Nick Cassidy

⚠️ 48,000 UK homes still can’t get a decent broadband connection in 2025. Body: That’s not just a statistic, it’s a reminder that while we talk about gigabit speeds and AI-driven networks, some communities are still being left behind. ✅ Independent ISPs could be the key to solving this. They’re nimble, community-focused, and genuinely motivated to connect people, not just balance spreadsheets. 💥 If the locations of these 48,000 homes were made easier to find, altnets and wireless providers could collaborate, plan micro-builds, and finally close the gap. There’s no shortage of technology or talent, just a lack of transparent data. 💡 What if the next broadband breakthrough isn’t a new network… but a new level of openness? #Telecoms #Broadband #DigitalDivide #UKConnectivity #Altnets #RuralBroadband #ProjectGigabit #EthicalAI #LetsTalk

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🚀 Why now is a defining moment to invest in Gigabit IQ 👉 Already 85% funded on private live on Seedrs (Republic Europe) 👉 Going public live next week 👉 Limited allocation | EIS eligible 🔗 https://lnkd.in/evwrFMv3 The UK broadband market is at a once-in-a-generation inflection point — and Gigabit IQ is positioned right at the centre of it. We’re not just building fast broadband. We’re building what we believe is the UK’s safest and most intelligent broadband provider, designed for the regulatory, social, and technological realities shaping the next decade. Here’s why this moment matters: • Full Fibre adoption is accelerating nationwide, driving mass migration away from legacy connections • The PSTN switch-off is forcing millions of homes and businesses to upgrade • Online Safety regulation is no longer optional — Ofcom and the Online Safety Act are redefining ISP responsibility • The Cybersecurity Bill is raising the bar on how networks are actively managed and protected These changes don’t favour legacy ISPs built on volume and call centres. They favour providers built around managed Wi-Fi, proactive security, and family protection — exactly where Gigabit IQ is already operating. Our model combines: ✔️ Full Fibre performance ✔️ Network-level online safety ✔️ Managed Wi-Fi and cybersecurity ✔️ Community-led growth and trust If you’re looking to invest at the intersection of infrastructure, safety, and long-term regulation-driven demand, this is the moment. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/evwrFMv3 #InvestInGigabitIQ #Crowdfunding #EIS #BroadbandInvestment #FullFibre #OnlineSafety #CyberSecurity #FutureOfBroadband

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ITS & Freedom Fibre added to Zen Internet Fibre Hub. Trooli FTTP + Sky & CityFibre leased lines coming soon!   Yesterday was the official launch of Freedom Fibre’s consumer footprint and ITS’s B2B footprint in our Fibre Hub, giving our channel partners increased full fibre coverage, better commercials, and more choice. In the video below, I’m joined by Lindsey Sutherland, COO & CTO at Freedom Fibre, and Daren Baythorpe, CEO of ITS, for a brief chat about the launch & partnership with Zen. Lindsey reveals Freedom Fibre’s merger plans, which will double the size of Freedom Fibre’s network to about 500k premises. Daren talks about ITS’s reciprocal partnership with Zen, with ITS selling Zen services as well as Zen selling ITS’s services.   I announce that Zen will be launching Sky leased lines to our channel next Wednesday (13 Aug), Trooli broadband in a couple of weeks, and CityFibre leased lines around mid-September.   In addition, Zen has agreed heads of terms with two other Alt-Nets and we’re busy integrating. Announcements on both within the next 3 months.   Our ambition to become the UK’s Alt-Net aggregator of choice in the channel is gathering momentum!   Big thanks to Lindsey and the Freedom Fibre team, Daren and the ITS team, all the channel partners who joined us for the event, and the Zen team that is working hard to make the Fibre Hub a success.   #AltNet #FullFibre #Broadband #Channel #BCorp

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Businesses grow faster when they appear local in every market they serve. 🌏 Using multiple telephone area codes instantly expands your reach and strengthens trust. 📞 Benefits: 👉 Local presence in new regions 👉 Higher call answer rates 👉 Stronger credibility 👉 Wider customer reach 👉 Increased sales opportunities How many markets are you targeting? #sales #hampshire #business #technology

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Business owners, directors and office managers, please check with your broadband supplier that you are on an IP-based broadband service. A giveaway is to check your bill, if you have a phone number associated with your broadband line then you are likely on a PSTN connection. If you are on a PSTN connection... These will be turned off by 2027, and you may find yourself without internet at short notice! We recommend switching to an IP-based broadband service ASAP to avoid the risk of your broadband being cut off with limited notice.

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Broadband myths we hear all the time Broadband is full of assumptions that sound right — but often aren’t. A few we hear regularly: • “Faster speed automatically means better performance” • “If the speed test looks good, everything’s fine” • “Residential and business broadband are basically the same” • “Full fibre means no problems” In reality, day-to-day performance is about reliability, consistency and how a connection behaves at busy times — not just headline speeds. Clearing up these myths usually leads to better decisions and fewer frustrations down the line. If your broadband hasn’t been reviewed in a while, it may be worth a calm, jargon-free look at how it’s actually performing. 📞 01482 291292 ✉️ rod@ktgl.co.uk Rod Walker #BroadbandMyths #BusinessInternet #Connectivity #ReliableBroadband #VoIP #CloudWorking

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Speed has diminishing returns, and this is what makes the move from 1Gbps to 10Gbps very different from the move from 100Mbps to 1Gbps, and very very different to move from 10Mbps to 100Mbps broadband provision. The key use case for the move from 100Mbps to 1Gbps is simultaneous usage, reliability and moving the bottleneck on your Internet access outside of your home infrastructure. The use case for 500Mbps upwards is actually very very weak today, and there is a lack of visible use cases that would drive consumers to buy faster speeds, so the key problem with CityFibre's plans is that they don't have grounded and real use cases identified...

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Yesterday we held Women in Telecoms Group 3rd Anniversary!! It has been a busy 3 years for the group and we are immensely proud of what we have achieved as a collective but also what we have each achieved as individuals. Nicola Kemp did a fab job showcasing this in the video uploaded, so a big shout out to you! Part of our celebration we were joined by Irina Iovita, who presented to the group the findings from 2025 Lovelace Report; Unlocking £2-3.5 Billion The Value of keeping Women in Tech. I would like to say, that I wouldn't be shocked by their findings but I was, that figure is HUGE!! Change has to happen for the following reasons from the report they ran, these are the figures: 📈 7% of women leave the industry compared the +11.5% of men 📈 80% of women have recently switched roles or are interesterd in exiting their tech role 📈 60% earn less then £100k compared to the male average of £150k 📈 25% see limited direction and opportunity in their career pathway 📈 Surprisingly, as this has been the narrative in the past, only 3% cited caring commitments the reason for leaving. The takeaway from this, more needs to be done to attract, retain and progress women in the tech industry. Especially given it is estimated that 98-120,000 more tech professionals are needed to meet the UK's AI and Digital demands. We then had Ruth Sloss to give our group a interactive coaching session on; Seeing the Value in Ourselves. We may not be able to impact the above immediately within the industry but we can impact it for ourselves. I found this session fun but extremely useful for future tips, that I will definitely use. ☀️ We can develop our EQ ☀️ Low self confidence should not hold back your career ☀️ Remember your posture ☀️ Breathe ☀️ Be conscious of the words you use, "Just" and "Sorry" ☀️ What if Imposter was actually a critical friend? ☀️ Listen , Evidence and Learning It really was a fantastic afternoon, spent with the best women! You all inspire me everyday with everything you achive and do in your careers and personal life, We love celebrating this, which we did with our "Shout Outs" so keep them coming! Shout Out to Maisie Taylor Allie Pennington Obiageli (Obii) O. for your new roles Nicola Kemp Jen Kierce for your hard work on the podcasts and Fiona Kearns for your contimued support and hard work on our Career dev group to create the mentoring group. Here's to year 4 which we foresee to be bigger and busier than the last so remember to get involve! Natalie Strange and I want you all to be part of this and join us in our conitnued support and impacting for change! Remember, Our voices together are louder and stronger! #womenintelecoms #ccuk

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Broadband ISPs BT, EE and Plusnet to Raise UK Mid Contract Price Hikes to £4 - News by ISPreview UK

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Is the UK government's Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) plan going to have delivered on its objectives? It's currently being evaluated, and according to the evaluation framework: "By improving access to gigabit capable broadband, the LFFN programme is designed to deliver significant benefits ... For households, take-up of an enhanced connection should lead to improved access to online services, including essential services such as healthcare, government portals, and digital education. Faster broadband also facilitates the increased use of the internet for education, work, or leisure, supporting activities such as remote working, online learning, and entertainment." We'll see what the evaluation report says, but we can get some insight from Ofcom's Technology Tracker, which asks people about their use of services like those above, and which ISPs they use. If full fibre was important for these services, we might expect usage to be higher in altnet households, which will by definition be using full fibre. However, this isn't what the data shows. As you can see in the chart, usage of these various services is the same in the altnet and the other households. Indeed, it is higher in the other households for a number of services, though this is likely statistical noise. [A couple of notes of caution. The Technology Tracker only asks respondents about Hyperoptic, Gigaclear and Community Fibre, so these are the 'select ISPs'. And there will be full fibre connections (both from other altnets and from BT, Sky etc) in the other ISPs. Thus this isn't a clean, FTTH vs FTTC comparison, just a proxy]. None of this should be a surprise to anyone. Much of the industry has long acknowledged (at least in private) that the vast majority of consumer needs are met very well with FTTC. Indeed, filing your tax return, say, is possible with dial-up. Whether the government will recognise this is another question.

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The world of Telecoms and IT loves a bit of jargon. SIP trunks, DDI's, leased lines, VPNs, RMMs and MDM… sounds clever, but half the time people don’t even know what they’re paying for. At Chrome Telecom, we keep it simple. No tech talk without translation, no complex setups without someone explaining it in plain English. Just clarity, so you actually know what you’re using, why it matters, and how it helps your business perform better and grow. Because when you understand your systems, whether it’s VoIP, UC (Unified Comms), RMM (Remote Monitoring & Management) or cybersecurity, you make better decisions faster. Those “wait… how does that work again?” moments disappear. And so does the confusion that costs businesses time and money. What’s the one telecom or IT term that made you scratch your head? #Telecoms #ITSupport #RMM #UnifiedCommunications #CyberSecurity #ChromeTelecom

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Freedom Fibre has expanded its partnership with PXC, enabling channel partners to access Freedom Fibre’s full fibre network through PXC. https://lnkd.in/eQcBdJQG

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The average cheapest broadband subscription in the UK postcodes with only one ISP was £30.07, compared to £24.62 in more competitive areas. The average downstream speeds were 67Mbps and 115Mbbps respectively. https://lnkd.in/gmGPxsJy #broadband #digitaldivide #uk #news #broadbandspeed #fttp #investment

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According to research NIQ for Digital Commerce used and refurbished smartphones emerged as a decisive winner during Black November, signalling a structural shift in European holiday demand toward premium, value-driven secondary devices market dynamics. New data from NIQ for Digital Commerce shows how Black Friday has evolved into a month-long promotional cycle, reshaping planning assumptions for manufacturers, retailers, and recommerce specialists across Europe. In 2025, early deal activation around Singles’ Day pulled consumer attention forward, while sustained discounting normalised refurbished purchasing earlier in the season. By Black Friday week, refurbished smartphones consistently outperformed new devices, particularly in premium segments where price sensitivity and specification demand intersect. The UK and Germany delivered standout growth, reinforcing the maturity of secondary markets capable of absorbing high-end inventory at scale. NIQ for Digital Commerce also identified rapid premiumisation, with consumers actively seeking higher storage capacities and flagship specifications rather than entry-level alternatives. For refurbishers, this trend supports margin resilience, provided grading accuracy, warranty coverage, and financing options meet rising expectations. The elongated Black November calendar further rewards operators able to sustain inventory flow, digital visibility, and consistent quality messaging over several weeks. Looking ahead to 2026, the data suggests earlier campaign launches, premium-focused assortments, and value-added services will define competitive advantage. For the circular economy, Black November confirms refurbished technology is no longer a fallback, but a primary channel for aspirational device access. As pricing pressure persists on new hardware, secondary markets are increasingly setting the pace for sustainable growth and consumer adoption. This shift elevates refurbished smartphones from seasonal promotion to year-round strategic retail pillar across European markets. #SecondaryMarket #RefurbishedTech #CircularEconomy #SmartphoneRecommerce

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"The carriers are going broke by trying to squeeze another drop out of consumers for 5G." - - - EAT More Data, please. https://lnkd.in/gyvYZWfh INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE will be our generation's Interstate Highway. . . . Enabling AI, Spatial Computing, and Autonomous Systems. https://lnkd.in/gp7VTcrF

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