Policy Update

Digital exclusion report published

The Communications and Digital Committee publishes its report on Digital exclusion. This House of Lords report highlighted a few key areas of focus, notably the need for a new digital inclusion strategy and action around broadband taxation.
The current strategy is almost 10 years old and broadband is still subject to full VAT. Till Sommer, Head of Policy at ISPA provided comment to the BBC that a new digital inclusion strategy was "long overdue".
He said there was a "real commitment" across the broadband sector to help more people get online through social tariffs and support for people struggling.
But he said there were areas where "only the government can move the dial - including reviewing VAT on broadband".

ISPA's AGM 

We held our annual general meeting (AGM) on 8th June during our ISP Business Summit at DLA Piper in London.

The Chair, Steve Leighton,  presented his report to members, providing an overview of ISPA and industry activity over the past twelve months. The chair praised the efforts of ISPA members, with gigabit-capable broadband now available to half the UK, with a vibrant mix of ISPs providing critical and reliable services to consumers and businesses.

ISPA’s four main priorities were highlighted - supporting members with policy and regulatory compliance, industry market looks ahead and agenda setting, consumer education and technology enhancement.

Our Treasurer’s Mick Everett then presented the financial report and the meeting concluded with in passing two resolutions and election of eight Council members. Among those were two new Council members - Emma Shearer from CityFibre and Ben Stone from Gigaclear. You can find the biographies of all our Council members here.

 

ISPA Partners

OpenWiFi
The Future of Seamless & Scalable Enterprise Connectivity

OpenWiFi is an open sourced, community-developed, disaggregated Wi-Fi software system. The system includes a cloud controller SDK and an Enterprise-grade Access Point (AP) firmware, designed, and validated to work seamlessly together.
The key advantages are:
  • Lower R&D cost to develop enterprise-grade Wi-Fi solutions.
    • Advanced feature set, including Wi-Fi 6, Passpoint and OpenRoaming® capabilities.
    • Robust, single codebase of common Wi-Fi “plumbing”.
  • Accelerated, open innovation.
    • Allows service providers to focus their development and integration efforts on service innovation.
  • Favourable economics for Service Providers and Enterprises.
    • Lower Total Cost of Ownership.
    • Diverse multi-vendor selection - choice and flexibility in enterprise grade Wi-Fi infrastructure.

Read more here.

 

 

DrayTek joins as the latest ISPA Partner

ISPA is delighted to announce the latest partner to join our growing network of members and partners - DrayTek.

Since 1999, DrayTek UK has marked a fast and steady growth to become a leading, award-winning manufacturer of business class broadband and networking solutions.

Today, they offer a complete range of enterprise network equipment for Internet connectivity, wireless networks, mesh Wi-Fi systems, switching, broadband routers, secure VPN, along with remote management tools.

DrayTek's business philosophy focuses on promoting high-performance, cost-efficient and reliable networking solutions to help organisations within retail, enterprise, home-based, hospitality and education, exploit the full potential of the Internet.

Find out more.

 

 

Experience the power of Geolantis.360

A revolutionary platform for critical infrastructure data collection and asset inspection! Boost your team's productivity and streamline your workflows like never before.

Geolantis.360 offers real-time insights, eliminating guesswork and saving at least an hour daily. Stay caught up in the digital transformation wave. Harness the power of advanced GIS mapping and intelligent data analytics. Turn your data into actionable insights with Geolantis.360.

Request a demo today to see how to save time and enhance efficiency.

 

You may have heard about the infamous Fibre Ninjas from VIAVI Solutions. Well, every great hero has their nemesis and now the Fibre Ninja has met theirs! VIAVI has now introduced the “Red Alerts” to highlight common fibre issues and how Fibre Ninja field engineers can quickly resolve them.

Watch the first episode here

 

ISPA Events

ISPA Awards 2023 - Get your Early bird tickets

Don't miss on Early Bird tickets for our landmark 25th ISPA Awards Ceremony - hosted at the exclusive new OWO Raffles Hotel in London on Thursday 9th November.

Since 1999, The ISPAs have showcased the success of the UK internet industry in its pursuit of greater connectivity for citizens across the nation, and are now the most coveted awards in our sector.

This year, we are celebrating a spectacular 25 years in style! For this very special occasion, we are excited to host the event in the historic Old War Offices, which has undergone a £1.2bn renovation to become the most prestigious venue in London - The OWO Raffles Hotel.

The tickets for the black tie event will include a welcome Champaigne reception, 3-course meal (the menu created by the hotel's Michelin Starred Chef), a well-known comedian (to be announced later this year), a DJ set to finish off the party and an array of other entertainment throughout the evening.

For a limited time only, we are happy to offer an 'early-bird prices'for those looking to secure their tickets early and save money for their company.

Book your tickets here

 

ISPA, Good Things Foundation and TP-Link are partnering to find and showcase the best digital inclusion initiatives implemented throughout the UK in 2023 at our 25th ISPA Awards.

Access to reliable good quality technology, and being equipped with the skills to be able to make the most of our digitally connected world, are no longer luxuries - they are essential for all of us. The current cost-of-living crisis and woes about economic security have created an increased demand for initiatives that contribute towards digital connectivity and supply of technology for all.

We want to highlight the good work being done to bridge the digital divide and help those in need stay or become connected. Whether you’re an individual, organisation or community group, we want to hear about the impact and change you have made. It could be improving digital literacy, helping people get connected or simply using digital to change lives for the better.

A grant will be awarded to the overall winner (value to be confirmed at a later date), with some travel funds available to the finalist if required.

Entrants must submit this written entry form to awards@ispa.org.uk by Friday September 1st 2023.

 

Would you like to sponsor the ISPA Awards 2023? Find the sponsorship pack here.

 

ISP Business Summit

We hosted our second in-person Business Summit at the offices of our legal partners DLA Piper on 8th June.

Our panellists spoke about mergers, acquisitions and investment; building more complete networks; gigabit broadband take up; and state of the broadband nation.

Our partners CityFibre, OpenreachZinierEPS GlobalRouteThisNetgem TV&WiFiCalixAltnetsLinksysLSBUDAdtranPelicanCorp and TP-Link all participated in the sessions and also showed their products to 150 attendees.

Read the full story here.

 

ISPA Articles

ISPA Members

This month, we were happy to welcome iONLINE Internet Solutions Provider into our membership.
iONLINE provides IoT connectivity solutions that enable organisations around the globe to expand their private network nationally and internationally by using high-speed mobile network infrastructure such as GSM, LTE, 5G and NB-IoT. Our platform includes advanced security, converged mobile networks, a full data management solution, reporting tools, alerts and more.

Partner Events

ISPA offers its members a variety of discounts for events that we partner with:
Connected Britain - 20th and 21st September, EXCEL London
Working From Home Live is back for 2023, returning to the ExCeL in London on the 22nd & 23rd of November!
IoT Tech Expo - 30th November - 1st December, Olympia, London

ISPA Partners

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 ISPAs Head of Partnerships at krystian@ispa.org.uk.