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Latest Key Developments

Audit Office Casts Doubt Over Value of N.Ireland Broadband Contract UPDATE

14th Dec, 2021 (8 Comments)

The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) has today raised concerns over the number of properties that will be covered by the £165m state aid supported Project Stratum rollout in Northern Ireland, which highlights that some premises may have been “commercially viable” for FTTP broadband delivery without subsidy.

Ofcom Reports Good UK Progress on Openreach’s Split from BT UPDATE

8th Dec, 2021 (8 Comments)

Ofcom has today published their annual monitoring report, which finds that Openreach continues to “operate with a high degree of strategic and operational independence” from BT and there has been positive progress in take-up of their Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product by rival broadband ISPs. Only a few small issues remain.

telecommunication tower a falling signal on the city

All Public 2G and 3G UK Mobile Services Switched Off by 2033

8th Dec, 2021 (37 Comments)

The Government has unveiled a new agreement with the four primary mobile network operators, including Vodafone, EE (BT), O2 (VMO2) and Three UK, which among other things will see existing 2G and 3G signals being “phased out” by 2033 (benefitting 4G / 5G services and mobile broadband) and a new target for OpenRAN adoption.

ISP Virgin Media O2 Completes UK Gigabit Broadband Rollout UPDATE

7th Dec, 2021 (61 Comments)

Broadband ISP Virgin Media (VMO2) has today switched-on their last batch of DOCSIS 3.1 network upgrades, which has put an additional 1.1 million homes within reach of “gigabit” download speeds (1130Mbps down and 52Mbps up) and means that c.65% of UK premises should now be covered by “gigabit-capable broadband.”

Government Turns Building Digital UK into Executive Agency

3rd Dec, 2021 (22 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) team, which is part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & and Sport (DCMS) and has responsibility for delivering broadband networks across the nation (e.g. the £5bn Project Gigabit rollout scheme), is to become an Executive Agency from April 2022.

Scotland Extends Interim Rural Broadband Voucher Scheme

1st Dec, 2021 (5 Comments)

The Scottish Government has announced that their Interim Broadband Voucher Scheme, which forms part of the £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project and is designed to help rural premises in the hardest to reach areas get a faster connection installed, has been extended to 31st March 2022 (it was previously due to finish this month).

Works to lay new paving slabs and temporary footpath closed red warning sign on London sidewalk

New UK Law Set to Boost Broadband Rollouts and Device Security

24th Nov, 2021 (4 Comments)

The UK Government has today introduced their new Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill (PSTI), which among other things will make it easier for broadband and mobile operators to upgrade and share infrastructure. The bill will also aim to ensure that internet connected devices are more secure.

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

Gov Targets Universal UK Gigabit Broadband Coverage for 2030

20th Nov, 2021 (49 Comments)

The UK Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit rollout programme appears to have quietly confirmed that they now aim to deliver “full” 1Gbps broadband coverage to the final 20% of hardest to reach premises by 2030 (effectively universal coverage), at least where it is “value for money to do so.”

openreach uk phone exchange engineer 2021

Openreach to Pilot National UK Exchange Closure Plan in 5 Areas

12th Nov, 2021 (14 Comments)

Last year Openreach (BT) began consulting on their plans to close 4,600 exchanges across the United Kingdom as part of their move from copper to fibre optic based broadband ISP lines. The operator has today begun to consult on the first 5 pilot exchanges to go through this new mass-migration process.

Ofcom and BT Adopt Changes to Help 10Mbps Broadband USO

11th Nov, 2021 (33 Comments)

Ofcom has today finalised the changes that were first confirmed in July to improve how BT handles delivery of the UK’s Universal Service Obligation (USO), which aims to bring faster broadband ISP speeds to those who can’t yet receive a 10Mbps+ capable download speed and aren’t planned to do so in the near future.

Fiber Optic cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports

Headaches for UK ISPs as Telecoms Security Bill to Become Law

9th Nov, 2021 (15 Comments)

The UK Government’s new Telecommunications (Security) Bill (TSB) is set to become law after passing through both houses of parliament this month, but it goes much further than just banning Huawei from the UK’s 5G mobile networks. Broadband ISPs, both big and small alike, also face a cacophony of tedious new rules.

Ofcom UK Expands the Range of Indoor Mobile Signal Boosters

4th Nov, 2021 (5 Comments)

Ofcom has today confirmed that they will next year introduce new changes to help expand the range of licence exempt “mobile phone repeaters” for UK consumers to adopt, which can be used in locations where people want to boost mobile signals for indoor and in-vehicle (low gain) use.

CityFibre Hits Target of 1 Million UK FTTP Broadband Premises

3rd Nov, 2021 (27 Comments)

CityFibre, which is investing £4bn to cover 8 million UK premises with their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network by around the end of 2025, has today announced the successful completion of their first target by extending the network to cover 1 million homes and businesses before the end of 2021.

ISP BT and OneWeb UK Sign Satellite Broadband Distribution Deal

2nd Nov, 2021 (8 Comments)

UK ISP BT and satellite operator OneWeb, which is partly owned by the UK government, have today officially signed a Distribution Partner Agreement that could result in faster low-latency backhaul and broadband solutions for businesses. Further down the line, it may also help to cover rural homes by fuelling Fixed Wireless Access.

BDUK Publish New Evaluation of UK Superfast Broadband Project

29th Oct, 2021 (5 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK team has today posted a new evaluation of the previous Superfast Broadband Programme (SFBB), which helped to boost the coverage of “superfast” (24-30Mbps+) ISP networks from c.76% (commercial) to around 97% of premises (i.e. an additional 5.5 million premises) across three phases.

BDUK Publish Phase 3 of UK Rural Gigabit Broadband Rollout Plan

29th Oct, 2021 (21 Comments)

The UK Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) team has today published details on Phase 3 of their £5bn Project Gigabit rollout programme, which will in this phase work to extend 1Gbps capable broadband ISP networks to a further 570,000 premises in rural and semi-rural areas.

Ofcom Adds Dark Fibre and Tweaks Rules for KCOM in Hull UK

28th Oct, 2021 (10 Comments)

Ofcom has today published the outcome of their latest Hull Area Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review 2021-26, which tends to largely influence what rules they set for KCOM’s dominant network in the Hull (East Yorkshire) area. The main changes this time reflect deregulation and a new Dark Fibre requirement.