Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: Ofcom Regulation (1790 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Ofcom UK Fines Axis Telecom GBP30k for Making it Hard to Change ISP

23rd May, 2012 (0 Comments)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has fined broadband and phone provider Axis Telecom (Axis) £30,000 for abusing the ‘Cancel Other‘ mechanism, which is designed to protect consumers from being switched to another ISP without their consent (slamming), and for “attempting to induce consumers to terminate their contract” with the new ISP.

Ofcom to Publish UK ISP Internet Piracy Initial Obligations Code in June 2012

16th May, 2012 (4 Comments)

The UK governments Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has confirmed that Ofcom is expected to publish its final Initial Obligations Code of Practice proposal for tackling internet copyright infringement (piracy) by customers of broadband providers in June 2012, which is a much delayed requirement of the controversial Digital Economy Act (DEAct).

Ofcom UK Calls on BT and TalkTalk to Improve Broadband Speed Information

15th May, 2012 (6 Comments)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has today released the results from its latest mystery shopping research, which was designed to assess ISP compliance with the regulators Voluntary Code of Practice on Broadband Speeds. The study found that ISPs provided a speed estimate to consumers, without prompting, in 59% of all calls (rising to 93% after prompting, which is up from 85% in 2010).

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.

UK Broadband ISP Connections Top 20.43 Million in Q4 2011

1st May, 2012 (1 Comment)

The communications regulator, Ofcom, has confirmed in its latest quarterly Telecommunications Market Data Tables (Q4 2011) update that the UK is home to a total of 20.43 million fixed line home and small business broadband connections (excludes corporate), which includes 412,000 from superfast fibre optic based services (FTTC etc.).

Ofcom UK Proposes to Make Calls to 0800 Numbers Free from all Phones

4th April, 2012 (11 Comments)

Ofcom, the communications and media regulator, has today moved to simplify UK call charges by proposing to make all calls, from both fixed lines and mobile phones, to 0800 and 116 telephone numbers completely free. At present calls to 0800 numbers can, somewhat confusingly, still attract charges of up to 21p a minute from mobiles.

Ofcom UK Moots Mobile Broadband in UHF Spectrum Bands IV and V

29th March, 2012 (1 Comment)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has started a new consultation that will look at the long term development options (after 2018) for handling the valuable radio spectrum in Ultra High Frequency (UHF) bands IV and V. One option could be to repurpose them for use by Mobile Broadband services.

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.

Ofcom Delays 1800MHz for 4G Ruling as Three UK Threatens Legal Action

27th March, 2012 (6 Comments)

Ofcom has delayed its proposal to allow T-Mobile and Orange UK (Everything Everywhere) to launch the country’s first 4G superfast Mobile Broadband service over their existing 1800MHz (3G) spectrum band. Separately Three UK, in an effort to ensure that they get a fair slice of the much more valuable 800MHz spectrum (covers a wider area for less money), are now mulling legal action.

O2 UK Criticises Ofcom for Allowing T-Mobile and Orange to Offer 4G in 2012

24th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

Mobile operator O2 UK (Telefonica) has warned that Ofcom’s plan to auction off the 800MHz and 2.6GHz radio spectrum frequencies, which would be used by a new generation of 4G superfast Mobile Broadband services, could be put at “further risk of delay” after the regulator allowed T-Mobile and Orange UK (Everything Everywhere) to launch the country’s first 4G service over their existing 1800MHz (3G) band.

UPD TalkTalk UK Still Top of Ofcoms Most Complained about Broadband ISPs

22nd March, 2012 (5 Comments)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has today published its latest quarterly customer complaints data (Q4-2011) for broadband and mobile telecoms providers (those with a market share of more than 4%). Unfortunately the data shows that TalkTalk remains the most complained about ISP and, after having improved in previous quarters, appears to have returned to its old ways with complaints on the rise.

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“.

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“.

UPD Ofcom Back T-Mobile and Orange Rollout of 4G Mobile Broadband in 2012

13th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

The communications regulator, Ofcom, has today “provisionally” proposed to allow mobile operators T-Mobile and Orange UK (Everything Everywhere) to deploy a new generation of 4G (Long Term Evolution / LTE or WiMAX) superfast Mobile Broadband services over their existing 1800MHz radio spectrum. The group first put in a request to re-purpose the spectrum for 4G use during January 2012 (here).

UK Study Finds Lower Home Broadband Penetration in Unbundled LLU Areas

12th March, 2012 (4 Comments)

New Ofcom (UK telecoms regulator) commissioned research from Imperial College London (ICL) claims to have discovered that the process of freeing up an incumbent operators (e.g. BT) telephone exchange so that rivals can install their own kit inside, which is better known as Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), actually results in “lower penetration levels” (about -2%) for residential broadband access than areas without unbundling (i.e. BT only).

ISP Entanet Tells Ofcom to End UK Mobile Operator Imposed VoIP Blocks

8th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

Business ISP Entanet, a UK telecoms and internet supplier, has suggested that the national communications regulator (Ofcom) must “be prepared to step in” and force Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to stop their “anti-competitive practices” (e.g. blocking VoIP traffic) by protecting Net Neutrality (the principal of treating all internet traffic as equal).

BT Expands Trial of White Space Wireless Broadband Technology to Cornwall UK

8th March, 2012 (0 Comments)

BT has confirmed that it plans to expand upon last year’s Cambridge and Isle of Bute based trials (here) of “White Space” (IEEE 802.22) wireless broadband technology, which makes use of the radio spectrum that exists between Digital Terrestrial TV (DTTV) channels to deliver internet access services, by launching a new commercial scale test in Cornwall to replace its current 4G (Mobile Broadband) trial with Everything Everywhere (Orange UK and T-Mobile).