Ofcom Propose to Make More Wireless Devices Licence Exempt
Ofcom has today launched a new consultation that proposes to exempt lots of additional devices (equipment) from needing a wireless telegraphy licence, such as 5G handsets and dongles on an aircraft or ship and 5.8 GHz (5725-5850 MHz) Fixed Wireless Access kit – used by many wireless broadband ISPs to offer rural connectivity. Under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, the regulator can grant licences for the use of radio frequencies. This is to “ensure spectrum is used efficiently and to prevent...
Openreach List 163 More UK Areas for Copper to FTTP Switch – Tranche 19
Openreach (BT) has released the next January 2025 batch of 163 exchanges (Tranche 19) in their “FTTP Priority Exchange Stop Sell” programme, which reflects areas where over 75% of premises are able to get full fibre lines and will thus stop selling copper based analogue phone and broadband products (i.e. FTTP becomes the only product option). Currently, there are two schemes for moving away from old copper lines and services, which can sometimes cross-over. The first starts with the gradual...
EXA Infrastructure Reaches Agreement to Acquire Aqua Comms
London-registered network operator EXA Infrastructure, which was acquired by investment firm ‘I Squared Capital’ in 2021, has today announced that they’ve signed binding agreements to acquire specialist connectivity services provider Aqua Comms, which operates a number of transatlantic and intra-European subsea infrastructure systems (fibre optic cables). EXA Infrastructure currently operates over 150,000km of digital infrastructure across 37 countries, including 20 cable landing stations that...
ICO Confirms it’s Still Investigating Lyca Mobile UK’s 2023 Data Breach
In a small update, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed to ISPreview that their investigation into the September 2023 cyberattack and data breach of mobile network operator Lyca Mobile (here) is still “ongoing“. But the ICO declined to answer why it was taking so long to reach a conclusion. The original attack, which disrupted Lyca Mobile’s systems and connectivity services across the UK for a period of time, also resulted in hackers being able to access “at least some of...
Some Vodafone UK Broadband Users Struggling to Claim Switching Credit UPDATE
Telecoms provider Vodafone UK has confirmed that they’re “working hard to resolve” a problem that appears to be making it difficult for some of their new home broadband customers to claim the operators offer of up to £100 in “switching credit” for inward migrations. This is offered to those who incur Early Termination Charges (ETCs) when leaving their existing ISP. New customers who believe they may be eligible to claim the Switching Credit, due to having left their previous ISP before the end...
Netomnia Builds UK FTTP Broadband Coverage to 2.08 Million Premises
Alternative network operator Netomnia (inc. Brsk and YouFibre) has today announced that they’ve successfully expanded their 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 2.08 million UK homes and businesses (RFS) on time (up from 1.82m on 30th Sept 2024). Customers have also grown to 238,000 (up from 190k). The altnet is now focusing on reaching their next target on time too, which was set last year during the Brsk merger (here) and aims to expand their full fibre...
UK Still Trails Most of EU with Poor Level of 5G Mobile Availability
New data from Ookla, which operates the popular Speedtest.net internet connection benchmarking service, has revealed that the United Kingdom still places near the bottom of the table in Europe for 5G mobile availability (mobile broadband) on a score of just 42.2% (i.e. the percentage of users with 5G devices spending most of their time connected to 5G networks). By comparison, the Nordic operators have much to celebrate. In Q4 2024, Nordic countries claimed three of the top five positions in...
Ofcom cracks down on mid-contract price rises
News The new rules are designed to make pricing easier for customers to understand Starting today, UK telecom providers must clearly display any future price increases in plain monetary terms at the point of sale, following new regulations introduced by Ofcom. The rules are designed to eliminate confusion around mid-contract price hikes, and help customers make better-informed choices. In the past, telecom companies often linked price rises in their contracts to inflation rates, leaving...
EXA Infrastructure enters into agreement to acquire Aqua Comms
Press Release EXA Infrastructure has announced today that it has signed binding agreements to acquire Aqua Comms – a specialist operator of Transatlantic and intra-European subsea infrastructure. EXA Infrastructure, a London based portfolio company of I Squared Capital – a leading independent global infrastructure investment manager, operates over 150,000km of digital infrastructure across 37 countries, including 20 cable landing stations that provide critical connectivity to subsea systems....
Three UK Provide Brief Progress Update on 3G Mobile Switch Off
Mobile operator Three UK, which was previously aiming to complete the process of switching off their old 3G (mobile broadband) network by the end of 2024 (here), has told ISPreview today that the “vast majority” of their 3G sites were switched off in September 2024. But a “small number” of sites are still live to avoid customers losing service. As part of the process, most mobile operators have generally been compensating for the 3G switch-off in some areas by introducing upgrades to newer 4G...