News

Full fibre operator and broadband ISP Brsk, which now covers 573,050 UK premises (RFS) with their FTTP network and is in the process of being merged into Netomnia (here), has today boosted the speed of their entry-level ‘BetterNet100‘ package from 100Mbps to 150Mbps (symmetric) at no extra cost for new customers. New residential customers would have previously paid £23 per month (normally £25) for a 100Mbps (symmetric) package on a 24-month term and this rises up to £32 (normally £45) for...

The Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) project in England has re-opened their Mobile Boost Voucher Scheme (MBVS) after receiving £430,000 of fresh funding. The scheme works to improve rural 4G mobile (mobile broadband and voice) availability by offering vouchers (up to £1,300) to help deploy indoor signal boosters or repeaters. The MBVS, which is being funded through the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership’s (HotSWLEP) Growth Deal, is targeted at those premises which have no...

News  The new tech is set to enhance the safety of the bank’s digital customers in over 25 countries  BBVA, the multinational Spanish bank, has entered into a strategic alliance with Telefónica Tech to bolster its global cybersecurity efforts. The partnership is expected to use advanced AI and process automation technologies to prevent cyber threats across BBVA’s global operations.  Telefónica Tech will provide nearly 50 services for BBVA, “ranging from solutions for the proactive anticipation...

City-focused broadband ISP Hyperoptic, which has so far extended their full fibre (FTTP/B) network to cover “more than” 1.73 million homes and 340,000 customers in parts of 64 UK towns and cities, has this afternoon informed ISPreview that they’re launching a new router – a branded version of the Zyxel EX3301. The Zyxel EX3301 is a dual-band router with the built-in 2×2 802.11ax WiFi 6 (theoretical wireless speeds of up to c.1800Mbps) and Zyxel MPro Mesh support. As well as the usual support...

Mobile network operator 1p Mobile appears to have recently refreshed their range of SIM Only mobile plans, which now start at £6 per month for a 2GB data (mobile broadband) allowance and rise up to just £25 per month for “unlimited data” alongside all of the usual extras (unlimited UK calls, texts and inclusive EU roaming etc.). The mobile plans only attract a basic 30-day contract term, as well as support for 4G, 5G, Tethering, fully itemised bills, Wi-Fi and VoLTE Calling etc. But take note...

The Northumberland County Council (NCC) in Northern England and mobile operator Vodafone UK have revealed that, thanks to the aid of bin lorries, they’ve been able to confirm that their network coverage improved in the county after 3G was retired in February 2024. Mobile signals now reach 92% of the county (up from 89%) and mobile broadband speeds improved by 10%. The idea of using bin collections to map 4G and 5G mobile coverage is one that has only recently started to become popular...

Network operator Openreach (BT) has issued a progress update on their state aid supported £600m Reaching 100% (R100) project with the Scottish Government, which has now extended their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) broadband network to more than 57,000 of Scotland’s hardest to connect homes and businesses. The project has already extended FTTP to rural properties in over 200 places during only the first half of this year, from the Shetland islands of Yell and Whalsay to Stranraer and...

News The official launch is planned for September    The Port of Blyth in the Northeast of England is set to be transformed into a ‘premier technology hub’, according to neutral host provider Boldyn Networks, which is deploying a dedicated private 5G network for the site.  Funded through half a million-pound investment from the North East Combined Authority’s 5G Innovation Acceleration programme, Boldyn Networks will build a secure and high-bandwidth private 5G network that will be used to...

The UK communications and media regulator, Ofcom, has today begun seeking feedback on the potential and demand for satellites, aircraft and other airborne platforms to help improve mobile (4G and 5G) network coverage – also known as Direct to Device (D2D) and Mobile-Satellite Services (MSS). The timing of this ‘Call for Input‘ is rather handy as it comes on the same day as we wrote a related piece about the new service being developed by Stratospheric Platforms (here), which could in the...

News Advertisers had previously argued that removing cookies from Google’s browser Chrome would destroy their business models Google has scrapped plans to phase out the use of tracking cookies, instead saying they will prompt users to turn them on or off. The move comes as a significant U-turn on the company’s approach to consumer privacy, having said as recently as February that they were still planning on removing cookies from Chrome. Following the lead of competing browsers including Apple...