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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

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2023 Autumn Statement Boosts UK Full Fibre and 5G Builds – Full Expensing

22nd November, 2023 (12 Comments)

The Chancellor of the UK government, Jeremy Hunt, has today given his 2023 Autumn Statement, which among other things has announced that the new “Full Expensing” policy will be made permanent. The change will help some full fibre broadband and mobile operators to bring down the cost of their network roll-outs. Planning tweaks are also coming.

Vodafone Claims Faster Rollout of 5G Standalone to Boost UK by £7.4bn

22nd November, 2023 (10 Comments)

Mobile operator Vodafone is continuing to try and drum up support for their proposed merger with Three UK, which today sees them publishing new research that claims “expediting” the rollout of Standalone 5G (mobile broadband) could contribute an additional £7.4bn to the UK economy by 2030 compared to a slower deployment.

Commsworld to Complete Renfrewshire Network and WiFi Upgrades

20th November, 2023 (2 Comments)

Business UK broadband ISP Commsworld has revealed that they’re due to complete a major £15 million network and IT upgrade of Renfrewshire Council’s Wide Area Network (WAN), which forms part of the Connectivity as a Service (CaaS) contract that was signed a few years ago to help modernise local public sector sites.

Criminal Gang Cuts Down MS3 FTTP Broadband Poles in Hull UK UPDATE

20th November, 2023 (51 Comments)

A criminal gang has taken recent protests against MS3’s deployment of telecoms poles in parts of Hull (East Yorkshire), which are being used to carry the operator’s new full fibre broadband ISP network, to a disgusting new level over the weekend by using chainsaws to cut down several of the erections.

BT’s Triennial Pension Evaluation Sees Funding Deficit Fall to £3.7bn

14th November, 2023 (12 Comments)

BT Group has today published their triennial Pension Scheme (BTPS) valuation – one of the UK’s largest private sector pension schemes with c.270,000 members and £47bn of assets under management, which shows progress on their recovery plan and the funding deficit falling from £7.98bn in 2020 to £3.7bn now.

Rural ISP Wessex Internet Get £35m to Boost UK Full Fibre Build

13th November, 2023 (8 Comments)

Gigabit broadband ISP and network builder Wessex Internet has secured £35 million of addition funding, including a Senior Debt Facility from Triodos Bank UK, which will be used to help fuel their deployment of a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) service across rural parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset in England.

Study Reveals UK Mobile Digital Divide in Urban and Rural Areas

8th November, 2023 (10 Comments)

Mobile operator Vodafone UK has today published a new report, based on analysis carried out by WPI Economics, which reveals that a “stark digital divide” still exists “between rural and urban areas” when it comes to mobile phone and 5G (mobile broadband) coverage. If only there was a mega-merger looming that could solve it.

Government to Expand Powers of UK Internet Snooping Law

7th November, 2023 (54 Comments)

The State Opening of Parliament, which is often referred to as the “King’s Speech” and sets out the UK Government’s agenda for the coming session, has revealed plans to amend and expand the still controversial 2016 Investigatory Powers Act (aka – “snoopers charter“). Expect deeper snooping of your online activity.

R100 FTTP Broadband Build in Scotland Hits 42,000 Premises

6th November, 2023 (0 Comments)

The Scottish Government has published a small progress update on their £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project with Openreach (BT), which reveals that an additional 42,000 premises (up from 24,194 in late May 2023) have now been covered by their rollout of a new “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) capable ISP network.

Council Suspend MS3’s Full Fibre Poles Rollout in Hedon Over Safety

2nd November, 2023 (17 Comments)

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) in England appears to have handed anti-pole campaigners in Hedon a small, if most likely only temporary, victory by suspending MS3‘s deployment of a new 10Gbps capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network in the area over “allegations of unsafe work activity.“

October 2023 BT Progress Update on 10Mbps UK Broadband USO

1st November, 2023 (11 Comments)

UK ISP BT has published their latest biannual (October 2023) update on the progress they’ve made in delivering Ofcom’s flaky 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. The operator has so far built a USO connection to over 7,681 premises (up from 7,000 in Apr 2023), with 185 further builds in progress (down from 800).

Gov Approve UK Remedies to Tackle China’s Dumping of Optical Fibre

23rd October, 2023 (19 Comments)

The government has today adopted new measures, as recommended by the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), to protect the UK’s growing optical fibre cables industry – worth around £88m to the economy – from unfair trading practices from China. As a result, imports will now face new anti-dumping and countervailing measures.

7 Million UK Smart Meters At Risk of Connectivity Loss in 2G and 3G Switch Off

23rd October, 2023 (76 Comments)

A new report from the cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has revealed that an estimated 7 million Smart Meters are at risk of losing data connectivity when the old 2G and 3G mobile communications networks are closed by 2033. But the report doesn’t mention Vodafone’s recent deal to help upgrade the old units.

England is Top of FarrPoint’s New UK Digital Readiness Index

23rd October, 2023 (0 Comments)

Technical UK consultancy firm FarrPoint has today published their first Digital Connectivity Readiness Index (DCRI), which is designed to enable policymakers and digital leaders to identify where a region performs well and where challenges remain when it comes to mobile (4G, 5G), gigabit broadband, skills and other areas.

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Mobile Infrastructure Operators Setup New UK Infrastructure Forum

19th October, 2023 (0 Comments)

The four key organisations that help to build shared mobile network infrastructure in the UK, including Cellnex UK, Cornerstone (O2 and Vodafone network sharing), Mobile-Broadband Network Limited (EE and Three UK network sharing) and the Wireless Infrastructure Group (WiG) have today launched the Mobile Infrastructure Forum (MIF).

Three UK and Vodafone Pledge No Plans for Post Merger Price Rises

18th October, 2023 (30 Comments)

Mobile operators Three UK and Vodafone have informed MPs that their plans for a mega-merger (here), which will reduce the number of primary networks from four to three, will not result in price increases for consumers. In some cases, the pair suggests, bills might actually fall. But such statements should be taken with a pinch of salt.

NIC Report Updates on UK Broadband and Mobile Infrastructure Progress

18th October, 2023 (4 Comments)

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has today published their second National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) report, which is published every 5 years and highlights areas where the government still need to make improvements. But its recommendations for broadband and mobile are wafer thin.