Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The MVNOs World Awards 2026 were held this month, which among other things saw a few UK based mobile and telecoms operators walking away with wins. For example, SIM-only mobile provider spusu was named the “Leading Consumer MVNO/Sub-Brand“, while BT took home the “Host Operator Excellence Award“.

The MVNOs World Awards page doesn’t reveal much information, but we understand that winners are judged through a two-step evaluation combining a judging panel and public community voting. The process relies on scoring qualitative nominations against specific category criteria like innovation, sustainability, and customer experience.

“Being selected for this award highlights our commitment to challenging industry norms,” said Christian Banhans, MD of spusu UK. “The company was founded on being able to provide customers with simple, transparent and value-driven mobile services, instead of complicated, expensive plans.”

MVNOs World Awards 2026 Winners

eSIM Provider of the Year
firsty

Best MVNO & Industry Collaboration
Mavenir

Customer Impact Award
uCloudLink Group

Best Full-Stack MVNO Collaboration
Qvantel

Rising Star Award
Saily

Host Operator Excellence Award
BT

oT/Enterprise MVNO of the Year
Transatel

Sustainability Champion
Coop Mobile

Leading Consumer MVNO/Sub-Brand
spusu

MVNE/A of the Year
Plintron

eSIM Trailblazer of the Year
MDS Global

Best MVNO Tech Enabler
Amdocs

Outstanding IoT Connectivity Solution Provider
Skywave

AI & Analytics Excellence Award
SourseAI

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The GSMA, which represents over a thousand mobile operators and related businesses in the UK and across the world, has published its new Satellite Regulatory Playbook, which is said to be a practical guide designed to help policymakers develop “clear, consistent and future-ready” policies for the rapidly evolving satellite connectivity sector (especially when used for 4G / 5G mobile broadband).

Readers in the UK will already be aware that mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) recently launched their new Direct-to-Device (D2D) based O2 Satellite service (here), which for just £3 extra per month enables normal Smartphones to connect to their mobile network via Starlink’s satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Vodafone and AST Space Mobile also have similar plans, albeit using different satellites.

Suffice to say that LEO based satellite networks are rapidly expanding and can often be harnessed to complement terrestrial mobile and fixed broadband networks. The new Satellite Regulatory Playbook is intended to support this by providing governments with a structured framework to “modernise satellite regulation” in ways that they say “support societal needs, protect consumers, and encourage investment in the next generation of communications networks“.

The focus here seems to be on support technology-neutral regulation while promoting greater consistency in regulatory outcomes across markets. Ofcom is arguably already way ahead of this in the UK, although the same can’t always be said for other countries where regulation has yet to catch-up. But the Playbook does not prescribe a one-size-fits-all model and instead fosters a flexible framework that can be tailored to different needs.

Michaela Angonius, Head of Policy & Regulation at the GSMA, said:

“As satellite connectivity becomes an increasingly important part of the global communications landscape, policymakers have an opportunity to create regulatory frameworks that are fit for the future. The Satellite Regulatory Playbook gives policymakers practical guidance to create frameworks that protect people, ensure law enforcement can always do their job, attract investment into the whole communications sector and keep pace with innovation.

Connectivity is not a choice between terrestrial and satellite networks. Meeting the needs of citizens, businesses and governments requires a diverse and complementary connectivity ecosystem. Regulation should therefore be technology-neutral and focused on delivering consistent outcomes for consumers and society, regardless of how services are provided.”

Naturally this is an industry-centric document and so you’re not going to see much in the way of counter-arguments, such as with respect to the growing challenge of managing so many satellites in orbit (risk of collisions etc.), including their increasingly negative impacts upon vital observational sciences (e.g. radio and observational astronomy, weather tracking etc.).

The Playbook instead identifies eight key regulatory pillars that policymakers should consider when developing or modernising frameworks for satellite services:

• Local establishment rules
• National security
• Consumer protection and operational measures
• Infrastructure and facility requirements
• End-user terminal deployment
• Fiscal considerations
• Emergency services and public safety
• Enforcement

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Digital entertainment platform Netgem TV appears to have recently slashed the price of their new UltraHD (4K) IPTV set-top-box – PLEIO, which includes support for the UK’s newest broadband-based live TV streaming service (Freely) and can now be had for just £80.

Take note that PLEIO (retail via Amazon – affiliate link) is not designed to fully record TV shows. But despite the price cut it does still ship with the added bonus of a 12-months subscription to their premium content service (you don’t have to keep the subscription after it ends), which normally costs £9.99 per month. The PLEIO subscription gives access to 250+ Cloud Games and 150+ extra TV channels.

The latest price cut makes the PLEIO set-top-box (includes remote control and game controller) slightly cheaper than Manhattan TV’s recently launched budget Aero 4K box (details), which at the time of writing can be purchased on Amazon for £89. But for those with deeper pockets there’s always the PVR capable Humax AuraEZ (FHR-6000T), yet that’ll set you back around £250, and it’s recording capability only works via the old Freeview signal (you can’t record when using Freely).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Telecoms provider Vodafone has this morning informed ISPreview that they’ve today started their 2026 Summer Sale, which will run until 22nd July 2026 (23:59) and includes various discounts across their 4G to 5G SIM mobile plans, Smartphones (including airtime bundles) and fixed broadband packages.

The announcement includes a huge selection of example discounts, which are far too tedious to summarise in their entirety without this becoming spammy. But to give a few examples, Vodafone Mobile‘s unlimited data SIM plans can now be had from £25 per month on a 24-month term (inc. unlimited data, calls and texts – max speeds of 100Mbps) instead of the usual £35.

As for Vodafone Broadband, the prices can vary a bit between networks (full fibre packages are available via Openreach, CityFibre and CommunityFibre’s networks), but 910Mbps symmetric speeds via CityFibre will now start at £29 a month on a 24-month term and 150Mbps via any network starts at £25 per month.

The usual catch to be aware of is that mid-contract price hikes do apply from 1st April each year. Monthly plan charges will thus increase by £2.50 for Pay Monthly Airtime and Data plans, £1.50 for Pay Monthly Basics plans and £3.50 for broadband (inc. 5G home broadband). But out of bundle charges will increase each April by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate published in January of each year + 3.9%.

Just take note that we don’t know precisely when this morning all of these new offers will be going fully live (some have already started).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile provider Tesco Mobile, which is one of the UK’s largest virtual (mvno) mobile network operators and home to a customer base of close to 6 million, is reportedly looking to expand their existing partnership by pondering a giffgaff style move into offering full fibre broadband packages.

At present Tesco Mobile harnesses O2’s (Virgin Media) national mobile network and, according to the Financial Times (paywall), has already held “initial talks” about offering home broadband services over VMO2 and Nexfibre’s full fibre (FTTP) networks – all of which share some of the same parentage. We imagine this would only encompass the XGS-PON powered full fibre areas of both operators, similar to Giffgaff’s arrangement.

Regular readers may recall that Tesco has been down the home broadband route before. But the company’s financial difficulties of the time meant that this side of their business was ultimately sold to TalkTalk in 2015 (here) – reflecting a fixed line broadband base of 75,000 customers (inc. 20,000 phone users).

However, we suspect the shift by giffgaff into broadband, which also uses O2’s national network, may have prompted Tesco Mobile to consider a rival. The potential for the provider to leverage both their Tesco Clubcard discounts and cross-selling broadband with mobile will no doubt also be significant, particularly now that they have such a sizeable mobile base and a decent reputation for quality.

The difficult part may be in reaching an agreement that will enable them to launch broadband packages that are as attractive as those being offered by giffgaff. Unlike giffgaff, Tesco Mobile is not part of the same group of companies, and so may not benefit from the same level of preferential treatment that such an association usually attracts.

On the other hand, Virgin Media (O2) and nexfibre are currently trying to attract non-group wholesale partners to their consumer fixed line platform (the Vodafone example), not least because this would help to give the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) a better impression of their competitive proposition and thus support the £2bn acquisition of full fibre altnet Netomnia (here).

A spokesperson for Tesco Mobile said that, as part of the “normal course of running our business,” they have “regular conversations with potential partners about opportunities“. But the mobile provider added that they “currently have no plans to launch into the broadband market” (always take any use of “no plans” with a pinch of salt, as plans can and often do change, frequently at very short notice).

At present all we can say is that Tesco Mobile has not yet made a final decision about whether to re-enter the broadband market.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Company News

M&A

The acquisition stands to bridge SpaceX’s engineering ecosystem with next-generation developer intelligence.

Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

June 23, 2023 — SpaceX has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Anysphere, Inc., the creator of the popular AI-powered coding assistant Cursor.

According to a Form 8-K filed with the SEC, the all-stock transaction values Cursor at an implied equity value of $60.0 billion.

Under the terms of the agreement outlined in the Form 8-K, SpaceX will merge a wholly owned subsidiary into Cursor, which will continue operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of the aerospace giant. Cursor shareholders will also receive SpaceX Class A common stock, with the share exchange ratio determined by the stock’s 7-day volume-weighted average price prior to closing.

The acquisition bridges SpaceX’s engineering ecosystem with next-generation developer intelligence, potentially supercharging software automation for Starlink.

The transaction is subject to standard regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, SpaceX’s SEC filing stated.

Automating the future of network deployment

As massive tech mergers signal a broader shift toward deep AI integration, the broadband sector is already finding ways to leverage this intelligence at the network level.

To see how these computational breakthroughs translate into localized, real-world utility, don’t miss the session “AI in Action: Improving the Resident and Support Experience“ at the Broadband Communities Summit 2026.

Happening on August 26 at 3:35 PM in Room 310A-C, this panel features leaders from RealPage, Apartment SEO, and RUCKUS Networks discussing exactly how AI is shifting from experimental tech to an operational powerhouse.

Secure your pass today to learn how to harness the AI revolution for your networks.

Some AI tools also assisted in the crafting of this report.

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The post SpaceX agrees to acquire popular AI coding assistant appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

A broad coalition of telecom trade associations is warning that rapid AI expansion is causing a critical shortage of U.S. memory chips.

Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

June 23, 2026 — A coalition of major trade associations—including tech and telecom leaders like NCTA, ACA Connects, NTCA, and the Telecommunications Industry Association, alongside healthcare technology groups MDMA and AdvaMed, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and retail giants via the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Retail Federation—has raised alarms over an emerging memory chip shortage they say threatens to disrupt supply chains and drive-up costs across multiple sectors.

In a June 3 letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the groups outlined the critical challenges posed by surging demand for memory chips driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

The letter emphasizes the “unprecedented surge in the price of memory chips and reduced supply of these chips for manufacturing and consumer-facing industries.”

Widespread industry disruptions

It also warns of immediate and near-term impacts, including rising prices for everyday electronics, increased costs for telecommunications infrastructure, and risks to sectors ranging from automobile production to medical device manufacturing. Federal contractors, particularly small businesses, also face potential delays and disruptions in fulfilling procurement commitments, the June 3 letter argues.

Market imbalances persist

Despite significant U.S. investments to boost chip manufacturing, the coalition asserts that market imbalances persist.

They urge the government to “work with memory chipmakers and chip buyers to assess steps that can be taken to address this imbalance” and protect consumers, workers, and businesses alike.

Proposed measures include accelerating capacity expansion domestically and in allied countries, leveraging trade and investment agreements to strengthen supply chains, and adjusting regulatory frameworks to support faster sourcing and innovation.

Additionally, the letter conveys a spirit of partnership, stating the signatories “stand ready” to discuss solutions.

The organizations also underscore their alignment with the administration’s broader economic goals, aiming to “bolster the strength of the U.S. economy, resilience of our supply chains, and prosperity of our citizens and businesses.” As AI continues transforming technology landscapes, ensuring balanced and reliable access to memory chips is now front and center on the policy agenda.

FMS 2026

With surging AI demands putting unprecedented strain on the global tech ecosystem, the industry is also racing to evolve.

Discover the solutions firsthand at The Future of Memory and Storage | FMS 2026, happening August 4–6 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Featuring an elite lineup of keynote speakers, deep-dive sessions into HBM, CXL, and advanced data center strategies, FMS 2026 is where the technology community maps out what comes next. Secure your pass now to connect with the global innovators redefining data scaling.

Some AI tools also assisted in the crafting of this report.

Get this news in your inbox. Subscribe to the Broadband Communities newsletter!

The post Telecom associations warn of US memory chip shortage appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband provider MTH Networks has today confirmed that they’ve gone live on Trooli’s alternative full fibre (FTTP) network, which covers premises across the South East, South West and East Anglia Regions of England and a small part of Scotland.

Trooli’s full fibre network is said to cover more than 480,000 homes across the United Kingdom, including various towns and large semi-rural villages across parts of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, West Sussex and Wiltshire in England. As well as bits of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Fife in Scotland (formerly part of Axione UK’s network – here).

The wholesale access agreement reflects the fifth fibre access network to go live on the MTH Networks platform. Customers in the Trooli footprint can now order from MTH Networks full fibre broadband with symmetrical speeds from 500Mbps to 2.5Gbps, available using iPoE or PPPoE – supporting Bring Your Own Router or use an MTH Networks Router.

David Curtis, Director of MTH Networks, said:

“Broadband should be simple. You find a provider you trust, check your postcode, and get connected. That is what we built our multi-carrier platform to do. Adding Trooli as our fifth network is a big step in that, adding further reach and choice for our customers. There are hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in rural Kent, East Anglia, along the South Coast, and now parts of Scotland where people haven’t had a real choice of provider. From Wednesday 24th June they can get MTH Networks. That is exactly what the platform was built for.”

Rhiannon O’Neill, Wholesale Director at Trooli, said:

“This partnership is a great opportunity for Trooli. Our team has considerable experience in driving the innovation required to reach areas of the UK with our network to those who will benefit from it the most. MTH Networks complements a growing number of quality wholesale partnerships which Trooli now has, and by partnering with MTH Networks we can continue to provide digital access and greater consumer choice for communities across our footprint.”

All customers are said to benefit from a price that is fixed for the full contract term (no in contract price rises or changes). Customers can also choose from four repair service levels, with commitments ranging from “next working day +1” through to a six-hour fix available around the clock, 365 days a year. Business customers receive a 99.99% core network uptime SLA and a dedicated static IP address as standard.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Technology data and insight firm FDM CCS Insight has today launched a new dataset (Network Panel) that claims to provide “unprecedented visibility into UK broadband market performance, regional trends and adoption of fibre to the premises (FTTP)“. The goal is to enable operators, investors and industry watchers to benchmark performance and identify emerging trends.

The Network Panel – using more than two years of historical data – is said to track connections and disconnections on all major fixed-line networks, including CityFibre, Openreach, Virgin Media (O2) and nexfibre, delivering visibility into market performance at a national and regional level.

For example, the data tracks weekly customer gains and losses across several broadband speed tiers (i.e. tracking shifting demand from sub-150 Mbps to gigabit broadband), providing monthly reporting across 11 Office for National Statistics (ONS) regions.

Example Findings in the Network Panel

➤ Connections taking a broadband package at 800 Mbps or higher grew by more than 75% year-on-year in five out of 11 ONS regions.

➤ Eight out of 11 ONS regions saw the number of 0-149 Mbps connections decline by over 20% in the past 12 months. Every region saw connections at this entry-level speed decline by at least 10%.

➤ 33% of connections in London were packages at 800 Mbps or greater. This was six percentage points higher than the second-placed ONS region, the South East, at 27%. This is driven by providers in London offering some of the lowest prices for higher-speed packages in the country, according to FDM CCS Insight’s Pricing Data. Note that London accounts for approximately 13% of the UK population.

➤ Despite having a lower volume of connections, the North East saw significant growth in high-speed sign-ups. Connections at 401-800 Mbps grew 42% year-on-year and packages offering 800 Mbps or higher increased 87%.

The eagle-eyed among you will note that Northern Ireland is not included, but this is currently only Phase One of the panel and N.I will be added in later iterations.

Hayden Shaw, Commercial Director at FDM CCS Insight, said:

“The traditional approach of measuring the UK broadband market as one homogenous entity no longer reflects the complex dynamics of this highly competitive market. Offering a granular geographic breakdown represents a significant step forward in the industry’s understanding of broadband market performance. This is particularly relevant at a time when altnets are aggressively targeting specific regions and causing significant disruption to the market landscape”.

Sadly, the announcement doesn’t include a link to the panel, so we’re unsure how useful it is or whether it’s even available to the wider public. The above data snapshot is thus all we get.

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The Oldham-based Constant Group, which is a British single source solution provider for sheet metal fabrication – from telecom / broadband cabinets to POS displays, has secured a contract from Openreach (BT) to develop and deliver secure external enclosures as part of the operator’s nationwide Exchange Exit programme.

Just to recap. Openreach are currently gearing up to close around 4,600 of their 5,600 UK exchanges as part of their Exchange Exit Programme, which is occurring (mostly after 2030) because only c.1,000 of these are needed to provide nationwide coverage of modern “fibre broadband” services (FTTC / SOGEA, FTTP etc.) – the Openreach Handover Points (OHPs or “Super Digital Exchanges“). The rollout of full fibre (FTTP) technology, combined with the retirement of copper lines and legacy services (ADSL, WLR, PSTN etc.), will soon make it economically unviable to support both the old and new exchanges.

The “world-first” solution that the Constant Group has developed to assist this enables fibre circuits to be migrated from traditional exchange buildings into secure external enclosures through a highly controlled, plug-and-play process. The solution is intended to simplify and accelerate deployment, allowing pre-prepared units to be delivered directly to site for rapid installation.

“The solution has successfully passed and exceeded all rigorous testing requirements set by Openreach, with installations and deliveries now underway,” said the announcement.

David Gilligan, CTO at Constant Group, said:

“This project represents a huge milestone for our business and a major step forward for UK telecommunications.

We are proud to have developed a world-first solution that supports Openreach’s long-term fibre network transformation strategy. The collaboration, innovation and engineering expertise behind this product has been exceptional, and to see deliveries and installations underway is a fantastic achievement for the entire team.”

Sadly, they didn’t include a picture of the new enclosures.