MoD services at risk as TalkTalk could crash into administration WITHIN DAYS, security chiefs warn

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026.

Security officials responsible for Britain's critical national infrastructure are in urgent talks with senior civil servants and telecoms regulators after it emerged that TalkTalk, the UK's fourth-largest broadband provider, could appoint administrators as early as next week. The Ministry of Defence relies on TalkTalk systems, and officials fear its collapse could weaken national defences at a time of heightened Russian hybrid warfare threats. The firm has around 1.5 million customers and has already received £350 million in emergency funding over the past two years.

Rescue talks have collapsed after Octopus Investments walked away from buying TalkTalk's wholesale arm PXC, and Opus Broadband tabled a cut-price £100 million offer — half its initial valuation.

One option being discussed is handing control of TalkTalk to BT's network arm Openreach in any insolvency, ending the broadband giant that founder Sir Charles Dunstone built from Carphone Warehouse.

Even if a solvent sale is salvaged, lenders are still expected to lose hundreds of millions of pounds, with shareholders including Sir Charles and Ares Management already deep in the red.