Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

The vehicle will target startups across North America, Asia, and Europe to accelerate the commercial ecosystem for all-photonics networks

Japan’s largest telco, NTT, is preparing to create an investment fund worth roughly $500 million to support the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) initiative and related AI development, according to reports from Yomiuri Shimbun.

South Korea’s SK Group, Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom, and the Development Bank of Japan are reportedly partners in the ‘IOWN AI Fund’.

More than 10 additional Japanese corporations – spanning tech giants like Toshiba, Sony, and Fujitsu, alongside major financial institutions including MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho – have also expressed intent to participate.

The ‘IOWN AI Fund’, which will be set up by the end of the month, aims to expand IOWN’s growing ecosystem and the AI infrastructure supporting it. This will be achieved by targeting tech startups across North America, Asia, and Europe, focusing on photoelectric fusion, AI semiconductors, and the development of next-generation, IOWN-native AI models.

The concept of IOWN was introduced by NTT in 2019, with the central premise of shifting telco network topology from electronics to photonics (i.e., data transmission via light rather than electricity).

Currently, typical backbone networks carry optical signals over fibre but are forced to convert these photonic signals into electrical signals for processing. IOWN envisions an end-to-end optical network that would remove this translational bottleneck, delivering major benefits like lower power consumption, higher speeds, and larger capacity.

As generative AI data centres place unprecedented strain on global energy grids, it should be no surprise that the IOWN initiative is gaining momentum.

Indeed, IOWN is already beginning to show signs of moving from technical R&D to commercial scaling. In 2024 deployment by NTT and Chunghwa Telecom successfully activated a 3,000km subsea IOWN link between Japan and Taiwan, achieving a one-way latency of just 17 milliseconds.

By leveraging a formidable cross-border alliance of East Asian telecom, semiconductor, and financial giants, the IOWN AI fund is betting all-photonic network architecture will be a major alternative to traditional network strategy in the not-so-distant future.

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

Also in the news
TELUS and L-SPARK give Canadian startups access to AI supercomputer
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VMO2 taps Suffolk solar farm for 10 years of clean energy

The post NTT preparing $500m fund to boost IOWN AI initiative appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Designed to support rapidly growing Nordic data traffic and rising international demand for secure, high-quality connectivity routes, the 630-kilometre cable system Verena is scheduled to be Ready for Service (RFS) in the fourth quarter of 2028.

The commencement of marine survey activities marks the transition from planning into delivery and represents a critical step in delivering a resilient and future-ready subsea cable system.

Survey activities will take place across summer 2026, enabling the programme to take advantage of the more favourable seasonal weather conditions. 

Marine survey operations are essential to the successful design and installation of submarine infrastructure. Through advanced offshore data acquisition and seabed analysis, the survey provides the detailed understanding required to optimise cable routing and reduce delivery risk.

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

Espen Vestli, Chief Operating Officer, Midgard Infra

Survey data collected will enable the project team to:

• Identify the safest and most resilient route alignment.
• Understand seabed conditions and burial requirements to maximise long-term system protection.
• Safely manage interactions with existing offshore infrastructure including telecommunications cables, power assets and pipelines.
• Support environmental and regulatory approvals.
• Improve installation efficiency and reduce intervention requirements over the operational life of the system.

Delivery of the Verena programme is being led end-to-end by JTD Associates, whose programme leadership and delivery expertise continue to provide the governance, coordination and execution capability, instrumental to enabling this milestone and maintaining momentum toward service readiness in 2028.

“In subsea delivery, good decisions come from good data. The marine survey is our opportunity to learn everything we can about the route before we put a cable anywhere near the seabed.”

Diane Hill, Chief Delivery Officer, JTD Associates

Survey activities are being delivered in partnership with Pelagian Ltd acting as Engineering Consultants, and XOCEAN, utilising their fleet of advanced Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) to conduct offshore data acquisition. The use of USVs supports a more sustainable approach to offshore data acquisition through lower fuel consumption, reduced emissions and simplified offshore logistics compared with traditional survey operations.

The approach aligns with Midgard Infra’s commitment to delivering resilient digital infrastructure while supporting broader sustainability objectives.

“Verena is exactly the type of forward-looking infrastructure project that benefits from modern survey technology. Our USVs enable safe, efficient and environmentally responsible data collection, and we are proud to be supporting Midgard Infra and its partners as they take this important step towards delivering a major new North Sea connectivity asset.”

James Ives, Chief Executive Officer, XOCEAN

About Midgard Infra
Midgard Infra provides international connectivity and high-speed data services across the Nordics and Europe. The company operates the NO-UK subsea cable between Norway and the UK and the Skagen Fiber West cable between Norway and Denmark, supported by an extensive terrestrial network. Midgard Infra is also developing Verena, a new high-capacity subsea cable system between the UK and Denmark designed to strengthen digital resilience and meet the growing demands of hyperscalers and data-driven industries.

Co-owned by Lyse and HitecVision, Midgard Infra connects major data centre hubs across Northern Europe—including Hamburg, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, and Dublin—along with high-speed connectivity to the Americas via the Havfrue (AEC-2) trans-Atlantic cable. The network also includes one of the largest metro fibre systems in Oslo, providing robust and scalable infrastructure for global carriers, cloud providers, and enterprises.

About XOCEAN

XOCEAN is a global ocean data delivery partner, providing full scope geophysical, geotechnical and environmental data to support offshore developments and operations. By using a more efficient operating model, XOCEAN enables faster delivery, greater flexibility and more predictable outcomes than traditional survey methods.

The company transforms ocean data delivery through a digitally integrated operating platform that connects data acquisition, remote operations and processing into a single, scalable system. This allows data to be delivered quickly and consistently across a wide range of offshore environments.

Operating across more than 20 international markets, XOCEAN supports leading offshore operators and infrastructure developers. XOCEAN delivers high quality ocean data across offshore wind, subsea cable infrastructure and telecoms, supporting critical offshore decisions across the full lifecycle of offshore assets.

The post Marine Survey Begins for Verena UK–Denmark Subsea Fibre System appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Designed to support rapidly growing Nordic data traffic and rising international demand for secure, high-quality connectivity routes, the 630-kilometre cable system Verena is scheduled to be Ready for Service (RFS) in the fourth quarter of 2028.

The commencement of marine survey activities marks the transition from planning into delivery and represents a critical step in delivering a resilient and future-ready subsea cable system.

Survey activities will take place across summer 2026, enabling the programme to take advantage of the more favourable seasonal weather conditions. 

Marine survey operations are essential to the successful design and installation of submarine infrastructure. Through advanced offshore data acquisition and seabed analysis, the survey provides the detailed understanding required to optimise cable routing and reduce delivery risk.

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

Espen Vestli, Chief Operating Officer, Midgard Infra

Survey data collected will enable the project team to:

• Identify the safest and most resilient route alignment.
• Understand seabed conditions and burial requirements to maximise long-term system protection.
• Safely manage interactions with existing offshore infrastructure including telecommunications cables, power assets and pipelines.
• Support environmental and regulatory approvals.
• Improve installation efficiency and reduce intervention requirements over the operational life of the system.

Delivery of the Verena programme is being led end-to-end by JTD Associates, whose programme leadership and delivery expertise continue to provide the governance, coordination and execution capability, instrumental to enabling this milestone and maintaining momentum toward service readiness in 2028.

“In subsea delivery, good decisions come from good data. The marine survey is our opportunity to learn everything we can about the route before we put a cable anywhere near the seabed.”

Diane Hill, Chief Delivery Officer, JTD Associates

Survey activities are being delivered in partnership with Pelagian Ltd acting as Engineering Consultants, and XOCEAN, utilising their fleet of advanced Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) to conduct offshore data acquisition. The use of USVs supports a more sustainable approach to offshore data acquisition through lower fuel consumption, reduced emissions and simplified offshore logistics compared with traditional survey operations.

The approach aligns with Midgard Infra’s commitment to delivering resilient digital infrastructure while supporting broader sustainability objectives.

“Verena is exactly the type of forward-looking infrastructure project that benefits from modern survey technology. Our USVs enable safe, efficient and environmentally responsible data collection, and we are proud to be supporting Midgard Infra and its partners as they take this important step towards delivering a major new North Sea connectivity asset.”

James Ives, Chief Executive Officer, XOCEAN

About Midgard Infra
Midgard Infra provides international connectivity and high-speed data services across the Nordics and Europe. The company operates the NO-UK subsea cable between Norway and the UK and the Skagen Fiber West cable between Norway and Denmark, supported by an extensive terrestrial network. Midgard Infra is also developing Verena, a new high-capacity subsea cable system between the UK and Denmark designed to strengthen digital resilience and meet the growing demands of hyperscalers and data-driven industries.

Co-owned by Lyse and HitecVision, Midgard Infra connects major data centre hubs across Northern Europe—including Hamburg, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, and Dublin—along with high-speed connectivity to the Americas via the Havfrue (AEC-2) trans-Atlantic cable. The network also includes one of the largest metro fibre systems in Oslo, providing robust and scalable infrastructure for global carriers, cloud providers, and enterprises.

About XOCEAN

XOCEAN is a global ocean data delivery partner, providing full scope geophysical, geotechnical and environmental data to support offshore developments and operations. By using a more efficient operating model, XOCEAN enables faster delivery, greater flexibility and more predictable outcomes than traditional survey methods.

The company transforms ocean data delivery through a digitally integrated operating platform that connects data acquisition, remote operations and processing into a single, scalable system. This allows data to be delivered quickly and consistently across a wide range of offshore environments.

Operating across more than 20 international markets, XOCEAN supports leading offshore operators and infrastructure developers. XOCEAN delivers high quality ocean data across offshore wind, subsea cable infrastructure and telecoms, supporting critical offshore decisions across the full lifecycle of offshore assets.

The post Marine Survey Begins for Verena UK–Denmark Subsea Fibre System appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

PHOENIX (June 4, 2026) — Sparklight® has invested nearly $1 billion over the past three years to expand and enhance its fiber-rich network across its 24-state footprint, helping deliver faster connectivity and greater capacity for residential and business customers and critical community services.

As part of its continued network evolution, Sparklight has expanded fiber deeper into its service areas to build a future-ready network that supports long-term growth and economic development. With a fiber-rich network spanning more than 31,000 route miles, Sparklight’s investments help create the infrastructure needed to support emerging technologies, increasing digital demands and the evolving connectivity needs of homes and businesses.

Gigabit internet service is now available across all Sparklight markets, and Multi-Gig speeds are available in more than half its service areas. The company also continues advancing its long-term 10G technology roadmap to support the next generation of connected experiences.

Together, these investments and services help deliver:

• Faster speeds for streaming, gaming and video conferencing
• Optimal performance across multiple connected devices
• Reliable connectivity for remote work, online learning and business operations
• Scalable connectivity solutions for businesses of all sizes

“Reliable connectivity is essential for how people work, learn, get entertained and stay connected every day,” said Jim Holanda, CEO of Cable One, Sparklight’s parent company. “Our investments help ensure families and businesses across the communities we serve have access to the fast, dependable connectivity they need today, while continuing to strengthen network performance and reliability for the future.”

Sparklight’s investments also support the company’s suite of connectivity products and services, including:

• Intelligent whole-home Wi-Fi powered by eero Wi-Fi 7 technology
• Sparklight Mobile, a no-contract wireless service with 5G nationwide coverage and unlimited talk and text starting at $15/month when bundled with Sparklight home internet
• Tech Assist, a U.S.-based support and protection service for connected home devices, smart TVs, gaming systems and more

To learn more about Sparklight’s residential and business services, visit www.sparklight.com and business.sparklight.com or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and X. 

###

The post Sparklight Invests Nearly $1 Billion to Enhance Connectivity Across Its Footprint appeared first on Total Telecom.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Retail ISP Brillband has announced that, from 1st July 2026, consumers will finally be able to order broadband packages over the full fibre network built by parent company AllPoints Fibre Networks (APFN), which reflects the former (pre-consolidation) brands of Jurassic Fibre, Giganet and Swish Fibre. But there’s a catch for the provider’s Openreach and CityFibre base.

Just to recap. The three gigabit-speed alternative networks were all consolidated under the control of APFN’s wholesale platform, while their associated (existing) retail customers ended up being sent to UK ISP Cuckoo, which did form part of the same group (much like Brillband) until Onestream picked up the customer base last month (here). Take note that APFN also supplies wholesale access via various other networks too (off-net) using their Aquila platform.

However, despite APFN via Fern Trading having sunk hundreds of millions of pounds into building their own FTTP broadband network, APFN have been preventing new customers from actually being able to sign up to it for some time, which created a few awkward problems (example). Not to mention the negative impact upon revenue generation from leaving a built network asset to languish.

Despite the problems, APFN did indicate, as part of their recent Cuckoo sale, that they still intended to bring their own Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network back into service. The good news today is that this is finally about to happen at the start of next month. Homes on this footprint will be able to choose Brillband from 1st July 2026 for their 900Mbps full fibre broadband service.

The catch is that Brillband intends to make a “strategic shift” as part of this announcement, which will see them focusing “exclusively” on the APFN network, while “pausing new customer sales on Openreach and CityFibre infrastructure“.

Duncan Di Biase, CEO and Founder of Brillband, said:

“We’re delighted to begin offering services across the AllPoints Fibre network.

The UK broadband market has become increasingly distorted by below-cost pricing from some of the largest providers. While this may appear attractive in the short term, it creates an unsustainable environment for challenger ISPs and alternative network operators that are working hard to bring competition and innovation to the sector.

Rather than chasing market share at any cost, we’ve taken the decision to focus on areas where we can continue to provide excellent service, fair pricing and a sustainable business model. The AllPoints Fibre network gives us the opportunity to do exactly that.”

A number of trial customers are already using Brillband’s new APFN network and others can sign-up for the waitlist, which will enable new customers to take their 900Mbps package for just £25 per month. Brillband said they would also continue to offer “no mid contract price hikes” and a Wi-Fi 7 router as standard to all new customers. Obviously, you’ll need to be living within an area covered by the Jurassic Fibre, Giganet and Swish Fibre footprint in order to benefit.

The move will of course cause some concern among Brillband’s existing base of CityFibre and Openreach broadband customers, which may be left to wonder whether or when they might be sold off to another ISP. Fern Trading backed providers have developed quite a reputation for customer migrations.

On the bright side, it’s good to see that those living in an APFN covered (on-net) area will finally be able to harness the network again.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Internet connection benchmarking firm Ookla (Accenture), which operates the popular broadband and mobile Speedtest.net service and app, has published a general summary of WiFi technology adoption across the world that reveals how the UK has a fairly strong level of Wi-Fi 6 and 7 adoption vs most of Europe.

On these pages we often talk about service speeds from fixed broadband connections. But it remains important to understand that most of the devices we actually connect to such services these days will usually do so via a wireless link to our router, which is often much more variable in its performance than the fixed line component.

Suffice to say that the prevalence of different Wi-Fi standards between devices can have a significant impact upon the broadband performance we perceive at home, with older standards tending to be slower than newer ones. The latest Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 standards can also harness the 6GHz band (big speed boost nearer to your router), as well as being better at functioning in environments that are highly congested by other Wi-Fi networks.

In that sense it’s good to see the latest Wi-Fi data from Ookla, which appears to show that people in the UK have a “relatively” high level of Wi-Fi 6 / 802.11ax (43.4% share) adoption across Europe, with the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) holding 3.8%. But some 14.1% still use old Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) technology and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) remains strong at 38.7%.

Ookla Statement

Europe has largely moved in the same direction in allocating the lower portion of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, with some markets following hot on the heels of the U.S. allocation of the entire band in 2020. Within the European Union, this was driven by a regionwide harmonization measure, with the European Commission issuing a binding Implementing Decision in 2021 requiring Member States to update their national spectrum plans to accommodate WAS/RLAN use in the lower portion of the band, specifically 5945–6425 MHz, by year-end.

The UK moved separately and slightly earlier, with Ofcom making the lower 6 GHz band available in 2020, and uses the marginally wider 5925–6425 MHz range. Other non-EU European countries are generally pulled toward the same lower-band framework through CEPT/ECC harmonization, although implementation remains a national matter rather than an EU legal obligation.

The upper half, 6425–7125 MHz, remains the live policy battleground, with mobile operators pushing for it to support 5G and future 6G networks, while the Wi-Fi industry continues to argue for broader unlicensed access closer to the U.S. and Canadian model. The UK has moved toward a more explicit sharing model, while the EU process remains more cautious, with recent policy direction pointing toward mobile priority for much of the upper band rather than a full-band Wi-Fi allocation. Despite this relatively early move to 6 GHz, Europe’s adoption of the 6 GHz spectrum trails North America. According to Speedtest data, as of Q1 2026 just 1.6% of the 6 GHz spectrum band in the EU is being used for Wi-Fi. The majority of Wi-Fi usage (66%) in the EU is being handled by the 5 GHz band and that is an increase from 45.7% in Q1 2022.

At the country level, France has the highest percentage of Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz band compared to other EU countries, with 8.6% of Wi-Fi usage as of Q1 2026, followed by Norway with 6.5%. Some European countries, like Spain, which feature among the highest levels of fibre coverage in the world, exhibit notably lower usage of the 6 GHz band (reflecting the focus on price competition, like in Italy, rather than CPE differentiation and in-home experience, in contrast to the “box war” in markets like France).

We should point out that most people will have a patchwork network of devices that will mix different Wi-Fi generations and capabilities, but obviously the most important ones for performance are your main broadband router and the devices you use to get online for daily tasks and entertainment (Computer, Smartphone etc.).

Overall, the global speedtest data shows Wi-Fi 7 emerging with just a 1.8% share of samples in Q1 2026, but that will change over time. For example, Wi-Fi 6 has risen – globally – from just 6% in Q1 2022 to 27% in Q1 2026, while there has been a gradual decline of older Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 4 generations, which fell to 39% and 34% respectively.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Mobile and internet provider giffgaff has this morning announced the launch of a new special offer on their 24-month fixed full fibre broadband plans (available via nexfibre’s network), which will give new customers any of their 200Mbps to 900Mbps speed packages at just £5 per month for the first six months of service.

The packages typically return to their normal prices thereafter (e.g. 200Mbps is £25 per month, 500Mbps is £28 and 900Mbps is £32). All packages include unlimited usage, free setup, an included wireless router (eero 6+) and a pledge of “no mid-term price rises” (discount period not withstanding).

The limited time ‘Full Fibre For a Fiver‘ promotion is available from now until 28th August 2026. Once the six months at £5 offer ends, there’s also the flexibility for members to change their broadband speed up or down each month should they wish, to help manage their bills. So you could sign up to 900Mbps with the £5 offer and then downgrade to 200Mbps after six months to get the most value.

Kate Dohaney, giffgaff CEO, said: “At a time when prices notoriously inflate for the summer months and costs rack up, we’re offering greater value to our members with broadband for just £5 a month and no price hikes to our members’ contracts for the remainder of their term. This reflects our commitment to fairness, ensuring people have clarity and confidence over their bills.”

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

One of ISPreview’s eagle-eyed readers recently spotted that mobile network operator O2 (Virgin Media) had uploaded an interesting new page on their website, which doesn’t appear to have been meant for public consumption and depicted three new full fibre (FTTP) broadband packages under the ‘O2 Broadband’ branding.

Seasoned industry observers will recall that O2 previously ran their own fixed broadband ISP, which reflected what they acquired from BE Unlimited some years earlier in 2006. But all that changed in March 2013 after Sky (Sky Broadband) agreed to buy their fixed broadband and phone business for upwards of £180m (here). At the time of the sale O2 had about 560,000 customers, which was down from a peak of 671,000 in 2010.

The situation changed again in May 2020 after Liberty Global (Virgin Media) and Telefonica (O2) reached a complementary 50-50 joint venture deal to merge their respective fixed broadband and mobile network businesses in the United Kingdom (here). The merger ultimately resulted in both providers working to offer a new range of mobile and broadband bundles (Volt packages), but O2 opted not to resell its own broadband packages.

Fast-forward to last week and one of ISPreview’s readers (credits to Chris) accidentally spotted an interesting addition hidden within O2’s website (o2.co.uk/shop/o2-broadband), which made mention of an O2 Broadband service offering three full fibre packages – Classic 500 Full Fibre (£10 per month), Plus 1000 Full Fibre (£15) and Ultimate 2000 Full Fibre (£20). All on a short 12-month minimum contract term and applying O2’s latest pricing policies.

The section appeared to be a temporary holding page, not least because the “Choose this package” option and other parts didn’t function, while the proposed pricing looked unrealistic – or perhaps indicative of a trial product. The packages were not a million miles from the sort of trial pricing that giffgaff used before they fully launched their own Full Fibre packages using the VMO2 built nexfibre network last year.

At this point it’s hard to imagine O2 setting up a page as specific as this unless they actually had an ambition to launch such products, although the web page promptly vanished as soon as ISPreview queried it (they’re now redirecting it back to the VMO2 Volt package info. page). As you’d expect, the official line from VMO2 is carefully crafted to avoid either confirming or denying that they might have plans to launch such products in the future.

A spokesperson for VMO2 told ISPreview:

“The page you’ve seen doesn’t reflect a commercial proposition, we regularly test and explore new products and features as part of ongoing development work.

We’ll keep you updated if we have anything to share.”

The move to launch such products, if it ever does come to pass, would of course reflect somewhat of a strategic shift in how VMO2 positions its branding and products. Such a change would also raise questions over how the existing Volt bundles between Virgin Media and O2 might be handled going forward, as well as perhaps causing some speculation over the future position of both brands more generally.

Regular readers will recall that Telefonica’s strategic review appeared to cause quite a bit of upheaval last year (here, here and here), although the recent move by nexfibre to acquire Netomnia for £2bn (here) appeared to indicate that the shared parentage was still firmly committed to working closely together. Time will tell.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

The Scottish Government (SG) has this morning announced that they’ve just passed the 100,000 premises milestone – reflecting those who have benefitted from their publicly subsidised £697m Reaching 100% (R100) project with Openreach, which is rolling out gigabit speed full fibre (FTTP) broadband to remote rural areas.

Starting with a recap. The R100 scheme is contracted to reach a total of 112,939 premises by March 2028 – split across three contracts – in areas that lack access to “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+). The most challenging LOT 1 (North Scotland and the Highlands) area is expected to cover around 61,000 premises by 2027/28, while LOT 2 (Central Scotland) was due to reach 32,000 by 2023/24 and LOT 3 (South Scotland) targeted 22,000 by 2024/25 – the latter two have largely already been achieved.

Just for some wider context. Back in January 2026 some 84% of premises in Scotland could access a gigabit-capable (1Gbps download) broadband ISP network and this falls to 75% when only looking at FTTP technology (here). Ofcom currently predicts (here) that Scotland’s full fibre (FTTP) coverage could reach up to 91% by January 2029, then rising up to 93% for gigabit-capable broadband (FTTP + Hybrid Fibre Coax / cable).

The latest announcement confirms that the R100 programme has now passed the milestone of 100,000 premises, although the actual figure from the subsidised contracts with Openreach is 97,491. The SG have thus reached the new mark by including the figure of 6,239 from premises covered by their complementary R100 voucher scheme (total: 103,730 premises); that’s up from a total of 96,347 premises in January 2026.

The figures below also include a small amount of additional build (aka – overspill), which catches the extra premises that Openreach picks up while working within the same areas on the R100 build (we don’t know how big this is for each area).

Business Minister, Tom Arthur, said:

“Fast, reliable internet is essential for modern life – it supports businesses, enables remote working and helps people access services and stay connected with friends and family. Across Scotland, this investment is already delivering real benefits and transforming lives and livelihoods.

Reaching 100,000 connections is a significant milestone for the R100 programme and our wider investment in Scotland’s digital infrastructure.

We will continue to work with our delivery partners, including Openreach, to maximise the impact of this investment and extend the benefits to more homes and businesses across the country.”

Robert Thorburn, Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, said:

“This is a fantastic milestone for Scotland. Delivering almost all of these connections, our engineers have worked in some of the most challenging locations to bring full fibre to communities that need it most.

It’s about more than infrastructure – it’s about opening up opportunities and helping rural areas thrive for the long term.”

The R100 roll-out is still ongoing, but Openreach (BT) and GoFibre have long since secured several publicly subsidised Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contracts for Scotland (here, here and here), which will extend FTTP to an additional 139,000 premises in remote rural areas (i.e. focusing on the bits that R100 fails to reach) via an additional public subsidy total of around £288m.

You can see the latest progress for most of those mentioned above over here, although GoFibre’s latest contract for North East Scotland doesn’t yet show, which we assume is because they’re currently reaching the end of the pre-build survey phase (first connections are expected to be delivered sometime this summer).

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Shropshire-based independent ISP Aquiss has today joined the small to modest sized group of internet providers able to offer speeds of 1.2Gbps and 1.8Gbps via Openreach’s national Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network, both of which will initially be sold at half price for the first six months of service.

The press announcement for this actually came in at the unusual time of around 8pm on a Friday night, so we’re playing catch-up a bit this morning. But as usual all of their new packages include unlimited usage, a 12-month minimum contract term, free installation, a pledge of no annual mid-contract price rises (excluding the discount offer for new customers), a static IPv4 address and static IPv6 addresses (/56). But new customers will be expected to supply their own broadband router, and you’ll need something beefy to do such tiers justice.

The 1.2Gbps package (average speeds of 1,000Mbps down and 100Mbps up) is currently being priced at £28.50 per month for the first six months of service (£57 thereafter), while 1.8Gbps (average speeds of 1,650Mbps down and 110Mbps up) will set you back £30 for the first 6 months (£60 thereafter). We’re unsure quite why the average advertised upload speed differs slightly between the two as they have the same base 120Mbps profile.

Martin Pitt, Managing Director of Aquiss, said:

“These speeds represent the very finest broadband experience available today. We’ve always believed that families who appreciate quality, reliability and thoughtful service deserve connectivity that matches their refined lifestyle. By being among the first to bring 1.2Gbps and 1.8Gbps packages to the Openreach network, we’re offering our customers an exquisite, future-proof digital foundation they can truly indulge in.”

Aquiss claims to be “among the first” to launch these tiers via Openreach, but in fairness there are quite a few ISPs now able to offer it (e.g. Zen Internet, iDNET, EE, Freeola, Vodafone etc.) and many of those began doing so between 1-2 years ago. Most of those will also bundle an included router.