Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: Politics (3100 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - Politics

Virgin Media O2 Business to Build Dark Fibre Network in Swansea

3rd September, 2024 (2 Comments)

Broadband ISP Virgin Media O2 Business (VMO2) last week won the contract to deploy a new Dark Fibre network as part of the Swansea Bay City Region project (Digital Infrastructure Programme). The new network should deliver significantly improved data capacity and speed to 36 public sector sites throughout Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

Virgin Media UK Partners with TSA Telecare Body for Digital Phone Switch

3rd September, 2024 (3 Comments)

Broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) has today given their Digital Landline Switchover (DLS) programme (i.e. migrating old analogue landline phones to IP-based services) a boost by signing a “first-of-its-kind partnership” with TSA, the telecare advisory body, to enhance the support provided to telecare users as the UK transitions to Digital Voice.

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

3rd September, 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.

MS3 and Brsk Face More Protests Against UK Broadband Poles

29th August, 2024 (34 Comments)

Alternative network operators MS3 and Brsk are separately facing more public protests against their use of wood poles for the deployment of new gigabit-speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP networks, this time in Hull (East Yorkshire) and St Helens (Merseyside), respectively.

GoFibre Grows UK FTTP Broadband Coverage to 115,000 Premises

28th August, 2024 (4 Comments)

Edinburgh-based UK alternative network ISP GoFibre (BorderLink) has revealed that their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network now covers 115,000 rural premises (RFS) across the North of England and Scotland, which is up from 105,600 premises on 17th June 2024. One of the latest locations to benefit from this is the Angus town of Forfar.

Streetwave Prep Largest Mobile Network Coverage Survey in UK History

28th August, 2024 (7 Comments)

Network analyst firm Streetwave is working with the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) to conduct what they’re called the “largest mobile coverage survey ever conducted in the UK“. This uses bin lorries to survey the coverage and speed of 4G and 5G mobile (broadband) networks across 33 West Midlands (England) and Wales councils.

62,000 Premises in Scotland Benefit from R100 Fibre Broadband Build

27th August, 2024 (3 Comments)

The latest progress update on the Scottish Government’s state aid supported £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project with Openreach (BT), which is predominantly rolling out full fibre (FTTP) broadband, has revealed that a total of 62,000 premises in some of the hardest to reach parts of the country have now been reached (up from 57,000 last month).

Telent-New-UK-Coastguard-network-radio-site

Coastguard Linked to New UK £175m Fibre Optic and Wireless Network

27th August, 2024 (2 Comments)

Technology services company Telent and His Majesty’s (HM) Coastguard have today announced that one of the UK’s largest private broadband networks, which connects 163 remote radio sites across 11,000 miles of coastline, is now operational and helping to ensure an effective emergency response for people passing through the country’s waters.

O2 SRN 4G Mobile Mast in Remote Glencoe Scotland UK PR 01072024

Rural Coalition Reiterates Concerns Over 4G Mobile Rollout to UK Gov

27th August, 2024 (10 Comments)

A coalition of 46 signatories (mostly in Scotland), including various outdoor conservation organisations, community councils / trusts and landowners, have again called on the UK government to avoid “needless damage to large areas of some of the wildest places” by reconsidering the rural expansion of 4G (broadband) mobile masts under the £1bn Shared Rural Network project.

16 New UK Publicly Funded 4G Mobile Mast Upgrades Now Live

26th August, 2024 (3 Comments)

The next batch of four government-funded rural 4G (mobile broadband) mast upgrades have gone live in some of Britain’s most visited national parks, which forms part of the industry-led £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project with EE (BT), Vodafone, Three UK and O2 (Virgin Media).

Rural-mobile-mast-side-on-hill-123RF-98872692

Mobile Operators Face Higher Rents for UK Masts on Rural Land

23rd August, 2024 (11 Comments)

A recent ruling by the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) in London means that UK mobile and broadband operators will effectively have to pay landowners of rural greenfield mast sites significantly more to place their masts, with the typical rental for such sites being expected to rise from £750 to £1,750 per year.

The 4G Mobile Infill Project in Scotland Benefitted 2,211 Premises

22nd August, 2024 (3 Comments)

The Scottish Government (SG) has revealed that their £28.75m 4G Infill Programme (S4GI), which completed earlier this year (here) after spending several years improving mobile voice and data (broadband) coverage by building 55 new masts in remote rural areas, has benefitted 2,211 homes and businesses.

Government Appoints Interim Chair of Building Digital UK Agency

22nd August, 2024 (6 Comments)

The new Labour-led Government (DSIT) has this afternoon announced that they’ve appointed Hazel Hobbs to act as the “interim” chair of their broadband and mobile centric Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency, starting on 1st September 2024. She replaces Simon Blagden, who resigned “with immediate effect“ a month ago (here).

Study Reveals State of Mobile Broadband Coverage in Ceredigion, Wales

22nd August, 2024 (7 Comments)

Mobile network analyst firm Streetwave has revealed that only EE (BT) and Vodafone UK were able to provide “Good Coverage” across more than 50% of Ceredigion’s road network in Wales. The data reflects the next batch of results from their work with Growing Mid Wales (GMW), which uses bin lorries to map local network (4G, 5G etc.) coverage and broadband speeds.

Vodafone-UK-and-Three-UK-Merger-Illustration

Opensignal Study Warns Three UK at Risk if Vodafone Merger Fails

21st August, 2024 (25 Comments)

Network benchmarking firm Opensignal has published new analysis of the “competitive headwinds” facing Three UK in the mobile market, which finds that the operator’s struggles are “driven by a low subscriber base and high churn resulting from many factors“. But it also warns that the situation could get worse if the proposed merger with Vodafone is rejected.

wireless mobile network operator uk mast and spectrum

Mobile UK Claim Half of People Would Welcome Mobile Mast on their Street

19th August, 2024 (37 Comments)

A new survey of over 1,000 adults conducted by industry trade body Mobile UK, which represents mobile operators Three UK, EE (BT), O2 (Virgin Media) and Vodafone, has claimed that 51% of respondents are not bothered or would welcome a new mobile mast on their street to help improve service performance and reliability.

BT Warn UK Lift Operators Not to Leave Users Trapped by Analogue Phone Switch Off

19th August, 2024 (6 Comments)

The CEO of telecoms and broadband provider BT Business, Bas Burger, has written a new letter to critical national infrastructure customers this week, including the likes of lift operators and medical equipment, which warns them of the need to switchover to a digital phone solution before the old analogue (PSTN) service is switched-off.