Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband internet connectivity, phone and some Ethernet services being delivered by the Strathaven Telephone Exchange in South Lanarkshire (Scotland) have been disrupted after the site was hit by a serious fire. Approximately 1,500 customers on Openreach’s (BT) local network are understood to have been impacted.

The fire is said to have occurred during Saturday morning (24th Jan 2026) and an industry briefing, seen by ISPreview, indicates that “significant damage” has sadly been done to the building. But thankfully nobody was hurt and firefighters have since put the fire out.

Details of the incident are currently still in short supply because Openreach has had to wait for the building to be made safe and investigated by the emergency services before they can fully assess things. But the cause is NOT currently believed to be related to faulty equipment and early indications suggest some sort of 3rd party involvement.

An Openreach spokesperson told ISPreview:

“We’re aware of a fire at our site in the early hours of Saturday morning and our teams continue to assess the damage and making the area safe. We’re doing everything we can to minimise the impact on people who use our phone and broadband services. Engineers are only able to begin work as soon as it’s safe, and we’ll provide further updates as soon as we’re able.”

The site is currently closed and, due to the ongoing investigation and the extent of the damage, Openreach are not yet able to confirm a full restoration timescale. More updates are expected to follow during the early week as the operator’s restoration teams get to work.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Internet access and online security provider Gigabit IQ (formerly Grayshott Gigabit) has officially launched their promised crowdfunding campaign, which aims to raise fresh investment of £270,000 to help grow and expand the business via the “next generation of safe, reliable broadband for the country“.

Readers might recall that we first covered Gigabit IQ’s then tentative plan back in October 2025 (here). At the time we remarked that the idea of crowdfunding in this way was rather unusual for a broadband provider and isn’t likely to scale as well as shares or direct investment agreements (e.g. private equity, debt, bank loans, public subsidy etc.), but it could still have some benefits, provided investors are willing to take the risk.

Speaking of risk, the original notification email from last year also rightly warned that this would be a “high risk investment” and one where those who make a commitment are “unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong“. All of this is very important because Gigabit IQ isn’t yet a large, familiar brand like some of the market’s other players.

However, despite the challenges of such an approach, the provider has just informed ISPreview that they went live on Republic Europe last week with their first EIS-eligible (Enterprise Investment Scheme – tax relief) crowdfunding round to help them “scale nationally“. The pre-promotion work also seems to have paid off as, at the time of writing, some 40 investors have already committed £243,650 of the £270k target with 23 days left to run.

The campaign mentions the provider as having an “addressable reach” of 1.5 million homes, which we’re told reflects the “total capacity” of all the alternative wholesale fibre networks they currently work with to deliver their services (e.g. Freedom Fibre’s alternative FTTP network and others).

According to the details, the company appears to be offering Equity of 5.12% in the business, which is the percentage of the company’s shares being issued in return for the amount of investment raised. Individual investors can commit anything from as little as £50 (price of one share) and upwards, although unfortunately you have to sign up to the Republic Europe site to see all the details.

The targeted level of funding (£270k) isn’t all that huge in today’s landscape of expensive broadband altnets and retail provider expansions, so it instead seems to be more focused on development of their existing internet security services and systems / platform (we’re checking this). We’ll keep an eye on this one to see how it fares.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK telecoms and internet content regulator, Ofcom, has opened an investigation into Meta’s WhatsApp Business messaging service after provisionally finding that the information they supplied – as part of a recent review into the wholesale market for business bulk SMS messages – “may not have been complete and accurate“.

Just to recap. Ofcom’s recent review examined the wholesale prices of automated text (SMS) messages that organisations send to people (A2P – application-to-person). Such messages are often sent, for example, by the NHS when issuing medical appointment reminders, as well as parcel delivery notifications or one-time passcodes etc.

Back in October 2025 the regulator found that wholesale prices for the termination of these messages (A2P SMS termination rates) had increased significantly in recent years, jumping as much as 70% since 2021. Ofcom also identified that mobile operators had Significant Market Power (SMP) in this area, including the “ability and incentive to increase their termination prices to an excessively high level“. A voluntary agreement was later reached with EE, O2, Sky and VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) to stabilise the wholesale prices of such messages (here).

However, as part of that review, Ofcom also issued formal information requests to Meta concerning their WhatsApp Business messaging service. The move was intended to help the regulator understand more about the alternative business messaging services that are now available and their impact upon the market.

Ofcom Statement

The available evidence suggests that Meta may not have complied with certain requirements imposed under section 135 in that some of the information provided by Meta in response to the Notices may not have been complete and accurate. Ofcom’s investigation will examine whether Meta has failed to comply with the statutory requirements imposed by the Notices.

Such investigations tend to take quite a while to fully run their course, so we probably won’t learn the outcome until around the latter half of this year. If Ofcom identifies that a breach has occurred, then it could potentially impose financial penalties (up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue) or merely direct the company to improve their processes, depending upon the severity. Criminal charges are also an option, but such an outcome is usually only reserved for the most serious breaches and obstructive companies, which is highly unlikely to be the case with Meta.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

A new report has this afternoon claimed that the debt strained TalkTalk Group, which last year reportedly appointed advisers PJT Partners to help sell off its remaining operations (here), have now allegedly begun talks with several prospective bidders for their various divisions.

The group has certainly had an eventful few years, which was headlined by the demerger of their businesses (Talk Talk Consumer, PXC [Wholesale] and Talk Talk Business Direct) and last year’s signing of a crucial £400m refinancing package, which enabled them to avoid a default on their debts until 2027 (here, here). This was later followed up by a £120m funding deal to help tackle ongoing financial pressures (here).

More recently they’ve also launched a major brand refresh and advertising push for their consumer broadband ISP business (here). At the same time the group is still doing everything it can to cut costs and tackle their underlying debt problem, including the possible disposal (sale) of its remaining businesses and more job cuts (here).

According to Sky News, the embattled group has now moved to the next phase by allegedly opening tentative discussions with potential buyers for their various divisions. The talks are expected to attract interest from a number of suitors, such as Vodafone and Virgin Media (O2), although it’s too early to know if anybody will place a serious bid.

At present, the likes of Vodafone and Sky Broadband are probably better fits for TalkTalk’s consumer base than BT or Virgin Media, partly due to their packages, pricing and network selection being more closely aligned; at least in some respects. But a deal with BT can probably be ruled out due to competition concerns.

In addition, it’s unclear whether Vodafone would be willing to take on the added complications of a retail consolidation, while also still being busy with their Three UK mobile merger. TalkTalk declined to comment on the Sky News report. Credits to forum member Ionide for pointing us to this development.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Open Cosmos, the company building satellites to understand and connect the world, has today launched the first satellites in its new proprietary low-Earth-orbit (LEO) telecom constellation, just one week after securing high-priority Ka-band spectrum.

The two satellites, launched by Rocket Lab from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand on its Electron rocket for the mission named ‘The Cosmos Will See You Now’, represent the first activation phase of Open Cosmos’ future-ready satellite network – a programme designed to deliver scalable, resilient and coordinated space-based services for Europe and the world.

Lift-off took place as scheduled at 10:52 (GMT) / 11:52 (CET) / 23.52 local time (NZDT) on 22 January, ushering Open Cosmos from constellation design and manufacturing into on-orbit validation – sitting at 1050km circular Earth orbit.

Beyond the technical achievement, the launch serves as a powerful proof point for Open Cosmos’ constellation readiness. It confirms that the system design, manufacturing processes and operational model are flight-ready – laying the groundwork for the phased roll-out of the wider network in the months ahead.

Commenting on the launch, Rafel Jordà Siquier, Founder and CEO of Open Cosmos, said:
“This launch is a major milestone for Open Cosmos and a critical step in our mission to provide secure, sovereign connectivity for Europe and the world. Moving from spectrum to satellites in-orbit demonstrates not only the maturity of our system, but our ability to turn strategic ambition into operational capability extremely fast.

“These first satellites lay the groundwork for a resilient network designed to support governments, institutions and commercial partners with dependable space infrastructure when it matters most.”

The first two satellites are the result of a truly pan-European effort, with teams across the UK, Spain, Portugal and Greece contributing to the programme. Together, they showcase Open Cosmos’ vertically integrated approach – from mission design and satellite production to operations. The satellites will operate under Spain’s regulatory framework for satellite registration and operational licensing.

Rocket Lab Founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said: “What a great way to start off the year, by welcoming a new customer and launching a mission tailored just for them. We’re proud to deliver their payload to orbit and with Rocket Lab’s proven track record of consistent quality and 100% mission success in recent years, I’m confident to say they made the right choice. Partnering with Open Cosmos is an exciting opportunity, and we look forward to supporting our European partners in achieving their launch goals.”

From spectrum to space
The launch follows Open Cosmos’ recent (14th January) award of scarce High-Priority Ka-band spectrum filings from the Principality of Liechtenstein, a critical enabler for the company’s constellation ambitions. With the satellites now in orbit, Open Cosmos can begin testing and validating the system performance in real operational conditions.

In orbit, the satellites will be used to:

• Test satellite operations and first testbed demonstrations
• Validate system developments across the wider future network
• Demonstrates proof-of-concept for Open Cosmos constellation readiness

Together, they form the foundation for a scalable, multi-satellite architecture designed to meet growing global demand for reliable space-based capabilities.

By combining in-house manufacturing, European engineering talent and access to strategically valuable spectrum, Open Cosmos is positioning itself as a new kind of constellation builder: agile, collaborative and focused on delivering practical, deployable space infrastructure providing secure connectivity and critical data.

Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
World Communication Award Winners 2025
Ofcom clears the way for satellite-to-smartphone services
LG Uplus’s AI voice call app glitch leaks user data

The post Open Cosmos launches first satellites for new LEO constellation appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Global technology firm Immfly, inflight WiFi provider GoGo and European satellite operator Eutelsat (OneWeb) have teamed up in an effort to create an integrated ecosystem of entertainment, retail, and connectivity that aims to make it possible for even low-cost and ultra-low-cost aircraft (narrowbody fleets) to deploy onboard broadband for passengers.

As the somewhat comical spat between the bosses of budget airline Ryanair and satellite broadband provider Starlink showed this week, putting in-flight WiFi on smaller aircraft – those typically used for shorter haul trips (e.g. London to Paris, Barcelona, Rome etc.) – is a difficult proposition.

Leaving aside the extra cost of the system itself, issues can also arise with the antenna causing increased drag on the aircraft (i.e. higher fuel consumption / costs) and there’s a debate over whether those paying smaller sums for a short trip (e.g. some Ryanair flights can cost less than £20) would even be willing to pay extra for a premium WiFi pass.

However, Immfly, GoGo and Eutelsat (OneWeb) believe their new system, which uses a low-profile electronically steered antenna (pictured) to connect with OneWeb’s global network of 654 small broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), might just provide the answer. The system also includes WiFi distribution and an app / software solution for onboard service delivery.

Jimmy M. von Korff, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Immfly, said:

“This initiative marks a turning point for the LCC/ULCC industry. Narrowbody aircraft remain disconnected, and we’re bringing them into the digital era through Eutelsat’s OneWeb high-speed LEO connectivity services and Gogo ESA hardware – enabling ancillary revenue growth, streamlining operations, and providing passengers with connectivity on par with their ground experiences.”

The new system can apparently be fully installed on such aircraft in the space of just 24-30 hours, although it’s unclear how it compares with rivals in terms of overall cost, performance and drag. But we do know that OneWeb’s service generally can’t deliver the same sort of broadband performance as Starlink, although it should still be enough for a much smoother onboard WiFi solution than legacy satellite services.

Launch is planned for 2026, and Immfly is currently accepting requests for pilot programs. But in order to really make progress, they’ll also need to secure Boeing’s line-fit certification, with work already underway to integrate its hardware into the production lines of the “market’s most popular aircraft models” by the end of 2027.

OneWeb also plans to launch a further 440 satellites in the near future, which will replace some GEN1 satellites and also boost performance at the same time via enhanced capabilities (here).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Energy and communications provider Utility Warehouse (UW), which offers broadband, mobile, energy and insurance services to UK consumers, has become the latest telecoms provider to sign the Government’s Public Switched Telephone Network Charter – committing them to protect “vulnerable customers” (e.g. those with telecare devices) when upgrading old phone lines to IP-based digital equivalents.

Just to recap. During 2024 the big legacy phone switch-off was delayed from the end of 2025 to 31st January 2027 in order to give broadband ISPs, phone, telecare providers, councils and consumers more time to adapt (details). The main focus of this delay was the 1.8 million UK people who depend upon vital home telecare systems (e.g. elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people), which aren’t always compatible with digital phone services.

The industry-led shift to digital phones is being driven by two major changes, including the looming retirement of copper lines in favour of full fibre (FTTP) broadband (inc. future exchange closures) and the fact that reliability of the old network is in decline (i.e. it’s becoming harder for operators to source parts and skills for older technologies). Not to mention that it is not economically feasible to maintain both the old and new networks long term for only a few users.

The previous government had already responded to concerns over the digital phone switch by establishing a special charter (there’s also a variant for wholesale providers), which committed providers to protecting vulnerable customers during the migration via various measures (e.g. ensuring battery-backup and preventing forced switches, unless the users are ready).

The new government has since built on all this (here) via their Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP), but the original PSTN Charter still forms part of this effort and has added a number of new signatory providers over the past few months.

The most recent addition this week is Utility Warehouse, although the charter is also supported by Ogi, BT (inc. EE, Plusnet), Virgin Media and O2, Sky (Sky Broadband), TalkTalk (Consumer), Vodafone, KCOM, Zen Internet, Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN), Immervox and Digital Space.

Commitments for Signatories to the PSTN Charter

1. We will not undertake any non-voluntary migrations to digital landlines, until we have full confidence that we are taking all possible steps to protect vulnerable people through the migration process.

2. No telecare users will be migrated to digital landline services without us, the customer, or the telecare company confirming that they have a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place.

3. Where battery back-up solutions are provided, we will work to provide solutions that go beyond the Ofcom minimum of 1 hour of continued, uninterrupted access to emergency services in the event of a power outage.

4. We will collectively work with Ofcom and government to create a shared definition of ‘vulnerable’ customer groups that require greater support, specific to the digital landline migration.

5. We will conduct additional checks on customers who have already been non-voluntarily migrated to ensure they do not have telecare devices we were unaware of, and if they do, ensure suitable support is provided.

The move may, at first, seem a little odd for Utility Warehouse as they don’t currently have a digital phone product on their FTTP broadband packages. But it makes more sense when you consider that they’re currently gearing up to launch a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) based home phone product (here) for customers during the second half of 2026 (H2 FY26).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

National network operator Openreach (BT) has this afternoon published pricing details for their forthcoming pilot of XGS-PON based Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) home broadband ISP lines, which now includes the 5.5Gbps (550Mbps upload) and 8.5Gbps (850Mbps upload) tiers. The launch date for the pilot has also been put back slightly from 1st to 23rd March 2026.

As previously reported (here, here, here, here and here), Openreach are currently in the final stages of preparing to launch their first customer pilot of faster 10Gbps capable XGS-PON based full fibre technology with UK broadband ISPs (Passive Optical Network – the ‘X’ stands for 10, the ‘G’ for Gigabits’ and the ‘S’ for Symmetric speed). EE (BT) are currently the only retail ISP to have confirmed their involvement.

The new technology, which many of Openreach’s rivals are already using, will go beyond today’s top download speeds of 1.8Gbps on their GPON full fibre network and push up to 8.5Gbps. But until today the initial pilot announcement had so far only provided pricing details for symmetric speeds of up to 3.3Gbps.

The latest briefing adds pricing details for their two fastest consumer focused download tiers – 5.5Gbps (550Mbps upload) and 8.5Gbps (850Mbps upload). Take note that they will also offer a symmetric speed variety of these tiers, although that’s likely to cost extra and be targeted at premium (business) connections. The briefing also confirms changes to pilot connection charges applicable from 1st April 2026.

Openreach XGS-PON Pilot Pricing

Rental Charges

Readers should remember that Openreach’s pricing only reflects the wholesale cost of the line, while retail ISPs still have to add all sorts of extra costs on top before getting to the price you pay (e.g. 20% VAT, network/service features, general costs/support, profit margin etc.). Existing FTTP customers taking one of these new tiers will also require another engineer visit to install a 10Gbps capable Optical Network Terminal (ONT).

Openreach has previously informed ISPreview that their pilot would initially begin across an area of 40,000 premises in Guildford, although this could still be expanded. The classic catch with packages this fast is that most consumers would struggle to fully harness those top speeds, usually due to various Wi-Fi/device limits and any limitations of the online servers you’re connecting to (Why Buying Gigabit Broadband Doesn’t Always Deliver).

One other issue to consider is that it often takes time for retail broadband providers and their suppliers to upgrade their network capacity in order to support such tiers, so even once launched (commercially) it may be a while before adoption improves. Finally, pilot pricing and product details should always be considered tentative (subject to change).

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

With the sale of its stake in True, Telenor is left with just two mobile businesses in Asia

This week, Norwegian telco giant Telenor has announced the sale of its 30.3% stake in Thailand’s True Corporation for NOK 39 billion ($3.9 billion).

The deal will see Telenor immediately offload a 24.95% to Arise Digital Technology, a holding company owned by Thai billionaire Khun Suphachai Chearavanont.

The remaining 5.35% stake is to be sold in two years’ time via a mutual put/call option, allowing Telenor to sell the shares at the original deal price or the prevailing market price, whichever is greater.

Telenor gained its stake in True via the merger of their local mobile operator DTAC (Total Access Communications) was merged with True Corporation in 2023.

Since then, Telenor has faced significant headwinds in key Asian markets, often leading to rapid divestments at considerable loss.

In 2022, the company wrote off its business in Myanmar following coup. One year later, rapid currency devaluation in Pakistan ravaged Telenor’s, leading to its sale.

Now, with the sale of their stake in True, Telenor has just two major telco businesses in Asia: Grameenphone, the largest company in Bangladesh, in which Telenor holds a majority stake (55.8%); and CelcomDigi in Malaysia, in which it holds a 33.1% stake.

Outside of Asia, Telenor operates major operators in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

Keep up to date with all the latest telecoms news with the Total Telecom newsletter

Also in the news
World Communication Award Winners 2025
Ofcom clears the way for satellite-to-smartphone services
LG Uplus’s AI voice call app glitch leaks user data

The post Telenor makes $3.9bn exit from Thailand appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Bang to rights! The West Midlands Police have a reason to be cheerful today after they arrested a gang of three people who were in the process of trying to steal Openreach’s (BT) copper broadband and phone cables from an underground site in central Birmingham, which most likely caused some significant and costly connectivity problems for locals.

Firearms officers who were patrolling nearby were flagged down by observant members of the public as a group of men were trying to steal cables on Great Charles Queensway at around 7.30pm on Tuesday (20th Jan 2026). Two men were immediately arrested on suspicion of theft at the scene, and a van carrying cables was also recovered.

Shortly after that a third suspect was identified as still being underground, and officers, with the help of Police Dog Riot, “encouraged him to climb up the ladder and onto the street, where he was also arrested on suspicion of theft.” The video pasted below does a good job of depicting this part of the event. Three men, aged 48, 45 and 37, remain in custody today.

Criminal gangs like this are often known to commit multiple thefts, frequently hitting parts of the same region several times before moving on. Suffice to say that these arrests may well have helped to prevent a string of similar incidents in the area and could potentially end up being linked to past events.

Det Supt Dave Sproson, of Birmingham Police, said: “This was a fantastic response from our firearms, dogs and Birmingham officers, in bringing three suspects into custody quickly.” 

Crimes like this have become increasingly common in recent years, driven in part by the high price of copper and the rising cost of living. But the criminals are also coming under pressure from a rise in the number of UK-wide arrests (examples here and here), which are often followed by some convictions.

Openreach also reported a 30% reduction in cable theft during 2023/24 after introducing a new forensic liquid marker (SelectaDNA) to help track and protect their network (here), although it doesn’t cover older cables that are already in the ground.

The ongoing deployment of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband lines should, eventually, help to reduce such thefts as fibre has no value to thieves. But this won’t completely stop the problem from occurring because fibre and copper cables often share some of the same ducts (i.e. damaging one also damages the other), and thieves sometimes confuse the two. Completely removing core copper cables will take quite a few years.

Credits to one of our readers, Shaukat, for the news tip.