Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: USO (127 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - USO

One Year Extension for UK Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme UPDATE2

14th December, 2018 (12 Comments)

The UK Government’s Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme, which offers grants worth up to £350 for rural homes and businesses that are unable to get at least a 2Mbps download speed (i.e. helps them to get a faster ISP connection installed), appears to have been extended again until the end of 2019.

Top 20 UK Fastest and Slowest Streets for Broadband Speed 2018 UPDATE

12th December, 2018 (6 Comments)

A new study has used data from 279,186 consumer speedtests to produce a list of the top 20 fastest and slowest UK streets for broadband ISP download speed. Overall Greenmeadows Park (Cheltenham) has been named the slowest on 0.14Mbps, while Abdon Avenue (Birmingham) was the fastest 265.89Mbps.

Ofcom Propose BT and KCOM to Deliver 10Mbps UK Broadband USO UPDATE

5th December, 2018 (33 Comments)

As predicted Ofcom has today proposed that BT and KCOM should be designated as the official Universal Service Providers (USP) for the Government’s new “legally binding” Universal Service Obligation (USO), which from 2020 will make it possible for those in slow speed areas to request a broadband speed of at least 10Mbps.

Ofcom to Target Better UK Mobile and Broadband Cover in 2019-20

3rd December, 2018 (2 Comments)

Ofcom has today launched a new consultation on their annual plan for 2019/20, which summarises all of the major work they intend to do next year (e.g. improving mobile coverage, new consumer protections, deciding which ISPs will deliver the 10Mbps USO for broadband and promoting investment in “fibre” networks etc.).

£6.85bn for UK Broadband and 5G Infrastructure Upgrades by 2021

26th November, 2018 (0 Comments)

The Government has today published their ‘National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline’ report, which reveals the scale of public and private investment that is underway or expected to be put toward 5G mobile and broadband ISP connectivity (especially full fibre FTTP) between 2018/19 and 2020/21 (financial year).

Telecoms Operators Win Key UK Court Case Over Building Access

13th November, 2018 (10 Comments)

The UK Government’s revised Electronic Communications Code, which is designed to make it easier and cheaper for broadband ISPs and mobile operators to build their networks, has passed an important hurdle after a court ruled that CTIL (O2 and Vodafone) could force access to land in order to conduct a survey.

UK Digital Minister Rages Against Telcos Over Ultra Cheap Wayleaves

5th October, 2018 (2 Comments)

The on-going effort to improve rural superfast broadband and mobile network coverage has taken another twist after the UK Government’s Digital Minister, Margot James MP, said it was an “outrage” that some telecoms operators were slashing rents on their infrastructure to “derisory” low levels.

Ofcom Finds Full Fibre Broadband Now Available to 5% of UK Premises

2nd October, 2018 (3 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has today published their latest Q2 2018 update to last year’s Connected Nations report, which uses more recent data from April 2018 to provide the latest coverage statistics for UK mobile and fixed line broadband networks. For example, “full fibre” (FTTP) coverage has risen to 5% (1.4 million premises).

CLA, NFU and Openreach Wayleave Deal Means Fast Rural Broadband UPDATE

25th September, 2018 (4 Comments)

Good news. A newly negotiated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and wayleave (access) agreement between key UK landowners and Openreach (BT) has today been announced, which means that the telecoms giant should find it easier to extend their superfast broadband ISP network(s) into rural areas.

ISP Gigaclear and RSN Call on Ofcom to Consider Full Fibre in its USO

18th September, 2018 (21 Comments)

The Rural Services Network and UK ISP Gigaclear have today joined others by calling on Ofcom to ensure that their forthcoming 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband will reflect the national plan for “full fibre” (FTTP) coverage, which the government hopes could reach universal coverage by 2033.

Ofcom Proposes Options to Improve UK Mobile Network Coverage

14th September, 2018 (9 Comments)

Ofcom has today published the technical advice that they recently submitted to Government, which proposes a number of ways in which near universal UK Mobile (3G, 4G, 5G) coverage might be achieved (public subsidy, rural wholesale access etc.), beyond what will be established via their forthcoming auction of the 700MHz band.

Five ISPs Express Interest in Delivering 10Mbps UK Broadband USO

13th September, 2018 (22 Comments)

Ofcom has revealed that only BT (Openreach), KCOM, Hyperoptic, Quickline and Broadway Partners have expressed a formal interest in becoming suppliers for the new Universal Service Obligation (USO), which from 2020 will make it possible for anybody in a slow speed area to request a broadband speed of at least 10Mbps.

Landowners, Telcos and UK Gov Commit to New Infrastructure Code

7th August, 2018 (0 Comments)

The Government has this afternoon issued a joint statement alongside landowners and telecoms providers (broadband ISPs and mobile network operators), which aims to put aside past “problems” over implementation of the reformed Electronic Communications Code (ECC) and reaffirm support for the changes.

Superfast Broadband for 25000 Extra Premises in the Scottish Highlands UPDATE

6th August, 2018 (4 Comments)

The Scottish Government has announced that 25,000 additional homes and businesses in Scotland’s rural Highlands and Islands will be able to access “superfast broadband” as part of a second round of extended coverage for the region, which is part of the state aid supported £428m Digital Scotland (DSSB) project.

Welsh Village Left Waiting Months for Openreach to Finish FTTP

6th August, 2018 (35 Comments)

Residents in the rural village of Blaenffos (Pembrokeshire, Wales) have been left confused after a mix of admin delays, cost concerns and conflicting feedback from ISPs resulted in the local roll-out of a new ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband network entering a lengthy state of limbo.

CBI Tells N.Ireland How to Spend £150m on Ultrafast Broadband

2nd August, 2018 (2 Comments)

A new report from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) chaired Northern Ireland Broadband Industry Forum (NIBIF) has set out how it thinks the UK Government’s £150m investment to help “provide ultra-fast broadband” (100Mbps+) should be spent. No big surprises inside.

Labour Party Pledges £1.6bn to Deliver 30Mbps UK Broadband for All

31st July, 2018 (27 Comments)

Reports claim that the UK Labour Party has committed to invest £1.6bn in order to ensure that 100% of premises can access a minimum broadband speed of 30Mbps from supporting ISPs within 4 years, which is a step up from the current plan for a 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO).

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