Weekly Brief – 15th May 2026

A round up of some news bits that we haven’t covered this week.

Virgin Media O2 launches responsible business plan to reach net Zero

VMO2’s new responsible business plan, as part of its Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy, will see the company plan to keep 500,000 low-income households connected. The new plans also see the company pledge to reach net zero, sourcing 100% of its energy needs from 100% renewable sources and building a more climate-resilient network.

Aquiss launches 2.5Gbps product with altnet Freedom Fibre

Broadband provider Aquiss has launched a new 2.5Gbps tiered package that offers symmetric speeds. The product is marketed as giving 2.3Gbps of throughput and is available for £65/month (£32.50 for the first three months). Freedom Fibre now say they have fibre that passes 350,000 premises, and this product is available across the footprint.

Zzoomm latest provider to offer Netgem Pleio streaming service

Zzoomm TV is launching to offer live tv, streaming and cloud gaming through the Netgem Pleio platform. The service will be available for the usual £10/month that other providers offer this service for. Existing Zzoomm customers will be able to sign up for a discounted £5/month for the first 6 months, followed by a 25% discounted rate (£7.50) as a loyalty discount. You can pre-register for it here.

Openreach says Ballyclare and Kenton Road exchanges will close in November 2026

Openreach has given an update on the exchanges that were supposed to be closed in November 2025 – Ballyclare in Northern Ireland and Kenton Road in London. The two exchanges were delayed and have now been given a date of 2nd November 2026 for ‘Network Cease’. Only one other exchange has been closed so far – Deddington in Oxfordshire, which was completed in November 2025. ISPReview reports that each exchange has less than 300 WLR or MPF lines left connected.