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Virgin Media UK Makes New TV 360 Service Available to All

2nd Mar, 2021 (38 Comments)

As expected, cable broadband ISP Virgin Media UK has today made their new Virgin TV 360 service (platform) available to all existing customers – irrespective of their TV package – via a quick over the air firmware update on existing v6 boxes (Horizon software), which saves a box swap, but there’s still a one off payment of £24.95.

Vodafone UK Donates 10,000 Mobile Broadband Dongles to Kids

2nd Mar, 2021 (1 Comment)

Mobile operator Vodafone UK has announced that they will donate 10,000 “dongle devices” (i.e. mobile broadband modems) to help thousands more children and young people connect to remote learning and online catch up lessons during the COVID-19 crisis. As usual this is focused on those kids who may lack the necessary kit at home.

Gov May Scrap BBC TV Licence Once Fast UK Broadband is Universal

2nd Mar, 2021 (97 Comments)

The UK Government’s Minister of State for Media and Data (DCMS), John Whittingdale MP, has indicated that the BBC’s TV licence fee could be scrapped once everybody in the country finally has access to faster broadband connectivity. The idea may be considered for when the corporation’s royal charter expires in 2027.

Tesco Mobile Seeks BAN on Broadband and Mobile Price Hikes

2nd Mar, 2021 (4 Comments)

The UK mobile division of Supermarket giant Tesco and charity Money Advice Plus have today jointly called for a “ban on price hikes” by broadband ISPs and mobile operators, although in the context they appear to be focusing on “misleading” mid-contract price rises rather than all price hikes.

Rural ISP Wessex Internet Cuts UK Full Fibre Broadband Prices

1st Mar, 2021 (0 Comments)

Alternative network (altnet) provider Wessex Internet, which has built Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband services across rural parts of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire, is set to launch a new range of faster services and cheaper pricing on 1st April 2021 following a major package refresh.

BT TV Add Eurosport to VIP and Big Sport Plans at No Extra Cost

1st Mar, 2021 (7 Comments)

Some customers of BT’s broadband powered UK Pay TV service may be pleased to learn that, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the provider has today added the ‘Eurosport 1‘ and ‘Eurosport 2‘ channels to their Big Sport and VIP packages, with no increase in monthly costs.

Ultrafast Broadband ISP Glide Appoint New CTO and COO Chiefs

1st Mar, 2021 (0 Comments)

Business and residential UK ISP Glide Group (formerly CableCom) has today announced the appointment of Sean Lowry to be their new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), while Phil Duggan has also been named as their new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

BT Group Chairman Jan du Plessis Reveals Intention to Retire

1st Mar, 2021 (5 Comments)

The Chairman of BT Group since November 2017, Jan du Plessis (aged 67), has today formally announced his intention to retire from the UK role – thought to be worth £700,000-a-year – just as soon as a successor can be appointed. The company’s Board has now begun the process of hunting for his replacement.

ISP TalkTalk to Hike Some UK Broadband and Phone Prices UPDATE

1st Mar, 2021 (28 Comments)

UK ISP TalkTalk appears to have kicked off the week by revealing that some of their home broadband and phone packages will see price rises from April 2021. After that – from April next year – the monthly charges will be hiked by the rate of inflation plus 3.7% – mirroring similar moves by BT and some other operators.

Full Fibre UK ISP Hyperoptic Launch Social Broadband Tariffs

1st Mar, 2021 (6 Comments)

UK ISP Hyperoptic, which typically builds 1Gbps capable “full fibre” (FTTP/B) broadband networks to large residential (MDU) buildings, office blocks and some houses, has become the latest provider to launch a social style broadband tariff – called the ‘Fair Fibre Plan‘ – for people on specific means-tested benefits.

Q4 2020 Progress Update on Wales BT FTTP Broadband Rollout

1st Mar, 2021 (7 Comments)

The Welsh Government has issued a Q4 2020 progress update on their £52.5m Phase 2 Superfast Cymru contract with BT (Openreach), which is deploying a 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 39,000 extra premises in rural Wales. The data to December 2020 shows 15,649 premises have now been completed.

New UK Infrastructure Bank May Boost Gigabit Broadband and 5G

28th Feb, 2021 (7 Comments)

The HM Treasury has announced that its plan to setup a new UK Infrastructure Bank, which was first proposed in last year’s Spending Review, will be supported by an initial £12bn in capital investment and £10bn in loan guarantees. In theory this could help to unlock more private investment, such as to boost the gigabit broadband rollout.

earthquake uk fibre optic science seismology

Scientists Detect Earthquakes Using Subsea Fibre Optic Cable

27th Feb, 2021 (0 Comments)

Seismologists in California have teamed up with Google to develop a clever new way of detecting Earthquakes by harnessing the internet giant’s existing 10,500km long “Curie” subsea fibre cable, which can transmit data at speeds of 72Tbps (Terabits per second) – via four 18Tbps fibre pairs – between the USA and Chile.

ISP Plusnet Scraps Pre-Paid UK Line Rental Saver Discount

27th Feb, 2021 (11 Comments)

Existing customers of UK ISP Plusnet’s home broadband and phone service will be displeased, if perhaps not all that surprised, to learn that the provider has finally scrapped their long-running Line Rental Saver (LRS) discount (i.e. pay for 12 months in advance to save c.£30).

GBP5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Rollout Starts in Central Scotland

27th Feb, 2021 (20 Comments)

In a surprise twist the UK Government has technically started the rollout phase of their £5bn Gigabit Broadband Programme early by reaching a unique agreement with the Scottish Government’s existing £579m Reaching 100% (R100) project, which will see them replace FTTC with FTTP in rural parts of Central Scotland.

Cityfibre’s 1Gbps FTTP Broadband Goes Live in Portsmouth UK

26th Feb, 2021 (12 Comments)

Full fibre operator Cityfibre has announced that their new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network has finally started to go live for customers in the south coast city of Portsmouth (Hampshire, UK), which is being supported by UK ISP partner Giganet. The rollout itself reflects an investment of £32m.

Three UK Extend Ultrafast 5G Mobile to 193 UK Towns and Cities

26th Feb, 2021 (51 Comments)

Mobile operator Three UK has today revealed that their 5G based (mobile broadband) network is now live across busy parts of some 193 UK towns and cities (equating to 1,250 cell sites and masts). On top of that they’re still boosting 4G speeds by extending the reach of their L-Band (1.4GHz) spectrum.