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O2 UK Expand 5G Standalone Mobile Broadband Network to Sheffield

8th January, 2026 (6 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has this morning announced that they’ve switched-on their next-generation 5G Standalone (5GSA) mobile broadband network in Sheffield and surrounding areas in South Yorkshire (England). The move forms part of their UK-wide rollout, which is now live in a total of more than 500 locations (70% of the UK’s population or c.49 million people).

Literacy Capital Sells Wireless UK Internet Provider Wifinity to Arcus

8th January, 2026 (1 Comment)

Literacy Capital (BOOK) has announced that it has sold its stake in Managed Internet Service Provider Wifinity, which typically specialises in deploying WiFi style broadband networks to UK businesses and consumers, to European-focused infrastructure fund Arcus Infrastructure Partners. Under the terms, £15m will be received in cash at completion, with a further £400k expected around the end of 2026.

Tesco Mobile Keeps UK Prices Frozen for Clubcard Deal Customers

8th January, 2026 (6 Comments)

Tesco Mobile, which is a virtual mobile operator (mvno) on O2’s national 4G and 5G network, appears to have confirmed that it will continue its tradition of freezing contract prices for Clubcard customers for another year, which guarantees that “your monthly costs stay the same for the entire length of your contract“.

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Ofcom Warn BT of Possible Investigation Over Troubled UK Digital Phone Switch

7th January, 2026 (20 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has responded to recent concerns that BT’s switch to broadband-based Digital Phones may have left some vulnerable customers without access to a working service. Ofcom warns that they could potentially “step in” and investigate the operator (such things sometimes lead to a significant fine), but it’s not yet clear if they will.

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Cross Party Report Calls for Breaking Monopolies and Tougher Ofcom to Boost UK Broadband

7th January, 2026 (9 Comments)

A new report from the Digital Communities All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) has warning that the “ongoing lack” of mobile (4G/5G) and broadband coverage in parts of the country (urban, rural and coastal) are “undermining national ambitions“. The solution, they suggest, could be found in planning reform, breaking down monopolies, stronger regulatory scrutiny by Ofcom and more strategic investment.

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Rodents Hungry for Fibre Disrupt County Broadband Lines in Norfolk UK

7th January, 2026 (10 Comments)

Hundreds of customers connected to the internet via rural full fibre ISP County Broadband (Truespeed) in Norfolk (England) have finally been reconnected after suffering several days of disruption. The situation began after rodents decided to avoid the snow storm and instead adopted a high fibre diet by chomping through both a main and backup fibre link.

Mobile Operator Lebara UK Continues to Reject Mid-Contract Price Hikes

7th January, 2026 (24 Comments)

Mobile operator Lebara, which harnesses a mobile virtual network operator (mvno) platform from Vodafone UK, has today rejected the rising culture of mid-contract price hikes among their rivals (e.g. O2, EE, Three UK, Sky Mobile etc.) that they say are “penalising people for staying loyal” and committed to “never raise prices mid-contract“.

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Survey Warns a Third of UK Adults Use VPNs to Bypass Internet Porn Age Checks

7th January, 2026 (26 Comments)

A new survey of 1,469 adults, which was conducted by the child protection focused Lucy Faithfull Foundation, has “warned” that 45% of adults who don’t want to verify their identities to access porn – a requirement of the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) – have turned to using sites without age checks. In addition, 29% have used Virtual Private Networks to bypass age checks on sites that have them.

ASA Bans Six More Vodafone UK Ads Over Misleading “Nation’s Network” Claim

7th January, 2026 (13 Comments)

Some readers might recall that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned an advert on mobile and broadband ISP Vodafone’s website in April 2025 after EE complained about the operator describing itself as “The Nation’s Network” (here), which was ultimately deemed to be a misleading claim. The ASA has now banned another six ads for doing the same sort of thing.

Amazon Set to Release Redesigned and Faster Fire TV Software and UI

6th January, 2026 (10 Comments)

Internet retail giant Amazon has announced that owners of their Fire TV line of broadband streaming sticks and internet-connected televisions will in the near future receive a major software (firmware) update, which will deliver a new and faster User Interface (UI), as well as a “transformed” Fire TV mobile app. But UK users will have a longer wait.

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BT Group UK Sells US Government Contracting Subsidiary to TSCTI

6th January, 2026 (0 Comments)

The UK telecoms and broadband giant, BT Group, has today continued to reduce their international operations by announcing the complete sale of US government contracting subsidiary, BT Federal Inc., to 22nd Century Technologies, Inc. (TSCTI) – a public-sector IT systems integrator – for an undisclosed sum.

UK Broadband ISP TalkTalk Predicts Future UK Internet Traffic Peaks for 2026

6th January, 2026 (13 Comments)

In somewhat of an unusual move, internet provider TalkTalk has today attempted to predict which major dates and events in 2026 will drive the most traffic across their UK broadband network. For example, the ISP is forecasting up to an 8% surge in network usage during the 2026 World Cup’s initial stages and a 15% increase for the Grand Theft Auto 6 launch (16th Nov 2026).

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Top 10 Fastest and Slowest Streets for UK Fixed Broadband Lines in 2026

6th January, 2026 (9 Comments)

A new study from Broadband Genie has analysed 145,926 internet speed tests in order to identify the top slowest and fastest ten UK streets for broadband. The slowest street was found to be Heol-Y-Fedw (Cymmer) in Wales on an average download of just 0.81Mbps (Megabits per second), while the fastest was Inglewood Avenue in Derby (England), where residents enjoy speeds of 1.21Gbps (1,210Mbps).

Sky Mobile Confirms 2026 Price Increase for In-Contract UK Customers

6th January, 2026 (12 Comments)

Customers of the Sky Mobile service, which is an O2 (Virgin Media) powered Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) with an estimated 3.7 million subscribers, has today announced that the “majority” of their monthly data (mobile broadband) tariffs will increase by £1.50 (equating to an annual rise of £18), effective from February 2026.

KCOM’s Broadband Engineers Help Out on BBC DIY SOS TV Show in Beverley

6th January, 2026 (0 Comments)

Engineers from Hull-based broadband ISP KCOM, which have deployed their own full fibre (FTTP) network across a big chunk of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, recently took a break from their normal work to help the BBC’s DIY SOS team and the Gladiators to build a new, purpose-built youth centre in the market town of Beverley.

G.Network Sell London UK Full Fibre Broadband Network to FitzWalter Capital

5th January, 2026 (16 Comments)

Roughly nine months have passed since we reported that alternative UK network operator and ISP G.Network, which has deployed a gigabit speed full fibre (FTTP) broadband network across parts of London, had put up the for sale sign (here). But this afternoon news emerged that the provider had been acquired by FitzWalter Capital for an undisclosed sum.

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Broadband ISP Hyperoptic Increases UK Mid-Contract Price Hikes to £4

5th January, 2026 (13 Comments)

City-focused alternative broadband ISP Hyperoptic, which claims to have already deployed their full fibre (FTTP/B) network to cover 1.9 million UK homes passed, has just become the latest telecoms provider to increase the customer cost impact of their existing mid-contract pricing policy.