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Ulster University Uses AI to Develop Faster MIMO Tech for 6G Mobile

26th August, 2025 (0 Comments)

Researchers working out of Ulster University in Northern Ireland (UK) have harnessed AI (Artificial Intelligence) in order to develop a new type of Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (ma-MIMO) technology. The team say this could be used to make future 6G (IMT-2030) based mobile broadband networks “faster, smarter, and far more energy-efficient“.

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LSBUD Finds UK Telecoms Industry Delivers 37.5% of Searches for Digging Work

26th August, 2025 (2 Comments)

The LSBUD (Line Search Before You Dig) organisation, which provides an online asset search facility to UK civil engineering firms for underground pipes and cables, has published their Digging Up Britain 2025 report and revealed that telecoms (broadband, mobile etc.) remains the “most active industry” when it comes to searching before digging (37.5% of all searches). But this was down from 39% last year.

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Virgin Media O2 UK Users Struggle to Access Secondary Email Addresses

26th August, 2025 (12 Comments)

Some customers of Virgin Media’s (O2) broadband service have been struggling, often for several weeks now, to regain access to their email accounts – those belonging to secondary account holders. The issue began after the ISP made a change to their ID system that seemed to lock related users out with a “FORBIDDEN” message.

GoFibre Aims to Cover 250,000 UK Premises with FTTP Broadband in 3 Years UPDATE

24th August, 2025 (5 Comments)

Edinburgh-based ISP and network builder GoFibre recently published their annual accounts to the end of 2024, which among other things revealed that their revenues increased by 71% to £2.02m (2023: £1.17m). The operator now expects their roll-out of FTTP broadband in rural Scotland and North England to reach a footprint of 250,000 premises “in the next 3 years“.

Rob Bradley, Managing Partner of the Bradley Strategy Group consultancy

Rob Bradley on Consolidation and Fixing the Turbulent UK Fibre Broadband Market

23rd August, 2025 (25 Comments)

The Managing Partner of M&A-focused consultancy firm the Bradley Strategy Group, Rob Bradley, has today spoken to ISPreview as part of a new interview that lifts the lid on the “strategic recalibration” that is currently occurring across the UK’s alternative fibre networks – driving a wave on consolidation to correct for today’s “structurally misaligned market“.

Court Rejects Sky UK’s Challenge to Ofcom’s End of Contract Pay TV Notifications UPDATE

22nd August, 2025 (23 Comments)

The Court of Appeal (Civil Division) has dismissed Sky UK’s (Sky TV, Sky Broadband etc.) attempt to overturn an earlier decision by the telecoms regulator, Ofcom, which back in 2022 ruled that the provider had broken consumer protection rules by failing to send End-of-Contract Notifications (ECN) to their satellite-based Pay TV customers.

Broadband ISP Grain Expanding UK Full Fibre Network in Loughborough

22nd August, 2025 (0 Comments)

Alternative network operator and ISP Grain, which recently secured a major £225m funding boost (here), has announced a second expansion of their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network this week. The latest location to benefit from this is the Leicestershire (England) city of Loughborough.

Router Connectivity Woes Strike Some of EE’s 1.6Gbps UK Broadband Users

22nd August, 2025 (43 Comments)

Some customers of mobile and broadband ISP EE (BT), specifically those on their top 1.6Gbps speed full fibre (FTTP) package via Openreach’s UK network, appear to be experiencing some repeated connectivity problems with the provider’s latest Wi-Fi 7 capable Smart Hub Pro router (slower packages get the different Smart Hub Plus device).

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SpinLaunch Prep 2Tbps LEO Satellite Broadband Network – Meridian Space

21st August, 2025 (2 Comments)

The company responsible for developing a system of sending micro-satellites up into orbit by using a massive centrifuge instead of rockets, SpinLaunch, has partnered with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to help it separately develop a new global network of highly compact ultrafast broadband satellites – called ‘Meridian Space‘ – for Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Results of the UK’s Largest Mobile Network Survey for the River Severn Region

21st August, 2025 (5 Comments)

Network analyst firm Streetwave has today published its results from the UK’s “largest mobile coverage survey“, which used bin lorries to test the 4G/5G (mobile broadband) network coverage and speed of each mobile operator across the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) – reflecting 33 councils in Wales and England’s West Midlands.

Broadband ISPs Zzoomm and BeFibre Launch Wi-Fi 7 Routers for All UK Plans UPDATE

21st August, 2025 (31 Comments)

Internet access providers Zzoomm and BeFibre, which are both now part of the recently merged FTTP broadband network from FullFibre Limited (here), appear to have recently become the latest ISPs to introduce a new Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) capable wireless router – this will be available on all plans for new customers. Some packages and prices have also been refreshed.

WightFibre Connect 25,000th FTTP Broadband User on Isle of Wight

21st August, 2025 (2 Comments)

Broadband ISP WightFibre, which is building their own gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across the Isle of Wight – just off the South Coast of Hampshire (England), has revealed that their full fibre network now covers 72,000 premises (87% of the island) and they’ve just connected their 25,000th customer to it.

Broadband ISP Grain Expanding UK Full Fibre Network in Nottingham

20th August, 2025 (3 Comments)

Carlisle-based alternative network operator and ISP Grain (Grain Connect), which recently secured a major £225m funding boost (here), has announced that they’re expanding their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network in the Midlands (England) city of Nottingham.

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Concerns Grow as Small UK ISP Link Broadband Suddenly Vanishes UPDATE4

20th August, 2025 (24 Comments)

Internet provider Link Broadband, which is a smaller ISP that has tended to work with several alternative full fibre networks, appears to be in a spot of trouble after its website vanished a few days ago (now showing a “503 Service Unavailable” message) and some feedback alleges that it may even be at risk of imminent closure.

Mobile giant Vodafone UK and Sky (Comcast) have reportedly two among several "groups" that have approached budget conscious fixed broadband ISP TalkTalk about a potential deal (most likely an acquisition), which in theory could create a much larger provider with more influence over the industry. Just to recap. In 2020 TalkTalk became the subject of a £1.1bn takeover by Toscafund - controlled by hedge fund tycoon Martin Hughes (here), which including debt valued the broadband provider at around £1.8bn. The deal took the ISP private and gave them more financial flexibility for their future plans. Since then, they've backed Freedom Fibre (here) and this week made the notable acquisition of Ethernet provider Virtual1 (here). According to the FT (paywall) and Sky News, TalkTalk is now said to have asked investment bank Lazard to review its options after allegedly being approach by several groups, including Vodafone and Sky (Sky Broadband). Lazard is a logical choice as they recently acted as Financial Advisor to TalkTalk on the Virtual1 transaction. Some industry analysts have reportedly suggested that TalkTalk itself could now be worth "at least" £3bn. But this seems rather optimistic for an ISP that doesn't have any significant fixed line broadband infrastructure to call its own (excluding their old unbundled LLU network) and largely just piggybacks off Openreach (BT), CityFibre and Freedom Fibre. But TalkTalk do have a strong business and wholesale side. Funnily enough, Sky Broadband are in a similar position with their own fixed line base, while Vodafone also likes to piggyback off Openreach and CityFibre. At present, Vodafone has a fixed broadband base of 991,000 customers, while Sky Broadband is estimated to be home to around 6.7 million and TalkTalk has approximately 4.2 million. Suffice to say, anybody gobbling up TalkTalk would instantly become a much larger provider, giving them a greater say in how the UK broadband market develops and more opportunities for convergence (Vodafone with mobile, and Sky with mobile and TV). Crucially, TalkTalk's consumer base is mostly made up of those on older copper and hybrid fibre lines (i.e. ADSL and FTTC / VDSL2), which are ripe for a future migration to FTTP. At the time of writing, all of the aforementioned operators have decline to comment on the reports, and TalkTalk has yet to receive any serious formal offers. In other words, we strongly suspect that this is largely just an exercise in spin to help TalkTalk drum up some more productive interest in the idea. But at the same time, it's not unreasonable to suspect that they might succeed, as the interest seems genuine. On the other hand, we see reports like this every year or so and only a very few ever convert into a serious offer. Time will tell. Much may depend upon whether or not TalkTalk’s new owners are more flexible and pragmatic about doing a deal than the previous lot. Arguably, TalkTalk might have gone much further by now had they taken some different decisions a few years ago (e.g. co-investing in FTTP instead of Pay TV).

Broadband ISP TalkTalk Launch New Team to Support UK Home Movers

20th August, 2025 (9 Comments)

UK ISP TalkTalk has today announced the launch of a new “HomeMove Squad“, which as the name suggests reflects a dedicated team of “Wi-Fi moving experts” that can provide a single point of contact, simplifying the process of transferring services and ensuring customers are connected from day one in their new home.

O2 UK Finally Adding 5G Support to Pay As You Go Mobile Plans UPDATE

20th August, 2025 (15 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has confirmed that they’re currently in the process of “enhancing” their Pay As You Go (PAYG) SIM services and plans during the second half of 2025, which among other things seem to be finally adding support for their latest 5G (mobile broadband) network.

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British Telecoms Provider Colt Updates After Major Cyber Attack and Data Breach

20th August, 2025 (3 Comments)

Business communications and internet provider Colt Technology Services (COLT) has provided an update after hackers breached their business support systems late last week, which resulted in the provider choosing to proactively take some systems offline. Work to restore the service remains ongoing, but sadly it is now known that a data breach has occurred.