Research Round-up April 2026
- Veronica Speiser
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
Key publication of the month:
Point Topic's 2026 Broadband Digital Deprivation Index helps highlight the communities most at risk of falling behind — and the data is now free to access at local authority level.
Point Topic's Broadband Digital Deprivation Index (BDDI) was built to explore this. Now in its 2026 edition, it covers all English and Welsh local authorities and draws on twelve indicators across three dimensions: the quality of available infrastructure (Supply), the capability of the resident population to use digital services (Skills), and the affordability and practical accessibility of connectivity (Access).
Scotland and Northern Ireland have not yet published updates to their Indexes of Multiple Deprivation. The models will be updated when they are available.
What the 2026 data shows
BDDI scores across English local authorities range from 4.40 to 9.54. A lower score indicates greater risk of broadband non-adoption. The mean sits at 6.88.
The geography of risk is consistent with previous releases, but the 2026 model captures it with greater precision. The highest-risk authorities — those below a score of 5.5 — are concentrated along the east and west coasts, in post-industrial northern England, and in rural areas distant from service centres. Kingston upon Hull ranks first (highest risk), with Barrow-in-Furness, East Lindsey, Blackpool, and North Kesteven close behind.
At the other end of the distribution, the lowest-risk authorities are predominantly London boroughs and the Surrey commuter belt. City of London, Richmond upon Thames, Elmbridge, and Milton Keynes occupy the top positions — reflecting strong infrastructure scores, younger demographic profiles, and materially lower rates of income and employment deprivation.
The gap between these two ends of the distribution is not narrow.
What the scorecard reveals about individual authorities
Point Topic's BDDI dashboard presents results at local authority level in a scorecard format, decomposed across Supply, Skills, and Access with comparison against the national average for each dimension.
The scorecard for South Staffordshire — shown below — illustrates the diagnostic value of this disaggregation. With an overall BDDI score of 4.06 (rank 100 of 296), the authority sits in the high-risk tier. But the stage-level breakdown is revealing: its Access score (0.776) is marginally above the national average, while its Skills score (0.509) is materially below, and its Supply score (0.390) reflects an infrastructure position that is also below average. The risk profile here is not primarily one of poverty or affordability — it is one of capability and connectivity combined, pointing toward a different intervention mix than a similarly ranked urban authority with acute income deprivation.
This kind of decomposition is available for all English and Welsh local authorities.
Free access to the LA-level data
The BDDI dataset is available free of charge on request at LA level.
For local authorities, combined authorities, housing associations, and digital inclusion practitioners looking to understand where to concentrate effort, the LA-level dataset provides a practical starting point: it identifies which authorities face the greatest compound risk and what is driving it. That is sufficient for strategic prioritisation, funding bids and benchmarking against neighbouring areas.
Read the complete article in our free analysis here.
Other publications from the month:
Key April telecoms sector news
BT Group News
9 April – Openreach published GEN026/26 Exchange Exit Fibre Network Rearrangement (FNR) Plan, which is to inform CPs about the phase 1-4 Fibre Network Rearrangement (FNR) plan.
9 April – A new partnership between Zyxel Communications and Openreach is helping to cut plastic and packaging waste from the UK’s Full Fibre rollout - by deploying re-cycled ‘modems’ to connect customers.
Zyxel is deploying a range of new Optical Network Terminals (ONTs) - the wall-mounted box of electronics that converts optical signals into electrical ones used by household devices - with re-engineered casings made from 95 per cent recycled plastic.
9 April – Openreach published ETH018/26 Fixed Rental Pricing for EAD 1Gb New Provides for 3 and 5 year terms in Area 2, HNR and CLA. The launch of a new EAD 1Gb rental special offer from 1 June 2026 that provides fixed rental pricing for 3 or 5 year terms for new provides in the following markets, Area 2, HNR & CLA. The special offer fixes rental prices to those available on a one year term based on list prices as at 31/03/2026 in return for signing up for a 3 or 5 year term.
The special offer applies to all EAD 1Gb circuit types in the business access market, including Local Area (LA), Standard (STD) and Extended Reach (ER) circuits.
Openreach intends the offer to be available in Area 2, HNR & CLA as defined by Ofcom in its Telecoms Access Review 2026 (TAR) Schedule 3.
23 April – Openreach announced NGA2007/26 Implementing 80/20 FTTP connections charge control. Ofcom has introduced charge controls on FTTP 80/20 connection charges and Openreach has updated its price list accordingly. However, due to system limitations, we are currently unable to bill the charge‑controlled prices at the point of sale for FTTP 80/20 connection scenarios aligned to Equinox pricing:
FTTP New to Network – Residential Area 2 Connection
FTTP Non-New to Network – Residential Area 2 (Not Same CP Regrades) Connection
FTTP Non-New to Network - Residential Area 2 (Same CP Regrades) Connection
FTTP Non-New to Network – Residential Area 3 (Same CP Regrades) Connection
To ensure billing accuracy, Openreach will continue to apply the charge‑controlled prices through the existing Equinox process, making retrospective rebates until a strategic billing system enhancement is delivered, which is currently expected in Q4 FY2026‑27.
A point-of-sale adjustment is not currently possible until further system development is completed and continuing to use the Equinox rebate process minimises the manual intervention required and ensures the most accurate billing.
23 April – BT and Nscale have today announced plans to deliver sovereign AI data centres in the UK, using NVIDIA full stack AI infrastructure. The move will expand the UK’s AI capability using trusted nationwide networks – enabling organisations to adopt AI securely, at scale, and under UK control.
Nscale plans to build up to 14 megawatts of AI data centre infrastructure across three existing strategic BT sites in the UK. BT will provide infrastructure and connectivity to these new data centres, which will significantly expand the UK’s AI compute capacity in response to surging demand.
28 April – Since the start of 2026, EE has extended its 5G+ connectivity to cover more than 50 million people across more than 610 towns and cities – far exceeding its original target to reach 41 million people by Spring 2026.
28 April – BT published its half-yearly Universal Service Obligation update report.
Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) News
1 April – O2 has switched on its next-generation 5G+ Standalone network in 14 large towns and cities, 16 smaller towns and 252 rural villages across East Sussex, including Brighton & Hove, as part of its UK-wide rollout. The rollout forms part of Virgin Media O2’s £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan, boosting reliability, capacity and coverage across the UK.
9 April – O2 has switched on its next-generation 5G+ network across 47 large towns and cities, 79 smaller towns and 597 rural villages across The West Midlands region as part of its UK-wide rollout. The rollout forms part of O2’s £700 million Mobile Transformation Plan which is boosting reliability, capacity and coverage across the UK.
21 April – O2 has switched on its next-generation 5G+ Standalone network in 33 large towns, 48 smaller towns and 194 rural villages across Surrey as part of its UK-wide rollout.
23 April – CMA begin UK competition probe of Netomnia’s acquisition by VMO2’s owners.
28 April – Virgin Media O2 is doubling down on its commitments to use renewable energy and to achieve net zero carbon emissions after agreeing a long-term Power Purchase Agreement with egg Power.
Under the 10-year agreement, egg Power will supply Virgin Media O2 with solar energy from its new solar farm in Suffolk, which is expected to become operational in 2027. The project is expected to provide around 5% of Virgin Media O2’s total energy supply.
29 April – O2 Daisy today announces it is rebranding as O2 Business, a defining move following the merger of Virgin Media O2’s Business division and Daisy Group in August last year. At its core, the new brand is focused on helping UK organisations cut through complexity – making it simpler to connect, communicate and get things done.
30 April – Virgin Media introduces a £300 Trip.com gift card for new Max Volt customers for a limited-time only.
CityFibre (CF) News
Independent Operators (Altnets) News
9 April – Key creditors of the indebted Abingdon-based alternative broadband ISP Gigaclear, which has built a full fibre network across 612,000 premises in rural parts of England and is home to 170,000 customers, will today formalise an agreement to take control of the business after earlier attempts to sell the company failed.
21 April – Local broadband provider, toob, has today announced the launch of 3 new Mbps speeds alongside a wi-fi 7 router for more powerful and efficient connections in its recent product refresh. These latest speeds include toob’s fastest connectivity ever – home2300 – designed for gamers, content creators and high-demand households.
24 April – Netomnia reached a significant milestone in the West Midlands after delivering over 50,000 homes and businesses premises serviceable from the Brierley Hill Exchange in Dudley.
30 April – Truespeed and Freedom Fibre have today confirmed the completion of their merger, following regulatory approval, creating the Freedom Truespeed Group: A scaled, capital-efficient full-fibre platform with an expanded regional footprint across the UK.
The transaction brings together two highly complementary full fibre networks, with the combined business serving more than 412,000 premises Ready for Service (RFS) and around 70,000 customers across the North West, West Midlands, South West and East of England.
Following completion of the merger, the combined business will operate as the Freedom Truespeed Group.
For customers and partners, there is no immediate change to how services are delivered or how the business operates. Freedom Fibre will continue as the group’s wholesale network, working with its established ecosystem of partners, while Truespeed and LilaConnect remain customer-facing brands across the expanded footprint.
30 April – Rural ISP Airband announce more changes and redundancies. According to an ISPReview article, Airband announced that they’re “transitioning towards operational maturity, with a focus on long-term sustainability, enhanced customer experience and efficient delivery.” As part of this “evolution“, the provider said they’re creating a “leaner, more modern and agile, customer-focused organisation“, designed to support future growth and “continued investment in its network” (they specifically call out “ongoing investment” in the rollout of their FWA network).
Other News
8 April – Ofcom announced that as of today, telecoms customers can now escalate any unresolved complaint to an independent dispute resolution scheme much sooner, under strengthened Ofcom rules.
10 April – Openreach has taken over the the previously stalled Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contract for the Peak District (Lot 3.01), which was originally held by FullFibre Limited until they “mutually agreed to terminate” it in May 2025.
14 April – Openreach has taken on the North Shropshire Project Gigabit (Lot 25.02) contract, which was originally held by Freedom Fibre until they “mutually agreed to descope the remaining 8,500 premises” in June 2025. West Herefordshire and the Forest of Dean (Lot 15), which was originally held by FullFibre Limited until they “mutually agreed to terminate” it in May 2025.
16 April – Vodafone Business, the enterprise arm of VodafoneThree, is the first in the UK to deliver commercial 5G network slicing to enterprise customers, giving businesses access to their own dedicated slice of its mobile network with guaranteed local performance. It has also launched Network Boost, for organisations requiring more dependable connectivity in busiest areas.
16 April – The Amazon Leo service, which is slowly building a new mega constellation of ultrafast broadband satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for the UK and globally, has announced an agreement to power satellite services for iPhone and Apple Watches, including Emergency SOS via satellite.
23 April – BDUK published its April 2026: Premises contracted and built under Project Gigabit contracts transparency data update.
28 April – The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Vodafone partner to develop a terrestrial timing signal that meets stringent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standards for accuracy.
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Vodafone have successfully completed a set of trials using the NPLTime® service as an alternative to GPS-timing signals.
Requirements for precise time delivery have driven the telecoms sector toward the increased use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for accurate timing. There are various alternatives to GNSS, each with their own capabilities, but GNSS has become the default mechanism for most sectors to access timing signals.
As the telecommunications industry rolls out 5G networks and prepares for 6G, it’s important there is a range of diversified timing signal sources that are resilient and secure. All major telecommunications providers in the UK and Europe share this requirement.
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