Voice Is Nothing But an App
The author filed FCC comments urging the agency to drop Title II regulation for voice services and reclassify them as Title I information services. He argues that traditional copper‑based POTS is obsolete and that today’s voice is delivered by a myriad of IP‑based apps such as Zoom, WhatsApp and Vonage. While some state commissions, like Maine’s, push for continued Title II oversight of VoIP, the piece contends that the Internet’s own standards bodies already handle interconnection, routing and security. The article calls on Congress to repeal outdated provisions and let the market dictate voice app evolution.
The Big Fat WLPC 2026 Post-Event Blog
The Wireless LAN Professionals Conference (WLPC) in Phoenix served as the year’s focal point for WLAN engineers, vendors, and thought leaders. The author’s session “Go Open or Go Home” earned the Golden Yagi Award, highlighting community enthusiasm for open‑source advocacy....
Project Gigabit BDUK Update for February 2026
BDUK released its February 2026 update on Project Gigabit, showing that 21% of UK properties now have fibre built. The data, captured on 16 February 2026, reflects contract‑level construction across all regions. BDUK notes a reporting lag, meaning actual on‑ground progress may be slightly...
Nexfibre to Overbuild Old Virgin Media O2 Coax Network as Part of Netomnia Acquisition
nexfibre will finance the fibre upgrade of roughly 2.1 million Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) coax‑served homes that sit alongside the newly acquired Netomnia footprint. VMO2 will pay wholesale fibre‑access fees once the XGS‑PON network is live, with most deployments expected by...
Organisational Changes at Openreach to Take Effect From 1st April 2026
Openreach will implement a sweeping organisational overhaul on 1 April 2026, coinciding with the appointment of Katie Milligan as its new chief executive. The restructure introduces a dedicated Chief Customer Experience role, filled by Surinder Khatter, to head a newly created CX...
BDUK Release Gigabit Figures for October to December 2025
Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) announced that 56,000 premises received gigabit‑capable service in the October‑December 2025 quarter, bringing the cumulative total to 1,373,800 premises – roughly 4.1 % of UK households. The bulk of the new connections came from Project Gigabit contracts...
ANALYSIS: Exactly How Much New Fibre Is Virgin Media O2/Nexfibre Buying with Netomnia?
Virgin Media O2 and Nexfibre’s consortium is buying Netomnia for £2 billion, adding a 3.07 million‑premise full‑fibre footprint. Overlap analysis shows 0.38 m sites already in Project Mustang, 0.22 m in Project Lightning, 0.16 m in Nexfibre, and 1.77 m with only DOCSIS 3.1 coax. Post‑deal, VMO2’s...
Cisco IOS/XR OSPFv2 Not-So-Passive Interfaces
Cisco IOS/XR 25.2.1 violates the OSPF passive‑interface contract by still emitting OSPFv2 Hello packets. The router sends two hellos on a supposedly passive link, then stops, leaving the neighbor in the Init state and causing netlab integration tests to fail....
Taara Lightbridge Pro: An Ultra Reliable Wireless Optical Communications System for 5G Mobile Backhaul
Taara, a Google X spin‑out, unveiled Lightbridge Pro – a carrier‑grade free‑space optical (FSO) system that promises 99.999% uptime for 5G mobile backhaul. The solution delivers up to 20 Gbps full‑duplex capacity and automatically switches to fiber or RF backups when...
InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica Agree £2 Billion Deal for Netomnia
InfraVia, Liberty Global and Telefónica’s joint venture nexfibre has agreed to acquire Netomnia, the parent of YouFibre and brsk, in a £2 billion transaction. The deal consolidates a significant portion of the UK’s full‑fibre retail market under nexfibre’s control. It brings...
The FCC 2024 Broadband Report
The FCC released its Internet Access Services report for December 31, 2024, intended to update Congress on broadband availability. The analysis highlights persistent flaws: inconsistent location definitions, reliance on ISP‑self‑reported marketing speeds, and omission of significant Fixed Wireless Access customers. Moreover, the...
Zzoomm Brand Now Sold in Both FullFibreLtd and Zzoomm Areas
Zzoomm has become the sole retail brand for the combined 600,000‑premise footprint created by its merger with FullFibre Ltd. The integration, completed on time and on budget, consolidates the former BeFibre brand, which will soon redirect to Zzoomm, and unifies...
EVPN IP-VRFs on Cisco IOS/XE: Configuration Notes
The author explains how to get EVPN IP‑VRFs with transit VXLAN working on Cisco IOS/XE, emphasizing the need to configure an explicit VLAN on switch images or a bridge‑domain on router images for the transit VNI. He outlines the required...
ASA Rules on Virgin Media Advert Following BT Complaint
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled on Virgin Media’s September 2024 TV spot that claimed the company was “Awarded Best Broadband Experience.” While the ASA concluded the claim was not misleading about technology, it found the advert failed to provide verifiable...
Dave Farber
Dave Farber, a foundational figure in the creation of the Internet, has passed away. He helped transform the early research network into today’s global communications backbone and designed the Irvine Ring, a landmark local‑area‑network architecture. Farber was also celebrated for...
Starlink Expands Plan Change Flexibility, Updates Privacy Policy, & Adds 24/7 Phone Support For Connection Issues
Starlink now lets customers switch service plans either instantly or at the next billing cycle, with upgrades prorated and downgrades forfeiting remaining value. The company also revised its privacy policy to permit the use of account and usage data for...
Revamped Opportunity Zone Financing
Opportunity Zone financing is being overhauled under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, creating OZ 2.0 effective Jan 1, 2027. The new rules make the program permanent, introduce a rolling five‑year deferral, a 10% basis step‑up after five years, and a 10‑year...
How Global Digital Cooperation Entered Its Implementation Phase
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the WSIS+20 outcome document in December 2025, cementing a ten‑year architecture for global digital governance aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Digital Goals. Coupled with the Global Digital Compact adopted at the 2024 Summit of...
Podcast: Decoding the Commission’s Digital Networks Act
The European Commission has released a draft Digital Networks Act, aiming to replace fragmented national telecom rules with a unified market framework. The legislation targets spectrum harmonisation and introduces perpetual licences to reduce regulatory uncertainty. By standardising rules, the EU...
Financial Limitations on Growth
Rural ISPs repeatedly cite financing caps as the primary barrier to expanding broadband, not a lack of willingness. Lenders impose strict borrowing limits based on cash flow, debt ratios, and broader market conditions, which many small providers cannot exceed. Grant...
Worth Reading 021326
The APNIC blog underscores how network failures during natural disasters cripple emergency response and community safety, prompting calls for more resilient architecture. In parallel, nuclear power is highlighted as a cost‑effective, reliable alternative to volatile renewable sources amid rising electricity...
How Telenor Keeps Svalbard Connected at the Edge of the World
Telenor remains the sole mobile operator in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, delivering voice, SMS and data services via a fiber‑backed 4G LTE network that covers the main settlements. The region’s broadband is anchored by the Svalbard Undersea Cable System, which links...
On Misusing Transparent DNS Forwarders For Amplification Attacks
Researchers have identified transparent DNS forwarders as a potent, overlooked vector for reflective amplification attacks. Unlike traditional open resolvers, these forwarders relay queries without rewriting source IPs, allowing attackers to exploit shielded recursive resolvers and bypass rate‑limiting controls. Weekly Internet‑wide...
Insty Connect Launches The New Insty Drum and Mini Drum Antennas, A Starlink Mini Compatible Mount, And A Hot-Standby Cellular...
Insty Connect has unveiled two new omnidirectional rooftop antennas—the high‑performance Drum and the compact Mini Drum—alongside a versatile X Mount that also fits a Starlink Mini. The company introduced a Hot‑Standby cellular plan that costs $10 per month plus $4...
6 GHz Benchmark Updated for 2026
Two years after the WRC‑23 decision to approve three IMT footnotes in the 6 GHz band, the updated 2026 benchmark shows 22 nations moving toward licensed use of the upper 6 GHz spectrum. Asia leads with 12 countries, including China, actively consulting...
Peering Market at a Glance: Trends, Transformations, and the Regional Dynamics of Internet Interconnection
The latest NAMEX paper argues that the peering market isn’t shrinking, but reshaping. While some IXPs show flat membership, overall capacity keeps rising as traffic per port grows and services diversify. Regional analysis reveals mature markets like the UK focusing...
The Current State of RDAP
The IETF‑ratified Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) has entered a rapid growth phase after the mandatory whois sunset on 28 January 2025. Who‑is queries fell 60 % while RDAP queries surged from 7 billion to 65 billion per month, overtaking whois by June 2025. Adoption now...
Lyca Mobile Pitches 40GB Plan For $18/Month Among Other Offers
Lyca Mobile announced two aggressive prepaid promos for February, highlighted by a 40 GB high‑speed plan priced at $18 per month for nine months. The $18 plan offers unlimited talk and text, 15 GB hotspot, international calling to 100 countries (first 10...