Streetwave checks mobile coverage along roads in Cornwall
UNITED KINGDOM 09:04

Streetwave checks mobile coverage along roads in Cornwall

Streetwave announced a new contract to help map mobile network coverage along roads in Cornwall. Cornwall Council awarded the contract for its first mobile coverage survey, looking at the network reach of EE, VodafoneThree and O2 across a 7,250-km road network. Streetwave will install its portable data collection devices on the council's waste collection vehicles to gather data across the region. The survey takes place in July and August and is expected to help the council identify connectivity gaps, suppor

Wavenet invests GBP 7.4 mln in AI to boost customer support
UNITED KINGDOM 08:51

Wavenet invests GBP 7.4 mln in AI to boost customer support

Wavenet said it will invest GBP 7.4 million in artificial intelligence-driven customer service capabilities under a three-year agreement with ServiceNow. The UK managed services provider, which now supports more than 22,000 organisations across the country, has doubled its turnover over the past year while maintaining a 92 percent customer satisfaction score. Its support teams handled more than 450,000 cases and 165,000 calls during the period.

Vodafone UK settles legal claim from former franchise partners
UNITED KINGDOM 08:36

Vodafone UK settles legal claim from former franchise partners

Vodafone UK has reached a settlement with former franchise partners, bringing to an end a two-year legal battle over the terms of their retail agreement. In a joint statement reported by The Guardian, which had been following the case from the start, the two sides said the commercial dispute was settled, with no admission of liability. No terms were disclosed, and all legal action between the parties will be ended. 

BBC sets 5-year live audience record with England-Argentina match
UNITED KINGDOM 08:01

BBC sets 5-year live audience record with England-Argentina match

The BBC said it achieved a peak audience of 24 million during England's losing match against Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals. Shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, the match took an 85 percent share of all TV viewing that evening, and was the most-watched live television moment of the year across all broadcasters. The BBC said this was also the biggest live TV audience for a broadcaster since 2021, when England played in the Euro final. 

CWU calls on BT to reconsider Liverpool job relocation plans
UNITED KINGDOM 05:38

CWU calls on BT to reconsider Liverpool job relocation plans

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called on BT Group to reverse plans to relocate hundreds of jobs from Liverpool, arguing the move would create disruption for employees and affect services. According to the union, BT plans to withdraw from its Liverpool office at The Plaza after the site's lease expires in March 2027, citing a significant increase in lease renewal costs. The CWU said around 600 employees would be affected, with some required to relocate to Manchester or Leeds to retain their jobs,

Ericsson secures role in UK framework for defence-grade ICT procurement
UNITED KINGDOM 16 JUL

Ericsson secures role in UK framework for defence-grade ICT procurement

Ericsson announced that it has been selected as a supplier under the UK's Tactical Communications Systems framework for public sector procurement of defence-grade ICT technology. As a result, the Swedish vendor will be permitted to supply 3GPP-compliant network equipment (Lot 3) and tactical communications and IT services (Lot 1).

UK alternative operators grow to over 11% of home broadband market
UNITED KINGDOM 16 JUL

UK alternative operators grow to over 11% of home broadband market

Alternative operators have accumulated over one in ten home broadband connections in the UK, research by Opensignal claims. It estimates they had a 11.4 percent share of the market in Q2 2026, after adding 4.4 percent points of share in 18 months. This excludes connections from the incumbent ISPs BT (including EE and Plusnet), Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Virgin Media.

Claranet starts private equity vertical to target mid-market companies
UNITED KINGDOM 16 JUL

Claranet starts private equity vertical to target mid-market companies

Claranet UK is launching a dedicated service for private equity-backed companies. With the Claranet Portfolio Operator programme, the operator said it can deliver the cloud, cyber and managed connectivity services needed by mid-market companies with private equity backing. It's advantage is delivering according to a technology plan, meeting the economics and timelines demanded for portfolio investments with agility and speed.

BT deploys 5G network slice at Royal Welsh Show
UNITED KINGDOM 16 JUL

BT deploys 5G network slice at Royal Welsh Show

BT announced a deployment of 5G+ network slicing for the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society at the annual Royal Welsh Show to help power connected services at the agricultural fair. The dedicated 5G slice is used to help process payments and enable livestreaming, among other services, during the busy event. The protected slice of the mobile network ensures performance isn't impacted if the public network is congested.

O2 brings 5G+ to Oxford
UNITED KINGDOM 16 JUL

O2 brings 5G+ to Oxford

Virgin Media O2 announced it has switched on the O2 5G+ standalone network in Oxfordshire, including in the cities of Oxford, Bicester, Witney and Henley-on-Thames. The roll-out will benefit nearly 450,000 people across 495 towns and villages in the county, and is part of the group's wider GBP 700 million Mobile Transformation Plan. Altogether O2 covers more than 85 percent of the UK population with 5G+, which is available at no extra charge to customers with a compatible device. 

Ofcom says age checks improving but calls for stronger online child protections
UNITED KINGDOM 16 JUL

Ofcom says age checks improving but calls for stronger online child protections

Ofcom says age assurance measures introduced under the UK's Online Safety Act are making online services safer for children, but has warned that further action is needed from technology companies as the country prepares for tighter social media restrictions for under-16s. In a new report, the regulator said the proportion of children encountering highly effective age checks increased from 25 percent to 43 percent between July 2025 and January 2026. 

UK utilities aggregator Everflow raises GBP 44 mln in fresh funding
UNITED KINGDOM 16 JUL

UK utilities aggregator Everflow raises GBP 44 mln in fresh funding

UK provider Everflow has raised GBP 44 million in new funding to help expand its business. As part of the package BGF invested GBP 22 million in Everflow, and OakNorth provided a GBP 22 million bespoke funding package. 

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

Grain starts fibre network build in Doncaster, Swindon

UK fibre operator Grain announced the start of its FTTP network build in the cities of Doncaster and Swindown. Customers who sign up in July can get 250 Mbps broadband for GBP 19.99 per month or four months free on faster plans, with no installation fees. Grain offers speeds up to 2 Gbps.

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

Zen Internet launches business customer rewards fund

UK ISP Zen Internet has launched a customer rewards initiative offering cash prizes to small business customers, aiming to recognise growth milestones such as winning new customers, hiring staff and investing in technology. The Big Moments Business Fund will run until the end of September, with eligible business customers who purchase qualifying Zen services automatically entered into monthly prize draws. The campaign includes four monthly GBP 50 prizes and two GBP 250 prizes awarded at the end of the progr

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

MLL Telecom added to public housing framework contract

MLL Telecom announced the company has been awarded a place on the Procurement for Housing (PfH) Telecoms Network and Infrastructure Framework contract. It is one of 14 pre-validated vendors on the three-year framework which runs through February 2029, offering social housing organisations in the UK a compliant supplier for networks and telecom services. PfH Members can choose a direct award for a fast turnaround or run a mini-competition to find the best fit for their specific requirements. 

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

EE offers free data for a day for England-Argentina semi-final

UK mobile operator EE is offering its customers unlimited data on 15 July, to mark the England national football team's semi-final match against Argentina in the World Cup. The zero-rated data is available in the UK only, to EE Pay Monthly, PAYG and SME customers. 

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

Wessex Internet completes rural fibre project in South Somerset

Over 4,000 homes and businesses in South Somerset have gained access to FTTP broadband following the completion of a publicly funded project by Wessex Internet. The operator built the network for 4,190 hard-to-reach rural homes and businesses under a contract with the local authority Connecting Dorset & Somerset. 

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

Richard Allan steps down from Ofcom board

UK regulator Ofcom announced that Richard Allan is stepping down as a non-executive member of Ofcom's board. The decision is due to a personal family matter and takes immediate effect.

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

Ofcom mandates tougher anti-scam messaging rules for UK mobile operators

UK communications regulator Ofcom has introduced new rules requiring mobile operators to strengthen protections against scam text messages and spoofed calls, including mandatory blocking of fraudulent messages, tighter controls on bulk messaging and enhanced checks on business messaging services.

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

UK to set social media curfew, disable auto play for 16-17 year-olds

The UK government plans to set a night-time curfew on social media for 16- and 17-year-olds, following a pilot project that showed this helped improve sleep and concentration for the teens. Automatic play, infinite scroll and personalised content features also would be disabled for this group, as part of a graduated response to the negative effects of social media apps on young people.

UNITED KINGDOM 15 JUL

BT names BBC executive Uzair Qadeer as chief people & culture officer

BT has appointed Uzair Qadeer, currently group chief people officer at the BBC, as its new chief people & culture officer, succeeding Alison Wilcox, who will return to a portfolio career at the end of the year. The leadership change was announced by Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT, in a LinkedIn post. Kirkby said Wilcox would hand over to Qadeer at the end of the year. Wilcox said she had returned to BT for a planned period to lead the people & culture team through an important phase of the company's

UNITED KINGDOM 14 JUL

BBC annual report shows bigger loss on 1% rise in income

The BBC has used the publication of its annual report as a new opportunity to warn about its precarious funding model. The UK's public broadcaster said over 94 percent of people in the country use its media but less than 80 percent pay the annual licensing fee which supplies its main funding. While it managed a 1 percent rise in revenue in the year to March 2026, its net deficit at the end of the year was slightly larger due to cost pressures. The statement comes ahead of the expiry of its current charter i

UNITED KINGDOM 14 JUL

Vodafone report underlines consumer benefits a year on from 3 UK merger

The merger of Vodafone and 3 UK has had little impact on Sim-only prices in the mobile market and improved network coverage for their customers, according to a study by Frontier Economics commissioned by the operator. Vodafone said the research one year on from the merger shows the combination is delivering "tangible consumer benefits", as promised. 

UNITED KINGDOM 14 JUL

GoFibre reduces operating loss, halves capex in 2025

Scottish fibre altnet GoFibre Holdings reported revenue of GBP 5.0 million for the year ending 31 December 2025, more than double the GBP 2.0 million the previous year. Its operating loss reduced to GBP 12.4 million from GBP 14.1 million as network build activity reduced upon completion of its Project Gigabit contracts in Teesdale and Northumberland. Capital expenditure halved, to GBP 16.5 million from GBP 30.7 million in 2024, according to the accounts filed at Companies House. 

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Commentary

2 JUL 11:26

Canal Plus misses chance to strengthen Dutch business, time for exit?

23 JUN 09:56

ACM blocks Delta/Glaspoort deal - what can KPN do?

5 MEI 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MEI 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

Background

12 JUL 23:30

The week in telecom: European telcos take shape as Xavier Niel buys more of Vodafone, Telenor expands in Sweden

5 JUL 23:03

The week in telecom: Comcast gives up on vertical integration, BT and Verizon agree global alliance

3 JUL 07:46

TP:Talks - Billogram cuts customer service billing tickets by 40 percent with automated invoicing

28 JUN 23:51

The week in telecoms: Apple raises prices, Qualcomm tries server market and Jio going public