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Cumbria UK to Spend GBP2.5m Promoting Superfast Broadband to Businesses

1st October, 2012 (2 Comments)

The Cumbria County Council, which last month awarded its £70m contract (external investment) for rolling out superfast broadband (25Mbps+) services to BT, will also spend £2.5m on a new “integrated business support programme” to promote related products to local businesses. But is it necessary?

UPDATE 2nd October is Crunch Day for a UK 4G Mobile Broadband Agreement

1st October, 2012 (3 Comments)

The government’s culture secretary, Maria Miller, will this week make a final play to prevent legal wrangling between the country’s big mobile operators from delaying Ofcom’s auction of superfast 4G compatible mobile broadband spectrum (800MHz and 2.6GHz). The offer of an earlier spectrum release could be on the cards.

BT and Virgin Media Cite Political and Legal Concerns of Internet Censorship

28th September, 2012 (5 Comments)

A successful Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the UK government’s Department for Education (DfE) has revealed that broadband ISPs BT and Virgin Media have raised a number of political, technical and legal concerns with proposals to toughen censorship of adult websites and related internet content via new Parental Controls.

Wireless ISP Expands 50Mb Broadband Service to Thirsk in North Yorkshire UK

28th September, 2012 (3 Comments)

Wireless ISP I Love Broadband (LN Communications) has expanded the coverage of its superfast broadband service to include the small market town of Thirsk (Hambleton), which is home to around 5,000 people, with more areas already being planned.

UK House Hunters Would Pay 5 Per Cent Extra for Faster Broadband Homes

28th September, 2012 (15 Comments)

A new trial conducted by independent estate agents Delaney’s in Essex (England, UK) has revealed that houses which were advertised alongside their broadband ISP download speeds were twice as likely to get a viewing request and scored 40% more online web page views in general.

UK ISP TalkTalk Connects Customers to its YouView Broadband TV Service

27th September, 2012 (2 Comments)

Budget internet provider TalkTalk looks to be starting the UK roll out of their new Plus TV service this week, which combines a “free” YouView (IPTV) box with the “Plus” broadband and phone bundle. Celebrity TV star Joanna Lumley kicked off proceedings in London today but some concerns remain.

Joint Parliamentary Committee Could “Kill” the UK ISP Internet Snooping Bill

27th September, 2012 (5 Comments)

The Joint Parliamentary Committee that is responsible for scrutinising the controversial Draft Communications Data Bill, which seeks to expand existing internet snooping laws by forcing ISPs into creating a bigger and more accessible log of your online activity, will according to one MP attempt to “kill the bill” because it “simply can’t work“.

Virgin Media Trials 90Mbps 4G Small Cell Mobile Broadband in 2 UK Cities

26th September, 2012 (16 Comments)

Cable operator Virgin Media Business claims to have “successfully trialled … LTE-ready” small cell based Mobile Broadband technology in Newcastle and Bristol (England), which delivered internet speeds that were “three times faster than current 3G networks” (i.e. up to 90 Megabits per second).

Average Global Residential Fibre Optic Broadband Tariffs Getting Cheaper

26th September, 2012 (3 Comments)

Telecoms analyst Point Topic has today revealed that the average cost of standalone broadband packages (tariffs) offered to consumers has continued to fall for superfast fibre optic and cable based broadband ISP packages, yet the price of slower DSL (e.g. ADSL2+) services has stayed fairly flat.

UPD Ofcom UK Report Fall in Broadband ISP Complaints – TalkTalk Still the Worst

26th September, 2012 (3 Comments)

The communications regulator, Ofcom, has today revealed its latest customer complaints data for the UK’s largest fixed line broadband and mobile providers (those with a market share of +4%), which covers the second quarter (Q2-2012). Happily ISP complaints saw a sharp fall but TalkTalk remains the provider with most complaints.

BT Openreach Moots Mobile Infill Solution for Isolated UK Rural Areas

26th September, 2012 (4 Comments)

BTOpenreach has informed mobile operators of its intention to develop a new mobile infill solution that could potentially leverage BT’s existing fixed line network to provide mobile services into parts of the UK that suffer from “non-existent or patchy” coverage. But could it also help fixed line broadband performance?

DEFRA UK to Award GBP360k Wireless Broadband Grant to Uppingham First

25th September, 2012 (0 Comments)

The UK governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) looks set to award £360,000 to help the community group Uppingham First deploy a 30Mbps (Megabits per second) capable superfast wireless broadband network that can reach isolated parts of rural East Leicestershire and Rutland (England).

UPD2 BT Reveal 163 New UK Locations for its Superfast Broadband Deployment

25th September, 2012 (124 Comments)

BTOpenreach, which manages the access and development of BT’s national UK telecoms network, has today published the next batch of 163 telephone exchanges for its £2.5bn roll out of 80Mbps capable Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) and 330Mbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based superfast broadband ISP technology.

Analyst Warns UK Cities Must Pick BT for Superfast Broadband or Risk Failure

25th September, 2012 (8 Comments)

The director of Informa Telecoms & Media’s global broadband and TV research, Rob Gallagher, has warned that any UK cities which win State Aid to boost their superfast broadband availability must pick “safe bet” BT to do the job or risk being left with no ISPs and “networks based on technologies that failed to keep pace with the wider market“.

WHSmith UK Launch FREE In-Store Wi-Fi Wireless Internet for Shoppers

25th September, 2012 (6 Comments)

The Cloud (BSkyB) has this week signed a new deal that will see high street retailer WHSmith rolling out a free wireless internet (wifi) service to 603 of its stores across the United Kingdom.

Claranet Boss Warns 4G Mobile Broadband is a Red Herring for Consumers

25th September, 2012 (1 Comment)

The Managing Director of UK ISP Claranet, Michel Robert, has warned that the forthcoming launch of superfast 4G (LTE) based mobile broadband services will initially be a “red herring” for consumers due to its patchy coverage and short battery life. But businesses could benefit.

Suffolk Council UK Awards GBP40m Superfast Broadband Contract to BT

24th September, 2012 (4 Comments)

The Suffolk County Council (SCC) has today confirmed that its £40 million contract to make superfast broadband (25Mbps+) services available to 85-90% of local homes and businesses by 2015 has unsurprisingly been awarded to BT. Just 2% of the “hardest to reach premises” will be left with sub-5Mbps speeds.