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Latest Key Developments

Ofcom Consults on the Future of UK Phone Numbers and Porting UPDATE

11th Apr, 2019 (21 Comments)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has launched a shotgun blast of three new consultations today that cover how the fixed line broadband ISP and phone market will need to change as consumers are migrated from old analogue telephone services (PSTN) to new digital Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) platforms.

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Automatic Compensation Goes Live for UK Broadband ISP Customers

31st Mar, 2019 (11 Comments)

Ofcom’s new system of automatic compensation will tomorrow be introduced, which requires major UK ISPs to compensate consumers (cash or bill credits) for a total loss of broadband connectivity (i.e. if the outage lasts longer than 2 working days), missed appointments or delayed installs.

Ofcom Updates on Plan to Boost UK Full Fibre Broadband Investment UPDATE

29th Mar, 2019 (10 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has today set out more detail on how they intend to change market regulation in order to promote competition and investment in the roll-out of Gigabit capable “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband ISP networks, which will support the Government’s ambition for “nationwide” FTTP coverage by 2033.

Openreach Consults UK Broadband ISPs on Copper Switch-Off UPDATE

21st Mar, 2019 (79 Comments)

Openreach (BT) has today officially launched its first major industry consultation on the process of switching from their old legacy copper broadband and phone lines to new ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) infrastructure, which includes discussions over how they should “eventually retire the existing copper network.”

Scotland Gives 10 Year Business Rates Holiday to Fibre Broadband

16th Mar, 2019 (12 Comments)

On 1st April 2019 the Scottish Government will go one big step further than the UK Government in Westminster by introducing 100% relief from business rates on new “fibre broadband infrastructure“. Better yet, the tax break is set to last for 10 long years until 31st March 2029.

Sky Broadband UK Seek Full Fibre ISP Alliance with Openreach Rivals UPDATE

15th Mar, 2019 (18 Comments)

The CEO of Sky UK (Sky Broadband), Stephen van Rooyen, has written a letter to the heads of several alternative “full fibre” (FTTP) network ISPs, seemingly in the hope of opening talks that could result in new wholesale or other agreements to help “increase investment” and “bring ultrafast broadband to more homes.”

New Ofcom Code of Practice for UK Broadband ISP Speeds to Start

28th Feb, 2019 (15 Comments)

An important change is due to be introduced tomorrow as part of Ofcom’s new Voluntary Codes of Practice on Broadband Speed (VCoP), which will require the largest UK ISPs to give you more information about your estimated line performance and make it easier to exit a contract penalty free (if faults cannot be fixed).

UK Gov Reject Openreach Proposed Fix for Part Built Fibre in Wales

26th Feb, 2019 (14 Comments)

The UK Government appears to have rejected a £12.9m accelerated gainshare proposal from Openreach (BT), which was first proposed last year (here) as a possible solution to help complete a number of unfinished (part-built) “fibre broadband” (FTTC and FTTP) deployments in Wales.

Pilot to Connect 100 Rural Schools in England with Gigabit Broadband UPDATE

26th Feb, 2019 (14 Comments)

The UK Government has today announced the launch of a new £3m pilot project under their £190m Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme, which within the “next few months” aims to connect more than 100 primary schools in rural parts of England to a Gigabit capable FTTP broadband ISP network.

Gigaclear Founder Creates New UK City FTTP Broadband ISP Zzoomm

25th Feb, 2019 (33 Comments)

The founder and former CEO of UK rural fibre optic ISP Gigaclear, Matthew Hare, has quietly used £1m of his own money to setup a new broadband provider called Zzoomm, which is an alternative network (altnet) that will focus on building 1Gbps+ Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks to homes in smaller cities and suburbs.

Government Sets Out Strategic Priorities for UK Broadband and Mobile

15th Feb, 2019 (12 Comments)

The Government has today set out its first ever Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for UK mobile and broadband services, which requires Ofcom to reflect in their work the need to build “world-class digital infrastructure“, look at mobile roaming in rural areas and tackle the so-called “loyalty penalty” etc.

Update on Openreach G.fast, FoD, SoGEA and FTTP Broadband Changes

15th Feb, 2019 (37 Comments)

We’ve today gathered together the latest information from our UK industry sources in order to produce a summary of the latest broadband ISP technology and service changes at Openreach (BT). On the list this time are new FTTC cabinets, the G.fast self install trial, SoGEA, FTTP on Demand (FoD) and more.

Virgin Media UK Harness Broadband Cabinets for EV Car Charging UPDATE

28th Jan, 2019 (51 Comments)

The parent company to cable ISP Virgin Media, Liberty Global, is planning to test a new concept in the United Kingdom that would harness their existing cable ducts and broadband street cabinets in order to help deploy charging points on residential streets for electric cars (EVs).

Openreach Name Next 11 UK Areas for FTTP Ultrafast Broadband

28th Jan, 2019 (55 Comments)

Telecoms operator Openreach (BT) has today revealed the next batch of 11 areas that will benefit from their roll-out of 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP infrastructure in 2019, which should cover 3 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2020. Plus 3,000 extra engineers will be added.

No More Gov EIS Tax Relief for Community Benefit Broadband ISPs UPDATE

26th Jan, 2019 (45 Comments)

A new ruling by HMRC, which appears to say that UK broadband ISPs acting as a Community Benefit Societies (CBS) to build their own local networks can no longer make use of tax breaks under the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), could have serious repercussions for “full fibre” projects in rural areas.

BT Win £9.25m Wales LOT 2 Full Fibre Broadband Rollout Deal UPDATE2

17th Jan, 2019 (13 Comments)

The Welsh Government has quietly chosen BT (Openreach) to supply the final LOT 2 of their Phase 2 “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) roll-out contract, which uses £9.256m of public money and aims to bring FTTP “full fibre” coverage to around 10,000 more premises across East Wales (rural areas).

Government’s Ineffective UK ISP Internet Porn Ban Coming April 2019

13th Jan, 2019 (43 Comments)

No, it’s not an early April Fools. Instead April is officially the month when the government’s new age verification system – targeted at commercial websites and “apps” that contain pornographic content – comes into force. Broadband ISPs will also be required to block sites that fail to comply with the new rules.