Congress boosts funding for drive to replace Chinese equipment
News The U.S. House of Representatives has approved additional funding for a federal initiative to replace Chinese-made communications equipment By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities A budgetary shortfall for the federal government’s “rip and replace” initiative, aimed at replacing Chinese communications equipment, is one step closer to being wiped out. The drive to replace Chinese telecom equipment in the United States was first authorized by the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks...
Reflections on the World Communication Awards
Reflections by Marc Anné, Chair of Judges at the World Communication Awards LastWednesday evening, all the shortlisted nominees as well as the Judges enjoyed the 26th anniversary of the World Communication Awards (WCA). This year, the Oscar grade gala event took place in The Marriott, Grosvenor Square, London. On behalf of the Judging Panel, I hereby congratulate all the winners and finalists of this year, as well as a big thank you to all the WCA award entrants for their participation and...
Broadband ISP Andrews and Arnold Trial UK 2.5Gbps Speeds via CityFibre
Internet provider Andrews & Arnold (AAISP) this month became the latest ISP to introduce symmetric broadband speeds capable of harnessing the top 2.5Gbps (2500Mbps) tier on CityFibre’s growing Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, which is currently available to around 4 million premises across the UK. But for now it’s only a trial with limited availability. The ISP is currently somewhat limited by CityFibre’s own availability of their new XGS-PON based full fibre network (progress...
Ofcom Publish New Online UK Internet Safety Codes of Practice
Ofcom has today published the “first edition” of its new online UK safety codes of practice for “tech firms” (e.g. social media) and smaller websites under the government’s Online Safety Act (OSA). Providers now have 3 months to ensure they’re able to tackle “illegal harms” (content), such as terror, hate, fraud, child sexual abuse and assisting or encouraging suicide. On the surface, it all sounds sensible and well-intentioned. After all, it’s widely understood, and few could disagree, that...
Business ISP bOnline Launch New FTTP Broadband, VOIP and Unlimited Calls Plan
Business focused UK broadband ISP bOnline today claims to have launched a new “industry beating” full fibre broadband (FTTP), Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and unlimited calls package for small businesses that costs from just £29.95 ex. VAT a month (this is said to represent a 33% drop over its equivalent previous monthly pricing). The press release states that, after 6 months, the monthly charge will increase by £7 to £36.95 a month, although bOnline state that this still represents a 17.8% drop over...
Ofcom UK Set Timetable for 5G Mobile Auction of 26GHz and 40GHz
The UK telecoms regulator has today set out their expected timetable for the long-in-gestation plan to auction off a large chunk of millimetre wave (mmW) radio spectrum frequency in the 26GHz and 40GHz bands, which will be used by mobile operators to deliver faster 5G (mobile broadband) services. But you’ll have to wait until October 2025. At present EE (BT), O2 (Virgin Media), Vodafone and Three UK already have access to several 5G bands between 700MHz and 3.8GHz. Such frequencies reflect the...
Building Digital UK Reveals Gov’s Gigabit Broadband Build Progress
The Government’s Building Digital UK agency has published its annual performance report (accounts here), which provides breakdowns of how many premises in the United Kingdom have received gigabit-capable broadband coverage as a result of their public subsidy (i.e. funding provided under the prior “Superfast Broadband” programme and the current £5bn Project Gigabit scheme). The data itself doesn’t carry any particular surprises, but it does provide some additional context that we don’t normally...
UK ISP Home Telecom Adopt New Pricing Policy for Mid-Contract Hikes
Customers of internet provider Home Telecom, which is part of the wider Telecom Acquisitions (TAL) group that also includes several other UK ISP brands (No One, Leetline, Fleur Telecom, Eclipse Broadband etc.), have this week begun to receive emails notifying them of a change that will make their “annual price increase simpler“. The email itself, which was also sent to customers on some of Home Telecom / TAL’s other ISP brands, didn’t include much in the way of detail and largely just...
Court Sides with Wychavon Council in Judicial Review of Broadband Poles
The Lifford Gardens and the Sands Residents Association, which represents part of Broadway in Worcestershire (England), has lost its Judicial Review case against the local council’s decision to allow the deployment of a new FTTP broadband network using wood poles. The Birmingham High Court ruled that the council had acted lawfully. ISPreview first covered all this in June 2024 (here and here), which gives the full context. But to recap, the case focused upon FullFibre Limited’s network build...
Confusion as New UK Mobile Operator Ymobile Suddenly “Pauses” Service
Some customers of new UK mobile operator, Ymobile (Ycorp), which only launched one month ago while pledging to offer a “simpler, more streamlined and environmentally friendly” alternative to traditional mobile networks (here), have suddenly been told that their service will be “terminated” in January 2025. The operator, which promoted itself as being the United Kingdom’s “first data-led, eSIM MVNO“, claimed to be powered by Three UK’s national 4G and 5G network via a virtual operator (MVNO)...