Openreach Begins Main UK FTTP Broadband Build for Wokingham
Network operator Openreach (BT) has announced that they’ve started to deploy their 1.8Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network across the Berkshire (England) town of Wokingham, although it’s unclear exactly how many premises will benefit, but it is “expected to reach the majority” of local premises. The work, which is only expected to take around 6 months to reach the majority of homes and businesses, forms part of the operator’s wider deployment of full fibre...
Spring Fibre UK File Notice of Intent to Appoint an Administrator
Alternative broadband operator Spring Fibre, which seems to have been in the early stages of rolling out a new 10Gbps capable wholesale full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network since 2021 – starting in Lincolnshire (here), has confirmed to ISPreview that they’ve taken the “difficult decision” to file a Notice of Intention (NoI) to appoint an administrator. Spring Fibre, which was initially backed by Kingsley Capital Partners and telecoms specialist Graphite Strategy, is known to have originally...
Vodafone UK Boost 4G Data on £8 SIM Only Basics Plan to 40GB
Mobile operator Vodafone UK has increased the bundled 4G data allowance (mobile broadband) on their £8 per month SIM Only Basics plan from 30GB (GigaBytes) to 40GB. The operator’s Basics plans also come with unlimited UK minutes and texts on 12-month term. The plans, which Vodafone make quite hard to find on their website (here’s a direct link) – they don’t even display them on their SIM Only deals page, are very simplistic plans that don’t include any support for 5G services (only 4G and...
Virgin Media UK Give Free Access to 14 South Asian TV Channels
Customers of UK broadband ISP Virgin Media (VMO2), specifically those who take their pay TV service (TV 360, Stream Box etc.), may like to know that they’ll be able to get access to 14 premium South Asian TV channels at no extra cost until 8th November 2024 in celebration of Diwali. The channels are normally part of Virgin Media’s Asian Mela bundle, which usually costs £12 per month and offer customers access to the latest South Asian dramas, comedies, reality TV, movies and more – all in HD...
PPF and e& close €2.15 billion deal
News The “extremely complex” deal has been more than a year in the making, say the companies Czech telco group PPF has completed the sale of a 50% plus one share stake in its telecom assets in Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia to Emirati-based telco e&. In doing so, the companies have formed a new joint venture called e& PPF Telecom Group. The deal is valued at €2.15 billion, with a potential earn-out of up to €350 million. The joint venture combines PPF’s telecom...
New UK Broadband Switching System Now Fully in Control, But Some ISPs Not Ready
The new, if still imperfect, One Touch Switching (OTS) system, which is Ofcom’s solution for making it quicker and easier for consumers to switch between broadband ISPs and phone providers, is now fully in control after the old backstop (NoT+) system was decommissioned today. But some issues remain with customer matching and ISP support. Just to remind. Implementation of OTS is being handled by the industry-led One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo), which went live on 12th September 2024 after...
IOH and Mastercard partner on in-vehicle payments
News The deal is another stepping stone in IOH’s “to become an AI TechCo” Mastercard and Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) have launched a new prototype that uses Mastercard’s in-car payment system in combination with IOH’s AI-powered fleet management platform, NEXTFleet. The joint effort aims to reshape urban travel in Indonesia by bringing together payment and mobility technology, the companies said. The solution allows drivers to make payments for tolls, EV charging, fuel, and...
Black Ops 6 Drives Biggest Ever UK Gaming Traffic on EE and BT Network
Consumer broadband ISP, phone, mobile and TV provider EE (BT) has today claimed that this week’s release of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” on PC and consoles has “driven the biggest ever amount of gaming traffic for a game launch” on their network, with the largest spike actually hitting on Monday (21st) due to the start of the preload period. This was the first year that Call of Duty has been made available on Xbox Games Pass Ultimate, and as a result, EE / BT saw a 144% increase in Xbox Live...
Proximus offloads data centres to Datacenter United
News The deal covers Proximus’s three data centres in Evere, Mechelen, and Machelen, all of which are close to the Belgian capital This week, Belgian telco Proximus has announced the sale of its data centre assets to local digital infrastructure player Datacenter United. The sale, worth €128 million, covers Proximus’s three data centres in Evere, Mechelen, and Machelen, with a combined capacity of 11MW. These sites will be added to Datacenter United’s existing footprint of nine data centres...
Over 50 MPs Call on UK Gov to Defend Rural Broadband Funding
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents thousands of landowners (farmers and businesses) across England and Wales, has joined with over 50 MPs to “seek clarity” from the Government over the future of Project Gigabit broadband funding and what proportion of the spend will be going toward rural vs urban areas. The group, which has written an open letter to the new technology secretary, Peter Kyle MP, appears to be responding to recent reports (here) that suggested the...