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Customers of UK ISP Virgin Media’s broadband network in and around the Manchester area (Burnley) are currently suffering from internet connectivity problems after several fibre optic cables were damaged in the area. A separate cable break also appears to have occurred in the Birmingham area, which has added some further disruption.

The issue in Burnley appears to have started just after 9pm last night. A spokesperson for Virgin Media said: “We’re aware of an issue affecting services for customers in the Manchester area which has been caused by a break in a fibre cable. Our engineers have been working flat out overnight to repair the damaged fibres and will continue to do so to restore services as quickly as possible.”

The exact cause of the incident in Manchester is still being investigated, although ISPreview understands that the damage is currently believed to have been malicious. A total of 8 fibres are understood to have been cut, including an important 288/12f cable. Virgin Media’s engineers have had to install two new chambers, pull fresh fibre cables through and splice all of them back together. This is not a quick fix.

The good news is that most of the work has now completed, although some issues remain and a rough ETA for the fix seems to be after 4pm. Separately, we’ve noted that one of Virgin Media’s dark fibre cables seems to have been broken in the Birmingham area, although this is currently playing second fiddle to the Burnley incident.

Telecoms infrastructure is protected by strict laws in the UK and the police are likely to be investigating the incident. Sadly, the people who commit such acts rarely have any regard for the serious problems they cause, which can in some cases disrupt more than just internet access (e.g. telecare, access to emergency services etc.).

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The ITS Technology Group, which have deployed various open access and business-focused full fibre broadband and Ethernet networks across parts of the United Kingdom, has today announced the appointment of Paolo Benedetto to be their new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) ahead of entering its “next phase of growth“.

Paolo, who most recently served in the bakery sector as CFO for Village Bakery (and the St Pierre Group before that), is said to bring significant experience with him from “high-growth, founder-led and private equity-backed companies” and has “played a leading role in helping scale multiple organisations … through organic, acquisitional, and operational growth initiatives“. This perhaps hints at ITS’ own direction of travel.

The operator’s full fibre network is currently said to “pass” more than 465,000 UK businesses (inc. commercial premises), and they often claim to “reach the rest” through their trusted operator partners’ infrastructure, which includes the likes of BTWholesale, Sky, PXC and Virgin Media Business.

Daren Baythorpe, CEO of ITS, said:

“Paolo brings a strong track record of helping businesses scale responsibly and confidently. His experience in driving high-growth, investment and financial discipline will be invaluable as ITS delivers on its own ambitious growth plans, expands its reach and works with major partners to reshape business connectivity. We’re delighted to welcome him to the team.”

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Network access provider Openreach (BT) has this afternoon announced some changes and increases to the prices of their various Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband products for UK internet service providers. The changes are due to be introduced from 1st April 2026.

Openreach typically increase prices across their various products, usually by the CPI level of inflation (currently 3.6%), although this may differ between products due to various factors (discounts etc.) and there could also be some decreases. But often the changes mean that ISPs on the same network will need to pay more for the services they sell, which can also end up being passed on to consumers at the retail level.

As usual, it should be stressed that the price ISPs pay for the service at wholesale is not the same as the price customers pay at retail. This is because ISPs have to add all sorts of extra costs on top (e.g. 20% VAT, profit margins, network services / features / capacity etc.).

Sadly, there are too many changes to list, but we can give a few examples. For example, the standard annual rental price of Openreach’s 1Gbps (115Mbps upload) tier will be rising from £469.20 to £486 +vat. The changes also cover FTTP on Demand (FoD) and Cablelink / Ethernet pricing. Full details here and here.

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Mobile operator and broadband ISP EE (BT) has today announced a major refresh of their UK full fibre (FTTP) packages, which makes WiFi 7 “standard across all of its … plans” – supported by the launch of their new slimmed down Smart Hub 7 Plus router and WiFi Extender 7 Plus mesh kit. The provider has also confirmed plans to trial download speeds of up to 8.5Gbps.

The new Smart Hub 7 Plus router adopts similar but slimmer styling to the Smart Hub Pro, which launched just over a year ago for EE’s top 1.6Gbps package (here) – both support the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard. But the new router isn’t quite as capable as the Smart Hub Pro (e.g. dual band vs tri-band WiFi) and is largely intended to replace the WiFi 6 capable Smart Hub Plus that currently ships alongside EE’s 900Mbps and slower FTTP plans.

The change means that EE has become the “first major provider in the UK” to offer cutting-edge WiFi 7 (wireless network) connectivity as standard across all of its Full Fibre plans (although some smaller ISPs have already done this).

Clarifying the New Hardware Selection

➤ For plans up to 1Gbps: Customers receive the Smart Hub 7 Plus (dual band, capable of up to 1Gbps) and the optional Wi-Fi Extender 7 Plus. The Smart Hub 7 Plus offers customers up to 30% faster Wi-Fi throughput compared to the previous Smart Hub 6 Plus, supporting more devices and reduced latency for streaming and gaming.

➤ For 1.6Gbps plans: Customers receive the upgraded Smart Hub 7 Pro (tri-band technology, supporting consistent speeds over 1Gbps) and the Wi-Fi Extender 7 Pro, ensuring optimal performance across the home.

Headline Features

• Wi-Fi Intelligence: WiFi Intelligence uses real-time network insight to give customers the best possible WiFi coverage and connection quality throughout their home. It works in the background, making automatic improvements like ensuring they’re on the best smart hub or extender channel frequency  – without them having to do anything
• EE Wi-Fi Controls: A set of features within the My EE app that allow customers to manage their home network’s internet access for parental controls and device management
• Wi-Fi Optimiser (Included in certain plans): Enhances performance based on how the connection is being used (e.g., gaming, working from home, TV streaming), helping to eliminate lag and buffering during critical moments

As well as security and backup with:

• Advanced Web Protect: Built-in AI capability that automatically blocks untrustworthy and malicious websites on the network
• Keep Connected Promise (Included in certain plans): If a fault is reported, EE will send a 4G Mini Hub to reconnect the customer to EE’s mobile network, minimising downtime
• Cyber Security powered by Norton (Included in certain plans): Gives an advanced level of in and out-of-home protection through social media monitoring, dark web monitoring, and password management for up to 15 devices
• Connectivity Back-up (Optional Add-on): Switches the household onto EE’s mobile network automatically if a fault is detected, ensuring near-zero disruption

From today, customers taking out one of EE’s refreshed Full Fibre home broadband packages will now be given the choice of a range of download speeds ranging from £28.99 per month on 74Mbps and up to £39.99 on 900Mbps on a 24-month contract length. Customers can then have the option to choose from the following extra features at extra cost.

Standard Plans

Includes all of the ‘Core’ features, but also adds the Keep Connected Promise, Norton Cyber Security and Wi-Fi Optimiser. All of this costs an extra £4 per month.

Premium Plans

Everything from Core and Standard, but adds the Wi-Fi Extender 7 Plus. All of this costs an extra £11 per month.

Ultimate Plans

Everything from Core, Standard and Premium, but adds the top end Smart Hub 7 Pro router, Wi-Fi Extender 7 Pro and the EE Guides Home Visit: “Access to free home visits from broadband specialists to ensure you’re perfectly set up plus an annual health check for an optimised connection”. All of this costs an extra £20 per month.

Take note that EE’s top 1.6Gbps speed full fibre broadband plans are available with either a Premium package (£66.99), which comes with both the Smart Hub 7 Pro and WiFi Extender 7 Pro, or Ultimate package (£75.99). However, customers who don’t want to take a specific package can always add features individually, although this often costs more (all add-ons are 30-day rolling [unless specified] to give customers greater flexibility).

➤ Cyber Security – £6pm
➤ WiFi Optimiser – £5pm
➤ WiFi Extender 7 Plus – £10pm
➤ Smart Hub 7 Pro and WiFi Extender 7 Pro bundle – £15pm (24m contract)
➤ Connectivity Backup – £10pm

Finally, customers who take out EE home broadband can also get exclusive mobile benefits with EE One (i.e. bundling broadband and mobile), including savings on the mobile plan rental (worth up to £480 over two years) and a data boost on existing eligible mobile.

Luciano Oliveira, Director of Product, Home and TV at EE, said:

“EE is the first major provider in the UK to offer WiFi 7 smart hub technology as standard across all Full Fibre plans. By pairing best-in-class hardware with advanced features like WiFi Intelligence and AI-enabled security, our customers get the most reliable, high-performance connection in every room of their home – whether streaming, working, gaming, or staying connected with family – and that’s why more people are choosing EE.”

Separately, EE has also become the first ISP on Openreach’s national network to officially confirm that they will be taking part in the operator’s full fibre trials (here and here), which will test download and symmetric broadband speeds of up to 8.5Gbps over the new XGS-PON network.

The trial is due to get underway during March 2026 and Openreach has already confirmed that it will initially start with about 40,000 premises in Guildford, although this may well be extended. EE’s own retail prices and availability for the pilot will be released “nearer” the launch. “The pilot will help shape future Full Fibre broadband services for customers with options evaluated for wider deployment across the UK,” said a spokesperson for EE.

In terms of the new router and extender specifications, we’ve managed to pry a few of those from EE’s hands. You can see them below the following image, which shows the backside view of both devices.

SMART HUB 7 PLUS Specification

WiFi Spec

Wi-Fi 7
802.11be
2.4Ghz 2×2
5Ghz 4×4

Processor

Broadcom BCM6766
Quad-Core 2Ghz

Memory

Flash 8GB
RAM 2GB

Wired Connections

1x 2.5Gbps WAN (Ethernet)
1x 2.5Gbps LAN (Ethernet)
3x 1Gbps LAN (Ethernet)

Broadband Technology

FTTP Only

WiFi Extender (Mesh) Support

Yes (WiFi Extender 7 Plus)

Digital Voice Support

Yes (DECT/FXS)

Connectivity Backup Support

Yes

EE TV Support

Yes

EE App Support

Yes (setup and operation)

On/Off/Dim Light Control

Yes

Integrated Password Card

Yes

Casing

95% PCR

Dimensions

H:252mm W:33mm D:165mm

As for the new WiFi Extender…

WIFI EXTENDER 7 PLUS Specification

Wi-Fi Spec

Wi-Fi 7
802.11be
2.4Ghz 2×2
5Ghz 4×4

Processor

Broadcom BCM6766
Quad-Core 2GHz

Memory

Flash 8GB
RAM 1GB

Wired Connections

1x 2.5Gbps LAN (Ethernet)

Compatibility

Smart Hub 7 Plus

EE TV Support

Yes

EE App Support

Yes (setup and operation)

On/Off/Dim Light Control

Yes

Casing

95% PCR

Dimensions

H:155mm W:28mm D:155mm

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Broadband and mobile provider Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) have this morning responded to the UK Government’s recently announced plan, which calls for the creation of 50,000 apprenticeships across the country for young people, by opening new applications for a wide range of early career roles.

The provider, which recently revealed that they’d hired their 1,000th apprentice (here), said the new the jobs – available nationwide including in London, Leeds, Reading, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and Glasgow – would combine work with on-the-job training and dedicated study time across roles such as field technicians, network engineering opportunities, security and the anti-fraud team.

The field technician roles at Virgin Media require no prior experience or formal qualifications. The company uses a fully ‘blind recruitment’ approach to remove potential bias from shortlisting and ensure applicants are assessed fairly and solely on their potential.

Karen Handley, Head of Future Careers at VMO2, said:

“At Virgin Media O2, our people work day-in and day-out to upgrade the UK and provide the best services for customers.

We’re continuing to invest in jobs, skills and opportunities for the next-generation of talented people from all backgrounds, with our apprentices and graduates playing a vital role in keeping the country connected.

If you want to earn while you learn, develop specialist skills and join a team that’s building the UK’s digital future, we’d love to hear from you.”

More information on the opportunities available can be found on the operator’s Future Careers page.

Apprenticeships

Field Technician:

• 70 Roles Available across 36 locations in England
• Starting salary of £26.5k
• Application Deadline: Dec 2025 – Feb 2026 (Location Dependant)
• Start Date: April/May 2026

Network engineers:

• 8 roles across the country
• Starting Salary £27K
• Application deadline: Dec 2025 – Jan 2026
• Start date: April 2026

Security and Fraud:

• 4 roles available
• Starting Salary from £24K
• Application deadline: Dec 2025 – Jan 2026
• Start date: April 2026

Industrial Placements

Finance Interns:

• 4 Roles Available
• Starting salary of £25K + Welcome Bonus
• Application Deadline: Dec 2025 – Feb 2026
• Start Date: July 2026

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Last year we reported that the Kent Police had arrested four people in connection with the theft of batteries from “telecoms boxes” (i.e. street cabinets used by broadband providers), cables and other equipment (here), which caused some areas to lose internet connectivity. Two people have now been charged with 40 offences – Levi Backett (38) and a 15-year-old boy.

Just to recap. Officers from Kent Police’s Rural Task Force originally traced a vehicle suspected to be linked to the thefts around the South East to a location near Gillingham on Monday 7th October 2024. The investigation ultimately recovered more than 100 batteries, along with a lot of cables, the vehicle itself, a trailer, a vehicle engine and several heavy power tools.

The criminals targeted roadside cabinets between 24th September and 4th October last year in Canterbury, Herne Bay, West Malling, Eynsford in Dartford and Claygate in Surrey. The total value of the missing equipment was placed at £18,750. But in the end Levi Backett was charged with 23 counts of theft and the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with 17 theft offences on the same day (Kent Online). Both appeared yesterday before the Medway Magistrates’ Court.

Network operators, such as Openreach and Virgin Media, sometimes put batteries in street cabinets. Each one can cost around £500 and they usually kick-in during power outages. But unfortunately such equipment, along with valuable copper telecoms cables, is often targeted by criminal gangs. However, the perpetrators of such crimes don’t always get away with it, particularly as such equipment is often forensically tagged and can be traced (here).

Sadly, the perpetrators of such crimes never have any regard for the harm they cause to locals, some of which are dependent upon related services for vital emergency and health contacts.

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Smart TV Platform TiVo has secured certification to deploy support for broadband-based live TV streaming service Freely across a new category of streaming-only devices, which could help spread the service’s availability to a whole host of new hardware in the near future (similar to Netgem TV’s new PLEIO box – here, or Humax’s box – here).

The TiVo operating software (OS) should be quite familiar by now and it’s already powering some dedicated internet-connected TV integrations of Freely. But the new certification, granted by Everyone TV, will extend this so that TiVo OS with Freely support can also be used on external streaming devices.

“It expands consumer choice, gives retailers and [broadband] ISPs new ways to delight customers with a frictionless live TV experience, and extends the reach of UK broadcasters via IP,” said Gabriel Cosgrave, TiVo’s EMEA General Manager. Freely has been slowly improving their device support since the service first went live in April 2024 (here) and so today’s news looks set to continue that trend.

At the time of writing there’s no indication of precisely when or which TiVo OS equipped streaming devices will be the first to add Freely support, but we’ll no doubt see a few crop up sometime during 2026. “Introducing Freely to these devices means more UK households can easily access and navigate free TV in the streaming age,” said the CEO of Everyone TV, Jonathan Thompson.

One interesting question mark over this is whether some existing TiVo equipped devices may also soon be able to get this via a simple firmware upgrade, although so far Freely has tended to stress the importance of only deploying on new rather than existing hardware.

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Edinburgh-based UK alternative network GoFibre, which is building a gigabit broadband (FTTP) network across remote rural parts of Scotland and Northern England, has allocated a further pot of £12,000 to their GoFurther community fund for projects and organisations in the Scottish Borders area.

The GoFurther Fund currently offers grants of up to £3,000 to help local charity projects and community organisations in the Scottish Borders and other areas. The latest funding pot is open to applicants whose projects meet one or more of four criteria: Environmental Benefit, Community Wellbeing, Education and Skills, or Internet Safety and Digital Inclusion. Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 31st January 2026.

The operator currently expects to deploy their new full fibre based broadband network to reach a footprint of 250,000 premises “in the next 3 years“ (i.e. around mid-2028) and they’re home to a total of 10,597 customers.

Neil Conaghan, CEO of GoFibre, said:

“Bringing the GoFurther Fund back to the Borders feels like continuing our story right where it began, as we expand our network in the region. This area has always been at the heart of everything we do, and we’re proud to be a Borders-born business that’s not only building the broadband network, but also investing in the people who make these communities special.”

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A new report from the cross-party House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has warned that “unacceptable” delays caused by the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) approval processes are leaving residents waiting for remediation of dangerous cladding in unsafe buildings, causing increased costs for leaseholders and also impacting the roll-out of new digital infrastructure.

The idea of improving safety for building works, particularly the largest residential buildings (i.e. blocks of flats / Multi-Dwelling Units – MDU), is all well a good. But the issue here is that delays in the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) related processes for minor works have been starting to cause wider problems and pushing up costs, often unpredictably.

“We also heard evidence from witnesses in the telecommunications sector that they were experiencing delays in installing full-fibre broadband and mobile infrastructure since the establishment of the BSR and its slow processing of applications for minor works, potentially risking digital connectivity for households living in higher-risk buildings,” said the full report.

The problems referenced above were recently touched on by Hyperoptic, which specialises in deploying FTTP/B networks into MDUs. “These regulations have introduced new processes for connecting buildings over seven storeys or 18 metres, and we are in constructive discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government to ensure we have the clarity needed to continue delivering safe, compliant connections for residents,” said a spokesperson for the provider when announcing more job cuts (here).

Key findings of the report

After hearing from a range of witnesses including representatives of campaign groups and other organisations, developers, housing associations and regulators which work closely with the BSR, the Committee also found:

• The BSR has not given clear enough guidance on how applicants are supposed to demonstrate that their buildings are safe;
• Many applications are being rejected or delayed due to basic errors and applicants’ inability to evidence how they are considering elements of fire and structural safety, which reflects poorly on the construction industry;
• Many construction products do not have relevant product standards, leaving them entirely unregulated;
• Difficulties in local authority funding and the introduction of regulation have left an ageing workforce of building inspectors who are struggling to meet demand;
• Despite these skills shortages, smaller works such as bathroom renovations in high-rise buildings are being subject to the scrutiny of the BSR’s hard-pressed multidisciplinary teams.

The report goes on to warn that the Government could also be in danger of “missing its target” to build 1.5 million homes by 2029 unless it gets to grips with the problem.

Chair of the Committee, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, said:

“The tragic loss of 72 lives at the Grenfell Tower fire laid bare the urgent need to reform building safety regulation in England, particularly for high-rise buildings. The introduction of the Building Safety Regulator was a necessary and welcome step.

However, the scale of the delays caused by the BSR has stretched far beyond the regulator’s statutory timelines for building control decisions. This is unacceptable. We welcome that the Government and the BSR are now acting to try and make practical improvements, but this will not address the anxiety and frustration that residents and companies have experienced.

It does not improve safety to delay vital remediation and refurbishments, nor to deter the delivery of new housing in high-rise buildings. We expect to see further action from the Government and the BSR to ensure that construction projects in high-rise buildings can be brought forward more quickly, without compromising on vital safety improvements.”

Andrew Kernahan, Head of Public Affairs, Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA UK), said:

“Today’s report from the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee rightly recognises that delays in the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) processes for minor works risk undermining digital connectivity for households in higher‑risk buildings. The telecoms industry recognises the importance of both building safety and digital connectivity, and with 72% of people saying it is important that internet providers continue to invest in infrastructure upgrades, it is vital that regulation enables, rather than delays, gigabit broadband rollout.

We welcome that the Committee has reflected our recommendation that Government remove smaller works, where approvals are needed, from the BSR’s building control approval processes or introduce a streamlined route. The report also echoes our submission on the delays our sector is facing in installing gigabit broadband infrastructure into high-risk buildings. We will continue working with Government, regulators and stakeholders to secure safe, reliable broadband for residents in higher‑risk buildings.”

The issue(s) for digital infrastructure providers have already been well covered in the ISPA’s written submission (here), which estimated that “800,000 households within [High-Rise Buildings] could be left without access to the connectivity they need in the near future” unless the problems are addressed. Mobile UK has also raised similarly concerns for the ongoing roll-out and upgrade of 5G, 6G networks etc. (here).

Core Recommendations of the Report

• The BSR to give greater guidance to its [multidisciplinary teams] MDTs on how compliance with the Building Regulations should be evidenced and assessed to ensure greater consistency;
• The Government to remove smaller works from the BSR’s building control approval processes, or introduce a streamlined approval process for them;
• The BSR to allocate the same MDTs to similar buildings or projects built by the same organisation, which could improve efficiency and consistency;
• The Government to provide long-term funding for the training of new building and fire inspectors.

The challenge for the government will be in how they effectively soften the rules, assuming they choose to do that, while at the same time trying to avoid the risk of weaker building safety.

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Business ISP Baltic Broadband, which has long offered a mix of fixed wireless and full fibre broadband network connectivity to firms in the Liverpool area, has hinted at a possible expansion of their 100Gbps capable network to reach 2,000 more business premises located in offices, and business estates over the next 12-months or so.

In order to do this, the operator is first seeking Code Powers from Ofcom, which are typically pursued to help speed-up deployments of new fibre optic networks and cut costs, not least by reducing the number of licences needed for street works. The powers can also help with supporting access to run new fibre via Openreach’s (BT) existing cable ducts and poles (PIA) – something Baltic do plan to harness.

The application doesn’t reveal much, but it does that the provider has already reached “approximately 50 premises currently” and has further plans to reach “2,000 more premises in the first twelve months“, if granted Code Powers. The application does talk a bit about rural and residential connectivity, but Baltic doesn’t shy away from the fact that their main focus is still on business lines.

Extract from the Code Powers Application

The Applicant is seeking Code powers to deliver electronic communications services to both rural and urban areas, providing communities with internet protocol virtual networking using internet protocol multiprotocol label switching and wireless internet.

The Applicant has outlined that its primary focus is to provide 100 Mbps to 100 Gbps speeds to business customers located in offices, and business estates (for example multi-tenanted office buildings).

The Applicant notes that antennas and masts would be deployed in key locations to provide a resilient and diverse route, either as an alternative to or in conjunction with fibre. These antennas and masts would form the core components of the proposed network.

The Applicant’s operates data centres and core network sites across cities and towns throughout the United Kingdom, initially including; Liverpool, Manchester and London with plans to expand further over time.

Hopefully more details will emerge in the future. Ofcom rarely rejects such applications.