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BT Expands 20Mbps Broadband ISP Services to 80% of UK Homes

19th March, 2012 (5 Comments)

BTWholesale, which is of course the wholesale division of UK telecoms operator BT, has released its latest “advanced copper” enablement update (February 2012) and confirmed that its up to 20Mbps (ADSL2+) capable (Wholesale Broadband Connect / 21CN) platform can now reach telephone exchanges serving around 80% of UK homes and businesses (20 million premises).

Vodafone Slam Ofcom UK for Letting T-Mobile and Orange Launch 4G in 2012

19th March, 2012 (7 Comments)

Last week’s proposal by the communications regulator, Ofcom, to allow mobile operators T-Mobile and Orange UK (Everything Everywhere) to launch a new generation of 4G superfast Mobile Broadband services over their existing 1800MHz (2G/3G) radio spectrum (here) has been heavily criticised by rival Vodafone, which suggested that the regulator had “[taken] leave of its senses“.

Internet Access Contributes More to UK GDP than any other G20 Country

19th March, 2012 (5 Comments)

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consultancy firm, has reported that broadband internet access and the online industry contributed 8.3% (£121bn) to the UK economy (Gross Domestic Product) in 2010 and will grow by 11% each year for the next four years to hit £221bn by 2016.

BT Makes it Easier to Migrate Away from Sub Loop Unbundled Broadband ISPs

17th March, 2012 (3 Comments)

BTOpenreach, which provides UK ISPs with equal access to BT’s local and national telecoms and internet infrastructure, has moved to “improve and enhance the end user experience” by allowing shared and fully unbundled (LLU) broadband providers (e.g. TalkTalk, Sky Broadband, O2 UK etc.) to submit orders to migrate customers away from rivals on Sub-Loop Unbundling (SLU) services.

UK Government Adds Broadband ISP Bundles to its Inflation Calculations

17th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

The governments Office for National Statistics (ONS) has quietly announced a notable change to the way it measures inflation (Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and Retail Prices Index (RPI)) by adding “bundled communication services” (broadband internet access, phone and TV) to its calculations for the first time.

UPD Burst Water Mains Pipe Knocks Mobile GiffGaff UK Customers Offline

16th March, 2012 (1 Comment)

Customers of budget UK mobile operator GiffGaff, which makes use of the O2 network, are today being affected by a “network wide problem” that has caused serious disruption to voice, text and internet data services since around 10am this morning.

BBC to Commercialise Broadband Video Streaming iPlayer TV Service

16th March, 2012 (4 Comments)

The BBC’s Director General, Mark Thompson, has somewhat controversially announced that the TV broadcasters free web-based iPlayer broadband video streaming service will soon begin to offer a commercial “download-to-own” product similar to Blinkbox and other online digital distribution platforms. But apparently it won’t be a “second licence-fee by stealth” as many might fear.

BT Unable to Bring UK Superfast Broadband to all Race to Infinity Winners

16th March, 2012 (14 Comments)

BT has confirmed that last year’s Race to Infinity campaign, which pledged a free upgrade for six communities (telephone exchanges) where demand for its ‘up to’ 40Mbps (soon to be 80Mbps) FTTC superfast broadband ISP product was highest (Race to Infinity Winners), will not be able to deliver the service to everybody who won.

Ofcom UK Publishes More Detailed Broadband Availability Data for England

15th March, 2012 (5 Comments)

Following a request from the UK governments Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Ofcom, the communications regulator, has today published some of its “early” 2011 Infrastructure Report broadband data at a “more detailed geographical level“.

Business ISP C4L Expands Wireless Broadband to Isle of Wight Rural Areas

15th March, 2012 (2 Comments)

Business ISP C4L, which is based around Poole and Bournemouth on the south coast of England UK, has announced that its existing superfast wireless broadband service is being extended to rural homes and businesses on the Isle of Wight.

PlusNet Study Finds Majority of UK Mums Get Parental Advice Online

15th March, 2012 (4 Comments)

A new study from budget broadband ISP PlusNet, which surveyed 3,360 UK mums between mid February and March 2012, has discovered that the vast majority (82%) rely on the internet for parental advice, 41% do their weekly shop online to save time and for some reason more than half (51%) even researched their children’s homework online.

UK CLA Calls for 2Mbps Broadband to be a Universal Service Obligation

15th March, 2012 (4 Comments)

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), a lobby group for land owners across England and Wales, has told the UK governments House of Lords Select Committee on Communications, which recently launched an inquiry into the country’s superfast broadband strategy (here), that it must provide a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband of at least 2Mbps (Megabits per second) in rural areas.

Lack of Good Rural Broadband in Wales Could Cost Homes GBP3769 Per Year

15th March, 2012 (6 Comments)

Wispa Limited, an outspoken group of consultants who believe homes and businesses in Wales (UK) deserve better broadband, claims to have estimated the “true cost of a lack of rural broadband” to the Welsh economy and population. Apparently a poorly served household in Wales could be paying £3769.20 extra per year due to a lack of adequate internet connectivity.

IDC Predicts Global Broadband Internet Traffic to Grow 50% Each Year

15th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

The International Data Corporation (IDC), a global telecoms analyst firm, has predicted that “power users” who consume a “disproportionate amount of bandwidth” will drive internet generated broadband traffic to grow by approximately 50% year over year on fixed line ISP networks and double on mobile platforms.

Virgin Media Deploy FREE Wireless WiFi Internet to London UK Tube Stations

15th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

Cable operator Virgin Media has won the contract to provide free public wireless internet access (WiFi) at up to 120 tube station platforms in London for “zero cost to the fare or taxpayer“. The “unlimited” service will also deliver live TfL travel information.

Internet Central Brings 40Mbps Wireless Broadband to Cheshire and Staffordshire

14th March, 2012 (1 Comment)

UK ISP Internet Central (IC) has launched a new superfast wireless (WiFi) broadband service called IC-air, which offers download speeds of up to 40Mbps (Megabits per second) to homes and businesses in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire areas.

UPD Marks and Spencer UK Stores Trial FREE Wireless WiFi Internet Access

14th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

The Cloud (BSkyB), a public UK WiFi Hotspot operator, has announced that the popular Marks and Spencer (M&S) high street retail chain has begun trials of a free wireless internet service across 10 of its stores.