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Articles for Category Tag - Europe

UPD2 EU Sets Out Rules to Boost Fibre Broadband Competition Until 2020

12th July, 2012 (9 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has today set out new rules to help boost investment, development and competition in the rollout of superfast broadband technologies and services right across Europe, which will “apply at least until 2020” and support its wider Digital Agenda targets.

EU Delay Revision of Internet Data Retention Directive to Boost Privacy

12th July, 2012 (1 Comment)

The European Commission (EC) appears to have quietly confirmed that it will not revise the controversial Data Retention Directive (DRD) this year, which could affect the UK’s draft Communications Data Bill that seeks to expand the country’s internet snooping power through big broadband ISPs.

European Commission Stalls UK Superfast Broadband Rollout Plans

4th July, 2012 (36 Comments)

The government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) plan to roll-out superfast broadband (24Mbps+) services to 90% of the UK by 2015, which after spending £3m on consultants has left itself with a choice of just two firms (BT or Fujitsu), appears to have stalled after the European Commission (EC) expressed concern over the allocation of state aid.

2012 Digital Agenda Scoreboard Finds UK Trails EU for Superfast Broadband

19th June, 2012 (15 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has released its annual 2012 Digital Agenda Scoreboard, which assesses the progress towards Europe’s broadband delivery targets. It found that just 5.5% of UK lines have adopted a superfast broadband ISP service that can deliver download speeds of 30Mbps+ (EU average 8.5%).

T-Mobile UK Reveal Cheaper EU Mobile Broadband Roaming Prices

19th June, 2012 (0 Comments)

Mobile operator T-Mobile UK (Everything Everywhere) has today introduced its new internet and broadband Travel Boosters, which are designed to make it cheaper to use your Mobile Broadband connection while roaming around within Europe and other countries outside of the EU.

Chi Onwurah MP Accuses EU of Bias in Favour of Ultrafast Fibre Broadband

15th June, 2012 (17 Comments)

The local MP for Newcastle Central and Labour’s shadow minister for innovation and digital infrastructure, Chi Onwurah, has criticised the European Commission (EC) for having a “bias in favour of fibre” and switching its EU state aid rules (here) to focus more on “ultra-fast” (100Mbps+) fibre optic FTTH style broadband networks.

Vodafone UK Launch Cheaper EU Mobile Broadband Roaming Service

14th June, 2012 (2 Comments)

Mobile operator Vodafone UK has this week joined both O2 UK (here) and Three UK (here) in launching a cheaper package (EuroTraveller) for Mobile Broadband users who still like to get online while roaming around within Europe.

EU Approve State Aid for Ultrafast Broadband Rollout in Birmingham UK

13th June, 2012 (3 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has given state aid approval for the UK government to release between £7m-£10m in order to rollout an “ultra-fast” fibre optic based 80-100Mbps+ (Megabits per second) capable broadband ISP network in Birmingham by 2015 and turn it into one of ten large “super-connected cities“.

Europe Switches Focus from Basic to Ultrafast Broadband Funding

2nd June, 2012 (48 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has launched a new consultation on EU state aid rules for the public funding of broadband networks, which appears to mark a shift in focus away from the “good progress” of connecting all citizens to basic broadband and more towards facilitating the roll-out of “ultra-fast” networks (100Mbps+) “under certain conditions“.

O2 UK First to Introduce Cheaper Mobile Internet EU Roaming Rates

12th May, 2012 (1 Comment)

Telecoms operator O2 UK (Telefonica) has become the country’s first mobile network to announced cheaper prices for using your mobile phone or Mobile Broadband connection while roaming abroad within the EU, which reflects Europe’s new roaming regulation for voice, text (sms) messages and data charges (New EU Roaming Rules).

Europe Finally Approves Cheaper Mobile Broadband Roaming from July 2012

10th May, 2012 (2 Comments)

The European Parliament (EC) has today voted unanimously (578 in favour, 10 opposing and 10 abstentions) to adopt new rules that, effective from 1st July 2012 (all EU Member States), will make it significantly cheaper to surf the internet from your Mobile Broadband connection while roaming abroad within the EU. The price of mobile voice calls and text (SMS) messages will also fall.

Europe Aims to Cut Superfast Broadband Rollout Costs by 25%

27th April, 2012 (15 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has today opened a new consultation that aims to cut the costs of broadband investment by 25% and thus make it cheaper to deploy new networks for “high speed internet” in the EU. Priority will be given to reducing the costs associated with civil engineering (i.e. digging up roads to lay fibre optic cable), which can account for up to 80% of the total cost.

Europe Preliminarily Agrees Cheaper Mobile Broadband Roaming from July 2012

28th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

The European Commission (EC) has today reached a preliminary deal that should make it significantly cheaper to surf the internet from your Mobile Broadband connection while roaming abroad within the EU. In addition the price of mobile voice calls and text (SMS) messages will also be slashed.

EU Telecoms Regulators Find ISP Blocking of P2P and VoIP is Common

13th March, 2012 (2 Comments)

The Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications (BEREC), which is composed of the heads from 27 national regulators (e.g. Ofcom in the UK), has published its preliminary findings on internet Traffic Management practices by broadband ISPs and mobile operators in Europe. The practices were found to “vary widely” between countries and providers with some exceptions, the blocking of VoIP (e.g. Skype) and P2P (BitTorrent – File Sharing) traffic is common.

BT Says UK FTTC Superfast Broadband Can Do 100Mb After EU Said it Can’t

9th March, 2012 (11 Comments)

The Vice President of the European Commission’s (EC) Digital Agenda strategy, Neelie Kroes, suggested in a speech to the Cable Congress of the European Cable Communications Association (Brussels, Germany) yesterday that it was “not possible” for Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technology to “really provide 100 Megabits” superfast broadband ISP speeds. Naturally BTOpenreach, which is using the same technology for its national UK rollout, disagrees.