Telecom news

• O2 exploits opportunity created by competitors’ new roaming charges

  10-01-2022 12:57
  
  Virgin Media O2 has confirmed it won’t be in traducing EU roaming charges, making it the only one of the four UK MNOs to do so.
  EE, Vodafone and Three all announced plans last year to charge their customers a daily flat fee to use their data and minutes in the EU, with O2 staying silent. Faced with the moment of truth, however, EE and Voda decided to delay, citing vague testing reasons. Could the real reason have been that they knew this VMO2 announcement was imminent and they wanted to gi
  
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• ‘Juggernaut’ BT’s decade-long turnaround hits crunch time

  23-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Investors still waiting for the ‘show me the money’ moment
  
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• Save on theatre tickets from London Theatre Direct

  21-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  This week’s sale and discount theatre ticket offers from London Theatre Direct.
   Moulin Rouge! The Musical
  Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular Moulin Rouge! The Musical
  From £30 – EXCLUSIVE PRICES
   Now You See Me Live
  The magical film series has transformed for the stage
  From £25 – SAVE UP TO 37%
   Sinatra The Musical
  Start spreadin’ the news, the king of swing is back
  From £35 – GREAT SEATS AT £50
  &nbs
  
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• Visiting UCL’s delightfully difficult-to-visit architectural exhibition

  21-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  An exhibition that’s only open four hours a week, and sometimes not even that, is the sort of annoyingly difficult to visit exhibition I love.And this one tells the story of University College London’s classical Wilkins Building – the grand frontage that dominates the main quadrangle, but almost didn’t get built, or survive when it was built.
  It’s mainly a collection of old drawings, sketches and maps, and tells the story of how the newish University College London
  
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• Thames sea levels are rising faster as flood defence pressures grow

  20-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Sea levels in the Thames Estuary are rising faster than previously measured, with the rate now matching the assumptions being used to plan London’s future flood defences.
  Thames Barrier
  A review of the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan has found that relative mean sea levels rose at an average rate of 4.10mm a year between 1993 and 2024 — up from the 3.65mm annual rate recorded between 1990 and 2018 in the previous monitoring review.
  Although that may sound like a small change, over decades i
  
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• Wish you were here? Exhibition looks back at six decades of British seaside holidays

  20-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  One of the defining images of the seaside photos isn’t necessarily the image, but the colour – Technicolour, in fact – and an exhibition is celebrating the colours of the seaside photo.Spanning six decades of social history from the 1960s to the 2010s, the exhibition ranges from a collection of garish postcards through to modern photography showing the contrast between cultures swimming in the sea.
  There’s also a timeline of changing appearances, from older photos of coup
  
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• Oxford Street pedestrianisation works to start next month

  20-08-2026 12:12 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Work to ban vehicles from a large section of Oxford Street is set to start next month, when the first major construction work gets underway.Subject to the necessary approvals, works will commence on 2 September 2026, and Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street should be traffic-free by mid to late October. That’s basically from Selfridges in the west through to just past Oxford Circus in the east.
  Pedestrian areas overlay on OpenStreet Maps, with gaps for the north-s
  
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• Tickets Alert: Free Back to Hogwarts experience next to the Tower of London

  20-08-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Harry Potter fans planning the traditional 1st September pilgrimage to King’s Cross should take note – there will be no official Back to Hogwarts event, countdown or announcement at King’s Cross station this year.
  Instead, the main London celebration is moving across town to Old Billingsgate, next to the Tower of London, where HBO Max will host a one-day fan event ahead of the new Harry Potter television series arriving this Christmas.Back to Hogwarts at Old Billingsgate
  The on
  
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• London’s Pocket Parks: The Closes, West Drayton, UB7

  20-08-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  This seemingly unremarkable looking public park has unexpected links with Roman England.This part of what is now London was originally part of the Manor of West Drayton, which King Athelstan gifted to the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in 925. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII granted the Manor to William Paget – 1st Lord Paget, and in 1714, the 7th Lord Paget was created Earl of Uxbridge.
  Although West Drayton developed as a small village, it wasn’t much mo
  
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• Travel eSIM boom threatens mobile industry’s roaming cash cow

  19-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Usage set to rise by a third this year as travellers opt for cheaper alternatives to data roaming charges
  
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• Travel e-sim boom threatens mobile industry’s roaming cash cow

  19-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Usage set to rise by a third this year as travellers opt for cheaper alternatives to data roaming charges
  
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• Tickets Alert: Ballot opens for free visits to Battersea’s Sky Garden

  18-08-2026 09:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A roof garden above the development next to Battersea Power Station will open to the public this weekend, and the ballot for free tickets is open now.
  Hurry, as the ballot closes at the end of Wednesday. Yikes!
  Photo: Aaron Hargreaves, Foster + Partners
  It’s not the roof of the power station, but the roof of the modern building next to it, which does have the advantage of offering better views of the power station next door. The gardens with 29,000 plants and 55 trees sit on the 16th floor
  
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• Inside Old Oak Common as London’s new 14-platform station takes shape

  18-08-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Anyone catching a train out of Paddington in recent years can hardly have missed the vast construction site alongside the railway. This is the future Old Oak Common station, and the project has now reached a major milestone with the completion of its first platforms.
  Passing the construction site on a train
  When it opens, Old Oak Common will combine a new subterranean six-platform station for HS2 trains with an eight-platform surface station for GWR and Elizabeth line services.
  With 14 plat
  
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• The London Buzz – 17th August 2026

  17-08-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Old London – Lancaster House, once home to the London Museum
  Today’s London news round-up:
  Extension of ULEZ and switch to electric cars is cutting pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions in High Barnet town centre Barnet Society
  A 50-year-old man has been charged with arson after several fires were reported in an east London park. BBC News
  Excavations around Gallows Corner have started to be backfilled as Essex & Suffolk Water makes “good progress” with its works. R
  
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• Plans to replace the Wandsworth Roundabout adverts with… adverts

  17-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The large metal loops that dominate the Wandsworth roundabout could be replaced with a timber tree-like structure.
  Source: planning documents
  The Wandsworth Roundabout is a major traffic interchange in South West London, forming a critical node where several significant routes converge. Apart from the subways for pedestrians, it’s dominated by the huge metal “pretzel” that supports four large advertising screens.
  Now they want to replace that with a new structure to support the
  
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• Another date announced for the Barbican Conservatory plant cuttings giveaway

  17-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  If you’ve ever wanted to own a little piece of the Barbican Conservatory, you’ll soon have the chance, as another date has been announced for their free plant cuttings giveaway.
  Conservatory space (c) ianVisits
  Note that the propagated cuttings vary in size depending on the host plant, and you will not be adopting a fully mature plant from the Conservatory. They will be given to you free of charge and in good health, so you can continue growing them at home.
  The event takes place on
  
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• Elephant & Castle station’s Northern line entrance closed until late September

  17-08-2026 14:36 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Elephant & Castle tube station’s Northern Line entrance is expected to remain closed until late September while engineers investigate and repair a water ingress problem affecting the lifts.Northern line trains will continue to stop at Elephant & Castle as normal throughout the closure, but passengers will need to use the station’s Bakerloo line entrance to enter and leave the station.
  As it happens, the station was already recommending that northbound Northern line passengers
  
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• Knit Wits exhibition: when SIBLING made knitwear loud, strange and fun

  17-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  There was a time when knitwear largely meant sensible jumpers, Christmas presents from relatives and the sort of cardigan that suggested an early night.But an exhibition is looking back at a London fashion label that spent nearly a decade turning knitwear into something altogether louder, stranger, and considerably more fun. Founded in 2008 by Cozette McCreery, Joe Bates and Sid Bryan, SIBLING emerged from London’s club and fashion scenes with the fairly straightforward idea that knitwear
  
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• Virgin Trains gets approval to launch international services through the Channel tunnel

  17-08-2026 12:15 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Eurostar will face competition on the London to mainland Europe route from 2030, as the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has formally authorised Virgin Trains to launch its services.
  Concept image (c) Virgin Trains
  The agreement between HS1 Limited and VTE OPCO will allow Virgin Trains to operate up to 20 new daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam from 1st October 2030.
  However, the regulator says several steps must be completed before the new services can run. Virgin
  
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• Charing Cross station reopened this morning following 22-day closure

  17-08-2026 11:38 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  London’s Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations reopened this morning following a 22-day closure that allowed engineers to carry out a £20 million programme of track, platform and station improvements.
  Track replacement by Waterloo East (c) Network Rail
  The closure, which began on 26 July, was centred on replacing ageing railway infrastructure on the approaches to Charing Cross. Engineers replaced almost two kilometres of 36-year-old track, along with the switches and crossings tha
  
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• Government plans default ‘yes’ for new homes near railway stations

  17-08-2026 11:12 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The government could fast-track proposals for new housing developments next to railway stations for construction under its plans.They had already said that planning decisions should give proper consideration to the proximity of public transport links, but under the updated National Planning Policy Framework, there will be a default ‘yes’ for homes within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations.
  An important rule will also set minimum density expectations for new housin
  
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• BlackBerry: From phone dinosaur to tech champion

  16-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  A decade after the disappearance of its handsets, the company’s future rests on car and security software
  
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• The London Buzz – 13th August 2026

  13-08-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Old London – Jack Straw’s Castle, Hampstead
  Today’s London news round-up:
  The BBC cameras have returned to a Bushey church to film scenes for EastEnders. Watford Observer
  London as a Wheelchair User: Accessible Travel, West End Tips + a Wicked Review  Disability Horizons
  Plans for a new self-storage warehouse in Hackney have been shot down by council planners who claimed it was a poor fit for the local area. Hackney Citizen
  Barnet to get its first council-maintained Islami
  
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• The expensive way to guarantee tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry

  13-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The first batch of tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry sold out as soon as the huge online queues finally got their hands on them, but there is another way to see the tapestry if you missed out.You just need to be quite desperate.
  And fairly well-off.
  The central London hotel One Aldwych has an exclusive hotel partnership with the British Museum, and if you book a night at the hotel, they’ll throw in two tickets to see the tapestry during your stay.
  Well, “throw in” might be doi
  
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• Tickets Alert: Tours of Isleworth Ait – an island in the Thames

  13-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  There’s going to be a fairly rare chance to visit a usually off-limits island in the Thames next month.Isleworth Ait is a teardrop-shaped island in the River Thames not far from Richmond, and is a managed nature reserve that’s home to a wide variety of birdlife and rare molluscs.
  It is accessible only by boat and is not normally open to the public – but next month, there will be one open day.
  The tour begins on the quay on Church Street in Isleworth, from where you will travel
  
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• Exhibition explores how cinema shapes our image of cities

  13-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  From postwar Vienna and animated Tehran to modern Paris, Brooklyn streets, glass towers and future urban worlds, a new exhibition looks at how cinema turns urban landscapes into cultural images.It’s a fairly small exhibition if you like looking at physical objects, but it is lifted somewhat by the use of 3D-printed maps of some of the cities featured. Mostly, it’s display boards on the walls highlighting key aspects of films where the city landscape has been a significant feature.
  Th
  
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• Police to test facial recognition cameras on the London Underground

  13-08-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Facial recognition trials are coming to selected London Underground stations as the British Transport Police tests whether the technology can be used to find people wanted for serious offences.
  From a previous trial at London Bridge mainline station (c) TfL
  The Transport for London (TfL)-supported trial will see Live Facial Recognition cameras deployed at stations selected by British Transport Police (BTP) using intelligence and crime data.
  The cameras will scan the faces of people passing throu
  
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• Visiting Coombe Conduit – the tunnel that kept Hampton Court supplied with fresh water

  13-08-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Nearly 500 years ago, King Henry VIII wanted a reliable supply of fresh water for Hampton Court Palace. His solution was to commission several miles of pipes to carry spring water from the nearby hills directly to the royal table.
  Today, the largest surviving building from that Tudor water supply system occasionally opens to the public.About a 20-minute walk from New Malden station, you might spot an open gate in a fence, helpfully labelled. Step through and, at first, there doesn’t seem t
  
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• Camden considering improvements to public Wi-Fi services

  12-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  It could be easier to use WiFi services around Camden as the council is considering joining the Connected London public WiFi programme.Many businesses, public spaces and cultural attractions already offer free WiFi access, each requiring people to sign up and log in every time they connect.
  Connected London WiFi is a service that aims to create a seamless roaming experience across London’s many disparate WiFi networks. It’s based on research initiated by the Mayor of London in late 2
  
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• The Open House London buildings you’ll need to book in advance

  12-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The annual architecture fest that is Open House London takes place in September, with over 700 venues to visit and tours to join.
  The coveted lift pass (c) ianVisits
  Most are turn-up-and-walk-in, but some need to be booked in advance, and that opens at midday on Wednesday 19th August 2026. I’ve waded through the circa 700 venues to find the ones that need to be booked in advance – which was “fun”, as there isn’t a needs booking filter on the organiser’s websit
  
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