European AdTech firm Utiq has entered the UK market by partnering with Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, delivering privacy-centric, consent-based advertising solutions across browsers resistant to traditional targeting methods. The launch marks a key milestone in Utiq’s European expansion and reinforces its telecom-powered, cookieless infrastructure for scalable and responsible digital marketing.
Utiq, a European AdTech company specialising in Telco-powered infrastructure based on user-consented signals, has officially launched its services in the UK, marking a significant step in its ongoing expansion across Europe. The launch was enabled through new network signal partnerships with Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, positioning Utiq to offer brands, publishers, and platforms scalable, privacy-centric advertising solutions even in environments traditionally resistant to targeting, such as browsers like Safari and Firefox.
The UK is Utiq’s fifth market following Germany, France, Spain, and Austria, reinforcing its ambition to build a responsible, privacy-first digital advertising ecosystem. With partnerships now active with 28 Telco providers across these markets, including founding shareholders Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone Group, Utiq claims to have created a telecom-grade identity infrastructure for addressable advertising. The company states this setup eliminates reliance on third-party cookies and fingerprinting methods, offering a deterministic identifier solution that respects user privacy by requiring explicit opt-in consent.
James Hardy, Digital Director at Virgin Media O2, highlighted that through Utiq’s privacy-first technology, advertisers can engage UK consumers more effectively and transparently, ensuring responsible digital experiences. Meanwhile, Sara Vincent, Utiq UK’s Managing Director, emphasised that the UK launch represents a defining moment for digital advertising, offering a scaled solution that boosts marketing performance and return on investment while safeguarding consumer privacy. Vincent brings a strong background in the sector, previously leading initiatives at prominent adtech firms, positioning her to oversee Utiq’s UK operations and market growth.
Marc Bresseel, CEO of Utiq, noted the UK launch as a major milestone that illustrates the company’s commitment to scalable, privacy-conscious advertising solutions. Thanks to the partnerships with Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, Utiq can now reach a substantial proportion of the UK’s mobile device users, which is crucial for widespread adoption and impact.
Utiq has already attained significant scale in Europe, recently surpassing 55 million unique consent passes, representing over a third of the continent’s mobile users. This milestone exemplifies the technical robustness and growing acceptance of its approach, which aligns closely with stringent privacy regulations by providing precise audience targeting without infringing on consumer privacy rights.
Moreover, Utiq is working closely with some of the UK’s leading digital content owners, aiming for a robust market entry. This collaborative approach is set to underpin the company’s efforts to offer privacy-compliant, programmatic advertising solutions. For instance, partnerships like the one between Utiq and programmatic platform Equativ integrate authentic user consent data with supply-side efficiency to expand cookieless, cross-environment advertising reach while enhancing inventory value through better personalisation.
The timing of Utiq’s launch also coincides with a broader transformation in the UK mobile market. Vodafone UK and Virgin Media O2 have recently extended their network-sharing agreement for over a decade, a move expected to improve mobile coverage, service quality, and competition. This underlying network collaboration further supports Utiq’s infrastructure, reinforcing its ability to scale reach and deliver consistent identity solutions throughout the UK.
While Utiq promotes a forward-looking, privacy-first approach that seeks to rebuild trust in digital advertising, it remains to be seen how quickly advertisers and publishers will adopt this Telco-powered model amidst a rapidly evolving ecosystem. Nonetheless, the company’s UK launch and its growing network partnerships mark a promising development for privacy-centric addressability in digital marketing.
Reference Map:
- Paragraph 1 – [1], [2]
- Paragraph 2 – [1], [4]
- Paragraph 3 – [1], [3], [7]
- Paragraph 4 – [1], [3]
- Paragraph 5 – [4]
- Paragraph 6 – [1], [5]
- Paragraph 7 – [1], [6]
- Paragraph 8 – [1], [2], [3]
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.martechoutlook.com/news/utiq-launches-in-the-uk-expanding-telcopowered-infrastructure-for-the-open-internet–nid-3890.html – Please view link – unable to able to access data
- https://www.martechoutlook.com/news/utiq-launches-in-the-uk-expanding-telcopowered-infrastructure-for-the-open-internet–nid-3890.html – Utiq, a European AdTech company, has launched its Telco-powered infrastructure in the UK, marking its fifth market after Germany, France, Spain, and Austria. This expansion is supported by partnerships with Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, enabling brands and publishers to deliver privacy-centric advertising solutions. Utiq’s approach eliminates the need for third-party cookies and fingerprinting, offering a scalable, privacy-first identifier solution. The company plans to collaborate with leading UK digital content owners to ensure a strong market entry.
- https://utiq.com/utiq-announces-uk-launch-appoints-sara-vincent-as-md-uk/ – Utiq has announced its UK launch and appointed Sara Vincent as Managing Director. Backed by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone, Utiq aims to provide brands and publishers with relevant, ad-funded experiences while upholding stringent privacy standards. The company offers advertisers accurate, scaled audience targeting, giving consumers control over their privacy. Sara Vincent brings extensive experience from Index Exchange and JustPremium to lead Utiq’s UK operations.
- https://www.londondaily.news/utiq-now-reaches-over-55-million-people-across-europe-with-its-consented-deterministic-identifier/ – Utiq has surpassed 55 million unique consentpasses across Europe, representing over one-third of mobile users. This milestone underscores the scale and technical robustness of its privacy-first solution. The company now partners with 26 Telco providers across Germany, Austria, France, and Spain, making it the only addressability solution rooted in telecom-grade identity infrastructure. Utiq’s approach enables precise audience targeting without relying on third-party cookies or fingerprinting, aligning with stringent privacy regulations.
- https://www.equativ.com/blog/press-release/equativ-and-utiqs-new-partnership-brings-people-first-advertising-to-the-programmatic-supply-chain/ – Equativ and Utiq have partnered to integrate Utiq’s Authentic Consent Service with Equativ’s supply-side platform. This collaboration aims to provide privacy-compliant, programmatic advertising solutions by combining secure data management with programmatic efficiency. The partnership enables advertisers to achieve large cross-environment and device reach, covering cookieless browsers like Firefox and Safari, while ensuring compliance with global data regulations and enhancing inventory value through improved personalisation.
- https://www.vodafone.com/news/corporate-and-financial/vodafone-and-virgin-media-o2-announce-new-long-term-network-sharing-agreement – Vodafone UK and Virgin Media O2 have extended their mobile network sharing agreement for over a decade. This long-term partnership aims to enhance mobile coverage and service quality across the UK. Subject to regulatory approval, the agreement will include the merged entity of Vodafone UK and Three UK, creating a third scaled network operator. The collaboration is expected to transform customer experiences and significantly boost competition in the mobile market.
- https://www.thedigitalvoice.co.uk/telcos-backed-adtech-company-utiq-launches-in-uk – Utiq, a European adtech company backed by Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica, and Vodafone, has launched its operations in the UK. The company offers an ‘authentic consent service’ that enables responsible, transparent digital marketing by providing targeting tools to advertisers while giving consumers control over their privacy. Utiq’s UK operation is led by Sara Vincent, who previously spent five years at adtech company Index Exchange.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative is recent, with the earliest known publication date being June 27, 2025. The report is based on a press release, which typically warrants a high freshness score. No earlier versions with different figures, dates, or quotes were found. The article includes updated data and does not recycle older material. No republishing across low-quality sites or clickbait networks was identified. No discrepancies in figures, dates, or quotes were found. No similar content appeared more than 7 days earlier. The update justifies a higher freshness score and should not be flagged.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The quotes from James Hardy, Sara Vincent, and Marc Bresseel are unique to this report. No identical quotes appear in earlier material. No variations in quote wording were found. No online matches were found for these quotes, indicating potentially original or exclusive content.
Source reliability
Score:
7
Notes:
The narrative originates from MarTech Outlook, a reputable organisation. However, it is an obscure, single-outlet narrative, which introduces some uncertainty. The report mentions Utiq’s partnerships with Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, which are verifiable online. The individuals quoted, James Hardy, Sara Vincent, and Marc Bresseel, have verifiable online presences.
Plausability check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims about Utiq’s UK launch and partnerships with Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone are plausible and align with recent industry developments. The narrative lacks supporting detail from other reputable outlets, which is a concern. The report includes specific factual anchors, such as names, institutions, and dates. The language and tone are consistent with the region and topic. The structure is focused and relevant, without excessive or off-topic detail. The tone is professional and resembles typical corporate language.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative is recent and based on a press release, indicating high freshness. The quotes are unique and potentially original. The source is reputable but a single outlet, introducing some uncertainty. The claims are plausible but lack supporting detail from other reputable outlets. Overall, the narrative passes the fact-check with medium confidence.
