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Interview

Sporting a brand new Netomnia hoodie and matching trainers, Chelot said he wants Netomnia to become the largest altnet in the UK

“I want to become the largest altnet in the UK and I think I’ve got a very good shot at it,” he said, noting the company’s 2.8 million premises passed and goal of 5 million by 2027. “As an ISP, we have around 400,000 customers, so we’re about to catch up with Community Fibre an Hyperoptic before the end of the year. After that, the next step is to beat Vodafone.”

Check out our full interview below, covering Netomnia’s rebrand, the company’s latest funding, and Jeremy’s take on altnet consolidation.

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

News

New research from Neos Networks suggests that 82% of data centre operators in the UK have delayed deployment due to a lack of connectivity infrastructure

Access to fibre connectivity could be a significant bottleneck for the UK’s data centre ambitions, suggests a new study commissioned by Neos Networks.

The study, conducted by Censuswide, surveyed 100 data centre decision-makers, 100 large enterprise tech/IT decision-makers, and 100 local government stakeholders, asking them about fibre availability, AI, and their data centre projects.

The results showed that the lack of fibre network availability remains a key factor in hampering data centre deployments and AI implementation. It found that 82% of the data centre representatives had had a deployment or expansion delayed due to the lack of available fibre. In addition, 89% of the local government representatives said infrastructure projects in their region had been similarly delayed by fibre gaps, with 46% saying the region’s fibre networks were not ready to support AI data centres.

Part of the issue here, as Neos Network’s CEO Lee Myall points out, is that the UK’s ‘backbone’ fibre network – the high-capacity, long-distance infrastructure that connects major cities, data centres, internet exchanges, and service providers across the country – is at risk of becoming inadequate.

This is largely an issue of geography; data centre projects are increasingly being planned for rural areas with access to affordable land, water, and power, but fibre network access at these locations is often missing.

“Over the past decade, we’ve seen a huge amount of investment in last-mile fibre builds, but core fibre networks across the country have received much less attention. Without them, workloads cannot move between data centres, data cannot be trained, and investments stall,” said Myall. “The UK has the ambition, the demand and the regional readiness to lead in AI, but if we don’t address fibre gaps, we risk losing out on one of the greatest economic opportunities of our generation.”

The good news here is that the government’s AI Growth Zone strategy, part of its AI Opportunities Action Plan, appears to be working as intended, helping lure data centre developments away from existing deployments in metro areas. These AI Growth Zones will receive significant planning and regulatory support, aimed at removing barriers to AI data centre deployments.

While 23% of data centre operators still expect new investment in Greater London, a greater share pointed to the North of England and the Midlands (39%) for new deployments. According to the report, 96% of the data centre respondents were influenced by the AI Growth Zones when considering site selection, with 44% saying they were influenced ‘strongly’.

At the start of the year, Culham, Oxfordshire, was announced as the UK’s first AI Growth Zone, largely due to the availability of land, power, and its proximity to the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s headquarters, which carries conducts complex energy research. This was followed up last month when the Northeast announced it had secured government backing to become the country’s second AI Growth Zone, expanding existing deployments at Cobalt Park Data Centres in North Tyneside and QTS Cambois Data Centre Campus in Blyth.

More of these zones are expected to be developed in future, all of which will rely on the availability of high-quality backbone connectivity.

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 ISPreview UK:Read More

Networking kit manufacturer TP-Link, which develops a lot of broadband routers, WiFi extenders and smart home devices for network operators and consumers, today claims to have hit a “major technological milestone” after they conducted their first successful connectivity test using a prototype of the next gen Wi-Fi 8 standard (802.11bn – Ultra High Reliability).

As we’ve previously reported, Wi-Fi 8 will focus more on improving network reliability than boosting raw throughput speed (Wi-Fi 8 technology summary). The final standard for this isn’t expected to be fully completed until May 2028, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers conducting their own tests based on the earliest available technical draft.

One of the first out of the gate seems to be TP-Link, which has worked with several industry partners to demonstrate its first successful data transmission using a prototype Wi-Fi 8 device. The test successfully validated both the Wi-Fi 8 beacon and data throughput, which helps to underscore the feasibility of the technology and marks a key milestone in global Wi-Fi 8 development.

Sadly, the announcement doesn’t say anything more than that or provide any pictures of the test, which is a bit disappointing.

Key Wi-Fi 8 Technologies (TP-Link)

DRU (Distributed tone Resource Units)
The device spreads its uplink tones across a wider band, increasing the overall transmitting power. DRU helps low power or faraway devices be heard cleanly by the router. Uploads (like video calls or cameras) become more reliable.

ELR (Enhanced Long Range)
More robust packet structure and coding improve coverage at the edges of your home. Devices can stay connected farther from your router. Great for upstairs rooms, garages, and outdoor cameras.

UEQM (Unequal Modulation)
Each WiFi stream can run at the best rate it can manage instead of all streams using the same rate. A weak stream no longer drags the strong ones down. You get more consistent speed when signal quality varies.

New MCS (New Modulation and Coding Schemes)
When your signal weakens slightly, like when moving farther from your router, your device may suddenly slow down causing lag or buffering. WiFi 8 adds new MCS levels to smooth out these speed drops. That means more stable connections and consistent speeds across your whole home.

DSO (Dynamic Sub-band Operation)
Devices today get fixed chunks of bandwidth even if they do not need it, which wastes capacity and causes congestion. DSO lets the router assign channels more precisely based on each device’s actual needs. This smarter channel frees up space for other traffic, reduces slowdowns, and improves performance across the entire network.

NPCA (Non-Primary Channel Access)
Most devices today can only transmit on the router’s main channel, even if nearby channels are completely clear. NPCA allows devices to use alternate sub-channels when the main one is busy. This helps avoid traffic jams, reduce delays, and keeps your connection fast even when the network is congested.

Improved Seamless Roaming
Move from room to room without losing your connection. Your devices automatically hand off between access points without a discrete disconnect/reconnect, supporting a continuous connection. You get no drop calls, no frozen video, and no interruptions.

Multi AP (Access Point) Coordination
WiFi 8 APs (including routers, mesh nodes, and range extenders) align timing, steer signals with precision, and adjust power to reduce overlap. This coordination keeps interference low and speeds steady in mesh setups or homes with multiple access points.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Connectivity provider Neos Networks, which operates one of the biggest 34,000km long and 400Gbps capable business fibre networks in the UK – spanning 550 exchanges, 90+ data centres and 600+ Points of Presence (PoPs), has claimed in a new survey that 82% of UK data centre operators have delayed site builds or expansion due to fibre availability.

The work is based on a Censuswide survey of 100 data centre decision-makers, 100 large enterprise tech/IT decision-makers (with at least 1,000 employees), and 100 local government stakeholders – conducted during August 2025. The results suggest that, despite a big push by the UK government and enterprise momentum around data centre development and artificial intelligence (AI), fibre remains a “critical bottleneck” that could slow the UK’s digital growth.

Naturally, nearly all respondents agreed that investment in high-capacity fibre optic corridors will transform confidence in the UK’s ability to attract and scale AI projects. For example, 95% of data centre operators, 96% of enterprises and 96% of local authorities say new fibre corridors into underserved areas would positively impact AI and data centre growth. Some 53% of local authorities believe such projects would be transformative.

Key Survey Findings

➤ 89% of local government stakeholders report that fibre gaps have delayed infrastructure projects in their regions.

➤ 45% of enterprises cite fibre as the key bottleneck holding back AI and digital infrastructure.

➤ 46% of local government authorities say their region’s fibre infrastructure is not fully ready to support AI data centres.

➤ 16% of companies doubts the ability of the UK’s current fibre infrastructure to support their AI ambitions.

➤ 96% of data centre operators say AI Growth Zones are influencing expansion and site selection, with 44% citing them as a strong influence.

➤ 68% of enterprises view AI Growth Zones as a strong driver of change in their infrastructure planning.

➤ 23% of data centre operators still expect new investment in Greater London, a greater share pointed to the North of England and the Midlands (39%), signalling a shift towards regional hubs of AI activity.

➤ 97% data centre operators expect up to half of their UK compute to move to the edge of the network by 2030, underlining the need for high-performance, resilient fibre across every region.

➤ 41% of data centre leaders believe the UK’s fibre networks are only partially prepared to support regional AI workloads.

➤ 70% of enterprises feel the UK’s attractiveness for data centre investment needs improvement (53%) or is lagging (17%).

It’s important to stress that the sort of fibre connectivity required by a data centre is not the same as the sort of fibre (FTTP) broadband that reaches your home via the local access network. Data centres typically require extremely high-capacity core links and redundancy to help serve customers. Obviously, Neos Networks has a vested interest in this field, as this is precisely the sort of problem they exist to resolve (i.e. take the survey with a pinch of salt).

Lee Myall, CEO of Neos Networks, said:

“Over the past decade, we’ve seen a huge amount of investment in last-mile fibre builds, but core fibre networks across the country have received much less attention. Without them, workloads cannot move between data centres, data cannot be trained, and investments stall. The UK has the ambition, the demand and the regional readiness to lead in AI, but if we don’t address fibre gaps, we risk losing out on one of the greatest economic opportunities of our generation.”

Sadly, the study didn’t include any practical examples to help illustrate the point. Not to mention that you can’t always rely on the right fibre being present exactly where you want to build a new data centre, which is why such projects often have to factor in the need (and costs) for extra network build when they’re in the design stage (i.e. par for the course).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Internet provider Lit Fibre, which harnesses CityFibre’s national UK Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network (they originally ran their own fibre network too – here), has today introduced a new national broadband pricing framework that charges residential consumers more for those on their National (off-net) vs Local (on-net) network tiers.

The provider’s announcement doesn’t explain precisely what they mean by “National” or “Local“, particularly since they only serve CityFibre’s network areas (c.4.6 million UK premises), but through our testing we’ve been able to confirm that it references the difference between the price they charge in areas where they built their own FTTP vs areas where the FTTP was first built by CityFibre. Clearly, Lit Fibre still has some degree of beneficial access to their original network areas, despite all now being owned by CityFibre.

Lit Fibre has a number of different types of broadband packages and contract lengths, which makes it a bit difficult to summarise the impact of this without overloading our visitors with too much information. Instead we’ll simplify by focusing on just their ‘Speed’ packages when taken via a longer 24-month minimum contract term, which includes a wireless router, free installation and a pledge of no mid-contract price hikes.

Lit Fibre Package Pricing – Local vs National

Lit 100Mbps (symmetric)

Local Price: £22.99 (monthly)

National Price: £26.49

Lit 500Mbps

Local Price: £25.99

National Price: £32.49

Lit 1000Mbps

Local Price: £26.99

National Price: £32.49

We assume the Lit 1000Mbps package is on some sort of special offer in National (off-net) areas, which would explain why the price is the same as on their National 500Mbps tier. In any case, there’s clearly a fairly sizeable saving to be had if you’re lucky enough to be covered by one of Lit Fibre’s original on-net (Local) FTTP areas. On the other hand, £32.49 for a gigabit broadband package off-net is still very cheap.

However, it should be noted that the post-contract prices for all of these packages will rise, with Lit Fibre’s T&Cs indicating that Lit 100 becomes £34.95, while Lit 500 becomes £44.95 and Lit 1000 rises to £49.95. At the time of writing, Lit Fibre’s T&Cs do not include the same Local vs National distinction, so we assume those post-contract rates apply to both.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today confirmed that the first bidding on their auction of the 26GHz and 40GHz millimetre wave (mmW) spectrum bands for use by 5G mobile (mobile broadband) operators will get underway tomorrow, with BT (EE), O2 (Telefonica UK / Virgin Media) and Vodafone (VodafoneThree) all taking part.

The major mobile network providers already have access to several 5G capable bands between 700MHz and 3.8GHz. Such frequencies reflect the same sort of low and mid-band radio spectrum that mobile network operators have been using since the advent of the first 3G and 4G data networks.

The move to auction off 26GHz (25.1-27.5GHz) and 40GHz (40.5-43.5GHz) will complement the existing bands by providing lots of additional spectrum frequency, which means more data capacity for extremely fast speeds (e.g. multi-Gigabit). But such signals tend to be very weak and can’t cover a wider area without a much denser / more expensive network, which in practice means they’ll primarily be used for serving busy urban areas (shopping malls, airports etc. – “High Density Areas“) and fixed wireless broadband (FWA) links.

The plan is to make this spectrum available in a clock auction (200MHz lots) with 15-year licences across 68 “high-density” areas (i.e. cities and select transport hubs). Bidding for this will take place in two separate stages, which we’ve summarised below. Ofcom’s reserve prices for this spectrum appears to be modest when compared with other European auctions (£2m per 26GHz lot and £1m per 40GHz lot).

The 5G mmW Auction Stages

Principal stage

Companies first bid for airwaves in ‘lots’ to determine how much spectrum each company wins in each band, but not the specific frequencies within each band. Bidding will continue for as long as there is excess demand for the spectrum available. We will announce the results of the principal stage shortly after it has concluded. Once the principal stage is underway, we will publish daily updates on our website.

Assignment stage

There is then a stage of bidding to determine the specific frequencies that winning bidders will be allocated. We will publish the final results of the auction once all stages are complete.

The 26GHz band is already used elsewhere for mmW services and so will be easier for networks operators to adopt and support, although the story is a bit different for the 40GHz band because the UK will be one of the first countries in Europe to award it. The latter may thus take a bit longer to find its feet through deployment and adoption.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Proptech solutions provider Nurtur and comparison service developer BroadbandUK have just become the latest to offer UK property listing providers (Estate Agents etc.) another address-level option for enabling house hunters to see what kind of broadband connectivity and speeds are available to the houses they’re considering.

The service is designed to help fill a critical gap where accurate connectivity information has sometimes been missing from some estate agent listings and websites, despite broadband now being considered the “fourth utility.” A number of commercial comparison services already offer similar tools for integration with Estate Agents platforms (e.g. RightMove has long shown such details), and this is the latest to join that list.

The service is said to cover virtually all UK residential properties and is free to Nurtur’s customers (about 50 of their 1,000 or so estate agent clients are understood to have already piloted it). The platform claims to provide “comprehensive broadband intelligence” including speeds, available ISPs, and technology types for each individual property, although it’s unclear how many altnets are covered by their database.

Richard Combellack, Chief Commercial Officer at Nurtur, said:

“We are thrilled to partner with BroadbandUK to provide a comprehensive solution that not only enhances our clients’ websites but also ensures compliance with the latest regulations. The integration of BroadbandUK’s service into our platform will offer our clients a seamless way to display vital broadband information on property listings, meeting the growing demands of the property sector.”

Saveen Rajan, CEO of BroadbandUK, said:

“This partnership builds on years of research and development to bring address-level precision to the property market. We’re delighted to be working with Nurtur to provide clarity around connectivity, as broadband has become a fundamental part of everyday life. This gives buyers and renters the confidence to make informed decisions before they commit.”

The move comes shortly after the UK government began consulting on new proposals aimed at speeding up the process of home buying and selling, while also improving the material information that Estate Agents are required to provide for every transaction. The availability of broadband, as well as mobile signal and coverage, are some of the data points proposed for inclusion in future guidance (here).

Otherwise, Nurtur are said to be planning a broader rollout of the new feature across their client base throughout the rest of 2025.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Contributed Article 

by Steve Adams, Managing Director at Hutchinson

Britain’s digital future depends on strong, reliable networks. For years, many of the steel structures behind that infrastructure were manufactured oversees; the question now is where they should be made.

Where those structures are made matters. Choosing UK manufacturing is a practical strategy that delivers supply-chain resilience, proven quality, skilled jobs, and long-term value. With a UK supply base, design, manufacturing, and site teams work closer to one another, respond faster and turn design changes into production quickly. UK facilities also operate to the highest recognised standards, so quality is visible and traceable from material through to final inspection.

Jobs, skills and community impact

Hutchinson, a Widnes-based manufacturer of complex steel structures for telecoms and other critical sectors, shows what a modern UK factory can deliver. The company employs around 200 people, contributes more than £9m in local salaries, pays a real living wage (average c. £46k), and has a highly experienced, long-serving workforce, with over a third of the team serving 10+ years. Eleven apprentices are currently in training, and Hutchinson is a proud member of the 5% Club (a UK employer movement whose members commit to having at least 5% of their workforce in “earn-and-learn” roles, including apprentices, graduates and sponsored students, within five years).

STEM outreach with local schools, work-experience programmes, and wider community partnerships help Hutchinson nurture the next generation of engineers from the surrounding communities. Students get exposure to real engineering environments, teachers receive curriculum support, and residents benefit from upskilling initiatives. This builds a talent pipeline that strengthens the regional economy and shows how telecoms investment flows back into the community.

Local supply also supports sustainability. Shorter logistics cut transport emissions and make progress easier to measure. Hutchinson has reduced carbon by 27% since 2023 and is committed to net zero by 2040.

Inside the factory: Standards, speed and control

Hutchinson operates to UKCA and CE requirements, including EN1090-2 Execution Class 4 for the most critical work. Across 12,000 m² of manufacturing space, robotic welding, pre-build jigs and digital quality control with live KPI boards drive right-first-time, lean production methods. End-to-end control of design, fabrication, finishing and pre-assembly means engineering changes can be adopted quickly as designs evolve.

Welding compliance is led by an in-house International Welding Engineer and Responsible Welding Coordinator, with certified NDT capability (VT, MPI and LPI) embedded at key stages. Dimensional accuracy is assured via dedicated jigs and rigorous in-process checks. Total quality management runs from mill certificates to final inspection. For long-term performance, Hutchinson’s patented root systems and foundation details anchor structures for stability and whole-life value.

When clients choose UK-made structures, they aren’t just buying steelwork. They’re investing in predictable lead times, accountable quality, and skilled British jobs, from apprentices on the shop floor to specialist weld engineers. Every order strengthens the domestic supply chain, keeps value in our communities, and helps us build a better, more resilient network for the UK. That is the heart of our vision: A better future, engineered together.

Where should Britain’s telecoms structures be made? Here at home, for speed, quality, skills, and lasting community value.

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 ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator Vodafone has demonstrated how harnessing 200MHz of radio spectrum in the Upper 6GHz band, using a chipset with the MediaTek M90 Modem within a standard Smartphone, can deliver download speeds of 2.5Gbps over a 5G network using carrier aggregation to combine multiple radio frequencies on a single link. Upload speeds ranged from 50-180Mbps.

Precise details of the test, which took place across an indoor public space in Hannover (Germany), remain unclear (e.g. we’re not told anything about the distances involved either). But Vodafone’s goal in all this was to try and highlight what kind of impact it would have if European regulators decided to allocate the Upper 6GHz band (6425 to 7125MHz) to mobile operators for 5G or future 6G services, instead of handing it to Wi-Fi etc.

“The tests also showed that a 200MHz channel at 6GHz delivered up to 2 times more mobile data throughput than a 100MHz channel, in various indoor and outdoor areas. Notably, these tests used the same amount of power, demonstrating that the use of larger bandwidth channels can enhance network capacity without sacrificing energy efficiency,” said Vodafone’s study.

The Radio Spectrum Policy Group, which advises the European Commission (EC), will soon issue its final opinion on the long-term use of this band. At the same time, Ofcom in the UK has already proposed to allow low power indoor WiFi and mobile broadband (4G, 5G etc.) networks to “share” access to the upper 6GHz radio spectrum band (here), although we’re still awaiting the outcome of that consultation.

The UK regulator’s approach would initially allow the Upper 6GHz band to be harnessed for WiFi, before later introducing a sharing mechanism between mobile and Wi-Fi, once the European harmonisation policy is clear. The approach would prioritise between 160 and 400MHz of spectrum frequency to WiFi, while the remainder (at least 300MHz) would be prioritised for 5G/6G mobile.

The catch being that European harmonisation discussions may not complete until 2027 and so it will be a bit longer before UK mobile operators can take advantage of whatever Ofcom decides.

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.