ISPA Policy Updates
'Tis the season for some policy changes
November proved to be a busier month, a strong contrast to October. After much anticipation, the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget was unveiled this week, coming much earlier than expected with a leak from the Office for Budget Responsibility (scandalous…).
Telecoms were absent from the Budget speech, but the full Budget document includes several industry-related commitments. These included a reaffirmation of opening a consultation on improving connectivity in Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs) by legislating to grant leaseholders the right to request gigabit-capable broadband, and for freeholders not to “unreasonably refuse.” The Budget also set out a commitment to ensure consumers are treated fairly in the telecoms sector, and that the government would be working with Ofcom to ensure that customers get a “fair deal” and are able to switch providers easily. Finally, changes were made to business rates multipliers, with the intention of providing a relief to SME retail, hospitality and leisure properties by increasing the ratesf ro high-value properties.
Moreover, in November, the government introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to Parliament, aiming to strengthen cyber defences for essential services including the NHS, energy, water and transport as part of the Plan for Change.
Minister Liz Lloyd, Minister Blair McDougall and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) CEO Richard Horne have written to small businesses, reminding them of the resources available to them to ensure that they remain cyber secure - including the free Cyber Action Toolkit, Cyber Essentials, and Action Fraud. The signatories urge small businesses to take these steps to remain resilient in the face of increasing cyber attacks.
Letters continue as Liz Kendall also wrote to Ofcom’s CEO expressing concern at theprice increases consumers are facing from Internet providers, especially mid-contract price rises and how these are being communicated. From mid-January this year, Ofcom banned mid-contract price rises linked to inflation, requiring them to be expressed clearly and upfront in ‘pounds and pence’, as opposed to percentage points, in an effort to make pricing more transparent for consumers. However, as inflation continues to rise and providers are forced to increase their prices, this is increasingly gaining the attention of government and regulators.
With Parliament going into recess this month and the release of the budget, December looks to be a slower month (fingers crossed).
ISPA Policy
In November, ISPA plans to respond to the new consultation that the MHCLG has launched on new guidance for estate agents regarding material information for home buyers, suggesting that broadband be included. We will aim to have this over to members by the 23rd of December.
ISPA is also assessing member positions on the latest cyber proposals, noting that most ISPs appear out of scope while some managed service providers and existing digital infrastructure operators may face revised reporting and potential new obligations with wider supply chain impacts, and plans to submit a member response at Committee Stage and convene a cyber working group before Christmas.
ISPA is also planning to represent members at the consumer pricing roundtable in the new year, which comes as a result of rising telecoms prices during the cost-of-living crisis and a pereceived lack of transparency in consumer communications. It also seeks to explore further support for consumers and digital infrastructure investment. This comes as the Government requestsOfcom to conduct interim and full reviews of the January 2025 pounds-and-pence changes.
ISPA also continues to is also engage with MHCLG, the BSR and the CLC regardingfire safety in higher-risk buildings.
Finally, ISPA looks forward to responsing to the incoming consultation on granting leaseholders in MDUs the right to request gigabit-capable broadband, which is expected within the “coming weeks”.
As usual, we encourage members to get in touch with any questions!
ISPA Partners
Predict issues earlier, resolve faster and improve customer experience
Mosaic One Clarity helps service providers move from reactive troubleshooting to proactive assurance. Built on the REAL AI platform, it unifies network and subscriber data to deliver predictive insights, root cause analysis and guided actions across multi-vendor access and in home-environments. Explainable intelligence shows why issues occur so CSRs, NOC engineers and field teams can act with confidence. Clarity integrates with existing workflows and complements Mosaic One Care and Operate, enabling fewer avoidable dispatches, shorter mean time to repair and higher first-time resolution rate without major infrastructure changes.
On Friday 21 November, Netgem launched PLEIO - a brand new all-IP streaming device, and the first Freely-enabled streaming puck on the UK market. With Freely, 150+ extra channels, all the streaming apps and 250+ Cloud Games, PLEIO is a brand new way to watch, stream and play.
The response has been phenomenal, with coverage across national press including The Sun, The Mirror, Forbes and four star reviews from T3 and Cordbusters.
PLEIO is available in retail and bundled via ISPs Brsk, Connect Fibre and WightFibre - with more to come!
How UK’s altnets can use visual AI to improve FTTH deployment compliance
UK altnets are entering a new era of accountability, with Openreach raising the bar on documentation and deployment quality. In this landscape, compliance isn’t just a box to tick, it’s a strategic differentiator. IQGeo explores how real-time visual AI software like Deepomatic Lens, enables a proactive compliance model where issues are caught and corrected in the field, not after the fact. By elevating “first-time right” performance and reducing operational drag, altnets can future-proof their FTTH rollouts and compete on reliability, efficiency, and trust.
Industry Insights
ISPA Partner eero releases Wi-fi 7 Operator Survey
ISPA Partner Genexis Announces NuFibre as First UK Customer for Elite HX30 Gateway and Home CX30 Extender
Insights with TP-Link – PON Deployment & Beyond: Solutions, Gaps, and What’s Next
ISPA Events
ISPA Awards 2025
ISPA Awards 2026 will launch in January, if you’d like to sponsor the awards, get in touch with awards@ispa.org.uk
Partner Events
The AI & Big Data Expo Global
The AI & Big Data Expo Global, part of the renowned TechEx Global series, returns to Olympia London on 4-5 February 2026. This leading enterprise AI and data strategy event will bring together over 8,000 senior technology professionals for two days of cutting-edge content, real-world use cases, and unparalleled networking.
Designed for CTOs, CIOs, data scientists, heads of innovation, and key enterprise decision-makers, the AI & Big Data Expo Global will spotlight the latest in artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data infrastructure, ethical AI, and real-time analytics.
Fraud Summit 2026
CCUK Fraud Summit, which takes place on the 15th April, brings together representatives from sectors such as telecoms and banking, as well as regulators, law enforcement bodies. Comms Council UK represents the second Fraud Summit, at One Birdcage Walk - an event which brings together representatives from sectors such as telecoms and banking, as well as regulators, law enforcement bodies, and civil servants to share insights on how to tackle fraud effectively.
Throughout the day, representatives from Ofcom, the National Crime Agency, Home Office, Trading Standards, and more will be joining our sessions and panels.
Tickets are discounted for ISPA members and include refreshments, lunch and networking drinks reception.
Partners of ISPA
Become an ISPA Partner
ISPA Partnership offers organisations the opportunity to connect, develop relationships and grow their visibility with our 150+ ISP member community.
The packages run over a 12 month period and include 4 in-person events (including our prestigious ISPA Awards), online thought leadership, marketing opportunities and various other deliverables that ensures your organisation grows its connections in the UK ISP sector.
Find out what the opportunities are here.
To enquire about an ISPA partnership, please message our Head of Partnerships at krystian@ispa.org.uk.
