ISPA Unveil WINNERS of the 2024 UK ISP Internet Industry Awards
The UK Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has tonight revealed the winners of their 26th annual 2024 internet industry and broadband awards, which among other things saw several providers taking home two awards each across different categories, including Brsk, CommunityFibre, and Vorboss. The award categories were once again revised for this year’s event, not least through the introduction of several new categories, such as the award for Best Rural Infrastructure and Best Urban...
AT&T to wave goodbye to NB-IoT
News The operator says it will shift customers to “alternative network technologies such as LTE-M” AT&T will decommission it narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, with IoT workloads to be shifted to alterative technologies like LTE-M early next year. NB-IoT – a low-power wide-area network technology – was standardised by 3GPP in 2016. Designed specifically to handle low-power IoT devices, the technology was built to allow devices to be more energy and spectrum efficient. AT&T...
Mobile Operator Three UK Launch SIM Only Black Friday Discounts
New customers looking to joint Three UK’s mobile network should take note that they’ve today launched some new Black Friday discounts, which for example drops their LITE Unlimited Data SIM (mobile broadband, calls and texts) plan to £20 per month on a 24-month term. Customers can also get a 120GB SIM (inc. calls and texts) for just £10 on a 12-month term and a 100GB SIM for £12 on a 1-month term. But the operator’s new Black Friday offers will only be available to take until 5th December 2024,...
US Justice Dept. calls on Google to sell Chrome
News The case highlights the growing regulatory focus on Big Tech’s influence and raises questions about balancing innovation with fair competition The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has proposed that Google sell its browser, Google Chrome, to address concerns about its dominance in the search and digital advertising markets. The recommendation is part of a wider antitrust case following a court ruling in August that found Google had illegally maintained a monopoly over online search...
New Small Cells in Chester to Boost Mobile Connections, O2 UK First to Adopt
Residents, visitors and businesses in the Cathedral City of Chester (Cheshire, England) may be pleased to learn that local 4G and possibly 5G mobile (mobile broadband) connections are set for a boost with the deployment of a new small cell network from Ontix, which follows a recent survey of local coverage by consultancy FarrPoint. Small cells are like mini shoebox sized mobile (radio) base stations, which have been designed to deliver limited coverage (usually up to around 80-120 metres) and...
Multiboost Gain Ofcom UK Approval for Indoor Mobile Signal Boosters
Consumers may like to know that Ofcom’s earlier move to soften their requirements for licence exempt indoor or in-vehicle “mobile phone repeaters” (here) is starting to bear fruit. Multiboost has just announced that their ‘PRO’ kit is now fully compliant with the regulator’s standards, which means more choice for homes and businesses. Just to recap. Since 2018 it’s been possible for people to use repeaters that boost and retransmit UK mobile signals, which can help to improve local mobile...
EE UK to Refresh Mobile Roaming Plans and Scraps Old Products
Mobile operator EE (BT) has begun to inform their UK customers, specifically those with inclusive roaming, that their “current roaming products will be removed” from 25th December 2024. The plan is to replace them with new roaming plans, due for launch on 4th Dec 2024, but this has left some existing customers confused about the impact. The first indications of a roaming refresh appeared to surface yesterday (credits to Jade for the tip), after existing EE customers with inclusive roaming...
Fusion Fibre Group Gives Smaller UK ISPs Access to their Broadband Network
Rural ISP and broadband network builder, Fusion Fibre Group (FFG), which has deployed a number of its own full fibre (FTTP) networks across various communities, has today announced plans to launch a channel partner programme that will allow smaller providers to resell their services. The operator states that this move will give smaller ISPs access to 98% of UK properties, which naturally reflects more than their own relatively small deployments and also includes the wholesale partnerships they...
High Court Rejects LetterOne Appeal Over Forced Sale of UK Broadband Biz
The High Court in London has dismissed an appeal by investment firm LetterOne, which had been asking the court to rule that it was unlawfully ordered, under the new National Security and Investment Act (NSIA), to sell Upp’s full fibre broadband network by the UK Government. The company is now considering whether or not to challenge the outcome. Just to recap. Upp was originally established as a £1bn project that aimed to deploy a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network...
Accounts for UK Broadband ISP Airband Highlight Funding Risks and Job Cuts
Rural broadband ISP Airband, which has deployed a full fibre (FTTP) and wireless (FWA) broadband network that covers parts of Wales and South West England, recently published their latest accounts to the end of 2023 and revealed a sharp fall in employees (from 485 to 235) and the urgent need for new funding by 1st February 2025. The operator recently stated that their broadband network now spans “more than 440,000 premises in over 200 communities across 7 counties“ (here), which we’re told...