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Latest Key Developments

Government Launch £67m UK Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme

15th Mar, 2018 (5 Comments)

The UK government has launched a new nationwide Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), which is funded by a pot of £67m and aims to provide vouchers worth up to £3000 for businesses (SME) or £500 to residents to help with the costs of connecting to “full fibre” (FTTP/H) broadband.

Government Allocate First £95m for UK Full Fibre Local Networks UPDATE

13th Mar, 2018 (31 Comments)

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has given his 2018 Spring Statement and confirmed the first £95m allocation from the government’s £190m Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) challenge fund, which was setup to stimulate commercial investment in “gigabit capable” broadband (rural and urban).

Scotland Unveil £25m Mobile Infill Project to Boost 4G Coverage

12th Mar, 2018 (6 Comments)

The Scottish Government has today announced a new investment of £25 million that will be used to fund the 4G Infill Programme, which aims to help build new mobile network masts in locations with no existing 4G coverage in order to improve local connectivity.

Virgin Media UK Begins Rural FTTH Build in the Dun and Test Valley

12th Mar, 2018 (3 Comments)

Last year we revealed that a new community project with Virgin Media would extend the operator’s 350Mbps FTTH broadband and TV network to 12 small rural villages (around 4,000 premises) in the Test and Dun Valleys of Hampshire (England). Today the build phase has finally begun.

Age Verification and UK ISP Internet Porn Ban Quietly Delayed UPDATE

12th Mar, 2018 (10 Comments)

The government has quietly delayed their new age verification rules until the end of 2018, which was set to be targeted at websites and “apps” that contain pornographic content. Broadband ISPs would also be required to block sites that fail to comply with the new rules.

Government Mulls Regional Franchises to Boost Full Fibre Broadband

11th Mar, 2018 (20 Comments)

A newspaper report has claimed that the UK government’s on-going ‘Telecoms Infrastructure Review‘ is giving serious consideration to the old idea of adopting regional franchises, which they claim might help boost the coverage of “full fibre” (FTTH/P) broadband, particularly in rural areas.

ISPs and Openreach Working to Improve UK Broadband Repairs

7th Mar, 2018 (0 Comments)

The Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator (OTA2) confirms that UK ISPs have raised a new Statement of Requirement (SOR) request to encourage more data sharing for both ADSL and FTTC (VDSL2) based broadband products, which could result in a more effective engineer repair process.

Gov Calls for Internet Security to Last the Lifetime of a Product

7th Mar, 2018 (6 Comments)

The UK Government has today published a new policy paper that seeks to improve the security of internet connected devices in our homes (e.g. TVs, toys, smart speakers) by, among other things, calling for “tough new security measures that last the lifetime of the product.” Good luck with that.

Cityfibre Take Ads Watchdog to Court Over Fibre Broadband Promos

5th Mar, 2018 (64 Comments)

Fibre optic network builder Cityfibre has filed for a Judicial Review of last year’s decision by the UK Advertising Standards Authority, which ruled that it was “not materially misleading” for ISPs to describe slower hybrid fibre services (e.g. FTTC / HFC DOCSIS) as “fibre broadband.”

New Ofcom 2018 Code Gives Clarity on Home Broadband ISP Speeds

1st Mar, 2018 (6 Comments)

Ofcom has today posted their final 2018 Voluntary Code of Practice (CoP) for broadband ISP speeds, which will provide UK consumers with more information about their estimated line performance and make it easier to exit your contract if related problems cannot be resolved within 30 days.

Ofcom Changes to Boost UK Full Fibre Broadband and Cut FTTC Prices

23rd Feb, 2018 (66 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has today completed several wholesale market reviews, which among other things will force Openreach (BT) to adopt stiffer Quality of Service standards (installations and repairs), open up their cable ducts to rival ISPs and introduce a big price cut on 40Mbps FTTC broadband lines.

Churches to Help Spread Wireless Broadband into Rural England

18th Feb, 2018 (12 Comments)

The UK Government has reached a new accord with the National Church Institutions (NCIs) of the Church of England, which should make it easier for churches to be used in order to help distribute faster wireless broadband and WiFi services across rural communities.

Openreach Aim FTTP Broadband for 3 Million Premises in 8 UK Cities

1st Feb, 2018 (49 Comments)

Openreach (BT) has today announced that they intend to deploy Gigabit capable “full fibre” (FTTP) ultrafast broadband to 3 million premises in 8 major UK cities by 2020 via their new ‘Fibre First‘ build programme, which is up from the current target of 2 million by the same date.

Welsh Gov Detail New 30Mbps Superfast Broadband Plan for Wales UPDATE2

30th Jan, 2018 (19 Comments)

As expected the Welsh Government has this afternoon set out the first tentative details of their new strategy to help make “fast reliable broadband” (defined as 30Mbps+) available to “every property” in Wales, which will involve several contracts (3 lots) and could cover 88,000 premises.

Government Hails 95% UK Coverage of 24Mbps Superfast Broadband

29th Jan, 2018 (60 Comments)

Completed on time. The Government has today confirmed that an estimated 95% of the United Kingdom can now access a 24Mbps+ capable fixed line “superfast broadband” network as a result of their national £1.7bn Broadband Delivery UK programme, but many gaps remain.

Scotland Commit £600m for 100% Coverage of 30Mbps Broadband

14th Dec, 2017 (16 Comments)

The Scottish Government has today confirmed that it plans to spend £600 million on gap funding for their R100 programme, which aims to make a superfast broadband (30Mbps+) capable network available to 100% of Scotland by the end of 2021 (March 2022 when viewing as a financial year).

Ofcom Aid Full Fibre Broadband by Stopping Targeted BT FTTC Price Cuts

1st Dec, 2017 (9 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has opened a new consultation on a change to help foster the roll-out of “full fibre” (FTTP/H) broadband networks by preventing BT from reducing its wholesale charges for slower hybrid fibre (FTTC) connections in areas where rivals are building new networks.