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Microsoft and Google Plan UK White Space Wireless Broadband Network

6th Nov, 2012 (3 Comments)

Software and Internet giants Microsoft and Google are understood to have expressed “extreme interest” in the UK development of a potentially national wifi style wireless broadband network using the unused White Space (IEEE 802.22) radio spectrum that exists between Digital TV (DTV) channels.

Tory MP Wants UK Social Housing Tenants to Have FREE Broadband

5th Nov, 2012 (26 Comments)

The Conservative MP for Rossendale and Darwen (South East Lancashire), Jake Berry, has called for all social housing tenants (e.g. people in poverty or those with low incomes) to be given either a low cost or even free broadband internet access service.

Europe to Open the 2GHz Band for Superfast 4G LTE Mobile Broadband

5th Nov, 2012 (0 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has called upon all EU member states, including the United Kingdom, to open up the 2GHz radio spectrum band (1920-1980MHz paired with 2110-2170MHz) for use by 4G (LTE) superfast mobile broadband services by 30th June 2014 “at the latest“.

ISP Virgin Media UK Takes on Skype with Own WiFi Phone Calling Service

5th Nov, 2012 (2 Comments)

Cable operator Virgin Media has announced customer trials of its new SmartCall service, which allows UK Smartphone users with a Virgin Phone Line to use the unlimited calls from their home phone talk plan on their mobile. But you’ll need to have a wireless internet (wifi) connection to make it work.

FREE WiFI Wireless Internet Comes to Lake District Information Centres

5th Nov, 2012 (0 Comments)

National park information centres in the Lake District (North West England, UK) are now able to offer free wireless internet access after a new service was installed at the Bowness Bay, Windermere; Moot Hall in Keswick; and Glenridding on Ullswater visitor centres.

Rural and Countryside Groups Oppose Planning Changes to Boost Broadband

5th Nov, 2012 (2 Comments)

The English National Park Authorities Association (ENPAA), Open Spaces Society (OSS) and Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) have warned that the government’s plan to relax planning rules, which could boost the deployment of UK superfast broadband and 4G mobile services, risks damaging the countryside and other green spaces.

Telecoms Regulator to Reveal Improved Broadband ISP Switching Process

5th Nov, 2012 (0 Comments)

Ofcom has told ISPreview.co.uk that they hope to finally outline their chosen method to improve the migration process for UK phone and broadband providers before the end of this year, which is a “key priority” for the regulator and should make it faster, safer and easier for consumers to swap ISP.

UK Power Networks Refutes BT Claim that it’s a Monopoly in the Fibre Space

3rd Nov, 2012 (6 Comments)

UK Power Networks, which delivers electricity to 8 million homes and businesses across London, the South East and East of England, has angrily refuted claims by the CEO of BTOpenreach, Liv Garfield, that it’s acting as a “monopoly” by making some of BT’s street cabinets too commercially unviable to upgrade with superfast broadband (FTTC).

UPD Openreach Criticise UK Power Networks for Costly FTTC Cabinet Installs

2nd Nov, 2012 (7 Comments)

The boss of BTOpenreach has described UK Power Networks, which maintains the electricity network for London, the East and South East of England, as a “monopoly” because of the huge disparity of costs for supplying power to BT’s superfast broadband (FTTC) street cabinets.

Top 8 UK Fastest Broadband ISPs by Download Speed for October 2012

2nd Nov, 2012 (4 Comments)

The latest summary of anecdotal consumer broadband ISP speed testing data, which covers the previous month of October 2012, reveals that the average download speed has risen from 17Mbps (Megabits per second) to 18.038Mbps. Average upload speeds have similarly jumped from 1.976Mbps to 2.174Mbps over the same period.

CLA to Finalise National Wayleave Deal for UK Rural Broadband Boost

2nd Nov, 2012 (2 Comments)

The Country Land and Business Association(CLA), a lobby group for land owners in England and Wales, has confirmed to ISPreview.co.uk that it expects to finalise a national wayleave agreement for underground cables this month. The move could help to develop superfast broadband networks in rural areas.

ISP Allpay Expands Wireless Broadband to More Herefordshire UK Villages

1st Nov, 2012 (0 Comments)

Allpay Broadband, a fixed wireless internet provider that specialises in deploying its broadband wifi service into rural areas by placing transmitters at the top of local churches, has announced that its service should soon be going live in the civil parish villages of Peterchurch and Garway; with more planned.

Sky Broadband UK Tops TalkTalk to Total 4.1 Million ISP Subscribers

1st Nov, 2012 (0 Comments)

Sky Broadband (BSkyB) has today become the UK’s 3rd largest ISP after its latest results to 30th September 2012 (Q3) saw them add +102,000 new quarterly broadband subscribers to reach a total of 4,103,000 (jumping TalkTalk’s 4,047,000). But growth itself was sharply down from +138k in Q2 and +212k in Q1.

ISP BT Retail Tops 6.44 Million Broadband Internet Subscribers

1st Nov, 2012 (0 Comments)

BT’s latest Q3 financial results to 30th September 2012 have today revealed that their UK retail broadband ISP subscriber base grew by +81,000 to reach a total of 6,446,000 (875,000 of which are FTTC/P superfast BTInfinity subscribers). This represents a slight slowdown from the +136k added in Q1 and +85k in Q2.

BT Brings UK Superfast Broadband Rollout Forward to Spring 2014

1st Nov, 2012 (14 Comments)

BT has today confirmed that its national £2.5bn plan, which aims to deploy fibre optic based superfast broadband (FTTC , FTTP) ISP services to 66% of the UK, has once again been brought forward and will now complete during Spring 2014 (i.e. passing 19 million homes and businesses).

MetroNet UK Fibre and Wireless Broadband Covers all of Greater Manchester

1st Nov, 2012 (0 Comments)

Business ISP Metronet UK has today announced that its hybrid superfast fibre optic (Dark Fibre) and carrier grade wireless network, which is understood to have cost £3 million to build, has finally achieved “ubiquitous coverage” across the entire Greater Manchester region.

UPD Fibre for Middleton Broadband Campaign Criticise BT Viability Assessments

1st Nov, 2012 (16 Comments)

The Fibre for Middleton group, which started campaigning for better broadband earlier this year and has been working with BT to get several street cabinets in the Leeds suburb upgraded to support its 80Mbps capable FTTC tech, has questioned the operators commercial viability assessments after finding contradictions in its methodology.