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Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Ofcom Finalise UK Wireless Broadband Auction for 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz

26th October, 2015 (2 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has today confirmed the final details for their “early” 2016 auction of 190MHz worth of high-capacity spectrum in the 2.3GHz (2350MHz to 2390MHz) and 3.4GHz (3410MHz to 3600MHz) bands, which could be used for mobile (4G) and or other fixed wireless broadband services.

Mixed UK Results in EU Study of Broadband Speeds, Price and Coverage

22nd October, 2015 (9 Comments)

The European Commission’s (EC) Digital Agenda project has today published three separate studies that examine the real-world Internet speeds, coverage and prices of broadband services across most of the EU states, which also reveals how well the United Kingdom is doing.

Government Propose New Principles for Easier Telecoms Switching

22nd October, 2015 (3 Comments)

The Government has today called for consumers to give their feedback on a new set of “Switching Principles“, which among other things proposes that you should able to switch your electricity, gas, bank accounts, telephones, broadband and or TV providers both “quickly” and “without charge“.

Ombudsman Services Records Rise in UK Telecoms Complaints

21st October, 2015 (0 Comments)

Ombudsman Services, one of Ofcom’s two approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) consumer complaint handlers, reports that it has so far received a total of 15,542 complaints about UK phone, mobile and broadband providers in 2015 and Q3 complaints were up 35% from three years ago.

Vodafone UK Tells Ofcom to Make “bold structural” Changes to BT

19th October, 2015 (10 Comments)

Telecoms giant Vodafone has today published a detailed summary of their submission to Ofcom’s Strategic Review, which is considering whether or not to separate BT from control of their national UK telecoms network (Openreach). Unsurprisingly the mobile giant is in favour of big changes.

GO ON UK Campaign Maps Digital Exclusion and Broadband

19th October, 2015 (11 Comments)

Charity Go ON UK has produced a new heatmap of Digital Exclusion across the United Kingdom, which contrasts the availability of broadband and digital skills with Internet usage in order to identify which Local Authorities are falling short. Unsurprisingly urban areas tend to do well, but there are some interesting twists.

Unicom’s Parent Company Universal Utilities Renames to VERASTAR

15th October, 2015 (7 Comments)

A few months ago Ofcom fined Unicom (Universal Utilities) £200,000 for misleading consumers over the sale of their fixed line telecommunications services (here) and so it’s perhaps worth pointing out that the ISPs parent company has just renamed itself to VERASTAR.

Suffered a Difficult Broadband Cancellation? Ofcom Wants to Know

15th October, 2015 (3 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, doesn’t normally handle individual consumer complaints, but in a rare move they’ve today called upon customers of broadband, phone and pay TV operators to send in feedback if they’ve recently tried to, or succeeded in, terminating their service contract.

UPD Vodafone, TalkTalk and Sky Deliver Last Minute BT Pinata Bashing

14th October, 2015 (24 Comments)

The on-going attempts to turn BT into a pinata continue this week as both Vodafone and Sky (Sky Broadband) have taken another opportunity to prod the telecoms giant ahead of Ofcom’s Strategic Review decision, with one demanding a national Gigabit broadband network and the other attacking the operator’s excess profits.

BT Fights Back – Calls for Ofcom Regulatory Changes to Boost Broadband

9th October, 2015 (7 Comments)

Telecoms giant BT has today set out the regulatory changes that it believes would help consumers and businesses in the United Kingdom to enjoy the “best possible” outcomes, such as faster broadband services, while also attempting to fend off rivals that would rather Ofcom broken the operator up.

UK Land Owners Warn Ofcom NOT to Split Openreach from BT

8th October, 2015 (7 Comments)

The Country Land and Business Association, which represents thousands of landowners across England and Wales, has given BT a bit of unexpected support by warning Ofcom not to split the telco from control of their national network (Openreach) as it would create too much of a “distraction“.

Ofcom CEO Sees Danger in UK Telecoms Consolidation and Rising Prices

8th October, 2015 (5 Comments)

Sharon White, the CEO of Ofcom, told an event at the LSE’s Hong Kong Theatre last night that she wants to drive more “competition” into the market and rejects greater “consolidation“. White also raised concern about rising prices and said that too many people still suffer “poor or no access” to modern mobile and broadband.

Ofcom Disappointed by Breach in BT’s Regulatory Undertakings

7th October, 2015 (2 Comments)

Ofcom are “disappointed” after a screw-up forced BT to request the temporary use of shared computer systems across their divisions with BTOpenreach, which is a breach of the 2005 Undertakings and their commitment to “functional separation” of systems and processes.

Nearly Done – EU Rules to Protect Net Neutrality and Free Mobile Roaming

2nd October, 2015 (1 Comment)

The Council of the European Union, which is represented by ministers from each of the member states including the United Kingdom, has approved without debate new rules that aim to protect open Internet access (Net Neutrality) from unfair restrictions and put an end to mobile roaming charges.

Consumer Rights Act 2015 Could Aid Clarity on Broadband Prices

1st October, 2015 (2 Comments)

The new Consumer Rights Act 2015 has today been officially introduced and, while most of its measures are focused on “goods“, there are a few changes that will affect consumer “services” like broadband, mobile and phone connectivity in the United Kingdom.

Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey Opposes BT and Openreach Split

1st October, 2015 (39 Comments)

The UK Government’s Digital Economy Minister, Ed Vaizey, has said that he is a “sceptic” of proposal that BT could be split from control of their national broadband and phone network (Openreach) and warned that it has “lots of potential to backfire.” Penny for your thoughts Ofcom.

UPDATE Ofcom Clear Manually Configured White Space Wireless Kit

25th September, 2015 (3 Comments)

Remember White Space technology? In case you’ve forgotten, it allows the gaps in radio spectrum that exist between Digital Terrestrial TV (470MHz to 790MHz) channels to be harnessed and used for broadband or other communication services. Sadly developers have struggled to meet Ofcom’s licensing requirements, so the regulator has had to cut a few corners.