Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator EE (BT) has today introduced a new Multi Tech Cover policy, which reflects gadget insurance that offers manufacturer-approved repairs and flexibility for customers wanting to protect an “unlimited” number of eligible devices. Naturally, they’ve accompanied this with the results of a new survey, which found 64% of Brits would prefer a single, affordable policy to cover the majority of their devices.

The new EE Multi Tech Cover is said to have been created in partnership with the insurer, Chubb, in order to deliver “maximum convenience and simple protection without a long-term financial commitment“. The policy is available as a rolling monthly term and customers can choose from two tiers, available instantly via the EE app or website:

• Damage Cover: Includes accidental damage, extended warranty, worldwide protection, and manufacturer-approved repair or replacement. It also covers in-box, manufacturer-provided charging accessories as part of a device claim
• Full Cover: Includes all the benefits of Damage Cover, plus protection against loss and theft

The policy protects a wide range of everyday technology and gadgets, whether it was bought new or manufacturer refurbished from EE or a third-party retailer, including:

• Phones, Tablets, Laptops, Headphones, Smartwatches, and E-readers
• Home Security Accessories (e.g., video doorbells) and Fitness Trackers
• Gaming Consoles, Controllers, and VR Headsets are also included for damage-only claims

Crucially, even if a device is out of its manufacturer warranty, EE say they will “continue to provide breakdown cover for the duration of the customer’s policy for devices under five years old“.

Malcolm Cubitt, Director of Product at EE, said:

“We understand that our customers’ lives are powered by a whole ecosystem of technology, which is why Multi Tech Cover will be so beneficial to them. It brings peace of mind by allowing customers to protect multiple devices under a single, flexible policy. Whether it’s a phone, a laptop or even a fitness tracker, we want to make it simple, affordable and stress-free to look after everything that matters to you.”

As usual, all of this comes at a cost via two policies. Damage Cover costs £15.99 per month, while Full Cover will set you back £22.99 per month. Customers with Damage Cover can make up to five claims in any 12-month period. Full Cover covers lost or stolen devices, allowing customers to make up to five claims within the same timeframe, with up to three of those claims eligible for loss or theft. Customers do not need to register all their devices to make a claim.

The new cover expands among EE’s existing Single Tech Cover, which offers unlimited damage claims and allows customers to make up to two loss or theft claims (for the full cover version) in any 12-month period; providing repair or replacement for damaged devices. Single Tech Cover can last for up to five years with no minimum contract term, with Multi Tech Cover offering even greater flexibility as it continues until cancelled.

Multi Tech Cover builds on the success of EE’s existing Single Tech Cover, which offers unlimited damage claims and allows customers to make up to two loss or theft claims (for the full cover version) in any 12-month period. Providing repair or replacement for damaged devices. Single Tech Cover can last for up to five years with no minimum contract term, with Multi Tech Cover offering even greater flexibility as it continues until cancelled.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The SIM-Only mobile operator Spusu, which holds a virtual operator (MVNO) agreement to harness EE’s 4G and 5G network, has today confirmed that they’ve rolled out their free EU roaming to Ukraine and Moldova from 1st January 2026. Customers in the UK who travel to those countries can now use their plans (calls, text and data) as they would at home — with no extra charges.

Alongside the roaming extension, spusu has also continued cutting roaming costs, with data now priced from just £2 per GB (GigaByte) in destinations including the US and Turkey, and has launched a new tool to make roaming prices clearer for customers. The new roaming price lookup tool (found on the roaming landing page of spusu’s website) allows customers to select the country they’re travelling to and see the cost per GB (already a fairly common feature on other many eSIM-based travel providers)

The move comes as Spusu confirmed that they’ve also frozen their prices for the third year in a row.

Christian Banhans, MD of spusu UK, said:

“Customers shouldn’t have to pay to stay connected while travelling. The addition of Ukraine and Moldova means our customers, especially those who travel frequently or have family connections abroad, can roam with ease and without worry.

The update underscores our commitment to offering flexible, transparent and fair mobile plans across a wider European roaming zone. This expansion marks a major step toward deeper digital and economic integration between the EU and its partner countries. But most importantly, it also demonstrates our belief that customers should always benefit from a fair mobile experience.”

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Contributed Article

Versatile mobile labelling printers allow installers to clearly label inventory regardless of environmental conditions

Telecom engineers and field crews can now print durable cable identification on site, according to labelling specialist Brady, which has updated its mobile labelling offerings to target the needs of network maintenance and installation.

Brady’s portable printers are capable of producing specialised labels for a wide range of engineering needs, from self-laminating cable labels, flags, sleeves, engraved plate replacements and Velcro-compatible BradyGrip tags. These labels are designed to remain attached and legible on cables and components for up to 20 years.

The printing devices have been built with rugged operating environments in mind, from outdoor cabinets and manholes to poles and antenna masts, and have subsequently been designed to withstand UV exposure, dust and moisture, as confirmed by in-house laboratory testing.

A second strand of the product set is a vehicle inventory and asset-tracking capability. Using passive, battery-free UHF RFID labels, the location of tools and consumables in a service vehicle can automatically be verified or flagged as missing using an RFID reader in the vehicle itself. In this way, engineers can dramatically reduce the time spent looking for misplaced equipment and save money on expensive replacements.

Long-lasting labelling has become more important as operators face denser fibre deployments and stricter traceability requirements. Unambiguous cable identification can reduce repair times and avoid accidental cuts during network works – a practical efficiency and risk-reduction benefit for operators juggling plant complexity and contracted field teams.

Brady provides a downloadable cable-identification guide aimed at helping installers meet labelling standards and streamline on-site printing workflows. The vendor positions its mobile printers as a way to avoid the delays and errors associated with pre-printed labels. For network managers evaluating field tools, durability claims and independent test data will be key to assessing whether mobile printing delivers net savings in maintenance and fault-repair operations.

Brady manufactures every element of its labelling systems, including labels, printers and software, and its offerings are already used by large telecom operators in France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

Interested in reliable identification solutions to keep telecom cables identified for up to 20 years?

Discover more here!

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Interview

We caught up with CypressTel’s CEO Connee Zhang, Director of Global Business Eva Yu, and Associate Director of Partnership & Business Development Sam Ho to discuss the shifting global telecoms market and the rise of AI

Connee, you founded CypressTel almost 20 years ago – I’m sure much has changed in that time! Tell us about the company’s journey so far and its biggest changes.

(Connee): There’s been a lot of change! Over the past 18 years, CypressTel has evolved from a specialist in cross-border connectivity into a carrier-neutral partner for networks, security, and infrastructure.

Our mission has always been to deliver reliable, secure and high-performance connectivity across China, APAC, and key global hubs. Along the way, we have built a strong partner ecosystem spanning global and regional carriers, data centres, cloud providers, and security vendors. We launched our own SD-WAN solution, OneWAN SD-WAN, followed by OneWAN SASE to address cloud-first and remote-work security requirements. These efforts have been recognised through SD-WAN certifications and multiple industry awards, which provide third-party validation of our technology and operations.

Today, we are positioned as an SD-WAN + SASE + infrastructure partner with AI-driven operations, serving enterprises, carriers, and service providers, and helping them apply advanced technologies by leveraging our expertise and integrated infrastructure.

We’ve seen AI having a huge impact on telecoms companies globally. How has your business evolved following the rise of AI?

(Connee): AI is now embedded across our operations and solutions. In our NOC [Network Operations Centre], we use AI to detect issues earlier and shorten fault-handling time by analysing logs, telemetry, and alarms across multi-carrier, multi-region environments. On the OneWAN SD-WAN platform, AI helps optimise routing, capacity planning and incident response, ensuring traffic is steered over the best available paths. Within OneWAN SASE, AI strengthens threat detection, anomaly analytics and behaviour insights, giving customers more intelligent and adaptive security.  In our network operations, we have adopted AI ChatOps to achieve faster troubleshooting and improve fault resolution efficiency. AI has been used to automate configurations and minimise human errors

Overall, AI has helped us move from reactive support to a more proactive, predictive, and automated operations model. In parallel, we are actively developing AIDC (AI data centre) solutions that combine compute, network, and managed services, with the goal of building an “AI factory” across APAC.

How are you incorporating AI within your own solutions?

(Sam): AI is embedded throughout our networking and security solutions.

In network operations, AI continuously analyses telemetry, logs, and alarms to detect anomalies early, suggest likely root causes and support proactive capacity planning, helping to prevent performance bottlenecks. For customer traffic routing, AI evaluates real-time path quality and recommends — or automatically enforces — the optimal paths or even allocate bandwidth intelligently for mission-critical applications. This helps us create more self-optimising, intent-aware networks that align network behaviour with business priorities. Within our evolving SASE framework, AI-driven behaviour analytics and anomaly detection strengthen protection for users, devices and applications.

Overall, this delivers better resilience, efficiency and security for our customers, while reducing operational complexity.

What impact is the rapid growth of the data centre market having on your business?

(Eva): The rapid expansion of the data centre market, especially for AI workloads, is a major driver of our business. Customers are rolling out distributed, data- and AI-intensive workloads across multiple data centres, clouds, and regions, and they need secure, high-performance, carrier-neutral access from branches, users, and partners into these environments.

CypressTel’s core strength is aggregating last-mile access, internet, and local connectivity into data centres and clouds, using multiple carriers to build resilient and cost-effective underlay networks. Increasingly, network and compute are being planned as a single, integrated, and managed architecture.

We help customers decide where workloads should reside — whether in a DC, cloud, or at the edge — and how sites, users, and partners securely reach them over the right combination of last-mile, internet, and SD-WAN paths.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your customers and what can they do about it?

(Connee): The telecoms industry is in a challenging position right now. Our customers are navigating geopolitical risk, changing regulations, dynamic technology evolution and strong cost pressure, especially in sensitive regions. They worry about service continuity, data sovereignty, and compliance, while still needing to support global growth. Traditional single-carrier, MPLS-centric WANs are inflexible and expensive, so the answer is not simply swapping one carrier for another, but disrupting and de-risking the overall architecture.

CypressTel’s approach is to provide a modern SD-WAN + SASE overlay that can combine multiple underlay carriers, local internet and 4G/5G access to meet the dynamic needs of digital transformation. Unified SASE policies then ensure consistent security and governance across all regions. The result is better risk management, lower total cost of ownership and stable, secure connectivity for critical business applications.

With the global telecoms world changing so rapidly, how do you position your network infrastructure to align with global network demand?

(Eva): We have designed an integrated APAC–China network infrastructure that connects major cities across the region via a highly resilient, high-bandwidth backbone. This is supported by a versatileconnectivity infrastructure that brings together multiple carriers, data centres, and cloud on-ramps across APAC. On top of this, we work closely with global carriers and cloud providers to build a strong partner ecosystem.

Our teams are experienced in navigating complex local legal and regulatory requirements, and our bilingual, multicultural talent pool helps bridge East–West business and cultural differences. This combination makes CypressTel an ideal base for designing, negotiating and operating cross-border and regional connectivity solutions for global customers.

Do you see major regional differences in SD-WAN and private network markets?

(Eva): Yes, there are clear regional differences in market maturity and priorities. In the US and Europe, SD-WAN adoption is already mature, and the focus has shifted towards SASE, multi-cloud optimisation, and zero-trust security. In these markets, CypressTel often acts as a specialist APAC/China connectivity partners, aligning global designs with realistic local delivery.

In Asia and other emerging markets, on the other hand, many organisations are still migrating from MPLS/IP-VPN and need local know-how and diverse last-mile options. Developed markets tend to prioritise user experience, visibility, and advanced security features, while developing markets focus more on availability, cost and mobile-first access, but still want centralised control. In China and wider APAC region, customers also need expertise in China access, compliance, and cross-border performance.

CypressTel’s strength lies in being a carrier-neutral SD-WAN + SASE provider with deep China–APAC regulatory and operational experience.

How important is SASE in today’s cybersecurity environment?

(Sam): SASE has become a foundational architecture in modern cybersecurity because users and applications are now everywhere — across offices, homes, multiple countries, data centres, public cloud, and SaaS platforms. Traditional perimeter-based security cannot provide consistent protection or keep up with this level of agility. SASE converges networking and security into a cloud-delivered model, giving organisations centralised visibility and policy control across all access points. It enables zero-trust, identity- and context-based access decisions and supports both cloud-first and hybrid-work strategies.

In our view, SASE is no longer an optional add-on; for many enterprises it is the core architecture for secure connectivity, and we are well positioned to capture this growing demand.

What customers have surprised you the most, either due to their unique requirements or how they have used your technology?

(Sam): One standout example is a leading global insurance group with more than 60 offices worldwide, including a major presence in China. They were facing high legacy MPLS costs, limited flexibility, and complex traffic management between overseas locations and their China operations.

CypressTel delivered carrier-neutral last-mile and internet access in China, combined with OneWAN SD-WAN across their HQ, data centres, and branches. This reduced their overall network costs, improved visibility, and enabled clean segmentation of different business services worldwide.

What surprised us most was how quickly this highly regulated financial institution embraced SD-WAN and internet underlay once they saw the operational, security, and compliance benefits for their China–global connectivity.

What are the next steps for the company’s growth?

(Connee): Looking ahead, we will deepen our R&D in AI, SD-WAN, SASE, and AIDC, including through joint labs and innovation programmes with partners. We plan to further enhance OneWAN SD-WAN & SASE with stronger security, automation, and AI-driven operations and solutions tailored for cloud and AI workloads. We will continue to expand our APAC and global footprint with additional PoPs and tighter integration with carriers, cloud providers, and data centres.

A key focus will be building an APAC-centric partner ecosystem and co-designing solutions with regional and global technology partners for industries such as manufacturing, retail, finance and logistics. At the same time, we are investing in talent and organisational agility so that we can stay ahead of technology shifts and market changes.

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

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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

We’re playing catch-up today as, toward the latter part of 2025, EE (BT) updated their website (here) to confirm that they intend to “begin closing the 2G network from May 2029“. But as ISPreview reported a year ago (here), the broadband and mobile operator has already begun encouraging some 2G users to upgrade ahead of the closure.

Just to recap. The government previously agreed with EE, O2, Vodafone and Three UK to phase-out existing 2G and 3G signals by 2033 (here), which will free up radio spectrum bands so that they can be used to further improve the network coverage and mobile broadband speeds of more modern networks (4G, 5G and eventually 6G). The switch-off will also reduce the operators’ costs and power consumption.

In case anybody has forgotten, EE switched-off their final 3G sites back in February 2024 (here), which actually came before their older 2G network. The situation around 2G tends to be more complicated, not least because its signals remain useful as a low-power fallback when 4G/5G isn’t present and are still necessary for some rural areas, as well as for particular applications (e.g. certain IoT / M2M services, lift alarms, telecare systems etc.).

Suffice to say that mobile operators, particularly those like O2 with a 2G link to Energy Smart Meters, have been taking a much more cautious approach to the 2G switch-off in order to give everybody plenty of warning and ample time to adapt (while also expanding 4G/5G coverage to fill any gaps). Back in January 2025 EE could only say that they would “not be closing our 2G network until later this decade“ and indeed the latest May 2029 date appears to confirm that.

Just to be clear, mobile operators tend not to begin the actual shutdown process until well after they’ve initiated the process of encouraging all affected customers to upgrade their handsets to a 4G or 5G capable device. EE has already done this with their business customers and recently started the same for their consumer base.

The network closure is thus the last part of that process and, if the 3G switch-off is anything to go by, then it will probably take EE around a year to completely switch-off the ancient network using a phased withdrawal (i.e. likely completing in early to mid 2030).

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

‘Military grade’ signal jamming is reportedly being used to cripple the satellite constellation’s effectiveness

Today, Iran is heading into the fourth day of complete internet shutdown, which human rights agencies say is being used to mask the violent suppression of protestors.

On December 28 last year, rapid hyperinflation of the Iranian rial saw shopkeepers implement a general strike, which soon spiralled into nationwide protests. With demonstrations gaining momentum at the start of 2026, the state implemented a nationwide internet blackout on January 8.

These measures coincided with violent crackdowns on protesters by government troops, with security forces opening fire on unarmed civilians on Friday.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency reports 544 deaths since the protests began, with over 10,600 people having also been arbitrarily detained.

The blackout itself has seen Iran’s internet traffic plummet. According to internet traffic observation company NetBlocks, Iran has seen a 98% drop in connectivity to the outside world.

⚠️ Update: As #Iran wakes up to a new day, metrics show the national internet blackout is past the 84 hour mark.

Years of digital censorship research point to these workarounds:

📻 Shortwave/HAM radio
📶 Cell towers at borders
📡 Starlink terminals
🛰️ Direct-to-Cell satellite pic.twitter.com/1UqMAbLYEV

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) January 12, 2026

The shutdown was largely facilitated by Iran’s Telecommunication Infrastructure Company (TIC), which controls Iran’s international gateways. The company has issued “withdrawal” messages to global routers, effectively making Iranian IP addresses unreachable from outside the country.

Mobile services from the likes of MCI and Irancell have also been frozen.

Internet shutdowns by authoritarian regimes are commonplace; the Taliban, for example, imposed a two-day blackout back in September, ostensibly to ‘prevent immorality’. These measures are typically heavy-handed and indiscriminate, generally impacting everyone in the affected area. As such, these shutdowns are rarely maintained for long, since doing so brings the area to a grinding halt.

The blackout in Iran, is somewhat more sophisticated, with some high-ranking officials, members of state-run media services, and members of critical businesses reportedly been issued whitelisted SIM cards, which retain access to the internet through dedicated channels. This allows state propaganda to continue to be broadcast; the X (Twitter) profile for Iran’s head of state, Sayyid Ali Khamenei, for example, remained heavily active late last week.

Iran has long been working towards building an internal internet service akin to that China’s ‘Great Firewall’, which cuts off users’ access to major Western platforms like Googe, Facebook, and YouTube, allowing for greater levels of censorship and media control. While the country’s existing internet architecture is not quite so pervasive, it could still allow for a more stratified shutdown, which analysts suggest could extend its duration.

“If they end up implementing a whitelist, and it works as planned it may enable them to operate in some kind of degraded state for an extended period of time,” internet analyst Doug Madory told The Guardian. “What they’re doing is trying to set this up so that they don’t have to turn everything back on. They want just the bare necessities to be able to communicate and then shut everything else off.”

But while government propagandising may be able to proceed uninhibited, the day-to-day operation of the country’s economy is at a standstill. From digital point-of-sale transactions in local shops, to services like hospitals and schools,

“This ‘kill switch’ approach comes at a staggering price, draining $1.56 million from Iran’s economy every single hour the internet is down,” Simon Migliano, head of research at Top10VPN, told Forbes.

Efforts to circumvent the blackout via Elon Musk’s satellite service Starlink are also proving unsuccessful. During protests in 2022, Starlink served as a major lifeline for Iranian protestors, being widely used to communicate during blackouts. As a result, reports suggest that tens of thousands of Starlink terminals have been smuggled into the country in recent years to counter government control.

The same report, however, says that Starlink is being effectively blocked by the government, potentially by ‘military grade’ jammers. Around 30% of Starlink’s Iranian traffic was disrupted in the early hours of the protests, later rising to over 80%.

Today, Iran’s foreign minister has told foreign diplomats that the internet shutdown has helped bring the protests “under total control”, though messages and video content emerging from Tehran shows that the protests are ongoing.

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

Also in the news
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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

At present it often seems like a new eSIM (Embedded SIM) based mobile operator is launching almost every other week and today it’s the turn of Rewild Mobile, which says they’re “operating on the Three UK & Vodafone network” and intend to put any profits they make back into “rewilding nature“.

In such a crowded market, it often helps if you’re doing something a bit different from the pack, even if that might sometimes be viewed as a gimmick. “Rewild was built in response to a mobile industry that customers no longer trust. Complicated pricing, poor service and a focus on extracting profit have left most people frustrated with their mobile network. Rewild takes a different approach, building a simple, high-performance network and using its profits to fund rewilding projects around the world,” states the announcement.

At launch it appears as if Rewild Mobile’s primary UK plan is an unlimited data, calls and texts tariff that is priced from £18.50 per month on a 24-month minimum term (12-month and 30-day contracts are available at extra cost). The plan also includes support for EU roaming (20GB fair use data cap). But the provider’s Price List suggests that 4GB and 10GB UK data plans may launch in the near future.

In terms of pricing, the provider states there will be “no surprise increases. You pay the price you sign up to, and we will always be clear and upfront if anything changes in the future“.

Rewild’s Director, Anne Johnson, told ISPreview:

“We built Rewild to do exactly what it says: to rewild nature. The mobile industry feels extractive and disconnected from the real world. We wanted to prove you can build a serious tech business that does something genuinely good for the planet.

We are completely focused on building a high-performance network, but we are equally focused on where the money goes.”

Like many other virtual eSIM-only providers, Rewild Mobile states that they’re also “building a travel essentials SIM, launching soon in over 180 countries. The SIM connects to multiple local networks in the UK and internationally, including Three, Vodafone, EE, O2, AT&T and T-Mobile“. All the profits from that will also go to rewilding.

However, the T&Cs also mention a Fair Use Policy (FUP), which states that customers of their unlimited plan can use “up to 4,000 UK call minutes, up to 2,000 UK text messages (SMS) [and] up to 750GB of UK data per month” (other mobile operators have a similar clause for unlimited data, albeit not always calls and texts). But those who “repeatedly or significantly” exceed this are told that their service may be restricted in some unspecified way or “paused“.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Carlisle-based broadband internet provider Grain, which in July 2025 secured a £225m funding boost (here) and has so far extended their point-to-point full fibre (FTTP) network to cover 270,000 UK premises (aiming to reach 600,000 in the future), has refreshed their packages for 2026 and launched optional WiFi Extender and Static IP enhancements.

Prices for Grain’s broadband packages currently start at just £9.99 a month for the first 6 months (then £19.99 for 12 months) for their symmetric speed 250Mbps package on an 18-month term, which includes free installation and a wireless router. Faster speeds (up to 1000Mbps) are available at extra cost.

However, the provider has just introduced three optional product add-ons, which can be added to your chosen package at extra cost.

Extract from Grain’s Announcement:

We’ve launched these new products so you can personalise your broadband. Simply choose the speed you need, then upgrade to Boost, Gaming or Pro to make it your own.

Boost package – Includes a Wi-Fi extender from only £3 more, ideal for improving coverage in every corner of your home.

Gaming package – Includes a static IP from only £3 more, ideal for smoother online gaming, hosting and remote access.

Pro package – includes a Wi-Fi extender and static IP from only £5 more, perfect for wider Wi-Fi coverage and rock-steady connectivity.

Personally, we think it might be a little confusing for some consumers to describe the mere addition of a Static IP address as being a “Gaming package“, since some people may be expecting a bigger boost to their online gaming experience and often a Static IP alone won’t have much impact on that (albeit handy for things like port forwarding, given how Grain use CGNAT by default etc.). Note: Grain doesn’t currently appear to have fully deployed IPv6 yet.

Despite this, it’s worth pointing out that Grain previously charged £5.99 extra per month for customers to add a Static IP, but that was only available upon manual request and didn’t form part of their online order system. The above is thus effectively a price cut to £3 per month, which is most welcome, albeit not strictly a “new product“.

One last point to make is that Grain, not unlike some other ISPs, has provided no useful technical or performance details for their optional “Wi-Fi extender“, which makes it unclear how fast it is or what approach they’re using (repeater or mesh etc.). The website does link to a Wi-Fi extender page, but this doesn’t add much detail.

We really wish internet providers would make it easier for consumers to find more details on the hardware they bundle, as some of us, especially gamers and IT people, do like to know what it is we’re actually getting.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

One of the UK’s largest alternative full fibre broadband networks, Netomnia (Substantial Group), has confirmed to ISPreview that they plan to merge their two retail internet providers into a single brand. The move means that Brsk’s operations will now become part of YouFibre and adopt the same branding – reflecting the strong performance of the latter brand.

In case anybody has forgotten. Netomnia (YouFibre) and Brsk originally operated as separate companies – both with their own full fibre networks and vertically integrated retail ISPs. But this changed in June 2024 after the two operators, which shared a connected investor in the shape of Advencap, announced their intention to merge and create one of the market’s largest altnets (here).

Netomnia’s combined network with Brsk currently covers over 3 million premises as ready for service (up from 2.8m in Q3 2025) and is home to a total customer base of 450,000 (up from 400k) – take-up of 15% (up from 14%). Crucially, their network coverage has now hit the 3 million premises milestone mentioned in the note above (i.e. still expanding coverage by c.1 million premises per year).

Since the merger Netomnia has continued to operate YouFibre and Brsk as semi-separate retail ISP brands, although they’ve steadily been coming closer together (e.g. adopting similar routers and similar pricing, albeit with some variation) and reducing duplication. Despite this, YouFibre has remained the biggest of the two, while Brsk’s recent data breach probably didn’t help on the reputation side of things (here).

Suffice to say that we weren’t too surprised when industry sources started informing us that Netomnia had notified staff that the Brsk brand and operations would be merged into YouFibre, which is often what happens post-merger. The operator has now officially confirmed this development to ISPreview.

Jeremy Chelot, Group CEO, said:

“Since bringing the businesses together in 2024, we have seen unbelievable growth and a clear alignment around our shared strategy and values. Both ISP businesses have built strong reputations with a similar proposition and service standard however, moving forward under a single brand is a natural progression that allows us to focus our investment, build on the trust we have earned, and create an even stronger platform for long-term growth. Most importantly, it enables us to serve our customers with greater clarity, scale and confidence.”

Giorgio Iovino, co-founder of Brsk, said:

“I’m incredibly proud of the contribution that Brsk has made to the UK broadband market over the last 5 years.

We have built a strong reputation as one of the UK’s most credible and customer-focused broadband challengers. Thank you to all our teams and partners that have got us here. It’s time for the next chapter in our journey and that is to move from a regional player, join forces with YouFibre, to become a true national challenger brand.

With our aligned service propositions, shared target audiences and a deeply aligned customer-first culture, the combination creates a powerful force in the UK broadband market.”

The business will continue to be led by Group CEO, Jeremy Chelot, and joint Managing Directors, Ryan Battle (Marketing and Sales) and Giorgio Iovino (Customer Experience and Field Services). The leadership team is said to remain focused on delivering its core mission of providing “fast and fair broadband for its customers … [and to] become a true national challenger brand“.

Netomnia states that there will be “no immediate changes” to Brsk customers’ contracts, plans or pricing, points of contact, or day-to-day operations. A phased transition to the unified brand will take place over H1 2026 (our sources say it will begin from 1st March), ensuring a “smooth and considered experience for Brsk customers“. But some questions remain, such as over whether or not YouFibre will adopt Brsk’s Netgem based pay TV solution.

The news comes shortly after Netomnia was linked to a possible future c.£2bn merger with bigger rivals (here), which appears to be attracting competing interest from CityFibre and VMO2 (nexfibre). But it remains unclear whether or when a deal with either party may be reached. Netomnia, due to its size and competitive position, is somewhat regarded as one of the altnet market’s potential kingmakers for consolidation.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has today revealed that broadband usage across their UK network increased by 4.8% in 2025 (down from 10.5% in 2024) to total 108,599 PetaBytes (PB) of data (up from 103,590PB), with December once again being the busiest month – 10,317PB of data was gobbled (up from 9,707PB last year).

The single busiest day of 2025 on Openreach’s network, which is harnessed by hundreds of broadband and phone providers across the country, occurred on 30th November 2025 as a massive Fortnite (video game) update was released to gamers. Users gobbled a total of 388PB on this day. Peak daily hours across their network tend to still be between 8pm to 10pm.

Naturally, the ever-increasing coverage of Openreach’s new multi-Gigabit speed capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband network is playing a major role here. The operator states that data usage on their full fibre network “exploded” by 40% last year, overtaking older fixed broadband technologies (ADSL, FTTC etc.) in late October.

The average Full Fibre customer on their network is currently said to be chewing through 22.1GB a day. Just for some added context, Ofcom recently revealed that the average monthly data usage per connection is now 583GB (GigaBytes) across “all technologies” (up from 531GB), which rises to an average of 738GB for full-fibre connections (oddly this is down a bit from 766GB); roughly in line with Openreach’s experience.

The reason why Openreach has put all this out on a Sunday is because today (11th January 2026) also represents the operator’s 20th Birthday. In 2006, BT created Openreach as a then “functionally separate” division within the group, prompted by Ofcom’s market review to ensure fair access to BT’s network for all communications providers. The regulator would later return in 2016 to turn functional separation into legal separation (here).

Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, said:

“As we celebrate 20 years of Openreach, this is a historic moment for UK broadband. In two decades, we’ve gone from dial-up speeds to building the nation’s digital backbone – and today, Full Fibre is the network of choice for millions.

People are upgrading for speed they can rely on, connections that don’t drop out, and the capacity to support everything from remote work to smart homes.

This progress is thanks to our engineers – past and present – whose skill, dedication, and problem solving have connected communities in every corner of the UK. Their work has brought the benefits of better broadband to homes and businesses, and this milestone shows how far we’ve come and how ready we are for the future.

Whether you’re streaming, gaming, or running a business from home, Full Fibre gives you the performance you need, not just for today but for whatever comes next. My message to everyone is simple: upgrade to Openreach Full Fibre.”

Back in 2006 the UK was already well into the process of moving from dial-up to ADSL based copper (inc. aluminium) broadband lines at speeds of “up to” 8Mbps. But today around 8 million UK homes and businesses use Openreach’s Full Fibre, with 21 million premises able to connect (rising to 25m by Dec 2026 and then possibly 30m by 2030). Speeds of up to 1.8Gbps are possible and set to reach 8.5Gbps in a forthcoming pilot (here and here).

Some Key Openreach Dates since 2006

• 2006: The creation of Openreach and open market – to make sure all communications providers could access its network fairly.
• 2006: ADSL (not VDSL) still predominantly used.  Up to 8Mbps ADSL, then Up to 24Mbps ADSL2+
• 2008: First FTTP deployment in Kent; major investment announced.
• 2009: Trials of Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) began. Up to 40Mbps VDSL2
• 2011: 5 million premises able to order fibre to the cabinet broadband. Up to 80Mbps VDSL2 from 2012 – BT Makes its 80Mbps Superfast FTTC Broadband Upgrade Available to ISPs – ISPreview UK
• 2017: Openreach became a wholly owned subsidiary of BT and legally separate company, with its own staff, management, purpose and strategy.
• 2017: Openreach announces Fibre First investment. Up to 330Mbps GPON
• 2019: Openreach launch 500Mbps and 1Gbps – GPON – Openreach Prices New UK Consumer 550Mbps and 1Gbps FTTP Tiers – ISPreview UK
• 2020: Openreach completes first Full Fibre city (Salisbury).
• 2024: Openreach launch 1.8Gbps – GPON – Openreach Confirm UK Launch of 1.8Gbps and 1.2Gbps FTTP Tiers UPDATE – ISPreview UK
• 2025: Openreach hits 20 million milestone footprint for full fibre
• 2026: 25 million milestone (in progress)