Government Classifies UK Data Centres as Critical National Infrastructure
The Government’s Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) has today announced that they’ve classed data centres – the buildings which store much of the networking and data generated in the UK – as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). The move affords such sites greater protections, much like energy supply, water supply, transportation, health and telecoms (e.g. broadband and mobile). Sites or networks designated as CNI are those facilities, systems, sites, information,...
Ofcom Launch Easier UK One Touch Broadband ISP Switching
After over 17 months of delays, Ofcom’s new One Touch Switching (OTS) process for fixed line phone and broadband ISPs, which makes it quicker and easier for consumers to switch between providers on physically separate networks (e.g. Openreach to CityFibre or Virgin Media etc.), is today finally going LIVE. But don’t be surprised if your switch doesn’t use it, yet. Migrating between UK ISPs on Openreach’s (BT) network is currently a fairly easy and largely automated Gaining Provider Led (GPL)...
Housing Provider Sanctuary to Deploy SCCI’s Shared UK Full Fibre Network
SCCI Alphatrack (SCCI Group), which is a specialist in the design, supply, installation and maintenance of Fibre, Media and Fire Life safety systems, has today announced that they’ve secured a wayleave agreement with housing and care provider Sanctuary to deploy their neutral, shared full-fibre network across large residential buildings (MDUs) – serving “thousands of residents“. Sanctuary, which is a trading name of the Sanctuary Housing Association (SHA), is a not-for-profit housing...
UK ISP Ogi Reveal Plan to Trial Nokia’s 50Gbps Broadband Technology
Not content with becoming the first broadband ISP and network builder to deploy Nokia’s 25G PON technology commercially in the UK in 2023 (here), Ogi has now revealed that they’re planning to be “one of the first trialists” to harness the company’s 50G PON technology in 2025 too. Just to recap. The network operator has so far covered a total of 100,000 premises RFS (4th Jan 2024) with their full fibre (FTTP) broadband network – most of them residential – in Wales up to the end of 2023. In...
70 Percent of the UK is Now Covered by Full Fibre Broadband
The latest independent data on national broadband coverage has revealed that 70% of premises across the United Kingdom have now been put within reach of a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, which is up strongly from 60.54% at the end of last year and 67.68% in July 2024 (these premises are all classed as ‘Ready for Service’). The development, which is based on data from Thinkbroadband, shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise because network operators, such as Openreach...
Ofcom’s 2024 Report on Openreach’s Independence Finds Only Minor Breaches
The UK telecoms regulator has published their annual 2024 monitoring report into Openreach’s independence from BT, which found only a few minor breaches and noted that they’d seen “evidence of efforts by BT Group to renew and refresh its engagement with the framework” since the appointment of new Group CEO, Allison Kirkby. Just to recap. The annual report process was established some years ago as part of Ofcom’s effort to monitor Openreach’s progress toward becoming a distinct “legally...
Alternative UK Broadband ISP Kloud9 Tasks Aprecomm to Improve Customer Service
Alternative network operator and ISP Kloud9, which has built a number of full fibre (FTTP) broadband networks for specific urban and rural communities (example), have signed a new partnership with Aprecomm that it hopes will “build better-connected experiences for its subscribers, increase customer satisfaction and reduce support costs.” The Cheshire-based ISP plans to achieve this by deploying Aprecomm’s suite of AI-powered customer experience applications to enhance connectivity offerings...
Spring Fibre’s Principal Investor Steps Away from UK Full Fibre Build
Alternative broadband operator Spring Fibre, which has 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), are on the hunt for new funding after their principal investor said they “will not continue to fund its network construction plan“. The operator, which was initially backed by Kingsley Capital Partners and telecoms specialist Graphite Strategy, is known to have originally secured an...
Nexfibre to Cover 1,000 UK Youth Centres with 2Gbps Fibre Broadband
Network operator nexfibre, which shares some of their parentage with retail ISP partner Virgin Media (VMO2) and has so far extended their FTTP broadband network to over 1.3 million premises, has today announced a new partnership with charity, UK Youth, to connect “as many as 1,000 youth centres across the UK” to its new network “free of charge“. The deal, which is being supported by Virgin Media (O2), will provide each centre with broadband speeds of up to 2Gbps for “the next two years“. The...
Wessex Internet Start Project Gigabit Broadband Build in South Wiltshire UK
Rural broadband ISP Wessex Internet has just started the construction phase of their £18.8m state-aid supported Project Gigabit ‘Lot 30’ contract in South Wiltshire (England), which will see the provider extending their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to cover “around” 14,500 hard-to-reach homes and businesses in the area. The rollout will see the provider expanding its existing full fibre network in the Wylye Valley, going across the Salisbury Plain, connecting villages...