Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Digital banking company Monzo has today followed rival Revolut by soft launching their own set of eSIM based mobile plans that are “simple, flexible and rewards staying, not switching“, which will be powered by O2’s (Virgin Media) national 4G and 5G mobile data (broadband) network. The service will also offer “seamless international roaming capabilities” through 1GLOBAL.

The UK market currently seems to have no shortage of virtual mobile providers, which would normally make it difficult for new entrants to establish themselves. But Monzo, not unlike Revolut, benefits from being able to promote this service to an already well-established customer base (14 million of them) – alongside some unique incentives.

At present the Monzo Mobile page is still only showing a Wait-list option for joining, albeit alongside a summary of three mobile plans: £8 a month for 10GB (GigaBytes) of data, £12 for 30GB and £20 for unlimited data. Each plan also includes unlimited calls and texts, Hotspot support, Wi-Fi Calling and the ability to switch plans or cancel anytime.

The £12 tier also adds 10GB of EU roaming (plus in 11 other countries) and 60 international minutes (monthly), with the 10GB of EU roaming being ramped up to 25GB on their £20 plan. But in terms of that claim to “reward” loyalty, the service promises to reduce the price that customers pay for their monthly rental by “5% off each year with up to 30% off over time. No hidden fees, no surprise charges“.

Duygu Yenidogan-Schmidt, GM of Core Banking at Monzo, said:

“Monzo Mobile is a natural extension of our mission to make money work for everyone. By bringing mobile connectivity into the Monzo app through a simple eSIM experience, we’re giving customers more visibility and control over another essential part of their everyday spending. Partnering with 1GLOBAL and Virgin Media O2 allows us to deliver a reliable, flexible and high-quality service, while continuing to build products that are simple, transparent and designed around our customers’ needs.”

Paul O’Sullivan, Director of Wholesale Mobile at VMO2, said:

“This partnership underlines the strength of the O2 network and our position as the UK’s trusted host of choice for MVNOs. Our unrivalled record helping partners launch and scale, alongside continued investment to upgrade and expand our mobile network, will enable us to support Monzo Mobile with ever-improving services.”

A quick look at the small print indicates that the service will go fully live this “Summer 2026“, which technically starts next week if we’re talking about meteorological summer, but they haven’t given a precise date yet.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband and telecoms giant BT (EE) have teamed-up with social media giant Meta to develop and deploy a new technology that aims to make watching online videos via Facebook and Instagram more reliable for EE mobile customers, even during periods of high network demand.

Sadly, even modern mobile broadband networks can sometimes come under pressure from wider network congestion during peak times of usage, which can result in periods of buffering or drops in video quality. In response, BT and Meta recently piloted a new technology to improve this for users of Meta’s social media platforms.

The pilot saw the two teams test a smarter approach to video delivery using new congestion awareness technology that adapts automatically during busy periods, easing potential pressure on the network while maintaining a good experience for customers.

The details are limited, but BT states that, rather than the usual approach of delivering video in the same way regardless of conditions, this tech from Meta intelligently responds when parts of the network are under pressure. “By making small, real-time adjustments when detecting high cell load during peak moments, it reduces the amount of data needed without noticeably affecting video quality,” said the announcement.

The result is that more people can keep watching without interruptions, while also saving network capacity. In addition, the tech supports a more consistent experience when using video apps in busy areas like city centres, transport hubs or large events.

BT Statement

The pilot delivered strong results, including a 6–8% bitrate reduction when congestion was identified and around a 4% reduction in traffic to congested cells – all while maintaining a high-quality experience for EE customers using Facebook and Instagram. That means fewer slowdowns and a more reliable video streaming experience on mobile data.

This latest work builds on BT and Meta’s earlier collaboration to improve video performance for EE customers, further demonstrating how closer coordination between networks and platforms can support growing demand. As video continues to play a central role in everyday life, initiatives like this show how incremental innovation behind the scenes can deliver meaningful benefits for customers – while helping networks remain efficient into the future.

The new congestion awareness technology has now been rolled out across the EE network, and Meta will expand the solution to other markets and partners throughout 2026.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Networking kit manufacturer TP-Link, which develops a lot of broadband routers, WiFi extenders and smart home devices, has today preview their forthcoming Archer 8 router platform – one of the first in the world to support the next Wi-Fi 8 standard (this hasn’t yet been ratified). The move comes a day after Broadcom unveiled their first Wi-Fi 8 chipsets.

Just to recap. The next gen Wi-Fi 8 standard (802.11bn – “Ultra High Reliability“) will focus more on improving network reliability than boosting raw throughput speed (Wi-Fi 8 technology summary and here). The final standard for this isn’t expected to be fully completed until May 2028, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers developing their own first-generation hardware based on the latest draft specifications.

Scheduled to launch in October 2026, Archer 8 from TP-Link is said to represent the “next step toward delivering more stable, lower-latency connectivity designed for increasingly dense and demanding home environments. It’s the first step in a broader Wi-Fi 8 portfolio, set to roll out throughout 2026 and 2027, which will include a WiFi 8 Mesh System, Travel Router and more“.

The official announcement doesn’t tell us much about the new router and only includes a few teaser images, although the design language looks to be following their current approach. Archer 8 is broadly said to combine advanced thermal engineering, antenna architecture, RF optimisation, and AI-assisted network intelligence into a platform engineered for more stable real-world performance across increasingly congested home environments.

TP-Link’s Planned Wi-Fi 8 Product Line-up

Archer 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Router) — October 2026

Deco 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Mesh System) — Q1 2027

Roam 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Travel Router) — Q2 2027

Wi-Fi 8 Range Extenders and Adapters — Q2 2027

TP-Link claims to have conducted controlled internal lab testing comparing early Wi-Fi 8 implementations against Wi-Fi 7 under simulated real-world home conditions. Initial testing was said to have shown “measurable protocol-level improvements at comparable distances and signal conditions“, including:

• Up to 33% higher throughput through enhanced modulation and coding improvements, helping maintain faster and more stable speeds at longer range
• Up to 24% higher throughput through unequal modulation technologies designed to improve consistency when signal quality varies across spatial streams
• Up to 15% throughput improvement between multiple access points operating under interference-heavy conditions through enhanced spatial reuse coordination
• Up to 30% signal-performance improvement in multi-floor environments for single-device connections, and 10–20% improvement in multi-device environments through TP-Link’s advanced antenna architecture and AI-assisted optimisation
• A 1–3 dB improvement in receive sensitivity on 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands through advanced RF optimisation, supporting stronger and more reliable coverage throughout the home

Sadly we don’t get any raw figures for wireless networking speeds, although it’s always wise to take manufacturer-sourced figures with a big pinch of salt. Accurately testing WiFi performance on modern routers is a laboriously complex task and should always be done by a totally independent group or organisation to get the fairest results.

Otherwise, regional availability and final product specifications will vary by market and will be announced closer to launch. Lest we forget the first run of new Wi-Fi 8 kit tends to be power hungry, often buggy (especially when based on a draft specification) and extremely expensive. Suffice to say that most people will be better off waiting, particularly since the majority of consumers haven’t yet adopted Wi-Fi 7 kit, let alone 8.

Ben Walsh, Marketing Director UK & Ireland at TP-Link, said:

“As the way we live, stream and game at home changes, our networks must adapt and evolve. Archer 8 has been engineered to cater to the reality of home life: multiple devices on the network, walls and floors between the router and user, and interference from wireless devices. The resulting product represents a major step forward in delivering a faster, more reliable connected experience for the entire home and businesses alike.”

At the same time as this news, Broadcom, which helps to develop the semiconductors (processors) / chipsets used by modern routers and other devices, has announced a trio of highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) devices that support Wi-Fi 8: BCM6772, BCM6774, and BCM6776.

Designed specifically for the high-performance Ethernet routers and mesh network markets, these solutions are said to integrate multi-gigabit performance into a “compact, power-efficient form factor, enabling the next generation of residential connectivity“. The new SoCs are said to consolidate the application processor, network processor, 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi 8 radios, and multi-gigabit Ethernet PHY onto a single die.

BCM6772 – The core foundation for mass-market Ethernet routers, extenders, and repeaters

• Integrated 2×2 2.4 GHz and 2×2 5 GHz radios
• Versatile memory controller (DDR4 and DDR5)
• Ultra-compact 15×15 mm FCBGA package

BCM6774 – Optimized for high-volume Ethernet routers and extenders

• Integrated 2×2 2.4 GHz and 4×4 5 GHz radios
• Versatile memory controller (DDR4 and DDR5)
• Ultra-compact 15×15 mm FCBGA package

BCM6776 – Premium Ethernet tri-band routers and extenders (when paired with BCM6718)

• Integrated 2×2 2.4 GHz and 4×4 5 GHz radios
• Dual PCIe Gen3 controllers
• Versatile memory controller (DDR4, DDR5 LPDDR4, and LPDDR5)
• Compact 19×19 mm FCBGA package

Each chip includes a high-performance quad-core CPU complex and a dedicated Network Processing Engine, offloading intensive networking tasks for smooth operation in the most demanding home environments. The BCM677x family also features on-chip 2.4GHz power amplifiers (iPAs) and 3rd generation digital pre-distortion (DPD) technology, which reduces the total bill of materials (BOM) and enables lower power consumption in the 5GHz band. But oddly there’s no mention of the 6GHz band.

Mark Gonikberg, Senior VP and GM of Broadcom’s Wireless and Broadband Division, said:

“Broadcom isn’t just shipping silicon; we are providing the blueprint for the next generation of the connected home. By condensing a complex, multi-chip architecture into a single, power-efficient SoC, we’re enabling our partners to deliver multi-gigabit Wi-Fi 8 mesh systems that are more affordable, more reliable, and easier to deploy than ever before.”

A number of Broadcom’s partners, such as Asus, Sagemcom, NETGEAR, TP-Link and others, have all welcomed the development. Broadcom said they’re “currently sampling the BCM677x family” to these early access partners and customers. So, there you have it, before Wi-Fi 7 is even given a chance to gain some commercial adoption, and we’re already moving on to cannibalise that by shifting the focus to Wi-Fi 8. Mind you, Nokia are already talking about Wi-Fi 9! (here).

We’re all for a fast pace of technological development, but we’re not sure if moving quite this fast is the wisest approach, commercially speaking.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Networking kit manufacturer TP-Link, which develops a lot of broadband routers, WiFi extenders and smart home devices, has today preview their forthcoming Archer 8 router platform – one of the first in the world to support the next Wi-Fi 8 standard (this hasn’t yet been ratified). The move comes a day after Broadcom unveiled their first Wi-Fi 8 chipsets.

Just to recap. The next gen Wi-Fi 8 standard (802.11bn – “Ultra High Reliability“) will focus more on improving network reliability than boosting raw throughput speed (Wi-Fi 8 technology summary and here). The final standard for this isn’t expected to be fully completed until May 2028, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers developing their own first-generation hardware based on the latest draft specifications.

Scheduled to launch in October 2026, Archer 8 from TP-Link is said to represent the “next step toward delivering more stable, lower-latency connectivity designed for increasingly dense and demanding home environments. It’s the first step in a broader Wi-Fi 8 portfolio, set to roll out throughout 2026 and 2027, which will include a WiFi 8 Mesh System, Travel Router and more“.

The official announcement doesn’t tell us much about the new router and only includes a few teaser images, although the design language looks to be following their current approach. Archer 8 is broadly said to combine advanced thermal engineering, antenna architecture, RF optimisation, and AI-assisted network intelligence into a platform engineered for more stable real-world performance across increasingly congested home environments.

TP-Link’s Planned Wi-Fi 8 Product Line-up

Archer 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Router) — October 2026

Deco 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Mesh System) — Q1 2027

Roam 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Travel Router) — Q2 2027

Wi-Fi 8 Range Extenders and Adapters — Q2 2027

TP-Link claims to have conducted controlled internal lab testing comparing early Wi-Fi 8 implementations against Wi-Fi 7 under simulated real-world home conditions. Initial testing was said to have shown “measurable protocol-level improvements at comparable distances and signal conditions“, including:

• Up to 33% higher throughput through enhanced modulation and coding improvements, helping maintain faster and more stable speeds at longer range
• Up to 24% higher throughput through unequal modulation technologies designed to improve consistency when signal quality varies across spatial streams
• Up to 15% throughput improvement between multiple access points operating under interference-heavy conditions through enhanced spatial reuse coordination
• Up to 30% signal-performance improvement in multi-floor environments for single-device connections, and 10–20% improvement in multi-device environments through TP-Link’s advanced antenna architecture and AI-assisted optimisation
• A 1–3 dB improvement in receive sensitivity on 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands through advanced RF optimisation, supporting stronger and more reliable coverage throughout the home

Sadly we don’t get any raw figures for wireless networking speeds, although it’s always wise to take manufacturer-sourced figures with a big pinch of salt. Accurately testing WiFi performance on modern routers is a laboriously complex task and should always be done by a totally independent group or organisation to get the fairest results.

Otherwise, regional availability and final product specifications will vary by market and will be announced closer to launch. Lest we forget the first run of new Wi-Fi 8 kit tends to be power hungry, often buggy (especially when based on a draft specification) and extremely expensive. Suffice to say that most people will be better off waiting, particularly since the majority of consumers haven’t yet adopted Wi-Fi 7 kit, let alone 8.

Ben Walsh, Marketing Director UK & Ireland at TP-Link, said:

“As the way we live, stream and game at home changes, our networks must adapt and evolve. Archer 8 has been engineered to cater to the reality of home life: multiple devices on the network, walls and floors between the router and user, and interference from wireless devices. The resulting product represents a major step forward in delivering a faster, more reliable connected experience for the entire home and businesses alike.”

At the same time as this news, Broadcom, which helps to develop the semiconductors (processors) / chipsets used by modern routers and other devices, has announced a trio of highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) devices that support Wi-Fi 8: BCM6772, BCM6774, and BCM6776.

Designed specifically for the high-performance Ethernet routers and mesh network markets, these solutions are said to integrate multi-gigabit performance into a “compact, power-efficient form factor, enabling the next generation of residential connectivity“. The new SoCs are said to consolidate the application processor, network processor, 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi 8 radios, and multi-gigabit Ethernet PHY onto a single die.

BCM6772 – The core foundation for mass-market Ethernet routers, extenders, and repeaters

• Integrated 2×2 2.4 GHz and 2×2 5 GHz radios
• Versatile memory controller (DDR4 and DDR5)
• Ultra-compact 15×15 mm FCBGA package

BCM6774 – Optimized for high-volume Ethernet routers and extenders

• Integrated 2×2 2.4 GHz and 4×4 5 GHz radios
• Versatile memory controller (DDR4 and DDR5)
• Ultra-compact 15×15 mm FCBGA package

BCM6776 – Premium Ethernet tri-band routers and extenders (when paired with BCM6718)

• Integrated 2×2 2.4 GHz and 4×4 5 GHz radios
• Dual PCIe Gen3 controllers
• Versatile memory controller (DDR4, DDR5 LPDDR4, and LPDDR5)
• Compact 19×19 mm FCBGA package

Each chip includes a high-performance quad-core CPU complex and a dedicated Network Processing Engine, offloading intensive networking tasks for smooth operation in the most demanding home environments. The BCM677x family also features on-chip 2.4GHz power amplifiers (iPAs) and 3rd generation digital pre-distortion (DPD) technology, which reduces the total bill of materials (BOM) and enables lower power consumption in the 5GHz band. But oddly there’s no mention of the 6GHz band.

Mark Gonikberg, Senior VP and GM of Broadcom’s Wireless and Broadband Division, said:

“Broadcom isn’t just shipping silicon; we are providing the blueprint for the next generation of the connected home. By condensing a complex, multi-chip architecture into a single, power-efficient SoC, we’re enabling our partners to deliver multi-gigabit Wi-Fi 8 mesh systems that are more affordable, more reliable, and easier to deploy than ever before.”

A number of Broadcom’s partners, such as Asus, Sagemcom, NETGEAR, TP-Link and others, have all welcomed the development. Broadcom said they’re “currently sampling the BCM677x family” to these early access partners and customers. So, there you have it, before Wi-Fi 7 is even given a chance to gain some commercial adoption, and we’re already moving on to cannibalise that by shifting the focus to Wi-Fi 8. Mind you, Nokia are already talking about Wi-Fi 9! (here).

We’re all for a fast pace of technological development, but we’re not sure if moving quite this fast is the wisest approach, commercially speaking.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers of the Sky Mobile service, which is an O2 (Virgin Media) powered Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) with nearly 4 million UK subscribers, has today announced that they’re making it even easier to stay connected while travelling by doubling its global roaming destinations from 55 to 120 across the EU/EEA, USA, Australia and more.

Sky’s Roaming Passport Plus essentially lets customers use their UK data, calls and text allowances as if they were still in the UK while in one of the supported 120 destinations for just £2 a day. Some of the other destinations included are India, Egypt, Singapore, Barbados, Jamaica, Bahamas, Morocco, Peru, Mauritius and China.

The £2 roaming activates when customers use data (over 10MB in a day) or make a call or text to a UK number while in one of the destinations. For added ease, customers will get a text to confirm when their 24‑hour roaming period starts, and another when it’s coming to an end.

However, it should be noted that roaming data (mobile broadband) is subject to a 25GB (GigaBytes) fair usage policy per billing cycle, which means you’ll be hit by additional data charges (on a pro‑rated per GB basis) once this limit gets exceeded. But that’s fairly normal for UK mobile operators.

Sky claims their mobile customers will thus pay just £10 for five days data roaming in destinations like the USA, Thailand, and India. “That’s £20 cheaper than EE customers using EE’s Zone 1 Pass or up to £30 cheaper than Vodafone customers using Vodafone’s monthly plan Global Roam or Zone D Passes“, said the announcement. But some consumers might find it cheaper to take a travel eSIM, depending upon your destination and needs (see our article – Summary of Mobile Travel eSIMs).

Sky Mobile’s Roaming Passport Plus destinations list:

A – D:

Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba (Netherlands Antilles), Australia (including Cocos Islands, Christmas Islands), Austria, Azores, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao (Netherlands Antilles), Cyprus (excl. Northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic,

E – L:

Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Guiana (French West Indies), Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe (French West Indies), Guatemala, Hong Kong, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Korea (South), Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

M – R:

Madeira, Malaysia, Malta, Martinique (French West Indies), Mauritius, Mayotte (French Territories in the Indian Ocean), Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion (French Territories in the Indian Ocean), Romania,

S – Z:

Saba (Netherlands Antilles), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Singapore, Saint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles), Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles), Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Barthelemy (French West Indies), St Martin (French West Indies), Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey (incl. Northern Cyprus), Turks and Caicos Islands, UAE, USA, Vatican City, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (British).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers of the Sky Mobile service, which is an O2 (Virgin Media) powered Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) with nearly 4 million UK subscribers, has today announced that they’re making it even easier to stay connected while travelling by doubling its global roaming destinations from 55 to 120 across the EU/EEA, USA, Australia and more.

Sky’s Roaming Passport Plus essentially lets customers use their UK data, calls and text allowances as if they were still in the UK while in one of the supported 120 destinations for just £2 a day. Some of the other destinations included are India, Egypt, Singapore, Barbados, Jamaica, Bahamas, Morocco, Peru, Mauritius and China.

The £2 roaming activates when customers use data (over 10MB in a day) or make a call or text to a UK number while in one of the destinations. For added ease, customers will get a text to confirm when their 24‑hour roaming period starts, and another when it’s coming to an end.

However, it should be noted that roaming data (mobile broadband) is subject to a 25GB (GigaBytes) fair usage policy per billing cycle, which means you’ll be hit by additional data charges (on a pro‑rated per GB basis) once this limit gets exceeded. But that’s fairly normal for UK mobile operators.

Sky claims their mobile customers will thus pay just £10 for five days data roaming in destinations like the USA, Thailand, and India. “That’s £20 cheaper than EE customers using EE’s Zone 1 Pass or up to £30 cheaper than Vodafone customers using Vodafone’s monthly plan Global Roam or Zone D Passes“, said the announcement. But some consumers might find it cheaper to take a travel eSIM, depending upon your destination and needs (see our article – Summary of Mobile Travel eSIMs).

Sky Mobile’s Roaming Passport Plus destinations list:

A – D:

Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba (Netherlands Antilles), Australia (including Cocos Islands, Christmas Islands), Austria, Azores, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao (Netherlands Antilles), Cyprus (excl. Northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic,

E – L:

Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Guiana (French West Indies), Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe (French West Indies), Guatemala, Hong Kong, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Korea (South), Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

M – R:

Madeira, Malaysia, Malta, Martinique (French West Indies), Mauritius, Mayotte (French Territories in the Indian Ocean), Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion (French Territories in the Indian Ocean), Romania,

S – Z:

Saba (Netherlands Antilles), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Singapore, Saint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles), Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles), Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Barthelemy (French West Indies), St Martin (French West Indies), Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey (incl. Northern Cyprus), Turks and Caicos Islands, UAE, USA, Vatican City, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (British).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has today announced that their new Direct-to-Device (D2D) based O2 Satellite service (here), which for just £3 extra per month enables normal Smartphones to connect to their mobile network via Starlink’s satellites, will be extended to work on Apple iPhones from tomorrow.

The service harnesses SpaceX’s global Starlink network in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to support a satellite based 4G mobile data (broadband) connection via part of the 1800MHz (B3) band, which enables connectivity in even some of the remotest parts of the UK. In addition, users also benefit from greater general resilience, at least when outside a building.

The new service, once applied, effectively boosted O2’s UK landmass mobile coverage from 89% to 95%, delivering a coverage uplift equivalent to an area around two thirds the size of Wales. The service is designed to complement O2’s existing mobile network, and customers will connect automatically when traditional cellular coverage is unavailable.

However, at launch in February 2026 it only supported a limited number of handsets, all of which were based off the Android operating system (mostly recent Samsung models). The service also had some other limitations, such as initially only being able to support text messaging and limited data connectivity across specific apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Google Maps and more.

The good news today is that O2 will switch on its satellite mobile service for iPhone users tomorrow (Thursday 28th May 2026). But you’ll need at least an iPhone 13 to benefit.

Chris Bournes, Commercial Director at VMO2, said:

“Earlier this year, we made history with the switch on of O2 Satellite. Expanding the service to iPhone users is a major step forward in making this new, groundbreaking technology accessible to more customers. Whether you’re hiking, travelling or in a remote part of the UK, O2 Satellite helps ensure you can stay connected when you need it most.”

Compatible Apple devices:

iPhone 17 Pro Max, 17 Pro, 17, 17e,
iPhone Air
iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 Pro, 16 Plus, 16, 16e
iPhone 15 Pro Max, 15 Pro, 15 Plus, 15
iPhone 14 Pro Max, 14 Pro, 14 Plus, 14
iPhone 13 Pro Max, 13 Pro, 13, 13 mini

Compatible apps:

AccuWeather
AllTrails
Apple Compass
Apple Fitness
Apple Maps
Apple Messages
Apple Music
Apple Weather
BBC Weather
Google Maps
Messenger
WhatsApp
X
Yahoo Mail

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile operator and broadband ISP Vodafone UK has this morning announced that their internet security feature – Secure Net Home, and smart router technology, Who’s Home, which were previously only available on their premium Pro 3 fixed broadband packages, has been extended to 900,000 customers on their standard broadband packages too.

Just to recap. The Secure Net Home service includes various features, such as real-time protection against viruses and online threats (malware) for any device connected to WiFi. In addition, the parental controls it includes will enable you to create profiles for children, before assigning groups of devices to apply preferred controls for each individual user.

By comparison, the relatively recent Who’s Home service is designed to proactively alert customers when their loved one’s smartphone connects or disconnects from their hub (here). The feature is said to be “designed to give greater peace of mind and reassurance to customers“ and Vodafone allows individual users to opt-in or out, which helps to avoid the risk of it becoming too intrusive or just creepy.

Previously if you wanted either of these features then you needed to pay extra for one of Vodafone’s premium Pro packages and Who’s Home in particular initially only worked on their latest Wi-Fi 7 capable Ultra Hub 7 Fibre broadband router. But as of today, both Secure Net and Who’s Home are now available to Vodafone customers with a standard broadband package and the regular Power Hub router.

In terms of cost, the Who’s Home feature is being added “at no extra cost“, while Secure Net Home on standard packages will be free for the first three months to new users, followed by £2 a month thereafter with the flexibility to cancel any time.

Online protection for Vodafone customers doesn’t stop at home. Secure Net Mobile is also available to all Vodafone mobile customers for £2 a month and provides round‑the‑clock protection against viruses and malware, advanced parental controls, and 24/7 ID monitoring. Most recently, Scam Call Protection was added to Secure Net Mobile – an AI‑powered feature that flags scam and suspected nuisance calls before customers even pick up.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency has released their May 2026 update on the delivery progress of contracts awarded under their £5bn Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme. The update reveals that some 256,680 contracted premises (up from 250,000 in April 2026) have so far been covered out of a planned total of 837,340 (31% complete).

The figures in this update are not directly comparable to the figures published in BDUK’s general quarterly statistics releases. This is because today’s report tracks the number of contracted premises to which a supplier has delivered a gigabit-capable connection under the main Gigabit Infrastructure Subsidy (GIS) programme, whereas the general statistics also include gigabit premises delivered via any public / BDUK subsidy (i.e. that includes other schemes too, like gigabit vouchers and contracts that pre-date Project Gigabit).

So far, most of the country’s gigabit-capable broadband coverage has been delivered by commercial deployments (predominantly focused on urban and semi-urban areas), while Project Gigabit focuses on the final bits that they fail to reach (usually rural areas). The project has already committed most of its budget up to 2030, but there are still some contracts yet to be awarded and others that have been scaled-back or switched suppliers (e.g. here, here, here, here and here).

Otherwise, it’s worth remembering that these contracts were all awarded at different times and are thus at very different stages of development (some started several years apart). A few of the listed contracts have already completed their delivery, such as Wessex Internet’s build for North Dorset and GoFibre’s roll-outs for County Durham and North Northumberland. Meanwhile, others, such as Openreach’s new contract for Cheshire (here), were only added in the April 2026 update.

The biggest change this time around is CityFibre’s significant reduction in planned build (here), which played a major role in slashing the total contracted premises figure from 1,047,200 last month to 837,340 now (-209,860 premises).

On top of that we’ve also noted some quirks this time around, such as for CityFibre’s Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes contract, where the already ‘built’ premises figure has gone from 4,570 in April to 4,150 in May. BDUK states that 420 premises missing from this will be “re-added at a later date“. The Freedom Fibre contract for North Shropshire suffered an even bigger monthly fall of -2,140 and BDUK said the same about that, albeit without providing any context for the change.

As previously reported, CityFibre’s contract for Nottinghamshire and West Lincolnshire (Lot 10) has also been removed from the contracted list this month as part of their recent change. BDUK are now working to find an alternative solution.

Project Gigabit – Contracted Premises and Built Premises by Contract (May 2026)

Remember – it’s important to understand the context behind each contract before judging delivery progress, since a face-value assessment will often overlook key realities. Speaking of which, some of the contracted figures may differ from the original announcements, which reflects the usual modifications (i.e. the scope of delivery can increase or decrease, such as due to commercial builds by other operators going further than expected or builds costing more than expected etc.).

For some extra context, you can check out the previous figures for April 2026 (here).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network analyst firm Streetwave has today published the results from a new study they conducted, which examined mobile network (4G, 5G) coverage and mobile broadband performance across part of the River Thames (Putney Pier to Westminster Pier) in London, while travelling onboard an Uber Boat (Thames Clippers). Vodafone came out on top.

The live survey, which used Streetwave’s portable network measurement and monitoring kit, was conducted during the afternoon rush hour on 20th May 2026 (3:40pm to 4:29pm). The kit captured real-world signal quality and service speeds across one of London’s busiest commuter river routes.

All four of the major UK operators – EE, O2, Vodafone and Three UK – were found to have delivered strong ‘Basic Coverage‘ scores along the route. Streetwave also measured ‘Good Coverage‘, a higher threshold that reflects the speeds needed for video calls and data-intensive tasks, where results varied more between networks and O2 was particularly poor.

Streetwave defines Basic Coverage as reflecting locations where the mobile network provides users with data speeds of above 1Mbps download, 0.5Mbps upload, and below 100ms (milliseconds) of latency (i.e. supporting only the most basic of use cases or needs).

The company also defines Good Coverage as being locations where the mobile networks provide at least 5Mbps download, 1.5Mbps upload, and less than 50ms latency – supporting a wider range of everyday tasks including video calls, remote working, and higher quality streaming. The results were as follows.

Basic Coverage Scores

Good Coverage Scores