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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Wales Considers Spending More on Mobile than Fixed Broadband

27th November, 2019 (9 Comments)

The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) has issued a call for evidence on its priorities for 2020 as it develops a future infrastructure plan for Wales, which among other things includes a proposal to spend a “greater proportion of public funds” on mobile (4G / 5G) rather than to fixed broadband ISP networks.

Mobile Operators Win Key UK Appeal Case Over Building Access

27th November, 2019 (0 Comments)

The Court of Appeal has upheld a key judgement in favour of Cornerstone (umbrella company for O2 and Vodafone’s network sharing), which means that 4G / 5G mobile and broadband operators can force access to land in order to conduct a survey. The case was a key test of the revised Electronic Communications Code (ECC).

O2 Welcomes Prime Ministers Push to Boost UK Rural Mobile Cover UPDATE

27th November, 2019 (7 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 (Telefonica) has welcomed expectations that the current UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will today announce plans to prioritise mobile coverage, particularly in rural areas. The operator expects that the move will support the industry-led plan for a new Shared Rural Network (SRN) alongside Vodafone, EE and Three UK.

ONS Finds UK Telecoms Industry is Fastest Growing R&D Spender

25th November, 2019 (1 Comment)

The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that the telecoms industry was the fastest growing sector for R&D spending in 2018, which saw related communications providers (ISP) and network builders increase their spending on research and development by 25.4% or £192m (total of £947m).

2019 Conservative Manifesto Reiterates £5bn Gigabit Broadband Plan

24th November, 2019 (23 Comments)

The UK Conservative Party has today published their own Manifesto for the 12th December 2019 General Election, which naturally repeats their existing pledges to cover the whole of the UK with “gigabit-capable” broadband services by 2025 and to spend £5bn on helping to reach those in the hardest to reach (final 20%) of areas.

BT to Scoop LOT 1 of Scotland’s R100 Superfast Broadband Rollout

21st November, 2019 (20 Comments)

The Scottish Government has awarded BT (Openreach) the final LOT 1 contract – as preferred bidder – to deliver their new £600m R100 (Reaching 100%) project, which originally (here) aspired to make “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) ISP networks available to “every single premises in Scotland” by the end of 2021.

UK ISP Association Blasts Labour’s Nationalised Free Full Fibre

21st November, 2019 (29 Comments)

The UK Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA), which represents 200 broadband and other internet providers within the sector (many more than this number exist), has today warned of “deep flaws” within Labour’s new proposals for broadband (here) and said that the “entire telecoms sector” is echoing similar concerns.

2019 Liberal Democrats Plan “hyper-fast” Broadband Across UK

20th November, 2019 (9 Comments)

The Liberal Democrats have today joined other parties by publishing their manifesto for the 2019 General Election (12th December), which includes a number of broadband and mobile connectivity commitments and promises a “programme of installing hyper-fast, fibre-optic broadband across the UK” – with a focus on rural areas.

A Look at the Brexit Party and Green Party Policies on Broadband

20th November, 2019 (10 Comments)

The Green Party has this week published their Manifesto for the 2019 General Election and the Brexit Party doesn’t plan to do one, although in both cases we have at least been given a very rough indication of what to expect in terms of their internet connectivity and broadband policies.

Labour Party Pledge £20bn to Deploy FREE Full Fibre for All UK UPDATE3

15th November, 2019 (112 Comments)

The UK Labour Party has set out their broadband pledge for the General Election on 12th December 2019, which includes a commitment to invest £20.3bn into rolling out “full fibre” (FTTP) by 2030, nationalising Openreach (BT) into public ownership and if that wasn’t quite radical enough then access to this will be.. FREE.

Welsh Government Quietly Unveil £10m Rural Broadband Fund

13th November, 2019 (3 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) yesterday announced – during a debate on Digital Connectivity – a new £10 million fund that will be targeted to help bring “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) ISP networks to poorly served communities in the mostly rural final 5% of Wales.

ITS Technology Switches-on Full Fibre Network in Blackpool UK

7th November, 2019 (0 Comments)

The ITS Technology Group, which builds and operates a number of “full fibre” and hybrid wireless broadband ISP networks across parts of the United Kingdom, has extended its “gigabit” capable broadband and Ethernet services to businesses on the Fylde Coast by harnessing the local Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI).

Ofcom UK Appoints Temporary CEO to Replace Sharon White

6th November, 2019 (4 Comments)

The UK broadband, media and communications regulator, Ofcom, has today announced that their Group Director of Competition, Jonathan Oxley, will be appointed as an “interim” CEO while the longer than expected hunt continues to find a replacement for outgoing boss Sharon White, who leaves at the end of this month.

Devon and Somerset UK Consult on Superfast Broadband Plan

6th November, 2019 (12 Comments)

The troubled Connecting Devon and Somerset project has opened a public consultation on their recent Open Market Review (OMR), which examined the current and future level of “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) coverage in the two counties and set out a proposed intervention area, ahead of seeking suppliers for a new contract.

The Rural UK Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme is No More

31st October, 2019 (1 Comment)

The UK Government’s Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme, which offered grants worth up to £350 to rural homes and businesses that were unable to get at least a 2Mbps download speed (i.e. helping to get a faster ISP connection installed), will unsurprisingly NOT be extended for another year beyond 2019.

UK Mobile Operators Blamed for Scotland’s Slow 4G Infill Scheme UPDATE

31st October, 2019 (11 Comments)

The Scottish Government‘s £25m 4G Infill Programme, which began in March 2018 and aims to improve rural mobile coverage (mostly across the Highlands and Islands region) by building a network of 45 new masts (here), has so far not built any new sites and only 3 are expected to begin construction in the “very near future.”

Hints of a Bidder Shortlist for £165m N.Ireland Broadband Project

30th October, 2019 (11 Comments)

BT (Openreach), ISP Fibrus and private investment firm Granahan McCourt Capital (GMC) have all reportedly been linked with bids for Northern Ireland’s £165m Project Stratum, which aims to ensure that most of the 98,000 premises still awaiting access to “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) can get it.