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Articles for Category Tag - Politics

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Government Evaluation of UK Flexi-Permits Trial Opts to Sit on the Fence

10th April, 2026 (2 Comments)

The Government has published an evaluation of recent flexi-permit trials, which is a process that UK mobile and broadband operators have been requesting for some years. But despite most of the feedback being positive, the number of caveats involved meant the evaluation was “not able to make a definitive recommendation either in favour of or against proceeding with flexi-permit legislation“.

UK Gov Shortlists Sir Ian Cheshire to Chair Ofcom as Michael Grade Exits

9th April, 2026 (1 Comment)

The Government have announced that Sir Ian Cheshire has been shortlisted as their preferred candidate to become the next Chair of UK telecoms, internet and media regulator, Ofcom – subject to a parliamentary hearing before final appointment. The post is currently held by Michael Grade (Lord Grade of Yarmouth), but his 4-year term is due to end on 30th April 2026.

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Streetwave UK Find Big Gap in Mobile Broadband Coverage Across Moray

9th April, 2026 (5 Comments)

Network analyst firm Streetwave have today shared the results from a recent survey they conducted, which tested the mobile broadband coverage and performance of 4G and 5G networks – including EE, Three UK, Vodafone and O2 – across the Moray Council area in Scotland. Overall the study found a 40 point performance gap between the best and worst mobile networks.

WightFibre Join UK Government Charter to Stop Unexpected Bill Increases

9th April, 2026 (2 Comments)

Broadband provider WightFibre, which operates its own independent gigabit speed Full Fibre (FTTP) network across the Isle of Wight – just off the South Coast of Hampshire in England, has this week become the latest ISP to sign up to the Government’s new Telecoms Consumer Charter (TCC).

Ofcom UK Expected to Fine IX Wireless Over Visual Impact of 15m High Broadband Pole

8th April, 2026 (10 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today provisionally found “reasonable grounds for believing” that wireless broadband operator IX Wireless (supported by UK ISP 6Gi / Opus Broadband) broke its rules by failing in its duty to minimise the visual impact of a 15-metre metal mast / pole when it was installed in Rochdale during 2023.

Government Publish Results from 19 UK 5G Open Network Projects

3rd April, 2026 (1 Comment)

The UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has published the results from their £80.5m programme to support the development of open network solutions, such as 5G based OpenRAN on mobile broadband networks and other technologies, which began in 2023 (here).

TFW Fibre Extends Railway Full Fibre Network into Central Cardiff, Wales

2nd April, 2026 (4 Comments)

Network operator TfW Ffeibr (TFW Fibre), which is an arm’s-length initiative setup by Transport for Wales (TfW) and thus the Welsh Government, has today announced that their railway based full fibre broadband and Ethernet network has been extended off the Core Valley Lines train-tracks and into the heart of Cardiff’s city centre – all the way down to Cardiff Bay.

Ofcom Find 6 Percent of All UK Adults Still Do Not Have Home Internet Access

2nd April, 2026 (17 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today published their annual Media Use and Attitudes 2026 report, which among other things found that the proportion of UK adults without home internet access remains unchanged at 6%. Some 83% of that group are aged 65+ (66% for those aged 75+).

BT Confirm Delay to Subsea Fibre Optic Cable Repair Ship for Orkney

31st March, 2026 (2 Comments)

The UK telecoms giant, BT, has confirmed that a subsea cable repair ship, which is needed to resolve the recent break between Evie on the Orkney Mainland and nearby Westray, has been delayed due to bad weather and will not now arrive to carry out the work until next week. But local 4G mobile connectivity has been improved.

Openreach, Fibrus, Wifinity and Airband to Secure Wales Broadband Contracts UPDATE

30th March, 2026 (1 Comment)

The Welsh Government (WG) has appointed several network operators, including Openreach (BT), Fibrus, Wifinity and Airband, to deliver their £70m (public subsidy) Extending High Speed Broadband (EHSB) project – extending “high speed broadband” across a total of around 29,000 premises in poorly served areas of Wales (i.e. places that can’t yet access 30Mbps+ speeds).

Welsh Gov Appoint FarrPoint to Survey Superfast Broadband Coverage

27th March, 2026 (0 Comments)

The Welsh Government (WG) have this week appointed FarrPoint to undertake an Open Market Review (OMR) to provide an “updated view of superfast broadband connectivity” across Wales at the premises level. The move is intended to help inform their £70m (public subsidy) Extending High Speed Broadband (EHSB) project.

Gov Set New Fixed Telecoms Charter for UK Analogue Phone and Exchange Closures

24th March, 2026 (7 Comments)

The UK Government appears to have published a revised Fixed Telecoms Modernisation Charter (FTMC), which sets out the steps that fixed line broadband and phone providers must take to ensure that customers “remain safe” during the current switch-off of analogue phone (PSTN) services and future closure of thousands of Openreach’s legacy exchanges.

Government Reveal Progress of UK Digital Inclusion Action Plan After 1 Year

24th March, 2026 (1 Comment)

The UK Government has published its first annual progress report on their new Digital Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), which was launched in Feb 2025 alongside support from various broadband and mobile providers. The plan contained a series of “urgent actions” that it hoped would “begin fixing digital exclusion“ and the new report appears to be broadly positive.

BT Switch 3 Million UK Homes to Digital Voice Ahead of Legacy Phone Switch Off

20th March, 2026 (51 Comments)

Broadband and phone provider BT (EE) has today revealed that the majority of its landline phone using customers, over 3 million UK households, have now successfully switched to its IP-based Digital Voice service. But there’s still more to go ahead of the analogue phone switch-off in January 2027. Some 80% of BT’s business voice customers have also switched.

Subsea Cable Break Knocks Out Broadband and Mobile for Part of Orkney UPDATE

20th March, 2026 (20 Comments)

A BT subsea fibre optic cable that runs between Evie on the Orkney Mainland and nearby Westray, which forms part of an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland, has suffered a “major” break that’s disrupting both broadband and some mobile (Vodafone / Three UK and O2) connectivity for over 500 customers in the North Isles (inc. Eday, Stronsay and Sanday).

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March 2026 Contract Progress for UK Project Gigabit Broadband Rollout

19th March, 2026 (2 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency has today released their March 2026 update on the delivery progress of contracts that have been awarded under their £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme. The update reveals that some 227,310 contracted premises (up from 215,380 in Feb 2026) have so far been covered out of a planned total of 1,020,160.

UK Government Seeks to do More with OneWeb’s Broadband Satellites

18th March, 2026 (2 Comments)

The Government’s Minister for Digital Government and Data, Ian Murray MP, has indicated that they’re looking closely at how their stake in OneWeb’s (Eutelsat) constellation of ultrafast broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) could be used to ensure domestic communications resilience in remote areas; as opposed to becoming too reliant on Elon Musk’s Starlink.