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Shropshire-based independent broadband ISP Aquiss has this morning unveiled its planned Black Friday discounts early by offering new customers six months of half-price service on their Openreach (FTTP + FTTC/SOGEA) and CityFibre (FTTP) based packages, which will be available to order between 1st and 30th November 2025.

All packages include unlimited usage, a 12-month minimum contract term, a pledge of no annual mid-contract price rises, a static IPv4 address and static IPv6 addresses (/56). But new customers will be expected to supply their own broadband router.

“Aquiss has always been about empowering our customers with straightforward, high-performance broadband that just works,” said Martin Pitt, MD of Aquiss. “With Black Friday sales ramping up and families streaming more than ever, we’re thrilled to launch this deal early. It’s our way of giving back to the communities we serve, making full fibre more accessible so everyone can stay connected without breaking the bank.”

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The SIM-Only mobile provider spusu, which holds a virtual operator (MVNO) agreement via BTWholesale to harness EE’s national 4G and 5G network, has today announced the launch of several new mobile plans. But unfortunately their “unlimited data” plan seems to have vanished and it’s unclear when it will return.

As usual, all of their mobile plans include unlimited UK calls and texts, 500 minutes to EU numbers from the UK, and 500 roaming minutes and 500 roaming texts for use abroad. Most plans also include between 6GB (GigaBytes) and up to 15GB of EU roaming data for mobile broadband connectivity while travelling.

In terms of the new plans, spusu 10 gives customers 10GB of data for £6.90 per month, while spusu 20 doubles that to 20GB for just £7.90. Both come with 6GB and 8GB of EU roaming data respectively, useful for holidaying or working abroad. After that spusu 30 dishes out 30GB for £9.90, and spusu 80 offers a hefty 80GB for just £12.90, complete with up to 15GB of EU roaming data.

The new plans are intended to complement those that already exist, such as spusu 5GB for just £4.90 and spusu 100GB for £14.90. But the operator also appears to have recently removed their “unlimited data” package from the website at some point around August 2025, and it’s unclear whether or when that may return (we’ve asked).

Christian Banhans, UK MD of spusu, said:

“We want people to stop overpaying for their mobile plans. With spusu, you get fair prices, generous roaming and no nasty surprises. Even our biggest plan, spusu 100, gives customers 100GB for under £15 per month so that those who have big data appetites can stay connected on a budget.”

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Mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) has reportedly begun informing some staff members that they face redundancy in the future, due to their roles being outsourced to India under new contracts with network suppliers Ericsson and Nokia. On top of that, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) – or TUPE – rules will not apply.

Just to recap. Ericsson and Nokia were recently appointed as key partners to support the delivery of the newly merged network (here). But according to The Register, employees in the operator’s UK Network Development division have allegedly since been warned that planning and optimisation jobs would soon be transferred overseas, which meant that permanent staff were now “at risk of redundancy.”

“In our current context, the activity transferring to Ericsson and Nokia will be based in India, therefore TUPE does not apply,” said a related FAQ page on the employment change, seen by The Register. “Whilst Ericsson and Nokia both have services and employees in European locations, including the UK, the roles impacted will be offshored to India.”

In fairness, the merger was always expected to result in some redundancies, which often happens when two companies come together (i.e. reducing duplication of roles and making the combined business more efficient). Except in this case the recent Ericsson and Nokia announcement had in fact boasted of creating as many as 13,000 jobs in engineering and construction, although it did state that 74% of these roles would be outside of London and the South East, albeit with no mention of India.

Extract from the Ericsson and Nokia Announcement

VodafoneThree’s fully funded and regulated plan to build the network at pace will bring jobs to every region of the UK, creating as many as 13,000 jobs in the engineering, construction and maintenance of telecom towers, fibre optics and base stations over the entire eight year build period.

The majority (74%) of roles created will be outside of London and the South East, bringing employment opportunities to people in towns and communities across the four nations. This reinforces VodafoneThree’s commitment to supporting national growth through digital transformation, while equipping today’s and tomorrow’s talent with the skills they need for the future.

At present, it’s not yet known exactly how many workers and contractors will lose their jobs over this, although some insiders are said to have estimated that at least 80 roles could be impacted. We have asked the mobile operator to comment and await their response.

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Network operator Openreach (BT) has today informed ISPs about a “realignment of prices” on their top two fastest Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband tiers – 1.2Gbps and 1.8Gbps (both 120Mbps upstream), which in practice appears to mark a further price reduction. Rivals will perhaps remark that we’ve seen quite a few special offers from the incumbent of late.

The changes apply to internet service providers that have joined the network operator’s Equinox contract, which is the name of their sometimes divisive volume focused discount scheme that also provided pricing certainty over a 10-year period (here and here).

According to the latest briefing, as of 1st February 2026, the Equinox prices in the Openreach price list will be changed as follows (Openreach is giving 90 days notice of this, as required by Ofcom):

1. GEA-FTTP 1200Mbit/s / 120Mbit/s from £23.28 per month to £22.24 per month +vat

2. GEA-FTTP 1800Mbit/s / 120Mbit/s from £30.59 per month to £23.28 per month +vat

“Price changes will be effective from 1 February 2026 until 30 September 2031 (inclusive), which is the end of the Equinox contract period. Prices will be subject to annual increases of CPI – 1.25% or 0%, whichever is highest. There are no changes to any other Equinox terms,” added the briefing.

As usual, it’s important to point out that these are wholesale prices, and they thus do not directly reflect the prices consumers pay at retail for the same service, which is because ISPs still have to add all sorts of extra network features, 20% VAT, the need for a profit margin and more before it becomes the product you purchase.

The move will no doubt be welcomed by most ISPs that use Openreach’s broadband network, as well as consumers who might have been eyeing an upgrade to one of the top tiers (assuming providers do choose to pass any related reductions on to their customers, which seems likely); particularly 1.8Gbps, as the change for 1.2Gbps is fairly small.

Meanwhile, we suspect that some rival networks might well lobby Ofcom against approving the measure, perhaps viewing it as another competitive threat to their existence. But thus far Ofcom has been fairly happy to approve such promotions, and we suspect this one will be much the same.

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News

U.S. federal agencies are reportedly considering a significant restriction on TP-Link, a company that produces widely used home internet routers, amid escalating concerns over national security linked to China.

The U.S. Commerce Department, alongside the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense, has proposed banning future sales of TP-Link Systems’ devices, a company whose routers reportedly comprise more than a third of the American home router market. The proposal reflects deepening anxieties about the potential for Chinese influence over technology critical to the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure.

TP-Link Systems, headquartered in California and recently spun out from its former Chinese parent company TP-Link Technologies, faces scrutiny for lingering connections with China. Despite the corporate split completed last year, officials remain wary of the company’s ties to Beijing, fearing that such links could expose American consumers’ data to security risks.

In May, several Republican lawmakers, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, advocated for a ban on TP-Link routers. Their concerns have been fueled by investigations revealing that Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited TP-Link routers in cyberattacks targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, most notably 2024’s Salt Typhoon attacks.

TP-Link has rebuffed these claims, noting that many device brands were compromised in the attacks and that no evidence was presented that the company is connected to China.

The Commerce Department has not yet implemented the proposed ban and may still opt against it. TP-Link Systems contends that it is a U.S.-based firm that poses no threat to consumers. A company spokesperson told The Independent that no official actions or confirmations regarding the ban have been made and that any regulatory concerns can be addressed through practical measures such as onshoring development and enhancing cybersecurity transparency.

The current scrutiny of TP-Link occurs in the broader context of intensifying tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly over technology and trade disputes. This move parallels actions taken against other Chinese technology firms like TikTok, where U.S. regulators have similarly cited national security as a basis for restricting Chinese influence on American digital infrastructure.

In addition to national security concerns, TP-Link Systems is facing a criminal antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation focuses on the company’s pricing strategies, specifically allegations of predatory pricing. The case suggests that TP-Link may be deliberately selling products at a loss in order to monopolise the market, before increasing prices at a later time.

TP-Link currently controls about 65% of the U.S. home networking market. As such, the potential ban on TP-Link devices would represent one of the largest consumer technology prohibitions in recent U.S. history.

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

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News

The Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison and the French telecommunications group Iliad, led by billionaire Xavier Niel, are reportedly in preliminary talks to merge their operations in the Italian telecom market.

According to multiple sources cited by Reuters, the discussions could lead to a joint venture combining CK Hutchison’s subsidiary Wind Tre and Iliad’s Italian operations, which currently operate under the Free brand.

Wind Tre, formed from the 2016 merger of Three Italy and Wind and wholly owned by CK Hutchison since 2018, is Italy’s third-largest mobile operator with a market share of approximately 24%, while Iliad holds around 11%, according to Italian regulatory authority AgCom.

Any merger would reduce the number of mobile operators in Italy from four to three, thus drawing significant regulatory scrutiny from national and European regulators. The European Commission has traditionally been resistant to this kind of consolidation, but in recent years its attitude has thawed, allowing significant mergers in numerous markets, like MasMovil and Orange in Spain and Vodafone and Three in the UK.

However, the European Commission’s prior approval of the Wind Tre merger came with conditions that allowed Iliad entry into the market as an antitrust remedy and explicitly prevented Wind Tre from acquiring Iliad before 2026. This timeline suggests a full merger before then may be unlikely, but a joint venture or other cooperation frameworks could be considered.

Iliad’s Italian operations have been valued at over €3 billion, with the group stating a valuation of €4.45 billion when it attempted a bid for Vodafone Italia in late 2023, which was rejected.

Earlier this year, Iliad also explored a potential tie up with Telecom Italia (TIM), indicating its strategic ambition to expand its footprint in Italy. Meanwhile, CK Hutchison has been reportedly considering divesting some of its telecom assets globally, valued between £10 billion and £15 billion (€11.37 billion to €17 billion), with Italy and the UK being the largest European contributors to its telecom revenues. Its telecom division accounted for roughly 25% of CK Hutchison’s group operating profit in 2024.

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

Ofcom has today announced that they’ve secured “voluntary commitments” from mobile operators including EE, O2, Sky and VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) to help stabilise the wholesale prices of automated text (SMS) messages that organisations send to people (A2P – application-to-person); these are widely used by organisations across the public and private sectors.

Such messages are often sent, for example, by the NHS when issuing medical appointment reminders, as well as parcel delivery notifications, and one-time passcodes etc. The regulator states that over 20 billion A2P messages like this were sent in 2023-24 and are worth around £400 million a year to mobile operators.

The market for these particular text messages is complex, as businesses do not usually buy them directly from mobile operators (MCP) and will instead go through intermediaries. A business will first contract with a Messaging Service Provider (MSP), with whom they have a direct relationship. The MSP will often then use the services of an Aggregator, who contracts with the main mobile operators for delivery (‘termination’) of the text messages.

The problem is that wholesale prices for the termination of these messages (A2P SMS termination rates) have increased significantly in recent years, jumping as much as 70% since 2021 (Ofcom expressed this as a range from 15% to 75%). Naturally, this is translating into increases in retail prices (i.e. the prices charged by MSPs to business senders for sending A2P SMS), which recently prompted the regulator to examine competition within this space (an area they haven’t previously regulated).

At the start of this year Ofcom concluded that mobile operators had Significant Market Power (SMP) in this area, including the “ability and incentive to increase their termination prices to an excessively high level“. The regulator then proposed to respond to this by imposing a price cap (here), which would run until the end of 2028. But it appears this may no longer be necessary.

What’s been decided?

As a result of Ofcom’s review, the aforementioned mobile operators have since made voluntary commitments relating to their wholesale prices, and the frequency, notice periods and timing of price increases. The commitments last until the end of 2028, and Ofcom estimate they collectively cover more than 90% of A2P SMS sold to Aggregators.

“Given these developments, we have taken an administrative priority decision not to continue with the market review at this time,” said Ofcom (i.e. the voluntary commitments achieve enough of their goals without needing a deeper intervention).

Ofcom Statement

Our decision reflects the following factors:

• Increased uncertainty over future competitive constraints:

Market developments since the publication of our consultation, including recent price cuts for some WhatsApp for Business services (an alternative business messaging service), suggest there is currently increased uncertainty regarding the potential for competitive constraints to develop during the proposed three-year market review period.

Whilst it is not clear that there has been a material change in competitive constraints since our consultation, we observed some potential signals of greater willingness by some larger business senders to consider switching partially or wholly to alternatives in order to bring down their costs, with MSPs potentially facilitating this by offering alternatives to A2P SMS.

• Voluntary commitments that reduce the risk of our competition concerns being realised:

Each of the commitments submitted by the four large operators have been unilaterally determined and their contents cover aspects relating to any increases in the maximum standard prices for A2P SMS termination charged to their Aggregator customers until 31 December 2028 (the end of our proposed market review period). These aspects relate to (a) pricing levels; (b) frequency and timing of price increases each year; (c) notice periods for Aggregators before implementing increases; and (d) notifications to Ofcom before implementing increases.

Taken as a whole, and given these operators cover most of the market, we consider that these voluntary commitments significantly reduce the risk of our competition concerns being realised. In addition, these commitments are likely to contribute to the promotion of effective competition by giving Aggregators greater pricing stability and potentially increasing their ability to meet the demands from business sender customers for longer contracts at fixed prices for A2P SMS messaging services.

• Bias against intervention:

Under our regulatory principles, we operate with a bias against intervention but with a willingness to intervene promptly and effectively where required. We have decided this is not the right time for us to consider introducing ex ante regulation. This is consistent with our statutory duty to have regard in all cases to the principle that regulatory activities should be targeted only at cases in which action is needed, and it frees up Ofcom resource to work on other matters of greater relative priority.

Despite the decision, Ofcom do still intend to periodically monitor the market, including adherence to the voluntary commitments and pricing behaviour by those MCPs who did not submit pricing commitments. “This will enable us to intervene promptly, if we consider that the risk of the competition concerns, we provisionally identified as arising, increases,” added the regulator.

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Mobile operator Three UK appears to have further reduced the price of their 4G and 5G powered unlimited Three Home Broadband package, which means it’s been discounted to only £16 per month on a 24-month minimum contract term (or £28 if you take it as a rolling monthly plan).You will also get a £50 Prepaid Mastercard.

As usual, Three’s Home Broadband packages all include a mobile router, while also promising “average download speeds of 150Mbps” (this will vary a lot between different locations) and a 30-day money-back guarantee (there’s no installation charge as it’s Plug & Play). But take note that Three UK’s pricing policy means that, each April, your Monthly Charge will increase by a fixed amount of £2 per month (not applicable to 30-day terms).

The router being bundled with this, at least on their 5G variant of the package, is still the ZTE MC888AD. This is based off the SDX62 (Snapdragon) + WCN6856 chipset and supports WiFi 6 at local network speeds of up to 3.8Gbps (2.4GHz and 5GHz 4×4 MIMO), as well as 2 x 1Gbps Ethernet (LAN) ports and 1 x RJ11 phone port.

In addition, it’s worth noting that Three UK are offering up to £100 in Switching Credit to customers who migrate to this service from an existing broadband package while still within contract with their old provider.

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Customers of mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media), specifically those with the ‘Switch Up‘ service on their plan that gives you the flexibility to swap your Smartphone after 90 days (without having to pay off your contract), have recently been informed that the operator will shortly extend this period to 11 months.

The change wasn’t mentioned to us when we queried last week’s somewhat controversial change to O2’s annual price rise policy (here and here), but customers with the add-on did later receive the following notification as part of that price change: “On 22 January 2026, O2 Switch Up will be changing from a 90-day cycle to an 11-month cycle. This means you can switch to a new device every 11 months.”

In fairness, the old 90-day period, which is currently still being widely advertised on O2’s website despite the impending change, always seemed to be an economically challenging feature to deliver and one that many customers probably wouldn’t use within such a short period of time (although a fair few do). On the other hand, changing the period to 11 months does make it more akin to just being an annual contract.

As we understand it from O2’s community agent (here), the change means that if, for example, somebody Switches Up their device tomorrow (1st November 2025) then, as the 90-day rule will still apply, they’d be able to Switch Up again on 1st February 2026. But after that last switch, the period would be changed to 11 months. Credits to forum member meritez for spotting this change (here).

A spokesperson for O2 told ISPreview:

“We’re continuing to offer Switch Up, allowing eligible O2 customers to ‘switch up’ every 11 months instead of every 90 days. This aligns more closely with how the majority of customers are already using Switch Up, and will help to reduce the number of minimally used handsets in circulation, supporting our sustainability goals.”

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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 been named as one of the top 50 fastest-growing businesses in Scotland by the UK Fast Growth Index for 2025.

The Index identifies the fifty fastest-growing companies in seven regions and nations namely London, the Midlands and the East of England, the North of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South of England and Wales. All the firms on the list have been entered for the 2025 UK Fast Growth Awards, due to be held in London on November 26th where the winners will be recognised as the fastest growing in their sectors and their regions.

The operator currently expects to deploy their new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband network to reach a footprint of 250,000 premises “in the next 3 years“, which has recently been boosted by several major Project Gigabit contracts with the government. At the end of last year the operator also had a total of 10,597 customers.

Neil Conaghan, CEO of GoFibre, said:

“Being named among Scotland’s fastest-growing companies is an incredible honour and achievement for GoFibre. As a company we’ve demonstrated strong commercial success, not just in the context of the independent broadband provider sector, but as a Scottish company generally.

Our growth has been built on our ambitious, people-friendly culture – adding customers while retaining our hyper-local, customer-centred approach, demonstrated for instance by our industry-leading Trustpilot score. I’m so proud of all that GoFibre has achieved since our founding in the Borders in 2017 and look forward to continued growth while retaining what makes GoFibre unique.”