Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

UK ISP Plusnet has kicked off the Black Friday sale across their home broadband packages for new customers, which bundles big discounts on the monthly prices of their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and FTTC based packages with Reward Cards (pre-paid Mastercards) that are now worth up to £180.

The internet provider’s home broadband packages are typically data-only plans (no home phone) that include unlimited usage, a new Hub Two wireless router (re-branded BT Smart Hub 2), UK based support, a 24-month minimum contract term, Plusnet’s SafeGuard and Protect internet security features – both powered by Norton – and free activation.

Take note that, on 31st March each year, the monthly plan price will increase by £4 for broadband. We’ve summarised what this means and the latest deals below, but otherwise Plusnet’s Black Friday deals tend to be some of the best value ones they offer all year. As usual, you’ll need to click the affiliate links in this article to get these discounts.

Plusnet’s Broadband Discounts

Full Fibre 145Mbps (30Mbps upload)
£160 Reward Card
Price: £22.99 per month

Price increases to £26.99pm on 1st April 2026 and £30.99pm on 1st April 2027

Full Fibre 300Mbps (50Mbps)
£160 Reward Card
Price: £24.99

Price increases to £28.99pm on 1st April 2026 and £32.99pm on 1st April 2027

Full Fibre 500Mbps (75Mbps)
£180 Reward Card
Price: £28.99

Price increases to £32.99pm on 1st April 2026 and £36.99pm on 1st April 2027

Full Fibre 900Mbps (115Mbps)
£180 Reward Card
Price: £31.99

Price increases to £35.99pm on 1st April 2026 and £39.99pm on 1st April 2027

The provider also still sells a 75Mbps FTTP and SOGEA (FTTC) based broadband tier that starts at £20.99 and £22.99 per month, respectively, which also includes an £85 Reward Card on the SOGEA option. The SOGEA solution is partly copper based and so tends to suffer from a slightly higher price now.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The UK Government’s Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has today increased the pressure on the country’s main broadband and mobile providers by calling on them to “reinforce” their commitment to “treating customers fairly” by, among other things, confirming that “customers under contract will not face price rises beyond those they signed up for“.

The latest round of pressure has largely emanated from the chorus of displeasure at O2’s (Virgin Media) recent decision to increase their annual mid-contract price hikes beyond the level that customers first agreed when they signed-up (here). Some other providers have also increased the level of mid-contract price rises they apply, but O2 went further by applying this to their existing customers too.

In fairness, O2 did allow customers impacted by this to exit their contract penalty free, which Ofcom acknowledged when expressing their own somewhat weak “disappointment” at the change last month (here). But the situation and the ongoing trend of mid-contract price hikes has caused enough consternation to attract much wider levels of criticism than usual.

For example, the Government’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Liz Kendall MP, recently joined the chorus of displeasure by directing Ofcom to “look at in-contract price rises again“ (here) and to “consider the possibility of adopting a similar regime to those such as insurance, where new and existing customers need to be offered the same deal“.

According to a new letter seen by the FT (paywall), Chancellor Rachel Reeves has now decided to weigh in on the issue by penning her own letter, alongside Kendall, to telecoms providers: “We are asking you to reinforce your commitment to treating customers fairly, including by confirming customers under contract will not face price rises beyond those they signed up for,” said the Chancellor.

However, it’s important to consider that this statement can be read in two different ways. On the one hand, it could be seen as the Chancellor making a call for mid-contract price hikes to be banned. But if we consider that the policy of mid-contract price hikes is often one that customers have to accept when they “sign-up“, then she might merely be calling on providers NOT to increase the rate for existing customers at a later date, like O2 did. In the case of the latter, this might actually be seen as a retreat from Liz Kendall’s earlier suggestion to Ofcom.

The letter then goes on to state that the government would be convening a round-table to “discuss further voluntary action to support telecoms customers”, as well as “areas that government can do more to enable the sector to drive investment in the UK’s digital infrastructure”. Sadly, the full letter has not been published and so it’s difficult to judge the detail.

At the same time, it is still important to recognise that network operators often do still have to increase prices due to costs rising in other areas, such as for service provision, regulation, energy and the need to invest in new network upgrades. At the same time, the level of inflation has remained much higher than it was previously forecast to be, which changes the risk and cost assessment that each provider has to make. But many smaller providers are still able to figure all this into fixed price contracts, and so it’s not beyond the bounds of realism for the biggest providers to do the same.

In general, we continue to think it might be better to simply ban the practice of mid-contract price hikes. Using this approach, telecoms providers could still discount the package price across your first contract term and raise prices for new and re-contracting customers, although it might prevent some other types of offers (e.g. first 1-6 months of service free).

We dare say that consumers would find general price reductions for the first term to still be both easier to understand and much easier to advertise, as well as to compare between providers, if mid-contract hikes were simply banned. Convoluted discounts are a headache when it comes to service comparisons.

UPDATE 27th Nov 2025

The full letter can now be found on DSIT’s website (we’ll paste it below). But interestingly, this now includes the following request, which the FT seems to have overlooked: “We would also like you to take proactive steps to move legacy customers onto the pounds and pence approach for price communications with no impact on the timing of planned price increases.”

The above suggestion indicates that the Chancellor may be naive to the fact that a big part of the problem is with how the new “pounds and pence” approach, while more transparent for consumers, also tends to result in customers being hit with bigger bills than the old inflation-linked method (particularly those on the cheapest plans that get hit the hardest).

The Chancellor so mentions giving consumers a “clear and accurate understanding of the quality of service they can expect from their telecoms provider“. Quite how you do that, particularly for some of the more variable mobile and broadband connection technologies (e.g. ADSL, FTTC, 4G / 5G etc.), will be interesting to see.

Dear all,

Telecoms consumer protection

Ensuring continued investment in infrastructure is a central priority for this government. It is also vitally important that consumers are treated fairly, and have confidence in the quality of service they receive. The telecoms sector is fundamental to the success of the UK’s economy and we rely on your commitment to support improved connectivity, provide access to digital services, and enable innovation.

This government has set out a long-term approach to supporting digital infrastructure, underpinned by our 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to standalone 5G by 2030, delivered by commercial investment. We also want 99% of premises to have access to a gigabit-capable connection by 2032. We know that this must be a collaborative effort. As such, we are continuing to remove barriers to deployment of both fixed and mobile networks. We are also committed to reviewing the mobile market to ensure that, as the sector evolves, the regulatory framework remains right for investment while delivering high quality of service and fairness for consumers.

The commitments that industry has made through the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, and wider efforts, such as the provision of the lower cost social tariffs are vital in supporting vulnerable and digitally excluded consumers. However, it is clear that more needs to be done to protect all consumers. Ordinary people should feel empowered when engaging with the sector and confident they are getting a good deal.

We are asking you to reinforce your commitment to treating customers fairly, including by confirming customers under contract will not face price rises beyond those that they signed up to. We would also like you to take proactive steps to move legacy customers onto the pounds and pence approach for price communications with no impact on the timing of planned price increases.

We are also asking that you take further steps to ensure that consumers have a clear and accurate understanding of the quality of service they can expect from their telecoms provider in communications with customers, where appropriate.

We will be convening a roundtable to discuss further voluntary action to support telecoms customers, as well as areas that government can do more to enable the sector to drive investment in the UK’s digital infrastructure. Our offices will be in touch with further details, and we look forward to working together on these issues.

Yours sincerely

The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

In addition, the Chancellor has also written a new letter to Ofcom, which more specifically directs the regulator to publish its “interim review” on the impact of the newest “pounds and pence” approach to consumer pricing by Spring 2026, with a full review due in 2027. Suffice to say that if the regulator does make any changes, then it might take a bit of time to materialise.

Dear Melanie [Ofcom CEO],

Telecoms pricing and transparency

We are writing in light of recent developments in the telecoms market concerning mid-contract price rises, and the important role Ofcom continues to play in protecting consumers in this sector. This builds on correspondence you have already exchanged with the DSIT Secretary of State.

We welcome the action Ofcom took in January to increase transparency around how in-contract price changes are presented to customers entering new contracts and note your recent statement expressing disappointment with O2’s decision to increase prices. We share your concern that these price rises run counter to the spirit of your previous regulatory changes and are particularly disappointing in the context of ongoing cost of living challenges facing many consumers.

As you are aware, inflation remains a key challenge for the government, and we are determined to bear down on it wherever possible. The impact of rising costs on consumers, including in essential services such as telecoms, must be minimised.

The DSIT Secretary of State wrote to you recently requesting an assessment of the impact of the January rule change, as well as consideration of further measures to strengthen consumer protections and transparency in pricing. HM Treasury supports this approach, and we understand that Ofcom is due to publish a report in February outlining trends in switching across telecoms services, as well as data on consumer engagement and confidence in the market.

Building on this work, we would ask that Ofcom produces an interim review of the impact of the January 2025 changes by Spring 2026 with a full review due in 2027.

Separately, we would also ask that Ofcom review the suitability of the current 30-day notice period rule. Specifically, we would welcome Ofcom’s assessment on whether the current rule sufficiently enables consumers to exit their contracts at the point when a price increase takes effect. As we are sure you would agree, it is vital that customers can move to other providers as easily as possible in the face of uncontracted price increases.

This government is keen to play a convening role with industry to underline the importance we attach to these issues. We will be seeking voluntary commitments from industry to protect consumers from unfair pricing practices and would be grateful for Ofcom’s support in the coming weeks regarding this.

Ensuring fairness in the telecoms market is vital to supporting consumers and maintaining trust in the sector. Our officials stand ready to discuss these matters further, we are open to further suggestions you may have to improve consumer outcomes in this sector.

Yours sincerely

The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer

The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Chancellor of the UK Government, Rachel Reeves MP, has today announced her Autumn 2025 Budget and there appears to be no current sign of anything significantly new for broadband and mobile infrastructure (except an update on pushing gigabit broadband into MDUs). In addition, there’s no indication that any of the recent calls for targeted business rates relief on digital infrastructure have been heeded.

Just to recap. The Government currently has two headline investment programmes for improving broadband and mobile – both managed by the Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency. The first is their £1bn industry-led Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, which committed each mobile operator to provide 4G data and voice coverage to 89.2% of the UK’s landmass by 31st January 2027 (this was revised down from 90% in July 2025).

The second is their £5bn Project Gigabit scheme, which aims to make 1000Mbps+ (gigabit) broadband speeds available to c.99% of UK premises by 2032 (revised down from 2030). Back in June 2025 the government confirmed that it would invest £1.9bn into broadband and mobile projects (this comes from existing commitments) until 2029/30 (2025 Spending Review) – largely reflecting the remaining funding from this Project.

Since then, the government has published their 10-Year UK Infrastructure Strategy (10YIS), which among other things confirmed a plan to “bring forward“ a more flexible permitting system (aka – flexi-permits) to boost street works across England and to ease the process of delivering gigabit broadband for leaseholders in multi-dwelling units / large residential buildings (background); albeit with limited detail about how this would be achieved.

Despite the positives, quite a few network operators and organisations have voiced concern over the potentially negative impact from tax rises in today’s budget, which often focus on the threat of rising business rates (here, here, here and here). Coming at a time when network operators are already under pressure from high interest rates, competition and rising build costs, BT (inc. Openreach) and Virgin Media have warned that a hike in business rates could force them to scale-back their network coverage plans.

Suffice to say that all eyes were on today’s autumn 2025 budget to see what sort of changes, if any, the government might make on the telecoms and digital infrastructure front. The bad news is that, at the time of writing, we haven’t seen any particularly big announcements for the sector or indications of a relief from the threat of a business rates hike.

What’s in the 2025 UK Budget?

In an extraordinary development, the now comically named Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) actually leaked full details of the budget ahead of time by publishing their ‘Economic and fiscal outlook‘ document “too early this morning“. This has since been removed and investigation launched. As a result, we’ve been able to skim that for any developments specifically related to broadband, mobile, telecoms and digital infrastructure, but at the time of writing have come up empty.

However, it’s still possible that the general Budget 2025 Summary document, once published, may contain some non-fiscal details related to telecoms and digital infrastructure that isn’t covered by the OBR and so we’ll update later once that has been published.

In fairness, the government is currently facing a difficult task, due to being extremely strapped for cash (a common issue over the past decade or more). This is largely due to the level of debt and related repayments that have accumulated in recent years.

The flexibility may thus not exist to do everything the industry might want. On the other hand, the government appears to be putting their own digital targets at risk by potentially applying too much tax to the sector and at a time when network operators are already struggling under existing pressures (see above).

UPDATE 1:53pm

The full budget document is now online (linked above), which does include a small update on their plan for helping push gigabit broadband into MDUs (large residential buildings), albeit still quite vague. This is largely in keeping with what was said in their prior infrastructure strategy, but the language is clearer on their approach.

2025 Budget on Gigabit Broadband for MDUs

As set out in the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, the government is committed to removing the barriers to gigabit-capable broadband, including for people living in flats. In the next few weeks, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will be consulting on measures to create a new right for leaseholders to request a gigabit broadband connection and a duty for freeholders not to unreasonably refuse the request.

The government also said they’d “work with Ofcom to support the availability and adoption of gigabit broadband solutions by business“, albeit without providing any further details.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative rural UK broadband network Voneus has been criticised after a network fault resulted in two premises in villages near Brecon (Wales) losing connectivity, which by itself wouldn’t be a huge development. But in this case, the provider later chose to “decommission” the service rather than repair it, leaving those affected offline.

Just to recap. Voneus has been struggling a bit recently with complaints in some areas about network performance (here and here), redundancies and a slowdown in their network roll-out (here). This came after the operator also found itself having to withdraw from their publicly funded Project Gigabit broadband contract for Mid West Shropshire (here), which has since been picked up by Openreach (here). But a recent funding deal appeared to signal a potential improvement for the future (here).

Unfortunately, Voneus has now come under fire for how they’ve handled the recent loss of service around part of remote rural Brecon. According to the Brecon & Radnor Express, the disruption is currently known to have impacted two households, including Chris Davies from Cwmachau Farm in Lower Chapel, who claims to have received no warning and that monthly payments were still being taken.

“We have a holiday enterprise on the farm and emails and spreadsheets are essential 100 per cent of the time. Wi-Fi is also needed for the holiday accommodation,” said Chris. “The last six months have proved disastrous with Voneus, with a slowing down of the service, outages one after the other, and guarantees to repair which never took place.” The service is then said to have “disappeared altogether” in October.

The outage is understood to have been caused after an Army vehicle, which was allegedly said to be travelling down an unauthorised road, somehow damaged a power cable. But apparently the cost and complexity of restoring the service has now been deemed too high.

A spokesperson for Voneus said:

“As a business we always striving to keep customers connected. Third-party damage caused a broadband outage for two customers. After confirming all alternative solutions were not viable, Voneus made a decision to de-commission. Customer communications were sent to all impacted residents from the outset.”

Local Councillor Iain McIntosh, who said he helped to establish the original network in 2018, commented that it is “completely unacceptable for a broadband provider to simply switch people off rather than repair and maintain the service they pay for“.

At the time of writing it’s unclear whether both homes might be able to access a 4G or 5G based mobile broadband service as an alternative, but consumers in such areas can often access ultrafast broadband via Starlink’s satellite network in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), although this does tend to be a bit more expensive.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

A new company called Spacecoin, which aims to build a “decentralised” alternative to Starlink’s global mega constellation of ultrafast broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), will today attempt to launch three satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base as part of its mission to extend internet connectivity to the 2.6 billion people globally who remain offline.

The new network aims to deploy a constellation of small satellites (CubeSats) into LEO that will eventually deliver global reach, albeit while also being able to operate independently of terrestrial infrastructure. This approach is designed to ensure reliable access even during natural disasters, government restrictions (there’s a strong focus on delivering “censorship-resistant internet access“), and in remote or geographically challenging regions where traditional internet connectivity may fail.

The technical specifications and network capability goals of the new network remain a little unclear, although Spacecoin has already launched one prototype 8U (2×4U) CubeSat (CTC-0) into orbit. The next batch of three additional satellites (CTC-1 constellation) were due to launch today and will be used to conduct pilot tests with partners in Africa and Southeast Asia.

The CTC-1 satellites will adopt the larger and heavier 16U CubeSat standard to support their more advanced capabilities, whatever those may be. But the first commercial services aren’t expected to go live until sometime in 2026, which seems set to be supported by further satellite launches to expand coverage and enable third-parties to deploy satellites that interoperate with their network.

“While CTC-0 proved that blockchain transactions can be transmitted end-to-end through space, CTC-1 focuses on validating the network layer itself by testing seamless inter-satellite handoffs and direct in-orbit data exchange. Once these capabilities are successfully demonstrated, Spacecoin will be ready to begin connectivity trials with government and telecom partners worldwide,” said the announcement.

Tae Oh, Founder of Spacecoin, said:

“This launch marks the next frontier for decentralised connectivity. With multiple satellites now in orbit, we’re proving that internet services need not be centralised. This is a step toward a world where connectivity is global, permissionless, and impossible to switch off.”

A key component of this new architecture is Starmesh, Spacecoin’s Virtual Satellite Network (VSN), which claims it will enable private, censorship-resistant browsing by routing data across both orbital and terrestrial nodes without requiring a central provider. Starmesh is currently in development, with early functionality expected to be tested over the “coming months“.

In the coming months, Spacecoin will also conduct ground demonstrations and expand partnerships with regional and institutional stakeholders across Africa and Asia, who are exploring decentralised satellite technologies to connect rural and hard-to-reach regions more efficiently than traditional infrastructure. But the longer-term goal is to expand that reach across the world.

UPDATE:

ISPreview has since spoken to Spacecoin about the new network’s capabilities. At present, they claim it’s still “too early” to give accurate numbers for network speeds and capacity, although they’re targeting SMS, messenger apps, calls, internet browsing, crypto transactions, and IoT over data as the primary starting point. This is a lifeline solution for areas without internet access, so the focus is bringing these basic necessities online.

The new network also won’t be able to connect with unmodified Smartphone’s like the systems that Starlink (Direct to Cell) and AST SpaceMobile have built, although we’re told this is mainly due to spectrum regulatory limitations rather than technical ones.

The satellites themselves do pass over Europe, although coverage in that area will depend upon whether the operator can secure landing rights. Finally, the company says at least 60 satellites are needed for it to achieve global coverage, but “many thousands would be required for decent capacity“. The aim is thus to put Spacecoin’s software into other satellites too, so they’re not the sole owner/operator.

UPDATE 7:22pm

Unfortunately, SpaceX have had to scrub the launch. The next attempt will be on Friday 28th November.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Strategic Advisor for fibre supplier Altnets and Chair of the UK Internet Service Provider’s Association (ISPA), Steve Leighton, has made a number of recommendations on how he believes the broadband sector can address one of its “most pressing challenges” – low adoption of full-fibre services despite expanding network coverage.

At present around 88% of UK premises can already access a gigabit-capable broadband network or 78% when only looking at Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology (here). Ofcom separately forecasts that gigabit coverage could rise to somewhere between 91% and 97% of homes by January 2028 (here).

Network coverage is thus one of the most common and familiar measures when assessing progress, but in a market under so much economic strain (e.g. rising build costs and high interest rates) – and filled with so many competitive network operators (i.e. overbuild this means splitting customers between several competing networks) – it’s also very important to understand the impact of customer take-up.

The challenge was recently underlined by a new report from Enders Analysis (here), which reported that the average FTTP network penetration rate across the industry now stood at about 15% (up slightly from 12% in 2023). Some providers are doing much better on this front than others, but take-up is clearly still a weak area for many providers.

Steve’s view is that some of the core problem areas stem from the issues of public understanding and perception. Part of this, says Steve, stems from a long history of confusing advertising (i.e. describing “part-fibre” services like FTTC as “fibre broadband“, which then makes it harder to sell true “full fibre” because consumers think they already have it). The other part is the issue of brand reputation.

Steve Leighton said:

“A reluctance to move to a provider customers don’t feel familiar with continues to limit take-up across multiple altnets. Adoption is being hindered by worries over service dependability as well as low exposure and mistrust of challenger businesses. Smaller operators need to demonstrate the reliability of their networks and the legitimacy of their brand in a market still dominated by long-standing incumbents.”

Steve goes on to state his view that the benefits of full fibre are also not being felt equally: “Exclusion still exists on a large scale and can be broken down into three categories: economic, where households are unable to pay for the connectivity they need; geographic, where availability is limited by remoteness and the accompanying lack of infrastructure; and educational, where there is a lack of knowledge about options or technology.”

The issue of consolidation also crops up, with Steve pointing out that this helps by delivering the “scale needed to boost operations and attract investment“, although he warns that its advantages may not become apparent “unless it enhances rather than detracts from the customer experience … Any decline in service quality during or after consolidation poses the danger of undercutting the sector’s hard-won momentum, slowing adoption, and damaging credibility.”

Finally, Steve makes a series of recommendations, which can be summed up as follows.

The Recommendations

1. Modify the industry’s marketing strategy to ensure communications are clear, accessible and centred on what full fibre legitimately offers rather than just what it is. “This entails emphasising the practical advantages, such as improved tools for businesses, stronger communities, faster connectivity, and a more competitive UK economy. On the other hand, using semi-technical terminology and headline speeds simply turns off customers“.

2. Introduce a strong national education campaign to “guarantee” that every community is aware of and able to utilise the advantages of next-generation connectivity.

3. Move beyond isolated local [skills training] programmes, replacing them with a strategy that “guarantees everyone has access to meaningful and continuous digital training“, regardless of circumstance. [Some] 10.2 million UK adults, roughly 20% of the population, are unable to complete all eight basic “Foundation” digital tasks, such as logging into a device, according to the House of Lords Communications & Digital Committee.

4. Economic exclusion is a significant obstacle, with 1.9 million households struggling to afford broadband. For individuals in need, social tariffs offer some help, but affordability goes beyond monthly expenses. “Without the technology needed to use it, having access to the internet is useless, and many families are still unable to engage in the digital world fully.”

While regional and siloed initiatives exist to address this, Steve suggests there is a “strong case for a coordinated national approach that ensures equitable access to both connectivity and the tools needed to make use of it“.

Steve makes plenty of fair and valid points above, although as always the challenge stems from converting such views into practical actions. At the same time, we’d disagree that using “headline speeds” turns off customers, since it’s one of the few practical ways in which the performance differences can be clearly and simply communicated to consumers.

We’d also add that today’s market is an incredibly confusing mix of multiple different networks, with different levels of coverage and ISPs that sell packages across those many different networks, often with different price points and features for each one. Consolidation thus isn’t just about the core business case, it will also hopefully bring some much-needed simplification to an already terribly confusing market. But that may take a few years.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Alternative broadband operator and UK ISP Connect Fibre, which has been rolling out their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) network across the East of England, have today become the latest internet provider to make Netgem TV‘s new PLEIO IPTV set-top-box and streaming service available via their TV bundles. The new kit is both more powerful and supports the new Freely live TV streaming service.

As with the prior announcement from Brsk, this news won’t come as much of a surprise because Netgem TV already revealed that Connect Fibre would be one of the first ISPs to adopt PLEIO as part of last week’s launch (here). But at the time, the ISP hadn’t yet made the new hardware and service available to their customers, which changes today.

Connect Fibre TV, powered by Netgem PLEIO, will be available for £10 per month – and included within a range of value-packed broadband bundles. Alternatively, anybody can buy PLEIO at retail via Amazon for £99, but this doesn’t include their optional service subscription for premium channels and games (an extra £9.99 monthly if you buy the hardware at retail). The catch is that, due to high demand, the new box is currently out of stock via Amazon.

Stefan Stanislawski, CEO of Connect Fibre, said:

“We’re thrilled to join forces with Netgem to offer PLEIO and deliver a complete ‘all things streaming’ promise to our Fibre Broadband customers. We are particularly excited to offer for the first time access to all broadcasters channels alongside streaming apps to the younger segments that also enjoy watching our great British shows on national television, live or catch-up. Connect Fibre TV means complete entertainment, and with our ultrafast Fibre Broadband coupled with our recently launched Wi-Fi 7 routers, our customers can enjoy the best entertainment experience for a fraction of the price of the main Pay-TV providers.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Customers of broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2), specifically those who also take a Pay TV service via one of their TV 360, Stream or v6 Box platforms, have today been told that they can enjoy a range of family favourite films in Ultra High Definition (UHD) at no extra cost through December 2025.

The move means that customers can access channels 175 and 999 (aka – Virgin TV Ultra HD) for an entire month, which will showcase family films every afternoon, as well as a variety of documentaries from 8pm and prime time films from 9pm daily. Some example content includes Hook, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Hacksaw Ridge, Billy and Dom Eat the World and many more.

In addition, to help customers get into the spirit of the season, Virgin Media are also offering a dedicated channel – Great! Christmas (Chn 424) – to watch festive films, available until 6th January 2026.

David Bouchier, Chief TV and Entertainment Officer at VMO2, said:

“For so many of our customers this time of the year is all about coming together and spending quality time with loved ones. So, Virgin TV is gifting them the opportunity to unwind and watch their favourite films and shows together in UHD, at no extra cost this festive season.”

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Openreach plans to shut down 80% of its UK exchanges, saying it will only need 1,000 ‘super digital exchanges’ to serve the entirety of the UK

Openreach has exited the Deddington Exchange in Oxfordshire, making it the first of 4,600 exchanges across the UK to be fully de-commissioned as part of a nationwide shift from copper networks to digital full fibre infrastructure.

Deddington also becomes the first UK location to see the closure of BT’s copper based public switched telephone network (PSTN) – which uses copper wires to carry analogue voice signals, with end customers all upgraded to digital full fibre.

The rural exchange is the first of three pilot exchanges (the others being Ballyclare in Northern Ireland, and Kenton Rd in London) that are due to close by the end of November.^[1]

The three exchanges are part of Openreach’s long-term plan to exit 4,600 exchanges. These are currently used to support traditional copper-based phone and broadband voice services and will no longer be required once customers have migrated to fibre. In addition to the three pilot exchanges, Openreach plans to exit a further 105 ‘priority exchanges’ by December 2030.

New digital networks use fibre cables and software-based switches. They need far less physical space than traditional copper-based analogue systems, which require large exchanges to house bulky switches and miles of copper wiring.

The move to digital will mean that Openreach needs just 1,000 ‘super digital exchanges’ – also called Openreach Handover Points (OHPs) – to serve the whole of the UK. On average each OHP replaces 4-5 traditional exchanges. Some OHPs may replace ten or more exchanges – especially in urban areas with high full fibre penetration.

In Deddington, around 1,800 copper lines providing connectivity to local homes and businesses, have now been upgraded to full fibre, with those new digital lines now served and managed by nearby Banbury Exchange – one of Openreach’s new ‘super digital exchanges.’

Closing an exchange and migrating affected customers is a highly complex process, which typically takes around 4-7 years – depending on the size and complexity of each exchange. Openreach announced plans to exit Deddington in 2020, allowing Communication Providers (CPs) to assess legacy equipment and to start notifying customers.

The physical migration of all customer services out of the Deddington exchange took around 26 months, starting with the halting of the sale of traditional copper-based Wholesale Line Rental (WLR)^[2] products and services, in September 2023. Openreach worked closely with CPs to overcome the challenges of identifying lines serving Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) – helping to upgrade everything from traffic light control systems, payment terminals, lift emergency lines, as well as working to safely migrate vulnerable customers and ensuring telecare and telehealth devices work over new digital lines.

James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said: “Closing thousands of ‘legacy’ exchanges is a major undertaking, with several million services needing to be migrated. Deddington has served as a proof of concept, demonstrating our ability to decommission legacy exchanges safely, securely, and collaboratively.

“Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody. CPs will be able to serve their customers from fewer exchanges, helping to save costs through consolidation of equipment and reduced space and power requirements. And millions of end users will benefit from more reliable and faster fibre-based services – that will be scalable for decades without needing major upgrades.

“It’s not just about switching off old kit—it’s about building a future-proofed, simpler network for the UK.”

With the switching off of legacy services in Deddington now complete, Openreach will continue to work with CPs to remove physical equipment over the next few months to ultimately vacate the building. Teams will assess and re-purpose selected assets, either for use as critical spares across the network or for resale, contributing to sustainability and cost-efficiency.

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Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has today confirmed that the first of their pilot programme of old exchange closures – Deddington (pictured) – has finally shut its doors and slightly ahead of schedule. The move also means that Deddington is the first UK location to see the closure of BT’s copper based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

Just to recap. The operator currently has c.5,600 UK exchanges, but only c.1,000 of these are needed to provide nationwide coverage of modern “fibre broadband” based services (FTTC, FTTP etc.) – the Openreach Handover Points (OHPs) or “Super Digital Exchanges“. However, the rollout of full fibre (FTTP) technology, combined with the retirement of copper lines and legacy services (ADSL, WLR etc.), will soon make it economically unviable to support both the old and new exchanges.

The operator has thus long since developed a gradual plan for closing the other 4,600 exchanges – known as the Exchange Exit Programme, which starts with an initial pilot of 3 exchanges and then extends to a closure of 105 “priority exchanges” by 2030 (i.e. taking place in four phases over the next 5 years), with the rest then following through the early 2030s.

Deddington is the first pilot exchange to close and also one of the network operator’s smallest – originally serving just 1,800 copper lines. The exchange was officially due to close on 28th November 2025, but it’s managed to achieve that a little ahead of schedule. The local area has now been upgraded to full fibre, with those new digital lines now served and managed by the nearby Banbury Exchange (OHP).

After this come the much larger Ballyclare in N.Ireland (9,500 premises) and Kenton Road in London (9,500 premises) exchanges, which were due to reach the same point just a few days later (aka – Network Cease Date). But as we reported over the weekend, the next two may take a bit longer to completely vacate due to problems with there still being too many active lines / customers (here).

Inside the Deddington Exchange

Closing an exchange and migrating affected customers is a slow and extremely complex process, which typically takes around 4-7 years (depending upon the complexity of each exchange) – starting with a Stop Sell of old products and eventually ending with everything being switched off (only after this do Openreach and ISPs remove their physical kit – usually taking a few months post-closure).

The physical migration of all customer services out of the small Deddington exchange took around 26 months, starting with the halting of the sale of traditional copper-based Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) products and services, in September 2023.

Openreach had to work closely with retail providers to overcome the challenges of identifying lines serving Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) – helping to upgrade everything from traffic light control systems, payment terminals, lift emergency lines, as well as working to safely migrate vulnerable customers and ensuring telecare and telehealth devices work over new digital lines.

James Lilley, Openreach’s Managed Customer Migrations Director, said:

“Closing thousands of ‘legacy’ exchanges is a major undertaking, with several million services needing to be migrated. Deddington has served as a proof of concept, demonstrating our ability to decommission legacy exchanges safely, securely, and collaboratively.

Moving to this new digital world will ultimately benefit everybody. CPs will be able to serve their customers from fewer exchanges, helping to save costs through consolidation of equipment and reduced space and power requirements. And millions of end users will benefit from more reliable and faster fibre-based services – that will be scalable for decades without needing major upgrades.

It’s not just about switching off old kit—it’s about building a future-proofed, simpler network for the UK.”

As previously reported (here), Openreach has already announced that they will start work on the next batch of 12 exchange closures in April 2026. In theory, all of these sites should then reach their Network Closure point by April 2028 and be completely closed by September 2028. 

The next 12 exchanges are:

• Staines
• Thames Ditton
• Baynard
• Wraysbury
• Nazeing
• Langford
• Allestree Park
• Beacon
• Childwall
• Lundin Links
• Carrickfergus
• Glengormley

You can see details on all of the operator’s planned exchange closures via their Excel sheet – here.