Currys promotes Nordics business head to Group CEO
UNITED KINGDOM 14:09

Currys promotes Nordics business head to Group CEO

UK-based tech and electricals retailer Currys has announced the appointment of Fredrik Tonnesen as its new Group CEO with effect from 03 August 2026. Tonnesen has been CEO of the group's Nordics business, which accounts for around 40 percent of group revenue, since March 2023. He will take over as Group CEO from Alex Baldock, who will leave the Board on 03 August and the company on 31 August 2026.

Global Switch signs new 10-year solar CPPA with Drax Energy
UNITED KINGDOM 14:03

Global Switch signs new 10-year solar CPPA with Drax Energy

UK data centre operator Global Switch has signed a new long-term renewable electricity agreement with Drax Energy Solutions. The 10-year Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) is for Drax to supply 55GwH of baseload solar power a year from January 2027. The deal will account for around 30 percent of Global Switch's total UK electricity demand. This is the second renewable power agreement for Global Switch supported by Drax, with the two CPPAs covering over 70 percent of the data centre operator's UK elec

Quickline marks graduation of fibre installation apprentices
UNITED KINGDOM 13:57

Quickline marks graduation of fibre installation apprentices

Quickline Communications, UK rural broadband provider, has marked the graduation of three fibre installation engineer apprentices; with apprenticeships ongoing in IT, technical support, HR and finance across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. To date, 128 apprenticeships have been taken up across the region - including 12 at telecoms infrastructure services company OCU Group Opals; 36 at Hull-based construction firm PBS Construction. 

UK rural ISP Airband appoints new managing director
UNITED KINGDOM 13:41

UK rural ISP Airband appoints new managing director

UK rural broadband provider Airband has appointed Alan Mitchell as Managing Director. He was previously the company's Chief Operating Officer, and will report to Executive Chairman Jarlath Finnegan in his new role. Finnegan said Mitchell had "played a critical role" in Airband's expansion over the last year, and was the right person to lead the company forward.

Sir Ian Cheshire confirmed as new chair of Ofcom
UNITED KINGDOM 13:20

Sir Ian Cheshire confirmed as new chair of Ofcom

The UK government has announced the appointment of Sir Ian Cheshire, former chair of broadcaster Channel 4, as the new Chair of Ofcom. The appointment was confirmed following a pre-appointment heating with UK Parliament's Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee. He takes over Lord Michael Grade, who terms as Ofcom chair ended on 30 April 2026. 

Ofcom study highlights poor mobile service quality on UK trains
UNITED KINGDOM 11:17

Ofcom study highlights poor mobile service quality on UK trains

New research from UK regulator Ofcom shows that mobile network service quality on trains is poor, with Ofcom calling for a nationwide effort to boost mobile service quality across the UK. Ofcom measured mobile performance across 24 segments of major railway lines in England, Wales and Scotland - with mobile performance poor 58-83 percent of tests (depending on the mobile network). The tests examined how often a mobile phone could get a good performance (at least 5/1.5 Mbps speed and response time of 50 mill

Virgin Media O2 launches new Digital Wellbeing Manifesto
UNITED KINGDOM 11:02

Virgin Media O2 launches new Digital Wellbeing Manifesto

New research commissioned by Virgin Media O2 shows that Brits will spend an average of 4 years and 8 months of their waking lives using their mobile phones unintentionally (doomscrolling). The 12-month study of more than 6,000 Brits (led by the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at Cambridge University) shows a clear correlation between doomscrolling and poorer sleep, focus and mental wellbeing. More than one third (36%) of all mobile phone use is now happening without clear intent, equal to a

CityFibre reaches over one million connected premises
UNITED KINGDOM 10:33

CityFibre reaches over one million connected premises

CityFibre has reached the milestone of connecting more than one million UK premises to its full-fibre network. CityFibre's critical national infrastructure is also used by enterprises, mobile operators and local authorities to connect around 16,000 sites across the UK - including GP surgeries, hospitals and schools. CityFibre CEO Simon Holden said it continued to "challenge the incumbents" and was powering the digital lives of millions of Brits.

Kainos wins GBP 150 million digital transformation contract with Defra
UNITED KINGDOM 10:22

Kainos wins GBP 150 million digital transformation contract with Defra

Kainos, Belfast-based digital transformation and IT services provider, has won a GBP 150 million digital delivery and transformation contract from the UK government's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). The 4-year contract has an option to extend for an additional 12 months, and is part of Defra's Application, Development, Maintenance and Support (ADMS Plus) procurement programme. 

Node4 provides college with Microsoft contact centre solution
UNITED KINGDOM 10:11

Node4 provides college with Microsoft contact centre solution

Node4, UK managed services and AI business solutions provider, has won a contract from Nottingham College to provide a Microsoft contact centre solution. The new platform will deliver considerable efficiency savings, as well as potential extra income from enhanced marketing conversion and engagement. Node4 is delivering an integrated digital communications platform connected to the wider data network at the further education college. 

Cato Networks to expand London footprint with new AI innovation hub
UNITED KINGDOM 08:22

Cato Networks to expand London footprint with new AI innovation hub

Israel-based SASE specialist Cato Networks is embarking on a multi-year operational expansion in London and is launching its first dedicated AI hub in the UK's capital. Cato's AI innovation and research centre will be situated towards the centre of London in the Holborn district. The vendor's multi-year UK strategy includes a hiring drive to reach 50 staff in the next three years, building on an initial core group of product managers, data scientists and software engineers expected to be assigned to the fac

Researchers demonstrate 450 Tbps transmission over deployed metropolitan fibre link
UNITED KINGDOM 06:58

Researchers demonstrate 450 Tbps transmission over deployed metropolitan fibre link

Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and five international research partners have demonstrated optical transmission at 450 Tbps over a field-deployed fibre link in London, setting a new record for data transmission over standard installed optical fibre. The trial was conducted over a 39km metropolitan link connecting University College London (UCL) and the Telehouse North data centre using fibre from the UK National Dark Fibre Facility. 

UNITED KINGDOM 06:46

CMA imposes new conduct requirement on Google Search

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a conduct requirement for Google Search, securing a fairer deal for consumers and publishers. This comes after Google was designated with strategic market status (SMS) for general search services under the UK's digital markets competition regime. The conduct requirement will allow publishers of opt out of their content being used to power Google search's AI features, such as AI Overviews.  The CMA believes this will put them in a stronger position

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JUN

London Mayor to back calls for under 16s social media ban

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will use a speech in London on 01 June to back calls for a social media ban for under 16s. He will also call on tech firms to tackle the spread of misogynistic content on their platforms and publicly confirm how they will revamp their algorithms to stop hateful content being added to children's feeds. This part of a wider campaign to tackle a lost generation of boys and young men negatively influenced by the manosphere. He will also call on regulator Ofcom to adopt a stricte

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JUN

Swansea Bay City secures GBP 44.8 mln digital connectivity investment

The Swansea Bay City Region secured digital connectivity investment worth GBP 44.8 million during 2024/25, according to the new report from Farrpoint. This includes GBP 2.2 million through the Swansea Bay City Deal Infrastructure Programme, which was used to fund major projects such as the PSBA Full Fibre Infrastructure Build and the Dark Fibre East project.

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JUN

Freely PSB streaming service to be in 10.5 million UK homes by 2034

Everyone TV has published new research from 3 Reasons forecasting that Freely PSB streaming platform will be in 10.5 million UK homes by 2034. The analysis also expects the number of UK homes without broadband to drop to 220,000 by 2034, equal to 0.8 percent of TV homes. The number of UK homes without broadband currently stands at 1.2 million, after a 30 percent drop between 2023 and 2025. Everyone TV CEO Johnathan Thompson said the updated forecasts reflected the changing way audiences engage with TV. Free

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JUN

Openreach expands full-fibre network to more English towns, villages

Openreach has started work on new full-fibre broadband networks to connect homes and businesses in Leire (Leicestershire), Long Buckby (West Northamptonshire), Darley Dale and Leabrooks (Derbyshire), Spilsby (Lincolnshire), Barnard Castle (County Durham) and Hungerford (Berkshire). The Openreach full-fibre network now reached over 22 million UK premises, with plans to reach 25 million by end-2026 and up to 30 million by 2030. 

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JUN

Ofcom mobile coverage checker used by one million people

UK regulator Ofcom confirmed that one million people have now used the free 'Map Your Mobile' coverage checker. The checker uses a combination of crowdsourced data from OpenSignal and predictive information from UK mobile network operators. Users can enter their postcode to see a map of mobile network coverage in their area, and a score showing the best performing operator in their postal district. 

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JUN

BBC Director of Comedy to leave role after five years

The BBC has announced the departure of Director of Comedy, Jon Petrie. He joined the BBC in 2021 and is leaving to take up the role of Creative Director at Hat Trick Productions. During his time as the BBC's Director of Comedy, Petrie set up the BBC Comedy Festival, now in its 5th year; and was responsible for a wide range of comedy shows such as Amandaland, Alma's Not Normal, Death Valley, Black Ops, Ludwig, Small Prophets and Ghosts.

UNITED KINGDOM 2 JUN

Openreach announces new fibre broadband offers for CPs

Openreach has announced a new package of measured broadband offers for providers. These will provide more flexibility for them to compete for customers and support the take-up of full-fibre broadband services across the UK. James Lowther, Openreach's Managing Director for Commercial, said the offers were designed to support competition and "deliver real value and benefits for customers". 

UNITED KINGDOM 1 JUN

Customer growth helps Gigaclear increase 2025 revenue by 37 percent

UK rural fibre altnet Gigaclear has reported revenue of GBP 64.9 million for the 12 months to 31 December 2025, up 37 percent from GBP 47.2 million in 2024. This was driven by continued customer growth during the year. Accounts filed with Companies House show a net loss of GBP 152 million for 2025, down from a net loss of GBP 242.6 million a year earlier. This was mainly down to no impairment of property, plant and equipment (GBP 110.2 million in 2024), offset by higher finance costs. 

UNITED KINGDOM 1 JUN

City of London Police, Sky shut down illegal streaming data centre

The City of London Police has worked with broadcaster Sky to shut down a major illegal streaming data centre in Farnborough, disrupting thousands of illegal streams across the UK and seizing equipment worth over GBP 1.2 million. The operation was led by the police force's Police Intellectual Property Crimes Unit (PIPCU). 

UNITED KINGDOM 1 JUN

UK govt plans tougher penalties for subsea cable damage

The UK government is considering new proposals to impose tougher penalties on ship owners/operators that damage underwater internet cables. A consultation on plans to strengthen national security and deter hostile states from recklessly sabotaging critical national infrastructure (CNI) is planned for later in 2026. The government is also considering imposing new security obligations on cable owners/operators to secure their infrastructure. The plans were outlined in a speech at the Royal United Services Ins

UNITED KINGDOM 1 JUN

Lightning Fibre rolls out Genexis Wi-Fi 7 devices

UK fibre altnet Lightning Fibre will offer Genexis Wi-Fi 7 devices to customers, including the Aura E750 Gateway and Home CX750 Extender, to enhance the home full-fibre broadband experience. The Wi-Fi 7 devices will provide consistent Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home, across multiple simultaneous devices. 

Just In

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BDx secures 1.2 GW power deal for Indonesian data centres

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Vero invests BRL 110 mln in 'Vero Controle Mais' mobile service expansion

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Portuguese telecom complaints resurge in Q1 with Meo attracting most gripes

Commentary

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KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MEI 14:25

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

20 APR 10:36

Netflix back to organic growth and doing just fine

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

Background

1 JUN 00:13

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors

23 MEI 23:42

The week in telecom: Starlink ready to go public, Singapore telco M&A and Google courts AI subscribers at I/O

18 MEI 00:31

The week in telecom: US operators mount rural satellite challenge, Cisco cashes in on AI boom

11 MEI 00:53

The week in telecom: Lumen, NTT turn to data centre market to revive growth, Hutchison exits UK