ISPA Policy Updates
New year, new policy updates
December, compared with November, proved to be a quieter month, with policy activity slowing in the run-up to the holidays. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) published the long-awaited consultation on legislative proposals to address broadband rollout in leasehold flats. In particular, DSIT seeks input on granting leaseholders the right to request gigabit-capable broadband and on preventing freeholders from unreasonably refusing. ISPA will respond to this consultation with input from our MDU Access Working Group and welcome member thoughts.
In other DSIT news, the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee recently held an oral evidence session on digital inclusion and telecoms with the Minister for Telecoms, Baroness Lloyd, and two other officials from the (DSIT). The first half of the session focused on general telecoms, especially competition and digital infrastructure, with some attention given to consumer pricing. Queries were raised about the draft Statement of Strategic Priorities, to which ISPA submitted a response. The Minister expects the updated statement early this year Committee members expressed concern over residents’ reluctance about new poles, especially in rural areas, and noted complaints about unused poles. The Minister referred to the July statement on supporting further building, adding that the government is reviewing the use of existing infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the implementation of the Online Safety Act (OSA), and the implications for providers, continues. 2025 ended with Ofcom fining AVS Group Ltd, an adult content company, £1 million for failing to comply with the Act specifically about a lack of what Ofcom deems “highly effective age assurance”. As enter the new year, Ofcom has made urgent contact with platform X over it’s AI tool, Grok, being able to generate NCII and CSAM. The OSA allows for business disruption measures for in-scope platforms who continue to not comply or engage.
With Parliament back from recess, January is likely to be a busier month.
ISPA Policy
In December, ISPA responded to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s consultation on material information in property listing, specifically, on proposals to launchnew guidance for estate agents where we agreed that suggesting that broadband - specifically, the existence of gigabit-capable broadband - be included.
Looking forwards, ISPA is preparing to represent its members at an upcoming roundtable with the Chancellor and Secretary of State for DSIT, Liz Kendall. The roundtable has been scheduled to address transparency in consumer pricing as well as to discuss wider investment in digital infrastructure. This engagement coincides with the Government's request for Ofcom to conduct both interim and full reviews of the 'pounds-and-pence' pricing transparency measures introduced in January 2025.
ISPA also continues to engage with MHCLG, the BSR and the CLC regarding fire safety in higher-risk buildings.
As always, 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.
Find more about Adtran here...
At the end of 2025, 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 Members
They are a modern, ethical and sustainable challenger broadband company; shaking up the dinosaur status quo of the UK telecoms industry.
Their business development services encompass product and services design and development, managed services scoping and implementation, and market research and ratecard creation. They take a holistic view of businesses and bring creative out-of-the-box thinking to help our customers achieve their best return on investment. By exploiting market gaps and knowing where the competition lies, their customers can make fully-informed choices and drive their business forward.
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, 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.
