Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The operator has partnered with the tower giant to extend its mobile coverage across the busy train line

This week, O2 has sign a new agreement with tower operator Cellnex to join the Brighton Main Line (BML) connectivity project.

The partnership will see O2 deploy mobile network equipment on Cellnex’s infrastructure along the BML, improving connectivity for thousands of passengers.

The BML connectivity project began in 2021, when Cellnex won a contract with Network Rail to deploy neutral host infrastructure across the 108km BML.

Cellnex subsequently deployed a wide range of neutral host infrastructure including: 130 km of high-capacity fibre; four Base Station Hotels to host mobile network operator equipment; 39 Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) within tunnels and along trackside locations; a dedicated station DAS at London Bridge, London Victoria and Clapham Junction; and 16 macro sites along the railway route.

Mobile operators leveraging this infrastructure will be able to provide coverage across 99% of the 108km route, which serves over 300,000 rail passengers every weekday.

In addition to boosting mobile coverage, the infrastructure will also eventually support the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), an international wireless standard that will deliver connectivity services for the railway operators themselves, including the management and interoperation of signalling.

In partnering with Cellnex, O2 joins its rival Three (now VodafoneThree), which signed up to the project in 2023.

“Regular railway passengers will understand the frustration of losing signal mid-conversation or spending whole journeys with buffering videos. With O2 now on board, many more passengers are going to notice the difference on one of the UK’s most important commuter routes,” said Steve Cray, Managing Director of Cellnex UK.

The timeline for the improvements to O2’s network was not specified, but Professor Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2, said that coverage and capacity will be improved “in the coming months”.

How is connectivity for the UK’s critical infrastructure evolving? Join the discussions at Connected Britain 2026

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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK telecoms regulator has today proposed to give other operators access to harness the 2GHz radio spectrum band for Mobile Satellite Services (MMS), such as to support Direct-to-Device (DtD) solutions for connecting 4G and 5G Smartphones. Separately, they’ve also proposed to make more spectrum available for Earth Station in Motion (ESIM) satellite terminals on ships and aircraft.

We’ll start with the 2GHz band announcement (1980 – 2010MHz and 2170 – 2200MHz), which reflects spectrum that is already harmonised across the EU and the UK for MSS. Since 2009 the band(s) have been licensed to two satellite operators – Viasat and Echostar – on an exclusive basis, but these are due to expire in May 2027.

Viasat currently uses this for their European Aviation Network (EAN) to help provide in-flight WiFi, which launched in 2019 and operates across several airlines (although Starlink has begun to eat into that). As for Echostar, they use the spectrum for an Internet of Things (IoT) network that extends the reach of Long Range Wireless Network (LoRaWAN) sensors to remotely collect and transmit data across Europe.

Both of the above platforms are fairly active and so Ofcom has today proposed to continue to authorise the current licensees, albeit only for a “transitional period“. This, they say, will prevent disruption to current services and ensure the spectrum continues to be used when the current authorisation expires next year.

However, Ofcom still want to introduce greater flexibility for others to access this spectrum during the transitional period, to “enable optimal spectrum use and support innovation“. The key focus here, over the “longer term“, is on opening up the band for a range of D2D services, such as to improve mobile broadband coverage in remote rural areas, IoT connectivity, PMSE services and for Air to Ground inflight connectivity (e.g. inflight Wi-Fi).

Ofcom’s Proposal for 2GHz

We are proposing to enable continued access to 2 GHz MSS spectrum for the incumbent operators: Viasat and EchoStar, for a period of 3 – 5 years, while we continue to consider the most appropriate future use of the band.

To do this, we are proposing to introduce a new licence under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 that authorises the existing Complementary Ground Component (CGC) Network operation to continue, currently utilised by Viasat.

We are also proposing to keep the relevant Licence Exemption Regulations in place, with amendments to add the specific frequencies in which each of the satellite operator’s terminals can transmit.

We are seeking stakeholder views on these proposals and are also seeking input on:

• the appropriate approach to fees during the proposed transitional period;

• how to enable others to access this spectrum (where this would not be expected to cause undue interference to existing licensees’ services) to support optimal spectrum use and innovation over the proposed transitional period; and

• our initial thinking around the longer-term authorisation of this band.

Ofcom’s goal above is to take a decision on longer-term access to this band “as soon as we have a better understanding of the uses most likely to deliver the largest benefits“, but they also recognise that this could put them in conflict with the EU’s future strategy (still being decided) and so are taking a flexible approach. Harmonisation of bands is important for regulators, in order to keep services as universal as possible across borders.

The regulator’s plan is thus to consult on these proposals until 18th August 2026, before publishing their decision on “near-term proposals” later in 2026 (i.e. leaving open some flexibility to change their long-term approach if needed).

Earth Station in Motion (ESIM) Terminals

Separately, in order to support satellite connectivity for UK ships and aircraft, Ofcom are today proposing to make more spectrum available for Earth Station in Motion (ESIM) satellite terminals. Such systems are designed to provide high-speed, reliable, and continuous broadband connectivity to users on the move.

Under these proposals, Ofcom plans to make more spectrum available in the Ku and Ka bands for ESIM uplink. “This will enable better connectivity for crew and passengers on ships and planes. Our proposals also include a range of technical conditions to ensure seamless co-existence between users of the band,” said Ofcom.

Ofcom’s Proposal for Earth Station in Motion (ESIM)

To support satellite connectivity services for UK ships and aircraft, we are proposing to make more spectrum available for ESIM uplink, aligned with the ITU Radio Regulations, as follows:

New authorisations for aeronautical ESIMs connecting to:

– GSO satellites in 12.75-13.25 GHz and 27.8185-28.4545 GHz and 28.8265-29.4625 GHz.
– NGSO satellites in 27.5-29.1 GHz and 29.5-30 GHz.

New authorisations for maritime ESIMs connecting to:

– GSO satellites in 12.75-13.25 GHz and 27.8185-28.4545 GHz and 28.8265-29.4625 GHz.
– NGSO satellites in 27.8185-28.4545 GHz and 28.8265-29.1 GHz.

This proposal builds on existing ESIM authorisations in other parts of the Ku and Ka bands, and would significantly expand the spectrum available for ESIMs.

This spectrum is widely used by a range of services in the UK, including other satellite services and fixed services (with significant fixed link deployments across these parts of Ku and Ka bands). To support co-existence, we are proposing to apply the technical conditions embedded in the ITU framework, based on WRC resolutions 121, 123, 156 and 169.

These WRC resolutions limit ESIM transmit power for aircraft at different altitudes, and stipulate that maritime ESIMs must observe a minimum separation from the shore (70 km in Ka band and 158 km in Ku band), unless there is a local agreement in place. We are proposing to waive these limits on maritime use in a subset of new Ka band frequencies already authorised for land ESIMs.

We are proposing to update our Aircraft radio and Ship radio licences to include all these new frequencies, and to add those frequencies which can be used in the UK to our Earth Station Network (ESN) licence. We also propose to update the relevant Interface Requirements (IR 2077 and IR 2093) to reflect this new use.

Finally, we are separately proposing to update the list of airfield sites which ESN licensees are required to coordinate with before transmitting in those specific locations. This requirement is set out in schedule 4 of the ESN and applies to all frequencies covered by that licence. We propose to update the list to include Heathrow Airport.

Satellite operators from Starlink to Amazon Leo and Viasat, among others, are likely to have an interest in all this. Ofcom intend to consult on the ESIM changes until 11th August 2026 and then, subject to the outcome, they anticipate that new authorisations for ESIMs to use this extra spectrum could be available as soon as by the end of 2026.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

White Paper

With the mobile tower ecosystem growing increasingly complex, protecting field engineers has never been more important

Falls from height remain the second leading cause of accidental death globally, responsible for over 38 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost annually according to the World Health Organization. For the telecommunications sector, this statistic represents an ever-present, operational hazard that is escalating rapidly. As operators rush to densify networks for 5G, upgrade legacy LTE frameworks, and deploy complex microwave systems, tower work is becoming more frequent, time-sensitive, and physically demanding.

Without proper precautions, this work could also become more dangerous.

Engineering work taking place on mobile towers carries inherent risk, but changes in market dynamics deeply impact this risk profile. For example, the introduction of heavy multiband and multi-standard antennas changes tower dynamics, introducing higher wind loads and requiring more frequent structural modifications. The shifting commercial landscape compounds this challenge, with rapidly growing TowerCos placing a premium on cost efficiency and rapid maintenance. Against this backdrop, preventing falls is a critical operational, legal, and humanitarian necessity – and it requires fall protection equipment that can meet these evolving challenges.

A newly released white paper, “Vertical Thinking: Is Your Telecom Tower Fall Protection Ready For The 5G Era?” by MSA: The Safety Company, explores how the industry can navigate these heightened risks while simultaneously streamlining deployment. It serves as a strategic blueprint for network providers, tower designers, and safety managers working to strengthen safety culture without sacrificing productivity.

The paper notably outlines the critical limitations of legacy infrastructure, including rigid rail systems that misalign under heavy wind loads or cause worker fatigue. By contrast, MSA’s Latchways® vertical lifeline system uses unique star wheel connection devices designed to allow smooth, uninterrupted climbing.

Key Takeaways

• Adaptability: Discover how flexible lifeline systems adapt to modern tower configurations, including fiberglass, pole steps, and camouflaged structures.
• Deployment agility: Learn how simplified vertical lifeline installations require only standard tools that can help reduce site downtime and deployment costs.
• Compliance: Navigate evolving international safety standards, mandatory 5-year recertifications, and the importance of choosing stable manufacturing partners.
• Force absorption: Understand the mechanics of Constant Force energy absorbers, to help protect both the climber and the structural integrity of the tower during a fall.

As network architecture evolves, protecting the workforce building our connected future must remain paramount. Standardising your portfolio’s fall protection can be an important step toward long-term operational resilience.

Ready to elevate your tower safety standards? Click here to read the full white paper and ensure your infrastructure is future-ready.

The post Fall protection: A safety challenge at the heart of the mobile ecosystem appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The member‑owned and not-for-profit London Internet Exchange, which handles a large chunk of UK and global data traffic through their switches via around 900 members (broadband ISPs, mobile operators etc.), have announced that they’ll launch LINX Metro Resilience on 1st July 2026 to give members access to mirrored services for less on LON1 and LON2.

Just to recap. Back in 1994 LINX initially launched with a single Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in London called LON1. But as the network grew, they ended up launching LON2 in 2002, which is accessible from the same data centres as the LON1 LAN (Local Area Network), albeit run using alternative technology for network diversity and resilience – creating a dual-LAN IXP.

The new LINX Metro Resilience service, once it goes live in London, will thus see member networks benefit from a 60% reduction on port access and/or peering service fees on LON2 if they have mirrored services on LON1. Boosting network resilience, while keeping costs down.

Megan Atkins, CCO for LINX, said:

“As a not-for-profit, membership organisation, our focus is on enhancing the resilience of our members’ networks in an increasingly fast-moving ecosystem. By developing solutions that improve stability and redundancy, we are also able to deliver meaningful cost efficiencies for our community.

This is a great opportunity for our members and global networks to take a resilient set up in the London metro. We are pleased to be able to offer a substantial discount and what’s more, our LON2 infrastructure has had a full network refresh this year making it 400GE capable and scalable for growth.”

Take note that peering and port access are separate services at LINX and treated as such in this scenario. For example, if a LINX member has 30Gbps peering service on a 100GE port on LON1 and 10Gbps peering service on a 100GE port on LON2 – they would still be eligible for the discount solely on the port access fee.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband provider NuFibre (formerly Yayzi) has this morning become the latest retail ISP to sign a deal that will enable them to harness AllPoints Fibre Networks‘ (APFN) aggregated wholesale platform (aquila) of full fibre networks. The ISP will now be able to sell packages across a range of high-speed networks.

The agreement gives NuFibre access to APFN’s full product suite across a wide range of bandwidths and multiple networks, including Openreach, CityFibre, BTWholesale & Sky Business Wholesale delivered via APFN’s single, streamlined aquila wholesale platform – providing access to over 23 million premises nationwide.

The announcement also mentions that this deal includes APFN’s own on-net full fibre infrastructure (formerly Swish Fibre, Giganet and Jurassic Fibre), which is due to start becoming available again via retail ISP Brillband from 1st July 2026 (here). So we presume NuFibre will be offering something similar in the near future.

Martin Gardner, CEO at NuFibre, said:

“At NuFibre, we are building our technology stack in-house from the ground up. This approach gives us the flexibility to implement changes quickly and continuously enhance the customer experience at every level.

We are working with the newly developed APFN aquila platform, which brings together multiple systems to streamline and improve the order journey process.

Our relationship with APFN is a true collaboration. They listen to our needs and evolve the platform accordingly, creating solutions designed for the ISPs of the future, free from the constraints of legacy systems. Due to this, NuFibre is one of the fastest ISPs to onboard and integrate APFN APIs into our own tech stack and custom-built CRM.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Conservative MP for Tonbridge, Tom Tugendhat, has accused mobile and broadband operators EE, O2 and Vodafone (Vodafone and Three UK) of delivering mobile signals in parts of London that are “worse” than he got in Kabul ten years ago and of operating a “near monopoly“, which he said meant they had “no incentive to improve“.

The very public rant, which was spread across X’s social media pages (here, here and here), appears to have started after the MP found himself in Dulwich, which he said is “one of the more expensive areas of London“, and yet he ended up “getting worse mobile phone reception that I did in Kabul a decade ago“. Tugendhat added that he pays for two contracts via O2 and EE, but complained that “neither is reliable, so I can’t work“.

“Mobile phones are useless in vast areas of Britain and have got worse. You can never work on a train, unlike in France. But we’re spending £4.5 billion in bike lanes and crossings,” said the disgruntled minister. The O2 and EE support feeds promptly responded to express their sorrow at the poor experience he’d had, with O2 (Virgin Media) noting that the “signal can sometimes be affected even when coverage looks strong, for example, by local mast work, temporary faults, or congestion in busy areas.”

However, Tugendhat was having none of that and promptly fired back, first with a fiery response to O2’s support agent: “Don’t pretend this is temporary. This is universal. It’s constant. I’ve spoken to your teams about it in Kent for years and you do nothing. The signal has got worse, but your prices have gone up. O2 is the worst for signal.” The sentiment is no doubt one that many consumers are likely to share.

In the second reply Tugendhat rebutted EE’s (BT) offer to look into the matter further: “You don’t need to look into this further. I’ve spoken to your teams and you now operate a near monopoly alongside O2 and Vodafone. So you have no incentive to improve. You are effectively just a rentier company on the back of the British people.”

Is London mobile really that bad

A number of studies have indicated that mobile network performance in the UK’s capital city may lag behind others in the UK and Europe (here, here and here). But experiences do vary as mobile speeds remain a difficult thing to study, not least because end-users are always moving through different areas (indoor, outdoor and underground), using different devices with different capabilities and the surrounding environment is ever changeable (weather, trees, buildings etc.). All of this can impact signal quality and that’s before we consider any differences in network (backhaul) capacity or spectrum usage between locations.

According to the very latest data from Ookla (Speedtest.net), London is ranked a lowly 88th in the world for mobile broadband performance in cities, achieving a median average download speed of 108Mbps, uploads of 11Mbps and a network latency time of 24ms (milliseconds). By comparison, the fastest city is Al-Rayyan in Qatar, which sees downloads of 665Mbps, uploads of 34Mbps and latency times of 19ms.

The UK’s relatively poor situation tends to reflect a combination of issues, such as the previous government’s U-turn to ban Huawei, which caused a significant and costly delay to network deployments – particularly 5G. Mobile operators have also faced restrictions when it comes to upgrading existing masts to 5G and deploying new ones, although recent rule changes may improve the planning process a bit.

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) last week similarly complained (here) that “outdated planning rules” in London had forced them to switch off “dozens of mobile sites” (not all at once), which they say often leaves busy areas “blighted by poor quality mobile coverage” (i.e. operators are “forced” to remove kit faster than they can replace it).

Speaking of the government, both the past and present governments have had a tendency to set some rather easy population-based coverage targets for the latest services (instead of tougher geographic ones), which is because they mostly end up relying on commercial investment to do the job for them. The current government, for its part, retains an ambition “for all populated areas” to have access to 5GSA (5G+) based mobile broadband by 2030.

The Shared Rural Network (SRN) project and Scotland’s 4G Infill Programme (S4GI) are rare exceptions to the above rule, but neither was intended to help coverage in cities, where we expect private investment to always be the driving force. Suffice to say that while Tugendhat’s individual experiences in London are anecdotal, his very vocal complaints do hold some credible merit and can’t simply be dismissed as a politician playing politics. The catch is that the MP’s own party was effectively in power between 2015 and 2024, thus holding a big chunk of responsibility for today’s situation.

However, the MP’s suggestion that EE, O2 and Vodafone hold a “near monopoly” appears to be less credible, since those three are very much strong and often bitter commercial competitors in the UK market – frequently engaging in competition disputes, legal challenges over spectrum ownership and battling over infrastructure delivery.

On the other hand, there is a lot more mast sharing that takes place today between operators (partly driven by a desire for cost savings and the SRN programme), although each operator still tends to maintain their own independent radio kit etc. Quite a few of those mast sharing agreements also take place alongside independent or semi-independent wireless infrastructure firms, such as Cellnex UK, so they’re not as relevant to this debate.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator Openreach (BT) has begun inviting broadband ISPs (CPs) to help test a new ‘Standard‘ install process for their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines, which will go beyond the existing method that largely runs an optical fibre cable into your home and then connects that up to an internal Optical Network Terminal (ONT / optical modem).

At present Openreach are investing up to £15bn to deploy their new multi-gigabit speed capable full fibre broadband technology to cover 25 million UK premises by the end of December 2026 (currently passing over 23m). After that, there’s a further ambition to reach up to 30 million premises by 2030, but the build plan for the 2027-2030 period and their final coverage target for this has yet to be confirmed.

Most home installations for this new service typically fall under the operator’s ‘Standard Install‘ process which, as above, brings the fibre into your property and connects it up to an ONT (pictured) on the wall. The Standard install process attracts a connection charge of £127.26 ex. VAT at wholesale, although after special offers many retail ISPs will often cover this for “free“.

In addition, Openreach also offer a ‘Premium Install‘ and ‘Advanced Install‘ at extra cost, which usually goes a bit further and includes some extra work / testing. But the operator has just announced a new Proof of Concept (PoC) test that will slightly extend the Standard process scope to “offer connection of a CP-provided set-top box and/ or a Wi-Fi extender as well as the 1 device currently included“.

The move is likely to reflect the fact that a lot of ISPs now ship packages with bundled TV boxes and Wi-Fi mesh/extender systems. At the time of writing, we’ve only seen the public briefing for this, but we hope to have extra details soon. As this is part of the ‘Standard’ process then Openreach’s efforts may not involve detailed testing and setup of all the extra kit, which can in any case often be handled remotely by the ISP / Communications Provider or customer.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

City-focused full fibre (FTTP/B) ISP Hyperoptic, which claims to have built their gigabit broadband network to cover 1.9 million UK homes (mostly across blocks of flats / MDUs), has just become the latest internet provider to sign-up to the Government’s Telecoms Consumer Charter (TCC).

Just to recap. The Government announced this charter in February 2026, which has so far succeeded in getting the major and a few smaller UK broadband and phone providers to make a commitment to “stop unexpected bill increases“ (see our summary) – including BT (EE, Plusnet), Virgin Media and O2, VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK), Sky Broadband, TalkTalk, KCOM, CommunityFibre and WightFibre.

The good news is that Hyperoptic has now signed up to the charter too. But it should be said that the TCC doesn’t do anything to stop mid-contract price hikes themselves and nor does it address the unfairness of how mid-contract price hikes are currently being applied (e.g. applying the same flat c.£2-£4 monthly increase to those who pay just c.£20 a month and those who pay c.£100 – disproportionately targeting those least able to afford it).

The TCC was instead a late reaction to last year’s controversial decision by mobile operator O2 (here), which suddenly increased the cost of their existing mid-contract price hikes policy and applied that to their existing customers too (i.e. those who had signed-up via the previous policy were forced to accept the new one and its higher prices). Of course, providers that aren’t yet signed up to the TCC could still behave in this way.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile and internet provider giffgaff, which initially launched their full fibre broadband packages via nexfibre’s national network in September 2025 (here), has confirmed to ISPreview that new customers in many Fibre Up (Project Mustang) areas on Virgin Media’s national FTTP (XGS-PON) network can now also take their packages.

In case anybody has forgotten, Fibre Up / Project Mustang reflects Virgin Media’s programme of upgrading their old Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) network areas to also support 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology. This is separate from nexfibre’s build into new areas (those not previously covered by Virgin’s existing networks).

At launch giffgaff could only access part of nexfibre’s newly built network (currently covering a total of 2.4 million UK premises), but ISPreview now understands that this started to change in February 2026 after the provider gained access to some of Virgin Media’s Fibre Up areas too – we assume on the same sort of wholesale terms as via nexfibre.

Currently, giffgaff broadband is now said to be available across more than 4 million full fibre homes (including 2.4m Fibre Up homes), with this footprint continuing to expand. But we should caveat that this doesn’t yet include any of the c.2m HFC areas that nexfibre are due to upgrade to FTTP as part of the £2bn Netomnia acquisition (example), although we’d of course expect that to change in the future.

We should point out that a total of 8.7 million Virgin Media and nexfibre premises (footprint) are now covered by FTTP lines (XGS-PON and some RFOG technology), so there’s still plenty of room for giffgaff’s availability to expand over the coming months and that combined footprint is also continuing to grow more generally.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network operator Openreach (BT) has begun inviting broadband ISPs (CPs) to help test a new ‘Standard‘ install process for their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines, which will go beyond the existing method that largely runs an optical fibre cable into your home and then connects that up to an internal Optical Network Terminal (ONT / optical modem).

At present Openreach are investing up to £15bn to deploy their new multi-gigabit speed capable full fibre broadband technology to cover 25 million UK premises by the end of December 2026 (currently passing over 23m). After that, there’s a further ambition to reach up to 30 million premises by 2030, but the build plan for the 2027-2030 period and their final coverage target for this has yet to be confirmed.

Most home installations for this new service typically fall under the operator’s ‘Standard Install‘ process which, as above, brings the fibre into your property and connects it up to an ONT (pictured) on the wall. The Standard install process attracts a connection charge of £127.26 ex. VAT at wholesale, although after special offers many retail ISPs will often cover this for “free“.

In addition, Openreach also offer a ‘Premium Install‘ and ‘Advanced Install‘ at extra cost, which usually goes a bit further and includes some extra work / testing. But the operator has just announced a new Proof of Concept (PoC) test that will slightly extend the Standard process scope to “offer connection of a CP-provided set-top box and/ or a Wi-Fi extender as well as the 1 device currently included“.

The move is likely to reflect the fact that a lot of ISPs now ship packages with bundled TV boxes and Wi-Fi mesh/extender systems. At the time of writing, we’ve only seen the public briefing for this, but we hope to have extra details soon. As this is part of the ‘Standard’ process then Openreach’s efforts may not involve detailed testing and setup of all the extra kit, which can in any case often be handled remotely by the ISP / Communications Provider or customer.