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Football Drives London Internet Exchange to Hit 12Tbps of Global Data Traffic

27th January, 2026 (1 Comment)

The not-for-profit London Internet Exchange (LINX), which handles a large chunk of UK and global data traffic through their switches via around 900+ members (broadband ISPs, mobile and CDN providers etc.), has revealed that last week’s UEFA Champions League, European League and Conference League games drove a new global internet traffic peak of over 12.069Tbps across the UK, US, Africa and Middle East.

Community Helps EE UK Bring 4G Mobile to Rural Village of Penmachno

27th January, 2026 (6 Comments)

Telecoms giant EE (BT) has just become the first UK operator to deliver a “reliable” 4G mobile (mobile broadband) signal to around 600 residents in the remote upland Machno valley (Conwy) village of Penmachno in North Wales. The project was strongly supported by the local Bro Machno Community Council, which helped with planning, placement, and local acceptance.

Project-Gigabit-UK-Gov-Investment-Scheme-2025

Jan 2026 Contract Delivery Progress for UK Project Gigabit Broadband Rollout

26th January, 2026 (7 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK agency has published their January 2026 update on the delivery progress of contracts that have been awarded under their £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme. The update reveals that some 202,270 contracted premises (up from 183,380 in Dec 2025) have so far been covered out of a planned total of 1,002,500.

Illustration of a VPN Virtual Private Network on UK Computer by 123rf ID184214833

House of Lords Votes to Ban UK Children from Using Internet VPNs

26th January, 2026 (63 Comments)

Last week saw the House of Lords pass a vote that would, if approved by the Government, introduce an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (CWSB) that aims to “prohibit the provision” of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services to children (under 18s) in the UK. The goal is to stop children allegedly using VPNs to bypass age verification systems.

CBNG VectaStar NR wireless broadband hardware

CBNG Launch UK Next Gen 5G-based Fixed Wireless Broadband Platform

26th January, 2026 (2 Comments)

The Cambridge Broadband Networks Group (CBNG), which develops network tech for mobile and wireless broadband operators, has launched the latest generation of their Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) platform – VectaStar NR. The new kit is said to be designed to “deliver ‘fibre like’ broadband [performance] using 5G-based technology … without the time, cost and disruption of fibre rollouts“.

Virgin Media O2 Engineers Digging Trench

Virgin Media UK and Nexfibre Build 2Gbps Broadband to 5,000 Strathaven Homes

26th January, 2026 (5 Comments)

UK ISP Virgin Media (O2) and network partner nexfibre, which share some of the same parentage, have today announced that they’ve expanded the reach of their 2Gbps (symmetric) speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to reach more than 5,000 homes in the South Lanarkshire (Scotland) market town of Strathaven for “the first time.”

CommunityFibre Allegedly Discouraged from G.Network Bid Over.. Rodents?

26th January, 2026 (11 Comments)

The CEO of alternative UK broadband ISP and network builder CommunityFibre, Graeme Oxby, appears to have suggested that one of the reasons they opted not to make a bid for troubled rival G.Network stemmed from fears that rodents had chewed through its fibre optic cables. But the key issue may be more related to the general cost of maintenance than rats.

Altnet Broadband ISP Gigabit IQ Starts UK Crowdfund to Raise £270,000

26th January, 2026 (9 Comments)

Internet access and online security provider Gigabit IQ (formerly Grayshott Gigabit) has officially launched their promised crowdfunding campaign, which aims to raise fresh investment of £270,000 to help grow and expand the business via the “next generation of safe, reliable broadband for the country“.

Strathaven Openreach Exchange Screenshot by Google Streetview

Openreach Exchange Fire Disrupts Broadband Services in Strathaven

26th January, 2026 (10 Comments)

Broadband internet connectivity, phone and some Ethernet services being delivered by the Strathaven Telephone Exchange in South Lanarkshire (Scotland) have been disrupted after the site was hit by a serious fire. Approximately 1,500 customers on Openreach’s (BT) local network are understood to have been impacted.

New Map of UK Cellular Coverage Goes Live to Help Examine Mobile Masts UPDATE2

26th January, 2026 (36 Comments)

A group of friends in the UK cellular (mobile networks) community have launched a new interactive map – UKCellNet RF Map – that allows hobbyists and professionals to access public cellular data (e.g. location and data on mobile phone mast sites etc.) for free – sourced from places like SiteFinder, Ofcom, planning applications and council FOI / EIR requests etc.

Broadband ISP Group TalkTalk Starts Talk Talking to Potential UK Bidders

23rd January, 2026 (18 Comments)

A new report has this afternoon claimed that the debt strained TalkTalk Group, which last year reportedly appointed advisers PJT Partners to help sell off its remaining operations (here), have now allegedly begun talks with several prospective bidders for their various divisions.

Ofcom UK Probe WhatsApp Over Inaccurate Information in Biz SMS Market Review

23rd January, 2026 (1 Comment)

The UK telecoms and internet content regulator, Ofcom, has opened an investigation into Meta’s WhatsApp Business messaging service after provisionally finding that the information they supplied – as part of a recent review into the wholesale market for business bulk SMS messages – “may not have been complete and accurate“.

Immfly to Bring Eutelsat OneWeb LEO Broadband Satellites to Budget Airlines

23rd January, 2026 (8 Comments)

Global technology firm Immfly, inflight WiFi provider GoGo and European satellite operator Eutelsat (OneWeb) have teamed up in an effort to create an integrated ecosystem of entertainment, retail, and connectivity that aims to make it possible for even low-cost and ultra-low-cost aircraft (narrowbody fleets) to deploy onboard broadband for passengers.

Utility Warehouse Join Charter to Protect Vulnerable UK Users in Digital Phone Switch

23rd January, 2026 (0 Comments)

Energy and communications provider Utility Warehouse (UW), which offers broadband, mobile, energy and insurance services to UK consumers, has become the latest telecoms provider to sign the Government’s Public Switched Telephone Network Charter – committing them to protect “vulnerable customers” (e.g. those with telecare devices) when upgrading old phone lines to IP-based digital equivalents.

Openreach 10Gbps Nokia ONT from SIN Document

Openreach Publish UK Pilot Pricing for FTTP Broadband Speeds to 8500Mbps UPDATE

22nd January, 2026 (82 Comments)

National network operator Openreach (BT) has this afternoon published pricing details for their forthcoming pilot of XGS-PON based Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) home broadband ISP lines, which now includes the 5.5Gbps (550Mbps upload) and 8.5Gbps (850Mbps upload) tiers. The launch date for the pilot has also been put back slightly from 1st to 23rd March 2026.

Starlink Prep Second Generation Direct-to-Cell 5G Mobile Satellites for 2027

22nd January, 2026 (9 Comments)

SpaceX has revealed that they’ll aim to launch the first batch of their “greatly enhanced” second generation (GEN2) Direct to Cell (DtC) capable broadband satellites in 2027 (probably Q4). The current service offers basic global coverage of a 4G mobile roaming service to unmodified Smartphones on the ground, typically alongside supporting mobile operators (e.g. O2 in the UK).

VIDEO Police Catch Three Openreach Broadband Cable Thieves in the Act

22nd January, 2026 (14 Comments)

Bang to rights! The West Midlands Police have a reason to be cheerful today after they arrested a gang of three people who were in the process of trying to steal Openreach’s (BT) copper broadband and phone cables from an underground site in central Birmingham, which most likely caused some significant and costly connectivity problems for locals.