Home » UK ISP News Archive » Monthly Archives: April 2015 (88 Posts Found)

ISP News Archives for April 2015

Ofcom Identifies Candidate Spectrum for Future 5G Mobile Broadband

20th Apr 2015 (2 Comments)

The United Kingdom’s telecoms regulator has today published an update on their preliminary work to design a regulatory approach for future 5G (5th Generation) based Mobile Broadband technology, which identifies several bands in different parts of the 6GHz to 100GHz radio spectrum range that could be candidates for the service.

The Curious Broadband Speed Confusion of a Rural Lincolnshire Community

20th Apr 2015 (19 Comments)

A tiny rural community called Metheringham Fen in Lincolnshire (England’s East Midlands) has complained that their broadband speeds have actually gotten worse since BT is alleged to have upgraded the local connectivity. The situation has forced some locals to shell out on an expensive and restrictive Satellite solution instead.

UPDATE Scotland’s Next 200 Communities for BT Fibre Broadband Upgrades

20th Apr 2015 (7 Comments)

The Digital Scotland project, which is working with BT to roll-out “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) services to 85% of premises in Scotland by the end of 2015/16 and 95% by the end of 2017/18, has today announced the next batch of 200 communities (145,000 premises) that will benefit from that deployment.

Europe Moots Future Ultrafast Broadband Speed Targets for Post 2020

18th Apr 2015 (17 Comments)

The European Commission’s new Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Günther Oettinger, has for the first time started to discuss what targets we should aim for after the current Digital Agenda programme completes and hopefully delivers “superfast” broadband speeds of 30Mbps+ to all by 2020; with 50% also subscribed to a 100Mbps+ service.

Virgin Media UK Add FREE Samsung Tablet to Triple Play Broadband Bundles

17th Apr 2015 (2 Comments)

Cable operator Virgin Media has for just a few days sweetened the current deal on their top triple-play 152Mbps broadband, TV and phone (Big Kahuna and Big Daddy) bundles by giving new subscribers a FREE Samsung Galaxy table (worth £139.99). But the offer is only available until 22nd April 2015.

Satellite ISP Avonline Broadband Give Free Installs to UK Rural Areas

17th Apr 2015 (0 Comments)

One of the biggest hindrances to taking a Satellite broadband connection is the high cost of hardware and installation. The UK Government is currently mooting a subsidy scheme to tackle this, but in the meantime one ISP has said that they’ll offer free installation and activation (saving £150) to those in rural areas.

ISPA Says UK Political Parties Need “More Ambitious” Broadband Policies

17th Apr 2015 (0 Comments)

The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has given its verdict on the 2015 General Election Manifestos of the three main political parties. Broadly speaking the trade association welcomes many of the proposals, but they also caution against increased net surveillance and call for a “more ambitious” aim to deliver “ubiquitous superfast broadband“.

Welsh Town of Caldicot Moots Deployment of Free Public Wi-Fi

17th Apr 2015 (0 Comments)

The town of Caldicot in Monmouthshire (South Wales, UK), which is home to around 10,000 people, has reportedly bid to secure £1,800 of funding from the Severnside Programme Board. The money will, it’s hoped, be used to deploy a free public WiFi wireless Internet service across the town centre.

Estate Agent Finds Many UK House Movers Motivated by Broadband

17th Apr 2015 (8 Comments)

Strutt & Parker, a UK estate agent and property consultant, has published the results of their new Housing Futures 2015 survey and found that broadband connectivity is fast becoming a crucial motivation when moving home, with 35.8% of respondents listing it as important or very important in their motivations for moving.

Ofcom’s New CEO Hints at UK Telecoms and Broadband Deregulation

17th Apr 2015 (50 Comments)

BT might be pleased to hear that the new boss of the United Kingdom’s communications and media regulator, Sharon White, is considering whether the entry of “newer players and technology” into the country’s Internet access and telecoms market should result in a “lighter approach” to regulation.

IFPI Claims 20 Percent of Fixed Line Internet Users are Music Pirates

16th Apr 2015 (6 Comments)

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has published its annual Digital Music Report 2015, which slams online content platforms like YouTube for not sharing enough of their revenues and claims that 20% of fixed-line Internet users regularly access services that offer pirated music.

EE Give Free Portable Phone Charger to Broadband and Mobile Customers

16th Apr 2015 (12 Comments)

Customers of EE’s mobile and fixed line home broadband service now have yet another bonus to keep them hooked, a free portable Smartphone charger called “EE Power” that can either be recharged at home or swapped for a fully-charged replacement bar at any EE store nationwide (apparently the swaps are “unlimited“).

UK ISP SSE Shocks with 2 Years FREE Broadband and Calls

16th Apr 2015 (30 Comments)

Energy provider SSE (Southern Electric), which also does broadband and phone bundles, has launched a surprising discount across their entire range of unlimited broadband packages that offers “Free broadband” for two full years of service or a big half-price discount on their superfast “fibre broadband” (FTTC) bundles.

A Summary of the Broadband Policies from Minor UK Political Parties

16th Apr 2015 (0 Comments)

Over the past few days we’ve worked to highlight any broadband related commitments from the Green (here), Libdem (here), Labour (here), UKIP (here) and Conservative (here) Parties. But there are plenty of smaller, often more region specific, parties too and here’s a short summary of what we know about them.

Sky Pursues Customer for Outstanding Bill – 2 Years After Death

16th Apr 2015 (0 Comments)

Dealing with the loss of a loved one is hard enough without also having to tackle debt collectors as they chase for late payments, but how late is too late? According to Sky, which through its debt collection agency BPO have been pursuing one deceased customer for an outstanding payment of £62.25 (TV service), the answer is two years.

Vodafone UK Opens Pre-Registration for Home Broadband and Phone Service

15th Apr 2015 (8 Comments)

Telecoms giant Vodafone UK has quietly added a pre-registration page for their forthcoming fixed line Home Broadband and Phone service, which reveals that the new product will be called VodafoneConnect.

The UKIP Manifesto 2015 – Devoid of Broadband and Internet Pledges

15th Apr 2015 (8 Comments)

The UK Independence Party has today become the latest political party to publish their Manifesto for the imminent 2015 General Election. But those hoping for a firm commitment to improve national broadband connectivity may be disappointed.