South Yorkshire reaches 95% access to gigabit broadband by early November
UNITED KINGDOM 10:46

South Yorkshire reaches 95% access to gigabit broadband by early November

Ninety-five percent of homes and business in South Yorkshire were able to access gigabit-capable broadband by early November 2025, according to the South Yorkshire Mayor Combined Authority (SYMCA). The achievement surpassed the end-2025 target set in the South Yorkshire Digital Infrastructure Strategy, it added. The 95 percent access rate for 1 Gbps internet service in South Yorkshire compares with 90 percent of premises in the UK as a whole.

Virgin Media makes Premier Sports Rugby channel free
UNITED KINGDOM 10:09

Virgin Media makes Premier Sports Rugby channel free

Virgin Media has made the channel Premier Sports Rugby free for its TV subscribers in the UK. The 24/7 rugby channel provides coverage of the Investec Champions Cup, United Rugby Championship, EPCR Challenge Cup, Top14 (France), Major League Rugby and Japan Rugby League One, as well as other programmes.

Tekmoni plans UK MVNOs launch with eSim Go enablement
UNITED KINGDOM 10:04

Tekmoni plans UK MVNOs launch with eSim Go enablement

MVNE eSIM Go announced a new contract to support Tekmoni in the launch of community-based MVNO brands in the UK with its MVNO enablement platform. They started working together in the MVNE's early access programme last year, to test eSim Go's product suite. The resulting contract integrates two core components for the MVNO launch: the eSIM Go API-based platform to support subscriber lifecycles, billing integrations, and service provisioning, and wholesale network access in the UK. Tekmoni plans to launch th

O2 UK expands standalone 5G network to Sheffield
UNITED KINGDOM 09:23

O2 UK expands standalone 5G network to Sheffield

O2 UK announced it has switched on standalone 5G services in the Sheffield area, delivering faster speeds and lower latency across the city. Roughly 580,000 residents across the city of Sheffield and in surrounding areas including Chapeltown, Mexborough, Wombwell, Swinton, Dinnington, and Wickersley can benefit from the upgraded network. 

Exchange Communications completes 755-antenna in-building system for Chelsea Barracks
UNITED KINGDOM 08:54

Exchange Communications completes 755-antenna in-building system for Chelsea Barracks

Exchange Communications announced completion of a connectivity project at Chelsea Barracks, delivering what the provider says is one of the UK's largest and most technically advanced 4G in-building installations at the luxury housing development in London. The installation brings the total number of antennas across the project to 755, all engineered and integrated by Exchange Communications to provide optimum mobile coverage.

Kcom reports record internet traffic over Christmas due to streaming
UNITED KINGDOM 08:30

Kcom reports record internet traffic over Christmas due to streaming

UK regional operator Kcom said it set a new data traffic record on Christmas Day, with over 2.5 million GB used by customers, around half a million more GB than usual. Traffic from streaming platforms Netflix and YouTube was particularly high. 

UK pushes ahead with mobile, Wi-Fi sharing in upper 6 GHz band
UNITED KINGDOM 08:13

UK pushes ahead with mobile, Wi-Fi sharing in upper 6 GHz band

The UK is moving ahead with plans to allow mobile and Wi-Fi services to share the upper 6 GHz band. Regulator Ofcom has issued a detailed proposal on how sharing the spectrum between Wi-Fi and mobile services would work, and said it expects to allow low-power Wi-Fi applications in the frequency range before the end of this year. The proposal is open for public comment until 20 March.

LINX outlines 2026 service portfolio and fee changes
UNITED KINGDOM 06:17

LINX outlines 2026 service portfolio and fee changes

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has announced its service portfolio and fees for 2026, detailing changes that affect peering capacity and the bandwidth included with membership. Under the new portfolio, members using 100 GE port access networks will be able to consume 10 Gbps of peering on a 100 GE port. LINX has also increased the amount of service bandwidth included in the monthly membership fee from 2 Gbps to 4 Gbps on a 10 GE port. 

Truespeed, Freedom Fibre in talks on merger - report
UNITED KINGDOM 8 JAN

Truespeed, Freedom Fibre in talks on merger - report

UK regional operators Truespeed and Freedom Fibre are in talks on a possible merger, Sky News reported. Negotiations between the two companies and their respective shareholders are underway, according to unnamed sources but it was unclear whether they were close to reaching an agreement. If successfully concluded, the merger would create a network with access to more than 400,000 premises.

Arcus vehicle takes ownership in UK WISP and infrastructure company Wifinity
UNITED KINGDOM 8 JAN

Arcus vehicle takes ownership in UK WISP and infrastructure company Wifinity

Wifinity, a UK-based wireless internet service and infrastructure provider, announced a deal to sell a majority stake in the business to Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 3, an investment vehicle managed by Arcus Infrastructure Partners. While the transaction price was not disclosed, it was confirmed Wifinity's existing management team will retain a small minority stake in the company. 

Acronis appoints general manager for UK and Ireland
UNITED KINGDOM 8 JAN

Acronis appoints general manager for UK and Ireland

Cybersecurity and data protection company Acronis has announced the appointment of Jo Holliday as general manager for its UK and Ireland (UKI) business. She has over 28 years of leadership experience in software sales, channel development, and go-to-market transformation. Ronan McCurtin, RVP for Europe, Israel & Africa at Acronis, said UKI is an important region for Acronis, and Holliday's experience in channel strategy, revenue leadership and team development makes her the right leader to drive our next ph

UK music, video and gaming sales top GBP 13 bln on 7% growth in 2025
UNITED KINGDOM 8 JAN

UK music, video and gaming sales top GBP 13 bln on 7% growth in 2025

UK streaming and retail sales of music, video and computer games rose 7.1 percent annually to a record GBP 13.26 billion in 2025, according to the latest estimates from ERA, the national association for entertainment retailers. The growth rate was over double the 3.3 percent reported in ERA's 2024 figures, amid a strong recovery in gaming and continued growth in video and music. The increase was also more than four times faster than the UK's overall GDP economic growth forecast from the Office for Budget Re

UNITED KINGDOM 8 JAN

VodafoneThree extends distribution deal with Get Connected stores

VodafoneThree has signed a three-year extension to its contract with mobile phone retailer Get Connected in Wales. The extension makes VodafoneThree the exclusive mobile network operator in 46 Get Connected stores across Wales, the Midlands and the South West of England. Handset and SIM-only contracts from the Vodafone and Three brands, as well as in-store support will remain available across all the stores. 

UNITED KINGDOM 8 JAN

NTT Data and n2s to support data centre decommissioning for Virgin Media O2

n2s has entered a three-year partnership with NTT Data to support Virgin Media O2 with the decommissioning of IT assets across its UK data centre estate, with a focus on resource recovery and circular economy practices. Under the agreement, more than 40,000 IT assets will be processed through reuse, refurbishment or recycling, with the aim of reducing waste and supporting Virgin Media O2's energy efficiency and carbon reduction objectives. The work will cover all Virgin Media O2 data centre sites in the UK.

UNITED KINGDOM 7 JAN

Nagravision to help English Football League combat live sports piracy

Nagravision, part of the Kudelski Group, has entered a partnership with the English Football League (EFL) to help the latter combat live sports piracy during the current 2025-26 season. The agreement will deploy Nagra-branded streaming security technology to monitor and address illegal streaming of EFL matches in real time across multiple platforms.

UNITED KINGDOM 7 JAN

5 claims strongest streaming growth among UK public broadcasters

The 5 streaming service in the UK claims it was the fastest-growing streaming service among UK public service broadcasters for the second year in a row in 2025. The platform owned by Paramount grew its total viewing minutes, as measured by Barb, by 34 percent last year. That is better than ITVX (+24%), 4 Streaming (+11%) and BBC iPlayer (+7%), it said. 

UNITED KINGDOM 7 JAN

Sky Mobile to raise prices by GBP 1.50 per month for existing customers

UK MVNO Sky Mobile announced plans to increase monthly prices for the majority of its existing customers by GBP 1.50 from 14 February. The company noted that this is the first price hike for in-contract customers in seven years, and it's also less than most other major mobile providers. Out-of-bundle tariffs will be unchanged. 

UNITED KINGDOM 7 JAN

Accenture to buy UK AI startup Faculty

Accenture said it has agreed to acquire UK-based artificial intelligence firm Faculty to strengthen its capabilities in developing large-scale AI services for clients across industries. The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, will add more than 400 data scientists and AI engineers to Accenture's workforce, expanding its ability to integrate advanced simulation, optimisation and decision-intelligence tools into business operations.

UNITED KINGDOM 6 JAN

Channel 4 debuts UKTV shows on streaming service

UK public service broadcaster Channel 4 said users of its streaming app can now access titles from the BBC's ad-funded U service (previously UKTV Play). The launch comes after the partners reached a deal in October to give viewers access to hundreds of British shows on catchup and as full boxsets without needing to switch between platforms.

UNITED KINGDOM 6 JAN

UK govt announces GBP 210 mln Cyber Action Plan with support from software companies

The UK government has announced the GBP 210 million Cyber Action Plan to make online public services more secure and resilient. Its Cyber Unit will coordinate risk management and incident response among departments. Firms with strong track records of cyber security will foster best practice through a new Software Security Ambassador Scheme. It named Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Sage, Santander and NCC Group as being among these companies.

UNITED KINGDOM 6 JAN

Quickline updates broadband pricing with minimum 200 Mbps speed

UK operator Quickline Communications has refreshed its broadband packages, moving from four to three options and setting 200 Mbps as the new minimum speed. This eliminates the previous 100 Mbps package from the Yorkshire-based alternative fibre operator. The new plans are Full Fibre 200 for GBP 24.99 per month, Full Fibre 500 for GBP 28.99 and Full Fibre 1000 for GBP 32.99. 

UNITED KINGDOM 6 JAN

London fibre operator G.Network sold to distressed debt specialist - report

UK FTTH operator G.Network has been sold to a distressed debt specialist, the Financial Times reports. The sale to FitzWalter Capital was triggered by lenders calling in loans, two people familiar with the matter told the paper.

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JAN

VeloxServ offers first month free on new leased lines

UK wholesale fibre platform VeloxServ announced a new offer of the first month free in an effort to attract new customers. The offer applies on all leased line orders placed by partners from 01 January 2026. According to the company, the initiative is designed to give channel partners greater commercial confidence and billing flexibility when onboarding new customers or switching providers.

UNITED KINGDOM 31 DEC 2025

Zen Internet average traffic rises more than a fifth in 2025

UK ISP Zen Internet is reporting a 21 percent rise in average data traffic year-on-year over the course of 2025. The figure represents an elevated traffic baseline without accounting for demand spikes such as live sports streaming. The data comes as Zen marks its 30th year as an independent UK ISP. In 2025, Zen said the average day on its network involved carrying more traffic than at peak times a few years ago.

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Belgium drops plans for 26 GHz auction after little market interest

Commentary

2 JAN 13:21

Open Dutch Fiber's new management team takes up turnaround challenge

15 DEC 2025 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

8 DEC 2025 11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

31 OKT 2025 11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

Background

5 JAN 00:52

The week in telecom: Finnish security check, M&A completions and telco job cuts

23 DEC 2025 10:32

Netherlands TV-video market grows 2.6% in Q3 to EUR 759 mln

22 DEC 2025 00:25

The week in telecoms: YouTube, Instagram take on TV market and WBD rejects Paramount

15 DEC 2025 01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation