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 warned Ofcom “not to relinquish statutory price regulation” on Openreach via recently proposed changes (here) to their Wholesale Local Access (WLA) pricing remedies under the 5-yearly Telecoms Access Review 2026 (TAR).

Just to recap. The regulator recently proposed an alternative approach to setting charge controls for Openreach’s regulated 80Mbps broadband product. “Openreach has suggested that, rather than Ofcom imposing charge control regulations on its 80/20 product, they instead amend their contracts with customers to achieve the same outcome,” said Ofcom, which views the proposal as being “likely to achieve similar outcomes to the charge control and therefore could be a more proportionate way of meeting our objectives.”

However, INCA is naturally wary of any change that would relinquish statutory price regulation in favour of relying on Openreach’s private contractual mechanisms, which they claim “amounts to the regulator stepping back from its duty to enforce fair pricing and support competition in the UK broadband market“. But Ofcom contends that the outcome for consumers and ISPs would be similar to the regulated approach.

Nevertheless, INCA believes this shift would reduce regulatory certainty, as “contract-based mechanisms are not directly enforceable by Ofcom in the way statutory price controls are“. But Ofcom’s consultation stated that Openreach would have “no ability to unilaterally change” the conditions during Ofcom’s 5-year market review period, until 2031.

Paddy Paddison, Chief Executive of INCA, said:

“This proposal asks the entire market to place trust in the incumbent. BT Openreach has no incentive to promote competition, yet Ofcom appears willing to rely on a contract-led workaround rather than the statutory powers designed to protect consumers and ensure a level playing field.

INCA also notes a broader pattern in recent consultations, where major changes have been introduced late in the process based largely on submissions from the incumbent operator. INCA believes that such late-stage adjustments, without adequate time for industry scrutiny, risk creating unnecessary uncertainty for investors and operators.

INCA has further highlighted concerns about the cashflow effects of Equinox’s quarterly refund structure, which requires operators to carry costs for several months before discounts are applied – an arrangement that can disproportionately impact Altnets.

Our intention is to work constructively with Ofcom. We want to ensure that any new approach supports competition, continued investment and strong consumer outcomes that Altnets provide.”

Ofcom has yet to make a final decision on what approach they will take, but the outcome is expected to be revealed alongside their final TAR statement in March 2026.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) has today announced that they’ve opened up their new constellation of ultrafast broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to early testing by selected enterprise customers. The move is being supported by the launch of their new Leo Ultra terminal, which offers download speeds “up to” 1Gbps (400Mbps uploads).

The company currently has approval to deploy and operate their own constellation of 3,236 LEO satellites as part of Project Kuiper Amazon Leo (altitudes of between 590km to 630km). A total of over 150 satellites have already been placed into orbit via six successful rocket launches, which includes two of their initial prototypes – Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2. But many more are due to follow over the next few years.

The full commercial launch of this service, which will ultimately sell products direct to consumers, businesses and the public sector via a selection of different terminals, isn’t expected until sometime in 2026 (they need to launch more satellites first to reach a basic level of global coverage and network capacity). But before then they’ve today carried out their promise to launch an “enterprise preview” (beta test) of the service with “select business customers“.

The preview will allow their early enterprise customers (JetBlue, Hunt Energy Company etc.) to “begin testing the network using production hardware and software“, while also giving the Amazon Leo teams “an opportunity to collect more customer feedback and tailor solutions for specific industries ahead of a broader rollout“.

Some of the company’s enterprise-grade features including network management tools, advanced encryption across the network, and 24/7 priority customer support. The service is designed to support critical business applications including real-time data processing, remote operations management, and secure communications for teams working in field locations.

The enterprise solution also connects directly to Amazon Web Services (AWS), as well as other cloud and on-premise networks, allowing customers to securely move data from remote assets to private networks without touching the public internet.

Amazon Leo’s Two Primary Private Networking Solutions

Direct to AWS

With Direct to AWS (D2A), AWS customers can connect directly to their cloud workloads using an AWS Transit Gateway or AWS Direct Connect Gateway through a point-and-click interface on the Amazon Leo web console, simplifying network management and lowering latency.

Private Network Interconnect

Enterprises and telecommunications providers can also establish private network interconnects (PNI) at major colocation facilities to connect remote locations directly to their data center or core network, enabling Private Networking in days rather than the weeks or months typically required to deploy traditional private circuits.

In addition, Amazon are supporting this with the launch of their new 1Gbps capable Leo Ultra terminal, which appears to share the same core performance specs as the Pro terminal that was previously announced, albeit with a sleeker design. Confusingly, Amazon Leo then states that it will be shipping units of both “Leo Pro and Leo Ultra” to select companies as part of this new enterprise preview.

The announcement also includes a video of the new terminal, which pitches the kit as the “world’s fastest satellite antenna” (difficult to substantiate as “antenna” is quite a broad definition), albeit still too early for any details on the price of their Enterprise solution and hardware.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The mobile operator says the upgrades will help facilitate the rollout of electric vehicles across the country

Virgin Media O2 (O2) has announced 4G and 5G coverage improvements on more than 40 major UK motorways and A roads, spanning almost 600 miles. The improvements cover routes including the M1 (London to Leeds), M4 (London to Bristol), M6 (Coventry to Carlisle), and M8 (Glasgow to Edinburgh).

The improvements include the improvement of  4G at over 300 mobile sites and construction more than 330 new 5G sites along these key transport routes.

This initiative forms part of O2’s £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan, which broadly targets enhancing 5G and 4G network coverage across the UK, including dense urban centres, transport hubs, stadiums, and major roads. The operator plans to extend similar enhancements to other key routes such as the A14 (Rugby to Ipswich), M20 (London to Folkestone), and A75 (Gretna to Stranraer) in the future.

In tandem with these upgrades, O2 has expanded its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network to cover over 70% of the UK population, enabling faster speeds, lower latency, and broader outdoor network coverage in 500 towns and cities, a move designed to future-proof connectivity standards nationwide.

O2 is positioning the upgrades as a key enabler for the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). National polling conducted by the operator revealed that 76% of EV drivers are concerned about losing mobile connectivity, which can hinder their ability to locate and pay for public charging points. This anxiety about signal reliability even surpasses ‘range anxiety’, the worry about depleting battery before reaching a charger, which affects 68% of EV drivers.

O2’s press release also notes that the EV charging company Believ – backed by O2’s owner Liberty Global – is concurrently deploying up to 30,000 new public charging points across the UK, including in areas where O2 has enhanced mobile coverage.

“Connectivity underpins a huge part of the driving experience today, but particularly for EVs. By optimising coverage on more than 40 motorways and A roads as part of our £700 million investment in our Mobile Transformation Plan, we’re helping make every journey safer and more reliable. Alongside Believ’s new charging points, this is about removing barriers so more people can make the switch to electric with confidence,” said Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.

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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

London-based broadband provider Pulse Fibre, which focuses on deploying Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) internet connections into new build UK home developments and MDUs (here), have recently enhanced their existing financial support incentives by launching a £100 million rebate programme for property developers.

Pulse Fibre have long offered a rebate program, primarily for property developers, to help offset costs when integrating their full fibre broadband infrastructure into new developments. But the provider has now announced that they intend to underwrite a £100m investment in “substantial rebates” over the next 5 years.

“By partnering with Pulse Fibre, developers can offset development costs through a rebate programme that helps reduce the financial burden of fibre installation, freeing up capital for other key areas of construction. Each property is delivered with full-fibre connectivity from day one, ensuring fast, symmetrical broadband that enhances both sales appeal and buyer satisfaction,” said the announcement.

The provider points out that the installation of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology often represents a “small percentage of total build costs“, albeit one that can have a “disproportionately large impact on buyer satisfaction and property value“. Naturally, homes with access to full-fibre broadband are almost always more attractive to purchasers.

Pulse Fibre Statement

The company works closely with construction partners to streamline installation, coordinate with site timelines, and ensure minimal disruption during the build process.

With infrastructure costs rising and digital expectations higher than ever, now is the time for developers to explore Pulse Fibre’s rebate initiative. Whether planning the next site or already breaking ground, partnering with Pulse Fibre ensures that every home is equipped with the connectivity needed for a truly modern lifestyle.

The announcement dropped into our inbox today, but according to their website the new rebate was actually first launched around the end of July 2025. What’s less clear is how a smaller business like Pulse Fibre (company accounts) can underwrite such developments by often bigger businesses, although they could be doing this by assuming the risk for larger entities in the context of specific commercial arrangements.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The system, dubbed TalayLink, will connect South Thailand to Western Australia, with a stop at Christmas Island, where Google is building an AI data hub

Today, Google Cloud has unveiled TalayLink, a new subsea cable linking Australia and Thailand. The system, Google says, will help improve digital connectivity, reliability, and network resilience across the Asia-Pacific region.

This initiative builds on Google’s earlier announcements under the Australia Connect project, with TalayLink charting a new route via the Indian Ocean west of the Sunda Strait. By avoiding heavily congested paths, this new cable system will strengthen the fabric of Google’s global network, particularly connecting to its planned data centres and cloud region in Thailand.

The name TalayLink is derived from the Thai word for “sea,” a fitting title for a cable designed to reinforce vital undersea infrastructure in a region where digital growth and cloud adoption are accelerating rapidly. In addition to the cable itself, Google will set up two new connectivity hubs in Western Australia (Mandurah) and South Thailand.

According to Bikash Koley, Vice President of Google Global Infrastructure, the combinaton of the new cable systems and these data hubs represent a strategic effort to future-proof connectivity for the region, particularly with regard to the growth of digital and AI services.

“When they’re complete, TalayLink and the connectivity hubs will support network resilience across Australia, Africa and Southeast Asia. When combined with our previously announced connectivity hubs in the Maldives and Christmas Island, these investments will provide onward connectivity across the Indian Ocean and beyond to the Middle East,” he said in a company blog post.

Source: Google CloudThis announcement complements other recent efforts by Google and allied partners to bolster subsea infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region. Google’s Australia Connect initiative, for example, includes the Bosun subsea cable linking Darwin to Christmas Island, contributing to more resilient pathways connecting Australia to Asia and beyond.

Moreover, Google’s broader subsea network expansion extends into the Pacific and even between continents, exemplified by the forthcoming Humboldt cable linking South America with the Asia-Pacific region, signalling a global vision for highly interconnected and resilient internet infrastructure.

The submarine cable industry is evolving rapidly. Join the sector’s leading voices in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA 2026

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Some of ISPreview’s readers have spotted that the broadband availability checker on Openreach’s UK site has stopped displaying results for older ADSL and FTTC (VDSL2 / SOGEA) technologies, albeit only in areas that now have access to full fibre (FTTP) lines. This occurs even if the older services aren’t yet on a “stop sell” due to existing switch-off programmes.

The move makes sense as it aligns with Openreach’s overarching move toward the gradual retirement of legacy copper-based broadband services and the desire to push everybody over to full fibre networks once they become available. This will help to ease the pressure on the operator as copper-to-fibre migrations become more urgent.

The downside is that this may lead to some consumer confusion about what is and is not available at their property (e.g. FTTC may still be available, even if FTTP is present). Not to mention that local FTTP availability doesn’t always translate to a deliverable service, due to issues with local pole capacity and problems/obstructions when reaching specific properties. In the latter sense, having knowledge that an alternative still exists would be helpful, especially if there are no other gigabit-capable broadband options in the area.

Consumers can of course still conduct checks using the BT Wholesale Checker and some retail ISPs do show all of the available product options, even in FTTP enabled areas on Openreach’s network. But we should point out that quite a few ISPs – particularly larger players – have already transitioned their own checkers to an FTTP-only focus.

Credits to ‘Some Edinburgh Guy‘ on our forum for noticing the change (here).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative provider Quickline, which is building a mix of full fibre (FTTP) and fixed wireless (FWA) broadband networks across rural parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England (3-Year Rollout Plan), has today continued their recent changes in senior leadership (here) by appointing Becki Smith as their new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

Becki is said to have held senior leadership positions at a number of major UK brands including Three UK, TalkTalk and the N Brown Group. Her career spans both start-up and large-scale environments, from scaling Boohoo’s international eCommerce operations to leading integration and growth strategies for multimillion and multibillion-pound organisations.

In her new role, Becki will lead the company’s sales, marketing and customer success teams. Quickline is currently aiming to extend gigabit-capable broadband to a further 360,000 UK premises across thousands of rural communities (roughly 170k via publicly funded projects and almost 200k from commercial builds) and the provider hopes to end 2025 with a total of 200,000 premises passed.

Mark Bowden, Quickline’s New CEO, said:

“Becki’s appointment marks an important milestone in Quickline’s next phase of growth.

She brings outstanding commercial acumen, proven leadership and a deep understanding of customer-focused transformation.

Her experience will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our brand, attract more customers, and expand our reach across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband ISP and mobile operator EE (BT) has this morning announced that they’ve just expanded the coverage of their latest 5G Standalone (5GSA / 5G+) mobile network to reach 20 new UK locations – reflecting a total additional population reach of more than 1.6 million people.

Just to recap. Earlier deployments of 5G were largely Non-Standalone (NSA), which meant they were partly reliant upon slower 4G infrastructure. But SA networks are pure end-to-end 5G that can deliver ultra-low latency times, greater energy efficiency, better mobile broadband speeds (particularly uploads), network slicing, improved support for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, increased reliability and security etc.

EE officially began launching a range of new 5G SA supporting mobile plans across 15 major UK cities in September 2024 (here) and they’ve since been rapidly expanding upon that (example). The operator has previously informed ISPreview that they only announce 5GSA availability once a location has “at least 95% outdoor coverage“, which helps to ensure a good level of connectivity.

“This time of year is all about connecting with the people and things we care about most. With millions of people travelling to visit family, heading to the high street for their gifts, and enjoying the best festive events the UK has to offer, we’re expanding EE’s 5G+ network so the nation can benefit from its high capacity, ultra-reliable connectivity and stay connected to what matters to them this Christmas,” said Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group.

EE’s 20 New 5G+ Locations

1. Ballymena
2. Burton-on-Trent
3. Chelmsford
4. Dewsbury
5. Ellesmere Port
6. Gateshead
7. Greenock
8. Hamilton
9. Hartlepool
10. Hatfield
11. Hereford
12. Londonderry
13. Newark
14. Oldham
15. Rochdale
16. Solihull
17. Stafford
18. Stevenage
19. Tamworth
20. Warwick

Device compatibility is of course still an issue for 5GSA adoption, although such things will resolve themselves with time as consumers gradually upgrade – many modern Smartphones do now support it on EE’s network. But overall, today’s announcement represents more news for consumers who will benefit from the increased performance that 5G+ brings, particularly in urban areas.

The new 5G+ network is now said to be available on all EE Pay Monthly handset plans, as well as its Full Works and All Rounder SIM-only plans. In addition, the operator confirmed that more than 15% of all their Pay Monthly customers are now accessing 5G+. Furthermore, more than 500,000 EE customers who took out a pay monthly handset plan between September 2024 and March 2025 have been given access to EE’s 5G+ network.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The latest annual report from analyst firm Enders Analysis – seen by ISPreview – has calculated that the UK’s largest alternative gigabit broadband networks (i.e. BT / Openreach challengers) collectively suffered losses of £1.5bn in 2024 (up from £1.304bn in 2023 and £755m in 2022) – driven by high interest rates and rising build costs. But it suggests that many may never make a profit.

According to Enders, the industry has now accumulated a total debt pile of £9bn and financing costs equated to an average 121% of revenue being generated last year. The average FTTP network penetration rate across the industry now stands at about 15% (up slightly from 12% in 2023), with most being a long way from the 40% seen by Enders as the level needed to become sustainably profitable (take note that 40% is not a hard rule and will vary, depending on cost to build and the type of areas being built across – e.g. rural often delivers higher take-up, but costs much more to build).

Regular readers won’t be surprised by this, as ISPreview has often reported on the challenges being experienced by network operators over the past three years. The situation has been fuelled by rising build costs, strong competition from rivals (i.e. overbuild and the challenges of growing take-up) and the difficulties of securing fresh investment during a period of high interest rates (not to mention rising debt repayments).

In response, many altnets have adopted a more protectionist strategy, which involves scaling-back or pausing new fibre deployments and switching their focus to growing customer take-up (commercialisation). Some other network operators and investment firms have also gone on a consolidation drive in an effort to capitalise on the difficult climate and grow scale to hopefully generate better returns (e.g. CityFibre), but this has gone slower than some expected.

Extract from Enders Analysis Report

Looking forward, for retail altnets (i.e. all except CityFibre) the outlook remains very bleak. The ISP incumbents are starting to respond to market share losses to the altnets, with average incumbent new customer pricing down c.7% year-on-year in the September 2025 quarter, and some altnets having to respond with even cheaper prices of their own, so improved ARPU [Average Revenue Per User] looks unlikely, and increasing use of contract buy-outs is putting upwards pressure on SACs [Subscriber Acquisition Cost]. By our estimates, at current ARPU and SAC levels even a theoretical highly efficient altnet cannot make a return on new customer acquisition even with all network coverage capex written off.

…

CityFibre, the largest altnet and the only one purely focused on wholesale, is in a slightly different position, with the Sky wholesale win giving it a realistic prospect of getting to 40-50% penetration levels, and its Q3 subscriber net adds nearly doubled on recent trends. Its economics based off 2024 metrics are still very weak, with ARPU of £15 and a calculated £240 connection ‘bonus’ per new subscriber, which make it very hard for it to make money even if it writes off its coverage capex.

One catch is that consolidation remains a very complex business, not least due to the inevitably slow and expensive process of needing to integrate different networks that may not have been built to the same standard. In addition, some network operators, such as those that exist in more heavily overbuilt areas, may have an inflated opinion of their own asset value, which can make it harder to reach an agreement.

In addition, it’s also clear that some major UK banks have scaled back their support for altnets, with NatWest and Lloyds being two examples that now seem to be expecting to take some losses on related loans (here and here). “It’s difficult to see a scenario in which retail altnets generate cash returns, even before interest costs on their debt,” said Karen Egan, Head of Telecoms at Enders Analysis.

Overall, it remains a tough environment and there’s still a long way to go before we can see how all of this is going to pan out, but the feeling is that all of the above factors may be starting to reach a crunch point that should help focus minds, drive realism where it’s needed and produce more consolidation. But before that we may yet see more painful restructuring and job cuts, even from some of the bigger altnets.

All the recent talk of consolidation around Gigaclear, Netomnia, CityFibre, nexfibre (VMO2) and others helps to illustrate some of the above points (here and here). But the longer this all takes, the harder the hit for many investors.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Edinburgh-based UK alternative network GoFibre, which is rolling out a gigabit broadband (FTTP) network across remote rural parts of Scotland and Northern England, has today announced that they’ve completed a second publicly funded contract – worth £7m – under the government’s Project Gigabit scheme for Teesdale (Lot 4.01 in County Durham).

The original Type A (Local Supplier) deployment contract for Teesdale was first announced all the way back in late September 2022 (here), which committed GoFibre to build their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to reach slightly more than 4,000 premises over the following four years.

Since then around 8,100 homes and businesses, including 4,400 funded by the aforementioned contract, can now access gigabit‑capable broadband via GoFibre. The work has upgraded digital connectivity for rural communities in and around Barnard Castle, Mickleton, West Auckland, Middleton‑in‑Teesdale and surrounding rural villages.

Over the course of the rollout, GoFibre has also expanded their full fibre connectivity to more than 80 local businesses and village halls. The overall build also involved the installation of more than 600km of fibre cable and complex engineering work within multiple Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Upper Teesdale.

The announcement marks the company’s second successful Project Gigabit completion in recent months – following their £7.3m North Northumberland build in August (here).

Neil Conaghan, CEO of GoFibre, said:

“For us at GoFibre, this isn’t just about faster broadband – it’s about making sure people in Teesdale have the same connectivity as people in bigger towns and cities. It means a family can stream without the screen freezing, a farmer can get the services they need online and a small business can reach customers miles away. Full fibre really does open doors, and the amount of interest we’ve had shows just how much people here have been waiting for it.”

As an independent broadband network and provider, this is another outstanding achievement in delivering on our Project Gigabit contracts. We’ll now focus on delivering our two other major projects in Scotland. My thanks go to the Durham and Teesdale communities, our partners and everyone who rolled up their sleeves to make this happen.”

Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd, said:

“Fast, reliable broadband connects people, helps businesses thrive and creates new opportunities. Through Project Gigabit we’re improving infrastructure across every corner of the UK, ensuring rural communities don’t get left behind in the digital age.

Connecting these hard-to-reach communities to future-proofed broadband is a huge milestone for Teesdale and exactly the kind of progress we need to kickstart the economy and renew our country.”

Customers of the service typically pay from £21 per month for speeds of 150Mbps (30Mbps upload) on a 24-month term with free installation and an included router, which rises to £29.95 for their top 1000Mbps (100Mbps upload) package. But this price will increase by £3 each December. Customers can also take advantage of up to £200 in Switching Credit if they need to leave their old ISP early.

The operator currently expects to deploy their new full fibre based broadband network to reach a footprint of 250,000 premises “in the next 3 years“ (i.e. around mid-2028) and they’re home to a total of 10,597 customers.