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Latest Key Developments

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85,504 Premises in N.Ireland Need Help to Get Gigabit Broadband

6th Jun, 2023 (4 Comments)

The Building Digital UK agency and Department for the Economy (DfE) have published a new Public Review (PR) consultation for Northern Ireland, which reveals that some 85,504 premises might need state aid help under the £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme in order to access 1Gbps speeds.

Gov Launch New £7m Fund to Test UK Rural Broadband Solutions UPDATE

6th Jun, 2023 (8 Comments)

The UK Government will today launch a new £7 million fund as one part of their wider Unleashing Rural Opportunity strategy, which will be used to “test out new ways” of bringing together satellite, wireless (FWA and mobile) and fixed line broadband ISP solutions to help “support farmers and tourism businesses” in rural areas.

Ofcom to Stop Publishing UK Home Broadband ISP Speeds Study

1st Jun, 2023 (28 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today proposed to stop publishing its annual summary of fixed line home broadband ISP speeds after the next report is released later this year (due Q4 2023). Mainly because they deem that it’s no longer needed as the market has changed.

Ofcom APPROVE Openreach’s Equinox 2 UK FTTP Broadband Price Cuts UPDATE4

24th May, 2023 (65 Comments)

Ofcom has this morning announced that it will NOT block Openreach’s proposed “Equinox 2” discount scheme for their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP products from being introduced, which came after rival networks raised competition concerns over the plans.

Wales 2023 Map of Broadband Slowspots Sub 30Mbps

Wales Hints at £70m Broadband Upgrade for 84,000 Premises

11th May, 2023 (11 Comments)

The Welsh Government has put out a Prior Information Notice (PIN) on a future project for “Extending High Speed Broadband Reach in Wales“, which indicates that they’re preparing to procure a contract worth around £70m (state aid) to upgrade broadband for 84,000 premises (i.e. those that can’t yet get “superfast” speeds of 30Mbps+).

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First of 120 Planned UK Gov Funded 4G Mast Upgrades Goes Live in Scotland

3rd May, 2023 (1 Comment)

The first UK government-funded rural 4G mobile mast upgrade has today been completed in the Lockerbie area in Scotland, which forms part (£75m) of their industry-led £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project with EE (BT), Vodafone, Three UK and O2 (Virgin Media). A further 120+ masts in Scotland are also set for upgrades.

Openreach 2023 Two FTTP Engineers on Doorstep

Openreach Add 10 New UK Locations to FTTP Broadband Rollout

2nd May, 2023 (76 Comments)

Openreach (BT) has today issued another update to their £15bn UK rollout of a new multi-Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which adds 10 new locations to their deployment plan – covering an additional 124,000 homes and businesses in places across England, Wales and Scotland.

Ofcom UK Test New Way to Detect and Block Spoofed Numbers

28th Apr, 2023 (13 Comments)

Ofcom has today begun seeking feedback from the industry on the potential future adoption of Calling Line Identification (CLI) authentication, which – once the UK has fully transitioned to digital landlines – could be adopted as a new approach to detecting and blocking “spoofed” (fake) phone numbers.

consumer complaint uk red triangle warning sign by 123rf

New Bill to Boost Consumer Protection on UK Broadband and Mobile

25th Apr, 2023 (6 Comments)

The Government will today introduce their new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill (DMCCB), which among other things also promises several new protection measures that could benefit customers of broadband ISPs and mobile operators (e.g. clearer contract information and making it easier to exit a contract).

Smart Data Council Looks to Tackle Broadband ISP Loyalty Penalties

17th Apr, 2023 (17 Comments)

The UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has today launched a new “Smart Data Council“, which aims to help cut consumer bills, such as by finding ways to make it easier for consumers and businesses to find the tariffs best suited to their needs, or reduce the “loyalty penalty” that customers face when switching providers.

OneWeb First Generation Satellite in Orbit

OneWeb and BT Confirmed for Rural UK Satellite Broadband Trial UPDATE

11th Apr, 2023 (7 Comments)

Earlier today the Government revealed (here) that they’d commit £8m to help deliver “high-speed broadband” (they didn’t clearly define this) via Satellite ISP solutions for up to 35,000 of the UK’s “most remote properties” (i.e. those unable to get gigabit-capable connections). We now know that this will involve OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) network via partners BT and Clarus.

UK Set Ambition to Deliver Standalone 5G to All Populated Areas by 2030

11th Apr, 2023 (29 Comments)

The UK government (DSIT) has today announced that, as part of the new Wireless Infrastructure Strategy (WIS), they have set out an ambition to “blanket the country with the fastest, most reliable wireless coverage available” – with the plan being for “all populated areas to be covered by ‘standalone’ 5G (5G-plus) by 2030“. The update also includes support for satellite broadband in rural areas and more trials of flexi permits.

New Digital UK Map of Underground Cables Starts to Go Live

5th Apr, 2023 (21 Comments)

The Government’s new National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), which is a digital UK map of underground pipes (water etc.) and cables (broadband, power etc.) that could help reduce accidental damage, has started to go live for several initial areas under its first deployment phase – covering North East England, Wales and London.

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Frustration as Ofcom See Delay to Faster UK Broadband ISP Switching UPDATE5

3rd Apr, 2023 (12 Comments)

Consumers looking to change broadband providers in the UK will be unhappy to learn that the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has confirmed a delay to the introduction of their faster and more extensive One Touch Switch (OTS) migration system – possibly by 6 months or more – because ISPs are not yet ready to support it.

Ofcom Raise UK Automatic Compensation Payments for Broadband Woes

31st Mar, 2023 (8 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today increased the payment amounts issued to consumers under their automatic compensation system, which requires some home broadband ISPs to compensate customers (cash or bill credits) for internet connectivity mishaps and delivery delays.

CMA Clamps Down on Online UK Rip-offs and Misleading Prices

29th Mar, 2023 (7 Comments)

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today set out its “red lines” for businesses (including broadband and mobile providers) that make use of “price reduction” and “urgency claims” when selling their products and services to UK consumers. People are also being encouraged to report online rip-offs via a new form.

447,170 Premises in Scotland Need Help to Get Gigabit Broadband

23rd Mar, 2023 (8 Comments)

The Scottish Government has published a new Public Review (PR) consultation for Scotland, which reveals that some 447,170 premises might need state aid help under the UK Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme in order to access 1Gbps speeds (rising to 1,281,434 if including ‘Under Review‘ premises).