September 12, 2002 - September 17, 2002
News - September 17,2002
New !CHEAP! Unmetered & ADSL ISP
By:Keith @ 12:52:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Another unmetered and broadband ADSL offering ISP has come to our attention today called freedial.biz. It offers various unmetered and ADSL packages, details from their website are as follows:
Home Use Dialup:
NO call charges 0800 dialup number so - no more Internet call charges!
Support for all new V.90 modems
Support for 64k ISDN lines
Web based email so that you can access your email from any PC in the world that has an Internet connection - e.g. from cybercafe's / Internet booths
No dialup software required - easy online auto setup.
Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/CE, MAC, Linux, Unix Compatible
Dedicated Technical Support line, charged at national rate
Access to SMTP server for sending unlimited emails
2 hour cut off but theres nothing stopping you from reconnecting instantly
Contention ratio of 12:1
Totaltime 100 - £6.95 – restricted to 100 hours per month
Totaltime 200 - £8.95 – restricted to 200 hours per month
Totaltime 300 - £10.95 – restricted to 300 hours per month
Eve/Weekend - £7.95 – 6pm-8am Mon/Fri + all Sat/Sun
Daytime - £9.99 – 8am-6pm Monday to Friday
24/7 - £12.95 – No restrictions 24hr Access
ADSL services are also available for pre-registration, these include:
Budget DSL - £12.95 , 50:1 Contention
Biz 24/7 - £34.95, 10:1 Contention
Home 24/7 - £26.95, 20:1 Contention
All packages have an £80 connection fee
All the above packages are only available for pre-registration at present. Their Budget xDSL package is priced at what would seem to be the cheapest xDSL service we have seen to date.
Although we don't know any details on their backbone provider, it does raise the question of how viable the service can be. £13 per month for ADSL is below the wholesale price of ADSL, it's hard to see how this could be sustainable.
We also note the 'No restrictions 24hr Access' unmetered dialup package for the same price at just £12.95, which is also unrealistic. |
Airport First For Wi-Fi Internet Access
By:mark.j @ 9:08:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] We've just been sent the official press release for how UK Explorer has helped Birmingham International Airport (BIA) become the first such location in the UK to offer broadband wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet access:
AIRPORT FIRST FOR WI-FI
Birmingham International Airport (BIA) has become the first Airport in the UK, and one the few public places in Europe, to provide the new wireless Internet facility, 'Wi-Fi'. Operated by UK Explorer, and available airside in Terminal 2, the new facility allows users access to the Internet without the need for cables and without the hassle of changing settings or systems on their laptops. This gives passengers the freedom to switch on and surf the net in any location in the terminal, at any time.
This new facility has been made possible due to the installation of a small transmitter on existing Internet booths. The transmitter supplies Internet signals over the airwaves, thus giving immediate access without need for cable docking.
Ray Savage, the Airport's Head of Market Development - Commercial, said: "UK Explorer has been a commercial partner of ours for some time now, managing nine existing Internet kiosks within the terminal buildings. With the experience of their first class service, we've embarked on this venture to give our customers more choice and greater flexibility".
"Wi-Fi will predominantly appeal to our business travellers, which is why we have installed our first transmitter in this largely business passenger terminal. With the growing demand for wireless connections, we're confident that it will be warmly welcomed by passengers at Birmingham Airport."
Martin Hickman, UK Explorer's Technical Director, said: "We have drawn on our 5 years experience providing public internet access, to develop a system that is simple to use and requires no special software. It is a service that is ideally suited to Birmingham Airports many business travellers, and fits well with our nationwide network of Internet Access Points."
To connect to the wireless network, the user must have either a Wi-Fi Ethernet device in their laptop or a wireless network card. Those who don't have this hardware can still access the Internet via a cable, which is provided at the UK Explorer kiosks. Alternatively, passengers who don't have laptops or PDAs and need to gain access to the Internet whilst at the Airport can use one of the nine existing Internet kiosks throughout the terminal.
Accessing Wi-Fi couldn't be simpler; once the user is switched on and has selected the UK Explorer browser, they are directed to a secure encrypted payment page. Once the credit or debit card is authenticated, Internet access is given.
The user will be able to purchase 30 minutes, an hour, a day, a week, or a months worth of time; thereby catering for one off users, immediate users and frequent flyers. Corporate accounts are also available. |
Alcatel DSL Upgrade Causes Problems
By:mark.j @ 8:59:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide is reporting that the ADSL exchange upgrades being carried out by Alcatel appear to be causing problems, such as a users ADSL hardware no longer being able to maintain a connection to the exchange:
In addition Zen Internet are reporting that they are seeing users with packet loss and authentication problems after the upgrades.
At this time the hardware that users are reporting problems with is the Netgear DG814 and Solwise SAR-715. Prior to the upgrades the users had had reliable connections, but now they cant connect or connect for very short times. ADSL line faults have been ruled out as some of them retain old Alcatel USB ADSL modems which still work.
It's early days yet and nobody is quite sure of exactly what aspect of the upgrade, if any, could be causing the problems. One wonders how much BTWholesale tests the hardware before installing it. |
Energis Respond - ISPs & FRIACO Claims
By:mark.j @ 8:53:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Some of you may remember the small news item we did over the weekend following a short investigation into the reason(s) why several UK unmetered ISPs had recently been changing their dialup numbers.
This was in reference to the fact that some had changed to NTLs network, which doesn't fully cover the UK and thus a few customers were left without a service.
We were subsequently told by several of the ISPs that the move was the result of them shifting away from Energis because of "degrading network performance". Today Gavin Partington, Energis’s man in charge of Corporate Communications, has been kind enough to respond and tell their side of the story:
It suggests that we have had recent problems with degrading network performance. In fact the latest CPI statistics demonstrate that Energis' network performance is market leading.
Far from planning to move away from the FRIACO dial up platform we are seeing increasing usage of the service and our customer base continues to grow. In recent weeks Energis has ceased service for a small ISP which repeatedly refused to pay its bills. This may have resulted in a small number of VISPs needing to change their dial access numbers but it has nothing to do with the performance of our network.
Certainly if a number of ISPs ended up without a service after having had their supplier cut off then that could indeed constitute "degrading network performance" =). We'll see if one of the associated ISPs wishes to make an official comment or not. |
EcosseTel Daytime Unmetered Offer
By:rich @ 8:49:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] EcosseTel Internet are offering a 3 for 2 (months) on their daytime unmetered Internet access package - BCom Lite. For new users signing up before the end of September:
The Bcom Lite package gives daytime access Mon - Friday 6am - 6pm for £6.80 per month plus VAT. Included are pop3 email boxes and newsgroup access. For further details see www.ecossetel.com.
Ops Director Spencer Pryor said; "We have recently added more ports to cope with evening capacity problems that were occuring. This has left us with surplus capacity during the daytime, and our BCom Lite package is very good value for small businesses and home workers who onl;y want access during office hours, and with our special offer there is even more rerason to sign up for it!"
EcosseTel are also rolling out 128k connectivity. At the moment they are trialling the system on a PAYG 0845 number, but will switch to offering an unmetered package within the next month. Currently about 80% of the UK can have access to the 128k system, and the roll out will increase to around 90% by November. Prices haven't yet been finalised for the unmetered package but are expected to be in the region of £25 per month.
There is a limit of 200 hours per month on EccosseTel's packages, although with this particular offer you can still have 9 hours per day. |
News - September 16,2002
44% Of Women Surf For Health Advice
By:mark.j @ 2:28:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] A new survey from market analysts Datamonitor has found that 44% of women in the USA and Europe search the Internet for health information, compared to 32% of men.
"Young Internet users often conduct online health research on behalf of older family members who do not use the Internet," Yvonne MacPherson, a healthcare analyst at the company, said on Monday.
Consumers are becoming more aware of medical issues and products and what it takes to remain healthy. Nearly 80% of people in the United States and 62% of Europeans consider themselves more health conscious than most people, according to the survey.
The poll, which involved interviews with 4,531 adults across Europe and the United States, found that consumers gather information from government, university, pharmaceutical company and health information websites.
More than half the respondents to the poll said they had searched the Internet for medical information in the past year. |
WorldCom To Chop 2,000 EU Jobs
By:mark.j @ 1:30:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] WorldCom (telecoms group) is to cut 2,000 jobs from various stations around Europe, with many of the staff expected to be removed from its UK wing:
The scandal-hit carrier hasn't said exactly where the jobs cuts will be made. But with 2,000 at staff at its European HQ in Reading plus a further 1,000 in the rest of the country, it looks like the UK will bear the brunt of job losses.
The swingeing job cuts are part of a restructuring and refocusing of the business and "reflect current market conditions and the size and needs of the existing WorldCom EMEA network". The company will also freeze further investment in its infrastructure.
On the plus side and The Register reports that 6,000 more jobs are to be created in the Middle East and African (EMEA) regions. |
PIPEX ISP Suffers Major ADSL Outage
By:mark.j @ 1:14:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Troubled UK dialup and broadband ADSL offering ISP, PIPEX, has been hit by yet another problem. Apparently many of their ADSL customers have been unable to access the Internet since Sunday!:
We have been suffering from major issues with the PIPEX broadband platform. PIPEX are currently investigating as a number one priority all possible causes for the outage. However, we are begining to see some semblance of normality return, though work is still going on to try and find the cause of the problem and make sure there are no outstanding issues.
To restore service some ADSL sessions were "locally terminated" by BT. This will mean you would have connected but are unable to receive mail or browse the internet. These customers will need to disconnect and then reconnect their sessions before being able to connect to the rest of the Internet.
PIPEX apologises for any inconvenience.
Customer should now be able to connect, although some may need to try a few times. Now what was that silly thing about 'Pipexwow'? PIPEX is now becoming quite well known for such outages; thankfully they’re not more common. |
Blueyonder Nukes 25,000 E-Mail Accounts
By:mark.j @ 1:04:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Telewests broadband Cable Modem and unmetered dialup ISP wing, blueyonder, has been forced to apologise to thousands of customers after a major disk failure trashed 25,000 e-mail accounts!:
The incident happened early on Friday morning wiping out any new email sent during the outage. In some cases it also erased stored email and addresses.
Some 15,000 (eight per cent) of Telewest's blueyonder Internet service - including dial-up and broadband customers - were hit by the glitch. A further 10,000 subscribers with TV-based email were also affected.
The Register reports that the problem has now been resolved. |
News - September 15,2002
ISP Review Weekly Update
By:mark.j @ 9:53:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Yes I'm still in Southampton and enjoying the boat show, at least I was until today when the clouds rolled in.
Sadly this also means that I've had little time to work on ISP Review, although did manage to find several new 'Reader ISP Review' system bugs, thanks to the public beta testers.
There may also be another small forum upgrade in the near future; this is because of a bug with the 'Recent Visitors' display not showing the correct total of those browsing the forums. No ETA for this, I'm still in Southampton for another week to deal with other matters.
We've also started to design a new ISP listings system, one that's more flexible in layout and adds some limited interactivity. More next week.. |
UK ISPs Shift FRIACO Away From Energis
By:mark.j @ 9:46:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] In the past couple of weeks a fair number of UK ISPs have changed the dialup numbers to their unmetered service, which has also caused some ISP users to be without a connection for reasons of coverage.
If this has occurred with your service then it's most likely because such providers have begun changing from Energis to another supplier such as NTL, BT or Mediaways etc.
Apparently the move away from Energis follows recent problems with degrading network performance and the fact that they could soon be moving away from the FRIACO dialup (unmetered) platform in order to better focus on core telecom services.
Unfortunately some of the ISPs moving to NTLs platform have left a small percentage of customers without a connection. This is because NTL doesn't yet have full national coverage and thus there will be a number of users unable to access their ISPs services.
It’s not yet clear when NTL will be able to complete its national coverage. |
IAP Broadband Wireless ISP - LIVE
By:mark.j @ 9:27:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The recently announced broadband wireless ISP IAP Broadband has posted the following message on our forums:
IAP Broadband launched successfully
The service should now be officially online and offers two promising broadband wireless packages:
IAP Unmetered
Speeds up to 56 Kbps
Wireless connection that doesnt take up your phone line
Always on, no cut off
5 Email Addresses - yourname@iap.uk.net
5 MB Webspace
£150.00 Install fee
£11.99 Monthly fee
IAP Unmetered X2
Speeds up to 112 Kbps - Twice the speed of normal dial up modems
Wireless connection that doesnt take up your phone line
Always on, no cut off
5 Email Addresses - yourname@iap.uk.net
5 MB Webspace
£150.00 Install fee
£19.99 Monthly fee
IAP Broadband
Speeds up to 512Kbps
Wireless connection that doesnt take up your phone line
Always on, no cut off
Contention Ratio 50:1
10 Email Addresses - yourname@iap.uk.net
10 MB Webspace
£150.00 Install fee
£29.99 Monthly fee
IAP Broadband X2
Speeds up to 1024 Kbps - The ULTIMATE internet connection
Wireless connection that doesnt take up your phone line
Always on, no cut off
Contention Ratio 50:1
10 Email Addresses - yourname@iap.uk.net
10 MB Webspace
£150.00 Install fee
£39.99 Monthly fee
Unfortunately IAP, like many other new broadband wireless ISPs, suffers from extremely limited coverage. At present the site only states Portishead, although hopefully things will improve with time and other locations are listed for the future. |
BT Rivals Lobby Telco’s Break-Up
By:mark.j @ 9:12:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It has emerged that a group of top telecommunications industry figures are to meet Stephen Timms (minister for telecoms) and press for the break-up of BT:
Graham Wallace, chief executive of Cable & Wireless, is to attend the dinner with Timms in late November, which is being organised by Clare Spottiswoode, the former gas industry regulator.
Other invitees are expected to include Roy Gardner, the chief executive of Centrica, the gas company which owns One.Tel, one of the fastest growing competitors to British Telecom.
The meeting with Timms emerges amidst embarrassing revelations that Lord Currie, the recently appointed future regulator of the telecoms industry, as chairman of Ofcom, appears to be in favour of breaking up BT.
Not surprisingly the Telegraphs item highlights how many of BTs rivals are ceasing the comments made by Lord Currie for their own gain in the same matter. |
New UK ISP Launched - MachTel
By:mark.j @ 9:05:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Oliver Dale has contacted us to announce the launch of the latest entrant into the UK ISP market, MachTel:
http://www.machtel.net
0845 Dialup
Will be launching 0800 and ADSL in 1 month
The site is an accompanyment to our PC Retail site MachPc.com which launches in 1 week. Any subscibers to our ISP will receive automatic 10% discount at the shop plus special offers mailed to them monthly. We are also launching machhost.com, a web hosting site where again any subscribers to the ISP will receive 10% discount and special offers.
We are based in Stockport, Cheshire.
Unfortunately we'll have to wait another month before knowing more about the future unmetered product. |
News - September 14,2002
Easynet ISP To Promote Broadband
By:mark.j @ 9:48:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Easynet has launched a new advertising campaign to help promote its broadband xDSL ISP services for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs):
The pan-European ISP hopes to persuade business managers that broadband is more cost effective than ISDN and dial-up internet access.
The campaign will run in London this week through the London Metro and Evening Standard daily newspapers and on the sides of London taxis. The ads depict a man in a suit being punched by his boss, with the strap-line: “When your boss finds out you’re spending up to 85% too much on your internet connection.”
For the record, if you're ever physically assaulted by your boss for the above reason then instead of calling Easynet, call the police =). More @ Revolution Magazine. |
Gov Defends State Internet Snooping
By:mark.j @ 9:43:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Recently a number of civil liberties campaigners have been questioning the spread of online surveillance in the wake of the September 11th attacks last year. They claim that such practices contravene the human right to personal freedom.
Now the government has hit back with Mr.Blunkett writing an article to state that surveillance powers should be seen as protection for the public rather than an intrusion.
"What I occasionally find irritating are self-styled privacy campaigners who denigrate or ignore protections not available to most of our European neighbours," he wrote, adding that Britons enjoy more protection than virtually any other nation.
He added that finding the balance between liberty and security was "more pressing now than at any time since World War Two." Perhaps the problem is that many believe they’ve run over that so called ‘balance’. |
Mozilla/Netscape Leak Surfing Data
By:mark.j @ 9:35:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The open source Mozilla web browser software and Netscape, which uses much of the same technology, contains a new security flaw that allows servers to discover where visitors go after they leave a site:
The bug reveals the URL of the page a user is viewing to the Web server of the site visited last. This allows a Web server to track where users go after they leave the site, even if the next Web address comes from a bookmark or is manually typed into the browser.
Researcher Sven Neuhaus, who published a security alert about the issue to the Bugtraq mailing list on Wednesday, said he had confirmed the bug in Mozilla 1.0, 1.0.1 and 1.1, though it probably also exists in older Mozilla versions. It also appears in browsers based on Mozilla's technology, including Netscape 7 and Galeon, a Linux application, he said.
The ZDNet item reports that this problem can be temporarily fixed by disabling JavaScript (could screw up some sites), at least until an official patch is issued for both Netscape and Mozilla. |
South Wales Gains Arwain Wireless ISP
By:mark.j @ 9:28:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] One of Europe's densest wireless Internet networks, Arwain, looks set to expand its broadband wireless (802.11b [Wi-Fi]) ISP services into the valleys of south Wales:
The Arwain project, which already covers Cardiff with an invisible internet backbone using radio waves, will be freely accessible in one of Wales' biggest digital black spots from October.
Run by non-profit enthusiasts backed by the Welsh Development Agency, the initiative already gives free high-speed internet access to users in a 10sqkm catchment area in the city using five roof-mounted antennae. It means liberation from cumbersome cables - and free broadband.
Now BBC News Online can reveal the revolutionary "wi-fi" network will be widened to hundreds more residents and passers-by in a region many complain is stuck in the internet dark ages.
The Welsh Assembly is expected to make an official announcement on 8th October 2002. Unfortunately the BBC News item doesn't reveal any information on pricing, although we'll know more on the 8th. |
4theNET Increases Unmetered Price
By:mark.j @ 9:20:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK unmetered dialup ISP 4theNET has been contacting its customers to inform them of a price increase to their Unlimited 24/7 package from £12.99 to £14.99 per month.
Unfortunately the problems don't stop there because a new Fair Usage Policy has also been introduced, giving customers a reasonable limit of 20 hours surfing per week:
You may be aware that many UK Internet Service Providers offering monthly subscription Internet packages have recently increased their prices. We have made every effort to keep our prices low for as long as possible, but to supply you with the best possible service, we need to increase our prices.
The price of your 4theNET Unlimited 24/7 package will be increased from £12.99 per month to £14.99 per month as of the 14th October. This will be reflected in your e-bill.
In addition, we have improved your Internet access by implementing a Fair Usage Policy and revising our customer service hours. The Fair Usage Policy limits excessive usage and will maintain a fair and consistent level of service for our subscribers. It will also reduce congestion at peak hours.
The revised customer service hours will make both the Customer Service and Billing Team available on a single number from Monday to Friday, 9am until 8pm. The number for the helpdesk is 0870 010 2472. Calls to this number are charged at National Rate.
These changes are reflected in the revised Terms and Conditions below.
Please note that although the price increase comes into effect on the 14th October, the terms in regards to fair usage and the helpdesk hours are effective immediately.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to email us at
ispbilling@4mymail.co.uk or call us on the above number.
Thankfully 4theNET has at least given good warning and the economics do seem to pan out.
However their initial sentence is misleading, only a few UK unmetered dialup ISPs have increased their prices (not ‘MANY’) and some have decreased them. Perhaps it’s another case of spreading the blame for not getting it right in the first place? |
KPN Snaps Up KPNQwest UK
By:mark.j @ 9:09:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The UK assets of once renowned European data hub KPNQwest have now been brought by its Dutch telecoms parent, KPN:
The KPNQwest network, once valued at 42bn euros, went bankrupt earlier this year and was eventually shut down in July. Since then, KPN has bought parts of KPNQwest, including the Dutch network and a data centre at the Hague. It is in talks to buy other assets in Belgium and an undersea link between Europe and the United States.
More @ ZDNet. |
PacketFront's True UK Broadband
By:mark.j @ 9:04:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] PacketFront, a self proclaimed next generation broadband infrastructure provider, has announced their new 'True Broadband' product.
Apparently True Broadband uniquely allows users to choose from competing service providers whilst remaining connected to the same physical network:
Despite the UK Government recently launching new initiatives to kick-start 'Broadband Britain', figures* show that Britain is still languishing at the foot of the European broadband league table, with only 14% of us connected. If Government targets are to be met, broadband roll-out clearly needs to be accelerated and prioritised.
But what exactly are the prospects for the UK? At present, users are hardly spoilt when it comes to choice of service provider or speed of access (broadband defined as anything above 1Mbps). Even if the Government does meet its target, which is seen by many as unlikely, the quality of service is currently more Sunday League than Premier League!
On October 9th, 2002, PacketFront, the next generation broadband infrastructure provider, will be bringing 'True Broadband' networks to the UK and Europe. A 'True Broadband' network uniquely allows users to choose from competing service providers whilst remaining connected to the same physical network. Instead of being exclusively tied to the services offered by a single operator, True Broadband allows end users to select services from multiple operators as easily as switching TV channels.
This 'vision' is already dramatically changing the broadband landscape in PacketFront's native Sweden. The company has been selected by communications operator ViaEuropa to deliver the world's first Operator Independent Network to Sweden's largest ever 'wired city' project in Hammerby, Stockholm. This project forms the template of PacketFront's vision of 'True Broadband' networks for the whole of Europe.
Martin Thunman, CEO and founder of PacketFront, will announce the formal launch of his company into the European market and talk about the ViaEuropa project. This launch coincides with the immediate availability of version 2.1 of PacketFront's Intelligent Broadband Solution. Thunman will be available the week commencing Monday 7th October to discuss how its technology will speed the roll-out of service provider independent, 'True Broadband' networks in the UK and Europe.
Unfortunately no URL to the PacketFront site was included and thus we're left with a fair number of questions. We've no idea what broadband technologies it's designed to work with or how it'd work. |
News - September 13,2002
ETGS ISP To Fix Problems By Tuesday
By:mark.j @ 2:31:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide reports that UK ISP ET Global Solutions (ETGS), which is backed by Gio Internet, has set a deadline of Tuesday next week to sort their current broadband problems:
The upshot of this is they have now set themselves a deadline of Tuesday to get everything sorted and the actual orders placed with their Wholesale provider. The process of passing the orders across to the company that actually places the orders with BT Wholesale has been the sticking point at present. ET Global Solutions are saying this should be fully resolved in one to two weeks.
So what is happening, well if you are having problems there is a new number to phone for users specifically with problems:
ET Global Solutions: 0161 628 7654
accounts@etglobalsolutions.com |
Microsoft Finds First Smiley :-)
By:mark.j @ 1:33:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Microsoft has found what it believes to be the first known instance of a "smiley", otherwise known as an emoticon (Emotional Icon), e.g. :-).
The earliest use of such an emoticon comes from a bulletin board discussion at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) on 19th September 1982:
Mike Jones, who works in the Systems and Networking Research Group at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters, kicked off the effort to find the first smiley in February 2002.
On his Web site, Jones says that many people were involved in the effort to find the first instance of the smiley. "I kicked off the effort... by looking through some old bulletin board program sources," says Jones, on his site. Jones remembers seeing a CMU bulletin board posting in which the characters J were first proposed to signify a joke, back in the early eighties.
With help from former CMU School of Computer Science facilities director Howard Wactlar and current director Bob Cosgrove, Jones found backup tapes covering the period from 1981 to 1983. Restoring them required a nine-track tape drive and enlisting the help of a number of people to scan through the postings until the smiley posting was found.
The ZDNet item also mentions some other significant dates in Internet history, such as the first E-Mail (1971) etc. |
File Sharing Swamps Broadband ISPs
By:mark.j @ 1:21:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Network management firm Sandvine has written a new report entitled 'The effects of P2P on service provider networks', which looks at how P2P (Peer-2-Peer / Person-2-Person) file sharing is affecting ISPs.
Apparently ISPs are suffering, especially those that offer broadband services, and many are in danger of having their networks swamped, which could ultimately force customer costs up:
P2P activity accounts for up to 60 per cent of the total traffic on any service provider network, Sandvine found during its study. Users downloading and uploading files accounts for only a portion of this data traffic. It's the overhead generated by these applications - advertising, searching functions, and other transactions largely transparent to most users - that are the real bandwidth hogs.
Service providers are well-aware that a portion of their subscriber base is eating up (arguably from their perspective) more than its fair share of bandwidth and driving up costs by using P2P clients.
In this context, concerns expressed by some ISPs about acting as a vector for copyright infringement are, largely, a red herring. Cost is the overriding reason why ISPs impose bandwidth caps and otherwise discourage P2P use.
Not surprisingly Sandvine just so happens to supply tools designed to help ISPs cope (well now, isn't that a surprise!), although their point is still relevant. More @ The Register. |
Freeserve ISP Extends VoIP Deal
By:mark.j @ 8:57:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK ISP Freeserve has extended its Voice Over IP (VoIP) Internet phone call service with Callserve. The technology allows users to make calls online, which in turn makes it cheaper, especially when on an unmetered connection:
The deal, which follows the first agreement between the two companies made in January 2001, will allow users of the Freeserve portal - plus its subsidiary sites Babyworld and icircle - to use the Callserve service, while a new promotion means users signing up via Freeserve Webphone get a free headset.
The netimperative.info item notes that Callserve provides its software for free, after which subscribers can buy call time online. |
UK DTI Backs ECs 3G (UTMS) Sharing
By:mark.j @ 8:52:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The UK governments Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has confirmed its support for the European Commission's (EC) decision to allow T-Mobile and mmO2 to share 3G mobile network infrastructure:
More infrastructure-sharing deals are expected to be announced in the coming months, as cash-strapped mobile firms try to get 3G off the ground -- something the UK government would welcome.
"We've been actively encouraging third-generation licence-holders to share 3G infrastructure -- our policy has always been in favour of it," a DTI spokesman told ZDNet UK.
Because the T-Mobile/mmO2 deal covers two countries, the European Commission had to rule on whether the move was anti-competitive.
More @ ZDNet. |
Affinity Internet Predicts Break-Even
By:mark.j @ 8:45:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Affinity, the group behind a good number of UK ISPs, has reported that they expect to break-even in the fourth-quarter of this year. Not surprisingly the announcement follows a brutal decline in the value of its shares:
The company, a one-time dotcom luminary worth £80-a-share, has been hit by a dramatic share price slump in recent months, and was forced to issue a trading statement.
Its telecoms business, the company's main source of revenue - it accounts for about four-fifths of group sales - continues to grow profitably, and Affinity today said the loss making situation in the internet business "is successfully being addressed".
Directors are confident that the company will achieve cash flow profitability in the final three months of the year. Shareholders can expect to learn more at the time of its interim results on 24 September.
The netimperative.info item reports that Affinity’s Internet division lost £460,000 in the first-quarter, yet increasing group sales should help it reduce its quarterly loss. |
News - September 12,2002
New ISP Review Survey (Poll)
By:mark.j @ 2:54:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] We've just added a new survey to our front page, which asks, "How well do you understand Internet Jargon (e.g. DSL)?".
We're trying to find out how knowledgeable our readers consider themselves to be when understanding Internet Jargon. This includes terms such as LLU, ADSL, Dialup, Ethernet and Modems etc.
The results from our previous survey are as follows:
Should ISPs be forced to meet an official quality standard?
Yes - 91%
No - 6.1%
Undecided - 2.8%
Total Votes = 819
Not surprisingly a vast majority of you would support an official quality standard for ISPs, something we’re hopeful could emerge with the introduction of OFCOM.
Clearly people feel a need for more security, which is perhaps a reflection of the less than satisfactory way in which many ISPs manage their services. |
HELP - UK ISPs For The Deaf
By:mark.j @ 2:31:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] One of our readers has asked us to put out a plea for information on any UK ISPs that can provide Technical Support to Deaf users via Minicom.
Apparently AOL UK & others claim to use TypeTalk, yet this is perceived as laborious and people don't like to use it. Essentially we're looking to find out which ISPs support the Minicom alternative.
So if you happen to know of such an ISP then please drop us a mail or post in the forum. Thanks. |
3G Operators Face Patent Disputes
By:mark.j @ 1:25:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The latest saga to hit the progress of future 3G (UTMS) broadband wireless mobile phone services could be that of patent disputes.
The 3G Patent Platform Partnership (3G3P) says too many companies are claiming to own patents that are essential to building next-generation handsets, base stations and radio network controllers:
3G3P was established by the mobile phone industry to provide an evaluation service for W-CDMA patents, the main 3G standard in Europe.
Problems are compounded the fact that no industry-wide agreement exists on pricing or use of patents. This is complicating the process of establishing royalty agreements between intellectual property owners and companies hoping to enter the W-CDMA market, said Kearsey. "These developments could seriously hinder the viability of the 3G market if an approach isn't found," he added.
With so many patent holders staking their claims, royalty payments could account for up to 20% of a handset, he warned. 3G3P hopes to cap royalties at 5% of the sales value of a product.
You can find a full low-down on this latest of worries @ CW360, although it remains to be seen how much of an impact this could have in the UK. |
Stupid Anti-Email Snooping Proposals
By:mark.j @ 1:20:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The boss of e-mail filtering and blocking company Equiinet, Bob Jones, has today described the recent proposals to prevent employers snooping on staff E-Mails as stupid:
Jones reckons any move to protect personal privacy would be a "recipe for litigation".
"This is going too far by giving license to the few who would abuse the privilege of private use of email at the expense of exposing employers to litigation. If this bill became law, the employers' only course would be to ban all personal email at work."
Jones' views were backed by email outfit Mirapoint, which reckons that the key difference between e-mail and other forms of communication is that e-mail comes with the company's name in its address.
Of course both companies make their money out of exactly what the new proposals would impede upon, thus their response is predictable. More @ The Register. |
Colt Telecom To Shed 1,000 Jobs?
By:mark.j @ 8:51:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It's being reported that Colt Telecom, the group behind several UK ISPs, could be about to wipe 1,000 staff from its workforce within the next couple of months:
Big losses could be seen in Colt's European operations, with some satellite offices reduced to little more than skeleton staffing levels.
In the six months to the end of June, Colt reported that sales had increased to £505.05m against £433.5m during the same period the year before.
It made a pretax loss before exceptionals of £129.5m against £108.2m during H1 2001. In the first six months of 2002 the company reduced its workforce by 214 employees and shed 156 temporary and contract workers.
The Register notes that COLT currently has around 5,000 staff. |
Gio ISP Upgrades & Number Change
By:mark.j @ 8:46:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK ISP Gio Internet has today sent us their latest service update covering a major dialup number and backbone connectivity provider change:
In continued efforts to improve quality of service, changes are being made tonight to upgrade services and carriers.
Customers are requested to change there DUN (dial up network) settings for the appropriate service.
Business 24/7 08089909012
Business 24/7 - Static IP 08089909012
Business 24/7 - Static IP - 128k 08089909013
Business Weekday 08089909012
FRIACO Dial 08089909014
Gio Ignite 08089909011
Gio Ignite Gold 08089909013
Gio Ignite Plus 08089909015
Gio Opium 08089909013
Gio Universal0 8089909010
Gio Universal - 6 months 08089909010
Gio Universal - Moved 08089909010
Gio Unlimited 08089909014
Should customer experience problems or have trouble configuring the DUN, please call 0870 922 4000. |
BTs SDSL Trial Exchanges
By:mark.j @ 8:43:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide has managed uncovered the exchanges that BT has elected to take part in the first stage of their new broadband SDSL trial, which was announced yesterday:
Bermondsay
Clerkenwell
Covent Garden
Croydon
Fleet
Gerrard Street
Holborn
Howland Street
Kentish Town
Kingsland Green
Kingston
Mayfair
North Paddington
Richmond, Surrey
Southwark
Sutton Cheam
Thornton Heath
Tottenham
Wandsworth
Wimbledon
Much as we've stated many times before, SDSL is typically a business only style product and would not be attractively priced for a home user. |
Freeserve Preps Marketing Campaign
By:mark.j @ 8:38:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] French Wanadoo backed UK ISP Freeserve is to start yet another marketing campaign for its unmetered AnyTime Internet access dialup services.
The campaign will start in the autumn and show up on TV, radio, in the press, direct mail and online media:
The company has created new ads through above-the-line agency M&C Saatchi - bought by Walker Media - which will promote Freeserve's contention that it has doubled its network capacity to improve reliability for users.
It has also launched a new one-month free trial that will be promoted in a door drop campaign by WWAV Rap Collins and which will be supported by radio ads. New deals with the Dixons Stores Group will also see installation disks available at even more stores within the group, as well as 84 MVCs and 228 Orange retail outlets.
Hopefully this time the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) won't have to slap Freeserve for promoting the impossible, but then that hasn't stopped Freeserve doing the same thing many times before. More @ netimperative.info . |
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