October Newsletter

ISPA Policy Update

Autumn blues and policy moves

September started dramatically, with the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner snowballing into a full Cabinet reshuffle. Most notably, former DSIT Secretary Peter Kyle moved to DBT and was replaced by former DWP Secretary Liz Kendall. He was followed by former telecoms Minister Chris Bryant, who was technically replaced by Ian Murray, but the telecoms (and cyber) briefs shifted to new Digital Economy Minister Liz Lloyd.

A cyber attack against Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) dominated much of the news this month, as it significantly disrupted production, although it was only the latest in a string of recent attacks against the UK retail sector. Separately, the government finally published its Cyber Growth Action Plan, which outlined recommendations on how the UK can strengthen its cyber security sector to fuel both resilience and economic growth.

thinkbroadband published the sixth edition of its State of Broadband Report, covering the latest data on rollout - the UK has reached 80% full-fibre coverage, with gigabit coverage hitting 88.8%, and altnets now provide broadband to four out of 10 premises. BDUK opened another Project Gigabit National Rolling Open Market Review (NROMR) as part of its ongoing work to map gigabit coverage. This closed on 1st October, and the results should be published in January.

Ofcom published a view on take-up that highlights persistent barriers to full digital inclusion. The report shows that connection is the foundational enabler, yet interest, affordability, skills and confidence still hold many back.

ISPA Policy

In September, ISPA welcomed the new telecoms Minister in a letter, and continued work on all out various policy streams.
The high-risk building (HRB) policy stream plugged on, and ISPA will be submitting evidence to MHCLG by Friday, 3rd October on how the regulations affect the sector - with new guidance from the government expected in the coming month. Additionally, we are also gathering information for DSIT regarding the "socialisation" and implementation of the Telecommunications Poles Working Group Best Practice guideline.

Work is ongoing for our response to the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) tranche 1 consultation, and we are holding a call with members to discuss a response to DSIT's Telecommunications Security Code of Practice (2022) proposals.
We successfully submitted a response to DSIT's Statement of Strategic Priorities consultation; MHCLG's consultation on the Decent Homes Standard; and to the CMA on its pricing transparency consultation. Please let the team know if you would like to see these.

Going forward, we are reactivating our cyber policy workstream in anticipation of the new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, and off the back of the government's ransomware proposals - please let us know if you would like to get involved.
ISPA was also represented at Labour Party Conference - we enjoyed seeing a few of you there, and look forward to chatting about our takeaways at our next Policy and Pub meeting in two weeks time!

As always, we encourage members to get in touch with any questions!

ISPA Partners

Adtran Wi-Fi 7 portfolio for residential, small business and community connectivity

As the connectivity needs of homes and small businesses converge, service providers must extend reliable multigigabit services across diverse environments. Adtran's SDG 9000 Series equips altnets to deliver secure, resilient, multigigabit connectivity outside of typical residential environments, expanding WI-FI 7 coverage to small businesses, apartment complexes and community applications.

Adtran's SDG 9000 Series combines cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 technology, wired speeds of up to 10Gbit/s and innovative antenna arrays to support high-density indoor and outdoor environments. Built on an open-source platform, the SDG 9000 Series can be managed through Adtran's cloud-based Intellifi® solution or TR-369, making it simple to deploy, manage and monetise. Watch the video or read more here.

Linksys on Britain's Cyber Underground: Resilience in the Age of Hacktivism

At Connected Britain last week, a panel of experts - including Linksys VP of Product, Jeevan Patil - addressed the nation's cyber resilience challenges directly. Patil urgedimmediate short-term actions to secure systems, while emphasizing that lasting confidence relies on stronger technical standards and widespread adoption of open-source solutions. Drawing on telecom lessons around interoperability and customer-focused security, he made a compelling case for extending SASE into the home. With agentic AI transforming the threat landscape, his message was clear: resilience must be a central business priority.

Discover more about Linksys here.

Genexis Announces NuFibre as First UK Customer for Elite HX30 Gateway and Home CX30 Extender

Genexis, the European leader in innovative broadband solutions, is pleased to welcome NuFibre, a brand-new Internet Service Provider (ISP) retail brand, as a customer. NuFibre is the first UK ISP to deploy the recently launched Genexis Elite HX30 residential gateway with the Home CX30 extender.

Read the full press release here.

Industry Insight

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

Driving Down Total Cost of Ownership in Telecoms through Smarter Network Design - Insights with ISPA Partner Altnets

ISPA Events

2025 ISPA AWARDS

The ISPA Awards 2025 ceremony is taking place on the evening of 13th November at the City Central at The HAC. This black tie event attracts over 400 movers and shakers from the industry. Celebrate with our finalists during the exciting evening that will include a Champagne reception, a three-course meal with unlimited drinks, comedy from Pierre Novellie, awards ceremony and DJ at the end of the proceedings.

Book your tickets to the internet's largest celebration of the industry here.
We were delighted to announce the finalists for the Digital Inclusion Champion for Charities & Communities and the Digital Inclusion Champion for Industry categories at the 27th annual ISPA Awards, in partnership with Good Things Foundation. Congratulations to all!

Digital Inclusion Champion - Charities

BizEd Projects CIC
Diversity Bridge SCIO
Frome Medical Practice, Somerset
Poplar Harca
Wavemaker Stoke CIC

Digital Inclusion Champion - Industry

KCOM
Quickline Communication
Red Chair Highland
Trapped in Zone One
Wifinity & Anchor
WightFibre

The awards would not be made possible without the support of the 2025 ISPA Awards sponsors: Adtran, Altnets, Aprecomm, Calix, City Fibre, Corero, eero, Genexis, Heights Telecom, IQGeo, Linksys, Magrathea, Networks Centre, Netgem, Netskrt, Plume, TP-Link and VIAVI Solutions.

Book your tickets to the awards ceremony here.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

Participate in the ISPA Awards 2025, the most prestigious and longest running industry awards! This year, we're particularly excited as we mark 30 years of ISPA. This year's ceremony will be at City Central at The HAC - a custom event venue, meaning we have a host of new and exciting sponsorship opportunities.

These options offer you and your organisation the opportunity to put your brand at the forefront of the ISPAs in a fun and memorable way, and there are choices across a variety of price points to cater for different budgets.

Find out more about what you could put your brand here.

Our ISPA North Conference is taking place today at BT's new offices in Salford with Ofcom's Policy Principle Elisa Pruvost as the keynote speaker - we'll be sure to post about the event and how it went, so more updates to follow!

ISPA at Connected Britain

We were happy to participate at Connected Britain last week in Excel London. Many ISPA representatives spoke on various panels throughout the two day event, with our Head of Partnerships Krys Heald leading discussion on take-up, sustainable growth, the customer value proposition, and how to deliver exceptional customer services.

ISPA partners were also present, highlighting the wide range of organisations contributing to the UK's connectivity sector. From infrastructure providers and technology specialists to customer experience and security experts, these companies represent the diversity and innovation shaping the broadband ecosystem.

AI is transforming how fibre networks are planned, built, and monetised - and we're only at the beginning.

ISPA, in partnership with geospatial network experts IQGeo, is hosting an exclusive closed-door roundtable to explore how AI is reshaping the future of fibre - from field operations to business strategy. This event is taking place on Wednesday 8th October, from 10AM - 12PM, with a networking lunch afterwards.

Discussion highlights will include:

• Real-world AI use cases in field operations
• Where AI is already driving ROI
• How "agentified" geospatial models can supercharge data quality
• Key blockers to implementation (and how to overcome them)
• The roadmap to truly intelligent, proactive networks

Is there someone from your organisation who you would like to attend? Don't miss the chance to get ahead of the curve - reach out to [email protected] today to register your interest!

ISPA Members

We were excited to add File Sanctuary to our members listing this month.

File Sanctuary keeps you connected, productive, and safe. Their complementary suite of services includes connectivity, cloud, hosting, security, backups, phone systems, and collaboration tools.

Partner Events

ISPA members get 20% off tickets to the RICS UK & I Telecoms Conference

Returning in 2025 with a forward-looking programme, this year's event will be examining a variety of topics including telecoms liability under the Building Safety Act, how AI is reshaping network management and customer service; how data centres and connectivity will tackle infrastructure demands, alternative dispute resolution, and the latest industry support initiatives.

Quote code VC-P6J7S-T9N4Y-2025 at checkout when booking here.

Women in Telecoms group 3rd anniversary - 21st October. The event is open to all women in telecoms and those who champion them. RSVP here.

White Label World Expo - 12th and 13th November 2025 - Find out more and register here.

Partners of ISPA