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Latest Key Developments

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Autumn 2023 BDUK Update on UK Project Gigabit Broadband Rollout

21st Sep, 2023 (22 Comments)

The Building Digital UK agency has released their latest September 2023 progress update on the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme, which is now running live contracts and procurements worth over £2bn in state aid (up from £1.4bn in July) to help extend coverage to an extra 1.1 million hard to reach premises.

Scotland Consult on Gigabit Broadband for All New Build Homes

20th Sep, 2023 (8 Comments)

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on new proposals that closely mirror those recently introduced across England (here and here), which would effectively mandate that property developers ensure their new build homes are constructed with support for gigabit-capable broadband connections.

Censorship and forbidden speech warning sign uk internet

Internet Censorship Galore as UK Online Safety Bill Becomes Law

19th Sep, 2023 (86 Comments)

Get ready, it’s going to be a rocky ride. The UK Government’s new Online Safety Bill (OSB) is finally set to become law after passing through both houses of parliament today, largely unopposed. The goal is to tackle “harmful” content online, but the result may be a regime that has a chilling effect on freedom of expression.

New Smart Data Scheme to Help UK Broadband and Mobile Users

19th Sep, 2023 (7 Comments)

The UK Government (DSIT) has begun to consult on the potential introduction of a new Smart Data scheme – ‘Open Communications‘, which would require broadband ISPs and mobile operators to provide their customers (on request) with more data about their service (price, speeds, reliability, data usage etc.).

Britain’s Broadcasters Prep New Free Live TV Service via Broadband

18th Sep, 2023 (73 Comments)

The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have today announced what seems to be an “evolution” of the existing Freeview (inc. Freeview Play) IPTV platform. Called ‘Freely’, the new platform will be a free TV service that delivers live TV over your UK home broadband ISP connection (probably mobile too).

Fern Trading Finalise Consolidation of its UK Full Fibre Networks

14th Sep, 2023 (34 Comments)

After a significant number of redundancies and a long period of silence, investment group Fern Trading – part of Octopus Investments – has finally revealed the structure of their UK fibre optic network following the consolidation of FTTP broadband ISPs Jurassic Fibre, Swish Fibre, Giganet and AllPoints Fibre.

Ofcom UK Consult on Changes to Electronic Communications Code

12th Sep, 2023 (0 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today launched a consultation on their proposals to update the Electronic Communications Code (ECC), which aims to introduce the government’s recent changes that are intended to make it easier for broadband and mobile networks to upgrade, share and deploy new infrastructure.

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Openreach Name 19 New UK Locations for FTTP Broadband Build

12th Sep, 2023 (35 Comments)

Openreach (BT) has today named the next batch of 19 new locations to benefit from their ongoing roll-out of a new multi-Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which together will cover around 200,000 extra premises. The new exchanges are all within their existing build areas (i.e. infill and further expansion).

Virgin Media O2 UK Reveals Plan to Switch Off 3G from 2025

7th Sep, 2023 (37 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media / VMO2) has today become the final operator to reveal their plan for switching off the old 3G mobile (mobile broadband) network, which unlike their rivals is a process that won’t actually begin until 2025. The withdrawal will then occur in phases, with completion by the end of that same year.

Openreach Complete Build Phase of Wales Full Fibre Contract

7th Sep, 2023 (5 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) has released a new update on the £52.5m Phase 2 Superfast Cymru contract with Openreach (BT), which confirms that the “build phase of the contract has now concluded” and a total of 37,497 extra premises (up from 36,869 in Q1) have gained access to their full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network.

Virgin Media O2 Linked Nexfibre Acquire UK FTTP AltNet Upp UPDATE

6th Sep, 2023 (53 Comments)

Network builder nexfibre, which is working in partnership with broadband ISP Virgin Media (VMO2) – at wholesale – to roll-out a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across up to 5-7 million extra UK premises, has today announced the acquisition of full fibre operator Upp in the East of England.

Openreach Stops Selling New UK Analogue Copper Phone Lines

5th Sep, 2023 (58 Comments)

Openreach (BT) has this morning confirmed that they’ve formally introduced their long-planned UK wide “stop sell” on sales of new Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) and related broadband ISP products, which is part of their aim to completely withdraw the old copper-based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) by December 2025.

BDUK Prep New Option for UK Rural Gigabit Broadband Builds

21st Aug, 2023 (26 Comments)

Multiple industry sources have informed us that the Government’s Building Digital UK agency is fielding interest in a new funding option for rural-focused procurements under their £5bn Project Gigabit programme, which appears set to target smaller community style builds of around 200-500 properties.

FibreSpeed Network in North Wales Plans for Post 2025 Future

20th Aug, 2023 (12 Comments)

The 411km long FibreSpeed network, which is owned by the Welsh Government – albeit now operating as an independent business – and reflects a high-capacity fibre optic communications and broadband network that spans across North Wales, has launched a new Prior Information Notice (PIN) to help plan its future beyond 2025.

One Month Until Openreach Stop Selling New UK Analogue Phone Lines

9th Aug, 2023 (60 Comments)

Openreach’s (BT) long road toward completely switching off their old copper-based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) in December 2025 is set to hit a major milestone on 5th September 2023, when it places a UK wide “stop sell” on sales of new Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) and related broadband ISP products.

Gov Commits £40m to Trial New UK 5G and Wireless Broadband Tech

3rd Aug, 2023 (6 Comments)

The UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has opened a new £40 million fund to help local and regional authorities to test and adopt 5G and other advanced wireless network technologies, which could be used to “pioneer digital connectivity for residents and business“.

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£160m Gov Fund May Fuel Future UK 5G and Broadband Satellites

1st Aug, 2023 (2 Comments)

The UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA) have today revealed that they’re “exploring” a new plan, which could open a £160 million fund to help develop and build the next generation of LEO satellite based broadband and 5G mobile communications.