Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), which represents many of the UK’s alternative broadband networks, has today expressed its “huge disappointment” after Ofcom rejected the competition concerns they helped raise over a recent price cut to Openreach’s “full fibre” (FTTP) lines where proactive migrations are used.

Just to recap. Proactive migrations arise where an internet provider (ISP), not the end-customer, proposes to upgrade your older broadband service (ADSL, FTTC etc.) to FTTP and, at the same time, books an appointment for an engineer to carry out the upgrade. This forms part of Openreach’s efforts to eventually retire their old copper-line based network, services and exchanges.

Last month Openreach introduced a new offer for ISPs using this process, which essentially enabled customers to potentially be upgraded to their faster “1000/115Mbps [download/upload], 550/75Mbps and 330/50Mb bandwidth tiers for the rental price of 80/20Mbps” – lasting for up to 24 months (details). Suffice to say that this was quite a significant discount and would make upgrading much more attractive for some consumers and their ISPs.

However, a number of rival altnets told ISPreview that they viewed the new promotion, which is due to run until 9th April 2026, as being potentially anti-competitive (here). But the end of last week saw Ofcom largely reject those concerns (here), while at the same time pledging to carry out more work “over the coming months“, such as to understand the impact of the offer on Openreach’s average FTTP price levels and ISPs’ behaviour.

In response, INCA has today criticised Ofcom’s decision and accused Openreach of having “gone back on its word regarding further discounted offers”.

Paddy Paddison, CEO of INCA, said:

“This is extremely disappointing and inconsistent with Ofcom’s own objectives of promoting network competition. Altnets and their investors have responded to the government’s policy of promoting competitive network investment. They’ve invested billions of pounds in building full fibre networks in recent years to deliver faster, more reliable and highly competitive broadband services on the back of the government’s commitment to gigabit-capable roll out.

We have been pivotal to the UK’s rapid fibre deployment, bringing in much needed competition and choice into the broadband market and spurring BT Openreach to start its own fibre deployment. Despite that, BT Openreach is yet again allowed to squeeze margins below a reasonable level. It is Ofcom’s job to create a level playing field to foster network competition that will deliver the best deal for customers in the long run. The value offered by Altnets is clearly illustrated by the fact that last year three quarters of a million customers switched to Altnets.

Despite the government’s clear support for competitive network investment, including Project Gigabit funding for rural and high cost areas, it appears as if Ofcom intends to design regulation that instead allows BT Openreach to retain its stronghold on the market. The government’s recent Statement of Strategic Priorities consultation indicated clearly that government wants to promote network competition, Ofcom actions suggest that that it thinks otherwise.

This latest discounted offer risks undermining network competition by setting prices below that of a reasonably efficient operator (as calculated by Ofcom). The decision by Ofcom gives unfair advantage to BT Openreach, who have gone against their word, with their CEO previously stating to the regulator: BT Openreach does not have any current plans to change its Equinox 2 FTTP rental prices once launched and does not intend to initiate any further such changes during this market review.

Ofcom’s decision is likely to result in less choice, higher prices, and reduced innovation for consumers. We expect such an offer will encourage ISPs to accelerate the migration of their existing customer bases on copper broadband services to BT Openreach’s FTTP network, before they are able to migrate their bases to an Altnet.”

Openreach would perhaps argue that their special offer is of a different type and limited to a specific group of users on older copper lines, which is perhaps not directly comparable to the wider remit of Equinox 2. But that clearly isn’t going to hold much water with INCA, which sees a bigger picture of concerns emanating from the new offer.

Openreach’s CCO, Katie Milligan, also touched on this in October last year (here): “There are no plans for [Equinox 3 discounts on FTTP] at the moment. Openreach will do entirely what’s rational … but the priority for us at the moment is building the network at pace, and being the lowest cost builder and connector”. But as we said at the time, it’s always wise to take the phrase “no plans” with a pinch of salt, since it’s easily one of the most used and abused in the PR arsenal. Plans can and often do change, frequently at short notice.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Over the past few minutes we’ve started to receive reports from customers of Vodafone UK about a significant outage of their national network. The details are currently quite limited, with reports coming in from users of both their fixed line home broadband and mobile services, albeit mostly from mobile data (4G/5G) users.

The incident itself appears to have started at just before 3pm and is currently ongoing across the United Kingdom. Customers are broadly reporting a loss of internet connectivity on both their Vodafone linked Smartphones and home broadband connections.

Suffice to say, it’s highly unusual for a major network operator to lose data connectivity on both its mobile and fixed line platforms at the same time. We are currently investigating further.

UPDATE 4:17pm

The sheer volume of visitors trying to get news on the Vodafone outage actually knocked ISPreview’s server for six for a bit, but we’ve adjusted to a hard cache and temporarily disabled the forum to stabilise load a little. In the meantime, we’ve had the following statement:

A Vodafone spokesperson said:

“We are aware of a major issue on our network currently affecting broadband, 4G and 5G services. We appreciate our customers’ patience while we work to resolve this as soon as possible.”

Interestingly, we’re seeing that a number of other broadband and mobile operators are also experiencing problems.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Contributed Article

by Strategic Imperatives

Two models are emerging to solve the UK’s wholesale complexity. One promises convenience, the other flexibility — but which will sustain growth? 

At Connected Britain 2025, one theme came through loud and clear: the UK fibre market has never offered more choice, but that choice is creating new layers of complexity. Service providers are navigating a landscape that includes both established incumbents and a wave of AltNets, each with different systems, processes and commercial terms. 

The question is no longer whether fibre is available, but how providers can access it efficiently and at scale. Two distinct models have emerged to tackle that challenge: integration platforms and aggregation networks. At first glance they appear similar, but their approaches — and their long-term implications for providers and networks — are very different. 

The integration model: Standardising complexity 

Integration platforms act as the technical and operational “glue” between networks and service providers. Instead of building and maintaining multiple bespoke integrations, providers connect once to a standardised set of APIs and gain access to many suppliers. 

The role is not to resell services but to harmonise processes such as availability checks, ordering, fault management and billing — all of which vary by network. By translating them into a single, consistent framework, integration platforms reduce engineering overhead, operational risk and time to market. 

The result is flexibility: providers retain control over their commercial agreements, while networks of all sizes can expose their services to a wider base of buyers without additional development. 

The aggregation model: Consolidating scale 

Aggregation networks take a different approach. They bundle multiple networks under one commercial and operational framework. Service providers sign a single wholesale agreement with the aggregator, who manages the relationships, commercial terms and operational processes. 

The most established example is PXC, which brought together a broad footprint of networks including CityFibre, Community Fibre, Freedom Fibre, Trooli, Netomnia and MS3, alongside its own exchange infrastructure. PXC showed the appeal of a unified wholesale model, giving providers access to millions of premises through one contract and one interface. 

Other aggregators follow similar principles. Zen’s Fibre Hub combines CityFibre, Trooli and Freedom Fibre into one proposition, while AllPoints Fibre’s Aquila aggregates Openreach, BT Wholesale, CityFibre and its own consolidated altnets. These models offer reach and efficiency, often supported by added tools such as migration support or self-service portals. 

The trade-off is independence. Providers are limited to the networks and terms the aggregator defines, with the aggregator effectively acting as an intermediary.

Two philosophies, two outcomes 

The distinction is more than technical. It reflects two strategic philosophies: 

• Integration platforms empower choice and flexibility. Providers retain control of their commercial strategy while benefiting from standardised technical processes. 

• Aggregation networks reduce the number of contracts and integrations a provider must manage, but at the cost of flexibility and independence. 

Both approaches add value. The question is whether a provider values control and flexibility more, or the convenience of a single commercial framework. 

Market implications 

The implications are significant. 

• Integration supports inclusivity. By standardising technical processes, it lowers barriers for AltNets to join the market, allows incumbents to interoperate more easily with new entrants, and gives providers the flexibility to craft differentiated supply chains. 

• Aggregation supports consolidation. It delivers immediate scale, particularly appealing to partners in the channel, but also concentrates influence in the hands of a few large networks. 

As the market matures, both models will continue to coexist. Aggregators already rely on integration platforms behind the scenes. While the boundaries between the two models can sometimes appear blurred, their strategic philosophies remain distinct. 

Looking ahead 

The UK’s fibre rollout has created unprecedented choice, but without mechanisms to reduce friction, that choice risks becoming unmanageable. Integration and aggregation are now essential parts of the ecosystem. 

Both will continue to play a role. Aggregators provide a route to scale for partners that value convenience. But the trade-offs are clear: dependence on a single intermediary and limited flexibility. Integration, by contrast, sustains long-term growth. It lowers barriers for AltNets, supports incumbents and allows providers to retain control over their strategies. 

Ultimately, the health of the UK connectivity market will depend on the balance the industry strikes between short-term consolidation and long-term flexibility — a choice that will shape outcomes for providers, networks and customers alike. 

Keep up to date with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
Connected Britain Award winners 2025 announced!
Netomnia announces ‘powerful and ambitious’ rebrand ahead of Connected Britain
VodafoneThree drops Samsung, relies on Nokia and Ericsson for £2bn network upgrade

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Interview

At Connected Britain 2025, we caught up with Aprecomm’s Daniel Fearon to discuss the economic crunch facing the UK’s fibre altnet market and what they can do to differentiate themselves from the competition

The UK’s full-fibre broadband market has reached a critical “inflection point,” according to Aprecomm’s Senior Director Sales for Europe, Daniel Fearon. In a recent interview at Connected Britain 2025, Fearon offered a candid assessment of the market’s trajectory, suggesting that a rapid overbuild, combined with a global financial slowdown, is forcing many altnets to confront their long-term viability.

“We’ve now hit saturation point. There’s no more growth from a service provider perspective, so ISPs are now fighting to steal each other’s customers,” said Fearon. “This is a real ‘look in the mirror’, reflection moment for some of these altnets. They’ve got to decide if they’ve taken this as far as they can and begin looking for an exit, or if they can change their strategy to build a sustainable business.”

Part of the challenge these altnets face, Fearon explained, is the broadband industry’s historic preoccupation with speeds. Over the past five years, fibre networks have been built at pace using the latest technology, with a major focus on delivering speeds of over 1 Gbps. Consumers, however, have shown comparatively little interest in the fastest speeds, leaving the network operators looking for new incentives to draw in subscribers.

“Not that long ago, most customers were happy with 10 Mbps DSL. Now, they have hundreds of megabits per second, which is more than enough for most people,” said Fearon. “If these altnets want to survive, they will need to look more closely at the customer and ask, ‘what do they really want?’”

Network visibility and customer experience

Answering this question, however, is no easy feat. Customers rarely communicate their needs effectively to their service providers, leaving the CSPs to dig through obtuse network data for insights. For Fearon, improved network visibility is the foundation for creating a better customer experience.

“The CSPs need to know how people are using their networks. What types of devices are they using? When are they using them? Are they using them at the same time? If so, which device or service should get priority? These are all important questions for how best to serve the end-user,” said Fearon. “This is what our platform at Aprecomm is designed to help with.”

Aprecomm’s AI-driven customer experience platform tracks a wide variety of consumer data metrics, allowing ISPs to proactively manage customers’ Wi-Fi networks for a better experience, including optimised workflows and automated ‘self-healing’, in real time.

Perhaps more importantly, it provides the CSPs with a more granular understanding of their customers’ needs. With this visibility, they can identify trends and craft propositions that are genuinely attractive to specific segments. If the customer base shows a high concentration of young families, for example, a cybersecurity service with parental controls could be more valuable than a generic, high-speed gaming package.

Unlocking value-added services

In discussions of altnet longevity and growth at Connected Britain, the concept of value-added services (VAS) like these was never far away. At a time when altnets are desperately trying to monetise their assets and attract new customers, offering customers services beyond traditional connectivity can be very appealing.

For Fearon, however, altnets need to be careful about making these VAS the core of their offering.

“Lots of value-added services are still in their infancy – things like Wi-Fi sensing and hyperconnected smart home features. These will come in time, particularly as the number of smart home devices increases but they need to be built on a reliable foundation first,” he said, adding that services built on a weak network foundation would “fall like a house of cards” and erode customer trust.

Instead, he suggests these altnets focus on building a localised brand identity based on reliability and quality of service.

“We’ve seen some altnets really double down on their local focus, really becoming the provider of choice for the region, the community, the town,” he explained. “That’s a really powerful base to launch VAS from once you have a much better understanding of your customers’ needs.”

Customer-centricity is the key to longevity

Ultimately, the UK’s altnet community are facing a fundamental pivot away from network build-out to customer relationship management. Survival will depend on the ability to leverage network visibility and data analytics to move beyond the status quo of a commoditised ‘speed and price’ battle towards more reliable and personalised service.

“Everything starts with a reliable network and close understanding of who’s using it,” concluded Fearon. “Without that, sustainable growth will remain out of reach for these altnets.”

Grab Aprecomm’s latest whitepaper, Beyond QoS: Why QoE is the Future of Internet Performance Monitoring, to learn more.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Telecoms giants Virgin Media and O2 UK (VMO2) have today announced a refresh of their Volt bundles, which enable customers to combine both the broadband and mobile services of both providers into a single package at a discounted rate. New and upgrading customers who purchase a Volt bundle can now choose between a Classic, Plus or Ultimate Plan.

Previously only available with a Classic Plan, new and upgrading Volt customers can now choose from O2’s “full range of mobile Plans“, allowing them to also benefit from data rollover, O2 Extras included for longer, inclusive roaming in even more destinations and added McAfee Security, depending on the Plan they pick.

Volt customers can also unlock additional perks, all “at no extra cost“. The added benefits include double mobile data on all eligible O2 mobile Plans in the household (i.e. customers with 10GB will get 20GB), a broadband speed boost to the next fastest tier (e.g. if you have 100Mbps then you’d get 200Mbps) and their WiFi guarantee (30Mbps+ download speeds in every room or £100 credit back).

Alongside double mobile data and the usual access to VMO2’s Priority rewards scheme, Volt mobile customers can also benefit from:

Key Features of Refreshed Volt Bundles

Classic Plan – Available as standard, it offers customers additional benefits at no extra cost, including:

• EU roaming: O2 is the only major UK network to offer inclusive EU roaming as standard including texts, calls and up to 25GB data for no extra while they’re away.
• O2 Extra: Customers can enjoy up to three months of access to partners including Disney+ and Amazon Prime, on O2.
• O2 Travel Inclusive Zone: If a customer picks a Classic Plan as part of their Volt bundle, they’ll get O2 Travel Inclusive Zone as a Volt benefit, so they can roam in 75 countries, including 49 EU countries (up to 25GB) and USA, Mexico, Canada and Australia.

Plus Plan – All the benefits of Classic Plan as well as:

• Data rollover: Customers can take last month’s unused data from their main allowance into the next. Included with Pay Monthly Plus and Ultimate Plans when customers take out a phone, tablet or SIM. Data that’s rolled over lasts for one month.
• O2 Travel Inclusive Zone: O2 customers with a Plus Plan can roam-on in 75 countries, including 49 EU countries (up to 25GB) and USA, Mexico, Canada and Australia.
• O2 Extra: Customers can benefit from six months of access to partners including Disney+ and Amazon Prime, on O2.

Ultimate Plan – Customers can enjoy added value per contract including:

• Data rollover: Customers can take last month’s unused data from their main allowance into the next. Included with Pay Monthly Plus and Ultimate Plans when customers take out a phone, tablet or SIM. Data that’s rolled over lasts for one month.
• O2 Extra: Customers can unlock even more value with an O2 Extra included for the lifetime of their Ultimate Plan – choosing from memberships such as Disney+ Premium Plan, Amazon Prime and Cafeyn.
• McAfee Security: This includes antivirus, safe browsing and identity protection, usually £4.99 per month.
• O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Ultimate​: Ideal for globe trotters, customers can roam freely in more countries than ever before (123 countries worldwide), including the USA, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey and Dubai.

Christian Hindennach, Chief Commercial Officer at VMO2, said: “We’re always looking to give our customers more choice and flexibility, and this latest update to Volt does just that. By introducing Classic, Plus and Ultimate Plan SIMs, new and upgrading Volt customers now have more flexibility to tailor their mobile experience to suit their needs. Whether that’s enjoying more data, added security with McAfee, or inclusive roaming in even more destinations, it’s all part of our commitment to deliver great value and powerful connectivity through Virgin Media and O2.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Deputy CEO of national network access provider Openreach (BT), Katie Milligan, has warned that until “the market really stabilises” then they won’t be able to predict when their current broadband line losses to rivals will stop (Openreach lost 707k in 2024 and expects to lose about 900,000 this financial year).

BT Group’s most recent trading update to the end June 2025 (Q1 FY26) revealed that Openreach lost another 169,000 total broadband lines to rival networks over the past quarter, which was mercifully down from 243k in the prior quarter. But the expectation is that the rate of losses for Q2 (H1) FY26 could pick up again, partly due to Sky Broadband’s recent partnership with CityFibre that already appears to be having a big impact (here).

Openreach has previously pointed out that most of these losses tend to come from areas where they’ve yet to deploy their new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network (i.e. those covered by copper-based ADSL/FTTC services), which is one of the key reasons why they’ve adopted such a rapid fibre build. A number of rivals initially did tend to target such areas with their own FTTP networks in order to gain a first-mover advantage.

According to a new article in TheTimes (paywall), Milligan also indicated that line losses had been further fuelled by the cost-of-living crisis and a downturn in house building, which has pushed more households to get online via mobile broadband (e.g. Tethering from their handsets). But this aspect likely only accounts for a smaller portion of the losses.

Katie Milligan said:

“The whole point of people investing in fixed infrastructure was on the premise that the UK market would continue to grow both in terms of the number of customers adopting broadband but also as a result of house building and growth continuing, which hasn’t happened.

Until the market really stabilises and we know what the market growth or contraction is, we’re not going to call it.”

We’d disagree with Milligan’s “whole point” remark above. Once Openreach’s rivals started competitively building FTTP and delivering gigabit broadband at scale, then the incumbent either had to respond to that or risk a slow descent into obscurity by remaining reliant on their ageing copper line infrastructure, which could not keep competitive pace. Consumers also demanded faster and more reliable connectivity than copper lines could offer.

In terms of where Openreach might end up in the future. James Ratzer, an analyst at New Street Research, expects that Openreach may get a lower return on their fibre project than once expected and predicts that customer losses would continue until at least 2030. However, the CEO of BT Group, Allison Kirkby, has already recognised that they’ll end up with a “smaller market share, but it’ll be a more valuable modern-day asset” (here).

As Kirkby said back in May 2025, the group has “got to be competitive, rather than just accept that every line we can lose forever … BT needs to transform. We need to be a more modern day, more nimble company that moves faster … We were about half the productivity of our peers .. that’s what we had to address” (this reflects a lot of their network modernisation, redundancies and copper retirement work etc.).

All of this helps to explain why the BT Group is currently lobbying Ofcom to further soften regulation in competitive areas so they can compete more effectively with often cheaper rivals, which is something the regulator has been examining as part of their 5-yearly Telecoms Market Review (TAR). As Openreach’s Mark Shurmer, MD of Regulatory Affairs, said: “[consumers are being] denied the benefits of competition … Prices are higher than they need be and they’re propping up inefficient entry in the market.”

Openreach’s rivals, many of which are carrying significant financial risks in order to take on the dominant players and are also under pressure from wider market strains (i.e. rising build costs, high interest rates, network competition), naturally disagree with the above viewpoint. Most tend to feel that allowing the incumbent too much freedom too soon could create an anti-competitive environment that chokes off their growth and might ultimately lead to a less competitive market.

As usual, Ofcom has the fun job of trying to find some balance between so many competing interests.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Rochdale-based UK broadband ISP Zen Internet has today appointed Paul North as Managing Director (MD) of its Partner division. At the same time, Stephen Warburton, who previously ran Zen’s Partner division for over 20 years and was also holding responsibility for Zen’s Consumer divisions, will now be able to focus exclusively on the consumer side of things.

The move reflects Zen’s recent shift to develop their Fibre Hub (i.e. an alternative network aggregation platform for use by other ISPs), which requires a much greater and more dedicated focus on Partners than existed before.

Paul (Pictured – Left) is said to be bringing two decades of channel experience, having previously held senior leadership roles at Entanet (CityFibre) and Giganet (AllPoints Fibre Networks).

Richard Tang, Founder and CEO of Zen Internet, said:

“Paul’s arrival marks an exciting new chapter for our Partner division. He has a record for building successful wholesale businesses, but what really stands out is his passion for people and partners. That’s exactly what Zen is all about. With Paul at the helm, our partners can expect even greater focus, energy, and support as we move forward.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Government has today informed ISPreview that its Building Digital UK (BDUK) executive agency, which has responsibility for delivering gigabit broadband and better mobile connectivity across the nation (e.g. the £5bn Project Gigabit scheme), is to be integrated back into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) from 1st November 2025.

Regular readers might recall that the previous Conservative government turned BDUK into an Executive Agency back in April 2022 (here). The move was intended to give BDUK more operational autonomy to focus on deploying its various digital infrastructure programmes, while also establishing a new corporate governance structure for an extra layer of scrutiny and technical oversight.

Despite the change, BDUK remained legally within DCMS (now DSIT) and retained a close relationship with their policy officials. However, the new Labour-led government have been on a mission to review all Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) – also known as quangos – since earlier this year, which has been conducted with a “presumption of closure, merger, or return of functions to departments“.

The review is known to have been assessing ALBs based on four key principles (set out below) and those that failed to demonstrate the necessity of each one were more likely than others to face changes (as above). The exception being where independence from Ministerial decision-making is essential (not relevant to BDUK), such as quangos which scrutinise government or protect the rule of law.

The Four Key Principles:

➤ Ministerial policy oversight – if a policy is of national importance then Ministers should have appropriate oversight and control of its development. Major decisions that affect the country and the public should be taken by those elected by the country to do so.

➤ Duplication and Efficiency – government should drive out duplication and inefficiency wherever possible, this includes if there is duplication of policy or delivery work between ALBs and Ministerial departments.

➤ Stakeholder Management – the fact that government needs to engage stakeholders should not be a reason for an ALB to exist, government itself should be working hard to engage with a variety of partners at every stage.

➤ Independent Advice – where there is a clear justification for independent advice, then this should be conducted at arms length.

Sadly, we don’t know how BDUK scored on each of these, although clearly the government felt as if the right course of action was to reintegrate it back into DSIT.

Written Ministerial Statement by Ian Murray

Today I am announcing that Building Digital UK (BDUK) will be integrated into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) from 1 November 2025. BDUK is currently an executive agency of the department and will become a directorate within the Digital Technologies and Infrastructure group.

This move comes following the Cabinet Office’s review into Arm’s Length Bodies launched in April. The decision continues DSIT’s growth into the UK Government’s department of digital delivery, helping to accelerate innovation and drive economic growth across the country. It builds on the integration of other digital delivery bodies, including the Government Digital Service (GDS) and the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) into DSIT.

BDUK will continue to lead the delivery of the government’s vital digital infrastructure programmes, Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network. These programmes remain central to the Government’s Plan for Change and 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, supported by £1.9bn of funding announced in the Spending Review.

Thanks to BDUK’s work, we have already achieved 85% gigabit broadband coverage across the UK, and 95% 4G coverage, meeting both these targets a year ahead of schedule.

Integrating BDUK into DSIT will ensure that its operational expertise is embedded at the heart of Government, enabling more effective delivery of digital infrastructure and supporting our wider ambition to accelerate innovation and drive economic growth across the UK.

We will work closely with staff, unions and stakeholders to manage the integration over the coming months.

One of the concerns with a change like this stems from whether or not it will cause any negative impacts, such as in terms of the resources that BDUK can currently call on (staffing etc.) or the risk of additional admin delays to their current processes. Quite a few of the network operators that we engage with often reflect a view that the organisation can be too slow and thus under-resourced when responding to their needs and projects.

We can only hope that today’s change is going to make things better, not worse, although in reality they might just stay the same.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The saying goes that criminals will steal anything that isn’t bolted down, but the opposite now seems to be true in Nottinghamshire (England), where a spate of recent metal thefts has seen criminals making off with the steel covers from several of Virgin Media’s (O2) broadband and phone street cabinets.

The situation, which typically leaves such cabinets exposed to the elements and thus at risk of damage, is unusual because unlike the normal targets of metal theft in telecoms networks (e.g. copper cables, batteries etc.), the relatively thin steel of such cases doesn’t tend to attract much value from scrap metal yards (e.g. prices vary, but it can be as much as around £200 per tonne; you’d need to steal a fair few cabinet shells to reach a tonne).

According to the BBC News, which identified the problem and has some pictures of the exposed cabinets, a number of covers for Virgin Media’s street cabinets have recently been stolen around the Nottinghamshire area. Naturally, Virgin Media has asked local residents not to touch or go near the cabinets until engineers could attend, although the operator said the safety risk was low.

So far as we can tell from the pictures, most of the cabinets that have been targeted seem to be of the older and smaller variety, which may carry Virgin Media’s Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) based DOCSIS 3.1 network (broadband, phone and TV). But we have seen some other evidence of modern cream coloured FTTP carrying cabinets also being targeted in different areas.

A Spokesperson for VMO2 said:

“Unfortunately, following a recent wave of metal theft in the Nottingham area, covers of cabinets housing broadband equipment have been targeted and stolen.

If residents in the area notice any cabinets with missing lids, they are advised to report this to the relevant operator.”

Sadly, the perpetrators of such crimes never have any regard for the harm they could cause to locals, some of which are dependent upon related services and would be at risk if local services were to be disrupted.

Problems with Virgin Media’s cabinets can typically be reported by dialling 0330 333 0444 or posting to this thread on Virgin Media’s Community Forum.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Business broadband and phone provider Planet Telecom has announced the launch of SIMOVO, which is said to be a new UK-based mobile eSIM-only operator built for “modern travellers who want a simpler, more flexible way to stay connected in the UK and abroad“.

The current market isn’t exactly short on travel focused eSIM-only providers, but now you have another option to consider alongside all of those. “With support for over 180 countries, instant QR code activation, and no roaming fees, SIMOVO is designed to make it easier than ever to connect your device without the need for physical SIM cards or complicated setup,” said a spokesperson to ISPreview.

In terms of what you can get, general data plans start at around £2 for 1GB of mobile broadband data for 7 Days in Spain and the USA (examples only) and go up from there. Options also exist for “unlimited data“, albeit with caveats.

In terms of those caveats, you can choose to get “high speeds” for the first 500MB, 1GB and 2GB etc. of “unlimited data” consumed. But after that you’ll be throttled “with 2G speeds after daily high-speed use” – the T&Cs define this as 0.5Mbps, which is poor but sadly not uncommon for travel eSIM providers.

Robin James, Managing Director of Planet Telecom, told ISPreview:

“SIMOVO was built to make staying connected abroad as effortless as possible. We wanted to remove the frustrations travellers face – from expensive roaming charges to physical SIM hassles – and replace them with a solution that works anywhere, activates instantly, and gives people full control over their data.”