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Latest Key Developments

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20 Broadband Altnets Launch New UK Network Infrastructure Sharing Venture

22nd Oct, 2025 (17 Comments)

The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), which represents many of the UK’s alternative broadband ISP networks, has announced that their efforts through the previously announced Infrastructure Sharing Group (ISG) have now resulted in the creation of a new infrastructure sharing venture – supporting the use of 500,000km of “spare fibre capacity“.

Major UK Pension Funds Commit £40m to Improve Rural Broadband UPDATE

20th Oct, 2025 (7 Comments)

The UK Government has announced the launch of the Sterling 20 initiative, which is a partnership of the country’s twenty largest pension funds and insurance companies (Nest, Aviva, Legal & General, M&G etc.) that have all agreed to pump extra investment into local infrastructure and businesses to boost growth. Rural broadband will be one of the winners.

Ofcom Reveal Initial Results of UK 5G Mobile Auction for 26GHz and 40GHz

16th Oct, 2025 (12 Comments)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has this morning revealed the initial (principal stage) results from their auction of the 26GHz and 40GHz millimetre wave (mmW) spectrum bands for use by 5G mobile (mobile broadband) operators, which saw EE (BT), O2 (Virgin Media) and Vodafone (VodafoneThree) pay a combined £39m to secure more airwaves.

Government to Reintegrate Building Digital UK Agency Back into DSIT UPDATE

13th Oct, 2025 (1 Comment)

The Government has today informed ISPreview that its Building Digital UK (BDUK) executive agency, which has responsibility for delivering gigabit broadband and better mobile connectivity across the nation (e.g. the £5bn Project Gigabit scheme), is to be integrated back into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) from 1st November 2025.

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Broadband ISP Virgin Media UK Launch Single Visit FTTP Install Programme

9th Oct, 2025 (22 Comments)

Broadband, phone and TV provider Virgin Media (O2) has this morning announced the launch of its new Single Visit Install (SVI) programme, which aims to provide customers with a faster and more reliable approach to installations. But it’s currently only live across their nexfibre built full fibre (FTTP) connections (c.2.4 million UK premises).

Welsh Gov Tenders for £70m Extending High Speed Broadband Project

8th Oct, 2025 (1 Comment)

ISPreview has spotted that the Welsh Government (WG) have today issued a formal tender notice for their £70m (state aid) “Extending High Speed Broadband” (EHSB) project for Wales. In its current form, this aims to help extend faster broadband to around 29,000 premises in poorly served areas (i.e. locations that can’t yet access 30Mbps+ speeds).

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Broadband and Mobile Considered as Part of UK Home Buying and Selling Reform

7th Oct, 2025 (6 Comments)

The UK government has begun consulting on new proposals aimed at speeding up the process of home buying and selling, while also improving the material information that Estate Agents are required to provide for every transaction. The availability of broadband, as well as mobile signal and coverage, are some of the data points proposed for inclusion in future guidance.

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Government to Expand UK Availability of Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme

26th Sep, 2025 (4 Comments)

Good news. The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency will shortly announce that more areas of the United Kingdom are to be re-opened to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), which means that homes and businesses in poorly served areas will be able to apply for funding to help get faster internet connections installed.

Openreach engineers at work on rural grass verge

Openreach to Trial UK FTTP Broadband Speeds of 8.5Gbps in Q1 2026

23rd Sep, 2025 (56 Comments)

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has today provided more details to ISPreview on their future plans for a trial of full fibre broadband (FTTP) using 10Gbps capable XGS-PON technology in early 2026. The trial is planned to reach about 40,000 premises in Guildford and push download speeds from ISPs up to a blistering 8.5Gbps (8,500Mbps).

VodafoneThree Sign Outside UK Office Building in June 2025

Vodafone UK Set to Switch Off 2G Mobile Services During 2030

22nd Sep, 2025 (18 Comments)

Mobile operator Vodafone UK (VodafoneThree) has revealed that they intend to switch off their now ancient 2G based mobile network “during 2030“, roughly three years ahead of the government’s official 2033 deadline for the phasing out of both 2G and 3G services (here). The operator has already shut down its 3G network (here).

Cross-Party Inquiry Finds UK Unprepared for Attacks on Subsea Fibre Cables

19th Sep, 2025 (0 Comments)

The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) has today published the results of their cross-party inquiry into the growing threats facing the country’s undersea fibre optic data cables. The report finds that the UK has “plenty of cable routes and good repair processes” for routine breakages, but the UK can’t protect all of it from adversaries and must improve.

Openreach Launch New Telecare Phone Migration Services Across UK

17th Sep, 2025 (11 Comments)

Network operator Openreach (BT) has today announced the official launch of their new telecare migration services across the UK. The service is designed to help UK consumers with old analogue based phone (PSTN / WLR) and medical telecare systems to safely migrate to modern broadband-based (FTTP etc.) connections with digital phone (IP-based) services.

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Virgin Media UK Create Fixed Wholesale Broadband Unit for Consumer and Business

17th Sep, 2025 (7 Comments)

Broadband network operator and retail ISP Virgin Media (O2) has this morning announced the creation of a single dedicated Fixed Wholesale unit, which will bring together their consumer and business facing wholesale teams under one roof. This will allow rival ISPs to access their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) network – currently available to 7 million premises.

First UK Project Gigabit Broadband Contract Completes in North Northumberland

12th Sep, 2025 (2 Comments)

The UK Government have this morning confirmed that GoFibre has become the first network operator to complete one of their subsidised roll-out contracts under the £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme. The announcement relates to GoFibre‘s £7.3m (state aid) contract to deploy a full fibre (FTTP) network across 3,750 hard-to-reach premises in North Northumberland.

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Ofcom to Authorise Satellite Networks to Deliver UK 4G and 5G Mobile

9th Sep, 2025 (6 Comments)

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today confirmed that they will “move ahead with plans” to make the UK the “first country in Europe” to authorise Direct to Device (D2D) satellite services for use in regular mobile bands via “standard smartphones“. The change could be used to help mobile operators improve their 4G and 5G coverage and roaming features.

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BDUK Issue Annual Update on UK Project Gigabit Broadband Progress

4th Sep, 2025 (4 Comments)

The Government’s (DSIT) Building Digital UK agency has today published their annual progress report on the £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme, which covers the April 2024 to March 2025 period and reveals that related interventions delivered 152,700 premises with gigabit-capable coverage during this period (total so far of 1.227m – including past schemes/years).

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Openreach Urge Action from UK ISPs as Pilot Exchange Closures Draw Near

3rd Sep, 2025 (26 Comments)

Openreach (BT) has warned broadband and phone providers impacted by three of their pilot UK exchange closures – Deddington, Ballyclare and Kenton Road – that they only have c.90 days left to identify their risk cohorts (e.g. telecare customers) and migrate them. The network operator said they were growing “increasingly concerned” about the pressure on their resources from ISPs leaving it too late.