Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: Ofcom Regulation (1790 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

The Missing End of Contract Letters for Broadband and Mobile Users

27th January, 2021 (8 Comments)

A new survey of 20,376 UK people, specifically those who are responsible for either a broadband or mobile service, has found that 33% of customers whose ISP deal ended in the last year (7% on mobile) have never received an End-of-Contract Notification – via letter, text or email – and may thus be overpaying for their package.

Ofcom UK Delays Start of 700MHz and 3.6-3.8GHz 5G Auction

25th January, 2021 (22 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has today confirmed that the new COVID-19 lockdown will delay the start of their auction for the 700MHz and 3.6-3.8GHz radio spectrum bands, which was previously due to start this month. The new bands should help to improve the coverage and speed of 5G mobile (mobile broadband) networks.

Telecoms Operators Spent £940m on UK COVID-19 Support

22nd January, 2021 (5 Comments)

A new Assembly Research study has found that UK broadband ISPs and mobile operators responded quickly to the COVID-19 crisis and have so far provided a colossal £940m worth of support, such as via free allowances (data, calls and texts), special packages, zero rated data on websites, discounts and support for online learning etc.

Mobile Operators Reject Call to Stop 5G Rollout Over Health Fears UPDATE

19th January, 2021 (0 Comments)

The trade association for UK mobile operators, Mobile UK, has warned that calls for the 5G rollout to be delayed on health grounds are “without merit“. The commentary comes after Professor John William Frank (University of Edinburgh) alleged that the transmitter density required for 5G may be “potentially harmful to health.”

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Chair of UK Business Committee Pushes Social Tariff for Broadband UPDATE

19th January, 2021 (5 Comments)

The Chairman of the cross-party UK Commons Business Select Committee, Darren Jones MP (Labour), will tomorrow propose a new Private Members Bill that seeks to introduce a new low cost “social tariff” for broadband, which will be focused upon families with children on free school meals (i.e. disadvantaged groups).

BT Accused of Overcharging UK Landline Only Customers £500m+ UPDATE

17th January, 2021 (49 Comments)

BT has said they “strongly disagree” with a new court case being brought by Justin Le Patourel, a telecoms consultant who worked at Ofcom for 13 years. Justin claims that the broadband ISP overcharged c.2.3 million landline-only customers. If successful, the case could force the provider to pay out over £500m in compensation.

Ofcom Updates Scorecards for Comparing Mobile and Broadband ISPs

14th January, 2021 (6 Comments)

Ofcom and the UK Regulators Network (UKRN), which includes data from CCW, FCA, Ofgem and Ofwat, have today published an updated series of scorecards that are intended to help consumers compare several key performance areas from the largest broadband, mobile, phone, energy, water and financial providers.

Switching Study Claims 5 Million UK People Overpay for Broadband

7th January, 2021 (19 Comments)

A new survey of 3,000 UK adults has estimated that around 5.38 million households who are out of contract with their current fixed broadband ISP have been discouraged from switching provider due to a lack of confidence in the process, which it’s claimed could result in related users “overpaying” to the tune of £804m (total).

ISPs Exponential-e, Connexin and Fibre Me Plan UK FTTP Rollout

22nd December, 2020 (0 Comments)

New documents from the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, have revealed that three existing and new internet providers – Exponential-e, Connexin and Fibre Me – all appear to be planning to build their own gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband networks in the near future.

Ofcom Ponder Regulated Social Tariff for UK Broadband and Mobile

18th December, 2020 (17 Comments)

Ofcom has published the results of new research into the affordability of consumer fixed broadband and mobile internet services, which finds that 19% of UK households (19%) – c.4.7 million homes – struggle to afford their telecoms services. Some 6% have difficulties paying for their broadband, while 5% struggle with mobile bills.

Connected Nations 2020 – UK Full Fibre Covers 5 Million Premises

17th December, 2020 (11 Comments)

Ofcom has published their annual Connection Nations infrastructure report, which reveals that “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband ISP networks now cover 18% of UK premises (up from 10% last year) and 27% are within reach of a “gigabit” (1Gbps+) service (7.9 million). Meanwhile geographic 4G cover is given as a range from 79% to 85%.

ISP Plusnet Misses Ofcom’s UK Broadband Speed Code Deadline UPDATE

14th December, 2020 (42 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today singled out internet provider Plusnet for failing to introduce a key part of their new Broadband Speed Code of Practice before the deadline, which among other things requires supporting ISPs to provide customers with live sync speeds for certain lines or premises served by Openreach.

Ofcom Hits BT with £6.3m Fine for Rule Breaking in N.Ireland UPDATE

11th December, 2020 (14 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today fined BT (Openreach) £6.3m after they were found to have “failed to meet regulatory obligations” during a tender for the recent £50m Northern Ireland Public Sector Shared Network contract in 2017/18. The decision follows a complaint made by rival company Eir.

BT to Continue Discount for Landline Only UK Phone Users

10th December, 2020 (5 Comments)

ISP BT has voluntarily proposed to Ofcom that the protection it handed to UK consumers who take their landline-only phone service in 2018 (i.e. lines without broadband), which among other things cut the monthly rental from £18.99 to £11.99, should be continued for a further 5 years. We can’t see that being rejected.

Ofcom See Average UK Broadband ISP Speeds Rise to 71.8Mbps

5th December, 2020 (40 Comments)

Ofcom has published a biannual update for their latest dataset on fixed broadband speeds, which among other things found that the average (mean) actual download speed of UK residential ISPs has increased from 64Mbps (14Mbps upload) in their May 2020 report (here) to 71.8Mbps (14.2Mbps) now.

Ofcom Consults on Future UK Spectrum Management Strategy

4th December, 2020 (0 Comments)

Ofcom UK has today launched a new consultation to help define their future spectrum management strategy for the 2020s, which among other things aims to boost support for localised spectrum access (e.g. creating local wireless networks via 5G etc.) and promote greater sharing of existing spectrum in higher frequencies.

Ofcom UK Rules Out Cost-Based Prices for Full Fibre Until 2031 UPDATE

3rd December, 2020 (5 Comments)

The CEO of Ofcom UK, Dame Melanie Dawes, today told the FTTH Council Europe that the regulator intends to give operators’ deploying “full fibre” (FTTP/B) broadband networks as much flexibility to build as possible and thus doesn’t “expect to introduce cost-based prices for fibre services until at least 2031.”