Welcome to our News Archives page

May 2, 2001 - May 7, 2001

News - May 7,2001

Filtering Software Causes More Trouble

By:mark.j @ 10:05:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

First4Internet (F4I) has launched a new piece of E-Mail filtering software that can apparently clear 95% of inappropriate images from messages. However not everybody remains happy:

Research from software testing firm, TesCom, showed that the image composition analysis (ICA) software successfully identified and categorised,95 percent of the images it searched. "Through the combination of 22,000 algorithms, our image content analysis software can distinguish between images of an artistic nude and those that are pornographic, with a high degree of accuracy," said George MacDonald, head of marketing at F4i.

Graham Titterington, senior analyst at research firm, Ovum, warned that image filters were more controversial than other types of filters.

Titterington explained that while text filters are welcomed as a way of reducing spam, image filters can leave employees feeling their privacy is being undermined. "Image filters are probably more relevant to schools and colleges, where there are greater concerns over inappropriate material. My advice to businesses would be only to install such a filter once a need has been demonstrated," he said.

The ZDNet item also highlights the current issues with why such technology should be needed, although realistically most businesses simply won't bother to spend the money on such a system.

News - May 6,2001

ISP Review Weekly Update

By:mark.j @ 10:21:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Well in under a week I'll be sunning myself in the warm climate of Cyprus away from all this ISP nonsense. Now don't get me wrong, as much as I enjoy dealing with hundreds of ISP complaints and the daily rush to publish news every morning before work, we all need a break.

As usual the staff left in the UK will be on-hand to publish news and help out in the forums. Not to mention I'll make sure all the various sections have been updated before I leave, thus you'll have lots of nice updates to keep you occupied.

Remember that if there's news to send then best forward it to the staff E-Mails as well as the 'SendNews' address, since they seem to be a little slow on the up take lately =).

I'm technically on vacation now, although will be making updates until Friday, but don't expect me to be doing anything else because it's time for a break away from ISPs. Expect a short update on Friday about any changes before I go and please leave any important/private E-Mails past Friday until I return on the 20th.

HTML Enhancement To Speed Up Sites

By:mark.j @ 10:06:AM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The Akamai and Oracle groups have come up with a way to enhance HTML in a way that could potentially speed up web browsing:

The HTML enhancement, called Edge Side Includes (ESI), allows the dynamic assembly of Web page fragments, whether they be static or dynamic. Dynamic content refers to Web pages with content that changes regularly, such as stock market information. Static content is unchanging - such as a company logo.

The move means that Web pages which include dynamic content can be cached and delivered more promptly, with automatic updates to dynamic content, as required.

Ian King, Akamai's general manager for Northern Europe, said that ESI works by modifying a site's HTML. ESI uses instructions that are written in markup language and are embedded within a Web site. Dynamic content can be flagged so that it can be updated and sent on automatically.

The ZDNet article doesn't go into much detail and to be honest this kind of technology isn't likely to be of much use in an increasingly broadband world. However the dynamic caching of web content would be interesting and could save a lot of CPU time and bandwidth for automated processes. Whether it actually improves the time it takes to load a page remains to be seen.

Intu Closes 0845 Dial-Up ISP

By:mark.j @ 10:00:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Thanks to Chris for letting us know that Intu, a little known ISP, has today announced their intention to close the public 0845 dial-up ISP part of their service on June 11th:

As a free public 0845 dial up service, intu.co.uk will be closed at midnight Monday June 11th 2001.

The business behind intu.co.uk, Cybertheque, has ceased trading to allow the partners to persue alternative interests. Working with our suppliers, we have identified the following possibilites to preserve your websites and email addresses.

Firstly, you could keep your intu.co.uk email addresses and webspace, and pay for a BT Surftime based dial up account. The likely price would be about £5 for 100 hours per month off peak, and £25 per month for 100 hours anytime. We realise this is more expensive than some of the larger ISPs, but you retain all the benefits of our excellent cgi/php/mysql enabled web hosting package and email service.

Secondly, should you wish to use another internet provider for your connectivity, you could opt to subscribe to our web-hosting package. This is likely to be charged at around £25 per year, and would allow you to keep your website and email access, and allow you to use FTP from any provider to upload your site. It would feature the current 25mbs of cgi/php/mysql web space. Your 0845 dial up account would also remain active. There would be a 70mb per day transfer limit for the website.

With both packages, it is likely that you will be able to host your own domain if you want to (if not, stick with your intu.co.uk sub-domain). Prices for this are to be clarified, however are likely to be minimal.

Depending on the level of interest, we will consider either or both of the two options above. Please fill out our web form at http://www.intu.co.uk/form.php to express your interest. If insufficient interest is received (at our discretion), then we will be withdrawing the service fully at midnight, Tuesday June 11th 2001.

Sadly, due to unmetered access and the dominance of the bigger players, we feel that the days of the independent and free ISP are numbered. This is a real shame, as it restricts competition and choice for the customer. We believe the packages above represent a good compromise between service and price that will appeal to internet hobbyists, web designers, and those that want a more tailored approach from their ISP.

Please remember, these are only proposals, and if they do not prove feasible the service will be shut down. We would like to thank all of our current and past users, and apologise for any inconvenience this unavoidable action may cause.

Best regards,

The Intu Team

There's really not much to say since we simply didn't the ISP, but we wish them well and hope some good news comes their way soon.

News - May 5,2001

AOL UK Failing To Cancel Free Trials

By:mark.j @ 10:13:AM - Comments (9) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

This isn't the first we've heard of it, but yesterday a BBC Radio program attacked AOL after many of its customers rang in to report that they were unable to cancel the free trial accounts:

One listener complained that it took him 14 months to cancel his subscription and he only managed to succeed after contacting his credit card company.

Said Matt Peacock of AOL UK: "We are genuinely concerned if there is that number of people who say they have a problem."

Another claimed that AOL's client software blocked his use of other ISPs even when he had uninstalled the software - a claim vigorously denied by AOL UK.

The Register is clever to point out that this happens in the USA a lot, although this is the first time anybody in the UK has highlighted the issue, which has previous been denied. If anybody has tried to leave the trial and been unable to or had similar problems then let us know either here or in the forums.

Oxford To Create First 'Internet Institute'

By:mark.j @ 10:07:AM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

A group from Oxford University intends to create the world’s first institute for studying the Internet (Internet Institute). Costing £15 Million pounds, it will conduct research into the Internet and make recommendations about how it affects society.

"You can already shop, bank, vote, debate, argue, consult a doctor and get your degree over the Net -- and do so all around the globe,,/i>" said Andrew Graham, Master-Elect of Balliol College, where the institute will be based.

"However, there is also an enormous amount of rubbish out there and some material that is harmful," he said in a statement. "To understand what is happening and to formulate helpful policies you need people such as political scientists, lawyers, medics, economists and computing scientists working together."

Among topics under consideration by the institute are global law enforcement, privacy and regulation, and the boundaries of the nation state. The university said it hoped to put Oxford and Britain at the centre of the debate about how the Internet could and should develop.

The bulk of the funding for the institute, 10 million pounds, has come from the Shirley Foundation, set up by Dame Stephanie Shirley, one of Britain's richest women.

Oxford is already a partner in what could become the world's biggest online project -- a screen saver scheme which aims to link millions of personal computers to accelerate research for new drugs to treat leukaemia.

Consumer GPRS Not So Speedy

By:mark.j @ 10:01:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is the technology we'll be using for the next two years before 3G finally makes it to the consumer market. Today more evidence has emerged to say that the system may not be what we expect it to:

From May 18 consumers can subscribe to a service from BT Cellnet that uses GPRS phones designed to offer an "always-on" Internet connection at between two to three times the speed of current mobiles.

However unlike business users, Cellnet told us consumers linking their laptops up to the Internet will be restricted to GSM speeds, leaving them in the slow lane of the mobile information superhighway. This restriction doesn't apply to browsing WAP sites using the phone itself, where connections of up 30Kbps can be achieved, and stem from the wave of GPRS services being set up.

Industry sources tell us, for the short term, GPRS is likely to disappoint people forking out £200 for their sexy new GPRS handsets, because in practice data speeds are likely to be less than those promised by manufacturers.

There's nothing radically new about The Register's news item, as we've known since late last year that GPRS would initially be somewhat of a flop. Despite this it was hoped people could use the technology with their laptops and computers for faster than GSM access, something that now seems unlikely.

Government Defends Broadband - Again

By:mark.j @ 9:56:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The governments E-Minister, Patricia Hewitt, has once again stepped in to help clear up the growing concern about their 'Broadband Britain' plans. A senior official at the Greater London Authority (GLA) has now said that the government must intervene to sort out the broadband bottleneck or give up on its plans:

Colin Jenkins, on secondment to the GLA from Energis, cannot accept eMinister Patricia Hewitt's view that everything is rosy in the broadband Britain garden.

"I am totally confused by it as are the rest of the industry with the exception of BT and the cable firms. Everyone else is saying there is a major problem," he told ZDNet News. "Lots of surveys show the UK is well behind the rest of the world and I can't see where the miracle happens and we leap ahead," said Jenkins, referring to the government's ambitious plan to make the UK the best place in the industrialised world for broadband services by 2005.

The ZDNet item and Mr Jenkins certainly have a very valid point, it's difficult to see how we can become leaders in a field where we're already bottomed. Thankfully Mr Jenkins is working towards some suggestions that could help things, although remains down beat:

Jenkins is part of a government working party looking at the issue of broadband -- the Broadband Stakeholders Committee -- which he is hopeful will persuade the government to make some radical decisions when it reports back in the autumn. In the meantime he does not share Hewitt's optimism about broadband Britain. "It is pretty bleak. I can't see how we are going to achieve her goal. We won't even be where the rest of the world is."

In four years time we'd probably be roughly just below where Germany is now (not too bad), although we certainly won't be a leader of any kind. Perhaps it's time to accept the fact that the UK simply isn't the place for 'affordable' High-Speed Internet access.

Anti-Paedophile FreeCall ISP V21 Criticised

By:mark.j @ 9:45:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

V21 are a new unmetered ISP making use of BTs SurfPort24 unmetered technology to bring another cheap and freecall ISP to the market. As we've explained before this is an ISP specifically designed to protect children while surfing the Internet and should go live on MONDAY 7th May next week.

The UK firm providing the service says that it can guarantee children will not be able to log on to adult areas of the Internet. The launch comes as government and industry make a fresh commitment to crack down on unmediated Internet chat rooms that are used by paedophiles to target vulnerable children.

But the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the advisory body set up to monitor the growing problem of child pornography on the Internet, is sceptical about the feasibility of an ISP offering restricted access to the Internet. "By preventing access to adult material, it cannot be offering real Internet access, which is a contradiction in terms for an ISP," said David Kerr, chairman of IWF.

The more safety that is guaranteed on the Web, the more restrictive Internet access becomes. "Their claims are large and extravagant, and by not providing any access to chat or newsgroups, they are removing a key feature of the Internet that kids love," said John Carr, Internet consultant at NCH Action for Children. "An ISP who doesn't provide moderated chat is missing a key point."

V21 says that it has adapted the Internet Explorer (IE) browser to block access to unsuitable areas of the Web. But Carr noted that such ability to limit IE functionality is not unique, and pointed out that no existing product making this claim is foolproof. "The company is making big claims that they may live to regret," he added.

This is exactly what we mentioned sometime ago, that it's simply impossible to make such systems completely secure. For example, what if the children install Netscape etc.? It's not hard to do and almost any child can do it these days.

We intend to give the ISP a run for its money in the near future and find out just how much their guarantee really means, we hope to be proved wrong.

Not All Ex-C&W Customers Happy

By:mark.j @ 9:33:AM - Comments (11) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Despite NTLs announcement of price changes and EX-C&W Broadband coverage earlier in the week, it's important to remember that not everybody will be covered. One of our readers, Andy, seems to know the reason why:

I phoned Ntl today as I live in Norwich, an Ex-C&W area, to find out when NTLWorld would be released in this area. All the other times I have phoned them they told me the release date was 28th April, this time they told me that NTLWorld Would NOT be released in this area due to compatibility problems with the old C&W systems!!!!

Sadly this is very true, the hardware in some sections of the country simply isn't able to cope with broadband systems. You also need to remember that those whom have just had their BT lines 'Converted' are clearly not applicable since you need fibre optic lines.

To the best of our knowledge there may be some good news for those in the same situation as Andy, since NTL do plan to upgrade such sections of the Network. To date nobody has any time scales or information, although "By the end of the year" seems to be the clearest answer so far.

IC24 Extend 0800 To 13th May 2001

By:mark.j @ 9:25:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We shouldn't even need to explain this, but the off-peak FREE unmetered ISP IC24 has once again extended their unmetered period to 13th May.

News Update From 08002Go

By:mark.j @ 9:21:AM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

A little late because I had hoped my staff would pick it up, but the unmetered ISP 08002Go has sent us the following update:

A BIG Thank you to you all for becoming members with 08002GO.COM, We wish to keep all our members informed where possible, and keep you up to date.

We launch our service on the 24th April 2000 and again we thank you for your response, We promised a Viable, No fuss service, and that remains our objective.

We have received a lot of feed back from our members some good, some bad, however unlike some providers, we are addressing them as we speak,

So here's the issues on 08002GO.COM

Connectivity - We have once again quadrupled our ports to ensure all our members get the access you require they are put in place, You will notice the difference today!!!

There has also been individuals abusing the service Which cause problems for our other members, we sympathise with you and for those minority you are being tracked and logged and will be suspended in due course.

Many people have asked if there is a cut off period? Yes there is at the moment! This is set by the telecom Provider, not 08002GO.COM we are discussing the matter with them and hope to have it lifted very soon.

E-mails - We have a problem with additional email accounts
Just don't worry.. They are also been looked at by Our team and should all be in working order shortly.

Web space & News - The free web space is now available for you to use, however the news groups. we are still awaiting information on this matter and will keep you posted

Debit Cards - We have not been able to accept any debit cards just yet we hope to have the facility in place by the end of next week, mean while you are still able to join by sending in a cheques. (Please send before the expiry-this is the date you first connected).

Lost My Download - Go to < http://www.08002go.net/manreg/man.htm >
And be sure you have your account details at hand.

We have addressed most of the problems that were causing you some difficulty to you our members, but please be patient we are attending to all these issues and rest a sure it can only get better.

We have all seen the comments in the ISP forums maybe once all the issues are resolved, "who knows, they may tell everyone how good we are"

Also thank you for all your support in the past week, we have had very encouraging letters and telephone calls from our satisfied members, thank you once again.

While 08002Go probably need somebody half good at English to write their press releases, most customers seem happy with them for now. However we were a little worried to see the following above:

"There has also been individuals abusing the service Which cause problems for our other members, we sympathise with you and for those minority you are being tracked and logged and will be suspended in due course."

The ISP has barely been online for a short time and so it tends to be a bad sign that they're already judging people for what's been no time at all. Of course if you sign up to a cheap ISP expecting to do 'Heavy Usage' then it's your own fault if things don’t work out.

News - May 4,2001

Govs 'Digital Divide' Strategy = Poorly Planned

By:mark.j @ 3:53:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

For roughly half a year the government has been trying to bridge the so called 'Digital Divide' between poorer families without a computer and Internet access and those better off. The key element of all this is to actually get 100,000 families a computer with Internet access, sadly they've only managed a measly 6,000:

The PC giveaway was part of a £10m initiative to wire up communities, announced by chancellor Gordon Brown in October last year. At the current rate of distribution some homes earmarked for a free PC would have to wait until February 2009 to receive their computers. Speaking to ZDNet UK, a government spokesman blamed "problems with contractors" for the slow hand-out.

Think-tank Demos believes the government will have its work cut out to bridge the digital divide with hardware alone. "They will find it difficult to pursue a hardware strategy. How do you find the right 100,000 people for example? Where do you get the kit and how do you transport it?" asked a spokesman. He also questions the motivation of PC manufacturers and software companies getting involved in such schemes.

More worrying still, Demos suggests, is the fact that the government is pursuing the wrong policy; if it really wants to tackle the digital divide it should look at what businesses are doing with data. "We think that over time the cost of computers and access will come down and so access to hardware is not the real problem," said the spokesman. "The biggest problem is companies using digital data to exclude particular individuals."

The ZDNet item holds no real surprises since most will already be aware that governments, whoever they are, simply don't understand technology. Need we mention the HUGE conflicts between the Human Rights, Data Protection and R.I.P act’s etc.

M2SAT is Open-Sky customer

By:Rob.W @ 1:14:PM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

M2SAT has become the first customer of Eutelsat's Open-Sky service. This will enable M2SAT to offer two-way satellite transmissions.

The audio and video transfer rates vary from 256kbps and 700kbps and can be streamed to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, where the Eutelsat footprint exists.

The netimperative report shows that for niche markets this is a great prospect, but only today we had a request for information about two-way satellite prospects in the Middle East so there is interest outside the obvious media organisations.

AOL new euro hub

By:Rob.W @ 12:16:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

A deal that takes effect this month sees AOL leasing 13,000 sq ft in the Redbus co-location facility in Frankfurt with a view to cope with the ever expanding list of AOL subscribers.

Interestingly, built into the deal is first refusal of space at future Redbus facilities anywhere.

Terry Laber, Vice President, Systems Operations, said, "With AOL experiencing record growth and pursuing aggressive growth plans in Europe as more countries transition to flat-rate pricing, we are delighted at the opportunity to lease data-center space at this first-class facility. The facility's size, location, connectivity to multiple network providers and high level of security and support will be critical to AOL as we continue to provide an unmatched member experience to a growing subscriber base in Europe."

This is clearly a major catch for Redbus, sealing the deal by giving AOL the first option of space at future facilities.

Oftel Clears BT Of Anti-Competitive Claims

By:mark.j @ 11:12:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Telecoms regulator Oftel has today cleared British Telecom (BT) of harming competition by offering tariffs bundling voice calls with unlimited off-peak Internet access (BT SURF & TALK [freecalls]).

"Oftel was concerned that BT had priced the 'Surf' (Internet) element of BT Surf Together and BT Talk & Surf below cost," Oftel Director General David Edmonds said in a statement.

"Oftel has concluded that at the current prices the two packages do not have a material anti-competitive effect in Internet access markets."

Certainly they won't be seen as anti-competitive towards ISPs due to the current situation in the market, although the Off-Peak voice calls still seem a little uncertain. It wouldn't be so bad if third party Telco's on BTs network infrastructure offered a similar thing.

Gov Backs BTs 3G Network Sharing Plan

By:mark.j @ 11:09:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Despite recent EU opposition that claimed sharing infrastructure would cut costs, but also harm service quality and competition; BT have never the less been given government backing. Hopes of sharing the 1.5Billion-Pound cost of building advanced 3G mobile networks as it struggles to cut debt will no doubt be helped by government support.

Telecoms regulator Oftel said on Friday that the government would support mobile phone operators sharing network infrastructure for third-generation (3G) services if it benefited consumers or the environment.

In a document Oftel said also reflected the views of the Department of Trade and Industry, the regulator said mobile operators' licences did not prohibit infrastructure sharing and encouraged it for radio masts and some other areas.

BT has held talks about sharing infrastructure with the UK's four other 3G licence holders, who plan next year to deliver high-speed Internet services including video and music downloads to mobile devices. Its main UK rival, Vodafone, has responded coolly to the idea, however.

"In addition to the potential environmental benefits of mast and site sharing, initiatives would be supported where the positive consumer benefits outweigh any potential disadvantages of any lessening of competition," Oftel said in a document dated May 1.

"Consumers might benefit from infrastructure sharing if it allowed the delivery of 3G services earlier and at lower prices than might otherwise be the case."

BT welcomed the announcement, "Having Oftel coming out and say they support this in principle has got to be a positive step," a spokesman said.

The news comes as the company tries to slash a third off 30 Billion pounds of debt accumulated partly through the cost of 3G licences.

LogicSurf Gets Web E-Mail

By:mark.j @ 10:57:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise since LogicSurf Internet are connected with Vispa (below) as a semi-VISP and thus they too have today introduced a Web E-Mail service:

After weeks and weeks of work we would like to announce that the LogicSurf WebMail Centre is now live. http://www.logicsurf.net/webmail

You have all the options Send Mail, forward mail, reply, So where ever you are in the World you can access your emails. Just enter your username and password (username). logicsurf.co.uk, do not add .logicsurf.co.uk just the first bit.

There will be a link going on the website some time today if you forget the address so don't worry but remember http://www.logicsurf.net/webmail

Thank You

LogicSurf Internet
http://www.logicsurf.net

Thanks to Richard for pointing this out.

ISP Review Site Update

By:mark.j @ 9:23:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We forgot to mention that various pages around the site have been updated, such as the unmetered list and complaints page.

Vispa Internet To Offer Webmail

By:mark.j @ 9:20:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

If you're a customer of Vispa Internet (Connect) then you might be interested to know that they've added a new Web E-Mail system. The following update was sent to us by Vispa’s MD:

We would like to inform all Vispa customers of a new feature upgrade for your new Vispa.com account.

Many customers requested an online WebMail service in order that they could check email being sent to their Vispa inbox wherever they may be, be it at an Internet café or on the other side of the world on business.

This is all now possible, simply visit Vispa’s new look web site at http://www.vispa.com and click on WebMail located at the top of the page. When request provide your normal Vispa username and password and you will be logged into your account.

From within Vispa WebMail you can read email, delete email, reply to the senders, basically you can do everything that your normal email package does but online in a pleasant working environment.

The service is a free upgrade, and part of our continued efforts to improve your Vispa account.

More ISPs could benefit from the use of such a system and it does seem to be becoming more popular, just not popular enough.

Excite Portal Could Close

By:mark.j @ 9:16:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The popular Internet Content, Search and ISP provider, Excite, could close its primary Internet portal if a buyer can't be found. The report in 'Business Week' was the first to highlight this and can be seen in the May 14th issue.

ExciteAtHome Chief Executive Patti Hart is exploring options to sell Excite.com and could shut it down over the next few months if no buyers emerge.

The company, which was formed through the merger last year of Excite.com and the high-speed Internet service provider AtHome Corp, was one of the most celebrated companies during the dot-com heyday, with its Internet portal often ranking second in popularity behind Yahoo! Inc.

But it has struggled to make money on its media services, which have suffered from the collapse in the online advertising market. Last month, ExciteAtHome said it would look into possible alternatives for its media business so that it could focus on its popular high-speed subscriber business.

It's not clear what effect this would have on the British wing and it's ISP partner The Free Internet (TFI).

News - May 3,2001

EU Regulation Can't Fix Broadband Problems

By:mark.j @ 3:40:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

While most of the EU may be ahead of the UK in terms of broadband coverage and use, that doesn't mean to say they're out of trouble. Apparently the whole concept of an online Europe (inc. UK) could fail if governments don't act to reduce costs and increase quality:

In the UK, Ebone and other telcos are reliant on BT for leased lines. Not only are they overpriced, said Lewis, but they are also of low quality and with no service level agreements customers can wait long periods for installation. "It takes between 20 and 150 days to get an access pipe to customers and that is hard for them to bear. It is hurting businesses who require affordable broadband to be competitive," he said.

With such "excruciatingly slow" delivery times, Ebone's director of corporate development has called on Oftel to force BT to offer service level agreements and implement penalties for failing to meet these. The watchdog ruled at the end of last month that BT must provide a new wholesale product for the leased lines market. Now the two camps have five weeks to find a suitable solution.

But the lead-line problem is European wide, not just confined to the UK. All European heads of government signed up to the EC's eEurope pledge in March last year. Crucial to this document was an awareness of the need to implement broadband technologies and implement legislation that banned overpricing and discrimination. According to Ebone this is currently just not happening.

Of course the ZDNet item isn't anything new as operators have been on at governments and regulators to sort such problems out for some time. Despite this the governments and regulators have so far refused to take note and thus the problems continue.

Whether this latest report will have any impact remains to be seen, although we're sad to say that it probably won't. The UK especially is so far behind that it's still too expensive to lower ADSL costs.

UUNet ISP Could Loose 430 Jobs

By:mark.j @ 3:31:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

WorldCom, a strong American figure in the ISP world, could see its UK subsidiary - UUNet (Cambridge site), loose up to 430 jobs:

The UK could bear the brunt of layoffs announced yesterday by US Internet service provider Worldcom, according to sources.

WorldCom, which owns ISP UUNet, employs over 5,000 people in Britain. On Wednesday the company confirmed that it is to lay off about 800 employees across Europe. UUNet's Cambridge offices are expected to account for 430 of these, according to sources.

The ZDNet item isn't unexpected; almost all Telco's and ISPs are being made to suffer with the current global slowdown. Having said that, 430 out of 5,000 is one heck of a percentage cut.

blueyonder price change

By:Daniel @ 1:08:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

blueyonder have put their monthly price down to £25 per month, but only if you have other Telewest services, here’s the press release in full:

We are pleased to announce that from Thursday 3rd May the monthly price for new customers subscribing to blueyonder broadband internet will be £25 per month for those customers that subscribe to additional residential Telewest services.

The standard price of £33 per month will still apply for those customers who only subscribe to blueyonder broadband internet.

If you are an existing blueyonder broadband internet customer (who subscribes to other residential Telewest services) and are already enjoying the advantages of broadband we are pleased to inform you that your monthly price will be reduced to £25 per month beginning with your June bill.

If dial up customers are interested in finding out more about blueyonder broadband internet please visit our website @ http://www.blueyonder.co.uk/info or call 0800 953 5000. We are currently able to schedule new installations across all regions within 10 days, so contact us now.

The team at blueyonder

Confusing Global Internet Laws

By:mark.j @ 10:00:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

True, Europe and America among others are working towards a common set of Internet laws and security measures. Yet such things can take time and while the wrangling continues there remains a large uncertainty about who can do what and where by the online law.

That very loophole could now be used by companies to sue those who may have made libellous (defamation) comments online:

A conference on the subject of employees and the Internet on Tuesday revealed that the international nature of the Web has created the option for companies who have been defamed on the Internet, to sue in any country where the libellous material has been accessed. Companies can choose the country in which they press charges, in order to stand a better chance of winning, or to push for greater damage repayments.

"Once libellous material is posted on a Web site, within seconds it can be published globally," said David Engel, lawyer at city firm Theodore Goddard. "This makes it an option for the claimant to sue in any jurisdictions where they have a corporate presence."

Engel explained that although a company could theoretically sue in any country where the defamatory material was accessed, in practice this will be limited to the areas in which the business has a presence. It will also be restricted to any country where the claimant company has received damage to its reputation.

The ZDNet item goes into a lot more detail, but is it a step in the right direction? Perhaps. The Internet may now be maturing, but as far as law and order is concerned the global nature still make such issues complex.

Ex-C&W Customers FINALLY Get C-Modems

By:mark.j @ 9:38:AM - Comments (14) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

NTLs consumer website http://www.askntl.com has been updated to reflect the launch of cable modems in ex-CWC franchises, news customers have been waiting on for some considerable time:

Availability
CWC availability page - this lists the following areas as being available, with the line "Last updated 14/05/01":

-East Lancashire - Blackburn, Burnley & Accrington
-Cheshire - Ellesmere Port, Macclesfield, Runcorn, Warrignton & Widnes
-Manchester & Surrounding Areas - Bolton, Bury, Manchester City, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford City, Stockport & Tameside
-Staffordshire - Stoke On Trent
-Wirral - Birkenhead

It is the 'last updated' line which seems to point to a launch date of 14 May. This corresponds with recent reports suggesting a mid-May launch.

CableNews also covers the details on pricing and it seems as though NTL are only offering the basic 512Kbps package options and none of the 64Kbps (cheaper) ones. Costing £44.98 per month for a full broadband and phone etc. package and £29.99 per month for the broadband alone.

Either way Ex-C&W customers should be happy that they've finally got a broadband service from NTL, even if it did take around half a year to arrive.

World Online/Tiscali Ending Telephone Service

By:rich.p @ 7:26:AM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

World Online/Tiscali have are to end their Telephone service and go ISP only. This can be found on http://www.worldonline.co.uk/servista/:

"As a result of our recent acquisition by Tiscali S.p.A, Europe’s second largest internet company, a decision has been made to concentrate on our internet business, and to continue to improve on the great quality we currently provide. After 12 July 2001 we will no longer be able to provide you with your telephone service.

We are keen to ensure that you do not experience any inconvenience as a result of our change in focus. We have therefore researched the telecoms market extensively to find the best alternative telephone provider for you. Servista will offer you a high quality and great value telephone service."

There is an FAQ HERE

Although World Online/Tiscali are offering an alternative provider you can also switch back to BT. World Online was one of the last companies still offering call and access products. This seems to have happened because BT made a call and access model that wasn't financially viable.

News - May 2,2001

LogicSurf Gets Tough On Pre-Subscribers

By:mark.j @ 3:59:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

LogicSurf have kindly sent us the following news about those who pre-subscribed to their 0845 service in the hope of later being able to use the 0800, but then don't use the 0845 (Local Call Rate):

LogicSurf Internet would like to remind that only active user accounts will be liable for the 0800 service provided by us. We have noticed that only 50% of our users are using our dialup and services, the others are not and just sitting there waiting for 0800 access to begin.

Therefore we have a new system installed today to only let people that use dialup on a regular basis be valid for the 0800 services. If this is what you have been doing then I'm sorry to say that this is not the ISP for you, we would like to keep our services at 100% unlike ISP's like RedHotAnt. If you wish to clear your account from our databases then please contact support@logicsurf.net and our staff will del your account.

We apologise and thank you for your support

It seems a little harsh considering they'll surely want to make money from the freecall solution, which is really the only plus to the service. That said and they've clearly designed their system around a basic 0845 solution and intend to stick to their guns.

Employee's Can't Keep Security Secure

By:mark.j @ 3:52:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Here's one for those working in large corporate and computer infested environments and networks. A new survey from consultancy firm @Stake suggests that the single biggest cause of network security breaches is user stupidity:

The security research company, which is best known for uncovering bugs in operating systems and network software, says that, despite the ever risk of computer fraud, many corporate computer users leave passwords on post-it notes, fail to change passwords from the default and incorrectly configure hardware.

Other security no-brainers include encrypting data, but leaving it on a machine in an unencrypted format or locking it with a blank password and failing to change system passwords during updates. The survey also discovered that some companies connect servers directly to the Internet, bypassing router firewalls.

"Expensive and elaborate security measures are often completely undone by a company's failure to enforce even the most simple precautions, opening up the entire corporate infrastructure to malicious attack," Practice Director, Royal Hansen said.

The ZDNet item may seem laughable to some, but just remember, if you don't look after your security details then it may only take one person to topple an empire and it'd be your fault. You could be laughing all the way to the local Job Centre.

E-Mail Snooping Laws Delayed Again

By:mark.j @ 3:45:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Conflicts between E-Mail snooping laws such as R.I.P and data protection laws like'The Data Protection' and 'Human Rights' act's seem to be causing ever more delays. Despite this many are worried the final guidelines will still be just as confusing:

The guidelines were originally due to be published this spring. In February, the publication date was delayed until the summer following suggestions that monitoring staff emails to prevent incidents such as infection from the Kournikova virus could contravene rights to privacy under the law.

In April, the publication date was further delayed, possibly until the end of the year. The problem revolves around conflicts between the Regulation of Investigatory Power Act, which allows unrestricted monitoring of emails, and the new Human Rights Act, which seeks to protect individual privacy.

But lawyers say the guidelines may just be getting too complicated. "A lot of the Code goes beyond normal interpretations of data protection principles," said Mark Ford, lawyer at city firm Clifford Chance. "I wouldn't count on the draft getting a lot less onerous before its final adoption."

The ZDNet item is very clear on the problems involved here, but quite frankly we've been sitting in dismay since the act was first passed during last autumn. Why didn't they see such obvious conflicts before hand?

ISP Review Site Update

By:mark.j @ 3:37:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We've made a few updates to the unmetered ISP list and related forums, on top of that the complaints page has been updated and we've made some smaller changes around the site.

ISPs Comfortable With BTs New Chairman

By:mark.j @ 12:33:PM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It's starting to look as if IT Managers, ISPs and analysts will be very happy with the new chairman of BT, Sir Christopher Bland. Unlike his predecessor (Sir Iain Vallance), Bland has always been a strong supporter of Internet access:

As BBC chairman, Bland supported the Internet and strongly promoted the BBC's Web presence. This may be good news for UK firms wanting improved Net connections. Paul Dobson of design company CreatureLabs said, "Hopefully, we can now start to move into an age of cheap, reliable and, above all, fast Internet access."

The Register fails to point out that 'Paul Dobson's' comments are a little out of date; we already have cheap and fast Internet access. The problems now are to do with coverage, competition, flexibility and service quality, both for ISPs and consumers.

Now if only Peter Bonfield could be toppled..

Cisco Gives VoIP Speech Recognition

By:mark.j @ 10:45:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

VoIP (Voice Over IP) is a technology that in years to come will slowly make its way into all our homes, bringing with it cheaper calls and clearer speech. In an attempt to get more firms to ditch their old phone systems, Cisco has introduced speech recognition and unified messaging to its VoIP technology:

The new software products, most of which will be available this quarter, include Cisco Personal Assistant, Cisco Unity 2.46 unified messaging, Cisco IP Integrated Contact Distribution (IP-ICD), the Cisco IP Phone Productivity Services (PPS) applications suite and the Cisco CallManager 3.1 call processing system.

On the hardware side, Cisco will, later this year introduce the Catalyst 4224 Voice Gateway Switch platform; which is designed to firms to deploy data, voice, and video over the same pipe to branch offices.

This kit supports improvements to Cisco's Internet Operating System software, Survivable Remote Site Telephony, which supplies some protection against a WAN connection failure.

The Register doesn't go into much detail about the two new additions and thus why it would make VoIP more attractive, but it does show that the technology is growing faster than ever. In ten years time we'll all be making calls over modern digital networks and VoIP. So long as nobody drops a nuclear weapon on our heads then everything should be fine.

ISPs Unhappy With BTs ADSL Supply Changes

By:mark.j @ 10:39:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Yesterday BT Ignite claimed it would relax restrictions on the supply and installation of ADSL line, however today ISPs have chosen to snub the move by BT (typical):

ISPs have complained that BT's allocation procedure -- in which providers have to specify every month how many subscribers they want connected to broadband -- is too shortsighted and cumbersome. Now BT is scrapping the system. From 4 June, ISPs will be able to request as many broadband connections as they wish and BT is confident it can cope with demand.

ISPs are concerned that BT's ordering process -- from a customer asking for ADSL to an engineer installing it -- has a lot of problems to iron out. Sources have told ZDNet that the telco is currently relying on 40 different databases, none of which talk to one another, in order to process orders.

For ISPs, one of the biggest issues is the lack of service level agreements for ADSL; BT is currently refusing to offer any. Oftel claims it is currently investigating the issue of service level agreements but has made no decision on whether to force BT to offer them.

You can't help but feel for BT sometimes, when they eventually cave in the market always manages to find something new to throw at them. Still we were quite surprised ISPs weren't being given any 'service level agreements', surely that's mandatory for BT? More @ ZDNet.

Majestique Unmetered Price Update

By:mark.j @ 10:18:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to our resident informant, Keith, the little known unmetered ISP Majestique have updated their unmetered dial-up pricing scheme:

Premium Account
Surfing With Our Premium account, this ideal for the heavy Internet user offering the same as the Standard Account, but with FreePhone (BT Surftime) access:

Free Evening/Weekend Access from £19.99 per month (inc. VAT).*
Free 24/7 access from £35 per month (inc VAT).*

Standard Account
15 pop3 email addresses: yourchoice@flexnet.co.uk
10 megabytes of webspace
0845 Dial-up access
0800 Freephone Technical Support
Domain name hosting*
Email forwarding*

Compared to the newer generation of ISPs, Majestique’s offer seems somewhat over priced. It's probably not going to appeal since there's now much more choice in the way of cheaper and more stable providers.