Ofcom UK to Enforce Rules on Misleading Use of “Fibre” Broadband
The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, will tomorrow begin enforcing new rules that will only allow broadband ISPs to use terms like “fibre” and “full-fibre” on their websites, and in contracts, if their network brings the fibre optic cables all the way to your home (i.e. FTTP, FTTH and also FTTB). Many ISPs have historically tended to use “fibre” terminology to describe a wide range of internet connection technologies, including hybrid or part-fibre solutions that could involve either...
ISP iDNET Launch 1.8Gbps and 2.3Gbps UK Broadband Plans via FullFibre Ltd
Broadband provider iDNET has just become one of the first ISPs to introduce both a 1.8Gbps (advertised as 1.6Gbps) and 2.3Gbps (2Gbps) symmetric speed package via FullFibre Limited‘s (Fibre Heroes) new network, which currently covers 380,000 UK premises across parts of 170 towns. Just to recap. FullFibre Ltd introduced the faster tiers at wholesale last month (here). The operator’s FTTP lines can be found in various locations across Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester,...
Full Fibre UK ISP Hyperoptic Launch Managed Wi-Fi Service
City-focused broadband ISP Hyperoptic, which has so far built their full fibre (FTTP/B) network to cover “more than” 1.73 million homes and 340,000 customers in parts of 64 UK towns and cities, has launched a Managed Wi-Fi service that aims to deliver “uninterrupted, high-speed internet” across larger residential developments / blocks of flats (MDUs). The new service appears to be targeted at building owners and comes with a dedicated portal for simplifying onboarding for both residents and...
UK ISP Zzoomm See 20 Percent Full Fibre Take-up in Northallerton
Oxfordshire-based alternative full fibre operator Zzoomm, which has built their 2Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 202,000 premises (RFS) in England, has today reported that they’ve achieved 20% take-up in Northallerton on a network that has been available for “19 months“. At present Zzoomm’s network, which is home to 30,000 customers (c.15% take-up), is available across around 29 market towns and small urban communities in parts of Berkshire, Oxfordshire,...
BT, Toshiba and Equinix Link UK Data Centres with Quantum-Secure Network
ISP BT and partner Toshiba have today announced that they’ve worked with Equinix to achieve the UK’s “first data centre to data centre connection” using their new quantum-secured metro fibre optic network, which they claim will provide businesses that use these facilities with the ability to “protect their data against future sophisticated quantum attacks“. Just to recap. BT and Toshiba have spent years developing a quantum-secure network that can even harness Openreach’s “standard” fibre...
Telecoms Minister Updates on Effort to Limit UK Broadband Poles via Infrastructure Sharing
The UK Government’s Minister for Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, yesterday held a round table meeting with a small selection of network operators in an effort to try and drive home the need for greater “infrastructure sharing” in order to “end the deployment of unnecessary telegraph poles” when rolling out new gigabit-capable broadband ISP networks. Just to recap. The UK has long been home to several million poles (i.e. they’re a common sight in many areas), which are often around 9 metres high...
CMA Demands Changes for Vodafone and Three UK to Merge
The Competition and Markets Authority has this morning revealed their provisional view on the outcome of their in-depth Phase 2 investigation into the proposed merger between mobile operators Three UK and Vodafone. This warns that it will only be able to approve the deal if the pair agree to key concessions that protect consumer prices and network competition. Under the originally proposed deal (here), Vodafone would retain a 51% slice of the business and CK Hutchison (Three UK) are to hold...
Devon and Somerset Update on Wessex Internet’s Full Fibre Build
After a long period of silence, the state aid funded Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme has finally issued a new progress update on their contract with UK broadband ISP Wessex Internet, which has been tasked with rolling out a new gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) network across some rural parts of the region. Just to recap. The Phase 2 CDS contract, which was awarded at the end of 2020 (here) and initially supported by £4.7m of public investment (partly from the Building Digital UK...
Connected Britain Reveals 2024 Broadband Award Winners
The annual Connected Britain Awards 2024 (Total Telecom) have once again taken place this week, which among other things saw full fibre and fixed wireless ISP Wildanet scoop he coveted “Broadband Provider of the Year” award, while Brsk won the “Full Fibre ISP Innovation Award” and CityFibre was named for the “Project Rollout Award“. All of the organisations that entered – spanning across various different categories – were assessed by a large panel of judges, which included key figures from...
Ofcom Finds Three UK Misses First Rural 4G Mobile Coverage Target
The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today published its first report on the progress of the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network project (i.e. extending 4G mobile (broadband) to cover 95% of the UK by the end of 2025), which confirms that Three UK is the only mobile operator to miss the first coverage target for Partial Not-Spot (PNS) areas. Just to recap. The SRN – supported by £501m of public funding and £532m from operators – involves both the reciprocal sharing of existing masts in...