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Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media), which just spent £13m to secure 800MHz (frequency) of 26GHz (band) spectrum and 1,000MHz of 40GHz spectrum in Ofcom’s auction of the two 5G centric millimetre wave (mmW) bands (here), has revealed that a test of the new spectrum has already delivered mobile broadband speeds of 4Gbps (4,000Mbps).

The “real-world” test is said to have involved O2’s latest 5G Standalone (SA) network using a trial licence for the mmWave spectrum, which saw speeds of 4Gbps being hit on a single device. But key details of the test remain unclear, such as precisely which of the two bands it used, how much spectrum frequency was harnessed, where and over what distance. Suffice to say that the headline figure of 4Gbps doesn’t tell us much without more context.

However, O2 has indicated that they already operate the “largest deployment of small cells in the UK“, reaching more than 2,000 sites, which are said by the operator to be “ideally suited to make use of mmWave spectrum“. This is because the new bands, which are too weak to deliver wide coverage, are best suited to serving busy urban areas (shopping malls, airports etc. – “High Density Areas“) and fixed wireless broadband (FWA) links with multi-gigabit broadband speeds via 5G.

Lutz Schüler, CEO of VMO2, said:

“This new investment in high speed, high capacity mobile airwaves is a strong result from the auction and pairs perfectly with our strategy to transform our mobile network and give our customers a trustworthy and reliable mobile connectivity experience wherever they are.

This is an investment for the future, building on the £2 million we already spend each day on our mobile network, with this high frequency spectrum perfectly suited to delivering incredible connectivity in crowded places like the O2 arena and other stadiums, train stations and airports.

We’ve already broken the speed barrier on our network through tests of these airwaves, and we’ll be fired up and ready to deploy our new spectrum at the right moment so our customers can benefit as soon as possible.”

The new spectrum naturally complements VMO2’s existing Mobile Transformation Plan, which sees the operator invest approximately £700m this year to future-proof its mobile network. This plan is focused on expanding wide area 4G and 5G coverage, a further dedicated small cells rollout to boost capacity in dense urban areas, and innovative solutions to address persistent network pain points including along railway lines, at airports, on motorways, and in stadiums and arenas.

We’ve asked O2 if they can provide some more details on their mmW trial and will report back if or when they respond.

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Hundreds of people in the Dorset town of Beaminster have reportedly been left without working broadband and digital phone connectivity for several days after a car crashed into one of Openreach’s telecoms (telegraph) poles in the area and promptly burst into flames. Police are currently still trying to locate the driver, which could suggest a criminal aspect.

The event itself, which happened near the A356 in Beaminster, occurred on Sunday (12th October 2025) night and a crew from the Beaminster Fire Station (credits for the picture), using one breathing apparatus and two hosereel jets, were finally able to extinguish the fire by 10:49pm. Unfortunately, the pole must have been carrying one of Openreach’s primary fibre cables, as it was initially reported to have disrupted connectivity for 1,000 customers in the area.

In an urban area it might only take a few hours to resolve a downed pole, or a few short days, but the situation becomes more complex once there’s something like a fire and car crash involved. In this case, the mitigating circumstances will have involved the need to make the site safe for engineers to work (e.g. the car was finally removed on Tuesday) and to allow time for the police to conduct their investigation first. Not to mention that the operator may have had to seek prior permission for traffic management measures etc.

An Openreach spokesperson said (BBC News):

“We’re fully assessing the impact and how much damage has been caused. Then we hope to have a clearer indication of exactly how long it will take before services are restored.

Installing a new pole and rebuilding the damaged fibre network is a complex task, but we understand how disruptive it is for local residents to be without broadband.

Our engineers are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore services and get things back to normal.”

At present it’s not known precisely when Openreach will be able to complete replacement of the pole and its cables. The operator has previously informed ISPreview that it can take an average of around 20 days to fix damaged poles, such as after a major storm. But over the years we’ve seen examples where, in rare cases of extreme damage, some smaller remote rural areas have been left to wait for several months before repairs (here, here and here).

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A scientist from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Mathematics and Physics has successfully bid for £772,372 of funding from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, which will be used to design a surveillance algorithm and maritime training programme to help identify, repair and reduce damage to undersea infrastructure (e.g. energy pipes and fibre optic internet cables).

Damage to submarine pipes and cables is, sadly, not uncommon and can take several weeks to repair when it occurs (sometimes longer). Most such incidents occur due to accidents by fishing trawlers, bad weather (usually only relevant near to cable landing sites), earthquakes, as well as ships accidentally dragging their anchor over a restricted area or sometimes even deliberate sabotage. Not to mention abrasion and general equipment failure etc.

A number of cable monitoring technologies are already being developed and tested to help tackle this, as well as to do other things like detecting vessels both on and under the ocean. The University of Portsmouth’s Professor Dylan Jones will now join this effort by leading a collaborative project, involving colleagues from universities in the Philippines and Brazil, which will attempt to develop a state-of-the-art monitoring and surveillance system.

The new system is intended to enable rapid incident detection, immediate incident response and longer-term repair to restore functionality. The system will incorporate weather and data about the state of the ocean to ensure that monitoring can be continued safely during severe weather.

Additionally, two case studies will be developed and the results used to increase and improve maritime stakeholder awareness and create effective training programmes for the maritime community.

Professor Jones said:

“This is a matter of growing concern worldwide. Loss of an energy supply or internet, for example, leading to interruption in services that are relied on to function daily and to do business which can have severe consequences for society and the economy. In extreme incidents, potentially it could be life-threatening if healthcare services are severely affected.”

The focus for this project will be undersea infrastructure safety in Brazil and the Philippines, two countries experiencing rising and differing issues, although it could also be used elsewhere. Overall, this project seems to go well beyond merely monitoring such infrastructure and is clearly aiming to set out “rigorous undersea infrastructure safety policy and practices“.

Maritime stakeholders that will benefit from the research include ship owners, operators and crews (from the fishing, energy support and freight sectors), maritime authorities and coastguards, port operators, oil and gas sector operators, environmental agencies, local and national governmental policy makers etc.

Each has a unique set of concerns, needs and preferences that must be identified and addressed in order to develop inclusive solutions to undersea infrastructure safety.

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The House of Commons Library within the UK Parliament has published a useful new document that helps to summarise and explain some of the core rules around the deployment of poles (telegraph poles) for broadband network expansion. In recent years, these have often become a point of some contention for communities that don’t want them.

The deployment of poles (usually made of wood, but sometimes also metal) to run new overhead fibre optic or copper cables is a common practice across the UK (over 4 million already exist). This is because poles are quick and cost-effective to build (several times cheaper than trenching), can be deployed in areas where there may be no space or access agreement to safely put new underground cables, are less disruptive (avoiding the noise, access restrictions and damage to pavements of street works) and can usually be built under Permitted Development (PD) rights.

However, a lot of people find them ugly, particularly when deployed in areas that haven’t had them before, which over the past few years has – in some parts of the country (often areas that have previously only had underground infrastructure) – triggered strong anti-pole protests.

The new Labour-led UK government, much like the old Conservative-led one, last year responded to this by calling on broadband operators to “end the deployment of unnecessary telegraph poles” (here), to “share existing infrastructure when installing broadband cables as the default approach” and pledged to “revise” existing guidance.

The industry recently responded to this by introducing new ‘Best Practice Guidance for Poles’ to help tackle the problem, which generally requires network operators to have greater engagement with and respect for community wishes. The government are currently assessing the impact of that before deciding whether further action may be required. But it should be noted that many operators have since had to scale-back their fibre deployments due to wider economic and competitive pressures (i.e. there are now fewer complaints being raised).

Nevertheless, Thinkbroadband has spotted that the House of Commons Library just published a new document, which is designed to help MPs understand the rules around telegraph poles for UK broadband providers and any relevant legislation. The information doesn’t say anything that regular readers of ISPreview won’t already know, but it does serve as quite a useful summary for those who may be seeking some extra background.

Broadband companies and telegraph poles
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/broadband-companies-and-telegraph-poles/

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Broadband and mobile giant Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2), which currently aims to achieve Net Zero Carbon (i.e. removing as many emissions as they produce) across their operations, products and supply chain by 2040, has today signed a new 10-year Power Purchase Agreement with The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) to harness renewable electricity.

Under the agreement, which starts in April 2026, TRIG will provide renewable electricity to the company, reflecting around 15% of VMO2’s total energy supply. TRIG typically develops, constructs and operates a portfolio of renewable energy infrastructure across the UK and other countries. For example, TRIG’s wind farms – Earlseat in Scotland, and Garreg Lwyd in Wales, will help to power the company’s sites across the UK.

The deal hands VMO2 a long-term renewable energy supply with predictable costs, which should help them to mitigate price volatility in the wider energy market while also investing in the UK’s renewable energy capacity.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at VMO2, said:

“This agreement marks the next step in Virgin Media O2’s journey to achieving net zero by the end of 2040 – 10 years ahead of the UK.

By purchasing long-term renewable energy at scale, we’re not only cutting carbon but protecting our network from future energy shocks. Power Purchase Agreements offer price certainty, operational resilience and long-term value.

Virgin Media O2 is committed to growing responsibly, delivering resilient digital infrastructure that support the planet, our customers, and the communities we serve.”

You can check out the progress they’ve been making toward their Net Zero goals here.

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Broadband-based live TV streaming service Freely, which is supported by several major UK TV broadcasters (BBC, ITV etc.) and is an evolution – not (yet) a replacement – for the existing Freeview service (inc. Freeview Play and Freesat), has revealed that they’ll add 10 new streaming channels to the free platform in 2026.

The new channels, which are being added thanks to support from Hearst, Bloomberg TV+, AMC Networks International UK (AMCNI UK) and more, include the following additions: BLAZE, Bloomberg TV+, Talking Pictures TV, Gemporia, Local TV, TRUE CRIME UK, Evidence of Evil, Bloodline Detectives, Love After Lock Up and AMC Reality. These new arrivals build on AMCNI UK’s existing portfolio on Freely, which already features LEGEND, TRUE CRIME and WATCH FREE UK.

The move follows the recent launch of several new and exclusive streaming channels from Channel 4 – 4Reality, 4Homes and 4Life. Additional streaming channels from ITV and 5 are expected to follow. Once fully implemented, this will mean that Freely now carries over 70 live channels, alongside the usual array of on-demand content.

Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Everyone TV, said:

“This latest round of content partners marks another step forward for Freely as we scale up the platform for viewers and partners alike. The research we’re releasing today shows just how much audiences still value British free-to-air television – not just the flagship channels, but the wider family of channels that continue to surprise and entertain us. Freely brings all of that together in one place, for free, and it’s exciting to see the momentum behind it as we look to the year ahead.”

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New ‘Connectivity, Your Way’ approach challenges commoditisation by offering bespoke terms and agile infrastructure delivery to power growth. 

Businesses never stand still. They grow, shrink, evolve, and pivot, sometimes all in the same year. And through it all, one thing remains constant: the need for reliable connectivity that scales with change. That’s where LightSpeed Networks, a UK-based wholesale connectivity provider, makes the difference.

LightSpeed Networks agile wholesale model is built on partnership, directly challenging the industry’s trend towards commoditised transactions. The company is positioning itself as the strategic alternative for carriers, MSPs, and AltNets frustrated by the rigid, one-size-fits-all contracts typical of the national marketplace, which has already led to a 40% reduction in average contract onboarding time for new partners.

The new approach tackles a core industry challenge: the gap between the need for flexible, high-capacity infrastructure and the reality of dealing with inflexible legacy providers.

As Paul Davies, Wholesale Managing Director at LightSpeed Networks, explains:

LightSpeed Networks brings experience, consistency, and ease to the national connectivity marketplace. We pride ourselves on being exceptionally clear and responsive to work with, delivering solutions that help to achieve your business goals and targets. With bespoke, agile commercials, we provide your connectivity, your way.

This dedication to partnership over mere transaction defines their entire service model, enabling partners to drive greater value and differentiation in a highly competitive market.

Empowering Partners to Innovate and Scale

LightSpeed Networks views its wholesale fibre, wavelength, and ethernet solutions as engines for innovation for its partners. Instead of pushing generic products, the company designs solutions that mitigate risk, reduce operational complexity, and ensure faster time-to-market.

Key offerings designed for true partner enablement include:

• Bespoke, Agile Commercials: Providing pricing and contractual terms that adapt to the partner’s growth trajectory and specific business needs, rather than imposing blanket volume commitments.
• Merchant Build and Operate: A critical offering that ensures network infrastructure is delivered exactly where and when it is needed, allowing partners to deploy new services without incurring prohibitive capital expenditure or facing geographic limitations.
• Advanced High-Capacity Solutions: Offering Dark Fibre for full control and capacity, and Optical Wavelengths for ultra-fast, high-bandwidth applications, enabling partners to target data-heavy enterprise and public sector contracts.
• Simplicity and Support: In a market where service quality is the ultimate differentiator, LightSpeed Networks’ promise is straightforward: “We adapt fast to your needs. We keep things straightforward, no jargon. We’re always at the other end of the phone. And above all, we deliver on our promises.”

By providing this framework, LightSpeed Networks is helping UK service providers stand out in their markets, scale their businesses, and seize the new opportunities created by the UK’s full-fibre and digital transformation agenda.

About LightSpeed Networks:

LightSpeed Networks is a UK-based wholesale connectivity provider dedicated to delivering enterprise internet and fibre solutions that empower companies to grow with confidence. Offering a suite of flexible, scalable services including Dark Fibre, Ethernet, Optical Wavelengths, and bespoke Merchant Build/Operate solutions, LightSpeed Networks works with Service Providers, Carriers, MSPs, and Local Authorities, ensuring it’s always your connectivity, your way.

To find out more about LightSpeed Networks’ wholesale solutions, visit www.lightspeed.co.uk/wholesale, call 01775 666 103, or email en*******@*******************co.uk.

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News

The offer, announced last night, would have seen Bouygues Telecom, Iliad, and Orange divide the company’s assets between them

Late last night, reports revealed that a Bouygues, Iliad, and Orange had joined forces to put together a €17 billion offer to buy and carve up the majority of rival operator SFR’s assets.

Now, less than a day later, it seems that this approach has been ‘immediately rejected’, according to an email seen by the media that had been sent to SFR staff by Altice France head Arthur Dreyfuss.

An official statement on the rejection has yet to be published.

The proposed deal, which had been rumoured to be in the works since earlier this summer, would have seen SRF’s three national telco rivals split the majority of SFR’s assets between them, with Bouygues taking 43% of the assets, Iliad 30%, and Orange 27%.

All three operators would have taken a piece of SFR’s consumer business, including mobile and fixed broadband customers, while the B2B unit would have been divided solely between Bouygues and Iliad.

The company’s physical network assets, both fixed and mobile, and the company’s spectrum holdings, would largely have been split between all three partners.

The proposal did not include some of Altice’s smaller assets, including stakes in Intelcia, UltraEdge, and XP Fibre, and alsoAltice group’s activities in French overseas departments and regions.

In total, the deal valued SFR at around €21 billion – far short of the roughly €30 billion price point sought by SFR’s billionaire owner Patrick Drahi, which may well explain the offer’s rejection today.

This kind of tripartite carve up would not without precedent; in Brazil in 2020, for example, Telefónica, Claro Brasil, and TIM Brasil struck a similar partnership to divide the mobile unit of floundering telecoms operator Oi. However, it is somewhat unusual, potentially giving the regulatory bodies a challenge in accurately assessing the deal’s impact to consumers.

Historically, EU regulators have been reticent to allow large-scale mergers that reduce the number of telecoms players in the market, fearing that the reduction in competition would drive up prices and reduce incentives for innovation. The telecoms industry itself, on the other hand, has been calling for consolidation for many years, arguing such deals are key to unlocking long term investment in the sector. In fact, just last month, the GSMA were once again called on regulators to overhaul their merger guidelines to facilitate M&A.

Sentiment towards such mergers is thawing, however. The recent merger of Three and Vodafone in the UK and Orange and MasMovil in Spain suggests that getting regulatory approval for such a deal, while troublesome, is potentially achievable.

For now, it is unclear whether Bouygues, Iliad, and Orange will return to the negotiating table. We expect further updates imminently.

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

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The debt strained TalkTalk Group, which at this point has been through a demerger of its businesses and in 2024 secured a £400m refinancing package to avoid a default on its debts (here, here) – not to mention the recent £120m funding deal (here), is reportedly set to axe around 100 more jobs as part of its latest restructuring effort.

Suffice to say that the group, which recently launched a major brand refresh and advertising push of its consumer broadband ISP business (here), is still doing everything it can to cut costs and tackle their underlying debt problem. This includes the possible disposal (sale) of its remaining businesses (here).

The situation has already resulted in various redundancies, such as the recent loss of up to 350 jobs from their wholesale division, PlatformX Communications (here). According to The Standard, another redundancy consultation has just started that could see around 100 further jobs being cut from both their group HQ in Salford (Manchester) and another office in London.

A spokesperson for TalkTalk (Group) said:

“Over the past 18 months, we have been transforming how TalkTalk Group operates, invests, and serves its customers. The proposed changes to our consumer business are a necessary part of that journey, creating a more agile and future-focused organisation that can deliver innovation and improved service for our customers.”

The Group’s latest annual accounts (here) recently revealed that TalkTalk made a statutory loss before tax of £465m for the year ended 28th February 2025 (up from £153m last year) and were home to 1,570 employees (down from 2,065). The overall level of net debt (excluding leases) also hit £1.2bn – rising to £1.96bn if you include leases.

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SpaceX’s global Starlink service, which offers ultrafast broadband speeds across the UK and globally via a mega constellation of compact satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), has provided their best view yet of what the company’s next generation v3 (GEN3) satellites will look like when deployed to orbit. Each one will have 10 times more capacity than earlier v2 satellites.

The service currently has around 8,600 satellites in orbit (c.5,000 are v2 / V2 Mini) – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’ll add thousands more by the end of 2027. Residential customers in the UK usually pay from £75 a month, plus £299 for hardware (currently free for most areas) on the ‘Standard’ unlimited data plan (kit price may vary due to different offers), which promises UK latency times of 26-33ms, downloads of 116-277Mbps and uploads of 17-32Mbps. Cheaper and more restrictive options also exist for roaming users.

As we’ve previously reported, SpaceX is aiming to deliver a significant upgrade to the performance and capacity of their Starlink constellation by putting the next generation of v3 satellites into orbit. Each v3 will be able to handle 1 Terabit per second (1000Gbps) of downlink (up from 96Gbps on V2 Mini) and 160Gbps of uplink speed (shared capacity), with the future Starship rocket able to put around 60 of these into orbit per launch (here).

However, the company is currently unable to launch any of their new v3 satellites, which is because they’re too large and heavy (2,000kg each vs 575kg for V2 Mini) for that to be economically viable via their existing Falcon 9 rockets. SpaceX has thus had to wait for their new heavy lift Starship rocket to be ready.

The good news is that Starship has just aced its past two test launches and may thus be able to launch their first commercial v3 satellites into orbit sometime during early 2026 (here). The new satellites, which will also orbit closer to earth (good for performance if not coverage), will feature newer and larger antennas, solar arrays and be able to harness more radio spectrum frequency to help support their performance.

The latest update from SpaceX (here) reveals, as pictured above, what each V3 will look like once fully deployed in comparison to their earlier v1.5 and v2 satellites. The catch is that customers are expected to need a new router and dish (terminal kit) in order to be able to fully benefit from the extra performance they’ll bring.

Currently, the average (median) UK download speed on Starlink is 78.7Mbps and this rises up to 223.4Mbps for those with the top 10% of fastest connections, while uploads average just 10.8Mbps or 18.5Mbps for those in the top 10% (here).