waltham

Cropredy
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Hartlebury
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Upper Warlingham
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Elton
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Warminster
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Wells (Somerset)
Wells

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Priddy
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Wheatley

Whickham
Whickham

Whitchurch
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Saul
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Whittington (Lichfield)

Green Hammerton
Whixley

Wickwar
Wickwar

Wideopen
Wideopen

Harestock
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Winchester
Winchester

Winslow
Winslow

Finchfield
Wolverhampton

Woodbury
Woodbury

Checkendon
Woodcote

Wragby
Wragby

Aston
Wrenbury-cum-Frith

Yarmouth
Yarmouth

Yetminster
Yetminster

Acomb
York

Dringhouses
York

Haxby
York

Melrosegate
York

Upper Cwmtwrch
Ystradgynlais

In a new interview the CEO of London-focused business ISP Vorboss, Timothy Creswick, has spoken to ISPreview about the progress they’ve made with their 100Gbps full fibre network roll-out, as well as their future plans, market consolidation, gigabit broadband vouchers for urban areas and Ofcom’s market regulation.

Just to recap. Vorboss has spent the past four years deploying 500km of their own dedicated point-to-point fibre across Central London (covering most of zones 1 and 2), which we’re told is enough to potentially connect all commercial buildings in the area to their direct internet access and Ethernet network.

The goal of this new infrastructure has been to make speeds of up to an eye-watering 100Gbps (Gigabits per second) both available to local businesses in the city centre and at an affordable price. “In the not too distant future, a 100Gbps line will be the norm” for businesses that don’t want to share capacity, said Tim, while discussing what firms will need a bit further down the line.

Naturally, there are always those who might view such speeds as being unnecessary, but such views quickly go out of date as demand moves ever forward – particularly as this is for business connectivity and Vorboss has no plans to cater for consumers.

“I’m a believer in Nielsen’s law of internet bandwidth – put simply, that high-end bandwidth need grows by 50% per year … [and AI applications, including remote computing in general, are a huge driver for that.] The latest GPT-4o update is a good example of why bandwidth will only increase,” added Tim.

The deployment phase of this new network is now largely complete, which has resulted in the operator shifting their teams to focus on customer connections. “Demand for our service is significant, and growing,” said Tim, although they’ve yet to commit to a future expansion. “We might expand outside of central London in time, but that will only happen where we’re confident that customers need our service.”

Tim also shared some rare industry praise for the current direction being taken by the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, which he views as “working well” and helping to have “cultivated billions in private investment and injected competition into a market structure historically dominated by an incumbent.”

Ofcom recently fired the starting gun on their next major Telecoms Access Review 2026 (here), which will look to make changes that promote competition and investment in gigabit broadband and business connectivity. Tim said he wants to see the regulator continue with its efforts to “protect the competition that is emerging” and cautions them against softening their controls of BT and Openreach, due to the risk of the incumbent “leveraging [their] dominance to deter further investment in its competitors.” Typically, as markets become more competitive, then regulatory controls on incumbents may soften.

The full interview below also delves into a number of other areas, such as whether or not the Government (BDUK) are right to extend their Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) to include homes and businesses in poorly served urban areas.

The GBVS currently tends to primarily focus on poorly serve rural communities, although Tim cautions against extending this to urban areas because “subsidy interventions can have unintended consequences and can crowd out private investment.” BDUK are currently experimenting with just such a change (here), although it will initially be focused on areas that commercial investment has generally chosen to avoid.

The Vorboss CEO Interview

1. First things first, I’ve always wanted to know where that name ‘Vorboss’ comes from? It’s certainly fairly original, at least so far as network operators go.

Tim said:

I was a one-man-band consultancy doing software design for local businesses in Exeter back in 2006, and thinking what I should call the company. I wanted something unique. I had hundreds of words in my head and kept coming back to Vorboss – it sounded different and intriguing, and there were zero hits for it on the internet.

2. Can you give us a nice progress update on your network build, coverage and whether you’re seeing the sort of take-up desired for this kind of development to be sustainable?

Tim said:

Our network is live across central London, covering most of zones 1 and 2. We’re very targeted at where there’s clear customer demand for high capacity, reliable, dedicated bandwidth. In that sense we’re different to many other ‘altnets’ – we don’t have any appetite for network expansion just for the sake of it.

Our technicians are increasingly focused on customer connections, rather than network build.

Demand for our service is significant, and growing. I see two main drivers for this – reliability and bandwidth. On reliability, we see a lot of demand from business sectors that are particularly sensitive to outages and so prioritise resilience, dedicated bandwidth and time to fix faults should they ever occur.

And bandwidth demand continues to grow. The majority of London businesses are on 1Gbps or less today, and as their need grows – driven by cloud adoption or increased reliance on AI, for instance – they’ll move to 10Gbps plans, and beyond.

The confidence in that future was the basis for building this network, and it’s materialising. We’re investing in 60 new account manager positions this year to handle the increasing demand for our services.

3. Clearly, central London has so far been the key focus for Vorboss, but can you tell us anything about your future expansion plans and whether the network will grow outside those central areas, such as into other parts of London or perhaps even different cities?

Tim said:

London is our focus and it’s where we see the demand for the type of network architecture and service we deliver. We might expand outside of central London in time, but that will only happen where we’re confident that customers need our service. Critically though, we will never sacrifice the service we offer.

Our customers choose us because of how we build and support the network. We don’t use contractors, so we have full control over network quality. The customer service function is in-house and sits with the networks team, so the customer is always in touch with the people who operate the network. And our fleet is positioned so that we can be on site anywhere on our network within minutes. We will only expand the network if we can maintain this approach to quality and resilience. And for customers with additional offices outside of London, we also provide ISP services over other networks, in the UK and globally.

4. Vorboss is backed by Fern Trading, which also supports other full fibre operators that are currently being consolidated into a single wholesale network – Giganet, Jurassic Fibre, Swish Fibre and AllPoints Fibre. Given that those operators tend to service business customers too, as well as homes, then wouldn’t there have been some logic in including Vorboss into that consolidation, or is it just too much of a different focus and network design?

Tim said:

We are a very different business and network to the others in the Fern family. At a high level, the rest of the group is building and selling PON-based broadband connectivity to consumers and small businesses. That’s a very different architecture and product – and consequently a different business model. Keeping Vorboss separate from the consolidation into AllPoints Fibre makes sense.

5. Speaking of consumer connectivity. You’re obviously very firmly focused on the business connectivity side of the market, but is there any thought or ambition to perhaps expanding out to serve consumers (homes) too – either directly or via some other approach?

Tim said:

No. It’s possible to imagine a world where consumers might require the kind of connectivity we provide, but I don’t think that will be in the short to medium term. We’re specialists in connecting demanding business customers across a wide variety of sectors. That’s what our account management teams, field teams, commercial teams, and the network itself have all been built for. The shift to a consumer approach is too big, and wouldn’t deliver a return on the changes needed.

The interview continues on Page 2..

Contributed Article

Digital connectivity infrastructures, and in particular submarine cables, are one of the priorities of the European Commission. With the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital Programme, the EU aims to leverage public and private investments in digital connectivity infrastructures of common European interest.

The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) will join this year’s Submarine Networks EMEA conference, with HaDEA’s Director Marina Zanchi (pictured) presenting the latest accomplishments and the role of the Agency in supporting the strategy of the Commission in this area on the first day of the conference.

According to Marina Zanchi: “CEF-Digital has invested €277 million in backbone projects, and we will soon announce a further investment of at least €90 million this year. This commitment is underpinning a vision, that we call the Digital Global Gateways. It is not just about funding backbone networks within the EU. It is also about being better connected globally.”

CEF Digital supports the deployment of strategic backbone networks as part of the Digital Global Gateways strategy of the EU, contributing to strengthen the quality and resilience of connectivity between EU countries, as well as third countries. The first three sets of calls for proposals were launched in 2022 and 2023 for projects on backbone connectivity. HaDEA accompanies all of the 30 funded projects, which cover a wide range of geographical areas and actions, from marine surveys in Greenland to the deployment of long-distance cables in the Mediterranean and Atlantic areas.

Most of these projects will be present at the at Submarine Networks EMEA 2024 conference. The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) will also have a booth showcasing funded projects and providing information on how to apply for funding to potentials applicants.

Browse EU-funded projects on the Funding & Tenders portal where more information is available, and get inspired.

HaDEA was established by the European Commission to implement actions that strengthen Europe in the domains of health, food safety, digital technologies and networks, industrial capacities, and space.

Come and visit us at Stand 2 at Submarine Networks EMEA 2024! Get your tickets today 

News 

Google pledged to spend $1 billion on Africa over 5 years in 2021 

Google has announced the launch of the first ever submarine cable route between Africa and Australia, named Umoja (the Swahili word for unity). 

The cable will be anchored in Kenya, and pass through Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa before crossing the Indian Ocean to reach Australia. Johannesburg, South Africa, is the location of Google’s first African data centre, which has been operational since January. The land-based part of the cable is already completed, with the South Africa to Perth connection still to be deployed. 

“The new intercontinental fiber optic route will significantly enhance our global and regional digital infrastructure,” said William Ruto, President of Kenya in a press release. 

“This initiative is crucial in ensuring the redundancy and resilience of our region’s connectivity to the rest of the world, especially in light of recent disruptions caused by cuts to sub-sea cables. By strengthening our digital backbone, we are not only improving reliability but also paving the way for increased digital inclusion, innovation, and economic opportunities for our people and businesses.” 

In March, four submarine cables situated on the West Coast of Africa – WACS, Sat-3, Ace, and MainOne – were severed near the Ivory Coast, causing major internet issues across the continent. 

“Diversifying Australia’s connectivity and supporting digital inclusion across the globe are both incredibly important objectives, and Google’s Umoja cable will help to do just that,” said Australia’s Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland MP. 

As well as the cable deployment, Google also signed a Statement of Collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Information Communications to partner on issues such as cybersecurity, digital upskilling and AI safety. 

Back in 2021, Google pledged to spend $1 billion across Africa in five years in areas such as startup investment and digital transformation. It has so far spent $900 million, and is set to reach its target in 2026. Since the pledge, however, Google claims that its products and services have added more than $30 billion of economic activity across Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Attend our “Supporting Africa’s growing ICT sector through infrastructure development” track at this year’s Submarine Networks EMEA, 29-30 May in London. Get your last-minute tickets now! 

Also in the news:
UK government conditionally approves £15bn Vodafone–Three merger
Nokia and Vodafone trial Open RAN with Arm and HPE
T-Mobile and Verizon to buy US Cellular, reports say