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ICS Wants Full Fibre Broadband for All of Scotland by 2027 UPDATE

20th Jan, 2020 (7 Comments)

The new Infrastructure Commission for Scotland (ICS) has this morning published a blueprint for their proposed 30-year infrastructure strategy, which among other things calls on the Scottish Government (SG) to ensure the delivery of a “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover all of the country 2027.

Broadband Requirements for Xbox’s New Console Streaming

20th Jan, 2020 (16 Comments)

Microsoft has just made their new Xbox Console Streaming feature more widely available, which means that anyone with an Xbox account (and on the Xbox Insider program) in the UK can now try their new remote play video gaming service (streamed from your console to a remote device). But you’ll need a reasonable broadband ISP speed.

Sky Extends UK Netflix Partnership Agreement – Adds Basic Plan

20th Jan, 2020 (1 Comment)

Sky (Sky Broadband) has today signed an extension agreement with Netflix’s popular internet video streaming service, which we assume means that customers will continue to have the option of adding Sky’s Ultimate On Demand (UOD) service to Sky Q for an extra £12 a month (includes seamless integration of Netflix into one bill).

Ofcom Ponders 100-200GHz Band for UK Fixed Wireless Links

18th Jan, 2020 (2 Comments)

We nearly overlooked this yesterday but Ofcom has proposed to enable greater access to around 18.2GHz of Extremely High Frequency (EHF) spectrum in the 100-200GHz range, which they feel could potentially be harnessed for very high speed data links, high precision industrial use (micro positioning of robots) or health screening etc.

BT Defends Cost Proposals for Sharing Rural UK Mobile Sites

18th Jan, 2020 (19 Comments)

Last year’s £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) agreement between BT (EE), Vodafone, Three UK and O2, which will see the operators working together in order to extend geographic 4G mobile (mobile broadband) coverage to 95% of the UK by 2025, was just the start of what could be a tricky period of implementation.

Eutelsat Successfully Launch Konnect Broadband Satellite

17th Jan, 2020 (2 Comments)

European satellite operator Eutelsat has successfully launched the first of a new generation of all-electric propulsion based broadband satellites – Eutelsat Konnect – into Geostationary Orbit (GEO) around the Earth, which was put into space via an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

Ofcom UK to Make 6GHz Band Available for Faster Home Wi-Fi

17th Jan, 2020 (7 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has today proposed to free up 500MHz of spectrum in the 6GHz frequency band on a licence-exempt basis so that it can be used by the latest WiFi networks (e.g. Wi-Fi 6 / 6E – 802.11ax), which would make such networks faster, more reliable and a bit more secure.

BT is First UK ISP Partner for Google’s Stadia Cloud Gaming

17th Jan, 2020 (26 Comments)

Broadband ISP BT has today become the first UK and European distribution partner for Google’s new cloud-based online video gaming platform, Stadia, which enables gamers to remote play video / computer games – on almost any device – by streaming them live to you from a huge data centre.

F&W Networks First FTTP Broadband Network Set for Horsham

17th Jan, 2020 (15 Comments)

Last year a new full fibre developer called F&W Networks, which is being supported by retail ISP partner Hey!Broadband (H!B), cropped up with an aspiration of deploying a 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to over 1 million UK premises by 2024 (here). Now their first roll-out seems destined for Horsham.

Sky Mobile UK Add Ultrafast 5G Plans At No Extra Cost for VIPs

16th Jan, 2020 (6 Comments)

Sky (Sky Broadband) has, after a short delay, finally made ultrafast 5G technology available on their Sky Mobile plans at no extra cost (with VIP), which as part of their existing Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement is based off the new network being deployed by O2 (Telefonica UK) in the 3.4GHz band.

Community Fibre Build FTTP Broadband to 100,000 UK Premises

16th Jan, 2020 (7 Comments)

London-focused UK ISP CommunityFibre has today confirmed that the roll-out of their Gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network has now reached their first target of 100,000 premises. On top of that they have plans in place that should see this grow to 370,000 homes via 40 of London’s largest landlords.

O2 UK Follows Vodafone into Testing an OpenRAN Network

16th Jan, 2020 (1 Comment)

Mobile operator O2 (Telefonica UK) has today announced its own plans for an Open Radio Access Network (OpenRAN), which works to standardise the design and functionality of mobile network (3G, 4G or 5G) hardware and software (i.e. making network deployments more cost effective). Vodafone also plans O-RAN trials (here) in rural areas.

Government Changes UK Gigabit Broadband Voucher Rules

16th Jan, 2020 (48 Comments)

The Government has just approved some changes to the rules and eligibility criteria for both their £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) and the £200m Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) programme, which effectively harmonises both schemes and helps the funding get to the right areas.

SSE Broadband and Energy Customers Now Owned by Ovo UK

15th Jan, 2020 (0 Comments)

Millions of SSE’s retail energy, broadband ISP and home phone customers have today officially become part of Ovo after the company completed its £500m acquisition. Initially nothing is expected to change for SSE’s customers, although over time there may be more differences.

Ruling by EU Court Adviser May Hamper UK Internet Snooping

15th Jan, 2020 (2 Comments)

The Advocate General for the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), Campos Sánchez-Bordona, has today issued a landmark legal “opinion” that could effectively limit the ability of national security agencies (e.g. GCHQ) to force internet providers (e.g. broadband ISPs) into the bulk retention of personal customer data.

Vodafone UK Confirm 1Gbps FTTH Network Live in Cambridge

15th Jan, 2020 (28 Comments)

UK ISP Vodafone has today finally confirmed our report from last month (here), which revealed that their new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband network with Cityfibre had gone live in the city of Cambridge. The deployment is costing £20m and will ultimately cover around 60,000 local premises.

Virgin Media Get New CFO and Deputy CEO Ahead of Big Change

15th Jan, 2020 (10 Comments)

Cable broadband and TV operator Virgin Media UK (Liberty Global) has announced the appointment of Severina Pascu to become its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), which will become effective from 1st February 2020 and help to lead the ISP through an “exciting new growth chapter.”