The UK’s major mobile network operators – EE, Vodafone, Telefonica (O2) and Hutchison (3 UK) have called on the country’s regulator Ofcom to make a consultation to consider technical changes to spectrum licences in order to support the roll out of 5G mobile networks.
In light of the new and final Game of Thrones season being released, hundreds of thousands of internet users have taken to trawling the internet for free video streaming websites to watch the latest episodes without having to pay for viewing.
According to security researchers, however, these platforms are often rife with harmful malware and potential threats for data breaches.
The UK Government is set to enforce tough age verification rules to control the access of internet users to explicit online adult content.
The UK Government has proposed to instate an independent regulator that would establish a “code of practice” for online content. Amongst many of its tasks, the watchdog would be involved with the removal of harmful content from internet platforms, and even impose fines and blocks on companies that fail to comply.
British seaside towns are being let down and “killed off” by poor and unreliable access to broadband, a new report has warned.
A recently published report from Barclays Corporate Banking has suggested that the rollout of 5G mobile networks across the UK could boost its economy from anywhere between £8.3 billion and £15.7 billion by 2025.
Broadband customers across the UK can rest assured knowing that they will receive automatic compensation from their internet service providers (ISPs) should they fail to deliver.
New research has revealed that millions of small businesses across the UK were the hardest hit by cybercriminal activities, resulting in a £17.4 billion bill by the end of 2018.
The Scottish Government is going above and beyond that of its UK counterpart in Westminster by announcing a complete tax break on the business rates of new fibre broadband infrastructure.
Furthermore, the 100 per cent tax relief will last for 10 years, until 31 March 2029.
According to a recent report published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 5 million adults in the UK, representing 10 per cent of the entire population, are still not using the internet.
As part of Ofcom’s pledge to be more “clear and honest”, new laws are coming into force that mandate that broadband companies be transparent to its customers regarding their available network speeds.
Research conducted in the middle of December 2018 revealed that 86 per cent of UK train commuters found it difficult to connect to the internet via WiFi or 3G/4G connections through mobile phone networks on their journeys to work.
According to the UK’s Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA), the country’s telecommunications regulator Ofcom’s Annual Plan for 2019/20 is in dire need of reassessment for having “completely overlooked” certain areas and technical aspects.
The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has been given direction from the government to tackle the “loyalty penalty” faced by customers who do not switch their phone and broadband providers’ services at the end of their contracts.
A recent investigation revealed that the UK’s decision to implement driverless cars is being hampered by a combination of poor infrastructure in the form of weak broadband and 4G networks, and poor road quality.
CBI chief UK policy director, Matthew Fell, has called on the government to alter its digital strategy in light of Brexit, and to ensure that 5G and broadband development are not stymied upon the UK’s departure from the EU later this year.
Dundee and North Lanarkshire have been termed the two most affordable areas in Scotland to foster “smart homes” with the most reliable broadband connectivity to support it, according to recently published research conducted by webchat provider Yomdel.
A new study has revealed that those using personal internet connections for work could charge their employing businesses £11.94 a month as an expense.
Moving into the healthcare sphere, Microsoft has announced a strategic partnership with Walgreens Boots Alliance. A seven-year deal, the pharmacy chain will use the innovative cloud computing software from Microsoft, with further plans to migrate over Walgreens’ complete information technology infrastructure.
According to a recent study conducted by uSwitch.com, broadband speeds in the Borders have been termed “embarrassing and concerning” after being found to be some of the slowest throughout the UK.
A new study from Thinkbroadband has revealed that the coverage of superfast broadband networks across the UK has risen to 95.8 per cent in the second half of 2018, from 95.3 per cent at the beginning of the year.
Similarly, full-fibre (FTTP/H) connectivity has increased to 5.47 per cent of all premises in the country, as opposed to just 3.82 per cent in the first half of 2018’s financial year.
For the average consumer or business, reliable and speedy broadband is critical. The provision of such effective connection is underway in the UK but still has some distance to cover.
A number of high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of Louis Theroux and Eamonn Holmes, have been temporarily hacked by Insinia Security to expose security flaws in the social media platform’s service. The cybersecurity firm claims it had previously warned Twitter of the underlying problems numerous times.
Ofcom has unveiled plans to increase airwave capacity, a piece of good news for mobile network operators going into the new year. Two auctions will take place in late 2019 or early 2020. The airwave capacity is anticipated to increase by 22 per cent and 62 per cent in the sub-1GHz portion of the spectrum.
The UK is the sixth largest cloud user compared to other countries in the European Union, outpacing the EU average, according to new statistics published by Eurostat. The European Statistical Office has revealed that British businesses have a relatively high cloud service adoption rate of 41.9 per cent, compared to an average of adoption rate of 26.2 per cent amongst other EU nations.
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband is now available to remote areas of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, making them the first to benefit from Openreach’s new 1 Gbps FTTP broadband technology.
Rural areas across the north of the UK have been found to have the worst 4G connections, with the country’s regulator Ofcom stating that the Highlands and Islands and Wales were “most likely to have neither a decent fixed or good mobile service available.”
UK media regulator Ofcom has announced it will crack down on broadband providers who rip off loyal customers by only providing their best deals to new subscribers.
The recent unfolding of new rules has dictated that customers of some of the UK’s largest internet service providers could receive automatic monetary compensation should their broadband connection break at any given point.
According to the South Norfolk Council, the rural region has been the first in the East Anglia district to fully achieve a broadband coverage of 10Mbps or more. South Norfolk has said it is the first area where every home and business can install an internet connection with a minimum download speed of 10Mbps, but on the condition that every sign up is a wireless one.
UK’s telecom regulator, Ofcom, will confirm by the end of this year whether telecom operators will have a duty to deliver minimum standard broadband services across the whole or part of the country.
Openreach has announced that it will be conducting a trial of Seamless Rate Adaptation (SRA) technology on Fibre-to-the-Cabinet across the UK based on superfast broadband ISP lines with speeds of 40-80 Mbps. The success of such trials could improve service stability with effective speed variability.
A new study has found that over 2,000 villages across England have been classified as unsuitable for future development and affordable homes by local planning committees.
A new study conducted by Opinium surveyed 2,008 British adults to find that 17 per cent of Britons would be deterred from moving to the countryside due to the fear of being isolated by poor internet connectivity.
Businesses are encouraged to apply and take advantage of a new government-sponsored £2,500 Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme as soon as possible.
Newport-based Next Generation Data (NGD) has partnered with wholesale fibre broadband infrastructure provider Nextgenaccess (NGA) to help deliver ultrafast 10Gbps broadband connectivity to more than 4,000 small businesses in South Wales and South West England.
UK regulator Ofcom declared yesterday that it will be broadening the current radio spectrum in the licence exempt 57-71GHz bands to allow 5G connectivity and fixed wireless broadband at nearly “fibre-like speeds”.
Openreach has announced they will be next launching their “Fibre First” programme in Nottingham and Belfast. The rollout will consist of a 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network and work is expected to start imminently.
Although there has been radio silence over the last year, TalkTalk - UK’s budget ISP - has announced it will be deploying a new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) which aims to cover three million premises. Its vision to be “at the heart of Britain’s full-fibre future” remains unchanged.
The final Budget 2018 plans will be announced today with an expectation that the government will give farmers and rural enterprises special attention with a £250 million injection to ensure full fibre broadband connectivity.
CityFibre has announced its plans to roll out extended broadband services to 11 Yorkshire cities and towns by expanding its full fibre network with a £2.5 billion investment deal. The telecommunications provider has stated that five million homes and businesses will improve from access to full fibre broadband, which is expected to meet a third of the government’s 2025 target.
An independent study has revealed the top 25 local authorities that provide the highest availability of ultrafast fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband connectivity across the UK.
Consultation is currently underway by the Scottish Government to create a uniform technical standard for “narrow trenching”. The government intends to change Section 130 of the New Road & Street Works Act 1991 to increase the use of narrow trenching for broadband network builders and establish a range of safeguards for the 33 road authorities in Scotland.
New guidance has been populated by telecoms regulator Ofcom to ensure consumers using broadband-based phone services to make calls can still access emergency services in the event of a power cut.
A new report issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognised broadband connectivity to be as “essential as water and electricity” for an individual’s home environment. The global report found that internet connectivity is vital to a person’s quality of life, with a reliable connection described as an essential utility.
New residents in housing complexes or apartments have historically faced problems when attempting to establish a fibre broadband connection in their homes, and the problem does not appear to be slowing down.
According to telecoms regulator Ofcom, full fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband has now reached 5 per cent of all UK premises. In its latest Q2 2018 report, Ofcom found 1.4 million premises across the country now have access to full fibre broadband. This is a 5 per cent increase to the statistics in the Connected Nations research report published in December 2017.
Openreach will be soon rolling out the new 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) ultrafast broadband to the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in North West England. Currently, around 99 per cent of The Wirral have access to superfast broadband with speeds of 30Mbps+ with the existing Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) network.
To assist with improving the reliability of activation dates for consumers, Openreach (BT) is making changes to its provision process of delivering ultrafast broadband lines for new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP).
Research has shown that the UK falls behind 34 other countries in terms of strong broadband infrastructure and speeds, and has faced a number of obstacles in rolling out high-speed fibre optic services throughout the country.
