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Latest Key Developments

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ICO Rules BT and Openreach are Subject to UK Environmental Info Requests

15th Jul, 2025 (32 Comments)

Telecoms giant BT and Openreach are appealing a recent decision by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which made them subject to public information requests about their UK broadband network under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). The decision could potentially provide communities and rivals with a new avenue for extracting useful info.

CityFibre Agrees £2.3bn Funding Deal to Boost UK Full Fibre Broadband

14th Jul, 2025 (18 Comments)

Digital infrastructure builder CityFibre has today announced that they’ve reached a crucial UK funding agreement worth £2.3bn (mix of debt and equity). The deal will support the ongoing deployment of their new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network and also drive a new wave of consolidation.

Sky Broadband Launch WiFi 7 Router and 5Gbps UK Broadband via CityFibre UPDATE

9th Jul, 2025 (66 Comments)

Internet provider Sky Broadband has today gone fully live via CityFibre’s growing Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based home broadband network. The change is being launched alongside a new Wi-Fi 7 router – “Gigafast+ Hub” (SCER11BELUKS) – and two new packages – Full Fibre 2.5 Gigafast+ (2.5Gbps) and Full Fibre 5 Gigafast+ (5Gbps).

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Ofcom Make it Quicker to Raise UK Broadband and Phone Complaints

8th Jul, 2025 (3 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today confirmed that they will make it quicker for consumers to access Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) providers, which are third-party ombudsman schemes that help people to resolve complaints with their phone, broadband and mobile providers.

KCOM Publish Prices for Broadband Infrastructure Sharing in Hull UK UPDATE

3rd Jul, 2025 (15 Comments)

Hull-based network operator KCOM, which has already deployed their own Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across a big chunk of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, has today quietly published their first terms and pricing details for a new PIA solution. The product allows rivals to run new fibre via the operator’s existing cable ducts and poles.

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Gov Planning New UK Law to Help Protect Subsea Fibre Optic Cables

3rd Jul, 2025 (8 Comments)

The UK Government’s Minister for Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant MP, has told the Joint Committee’s ongoing Undersea Cables Inquiry that they will need to draft new laws in order to better address the growing risk of deliberate sabotage against our vital subsea fibre optic cables – responsible for carrying much of the world’s internet data traffic.

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Openreach Name 21 New UK Locations for FTTP Broadband Build Plan

1st Jul, 2025 (52 Comments)

Network operator Openreach (BT) has today published an updated build plan for the ongoing roll-out of their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based gigabit broadband ISP network, which is the first update since December 2024 and adds 21 new locations – covering 80,000 extra UK premises – to their national deployment plan.

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A Year Early – £1bn SRN Project Delivers 95 Percent UK Cover of 4G Mobile

30th Jun, 2025 (5 Comments)

The Government has announced that the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, which aimed to extend geographic 4G mobile (mobile broadband) coverage to 95% of the UK (aggregate) by the end of 2025 (5G also benefits from the new infrastructure), has “achieved its overarching target a year ahead of schedule“. But there’s more work left to do.

EU Reveals 2025 Gigabit Broadband and 5G Coverage Progress vs UK

27th Jun, 2025 (16 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) recently published their annual 2025 study of broadband coverage in Europe, which reveals how the EU’s fixed gigabit broadband (FTTP and Hybrid Fibre Coax) and 5G mobile networks compare across all of its 27 countries. We compare this with the United Kingdom below.

Project Reach Launched to Fix Mobile Signal Notspots on UK Rail Network

26th Jun, 2025 (9 Comments)

The UK Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) has today taken the wrappings off Project Reach, which reflects a public-private partnership that will deploy “ultra fast fibre optic cable” across 1,000 kilometres of major rail lines to help “eliminate mobile signal blackspots” in tunnels on “key rail routes” up and down the country.

Ofcom Launch Improved UK 4G and 5G Mobile Speed and Coverage Checker

26th Jun, 2025 (17 Comments)

The UK communications and media regulator, Ofcom, has today launched an overhauled mobile network coverage checker, which includes enhancements that are intended to better match people’s real-world experiences, particularly of modern 4G and 5G (mobile broadband) service performance and signal strength.

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Freedom Fibre Scales Back North Shropshire Project Gigabit Broadband Contract UPDATE

25th Jun, 2025 (12 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency has just announced that alternative network provider Freedom Fibre has had to scale back their £24m (state aid) Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contract for North Shropshire (LOT 25.02 in England), which originally aimed to cover “around” 12,000 hard-to-reach rural homes (here).

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Boost for Broadband and Mobile as UK Sets 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy UPDATE

20th Jun, 2025 (6 Comments)

The UK Government has published its Infrastructure Strategy for the next 10 years – backed by £725bn in long-term funding for maintenance and major projects, which promises to “transform how infrastructure projects are planned and delivered” in order to “deliver stability, investment and national renewal“. And there’s some good news for broadband and mobile networks.

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New Data Use and Access Law to Help UK Utility Maps and ISP Comparisons

19th Jun, 2025 (2 Comments)

The UK government has today announced that their Data Use and Access Bill has become law (Royal Assent), which pledges to inject £10bn into the British economy over 10-years by, among other things, supporting personalised market comparisons for utility pricing and putting a new digital map of underground broadband cables and pipes on a “statutory footing“.

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Ofcom Warns UK Broadband ISPs NOT to Use Alternative Switching Methods

19th Jun, 2025 (29 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has posted an update on their investigation into the performance of the new consumer broadband and phone switching system (One Touch Switching). This found no major problems with the biggest ISPs but did warn that some providers on Openreach’s network were using an “alternative switching method“, which they said must stop.

Scotland May Reissue Gigabit Broadband Tender for Fife, Perth and Kinross

17th Jun, 2025 (0 Comments)

The Scottish Government (SG) looks as if they could be preparing to “relaunch” their proposed gigabit broadband roll-out procurement for Fife, Perth and Kinross during September 2025. This might take a second stab at trying to find a supplier that can help upgrade the remaining set of hardest-to-reach premises.

VodafoneThree Sign Outside UK Office Building in June 2025

VodafoneThree Outline Future UK Network Plans and 4G to 5G Speed Boosts

12th Jun, 2025 (55 Comments)

VodafoneThree, which reflects the now finalised c.£16bn merger between Vodafone and Three UK (here), has this morning set out a set of post-merger plans for their 4G / 5G mobile (mobile broadband) network coverage, performance and branding. Starting with a 20% average speed boost on 4G for Three and SMARTY customers, and a new broadband partnership with CommunityFibre.