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June 26, 2001 - June 29, 2001

News - June 29,2001

0800Online's Important Service Updates

By:mark.j @ 10:01:AM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We've seen a lot of providers having serious service troubles these last few weeks, most from a combination of trying to make their packages too flexible and competitively priced at the same time.

Today the Dogmagroup's unmetered ISP 0800Online has been another to suffer, although they've now taken swift action to improve things.

As many of you may remember they were offering a fairly standard £14.99 per month unmetered package, although we also highlighted the 6hour cut off, which we believed could cause problems. Once again we were correct as the following private update sent to us this morning shows:

quick update from thedogmagroup.com
first note -
We are sorry to all of our customers, for the outage at around 9 pm yesterday evening. It was due to a loss in connectivity which meant customers attempting to use the Internet could not browse although they where connected.
This was rectified at 1.30 this morning.

quick note -
The cut-off time has now been changed once again, due to the abuse of the system by one too many customers, leaving the connection running for the maximum allocated time (6 hours) with only 1.6Mb total transfer. We find this unacceptable, and the cut-off time has been reduced to 3 hours.

last note -
An unmetered access deal for cable customers has been negotiated. The final details will be released next week, at www.0800.onlineserve.co.uk , but it is believed to consist of the following:

-0800 access from any telephone network
-unlimited email addresses
-20Mb free webspace
-30,000+ newsgroup access
-0800 technical support

Also, any customers that have attempted to contact us over the last few days may have experienced extreme difficulties, due to the re-location of the hardware suite and the Office suite to central Manchester.

Also, we currently do not support dual isdn as standard, but pricing for the unmetered dual 128k isdn can be obtained from sales.

So to sum things up, they've reduced the cut off from its ridiculous 6hour mark to a more reasonable/standard 3hourly one. They've also apparently got a special deal in place for Cable customers, although as Vispa recently showed us, we'd be VERY sceptical.

NTL won't support any BT infrastructure based unmetered services going through their own network at this time. Telewest is another matter, as is EuroBell etc.

Finally and perhaps of most interest, they seem to have an unsupported 128Kbps ISDN package, which we'll try to find some more details on. At present it's probably best to avoid signing up for a week or so (if you plan to) until their network has had a chance to settle. The 0800Dial ‘Specific ISP Forum’ is probably one of the best places to keep track of any changes in service quality.

BT Succeeds In First 3G Video Call

By:mark.j @ 9:47:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The Isle of Man is where BT are attempting to build and subsequently test their very first 3G (3rd Generation broadband wireless mobile phones) network until it's ready for nationwide use in a few years time.

The good news is that they appear to be on target for the trial phase and have managed to make the first ever (in the UK) 3G Video-to-Video mobile phone call over the technology:

The 3G video call, thought to be the first of its type to be made outside of a test centre, was made between two 3G handsets made by NEC. Each was connected to a palm-sized device called an "image viewer terminal" (IVT), which consists of a camera and a small screen.

"We had to do the call that way, because no manufacturer has created a 3G device with a built-in screen and camera yet," a spokesman explained. The call took place at Ronaldsway Airport, which is situated on the south-east of the island.

BT is working in partnership with Manx Telecom whose managing director Chris Hall said said that the successful video call was a key step in the process of building a 3G network on the island. "Along with our project partners at NEC and Siemens, we are making progress every day and achieving significant milestones with 3G technology and devices, all of which provide BT Wireless with invaluable experience and learning," he said in a statement.

The ZDNet item is important because it once again reminds us that it won't be long before we're all able to see AND speak with people almost anywhere in the world. Don't forget to checkout our 3G Broadband Wireless article if you want to find out more.

SniffOut Clarify ISP Packages

By:mark.j @ 9:38:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The unmetered and standard dialup ISP, SniffOut, was kind enough to send us a special E-Mail that might help describe the details of their various packages to any potential customers.

We've covered them all before, but some of you might find this useful:

General
There are currently six packages available, branded collectively as the Open Road range.

Two options offer metered Internet access with no ISP charges.
The other four packages all offer unmetered Internet access, with different connection levels.

Features offered also vary according to package.

Web site: http://www.sniffout.net/

Enquiries (all packages): 0845 4582356 (local rate call) or support@sniffout.co.uk

Classic - Subscription Free
Dial in at local call rates. Eligible for any telephone company discounts. No ISP charges.
Unlimited POP3 email accounts plus web mail interface
50MB non-commercial webspace supporting FrontPage extensions.
Access speeds to 128K ISDN.
Newsgroups
Telephone support (24x7) at 50p per min. Free email support.
No minimum commitment period
PC and Mac compatible

DialPlus - Subscription Free
Dial in at reduced rates of 2p per min peak, and 1p per min at all other times. No ISP charges.
Requires BT line (under review)
Unlimited POP3 email accounts plus web mail interface
50MB non-commercial webspace supporting FrontPage extensions.
Access speeds to 64K ISDN. (128K ISDN under review)
Newsgroups
Telephone support (24x7) at 50p per min. Free email support.
No minimum commitment period
PC and Mac compatible

TimeOut - £8.99 per month
Inclusive unmetered Internet access 4pm to 8am weekdays and all weekend.
Reconnection required every 2 hours - 15 mins. idle cut-off
Calls 8am - 4pm Monday to Friday charged at 2p per min.
Requires BT line (under review)
Unlimited POP3 email accounts plus web mail interface,
Unlimited non-commercial webspace supporting FrontPage extensions.
Access speeds to 64K ISDN. (128K ISDN under review)
Newsgroups
Telephone support (24x7) at 50p per min. Free email support.
Subscription renewal monthly - no extended commitment
PC and Mac compatible

PeakTime - £11.99 per month
Inclusive unmetered Internet access 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday for business
No timed disconnection - 15 mins. idle cut-off
Requires BT line (under review)
Unlimited POP3 email accounts plus web mail interface,
Unlimited non-commercial webspace supporting FrontPage extensions.
Access speeds to 64K ISDN. (128K ISDN under review)
Newsgroups
Telephone support 8am - 8pm daily at local call rate (50p per min. overnight) Free email support.
Subscription renewal monthly - no extended commitment
PC and Mac compatible

SmartTime - £12.99 per month
Inclusive 24x7 unmetered Internet access for the home
Reconnection required every 2 hours - 15 mins. idle cut-off
Requires BT line (under review)
Unlimited POP3 email accounts plus web mail interface,
Unlimited non-commercial webspace supporting FrontPage extensions.
Access speeds to 64K ISDN. (128K ISDN under review)
Newsgroups
Telephone support (24x7) at 50p per min. Free email support.
Subscription renewal monthly - no extended commitment
PC and Mac compatible

DreamTime - £19.99 per month
Inclusive 24x7 unmetered Internet access for the home
Reconnection required every 5 hours - 15 mins. idle cut-off
Requires BT line (under review)
Unlimited POP3 email accounts plus web mail interface,
Unlimited non-commercial webspace supporting FrontPage extensions.
Access speeds to 64K ISDN. (128K ISDN under review)
Newsgroups
Telephone support 8am - 8pm daily at local call rate (50p per min. overnight) Free email support.
Subscription renewal monthly - no extended commitment
PC and Mac compatible

NTL Gives Ex-C&W Users A Broadband Group

By:mark.j @ 9:31:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to DigitalSpy, broadband customers in Ex-C&W (Cable & Wireless) areas will soon be able to discuss issues with the service in several new newsgroups:

ntl has announced today that it is creating two new newsgroups to provide support and discussion facilities for customers on the ex-CWC broadband service.

The newsgroups, ntl.support.broadband.stb and ntl.discussion.broadband.stb, will go live on Monday 2nd July, the scheduled launch date for the ex-CWC cable modem service in the North West.

PIPEX - One of the UK's Strongest E-Brands

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

PIPEX have sent us another press release reguarding how The Superbrands eCouncil has voted them one of Britain's strongest
Internet-dedicated brands:

PIPEX, the UK's first commercial ISP and pioneer of the Internet in the UK and Europe has been voted one of Britain's strongest Internet-dedicated brands.

The Superbrands eCouncil, made up of leading figures in the Internet branding world, has selected PIPEX.com to be one of an exclusive group of 50 UK companies awarded with the prestigious title of 'eBrandLeader'.

The Superbrands organisation is the independent authority on Internet-dedicated brands and ebranding issues, promoting the discipline of branding by paying tribute to exceptional brands.

Mike Butcher, News Editor, The Industry Standard, remarked "Branding excellence is absolutely critical within the world of the Internet. It is only the strongest brands that can be confident of a positive future."

David Rickards, Managing Director of PIPEX, commented "Everyone at PIPEX is very proud of our brand heritage and to be awarded with the title 'eBrandLeader' is a supreme endorsement of our brand's exceptional status for our existing and potential investors, customers, suppliers, employees and the media".

"Furthermore, to be recognised as one of Britain's strongest ebrands in the new digital economy pays tribute to our success in delivering products and services to our customers in line with the PIPEX brand promise of quality, reliability, confidence and value for money".

The eBrandLeaders book and website provide a comprehensive insight into the UK's leading Internet-dedicated brands, as well as opinions from ebrand experts and other valuable information. The website can be viewed at http://www.ebrandleaders.org.

News - June 28,2001

Vispa On Unmetered Launch & NTL Issues

By:mark.j @ 3:53:PM - Comments (9) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Vispa Internets project manager, Steven Holmes, has today finally sent us their official wording on the NTL issue we've been covering for the last few days.

As many may remember we revealed NTL chose NOT to support Vispa's unmetered service. Vispa's MD then assured us they'd do their utmost to follow-up another possible solution, sadly the following update shows that avenue failed:

Bad news for NTL / cable customers..

Over the past few days we have been looking into a way around NTL's system so that we could provide access to cable customers.

After hours of investigating our little 'way around the problem' we have been informed that it simply cannot be done as our unmetered service is based on the BT infrastructure. If you dial our unmetered number from any other Telco other than BT you will simply hear..

"The number you have dialled has not been recognised. Please try again.".

So bad news for NTL users. If you are one of them please contact our accounts team 'accounts@vispa.net' for a full refund if any money / deposit has been paid.

As this is the first step for Vispa in the unmetered market place we are looking at an alternative service, which is accessible via any UK licensed Telco. Unfortunately this service would cost us over £2.1 million.

We can assure you that all possibilities of bringing NTL / cable customer onboard are being looked at carefully including the FRIACO PLUS+ service.

And now for the good news...

We have just this minute been issued our unmetered access numbers (0808). We are now waiting for confirmation that our unmetered radius server is online. Once we get the email we will publish the connection details to our Beta Testers. This should happen by 4pm today.

Our unmetered service will officially launch sometime next week (date to be confirmed). If you are currently on our waiting list we may begin to connect accounts in batches of 50. We will email you all in turn with your connection details.

We will contact our beta testers in the next few hours.

NTL customers will no doubt be feeling a little low after having subscribed, but then it's not as if other ISPs haven't tried to do what Vispa did and failed just the same.

Thankfully the unmetered service itself, although not supporting NTL, will go live NEXT WEEK. If it keeps to the quality provided by their 0845 service then things should be very good indeed.

EU Council Agrees 7 Year Data Retention Plan

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

The hugely controversial proposal that could see all voice and data (Internet) traffic stored for up to seven years has cleared the first stage with the EU Council.

For many it's an incredibly bad to thing happen, but there's stiff opposition with hopes now resting on the European Parliament, whom might reject it:

If adopted, the changes would give police access to telephone, email and Internet records going back up to seven years, although the length of time the records would be kept has not yet been agreed. Furthermore, the European Parliament is expected to reject the proposal, which faces strong opposition from privacy advocates and many European politicians.

After what an EU press release described as "thorough debate", the council agreed that the new directive on data protection and privacy in the telecommunications sector would give member states the power to bring in their own laws forcing network and services providers to retain traffic data. Such information would be available to law enforcement agencies

Britain has been lobbying the EU Telecommunications Council to accept the proposals, in the face of heavy criticism. It claims they will help in the fight against crime. According to the Daily Telegraph, British officials at the EU have said that the changes will help the police to detect child pornography, incitement to racism and money laundering on the Net.

The ZDNet item shows both sides of the argument, although we're quite ashamed that our own country seems to play such a big part in selling civil liberties down the river. Fingers crossed the EU will listen to reason, hah!

Tele2's Missing Broadband Package

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

Note that we've so far been unable to confirm this with Tele2 and until such a time as we can then this should be considered unofficial news.

According to one of our reader/forum goers, Harvy, the Tele2 Tariff's page is missing one of their broadband wireless packages:

WIRELESS DSL LEISURE TIME

Features:
Up to 64kbps from 08.00am to 6.00pm
From 64kbps to 512kbps from 6.00pm to 08.00am
Unlimited data transfer
24 Hour connection
One free e-mail address

Monthly Fee:
£39.99 (Direct debit monthly or annually via credit card)

Installation Fee
£149.00 (additional £50 for buildings over two storeys)

All above are inclusive of VAT

This would certainly be quite a bit cheaper then their closest alternative of £50 per month plus. VAT for 512Kbps, although the speed fluctuations may not be to everybody’s liking.

UPDATE: WonkyPig Briefly Close Service

By:mark.j @ 10:04:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We've long since known the new unmetered ISP, WonkyPig, has links with the unmetered ISP BigBlueSky. Despite this they've always denied any REAL connections with the provider, until today.

When BBS announced that their unmetered was being taken off we soon (this morning) saw the following update appear on WonkyPig:

News Update - 09-00 28/06/01
Firstly, apologies to all our customers for the connection difficulties you have been experiencing.

The main causes of this.
1) Our Main Carrier having major technial issues.

We have been in lengthy negotiations with our carrier (BBS) to reconfigure the existing ports and add more, but this has not been successful.. As a result, we are in discussions with another telcos to continue the service, but this will mean we have a system outage for 2-3 days from the 29th June 2001, for the servers to be re-located.

Customers who have registered for the £15 or £30 offer who have not recieved there user details will be refunded in full.

Dial Up Customer Care: 0870 740 6651
Main Carrier provided by Big Blue Sky - http://www.bigbluesky.uk.net

Thankfully the unfortunately named WonkyPig seem confident they can move their services to another server in just 2-3 days. Given that BBS won't be back for 14 days then this looks like good news for those on WonkyPig and who've received their details.

Hopefully by Monday next week we might actually known people who've managed to use the service and thus tell us of its quality. It's never a good thing to have such serious problems so early on in an ISPs life, good luck.

UPDATE:
While WonkyPig may have been linked with BBS, don't forget that there were questions regarding the charity ISP ItsGoodToGive and their links with WonkyPig.

The ISP is still taking on customer registrations and yet clearly there's no service to offer, this isn't really legal. We've been trying to inform them to no avail.

EU Postpone SPAM Ban Debate

By:mark.j @ 9:54:AM - Comments (4) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

After failing to reach a clear-cut agreement, the EU telecom ministers have opted to postpone their debate on Banning SPAM.

The provisions, part of broad proposals on confidentiality of electronic data and communication, would harmonise laws by introducing a so-called opt-in clause, under which direct marketers could only send e-mails or use a customer's data after explicit consent from the customer.

The ministers said they would reopen the debate after hearing the European Parliament's view on the proposal.

"The Parliament has not yet dealt with it," European Telecommunications Commissioner Erkki Liikanen told a press conference. "As a result, we felt it was not appropriate to deal with this matter now."

EU sources said the majority of EU member states were backing the opt-in system, which would create a de facto ban on SPAM e-mail within the EU.

But resistance from other members, led by Britain and France, was preventing an agreement. This group wants to ensure an "opt out" system, common in the U.S, under which consumers have to say specifically they do not want to receive unsolicited web-mail.

Austria, Italy, Denmark, Finland and Germany have already introduced the opt-in system, claiming it protects citizens better from unwanted e-advertising and chain letters, some containing offensive and sexually explicit messages.

The Outer Limit Of Fibre Optic Networks

By:mark.j @ 9:49:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Up until very recently the technology simply didn't exist to know EXACTLY how far Fibre Optic networks (Cable Co's etc.) could take high-speed network connections. That was until today when Lucent Technologies Bell Labs scientists made an important discovery.

One single strand of optical fibre is apparently able to transmit 10-times more information than previously thought, which means the potential power of such networks has yet to be realised.

The Bell Labs team, whose scientific results appear in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, found that it is theoretically possible to send about 100 terabits of information, or roughly 20 billion one-page e-mails, simultaneously per strand of fibre.

Current commercial optical systems can transmit just under two terabits of information per second and laboratory experiments have demonstrated transmission rates of 10 terabits per second.

"This paper highlights the fundamental understanding of the ultimate capacity of fibre," said Alastair Glass, chief technical officer of Lucent's Optical Networking Group. "It says that we are still a long way from the fundamental limits in current commercial systems, and it's still uncertain when optical systems will be able to approach the theoretical limits."

Of course if you're dealing with light then is it really any surprise when you suddenly discover information can travel at 'light speeds' =). We can't wait for 100 Terabit modems.

Freeserve Welcome Oftels Announcement

By:mark.j @ 9:41:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Freeserve, AOL or the ISPA are usually quick to respond to any announcement by BT or Oftel that could potentially affect their services. Today it's the turn of Freeserve who've given a cautious welcome to Oftel's announcement over high-speed Internet access.

Oftel has told BT to cut charges to firms using its equipment to provide broadband services. Freeserve say the regulator may now be realising surfers in the UK think broadband Internet access is too expensive.

Hopefully the phrase, "Too little.. Too late," won't end up meaning anything.

Vispa Not Given Up On NTL Users

By:mark.j @ 9:36:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Yesterday we posted word that due to NTL going back on their agreement with Vispa, users of Vispa or LogicSurf's freecall number would not get unmetered calls if using an NTL line.

Thankfully Vispa's MD was quick to say that they're trying to develop another solution to the problem:

NTL may not want to route calls via BT, however we are looking at a direct interconnect with NTL ourselves. Norweb our provider has a direct connection already in place, we are now in talks to open this up to FRIACO traffic, it will takes a few weeks to get something sorted.

Hopefully this will result in unmetered access for those on an NTL line once again becoming a reality, we'll hope for the best.

Telewest Clog Dialup Users E-Mail

By:mark.j @ 9:31:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Telewest are well known for sending out messages with larger than life attachments, which often take up more space than a North American car.

This time users of the SurfUnlimited unmetered service found their slow dialup clogged with a 1mb file touting the merits of their other broadband blueyonder service =):

Telewest regularly sends out releases that stress the bandwidth challenge, and El Reg has asked them in the past to stop the irksome practice of sending press releases including hi-res images of its logo and the like.

Today's bandwidth grabbing monster, THE NEED FOR SPEED! - new blueyonder campaign has broadband appeal, takes the biscuit.

We tried to speak to Telewest on the phone about why it had taken to promoting broadband through choking up people's individual connections, surely as a telco it should know better than anyone the effects of its actions. Unfortunately by the time the damn thing had downloaded Telewest's consumer PR co-ordinator had gone to lunch. She still hasn't returned our call.

As The Register states, Telewest haven't exactly got the best track history with advertising and this isn't the first time users found their E-Mail clogged. Perhaps this time they'll learn? We doubt it.

EU To Bring Net Access To 'Every Home'

By:mark.j @ 9:24:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Under the latest agreement done through European Union telecoms ministers, Internet access MUST now be made available to every home. Apparently even if you live on top of a Mountain, operators will still have to guarantee "functional" Internet access.

Such requirements update existing so-called universal service provisions for access to voice telephony and fax lines.

"We have agreed that everyone should be able to use Internet, telephone and fax," said Bjorn Rosengren, the Swedish minister who was chairing the meeting of EU telecomms ministers.

"We are not just talking of people living in remote areas but also people who find themselves in a weak social position," he told a press conference after the meeting.

But the proposal fell short of calling for a universal provision for fast, broadband Internet access, which still has a very low penetration in the EU.

European Commissioner Erkki Liikanen said the regulation would follow technological developments and did not exclude that the Commission would make proposals to change that. Perhaps next year they'll choose to back the Broadband Britain style pledge, even if it doesn't work.

BigBlueSky To Cease Unmetered!

By:mark.j @ 9:11:AM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It came a little 'after hours' yesterday evening to cover, although BigBlueSky's latest unmetered service status update doesn't look good!:

News Update - 17:45 27/06/01
Firstly, apologies to all our customers for the connection difficulties you have been experiencing.

There have been two main causes of this.
1) Web Port configuration
2) The success of the offer

We have been in lengthy negotiations with our telco to reconfigure the existing ports and add more, but this has not been successful yet. As a result, we are in discussions with other telcos in order to continue the service, but this will necessitate system outage for 14 days from the 29th June 2001.

When it resumes we will be forced to return as an 0845 ISP as soon as it is possible to do so.

David Singleton

The update is quite confusing and seems written in such a way that it could mean one of two things. BBS will return in two weeks with only an 0845 service to offer, or they'll offer 0845 until 14 days have passed and unmetered is hopefully reinstated.

Either way the fact remains that BBS have closed their unmetered services until further notice. While most have been expecting something like this due to their ridiculous economics, some will no doubt be furious. Our Specific ISP's BBS Forum is already teaming with activity.

News - June 27,2001

EasyNets Ipsaris Broadband Merger

By:mark.j @ 4:40:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

EasyNet, already a major player in the UKs broadband ADSL and RADSL market, has today expanded further into the EU through a merger with Ipsaris:

The new operation - which will focus on providing broadband services to business users - will trade under the Easynet brand valuing the enlarged UK plc at around £475 million.

Easynet will acquire Ipsaris in exchange for 82.9 million Easynet shares.

The move will give Easynet a much-needed cash injection to pursue its broadband agenda with the enlarged group having around £314 million of cash to support its growth strategy.

More @ The Register.

Pipex To Introduce RADSL Solutions

By:mark.j @ 4:30:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Just about every ISP presently providing ADSL services has the ability to easily introduce RADSL alongside, their part of the same standard. Today Catherine was kind enough to send us a press release regarding Pipex's future introduction of RADSL services (We’ve tried to cut out some of the marketing drivel):

June 2001 - PIPEX Internet, the UK's first commercial ISP and provider of business class Internet connectivity solutions to SMEs and Home Professionals, has expanded its xDSL broadband family to include RADSL (Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line) services.

A PIPEX xDSL broadband connection provides the same high speed, permanently connected Internet access previously only available with dedicated leased lines, but at a fraction of the cost, as it operates over the existing telephone network. Two xDSL versions are currently available from PIPEX: ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and the new RADSL Home Professional service which goes live on 18 July 2001.

However, ADSL is a distance-sensitive technology. As the connection's line increases in length, the signal quality decreases and the connection speed goes down. Until now, customers outside the 3.5km DSL enabled exchange radius were unable to gain access to the service.

Introducing RADSL (Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line), also known as Extended Reach ADSL. The PIPEX RADSL service is designed to allow more customers to receive the PIPEX Home Professional service by extending the current range of ADSL from 3.5km to 5.5km. With RADSL, user coverage around DSL enabled exchanges is increased to over 90% availability.

RADSL adapts to differing line conditions and distances by adjusting upstream speeds automatically from a maximum of 256Kbps down to a minimum of 64 Kbps. This is done via the modem which scans the DSL line for the fastest upstream connection available, i.e. it adapts itself to take advantage of the fastest accessible rate. The downstream speed remains constant at up to 512Kbps.

As the majority of traffic travels downstream, for example the downloadingof Internet pages, end users should notice little impact on their broadband experience.

The PIPEX RADSL Home Professional service will be charged at the same rate as the ADSL Home Professional service. For £49.99 (ex VAT) a month, plus a one-off installation charge of £160, users can take advantage of the high speed, 'always on' unmetered access offered by broadband connectivity.

Currently only available with the PIPEX Home Professional 500 service, there are plans to extend RADSL to the Business 500 service in the near future.

For further information on PIPEX's xDSL connectivity solutions, or to sign up to receive the service, visit our website at http://www.dsl.pipex.net.

PlusNET Launch Corp ISP Solutions

By:mark.j @ 4:19:PM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

PlusNET have today issued us with a press release regarding their new corporate solutions division:

PlusNet mark entry into Corporate Solutions market with launch of new division.

The highly successful Sheffield-based ISP, PlusNet Technologies Ltd. is pleased to announce the launch of their new Corporate Solutions Division, marking their entry into the high-performance Internet Access and Server Co-locate markets.

Alistair Wyse, Product and Service Development Director said, “Business today demands more of their Internet access; highlighting the need for speed and reliability surpassing that of traditional dial-up or ISDN connectivity.”

Indeed, business-critical applications such as e-mail, e-commerce and remote access to corporate networks require an experienced partner. PlusNet’s Corporate Solutions have been carefully designed to meet the technical demands of today’s business world whilst delivering a level of customer service that is second to none.

Wyse continued, “Whatever the choice of solution, having room for growth is essential. PlusNet’s Internet solutions are fully scalable and will both meet your expectations today and grow with you as your business demands increase.”

PlusNet’s Corporate Solutions include:

* A range of dedicated leased line solutions of sizes and budgets suitable for both SME’s and large corporate organisations.

* New solutions that offer the ability to ‘flex’ leased line service within a pre-defined class of bandwidth options.

* Server co-location, allowing connection directly onto PlusNet’s high-speed backbone; your server housed within their state-of-the-art Network Operations Centre.

* A comprehensive range of productivity applications designed to enhance e-business.

PlusNet’s long list of prestigious corporate clients includes:

- Sheffield City Council
- CSL PLC
- Dialogue Communications
- Allvac Limited
- Department for Education and Employment
- Sheffield Wednesday Football Club Limited
- Sheffield International Venues - Arena, Don Valley, Ponds Forge

PlusNet are a 95% owned subsidiary company of Insight Direct Worldwide Inc.; Insight having recently announced the choice of Sheffield for their European headquarters and their aim to create more than 1,700 new jobs by June 2007.

To discuss your business’ requirements with one of PlusNet’s consultants please call on 0870 705 8080 or e-mail corporatesales@plus.net.uk. More information is available from the dedicated website at http://www.plus.net.uk/corporatesales/

It'd be interesting to see whether PlusNET have been able to take advantage of newer low cost leased line solutions, which Oftel recently forced BT into offering. So far we haven't really seen any changes with other providers.

Tiscali Prep Two-Way Satellite Internet

By:mark.j @ 4:12:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

There's a large gap for 'full broadband coverage' providers in the UK given the poor coverage of Cable Modems, ADSL and broadband wireless. Tiscali looks set to help combat this by offering its own Two-Way broadband satellite system in the UK, Germany, Italy and France:

The service - based on a two-way satellite broadband Internet service from Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd - will be rolled out to other European coverage by 2002.

TsicaliSat is targeted at home and SOHO users throughout Europe and is believed to be the first pan-European deal of its kind.

Gilat will serve as the wholesale provider of Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite communications equipment. It will also provide operations support for the service.

The Register doesn't go into a lot of detail, although with the hardware costing roughly £350 and a monthly subscription of £49.99, it's going to find it hard to compete with the likes of StarSpeeder.

Despite this, Two-Way satellite is normally a lot more expensive and much more functional than even Digital One-Way providers. As yet there's no information regarding speed and when the service will leave trial, although Autumn 2001 is the best bet.

UPDATE:
We spotted this on their site:
High-Speed:
Tiscali by Satellite downloads at speeds up to ten times faster than dial-up services. Speeds will often reach 400 kbps with targeted peak-time speeds in excess of 150 kbps. Current upload speeds range between 40 kbps and 140kbps.

NTL Not Supported On Vispa & LogicSurf

By:mark.j @ 4:03:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

One of our readers (Steve) noticed the following updated piece of information on Vispa's site, which should also apply to Logicsurf given the companies close links with Vispa:

15. Which Telephone companies are supported by Vispa's unmetered service?

We are obtaining information all the time from spokespeople regarding which telephone companies support the 0808 number that FRIACO uses. At the moment we have been told by company representatives that BT and Telewest customers should be able to connect without any problems.

We have been told that Eurobell will allow FRIACO calls, but get blocked by BT exchanges and NTL have now gone back on there word, and now are refusing to route FRIACO calls to BT networks Vispa's advice with Eurobell and NTL is to lobby them as much as you can as customers. Your losing your consumer rights!!!.

Other telephone companies we are in touch with and awaiting replies from include Kingston Telecom, Guernsey Telecoms and Cable & Wireless.

We know quite a few readers who signed up with either one or the other ISP in order to give themselves a little choice. Suffice to say none of those whom use NTL as a provider will be very pleased.

Oftel To Further Support LLU

By:mark.j @ 3:55:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

While most now regard it as redundant, the deadline date of July 2001 for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) to be completed is still a reminder that things haven't been going the way Oftel hoped.

As such Oftel have today announced four important steps to make the whole process cheaper and better defined for operators:

* following an operator’s request, a requirement on BT to install operators’ equipment in any operational part of a BT exchange. Operators consider that co-mingling, as it is known, could lead to significant savings on costs and time for installation of equipment;

* a prohibition on BT from charging separately for site clearance when preparing co-location spaces in its exchanges. Costs will be recovered through the market rent BT charges operators for co-location space;

* detailed guidelines on the co-location facilities including space that BT is obliged to provide and how BT should assess the availability of these facilities for other operators’ use; and

* prices for shared access to BT’s local loop. Shared access enables operators to concentrate their business on the provision of high speed services to consumers without providing a voice calls service. Oftel is proposing an annual rental of £68 and connection charge of £127 per shared loop.

The full press release also goes on to quote The Director General, David Edmonds:

"These measures bring further improvements to the unbundling process. In response to operators’ requests Oftel proposes that, subject to certain safeguards, they should be able to install equipment in any operational area within BT exchanges.

Oftel also proposes that the removal of old equipment and other site clearance costs should not be charged for separately. BT can recover these costs through a market-based rent. This is part of Oftel’s continuing scrutiny of BT’s charges for co-location.

Oftel has also recently started a new investigation to examine whether the design and implementation of the hostel product is cost-effective. Oftel now intends to reduce BT’s charges for shared access to the local loop for operators that only want to provide a DSL service without voice calls. We believe BT’s proposed charges are too high and do not accurately reflect the costs incurred."

Whether any of this will help improve interest in LLU remains to be seen, although it's another step in the right direction, if a little late.

Official Ex-C&W Area Coverage Announcement

By:mark.j @ 3:42:PM - Comments (6) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Only a few days ago we posted the latest unofficial rumours regarding Ex-C&W area coverage for broadband and even dial-up unmetered ISP services. Today NTL has issued the following press release for newer technologies and Ex-C&W coverage HERE:

NTL Breaks Down the Barriers to Broadband

NTL Incorporated, the UK's leading broadband communications company, is set to break down the barriers to broadband in the UK with a world technological first that provides an easy-access, great-value broadband internet service.

On Monday, 2nd July, NTL residential customers in the North West will become the first in the world to be able to receive high-speed broadband internet services by simply connecting their digital cable set-top box, which features an embedded cable modem, to their personal computer wherever it is in the home. No additional hardware is required.

Over 500,000 UK homes already have an NTL digital cable set-top box with the embedded cable modem in it and interest in buying broadband services is high. Over 8000 customers in Manchester have pre-registered for the service -- even ahead of the local marketing campaign that launches next week.

This break-through broadband access service allows NTL digital customers to enjoy download speeds of up to 512kbps (compared with 56kbps for a normal dial-up modem) to deliver richer web-based content, faster. It also offers always-on functionality and, unlike a standard modem, doesn't tie up your telephone line while you're connected to the internet.

Stephen Carter, NTL's Managing Director, comments: "We've invested to gain scale and network superiority. Now we're able to offer our customers the most exciting combination of communications and entertainment services for the home that's available today. Our new service is quite simply second to none."

Confirming NTL's commitment to be at the forefront of the UK broadband revolution, prices for the new broadband service are in line with NTL's existing market-driving monthly subscription rate of 24.99 pounds for DigitalPlus customers. Installation costs between 17.50 and 100 pounds, depending on whether the customer chooses to 'do-it-yourself' or prefers an all-inclusive option.

NTL's 'triple-play' bundle of digital cable TV, standard telephone line rental and broadband internet costs 39.98 pounds per month. Standard prices for just broadband access amongst NTL's competitors range between 40 and 50 pounds per month.

NTL plans to roll out the new easy-access broadband service across the UK with launches in Leeds and London planned for later this year.

The full press release (linked at the top) doesn't quite give any truly specific dates for some of the information, although at least it's the first official word in some time.

Kalnet Trial Unmetered

By:mark.j @ 9:18:AM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The latest ISP to enter the unmetered dial-up market seems to be Kalnet, whom have such a service under trial, primarily in the southwest of the UK.

Not a traditionally well-known ISP, the provider hopes to launch its unmetered service under Kalnet4u in the near future. Hopefully the same fate won't befall Kalnet as has any ISP using '4u' in their name.

SupaNETs Initial Congestion Responce

By:mark.j @ 9:11:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It’s been four weeks since the first reports regarding congestion problems on SupaNet's new unmetered service started to arrive. We're still awaiting an official response, yet we do have a preliminary one:

The main problem has been a higher than expected uptake on the products and then an almost 95% usage of the product between 6-10 in the evening, by those who subscribed. We underestimated the amount of use that the network would have at peak times. This means that we have always been playing catch up. New Ports did come on-line last weekend and we are looking to see what impact this has made.

If you're a Supanet customer then please use our Specific ISP Forums or the news comments to give some feedback on whether things have improved. If not then now's the time to voice your opinion and be heard.

E-Envoy Attacks Broadband Bottleneck

By:mark.j @ 8:47:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Knowing exactly who to talk to in government regarding broadband seems to be a major problem at present, we've got an E-Minister, E-Commerce minister and now an E-Envoy - all talking broadband.

Today it's the turn of the E-Envoy, Andrew Pinder, whom has opted to contradict his E-Commerce minister friend and attack the problem rather than appease Oftel and BT with love messages:

Pinder, who coordinates the e-business efforts of government ministers and the civil service, said that the rollout of broadband represents a chicken-and-egg situation in which users are reluctant to sign up because of high fees, while providers are unwilling to invest in cutting prices and promoting broadband because of the apparent lack of demand. Offering a cut-rate entry-level broadband service could break the deadlock, he said.

Broadband technologies such as Internet-via-cable and ADSL, which uses telephone lines, create an always-on Net connection that is many times faster than a standard modem connection. Services are now available in the UK, but British Telecommunications now says demand for ADSL has slowed.

"We have a competitive narrowband market... but broadband is still quite expensive," Pinder said, speaking at the Networks Telecom trade show in Birmingham. "It's a big step up to go from narrowband to broadband." He suggested the step be made "more graduated" with a low-cost service that would offer slower access speeds.

The ZDNet item highlights an E-Envoy whom at the very least seems to have a realistic grasp of one side of the problem. Sadly coverage is the next biggest burden and following that the issue of content and use is also apparent, apparently lacking that is.

Certainly if a cheaper and perhaps less speedy option could be designed (250Kbps?) through the use of RADSL etc. then that might give consumers a worthy stepping stone.

BigBlueSky Awaits Service Update

By:mark.j @ 8:24:AM - Comments (5) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Customers of the unmetered ISP are still awaiting an update as to the full reason for the service going down over the weekend. The only status update available simply states what we already knew, a proper one should be along shortly:

Following the connection problems that our subscribers have been experiencing over the past week, we have had to make adjustments to our ports. Along with new subscribers, serial misuse of the service by multiple logins has contributed to the problem.

It has been impossible to give a definitive statement whilst the CEO has been out of the country. This statement will be forthcoming tomorrow.

We'd have posted this yesterday, but our news was already full. In other words there should be a full update later today sometime.

News - June 26,2001

E-Mail - The Taxi Way

By:mark.j @ 4:10:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Checking your own E-Mail probably isn't the worst thing you could be caught doing in the back of a Taxi, although it does seem like an interesting idea and we Brits look set to get the first taste.

CityCab, Singapore's second biggest taxi company, plans to launch what it says is the world's first wireless interactive service for drivers and passengers by the end of the year, rolling it out through its 5,000-car fleet by 2003.

CityCab's sister companies in Britain, Computer Cab and Datacab, plan to introduce the system once it has been tried in Singapore. Project Escalade has sparked a debate, typified by an angry letter to the Straits Times newspaper, about bells and whistles versus service.

"I fail to understand why CityCab is spending S$15 million (5.2 million pounds) on providing Internet access and similar luxuries when basic problems like long waiting time and poor tele-booking services are still unresolved," one reader wrote.

Priscilla Chan, head of corporate affairs at CityCab, said the system was designed to make service more efficient and e-mail and Internet access were by-products, which may be introduced depending on demand.

Perhaps it's another case of putting the cart before the horse? On the whole it sounds like a good idea, although we know from experience that actually typing any kind of information in a moving vehicle is pretty tough going.

One in Five Shop Online

By:mark.j @ 4:01:PM - Comments (2) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

An official National Statistics survey done in April of 1,800 British people found that one in five people shop online. E-mail, finding information on products/services and general browsing remain the most popular reasons for using the Internet.

Some 51% of Britons have accessed the Internet at some time, equivalent to 23 million adults. While unchanged from the previous survey in January, this represented a 6% point increase on the October 2000 survey.

Internet use was more common among men, at 57%, compared with 46% of women. Asked what they used the Internet for, 73% cited finding out information about goods and services, 71% said using e-mail and 61% said for general surfing.

Thirty five percent said they used the Internet to buy goods and services or order tickets. This was up from 30% in the last survey in January and was equivalent to 17% of all adults in Great Britain.

The survey revealed that Internet users were more likely to use the web for things such as shopping and personal banking the longer they have been using the web. In short, nothing much has really changed since January's survey.

Claranet Oppose EUs Data Retention Proposal

By:mark.j @ 11:01:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

One of the UKs most popular ISPs and network providers, claraNet, have today issued an important press release in which they state their havy objection to the EUs new data retention (7 year) plans:

Claranet calls for government to veto proposed amendments for Internet traffic data retention

Claranet, the UK’s largest independent ISP, supports the CBI in its call for a veto of the proposed amendments to Article 6 of the telecommunications data protection directive, which would allow member states to demand data retention by ISPs.

Nick Wells, Claranet’s marketing director said: "The Internet is about personal choice and the free and full exchange of information, and as an ISP enjoying the trust of many thousands of ordinary businesses and consumers we do not feel that we should be forced to betray that trust by logging details of many millions of perfectly innocent web accesses, or the email addresses of people to whom customers have sent emails."

"Just as we saw blanket controls included in the initial draft of the RIP bill last year, we are again seeing plans that will allow member states to impose blanket data retention requirements on ISPs that will inevitably lead to miscarriages of justice."

"Furthermore, in addition to the cost implications of implementing such requirements, the technical practicalities also need to be considered."

"The government has the ambitious goal of making the UK the best environment in the world for e-commerce by 2002 and yet it has failed to block plans that will undoubtedly undermine confidence in e-commerce throughout the EU."

"As such, we urge Douglas Alexander, the new minister of state for e-commerce, and his colleagues in other member states to vote against this proposal at the EU Telecoms Council on Wednesday 27th June 2001."

Adoption of a finalised Directive by the European Parliament and Council is planned by the end of 2001, with implementation in Member States intended by mid 2003.

The Press Release pretty much speaks for itself and we back every word of it since this would affect all ISPs, big and small. Before the election the Home Office did initially oppose the idea, although we'll soon see whether that was just another ploy to win votes or not.

Any ISP concerned with the EU regulation would be urged to speak up and voice your opinions; even providers need to be heard sometime.

ADSL/RADSL - Not Till March 2003!

By:mark.j @ 10:52:AM - Comments (5) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to BT themselves, they have no plans for specific coverage after September 2001 this year. Any further coverage expansion would be based purely on demand. In other words, if your 'exchange' search comes up empty then your best bet is to get some kind of petition together.

However while working with Zen Internets marketing man, Ian.B, to see if RADSL would finally cover us, we uncovered something unusual:

I'm afraid the news is not at all good. The date that your exchange is planned to be enabled is end of March 2003! I didn't think BT had rollout plans for that far ahead.

Considering we're only a few miles from one of Dorset’s biggest towns, call it a city if you like, we were truly shocked. Yet what really seemed odd was the fact that BT had a date for the exchange being enabled so far ahead, this doesn't fit with what they've told the government and consumers.

We'll be investigating this a little closer to see if we can squeeze a more ‘forward’ looking database of to-be-enabled-exchanges out of BT.

WonkyPig Reaches 15,000 Limit

By:mark.j @ 10:40:AM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Despite some noticeable reader scepticism regarding WonkyPigs eerily cheap unmetered package, they've still done a good turn and managed to rake in 15,000 subscribers. Their latest service status update reads:

26-06-01
Wonkypig Today Have reached 15,000 internet users. Thank you to everyone for there support, the 0800 internet service will continue to operate at current levels of 15:1, new signups will be available to the next 10,000 new users from 5th July 2001.

Clearly the £15 only offer raked in more customers than they were expecting, although things should be back to normal for the 5th July 2001.

Despite this we're a little confused about the user to modem ratio of 15:1 because only this morning they told us, "We are not promising excellent connectivity but we hope to achieve at least 25:1, which is not too bad.". Ratios are a hard thing to get wrong since that's where the cost lies, so which is true?

Overall WonkyPig remain confident that their prices are "a good fair price for unmetered service" and that "we will let the users make there own mind up". So since some of you will have no doubt subscribed, then don't forget let us know how things go.

BT Finally Lets ET Go Home

By:mark.j @ 10:29:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if BT have finally realised that using a tird shaped alien to advertise their various Internet and Telephone services probably wasn't going to help.

BT is to unveil its new advertising campaign helped by the team behind Oscar-laden movie Gladiator, ditching its long-running "ET" commercials as it fights to win back customers.

BT, one of Britain's highest spending television advertisers, said on Monday the new ads will be directed by Jake Scott, whose credits include music videos for U2, REM and Oasis, and the movie Plunkett and Macleane.

He is the son of Gladiator director Ridley Scott, and many members of the special effects and cinematography team behind the film worked on the new BT commercials that will be launched on Tuesday.

So we should all be expecting BT to enlighten us with an advert that doesn't explain much unless you can actually read that tiny small print they always use at the bottom.

New Breathe & LineOne Unmetered

By:mark.j @ 10:25:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

As we've known for a while now, both Breathe and LineOne ISPs have had plans to offer unmetered access under newer systems. Thankfully Net4Nowt was able to discover some more details regarding both.

Apparently LineOne has begun to trial an A-Typical priced 24/7 offer for £14.99 per month. Although if this package still stays true to their ridiculous '9 hours per week' usage pattern then it may not be so popular.

Breathe have opted to follow suit, thanks to Affinity, with their own £12.99 per month offer. With a typical 2hour cut off, the first 10,000 subscribers will also receive 2 months free access on top, which seems like a familiar offer.

Although unlike LineOne, Breathe is also offering an off-peak (4pm - 8am) and all weekend-unmetered package for £8.99 per month. As before the first 10,000 will get 1months (not 2) free access.

AOL Warns Minster of UK Broadband Problems

By:mark.j @ 10:13:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The new e-commerce minister, Douglas Alexander, has today found himself in a tight spot with AOL giving him a clear warning over the state of British broadband.

The ISP was quick to point out to Mr.Alexander that the country still has some big obstacles to overcome before it can truly be called "Broadband Britain":

Douglas Alexander's comments were made in an interview with the Guardian newspaper, in which he said he disagreed with the suggestion that BT had been "dragging its feet" over the issue of broadband rollout and local loop unbundling. Alexander said it was wrong to expect any new market to be problem-free. Alexander gave the impression of being happy with the efforts of Oftel and BT, whom he said were on course to bring ADSL within reach of 60 percent of the population by September.

But Matt Peacock, AOL chief communications officer, said that Alexander cannot afford to be complacent. "It's important not to underestimate the scale of the significant problems faced by BT in rolling out ADSL," he said.

According to Peacock, the whole UK Internet industry is concerned that broadband rollout could descent into chaos. "BT is very frank about the problems its back-office operations are having trying to process customer requests for ADSL," he claimed, adding "the short term difficulties are enormous".

The Reuters / ZDNet item goes on to look at the problems in a little more depth. It's worrying to see so much praise for Oftel and BT without first asking the ISPs how they thought the industry looked and why.

Having said that and of course the government will always back their own ideas even when they fail, so what do you expect? Perhaps the new guy will also try talking with the smaller providers, rather than just those of overall market dominance.