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March 15, 2001 - March 21, 2001

News - March 21,2001

Siemens Preps S45 GPRS Phone For July

By:mark.j @ 10:27:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Today another popular name among mobile phone manufacturers, Siemens, has joined the race to faster wireless Internet phones by announcing its S45 model @ CeBIT (Popular Technology Trade/Show):

The launch looks set to increase pressure on Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, which will not start selling similar devices until the third quarter, at the earliest. Motorola began selling GPRS phones at the start of this year.

Manufacturers and telecoms operators are looking to General Packet Radio Services, or so-called 2.5-generation standard phones, to drive demand for high-speed mobile Internet access until the launch of third generation (3G) mobile standards in about two years' time.

Siemens, the world's fourth-largest mobile handset maker, said the new S45 phone would combine a WAP 1.2 browser allowing users to use both WAP-supported mobile commerce and banking services as well as full Internet services.

As yet nobody has been able to see much in the way of pricing for the newer GPRS based phones, although they're expected to be roughly the same price as many paid for the failed WAP technology handsets last year. More @ ZDNet.

Industry Admits Filtering Software Is Imperfect

By:mark.j @ 10:19:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Filtering software is widely used among parents to help keep unwanted Internet content (pornography etc.) away from the eyes of younger children. However claims have been made that new laws designed to impose this software fail to take into account how effective it is.

Critics of the effectiveness of these programs, which aim to block objectionable content such as pornography and hate speech, range from Consumer Reports magazine to the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The latter two groups filed a free speech challenge on Tuesday to overturn a federal law that mandates the use of filtering software in public schools and libraries to prevent children being exposed to pornography.

Filtering software companies say free speech should be the issue of the lawsuit, not the competence of their products.

"The ACLU and the ALA have an interesting constitutional case about mandated filtering in public libraries, and we hope they stick to that case and don't turn to the erroneous argument that filters don't work, because they do," said Susan Getgood, general manager at SurfControl Inc., a filtering company.

Getgood said her company did not believe a federal filter law was necessary. In Washington, the law's supporters defended the effectiveness of filtering products.

"Are protective technologies such as filtering and monitoring perfect? No. Is current filtering technology highly effective? Yes," said Donna Rice Hughes, an Internet safety advocate.

But at a news conference in Philadelphia announcing the lawsuit, an ACLU spokesman said one of SurfControl's products blocked more Web sites than it should. Not to mention that most intelligent children could almost always find a way around such controls.

PacketVideo Confirms Symbian Deal

By:mark.j @ 10:11:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

PacketVideo is a technology that allows streaming video and audio to be sent through wireless connections from anything on or above 9,600KBps.

Sometime ago we reported on how this technology would also make it into mobile phones under the newer GPRS technology, today this has been official confirmed with a Symbian deal:

Although PacketVideo has been developing alongside Symbian for some time, it has not confirmed the scope of its involvement to date. However, the alliance, forged between Ericsson, Nokia, and Motorola initially, has been coming under heavy fire recently due to profit warnings from the virtually all the participants and the increasing threat from Palm OS and Microsoft CE platforms.

Cathleen Peters, PacketVideo VP embedded solutions, said: “We have been developing with Symbian for some time, but also have deals with MS for CE. Although we see the phone market remaining larger than the PDA for some years, there will be no sole provider of handheld multi-media devices. It is our aim to support all of them; none of these deals are exclusive.”

The technology is likely to debut first with phones from Sagem and Trium, which also use GPRS technology. This now opens up for the very real possibility of cheap video-to-video communications and phones for such a thing are already being developed. More @ netimperative.com .

Local Loop Unbundling Becomes A Joke

By:mark.j @ 10:03:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if the Trade and Industry Select Committee don't think too much of the current LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) process, at least that's the impression you get from reading their new report:

In a damning characterisation of the events leading up to the abandonment of the process, the report stated: “If the first Bow Wave list has now been largely disregarded, the wisdom of proceeding down that route in the first place must be open to question. The situation is in danger of becoming farcical. Some of the operators who have been quick to criticise both Oftel and BT for holding up the process of LLU now seem unprepared to commit themselves financially. This sorry tale does not suggest a high level of administrative competence among those involved.”

In common with some industry analysts that have repeatedly said that the industry should have worked together more effectively to push for LLU, the committee added: “The problems that arose in LLU in the autumn of 2000 cannot be attributed solely to one part of the industry. BT dragged its feet, other telecommunications operators could agree neither amongst themselves nor with BT, and Oftel should have intervened earlier than they did, and made a better fist of the implementation once engaged in the process.”

However, there were comments about the future, for example recommendations for a quick resolution to Oftel investigations into the fact that BT Openworld may be selling ADSL products at a price that would suggest that wholesale products are being bought at a cost with which other operators cannot compete. It has also called for a speedy resolution to concerns by the operators over lack of transparency on the actual costs of co-location space and discrepancies over the time between sites being handed over to an operator and when services are likely to be delivered.

The report gives a detailed insight into the LLU process from start to finish and does a good job of making suggestions for the future. Blame has been evenly distributed not just on Oftel and BT, but for once the operators as well.

The task now is for Oftel to push the process forward based on the reports recommendations, if they're unable to do this then more problems will soon surface. Quick action is now required, you can read more @ netimperative.com .

News - March 20,2001

BT Cancels Debt-Reduction Strategy Meeting?

By:mark.j @ 3:57:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to some news sites around the Internet and various evening edition newspapers, BT may have cancelled their shareholder meeting which would have explained its debt-reduction strategy:

One possible reason for the cancellation is that the timing is just too sensitive, as speculation increases about an imminent float of BT Wireless and the sacrifice of chairman Sir Iain Vallance and managing director Sir Peter Bonfield to angry investors. A decision by credit rating firm Moody's Investors Service to review its debt rating will not have helped.

BT was due to discuss its £30bn debt with shareholders this evening and the general consensus is that it would ask investors for a rights issue. In effect this offers a carrot to investors in the form of below marketprice share options in return for cash to offset its huge debt. In November Bonfield pledged to pay off £10bn through the sale of assets and flotation of some of its divisions.

Philip Crate, a telecoms analyst with Bear Stearns, believes that if BT wants investors to stump up more cash it will have to make a sacrifice. "There is a lot of angst on the part of BT shareholders about the piling up of debt," he said. "They hold Vallance and Bonfield to book and will be looking for their pound of flesh if they are going to put their hands in their pockets to balance the books."

The ZDNet item makes us wonder whether this Sundays roast will be Duck-ala-Peter-Bonfield or not, served with a side of cast from investors. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the..

The meeting has yet to be officially cancelled, although it looks as if a cancellation is now a very real possibility.

Online Chat Room Rules Proposed

By:mark.j @ 3:51:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Yesterday we heard how British websites might have to sacrifice the privacy of their forum users if ordered to do so by a court of law. Today a new Home Office report says web-based chat rooms should provide clear warnings about the dangers and offer safety measures (real-time panic buttons etc.):

Following news today that teen portal Wickedcolors has shut its chatroom services due to concerns over the safety of its users, the Internet Crime Forum paper calls for changes within the internet industry to protect children from the dangers of using web-based chatrooms. They include making ISPs more responsible for educating consumers about the risks associated with using their products.

ISPs are recommended to provide material either on their own sites or by offering a prominent link to a central source. They should monitor usage or provide a ‘trouble button’ to either an in-house abuse department or an external agency that can take swift action if a complaint is made.

In addition, the IT industry should continue to research more user-friendly technical solutions to the potential dangers of chat, including the development of new traceability technologies.

While this is a wise thing to do, albeit somewhat late, how anybody could police chat rooms/systems outside of websites (Internet Relay Chat etc.) is open to discussion. More @ netimperative.com.

Broadbands Impact On Businesses

By:mark.j @ 3:43:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Ernst & Young have today published a report on the impact that broadband access is having on communications, entertainment and enabling technology in businesses:

The report addresses the impact of convergence across the industry, what the company calls "the blurring and restructuring across communications and entertainment", with broadband being highlighted as the most significant immediate factor influencing the markets.

Some key highlights of the study are:

Consumer and business content, production and distribution is undergoing a radical change as broadband rolls out.

High-speed access will "mean multiple new revenue opportunities for content providers".....

Of course while broadband may improve communications and technology, using it to better reach and entertain the consumers relies on the technology being widely available, which it currently isn’t. This UK.Internet summary of the report should be more of a long-term plan.

Atlantic Telecoms Manchester SDSL Trials

By:mark.j @ 3:34:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

More DSL news to chow down on, this time Atlantic Telecoms Manchester end has chosen to initiate their own trial of SDSL technology. If the trial is not deemed a success then Atlantic could well give up on the technology:

The company said it plans co-locate in up to 20 sites in the area in order to access the SME market there. In a statement, the company said: “This makes the city an ideal location for initial DSL market deployment and, in line with the Board's conservative view on UK LLU, future DSL investment in the UK will be subject to a proven track record in Manchester.”

Atlantic Telecom is one of the few operators left in the running for LLU along with Colt Telecom, Cable & Wireless, Easynet, Bulldog Communications, and OnCue Communications. However, Easynet, Bulldog, and OnCue have, unlike Atlantic, stated repeatedly that they are committed to a UK-rollout.

The netimperative.com article shows how DSL technology is finally starting to take a hold in the UK among businesses. Hopefully Atlantics UK trials will be as successful as their Frankfurt demonstrations.

Alcatels Official USB ADSL Linux Drivers

By:mark.j @ 3:29:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Users of USB ADSL adaptors from French based Alcatel may like to know that you can now download the official driver release for Linux devices as of today:

http://www.alcatel.com/consumer/dsl/dvrreg_lx.htm

Thanks to Rick for letting us know.

Official 24/7FC Press Release (+ADSL Info)

By:mark.j @ 10:34:AM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

As we've already mentioned earlier, 24/7FreeCall are to swap to the newer FRIACO standard and reduce prices. They've sent us along the official press release, which is different from the customer announcement posted earlier - in full:

PRESS INFORMATION
24-7Freecall Limited
19th March 2001

NEW SERVICES FROM 24-7FREECALL.
SUBSCRIBERS INVITED TO SIGN UP AS EXISTING SERVICE IS GRADUALLY WITHDRAWAN

In line with the current state of the Internet access market in the UK, 24-7Freecall is pleased to announce two exciting developments to its services.

The first is our low cost dial-up service using the new FRIACO model for delivery.

FRIACO stands for Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination. It’s a fixed cost monthly subscription service that allows access to the Internet at any time of day or night and has NO call charges and NO hidden expenses. Anyone with a standard telephone line can use the service to benefit from low cost access to the Internet. Subscribers will soon be able to join instantly online or through a CD.

This service will be priced at £14.99 per month and introduced in London to begin with, then rolled out elsewhere. People can register their interest at

http://www.24-7freecall.net/Members/unmetered.htm and we’ll keep them updated with further news.

The second of our new services is the ADSL broadband access for both business and domestic users; registration for this service is at http://www.24-7freecall.net/Members/adsl.htm

Existing and new subscribers can register now for either the FRIACO service or for the ADSL service and not only will they be amongst the very first to be using it, once launched, but they’ll also receive the first months access COMPLETELY FREE!

Commenting on the developments Mr Abdin said, “In anticipation of these two new services we are now ready to slowly wind down the existing 24-7Freecall unmetered service over the coming months”.

The existing service will continue for some time yet but will be withdrawn gradually and subscribers will be invited to join the new FRIACO and ADSL services. The process will begin on 21st March 2001.

“Subscribers will be allowed to use up the time they have paid for” said Mr Abdin “The service will be withdrawn on the date their credit card is usually debited but no payment will be taken. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our subscribers for their support over the past months and invite them to sign up for our new services”.

We do of course have our own 24/7FreeCall discussion forum for those wishing to voice their opinions.

BT Preps For New SDSL & VDSL Trials

By:mark.j @ 9:35:AM - Comments (4) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Some months ago we reported on how BT were planning to introduce a trial of SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line) technology into the SME market. Today BT claims that their trials are still on-target and should begin next month:

SDSL will be attractive to IT managers looking to install high-speed Internet access at branch offices and other remote locations, as it offers bi-directional data speeds of up to 8Mbit/s. However, BT has recently faced criticism for failing to drive broadband access in the UK.

Chris Gibbs, vice president of broadband products for BT Ignite, said that SDSL services are being tested by a company in Ipswich, with market trials expected to commence later this month. BT initially slated trials for January, but complained that a shortage of components from Alcatel and Fujitsu led to the date being rescheduled for March. Alcatel will unveil DSL access products at the Cebit show later this week.

Gibbs admitted that the SDSL rollout had been compromised because the standards were agreed relatively late, but said the chipset and equipment manufacturers had been working very hard "to bring it in within the allotted timeframe".

The ZDNet item shows that BT is now firmly set into its timescale, however SDSL technology has recently been superseded by G.SHDSL, which can transmit faster signals over longer distances.

Of course SDSL and G.SHDSL aren't the only things on the agenda, BT has also been testing VDSL (Very high-speed Digital Subscriber Line) technology. However VDSL is viable, yet requires fibre optic cable, meaning it's only good for business links and cable companies.

Lets not forget about RADSL/RDSL (Rate Adaptive/Reduced Digital Subscriber Line) technology, which again BT has under trial. This allows DSL communication over a longer distance, albeit at a reduced speed, and will thus be used in place of ADSL for areas outside of the normal coverage zone.

The consumer market is only ever likely to see RA/RDSL and ADSL; the other technologies are more geared towards SMEs and larger businesses.

24-7 Freecall Moves to FRIACO

By:rich.p @ 7:38:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

In an e-mail sent to all customers last night 24-7 Freecall have announced a move to a FRIACO model. The current service will be withdrawn gradually:

NEW SERVICES FROM 24-7FREECALL.

SUBSCRIBERS INVITED TO SIGN UP AS EXISTING SERVICE IS GRADUALLY WITHDRAWAN

Dear Subscriber

I am pleased to inform you that we will soon be able to offer 2 new unmetered Internet access services.

The first is our low cost dial-up service using the new FRIACO model for delivery.
FRIACO stands for Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination. It's a fixed cost monthly subscription service that allows access to the Internet at any time of day or night and has NO call charges and NO hidden expenses. Anyone with a standard telephone line can use the service to benefit from low cost access to the Internet. You will soon be able to join instantly online or through a CD.

This service will be priced at £14.99 per month and introduced in London to begin with, then rolled out elsewhere. You can register your interest at http://www.24-7freecall.net/Members/unmetered.htm and we'll keep you updated with further news.

The second of our new services is the ADSL broadband access for both business and domestic users. Again you can register your interest at http://www.24-7freecall.net/Members/adsl.htm

Register now for either the FRIACO service or for the ADSL service and not only will you be amongst the very first to be using it, once launched, but you'll also receive the first months access COMPLETELY FREE!

In anticipation of these two new services and for the reasons outlined above we are now ready to slowly wind down the existing 24-7Freecall unmetered service over the coming months.

In future, 24-7Freecall will be operating services using FRIACO and ADSL. This will overcome the difficulties that we are faced with due to the current system for Internet access in the UK. The new services will be based on fixed costs and transparent charges, which means that we can sustain quality services for our customers in the long term.

The best way to wind down is to allow you to use the service up until your monthly Credit Card renewal date i.e. the time that you have already paid for. Your Credit Card will not be debited and the service will be withdrawn on that date.

This process will begin on Wednesday 21st March.

Obviously some subscribers will receive more notice than others and I apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

I hope that you will register your interest in one of our new services and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your custom and for your support to 24-7Freecall.

Please feel welcome to email us with any comments at helenpannum@24-7freecall.net

S J Abdin
Director

The FRIACO service will only be available to people in London initially so some customers will have to find an alternative ISP. Not really a surprise considering the troubles 24-7 had in the past.

News - March 19,2001

BigBlueSky Extend Offer

By:Ross14 @ 6:12:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Well, in another surprise turn for the books, BigBlueSky has decided to extend their £25 per year internet offer. The following is a statement on the BBS site:

We have had a huge response from the website in the last few days. Thanks to all those who sent us their comments and suggestions. The main item that most people wanted was to have was the "£25/year Internet Connection" offer continue for a little longer. Since we have been a little late in responding to emails sent to us recently (due to the recent site change), we have decided to keep this offer open until the end of March 2001!

I warn you, it will not come back after March, you do not have long to register.

This is also a benefit for those who registered since 14th March for the offer that included a £5 monthly fee, they will not have to pay that anymore!

Good to see that BBS have changed the offer for those who were sunk into the £5 per month offer, and that everything has been cleared up. £25 for a full years internet access is not bad, but we have to say that this is clearly not financially viable.

Gov Denies Holding Secret 3G Talks

By:mark.j @ 3:54:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

3G or Third Generation broadband wireless was apparently the subject being secretly discussed between the government and mobile operators this weekend. Those who purchased 3G licenses have found it to be a debt burden and the meetings were supposed to help resolve this.

However contrary to the newspaper reports over the weekend the government has today denied any such talks occurred:

A spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Monday that while e-minister Patricia Hewitt met regularly with mobile phone companies, suggestions that she was conducting confidential talks over 3G were false. "There is no truth in the suggestion that we've been having secret meetings to discuss this. I don't think this issue has been raised," he said.

The government auctioned off five 3G licences last spring. Vodafone, BT, One2One, Orange and Canadian company TIW-backed by Hutchinson-Whampoa -- each paid between £4bn and £5.96bn for a 3G licence. 3G phones will allow users to surf the Internet, download email, access multi-media services at speeds three times faster than GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) technology. UK Chancellor Gordon Brown announced in last week's budget that the £22.5bn raised would be spend on paying off the national debt.

It's a pity since the problem still remains and the ZDNet item gives little hope that the license period would be extended and regulations relaxed. Certainly anything that makes the technology cheaper would filter down to consumers in someway or another.

E-Mail The Third Step In Communication

By:mark.j @ 3:46:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

First man learnt how to speak, then man learnt how to write and now the third revolutionary step in mankind's ability to communicate has been classified as E-Mail:

Speaking today on Radio 4's Start the Week, Prof. David Crystal, argued that email is unique in that it is a "framing" language. People can take the third paragraph of an email, copy paste and respond to that. They can take the fifth paragraph and do the same. This flexibility (and presumably speed is an essential aspect) has not been possible before, he argues.

In another example, David points out that a chatroom enables 30 or so to communicate at the same time. This would be impossible in any previous form of communication (although people often try it in pubs). Not only that but the non-linearity (ie hyperlinks) of the Internet has and will continue to affect not only language but also art and design and culture in general.

The Register highlights an interesting insight into what many of us consider to be an everyday activity, which is probably where this becomes such a realistic notion. Could the fourth revolutionary step be computer-aided telepathy? Don't laugh because a Sunday newspaper reported scientists had succeeded in doing just that.

AOL Send Out Racist Letter To User

By:mark.j @ 3:38:PM - Comments (21) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Peter Alleyne, a generally pleased user of AOLs ISP services - recently received the welcome pack for their flat-rate Internet access offer. Peter, who is also of African Origin (Black), was somewhat displeased when he found the pack addressed to one 'Mr Jungle Bunny'.

Admittedly passable as a joke, why such a thing would come from AOL is an interesting question:

According to Matt Peacock, AOL's PR boss, the address must have been collected automatically, and it believes that someone who knew Alleyne created an account using the racist term of abuse and Peter Alleyne's address, The Sun reports.

AOL's screening software usually removes "malicious pranks" but the company had not come across the racist epithet before, Peacock said. We're waiting for AOL to let us know what software it uses.

This shows a serious fault in those so called 'Tell A Friend' schemes and while it may have been mildly humorous, it shows the potential for a more serious level of abuse The Register reports.

No More Anonymous Forum Posts For UK Sites

By:mark.j @ 1:02:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

In what could be seen as the biggest breach to happen with online privacy in a long time, all UK websites (including us) could now be expected to hand over the identity of anonymous notice board posters. This follows a landmark ruling in the UK involving ISP Totalise and the Motley Fool trading site:

In the court ruling, Motley Fool was denied the privilege granted to print publications to protect sources and asked to disclose the identity of a message board user accused of posting defamatory remarks concerning Totalise.

Under UK law, a publication can protect its sources unless disclosure is in the interest of justice, national security or the prevention of crime. Mr Justice Robert Owen concluded that the Motley Fool could not claim the same protection because it does exercise editorial control over or take responsibility for postings.

Ramsbottom believes that confidence in anonymity online is being whittled away by a such court rulings. "Basically it's saying that you can put something up anonymously, but if it gets to court, they can force disclosure. It certainly erodes people's perceptions [of online anonymity] even if it is just extending the law."

The ZDNet item is very worrying, although not all forums work the same and people shouldn't be so concerned about this. It's unlikely to effect us and many other systems simply due to the logistics of the way such forums/notice boards work.

However you do have to wonder, when a street protest can get away with insulting large companies and yet online a similar act could be punishable by law. Where do you draw the line? Could frustrated ISP users be imprisoned for speaking angrily about their ISPs poor services?

13.5 Million UK Net Users Online!

By:mark.j @ 12:48:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to the latest research by Jupiter MMXI, 13.5Million people are now online and using the Internet in the UK. That's a staggering increase of 1Million since October 2000!:

This growth took the UK's home Internet population to 13.5 million. Adults make up most of this figure, with men accounting for 49.8% and women for 35%, but the proportion accounted for by children aged 2-14 increased the fastest over the reporting period, jumping from 10.7% to 15.2%.

Not only is the online population growing, it is also spending more time on the Net: an average of six hours and forty-eight minutes, two hours more than this time last year, according to the analysts. Likewise, the digital divide appears to be closing, as households with an income under £15,000 get connected, and the pace of those at the higher earnings end slows.

Perhaps the most astonishing finding in the report summarised on UK.Internet was not so much the total users, as the increase in average online time. On average people are now spending nearly !7Hours! online, however it doesn't say whether this is per month, week or day.

It's no wonder BT, LINX, NTL and Telewest have to take such drastic action towards network upgrades with growth like this.

3G Barely Begun - 4G Being Prepped?

By:mark.j @ 10:16:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Japan, the country where technology, games and mobile Internet leads the world with well established 3G (Third Generation) technologies already in place. However it looks as if those crazy innovators are about to push the broadband wireless boundaries and start planning for 4G mobiles!

Japanese cell phone giant NTT DoCoMo may bring forward by as much as four years its launch of fourth-generation wireless transmission networks -- propelling the company well ahead of global rivals.

The report in the Daily Yomiuri newspaper on Sunday said DoCoMo had decided to embark on the much-enhanced data transmission capacity as early as 2006.

Industry observers had previously expected the group, Japan's dominant mobile operator and its largest company by market value, to start a fourth generation (4G) cellular phone service around 2010.

By bringing forward the launch far ahead of competitors, DoCoMo aims to set the de facto international standards for 4G services, the newspaper quoted industry sources as saying.

Third-generation, or 3G, mobile phones promising faster data transmission, CD-quality sound and video services, are due to be launched in May by DoCoMo and are under development by a number of other global telecoms carriers.

The 4G phones are expected to offer high-performance streaming of multimedia content and to feature ID applications that would effectively turn a mobile phone into proof of identification.

The phones will be able to receive high-resolution movies and television programmes, thus becoming a link in a new infrastructure that combines broadcasting and communications.

Now that's what broadband wireless is all about and why we'll be doing away with xDSL and modems in favour of our mobile phones!

Wireless Internet Approached With Caution

By:mark.j @ 10:10:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

With the next generation of wireless Internet access about to spring into life this summer, many companies are still approaching it with caution. Apparently this is due to mobile operators having not really thought or researched exactly what users want to see on their phones - typical:

The caution comes as executives of Internet media firms, which rely heavily on advertising, are facing a backlash over the meltdown in their shares, some of which have fallen 90 percent from highs a year ago. After hyping the first stages of the Internet, including online advertising potential, executives appear to be a bit more cautious about new areas, in hopes of trying to avoid another Internet bubble.

As online advertising dries up, many Internet media companies have been forced to temper their growth forecasts and look for other revenue sources, such as high-speed Internet access and wireless Internet. "We thought 2001 would be a different landscape, but we are now seeing even more intense advertising scepticism (toward wireless)," Jamie Byrne, DoubleClick's director of emerging platforms, said at the Spring Internet World trade show in Los Angeles. "The reason we are not further along is because of a lack of compelling services," he added. "The content platforms that carriers are putting forth are not compelling."

Having not yet seen any above average GPRS phones yet ourselves then we're not really in a position to comment on the ZDNet item. Although on the advertising side of things we can.

Most websites use advertising as an additional forum of income in order to keep the information free, but should we really have advertising on phones that we pay for in the first place? At least with computers you don't have to look at it, on mobiles a single advert could fill the whole screen =(.

Telewests £2.2bn Debt Restructuring Plan

By:mark.j @ 10:02:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It's not only NTL who've been throwing money into their services in order to clear debt, update systems and improve services, Telewest are doing it as well. This week Telewest, the UK's second largest cable operator, is expected to announce that it has successfully restructured £2.2 billion of its debt:

The refinancing deal includes combining the debts of Telewest and newly-merged Flextech, providing the enlarged group with up to £300m for future expansion.

City analysts expressed a sense of surprise that Telewest had managed to secure such a deal, in a time when the entire TMT sector is being hammered on stock markets worldwide. The restructuring plan is seen as a boost for the company's top executives, particularly CEO Adam Singer and Finance Director, Charles Burdick.

Telewest reveals its 2000 results this week, on March 22. It is expected that the company will announce the debt restructure, and also, according to the Sunday Telegraph, that it has reached its target of 500,000 digital cable subscribers.

We always enjoy the way large companies can claim to have 'restructured' their debt =). Either way this news item summarised @ CableNews is good news in a market that seems to be taking a heavy beating from world markets.

News - March 18,2001

ISP Review Weekly Update

By:mark.j @ 10:20:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We'll make this one a short update because progress is being made on some very big new sections of the site.

Next week should see a couple of new articles come online, but mostly we'll be working on new sections and some internal page changes (chat page etc.).

The good news is that the new forum software was finalised on Friday and today we plan to test it further and see what can be done. We did manage to install it yesterday and sadly found a serious problem in one of the primary files, a problem we will try to resolve today.

That's it for this weeks update, expect some changes during the week and possible some new forums for broadband and unmetered ISPs specifically.

News - March 17,2001

Can BT & Oftel Ever Communicate Properly?

By:mark.j @ 10:00:AM - Comments (23) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Through the years we've always noticed communication problems between BTs customer service advisors and consumers. We also noticed how BTs own staff seem unable to communicate information properly and many consumers suffer because of it.

Today one of our readers (GAC) has been kind enough to point out some more problems, namely that of the communication between Oftel and BT, an area which seems to leave consumers disadvantaged. Some examples:

1) On last weeks WatchDog (BBC1 Consumer Affairs TV program) BT is quoted as saying that 50% of the market is now covered by broadband. However when you contact BTs ADSL signup centre you're told this is more like 36%, BT lying? Surely not.

2) Try to ask about the high price of ISDN through either BT or Oftel and you'll just end up going in circles. According to BTs Home Highway (Consumer ISDN) centre, Oftel are the ones who set the price. A quick ring to Oftel and they claim BT are allowed to set the price how they see fit, surely that can't be right? In the end you find yourself back at the BTHH Centre asking the same questions having done a full circle.

It seems you can't get a clear answer, although we'll try again ourselves on Monday to find out exactly why communication is so bad between such naturally linked organisations.

EXCLUSIVE:08002Go Launch DATE!

By:mark.j @ 9:42:AM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We'd have posted this yesterday evening, but it came outside of working hours. 08002Go have today sent us the details of their launch date and packages, something which was recently delayed:

THE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Well folks, here it is, the announcement you have all been patiently waiting for. At long, long, last the date we go live can now be announced the Launch Date Is:24th April 2001.

That's confirmed and a promise.

This is what you will get:

-24/7 0800 connection.
-5 e-mail addresses
-20 Mb web space.
-Exciting new system with lots of extras!
-Something really, really different!
-Easy to use home page.
-Standard rate help line.

Our pledge to all our members is that:

You will get the best ever launched ISP in the land because our research over the past twelve months has enabled us to price the service at a sensible affordable level for all to enjoy and monitor all other ISP offers.

At www.08002go.com we believe you are entitled to receive a service that allows you all peace of mind, and that frees you from telephone Internet charges for good. You will have content that you never imagined possible on the Internet. Most importantly an ISP SERVICE that is around for a long, long time and one you can totally rely on.

A GUARANTEE that our pricing structure will remain unchanged for the first twelve months and longer if we are able to control market forces. (and believe us we will)

What we want you our members to do:

Make sure you have pre registered before the Live date.

If you intend to pay cheque make sure your cheques arrive before the 16th April 2001 so we can include you on the database for the live date launch of 24th April 2001. If you are not sure of any points, contact us, remember places are limited and we do not want to disappoint you by missing you out.

And most importantly we want all of you to enjoy the Internet as members of www.08002go.com

Thank you all for your patience, lets all go for it.

The ISP, which now costs just under £10 per month, was once considered to be unworkable due to the economics. However a recent price change and the introduction of systems such as BTSurfPort24 and ST-FRIACO go someway to making this ISP a workable reality.

Whether it can stand the test of time is anybodies guess, although they seem determined and we hope they make it in order to help prove a new economic ISP structure. Good luck to them - we'll have a review in due course.

News - March 16,2001

BBS Confusion

By:Rob.W @ 4:52:PM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Just a clarification note to say, in regard to the previous story about BigBlueSky changing their pricing model, all customers who signed up before 1st March 2001 WILL NOT be charged the £5 per month fee.

This £5 per month fee is only applied to new customers signed up on or after 1st March 2001. For those who signed up before 1st March 2001, BigBlueSky are honouring the £25 fee paid for lifetime access.

Charges For First Criminal Case Of SPAM

By:mark.j @ 3:46:PM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

SPAM (Junk/Unwanted E-Mail) is steadily becoming outlawed around the world and the USA looks set to become the first country to officially charge two individuals for such use:

The men appeared in San Diego Superior Court earlier this week accused of sending a torrent of the vile pink matter to pitch house re-financing schemes.

The stunt brought down mail servers at Palo Alto tech outfit Veritools, which the pair allegedly commandeered.

It's not unusual for spammers to hack mail servers and to steal bandwidth from unsuspecting companies or use hacked ISP accounts to avoid detection.

Once used as an excessive way of promoting commercial products, SPAM is now seen to be more like a virus and doing just as much damage to major computer systems and networks. The Register highlights how SPAM has grown to such an extent that it's now being considered an offence punishable by law.

NTL Preps Broadband Business Packages

By:mark.j @ 3:33:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Roughly one month ago we reported on how NTL were planning to introduce Cable Modem services for businesses. Today more details of the offer have emerged (no prices yet) and the services are being touted for a May 2001 launch:

The Business Essentials package will use cable modems to offer 'always-on' access of up to 0.5Mbps, although digital subscriber line (DSL) users in the UK can obtain speeds of between 0.5Mbps to 2Mbps.

NTL's extensive cable network means it can offer broadband access to a greater geographical range of customers than BT can reach with DSL, however.

Cable hasn't enjoyed a strong uptake by businesses. Analyst Ovum said that there are 4.8 million cable subscribers in the UK, of which only seven per cent are businesses. NTL hopes this will change.

You can read more about NTLs plans over @ VNUNet; they (NTL) should be releasing full pricing details sometime during April. We know many of our residential readers will be interested to see whether the business options are also affordable to them.

So far BT has managed to dominate this sector, with cable holding its own in the consumer market.

UK Behind Europe In Broadband Race

By:mark.j @ 3:25:PM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It comes as little surprise today that EU researchers, Van Dusseldorp & Partners and Screen Digest have published a new report which shows the UK lagging behind the rest of the EU in broadband:

According to the report, cable modem and DSL penetration in Europe stands at 1.79%, up 300% over 1999. The UK lags behind other European countries in the DSL league, taking up ninth place with 30,000 subscribers, compared to the 400,000 already benefiting from DSL connections in Germany.

These figures do, however, stand in contrast to those presented to the European Commission recently, which assessed DSL penetration in the EU at 1.1% and cable modem at 7.8%. Whichever figures are more accurate, it can be seen that broadband has yet to truly hit the mass market.

The Van Dusseldorp report predicts that pan-European penetration will reach over 21% of households in 2003, with the UK expected to have garnered 1 million DSL subscribers by that stage.

The UK.Internet article is nothing especially new, although it does put further pressure on the government to improve the coverage the roll out. After all they do have a 'European' beating Broadband Britain promise to keep, one wonders whether that's possible with the EU so far ahead.

Are BT Stealing From Comic Relief?

By:mark.j @ 3:20:PM - Comments (17) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Did you know it's virtually free to place 'public information & charity' adverts on primetime TV? If so then perhaps somebody can explains why BT are taking nearly one third of the premium phone line income from Comic Relief:

At £1 a call, this is a very good way to raise money as people donate to charity and they get something back as well. Imagine our surprise then when the Today programme today on Radio 4 revealed that for every phone call made, Comic Relief receives just 64p. Where does the other money go?

Why, BT of course. Apparently it costs BT 36p of every £1 for line rental and setting up the network. That's over a third of the total cost. Does this not seem a little excessive? Especially considering that the entire event is for charity?

If this really is cost price to BT, it must surely raise questions about BT's efficacy. It sets up hundreds of charity phone lines every year and has been doing so for a couple of decades. Does it really cost 36p for every phone call? And we thought telecoms had become a low-cost all-encompassing industry.

The Register manages to highlight a very controversial aspect of BTs business model, one they’re unwilling to comment on. The issue is compounded by the fact that BTs nearest competitors would set-up a similar system for less than half the price. So why does BT take so much from charities? We don't know, but it doesn't seem very fare.

Perhaps if they donated the phone lines then that'd be a good contribution, last year saw a similar scandal, only over the pay of actors for the event.

Deutsche Telekom Unmetered Appeal Upheld

By:mark.j @ 10:55:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Not long ago we mentioned how BT can often be viewed in a less than perfect light, although people shouldn't forget that things could be much worse. Some of you may remember how T-Online had requested Deutsche Telekom provide flat-rate access to rival Internet providers.

Deutsche Telekom, not in a position unlike BT, chose to take a different rout and took legal action so it wouldn't have to offer such a thing.

Today a German court said it had upheld an appeal by Deutsche Telekom against an order requiring the German telecoms group to offer immediate flat-rate access to its network to rival Internet providers.

The ruling means that Deutsche Telekom does not have to offer wholesale flat rate access to rivals of its T-Online Internet unit for the moment, the administrative appeals court in North Rhine Westphalia said in a statement.

So you see, BT may not be the most flexible of operators, but at least they didn't take strong legal action in order to save themselves from having to offer BTSurfport24 and the like. In short, things could always be worse.

Masterflash Unmetered Surfaces

By:mark.j @ 9:53:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

In a strange twist, while working on the new 0845 listings yesterday we came across the ISP Masterflash. They looked quite simple and yet seemed to offer an unmetered option, so it was noted down to be investigated at a later date.

Later on that day we noticed some forum users had also seen it and now this morning one of my staff (Ross) has passed me the details he got from the ISP while asking them. Can't help but think some of the staff have telepathic powers, anyway:

Hosting Packages:
We only do two at the moment, for which the prices are on the web site..

0800:
We do offer this, priced at £15.99 off peak, we are looking at this for 24/7 but we do not offer it yet. As far as we know it works OK, no complaints as YET.....

Credit Card:
For your on-line store you can now accept credit cards @ £125.00 per year supported through Worldpay with 4.5% per transaction.

We are working on more such as adsl and asp but we do not support them yet. We are more interested on what we can give our members for free, keeping the web as it should be FREE. We are not a big ISP such as Madasafish or Freeserve, we only have around 1500 to 2000 members, but we are doing our best..............

As of this moment the website is down and that's one of the reasons it hasn't been mentioned so far, we've never heard of them before and the services seem unstable. They do appear to offer some quite nicely equipped hosting options, although we can't recommend them until more is known.

Oftels Consumer Related Ombudsman

By:mark.j @ 9:30:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Thanks to Lucy (Oftel PR) for notifying us that Oftel have published a new and very interesting press release. Put simply, it's a Telecom Ombudsman with powers to resolve disputes between consumers and telecom companies; full press release follows:

Ref: 23/01
Date: 15 March 2001

Detailed proposals for a new Telecoms Ombudsman with powers to resolve disputes between consumers and telecoms companies have been published today by Oftel.

The telecoms Ombudsman will provide an important new layer of consumer protection and is based on other successful industry Ombudsman schemes.

Under the proposals, the new Ombudsman would:

-encourage companies and consumers to resolve their dispute as quickly as possible;

-resolve disputes up to the value of £5000 when the consumer has been unable to reach agreement with their phone company;

-award compensation on a case-by-case basis; and

-be as accessible as possible in order to meet the wide range of needs of different consumers.

Announcing the new consumer protection measures, David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications, said:

"The new telecoms Ombudsman will be a fast and effective service for consumers to get their dispute resolved, without the expensive and time-consuming process of going to court.

These proposals result from a joint industry/consumer working group chaired by Oftel.

I welcome the active support of many in the industry and consumer movement for these proposals and look forward to this continuing as we tackle the practical issues together.

The Ombudsman will encourage companies to resolve disputes as quickly as possible, backed up with powers to decide on individual cases and award compensation to consumers as appropriate.

The Ombudsman will be funded by the industry and will be independent, fair and publicly accountable. It will be essential for the Ombudsman to be accessible to all and demonstrate best practice when dealing with consumers, especially those with special needs.

Oftel will continue to handle complaints and enquiries from the public about telecoms services, but can refer consumers to the Ombudsman where there is a contractual dispute which companies have failed to resolve through internal procedures.

I have taken a close interest in this work and have given the initiative my wholehearted support. I expect the industry and consumer groups to continue to work constructively with Oftel to establish a model of best practice.

The proposals for a telecoms Ombudsman were welcomed in the Government’s Communications White Paper.

Patricia Hewitt, Minister for Small Business and e-commerce, said:

"I am delighted that Oftel and the telecoms industry have responded to the challenge to create a new consumer Ombudsman. As customers become more demanding, services become more sophisticated and the telecoms industry becomes more competitive, it is vital that consumers who are unhappy with their telecoms service should be able to have a fast, effective, independent complaints body."

Oftel has begun a public consultation to consider the practicalities of setting up the Ombudsman. The consultation period runs until 15 June. Oftel will issue a statement in July. It is expected that the Ombudsman will be up and running by April 2002.

Notes to editors

1. Developing a telecommunications Ombudsman is available from Oftel’s website at www.oftel.gov.uk/consumer/2001/ombu0301.htm. Copies are available to the media from Oftel’s Press office on 020 7634 8991 and to the public from the Research and Intelligence Unit on 020 7634 8761.

2. The Ombudsman will be appointed in accordance with the ‘Nolan principles’ of public life.

Sadly the new group does not cater for those with ISP problems, who if outside of the ISPA, could well find themselves in trouble.

News - March 15,2001

BigBlueSky Subscription Model Change

By:Rob.W @ 8:20:PM - Comments (10) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Thanks to Ross for pointing out that BigBlueSky have changed their subscription model again. According the Terms and Conditions on BigBlueSky's web site, there is now a £25 one-off connection fee, then £5 per month for each month afterwards. The first month’s access fee is included in the £25 connection fee.

There are certain things to note in the T&C's. One of which is the cut-off time for inactivity.

7). The User connection to the Service is terminated automatically if it is inactive for fifteen (15) minutes. Users can reconnect to the Service immediately.

A very interesting T&C is the one stating examples of "abuse of service".

33). System abuse "Inactivity cut-off limit" Examples of system abuse include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Using the ICMP protocol - i.e. ping, traceroute, etc. in order to circumvent the inactivity limit.
2. Setting your e-mail client to check for mail at intervals less than the inactivity cut-off limit.
3. Loading a web page into your browser which refreshes automatically at intervals less than the inactivity cut-off limit.
4. Any other usage that artificially maintains your connection to the Service. System abuse will result in immediate termination of membership

So the subscription model changes to one that actually makes even more sense economically than the last change. It will be interesting to see if this one stays, or if another is on the cards. We would hope that the increase in charges will mean a better service though.

The system abuse examples are very subjective. It is not unlike a sports site to have scores refreshing the page every couple of minutes. This would be a system abuse under the examples given above, but is actually harmless internet usage, not one that springs to mind as a way of keeping a connection open un-necessarily.

Gov Slapped Over Broadband Strategy

By:mark.j @ 4:36:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Not long after this mornings rosy report into the status of Britain’s Broadband, today the Government and industry received a slap from MPs for neglecting the consumer’s needs. Despite being presented in the politest of ways, it's clear the committee is somewhat at odds with E-Minister Patricia Hewitt:

The committee concluded: "...we are deeply disappointed that the Government's broadband strategy appears to be developing in virtual isolation from the public and consumer needs and opportunities created by analogue switch-off."

It went on: "The role of both digital television and of Internet-based broadcasting as consumer services in driving broadband take-up is largely neglected in that strategy."

"We believe this reflects a broader underestimation by both Government and industry of consumer demand for broadband services."

The Register reports that their conclusion was to have the government tackle the issues as a matter of urgency. Whether further action is taken to improve the situation remains to be seen, Oftel have tried quite a lot to improve things, although their strategies never seem to pay off.

C&W Abandons High-Speed Net Plan

By:mark.j @ 3:42:PM - Comments (7) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following this week’s economic failure by NTL owned Cable & Wireless, they have chosen to axe a £970,000 plan for high-speed Internet access in UK and Japan.

The projects are victims of the telecom company's decision to cut spending next year as part of cost cutting measures announced with the warning on Tuesday, said Daiwa analyst James Enck.

Enck said C&W had told him the cut would push back its five-year plan to spend $1.4 billion building a fibre-optic network throughout Japan. It had also suggested to him that it would shelve plans to offer DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) Internet connections in the UK.

C&W said it remained committed to Japan but refused to respond to Enck's comments. C&Ws shares fell more than 4% to fresh 3-1/2 year lows of 454-1/2 pence, adding to losses of 30% in the previous two days.