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A new report claims that broadband and mobile giant Vodafone (VodafoneThree) has made an offer to acquire the consumer internet and phone business of debt-strained rival TalkTalk (home to 1.75 million customers as of May 2026), which could turn them into a much bigger fixed line ISP (Vodafone has 1.83m fixed broadband customers).

Regular readers will already be aware that the TalkTalk Group has reportedly been engaging in talks with several prospective bidders for their various divisions since around the start of this year (here). At the same time the consumer side of their business has been through a major brand refresh and advertising push in an attempt to try and entice customers back to their refreshed products (here), while continuing to cut costs as part of efforts to tackle the group’s underlying debt problems.

According to a new report in the FT (paywall), VodafoneThree has now tabled a bid for TalkTalk’s consumer broadband and phone business, which could in theory create a single provider with around 3.6 million broadband customers.

A spokesperson for VodafoneThree, however, said they are currently “very happy with our organic strategy” for growing fixed broadband (they’re one of the fastest growing retail ISPs), but would “always keep a close eye on movements in the market and the sector“. TalkTalk itself declined to comment.

The potential for a deal between VodafoneThree and TalkTalk would appear to make sense, as they both harness several alternative broadband networks and tend to target more cost-conscious consumers with cheaper bundles. At the same time the TalkTalk Group are still seeking a buyer for their PXC wholesale division, although we’ve yet to see any solid developments on that for the past few months.

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The UK Government (DSIT) appears set to slightly expand their Project Gigabit contract with altnet ISP Connect Fibre (Fibre Assets) for the £33m (public subsidy) Derbyshire (LOT 3) Project Gigabit contract; this originally (here) aimed to build a full fibre (FTTP) broadband network to cover “around” 17,000 premises in hard-to-reach areas.

However, it’s important to remember that such contracts are not static and their scope, as well as committed levels of public funding, can change over time for a number of different reasons – informed by regular reviews of existing UK deployment plans. For example, commercial operators may expand or reduce their roll-out plans in the same region(s), which can reduce or grow the scope for public investment within those same contracted areas.

The contracted operator could also find the deployment to be more expensive, or possibly even cheaper, than previously envisaged. Such adjustments may occur due to changes in build costs and interest rates / inflation, as well as any unexpected obstacles to street works or greater efficiencies of build than planned or expected. Suffice to say, there can be various reasons why the contracted scope of related builds and the level of allocated public funding may change over time.

In this case Connect Fibre’s deployment contract for Derbyshire (LOT 3) has just been modified to increase its public subsidy by £1,577,558 (total funding of c.£35m) and reach an additional 790 premises. The contract’s new “total scope” is 18,651 premises.

The additional scope is to be welcomed, albeit with the catch that there may be further changes in the future, which could go in a different direction. So, it’s not always easy to tell what the final picture will be until you actually reach the end.

According to the latest May 2026 data from the government’s umbrella Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency (here), Connect Fibre has so far only managed to complete the build for 1,200 premises in Derbyshire, which is fairly slow-going given that the contract was first awarded all the way back at the end of 2023.

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 News

The company will gain access to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview to help boost its cybersecurity amidst the growing threat of AI cybercrime

BT has become the first UK company to join Anthropic’s Project Glasswing, a defensive coalition of critical infrastructure providers from around the word.

The partnership will give BT access to Anthropic’s powerful frontier AI model Claude Mythos Preview, which recently shocked the global cybersecurity community by discovering decades-old vulnerabilities hidden in what were considered highly secure foundational systems.

Project Glasswing, which was launched in April, aims to give key players in critical national infrastructure access to this powerful model in order to identify and remove systemic vulnerabilities before cybercriminals begin using similarly advanced AI for attacks.

“AI models have reached a level of coding capability where they can surpass all but the most skilled humans at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities,” Anthropic explains on the Project Glasswing website. “Given the rate of AI progress, it will not be long before such capabilities proliferate, potentially beyond actors who are committed to deploying them safely. The fallout—for economies, public safety, and national security—could be severe. Project Glasswing is an urgent attempt to put these capabilities to work for defensive purposes.”

Project Glasswing was launched with 12 core launch partners, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Apple, Google, Microsoft, CrowdStrike, NVIDIA, Palo Alto Networks, and the Linux Foundation, alongside roughly 40 other critical infrastructure organisations.

For BT, joining this group emphasises the company’s key role in securing the UK critical national infrastructure.

“AI is changing cyber security fast, and businesses need trusted partners who can help them stay one step ahead. By joining Project Glasswing, BT will strengthen its own cyber security capability to protect our networks, our customers and the wider UK,” said Jon James, Chief Executive Officer of BT Business.

How is AI supercharging the UK’s digital economy? Join the discussions at Connected Britain 2026

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The post BT takes shelter under Anthropic’s Glasswing appeared first on Total Telecom.

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Alternative network provider WightFibre, which runs its own independent gigabit speed Full Fibre broadband (FTTP) network across the Isle of Wight (situated off the South Coast of Hampshire in England), has published their annual accounts to September 2025 and revealed that their fibre lines now cover c.90% of premises (74,000+) and they’re home to 28,000+ customers.

In case anybody has forgotten. The operator previously stated that they were expecting to have invested around £110m by 2030 as part of their ongoing “Gigabit Island Project”, which was aiming to extend their full fibre network to reach 96% coverage by the end of 2027 (c.80,000+ premises).

The latest results confirm that they’re slowly “nearing completion” of this major effort, which is despite facing plenty of competition from Openreach’s (BT) roll-out of competing FTTP technology. But 2026 will be a particularly notable year because it will see them celebrate “25 years of connecting the Isle of Wight” (here), originally starting as the Isle of Wight Cable and Telephone Company.

Otherwise, the latest annual accounts show that the company delivered revenues of £9.158m (up 27% from £7.196m in 2024), although losses hit £19.32m (2024: £18.95m) and the company had net liabilities of £75.96m (2024: £56.64m). But the rate of customer acquisition is reported to be running “ahead of plan” with 36% penetration, which is a strong result given the competition on part of their network (retail price competition from rival ISPs is also a concern).

The other good news is that WightFibre delivered a full year of positive adjusted EBITDA (i.e. earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of £951k (2024: -£673k), which has been helped by their revenue growth and recent cost control measures. The company, which is also home to 119 employees (all based at their Cowes HQ), will however need to keep an eye on those ongoing losses (a fair bit that is to be expected while they continue to build fibre).

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The boss of SpaceX, Elon Musk, has given a subtle preview of two new dish (terminals) for their Starlink broadband service as part of a new video interview, both of which look set to be thinner and lighter than before. But the internet provider has yet to reveal any solid official details about the new kit, which is expected to launch soon.

Starlink currently has nearly 10,600 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) – mostly at altitudes of between c.340-550km. Residential customers in the UK usually pay from £40 a month for the ‘Residential 100Mbps’ unlimited data plan (kit price may vary due to different offers), which also promises uploads of c.15-35Mbps and low latency connectivity. Faster packages exist at greater cost, while more restrictive (data capped) options also exist for roaming users (e.g. £55 per month for 100GB of data).

However, we’ve recently reported on how some people had spotted strong indications that Starlink were preparing to launch two new dishes (here), one of which looks set to replace their Standard dish and the other of which appears to be a rugged battery-powered alternative or replacement for the more portable Mini dish.

The latest development occurred yesterday after SpaceX posted a new video chat with Elon Musk, which was focused on their future plan for AI satellites. But the video also featured two brand-new dish models sitting on a table directly in front of Musk, which he does confirm as being “the new Starlink terminals, which we made in much higher volume than the current terminals.” Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all he says about them.

Watch @ElonMusk provide a technical update on SpaceX’s capability to manufacture, launch, and operate AI satellites at scale → https://t.co/PSCyWrNsOg pic.twitter.com/vhtr46uax7

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 8, 2026

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Long-haul fibre company Midgard Infra (formerly Altibox Carrier) has begun the process of surveying the seabed ahead of deploying a new 630km long high-capacity subsea fibre optic cable – VERENA – to help link the United Kingdom with Denmark, which is expected to boost broadband and network data connectivity with Europe.

The cable itself, which will run between Scarborough (England) and Esbjerg (Denmark), is said to feature 16 fibre pairs capable of 512Tbps (Terabits per second) in total design data capacity to help handle surging international and AI traffic demands across the North Sea.

The survey work for this will take place across summer 2026, which it’s hoped should reduce the negative impacts of stormy weather – the sort that tends to be more common when surveying during the autumn to winter months. All being well, the new cable should then be laid and become fully Ready for Service (RFS) in the fourth quarter of 2028.

Delivery of the Verena programme is being led end-to-end by JTD Associates, while the survey activities are being delivered in partnership with Pelagian acting as Engineering Consultants, and XOCEAN, utilising their fleet of advanced Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) to conduct offshore data acquisition.

The use of USVs supports a more sustainable and cheaper approach to offshore data acquisition through lower fuel consumption, reduced emissions and simplified offshore logistics compared with traditional survey operations.

Survey data collected will enable the project team to:

➤ Identify the safest and most resilient route alignment.

➤ Understand seabed conditions and burial requirements to maximise long-term system protection.

➤ Safely manage interactions with existing offshore infrastructure including telecommunications cables, power assets and pipelines.

➤ Support environmental and regulatory approvals.

➤ Improve installation efficiency and reduce intervention requirements over the operational life of the system.

Espen Vestli, Chief Operating Officer, Midgard Infra, said:

“The North Sea presents a complex operating environment, and high-quality survey data is fundamental to reducing risk before installation begins. The survey programme will provide the detailed seabed and route intelligence needed to support informed engineering decisions, optimise system design and ensure Verena is delivered to the highest standards of resilience and reliability.”

Regular readers will no doubt note that this is only the latest in a string of recent subsea cable announcements, including the new AUÐUR cable between the UK and Iceland (here), as well as the IOEMA Fibre project that will connect the UK with Northern Europe (here). Not to mention others, like 2Africa (here). Several other subsea links have also been proposed, such as a new one to link with Shetland (here).

The UK Government has at the same time also proposed “tougher fines and prison sentences” for those who damage subsea infrastructure essential for UK broadband access and trade, with a consultation planned to take place later this year (here).

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Network access provider Openreach has launched a new special offer for UK customers of their high capacity Ethernet Access Direct (EAD) leased lines at speeds of 1Gbps or less, which will give a rental discount to current Ethernet list prices and no CPI (inflation) linked price rises for 3 or 5 years. But you’ll have to re-sign the circuit several more years.

The nationwide special offer provides a 10% rental discount on current 1 year rental prices, and a guarantee of no price rises for the duration of the minimum period (3 years or 5 years), in return for a new minimum term of 3 or 5 years. Take note that EAD is NOT to be confused with consumer grade broadband connections, as these offer dedicated point-to-point data connectivity between sites – used by businesses and network operators.

There is also the option of a 5 year term with a further 5 year term option. This option provides a 10% rental discount on current 1 year rental prices for the first 5 years. After 5 years the communications provider (CP) can exit the contract without penalty or remain for the second 5 years for which a 20% rental discount on current 1 year rental prices will apply. Again with a guarantee of no price rises for the entire 5 + 5 year term.

According to the briefing, the offer application window covers the period from 7th July 2026 to 7th January 2027. Customers will only be considered eligible for it if they’ve they’ve held their current EAD line(s) for 36 months or more and are in the business access market (Ofcom definitions for CLA, HNR, Area 2 or Area 3).

The catch is that the market now has a lot more competition than before and committing to such a long term may carry some risks, but this will vary depending on the needs and location of each operator.

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Customers of Sky’s broadband-based Sky Glass and Sky Stream pay TV streaming devices and service are gaining access to a new feature called “Real Time“, which is designed to improve the experience of watching live sports content online by “reducing latency between the live action and what viewers see on screen“.

The issue of broadcast lag (latency) in live online TV sport streaming is a well-known frustration. The problem typically causes streamed content to display a few seconds behind the action itself, which in some cases can even stretch into the tens of seconds. As a result, somebody listening via the radio or watching the live action via a terrestrial digital TV (DTT) channel may hear a key event take place before those viewing an online stream.

The latency created is the product of various aspects of how live video content must be processed / compressed, cached and redistributed over modern digital networks. Over the years we’ve seen various network operators and companies come up with ways of reducing the impact of this and Sky’s new Real Time feature for Sky OS is the latest example.

Sadly, Sky hasn’t provided any technical details to explain exactly what they’ve changed and how much of a real-world improvement it will actually deliver (it doesn’t completely remove lag as they state: “see the action almost instantly – watch what’s happening on the pitch within seconds“), although it does appear as if ‘Real Time’ performance attracts some stronger broadband connection requirements. In addition, the Rewind Live TV feature won’t work at the same time:

Internet Connection Recommendations for Sky ‘Real Time’

• Streaming in High Definition (HD) – 25Mbps
• Streaming in Ultra High Definition (UHD) – 30Mbps
• Streaming in Real Time – 40Mbps
• Rewind Live TV is not available while using Real Time

Sky Real Time is currently only available on select live sports, including the 2026 World Cup on BBC and ITV, via the opt-in button or via the dedicated channels listed below. Customers just need to select the Real Time option on-screen during supported live sports to adjust the stream.

Dedicated Channels with Real Time Support

BBC One HD RT – EPG number 926-944 (depending on region)
ITV1 HD RT – EPG channel 945
ITV4 HD RT – EPG channel 946

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Hull-based alternative broadband operator MS3, which have built a full fibre (FTTP) network across parts of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, has published their annual results to the end of 2025 and revealed that they’re home to 22,184 customers (up from 14,992 in 2024) and cover 238,806 premises (212,561 RFS) – up from 228,522 last year (195,759 RFS).

The provider, which offers wholesale access to its network via around 30 retail ISPs / partners, has become best known for helping to weaken KCOM’s grip on the broadband market in Hull. But in recent times they’ve also had to slow their network build in order to focus more on commercialisation of their existing network, due to wider market pressures (here), which shows up in the new results.

MS3’s most recent results have been published via their holding company of Humber Topco Limited, although the text in their report is often quite small and blurry. The provider’s overall take-up rate, while going in the right direction (3,700 added in the past year), is still fairly low at 10.44% (based on the RFS figure) and the average number of employees has fallen to 117 (2024: 130).

On the financial side, MS3 reported annual revenues of £5.38m (2024: £3.11m) and a gross profit of £1.22m (2024: £1.12m), albeit while making an operating loss of £14.33m (2024: £10.22m). The group also reported having overall net assets of £143.37m (2024: £128.95m). But as revealed last week (here), they have just gone EBITDA positive (i.e. earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation).

Going forward MS3 acknowledges many of the markets well-known pressures.

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Abingdon-based alternative network operator Gigaclear, which has built a full fibre (FTTP) broadband network across 618,000 premises in rural parts of England (inc. 170,000 customers), have today re-launched all of their packages with smart Wi-Fi via Amazon’s eero routers and engineer installs that now aim to improve wireless performance.

In short, the provider is now offering “professionally installed smart Wi-Fi designed to deliver fast, reliable coverage to every room”, powered by eero technology. The new proposition combines ultrafast full fibre broadband with “expert in-home installation and optimisation to ensure customers get the performance they expect from day one“.

So as well as adopting Amazon’s eero routers (the announcement mentions these as being Wi-Fi 7), Gigaclear engineers will now also be tasked with optimising each home’s smart Wi-Fi setup when they come to fit a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) line.

This is said to be particularly important for rural homes, which often present unique connectivity challenges due to larger layouts, thicker walls and outbuildings that can disrupt wireless signals. In addition, new customers joining in June 2026 will also receive eero Secure, an online security feature, at no additional cost to help protect connected devices (such features are normally paywalled on eero routers).

Jon Hurry, Chief Commercial Officer at Gigaclear, said:

“Customers shouldn’t pay for fast broadband only to struggle with poor Wi-Fi around their home. We go further – our expert engineers will set-up and optimise Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home, so customers get fast, reliable connectivity in every room.

That matters even more in rural homes, where layouts can be larger and connectivity challenges are often more complex. We’re making sure our customers get brilliant ultrafast broadband performance from the moment they go live”.

Amazon’s eero routers are generally fine pieces of kit, although they often lack some of the more advanced controls and additional ports that come with other devices. In addition, not everybody is a fan of having an internet-dependent app for network management. But thankfully there’s always the option of buying your own third-party router to resolve those gripes.