Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: Ofcom Regulation (1472 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Ofcom Hits Vodafone UK with Record £4.6m Fine for “Failing Customers”

26th October, 2016 (10 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has today hit “failing” UK mobile and broadband provider Vodafone with a “record” fine of £4,625,000 after they were found to have breached a series of consumer complaint handing rules. Ofcom’s investigation of the case uncovered a variety of serious mis-selling, inaccurate billing and poor complaints handling procedures.

UPDATE2 Ofcom Probe True Telecom Over Switching and Contract Complaints

21st October, 2016 (39 Comments)

Kent-based broadband ISP True Telecom has attracted Ofcom’s gaze after a number of customer complaints prompted the regulator to open an own-initiative investigation into how the provider handles, or potentially mishandles, consumer contracts and service migrations.

Ofcom UK Extend and Tweak BT Openreach’s Quality of Service Rules

19th October, 2016 (0 Comments)

The Quality of Service (i.e. minimum standards for repairs and new line provision) targets that Ofcom imposed upon Openreach (BT) in 2014 (here) look set to be extended until 31st March 2018 and the regulator will also make some additional tweaks.

Relish and UK Broadband Ltd Moot National 4G Wireless Network.. Again

19th October, 2016 (4 Comments)

The aptly named UK Broadband Ltd. (PCCW), which operates ISP Relish Wireless that has a fixed wireless 4G network in Swindon, Reading and central London, has once again confirmed its aspiration to launch a truly national service and to bid on Ofcom’s forthcoming spectrum auctions.

Ofcom to Open 700MHz Digital TV Band for Mobile Broadband by Q2 2020

17th October, 2016 (5 Comments)

The United Kingdom’s telecoms regulator has today confirmed that the 700MHz (694-790MHz) radio spectrum band, which is currently used for Digital Terrestrial TV (DTTV) services, will be re-purposed for Mobile Broadband (4G / 5G) operators to use by Q2 2020; 18 months earlier than originally planned.

ISP Zen Internet “Happy” to Offer Automatic Compensation for Faults

14th October, 2016 (4 Comments)

Many broadband ISPs are concerned about the plan to give UK residential and small business consumers an automatic right to compensation (here) when their service fails, but not all. The Regulatory Manager of Zen Internet, Gary Hough, has said that they’re “broadly supportive” of the proposals.

UPD Study Challenges Ofcom’s Strategy to Grow New Broadband Networks

13th October, 2016 (2 Comments)

A new BT commissioned report from Analysys Mason has perhaps unsurprisingly warned that Ofcom’s effort to encourage alternative network (AltNet) ISPs to build rival ultrafast broadband networks, such as by opening up access to Openreach’s cable ducts, may fail to achieve the desired result.

UPD Ofcom – KCOM Failed to Maintain Emergency Services Access in Hull

7th October, 2016 (13 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has found “reasonable grounds for believing” that KCOM in East Yorkshire and Hull (England) “failed” to take sufficient measures to maintain uninterrupted telephone access to emergency services on 999 and 112 between 25th Feb 2009 to 28th Dec 2015.

Badenoch Broadband Secures £41.8K to Boost Rural Community ISP

6th October, 2016 (0 Comments)

A community built ISP in the Highlands of Scotland – Badenoch Broadband – has secured a new investment of £41,800 from the Scottish Government in order to extend the coverage and speed of their wireless network, which currently covers a number of areas around the village of Laggan (Badenoch).

Ofcom Consults on Use of 3.6GHz and 3.8GHz for 5G Mobile Broadband

6th October, 2016 (0 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has today opened a new consultation to examine whether the existing radio spectrum bands between 3.6GHz and 3.8GHz could be opened up for future ultra-fast 5G based Mobile Broadband or similar services in the United Kingdom.

Fixed Line ISPs and Three UK Call for Spectrum Cap on EE and Vodafone

4th October, 2016 (2 Comments)

Mobile operator Three UK has today roped in Cityfibre, TalkTalk, Relish Wireless and the Federation of Communication Services (FCS) in order to press Ofcom for a 30% cap on the total amount of mobile spectrum that any one company can own, which is largely targeted at EE (BT) and Vodafone.

WiFi Needs 1280MHz of 5GHz Spectrum for “Whole Home” 1Gbps Speed

4th October, 2016 (0 Comments)

A recent study from Qualcomm Technologies has concluded that home WiFi (WLAN) wireless networks will need more than double the current amount of radio spectrum (around the 5GHz band) to deliver “sustained” speeds of 1Gbps (1000Mbps+) throughout an entire home.

Sky UK and BT Chiefs Spar Over Openreach’s Future and Broadband

3rd October, 2016 (30 Comments)

Sky’s (Sky Broadband) CFO and COO, Andrew Griffith, has today warned that the UK is at “serious risk of falling behind” other countries in the broadband league table, unless Ofcom splits Openreach from BT. Meanwhile BT’s CEO, Gavin Patterson, once again accused rivals of making “inaccurate claims” and “gaming the regulator to secure commercial advantage.”

Ofcom Enforces New UK Business Broadband Speed Code of Practice

30th September, 2016 (3 Comments)

The communications regulator has today started to enforce their new business-focused Voluntary Code of Practice for Broadband Speeds, which aims to provide UK businesses with more accurate and reliable information on what line speeds they should expect from member ISPs.

Ofcom Allow UK ISP TalkTalk to Tweak 1800MHz Guard Band for 4G

29th September, 2016 (0 Comments)

Ofcom has approved a request by TalkTalk to vary its licence for 3.3MHz of radio spectrum in the 1800MHz “DECT guard band” (1781.7-1785MHz paired with the 1876.7-1880MHz block), which supports the ISP’s plan to add small cell / femtocell based 4G (LTE) Mobile into its broadband routers. The regulator also hopes to open the band up more generally to other uses.

Ofcom Q2 2016 Report – BT Broadband Attracts the Most Complaints

28th September, 2016 (11 Comments)

Good news, Ofcom’s latest Q2 2016 consumer complaints report finds that the total volume of UK Telecoms (mobile, broadband and phone) and Pay TV complaints has declined. Sadly some ISPs have fared better than others, with BT coming out top of the worst for fixed line home broadband.

UPD Ofcom Asks UK People to Help Map Mobile and WiFi Network Quality

27th September, 2016 (7 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has today launched its first “crowdsourced research project“, which asks owners of Android Smartphones’ to download its new Ofcom Mobile Research app, which will help them to build up a more accurate picture of Mobile and WiFi network performance across the United Kingdom.