Home » UK ISP News Archive » Monthly Archives: September 2018 (89 Posts Found)

ISP News Archives for September 2018

Delayed 4G Emergency Services Network Adopts Phased Roll-out

24th Sep 2018 (3 Comments)

The UK Government appears to have finally given up on their original and much delayed deployment plan for the new £1.2bn Emergency Services Network (ESN), which will be rolled out by the Home Office using 4G technology (supported by EE, Motorola and KBR). It’s now going to take a lot longer.

Virgin Media UK’s FTTP Rural Community Broadband Build is Live

24th Sep 2018 (20 Comments)

Some 640 premises in Chilbolton and Goodworth Clatford can now access Virgin Media’s Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based ultrafast broadband and TV network. These are among the first to benefit from a new community driven scheme that is extending the service to cover 12 villages in the Test and Dun Valleys of Hampshire.

RIP Sir Charles Kuen Kao – The Father of Fibre Optic Technology

24th Sep 2018 (2 Comments)

We’re saddened to report that Nobel Prize winner Sir Charles Kuen Kao (aka – “Father of Fibre Optics“), whom was jointly awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for “ground-breaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication“, passed away yesterday at 11:45am in Hong Kong.

O2 UK’s Huge 4G Mobile Speed Boost from £524m Spectrum Spend

24th Sep 2018 (9 Comments)

New research carried out in August 2018 by Tutela has claimed that O2’s recent move to splash £524m on a slice of both the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz radio spectrum bands (here) has already given the operator an 80% mobile broadband speed boost, at least in the cities where 2.3GHz (4G) has been activated.

Virgin Mobile 4G Customers Get Mobile Broadband Speed Boost

24th Sep 2018 (9 Comments)

Customers of Virgin Media’s mobile service may be pleased to learn that the UK cable ISP claims to be boosting their maximum 4G mobile data speeds by 40% from 50Mbps to 70Mbp “at no extra cost“. On top of that they’ve also launched ‘Spending Caps’ to give users more control.

Wireless Infrastructure Group Raise £220m for 5G Mobile and Fibre

24th Sep 2018 (0 Comments)

The Edinburgh-based Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG), which builds masts and other fibre optic connected UK mobile infrastructure, has completed a debt fund raising of £220 million that will be used to help mobile operators upgrade and construct new 5G ready wireless networks.

Are You Happy with Your Home Broadband ISP Router? Most Are

24th Sep 2018 (20 Comments)

The latest online ISPreview.co.uk poll of 1,977 readers has found that most respondents (63.3%) got their broadband router from a UK ISP (e.g. as part of a bundle), while 36.6% opted for a third-party device instead (e.g. purchased in a shop). In either case the majority appear to be satisfied with its quality.

All Change as Comcast Win UK Bidding War with FOX for Sky UPDATE

22nd Sep 2018 (22 Comments)

After a long battle Comcast has today beaten off Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox and emerged as the victor in their bidding war for control of Sky (Sky Broadband). The US cable giant raised their final bid to £30bn for the pan-European TV and broadband company (£17.28 per share), while Fox offered £15.67 per share.

Openreach Improve UK FTTP Ultrafast Broadband Provision Process

22nd Sep 2018 (21 Comments)

Openreach (BT) appears to be making some improvements to their provision process for new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based “ultrafast broadband” lines, which according to the ISPs we’ve spoken with should result in consumers receiving a more reliable activation date for their service.

Around a Quarter of Sky and Virgin Media Users Pay £100+ Monthly

21st Sep 2018 (58 Comments)

A new survey from Which? has questioned 3,400 UK people about their triple-play bundles (TV, phone and broadband) during July 2018 and suggested that consumers may not be “getting value” from their packages. Cheaper options exist but it’s not always about the price.

Shropshire Seek to Encourage Better Broadband for New Build Houses

21st Sep 2018 (7 Comments)

The Shropshire County Council is considering the introduction of an accreditation scheme for new build home developments, which would act like a checklist for planning officers and applicants in order to help “highlight the qualitative aspects of schemes that sometimes get missed,” such as the need for broadband.

Vodafone Expand 5G UK Mobile Trial and Make First Holographic Call

20th Sep 2018 (10 Comments)

The hype train for the next generation of ultrafast 5G mobile technology, which will be able to deliver multi-Gigabit broadband speeds and faster latency to consumers, has kicked up another gear today after Vodafone confirmed they had conducted the UK’s first live holographic call using the technology.

UKWISPA Creates Quality Accreditation for Fixed Wireless ISPs

20th Sep 2018 (5 Comments)

The UK Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, which is the official trade body for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband providers, has today launched a new Quality Accreditation Programme that aims to help ensure that providers deliver the “very highest standards of service and reliability to their customers“.

Panasonic Adopts Inmarsat’s In-Flight Satellite Broadband Platform

20th Sep 2018 (0 Comments)

Panasonic (Panasonic Avionics Corporation) has today signed a new deal with UK satellite operator Inmarsat, which will see the company deploying the “high-speed broadband” GX Aviation (Global Xpress) platform to deliver faster in-flight WiFi connectivity to the airlines (passengers) they serve.

EE UK Launch 500GB Data Allowance on 4G Home Broadband Plans

20th Sep 2018 (38 Comments)

Mobile operator EE has quietly revamped their range of 4G based wireless 4GEE Home Broadband plans by introducing some of the biggest monthly data allowances we’ve ever seen, which go all the way up to 500GB (GigaBytes). Except you’ll need deep pockets to afford them.

Report Casts Doubt Over Scotland’s R100 Superfast Broadband Plan

20th Sep 2018 (13 Comments)

The Scottish Government’s future £600m R100 strategy has come under pressure after a new 2018 report from Audit Scotland, which works to ensure that public money in Scotland is spent correctly, warned that it “will be difficult” to deliver the stated ambition of 100% “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) coverage by 2021.

Cityfibre Start Laying Gigabit Fibre Optic Cable in West Sussex UK

20th Sep 2018 (7 Comments)

Within the next week Cityfibre will finally begin the deployment of a new 1Gbps+ fibre optic broadband and Ethernet network in West Sussex, which aims to connect 152 council sites in Bognor Regis, Burgess Hill, Chichester, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Littlehampton, Shoreham and Worthing.