Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Carlisle-based broadband ISP Grain, which in July 2025 secured a £225 million funding boost to continue their UK network expansion (here), has announced that they’ve begun to expand their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines across the North West Leicestershire (England) town of Coalville; home to around 38,000 people.

The town itself is already covered by gigabit-capable broadband from both Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre) and Openreach’s respective full fibre networks. On top of that, there are a few smaller deployments from Hyperoptic and Glide, although it’s unclear how much of the latter involves full fibre. But it does appear as if there might just be enough space for another provider to enter the competitive local market.

The announcement states that “the first lucky customers will be getting switched on as soon as early Spring 2026,” although it doesn’t reveal anything much about Grain’s local deployment plan. But data from local street works suggests that most of the initial roll-out activity will be taking place in the areas around Owen Street, Gutteridge Street and Highfield Street on the central west side of the town

The operator’s point-to-point fibre optic broadband network is currently home to over 43,000 customers and covers 270,000 UK premises (aiming to reach 600,000 in the future).

Richard Cameron, Grain’s CEO, said:

“We’re not just delivering faster internet; we are also saving customers a significant amount on their monthly broadband bill. Whether you’re streaming your favourite shows, working from home or gaming, we’re helping to build a more connected Coalville.”

Customers can normally expect to pay from just £16.99 per month on an 18-month term for symmetric speeds of 150Mbps (including a router and free installation), which rises to £22.99 for their 1Gbps tier. But we understand that those in Wigan may be able to benefit from slightly lower “early-bird” prices, starting at £14.99 for 150Mbps etc.

Grain doesn’t state precisely how many premises in the town they expect to cover or when the roll-out will complete, although it is a location that should be big enough to sustain an additional altnet.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Consumer energy, broadband, mobile and insurance provider UW (Utility Warehouse), which is ultimately controlled by Telecom Plus, has recently become the latest virtual mobile network operator (mvno) to start introducing eSIM (Embedded SIM) support to their service.

Just to recap. The eSIM standard is an alternative to physical SIM cards, which works by essentially embedding a digital SIM into your device (Smartphone) that could – once fully implemented – make it easier and quicker to switch between operators (e.g. not having to wait for a SIM card to arrive) and to use additional networks alongside your main mobile service (e.g. eSIMs for travel when abroad).

The roll-out appears to have started a few weeks ago and has been going in three phases. The first phase enabled existing UW mobile customers to choose an eSIM when requesting a replacement, which was later extended to existing customers that wanted either a new or replacement SIM.

The final phase, which at first glance doesn’t appear to have completed yet, will also allow new customers to choose an eSIM during sign-up. Credits to one of ISPreview’s members (xEl-Capitanx) for spotting the development (here).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Sky (Sky Broadband) has recently continued their gradual move away from satellite-based Pay TV services by withdrawing their Sky Q kit and service from online sales. New customers are instead being directed to take the company’s latest broadband-based Sky Glass (Sky integrated streaming TV set) and Sky Stream (streaming set-top-box) solutions.

Both Sky Glass and Sky Stream are standalone products that use your home broadband ISP and WiFi connection to stream Sky’s on-demand video content and live TV channels (i.e. without any need for a tedious satellite dish). Despite this, many users often still prefer the experience they get with Sky Q, particularly for key features like live TV recording (Glass and Stream use a cloud-based recording feature that has some caveats).

The big change now, as noted by some of our readers (here), is that Sky have removed the option for new customers to order Sky Q online, although it still appears to be available to those who place an order via the phone or in-store (we suspect Sky’s agents will still try to discourage you from it). Instead, the Sky Q page now states: “We’ve unplugged Sky Q. Plug in Sky Stream for less.”

This is not the first time that Sky Q has done a disappearing act online, but on this occasion the language appears much more confident that it won’t be returning. None of this should come as much of a surprise, as this has clearly been Sky’s direction of travel for some time, although for now it is at least still possible to get Sky Q if you really want it. But that seems unlikely to last for too much longer.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

LMT has long ceased to be just a mobile network operator, but rather an ICT company that offers exportable solutions. Now, LMT is purposefully shifting into a multi-sector technology company ecosystem – the LMT Group. The Group comprises several companies and branches, including LMT IoT, LMT Defence, LMT Systems, LMT Retail & Logistics, LMT Finance, LMT Innovations, and Santa Monica Networks.

LMT Group’s strategic diversification is firmly rooted in its historical engineering DNA, which originated with the founding team from Latvia’s largest and oldest radio electronics company. This capability led the company to launch innovation projects across verticals like defense, IoT, and mobility. The result of this proactive strategy is a substantial change to the company’s portfolio – communications now accounts for 50% of total business volume, with the other half generated by these new strategic directions.

“Being a telecommunications operator in a relatively small European market limits the number of customers available. Thus, LMT’s growth depends on diversification. A seminal moment was the introduction of 5G. There were significant industrial promises about its capabilities, yet no one had actually seen it deployed. This gap became the biggest driver of our innovation strategy. Today, we find ourselves moving beyond ‘soft’ services and IT integrations toward physical products. We repeatedly encounter critical unmet market needs that force us to build the solutions ourselves. This was the exact challenge that led to our IoT shortcut,” says Ingmārs Pūķis, VP & Member of the Management Board at LMT.

The latest LMT Group product – the recently launched IoT Shortcut – is the smallest mobile data module in the world for sensor equipment, offering universal connectivity options for any manufacturer’s IoT devices worldwide. IoT Shortcut enables quick integration of a mobile data connection across a wide range of sensor equipment. A significant added value is the software created by the LMT Group, which automates data processing, integration, and connectivity, and provides cloud data services with a customizable customer platform and application. The module also features very low energy consumption, ensuring the sensor device’s battery lasts up to 10 years.

The module is currently being tested, and confirmed partners include the wireless sensor manufacturer SAF Tehnika, the bark beetle activity monitoring software Spruceful, and the construction monitoring specialist Adventum Tech.

The IoT Shortcut team is also in negotiations with Europe’s largest chip manufacturer, German concern Infineon Technologies AG. Planned cooperation involves integrating the LMT module into Infineon Edge AI solutions. This technology will allow local, on-device AI data processing, which will significantly reduce data transmission volume, improve reaction speed, and extend battery life for IoT sensor devices.

About LMT Group

LMT Group has evolved from Latvia’s leading mobile communication operator, LMT, into a technology innovation leader and a multi-sector technology company ecosystem. As a market leader in Latvia, LMT offers a full spectrum of high-quality telecommunication services for diverse market segments, including civilian, business, academia, and military. It transforms the 5G network into advanced solutions, focusing on defence and national security technologies, smart cities, IoT platforms, sensors, and mobility. The LMT Group unites companies such as Latvian Mobile Telephone (LMT), LMT Retail & Logistics, LMT Finance (Latvia’s first TechFin company), and the IT solutions company Santa Monica Networks.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

World Communication Awards

Total Telecom is thrilled to unveil the exceptional winners of the 2025 World Communication Awards (WCAs)

For over two decades, the WCAs has been the definitive global benchmark for technological excellence and industry leadership. With a rigorous, independent review panel of over 80 judges, the WCAs ensure that every award recognises genuine, real-world impact and future-defining innovation that is transforming the global telecom ecosystem.

This year’s Award winners celebrate companies, big and small, from all around the world, that are going above and beyond for their customers.

A huge congratulations to all of our worthy winners, all of which can be found below:

5G Award

Winner: Singtel, in partnership with Ericsson, for Singtel 5G+

This year’s 5G Award category saw an incredibly strong field, showing 5G finally coming of age.

The Singtel successfully redefined network value by utilising slicing, including integrating a Security-as-a-Slice feature that is actively blocking over 6.6 million threats monthly for its customers.

The judges said the entry showed “the democratization of consumer network slicing, turning a technical capability into everyday customer value.”

(Silver Award: KT, AICT Company) 

Access Innovation

Winner: Ericsson and Telstra for the world’s first 5G triple-band FDD Massive MIMO

The Access Innovation category represents the pinnacle of engineering ingenuity, showcasing innovation in the competitive race to build next-generation networks.

The winning solution from Ericsson, used by Telstra, replaces multiple legacy radios with a single unit, dramatically boosting capacity while simplifying network deployment and reducing power consumption.

The judges described the technical innovation as “exceptionally strong” and noted its importance as a foundation for future RAN intelligence.

(Silver Award: Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten Site Management’s Fiber Manager) 

AI Innovation

Winner: Jio Platforms for JioBrain

The AI Innovation category showcases the cutting edge of network intelligence, recognising the transformative impact AI is having on the telecoms industry.

The JioBrain was a standout entry. Built entirely in-house, the solution is already processing a massive 350 billion data points daily across Jio’s operations. The scale of its results was highly impressive, delivering 40% fewer outages, 30% lower OPEX, and 20% higher ARPU across 200+ million 5G users.

(Silver Award: Chunghwa Telecom)

Best Digital Transformation Programme

Winner: Ericsson and IOH for their Digital Monetization Platform

This Award celebrates projects that tackle complexity head-on, delivering profound and measurable improvements to both operations and customer experience.

Ericsson and Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison successfully unified a highly fragmented BSS landscape, migrating over 88 million subscribers to a single, end-to-end digital monetisation platform.

This solution not only improved service innovation and process agility but also opened up vital new revenue streams for IOH.

(Silver Award: Jazz and Huawei)

Best Network Evolution Initiative

Winner: Colt Technology Services for their global Optical network

This category celebrates vision and ambition when it comes to network design. Colt demonstrated a highly innovative, multi-faceted approach to network evolution, leading trials on quantum-safe network security while also delivering Terabit-scale capacity at a global scale.

The judges praised this comprehensive approach, suggesting the company is leading the way with their preparation for a post-quantum world.

(Silver Award: Telefónica Global Solutions)

Best operator in a Growth Market

Winner: Lumitel

The Best Operator in a Growth Market category celebrates operators who successfully navigate the myriads of unique challenges presented by developing markets.

According to one judge, Lumitel presented “an extraordinary example of how a telecom operator can transform one of the world’s most challenging markets [Burundi] into a digitally connected society”, adding that the operator had “not only met but exceeded its objectives, proving that connectivity can be a lifeline for national progress.”

(Silver Awards: Smart Axiata)

Best Wholesale Operator

Winner: Orange Wholesale

This was a highly competitive category, bringing together network giants from around the world.

Orange Wholesale showed remarkable agility in handling their customers’ evolving needs, building unique solutions leveraging technologies from eSIM to satellite. This is a global leader that has evolved its business model through a strong blend of customer-led innovation, technology deployment, and collaborative partnerships.

(Silver Award: Colt Technology Services, Wholesale SIP) 

Beyond Connectivity Award

Winner: VEON for JazzCash

This category celebrates companies that go above and beyond for their customers, delivering value and support far outside the scope of their traditional business.

The JazzCash mobile money platform is doing just that, playing a key role in the lives of 48 million people in Pakistan, supporting financial inclusion and driving the national economy. The judges praised the solution’s broad impact, calling it a “great case of going beyond connectivity to deliver systemic change” and building a solution of national importance.

(Silver Award: PT Telkomsel)

Cloud Award

Winner: Jio Platforms for its Cloud Platforms and Private MEC

According to one of the judges, Jio Platforms entry for this category showed the company had “raised the bar in telco cloud innovation, offering a unique solution that is as wide-reaching as it is specialised”.

With a combination of sovereign design, massive real-world deployment, measurable business and customer outcomes, and proven sustainability, this entry was the clear winner in this category.

(Silver Award: Rakuten Symphony for Rakuten Cloud) 

Connected Communities Award

Winner: Airband for its next generation Fixed Wireless Access

This category celebrates agile providers who use cutting-edge technology to connect communities left behind by traditional infrastructure rollout.

Airband has showed impressive progress in this regard, with its upgraded Fixed Wireless Access solution offering a ten-fold improvement on its previous iteration. The judges were highly impressed by the “genuine technological innovation” on show and the scale of the impact being achieved for underserved communities.

(Silver Award: Fibrus)

Crisis Response Award

Winner: Palestine Telecommunications Company – Jawwal

This category celebrates those companies that continue to support their customers in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

This Jawwal  has showed incredible resilience and operational agility in keeping connectivity available for customers despite 80% of its network being damaged and 2 million people being displaced. From the deployment of FWA to the reuse of copper networks, this organisation continues to demonstrate significant technical skill and flexibility in keeping its customers online.

(Silver Award: Prima Limited, ICN1 Earthquake crisis response in Vanuatu)

Cyber Security Award

Winner: Jio Platforms for its Quantum-Safe Security Suite

This award recognises the critical importance of future-proofing digital infrastructure by addressing both current and imminent threats.

The Jio Platforms’ Quantum-Safe Security Suite demonstrated both a deep understanding of the current cybersecurity landscape and the huge challenges on the horizon. Judges said the entry’s “foresight, R&D excellence, and rapid execution has set a new industry benchmark – and placed India at the forefront of global cyber resilience”.

(Silver Award: Bridge Alliance and Aeris Communications, Aeris IoT WatchtowerTM)

Enterprise Service of the Year

Winner: China Broadcasting Network & AsiaInfo Technologies for their Smart Wind Farm private 5G network

Considered a “standout submission” by the judges, this category’s winner combines bespoke engineering with AI-driven interference management and a unique network architecture, to deliver impressive results at a Smart Wind Farm.

One judge commented that this was the “benchmark case of how CSP-enabled private networks can unlock new efficiencies, safety standards, and economic benefits for enterprise businesses”.

(Silver Award: Singtel, Singtel 5G+ Priority and Enterprise Mobile Protect) 

Future Award

Winner: Singtel for its Quantum-Safe Network

From innovative solutions to novel business models, the future award celebrates companies looking to capture the opportunities that are only just emerging.

Singtel’s Quantum-Safe Network blends technical refinement with commercial availability, providing a solution to one of the biggest challenges on the horizon for telcos: building future-ready cyber resilience at scale.

(Silver Award: Cohere Technologies)

People and Culture Award

Winner: Viettel Group

This category looks to highlight organisations that place employee well-being and a culture of continuous learning at the core of their strategy, driving both sustainable growth and technological excellence.

With a comprehensive 360° care model focused on employees’ physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being, Viettel showed incredible dedication to staff, prioritizing reskilling and upskilling over layoffs.

(Silver Award: Deutsche Telekom – Europe Segment, DT Europe Talent Powerhouse)

Platform Award

Winner: Singtel for the Paragon Platform

Singtel’s Paragon Platform aims to help telecoms providers augment their service offerings and create new revenue streams beyond connectivity. With impressive results so far, this top-notch platform sets the standard for 5G orchestration and business model transformation.

(Silver Award: Rakuten Symphony, Rakuten Cloud-Native Platform)

Satellite Telecoms Award

Winner: Telefonica Global Solutions

Telefonica Global Solutions successfully combines GEO, MEO, and LEO satellite capabilities into a single service model, providing customers with a self-managed, cloud-style orchestration interface for real-time control across orbits.

The judges were highly impressed by the commercial results, noting the solution demonstrates that “satellite can scale like cloud, serve like fibre, and impact lives far beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.”

(Silver Award: VEON and Kyivstar, Kyivstar/Starlink)

Social Contribution Award

Winner: Helium

In a category all about giving back to the community you serve, Helium impressed by flipping the traditional telecom model, empowering individuals to become network builders and expand connectivity access from the ground up.

The judges praised the company’s disruptive business model, stating that it “stands out for reimagining connectivity as a shared resource rather than a corporate commodity, creatively redistributing both the responsibility and the rewards of building digital inclusion.”

(Silver Award: Moldcell Foundation)

Submarine Networks Award

Winner: EllaLink

A new category this year, aimed at shining a light on some of the world’s most critical and often underappreciated infrastructure.

EllaLink has not only been working hard to expand and upgrade its network, but also to introduce new sensing technology to support marine researchers. This unique combination of market impact, engineering excellence, and societal contribution set the winner apart.

(Silver Award: Telin)

Sustainability Award

Winner: Vodafone & Closing the Loop, One for One  

Sustainability is a huge topic at the World Communication Awards, attracting many entries from across the industry. Vodafone’s partnership with Closing the Loop showed major impact with their focus on e-waste – a significant challenge across the sector.

With very impressive results, the judges said this entry was an excellent example of an operator embedding sustainability directly into its core customer offering.

(Silver Award: KT, AI-based ES Orchestrator)

Total Experience Award

Winner: Sparkle

The competition in the Total Experience Award category was exceptionally strong this year, underscoring the vital importance of customer-centric strategies in today’s market.

Sparkle provided a truly holistic approach, integrating AI-based automation and real-time digital tools with a uniquely personalized, human-centered service model. For this company, CX is a company-wide mission, driving measurable outcomes and long-term loyalty.

(Silver Award: China Mobile (Guangdong) & Huawei, AI+BOSS)

Next Gen Award

Winner: Chiago Akpata – Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs at Bayobab

This category is dedicated to the future leaders of the telecoms sector, highlighting those whose impact far exceeds their years.

Chiago Akpata has showed incredible skill in navigating the complex intersection of telecommunications, digital infrastructure, and public policy, having a lasting and transformative effect on the business.

(Silver Award: Sam Sham, RETN)

Startup of the Year Award

Winner: nodeQ

This category is all about the potential to do something special and impact the telecoms industry at scale.

nodeQ showcased their potential to do just that, developing cutting edge technology to better map telcos shifting security needs and prepare for an uncertain future.

Judges described this company as providing “world-class deep-tech with a significant first-mover advantage.”

(Silver Award: A5G Networks)

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

Ofcom has given the green light for mobile network operators to deliver ‘direct-to-device’ (D2D) satellite services to ordinary smartphones, clearing the regulatory pathway for calls, texts and data to be delivered from space across the UK.

The regulator’s final decisions authorise the use of mobile spectrum below 3 GHz for D2D links, with safety guards in place to prevent harmful interference with radar and air traffic control systems.

The regulator confirmed that individual consumers will not need a separate licence to receive satellite signals, a move designed to encourage mass-market adoption and help eliminate the UK’s patchwork of mobile notspots. Ofcom said the change could provide lifeline connectivity in remote areas without terrestrial coverage, and backup connectvity if traditional mobile networks suffer an outage.

Operators must, however, apply for a change to their existing licences before offering D2D services, and the framework includes technical and operational safeguards to limit cross-border interference with neighbouring countries’ networks. The framework aims to balance rapid deployment with protections for aviation and national-spectrum users.

Commercial partnerships focussed on D2D services are already well underway. Virgin Media O2 has signed with SpaceX’s Starlink as part of plans to begin rolling out messaging and data services by early 2026, while Vodafone has partnered with AST and has already demonstrated a satellite video call from an area without terrestrial coverage.

Exactly how these D2D partnerships will be monetised remains to be seen.

Ofcom’s group director for spectrum, David Willis, framed the initiative as opening new opportunities for rural communities and economic growth.

“Mobile operators are already pressing ahead to make the UK the first nation in Western Europe to have widespread access to this technology, which will see remote and rural areas be better connected than ever before, unlocking opportunities for communities, businesses and economic growth,” he said.

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

Also in the news
Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
Netomnia announces ‘powerful and ambitious’ rebrand ahead of Connected Britain
VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today announced that they’ve switched-on their next-generation 5G Standalone (5GSA) mobile broadband network in Essex (England) as part of its UK-wide rollout, which is now live in a total of more than 500 locations (70% of the UK’s population or c.49 million people).

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

O2’s 5GSA rollout first began in February 2024 (here) and typically aims to reach “at least 90% outdoor coverage” in every location they target. The same will be true for Essex and O2’s new 5GSA network has already gone live in Colchester, Chelmsford, Loughton and Billericay. The county has a total population of around 1.5 million.

Essex Locations with O2’s 5GSA

Basildon, Billericay, Braintree, Canvey Island, Chadwell St Mary, Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester, Frinton-on-Sea, Grays, Halstead, Harlow, Loughton, Maldon, Rayleigh, Rochford, Saffron Walden, Shenfield, South Benfleet, South Ockendon, Southend-on-Sea, South Woodham Ferrers, Thundersley, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross, Wickford, and Witham.

O2’s network upgrade is available to customers with compatible devices “at no extra cost“.

Professor Robert Joyce, O2’s Director of Mobile Access Engineering, said:

“As part of our Mobile Transformation Plan, we are investing £2m every single day to improve our mobile network and provide a more reliable experience for our customers. By expanding our next-generation 5G Standalone network to Essex we are upgrading services for local people and are excited about the opportunities the new network will bring.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Business telecommunications and UK broadband ISP Spitfire has today launched its new PSTN Switch Off Migration service, which is designed to provide both technical support and expertise to UK businesses making the move from the old Public Switched Telephone Network to all-IP (digital).

Just to recap. The legacy phone switch-off was last year delayed to 31st January 2027 in order to give broadband, phone, telecare providers, councils and consumers more time to adapt (details). The main focus of this was the 1.8 million UK people who use vital home telecare systems (e.g. elderly, disabled – vulnerable users), which aren’t always compatible with digital phone services because telecare providers were slow to adapt.

However, this overlooks that, for everybody else, many providers will still be working to shift customers off the old PSTN network well before the new deadline. Openreach’s recent decision to significantly raise the prices on their legacy products, which will be introduced from October 2026, is another big incentive to make the switch sooner rather than later (here).

Spitfire has thus attempted to create a package which makes transition “smooth, flexible and seamless“. The new Switch Off Migration Service includes offering a choice of technologies to ensure every customer has a suitable service for both connectivity and telephony, while ensuring that they migrate to the new services as smoothly as possible. Spitfire also keeps business leaders informed of the elements of the project that impact them so they can make unrushed, informed decisions.

Features of the Switch Off Migration Service

– No migration charge from legacy analogue line, ISDN or broadband circuits.

– Choice of minimum contract periods from 3 months +.

– Digital voice line with call bundle included.

– Quality of Service options with performance SLAs up to ‘Ethernet’ standard.

– Upgrade to super fast fibre on availability within minimum term.

Harry Bowlby, MD of Spitfire Network Services, said:

“Although this revised date buys more time and indeed may now seem some way off, the huge task to move to an all-IP future proofed service remains. Customers should still aim to take action now, as the announcement only provides a one year extension and we are still likely to experience resource bottlenecks as the months go by. As we’ve seen, prices from OpenReach and BT to service providers for certain legacy products will rise by up to 100% by October 2026, so our message is clear move now, avoid the rush and protect your business communications.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator CityFibre, which have so far expanded their 10Gbps capable FTTP broadband network to cover 4.6 million UK premises (4.3m RFS) and connected 730,000 customers, has today announced that BT Group’s former Chief Architect, Neil McRae, has been appointed to be the company’s new Chief Technology & Information Officer (CTIO).

The operator has yet to put out an official press release on the development, although Telecom TV appears to have picked up on it via an internal staff notice – issued yesterday. The appointment is quite a big one for CityFibre as, aside from his obvious experience, few people know as much about the inner workings of BT’s rival network, infrastructure, digital IT and processes than McRae.

McRae is currently the Chief Network Strategist (CNS) at Juniper Networks and is expected to join CityFibre sometime in the New Year. The move also means that CityFibre’s current CTIO, John Franklin (he’s been at the operator for more than 12 years), will be moved to take on a new role as the company’s Chief Integration Officer (CIO).

The announcement comes shortly after the operator secured a crucial £2.3bn funding agreement (here), which was later followed by CityFibre changing CEO from Greg Mesch to former Goldman Sachs banker Simon Holden (here). Big developments like this often produce changes in company leadership and strategy.

McRae is certainly likely to have plenty of work when he arrives, with CityFibre currently known to be lining up several further acquisitions in the UK’s alternative broadband network space and planning future network enhancements. Some recent talks have also involved one of the market’s other major altnets, Netomnia (here), although no official agreements have been reached.. yet.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an online banner advert for SpaceX’s ultrafast broadband satellite service, Starlink, after it was found to be “misleading” because the offer of free terminal hardware (normally £299) omitted several key bits of material information.

The Starlink promotion in question will probably be familiar to some of ISPreview’s readers, as we’ve written about it before. In this case, the ad contained the following text alongside an image of Starlink’s hardware kit: “£0 £299 for the Standard Kit with 12-Month Residential Service Plan commitment“. Below the image, small text stated: “Availability and price may vary based on location […] Terms apply. Review the FAQs on starlink.com to learn more”.

However, readers may recall that this promotion wasn’t available to every location, and in some areas those who tried to sign up also found that they had to pay a demand surcharge in addition to the £299 hardware fee (at the time this was an issue across a big part of South East England); this appears to have been what prompted the complaint. The ASA also found some other issues in their ruling.

ASA Ruling REF: A25-1298384

The map provided by Starlink showed that the offer was not available to consumers living across the south-east of England; in Greater London, Kent, Essex, the southern part of Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, most of Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex and East Sussex. We understood those areas amounted to approximately a third of the UK population. We considered that because the offer was not available to consumers in a specifically defined geographical region, covering a significant proportion of the UK population, that was a significant limitation and qualification to the offer which should have been made clear in the ad. We concluded the ad was misleading because it omitted that material information.

Furthermore, as referenced above, we considered consumers would understand that if they were not eligible for the offer, they would pay £299 for the Standard Kit plus the cost of the 12-month plan. While that was the case for some customers, others were charged an additional upfront ‘demand surcharge’, which we noted for the complainant amounted to £195. Because the ad implied that consumers would not pay more than £299 plus the monthly cost of the 12-month plan, when that was not the case, we considered that the ad was also misleading in this regard.

We concluded the ad was misleading because it omitted material information, including the cost of the 12-month service plan, the geographical limitation on the availability of the promotional price offer, and that consumers who were not eligible for the promotional price may be charged an additional fee.

As usual, the ASA banned the advert in its current form and told Starlink to ensure that their future ads for the promotional price offer did not omit material information. The company has since tweaked the language of their promotion.