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Rome, 16 June 2025 – The 2025 Spring General Assembly of the FTTH Council Europe brought
together industry leaders and stakeholders from its pan-European membership to set strategic
priorities and renew the organisation’s leadership. The General Assembly resulted in the
composition of a new Board of Directors, including a new President, and the election of new
Committee Chairs. The full list can be found at the end of this release.

The newly elected Board of Directors appointed Francesco Nonno, Director of Regulatory and
European Affairs at Open Fiber S.p.A., as new President. The Board also nominated the Treasurer
of the association, and introduced two new additional roles in a move to further strengthen the
FTTH Council Europe’s capacity to lead and deliver on its mission: the Vice-President Strategy
and the Vice-President Membership. These roles will help sharpen the Council’s strategic focus
and expand member engagement as the fibre ecosystem continues to evolve.

The new Board of Directors will work to ensure the European Union has an optimal regulatory
environment, fostering the digital transformation of all European economies, with a particular
focus on the decommission of legacy copper networks in support of the adoption of fibre.

A core pillar of the Council’s success will also lie in the strength of its eight highly active
Committees, which continuously generate high-impact initiatives and expertise in support of fibre
deployment, adoption, and sustainability. These Committees, which will be led by new Chairs
elected in the context of the General Assembly, are instrumental in advancing the industry’s
Environmental, Social, and Governance objectives and enabling meaningful collaboration across
the sector.

In recognition of outstanding commitment to these collaborative efforts, the event also saw the
presentation of the Member Engagement Individual Award, which was awarded to Christof
Sommerberg, Head of Public Affairs at Deutsche Glasfaser. Sommerberg was acknowledged for
his consistent involvement and impactful support across various activities of the FTTH Council
Europe, exemplifying the spirit of active membership and collaborative leadership that defines
the organisation.

“The context in which we operate is more complex and challenging than ever, making the FTTH
Council Europe even more relevant”, Nonno said in his first remarks. “Our new leadership team
mirrors the diversity of our membership and highlights the strategic importance we place on
evolving our mission and scope. As an industry association, we are focused on creating value for
our diverse membership base and continuing to strengthen our advocacy towards policymakers”.

The FTTH Council Europe looks forward to this new chapter under the guidance of its renewed
leadership team and the continued engagement of its members.

New Board of Directors composition:

• Francesco Nonno, Head of Regulatory & European Affairs at Open Fiber S.p.A. – President
• Hans Lötzer, Head of Project Finance at Hamburg Commercial Bank – Treasurer
• Stefano Fogli, Director Technology and Solutions at Adtran – Vice-President Strategy
• Andreas Waber, CEO at Swiss Fibre Net AG – Vice-President Membership
• Suzanne Tracy, CTO at SIRO
• Christian Priess, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Hexatronic Group AB
• Roshene McCool, Global Director, OFC Market & Technology Development at Corning
  Optical Fibre and Cable
• Carl Pertry, Director of Business Development Fixed Networks at Nokia
• Xavier Renard, Marketing Director at ACOME

Full list of new Committee Chairs:

• Market Intelligence – Domenico Dichiarante, Head of Residential Marketing and Business
  Development Top Clients at Open Fiber S. p. A.
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Barbara Tonarelli, Principal Sales Engineer at ADTRAN
  In-Home Broadband Excellence – Trond Hovind, Director Business Development at
  Genexis
• Deployment & Operations – Patrick Faraj, Global Product Manager – Centralized Fiber
  Test Systems at VIAVI Solutions
• Sustainability – Jeroen Kanselaar, Manager Corporate Social Responsability at Eurofiber
• Investors – Steffen Leiwesmeier, Head of Strategic Treasury at Deutsche GigaNetz GmbH
• Policy & Regulation – Arturs Alksnis, Public Affairs Director at FTTH Council Europe
• Open Access – Niall Halpenny, Director of Telecoms at Sonalake

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The ITS Technology Group, which has built various open access full fibre broadband and Ethernet networks across parts of the UK, has today announced that they’ve secured a £3.5 million dark fibre network build contract for Carmarthenshire (Southwest Wales) as part of the Swansea Bay City Deal’s Digital Infrastructure Programme.

The new contract will see ITS deploying their Dark Fibre network to connect public sector sites across Carmarthenshire, which will be their first such project in South Wales. The public investment will serve 41 dark fibre connections across 34 strategic public sector sites in Carmarthenshire, connecting education, health and local authorities.

The project includes key partners Carmarthenshire County Council, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Hywel Dda University Health Board, and Coleg Sir Gar. The new network will also connect data centres to help store, move, and share large quantities of data securely at ultra-high speed.

In addition to securing the contract award, ITS will invest in a new wholesale full fibre network that mirrors the dark fibre route and extends beyond it to pass more than 2,800 businesses. This part of the project reflects private investment that will enable access to gigabit-capable services.

Daren Baythorpe, CEO of ITS, said:

“We are thrilled to have been successful in this tender process which will see us play a pivotal role in transforming the area’s digital landscape. As our first public sector contract in South Wales, this is a fantastic milestone for us and one that will provide the foundation for a connected future for the region, driving innovation and prosperity for the entire community.

ITS has a strong track record of working with the public sector to deliver connectivity solutions that benefit local businesses and communities, putting social value at the heart of each project. This type of innovation aligns perfectly with the Digital Infrastructure Programme’s objectives, providing a platform for economic growth and bridging the digital divide.”

Cllr Hazel Evans, Carmarthenshire County Council, said:

“Not only will this enhance the quality and reliability of services for communities across the county, but it will also act as a catalyst for further investment into digital infrastructure. This investment will foster innovation and economic growth, helping to ensure that Carmarthenshire is able to benefit from technological advancements.”

The full fibre network that ITS operates currently uses 10Gbps capable XGS-PON technology, although they have conducted tests of next generation 50G PON (here) – reaching speeds of 41.8Gbps downstream and 19.2Gbps upstream. The first commercial services over that new technology could be launched during early 2026 (here), although it’s unclear if this will be used for the above project or even how long the Carmarthenshire build will take to complete.

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Broadband, phone and mobile operator Manx Telecom (MT), which is the primary network operator serving premises across the remote Isle of Man, could be sold to CVC Capital Partners “within a matter of weeks” as part of a proposed £500m takeover offer that is currently said to be the focus of ongoing talks.

According to a report on Sky News, CVC is being lined up to help finance the takeover by JT Group, which also owns Jersey Telecom that originated on the English Channel island of the same name (JT is owned by Jersey’s government). Manx Telecom itself is currently owned by Basalt Infrastructure Partners (BIP), which is also an investor in alternative UK network provider FullFibre Limited.

Manx Telecom itself is currently in the process of completing a major £60m roll-out of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based gigabit broadband lines to over 41,000 premises across the Isle of Man by the end of 2025 (here), which has been partly funded by the Isle of Man Government.

At this stage not much is known about the details of the proposed deal and some may also question whether the operator is even worth £500m, although back in 2019 they were valued at approximately £255.9m during the deal with Basalt. Smaller island networks often enjoy more control over their local markets and do tend to attract greater values than those operating in larger and more competitive markets, such as the UK.

All of those involved in the talks have thus far declined to comment.

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Space-based internet provider Starlink (SpaceX) last night announced that new domestic customers looking to join their ultrafast home broadband service in the UK could now sign-up and get the hardware for free (terminal/dish and router etc.), instead of paying the usual £299 (one-off).

At present Starlink has around 7,800 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (c.4,100 are v2 Mini / GEN 2A) – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’ll add thousands more by the end of 2027. Residential customers in the UK usually pay from £75 a month, plus £299 for hardware on the ‘Standard’ unlimited data plan (the kit price does vary, due to different offers), which promises UK latency times of 28-36ms, downloads of 103-258Mbps and uploads of 15-26Mbps. But cheaper and more restrictive options also exists for roaming users.

Starlink had previously been offering its hardware for free (instead of £299) in only a few very limited UK locations, but the new promotion seems to extend that across much more of the country. The company’s email does, however, continue to state that this promotion is “available in select UK areas only“, but we’ve yet to identify which locations may be unable to benefit.

The only catch is that this offer can currently only be taken alongside a 12-month minimum contract term.

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SIM-only mobile provider Spusu, which holds a virtual operator (MVNO) agreement via BT Wholesale to harness EE’s national 4G and 5G network, has celebrated their second year of operation in the United Kingdom by gifting 5GB (GigaBytes) of free data (mobile broadband) to “all its customers” for the remainder of June (except those with unlimited data, obviously).

Customers can expect to receive an automated text message with instructions on how to claim their 5GB of complimentary data as part of the anniversary celebration. ISPreview understands that they will then need to reply to the text message from spusu by the end of 22nd June 2025.

Christian Banhans, spusu’s UK Managing Director, said: “Since launching in the UK in 2023, we’ve grown our customer base and stayed true to our values of offering transparent, affordable mobile plans with first-class support. This 5GB giveaway is our way of saying thank you to the customers who’ve joined us on this journey. Looking ahead at the next two years, we’ll continue offering more value and benefits to our customers, ensuring they always feel supported and connected.”

But the offer would have had more impact if they’d introduced it during the start of this month, rather than toward the end. On the other hand, 5GB doesn’t go very far these days, so there’s plenty of time to gobble it up.

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The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), which represents many of the United Kingdom’s alternative network operators, has today set out its formal response to Ofcom’s current Telecoms Access Review 2026 (TAR) and warned that the proposals risk harming altnets in the business market, while also handing Openreach too much power.

The 2026 TAR is a wide-ranging market study, which is typically only conducted every 5-years and is looking to make changes that “promote competition and investment” in gigabit broadband and business connectivity. But such things are always easier said than done, with vested interests frequently clashing.

So far, we’ve already seen various alternative network (altnet) providers (here, here and here) and even Openreach (here) setting out what changes they think Ofcom’s TAR should make. Today it was INCA’s turn to inject their thoughts into that debate, on behalf of a much wider group of altnets.

In its formal response to the consultation, INCA has urged Ofcom to adopt a “forward-looking regulatory framework that unlocks long-term private investment“, recognise the “crucial role Altnets are playing” in driving full-fibre (FTTP) rollout in rural and hard-to-reach communities, and to ensure that future regulation “does not further entrench the market power of the incumbent” (Openreach).

In particular, INCA has warned that designating Openreach as the default provider in areas where network competition is presumed to be unviable would be “unjustified and short-sighted“. INCA has also claimed that Ofcom has “erred in its data collection” resulting in proposals which will “harm Altnets in the business market“.

INCA’s Recommendations for Ofcom

➤ Ensuring investment incentives are aligned across all markets served by the same physical networks.

➤ Regulating consistently across residential and business markets to ensure a level playing field for Altnets in competition with BT.

➤ Require BT to transparently co-develop improvements to Physical Infrastructure Access with customers.

➤ Ensuring that PIA asset valuations are truly representative and ‘fair share’ rules are applied to Openreach as well as other users of PIA assets.

➤ Support emerging Altnets through robust wholesale pricing safeguards.

➤ Manage the copper-to-fibre transition in a way which supports – not undermines – Altnet network deployments.

The talk around ensuring fair pricing on access to Openreach’s existing cable ducts and poles is a common request among altnets. The prices are ultimately set by Ofcom, not Openreach, and they’re supposed to be purposely set at a level which supports entry into the market by such altnets. But at the same time, Ofcom also needs to ensure that Openreach can get a fair return on the investment they make into building and maintaining the related infrastructure.

Similarly, Ofcom does have to recognise the shrinking size of non-competitive areas (defined as Area 3 – mostly rural locations – below), which back in 2021 accounted for 30% of the UK and this time around has been reduced to a proposed level of just 10%. This reflects the positive progress being made in fibre network expansion and also means that Openreach will benefit from softer regulation across more of the UK.

On the flip side, rural broadband operator Gigaclear recently warned Ofcom that Area 3 is now “far too small” (here) and highlighted how “just because an altnet has built it, doesn’t immediately make it commercially viable for two operators“. Nevertheless, Ofcom’s final proposal has opted to retain the 10% size for Area 3, which Gigaclear and others fear will have a negative “impact on future investment“.

Paddy Paddison, Chief Executive of INCA, said:

“The TAR will set the direction of travel for UK digital infrastructure. Altnets have proven they can deliver gigabit networks at scale and what is now needed is a regulatory environment which supports sustainable competition and investment in every part of the market, from urban businesses to rural homes.

There is no justification for limiting delivery in less competitive areas to a single provider. Such a decision massively underestimates the scale and success of full fibre network deployment by Altnets, whose coverage has increased by 27% year-on-year to reach 16.4m premises by the end of 2024, delivering connectivity to a third of UK premises in harder to reach rural areas, and is at odds with government policy where Project Gigabit has provided public funding to Altnets to build networks in precisely those locations.

We urge Ofcom to adopt bold, evidence-based measures that support a vibrant, innovative and fair telecoms market which will benefit UK consumers and investors.”

The reality here is that most of the big changes occurred in Ofcom’s previous 2021 market review, which was intended to set a strategy for the next decade (until 2031). In that sense, the regulator’s 2026 review is not currently looking to make many truly major or radical changes, and instead represents more of a tweaking of the existing approach.

However, balancing so many different vested interests is no mean feat, and we’ll have to wait a few more months before the regulator sets out their final position. This will inevitably always result in some winners and losers. Altnets, which are currently under significant strain (rising build costs, competition, high interest rates etc.) – causing many to slow or even pause their builds (as well as cut jobs), are naturally hoping for something more favourable.

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The Government (DSIT) has this morning announced that they’ve appointed Lesley Cowley OBE to be the new Chair of their broadband and mobile centric Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency. The development comes after former Chair, Simon Blagden, resigned from his position back in July 2024 (here) and was replaced by Hazel Hobbs (Interim Chair).

The announcement follows shortly after the publication of the government’s latest 2025 Spending Review, which among other things revealed that £1.9bn of funding had been committed to fixed broadband and mobile projects (from existing budgets) over the next few years. But it also confirmed a delay to the gigabit broadband roll-out target from 2030 to 2032.

The new BDUK Chair, as appointed today by the Technology Secretary (Peter Kyle), will thus need to oversee the delivery side of the Government’s ambitions for digital infrastructure – many of which were inherited from the previous government and remain largely unchanged.

Lesley’s previous executive career culminated in her role as CEO of UK internet domain registry Nominet, where for over a decade she led various changes. She was later appointed OBE in recognition of her services to the internet and digital economy.

In her subsequent career, Lesley was the first Chair of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Chair of Companies House and Lead Non-Executive Director and then first ever Chair of The National Archives. Her current roles include Chair of ACL Ltd and a Non-Executive Director of Public Digital Ltd., both private companies. She was the Institute of Directors UK NED of the Year Winner, 2019.

Chair of BDUK, Lesley Cowley OBE, said:

“It is a privilege to join Building Digital UK at such a pivotal moment in its journey. The challenge of ensuring every corner of the UK benefits from fast, reliable digital infrastructure is one I am deeply passionate about.

BDUK is a critical enabler of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, helping to grow the economy while ensuring communities are not left behind in the digital age. Working alongside the talented team at BDUK, we will continue to deliver on our mission of creating a more connected, inclusive, and digitally empowered nation.”

Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said:

“Lesley’s commitment to making a positive difference to public facing services, together with her track record in leading digital transformation and delivering innovative solutions, make her an outstanding choice for Chair of Building Digital UK.

She will be instrumental in helping us deliver on our growth mission, by continuing to drive forward our ambitious plans for better connectivity across the every part of UK, making communities and businesses better off.”

Lesley will take up the post on 1st July 2025, taking over from Hazel Hobbs who has served as interim Chair since August 2024.

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Network analyst firm Streetwave has today shared the results from a recent survey they conducted inside St Mary’s Hospital in London, which examined the signal coverage and data performance of 4G and 5G mobile (broadband) networks – including EE, Three UK, Vodafone and O2.

Streetwave is understood to have taken their portable data collection equipment around the hospital, focusing on the QEQM Building at 12:33pm on 17th June 2025. Only publicly accessible walkways were surveyed. The results below should thus be considered quite anecdotal, albeit still interesting.

All four of the UK’s mobile operators were measured and their “Acceptable Coverage” scores are listed below. Streetwave typically defines this as reflecting locations where the network provides users with download speeds of at least 5Mbps, uploads of at least 2Mbps and below 40ms latency times (i.e. just about covering most of the common internet use cases / needs).

In addition, Streetwave also measured the “Essential Coverage” scores, which is said to be reflective of locations where a network can provide users with mobile broadband speeds of above 1Mbps download, 0.5Mbps upload, and below 100ms (milliseconds) of latency (i.e. covering or allowing only the most very basic of use cases / needs).

Overall, O2 (Virgin Media) and EE (BT) jointly delivered the strongest Acceptable Coverage, albeit at just 21%. By comparison, Vodafone returned a slightly lower score at 17% and Three UK only managed 7%. As for Essential Coverage, the results were O2 – 66%, Three UK – 60%, Vodafone – 43% and EE – 42%.

Most hospitals do of course offer a public WiFi network, but some of these can be expensive and don’t always deliver particularly good performance either. Suffice to say that mobile broadband can provide an alternative, but indoor coverage is a much bigger challenge and some hospitals might see that as being competitive with their paid WiFi solutions (i.e. a disincentive to invest in better indoor mobile signals).

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Mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today revealed that – over the past 12-months – they’ve completed a project to upgrade the capacity of their 4G and 5G mobile services across “over” 3,000 postcodes in the city of Glasgow (Scotland), which should bring “faster” mobile broadband speeds and greater reliability to the area.

The work forms part of O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan to invest around £700m this year into their mobile network – “ensuring it is fit for the future and can keep up with increasing customer demand“. All mobile operators have to conduct similar work, so this is not unusual and comes against a backdrop of rising demand (i.e. the amount of mobile data traffic more than doubling in the past 5 years). Not to mention the need to withdraw their old 3G network.

Dr Robert Joyce, O2’s Director of Mobile Access Engineering, said: “With customers using more data than ever before, the improvements we’ve made at over 3,000 postcodes in Glasgow will ensure local people and businesses can access reliable connectivity that is so essential in powering our customers’ digital lifestyles. As part of our Mobile Transformation Plan, we are continuing to invest in our network with future upgrades planned to ensure that we can continue to support our customers both now and in future.“

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A new report from pipeline safety organisation Linewatch, which raises awareness of oil and gas pipelines around the UK and encourages safe practices when digging around them, has warned that 19% of workers have been reported for digging too close to underground high-pressure fuel pipelines while carrying out utility works (electricity, water, broadband etc.).

The latest Linewatch Infringement Report shows that of the 284 incidents recorded, utility companies were directly responsible for 7%. Whilst still a significant portion, it is a 15% decrease from the previous year. In contrast, local authorities were responsible for just 4% of incidents, while highways agencies and the water industry were responsible for 2% and 0.7% respectively.

In 2024, excavation to install or access underground utilities was the biggest cause of pipeline infringements across the UK, accounting for 24% of all reports. But excavation isn’t the only dangerous activity taking place by utilities companies and their contractors, with the report indicating that roadworks (6%) also pose a “serious threat“.

When it comes to the timings of infringements, there is a pattern, with incidents much higher in Q1 and Q3. March sees the highest peak in incidents across the year with 39 infringements, and October the lowest with 11. This directly correlates with seasonal work and businesses increasing workload to use up budgets before the start of the new financial year.

Murray Peat, Manager at Linewatch, said:

“Whilst utilities works are integral to the UK’s infrastructure, it’s concerning that it persists as one of the biggest risks to pipeline integrity. Especially considering the threat to life is so significant. We know how critical our utility networks are to the UK, so we want to protect them as much as possible.”

The report recommends that utilities firms and their contractors ensure they’re using services like those provided by the LSBUD (Line Search Before You Dig) organisation, which offers an online asset search facility to UK civil engineering firms for underground pipes and cables. The UK Government has also built the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) to provide a digital map of underground pipes and cables (broadband, power etc.).

However, the report noted how having prior awareness alone doesn’t always help, since over half (55%) of all pipeline infringements in 2024 occurred despite the person digging knowing a pipeline was present. “This highlights a concerning trend of complacency amongst those working near high-pressure underground pipelines,” said the report.

We should point out that Linewatch’s report doesn’t really break the category of “utility companies” down, which means we don’t get to see how many such infringements were specifically caused by telecommunications related works (mobile, broadband, Ethernet etc.). But we suspect it would not be very big as such infrastructure is usually done to a depth of 350mm, while fuel pipelines tend to be found at 600mm to 1000mm – depending on various factors. We also haven’t had to write about many such incidents over the years.