Serious Security Vulnerabilities Exposed in 704,525 DrayTek Routers
A new report by Forescout Research has identified 14 new security vulnerabilities in 24 models of DrayTek‘s popular Vigor routers, which is a familiar name in the UK broadband ISP world. One of the vulnerabilities even has a Common Vulnerability Score (CVSS) of 10 out of 10 and over 704,000 routers were found exposed online in 168 countries. The report (here) notes that approximately 785,000 DrayTek devices are operating Wi-Fi networks in the wild (over 425,000 of those are in Europe – with...
ISP Brsk Expands UK FTTP Broadband Network into Salford
Alternative network operator and ISP Brsk, which has deployed their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) lines to cover “over” 676,000 homes and is in the process of being merged into Netomnia (here), has today announced that their full fibre network is being expanded to reach 25,000 premises in Salford (Greater Manchester). Some of the areas in Salford that are due to be connected include Blackfriars in the city centre, Seedley, Pendlebury, and Irlams o’ th’ Height (no, that’s not a typo). The...
BT Block 20.1 Million SCAM and SPAMs from Reaching UK Home Phones
Broadband ISP BT (EE) has this morning announced that their new scam protection service, which is based on Hiya’s technology and was introduced to their IP-based Digital Voice (phone) customers in May 2024, has blocked more than 2.4 million scam calls and almost 17.7 million spam calls since its introduction. The ‘Enhanced Call Protect‘ feature, which is a free service, follows BT and EE’s decision to start adopting Hiya’s AI-based voice security solutions in January 2023 (here). The tool in...
Zzoomm Sees FTTP Broadband Take-up Hit 20 Percent in Four More Towns
Oxfordshire-based alternative network operator Zzoomm, which has built their 2Gbps speed full fibre broadband network to cover 202,000 premises (RFS) in England, have today reported that they’ve achieved 20% take-up in a further four of their deployed market towns and often only 15-months after build completion. The operator’s network, which is home to 30,000 customers (c.15% take-up), is currently available across parts of around 29 market towns and small urban communities in Berkshire,...
Virgin Media O2 UK Set to Open New Office in Lanarkshire
Broadband and mobile operator Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has today announced that they will open a new office within the business community at Maxim Park in Lanarkshire (Scotland) during early 2025, which will ultimately become home to around 350 employees that are currently based at their Bellshill office in the same region. With the lease at its current site in Bellshill due to expire shortly, VMO2 went on the hunt for a new home and found the Maxim Park site (Maxim 4 building). The operator...
CityFibre needs additional funding to keep the pressure on Openreach
News With existing funding set to run out in 2025, the company is working to find new sources of cash The UK’s largest altnet CityFibre has released its annual statement for the 2023 financial year this week, in which it warned that to continue operations as usual it will need to secure additional external funding. “As the Group and Company are reliant on securing further external funding which is not guaranteed, a material uncertainty exists which may cast significant doubt on the ability...
All aboard! ITS showcases its fibre bus at Connected Britain
Interview At Connected Britain 2024, we caught up with ITS’s Dave Ferry to discuss taking the brand on a UK tour, the company’s latest deal with Sky Business, and the next steps for densifying networks. Check out the full interview here Also in the news: AltNets’ path to success for FTTx Build Acceptance in Openreach PIA T-Mobile hit with yet another fine over data breaches “We were into AI before it was cool!”: Chatting AI and telco trust with Juniper’s Neil...
Hurricane Helene knocks out a fifth of mobile sites in US Southeast
News Over a fifth of cell sites within areas impacted by Hurricane Helene reportedly out of service, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities More than 20 percent of cell sites in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene remain out of service. The Federal Communications Commission reported the findings in their recent Oct. 1 communications status report, which has been updated daily in the aftermath of Helene’s landfall. The hurricane, which...
Broadband ISP Onestream Bemoans Poor OTS Consumer Switching Rate
Hampshire-based UK ISP Onestream, which sells broadband packages using Openreach’s national full fibre network, has complained about the poor performance of the new One Touch Switching (OTS) system, which aims to make it easier for consumers to change ISP. But this is currently failing on 56% of requests to join the provider. The OTS system, which is being introduced via the industry-led One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo), finally went live last month. But Ofcom promptly acknowledged that...
EE activates 25 Freshwave small cells in London
Press Release A first-of-its-kind outdoor small cell project in the City of London has been such a success that it has now moved beyond the trial phase. Twenty-five new sites for mobile network operator (MNO) EE are now live on Freshwave’s infrastructure, adding capacity and enhancing the 4G and 5G network experience for EE mobile users in one of the world’s preeminent financial districts. Dozens of additional new sites for EE are also currently being built and will enhance mobile connectivity...