Rumour Mill – Giffgaff May Launch UK FTTP Broadband via Nexfibre
Some sources have indicated to ISPreview that reputable mobile network provider giffgaff, which is owned by Telefónica and uses the associated Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) provided by O2 (Virgin Media) in the UK, are allegedly testing the possibility of offering full fibre (FTTP) broadband packages via nexfibre’s network. Just to recap. Nexfibre is the product of a £4.5bn joint venture (here) between Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners, which aims to deploy an...
Mobile UK Travel SIM Provider easySim Global Suffers Data Breach
Mobile provider easySim.global, which is part of the Stelios-linked easy® family of brands (easyJet, easyCar etc.) and offers low cost travel data (mobile broadband) to use all around the world via eSIM, has informed customers that they recently suffered a data breach after their database was “accessed remotely by a hacker“. The incident itself appears to have occurred after the hacker(s) gained unauthorised access to one of the company’s servers on 5th August 2024 at 1:22pm due to an...
AssetHUB Claims 100,000km of UK Fibre May be Left Underutilised
Asset reuse specialist AssetHUB has today claimed that an estimated 100,000km of publicly funded full fibre broadband cables in UK rural and hard to reach areas, allegedly worth over £1.4bn (total state aid), could be “left underutilised due to a lack of visibility” and “despite open networking being a condition of receiving taxpayers’ money“. The aforementioned reference relates to the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband roll-out programme, which is being overseen by the Building...
Study Finds Starlink’s Direct to Cell Mobile Data Satellites are Quite Bright
A recent study has warned that Starlink’s (SpaceX) latest broadband and Direct to Cell based satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are somewhat brighter than the company’s previous spacecraft, which risks adding to the headaches that observational sciences (e.g. astronomy) already have to tackle. Starlink currently has 6,313 LEO satellites (c.2,000 are Mini GEN 2A) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO altitudes of c.500-600km) and they’re in the process of adding thousands more by the end of 2027. Customers...
Vodafone UK Extend 5G Ultra Service to Enterprise and SMB Customers
Mobile operator Vodafone has announced that their 5G Ultra service, which uses 5G Standalone (SA) technology to deliver faster mobile broadband speeds and better performance in other areas, has now been made available to Enterprise and SMB (business) customers in the UK. The service originally launched for consumers over a year ago. At present most existing 5G networks in the UK are Non-Standalone (NSA) based, which means they’re still partly reliant on older 4G infrastructure. By comparison,...
Rural 10Gbps UK Broadband ISP B4RN Promotes Tom Rigg to CEO
Rural focused UK broadband network B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North), which is a community benefit ISP that has rolled out their 10Gbps FTTP network to 25,000 premises across England (inc. 13,000+ customers), has announced that existing CEO Michael Lee is to step down on 1st September 2024 and be replaced by Tom Rigg. According to the announcement, Michael has taken the decision to step down after over three years in the post because he will be moving outside the UK with his family as his...
HS2 Claims HS2 Could Boost UK Mobile and Rural Broadband
New analysis published by High Speed 2 Ltd, which is a non-departmental public body that is wholly funded by the UK Government’s Department for Transport (DfT), has claimed that the HS2 rail project could help “thousands of properties” across 538 postcodes to gain access to “ultrafast broadband speeds” and better mobile connectivity. According to the blurb, the new railway – which will link London and Birmingham – runs through largely rural areas of Buckinghamshire, West Northants,...
Competition Watchdog Clears HPE Acquisition of Juniper Networks
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has followed a similar decision in the EU by clearing the move by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to acquire Juniper Networks for an all-cash transaction for $40.00 per share (here), which represents an equity value of around $14 billion (£11bn). At the time of writing the CMA has yet to publish the details of their decision and, following a brief Phase 1 investigation, have merely issued the following statement: “The CMA has cleared the...
Full Fibre Builder UK Fibre Networks Rebrands to Fastr Broadband
The rather generically named alternative network ISP UK Fibre Networks, which operates an 8Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network in central York (England), has today announced that they’ve re-branded to Fastr Broadband as they continue to roll-out their network to 8,000 homes and businesses in the city centre. The company said they chose the Norse word, Fastr, to reflect the ultrafast speeds it will be delivering whilst drawing upon the city’s Viking roots and reflecting...
UK govt unveils £32m AI funding boost
News The pledge comes just days after scrapping the Conservative party’s £1.3 billion AI investment The new Labour government has announced £32 million in funding for 98 AI projects designed to improve the UK’s productivity and public services. In a press release published yesterday, the government confirmed that AI companies working on solutions such as improve safety on construction sites, reduce time spent repairing the railways and cut emissions across supply chains, will receive a...