Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator BT Wholesale, which supplies a number of UK ISPs with broadband and other communication services, has today launched a new ‘Teams Phone Mobile‘ service for its partners that combines Microsoft Teams’ collaboration features with EE’s mobile connectivity.

In short, the new Teams Phone Mobile service claims to allow users to make and take calls, send messages, and collaborate “seamlessly” via a single app across multiple devices. This makes it easier for BTW’s customers to capitalise on unified communications, digital voice, and collaboration opportunities.

End users will require a Teams Phone SKU or E5 licence with Teams for this service, while BTW partners can purchase Teams Phone Mobile on ‘Complete Mobile’ in order to deliver a ready-to-go solution.

BTW Stated Benefits of Teams Phone Mobile 

For users: 

• Greater reliability: Calls can be carried over the mobile network or fixed connectivity, leading to greater reliability and quality of service. Users can move seamlessly between devices without dropping calls or losing context. 
• Better collaboration: Users can seamlessly “uplift” mobile calls to Teams on any type of device, giving them more ways to collaborate. 
• A unified experience: Users can access a combined call history, unified voicemail and status options, across their Teams devices. 

For organisations:  

• One number, everywhere: Users can have one number for mobile, desk and Microsoft Teams, so they can work flexibly and securely from any location, device or network. Teams Phone Mobile users can make and receive calls using their native dialler as well as the Teams app. 
• Security as standard: Businesses can extend enterprise-grade business policies such as recording and retention to voice calls on native mobile devices. Calls from users’ devices can also be set up to appear as though they’re coming from the organisation, keeping users’ mobile numbers hidden. 
• Streamlined communications: Organisations can consolidate redundant fixed-line and mobile services, as well as reducing the number of devices and hardware to buy, manage and support. 

The MD of BT Wholesale, Thea Sztejka, said: “We see significant opportunities for channel partners to diversify and grow within the business communications market. By combining Microsoft Teams with the UK’s best mobile network, our partners can help empower customers to work anywhere, anytime, while strengthening their brand and driving ROI.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Online shopping giant Amazon last night succeeded in launching their first batch of 27 ultrafast broadband satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for Project Kuiper. The platforms were put into space by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 rocket that unleashed some 2.7 million pounds (12 megaNewtons) of thrust.

The company currently has approval to deploy and operate their own constellation of 3,236 LEO satellites as part of Project Kuiper and mission “KA-01” is merely the first of 80 such launches due over the next few years. The new spacecraft, each of which can process data traffic at speeds of up to 1Tbps (Terabits per second) – shared between many users, will ultimately come to rest at an altitude of between 590km and 630km.

The latency (often c.20-40ms) and speed of the new broadband service, once live, is expected to be similar to that of Starlink (SpaceX) and will similarly focus on reaching “unserved and underserved communities“. Project Kuiper’s smallest ultra-compact (7-inch square) ground terminals are, for example, expected to support downloads of “up to” 100Mbps (Megabits per second), while their slightly larger standard model (11 inches square) delivers up to 400Mbps, and the largest model (19 inches) should be able to deliver up to 1Gbps (Gigabit per second). The latter is more intended for government and enterprise users.

However, performance isn’t solely dictated by the satellites themselves, which means that Amazon will still need a strong global network of Ground Stations and supportive regulators in the USA, UK and many other countries in order to deliver an effective service (Ofcom has already granted approval).

The satellites flying on KA-01 are a “significant upgrade” from the two prototype satellites that Amazon tested in 2023, featuring better performance, phased array antennas, new processors, solar arrays, propulsion systems, and optical inter-satellite links. The satellites have also been coated in a dielectric mirror film, unique to Kuiper, that scatters reflected sunlight to help make them less visible to ground-based astronomers.

The first commercial beta service is expected to kick off with a few initial users around the end of 2025. The new network should provide some serious competition for SpaceX’s Starlink network, although the extremely high cost of creating such networks will limit Amazon’s ability to offer a significantly cheaper or more flexible service.

At the time of writing, it’s still too early to know whether the satellites themselves will reach their desired orbit without fault (this stage takes a bit of time), but so far everything appears to have gone as expected. As with other LEO constellations, the satellites are only designed to stay in orbit for a few years before they’re dragged back down to be burnt up (disposed) in the atmosphere.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

UK ISP BT has published their first biannual progress update for 2025 on their delivery of Ofcom’s somewhat maligned 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband. The provider has so far helped to build a USO connection to over 8,411 premises (up from 8,248 in Oct 2024), with 349 further builds in-progress (up from 215).

The USO is a legally-binding and industry-funded obligation that falls on BT across the UK and KCOM in just Hull. In short, people living in areas where they can’t yet receive a 10Mbps or faster download speed, and aren’t expected to be covered by such a network in the next 12-months, can request a service capable of 10Mbps+ downloads (1Mbps upload) from the aforementioned internet providers.

A cost sharing model also applies here, which means that the providers will “calculate the total excess cost of the build and divide that between the eligible premises. If that amount is below £5,000 per premises (on top of the £3,400), we’ll automatically split the costs“. But some areas can still end up costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, even up to £1-2m, and would thus find the USO route to be unviable (here and here).

Ofcom states that 58,000 UK premises (0.2%) currently fall into the USO gap (i.e. those outside of suitable fixed line, fixed wireless or 4G mobile coverage) or 385,000 premises if you exclude wireless solutions. But the regulator predicts the current 58k figure could fall to 48k by the end of 2025, mostly as a result of upgrades delivered via publicly funded schemes (connection vouchers, project gigabit contracts etc.).

Just to be clear about this. Many of those who pursue the USO option via BT say they were offered 4G (mobile broadband) connections via EE instead, but those actually considered to have been delivered under the USO itself usually get Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP). Commercial builds of the latter have also helped to shrink the USO gap.

The gap will continue to shrink as both commercial and subsidised builds (e.g. the Gov’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme) expand. The government are also still exploring how best to reach those who live in “Very Hard to Reach” areas even faster speeds – roughly equating to the same sort of area as the USO is focused upon – and at the same time they’re due to review the USO itself (here), which could lead to changes. But this work seems to have been delayed a bit by the recent change in government.

BT’s April 2025 Broadband USO Report

The latest statistics continue to show that the delivery of USO is a slow process (e.g. in April 2023 there were 800 builds in progress, then 185 in Oct 2023, 265 in April 2024, 215 in Oct 2024 and now an uptick to 349). We suspect this may be a combination of factors, such as a lack of consumer familiarity with the USO (apply for it here), new services like Starlink becoming available, the shrinking area of USO eligibility and the fact that the policy may be running into the limitations of economically viable deliverability.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Three Business, the business-to-business arm of mobile network operator Three UK, this morning claims to have launched the “UK’s first large-scale eSIM trial” for over 50,000 business, albeit initially only available to those in the Birmingham and Bristol areas. The trial will allow customers to test Three’s network before making the commitment to switch providers.

Unlike physical SIM cards, eSIMs embed an electronic SIM into your device (Smartphone) that could – once fully implemented – make it easier and quicker to switch between operators (e.g. not having to wait for a SIM card to arrive) and to use additional networks alongside your main mobile service (e.g. eSIMs for travel when abroad).

However, so far eSIM based services have tended to be more focused on consumers, but Three Business are looking to change that. Switching mobile networks can be a big decision for businesses too, with coverage and service quality varying significantly by location. Traditionally, businesses have relied on coverage maps, external reports, and third-party analysis to make their choice, but these tools don’t always reflect real-world conditions.

The goal of the new eSIM trial, which will be delivered in partnership with eSIM Go, is to allow businesses to experience the Three network first-hand for 30-days alongside their existing provider. This will allow such firms to make a more informed decision based on actual performance.

Snehal Bhudia, Director Three Business, said:

“Choosing the right mobile network can feel overwhelming with conflicting information and the risk of getting it wrong. That’s why we’re offering businesses a free trial of our market-leading 5G network – alongside their current provider. It’s a simple, hands-on way to experience the difference for themselves, helping them make a confident, informed decision that drives real productivity gain for their business.”

The two cities were selected by Three Business due to their rapidly growing business ecosystems and status as major UK tech hubs. But it’s currently unclear how long the new trial will run for or when the final service might launch.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers of Sky’s sibling NOW Broadband (NOW TV) ISP sub-brand, specifically those on their older “part-fibre” (FTTC) based superfast broadband packages, have been informed that their bundled Hubs (routers) are now unsupported and won’t be replaced if they develop a fault. But don’t “worry“, say NOW, because if that happens your service can be terminated or moved to Sky.

Sky Broadband itself has, thus far, been doing a modestly good job of offering upgrades to customers with bundled broadband routers that may have reached End of Life (EOL). This largely reflects recent changes in UK law, which requires ISPs to be more security conscious and “open with consumers on the minimum time they can expect to receive important security updates” for their smart / connected devices.

However, it appears as if NOW TV are taking a different approach for customers on their older own-brand NOW Broadband FTTC plans. This is seemingly focused upon those who are currently or will soon be in the process of considering whether to re-contract when their current package term comes to an end.

The problem is that this effectively seems to leave many existing NOW Broadband customers, at least those who want to use a secure and supported router, with little option but to either leave the ISP or switch to a package powered by Sky Broadband instead (something they’ve been offering, mostly via FTTP lines, since last year).

Extract from NOW TV’s Customer Email

Changes from March 2025

Please note, your Hub is no longer receiving security and service updates, or will stop receiving security updates by 2025. However, your Hub will continue to work as normal and will keep you connected to the internet.

We recommend, as a minimum, changing your Hub admin password to reduce the risk of security threats. This won’t change your WiFi password, just the password used to check your Hub details … From July 31st 2025, should your Hub develop a fault, we unfortunately won’t be able to provide a replacement. If this happens, don’t worry, you’ll be able to end your service immediately without any termination fees.

Most people will quickly note that changing the Hub’s admin password is not a panacea for all network and internet security related threats that users of unsupported NOW Hubs may face in the future. Likewise, telling customers not to “worry” because NOW TV still leaves them with the option of a free service termination, is far from ideal. Hopefully, those who want to exit their contract early don’t suddenly start dropping older hubs in the sink – totally by accident, of course.

The final option that NOW TV offers, if retaining unsupported kit or service termination are not palatable, is to switch to one of their more recent ‘NOW Powered by Sky‘ broadband packages. The newer packages started to be introduced last year, and at the time many people felt this had signalled the start of NOW Broadband’s gradual demise as a semi-independent broadband brand. The latest development may reinforce that perception.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News 

Octopus Group, the investment group behind Octopus Energy, is preparing to make its move into the UK mobile market, The Telegraph reported over the weekend. 

According to the article, the company is exploring plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that could challenge the dominance of the UK’s current biggest four operators,  EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Three. 

Octopus’s mobile service would operate by leasing capacity from an existing network, instead of investing in its own infrastructure. Sources speaking to The Telegraph indicated that discussions have taken place via Fern Trading, Octopus’s telecoms investment arm, with at least one major network operator. The project appears linked to Y Corporation, a mobile provider owned by Fern Trading, which currently has a wholesale agreement with Three. 

Y Corporation is reportedly considering an eSIM-only model targeting both enterprise and consumer markets. Adam Dunlop, former head of TalkTalk’s consumer division, was appointed to drive the mobile expansion earlier back in January. 

The mobile push follows Octopus Energy’s success in the utilities sector, where it now supplies over 13 million customers, and has overtaken British Gas to become the UK’s largest household energy supplier. 

A new mobile service under the Octopus brand would complement the group’s growing telecoms footprint, which includes broadband providers such as Cuckoo and AllPoints Fibre. Fern Trading recently announced plans to merge several of its altnets into a single entity to strengthen its market position ahead of expected industry consolidation. 

The move comes at a key time for the UK’s mobile sector, with Vodafone and Three’s £15 billion merger set to reshape the market landscape. Should Y Corporation continue its partnership with Three post-merger, it would gain access to the UK’s largest mobile network. 

Join us at Connected Britain, 24-25 September in London. Get tickets here! 

Also in the news:
Diversifying the UK’s data centre landscape: a path to economic growth
Connected North: Thoughts from the show floor
Connected America 2025: Is there a US–China 5G rollout race?

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Existing customers of Virgin Media and O2’s various broadband, mobile, phone and TV packages may like to know that their ‘Priority’ app, which rewards subscribers with various special offers and discounts, has this week launched “Blue Mondays” to give UK subscribers something to smile about at the start of every week with lots of special rewards.

The move is being promoted as a “significant refresh” of how Priority usually works and will see more than two million exclusive rewards, prizes and experiences being given away to Priority members, every Monday, this year.

As part of the Blue Mondays line-up, O2 is introducing Get on the plane with Priority, a new offering for summer 2025 that will see 100 Priority members receive a £300 voucher, redeemable against a holiday on lastminute.com, every Monday until 30th June.

On top of that, there will be other ‘Monday only’ rewards, such as 2 cinema tickets at Vue for £6 or 4 for £12 (you can get a similar reward on other days, but it’s not as cheap).

Lisa Johnstone, VMO2 Director of Priority, Loyalty & Reward, said:

“At Virgin Media O2, customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re constantly finding new ways to make being a customer more rewarding.

Priority has always been a loyalty trailblazer, and we’re continuing to innovate with initiatives like Blue Mondays — our way of showing appreciation and putting customers first. By investing in new experiences and enhanced rewards, we’re saying thank you in a way that truly matters – helping our customers enjoy the everyday alongside life’s most special moments, while getting even more value from being part of the Virgin Media O2 family.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

A couple of weekend newspaper reports have stated that the Fern Trading (Octopus Group) backed Y Corporation appears to still be gearing up to launch a new UK mobile operator of their own, which would be backed by a virtual operator (MVNO) agreement with Three UK. But readers of ISPreview will know that they already tried this last year (here) – leaving many early adopters confused.

According to the FT (paywall), which itself followed a report in the Sunday Telegraph, Fern has approached Three UK (soon to be merged with Vodafone) to explore the plans, with Y Corp already having an existing wholesale arrangement with the network operator as part of its branded MVNO offerings to businesses.

However, both articles seemed to be unaware of the fact that Y Corp already attempted this with a confusing “beta” launch at the end of 2024, which wasn’t initially promoted as a trial to early adopters. The new Ymobile service first went live in November 2024 by claiming to be the UK’s “first data-led, eSIM MVNO” (here), all while claiming to offer users a “simpler, more streamlined and environmentally friendly” alternative to traditional operators.

The plans they offered reflected a simplified range of 30-day 4G and 5G capable data-only (mobile broadband) eSIM plans (e.g. £5 for 10GB and up to 100GB for £15). But a month later (Dec 2024) the Y Mobile website suddenly vanished, while early adopters were informed that the service was in a “beta phase” (not something they mentioned in the original press shot) and the operator had “decided to temporarily pause Ymobile’s service“. Customer plans were then “terminated” in January 2025 (here).

A spokesperson for Ymobile told ISPreview in Dec 2024:

“As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering an outstanding mobile experience, we have decided to temporarily pause Ymobile’s service while we prepare for the next stage of its development.

This decision follows the completion of our beta phase, and we now begin our process of developing a more robust and advanced version of Ymobile for launch in the near future.

All of our current users’ contract agreements have been fulfilled, and the service is now in the process of being paused.

We appreciate all our users’ trust and understanding as we take this step, which will enable us to offer them an even better service moving forward. We will keep all our users updated on our progress, and we look forward to starting this new chapter in our journey soon.”

Suffice to say that this was no way to launch a new retail service into the market and will have done the company some damage, although they also clearly indicated their intention to prepare a “more robust and advanced version of Ymobile for launch in the near future“. But to be fair, they did issue refunds and gave the right amount of notice.

According to the latest newspaper reports, Octopus appointed Adam Dunlop, the former TalkTalk Consumer Chief, as a Director in January to explore the plans (the same month they terminated the old service) and still appear to be preparing to go live with a new service in the near future. But they’ll need to do something special to make up for the messy first attempt, which isn’t easy in today’s already quite diverse mobile market.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Welsh Government (WG) has moved into the final market engagement phase of their proposed £70m (state aid) “Extending High Speed Broadband Reach in Wales” (EHSBRW) project, which aims to help upgrade broadband for some or all of the remaining 84,000 premises (i.e. those that can’t yet get “superfast” speeds of 30Mbps+).

Regular ISPreview readers will know that the WG first began to explore the viability of such a project in May 2023 via a Prior Information Notice (here). The project is intended to complement that UK Government’s wider £5bn Project Gigabit programme, which aims to reach “nationwide” (c.99%) coverage of gigabit-capable broadband by 2030 (currently at around 87%). But it’s acknowledged that the latter will still not be enough to completely cater for all of the hardest-to-reach remote rural locations (i.e. those that are too expensive for even Project Gigabit).

The good news today is that the WG appears to be moving forward with the EHSBRW project by taking it out of the gestation stage and publishing a Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN). This notifies suppliers of their intention to proceed with a procurement for the Project, and identify likely contract terms for the Framework and call-off contracts that may be awarded under the Framework.

The final number of premises that are anticipated to be in scope for the Framework will be provided as part of the associated tender documents, but this will be subject to refinement/update during the duration of the Framework. Suffice to say that we don’t yet know precisely how many premises the final tender may seek to tackle, but we suspect it will be a lot less than the headline 84,000 premises (this figure is also now out of date).

WG Market Engagement Notice

The Welsh Government expects the Framework will have two LOTS. The first lot will be for projects that require the installation of broadband network infrastructure to 1,000 premises and over. The second lot will be for projects that require the installation of broadband network infrastructure to under 1,000 premises. The second lot will be suitable for SME’s and Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).

The Authority expects the first Framework will commence in summer 2025 with the first call-off contract under the Framework being awarded in autumn 2025.

Please note that the estimated total value set out in this notice is in respect of all call-off contracts that may be awarded under the Framework. At this stage, it is an estimate only and is in no way guaranteed or final. The associated tender documents for this opportunity will contain more specific information.

The dates and total duration for the Framework and any call-off contracts referred to in this notice are also estimates and for illustrative purposes only. The associated tender documents for this opportunity will confirm the relevant anticipated dates for the Framework.

The WG is now inviting potential suppliers (Openreach, Ogi, Netomnia, Virgin Media/ nexfibre etc.) to formally express an interest in their related market engagement exercise, which is due to conclude on 5th May 2025. The formal tender notice will then aim to be published by 28th May 2025 and the awarded contract(s) would run for 8 years, potentially from 1st August 2025 to 31st July 2033 (estimated).

The project is only now able to proceed properly because the UK’s primary Project Gigabit programme has now almost completed its related contract awards for Wales (these have largely gone to Openreach via Type-C contracts to expand FTTP broadband into rural areas), which will give the WG a better idea of which premises may end up being left out and needing extra help.

In addition, the WG plan to complement this by reopening their Access Broadband Cymru (ABC) grant / voucher scheme (here). We’re currently awaiting the details of their revised approach for that, which is due imminently.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator CityFibre has today announced that the first customers have gone live on their new 10Gbps capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network in Hampshire (England), which is being built as part of their £104m state aid supported Project Gigabit contract (Lot 27) – this aims to reach more than 75,000 extra premises across hard-to-reach rural areas.

The operator, which is supported by ISPs like Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet and many more (Sky Broadband to go live soon), already covers around 4.4 million (4.2m RFS) UK premises with full fibre broadband – mostly in urban areas – and their ambition is to cover up to 8m (funded by c.£2.4bn in equity, c.£4.9bn debt and nearly £1bn of BDUK / public subsidy) – representing c.30% of the UK.

Over the past couple of years, CityFibre has also secured ten Project Gigabit contracts. In total, over 1.3 million additional homes and businesses stand to benefit from CityFibre’s Project Gigabit rollout over the next 5-years, with the latest project area to start going live being within their Hampshire patch.

The first homes have just been connected on Hayling Island, which sits just off the south coast of England. Build completion on the Hampshire contract was originally anticipated for March 2029 (here).

Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant, said:

“Communities across remote parts of Hampshire will soon see the back of connectivity drop-outs and constant buffering with this installation of lightning-fast broadband.

We recently launched our Digital Inclusion Action Plan, setting out our next steps to shrink the digital gap. Today’s news is a fantastic example of how a Government-backed contract will help ensure people in rural areas are not left behind and have the tools they need to work and thrive in the digital age.”

Simon Holden, Group Chief Operations Officer at CityFibre, said:

“Reliable, high-speed broadband is more than just a convenience, it’s a necessity for work, education and everyday life. Thanks to this investment from Project Gigabit, Hampshire is set to reap the benefits of full fibre and unlock better opportunities for residents and businesses. CityFibre is proud to provide this essential infrastructure to drive digital progress and support the local community’s future.”

The subsidy from BDUK also compliments CityFibre’s own commercial investment across the area of Havant, which will enable even more areas of Hampshire to access full fibre broadband. CityFibre is based in London and is owned by funds managed by Antin Infrastructure Partners, Infrastructure at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Mubadala Investment Company, Interogo Holding, Newlight Partners and PATRIZIA’s European Infrastructure Fund II.