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September 17, 2001 - September 20, 2001

News - September 20,2001

ISP Review Domain Move - Approved

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

We're happy to say that as of 7am this morning our Domain was approved for a move to the new server.

Typically the Nominet data will be updated sometime this evening, thus expect a few early-morning site troubles through Friday as it propagates to the new location.

We'll be working at full steam to make sure everything works properly; it's impossible to test some things until the domain finally moves. You may also notice a few page updates should we get time while fixing.

PS "While the domain is moving you'll still have access to the forums so long as you bookmark the current ultimatebb.cgi URL on the new server beforehand.

Please note that ALL E-Mails will be offline during this period from late afternoon today through to an unspecified period on Friday. Please use my killzat@speedy3d.com address for ANY E-Mails until then."

BigBlueSky Becomes Surfbanana? Not Quite

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

We've heard this before, but never really noticed until now. Those trying to visit BigBlueSky's old domain (http://www.bigbluesky.uk.com) will instead by greeted by a page for 'Surfbanana.net'.:

SurfBanana the only Pre-Paid Internet card service in the UK.

SurfBanana offers Unlimited Internet Access for a fixed fee

Priced at £5 (14 Days) and £10 (30 Days Access), the "SurfBanana" card heralds the start of easy, instant internat access for all.

You can purchase SurfBanana Internet Cards from Thousands of Newsagents across the UK.

This isn’t unusual because Nutshell provides the services for SurfBanana and also took BigBlueSky’s 0800 customers off their hands when they went under. Nutshell also proclaims to own the domain after helping to host BBS, typically this is now being used to aid SB.

TFI Trading Standards Probe - Update

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

Some weeks ago it was reported that Trading Standards were interested in investigating the unmetered ISP, The Free Internet (Excite 0800).

Interestingly it looks as if The Mirror newspaper had some coverage two days ago.:

Officers have visited its office three times and interviewed management. But they found only that TFI "couldn't cope with demand" and decided "it wasn't committing fraud".

Bosses at TFI told officers that it currently had 250,000 users paying about £80 each for a year's unmetered Net access (around £20million in turnover).

To deal with these users the firm has employed around 30 customer services people, say Trading Standards. Woeful.

"Our officers spoke to the management," confirms a spokeswoman, "but all they found was a business that was being badly run. We're powerless unless we can find a fraud is being committed. But we are continuing to monitor the company."

Harsh words from Trading Standards, claiming TFIs business to be badly run isn't likely to do the ISP any favours and nor should it. TFI has been accused by its users of kicking customers without reason, poor service and forcing some to change phone providers due to a service change.

Typically the managing director, Lister Park, famous for threatening public media groups (online and off) with legal action, now seems to have vanished underground in the hope of escaping customers wrath.

Important 08002Go Unmetered Update

By:mark.j @ 9:37:AM - Comments (5) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Thanks again to Keith for passing on the following 08002Go service update he received, which might be of interest to some of our readers due to the number of problems many seem to be experiencing. For the record it covers connectivity and billing issues.:

A few words from all of us at www.08002go.com

Over the past few days some people in different parts of the UK. are experiencing difficulties connecting to our service.

This as you all know is quite unusual for us at www.08002go.com as we do pride ourselves on the service we give to all our members.

We have at last, "pin pointed" the problem. This has been mainly due to the billing side of our business which as we have tried to change over the billing software to a more efficient software to make billing more user friendly and avoid any one being billed twice in a month, unfortunately this has had a reverse effect on us and as we have been installing the new system, some of you have found that for this months service you may have been billed twice and others not at all.

No worries if you have been billed twice you are automatically being credited back but for those who have not been billed at all this and last month you will find that we will bill you next month.

Obviously the automated side of our business has been thrown out of gear and has not allowed some members in certain parts of the country not to connect to our service for various reasons but be assured we are putting that right now.

For those of you who have been with us from day one they will remember a similar problem when we first started and when we found that fault back then, a most excellent service emerged and that what we are doing now putting in better systems so we can minimise any disruption to our members and their service in the future.

We are now working to put this right as we have at least found what the problem has been but before we all starting shouting yippee some GOON has now internationally put out another wave of hacking software which is affecting every service in the world so we are faced with a double whammy to get rid of the Viruses (not our fault).

Sorry if you cannot get through on the telephone at present This is not that we are not answering the phone its just that we are being inundated with calls about the published viruses that are hitting all services world wide.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible and we mean soon

Thank you all and we will be back to normal A.S.A.P.

Although we'd disagree that Viruses (worms in this case) affecting an ISP shouldn't be their problem, the rest seems to be good news.

Perhaps next time 08002Go will learn where to get the latest patches to protect their servers from attack, patches usually arrive before worms/viruses spread. Hopefully we’ll now stop seeing lots of excuses and finally some practical improvements, hopefully.

nStream Pre-Pay Unmetered Update

By:mark.j @ 9:26:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The recently introduced unmetered ISP, nStream, has now added a special pre-pay (semi-unmetered) style package for those with less frequent or more flexible Internet requirements.:

If you connect to the Internet for an average of one hour per day or less via an 0845 access service, nStream PrePay could halve the cost of your Internet bill*.

nStream PrePay gives you a full blown Internet access service including 5 email accounts and 25MB of web space for as little as 0.75 pence per minute with no minimum connection charge! Compare this to a standard 0845 service where calls cost as much as 4p per minute** with a minimum call charge of 5p.

--- STOP PRESS -------------------------
Sign up to nStream PrePay before the 1st October and double the value! That's right, choose any PrePay product and receive another equivalent block of time ABSOLUTELY FREE!

For example, subscribe to 25 hours of PrePay access and receive another 25 hours free!
--- STOP PRESS -------------------------

Visit the following secure site now for more information about nStream PrePay to see how you can halve your Internet access charges.

https://signup.nstream.co.uk

For the record the site itself outlines the following:

nStream PrePay

This service allows the customer to buy 'blocks' of Internet access time for a low, consistent rate. The following time-blocks are available:

£5.00 - 500 Minutes (Equivalent to 1.00 pence per minute)
£10.00 - 1000 Minutes (Equivalent to 1.00 pence per minute)
£25.00 - 3000 Minutes (Equivalent to 0.83 pence per minute)
£45.00 - 6000 Minutes (Equivalent to 0.75 pence per minute)

Payment Details:

- Your credit/debit card will be charged for the amount relevant to the time-block selected at the completion of your registration

- Once your time allocation from the block has been used, a new block of equivalent duration will be allocated and your credit/debit card charged accordingly

- You may cancel your subscription at any time prior to the full consumption of the current time-block

- Time-blocks must be used within 6 months of purchase. Where there is still unused time remaining at the six month point it will be lost and a new time-block issued with your credit/debit card being charged accordingly

*** Special Introductory Offer ***
Subscribe to any nStream PrePay time-block before 1st October 2001 and receive a second time-block of the same duration completely free of charge. For example, subscribe to a £25 time-block today and actually receive 6,000 minutes of Internet access - that's less than 0.5 pence per minute!

Thanks to Keith for the quick update, which seems like an interesting offer for those whom require unmetered and yet would like a more flexible pricing scheme. Sadly the £5 and £10 options already seem somewhat useless considering that two or three ISPs already offer special 1 pence per minute (ppm) option (without extra charge).

Nimda Worm Hits Broadband R/ADSL Users

By:mark.j @ 9:15:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Much as we had feared would be the case should people not take action to protect themselves, the new Nimda Internet worm has hit users of BTs broadband R/ADSL services.

Yesterday some severe connectivity problems at two exchanges was believed to be caused by the Nimda worm.:

A recorded message on the company's helpline told callers that it was experiencing problems, with users having trouble connecting to the Internet. The message said this could be "due to the recent outbreak of the Nimda virus." Both the Whitefield and the London Lodge Hill exchanges were affected.

The Nimda virus first surfaced on Tuesday, and has been blamed for causing disruption to the Internet.

Although not stated in the ZDNet item, the worm itself is typically spread most by broadband users clearly uneducated toward the danger that they pose to themselves and others.

This can affect ANYBODY and we seriously suggest reading this mornings and yesterdays news item(s) regarding the virus. This is especially important for broadband users running Windows 2000/NT or even XP, dialup users may not escape either.

Analysts Identify 3G/UTMS Problems

By:mark.j @ 9:06:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Not for the first time, 3G Broadband wireless technologies are again facing scrutiny at the hands of analysts. Apparently the fact that 3G isn't likely to become a mass-market service until roughly 2006 could cause a number of problems.:

According to Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), 3G won't become a mass market service for another five years. In a new report, the global investment banking firm predicts that the likes of Vodafone, Orange and O2 -- formally BT Wireless -- will have to overcome a number of tricky challenges before they can launch 3G services.

CSFB believes that it will take until 2004 for 3G handsets that appeal to the average consumer to reach the shops. Cost is one significant factor. "It seems very likely that for some years the 3G device will be too expensive for any but the higher end customer," says the CSFB report, which predicts that these early models will retail at around £320.

The report also warns that it will take time for manufacturers to develop handsets with sufficient battery life, and which are small enough for modern users. It is unlikely, after years of increasingly smaller and sleeker mobiles hitting the market, that users will be keen to own a device that resembles the hefty mobile phones of the 1980s.

The ZDNet item also highlights other recently mention issues such as that of slower than expected speeds and the difficult transition from GPRS. It's nothing we didn't already know and the fact is 3G WILL be very expensive; whether it's worth it depends on the product itself.

USA Attack Highlights VoD Advantages

By:mark.j @ 8:59:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Last weeks devastating attacks on the USA might have caused world shares to plummet and general instability, but it also highlighted the advantage of online 'Video-on-Demand' (VoD) technology.

Viewership for video news over the Web has been unprecedented, with many people apparently tuning in from offices and other locations around the world where television coverage of the air attacks on New York and Washington was unavailable, broadcasters said.

"This has been a watershed for the Internet because there is an unquenchable thirst for news and the networks are more or less providing the same story," said Thomas Plate, professor of policy and communication studies at UCLA.

"To get a different dimension of detail you can now get to Web pages of foreign newspapers and get a different perspective and see, for instance, what Pakistanis are saying," he said.

Many news companies have viewed video streaming on the Internet, which still can't match the visual quality of TV, as a small bet on future audiences. It's hoped that a more widespread adoption of broadband (high-speed Web access) would push this even further..

But the amount of video streamed during last week's horrific attacks and afterward show those who already have high-speed access are using it to watch more video on their computers, sometimes as a substitute for television, broadcasters claim.

That trend was most visible outside the United States, and beyond the broadcast footprint of the U.S. networks. Most leading European newspapers, for example, have offered streaming video and flash graphics on their Web sites.

Typically much of this has managed to escape the UK due to a limited coverage of broadband technologies, most British sites have yet to adopt VoD style facilities.

C&W Hit Troubled Waters

By:mark.j @ 8:51:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if popular British cable and network operator Cable & Wireless (C&W) could be in financial trouble. This follows the issuing of a second consecutive profits warning, wiping £1bn off the company's value.:

Chief executive Graham Wallace blamed the results on the turbulent global economy and warned that in the light of the terrorist attacks on the US, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

The news values the C&W at around £7.7bn, just £700m more than the company has accumulated in cash through a series of disposals.

This compares starkly with predictions in May that revenue would grow by five per cent for the year as a whole, with second half performance "significantly better" than the first.

More @ Silicon.

Nimda Update

By:Daniel @ 1:32:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following on from Marks update i'd recommend downloading the Code Red patch from Microsoft and running it using the -disable command as this will disable IIS alltogether.

Also if you have upgraded to IE6 you are safe, when you get the email a popup loads as if you was downloading from IE6 and you can just click cancel.

News - September 19,2001

Barrysworld Dialup Goes Offline

By:mark.j @ 4:33:PM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The loveable bunch @ Barrysworld have made a small update regarding some sustained problems with their dialup (0845 Local Call Rate) services:

Dialup Down

We`re moving home next week and our Dialup was to be turned off then. However, for reasons best known to themselves, our providers T3 (not Level3) have turned our lines off already. We are not likely to get them turned back on again in the circumstances either.

The new Dialup mechanism at our new home wont be ready for 3-4 weeks says our Network nerd }data{, so it looks like once again BarrysWorld is without a Dialup offering for some considerable time.

These things are sent to try us and we apologise to the suprising number of people that still use our dialup in this age of unmetered access with other providers.

Get well soon Barrysworld..

ISP Review Server Move - Update No.4

By:mark.j @ 4:18:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

When you want something done right, do it yourself? All fine and good until you have to deal with the 'manual' transfer of a domain from a host that doesn't respond to E-Mails or phone calls.

Thankfully I've been informed that my move request is finally, after much delay, going ahead. I'd expect things to start rolling tomorrow, with some possible disruption for the weekend, which is good since those are slow days anyway.

So please be aware that while we've done everything possible to make sure everything works fine after the move, the fact is that different servers often require special treatment. In other words, expect a few problems, although the news and forums already function with their new home.

BTOpenworld Ditch Portal Plans

By:mark.j @ 4:08:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if the unmetered and broadband ISP giant, BTOpenworld, could be about to ditch its ever-growing portal plans. Not exactly, although a sizeable chunk is still likely to go missing as their efforts to save an illusive £100 Million (losses) gather pace:

Instead of creating a "walled garden" of content BT's Internet division will instead focus on providing limited content in just four or five areas including games, music, travel and business.

The announcement marks a departure for BTopenworld from its portal project. Only last year it held a love-in at a trendy London gallery where it paraded dozens of its broadband content partners.

Now, it has effectively dispensed with this approach and instead decided that providing access is a central plank of BT's broadband strategy.

The Register makes no mention of what affect this is likely to have on all those partners whom, in recent months, have signed various deals and agreements; typically we'd expect the worst.

On the offside it's probably good news, broadband isn't dispersed widely enough for such technologies to be of economic viability yet. Why put people into a house if the bricks haven’t been laid?

Online Shoppers Get Ripped Off

By:mark.j @ 4:00:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

To be fair, so long as you know where to look then online shopping should generally be able to save you money over the usual high-street brands. However according to a new survey by Consumers International, that's not the case.:

In its second report Should I Buy? Shopping online 2001: An international comparative study of electronic commerce researchers placed 412 orders around the world for DVDs, clothes, computer accessories, food and drink, and hotel rooms.

The researchers found that six per cent of goods failed to arrive at all and in some cases punters were billed for items that never turned up. Almost one in ten etailers failed to refund items when they were returned.

Consumers International also found that some etailers failed to comply with current legislation. For example, one in five etailers failed to give a clear total cost of the transaction.

In short, it's not such an issue over cost, rather the service quality that so often surrounds the very items we purchase. For full information regarding just what so many online retailers are getting wrong, checkout The Register, get it? Checkout? Bahahaha [Ed – Yeah ok, bring the white coat in boys..].

Latest Internet Worm Help

By:mark.j @ 3:50:PM - Comments (4) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Unless you've been in a coma then you'd have already noticed news of the latest 'CodeRed' beating Internet Worm, Nimda.

The original CodeRed1/2 did massive damage around the globe, especially to casual broadband users on Microsoft technology operating systems and servers. In Microsofts own words:

A new worm, officially called W32/Nimda@MM, is circulating on the Internet and affecting large numbers of customers. Microsoft is working with the anti-virus community and other security experts to thoroughly investigate the worm. If you haven’t already installed the appropriate updates and/or patches, your computer can become infected.

In order to be safe we'd suggest any dialup or broadband customers running a Windows 2000/XP or Windows NT based system to visit the following link for the patch and further help.

NOTE: This is an essential download for broadband customers, ISPs are taking strong action against those whom become infected! It’s NOT just servers (IIS).:

Microsofts Nimda Patch

BTOpenworld Blame Oftel For Rollout Woes

By:mark.j @ 3:42:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following an earlier backlash by the European Commission (EC) against all Telco’s in the EU still unable to finalise their Local Loop Unbundling and broadband rollout, BT has begun playing the ‘blame game’ by throwing heat toward Oftel instead.

In this case it’s BTOpenworld and their chief executive, Andy Green, whom seem to believe Oftel has done wrong by protecting smaller xDSL providers and thus slowing down BTs own rollout. In his own words:

"Only five people will really make broadband work in the UK: BT, NTL, Telewest, AOL and Freeserve. We need to get the regulation cleaner... Oftel is protecting a lot of people who aren't going to move the game forward."

Green claimed that the smaller DSL players who attempted to provide broadband services to business customers through an unbundled local loop would have a hard time staying competitive.

Typically Oftel have been quick to respond and keen to stress their firm belief that the more players there are in the market, the better:

A spokeswoman for Oftel said: "We are here to provide a level playing field, and when we have done that it is up to the market to determine how many players are left."

Typically both sides of the argument have some valid points to make, although BTOpenworld is probably overstepping the mark with its suggestion that only five providers will make it with broadband. It’s not the best thing to say, especially when the likes of AOL and Freeserve aren’t even rated that highly compared to some. More @ Silicon.

BT - 60% UK Households Covered (R/ADSL)

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

BT has today claimed that their broadband R/ADSL Internet access technology can reach 'more' than 60% of all UK households! The company said the number of exchanges equipped with broadband ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) technology had reached 1,000.

Britain has one of the lowest penetrations of broadband connections in the industrialised world, a situation many blame on a slow rollout by BT (see earlier post). The company said it had connected more than 80,000 customers to ADSL, which transforms normal telephone lines into fast Internet pipes.

"Broadband is now within easy reach of the majority of Internet users and BT, together with service providers, will be encouraging people to sign up," said Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale, in a statement.

Typically household coverage isn't always an accurate way of looking at the true logistics behind how far BTs technology can reach. On a geographical scale its still failed to move far enough outside of cities, seemingly ONLY available in isolated chunks.

Hopefully BTs new advertising campaign will bring a greater demand from areas currently not yet covered, hopefully.

BTs Slow LLU Process Under Fire - EC

By:mark.j @ 9:29:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It would appear as if the European Commission (EC) is none too happy with BTs progress on LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) and its competition chief is warning of future action.:

Mario Monti, the European Commissioner for Competition Policy, is unimpressed by the slow pace of LLU across the Union. The Commission is currently working on an enquiry into the issue, and Monti has warned that some incumbent telecoms companies are unfairly launching their own broadband services, while making it hard for other operators to launch rival services.

"In spite of an active supervision by national regulatory agencies, telecom incumbents are delaying as much as they can the delivery of unbundled lines, which is extremely slow, or proposing non-competitive access conditions and procedures," warned Monti in a speech to the UBS Warburg conference in Barcelona last week.

"This is a serious matter of concern since they are at the same time taking advantage of their control of the local loop to roll out their new ADSL broadband services," he added.

The ZDNet item states that the EU inquiry is expected to publish its conclusions before the end of year (2001). It looks as if BTs long time excuse of 'no demand' could soon be thrown into jeopardy, since they're still supposed to have unbundled the exchanges.

Hopefully we'll finally see something done to improve the situation, although it may already be too late for some.

Oftels Directory Enquiry Improvements

By:mark.j @ 9:22:AM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

For those interested, Oftel has today issued a new press release related to the introduction of competition in the provision of directory enquiry services in the UK. Since this isn't our subject matter, those interested can read it HERE.

Free2Surf -vs- Freedom2Surf

By:mark.j @ 9:17:AM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

When the new V21 backed unmetered dialup ISP, Free2Surf, went live a few weeks back we were the first to mention a similarity between its name and that of some other providers.

Today the customer services department (Free2Surf) have sent us the following statement regarding such an ISP conflict with 'Freedom2Surf'.:

The newly formed contravertial unmetered isp FREE2SURF.net has today been under fire from Freedom to Surf PLC.

Freedom to Surf owns the trademark FREEDOM2SURF and has issued a letter of complaint to the directors of FREE2SURF

Paul Williams from FREE2SURF.net said
"I feel that we are about as close to their trade mark as FREESERVE is. We will take this through our legal department and see what comes out the other side. We will not bow down to this kind of attack. Possible thoughts for this attack are due to our aggresive pricing structures, other companies will be feeling the pressure with us launching our 24/7 service at £7.99 a month."

"We will, if instructed, change the name slightly but WILL NOT remove the service that has taken the internet by storm."

To be honest we don't think 'Freeserve' is a fair comparison, Free2Surf and Freedom2Surf are exceptionally close matches and even their abbreviation (F2S) could cause confusion over being identical.

Typically we've seen less identical names forced to change before for similar reasons. Clearly any change of name can impact on the ISPs image, although it looks as if Free2Surf may well have to come up with something slightly different.

News - September 18,2001

ISP Review Interview BTOpenworld

By:mark.j @ 5:04:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Have something you'd like to ask one of the biggest broadband and dialup R/ADSL/unmetered providers in the UK, BTOpenworld?

If so then now’s your chance since we'll be doing an interview with their Senior Vice President, Duncan Ingram, regarding the future of BTO.

Typically we're already putting together some of our own questions, although if you think you could have something to ask then pop along to THIS FORUM TOPIC and post. Please remember BTO don't supply broadband services to other ISPs, that's the job of BTIgnite and Wholesale.

Typically this is a section for forum members only and we’d ask that you only post a question and a possible description, this is not to be a thread for detailed discussion.

EcosseTel ISP Viruses Update

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

EcosseTel have been quick and kind enough to respond to our item regarding E-Mail viruses being sent to customers from their support personnel.:

This instance goes back about three months when a subscriber managed to send an email to all our other subscribers using a mailing list that he obtained.

His email, intentionally or not, contained the MagiStar virus. We naturally emailed all our subscribers warning them about this, and also closed the subscribers account as a precautionary measure.

We'd assume this also means they've managed to clear the virus from their system given that they took appropriate action.

EcosseTel also address some of the other issues regarding their unmetered service (Vroom2), although this would appear to be a private matter for the ISP and the customer concerned.

Xantic's Home Broadband Satellite ISP

By:mark.j @ 4:16:PM - Comments (8) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Ever hear of an off-peak broadband Satellite ISP service for residential users? No, well that's exactly what Xantic have just been kind enough to inform us of.

Following their previously launched 'professional' broadband Satellite ISP package, they're now offering a special home edition one.:

*High Speed Internet Access throughout Europe and beyond

*Available during off-peak hours (7pm-8am weekdays and full time weekends)

*Unique web-based prepaid billing concept

*Simple satellite reception equipment with mini-dish antenna (60-90 cm)

The service is designed for home users requiring premium quality Internet browsing with return channels of up to 400 kbps. Performance is optimised through variety of speed enhancing features including intelligent caching at our DVB platform and pre-fetching.

By using satellite technology to bypass the congested local loop and/or backbone infrastructure, Xantic provides users with a superb quality of Internet browsing. Continuous monitoring of the service's capacity and performance and its prime connection to the Amsterdam Internet Exchange are further guarantors of excellence.

Thanks to the extensive reach of satellite coverage, the service is available throughout Europe and beyond. Moreover, our unique web-based prepaid billing solution enables day and night subscription and account recharging. Simply install the hardware, subscribe online to the service and you will immediately enjoy the benefits of Xantic's broadband High Speed Internet Access.

Of course not unlike some of the future services on the Horizon from the likes of Tiscali and Co, you might find Xantic's offer expensive, that's providing you can make any sense of the pricing scheme:

Home Edition Package:

2000 Megabyte per month for a flat fee between 7pm-8am weekdays and full time weekends**

400 kbps per month for the first 400 MB downloaded capacity - €39.95
64-128 kbps per month for additional 1600 MB of download capacity - €?????

*Terms and conditions: Prices are in Euro, exclusive of VAT and cost of satellite hardware.
**Amsterdam time

Hmm so what's the actual package cost? There seem to be three descriptions of what's on offer and only one is priced? Confusing.

BTOpenworlds Broadband Teleworking

By:mark.j @ 4:00:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Sometime ago we posted news of BTOpenworlds intent to use R/ADSL services in a 'Teleworker product', allowing workers to connect to their corporate networks from home and in remote locations.

Today BTOpenworld have issued launch information for this latest package in their product line-up. Note that we've cut some of the usual mumbo-jumbo out of this release due to its size.:

BTOPENWORLD BROADBAND TO LAUNCH ADSL TELEWORKER PACKAGE

September 18, 2001

Corporate Teleworkers in the UK received a boost today as BTopenworld, BT's mass market Internet business, announced details of its broadband Internet package for Teleworkers. The package will provide SME businesses with a cost-effective and secure means of connecting up to 100 remote workers to a company's IT network, simultaneously, via a high-speed ADSL link. The package will enable small businesses to increase employee satisfaction and productivity, and also allow employees to improve their work life balance.

The package, called BTopenworld Teleworker, follows a successful trial conducted earlier this year with BTopenworld Broadband customers. Working with Avaya, a global leader in corporate communications networking solutions, BTopenworld Teleworker will provide a fast, secure, always on, high-speed link between the home and the office and is the result of research into flexible working practices by BTopenworld.

BTopenworld Teleworker costs £80 (ex-VAT) per user, per month for 24-hour access, based on 10 users. Included in the price is Avaya's Virtual Private Network (VPN) hardware and software at the company office and remote locations, as well as business class maintenance for the head office and technical support for both head office and teleworkers.

The Teleworker package provides a head office hardware gateway, allowing a number of remote clients to connect to a corporate Local Area Network (LAN) and the Internet, primarily, via a fast, always-on ADSL connection. Remote workers are able to access the corporate LAN over the Internet by using VPN technology, which provides a unique, secure access tunnel from the remote site to the corporate LAN.

The Teleworker product offers remote workers increased flexibility, not only of dialling in from their chosen location, but also to dial in to head office from anywhere in the world via phone, ISDN or ADSL line.

The project managed installation of the Teleworker package at the head office costs £995(ex VAT) for installation with a monthly rental and maintenance charge of £199. Installation per remote user costs £150 with a monthly charge of £59.99. For further information on BTopenworld Teleworker please visit http://www.btopenworld.com/teleworker.

If this interests you then you should visit the site because it’s an extremely complex package to understand, not for residential users.

Tesco See Internet Service Profits

By:mark.j @ 3:48:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

In a market where loss and debt seems to be the order of the day, it's nice to see one company pushing forward with high expectations.

Mostly thanks to its grocery home shopping service making an operating profit, Tesco (Supermarket giant) is now confident its internet service will be cash-flow positive by next year:

The company’s Tesco.com service made sales of £146m in the first six months of the year, up 77% on the previous year when the company’s internet service was still being rolled out.

Tesco.com, which created 600 new jobs in the last year, is now expected to be profitable by 2002 after the success of the sales this year, reaching an estimated 94% of the UK population.

“In the first half our grocery home shopping operation achieved like for like sales of nearly 40% and created 600 new jobs,” the company noted in its six-month report. "Grocery home shopping made good profits, however, overall, tesco.com made a small loss of £3m in the first half, reflecting the launch cost of new sites such as our wine warehouse.”

The netimperative.com item is an uplifting thing to see given recent events, although Tesco alone isn't going to be enough to improve the whole market, not even close. Still it has to be said; somehow they've managed to succeed (ISP, Online Shopping) where all others have failed.

BTOpenworld Cuts Installation Costs

By:mark.j @ 3:24:PM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following criticism directed toward BTOpenworld reguarding their reasons for not implementing the same price cuts as has been allowed for other ISPs, the provider has now done just that.

Specifically relating to the special deal for installing broadband R/ADSL, full press release follows.:

BTOPENWORLD ANNOUNCES DRIVE TO INCREASE BROADBAND USERS

BTopenworld, BT's mass market Internet division, has today announced a major drive to increase the number of people using high speed broadband services.

>From today, both consumers and businesses will be able to benefit from a half price installation offer which runs until December 31 this year, on the Home500, Business500 and Business 500+ services.

BTopenworld will also be launching a campaign to promote ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) services to both consumers and businesses, spending several millions on advertising and marketing.

Andy Green, CEO of BTopenworld said: "Many thousands of people are already enjoying the benefits of high speed Internet via BTopenworld Broadband. Our half-price installation offer makes Broadband even more attractive for businesses and consumers, and our advertising campaign will ensure even more people benefit from the speed, convenience and great value of an always on high speed Internet connection."

The offer applies to all orders taken from today(Sep 18) until December 31, with installation by January 31, 2002. Customers will now have to pay just £74.99(inc. VAT) for connection to BTopenworld's Home500 product. Connection to Business500 will be £75(ex VAT) and £130(ex VAT) for Business 500Plus. Monthly rental charges remain unchanged.

The announcement follows BT Wholesale's decision earlier this month to halve the connection charges for it BT IPStream500 product for three months, starting on October 1.

Andy added: "We are delighted that BTopenworld customers will be able to receive this half-price offer immediately. We have also taken the decision to extend the offer to our Business500 Plus service because we believe ADSL is an essential business tool. Recent research which we conducted among business users shows many companies are getting real business advantages from ADSL."

Starting next month BTopenworld will be promoting the benefits of ADSL services through an extensive advertising campaign which will run across cinema, print, on-line media and posters.

Ben Andradi, BTopenworld's chief operating officer and president said: "We want to make sure that as people look forward to the future of the Internet they see the huge benefits of speed and always-on service which ADSL delivers. Today's announcement underlines our commitment to both the consumer and business markets."

ADSL is the second generation Internet technology that uses normal telephone lines to deliver high speed Internet access up to 40 times faster than normal 'dial-up' Internet. It offers a permanently on connection at a flat rate - with no call charges - and enables the user to make phone and fax calls, as normal, whilst online.

It certainly looks as if BTOpenworld is keen to go up against the likes of Telewest and NTL in the battle for subscribers. Hopefully their campaign will also heighten people’s awareness of the technology and thus allow BT to spread it further around the country.

0800OnlineServe Back Online

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

Following yesterdays update to the previously troubled unmetered ISP, 0800OnlineServe, the service now appears to have come back into 'almost' full operation.

Sadly the web servers seem to be more unstable than the 'Spice Girls' before their split, although one reader did manage to get the following reply:

We are back with new management and new equipment. The comeback is permanent. 128K should be fast and available to all users.

Check your settings and make sure that you have multi-link enabled. All users are credited with one months access.

Sadly we're still seeing complaints from those subscribing to the 128Kbps part of the service, although it's not possible to know why as very little information about the issues have surfaced.

0800OnlineServe will probably go down in history as the only unmetered ISP since the days of RedHotAnt, 08004u and EzeSurf to be offline for nearly a full month and without any updates.

Whether all their customers will forgive them is another thing entirely, they could have easily issued an update had they wanted to. Stranger still is that unlike usual, the mass media seems to have missed this entirely, no doubt to 0800OnlineServes advantage. We’d hope that things should return to normal from now on, we’d hope.

Midlands Subsidise Broadband

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

Until now most have been against the idea of subsidising broadband within a competitive market due to its potentially anti-competitive backlash.

Thankfully this latest public/private sector initiative isn't to help fund ISPs, but the business that'd use the technology:

CW2000 - a project developed by Coventry University - has more than £7 million to make small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in Coventry and Warwickshire more competitive by exploiting networking.

The European Regional Development Fund alone contributed £3 million to the project.

Part of the initiative includes subsidising businesses to hook up to broadband Net access. In some cases businesses can have the cost of broadband access covered for a whole year.

The Register reports that there's a strict criteria involved in selecting whom to help and how to help them. It also shows how broadband is being used more as a term than to define specific technology, thus anything from satellite to xDSL can be used.

LogicSurf Revamp & Unmetered Comeback

By:mark.j @ 9:17:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if LogicSurf Internet is planning to re-introduce their unmetered service following the previous plans being suspended.

Not only that, but their site has also gone through a few changes, as the following message by 'Steve Hubbard' (MD) states:

Dunno if you already know but we have redesigned the website bringing you a lot more services and a selection of chatrooms. We would like views on the site sent to webmaster@logicsurf.net

Also Unmetered news coming very soon, as we had to withdraw this a few months back due to problems. We are happy to say that it is coming back soon.

Typically there's no further information on exactly when and in what form LogicSurf's unmetered package will re-appear, although we should known soon.

Terrorism Solution = Bomb ISPs?

By:mark.j @ 9:07:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

We'll do our utmost to avoid using humour in this item given current events, although it's so ridiculous that you'll soon see why it could become difficult.

John Keegan, the Daily Telegraphs defence correspondent, seems to think one part of the solution to terrorism is to take away our online civil liberties and bomb ISPs that don't comply.:

"The World Trade Centre outrage was co-ordinated on the internet, without question," he writes. "If Washington is serious in its determination to eliminate terrorism, it will have to forbid internet providers to allow the transmission of encrypted messages - now encoded by public key ciphers that are unbreakable even by the National Security Agency's computers - and close down any provider that refuses to comply."

"Uncompliant providers on foreign territory should expect their buildings to be destroyed by cruise missiles. Once the internet is implicated in the killing of Americans, its high-rolling days may be reckoned to be over."

As a technical commentator, Keegan makes a very good defence correspondent. How on earth can ISPs ban encrypted messages over their networks? But this is a minor point; more worrying is the anti-Internet sentiment articulated in Keegan's article.

Oh for the love of all things sane, why? Why must there always be some nut crack intent on seeing freedom demolished at the first sign of trouble? The Register makes us thankful Keegan isn't a member of the government; he could start bombing British ISPs at the first sign of ‘freedom’ – nasty stuff that freedom.

Perhaps instead government officials could put more effort into their intelligence networks, rather than allow the Terrorists to win and destroy what little freedom we have left.

News - September 17,2001

Diary – The AOL User

By:mark.j @ 4:15:PM - Comments (12) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Kitty, one of our forum moderators, was kind enough to lighten up the day with a link to one users diary of connecting to AOL. If you're feeling low then perhaps this will help, it starts..:

Diary of an AOL User

July 18 - I just tried to connect to America Online. I've heard it is the best online service I can get. They even included a free disk! I'd better hold onto it incase they don't ever send me anther one! I can't connect. I don't know what is wrong.

July 19 - Some guy at the tech support center says my computer needs a modem. I don't see why. He's just trying to cheat me. How dumb does he think I am?

July 22 - I bought the modem. I couldn't figure out where it goes. It wouldn't fit in the monitor or the printer. I'm confused.

July 23 - I finally got the modem in and hooked up. that nine year old next door did it for me. But it still don't work. I cant get online.

July 25 - That nine year old kid next door hooked me up to America Online for me. He's so smart. I told the kid he was a prodigy. But he says that's just another service. What a modest kid. He's so smart and he does these services for people. Anyway he's smarter then the jerks who sold me the modem. They didn't even tell me about communications software. Bet they didn't know. And why do they put two telephone jack holes in the back of a modem when you only need one? And why do they have one labeled phone when you are not suppose to hook it to the phone jack on the wall? I thought the dial tone sounded funny! Boy, are modem makers dumb! But the kid figured it out by the sound.

July 26 - What's the internet? I thought I was on America Online. Not this internet thing. I'm confused.

July 27 - The nine year old kid next door showed me how to use this America Online stuff. I told him he must be a genius. He says that he is compared to me. Maybe he's not so modest after all.

July 28 - I tried to use chat today. I tried to talk into my computer but nothing happened. maybe I need to buy a microphone.

NHTCU & UK ISPs Update

By:mark.j @ 3:42:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following the devastating acts of terrorism in North America last week, we posted news on how the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) had asked ISPA members (150+/- ISPs) to aid in their investigation.

As an update to that it now looks as if this investigation has spread out of the ISPA and is now deemed to cover ALL UK providers, much as had been expected. ZDNet also has a response from AOL UK; Sadly Connie herself was unavailable for comment due to being transparent:

Data controllers are not legally obliged to hand over the requested traffic data at this stage, but a court order or the interception powers written into Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) could be enforced if necessary.

It is, however, unlikely that ISPs will stand in the way of attempts to gain intelligence on the horror of last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Last Wednesday, a spokesman at AOL UK confirmed, "if the authorities come to us with the appropriate paperwork requesting information, we will comply."

Typically these CAN be considered 'exceptional circumstances', although many are starting to fear it could overspill and be used as a political tool for further changes to 'Data Protection Laws'.

IPv6 Delay Caused By EU ISPs

By:mark.j @ 3:30:PM - Comments (0) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to a former London Internet Exchange director, Keith Mitchell, the next generation of IP protocol (IPv6, many networks currently use IPv4) is being forcibly held up by European ISPs.:

"We are having difficulties in getting an IPv6 allocation. People are just holding up the whole process for no obvious reason I can see," he said.

RIPE has a clearly defined hierarchical allocation policy in place. The world governing body, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, allocates address blocks to regional registries, which in turn allocate down the demand chain to large ISPs and so on.

But Mitchell maintained that the policy had let internet peering companies fall into a grey area. "The only way we can get addresses is through a top level ISP. As an internet peering company we need to be independent of any ISP, so we have fallen into a black hole in the allocation policy," he said.

The VNUNet item highlights how larger ISPs could be acting against competition by forcing an almost 'hierarchical' structure onto the allocation of IPv6.

IPv6 is deemed by many to be an essential part of future network upgrades in order to better cope with the ever increasing demands and changes to network and Internet technology.

New AOL Advertising Campaign & Offer

By:mark.j @ 3:17:PM - Comments (4) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if one of the single most annoying TV advertising characters in history, AOL UKs Connie (not Conny - apparently), will be getting a make over for her latest set of adverts.

Not only that, but the woman that likes to surf is also offering up a special deal:

Billboard and static ad campaigns to accompany the new TV ads have also been launched by advertising house Mortimer Whittaker O’Sullivan, while online ads will be handled in-house.

To mark the launch of the new ads, AOL is offering a 100-hour free trial connection, with the 100 hours to be used up within the first month of connection.

AOL UK CEO Karen Thomson admitted the character was in need of a makeover, three years after her launch: "Connie is one of the most recognised faces of TV advertising and we often get comments from people about her.”

The netimperative.com item is short and to the point, although it makes us wonder what children must think. If surfing the Internet makes you transparent, what other side effects can people expect to see from Internet use? Hmm.

EcosseTel Vroom2 & E-Mail Viruses

By:mark.j @ 9:41:AM - Comments (1) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Users to the unmetered ISP (Vroom2) and Telco provider, EcosseTel, should note that some customer support staff appear to have been sending out 'virus' infected E-Mails. The following is from our forums:

When I was having massive problems connecting to ecossetel I received an e-mail form the help desk. It had an attachment with the virus that e-mails parts of your correspondence to up to 100 people in your address book.

I reported the virus to them - no reply. I've now managed to obtain my subscription back because all my calls were still charged to BT - but ecossetel didn't refund the cost of phone calls and I've not had any apology for the virus.

Please beware of any 'file attachments' arriving with E-Mails from this company, especially since they haven't acknowledged the problem yet. We’ve had similar complaints for the same group before.