A seemingly fairly new network operator called Frogfoot Networks has revealed that they’re planning to deploy a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across the United Kingdom, with England, Wales and Scotland being part of their “initial deployment” that will “predominantly serve residential homes and small businesses.”

The plan was revealed as part of the company’s application for Code Powers from Ofcom. Such powers are typically sought to help speed-up deployments of new fibre and cut costs, not least by reducing the number of licenses needed for street works. The powers can also help with supporting access to run new fibre via Openreach’s (BT) existing cable ducts and poles (PIA), which is something Frogfoot have indicated they may harness.

The company has stated that it intends to deploy its FTTP network in areas currently not served by such networks or poorly served, but then every operator says that when applying for Code Powers and reality is often very different. Otherwise, there’s very little information about the company, which is listed as Active but Dormant on Companies House (14062268) and was first incorporated on 22nd April 2022.

The business is listed as having three Directors and one of those, Gerhardus Johannes Koen, is linked at Director level to a number of other telecoms related businesses – Hypa Fibre Ltd (14062524) and Vox Telecommunications Ltd (14062428), as well as the Vivica Group. All of these were incorporated at around the same date as Frogfoot.

The most interesting connection here is the Vivica Group because there’s an identically named group in South Africa, which also backs companies with the same names as those listed above (here), albeit in their own domestic market. Suffice to say that it looks a lot like their network and retail ISP businesses may be preparing to move into the UK, but we’re just speculating on that.

However, it should go without saying that now would be one of the most difficult times for a new alternative network (Altnet) provider to enter the UK market, which is already overstuffed with similar players and is currently dealing with many strains, not least from things like rising build costs, high interest rates and heavy competition. But right now, there’s simply not enough detail, and hopefully we’ll learn more about their plans in the near future.

News

Ex-CEO Philip Jansen, who left BT in January, saw his remuneration increase 25.8% in the last financial year, including bonuses of £2.6 million

This week, BT has revealed that the company’s outgoing CEO, Philip Jansen, was paid £3.72 million for the financial year ending March 31.

This total comprises a fixed pay of £1.11 million and a bonus of £2.6 million, (up from £1.62 million last year). The bonus took the form of £1.45 million in cash and £1.15 million in shares.

The pay increase comes despite BT recording a 31% drop in pre-tax profits to £1.18 billion for the year to March.

Jansen was replaced as CEO by Telia’s Allison Kirkby in January this year, having held the role for five years. Despite some claims that Jansen had “got the strategy right” at the helm of the UK’s largest telco during this time, his tenure saw the company’s share price fall by around 45%.

Perhaps most notably, Jansen’s time as CEO saw the company begin implementing major cost cutting measures, seeking to reduce expenses by £3 billion by 2025. To reach this target, the company announced plans to cut around 55,000 jobs across the company – roughly 40% of BT’s workforce – by 2030.

While the scale of Jansen’s final pay packet is sure to leave a sour taste in the mouth of laid off BT employees and the Communication Workers Union, it is far from unusual. A quick look in the news, for example, shows that CEOs of major firms are routinely paid handsomely as they wave a final farewell. This week alone has seen Boeing’s outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun awarded a 45% pay rise to $32.8 million, despite the company’s ongoing crisis over quality control (don’t worry – he turned down his $2.8 million annual bonus).

For BT’s remaining staff, further cost cutting measures are to be expected. Earlier this year, newly inaugurated CEO Allison Kirkby revealed that BT had already succeeded in reducing costs by the aforementioned £3 billion, a year ahead of its 2025 schedule. Now, says Kirkby, the company will aim to cut a further £3 billion by 2029.

But while Kirkby says the company is “well positioned to generate significant growth”, investors remain far less convinced. Last month, it was revealed that investors were short-selling around £300 million-worth of BT shares, i.e., betting on a further decline in the company’s share price.

Kirkby remained unperturbed, saying “I always love to squeeze the shorts . . . and prove them wrong.”

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

Also in the news:
KPN forms new JV to monetise tower assets
Swisscom’s Fastweb sells FiberCop stake for €439m
General election over, India’s 5G auction facing further delays

News

Vodafone Spain’s enterprise unit says it will work with the Swedish equipment vendor to organise various conferences throughout the country to highlight the potential of private 5G networks

Private 5G networks for enterprise and industry has proven one of the wireless technology’s greatest successes, with deployments taking place all over the world in locations ranging from university campuses to offshore oil rigs.

Offering lower latency, higher capacity, and improved security over alternative wireless technologies, these private networks can unlock a raft of new use cases and automated solutions, from intelligent automation to autonomous robots.

But despite these obvious benefits, uptake by industries at scale has been relatively limited, with the technology widely viewed as a nice-to-have, rather than a necessity.

Perhaps this is why Vodafone Spain is teaming up with Ericsson this week to host a series of conferences throughout Spain, touting the “revolutionary” potential of the technology for enterprise.

The companies say they will focus on demonstrating the impact of high-speed, low-latency connectivity can bring for scalability of processes in complex industrial environments as well as security, cloud-based data processing and management of service-level agreements.

“5G private networks represent a revolution for the industry and for many other sectors of activity, enabling unprecedented connectivity that will boost the innovation and efficiency of many companies in our country,” said Jesús Suso, director of Vodafone Business. “We are pleased to collaborate with Ericsson to deliver this series of events. Together, we are demonstrating the transformative power of private 5G networks and how they can be deployed to meet the specific demands of each industry.”

The first event is taking place today in the city of Vigo, hosted by automotive parts specialist Recalvi. Additional cities currently featured on the tour list include Vigo, Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, ​​Bilbao, Valencia, Castellón, and Málaga.

Additional enterprises taking part in these conferences have not been revealed.

It is worth noting that Vodafone has already found some success with private 5G in Spain this year, deploying a 5G standalone private network at a Ford production plant in Valencia back in January.

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

Also in the news:
KPN forms new JV to monetise tower assets
Swisscom’s Fastweb sells FiberCop stake for €439m
General election over, India’s 5G auction facing further delays

UK ISP Cerberus Networks has given ISPreview an unexpected surprise this afternoon after they began informing their customers about their decision to introduce “high-speed satellite internet services“, which will aim to deliver broadband speeds of “up to 150Mbps” and should complement their existing range of fixed line plans.

According to the notice, seen by ISPreview, the new service will harness Eutelsat’s recently launched Konnect VHTS (Very High Throughput) broadband satellite, which went live back in October 2023 (here) and is currently in a high Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) of around 35,000km. The VHTS weighs 6.3 tonnes, supports 230 beams over Western Europe and has a large Ka-band (radio spectrum) capacity of around 500Gbps (Gigabits per second).

However, the same announcement refers to their service as also offering a “Low Earth Orbit Business Broadband” service, before saying that both their “LEO and GEO satellite packages offer speeds of up to 200Mbps with various data usage options to suit your needs.”

In other words, Cerberus Networks have launched a set of both GEO and LEO powered satellite broadband packages, although it’s not completely clear what satellites they’re harnessing for the LEO service. But we assume it’s OneWeb, as Eutelsat is the only company named.

Extract for Cerberus Network’s Customer Letter

Why Choose Satellite Internet?

Easy Setup: Our managed installations are performed by experienced engineers, ensuring you are connected quickly and easily, anywhere in the UK and Europe.

Short Lead Times: Unlike traditional fixed-line services, satellite installations can be completed within days. We handle shipping and schedule the installation at your convenience.

Broad Coverage: Satellite services are ideal for remote, rural, or underserved areas where traditional internet services may not be available.

Resilient and Dependable: Our high-speed broadband is perfect for business communications, offering reliable connectivity for areas with poor internet access or as a failover for wired broadband.

Is Satellite Broadband Right for You?

If you are experiencing slow broadband speeds or unreliable connections, satellite broadband might be the perfect solution. It works almost everywhere, providing internet services similar to a wired service. While latency is slightly higher with GEO networks, it is suitable for many business applications. Our experts can help you choose the best service for your needs.

Get Connected Now!

Your satellite service will be activated once your equipment is installed. Our team will contact you to arrange an installation date within a few days of processing your order. We offer packages with different speeds and data allowances to match your specific requirements, from businesses to busy households to occasional users.

The customer email includes a link to a promotional document, which right at the bottom also adds some details on their business-focused satellite broadband packages and prices – both the GEO and LEO solutions. Naturally, as OneWeb’s LEO solution isn’t normally aimed at the domestic market, then that particular solution is a bit more expensive.

The GEO packages typically start at £40 +vat per month for their entry-level 30Mbps (5Mbps upload) package with 20GB (GigaBytes) of priority data, after which the service speeds will typically be throttled. But take note that their GEO packages will only be able to offer slow latency times of around 600-700ms (milliseconds) and there’s no mention of that the LEO service can deliver, but it’ll probably be below the 100ms mark.

News

The newly appointed CEO blamed planning setbacks for the state of UK infrastructure 

BT CEO Allison Kirkby has said that the Scandinavian countries are “way ahead” of the UK in terms of its telecoms infrastructure. 

Speaking at the Deloitte and Enders media and telecoms conference in London this week, Kirby said: “What I would say is Scandinavia is way ahead of the UK. Part of that is very much driven by the regulatory environment, the planning environment and the general adoption of digital skills and digital services.” 

BT have plans to deploy undertake what it calls a ‘monumental change to the UK’s communication infrastructure” by deploying ultrafast fibre broadband to 25 million premises by 2026, hoping to reach 30 million by the end of the decade. 

Kirkby emphasised that it’s not the market structure that is preventing the development of UK networks, but the red tape surrounding the planning. She then called on the UK government to improve “regulatory and fiscal policy certainty”. 

“The Swedes, the Norwegians, the Finnish all expected their highways, their trains, to have great connectivity wherever you were, even when you were up in the northern part of the country. A lot of what is not working in the UK is the planning legislation.” 

Last month, the company released its financial results for the full year to 31 March 2024. Revenue stood at £20.8 billion, up 1% from the same time last year, but profits took a hit, with pre-tax profits falling 31% to £1.18 billion. Openreach’s FTTP deployment rate reached 1 million homes in the last quarter, working out at like 78,000 premises per week. 

The CEO of Three Robert Finnegan also attended the conference and took the opportunity to once again plug the upcoming potential Vodafone–Three merger. Finnegan emphasised that if the venture does not get approved, it will mean less investment in UK infrastructure and customers would end up “short changed.” 

The £15 billion merger received conditional approval from the UK government last month. A separate investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is ongoing, with its results expected by September. 

Join the conversation around UK connectivity at this year’s Connected Britain, 11-12 September in London. Get discounted tickets here! 

Also in the news:
German government sells $2.7 billion stake in Deutsche Telekom
News in Brief: Cable updates from Submarine Networks EMEA
STC joins e& in eying up United Group 

Rural-focused ISP and alternative network builder Wessex Internet, which is deploying a full fibre (FTTP) gigabit broadband service across parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset in England, has today appointed their first Chief Operations Officer (COO) in the shape of Gavin Davies.

The operator’s existing network footprint is currently said to cover “tens of thousands of homes” (some of this may include their old fixed wireless network too), while their business plan targets an “additional” 150,000 premises by 2027 through a combination of subsidised and unsubsidised capital investment. The ISP has also secured four Project Gigabit contracts from the UK Government to connect 36,000 premises to their fibre.

Suffice to say that the company has a lot of building to do over the next few years, and that’s where having a COO could come in handy. Gavin himself brings leadership experience from operational roles in other technology and utility companies, including, most recently, at civil engineering firm Avonline.

Gavin Davies said:

“I have helped to lead telecoms and utility companies through periods of rapid growth and efficiency improvement, and look forward to bringing this experience to Wessex Internet. In the sector, Wessex Internet is known to be unique in its approach to building its fibre network, both in engineering and technical terms, and in how it engages with the communities it serves.

On a personal level, I am already relishing working in the glorious countryside after more urban-based recent roles, and I have been fascinated by the innovative methods developed by Wessex Internet to provide broadband in challenging areas that would otherwise not be connected by other providers.

I believe that businesses and individuals should not face a digital divide based on where they are located and am excited to be part of a company that is removing these barriers. Relatedly, I take seriously the role we play in providing high-quality employment across multiple disciplines in a predominantly rural area.”

Prices for their full fibre packages start at £29 per month for a 100Mbps (15Mbps upload) tier on a 12-month term, but this only comes with a meagre 100GB data allowance (£44 for unlimited), and you’ll have to pay £49 (one-off) for activation. By comparison, their top unlimited usage plan will give 900Mbps (450Mbps upload) for £79 per month, which is fairly expensive by today’s standards, albeit still good if nobody else can supply FTTP.

The wholesale division of broadband and Ethernet provider Virgin Media UK (VMO2) are suing the “owners and all persons claiming an interest” in a fishing trawler, the Irish-registered MV The Lida Suzanna, for €800k (£680k) after the ship allegedly damaged one of their subsea fibre optic cables between Ireland and England.

The Sirius South cable itself was originally deployed in 1998 by NTL, which later became part of Virgin Media after the merger with Telewest. Virgin also operates a second cable on a similar route called Sirius North, which affords them some redundancy should one of the two links end up being damaged.

Sadly, cable breaks are not uncommon on subsea routes. Most such damage occurs due to accidents by deep sea fishing trawlers, as well as ships dragging their anchor over them or marine life deciding to take a nibble (smaller cables have been broken by hungry sharks in the past, but modern cables tend to be resistant). A whole industry exists to repair such cables, but it often takes a few days or weeks to fix related damage.

In this case, Virgin Media has claimed in the High Court that the vessel in question was allegedly conducting scallop fishing, which involves dredging the seabed. According to Breaking News, Virgin Media wants the vessel’s owners to pay damages and, failing that, they would like to see it sold to help pay off the claim.

A Virgin Media spokesperson said:

“We have brought this claim following significant damage caused by a fishing trawler to one of our undersea fibre optic cables, and are seeking to recover the costs associated with repairing the cable.

As a business with millions of customers who rely on fast and reliable connectivity, we hope that through taking this action, third parties will be better aware of the cost that can be involved and disruption it can cause when our cables are damaged.”

Cases like this can be complicated and tricky to pursue, which may help to explain why it’s taken so long for this one to reach the courts. In keeping with that, the vessel’s owners have denied that they were the cause of the damage and have asked for proof of this. The owners have also accused Virgin of being negligent by failing to take sufficient measures to protect the cable when it was installed, such as by burying it.

Finally, the owners claim that the location is an “area of fishing ground established centuries past” and that they were doing nothing more than the lawful exploitation of fishing rights. The owners say that Virgin Media has no entitlement to expect or demand that fishing be modified, or stopped, just because it laid a cable across the same area.

However, Virgin Media contends that shipping regulations require such vessels to carry publications that would have alerted the vessel’s owners to the location of subsea cables, and that there was also an alleged failure to ensure the skipper and/or crew were adequately aware of the location of such cables.

Virgin has previously filed a similar case again the MV Willie Joe trawler, which was settled in 2022.

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has been fined £1.34m (inc. costs of £15,858) by the Llandudno Magistrates Court in Wales for breaching Health and Safety laws for staff working near water. The case occurred after one of its engineers – Alun Owen (32) – tragically died after being swept away by a flooded river in October 2020.

According to the BBC News, Alun was working on a customer’s broadband and telephone line in the village of Abergwyngregyn, near Bangor, which had recently been flooded after the River Aber burst its banks. The local lines were understood to be crossing the river and, as Mr Owen attempted to wade into the rival to throw a new line across, he slipped and was swept away. Alun was a father of two children.

Network operators like Openreach typically do have policies in place for working near water, but in this case, they were not followed (no engineer should be working alone near water). The court also heard that Mr Owen had not taken an online training course about working on water. Openreach admitted it “could have done more” to make sure engineers had the right guidance, processes and training when working on, or near, water.

In another incident, Openreach used a wedding picture of Mr Owen as part of a case study in new health and safety training, albeit without seeking permission from the family. Openreach’s Dominic Kay KC said the company wanted to express its “genuine and sincere remorse for what happened“.

In a statement, Openreach’s CEO, Clive Selley, also apologised for failings after the death, including withdrawing a staff discount for the family’s broadband services, because Mr Owen no longer worked for Openreach. “I am deeply saddened that Openreach added to the grief and suffering,” said Mr Selley.

The situation helps to underline that related engineering tasks often carry risks for those working in the field, which is why it isn’t always possible to immediately repair some faults until those risks can be mitigated.

An Openreach spokesperson told ISPreview:

Nothing can ever make up for the loss of Alun. He was a very well-respected and popular colleague, and the impact of his death remains significant and is felt directly by people across Openreach. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

As an organisation, we accept that we could’ve done more to make sure our engineers had the right guidance, processes and training when working on, or near, water. We’re very sorry that we fell short of the required standards, and we deeply regret the loss of Alun, as well as the impact on his family, friends and colleagues.

The safety of our entire workforce, customers and the public remains our priority, and we’re working hard to make sure something like this never happens again.”

Out of respect for the family, comments will be closed on this article.

Alternative network operator and UK ISP Brsk has today announced that their roll-out of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network is being extended to include 60,000 premises across St Helens in Merseyside, and neighbouring Ashton-in-Makerfield in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

The operator – fuelled by an investment of at least £259m – is currently building out its new network across parts of West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and the West Midlands (Birmingham and The Black Country). Some 28,000 customers (1st Mar 2024) already use the service, which has so far covered 552,000 premises passed (536,000 as Ready for Service, which is up from 486k RFS on 30th Apr 2024).

Residential customers typically pay from £23 per month for a 100Mbps (symmetric) package and this rises up to £32 for their top 900Mbps tier on a 24-month term, which includes a router and free installation.

Ian Kock, Brsk’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“Quite frankly, we think it’s criminal that so many residents have had to suffer with slow, expensive broadband for so long. Not to mention, the extremely poor customer service that comes with it. Luckily, we’re on the case. We look forward to bringing broadband the way it should be experienced. Fast, affordable and fair – nothing less.”

In terms of local gigabit-capable competition. Openreach’s new FTTP network already covers most of St Helens and a little bit of Ashton, while Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre) is widely available across both locations, except for a sizeable business park or two. As for altnets, the only other provider with any presence is Grain in a patch of St Helens. CityFibre began working in the same location during 2022, but so far we’ve yet to see much live coverage.

Mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today “refreshed” their ‘Like New’ scheme, which offers customers the ability to take a refurbished mobile phone alongside a big discount and decent warranty period. The changes are largely said to reflect “huge savings and benefits“.

Just to underline that claim of “huge savings“, O2 are celebrating the refresh by offering a limited time discount of £360 on selected mobiles for all customers, as well as an additional £70 upfront saving on a number of phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S23 5G 256GB, for existing customers via the My O2 App. Both offers can be used in conjunction, meaning existing customers could potentially save up to £430.

Take note that the additional £70 discount will be applied to existing customers’ baskets when they select a specific phone (covering a range of recent Samsung, iPhone and Google Pixel devices) and a) Set the upfront cost of their device to at least £70 via the My O2 app, b) Select their desired phone plan length and tariff, and c) Paste the voucher code found on the My O2 app into the ‘Got a promo code?’ section during checkout by 15 July 2024.

New and improved benefits of buying a ‘Like New’ phone include:

➤ Money-saving: Customers can save up to £200 compared to buying the same model brand-new through O2, all year round.

➤ Better for the planet: Buying a refurbished phone instead of a brand-new one lowers the device’s carbon footprint, uses fewer virgin materials and helps keep devices out of landfills.

➤ They’re ‘Like New’: A phone will undergo at least 40 quality checks to ensure every screen, microphone, flashlight, volume key, speaker, camera, battery and fingerprint scanner meets the same or similar standard of a new phone.

➤ Peace of mind: Customers that purchase a Plus Plan contract get a three-year handset warranty and those on a Classic Plan get one years, just like they would if they bought a brand-new phone. And if they decide the phone isn’t quite right for them, they have 14 days to exchange or return it.

➤ O2 perks: According to Uswitch, O2 customers can save nearly £500 over the duration of their contract on benefits such as Priority from O2 and inclusive EU roaming – that’s higher than any other mobile network provider in the UK.

➤ Battery health: Every Like New phone must have a battery capacity that is at least 80%.

➤ Flexible payment: Customers can find a payment plan that suits them by spreading the cost of their Like New phone over three to 36 months and can flex their plan’s data allowance up or down each month with O2 Refresh.

➤ Next day delivery: Once the mobile is ordered, it will arrive the next day.

The refurbished Like New phones are currently available on both O2’s Classic Plans or Plus Plans and come with the same benefits as new devices. People could of course potentially save more money by grabbing a second-hand device from eBay or another auction site, but that arguably carries more risk because there won’t be a long warranty or third party checking to ensure the device you’re receiving meets certain basic requirements.