Openreach to Stop Supplying Own UK G.fast Broadband Modems
In a small but notable development, network operator Openreach (BT) has finally announced that it will withdraw the supply of their hybrid fibre G.fast “ultrafast broadband” modems (CPE) from 1st December 2024 (i.e. existing customers who experience a fault with one of these modems will now need to look elsewhere). Just to recap. G.fast (ITU G.9701) was an interim hybrid-fibre and copper technology, which was capable of download speeds up to 330Mbps, but which ultimately ended up being...
Openreach Bring FTTP Broadband to Wolverhampton Council Tenants
Network access provider Openreach (BT) has made progress on their deal with social housing provider Wolverhampton Homes in the West Midlands (England), which will enable them to extend their 1.8Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network to cover thousands of flats and apartments across the city. A total of more than 4,500 flats and apartments across the city are expected to benefit from the master wayleave agreement in Wolverhampton, which was originally signed all the...
Fusion Fibre Extend Northumberland FTTP Build to Hedley on the Hill
Rural network operator and UK ISP Fusion Fibre Group (formerly FACTCO) has today announced that their existing deployment of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network in Stocksfield and Mickley is being extended to include 70 “hard-to-reach” properties in the Northumberland village of Hedley on the Hill. The extension is being supported with public (government) investment from the Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS)....
VMO2 wins dark fibre contract from Swansea Bay City Deal
News Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) Business has won a contract to provide the new network to 36 public sector sites This week, Swansea Bay City Deal has awarded a new dark fibre contract to VMO2 Business, which will see new fibre infrastructure rolled out to 36 public sector sites in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The network, which will be fully available by December 2025, will provide these sites with a major boost in capacity and data transfer speeds. Impacted organisations include the Welsh...
MS3 and Brsk Face More Protests Against UK Broadband Poles
Alternative network operators MS3 and Brsk are separately facing more public protests against their use of wood poles for the deployment of new gigabit-speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP networks, this time in Hull (East Yorkshire) and St Helens (Merseyside), respectively. Poles are popular because they’re quick and cost-effective to build (trenching is significantly more expensive), can be deployed in areas where there may be no space or access agreement to safely put or share...
FiberLocator extends network planning platform to include UK fibre data
FiberLocator, the US’s most prominent fibre data platform, has announced the addition of data on UK fibre providers to its extensive database, which already holds the fibre footprint and route maps of 1000+ carriers, more than 5 million connected buildings, and 6,000 data centres. FiberLocator provides carriers, mobile operators, towercos and data centre operators with the most comprehensive, accurate, and timely fibre data available. For decades it has been the United States’ leading resource...
Taiwan’s largest telco launches Germany subsidiary
News The company says the launch makes it “the only telecom operator in Taiwan with overseas branches and the most comprehensive global network deployment” Taiwanese telco Chunghwa Telecom has this week launched its first European subsidiary in Frankfurt, Germany. The expansion marks the company’s first entry into the European market, adding to its existing operations in the US and Asia. The company plans to collaborate with local partners and use its telecommunications and ICT expertise...
EE launches smartphone guidance for children
News The guidance warns against children’s extensive use of smartphones This week, EE has published age-specific guidelines for smartphone usage, aimed at better protecting children’s digital wellbeing. The move comes in response to growing concerns among parents about the effects of screen time, online safety, and the overall impact of digital devices on children. “We have a responsibility with EE as the UK’s best mobile network to respond to concerns about screen time, online safety and...
Full Fibre Builder and UK Broadband ISP toob Launch Reward Scheme
Hampshire-based alternative network operator and gigabit broadband ISP toob, which is deploying a Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network – and also sharing some of CityFibre’s infrastructure – across parts of South England (Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex), has today joined with Buyapowa to launch a new rewards programme. The new programme is essentially a Refer a Friend scheme, albeit one that will be delivered via the Buyapowa platform and can be “used by anyone to recommend the toob...
Virgin Media and Nexfibre Add 11,000 Homes to FTTP in Huddersfield
Network operator nexfibre, which shares some of their parentage with UK broadband ISP partner Virgin Media (O2), have announced that they’ve added 11,000 more homes in the large West Yorkshire (England) town of Huddersfield to the coverage of their new 2Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) broadband network. As indicated above, Huddersfield was already well covered by Virgin Media’s existing gigabit-capable broadband network, although this previously excluded a big chunk on the...