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Latest Key Developments

Vodafone and Three UK Set Out Competition Commitments for Merger UPDATE

30th Sep, 2024 (21 Comments)

Mobile network operators Vodafone and Three UK (CK Hutchison) have today responded to the recently raised competition concerns over their proposed mega-merger by setting out a series of commitments, which they hope will satisfy the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enough to approve the deal.

Ofcom UK Probe Brsk Over Birmingham Deployment of Broadband Poles UPDATE

30th Sep, 2024 (3 Comments)

Network operator Brsk, which is in the process of being merged into Netomnia (here), are facing an investigation by Ofcom after the regulator suggested that the operator may have “failed to comply with its obligations” under Code Powers during the roll-out of new “telegraph poles” as part of their new full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network in Birmingham.

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Ofcom’s Roaming Rules Come into Force for UK Mobile Operators

30th Sep, 2024 (7 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, will tomorrow (1st Oct 2024) begin enforcing new roaming rules that require mobile network operators, such as Three UK, Vodafone, EE and O2 (including their many virtual / MVNO partners), to protect consumers who travel abroad from mobile BILL SHOCKS on data (broadband), call and text charges.

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Scotland to Require Gigabit Broadband for Almost All New Homes from 2025

21st Sep, 2024 (1 Comment)

The Scottish Government has finally caught up with similar legislation in England (here and here), which was introduced at the end of 2022, by effectively mandating that property developers must ensure their new build homes are constructed with support for gigabit-capable broadband connections. This will become effective from 1st January 2025.

Ofcom UK to Enforce Rules on Misleading Use of “Fibre” Broadband UPDATE

15th Sep, 2024 (68 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, will tomorrow begin enforcing new rules that will only allow broadband ISPs to use terms like “fibre” and “full-fibre” on their websites, and in contracts, if their network brings the fibre optic cables all the way to your home (i.e. FTTP, FTTH and also FTTB).

CMA Demands Changes for Vodafone and Three UK to Merge

13th Sep, 2024 (29 Comments)

The Competition and Markets Authority has this morning revealed their provisional view on the outcome of their in-depth Phase 2 investigation into the proposed merger between mobile operators Three UK and Vodafone. This warns that it will only be able to approve the deal if the pair agree to key concessions that protect consumer prices and network competition.

Ofcom Finds Three UK Misses First Rural 4G Mobile Coverage Target

12th Sep, 2024 (5 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today published its first report on the progress of the £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network project (i.e. extending 4G mobile (broadband) to cover 95% of the UK by the end of 2025), which confirms that Three UK is the only mobile operator to miss the first coverage target for Partial Not-Spot (PNS) areas.

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Ofcom Launch Easier UK One Touch Broadband ISP Switching UPDATE

12th Sep, 2024 (20 Comments)

After over 17 months of delays, Ofcom’s new One Touch Switching (OTS) process for fixed line phone and broadband ISPs, which makes it quicker and easier for consumers to switch between providers on physically separate networks (e.g. Openreach to CityFibre or Virgin Media etc.), is today finally going LIVE. But don’t be surprised if your switch doesn’t use it, yet.

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Gov Asks UK Broadband ISPs to Offer 8 Hours of Battery Backup

10th Sep, 2024 (35 Comments)

The UK Government’s Minister for Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant, has written a new letter to the bosses of major broadband ISPs that calls on them to help protect vulnerable users during the switchover from analogue (PSTN) to digital (IP) phone solutions by refraining from re-starting non-voluntary migrations and offering battery backup that can last “up to” 8 hours.

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Ofcom Sets Guidance to Improve Resilience of UK Broadband and Mobile Networks UPDATE

6th Sep, 2024 (13 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today set out how they intend to update their guidance on network resilience in order to give broadband ISPs, mobile operators and other digital network providers greater clarity on how they can “reduce the risk of network outages“. But proposals to improve battery backup on mobile networks will come later.

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Ofcom Partially Delays New UK Broadband Switching Process by 6 Weeks

4th Sep, 2024 (10 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today acknowledge that their already much delayed new One Touch Switch (OTS) system for faster consumer broadband ISP migrations won’t be 100% ready for launch on 12th September 2024. But rather than delay it, again, they’ve instead ordered providers to retain the old system for a further 6 weeks.

Ofcom Predict 98 Percent of UK Covered by Gigabit Broadband in May 2027

4th Sep, 2024 (25 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today published the third edition of their forecast for Planned Network Deployments, which predicts that full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP lines are on course to cover 95-96% of all UK properties by May 2027 (29 million premises) – rising to 97-98% for “gigabit-capable” networks (i.e. FTTP and Cable).

Gov Considers Easier Access to Blocks of Flats for UK Broadband Upgrades

3rd Sep, 2024 (11 Comments)

The new UK Government has begun informally consulting with the telecoms industry after network operators called on them to make it easier and cheaper to access large residential buildings (MDUs – blocks of flats or apartments), which could help to upgrade related buildings to gigabit-capable broadband. Easier said than done.

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ISP Sky Broadband UK to Launch CityFibre Based FTTP Packages UPDATE

20th Aug, 2024 (74 Comments)

In a big development, Sky UK (Comcast) has this morning announced that they’ve finally reached a “long-term partnership” (wholesale) agreement with alternative network operator CityFibre, which will enable ISP Sky Broadband to finally launch a new range of multi-gigabit speed capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband packages “from next year“.

New UK Gov Reiterates Call for Limits on Building Broadband Poles UPDATE

17th Aug, 2024 (24 Comments)

The new Labour-led UK Government has somewhat echoed the previous administration today by calling on broadband operators to “end the deployment of unnecessary telegraph poles” when rolling out new gigabit-capable networks. But they have “at this stage” rejected the idea of removing Permitted Development (PD) rights for poles.

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Openreach Reveal UK Plan for Symmetric 1Gbps FTTP Broadband UPDATE

14th Aug, 2024 (109 Comments)

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has just announced that they’re planning to launch their first symmetric 1Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP packages, albeit initially only in “certain locations” from April 2025. Some of the first premises to benefit will be those covered by their rural Project Gigabit contracts (here).

Openreach Win UK Project Gigabit Broadband Contracts and Help 312k Premises

13th Aug, 2024 (21 Comments)

The Government claims to have kicked off a “renewed push” today to “reach full gigabit [broadband] coverage by 2030“, which they’ve done by announcing that Openreach (BT) has secured several contracts under the £5bn Project Gigabit scheme. This could eventually be worth up to £800m (state aid) and may upgrade 312,000 premises in remote rural areas of Scotland, England and Wales.