Home » UK ISP News Archive » Monthly Archives: March 2017 (97 Posts Found)

ISP News Archives for March 2017

Eindhoven Scientists Prep 100 Times Faster WiFi via Infrared – 43Gbps Per Ray

21st Mar 2017 (1 Comment)

Before Bluetooth came along it was quite normal for early portable devices (PDAs, Smartphones etc.) to communicate via a short line-of-sight link using Infrared light. Now scientists at the Eindhoven University of Technology have used a similar approach to deliver a “100 times faster” WiFi style network.

Better Broadband for Swansea as Wales Signs £1.2bn City Region Deal

20th Mar 2017 (0 Comments)

The Welsh and UK Governments have today signed a new Swansea Bay City Region deal worth £1.2bn, which covers the Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot and Pembrokeshire council areas and aims to improve local health, business, energy and broadband services.

Northumberland Commit £6.4m for 3200 Premises to Get Superfast Broadband

20th Mar 2017 (5 Comments)

The Northumberland County Council in England has confirmed that a third extension contract worth £6.4 million has been signed with Openreach (BT), which will enable an additional 3,200 homes and businesses to access their FTTC/P based “superfast broadband” (24Mbps+) network.

UPDATE Openreach Set UK G.fast Broadband ISP Fault Threshold at 100Mbps

20th Mar 2017 (13 Comments)

A few more details have leaked out today about Openreach’s (BT) new 330Mbps capable G.fast (ITU G.9700/9701) broadband technology, which among other things reveals that ISPs will be able to raise a fault if a customer’s line speed drops below a threshold of 100Mbps.

Oxfordshire UK Extend “Fibre Broadband” Rollout to 2,000 Extra Premises

20th Mar 2017 (0 Comments)

The Better Broadband for Oxfordshire project with Openreach (BT), which is currently working to roll-out “superfast broadband” (24Mbps+) services to “at least” 95% of local premises by December 2017, has confirmed that a further 2,000 premises will benefit thanks to contract clawback.

Darlington Council Cancels “Fibre Broadband” Funding for 3 Rural Villages

20th Mar 2017 (1 Comment)

Residents of three small rural villages in the borough of Darlington (Durham, England) have been left upset after the local council pulled £50K of public investment to help roll-out faster “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) services to the area, which is partly due to Openreach trebling their quote for the work.

Mistake Leaves New Build Homes in Derbyshire UK Without Fibre Broadband

18th Mar 2017 (26 Comments)

Owners of new build homes on the Forge Manor development in Derbyshire, which is being built by Wain Homes, have been left bewildered after an error by the developer meant they would only get a slow copper ADSL broadband service, after initially being promised 300Mbps FTTP.

Scotland Boost Superfast Broadband Coverage with £15.6m Reinvestment

17th Mar 2017 (20 Comments)

The £410 million Digital Scotland project with BT (Openreach) has announced that £15.6 million from contract clawback (Gainshare) will be reinvested to raise the number of homes and businesses that have access to “superfast broadband” speeds of greater than 24Mbps.

Lincolnshire UK Signs Phase 3 Contract for 97% Superfast Broadband Cover

17th Mar 2017 (1 Comment)

The Lincolnshire County Council in England has recently signed a new Phase 3 roll-out contract with Openreach (BT), which aims to help expand the local coverage of 24Mbps+ capable “superfast broadband” (FTTC/P) services towards 97% of premises. Expect more FTTP.

Clearing Up the Confusion Over BT Business and FTTPoD Broadband

17th Mar 2017 (60 Comments)

Front line customer service staff at the biggest ISPs aren’t always the most knowledgeable of people. One such example occurred recently when a member of BT Business’s Twitter care team informed a potential customer that they couldn’t have ‘FTTP on Demand’ because the Government had “pulled” it.

Karen Bradley MP Tells CMA and Ofcom to Probe Fox’s Takeover Bid for Sky

16th Mar 2017 (0 Comments)

The Government’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Karen Bradley MP, has today directed Ofcom and the UK Competition and Markets Authority to probe 21st Century Fox’s £11.7bn bid to takeover Sky by acquiring a 61% stake in the company (Fox already owns 39%).

Optic Networks Ltd Plans UK 10Gbps Home Fibre Optic Broadband Roll Out

16th Mar 2017 (6 Comments)

A Bristol-based startup called Optic Networks (UK) Ltd. has today floated their ambition to roll-out a new 10Gbps (Gigabits per second) capable fibre optic broadband network in the United Kingdom, which would aim to serve “large areas of tenanted and owned high rise multi dwelling units.”

Vodafone UK and Virgin Media Reignite Talk of a Possible Asset Swap

16th Mar 2017 (5 Comments)

The rumour mill is turning again as a new report claims that mobile giant Vodafone has reopened secret talks with European cable operator Liberty Global, which raises the possibility of an asset swap with their Virgin Media division in the United Kingdom.

UPDATE BT’s Openreach to Boost Service Quality by Hiring 1500 New Engineers

16th Mar 2017 (0 Comments)

Last week’s deal with Ofcom to begin the “legal separation” of BT’s network access division (here) has begun a process that will also see Openreach hire an additional 1,500 UK telecoms and broadband engineers in order to help boost their service quality and performance.

UPDATE Gov Amend UK Digital Economy Bill to Protect Openreach Pensions

15th Mar 2017 (4 Comments)

As expected the Government has today tabled an amendment to their Digital Economy Bill 2017, which will work to maintain the Crown Guarantee for members of BT’s Pension Scheme (BTPS) as part of Openreach’s separation from the main group.

East Sussex UK Completes Phase 1 BT “Fibre Broadband” Rollout Contract

15th Mar 2017 (1 Comment)

The £34m+ e-Sussex project, which has been working with Openreach (BT) to make FTTC/P “fibre broadband” services available to 99% of local premises in the county (96% will get “superfast” speeds of 24Mbps+), has officially completed its first contract and reported good take-up of 37%.

Ofcom Study – Age and Disability Hampers Use of UK Communications Services

15th Mar 2017 (2 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has today released their first Access and Inclusion report, which finds that older people, and those with disabilities, or low incomes, are still using communications services less than others but the gap is narrowing. Ofcom has also published a report on the pricing of related services.