We are rapidly bridging the digital divide. 93% of UK households have access to the internet (Ofcom’s 2023 Technology Tracker), and almost all, 99%, of UK businesses with at least 10 employees handle digitised data (UK Business Data Survey 2024). Between 41% and 55% of the UK landmass has 5G coverage from at least one operator (5G in the UK Report 2024). So, what’s next for telecommunications service providers (often referred to as Telcos or ISPs) and the UCC (Unified Communications and Collaboration) sector?
4G, 5G, 6G more…
According to recent Ofcom data, around 93% of the UK landmass has 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator, meaning that the vast majority of the UK has access to 4G. The UK government’s target is for “all populated areas” in the UK, including rural communities, to have standalone 5G coverage by 2030. 5G has the potential to connect to 1 million devices per km², which is apparently 1,000 times more than present mobile connections and is 100 times faster than a typical home-based broadband connection. Ivan Romanov, from UCTel, gives a good example of how to explain “100 times faster”, using the example of downloading a 2GB video on different network standards:
5G: 23 seconds
Gigabit LTE: 41 seconds
4G LTE: 18 minutes
4G: 27 minutes
3G: 45 minutes
5G Applied
The 5G rollout is underway, and so is the advice. The Money Saving Expert website, on the topic of 5G and mobile phones, states “Networks say it’s up to 10 times faster than 4G – and we’ve already seen real-world examples of it achieving over 400 megabits per second (Mbps), considerably faster than the average fibre broadband speed of 30Mbps.” The experts recommend checking in with the main mobile network operators, EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, and smaller networks, such as Voxi, Giffgaff, iD Mobile, and Lebara. Helpfully, the team of experts point out to potential 5G consumers, that you need the 5G phone, and the 5G sim card, and the 5G coverage in order to benefit from the technology. In this example:
Hardware + Receiver + Network
The same logic applies to the UCC sector, with some variations, and there are hundreds of examples, here are 3:
- Example 1: Hardware + Receiver / Transceiver + Network
- Example 2: IoT device + software/sensors + Network
- Example 3: Hardware + Platform + Fixed Wireless Access
A transceiver is a device that can both transmit and receive signals, which is essential for IoT devices to communicate with each other and a central server. Most IoT devices that require wireless communication are considered transceivers, including smart sensors, wearable trackers, smart home devices like light bulbs, smart meters and security cameras, as they all need to both send and receive data over a network to function effectively. In the case of the SIM card, it is considered a receiver rather than a transceiver, because its primary function is to receive information from the mobile network to identify the user and their account details, not to actively transmit data itself; the transceiver functionality lies within the handset which uses the SIM card for identification purposes.
Telco to Techco
The phrase “Telco to Techco” or “Telco to Techo” gets bandied around a lot in the technology press these days, generally around Network operators looking to expand their opportunities and revenue streams, in essence being more than internet service providers. The conversation gets expanded with the emergence of AI (artificial intelligence), and how this technological gift can be incorporated into the Telcos business models too. Additionally, the conversations gets peppered with the increased quantities of data that are being, and going to be, generated and transmitted, add data storage, and then a sprinkling of cybersecurity conversation is thrown in for good measure. Added to the pressure cooker of this conversation is the essence of time – how long will it take for Telcos to transform?
The convergence of the telco sector with the UCC sector discussions centre around the middle grounds of sectors such as cloud, software, platforms and much more. One could say its where MSP meets ISP (managed service providers meet internet service providers). What one can probably predict, is that the offspring of this mutual union is going to have an “aaS” (as a Service) somewhere within the new service bundles.
Telco 2.0
What this looks like in reality is difficult to predict, because it depends on many factors such as the dominance of partners, or the evolution speed of a Telco in terms of their proficiencies and ability to collaborate with partners, and find or accept good advice. It is also dependant on the size of pockets too – most Altnets in the UK are cash-strapped, but they’re pretty agile and open to change. So, the equation is possibly Telco + Techco, or Telco →Techco, and more than likely it is Techco sells Telco products and vice versa. Without the mention of a decent revenue stream or opportunity, you’ll hardly find an MSP wanting to engage in applying their skill set to provisioning telecoms services or offering ever-increasing bundles of products and services.
Good Example
A good example of an ISP evolving into an ISP-MSP in the UK is Giacom. Founded in Hull in 1999 as an internet service provider, Giacom now offers a one-stop platform and provides managed services for cloud software, infrastructure and IT support services that an MSP would provide within a public or private cloud environment. In 2025, based in Hessle, Giacom has had a number of evolutions, to get it to its last publicised annual turnover of £355.1m as of the year ending 31 March 2023. Since then Giacom has acquired Inform Billing and intY.
Additional Services
Giacom has developed a marketplace called Giacom Cloud MarketTM, which enables MSPs to sell and license cloud services. The marketplace includes an expansive product portfolio with complementary products such as cybersecurity software, and IoT solutions such as Smart Mobile Data, where partners can offer always-on mobile connectivity, a solution which can support technologies utilising 4G LTE, 5G, LTE-M and NB-IoT. Giacom partners are encouraged to cross-sell into “multiple cloud, comms and hardware products and solutions” and we now see traditional distributor and reseller channel technology brands such as Lenovo, Jabra and Samsung sitting beside traditional and typical telecommunications brands such as Vodafone, Three and Sky Business.
Interestingly enough, on the question of timings, UC Advanced reported on Sky Business Wholesale and Giacom partnering to deliver innovative connectivity solutions for channel providers in December 2023, and the recent announcement, in January 2025, demonstrates the agility of such collaborations. Giacom and Sky Business Wholesale are now offering remote router authentication which enables broadband migrations without the need for an engineer visit and/or hardware replacements.
The Future is Bright
The future is … Well, how long is a piece of ethernet cable? Our homes and offices are increasingly digitalised, we use cloud-based storage, collaboration platforms, video conferencing capabilities and remote access, to name a few of the sectors where UCC can be found, and alongside those digital technologies be they software or hardware, you will always find a Telco at your service.