Neowin News Feed for: Broadband

Go to these 10 cities if you want the fastest internet speeds per Ookla

Aditya Tiwari — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 16:46:01 +0000

If you're wondering what parts of the world offer the fastest internet, here is a list of the top 10 cities. Read more...

Ookla speed test report: These countries have the fastest internet in 2025 so far

Aditya Tiwari — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:50:02 +0000

A new Ookla report reveals the top countries with the fastest mobile and fixed internet speeds in 2025 so far. Read more...

Ofcom's One Touch Switch expanded to boost broadband competition across networks

Paul Hill — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 13:42:01 +0000

Ofcom expands One Touch Switch rules, allowing easier broadband and phone switching. This move aims to enhance competition and could lead to lower prices for consumers. Read more...

Revealed: These UK cities have the fastest and slowest broadband speeds

Paul Hill — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:00:01 +0000

A new report from Broadband Genie has found out which UK cities have the fastest and slowest broadband. Interestingly, the best performers were widely distributed around the UK nations. Read more...

UK regulator finally takes action on inflation-linked mid-contract price hikes

Paul Hill — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 12:58:01 +0000

Ofcom has finally put an end to inflation-linked price rises for UK customers in phone, broadband, and pay-TV contracts. However, it is too late to help those walloped by the recent inflation. Read more...

Ofcom fines BT £2.8 million for failing its EE and Plusnet customers

Paul Hill — Wed, 22 May 2024 11:22:01 +0000

BT has been fined £2,800,000 by Ofcom for failing to provide a summary of its contracts to EE and Plusnet customers before they signed up. BT will also have to let people exit contracts without fees. Read more...

EE and BT to move away from inflation-linked price increases

Paul Hill — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 06:58:01 +0000

EE has announced a simpler price increase model that will come into force next year. It said that customers would be told of price increases in pounds and pence, and they wouldn't be inflation-linked. Read more...

47 million mobile and broadband customers in the UK to be hit by price hikes

Paul Hill — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 12:54:01 +0000

A total of 47 million mobile and broadband customers are going to be hit with price rises in April. The comparison website Uswitch has provided some tips on how customers can avoid the hikes. Read more...

25 Mbps is not enough, FCC increases broadband speed benchmark after nine years

Aditya Tiwari — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 07:54:01 +0000

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has increased the download speed benchmark to 100 Mbps. This is a four-fold increase from 2015 when the download speed benchmark was 25 Mbps. Read more...

Virgin Media O2 customers: Will you pay 8.8% more or face the exit fees?

Paul Hill — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 22:24:01 +0000

VIrgin Media O2 is giving its customers a difficult choice to make. Should they pay the new rates which are 8.8% higher or pay exorbitant exit fees to change over to a new provider? Read more...

Google and AT&T invest in beating Starlink in satellite-to-smartphone technology

Martin Hodás — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 10:56:01 +0000

SpaceX is not the only company trying to enable regular phones to connect directly via satellites. Major U.S. tech and telecom companies now invest in Starlink competitor with the same technology. Read more...

Shell Energy fined £1.4 million for not telling customers to review contracts

Paul Hill — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 18:42:02 +0000

Shell Energy was fined £1.4 million by the regulator Ofcom for not properly informing customers that they were out of contract or that their contract was coming to an end. The issue is now resolved. Read more...

Uswitch: 85% of UK customers find mid-contract price hikes unfair

Paul Hill — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 19:52:02 +0000

Uswitch is asking Ofcom to change the way broadband and mobile providers increase prices for customers. With recent high inflation, mid-contract price rises have been very noticeable. Read more...

Which? calls for broadband mid-contract price hike ban

Paul Hill — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 14:20:01 +0000

Which? has called on the broadband regulator, Ofcom, to put a ban in place on mid-contract price rises. It said consumers will face steep price increases in 2024 just as they have in 2023. Read more...

The average download speed in the UK has hit 69.4 Mbit/s

Paul Hill — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 13:28:01 +0000

According to Ofcom, the UK broadband situation has improved over the last year. It said download and upload speeds had improved and that peak-time usage was having a bit less impact on speeds. Read more...

6 GHz spectrum hybrid sharing idea for Wi-Fi and mobile floated by Ofcom

Paul Hill — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 19:46:01 +0000

Ofcom has outlined how the upper 6 GHz spectrum band could be used by both Wi-Fi and mobile traffic. It calls the approach 'hybrid sharing' and outlined several ways that it could be implemented. Read more...

UK broadband costs more now but issues are widespread, finds Which?

Paul Hill — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 20:28:01 +0000

The consumer rights organization, Which?, has castigated broadband companies in the UK for putting prices up but only delivering mediocre services. Its survey found many customers had issues. Read more...

US announces $42 billion program for affordable high-speed broadband

Paul Hill — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 19:50:01 +0000

The US government has announced more than $42 billion in funding so that everyone in the country, including territories, can get high-speed and affordable broadband. Completion is expected in 2030. Read more...

Poor UK households could save £200 on broadband but are unaware of social tariff deals

Paul Hill — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 02:20:01 +0000

Just 5% of eligible households in the UK are subscribed to a social broadband tariff. They are priced more reasonably for people on welfare who have tighter budgets but still need internet access. Read more...

Ookla speed test report: These countries have the fastest internet in 2023 so far

Aditya Tiwari — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 07:22:01 +0000

A new Ookla report reveals the top countries with the fastest mobile and fixed internet speeds in Q12023. While Singapore leads the broadband space, UAE has the fastest mobile download speeds. Read more...

Vodafone UK broadband customers experience outage

Paul Hill — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:23:24 +0000

Vodafone UK broadband customers have been unable to get online this morning. Reports started coming in at 8:00 a.m. BST and the company is yet to rectify the issue at the time of writing. Read more...

UK broadband providers miss One Touch Switch deadline

Paul Hill — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:50:01 +0000

Ofcom says it's going to take measures against broadband providers for failing to implement the One Touch Switch (OTS) process by the April 3 deadline. OTS would allow for easier broadband switching. Read more...

Shell Energy named as UK's most complained about broadband company

Paul Hill — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 20:34:01 +0000

Ofcom has released lists of the best broadband and mobile companies in the UK based on the number of complaints they received. The report suggests Shell Energy was the worst among all. Read more...

Seven broadband and mobile firms to raise prices by up to 14.4% in the spring

Paul Hill — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:04:02 +0000

UK broadband and mobile customers are going to be hit with price hikes this spring as operators attempt to keep up with their costs. Those who can are urged to look for cheaper deals elsewhere. Read more...

UK consumers can save money on TV, broadband, and mobile packages, according to Which?

Paul Hill — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 02:48:01 +0000

The consumer group Which? has urged people to look around for cheaper broadband, TV, and mobile deals to save money. It said people could cut £162 a year by switching to a cheaper provider. Read more...

FCC to require ISPs to display broadband “nutrition label”

Justin Luna — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:06:01 +0000

To help consumers compare broadband prices and ensure price transparency, the FCC will require ISPs to display a “nutrition label” containing all fees, caps, and charges about an internet plan. Read more...

Bad internet connections at home could cost the UK economy £60 billion per year

Steve Bennett — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 10:10:01 +0000

Since Covid, many employees now work from home. However, a new study has shown that users with poor internet connections at home are costing the British economy an estimated £60 billion per year. Read more...

Ofcom proposes weakening net neutrality rules in the name of innovation

Paul Hill — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 15:34:13 +0000

Ofcom has set out proposed changes to net neutrality rules. It could see providers throttle traffic of certain services at peak times, the introduction of premium packages by providers, and more. Read more...

UK broadband speeds rise by 18% as people buy superfast packages

Paul Hill — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 12:00:02 +0000

Ofcom has revealed that the median average broadband speed has jumped 18% in the most recent year compared to the year before. Upload speeds are also increasing, but are well below download speeds. Read more...

UK is extending its high-speed gigabit broadband to the middle and east of the country

Karthik Mudaliar — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 10:26:01 +0000

The UK is extending its highspeed gigabit broadband network from the south to the east and the Midlands. For a long time, these regions did not have high-speed connectivity which will change soon. Read more...

UK government outlines new security guidelines for broadband and mobile companies

Paul Hill — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 17:26:01 +0000

The UK government is set to introduce laws to ensure broadband and mobile companies follow strict security protocols. Failure to do so will see firms get fined by Ofcom by as much as £100,000 per day. Read more...

Citizens Advice wants Ofcom to fix the broadband and mobile loyalty penalties

Paul Hill — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 04:17:10 +0000

Citizens Advice wants Ofcom to ban the loyalty penalty. Customers who stay with their mobile or broadband provider after their contract ends are hit with high costs. It's hurting low earners the most. Read more...

Ofcom reveals the worst broadband and mobile companies in terms of complaints

Paul Hill — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 19:34:01 +0000

Ofcom has named and shamed the worst broadband and mobile companies in a new report. It has ranked each of the companies based on the number of complaints that have been received from customers. Read more...

UK Broadband and mobile firms to help customers struggling with bills

Paul Hill — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 05:50:01 +0000

The UK government has got broadband and mobile companies to commit to helping those struggling to pay broadband and mobile bills. The plans are multifaceted including advertising social tariffs. Read more...

Which? says millions of Brits are missing broadband savings of up to £250 per year

Paul Hill — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 03:26:01 +0000

Which? has found that broadband companies are not doing enough to advertise their social tariff broadband plans. It said vulnerable customers are missing out on savings of up to £250 per year. Read more...

Gigabit broadband is now available in 66% of UK homes compared to 37% last year

Paul Hill — Sat, 21 May 2022 00:10:01 +0000

Ofcom's latest Connected Nations report has found that 66% of homes in the UK can now access gigabit broadband ensuring they are prepared for a data-heavy future. 5G is also making progress. Read more...

More customers are switching to new digital providers as a result of end-of-contract alerts

Paul Hill — Fri, 06 May 2022 22:00:02 +0000

People in the UK are saving £110 on average per year by switching providers when their contract is nearing its end. Ofcom makes providers notify customers that their current contract is due to end. Read more...

UK government working to future-proof new-build homes with gigabit

Paul Hill — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 22:16:02 +0000

The UK government has plans in the work to ensure that all new-builds have gigabit broadband connections installed. This will ensure they're all future-proof and can get the fastest broadband. Read more...

Vodafone connects 125,000 people in digital poverty to the internet, just 875,000 to go

Paul Hill — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 18:54:01 +0000

Vodafone has helped 125,000 people in digital poverty get online so far. The firm has an aim of helping one million people get connected by the end of 2022 and its progress so far is encouraging. Read more...

Eight million UK homes can access full-fibre broadband but many yet to take advantage of it

Paul Hill — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 23:06:01 +0000

Ofcom has released its annual Connected Nations report which outlines the state of connectivity in the UK. It found that just a quarter of people with access to FTTP broadband utilised it. Read more...