Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative network operator and ISP Grain has today announced that their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network has grown to cover 250,000 UK premises (up from 220k in May 2024) and 43,000 customers (up from 30,000). But crucially, they also did as expected (here) and went EBITDA positive during the quarter ended March 2025.

The ability to achieve a positive EBITDA (i.e. earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) usually indicates that a company’s core operations are becoming profitable. Grain today said their total operating costs per customer continued to “fall rapidly” to c. £21 by the end of the year, with “total operating costs flat across the year despite significant growth in customers“.

The operator’s full fibre network can currently be found in parts of around 60+ UK locations (plus over 150 new build housing developments), which includes a lot of modest-to-large sized patches of various urban cities and towns like Leicester, Liverpool, Accrington, Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Hartlepool, Hull, Newport, Sunderland, Blackburn and so forth.

The latest progress update reveals that Grain’s homes ready for service (RFS) grew by 24% during the financial year to cover over 250,000 premises. Customer numbers were also up 58% at 43,000 with take-up growing steadily from 13% to 17% over the last 12 months, despite adding 50,000 new premises during the year.

Grain said they were continuing to invest in network expansion. The operator added that it was now “fully funded” and is due to turn cashflow positive on its current footprint in 2026, “generating a surplus of EBITDA more than covering the cost of connecting customers and servicing the interest payments on its debt“.

Grain CEO, Richard Cameron, told ISPreview:

“The Altnet market has experienced significant challenges in recent years, with many providers struggling to generate sufficient returns to service their debts and deliver a return to their shareholders. This is often due to high costs, low take-up and the high connection costs required to connect customers to PIA based networks. I am pleased to say that these are problems which Grain doesn’t face, putting us in a unique position having already built a sustainable business over the long term.

Also, Openreach and other Altnets describe a home ready for service as one which has a live network at the top of a pole or in a chamber, somewhere near a premise, which could be over 100 metres from the home, still requiring substantial network investment and potentially signed wayleaves to connect a customer. Grain describes a home ready for service as one that already has a live network at the boundary of each premise.

Grain connects homes for about a quarter of the cost that Openreach incurs to connect a home. As a result of this Grain doesn’t have the large capital expenditure overhang costs to connect customers that the rest of the industry faces. This coupled with an efficient customer acquisition model makes Grain unique with new customers paying back in the first year of their contracts.

We are excited about the future of Grain and the competition it offers, allowing more customers to make the move to Full Fibre broadband, at affordable and transparent prices.”

The network operator said they planned to continue investing additional capital into the expansion of its footprint, “given the strong financial returns being generated” and are currently also offering broadband customers a price freeze offer (i.e. prices locked until 2027).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

A new cost-of-living study conducted by market research firm Maru, which polled 40,000 UK adults at multiple touchpoints over three years to date, claims to have found that 53% of respondents thought it was “likely” that they would need to consider changing their home broadband in order to cut costs. A further 52% said the same for their mobile phone plan.

In addition, some 54% of Britons also say that they are considering cancelling at least one entertainment subscription, such as Netflix, Disney+, YouTube Premium, or Amazon Prime, in order to save money. All of this comes against the background of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, which for many has become even more of a challenge following recent tax rises and fiscal drag in other areas.

According to Maru’s most recent polling, most Brits think that it is ‘likely’ that they will need to make further cuts to their spending in other areas, including holding off on big purchases and spending less on food, eating out, energy, insurance, and home appliances.

“Our cost-of-living research shows that Brits are increasingly looking for new ways to cut their spending as rising costs continue to squeeze household finances and reduce spending power – and one of the most common ways in which they are looking to doing this is by reducing the cost of their broadband and mobile phone bills,” said Stephen Brockway, Chief Research Officer at Maru.

The Most Common Ways in which Britons Plan to Save Money:

1. Eating in rather than eating out – 84%

2. Shop around for lower insurance costs – 81%

3. Buying more budget or own brand groceries – 78%

4. Holding off on big purchases (e.g. holidays, new car) – 76%

5. Spending less on clothes and shoes – 77%

6. Using the heating less or turning down the thermostat – 78%

7. Spend less on home appliances – 73%

8. Spend less on home improvements – 71%

9. Switch more of my food shopping to a lower prices supermarket – 68%

10. Cancel gym subscriptions or memberships – 66%

11. Spend less on food and groceries – 58%

12. Seek help/advice on lowering energy bills – 55%

13. Cancel entertainment subscriptions – 54%

14. Change home broadband to a lower cost – 53%

15. Change mobile phone plan to a lower cost – 52%

16. Improve insulation in my home – 51%

In the past, we’ve often been sceptical about the accuracy of consumer surveys like this, since real-world data doesn’t always reflect the snapshot of opinions collected by such studies. In terms of broadband, we can now actually see just how wide of the mark the situation between surveyed samples and reality really is, thanks in large part to the public data being released by the industry-led One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo).

TOTSCo reflects the central messaging platform for implementing Ofcom’s recently launched (Sept 2024) solution for easier and quicker consumer switching between broadband and phone providers (aka – One Touch Switching). According to TOTSCo’s data (see live switching data), the Hub has delivered over 852,000 switches successfully completed since its launch in September 2024, which suggests that significantly fewer people are actually switching than those surveyed above may indicate.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, has today opened a new investigation into call centre solutions’ provider Primo Dialler, which will examine “concerns that numbers sub-allocated to [the company] are/were being misused, including to facilitate scams.”

The regulator is concerned that Primo Dialler may have failed to comply with its obligations under their rules, specifically the General Conditions of Entitlement GC B1.8 and GC B1.9(b) and (c). The rules reference a requirement for such businesses to ensure that they’ve taken reasonably practicable steps to ensure that their customers are using telephone numbers correctly and that they don’t transfer use of such numbers from the National Telephone Numbering Plan (NTNP) unless that is the case. The numbers, once transferred, must also be used effectively and efficiently.

Ofcom added that they “also have concerns as to whether Primo Dialler is persistently misusing, or has persistently misused, an electronic communications network or services“, which is all explained in more detail below.

Ofcom’s Statement

We have concerns as to whether Primo Dialler has failed to comply with its obligations under the GCs, specifically:

GC B1.8 which states that “the Communications Provider shall take all reasonably practicable steps to secure that its Customers, in using Telephone Numbers, comply (where applicable) with the provisions of [GC B1], the provisions of the National Telephone Numbering Plan and the Non-provider Numbering Condition”; and;

GC B1.9(b) and (c) which state that “the Communications Provider shall not transfer use of Telephone Numbers from the National Telephone Numbering Plan unless… the Telephone Numbers are used in accordance with the National Telephone Numbering Plan; and the Telephone Numbers are Adopted or otherwise used effectively and efficiently”.

We also have concerns as to whether Primo Dialler is persistently misusing, or has persistently misused, an electronic communications network or services. Under section 128(5) – (7) of the Act, a person misuses an electronic communications network or service if:

1. the effect or likely effect of his use of the network or service is to cause another person unnecessarily to suffer annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety; or

2. he uses the network or service to engage in conduct the effect or likely effect of which is to cause another person unnecessarily to suffer annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety.

Misuse can be considered “persistent” where it is repeated enough for it to be clear that it represents a pattern of behaviour or practice, or recklessness about whether others suffer annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety.

The investigation will now seek to establish the facts surrounding this matter and examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that Primo Dialler has failed to comply with the rules. Such investigations can often be a slow and complex process, which means we may have to wait until much later this year or sometime in 2026 to learn the final outcome.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband ISP Lit Fibre, which now harnesses CityFibre’s national Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network (they originally ran their own UK fibre network – here), has refreshed their existing range of packages and also introduced new a range of “specialised” product packages called ‘Lit Ultimate’, ‘Lit Homeworker’, ‘Lit Family’ and ‘Lit Gamer’.

The new Lit Fibre packages appear to have been designed to complement, rather than replace, their existing speed-centric Lit 100Mbps (£29.99), 500Mbps (£33.99) and 1000Mbps (£39.99) plans (monthly prices are for the 24-month term, but you can also take 18-months for a few pounds extra). All packages include symmetric speeds, free installation, wireless router (models vary) and a pledge of “no mid-contract price hikes“.

By comparison, the four new named packages include various extras, such as a superior router (Lit Hub or Lit Hub Pro), Wi-Fi extenders, an internet security service, parental controls and sometimes also “boost device control“. But these extras do vary a bit between the new packages, and Lit could do with including a few more details to help explain the differences or what they actually deliver.

LitFibre’s New Broadband Packages (24-Month Term)

Lit Homeworker
“Built for remote professionals requiring dependable, high-speed internet.”
500Mbps
Boost device control (“Give your work devices the VIP treatment with a connection boost while working from home” – we’re not sure what this is?)
Lit Secure Plus
Lit Hub

PRICE: £34.49pm per month

Lit Family
“Ideal for households with multiple users and devices.”
500Mbps
Parental controls
Lit Secure Plus
Lit Hub

PRICE: £34.49pm per month

Lit Gamer
“Optimised for gamers needing low latency and fast speeds.”
1Gbps
Lit Hub Pro

PRICE: £39.49pm per month

Lit Ultimate
“For users who demand peak performance across all online activities.”
1Gbps
Lit Hub Pro+ 2 WiFi extenders
Lit Secure Plus
Lit Advanced
Boost device control

PRICE: £47.49pm per month

One issue to be aware of is that, when going through Lit’s availability checker and order page, you’ll only be able to see the new package options if you click the “Usage” button (selector) at the top. Likewise, you can only see the original packages by selecting the “Speed” button. But these are presented in quite a generic way and with little explanation, which means that their relevance can easily be overlooked (i.e. it may have been better to make the distinction between basic and premium packages clearer).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

In a somewhat unsurprising development, newspaper reports have today claimed that Vodafone and Three UK (CK Hutchison) may be gearing up to support their merger by discussing the launch of a new Pay TV service. Such products are typically sold as part of a bundle (convergence), such as alongside fixed broadband, phone and mobile plans.

The merger, which was approved by the CMA in December 2024 (here) and is said to be worth £15bn+, is due to complete any time now. The deal will see Vodafone retain a 51% slice of the business and CKH (Three UK) hold 49%. Both operators have previously promoted the deal as being “great for customers, great for the country and great for competition,” while also resulting in a major £11bn investment to upgrade the UK’s 5G mobile (broadband) infrastructure and coverage.

At present, Three UK is a mobile-only operator, while Vodafone have long since branched out into home broadband by offering related packages via Openreach and CityFibre’s national networks. Despite this, it’s not uncommon for major mergers in the telecommunications sector to be followed by a focus on greater convergence of different services, much as we’ve seen via O2 and Virgin Media, as well as BT and EE before them.

According to the Sunday Telegraph (paywall), both Vodafone and Three UK are allegedly considering something similar post-merger, with the possible future introduction of a Pay TV service and or broadband bundles via Three UK forming part of their discussions. But a spokesperson for Vodafone warned it was still too early to comment on the company’s plans post-merger.

Karen Egan, Enders Analysis, said:

“There are certainly some opportunities for cross-selling Vodafone’s broadband product to Three’s 9.3m mobile subscribers, but broadband is a really tough market right now with very slim margins so they’ll be quite constrained in the level of incentive discounts they can offer.”

In recent years’ convergence has become somewhat an area of mixed success. This is partly because many consumers have been gradually navigating away from the traditional Pay TV model and preferring to sign-up independently via a collection of often independent streaming providers (e.g. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, NOW TV, Disney+ etc.).

The situation has been somewhat underlined by the recent softening of focus on Pay TV services by the likes of TalkTalk and BT, as well as the complete removal of the TV products by BT sibling PlusNet. Suffice to say that it’s much harder today to make an attractive Pay TV product, and broadband can also be very challenging.

However, it’s worth noting that Vodafone has been seeing strong UK take-up of their home broadband products in recent years, and the operator does have experience in Pay TV via some of their other markets outside the UK. The potential is certainly there to do something more with bundles, but whether that would be successful is another matter.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The German antitrust regulator, the Bundeskartellamt (BKartA), says Vodafone and Vantage have deliberately obstructed the development of 1&1’s mobile network

In a statement released today, BKartA said it suspects Vodafone and its privately owned tower spin-off Vantage Towers of engaging in anticompetitive practises designed to delay its would-be mobile rival 1&1.

The preliminary legal assessment accuses Vodafone and Vantage Towers of failing to provide 1&1 access to thousands of its mobile sites, as per a previous agreement.

“According to the information available to us at this stage, the delay and its negative effects on competition in the relevant markets could, and in view of the prohibition of abusive practices under competition law, should indeed have been avoided,” said Andreas Mundt, president of the BKartA. “At the current stage, we are considering using our powers as a competition authority to enforce the provision of the sites which have not yet been made available.”

1&1 Drillisch won 5G mobile spectrum at auction back in 2019 with the intention of building out its own network and becoming Germany’s fourth national operator. By 2021, 1&1 had signed a deal with Vantage Towers to access up to 5,000 of the towerco’s existing mobile sites, allowing them to more rapidly deploy their burgeoning 5G network.

The contract specified that 3,800 sites were to be made available by 2025.

By the end of 2022, however, it was becoming clear that access to this may sites by 2025 would be unlikely, with 1&1 saying it had been granted access to just five sites. In 2023, 1&1 formally complained to BKartA, who subsequently launched an investigation into the source of Vantage’s delays in providing the agreed upon infrastructure.

1&1 says the delays caused by Vantage have severely harmed their ability to compete in the market,

The BKartA said that Vodafone and Vantage could have taken steps to resolve this issue but instead appear to have focussed on supporting Vodafone’s rollout.

“Based on current knowledge, the companies would have had numerous options to respond to any difficulties in fulfilling the contract without causing such massive delays. For example, the companies could have temporarily shifted Vodafone’s own expansion to locations other than those planned for 1&1 and/or focused more of their own resources on contract fulfilment,” said the statement.

The regulator says it is “provisionally considering, in addition to establishing the antitrust violations, ordering the provision of the remaining sites within three years and accompanying this order with further measures”.

Vodafone and Vantage Towers now both have an opportunity to explain themselves to the regulator, with a final ruling expected “mid-year”.

How is the German telecoms market evolving? Join the discussion at Germany’s leading digital economy event, Connected Germany live in Munich

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Deutsche Telekom commits to Google Cloud through 2030 

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

KDDI and Okinawa Cellular will start providing au Starlink Direct, a direct to cell service between satellites and au smartphones, on April 10, 2025. This is the first Direct to Cell satellite service in Japan [1] .
The service is compatible with 50 smartphone models and is available free of charge to au users from today for the time being without the need to apply.

The au Starlink Direct service allows au smartphones to directly connect to the Starlink satellite that supports direct telecommunications, enabling connectivity wherever there is a sight of sky, even outside the coverage area. In addition to text messaging with friends, users can receive emergency earthquake alerts and share current location with families, providing peace of mind in emergencies. Furthermore, Android users can simply send text questions to get support for searches and other tasks from Google’s AI assistant, Gemini.

Although au’s population coverage is more than 99.9%, its area coverage rate is approximately 60% due to Japan’s unique topography [2]. au Starlink Direct, which covers all of Japan, enables connectivity in the remaining 40%. The service can be used to communicate with family members and friends, in emergencies, etc., even in mountainous areas, island areas, and campgrounds and at sea where it is difficult to provide a telecommunications environment.

KDDI is expanding the au coverage area to all of Japan to bring the experience of “Connecting the Unconnected. wherever you see the sky.”

Commenting on the launch of au Starlink Direct, Gwynne Shotwell, President & COO of SpaceX, said: “I’m very excited to bring direct-to-cell phone connectivity to Japan through KDDI, the first in Asia and one of the first in the world. Both Starlink and direct-to-cell are game-changing technologies, making connecting the unconnected simple and bringing potentially life-saving capability to the people of Japan for disaster and other emergency responses.”

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to our newsletter 

Also in the news: 
Nokia, Telia, and Finnish military demo 5G network slicing across borders
Mobile operators quibble with Ofcom over spectrum fees
Deutsche Telekom commits to Google Cloud through 2030 

1. Among direct telecommunications services between satellites and smartphones that enable individuals to send and receive SMS messages.
2. “Results of Survey of Radio Usage Pertaining to Mobile Phones and Nationwide BWA in fiscal 2024 (in Japanese only) (4.1MB)” by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative network ISP Fastr Broadband (formerly UK Fibre Networks) has today announced that they’ve completed the roll-out of their new Adtran powered and 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across the city centre of York (England), which they claim has put them within reach of 8,000 local homes and businesses.

Based on our earlier article (here), Fastr’s network expansion originally began in the Gillygate area of York during January 2024 and they’ve since been expanding across several additional build phases. The initial goal was to cover c.8,000 premises by the end of 2024, but it took slightly longer to finish.

York is already home to several other gigabit-capable broadband networks, such as Openreach (BT), Virgin Media and CityFibre. But crucially, most of them only have a limited reach into the very heart of the city, which is where Fastr has been concentrating their efforts.

Residential customers of the service can expect to pay from £35.99 per month on a 24-month term for a 150Mbps (symmetric speed) package with free installation and Wi-Fi 6 router, which rises to £59.99 for their 950Mbps plan.

Pete Evans, Director of Fastr Broadband, said:

“Homes and businesses inside York’s city walls, can now access the fastest broadband ‘they’ve never had’ and just like Survive will see a transformative difference in their connectivity, call streaming and overall daily internet usage/experience – which is exactly what we set out to achieve.”

Lindsay Wilkinson, Digital City Executive for York City Council, said:

“It’s really exciting to see the roll-out of this full fibre network progressing across York city centre, so thousands of homes and businesses inside the city walls, and the life-blood of the city’s economy, can now access a strong and reliable internet connection and York can thrive in the digital world.
This private investment by an independent York based internet provider is very welcome and completes one of missing pieces of the jigsaw for York’s digital connectivity, where the mix of historic buildings and cobbled streets have made it challenging to build strong networks.”

Fastr Broadband now says they’re “fully available within York’s city walls“, including: Blake Street, Bootham, Church Street, Claremont Terrace, Colliergate, Coney Street, Coppergate, Gillygate, Goodramgate, Fossgate, High Petergate, Low Petergate, Lord Mayor’s Walk, Marygate, Micklegate, Skeldergate, Stonegate, Swinegate and Parliament Street.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

New customers looking to join one of Virgin Media’s broadband and TV bundles may like to know that the ISP has recently made some further hardware updates, which means that all TV packages now include a Hub 5 router (Flex ‘service’ is excluded). Previously, some bundles still included older routers, like the now somewhat dated Hub 3.

In addition, all TV packages should also now be coming with a Flex (Stream / Apollo) Box instead of the TV360 box, which is a continuation of the gradual phasing out of TV360 that we reported on again last month (here).

“All new TV customers will receive an Apollo box and a Hub 5 on all broadband tiers including M125. Flex is excluded,” confirmed a spokesperson for the provider to ISPreview. One downside of this approach is that the Stream/Apollo box (sometimes also called a ‘Flex Box’, but this confuses it with the ‘Flex service’) lacks a recording function in the UK. This isn’t quite as important in the modern on-demand world, but some people will miss the PVR feature.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News 

Industry leaders have called for governments to better protect subsea cables amid rising security threats 

A group of leading European telecoms and infrastructure providers has called on the EU, UK, and NATO to step up joint efforts to protect subsea cable infrastructure, warning of growing threats to systems critical for Europe’s connectivity and security. 

In a joint letter, signatories including GlobalConnect, Vodafone, Orange, Telecom Italia Sparkle, and Alcatel Submarine Networks emphasised the importance of a coordinated response to recent hybrid threats, including recent incidents in the Baltic and North Seas. 

The group stresses that subsea cables are vital to Europe’s “connectivity, competitiveness, defence readiness, and economic stability”, and call for increased collaboration between public authorities and industry stakeholders across borders. 

The letter backs the EU Action Plan on Cable Security, describing it as a “clear approach to further increase the resilience and security of subsea cables”. It also supports the European Commission’s intention to work with industry to define Critical Projects of European Interest (CPEIs) and deploy protection and surveillance technologies. 

“We welcome in particular the reference made to the instrumental aspect of the Connected Europe Facility (CEF),” the letter states, adding that “instruments of the UK authorities and of NATO could strengthen the momentum if coordinated effectively.” 

The group urges decision-makers to develop harmonised, risk-based security practices and to treat the entire subsea cable ecosystem as critical infrastructure. They also highlight the need for streamlined governance and permitting processes to accelerate action. 

Back in January, a Russian vessel used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure, unexpectedly passed through British waters. The UK Defence Secretary John Healey called the incident “another example of growing Russian aggression”.  

 “I also want President Putin to hear this message: we see you, we know what you are doing, and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country,” he said. 

However, many in the industry remain cautious about attributing recent cable outages to sabotage. Most damage, they point out, is still caused by accidents. Speaking to The Tech Capital Magazine, an executive at Ciena said that “a cable deliberately damaged and one damaged by accident is going to look the same when you drag it up to repair it and investigate.”   

“If the goal is to impact internet services in a rival country, cutting one subsea cable is unlikely to have much of an effect,” echoed Mike Conradi, co-chair of the international telecoms and digital infrastructure lead at global law firm DLA Piper.   

“To seriously impact a country like the UK, multiple cables would have to be cut simultaneously, at which point the action becomes less sabotage and a more overt attack. In this scenario, a higher-profile target would make more sense,” he continued. 

The letter closes with a clear message to European and transatlantic policymakers: “By acting now, we can safeguard the networks that underpin our shared future.” 

Join us at next year’s Submarine Networks, 27-28 May in London. Get discounted tickets here! 

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