News

Infracapital-backed network provider Fibrus, which has spent several years rolling out their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across rural parts of Cumbria (England) and Northern Ireland, has announced that they’ve just connected their 100,000th customer (up from 90,000 on 31st Jul 2024). The operator, which has so far built their full fibre network to cover 400,000 UK premises (up from 375k on 26th Aug 2024) and claims to be “fully funded to complete” their...

Events A look back at the top stories that came out of Broadband Communities Summit West last week in San Diego, California Broadband Communities Summit West attracted community leaders, property owners, network infrastructure builders, and internet service providers to San Diego. Dozens of topics were highlighted in the summit’s agenda. Here’s a look back at some key highlights. Boldyn Networks shares secrets behind success on military bases Boldyn Networks is spearheading over 90 network...

The Competition and Markets Authority has today appeared to give a “provisional” approval to Vodafone and Three UK’s recently tabled commitments (here) under their proposed merger agreement (here), which were intended to placate concerns that the deal could result in a “Significant Lessening of Competition” (SLC) in the mobile market. But it will require changes. The merger itself, which would see Vodafone retain a 51% slice of the business and CK Hutchison (Three UK) hold 49%, has repeatedly...

News  The partnership will expand connectivity options for businesses in the North-West and West Midlands  Freedom Fibre has teamed up with Zen Internet to deliver full-fibre ethernet to thousands of businesses across the North-West and West Midlands. Using Freedom Fibre’s XGS-PON network, Zen will be able to provide businesses with high-speed ethernet and broadband options.  The partnership supports Freedom Fibre’s recent launch of business products as it aims to expand its customer base...

Mobile operator Vodafone has recently begun to introduce a new space-saving “Quad Stack” design of 5G mast across parts of Greater London, which is not only intended to help improve mobile broadband speeds but could also contribute to actually reducing the number of masts and the number of street-level equipment cabinets in some areas. Let’s face it, mobile masts aren’t exactly the most popular items of street furniture these days, particularly when it comes to those larger towers that are...

Some customers of O2 UK’s (Virgin Media) Pay As You Go Data SIMs (mobile broadband) have recently been surprised to find that they can no longer top their plans up with extra data. The reason for this appears to be because the mobile operator quietly removed them from sale during early August 2024. Just to recap. O2’s PAYG Data SIMs allowed customers to choose from a selection of plans, each with a different allowance and expiry period. For example, you could pay £3 for 1GB (GigaByte) but that...

Broadband ISP and mobile giant Virgin Media and O2, which invests millions in counter fraud measures each year and blocked more than £250m worth of fraud in 2023, has called on the UK Government to take “urgent action” to address the “epidemic” levels of fraud. The ISP is seeking stronger police powers and the appointment of a dedicated minister. The telecoms operator highlights the example of how its own investigation team spent more than two years building a compelling case against a...

Alternative network provider Fibrus, which is deploying a new 2Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across rural parts of Cumbria in England and Northern Ireland, has kicked off some early Black Friday discounts that will be available for new customers to take for the next few weeks. The operator, which has already built their network to cover 375,000 UK premises and claims to be “fully funded to complete” their roll-out plan for 500,000 premises in the near future (here),...

UK ISP Virgin Media Business (VMO2) has today announced that they’ve launched a new Small Business Partnerships initiative with several key brands including Virgin StartUp, GoDaddy, and egg, to bring exclusive offers to small business based broadband and mobile customers. For example, Virgin StartUp will offer a 50% discount to VMO2’s customers on their 12-topic on-demand video course, ‘How to Build a Business’, which covers key steps from customer research to brand development and investor...

Merseyside-based alternative broadband operator and UK ISP BeFibre, which sells packages to homes and businesses via FullFibre Limited’s Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, has today refreshed their prices, shifted from 24-month to 18-month contract terms and launched a new 2.3Gbps speed package. The changes mean that BeFibre’s entry-level 150Mbps symmetric speed package, for example, now costs slightly less at £24 per month on both a 12 or 18-month minimum contract term (£30 thereafter),...