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Articles for Category Tag - USO

10Mbps UK Broadband Universal Service Obligation to Go Live UPDATE3

19th March, 2020 (83 Comments)

The UK Government’s new legally-binding Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband – supplied by ISPs BT and KCOM – will tomorrow go live. The aim is to ensure that anybody living in a digitally disadvantaged area can request a “minimum” download speed of at least 10Mbps (1Mbps upload), but there are caveats.

A Curious Case of 10Mbps USO Eligibility in Existing FTTH Areas

8th February, 2020 (44 Comments)

The Government’s new 10Mbps+ Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband is due to start next month, although for some ISPs Ofcom’s approach to eligibility has created a few puzzled faces. As a result some people may live in areas covered by a 1Gbps FTTH ISP, yet still be able to request the USO.

Ofcom Start Major Review to Boost UK Full Fibre Broadband Market

8th January, 2020 (20 Comments)

The national telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today launched their first combined Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review 2021-26 (FTMR), which proposes major changes to help boost investment in “full fibre” broadband and high capacity Ethernet (leased line) services for both the residential and business connectivity markets.

Ofcom UK Propose Predictable Annual Work Plan for 2020-21

7th January, 2020 (0 Comments)

Just like clockwork the UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today proposed a new annual work plan for the next year. The generalised summary covers everything from improving fairness for consumers (e.g. end-of-contract notifications), internet regulation and boosting the roll-out of faster broadband ISP and mobile services etc.

2019 H2 – UK Superfast Broadband Covers 96.5% as FTTP on 11%

6th January, 2020 (25 Comments)

The latest independent model has estimated that the H2 coverage of fixed “superfast broadband” (24Mbps+) ISP networks across the United Kingdom has risen to 96.45% (up from 96.1% in H1), while “full fibre” (FTTP) now reaches 11.01% of premises (up from 8.13%) and 59.30% can get 100Mbps+ (up from 57.5%).

Interview – Openreach on UK FTTP Rollout, Competition and Future Plans

21st December, 2019 (48 Comments)

Yesterday Openreach (BT) announced the milestone of having covered 2 million UK premises with Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband technology (here). As part of that we’ve conducted an exclusive interview with the operator’s MD for Fibre and Network Delivery, Kevin Murphy, to talk about their future fibre plans.

Connected Nations 2019 – 3 Million UK Premises Can Get Full Fibre

20th December, 2019 (10 Comments)

Ofcom has today published their Connection Nations 2019 UK digital infrastructure report, which reveals that “full fibre” (FTTP) broadband ISP networks now cover 10% of premises (up from 6% last year) and “ultrafast” (300Mbps+) lines reach 53% (up from 49%). Sadly geographic 4G cover from all operators is unchanged at 66%.

Highlands to Switch-off ConCom Wireless Broadband Network

18th December, 2019 (0 Comments)

The Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has announced that the publicly funded Connected Communities (ConCom) wireless network, which since 2005 has been bringing slow broadband speeds of up to 4Mbps to the remote rural Outer Hebrides of Scotland, is set to close in March 2020.

£165m N.Ireland Broadband Project to Target 97000 Premises

16th December, 2019 (4 Comments)

The Department for the Economy has issued a small update on their long-in-gestation £165m Project Stratum scheme, which after two consultations has finally confirmed that some 97,000 premises are eligible to be upgraded with a “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) network under their future roll-out programme.

Owner of Multi-Million Pound UK Flat Sues Over Poor Broadband

9th December, 2019 (30 Comments)

The owner of a £2.95m 30th floor apartment in The Heron (Barbican, London), 70 year old travel boss Stephen Shalson, is suing the building’s owners – Heron Residences LLP – for £97,300 after he moved in to find that the property didn’t have good broadband, which forced him to get online via external locations instead (cafes etc.).

Study Claims 236 UK Constituencies Have Poor Broadband and Mobile

7th December, 2019 (23 Comments)

A new study from consumer magazine Which? has claimed that people living in 36% of UK constituency areas (236 of the 650 total) do not have access to “decent 4G [mobile] or broadband” services. The study was based on old data from Ofcom and found that areas in rural Scotland and Wales bore the brunt of the problem.

Top 10 UK Fastest and Slowest Streets for Broadband Speed 2019

4th December, 2019 (8 Comments)

A new report has used data from 122,845 consumer speedtests to identify both the top 10 fastest and slowest UK streets for broadband download speed, which claims that Kingsclere in Huntington (York) was the “slowest” on 0.22Mbps and Darwin St in Livingston (West Lothian) was the “fastest” at 182.52Mbps. Beware caveats.

Mobile Operators Win Key UK Appeal Case Over Building Access

27th November, 2019 (0 Comments)

The Court of Appeal has upheld a key judgement in favour of Cornerstone (umbrella company for O2 and Vodafone’s network sharing), which means that 4G / 5G mobile and broadband operators can force access to land in order to conduct a survey. The case was a key test of the revised Electronic Communications Code (ECC).

Ofcom Consult on Funding for the 10Mbps UK Broadband USO

5th November, 2019 (10 Comments)

Ofcom has today opened a new consultation on the funding (compensation) arrangements for BT and KCOM’s forthcoming Universal Service Obligation (USO), which is due to begin on the 20th March 2020 and aims to ensure that everybody can request a minimum broadband speed of “at least” 10Mbps (1Mbps upload).

The Rural UK Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme is No More

31st October, 2019 (1 Comment)

The UK Government’s Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme, which offered grants worth up to £350 to rural homes and businesses that were unable to get at least a 2Mbps download speed (i.e. helping to get a faster ISP connection installed), will unsurprisingly NOT be extended for another year beyond 2019.

Hints of a Bidder Shortlist for £165m N.Ireland Broadband Project

30th October, 2019 (11 Comments)

BT (Openreach), ISP Fibrus and private investment firm Granahan McCourt Capital (GMC) have all reportedly been linked with bids for Northern Ireland’s £165m Project Stratum, which aims to ensure that most of the 98,000 premises still awaiting access to “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) can get it.

Small UK Businesses Demand Action to Improve Broadband

16th October, 2019 (7 Comments)

A new report from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has demanded action from the UK Government after they surveyed 1,136 small businesses. The results found that 30% of such firms still receive ISP download speeds of less than 10Mbps (rising to 39% in rural areas) and nearly half struggle with “unreliable mobile signals.“