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February 16, 2001 - February 23, 2001

News - February 23,2001

New & Fast City-City Network Goes Live

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

360networks yesterday switched on the European part of their new fibre optic network and cables connecting cities in the UK, France, Germany and Holland at lightning speeds:

The company is not only laying fibre optic cables but is also establishing a massive 3.7 million square feet of network and server co-location space at strategic points worldwide. In the UK it has its European Networks Operation Centre from which it continually monitors the global network.

By mid-2002, the planned network is expected to span 143,000km (89,000 miles), linking over a hundred cities in the Americas, Asia and Europe.

360networks says it obtains an improvement in efficiency and therefore a reduction in costs by lighting only those portions of its network needed in the immediate future. Initially, the new European segment will operate at 60 gigabits per second, but it has the capacity to rise to 9.6 terabits per second when demand is sufficient.

Compared to today’s technologies, the new network is way ahead of the curb and in the future will help cope with the growing demand for faster broadband technologies. Ultimately we should all benefit and you can read more @ UK.Internet.

BBC To Get A Taste Of 'E-Technology'

By:mark.j @ 9:51:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The BBC is set to take advantage of newer Internet and broadband technologies with the launch of its new BBS Technology services:

BBC Technology will offer website hosting, narrowband and broadband streaming internet delivery, consulting services, satellite links and media technology services, as well as media rich IT solutions and intranet services.

The spokesperson added: "We have massive experience in delivering content across many platforms, globally. Everyone expects digital TV to transform the way we communicate and we are very well placed to take advantage of this converging media."

The venture, which is expected to launch when legal processes are completed, forecasts a turnover of £185m in it’s first year and plans to use profits for it’s TV, radio and online services.

This comes only a day after BTOpenworld announced a similar set of services focused on broadband travel media and information. It looks as if the UK is finally starting to embrace the newer technologies, even if it is a bit premature. More @ netimperative.com.

News - February 22,2001

Alcatel Predicts UTMS By 2004/5 Not 2003

By:mark.j @ 3:41:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Alcatel has predicted that UTMS, the next stage in broadband wireless mobile Internet technology after GPRS (general packet radio service), will be delayed by a further year over their previous estimates.

Alcatel, which this week launched its first GPRS mobile phone to speed up online services on GSM networks and plug the gap before UMTS, blamed the delay on the time and investment needed to develop the technology.

"The roll out of 3G will take three to five years from now, whereas last October we were saying two to three years. We're looking at end-2003, early 2004," Michel Rahier, head of Alcatel's mobile unit, said at a news conference at the GSM World Congress.

"UMTS terminals will take over in 2007, not 2005. The pace is going to be a bit slower than we thought a few months ago, which means the GPRS life-cycle will be longer. The availability of terminals and services are key and this takes time," he said.

After sluggish WAP phones failed to grab consumers last year, industry watchers are worried that a delay in high-speed mobile services could further dent the battered telecoms sector, which is laden with debt and fending off questions about when mammoth 3G investments will pay off.

Adding fuel to their jitters about when revenues will start flowing from high-speed services, Alcatel's GRPS phone is, at 14.4 Kbits/sec, only slightly more powerful than today's WAP (wireless application protocol) phones.

Despite this the GPRS networks are technically capable of growing to speeds more akin to 56 and 64Kbps networks, high is possible but unlikely to be seen in the public before UTMS. That said and we're already quite happy connecting to the Internet via 14.4KBps dual band GSM on our PocketPC's and Mobile (7110) combination.

ISPs & ISPA Call Emergency Meeting With Oftel

By:mark.j @ 3:32:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following yesterdays ISPA (Internet Service Provider Association) press release, today ISPs have called for an emergency meeting with Oftel to discuss the issues highlighted. The meeting will be open to ISPA's 120 strong ISP members sometime next week:

According to a spokesperson at the ISPA Secretariat the trade association has regular meetings with Oftel. However, the meeting was called because of the urgent need to look at the processes that led to BT finally launching a Single Tandem FRIACO (ST FRIACO) product.

The ISPA plans to discuss with Oftel why BT was able to launch both SurfTime and its ISP product SurfPort before any wholesale FRIACO products were in place to enable competitors to offer rival products for consumers and ISPs. During the same time period offerings including Virgin.net, LibertySurf, LineOne, breathe failed because ISPs were forced to pay BT by the minute.

In a statement the ISPA said: “There is concern that it took OFTEL 14 months to reach a FRIACO determination. ISPA believes that the regulatory process designed to prevent abuse by BT of a dominant position and to promote competition in the market place has clearly failed in this case. ISPA believes the reputation of the industry has been damaged by this process, and regrets that consumers have been disappointed and frustrated.”

The meeting will also discuss why Oftel seems to have extended the period in which BT will ramp up its networks in order to cope with the volume of unmetered traffic to two years. It would seem that invariably some flexibility is need in the industry.

BT is not a government company anymore and so you can't blame it for acting as a typical business, blame it on the government for changing things in the wrong order, LLU should have been done long ago. That said and it still means Oftel will need to take some sort of constructive action, we'll have to wait and see what. More @ netimperative.com.

Nortel Preps For Future Wireless Internet

By:mark.j @ 3:18:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Nortel has today announced plans to join forces with location-based service providers Webraska and MapInfo for mobile maps and navigational aid apps on their next generation phones. Not only that but they've also joined with Motorola to help produce their next generation of G3 (GPRS) based wireless Internet mobile phones:

Nortel will integrate Webraska’s wireless navigation and spatial searching technology and applications with its GPRS and 3G platforms. Deliverables will be available globally by Q3. The companies have already developed a wireless automatic navigation service for PDAs based on GPRS networks, which allows users to access navigation information with voice prompts, as well as information on the shortest routes and traffic conditions.

The location-based theme is continued with a decision to jointly market 3G voice-activated location-based services developed by Nortel and mapping specialist, MapInfo. The Wireless Internet ‘concierge services,’ aimed at service providers, will provide location-based information such as traffic and weather and directions to local amenities.

Nortel Networks also announced that it has joined forces with Motorola to provide an integrated Wireless Internet infrastructure based on Motorola wireless handsets. The plan is to collaborate on performance interoperability, verification and integration testing of wireless infrastructure and handsets for 3G, GPRS and GSM networks.

In other words it's yet another large mobile technology firm making their way towards an increasingly wireless world. Although we can't help but wonder about the 'voice prompts' system, if you've ever seen somebody talking into their phone then you'll know what we mean. Keep an eye out for our guide to Mobile Internet access coming soon, more @ netimperative.com.

ISPA On FRIACO & Oftel - Lessons Learned

By:mark.j @ 11:34:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Yesterday the UK Internet Services Providers Association updated their site with THIS press release. The new release is primarily aimed at Oftel, asking them not to make the same mistakes they did with FRIACO, something, which is now looking increasingly likely:

Press Release
20 February 2001

For immediate release
ISPA CALLS ON OFTEL TO LEARN FROM LESSONS OF FRIACO

ISPA is pleased that after 14 months of uncertainty, OFTEL has finally delivered the ST FRIACO determination to ensure that a wholesale unmetered product for Internet access is available to the industry.

Although ISPA welcomes the fact that many ISPs will now be able to buy unmetered products for their consumers from players other than BT, there is concern that it took OFTEL 14 months to reach a FRIACO determination. ISPA believes that the regulatory process designed to prevent abuse by BT of a dominant position and to promote competition in the market place has clearly failed in this case. This is demonstrated by the fact that, in the time it has taken OFTEL to resolve this issue, BT has managed to launch both Surftime and its ISP product Surfport before any wholesale products were in place to enable competitors to offer rival products for consumers and ISPs. The same intervening period saw the collapse of rival unmetered products offered in an environment where ISPs sought to meet consumer demand for unmetered products but were still obliged to pay BT by the minute. ISPA believes the reputation of the industry has been damaged by this process, and regrets that consumers have been disappointed and frustrated.

ISPA is also concerned to note that in the determination, OFTEL has extended to 2 years the interim period during which a cap on the number of ports available will apply. While ISPA recognises that the obligation on BT to provide ST FRIACO must be reasonable and technically feasible given the limited capacity at the main exchanges, ISPA hopes BT will meet all reasonable demand for ST FRIACO without limitation after this period, and before if technically possible.

If the lessons of the FRIACO process are not learnt, ISPA fears that similar experiences will be suffered under the regulatory processes for DSL. A crisis is brewing - many companies have walked away from unbundling and there are a number of complaints about the allocation process for the BT ADSL wholesale product, which is currently the only DSL product ISPs can buy. The European Commission is also making enquiries of UK companies as to their experience of DSL roll out and unbundling in our market.

We urgently call upon OFTEL to use the powers conferred upon it by legislation to demonstrate that they are able to provide effective regulation for the benefit of consumers and competition, and to bring an end to practices by BT which threaten the development of broadband Britain.

The release is a very strong article and makes no bones about pointing directly towards the heart of the problem, namely that which we’ve highlighted above. It’s a very interesting read, but whether Oftel will listen is another point entirely.

Threatening E-Mails To Become Illegal

By:mark.j @ 10:29:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

News comes that the government is to make an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Police Bill today that will ban hate emails and hate text messages. Certainly welcome news for those often at the end of such attacks, such as webmasters:

Home secretary Jack Straw intends to make it a criminal offence to send hate mail by electronic means, in the same way as it is illegal to send threats in a traditional letter. Those found guilty could be sentenced to six months imprisonment or fined £5,000.

The Criminal Justice and Police Bill is currently going through parliament and Thursday's changes are part of a package of regulations designed to protect scientists from animal rights extremists, though the regulations will apply to all situations.

"These new measures are designed to help prevent two tactics often used by these individuals -- protesting outside employees' and directors' homes and sending intimidating mail. We want to ensure that all types of threatening messages are covered -- including those sent by text messaging and email. Tougher penalties for sending hate mail will be an added deterrent," said Straw.

While we're happy to see such a thing come into existence and combined with online police reporting, will make for a very tough system. However we do have questions about how the new law could be miss-used or abused.

How would you tell the difference between an abusive message sent from a hacked ISP E-Mail account and the real thing etc.? Using technically 'virtual/online' data as evidence has always been questionable because it can easily be forged. More @ ZDNet.

C.U.T On ST-FRIACO & The Broadband Future

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

The C.U.T (Campaign for Unmetered Telecommunications) have made a couple of updates on Oftels finalised ST-FRIACO and also comments on the governments broadband predictions for the UK. The first item is about ST-FRIACO:

What it means is that a fourth method of giving an ISP and its customers access to the unmetered Internet, after previous flavours of FRIACO, BT SurfTime and BT SurfPort 24 is mandated; FRIACO Single Tandem offers a port at £507pa, each port ideally supporting between 6 and 10 users.

You can work out the sums from there; in practice there will be little cost difference between unmetered services based on FRIACO Single Tandem and existing unmetered wholesale products. The crucial point is that FRIACO Single Tandem is intended to open up sustainable unmetered access to many more ISPs than at present, being a relatively open standard compared to SurfTime and SurfPort 24 - both controlled by BT - and less onerous in infrastructure terms than previous versions of FRIACO.

We note that the phasing in of the FRIACO Single Tandem rollout is much less constrained than that in the draft determination, possibly because BT has tacitly accepted the experts' report which states that, in effect, it has to change the configuration of its network to support FRIACO Single Tandem.

The good news is C.U.T are planning to do a round up of all the unmetered systems on offer to ISPs in the near future, including the new BTWebPort. We tried to do something similar ourselves, but eventually realised it'd be very difficult to make it a consumer friendly article. C.U.T then go on to discuss the governments 'broadband future' report:

In the medium term the paper rightly does not suggest throwing much money around; it worries that such cash would go straight down the greedy throat of BT. In fact, it is wary of making commitments at all, which is again probably a good thing as previous technology projects sponsored by Government (such as the Alvey Programme) have not been particularly successful.

But this leaves little apart from commissioning studies, putting together working groups, developing strategies and issuing hefty doses of exhortation; there is little understanding that the adversarial structure of the United Kingdom telecommunications industry might be holding everyone back.

As usual there’s are a lot of interesting points made and both news items are worth taking the time to read through, sadly C.U.T were a bit premature with one point:

yet there is only one credible way to move forward: bringing fibre optic cabling into homes and businesses, thus rendering coaxial and copper cables obsolete throughout telecommunications networks

While Fibre is indeed 'ONE POTENTIAL' way forward, it's not yet a 'credible way to move forward', nor is it economical to re-structure UK telecoms so drastically. This may be more of a future scope for 10-20years times, but at present is very premature.

One next step for BT and other Telco’s is to change the existing network to IP (VoIP) technology, much as C&W have planned to do by 2005/6. Thus bringing cheaper calls and more accessible interactivity and data to the modern phone.

News - February 21,2001

BTOpenworld Offers Broadband Travel Advice

By:mark.j @ 7:46:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

In what's likely to be seen as one of the most interesting and promising moves BTOpenworld have made towards the improvement of their portal, they've now added a rich media broadband travel guide as well.

The 'Wish You Were Here?' Holiday Finder is a digital and highly interactive video database giving facts and figures on more than 150 holiday destinations. Here's the full press release hot from our Inbox:

London 21 February 2001

From February 28, Internet users will have a glimpse into the future of online travel courtesy of BTopenworld, BT's International Internet business, and Pearson TV, who today announced plans to launch the 'Wish You Were Here? Holiday Finder'.

The 'Wish You Were Here?' Holiday Finder, a digital, highly interactive video database giving facts and figures on more than 150 holiday destinations, has been specially developed by Pearson TV to utilise BTopenworld's Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) or Broadband technology.

The 'Wish You Were Here?' Holiday Finder is free and available exclusively to BTopenworld's broadband Internet customers via the BTopenworld travel channel. Although users cannot book holidays, they can access vibrant audio/video and text content specially produced to TV standards by the 'Wish You Were Here?' team. It is, in effect, a digital electronic brochure that brings to life a wide range of destinations around the globe, from Aspen to Chiang Mai and Blackpool to Cuba. It allows uses to find out all about an area or region - from the places of interest to food, historical details and accommodation - before they book.

The 'Wish You Were Here?' Holiday Finder allows users to:

(a) Find a Holiday - using an interactive searchable video database, users can choose their ideal holiday by answering a series of questions to allow a multi-criteria search engine to suggest suitable destinations;

(b) Choose a Holiday - users can choose their ideal holiday by navigating an intuitive map to highlight individual destinations and reveal video clips and information that allows the user to quickly get a feel for what a particular destination can offer;

(c) Look at a Mystery Holiday - users can take the plunge and have a mystery holiday suggested to them by the Holiday Finder.

ADSL is the second generation Internet technology that uses normal BT telephone lines to deliver flat rate (users pay a fixed monthly fee and no call charges), high speed Internet access (up to 40 times faster than normal 'dial-up' Internet) and services to homes and businesses. ADSL offers a permanently on connection to the Internet and uses line splitting technology to allows use the phone as normal (e.g. to fax and make calls) whilst still on line.

Commenting on the 'Wish You Were Here?' Holiday Finder, and what it will mean for UK Internet users, Rich Bartone, Travel and Automotive Channel manager, BTopenworld, said: "We are very excited about the 'Wish You Were Here? Holiday Finder' and believe it gives a glimpse of the potential that broadband Internet holds for the online travel business. People can now see for themselves in living colour what an area offers before they decide to book. The BTopenworld Travel Channel is one of the most visited areas of our broadband portal and contains a comprehensive range of resources that should help satisfy the increasingly diverse travel tastes of the Internet audience."

Doug Hammond, Executive Producer of Wish You Were Here? added: "We are delighted to be working with BTopenworld on such ground-breaking next generation travel entertainment. The holiday finder was specifically designed with ADSL in mind and we feel it's an exciting new platform and source of information for holiday seekers. For Pearson TV, it's a great example of how our production and new media teams can work together to continue as content producers, no matter what the platform."

Grant Bremner, Interactive Manager, Pearson Television Enterprises, said:
"This is a fantastic opportunity to really demonstrate to consumers the true potential of Broadband Internet. Broadband is not just about fast Internet access or video, but about compelling content delivered in an entertaining and meaningful way."

Initially it might not seem that 'wild', however it does give us a small glimpse into the rich media content that could be more abundant in a few years time once broadband has had a chance to mature.

EasyNET Predicts 2,500 ADSL Customers

By:mark.j @ 3:28:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

EasyNET, one of the UK's biggest ISP and network suppliers, has today announced a loss of £12Million during 2000, £11Million more than in 1999. However they claim the results to be 'in line with expectations' and promise improvements for 2001.

In the same item they also let slip about their ADSL targets for 2001:

The Net company said its losses - £12 million in 2000, compared with just £1 million in 1999 - were in line with its expectations.

The company said it generated operating profits in the UK last year and expects its European businesses to follow suit as they "mature".

Elsewhere, EasyNet says its expects to have 2,500 ADSL customers by the end of the year and continues to advance its broadband offerings.

The Register doesn't mention how many ADSL subscribers the ISP has at present, although 2,500 looks to be a realistic target for years end. Iomart recently announced they had 1,000 ADSL subscribers; EasyNET is expected to be in the same ballpark.

SkyStorm Satellite ISP Preps For Launch

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

StarSpeeder clone/backed SkyStorm have today issued a lengthy news update on the status of their services. Only a matter of days ago StarSpeeder said it planned to launch on the 1st March and limit signups to 4,000.

Today SkyStorms update echoes that news item in almost every way, except they're planning to take on 5,000 subscribers:

Firstly, we’d like to apologise for the fact that we have taken so long to respond to you all about what is currently going on. We can put this down to many factors, but mainly that we are in the process of moving into brand new offices and as you can imagine everything is absolutely hectic right now for us all here.

In terms of the service, the launch and testing of the starspeeder service was very successful, and will go live officially on the 1st of March, at which point we can offer the service to subscribers. Initial subscription will be available online only, through a secure server SSL connection, to ensure the encryption and privacy of your personal and banking details.

The service will be available for £15 a month, payable quarterly @ £45 + UK VAT (at 17.5%) per quarter (£52.88). This will be the basic standard service, allowing up to 400Kbit download speeds. We will start charging for the service from the 1st of March. It may be possible to receive the service before the scheduled service start, so if you already possess the suitable equipment for the service and wish to register before the start, the subscription page will soon be at http://www.skystorm.net/fastinternet/subscribe.htm. Please ensure that your DVB card MAC address is correctly entered on the signup form. Credit/Switch card payments will be for the period 1st March – 31st May. If the service does start before the scheduled date, any service use up to this date will be free. Payments will not be taken until the service is running and your DVB MAC address is enabled for use with the Starspeeder service. Until we are sure that the service is up and running it is impossible for you to align a dish to the Europe*Star satellite, as there is currently no other services running on the satellite. However a static signal will be available at some point during this coming week for dish alignment. Until then please do not try to align the dish yourself or get it aligned by a dish installation team, because there is nothing being transmitted except noise at the moment.

We also hope to be launching a 4Mbits multicast service in the next few months – and will only be available by subscribing to the gold subscription package, @ £27.50 + UK VAT (at 17.5%) per month.

Multicast is a way of allowing data to be simultaneously transmitted to a selected set of destinations. You can request a file and it will be multicast by starspeeder, normally during the night, to any user who has request it. Multicasting does not require an acknowledgement of receipt of the transmission; therefore you do not have to be online to receive a multicast.

The ‘Gold’ Service will only be available at the price above, and not for a few months yet anyway. It will include all the same features as the standard service, but with the addition of the multicast service.

We take this chance to clear up a few other questions that we have been asked many times.

Firstly we would like to make it clear that the service is being limited initially to 5000 users in the UK. Secondly, this does in fact include Northern Ireland, although to date there are no arrangements for the Republic of Ireland – when we receive further information we will let you know.

Installation – thanks to Trac Communications, we will soon be able to put a list of over 600 satellite installation teams on the Skystorm web site for your information. Please note however, we will not take any payment in respect of any installations carried out, instead you will have to negotiate the charge directly with the installer. Any installer you use should be a member of the Confederation of Aerial Industries – http://www.cai.org.uk.

Now time for some good news. As some of you may know, we recently had a small review article by Ian Harris for the February edition of PC Format (issue 119) which is currently on the shelves – that marked a considerable achievement for us here, it showed that all of the work we have put into the project in the last twelve months is really beginning to pay off. To add to that, the signal was tested about two weeks ago, and a powerful 52dbw was recorded!

To conclude this press release, the next update will be when the service goes ‘live’. Until then, please register your interest on the Skystorm mailing list! It can be found at http://www.skystorm.net/fastinternet/register.htm.

Apologies for the delay.
Regards & Best Wishes,
J*** Ha*****
MD – Skystorm Limited
http://www.skystorm.net

There's been a lot of questions surrounding the credibility, or lack of, from the SkyStorm team. They’re indeed a very small operation and just another reseller, although we'll soon know just how good or bad things end up with 1st March launch.

At present things are looking stable, it'll be interesting to see how these new Satellite ISPs fair against the old.

Oftel Blasts BT Over LLU Levels Of Service

By:mark.j @ 9:43:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Only a matter of weeks ago BT was criticised by both AOL and Freeserve for failing to install ADSL and open up LLU fast enough. That combined with further complaints has today forced Oftel to finally take some real action.

OFTEL has told former monopoly BT that it will have to pay compensation to rival operators if it fails to provide proper levels of service at its exchanges.

The regulator OFTEL was setting out ground rules in its flagship project to boost high-speed Internet connections by "unbundling" the telephone network and forcing BT to allow competitors to install equipment in its exchanges.

The project has got off to a slow start, with industry officials citing high costs as one reason. OFTEL said BT would "have to pay immediate compensation if service levels are not met". Operators would have the right to refer disputes to an independent expert under a new dispute resolution procedure that would complement the existing one.

The regulator said liability for lost profits would be capped, however, to ensure that claims were within reasonable limits. Operators would be able to trade exchange space rather than have to return it to BT, it added.

"OFTEL's determination provides operators with added confidence to proceed with local loop unbundling in the knowledge that the terms and conditions within their contracts are fair," a statement said, "Operators are now placing firm orders for unbundled loops."

This combined with the dramatic turn in how LLU is handled on Monday is likely to boost the overall process.

Oftel Investigating BT Surf & Talk Packages

By:mark.j @ 9:36:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Late last year Oftel received complaints about BTs new Off-Peak free local voice and Internet calls package, Surf&Talk; complaints, which claimed the packages were anti-competitive. Yesterday Oftel announced that it was now officially investigating BT for suspected breaches of competition law related to the packages.

Oftel suspects the former monopoly could be abusing its dominant market position by subsidising the Internet component of its BT Surf Together and BT Talk and Surf Together packages. The packages are part of a new series of monthly deals that BT hopes will stem the loss of customers to cable companies and other competitors.

The Surf Together deals include line rental, discounted voice calls and unlimited Internet access at evenings and weekends. The Talk and Surf Together package also includes free off-peak voice calls. About one million customers are using them.

But Oftel said it has reasonable grounds for suspecting the way BT plans to recover its costs of providing the Internet element of the deals may infringe competition law. BT remains adamant that the packages do not infringe any such laws.

This news is nothing new and Oftel have already been looking into the matter since the packages first went live. Ironically the Internet package is using the outdated Surftime system, which means that most users are finding it difficult to get online with an ISP using the technology.

BTInternet themselves recently dropped the off-peak offer, perhaps to show a separation from BT?

LogicSURF Launch - Prep Unmetered

By:mark.j @ 9:22:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

A new ISP known as LogicSURF has launched, thanks to the MD Mr Hubbard for informing us. At present it's a rather bog standard 0845 ISP and nothing to get excited about:

With LogicSurf Internet you get the following:

Unlimited Internet access charged at a local rate.
No Monthly Fees or Credit Card Required.
Unlimited Email addresses (anything@username.logicsurf.co.uk)
15Mb Webspace for both Personal or Business use
Voice and Fax to email services
Dedicated games servers
Microsoft Frontpage Extensions
Full Newsfeed with over 51,000 newsgroups
Pre-Installed CGI Scripts
IRC Servers
9am - 11pm Technical Support
Support for V.90, X2, Standard modems and ISDN up to 128k

However there's mention of an unmetered package at the very bottom of the site:

Coming Mid March 2001. We are offering 0800 access BUT only to existing users that signup before 4th March 2001. More details coming soon.

At present the ISP is only pre-subscribing customers to its service, so anybody who signs up will be informed once it's live. Sadly without explaining more about the unmetered package ahead of time, we fear most will turn away.

The website also lacks any real support details or sub-sections, so clearly a lot of work is required.

News - February 20,2001

One.Tel Disputes BTs 24% Cheaper Claims

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

The discount/third party telecommunications group, One.Tel, have today struck back at BT in a mainstream newspaper (The Times) for claiming its services (BT) are 24% cheaper than the competition.

Marc Norris, One.Tel UK's General Manager, said: "We believe BT's ad campaign is completely misleading for the consumer. Just the quickest glance at both One.Tel and BT published call rates shows that the BT findings do not make sense. We rang BT ourselves, and they confirmed that One.Tel was cheaper for a 20 minute call within the UK during the day - substantially cheaper."

One.Tel is also mad because it claims BT has not shared the methodology used in reaching the results.

But a spokesman for BT said that this information was readily available and he added that BT was considering reporting One.Tel's ad to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The BT spokesman may be right, but once again tries to get us all confused by saying the information is readily available. One.Tel wasn't disputing that; it was questioning the mathematical methodology behind it. A bit like trying to read your BT phone bill. One.Tel later admitted it was more interested in getting customers out of it than anything else (well of course it would be). More @ The Register.

C&W Extend IP Network To UK & EU

By:mark.j @ 3:30:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

C&W (Cable & Wirless) today announced the 'official' plans to extend its hi-speed Internet access service, known as global.net, to the UK and the rest of Europe.

Global.net will now be available in Britain, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Holland, Italy, Norway, France, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The service, which allows access to C&W's single, global Internet Protocol network, had previously only been available in the U.S. and Japan.

C&W said in a statement it planned to deliver "the industry's most advanced IP network infrastructure in the world," and the company is spending £300Million to build a transatlantic IP cable with French telecom equipment maker Alcatel.

Shares in Cable & Wireless were up by 9-1/2 pence, or 1.2%, to 787p by 11:55 GMT. The stock has under performed the FTSE All Share Telecommunication Index by about five percent over the last six months.

C&W also announced it had improved the speed of data transfer for customers on its high-speed Internet network. The company said data transfer on its network within the US, Europe and for Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific traffic was now the fastest in the industry.

The new IP Network is considered to be revolutionary because of its digital nature and thus cheaper call costs around the world. Exactly how the network will be implemented is not yet known; the replacement of analogue phones is only one application.

EU Internet Credit Card Fraud Up By 50%!

By:mark.j @ 3:18:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The online world took yet another beating today when the figures for last year’s credit card fraud research became public. It showed fraud across the EU had risen by a staggering 50% - £379Million lost to fraudulent transactions:

The level of online fraud may be detrimental to the e-commerce industry according to the report, which has been published jointly by the European Commission and other European bodies. "While sales in e-commerce over recent years have exceeded the most favourable estimates, its potential is inhibited by lack of confidence in the privacy and security of payment transactions performed over the internet," the report states.

The Commission has put in place a three-year action plan, which recommends that the industry should provide "the highest economically viable level of security for remote electronic payments by mid-2002 at the latest".

This is of course nothing new and the EU had been expecting 2000's figures to be high, but perhaps not that high. It's now hoped that systems such as R.I.P and the EU's latest action plan (as reported on several times before) will help curb the usage. More @ netimperative.com.

iomart makes 1000 ADSL customers!

By:mark.j @ 1:54:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following iomarts (backer of ISP Madasafish) launch of their ADSL services during July 2000, the attractive pricing and service quality seems to have brought them some success. It may not seem like much, but 1000 ADSL subscribers is quite impressive, putting them among the biggest ADSL ISPs in the UK.

Here's the full press release we recieved:

iomart Hits One Thousand ADSL Customers

iomart Group plc (www.iomart.com ) is today (February 20,2001) pleased to announced that it has acquired its 1,000th Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) customer, making the integrated telecommunications and internet services company one of the leading DSL providers in the UK.

Glasgow and London-based, iomart was the first to market in the UK with their business-class CopperBurst ADSL product after successfully taking part in early proving trials of the new high speed internet connection technology.

Commenting on the news, iomart Director of Broadband Services, Phil Worms said: "Whilst a 1000 customers does not sound a great number, given the difficulties associated with deploying such a new technology as ADSL, we are delighted to have achieved this milestone. We have invested heavily in both marketing and customer service, and I believe that we will begin to reap the benefits of this investment over the next 12 months. The successful deployment of DSL is a key plank in iomart's overall ASP strategy of providing both the access and the end user applications such as Thinkmail, iomart's newly launched outsourced e-mail product. The experience that we have gained these past few months leaves us well placed to become one of the UK's largest DSL providers."

For business, ADSL is a faster and cheaper option to either ISDN or leased lines and opens the way to a raft of high-speed DSL-based business applications currently under development by iomart. In addition to its advantages of superior connection speeds of up to 2Mb per second and reliability, the iomart ADSL service gains business users -

* cost effective permanent internet access without the expense of a leased line;
* improved productivity, efficiency and greater budgetary control;
* real time email
* and top quality service and faster, more resilient download and access times.

Consumer ADSL packages, marketed via lifestyle ISPs, Madasafish ( http://www.madasafish.com and Jings! http://www.jings.com ), offer:

* unmetered 24 x 7 internet access
* a fixed Internet Protocol (IP) address, denoting the user's 'always on' internet presence
* and no missed telephone calls while online.

All iomart ADSL services offer a permanent 24 hour internet connection at a fixed monthly price without incurring usage based connection or call charges.

BTOpenworld Adds FULL MacOS Support

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

While we already knew about this from last week and the weeks preceding them, today BTOpenworld have sent us the official press release about MacOS packages and support:

BTOPENWORLD LAUNCHES FIRST USB BROADBAND SERVICE FOR APPLE MACINTOSH USERS

BTopenworld, BT's global Internet business today announced the launch of the Home500 product for Macintosh. Following a successful trial of the drivers from supplier BT Ignite, BTopenworld is now the UK's first commercial service to offer Mac users broadband access using unique USB Plug & Play technology. The drivers necessary to run the service are now available for download at www.btopenworld.com.

Based on ADSL technology, the service offers users always-on, high-speed broadband Internet access (initially at up to 10 times faster than conventional modems). The installation process is simple and fast, requiring work at the exchange and in the home, and the package comes complete with a USB modem and the required cabling. BTopenworld also provides end-to-end customer service, including a technical helpdesk charged at local call-rates.

The Home500 product for Macintosh is available now priced at GBP 39.99 per month (inc.VAT) with an installation charge of GBP 150 (inc.VAT). A business version is also available, priced at GBP 39.99 per month (exc.VAT) with an installation charge of GBP 150 (exc.VAT). In conjunction with BT's business ASP, Ignite Application Services, the service also offers users two portals featuring a range of rich content and interactive applications designed for the home user and small business market.

Marc Deschamps, Chief Operating Officer of BTopenworld, said: "We are delighted that Macintosh users are now able to make use of the BTopenworld USB broadband service. Macintosh users have sophisticated needs and broadband technology will now allow them use the Internet to its full capability. Transferring big graphics files, downloading software packages, streaming video and other such things are now viable, allowing Mac users to work more effectively and efficiently."

The minimum recommended Mac computer specification for the BTopenworld
Business 500 product is as follows: Power PC 601 or equivalent, 32mb memory, 2-speed CD-ROM drive, Video Driver, 800x600 display, 256 colours, 100mb free disc space, Operating system 8.1 or higher, Open Transport version 1.3 networking software, 10 base T network adapter with RJ45 connector.

BTopenworld broadband products are currently subject to geographic availability and minimum computer specifications. For further details or to order any BTopenworld products please visit:
http://www.btopenworld.com.

BTInternet Cuts Off-Peak - Customers Angry

By:mark.j @ 10:04:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Much to the annoyance of BTInternet customers currently paying £9.99 per month for unmetered off-peak access, BTI have chosen to cut this and technically force them all over to the new £14.99 per month 24/7 option.

It all sounds eerily similar to the price changes WorldOnline made some time ago and plan to do again soon. While the new deal may be more attractive, most probably have a reason for not choosing to change over. The change will take place at the end of March 2001:

BT claims users will be better off using the packages. The rationalisation means that some 100,000 Net users who were using their credit cards to pay £9.99 a month for unmetered off peak Net access will now be transferred to BTinternet's Anytime flat-rate 24/7 unmetered access and charged via their phone bill.

However, the move has come at a price - and it's not just the fact that AnyTime costs £14.99 a month - £5 more that customer s are currently paying.

The new services are only available to users who have a BT phone line. This has angered some users who will now have to make additional arrangements for unmetered Net access.

While the change may only affect around 5,000 users (small if your BTI), customers have now been further angered by the ISP who suggests that Off-Peak users could always try the Pay-as-you-go option. That or they could try leaving the ISP for another. More @ The Register.

IC24 Sale Pending

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

According to several sites and newspapers, specifically The Guardian, the free off-peak 0800 ISP IC24 could be up for sale before too long. Cutting right to the point:

Insiders stressed that no firm decisions had been taken on ic24 but acknowledged that the City has been looking for a disposal. "The future of the ISP is under scrutiny," said one. "The group is looking at what the next logical step is."

We firmly believe IC24 will be sold, but to who is not yet known, however it does mean that the current 0800 offer would be unlikely to last the distance.

News - February 19,2001

C.U.T Condemn NTLs Unmetered Call Removal

By:mark.j @ 3:32:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The C.U.T (Campaign for Unmetered Telecommunications) have made yet another update today about NTLs proposal to remove unmetered (cable-cable) Internet access from their telephone call plan on February 28th:

NTL have unilaterally decided to remove the unmetered (cable-cable) Internet option from their telephone call plan on February 28th. This special Internet promotion was inherited from Videotron and passed through Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) (1996) to NTL (2000). It brought in tens of thousands of subscribers to Videotron and will affect several thousand remaining with NTL. These subscribers decided that they will benefit from the extra £10 monthly charge (imposed by CWC) for an unmetered Internet connection. The enforced '3-2-1 Call Plan' Internet call has a 4.9p connection charge with a currently unspecified per minute (metered) charge, even though the connection is cable-cable.

It was exactly three years ago (to the month) that subscribers decided to challenge CWC, as CWC also planned to remove this same unmetered option. To the informed, this was perceived as a backwards move from unmetered Internet connections. With various official bodies taking a positive interest in CWC's methods, the unmetered plan remained, but with a £10 surcharge added. Similarly, NTL have also decided to remove it. There are some very familiar features reminiscent of three years ago: the principle, the illogical timing and the chaos with their customer services department. (Not to mention, of course, the mis-billing that may again occur, whether it stays, or goes.)

So, where do these subscribers stand now? - currently still not knowing whether their plan remains, or goes. For many of those who are using this unmetered connection, over the last 5 years or so, it has changed their life style - they have become accustomed to the electronic age - relying heavily on e-mail, and other Internet-related means of communications. Because of the favourable terms, many have established and maintained their same e-mail address for over 5 years.

There's a huge amount of detail in this post about the pros and cons (mostly cons) of removing the unmetered service. It's widely regarded as a step back for NTL and one that may save money, but could seriously damage its market structure because they fail to understand the customers.

Tom Steinbergs Working Broadband Paper

By:mark.j @ 3:23:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Tom is a frequent visitor to ISP Review and we've often helped him with some of his work. He's also a research fellow and IT manager at the Institute of Economic Affairs and writes frequently for publications such as the Parliamentary IT Briefing and The Register.

Today he was kind enough to give a little back and inform us of his latest Working Paper known as Open Networks: A Solution to Britain's Broadband Problems?. The paper can be found HERE and is unique because it suggests some positive actions BT could make to improve things:

The UK is in danger of having all the regulatory structures in place for a converged communications market with little actual convergence to go with it. It is therefore urgent that ways of dealing with the misalignment of shareholder and consumer interests are looked at by the government. An open network in which true competition between service providers could take place, against the background of a willing and enabling infrastructure provider would hugely improve the UK's chances of being able to call itself a leading wired nation.

There is one last reason to think seriously about the communications market once LLU is finally finished. It is the danger that without a bold move to deal with shareholder conflicts, each network upgrade to a new generation of communications technology will be just as slow and tortuous as the move from ISDN to ADSL was. This could mean that every generation of new technology will see the UK slipping further and further behind countries in which there is strong competition, or even worse, behind countries which never even privatised their telecoms industries in the first place.

World Online Now ISP Only

By:rich.p @ 2:47:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

World Online will not be taking anymore telecoms customers, instead they’re focusing on providing the best possible ISP. Existing customers will not be affected by this change; their services are to continue as normal. The change has been made because World Online want to become more ISP focused rather than dealing with large problems they faced through the BT Call and Access products.

They’re set to offer new Internet access packages in March, which will most likely include unmetered access in some form. World Online also told ISPreview that ISDN internet access would also be available in a new package to be announced during March. WOL currently only offer ISDN access on an 0845 number and not on their freedom packages.

The change seemed likely because of the number of problems they were getting with communication and billing between them and BT. A common problem faced by so many ISPs.

blueyonder southeast update

By:Daniel @ 1:40:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Just a quick update on the blueyonder southeast issue, blueyonder worked non-stop through the night to get the southeast problem sorted and it was restored late Friday night.

Official: Oftel Drops LLU - Exchanges Still Open

By:mark.j @ 11:43:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The bad news is Oftel have indeed dropped LLU, the good news is that technically the process still alive because operators will be allowed to apply for any exchanges they wish:

A spokesperson for Oftel said: "It should not come as a surprise, we’ve moved into a new stage of the process and doesn’t mean that LLU is over."

Because of the dearth of operators in the running, a third tranche will not be held and if operators wish to apply for additional exchanges, it will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

According to Oftel, operators will be asked to confirm bids for December’s exchanges in the next month. It says that building works and surveying is continuing and the first exchanges will be available by Easter.

So in other words we were correct, LLU isn't actually dead, it's just being dealt with in a very different way. Quite what effect this will have is not yet known, more @ netimperative.com.

ISP Review PR/TV Staff Needed

By:mark.j @ 11:24:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Today ISP Review is looking for some more specialised staff that could join our spare time project. We really need one or two PR people to help us deal with more complex representations that none of us have experience with. Namely TV interviews.

The usual phone, E-Mail and private meetings are no problem for the older staff such as myself or maybe Rob. But not only do we rarely have enough time to drive around the country for TV related interviews, but nor do we have any real experience in that specific area.

Being a spare time and NFP group means that we don't pay because we have no money ourselves (from ISPr that is). So this is ideal for those studying at university for a similar media course and perhaps wanting some experience for their portfolio.

Obviously we're looking for one or two people with a good technical knowledge of networks and most importantly - ISPs. You'd need to be fully aware of the industries present state and know the difference between FRIACO and BTSurfPort24 etc. not to mention an understanding of broadband technologies.

This position requires somebody of roughly mid-twenties and above, that's a good speaker/not camera shy. Unless you want to help out in some other way then you'd only be called upon maybe two or three times a year to act as our rep. Please E-Mail me if interested and try to include a photo (face =]).

Oftel Scraps Local Loop Unbundling?

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

Thanks to several of our readers for pointing out THIS stunning article from the Sunday Telegraph. It claims that due mainly to lack of interest, Oftel has chosen to scrap its Local Loop Unbundling plans:

The decision to abort the "bow wave" programme, under which BT was obliged to open up tranches of local exchanges to rivals progressively, marks a further blow to the Government's hopes of bringing competition in high speed internet access and other broadband services to homes and businesses throughout the UK.

Industry insiders say the number of companies interested in competing in local telecoms services through the "unbundling" of BT's network has fallen to unexpectedly low levels. As a result the bow wave process is now unnecessary.

According to one senior industry executive: "The view is that so many operators have dropped out that demand for space in exchanges can be handled on a-business-as-usual basis by BT. But what are the procedures? There are a lot of open questions there. I am not confident we will get anything [from BT] on a case-by-case basis," he said.

We find this information very hard to believe because Local Loop Unbundling is not just something you can scrap; it's a requirement and one the EU regards very highly. Many of those countries who’ve already finished LLU had similar problems to start with, it's nothing out of the ordinary.

Not to mention that some deals have already been agreed, these are not things you can just turn off after some companies have made significant investments. This is NOT official news yet and should be regarded with one very large pinch of salt until Oftel issues a formal press release.

If true then this won't only be a serious blow to the companies involved, but also to the government and its EU relations. As yet nothing is official and Oftel could be doing it in the hope that BTs impending split will help things, wait and see.

LineOne & Virgin Going Unmetered - Again?

By:mark.j @ 9:41:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

If you're one of those readers burnt by the last spate of actions from LineOne, then this news could come as a shock, but at least it's interesting. Following the inception of BTSurfport24 during January and ST-FRIACO last week, both LineOne and VirginNET are looking to re-join the unmetered ISP market from semi-dormant states:

LineOne, which pulled its old unmetered service last July saying that costs were four times higher than expected, said it would launch a new service based on BT’s SurfPort24 FRIACO (Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination) product in the late Spring.

And Virgin.net, which is still embroiled in its attempt to split its ISP business with telecoms company ntl, said it is looking at launching a new unmetered package in the first half of this year.

That sets out late Spring as the battleground for a second round of unmetered launches, following the false dawn last March when a raft of unlimited access products were launched only to be withdrawn or scaled back later in the year.

The move, as reported by netimperative.com, is likely to lift a few eyebrows and also spark further competition. It also represents the first take-up news of what could be a very interesting week, although we have yet to see whether ST-FRIACO appeals to Telco's as hoped, with only WorldCom signed up. Keep watching.

News - February 18,2001

Quick Note to Say...

By:Ross14 @ 3:45:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

..thanks to everyone who came to chat with me and the rest of the ISPr Staff Team in our Live Sunday Chat.

We appreciate it that you took time to come and chat with us =)

ISPr will be holding another Live Chat very soon so watch this space for details.

ISP Review Weekly Update

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

Another interesting week with the launch of our broadband section and the constant squabbling between BT, Oftel and the ISPs. Not to mention Oftels finalisation for FRIACO2 (ST-FRIACO) finally arriving, albeit a little late.

This update will be shorter than usual because we're not ready to announce the next set of site improvements and are going back to the normal review/articles routine. However we do plan to make a few smaller changes, mainly fixes.

Firstly we've heard that the new page header doesn't like 'SOME' users who browse with Netscape v4.x. There's no 'code reason' why the reported errors are occurring, although it does seem to clash with customized font and font sizes under MacOS and MS Windows.

We're also planning to re-do the links page and improve the 'Complaints' page with a little interaction. Aside from all that we're trying to update our older ISP reviews to the new template and re-write the reviews themselves - all of which takes time.

Lastly we have to make the 'Subscription' and '0845FREE' listings automated, this will commence as soon as there's some spare time.

From now things will be a little quieter until March while we test and plan for the next and possibly final spate of improvements before we're happy with ISPr.

News - February 17,2001

All Herald Rate Adaptive ADSL From BT

By:mark.j @ 10:18:AM - Comments (11) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

As we mentioned in the information guide for our ADSL section of the new broadband page, BT have been quietly testing Rate Adaptive ADSL, or at least preparing to trial it:

The idea behind this is that people who currently live too far from an exchange to get ADSL services will be able to get a slightly hobbled* version.

Enter the rate adaptive version, provided the trials are successful. This allows the upstream speed to vary under the control of the ADSL modem. This will run at between 64kbps and 288kbps (for end user speeds you still need to take overheads into account) depending on the performance of the line.

The downstream speed will stay at 576kbps before overhead.

The article @ The Register gives very little detail, although from our information guide on ADSL we can tell you the technology is known as RDSL/RADSL. Unlike normal ADSL, which requires you to be under 3.5KM from the exchange, RADSL can push that distance to 8KM!

As the above article states, you're likely to see less speed because of this, although nobody is quite sure how the prices will play out (we’re asking some American friends now, they already use it). R/RADSL is generally as far as consumer DSL options go; normally any xDSL above this requires a more focused network.

The ISP Guide For Gamers

By:mark.j @ 9:47:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

SweeneY from http://www.battle-fields.com has written up an informative and interesting article about choosing the right ISP, specifically one for online gamers. The article is a lengthy four pages, but well worth the read if this is the area you're interested in.

Read it HERE

ISP Review Live Sunday Chat

By:mark.j @ 9:40:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

This Sunday (18th) I (Ross, not Mark) have decided to dedicate most of my day - 11am - 4pm - to being in the ISPr Chat Room.

If you want to come and join me then please do - remember to put the date in your diary!

We will be discussing various topics such as Unmetered ISPs, ISP Abuse, The Future, Connection Help and more. I would appreciate it that if you are going to ask any questions to have them prepared beforehand =).

News - February 16,2001

blueyonder Update

By:Daniel @ 6:51:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following from out the blueyonder issue,

A spokesperson for Telewest said:

“In the early hours of Friday morning our network centre in Basildon was broken into. 23 servers were stolen and other important equipment was vandalised.

“This equipment ran our high speed Internet and the interactive element of our digital television service in the in south-east region.

“We will be working through the weekend and bringing in equipment from other areas to restore service as soon as possible which we expect will take approximately 48 hours.

“We apologise for this inconvenience, and appreciate how frustrating loss of service is.”