New customers looking to join broadband internet provider Your Co-op, which harnesses Openreach’s national network (FTTP/C), may like to know that the ISP has just kicked off their Black Friday discounts, which is offering free setup on most packages and savings of “up to” 25% on monthly rentals. But that’s all there is to report on this one.

Merseyside-based alternative broadband ISP BeFibre, which sells packages via FullFibre Limited’s Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, has today announced that they’ve just connected their first customer to the provider’s recently launched 2.3Gbps speed package (here). The user in Leominster recorded a top symmetric speed of 2,373Mbps.

“Be2300 represents an important step forward in our service,” said Louise Elliot, Chief Customer Operations Officer. “We’re excited to welcome our first of many new MultiGig customers to BeFibre and look forward to delivery a premium broadband experience.”

FullFibre Ltd’s network currently reaches 380,000 premises (RFS) across England and is available to parts of Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The UK Government has today published an interesting new report examining the ‘Future of TV distribution‘, which among other things looks at the changing viewing habits and platform choices of modern TV viewers and then attempts to predict what will happen by 2040. The report also delves into the related issue of broadband ISP speeds and take-up.

As most people will already be aware from their own experiences, there has been somewhat of a radical shift in how we all access and view TV content over the past decade. Such content is now increasingly being viewed online, via services like Netflix, Amazon (Prime Video), NOW TV, Sky Glass, Virgin Media (Stream Box), YouTube and so forth. Due to this, there has been a decline in those using traditional Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) signals.

Context for today’s environment

In 2023, 87% of UK households had an internet-enabled primary TV and approximately 18% used the internet exclusively as their primary way to watch television. 17% of UK households were dependent on digital terrestrial television for their TV viewing.

● Homes that were dependent on digital terrestrial television included 13,000 homes in areas without fixed-line broadband, 1.7 million homes without broadband access for reasons of affordability or choice, 2.2 million homes with broadband where the TV is unconnected to the internet and 0.7 million with an internet-connected TV whose viewing is more than 80% linear.

● In 2023, 90% of those without a broadband connection were aged over 55. They were more likely to identify as female and to live on their own. 80% of those with no broadband connection were within the C2DE socioeconomic bands. They were also more likely to live in the north of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and have a disability.

The ‘Future of TV Distribution‘ report projects, based on existing market dynamics, that by 2040 95% of households will have installed the capability to watch TV over the internet. The results expect 71% to rely exclusively on internet delivery and 24% to be hybrid homes combining internet-delivered TV with digital terrestrial television or digital satellite.

Similarly, superfast broadband is predicted to reach at least 99.65% of homes by 2030. However, without intervention, by 2040, some 5% of homes (1.5 million) will still rely on digital terrestrial television via the airwaves. This could be a problem because the government is increasingly looking to phase-out terrestrial TV signals in favour of a model based more on internet delivery.

The difficulty today is that broadcasters (e.g. BBC, ITV etc.) are now paying to distribute their content both online and via traditional infrastructures like DTT with costs rising. The less time people spend on DTT, the less cost-effective per viewer it is, and this will only grow as DTT declines.

Just to be clear. The 1.5 million figure above reflects 0.4 million homes that will opt not to connect to broadband and 1.1 million homes that will have broadband, but which will not connect their TVs in order to use an internet TV service. “These viewers are more likely to identify as female and to live on their own. They are also more likely to live in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, be on low incomes and have a disability,” said the report.

The past and present governments have of course made no secret of their desire to deliver “nationwide” coverage of gigabit broadband by 2030 under their £5bn Project Gigabit programme, although in practice this is more likely to mean a figure of c.99% as some premises are simply too expensive to reach via fixed lines. Equally, not everybody will actually choose to use broadband.

Modelling by 3 Reasons and MTM forecasts that by 2030, 90% of UK homes will be fixed-line broadband subscribers, while a further 6.1% of UK homes will access broadband but only via wireless technologies. Over 99% will live in places covered by ultrafast broadband (100Mbps+), with ultrafast uptake at 83.3% of homes.

However, by 2040, broadband penetration is forecast to have reached at least 98.6%, and ultrafast coverage will have reached all of these homes. “We forecast that, by 2040, 92.6% of homes will have at least superfast fixed-line broadband (30Mbps or above) connection, and an additional 4.9% will have a Video-on-Demand capable mobile connection. While a small proportion of homes will still be without broadband, this is forecast to be a small minority at 1.4%.”

Key Findings from the Report

➤ Most households in the UK already have the capability to watch internet-delivered TV on their main TV set. In 2023, 87% of TV households had an internet-enabled primary TV set and within this cohort, approximately 18% already used the internet exclusively as their TV delivery mechanism on their primary set. In 2023, 17% of households relied on digital terrestrial television.

➤ We project, based on existing market dynamics, that by 2040 95% of households will have installed the capability to watch TV over the internet. We expect 71% to rely exclusively on internet delivery and 24% to be hybrid homes combining internet-delivered TV with digital terrestrial television or digital satellite. Superfast broadband will reach at least 99.65% of homes by 2030. However, without intervention, by 2040, 5% of homes (1.5 million) will still rely on digital terrestrial television.

➤ There are strong supply and demand drivers of internet-delivered TV. On the demand side, new and augmented services are available over the internet that are not available on broadcast TV, such as TV series or subscription services like Netflix, as well as innovations in user experiences (e.g. start over, playlists, personalisation, etc.) that can drive viewer engagement. One of the most significant supply side drivers is TV set sales and 3 Reasons anticipates that 100% of TV sets sold will be internet-capable by 2025.

➤ The 17% of households that rely on digital terrestrial television for their TV services in 2023 tend to have lower incomes, are more likely to be disabled, older, living alone, female, and geographically in the north of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our analysis of the barriers to uptake of internet-delivered TV suggests that in 2040 the 5% of households that remain reliant on digital terrestrial television will continue to share these characteristics. Future research should focus on understanding these barriers and, if there is a case for switching off digital terrestrial television, explore potential interventions to support these households to switch to internet-delivered television.

➤ Technology for internet television delivery is mature and will have the capacity to manage all television viewing via the internet by 2040, but lack of control by service providers over the access network and in-home network may create problems including reliability. Internet-delivered television would require more reliable end-to-end networks to match current digital terrestrial television networks’ performance.

➤ The UK’s digital terrestrial television network continues to use transmission and encoding technology from the 1990s – DVB-T and MPEG2 – for most of its services. More efficient second-generation technology – DVB-T2 and MPEG4 – is used for Freeview High-Definition channels. In Europe, most countries are retaining digital terrestrial television because of its reliability and the need to maintain access for vulnerable audiences, and are replacing DVB-T and MPEG2 with newer, more efficient technologies to offer higher resolution and/or a greater choice of services.

➤ Digital terrestrial television broadcasting will remain the only primary service in its allocated UHF spectrum until at least 2031 in International Telecommunication Union Region 1 which includes the UK. However, there is increasing pressure to release spectrum currently used for digital terrestrial television for mobile services and the World Radio Conference will consider co-primary use of the spectrum by digital terrestrial television and mobile in 2031.

➤ If digital terrestrial television has a long-term future, the UK should prepare for the potential implications of co-primary use of the spectrum. This would require modernisation of the digital terrestrial television network to mitigate the risk of some loss of spectrum after 2031 and to continue using the available spectrum effectively. The simpler, lower-cost way of achieving this would be to broadcast all channels using DVB-T2 and MPEG4. This technology was introduced for Freeview HD broadcasts in 2009 and most TV sets sold over the last 15 years are already compatible. By giving sufficient advance notice, all households could be ready well before 2031.

➤ Current research suggests digital terrestrial television results in lower emissions than internet-delivered TV, but lack of data on the impact of devices in the home including their embodied carbon makes it difficult to draw a comprehensive comparison. In any case, by 2040, as 5% of households will be reliant on digital terrestrial television without intervention and 24% of households will be hybrid viewers, watching both digital terrestrial and internet delivered television, the impact on emissions of continuing both means of distribution should be considered.

At present the UK Government have already committed to the future of DTT until 2034, which is in keeping with how some broadcasters have warned that existing DTT infrastructure is “unlikely to be commercially attractive after the mid-2030s“ (here); hence why it’s wise to be doing this research today and preparing a plan for the reality of tomorrow.

On this subject, Ofcom has previously and correctly noted that a speed of 10Mbps can be sufficient for both several Standard Definition (SD) and a single stream of High Definition (HD) viewing, although this will inevitably improve as new video standards emerge and compression improves (as it always does, alongside faster computer processors).

The very latest of cutting-edge video compression technologies can already squeeze a full HD video stream down to work over an average connection speed of 2.5Mbps (compared with about 5-6Mbps today) and rising to 12.5Mbps for 4K (UltraHD) quality. But this does tend to require a more powerful CPU and broadcasters often prefer kit with a wider degree of support.

In any case, the full report is worth a read, although it is 200 pages long and, in that sense, you have to have quite a big interest in all this to warrant going deeper.

New customers looking to take one of Vodafone‘s Pay Monthly 4G and 5G SIM Only mobile plans with unlimited data (mobile broadband), specifically those operating under a 24-month minimum contract term, may like to know that the operator has launched a new discount that cuts their prices in half for the first 6 months of service.

The promotion means that, for example, Vodafone’s Unlimited Max plan is now £18 per month for the first 6-months of service and £36 for the remaining 18-months. The new discount will be available for customers to order until 28th November 2024.

Just remember that, under the operator’s policy, prices for their Airtime Plans rise each April by £1.80 (applied monthly).

Mobile operator Three UK has become the latest telecoms provider to introduce some big Black Friday discounts, which starts today with their 4G and 5G powered unlimited Three Home Broadband packages that have just been given a price cut on their monthly rental down to only £19 per month on a 24-month term (£28 on a 1-month term).

As usual, the Three’s Home Broadband packages all include a mobile router, while also promising “average download speeds of 150Mbps” (this will vary a lot between different locations) and a 30-day money-back guarantee. But take note that Three UK’s pricing policy means that, each April, your Monthly Charge will increase by a fixed amount of £2 per month.

The new promotion will be available to order until 5th December 2024.

Mobile operator Three UK has warned consumers to be extra cautious around the festive season due to a significant increase in fraudsters targeting mobile users. The operator noted how, at the same time last year, their network tracked a 300% increase in scams around Black Friday and a 500% uptick in fraud or SMS-based scams reported over Christmas.

The good news is that Three UK’s network firewall blocked more than 7.6 million scam messages during November and December last year, but the operator notes that reports of similar scams are already up over a third during the past three months of 2024 versus the previous three months. Since January 2024, Three has also observed monthly reported volumes of scam messages, on average 170,000 messages more than in 2023.

In a complementary poll by Censuswide, commissioned by Three UK, nearly half (47%) of respondents revealed they have received messages or calls they are suspicious of and 33% admitted they have fallen for a scam, while nearly one in five (17%) have lost more than £100 as a result.

Perhaps surprisingly, younger people appear to be the most affected, with 49% of respondents under 34 saying that they have fallen for a scam, compared with only 16% of those aged 55 or over. The poll revealed Brits are also on high alert when looking out for scams, with 83% of people blocking or reporting scam messages and 78% saying that they know how to spot the warning signs.

Mark Fitzgerald, Director of Finance and Fraud at Three UK, said:

“The British public are being increasingly savvy and will be seeking out deals over the next few months, but this also increases the risk of falling victim to fraud. At Three UK, we are doing all we can to prevent this from happening but in the event customers are targeted they should remember to follow our simple guidelines.”

Consumers can report a scam call by texting 7726 with the word ‘CALL’ followed by the scam caller’s number, and report a message by clicking SPAM in the messaging application or forward message to 7726 if this option is not available on the device.

Three’s Tips – What to do if you receive a suspicious call/contact:

➤ Never share personal information. Legitimate companies will never ask for sensitive information such as your bank details, passwords, or PINs over the phone or via SMS. If you’re asked for this information, it’s a red flag. Do not disclose any personal details.

➤ Verify the caller’s identity. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from a trusted organisation, ask for their name, department, and a callback number. Then, verify their identity by calling the organisation’s official number, which you should be able to find on their website. Do not use any contact details provided by the caller.

➤ Install call blocking and SMS filtering apps. These apps can help identify and block potential spam and fraudulent contacts, reducing the risk of falling victim to scams.

➤ Be wary of links in text messages. Fraudulent SMS messages often contain links to phishing websites designed to steal your information. Avoid clicking on any links in unsolicited messages. Instead, manually enter the website’s address in your browser or use the official app.

Network builder and broadband ISP FibreNest, which is the Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) operator for new build UK housing sites by Persimmon Homes, has confirmed to ISPreview that they’ve begun to trial a new 900Mbps speed package for homes on “selected sites” (previously their fastest package was only 500Mbps).

The development, which was initially spotted by one of our readers earlier in the week (credits to Mike), has since been confirmed by the ISP. At present, the fastest broadband package available on their full fibre network is a 500Mbps (80Mbps upload) plan that costs £47 per month on a 12-month minimum contract term with free installation (note: price increases to £49pm from 01/04/2025), which puts them a little behind the modern gigabit trend.

However, FibreNest are understood to have been conducting internal trials of a new 900Mbps (110Mbps upload) service for a while, which a spokesperson told us had now been opened up and extended to “selected sites whilst we continue to monitor performance.”

The non-promotional price for this service is currently said to be£54 per month on a 12-month minimum term (although Mike has been asked to pay £55), but they’ve yet to confirm an official launch date for full availability. The new package will also bundle a WiFi 6 router with the Plume HomePass (mesh) app and those who want a static IP address can add one for an additional £5 fee.

News 

The plan was first announced back in July, two months after Zegona  acquired Vodafone Spain for €5 billion 

Zegona Communications, owner of Vodafone Spain, has announced it has signed a binding contract with Telefonica to launch a new Spanish fibre company. 

The new FibreCo will cover 3.6 million premises across the country, and provide fibre access for 1.4 million Vodafone and Telefonica customers. It will be majority owned by Telefonica (63%) and 37% by Vodafone Spain. 

“Entering into this FibreCo partnership with Telefonica demonstrates our commitment to transform Vodafone Spain’s fixed line strategy. This transaction gives our business guaranteed access to a future-proof all fibre network with attractive economic terms. Creating and monetising this FibreCo is expected to deliver significant capital returns to Zegona creating value for all stakeholders,” said Eamonn O’Hare, Chairman and CEO of Zegona in a press release. 

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. Completion of the deal, along with the incorporation of a third-party investor is expected in the first half of next year. 

As well as this deal, Zegona has also announced the signing of a five-year binding deal between Vodafone Spain, Telefonica and fibre company Bluevia Fibra for fibre wholesale in Spain. Telefonica owns a controlling stake (55%) of Bluevia Fibra.  

Earlier this year, Zegona communicated that it has signed non-binding agreements with FibreCos with Telefonica and MasOrange, as well has a non-binding wholesale agreement for a wholesale deal with Telefonica. 

“This new contract complements the Telefonica FibreCo which was also signed today. Both contracts cement our long term partnership with Telefonica, deliver significant economic benefits and represent key milestones in our journey to transform Vodafone Spain,” said O’Hare in the separate announcement. 

Keep up to date with the latest international telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news: 

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This article was originally published by Grace Dawes for Movemnt 

Telecoms service giant AT&T has partnered with lamppost electric vehicle (EV) charging start-up Voltpost to provide IoT connectivity to EV charging posts across Michigan and the Metro-Detroit area.

Voltpost operates by retrofitting lampposts into a modular EV charging platform, providing connected charging infrastructure in cities and companies as well as scalable curbside and parking lot charging.

Use and deployment of curb side charging is rare in the States yet helpful for those incapable of charging EVs at home.

The collaboration with AT&T reportedly aims to “enhance charger uptime and help ensure reliable charging access for drivers”.

“We are dedicated to fostering innovation and supporting emerging tech that will shape the transportation sector. As cities move toward a more sustainable future, enabling cities to scale their charging networks with existing infrastructure and advanced connectivity is a game-changer,” said Joe Mosele, Vice President, AT&T Connected Solutions. 

Voltpost has reported a pipeline of upcoming deployments, with chargers to be installed at several sites across Michigan, New York, and Illinois.

AT&T recently announced its gigaton goal to help businesses reduce 1 billion metric tons of CO2 by 2035 through connectivity backed solutions such as fibre, 5G and IoT.

The Scottish Government (SG) has revealed that nearly every home and business in Papa Westray, on the remote archipelago of Orkney, now has access to faster broadband speeds. This is after contractor CloudNet used the community-owned water authority’s existing infrastructure (pipes used for drinking water) to run new fibre optic cables.

Much of mainland Orkney already has access to Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband technology, which is thanks to deployments by Openreach (BT) and the addition of several new subsea fibre cables as part of the SG’s £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project. But some of the smaller and much more remote outlying isles, such as Papa Westray, have otherwise been forced to endure some horrifically slow speeds.

However, fixed wireless ISP CloudNet has sought to change this, not least by creating a backhaul capacity link using radio signals (we assume this is a Microwave link) between Papa Westray and Westray. After that, the local homes and businesses were reached by running fibre optic cables via Drinking water pipes. In addition, remote sensors were placed in the water pipe to provide a hi-tech way to monitor the island’s water quality.

The development was only possible because the water system is owned by the community, which streamlines the process of gaining permissions and causing less disruption to the island’s roads (the fibre cable is delivered through a second pipe housed within the drinking water network). By comparison, the UK gov’s own c.£6.2m “Fibre in Water” trial (Project TAWCO) was shelved after running into various regulatory and other barriers (here).

Richard Lochhead, Scottish Business Minister, said:

“This ingenious approach represents a less disruptive way of delivering faster connectivity to all on Papa Westray. Scotland is famous the world over for its innovation. We are working with rural communities in the most imaginative ways possible to bring faster broadband to some of the hardest to reach parts of the country.

“This project showcases engineering creativity at its best and makes it easier for residents to do business and access essential services such as health and education.

“This will also help attract people to live and work on Papa Westray. Under the £600 million R100 programme, the Scottish Government is helping deliver a fair, green and growing economy for all our regions.”

CloudNet Managing Director, Greg Whitton, said:

“CloudNet are proud to have delivered this Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme project to the most remote island in Orkney – Papa Westray – the first successful commercial project of its kind in the UK.

Due to the island topography, we used the water network to deliver fibre to the premises. This helped minimise excavations and excessive construction costs on the project to meet the programme needs.”

Sadly, CloudNet’s website doesn’t appear to reveal any useful details about the service on their website, such as how much customers have to pay for it and what broadband speeds are available. But the voucher scheme usually requires operators to deliver a network that’s at least capable of offering download speeds greater than 30Mbps, which will be a lot better than the c.0.5-5Mbps speeds many on the island had before.

The new broadband network also enables, for example, remote monitoring of livestock via CCTV and home healthcare check-ups via video call. It also supports visitor accommodation booking systems and tourism facilities on the island of just 90 residents.