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Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

House of Lords Trash Government’s 10Mbps UK Broadband USO Again

6th June, 2018 (91 Comments)

The House of Lords was yesterday given the opportunity to debate the Government’s new 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO) for fixed line broadband (implemented from 2020). Perhaps unsurprisingly they trashed it, while also calling for a “more ambitious” minimum speed of 30Mbps.

BBC One Rip Off Britain TV Show to Tackle KCOM Woes in Hull UK

1st June, 2018 (12 Comments)

The BBC One consumer rights TV show, Rip Off Britain, looks set to take KCOM’s broadband and phone network in Hull (East Yorkshire) to task when it returns for a new series from 11th June 2018. The telecoms provider could face criticism of its prices, customer service and monopoly position in the local market.

Protecting Access to Emergency Services in a Broadband VoIP World

24th May, 2018 (32 Comments)

Operators like KCOM and BT are preparing to move away from traditional analogue telephone networks (PSTN) and replace them with broadband based all IP solutions. As part of that Ofcom are consulting on maintaining access to UK emergency services (police etc.), which could be more exposed to power cuts etc.

Ofcom UK Finds Fault with Virgin Media Contract Termination Charges

22nd May, 2018 (28 Comments)

An investigation conducted by market regulator Ofcom claims to have found “reasonable grounds for believing” that cable broadband ISP and TV operator Virgin Media may have broken its consumer protection rules by failing to play fair with their Early Termination Charges (ETC).

Ofcom Study Confirms Loyal Broadband and Mobile Users Pay More

17th May, 2018 (16 Comments)

A new report from Ofcom on annual pricing trends has found that 80% of UK households purchased bundled services in 2018 (broadband, tv, phone and / or mobile), which is down from 81% last year. But those who remain loyal to their broadband ISP (i.e. staying after the contract is up) will end up paying more.

Over 50 Cross Party UK MPs Call for Better Rural 4G Mobile Coverage

13th May, 2018 (13 Comments)

More than 50 MPs have signed a letter by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Rural Services that calls on the government’s digital secretary, Matt Hancock, to ensure that 95% of the UK’s landmass can access a mobile service from all operators (Three UK, Vodafone, EE and O2) by the end of 2022.

ISP B4B Networks Plan FTTP Broadband Rollout in N.Ireland UPDATE

11th May, 2018 (6 Comments)

Belfast-based ISP B4B Networks, which until now has largely focused upon serving business premises in Northern Ireland, has hinted that they could soon build their own “full fibre” FTTP/H style “ultrafast” broadband network to homes and businesses in certain parts of the UK.

Ofcom Study Tests O2, Three UK, Vodafone and EE Mobile Performance

9th May, 2018 (3 Comments)

The latest 2018 Consumer Mobile Experience report from Ofcom has used crowdsourced data to reveal some interesting details about the performance of 3G and 4G mobile networks in the United Kingdom, which among other things finds that 86% of urban vs only 73% of rural users are satisfied with their service.

Ofcom 2018 Study – Average Home Broadband Speeds Hit 46.2Mbps

9th May, 2018 (9 Comments)

Ofcom has published their annual study of fixed line home broadband ISP speeds across the United Kingdom, which reveals that the average download rate has risen from 36.2Mbps last year to 46.2Mbps now, while uploads hit 6.2Mbps (up from 4.3Mbps). Sadly the gap between urban and rural areas persists.

ISP Plusnet Expand UK Low Cost Areas to More Broadband Users

5th May, 2018 (16 Comments)

A sizeable portion of Plusnet’s broadband ISP subscriber base has recently been informed that they will benefit from a good reduction in the price of their service. The move comes after the provider decided to implement a wider definition for ‘Low Cost Areas‘ on their network.

Ofcom UK Launch Probe of EE’s Early Termination Charges

4th May, 2018 (26 Comments)

Mobile and broadband provider EE has today become subject to a new probe by the national telecoms regulator. Ofcom intends to examine whether the operator’s Early Termination Charges (ETC) comply with its obligations. ETCs apply to customers that choose to exit their contract early.

2018 Study Compares Big UK Mobile and Broadband ISPs by Quality

3rd May, 2018 (3 Comments)

Ofcom has published their annual study of service quality, call waiting times, complaints and service provision among the largest UK ISPs and Mobile operators, which among other things found that Plusnet had the longest call waiting times (7:50 mins) and the highest broadband satisfaction (86%).

Home and Small Business UK Broadband Lines Top 26 Million – Q4 2017

2nd May, 2018 (2 Comments)

The latest Q4 2017 Telecoms Market Data Tables from Ofcom have confirmed that the United Kingdom is home to a total of 26 million fixed home and small business broadband lines (up by +546,000 since Q4 2016), with 53.4% being faster full fibre or hybrid-fibre based (FTTC, FTTP/H, Cable etc.) services.

Ofcom Study Finds Faster Broadband Speeds Can Boost UK GDP

1st May, 2018 (8 Comments)

A new study, which examined the economic impact of broadband connectivity among 35 OECD countries between 2002 to 2016, has found that a rise in broadband adoption and speeds over the period led to an increase in UK GDP of 0.47% per annum on average (cumulative total of 6.7% over the period).

Ofcom’s Spring 2018 UK Mobile and Fixed Broadband Coverage Stats

30th April, 2018 (7 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has today published an update to last year’s annual Connected Nations report, which uses more recent data from 2018 to provide the latest coverage statistics for UK mobile and fixed line broadband networks. For example, “full fibre” (FTTH/P) now reaches 4% (1.2 million premises).

Ofcom Prep More Contract Clarity for Broadband and Mobile Consumers

27th April, 2018 (9 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has hinted that it intends to improve “end of contract notifications” for phone, mobile and broadband consumers, which among other things could require ISPs to “proactively inform” customers when they are approaching or are at the end of their minimum contract term.

Ofcom UK CEO Warns BT to “fibre-up, or risk fading away”

26th April, 2018 (66 Comments)

The boss of UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, Sharon White, has told a conference in London today that BT (Openreach) must replace their “Victorian-era” copper ISP network with a modern “full fibre” (FTTP/H) broadband alternative or “risk losing swathes of customers to [rivals].”