UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls

The UK government is planning new laws to band AI-enabled nudification tools to protect women and girls from deepfake abuse. These tools use GenAI to turn images of real people into fake nude videos/pictures without their consent. The new laws are part of the government's strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG). 

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale

3 UK has launched a last-minute Christmas sales, with offers on the latest phones, SIM plans and Home Broadband available from 18 December 2025 to 07 January 2026. For example, customers can save up to GBP 144 on the iPhone 17 Pro with unlimited data, calls and texts from GBP 40 upfront and GBP 58 per month (GBP 26 airtime and GBP 32 per month device plan).

TNT Sports replaces BBC as live broadcast partner for Commonwealth Games
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

TNT Sports replaces BBC as live broadcast partner for Commonwealth Games

Warner Bros Discovery has signed a deal with Commonwealth Sport for the exclusive UK live broadcast and digital media rights for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The deal will see TNT Sports provide more than 600 hours of coverage of the games in the UK & Ireland, with every event and sport streaming on HBO Max. The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place from 23 July-02 August, with 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories competing to win 215 gold medals.

Redcentric wins place on all six lots of new CCS technology services framework
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

Redcentric wins place on all six lots of new CCS technology services framework

Redcentric, UK managed services provider, has won a place on all six lots of the new Crown Commercial Services (CCS) RM6190 Technology Services 4 framework. The expanded scope allows Redcentric to provide solutions across cloud, connectivity, cyber security, end-user services, service management, transformation, communications and applications. A place on Lot 6 - Major Programmes allows the company for complex, large-scale projects from defence and central government.

Quickline provides free fibre broadband to 50 community hubs
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

Quickline provides free fibre broadband to 50 community hubs

Quickline Communications, UK rural broadband provider, has reached the milestone of providing free full-fibre broadband to 50 community hubs across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The 50th community hub to benefit from this digital inclusion scheme is the Scotton Digital Hub, which was installed in October with support from Community First Yorkshire. Amelia Williamson, Quickline's Social Values Executive, said the milestone reflected the company's long-term commitment to closing the digital divide. 

UK's AI Security Institute publishes Frontier AI Trends Report
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

UK's AI Security Institute publishes Frontier AI Trends Report

The UK's AI Security Institute has published its inaugural Frontier AI Trends Report, outlining the capabilities of the most advanced AI systems. The report shows that safeguards are improving, with the Institute working with AI companies to strengthen protections and keep people safe. The time taken for Institute red-teamers to find a general way of bypassing an AI model's safety rules (universal jailbreak) has jumped from minutes to several hours between model generations, an around 40-fold improvement.

ITV extends deal to show Prem Rugby games to 2028 - report
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

ITV extends deal to show Prem Rugby games to 2028 - report

UK broadcaster ITV has agreed a new deal to continue showing live Prem Rugby matches until 2028, reports UK newspaper 'The Telegraph'. Under the terms of this new deal, ITV will show seven live games, including the final on ITV1, for the 2027 and 2028 seasons - with an option for a further extension to 2029. 

Sky Sports to remain exclusive UK broadcaster for Masters Tournament
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

Sky Sports to remain exclusive UK broadcaster for Masters Tournament

Sky Sports has signed a new multi-year deal with Augusta National Gold Club for Sky Sports and NOW to remain the exclusive home of the Masters Tournament in the UK and Ireland. The extended agreement will see around 20 percent more live coverage on Sky Sports across the tournament. Sky Sports will also broadcast the Master Par 3 Contest, Augusta National Women's Amateur, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and Latin America Amateur Championship under the new deal. The 2026 Masters takes place on 06-12 April. 

Vodafone UK launches Winter Sale
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

Vodafone UK launches Winter Sale

Vodafone UK has launched a winter sale, with savings across pay-monthly handsets, SIM-only plans, Voxi, refurbished smartphones and home broadband. The offers are available online from 18 December 2025 to 06 January 2026. For example, customers can save GBP 1,008 on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, GBP 882 on the Samsung Galaxy S25, GBP 360 on the iPhone 16 Plus, and GBP 180 on the latest iPhone Air.

EE unveils new guide for identifying, stopping scams
UNITED KINGDOM 19 DEC

EE unveils new guide for identifying, stopping scams

BT Group subsidiary EE has partnered with internet icon Grime Gran and etiquette specialists Debrett's to launch a new etiquette guide for spotting and stopping online scammers over the Christmas period. The 'Mind Your Manners' guide tells Brits that it is not rude to shut down suspicious messages, calls or contacts. Malcolm Cubitt from BT's Consumer Group division said the guide was designed to send a clear message that everyone can help to identify and block scams. 

Currys interim group revenue jumps 8 percent to GBP 4.23 billion
UNITED KINGDOM 18 DEC

Currys interim group revenue jumps 8 percent to GBP 4.23 billion

UK tech and electricals retailer Currys has reported group revenue of GBP 4.23 billion for the half-year ending 01 November 2025, up 8 percent year-on-year, driven by a 4 percent jump in LFL revenue. Group adjusted EBIT was up GBP 13 million year-on-year to GBP 54 million, with reported EBIT up GBP 14 million to GBP 43 million. Group adjusted profit before was was GBP 22 million, up 144 percent year-on-year; with group free cash flow up 68 percent to GBP 84 million. 

Ofcom consults on fixed telecoms market regulation in Hull Area
UNITED KINGDOM 18 DEC

Ofcom consults on fixed telecoms market regulation in Hull Area

UK regulator Ofcom is consulting on proposals for regulating fixed telecoms markets in the Hull Area for a 5-year period from November 2026. The consultation closes on 26 February 2026, with Ofcom aiming to publish a final decision in October 2026. The Hull Area has around 200,000 premises, with Kcom historically having a clear monopoly. Rival companies have been building their own networks in Hull since 2021 - including MS3 Networks, CityFibre and Grain Connect - with around 7 in 10 premises now having a c

UNITED KINGDOM 18 DEC

VodafoneThree brings 400 customer service roles back to UK

VodafoneThree is bringing back 400 customer contact roles back to the UK. Previously based in India, these roles will be based in the Sheffield and Belfast call centres of outsourcing partner Concentrix. The jobs will focus on care and sales for Vodafone and Three, with 200 based in each city. Recruitment has already commenced, with new agents undergoing training in Belfast. 

UNITED KINGDOM 17 DEC

North Lanarkshire connects social housing properties to ultrafast broadband

North Lanarkshire Council in Scotland has announced plans to connect all 36,000 council homes (social housing) with ultrafast broadband over the next 5-7 years. The roll-out is designed to help close the digital divide. A recent council meeting has agreed to launch a tender to procure a supplier for the broadband connectivity, and to identify pilot sites for the project.

UNITED KINGDOM 17 DEC

Nasstar upgrades voice infrastructure with Ribbon Communications

Ribbon Communications, global provider of communications technology and IP optical networking solutions, has been selected by Nasstar to upgrade its national voice infrastructure in the UK. Ribbon is partnering with UK distributor Techland, a subsidiary of Gamma Communications, on the project. 

UNITED KINGDOM 17 DEC

PXC announces launch of CityFibre Business FTTP for partners

UK wholesale connectivity provider Platform X Communications (PXC) has confirmed the launch of CityFibre Business FTTP, providing more business connectivity solutions for partners. CityFibre Business FTTP through PCX provides symmetrical bandwidth of up to 1 Gbps, with Layer 3 Managed and Layer 2 Wholesale options available to choose from. 

UNITED KINGDOM 17 DEC

Community Fibre offers free broadband for three months

London-based ISP Community Fibre has launched a new promotion offering three months of free full-fibre broadband for new customers. New customers will also get a free router and free set-up. The offer is available with 12 and 24-month contracts until 23.59 hours on 28 December 2025, with customers able to save up to GBP 435 (versus national providers) depending on the package selected.

UNITED KINGDOM 17 DEC

Connected Libraries secures UK govt funds for digital inclusion programme

Connected Libraries, organisation of public libraries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has secured funding from the UK government's Digital Inclusion Fund to lead a digital inclusion programme. This programme will be delivered in partnership with WSA Community and Good Things Foundation, and will develop a new digital inclusion guide for public libraries to support vulnerable groups.

UNITED KINGDOM 17 DEC

Virgin Media O2 reports strong growth in broadband, mobile traffic in 2025

Virgin Media O2 has registered an 8 percent increase in broadband usage and 18 percent increase in mobile traffic on its networks in 2025. The group's 2025 'Year in Review' report shows that data use is driven mainly by live sports and major video game launches. The largest spikes in broadband data traffic were seen during the European football match between Liverpool and Real Madrid, and the launch of the Call of Duty Black Ops 7. 

UNITED KINGDOM 17 DEC

UK public, creative sectors reject govt AI copyright plans

The UK government has received more than 11,500 responses to its consultation on copyright and AI. The consultation set out three objectives for reforms of UK copyright law to support AI training. These were Access, allowing AI developers to access and use large volumes of online content to train models without infringing copyright; Control, giving rights holders control over their content, allowing them to license and secure payment for its use by AI models; and Transparency, with more transparency about w

UNITED KINGDOM 16 DEC

Revolut launches new 5G mobile service in UK

Digital bank Revolut has started to roll out the Revolut Mobile service in the UK to customers on the waitlist, with general availability following in January. Revolut Mobile is offering unlimited 5G data, texts and calls, plus 20GB of EU/US roaming date, for the introductory price of GBP 12.50 per month to customers signing up by end-March 2026. The service will cost GBP 14.99 per month from 30 March. 

UNITED KINGDOM 16 DEC

Avelacom adds PoP at Equinix LD7 data centre in London

Avelacom has increased its presence at the London data centre campus of Equinix in Slough with anew PoP in the LD7 data centre. This new PoP will support colocation and on-demand server services for financial trading companies; complementing existing PoPs at the Equinix LD 8, LD5 and LD4 data centres. This expands Avelacom's London footprint, support rising institutional demand for low-latency connectivity and proximity hosting.

UNITED KINGDOM 16 DEC

Circet acquires data centre infrastructure services provider Kinetic IT

Circet UK, subsidiary of global network services provider Circet, has acquired Kinetic IT, London-based provider of specialist data centre infrastructure, maintenance and installation services. The deal support Circet's diversification strategy, providing the expertise to offer a full range of solutions across data centre, telecoms and energy infrastructure.  

UNITED KINGDOM 16 DEC

Liverpool5G Open RAN private 5G network supports Labour Party Conference

Liverpool5G, not-for profit connectivity organisation, confirmed that its Open RAN private 5G network was successfully used to support several fringe events held during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool from 28 September to 01 October 2025. The network was originally deployed as part of the earlier Liverpool High Density Demand R&D project. 

Just In

19 DEC 16:42

SLT-Mobitel launches 5G network in Sri Lanka

19 DEC 16:19

Dialog Axiata launches 5G network, connects 1.5 million subscribers

19 DEC 15:56

UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls

19 DEC 15:42

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale

Commentary

13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

11:11

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

15:26

Stock markets breaking records but what happened to Odido's IPO plans?

Background

01:04

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

01:39

The week in telecom: Netflix wins bidding for Warner Bros, Apple poaches new execs, Samsung debuts trifold

13:51

Proximus vs. Telenet: Proximus performs better in Q3 while Telenet uses up cash

14:16

Proximus Domestic still struggling with low margins