Openreach (BT) has announced that they’re extending their “Connect the Unconnected” special offer, which makes it possible for UK ISPs to waive FTTC (VDSL2) broadband connection fees for any customers who receive “Universal Credit” with no other earnings, and who aren’t currently connected to its network. The one-off connection fees on Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC / VDSL) […]

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Reports suggest that the unit could be worth up to £200 million

This week, media reports suggest that UK ISP TalkTalk is exploring the possibility of selling off its B2B arm, TalkTalk Business Direct.

The unit, which currently serves around 80,000 enterprise customers in the UK, could fetch a price tag of £200 million, according to sources.

Any deal would also include a long-term wholesale agreement, giving the buyer preferential access to TalkTalk’s network.

Investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey has been hired to oversee the sale.

The news comes at an interesting time for TalkTalk, which has been a recent undergoing a management reshuffle.

Until late last year, the company was in discussions about possibly being acquired by Virgin Media O2 for a sum of around £3 billion. However, regulatory hurdles ultimately saw these discussions shelved, leaving TalkTalk’s future uncertain.

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Rural UK ISP Gigaclear has confirmed that the villages of Buckden and Kimbolton have just been added to their ongoing £39m effort to deploy a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across Cambridgeshire in England, which adds to the recent additions of Warboys, Sawtry, Ramsey and Stilton (here). During the engineering work, Gigaclear will be utilising […]

Exeter-based broadband ISP Jurassic Fibre, which is rolling out a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across parts of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Dorset in England, has announced that deaf customers who use British Sign Language (BSL) are now able to use a video link interpreter when they contact customer support. The operator, which is currently being supported […]

Internet provider SWS Broadband (Rural Broadband Solutions Plc), which serves homes in rural parts of Shropshire (England) and Wales via both wireless and full fibre (FTTP) connectivity, has today announced they’ve taken on 16 members of staff and moved to a new office location in Shrewsbury ahead of a big rollout. The company revealed last […]

NEWS

Accessibility is taking a step forward for Jurassic Fibre users as they announce that deaf customers who use British Sign Language (BSL) are now able to use a video link interpreter when they contact the customer service centre.

The UK home broadband provider is one of the fastest growing companies in the South West appears to be poised for further growth with a fresh injection of £250m in capital investment from Fern Trading, advised by Octopus Investments.

The provision of BSL interpreter services for deaf customers is more common in large organisations, so this is a positive step for Jurassic Fibre to make their customer service more accessible and inclusive.

Sarah Howells, Chief Customer Officer from Jurassic Fibre, said: “People are at the heart of everything we do at Jurassic Fibre. Our business is to connect communities, and we need to make sure we include customers who need or want to communicate with us using any method they choose. So, we’re really excited to be able to offer this service for Deaf people who communicate using BSL.

“Our Deaf customers have already told us that they value the fast, reliable broadband that we install in their homes to connect them to the many online communications platforms they benefit from in day-to-day life. But for those that use BSL, contacting our customer service centre needs to be just as smooth. Major organisations including the NHS offer this service, but it’s fairly unusual with a company our size. We want to go above and beyond to connect all our customers not only to the outside world but to our customer support.”

The plan is being made possible with the help of Sign Solutions, who specialise in solutions to aid communication between deaf and hearing people.

Sophie Kang, Customer Development Manager with Sign Solutions, said: “Sign Solutions are delighted to be providing Jurassic Fibre with our on-demand service InterpretersLive!. InterpretersLive! enables Deaf customers to contact Jurassic Fibre in British Sign Language through a secure link on their website. The link connects Deaf callers to one of Sign Solutions National Register of Communications Professionals working with Deaf/Deaf-Blind People (NRCPD)-registered interpreters, who then makes an onward audio call to the team at Jurassic Fibre. Providing this service to customers will ensure equal access to services and further breaks down the barriers in communication that the Deaf community so often face.”

This will hopefully be good news for customers of the Exeter based ISP, who have been who have been developing a custom-build full fibre broadband network to rural communities in Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and Dorset.

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has published their annual infrastructure review, which highlights how the UK is making “rapid” progress in rolling out gigabit-capable broadband ISP networks and expects the Government to “achieve its target” for nationwide coverage by 2030. But 5G mobile still needs more direction. At present, the UK has established two main […]

Network operator CityFibre has completed their deployment of a new 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 1,018 homes in the suburban village of Binley Woods (Warwickshire), which only started in August 2022 and is an extension of their existing network in nearby Coventry. The project, which was delivered via civil engineering firm Callan, […]

Budget broadband ISP TalkTalk is reportedly mulling over the possibility of selling their business-to-business arm (TT Business Direct Limited), which is home to around 80,000 customers and could be worth over £200 million. The provider is understood to have hired bankers at Houlihan Lokey to oversee the plan. In case anybody has forgotten, we recently […]

NEWS

The social media giant has entered the ‘fair contribution’ debate, criticising plans to make tech companies pay for network infrastructure costs is not the solution

The company, in a post titled  ‘Network fee proposals are based on a false premise’, argues that the proposals don’t recognise that ‘its investments in content drive the business model of telecom operators’ and point to the investments in network infrastructure it’s already engage in, which run to tens of billions of dollars.

The post, co-authored by Kevin Salvadori, VP Network and Bruno Cendon Martin, Director & Head of RL Wireless, argues that ‘proposals by some European telecom operators to impose network fees on Content Application Providers (CAPs) such as Meta are not the solution. Network fee proposals are built on a false premise because they do not recognise the value that CAPs create for the digital ecosystem, nor the investments we make in the infrastructure that underpins it.’

In short, Meta argues that without the content customers would want to access, there would be less demand for high-speed, high-capacity networks – as well as Meta’s own high levels of investment into internet infrastructure, including undersea cables and what it terms a ‘content delivery network’ which included ‘an extensive European fibre network’, which operators are not charged for.

Meta’s rebuttal of the proposals is the latest in the growing debate around proposals to charge tech companies a ‘fair share’ for operating their services over telecoms networks within the European Union – but wherever you fall on the issue, the underlying issues driving the debate remain.

The European Commission’s ultimate decision on the issue will be watched with interest in both Europe and Silicon Valley – and the debate is likely to continue to run and run.