January 27, 2002 - January 31, 2002
News - January 31,2002
UK Gov’s New Broadband Policies
By:mark.j @ 3:25:PM - Comments (5) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It's worth a small note to say that the government intends to reveal some concrete policies for the development of broadband sometime between the end of March and May 2002.
We very much doubt it'd be anything different from the things we've already heard about over the past two months and from the Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG). Typically tax breaks and a or government funded rollout are just as unlikely to occur as they’ve always been. |
NTL & Banks Attempt Debt Reduction
By:mark.j @ 3:18:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The financially critical cable operator NTL has today confirmed the appointment of three major investment banks to advise on how it can renegotiate its debt:
Credit Suisse First Boston, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley will brainstorm ideas for a refinancing package that will eliminate a vast chunk of its £12bn debt, most probably by way of persuading existing bondholders to swap debt for equity.
The company also recruited Brunswick, the PR firm, to handle media enquiries relating to what has been described as the biggest and most complicated debt restructuring in corporate history. NTL currently has to pay a staggering – and clearly unsustainable - £3.8m every day in interest charges to service its borrowing.
More @ netimperative.com . |
Tele2's Broadband & Special Offer
By:mark.j @ 3:12:PM - Comments (3) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Currently the only truly public semi-national ISP for fixed broadband wireless services in the UK, Tele2, has been in the news twice today.
Firstly the wireless provider has issued a press release for their new special offer of 1-Months FREE access, the brunt of which is as follows:
Tele2 is offering homes and businesses in our new coverage areas of Bath, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bristol, Crystal Palace, Guildford, Sheffield, Slough and Uxbridge a 1-month FREE trial of Tele2’s Wireless Broadband Internet service. This limited offer is only available until 28th February 2002 so make sure you don’t miss out – call us today!
We are so sure that you will be amazed at the performance of a Tele2 high speed Internet connection that if you are not completely satisfied within your 1-month trial we will de-install the service completely free of charge. If you wish to continue with your subscription to the service upon completion of your trial, then Tele2’s normal tariff structure will apply – starting from just £39.99 (ex. VAT) per month for a 512Kbps connection.
Secondly Tele2 announced its intention to help provide broadband in areas currently not served by other access standards such as xDSL and Cable Modems, but only if there's proven demand.
Ironically Tele2's stance sounds somewhat similar that of BTs and thus potentially just as unlikely to succeed. Apparently the provider requires 100+ people to be interested within a 10KM area for the economics to be justifiable.
Unfortunately it could be difficult for Tele2 to succeed in such a way because their profile is far smaller than that of xDSL etc., in short, most people don't know who or what they are. |
Broadband Through The Government
By:mark.j @ 2:57:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It's not the first time we've heard about a semi-government funded scheme to enable broadband in specific areas through public service and business deals.
Today Jim Norton, head of Deutsche Telekom in the UK, and a key government advisor on broadband and e-commerce has suggested a similar method for the rest of the UK, which could speed up the rollout, if only a small amount:
The idea is that government departments in each region in the UK work together to get one broadband provider at the cheapest price.
The infrastructure would need to be universal in order to incorporate remote schools, doctor's surgeries and other public services.
The broadband services could then be sold on to private individuals at an affordable price.
The BBC News item states that a pilot scheme is already underway somewhere in the east of England, although it's far too slow a process to be valid for everybody.
For any real changes to occur BT must continue its primary rollout, although it’s by no means a cheap thing to do and they currently have no plans for such a thing. |
New Unmetered ISP Live - YouSurf.net
By:mark.j @ 10:23:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The latest unmetered dialup ISP to hit the market is YouSurf.net, a fairly standard service costing £30 for the first three months and then £14.99 per month after that.
It comes with the usual 10Mb of webspace, 7 E-Mail addresses, newsgroup access and a standard 2 hour cut-off (can redial as per usual).
The Terms & Conditions (T&C's) along with services, language and pricing are near identical to almost all other branded NeonHippo backed reseller/providers, although they haven't officially announce this one yet. |
Irelands Broadband Digital Divide
By:mark.j @ 10:07:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Some Irish officials such as Professor Frank Bradley, president of the Institute of International Trade of Ireland (IITI), have today spoken out against the countries stance on broadband connections:
The professor claims that, "Unless we stop talking about developing a modern, up-to-date telecommunications infrastructure and start doing something about making it a reality, we could seriously fall behind the rest the world"
Last week Bradley launched a study by the organisation entitled "Profile and Assessment of the Current and Future e-Business ICT Requirements of Exports in the Republic of Ireland," which was conducted by the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at UCD.
Eighty percent of SMEs in the survey said that the speed of connection to the Internet was important to their business; yet 22 percent still use analogue dial up access instead of the high-speed options. Two percent of that group said that analogue is their preferred connection. Thirty-two percent said that their service provider currently does not offer services they need. Finally, the cost of an Internet connection was also cited as a major deterrent among SMEs.
More @ ElectricNews.net. |
AOL Blocks Trillian From IM Service
By:mark.j @ 9:58:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] AOL has taken the questionable step of blocking Trillian (general freeware IM system) from linking to AOLs own Instant Messenger (AIM) software.
This is somewhat Ironic given their near opposite stance with the Netscape web browser against Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, double standards? Of course:
Trillian, which allows people to access multiple instant messaging programs from one screen, has attracted nearly a million people who are hoping to streamline their use of incompatible systems, including AOL's AIM and ICQ, Yahoo's Messenger and Microsoft's MSN Messenger.
But in the past 24 hours, an elaborate game of cat and mouse has developed between AOL and Trillian creator Cerulean Studios - as the start-up has repeatedly released new software designed to get around the block, prompting AOL to rush in and stop people from using it.
But AOL said it's a matter of security and is framing the conflict as yet another chapter in the instant messaging wars. In recent years, AOL has clashed with other makers of IM software, including Microsoft and AT&T. Both companies tried to create systems that let people correspond with AIM users - only to have them blocked.
According to ZDNet's item the Trillian group will continue their efforts to re-gain access to AOLs software. |
Oftel's New Price Control Proposals
By:mark.j @ 9:39:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It looks as if some new controls imposed by Oftel on BTs fixed line (retail) services could improve competition and keep prices low for those who don't use the phone so much. The key part of Oftel’s latest press release follows:
Proposals to give greater flexibility in the regulation of retail fixed telephone services have been published today by Oftel.
The proposals represent a significant move from a traditional price control to an approach based on enhancing competition.
Service providers will have new opportunities to enter the market to increase competition and a safeguard price control will be set to protect consumers while competition develops.
The aim is to reduce retail call prices through increased competition and should lead to the eventual abolition of price controls.
Under the proposals:
* BT will be required to provide a cost based wholesale line rental product to new entrants on the same terms as BT’s retail business. Competitors will be able to offer customers one bill covering line rental and the cost of their calls, rather than separate bills from BT and their competitors. This will allow a range of innovative tariffs such as flat rate subscriptions for unlimited calls or the abolition of line rental with all costs recovered through call charges;
* BT’s prices for services to the lowest spending 80 per cent of customers will be pegged at their current level and not allowed to rise even with inflation. This will protect consumers in the transitional period while competition develops. The price control will be removed automatically when prices fall by a significant amount due to competitive pressures. Oftel is inviting views on the level of fall that would trigger abolition of the price control; and
* BT’s existing Light User Scheme will be maintained to reduce the line rental charge of the lowest spending customers. Even when the main price control has been removed, Oftel proposes that the bills of these customers should rise by no more than the rate of inflation.
You can read the full press release HERE. |
NTLs Six-Month Rollout Plan - Broadband
By:mark.j @ 9:22:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] DigitalSpy has been the first to post about NTLs new six-month rollout plan for 2002 today, which is interesting because some expect the cable operator to be in serious troubles after that same period:
These are the franchises that are currently in scope for the next 6 months:
- Epping & Loughton
- Havering
- Barking, Dagenham & Redbridge
- Remainder of Waltham Forest
- Parts of Kensington & Chelsea
- Parts of Westminster
It is possible that one or two more may be added, but this is the list as it stands at the moment. We'll let you know as soon as we can. |
News - January 30,2002
Clara.net Gains New Managing Director
By:mark.j @ 3:53:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] If you're very familiar with the unmetered and broadband ISP Clara.net then you'll probably have heard of Steve Rawlinson, the once popular tech guru has been magically turned into Clara’s Managing Director:
Claranet Group appoints Steve Rawlinson as UK Managing Director
Claranet Group, Europe’s largest independent Internet Service Provider has appointed Steve Rawlinson, currently the group chief technical officer, as the managing director of Claranet UK.
Commenting on his appointment, Steve Rawlinson said: “I am delighted to take on a new role within Claranet. It is not by chance that after the ‘Internet bubble’ burst Claranet has thrived and grown in an environment when a lot of other ISPs have disappeared. I look forward to building upon our success in the years ahead.”
Charles Nasser, the founder of the Claranet Group, will now focus on his role as Group CEO, looking to exploit the opportunities presented in the expanding European Internet and telecommunications markets.
The European Internet market is still young and fragmented, and Claranet is one of the few British-born ISPs to expand successfully on the continent and offer one-stop pan-European solutions.
As an independently owned ISP, Claranet is well placed to react quickly to the latest technological developments in an increasingly dynamic market place, offering innovative, flexible and cost effective Internet services to businesses and consumers across the UK, France, Germany and Spain. |
BTIgnite Cut German Division Jobs
By:mark.j @ 3:37:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The loss-making broadband Internet arm of BTG (BT Group), BT Ignite, is to cut hundreds of jobs from its German division as part of a restructuring plan to streamline European operations.
The cuts, of which no specific amount has been highlighted, will take place between now and March 2003. The German arm employs roughly 1,500 staff, so any cuts would be numerically noticeable. |
Amstrad Preps New Emailer Phone
By:mark.j @ 3:31:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] During the closing months of 2001 we reported on how the once mighty computer manufacturer, Amstrad, had plans to introduce a more sophisticated version of its Emailer phone during Q1-2002.
Today it’s been reveal that the new phone will finally launch sometime next week (February):
The E-mailer Plus will cost £99.99 and include all the features of the original model and more, including email, faxes, digital voicemail, 700 name contact book and SMS text messaging.
It also offers access to web and Wap sites, although complicated sites are difficult to view. A range of pre-selected websites designed to fit the small screen are available on the Amsurf service.
Users pay local call rates for time online, plus an extra 12 pence each time they connect. For users with Caller ID on their phone line, the phone will automatically alert them to the arrival of new email without dialing up.
The Web-User item unfortunately reminds us that the unwelcome charge of 12p for the first time you connect to the service still exists. While it may not seem like much, 12p can easily mount up to be quite a considerable cost.
Hopefully someday somebody will realise that while it's a good idea, we'd all like to use our own existing ISP accounts (cough.. unmetered) with such devices. Perhaps hackers will develop a backdoor to do so =)? |
Can BT Benefit From Competition?
By:mark.j @ 3:23:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Would BT really benefit from competition? Well that's what some analysts and the UK telecom group 'Thus' seem to think. Apparently even BT is starting to recognise the potential opportunities:
Addressing journalists in London this week, Leo Todd, director of marketing for Thus, said that BT should be more innovative in its attitude towards other carriers renting its lines and that it will reap the rewards.
"BT will do better in a competitive market because revenues will grow. We believe there is substantial latent demand for broadband connectivity, so it could be a win-win situation," he said. "Instead they choose to fight a constant rearguard action."
The VNUNet item goes on to say that BT should also address the business potential beyond unbundling (LLU) and wholesale xDSL broadband provision. There's certainly some truth to the matter, especially with newer technologies being cheaper and able to bypass BTs network completely. |
edNET ISP Opens Edinburgh Loop
By:mark.j @ 3:16:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Leith-based ISP edNET has started to provide unbundled (LLU - Local Loop Unbundling) broadband services to a city-centre based company in Edinburgh:
Yesterday, the number of unbundled local loops - the wires that connect homes and business to the phone network - stood at around 150 (we say "around 150" cos no one seems to know the exact figure, although with so few of them around you'd think they'd be easy to count).
Today, there's one more. Who says the pace of broadband Britain isn't breath-taking?
Wow, one whole additional exchange unbundled, those recent improvements by Oftel really are helping the LLU process rocket along (sarcasm mode = off). More @ the Register. |
Affinity Tout Financial Improvement
By:mark.j @ 3:09:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Affinity Internet Holdings, the group helping to supply unmetered services to several popular UK ISPs, has today said that it expected to beat market forecasts for their annual turnover by around 15%:
Trading over the Christmas period was described as “buoyant” and as a result the company anticipates reporting full-year sales of in excess of £51m against the consensus forecast of £45m.
Its fixed-line telecom user base also grew in the fourth-quarter, with customer numbers up 18%. The company said trading in 2002 has started well and that it is “comfortable with broker expectations for the 2002.”
The netimperative.com item notes that the official results will be released on 19th March 2002. It's beginning to look as it the telecoms and tech market is starting to improve, albeit somewhat slowly. |
France Telecom Won’t Help NTL
By:mark.j @ 10:08:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It looks as if the owner of an 18% stake in NTL, France Telecom, isn't keen to help the debt-laden cable operator out of the mud anytime soon:
The French telecoms giant said yesterday it would not feel a "cash impact" as a result of any financial restructuring at NTL.
It did admit, however, that it would have to take an unspecified accounting charge to reflect the reduced value of its stake in NTL, according to the Daily Telegraph.
More @ Silicon. |
NTL & Telewest's Broadband Wireless (LAN)
By:mark.j @ 9:51:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] No it's not the Tele2 style system NTL are currently preparing for trial, it's a LAN (home) based service. To be more precise, Pace Micro has struck deals with both NTL and Telewest to help test its new broadband wireless networking kit.
It's similar to the one BTOpenworld had on offer not long ago, where you use a Wireless LAN box to connect into your broadband connection for 'local' roaming Internet access in the home:
Under the trials, which will start in February, a ‘cross-section’ of Telewest cable subscribers will be offered Pace’s Gateway Expander and pcConnect devices, which create a link between set-top boxes and home PCs so that users can access the cable network wirelessly through their computers.
The link between the Gateway Expander, which plugs into the Ethernet port of their set-top box or cable modem and pcConnect, which sits in the USB port of the home computer, can carry IP data services at 512kbps at ranges of 50-100 metres through DECT, the wireless standard used by most cordless phones.
Telewest and Pace said that they will use the trials, which will last eight weeks, to analyse the ease of consumer installation and whether home networking has an impact on broadband usage among existing users.
To be honest this probably isn't going to help accelerate the take-up of broadband technologies as both operators hope because for most people the problem is still either price or coverage, not flexibility of the technology itself - yet. More @ netimperative.com. |
News - January 29,2002
NTL STB Broadband Rollout - Update
By:mark.j @ 2:53:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] | Just a brief update from DigitalSpy, NTL has switched on its Set Top Box (STB) broadband services in south-east Kent today. Not to mention that customers in Ashford, Dover and Folkestone should be able to call the operator to have the service enabled as well. |
Kingston Comm Sees Profit Surge
By:mark.j @ 2:50:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Kingston Communications has become the latest telecom's operator to see an improvement with profits, or in this case, a surge:
Core profits before one-off costs and interest payments rose by 267% year-on-year to £8.7 million, from £2.4 million last time.
Turnover rose by 37% year-on-year to £82.4 million.
Kingston, which has held a near-monopoly on phone services in the Hull region for almost a century, is spending on networks and services to small and medium-sized businesses in an effort to expand.
More @ Ananova. |
Tiscali Takes On Gateway ISP Customers
By:mark.j @ 10:14:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Missed this one yesterday, but Tiscali is to take on Ex-Gateway ISP customers due to the provider closing its doors:
According to technical support, punters won't notice a thing – and they can even hang on to their email addresses.
However, while Gateway is happy to discuss the matter, Tiscali remains tight-lipped on the subject, although we're told to expect some sort of announcement later this week.
Gateway.net was created in February 1999 during a boom time for ISPs. Its subscription-free Net access service was pre-loaded onto Gateway PCs and ready to use for new computer owners.
The Register indicates that the closure is no doubt related to the announcement from August last year when the US PC maker said it was shutting down its UK and Irish operations with the loss of 1,200 jobs.
However we'd have to disagree with Technical support's comments regarding how punters won't notice a thing in the change over, after all this is Tiscali we're talking about - say no more. |
Tiscali ISP Disrupted By DoS Attacks
By:mark.j @ 10:08:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Not that its customers would be able to notice given how bad some of Tiscali's ISP services seem to be, yet the ISP has become the latest provider to be targeted by denial of service attacks (DoS):
A posting on ISP's status page on Sunday (since removed) said: "We are currently experiencing a denial of service attack on our infrastructure. Tiscali customers can still surf the internet and send and receive email, but may experience intermittent difficulties when accessing the Tiscali Web site."
Register readers have reported packet loss and generally patchy internet connections over the weekend, and an updated notice admits "customers dialling up to the Internet via other networks may experience problems accessing the Tiscali Portal" and associated services. It recommends customers connect to the Internet via Tiscali dial up connections and states its engineers have identified the problem and are in the process of restoring services to normal.
According to our own readers Tiscali is still suffering from major problems, although it's impossible to tell whether they're related or not because these difficulties have existed for MONTHS without DoS attacks! More @ The Register. |
Aramiska Push Satellite For N.Ireland
By:mark.j @ 10:03:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The broadband Satellite ISP Aramiska is to push its services into Northern Ireland in the hope of encouraging SMEs to take-up high-speed Internet services:
Under the scheme, broadband service provider Aramiska will provide connectivity, ISP, hosting and storage services to businesses with up to 250 employees and turnover not exceeding EUR40m, with an initial 250 installations taking place in February.
Some businesses will also receive financial support for the Industrial Research and Technology Unit in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, receiving up to 50% of set-up and running costs – equivalent to £1500 – in the first year.
Aramiska’s DVB-RCS (Digital Video Broadcast – Return Channel System) technology allows 8Mbps downstream and up to 2Mbps upstream, while its entry-level ISP packages start at £99 per month.
The new service is due to start sometime during February 2002 and will hopefully provide competition for BTOpenworlds own offering, which is currently under trial, yet costs more to install. It's always better (cheaper) to buy the kit and do it yourself if you can. More @ netimperative.com. |
Oftel Release Update Internet Statistics
By:mark.j @ 9:55:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Oftel (telecoms regulator) has today issued three new publications covering mobile, fixed line and Internet use statistics in the UK. The Internet report provides an overview of the key findings on consumer behaviour in the Internet/ISP market.
Results are taken from Oftel’s quarterly residential consumer survey conducted in November 2001. The fundamental results are clearly listed as follows:
49% UK adults use the Internet in a variety of locations
45% UK homes connected to the Internet
39% Internet homes currently using unmetered packages
2% Internet homes using broadband
96% Internet decision-makers were satisfied with their service
8 hours is the average weekly household time spent online
Note that Oftel isn't generally as accurate as some of the other more dedicated statistics and research groups (NetValue etc.). One particular quote we'd like to share is this one:
Just over half (55%) of narrowband users expressed interest in upgrading to broadband access. These tended to be longer established and heavier users, those already using unmetered packages and ISDN, and those dissatisfied with their current speeds.
However, despite the significant interest, consumers were prepared to pay an additional £6 per month on average for broadband (or just less than £20 per month in total for their Internet service), which is approaching the bottom of the current range of broadband prices (£20 upwards per month, excluding installation costs).
The full publication can be read HERE and it's well worth it because there's a lot of interesting detail and facts. |
Gov Trials Online Voting - Local Elections
By:mark.j @ 9:45:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The UK government is to trial online voting technology in May 2002 during the local council elections:
The government hopes to encourage more voters to attend elections and according to the Financial Times has said any successful pilot schemes in May could lay the foundations for online voting in a general election before 2011.
Swindon is one of at least ten councils around the country hoping to introduce virtual ballot boxes, and has said it will issue voters with a pin number to ensure their internet vote cannot be abused by others. Voters in Swindon will be able to register their vote online in the week leading up to the election.
No doubt this will be welcomed by anybody leading a busy lifestyle where finding even the smallest amount of free time can be a hassle. More @ Silicon. |
BT Refuse Wholesale Sale
By:mark.j @ 9:39:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Ben Verwaayen, BT's new CEO, has today cleared the air by ruling out any sale of the operator’s Wholesale division:
BT last year knocked back an £18bn offer from Westdeutsche Landesbank but has now moved to reject claims that it will listen to improved bids.
Verwaayen's denial that any sale is likely was his first public address since taking the top job at BT.
No need for any comments unless BT changes their position or a new bid is reported, we've heard it all before. More @ Silicon. |
News - January 28,2002
PlusNET Push Broadband & Slap Zen
By:mark.j @ 3:18:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] On Friday last week the BBC posted THIS news item on their website after talking with Zen Internet, who seemed to expect troubled waters ahead due to cheaper broadband xDSL services.
Today PlusNET, which just axed 20 people following a restructuring exercise, has hit back at Zen with their own comments. PlusNET is one of several ISPs attempting to offer a cheaper Wires-Only R/ADSL broadband product for residential users:
Boom or Bust for Broadband Britain’s ISPs?
Full Steam Ahead for Broadband ISPs!
Following the debate sparked late last week by Zen Internet declaring their doubt for the future of some of the UK’s Internet Service Providers, the question has to be asked, “Is it Boom or Bust for Broadband Britain’s ISPs?”
The argument centred on an understanding that ISPs can’t offer the new Self-Install version of BT’s ADSL service profitably, for the prices their currently supplied at. Zen Internet’s representative was reported as saying that he expected ISPs offering the service at a discounted rate would “…come a cropper.”
Drawing comparison to the problems faced by ISPs when Fixed Rate Internet access services were rolled out, Zen Internet said “A few ISPs have already gone under as a result of ADSL and we expect to see a few more go under in the next few months.”
Proposing an alternative view, this morning, Broadband ISP PlusNet stated that it believed the future of Internet services in the UK was a bright one, and challenged the views of other providers, who think of current pricing structures as “unsustainable”.
When asked specifically about the pricing of their Self-Install ADSL range, Alistair Wyse, Technical Director for PlusNet stated “The prices we’re offering are very competitive, but that’s the nature of Internet service provision. We’re very confident about our strategy for ADSL,” he continued, “We can see only good things coming from our Self-Install range, and relish the fact that we can offer the services at these prices.”
PlusNet stated that they can offer the service on a sustainable basis because their cost base is kept as low as possible, through automation and customer self service. “By providing users with the tools they need to get what they want from the Internet, PlusNet’s Portal (nominated for an ISPA Award) gives the customer the power and choice they demand, without compromising the quality of the relationship.”
“We’ve proven how to run a successful and profitable ISP over the last five years, and we don’t intend to stop now!” Wyse concluded.
PlusNet offer their Self-Install ADSL products from £30 per month (+VAT), which includes a free .co.uk Domain and hosting.
http://www.plus.net
Self-promotion aside and PlusNET doesn't really make a point apart from saying 'THEY' can do it, we'll just have to wait and see how such things hold up with other ISPs following a similar price trend. It’s far too early to pre-judge something as new as Self-Installable R/ADSL.
On a side note, if we ever seen another official use the phrase 'come a cropper' then it’ll be too soon =)? |
Virus Warning - W32/Myparty@MM
By:mark.j @ 2:56:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] If you receive a dubious E-Mail titled 'New photos from my party' and containing a link to visit a site showcasing snapshots of the event, then it's probably best to leave it well alone.
The chances are it's the new W32/Myparty@MM (MyParty) E-Mail virus and clicking the link will infect your computer with a mass-mailing program that typically sends itself to everybody in your address book. |
GreatXscape’s Proposal To ISPs
By:mark.j @ 10:25:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] GreatXscape, an ISP all you old-timers will remember from the dawn of unmetered dialup access, has proposed a new investment opportunity for such providers around the UK. Note that the following press release is aimed at new and existing ISPs:
GreatXscape looking to break into ISP sector
Manchester-based ISP GreatXscape is looking to make significant cash investments in the ISP sector. The company is looking to invest in small/medium sized ISP’s, or ones which serve niche markets.
“We have cash for immediate investments in the sector and are looking for ISP’s with sustainable business models and growing customer bases,“ said GX’s Richard Simpson.
GX is in a rare position with cash in the bank, and, as a result of a strategic review, is looking to grow their ISP business through carefully selected acquisitions.
“I believe it is inevitable that you will see further consolidation in the sector as real economics begin to bite. The better funded ISP’s, with strong customer bases, first class customer service and backup will gradually absorb other, weaker, players in the sector. There are too many ISP’s chasing the same business,” he added.
We have recently seen much instability in the sector as companies are unable to reach a cash positive position. Our initiative is focused on longer term sustainability, he added.
ISP’s should contact, in confidence, Richard Simpson by email at richard.simpson@eurocall.uk.net |
Internet Free Day - Hurray?
By:mark.j @ 10:18:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] A new London based campaign group, International Internet Free Day (www.DoBe.org), is proposing that we all do something shocking on a Sunday and log-off to enjoy a web-free day in the open air.
Organisers of the group suggested people write down six unusual things to do and then roll a dice to see which to do first. They've also arranged a day of theatre, poetry music and walks along London's South Bank.
When questions about the strange irony of using a website to get the message across, a spokesman stated: "The internet did not start off as a vehicle for social isolation and damaged eyesight. It began as a medium for communication."
Reading between the lines, DoBe think the Internet is a vehicle for social isolation and damaged eyesight, while the last one may be true, we ourselves have only found it to bring people closer together.
Not to mention that going outside yesterday could be akin to suicide in gale force winds =). We also doubt that 'a day of theatre, poetry music and walks along London's South Bank' is going to appeal to everybody, but could be wrong. Note that apparently leaving the Internet to watch TV and or play video games doesn’t count =(.
You'd probably have more fun held up in a blown out house on Taliban held territory, but then this is a website about ISPs. |
NTL Prep Restructuring Plans
By:mark.j @ 10:06:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Delayed from last week, NTL is soon to warn its investors of new debt-restructuring plans, which could heavily dilute their interest in the cash-strapped cable company:
Shareholders and industry watchers alike have cast doubts about the cable provider's ability to pay off its considerable debt mountain.
A cash-for-equity swap is thought to be the most likely scenario for the company with creditors taking control of up to 70 per cent of the company in exchange for a 50 per cent reduction of its debt.
A full-scale restructuring is expected to take at least 12 months to complete.
It'd be a wise move for NTLs many customers to keep an eye on this as ISP and Telecom services could easily be affected depending on which way the wind blows and whether they last 5months let alone 12! More @ Silicon. |
Freeserve Warns of ISP Price Rises
By:mark.j @ 10:01:AM - Comments (11) - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The UK based and french owned (Wanadoo) ISP, Freeserve, is warning that the cost of Internet access across Europe could rise because of the big players consolidating their position and pushing up prices.
The Finanacial Times newspaper article continued on with a quote from John Pluthero, Freeserve's chief executive:
"We are looking at pricing, we've not made a decision yet, but I think that all the pricing pressure in the market is upwards. I would be surprised if there weren't price rises from a lot of players this year."
We find it interesting how this information should emerge from Freeserve, themselves a major player, and right on the back of Oftels most recent FRIACO accouchement.
Of course we'd suggest people don't get too worried about this because most of the UKs providers, especially unmetered, are actually quite small. In other words the big operators would be shooting themselves in the foot by raising prices, but to the benefit of smaller ISPs.
So what should we make of this? Perhaps that Freeserve has finally realised charging just £12.99 for 24/7 unmetered access isn't enough and that they'll soon increase that to the £14.99 standard rate? Perhaps. On the other hand Freeserve does expect to be profitable this year, so an increase could make them look greedy. |
Oftel Makes ST-FRIACO More Flexible!
By:mark.j @ 9:35:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Oftel has today released their latest publication entitled 'Consultation by the Director General of Telecommunications on amendments to the FRIACO Direction'. FRIACO (Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination) is the system that allows you to have unmetered dialup services from BT (Surf/WebPort24) or third party Telco's.
The good news is that Oftel has opted to make two very important changes to ST-FRIACO, changes that could easily take some of the stress away from ISPs without doing too much damage to BT:
1) BT must end the practice of forcing rivals to pay for unmetered Internet access traffic in advance. This will give ISPs some important flexibility, especially for start-ups.
2) BT has to invest in the network for voice calls and metered Internet access (0845 etc.) regardless of unmetered.
Typically No.1 is the key change to watch for, although it could put the operator into a difficult situation should a large ISP close having failed to pay their bills. It’s unlikely the end-consumer will notice any difference, although we might see a few extra ISPs surface thanks to the extra flexibility.
UPDATE: Just to note that No.2 above appears to mean that BT must charge other ISPs the same fees for access to its wires for unmetered access as for metered access. Apparently Internet calls now account for 40% of the UKs telecom traffic. |
News - January 27,2002
ISP Review Forum - Back Online
By:mark.j @ 12:46:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] | Just as the title states, maintenance is now over and the forum can once again be used. |
ISP Review Weekly Update
By:mark.j @ 12:02:PM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] While last week wasn't quite as busy (overall) as the longer period we saw with the decline of Nutshell and 08002Go, the loss of Cloud-Nine and ItsGoodToGive did still manage to give a record-breaking day of visitors.
The new host stood up well, although the endless news coverage meant we had no time to start testing the 5 ISPs for 'ISP Of The Year 2001'. Typically this has been delayed, although it'll take awhile to do with or without a delay.
We've also taken the forum offline at 11:38am this morning (back in roughly 1 hour) because we need to perform some routine maintenance, which was delayed from last week.
Finally we're going to scrap our current method of reviewing ISPs and move back to the original idea of allowing readers to do it themselves. We'll still test ISPs to give recommendations and such, yet once the current set of ISPs are reviewed we'll no longer be doing full-scale tests.
The primary reason for the change is because I'm about to have a lot less time for ISPr and need to concentrate on the other sections and news, which seem to be more important, according to feedback.
Expect more on this next week. |
3G Mobile Security Improvements
By:mark.j @ 11:37:AM - - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Ericsson looks set to be the first major handset manufacturer to make use of Discretix’s CryptoCell technology, which is to be used in future GPRS and 3G mobile phones for improved security:
"Most mobile phone applications already involve some level of security," said Sariel Engel, wireless product manager at Discretix. Even GSM voice calls are encrypted, but applications such as online banking, e-commerce and access to corporate systems via virtual private networks (VPNs) require a greater level of security, the firm said.
Bjorn Ekelund, Ericsson's vice president for technology development, said, "We see power and cost-efficient security solutions as key features in our open platforms for 2.5G and 3G wireless terminals."
The CryptoCell solution consists of a hardware CryptoEngine and software components. Higher-level protocols are implemented in software, while the hardware performs compute-intensive tasks such as those involving cryptographic algorithms. Ericsson has a licence to incorporate Discretix's technology into the baseband chipset that interfaces phones to a wireless network.
More @ ZDNet. |
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