July 1, 2002 - July 5, 2002
News - July 5,2002
BTs Ben Verwaayen ADSL Chat
By:mark.j @ 9:46:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide has finally uploaded the details of their lengthy chat with BTs CEO, Ben Verwaayen. There's very little in it that we didn't already know and many questions are dodged with political answers, yet you can see the full transcript HERE.
However we did pick out a few example questions and answers, mainly those you wouldn't normally see a BT CEO talk about, at least not often:
Taking in to account the current increasing rate of ADSL signups, how long (if at all) do you expect it to take before daily/weekly bandwidth limits are put in place?
ben_verwaayen_bt says:
there will be a limit, it is up to the isp/service providers to provide those guidelines. There is a price for bandwith you know!
How comes 64K ISDN is still works out at about double the cost of ADSL?
ben_verwaayen_bt says:
It depends on what package you're on, how much you use it for what. It is a different product all together to be honest
Anymore wholesale price cuts on the horizon?
ben_verwaayen_bt says:
oh yes, many many many, in the coming years or so
Has demand and/or fesability for 'middleband' lower speed ADSL services been investigated? As I understand, this could (theoretically) extend G.dmt range to 9km...
ben_verwaayen_bt says:
we are constantly investigatinfg all kind of new developments at BT exact, our r&d facility. I personally think this will take some years to come
You'll have to pop over to ADSLGuide if you want to read the lot. |
BTs HIGH ADSL Trigger Levels
By:mark.j @ 9:29:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The World-Of-ADSL has a long list of BT exchanges and their trigger levels for ADSL enablement, what's interesting is that it appears to prove many of the reports right.
BT have only set 8 exchanges out of hundreds with a 250 or less trigger level, every other has a high value and the vast majority are set at 400. You can view the full list HERE. |
BT Confused Over ADSL Rollout
By:mark.j @ 9:19:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Interestingly it appears as if BTs new ADSL availability and pre-registration scheme has helped to confused the operator over just how many local exchanges in the UK will ever be ADSL-enabled!:
But different parts of BT appear to have different ideas over just how far the scheme can be extended. Speaking at the Broad Horizons Broadband Symposium in Wiltshire this week, Iain Duffin, a BT Retail regional manager, said it is unlikely to be economical for BT to upgrade enough exchanges to cover more than 80 percent of the UK population. His comments were quickly rebuffed by a BT Group spokesman.
Threshold levels have already been set for 338 exchanges, with another 162 exchanges being examined currently. As well as these 500, BT has said it will publish targets for another 400 exchanges by September.
The scheme has received something of a mixed reception. Many reports hailed it as a sensible way of judging broadband demand in rural areas, but some critics have claimed it is a delaying tactic and suggested that the thresholds -- typically between 350 and 400 users -- are set so high that many exchanges will never reach the targets.
The ZDNet item is well worth a read and mirrors the concern and confusion being experienced by those still outside of ADSLs reach.
Since we're still on 1 pre-registration then we doubt you'll be seeing an ADSL powered ISPr Editor-in-Chief anytime soon =). |
Tesco Close To Becoming A Telco?
By:mark.j @ 9:12:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Tesco could soon expand its service offerings into the telecommunications market following a ruling by Oftel that should enable companies to offer a complete residential telephony service:
The key to this is that punters who sign up to rival providers will no longer have to receive two bills - one from their telco for call charges and one from BT for line rental.
Instead, they will just receive one bill from their telco, a move welcomed by Centrica, which has more than a million phone customers under the One.Tel and British Gas Communications brands.
Unfortunately there's little information to go on, more @ The Register. |
Freeserve's New Search Engine
By:mark.j @ 9:05:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The French Wanadoo owned and UKs largest ISP, Freeserve, has chosen 'FAST' over its existing 'Inktomi' technology for their search engine:
The software, from Norwegian firm Fast Search & Transfer, is replacing Inktomi technology, adopted by Le Freeswerve two years ago.
Freeserve told us it chose FAST for its "advanced search...", before running out of steam.
More @ The Register. |
EcosseTel ISP Launch New Unmetered
By:mark.j @ 9:00:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Yesterday we posted some news regarding the new unmetered dialup services from EcosseTel, today we've managed to get the full press release, which explains a little more about the new services. Sorry for the delay, they sent the PR to the wrong E-Mail:
ECOSSETEL INTERNET EXPAND DIAL UP SERVICES
EcosseTel Internet the Glasgow based Internet Service Provider have introduced a new monthly charging option for their unmetered internet services.
For just £11.99 a month dial up customers anywhere in the UK can access the internet anytime of the day or night for no call charges for up to 200 hours a month - that's nearly seven hours per day. Previously this package was only available on a yearly basis.
Spencer Pryor CEO of EcosseTel Internet said: "With our new online billing system now in place we have the infrastructure to be able to control and process up to 50,000 dial up accounts. Coupled with the increase in the number of dial in ports as we roll our network out across the UK we'll be able to offer a top class dial in system for residential and small business customers. One of our main advantages is that we have an eight hour session limit, unlike most other ISP's that offer two or four hours access at a time. We'll also be introducing 128k ISDN capability in the near future, which will be of particular interest to small businesses that want a faster connection at a fixed monthly price."
Also introduced is an off peak version at £9.99 a month for customers who want evening and weekend access. All of EcosseTel Internet's accounts come with email and newsgroup services. For further information or to sign up online go to http://www.ecossetel.com or call 0870 088 5404 |
AlphaPhe's New Unmetered Capacity
By:mark.j @ 8:53:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] As previously announced earlier in the week, the unmetered dialup ISP AlphaPhe has finally introduced a "substantial amount of new ports on an additional unmetered 0808 access number".
You'll need to be a customer to receive the new number via E-Mail, although they do state that it may take awhile to propagate around BTs exchanges:
As this is a new access number, it may not be accessible from all BT exchanges yet, if you cannot access the new number, then please allow up to 24/48 hours for your local BT exchange to be updated. |
PIPEX ISP Suffers More ADSL Problems
By:mark.j @ 8:48:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] DigitalSpy is reporting that PIPEX's Xtreme ADSL service has once again suffered from connectivity problems following a major fault. Apparently E-Mail services have also been affected.
This all follows similar connectivity issues with PIPEX's unmetered dialup services over a week ago, which were unrelated and caused by a problem with Energis.
Thankfully it appears as if the problem has now been resolved, as per the data on their ADSL status page:
Report: There was a complete loss of connectivity for PIPEX Xtreme customers and to PIPEX mail services for Xtreme customers for a short time this afternoon.
Symptoms: PIPEX Xtreme ADSL users would not have been able to transfer data once connected to the service. It was not possible to connect to the PIPEX Xtreme mail service.
Actions: All connectivity has been restored and service on both PIPEX Xtreme DSL and the Xtreme email service is back to normal. PIPEX apologises for any inconvenience caused by this problem. |
News - July 4,2002
EcosseTel Launch New Unmetered
By:mark.j @ 3:36:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Net4Nowt is reporting that EcosseTel has introduced a new 24/7 unmetered dialup package costing just £11.99 per month and with a 200 hours (monthly) limit.
There's also a new off-peak service @ £9.99 per month and EcosseTel is also planning some sort of 128Kbps ISDN service (no details yet):
Spencer Pryor CEO of EcosseTel said, "With our new online billing system now in place we have the infrastructure to be able to control and process up to 50,000 dial up accounts. Coupled with the increase in the number of dial in ports as we roll our network out across the UK we'll be able to offer a top class dial in system for residential and small business customers. One of our main advantages is that we have an eight hour session limit, unlike most other ISP's that offer two or four hours access at a time."
To date customers of EcosseTel have reported varying degrees of service and support quality, hopefully things are now improving. |
Telewest Looks Toward Restructuring
By:mark.j @ 3:29:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The UKs second largest cable operator, Telewest, is to hold talks with Liberty Media about its future and restructuring following a new letter sent to shareholders:
In a letter to shareholders Telewest - burdened by £5 billion in debt - said that it is in the "best interest" of the company to enter into discussions with Liberty (the US media investment outfit owned by gazillionaire John Malone) and its bondholders concerning restructuring.
"These discussions will not begin until we have obtained the necessary waivers and consents from our banks," the cableco said.
Liberty - which already owns 25 per cent of Telewest - is looking to take control of the cableco.
The Register also reports that Microsoft has offered to sell its $332 Million (23.6%) stage in Telewest to Liberty. |
BTOpenworld Looses Its Cow =)?
By:mark.j @ 3:24:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Typing while trying to keep a strait face, BT has furnished us with a second press release, apparently their 'Kylie Moo-nogue Cow' (get it, Moo-nogue.. baahahahah - OH GOD) was stolen whilst grazing at 69 Oxford Street this week:
BT Payphones' & BT Openworld's Kylie Cow Goes Missing
CowParade London 2002's first casualty...
Scotland Yard is on the trail of London's first case of bovine burglary, investigating the mysterious case of the missing moocow. Kylie 'paint the town red' Moo-nogue Cow was stolen whilst grazing at 69 Oxford Street this week. The Cow-moo-nication Centre, created by BT Payphones, BT Openworld and artist Natasha Humphrey, is one of 150 fibreglass cows to be seen in the capital as part of London's first CowParade, moo-ving tourists and Londoners alike with their udderly fantastic cowstruction and milky ways.
Kylie Cow's four sisters have gone into moo-ning, nicknamed the Hay team, they are:,Queenie Cow - sitting regally outside Jubilee Gardens, complete with tiara and earrings; Carole Cow-derman - at the University of Westminster, graduate and mathematician, constantly on the box; Judith Cow-mers- tanned and lovely outside the Holiday Inn on Cromwell Road; and the absolutely fabmoolous, Patsy Cow - a shopaholic, soon to be seen moo-ching around 220 Oxford Street. All the BT Cow-moo-nication centres are fitted with the latest public internet terminal so customers can surf the net and send moo-mails and text messages on the hoof.
The herd will be on the streets for the next 12 weeks, to raise much-needed funds for ChildLine, the UK's free 24-hour helpline for children in trouble or danger. At the end of the summer, approximately 75 cows will be auctioned at Sotheby's Olympia on October 10, with the proceeds benefiting ChildLine. A second auction for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution will be held in November. It is hoped that CowParade will raise over half a million pounds for these worthy causes.
If you saw or herd the rustlers, BT Openworld is offering a £250 reward for information leading to Kylie's safe return. A further £250 will be donated to ChildLine when she is back with the herd. |
BTOpenworld Sponsor Mardi Gras 2002
By:mark.j @ 3:15:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] BTOpenworld has today announced that their music destination site, http://www.dotmusic.com , is to cover the Mardi Gras 2002 event:
NEWS: BT TO SPONSOR MARDI GRAS 2002
BT announces today that it is to be a Gold Sponsor of this year's Mardi Gras, held at Hackney Marsh on July 6. As part of the sponsorship, BT's Mardi Gras float, staffed by members of BT's gay, lesbian and bi-sexual employee support network, Kaleidoscope, will join the Pride Parade procession.
The procession starts at Hyde Park and ends at the Houses of Parliament on Saturday morning. In addition, BT is sponsoring the World Dance Tent at Mardi Gras, which will offer revellers the chance to enjoy sounds from across the globe, from Bollywood to Salsa.
BT Openworld's music destination site - www.dotmusic.com - is covering the event and the following week will be reporting on all the action from Mardi Gras and posting exclusive interview clips with the stars.
Director of employment policy, Caroline Waters says: "We are delighted to be a gold sponsor of Mardi Gras 2002. At BT, we are deeply committed to the promotion of equality and diversity and our sponsorship of Mardi Gras is a prime example of this commitment in action."
Mardi Gras is London's premier gay and lesbian festival and this year some of the best pop acts in the UK will be appearing including Atomic Kitten, H & Claire and Westlife. To book your ticket for Mardi Gras, please call 0870 9090490, or for more information log on to www.londonmardigras.com |
Teen Trouble With Online Shopping
By:mark.j @ 3:09:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Apparently the strong population of teenage surfers, which account for some of the longest hours online out of almost any other group, often run into problems with online shopping.
While the item that follows is from the USA, it's still valid for the UK. Note that in the UK somebody aged over 16 can get a Switch card, which is almost as well recognised as a credit card:
Alan Luu spends about 40 hours a week online, playing games, researching school assignments, and chatting with more than 200 people on his instant messenger buddy list. But the 16-year-old has never purchased a single item online.
"I don't buy anything because I don't have a credit card," the San Francisco resident said during a trip to the Sony Metreon, a teen-packed entertainment complex where shoppers buy DVDs, CDs, software and computer gaming equipment. "Some of my friends have older brothers who buy stuff online for them, but most of us just have to go to the store."
And while marketers note with irony that this very wired generation is also the least likely to buy online, many big-name e-commerce companies popular with adults don't seem too worried. Some pointedly ignore or even discourage teen shoppers, content to wait until they hit 18 and start getting credit card offers.
More @ ZDNet. |
Esat To Introduce Unmetered Dialup?
By:mark.j @ 2:57:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Esat, a BT owned Irish provider, has already stated its intention to launch some form of unmetered dialup service, however no date has been set until now.
Apparently the group has been telling callers that the service will be available to customers within the next couple of months:
Peter Evans, Esat's director of products, told ElectricNews.Net that he is hopeful that flat-rate will be available shortly. "We want to be able to offer flat-rate as quickly as possible because consumers and businesses have been calling for it," said Evans.
He said that the government and the telecoms regulator are putting increased pressure on the industry to deliver flat-rate products.
"Esat has been in discussions with Eircom and the ODTR for the last year and a half regarding the flat-rate interconnection charges that might have to be paid to Eircom. We are hoping that the issue will be resolved shortly and I would like to think Esat will be able to offer flat-rate access to its customers within the next three to four months, if not sooner," commented Evans.
More @ ElectricNews. |
Firstdirect Offer Cheaper BTO ADSL!
By:mark.j @ 2:51:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide has been quick to spot THIS new broadband ADSL deal from the online banking wing of HSBC, Firstdirect. Working with BTOpenworld, Firstdirect is able to offer BTOs residential USB ADSL service for £2.50 less per month @ £27.49, as opposed to £29.99.
Better still and you'll also be able to get a free installation, but only so long as you signup before 31st August 2002. You also appear to be free to choose your own hardware as normal and can even win a full year’s free ADSL access.
Not surprisingly you also have to be a member of Firstdirect, although that's where the catches ‘appear’ to end. |
UK Gov Offers Broadband Cash Boost
By:mark.j @ 2:44:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It's being reported that the e-commerce minister, Stephen Timms, has been promising "significant sums" for broadband come the next government spending plan.
The plan is due out next month and will cover public service investment for the next four years. Could this finally mean a subsidised ADSL rollout in rural areas? NO! =(:
"Now there is no doubt at all that there will as part of that settlement be very significant sums going into broadband." The government is planning to invest in broadband-based internet content, he said, expanding on plans already divulged by the NHS.
"We know already what the health service's plans are because they were in the budget and they have made it clear that they are going to be putting a high priority on networking.
And we will be seeing something along those lines for the other public services, for schools for example and amongst local authorities. So there are going to be substantial sums invested in that."
So while school children will now be able to surf porn even faster, the rest of we working folk living out in the sticks will have to wait.. and wait.. and you get the picture. More @ Silicon. |
Does Broadband Wi-Fi Threaten 3G?
By:mark.j @ 8:51:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Some have been concerned that the use of wireless (Wi-Fi's) hotspots could threaten broadband wireless mobile phone technologies such as 3G (UTMS).
However analysts from the The Yankee Group research organisation have stated that this will not be the case; both technologies should exist in harmony:
Although WLAN technology is relatively mature, the same cannot be said of the public access WLAN service environment, according to Declan Lonergan, director of European wireless research and consulting at The Yankee Group.
"Some fundamental challenges remain to be resolved before we can start to see significant growth in user numbers. The key technical obstacles relate to service roaming, security and billing. Perhaps more fundamentally, however, are the challenges emanating from the uncertainty surrounding public access WLAN service models, and the service provider business case," said Lonergan.
BT is confident that public access WLANs will soon be commercially viable, and has just begun a trial of a number of Wi-Fi hot spots. These hot spots, which will be set up in hotels, coffee houses and exhibition centres, will give high-speed wireless access to PDA and laptop users who have subscribed to the BT Openzone service.
The ZDNet item reports that European public access WLANs will be generating annual revenues of £1.18bn by 2007. |
Vispa Launches Unmetered ISP Promo
By:mark.j @ 8:35:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The popular UK unmetered dialup and broadband ADSL offering ISP Vispa Internet has today announced its latest promotion. The service is to offer the first month’s subscription to Connect Anytime for only £9.99:
Press Release : VISPA'S JULY PROMOTION
Vispa, one of the UK's longest running ISP's to offer 'fixed rate' Internet Access is now giving you the chance to save over 30% off your first months subscription to Connect Anytime, for only £9.99.
This promotion, running throughout July, provides all the normal features you would expect. These include unlimited email addresses, 15Mb Webspace, Usenet, Webmail, Tucows Mirror, Users Account Control System and SMS instant messaging being added shortly.
Quality is something Vispa prides itself in. During 2002 we have pushed forward this commitment. We now take ports from two suppliers (Energis and NTL) which has ensured that we always have backup circuits via another carrier, and likewise our own core network is now multi-homed, so if one transit provider is having problems we can switch to ensure our customers are not offline.
To take advantage of this offer, customers can go to
http://www.vispa.com/products-anytime.php
To use Vispa Anytime, customers must have a BT telephone line. This offer is only available to new accounts registered in July, for the first month of connection. A recurring fee of £14.95 per month thereafter will apply. See web site for further details and terms and conditions.
If you require any further details email sales@vispa.net or call 08701
624 888 |
News - July 3,2002
BT ADSL Checker Showing First Stats
By:mark.j @ 3:17:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide has noted that you can now see the pre-registration status of your exchange under BTs broadband ADSL availability checker.
Unfortunately most, including our local exchange, only appear to be seeing figures of 1, 2 or 3 pre-registrations, yet hopefully that will soon improve.
Note that ISPs will pass your phone number (chosen data line), postcode and ADSL product range details on to BTWholesale for inclusion in the stats, nothing more. |
The KPNQwest Shutdown Begins
By:mark.j @ 3:01:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Time has run out for what was once one of Europe’s biggest data hubs, KPNQwest (Ebone). The network has begun to close following another failed buyout bid, which was rejected by the administrators in Belgium:
"Ebone was the first backbone of Europe," said Graham Kinsey, staff convenor at the Ebone network centre in Belgium. "I am disgusted."
The network still had about 50 percent of a total customer base that was quoted at 45,000 at the time Ebone was purchased by KPNQwest, Kinsey said. "Around 20 percent of the remaining customers had no alternative provider arranged," he went on. "Smaller customers will be hurt the most."
"It is one big mess," said Kinsey. "But we are trying to shut down in a controlled way. There is no question of sabotage, but it will not be easy to start up again. If someone has a hidden agenda, they should not expect to bring it back up."
The ZDNet item reports that Ebone operators took a decision to pull the plug because the temporary pay came to an end on Monday and the bid for Ebone by Oakley Capital (UK) was rejected. It’s not clear how this will affect UK networks and ISPs, if at all. |
Hutchison 3G Renames Itself '3'
By:mark.j @ 2:53:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Hutchison 3G has today become the latest mobile operator to re-brand itself with a supposedly trendy title, in the case of Hutchison it's now known as '3':
spokesperson for the firm's UK operation confirmed that the new name will be used for its 3G businesses in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Sweden and Britain, after the new brand was leaked to Marketing magazine this week.
In a statement from Hutchison Whampoa, its parent company, MD Canning Fok said: "I can confirm that 3 will be the name for our 3G businesses world-wide. Our name is just one part of our brand. We will stick to our timetable over the coming months, and tell you much more about our approach to our markets and our services when the time is right. Now you have heard that our name is 3, we hope you cannot forget it."
According to Hutchison, the new brand will always appear as '3,', apart from in web addresses, where it will be written as a word in the relevant language, for example http://www.three.co.uk
Well it's true, you can't forget it (unless your name is Jade and you live in the Big Brother house), although it's hardly a name that sings 'mobile phone operator' and will need to be accompanied by some strong advertising to succeed. More @ netimperative.info . |
ASA Upholds BT ADSL Advert Complaint
By:mark.j @ 2:41:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Telewest has let us know that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has once again slapped BT for some of its advertising, although out of three complaints only one was actually upheld. The ASA site reads..:
Telewest Communications plc, Broadband4Britain and a member of the public objected to a national and regional press advertisement for a broadband Internet service. It featured a photograph of a baby and stated "... Meet Andres Felipe Beltran. Born 4.01am, 26/02/02. BT has connected over 60% of Britain's homes and offices to broadband exchanges ... With broadband the connection is permanently on, so Andres will never endure the squawk of the dial-up tone. Neither will he spend all Sunday afternoon downloading the latest film clip, because his connection is up to 40 times faster ...".
Adjudication:
1. Complaint not upheld
The advertisers said "over 60%" was a reference to the average proportion of homes and offices in Britain that were connected to a broadband-enabled exchange. They explained that in some urban areas up to 99% of homes and businesses had been connected to a broadband exchange and in other areas where exchanges had not been upgraded no homes and businesses had been connected. The advertisers maintained that the claim was not misleading because it referred to broadband availability across Britain, not specifically in Scotland. The Authority acknowledged that the claim referred clearly to Britain and concluded that it did not exaggerate the availability of the service.
2. Complaint not upheld
The advertisers said the advertisement referred to the proportion of homes and offices connected to broadband-enabled exchanges and did not refer to the provision of service. The Authority noted the advertisement stated "... a super-fast internet connection is possible for more of us than ever ...". It considered that the advertisement stated the percentage of homes and offices in Britain that were connected to broadband-enabled exchanges and did not imply that those homes and offices had already signed up for the service.
3. Complaint upheld
The advertisers explained that most domestic customers accessed the internet with a standard dial-up connection that gave a maximum speed of 56 Kbps. They claimed that their broadband service provided lines with speeds of 500 Kbps, 1 Mbps or 2 Mbps and that the claim "up to 40 times faster" was based on the 2 Mbps service. The advertisers said they offered a 500 Kbps "USB" service that was most suited to domestic customers and three "Ethernet" services with speeds of 500 Kbps, 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps that were most suited to businesses.
They asserted that the "Ethernet" services were available to domestic customers and were more suitable if several home PCs were connected to one line. Although it acknowledged that the 2 Mbps service could be obtained by domestic customers, the Authority noted it was primarily a business service and the speed of domestic customers' services was normally only up to 500 Kbps. The Authority considered that the advertisement implied that a connection "up to 40 times faster" was standard for domestic customers and businesses. Because that implication was not true, the Authority concluded that the claim was misleading and advised the advertisers to amend the advertisement with the help of the Committee of Advertising Practice Copy Advice team.
David Hobday, Telewest’s sales and marketing director (broadband division), was kind enough to pass his own comments on to us: "BT's been caught trying to pull a fast one. Consumers are having a hard enough time getting their heads round broadband, without BT getting its sums wrong.
We're trying to make our broadband services as approachable as possible and by sticking to the facts consumers can then choose what's right for them."
Lest we forget how Telewest escaped being found guilty of a similar accusation last year. |
IC24 Launch Peak Unmetered Service
By:mark.j @ 8:59:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Keith, one of our forum mods and soon to be news posters, has informed us that the Brightview owned ISP IC24 has, after a very long wait, finally launched its unmetered service:
We are pleased to announce that ic24 users are now able to sign up for our special ic24 unmetered internet service which allows access to the internet between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:30 pm - Monday to Friday - for only £8.99 per month inc VAT.
NOTE: Signing up for this unmetered service does not affect your ability to access your current ic24 pay-as-you-go metered account outside of the above hours
It's certainly strange to see an unmetered service for peak hours only without any other 24/7 or Off-Peak options, perhaps they'll follow. |
AlphaPhe ISPs 300 Minute Free Trial
By:mark.j @ 8:51:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] AlphaPhe, the unmetered dialup ISP, has today issued a second service update announcing a new 300 minute FREE trial of their services.
There's also word on the ISPs usage statistics, IRC access and their new 0845 local call rate dialup number:
300 MINUTE FREE TRIAL!
We are pleased to announce the launch of our 300 minute FREE trial!
The new 300 minute FREE trial gives potential users the chance to see if the AlphaPhe.Net service meets with their requirements, the unmetered access number that users will use during the AlphaPhe.Net 300 minute FREE trial is the same 0808 unmetered access number that they will continue to use should they wish to become a permanent AlphaPhe.Net user, so potential customers will know exactly what they will be getting for their money, no hidden surprises!
To register for the AlphaPhe.Net 300 minute FREE trial please click HERE.
NEW 0845 LOCAL-RATE ACCESS NUMBER
We have just launched a new 0845 dial-up access number for all users of the 0845 access numbers.
The new local-rate access number is: 0845 120 7939*
We recommend that all users of the 0845 access numbers update their 0845 dial-up settings to use this new access number.
This number replaces the 0845 6043313* access number, if you are using the 0845 6043313* dial-up access number, please change it to the new 0845 120 7939* access number.
*Charged at normal BT Local Rates.
INTERESTING STATISTICS
Did you know that the average time spent online for each AlphaPhe.Net user in June 2002 was 48.9 hours, that's less than 100 minutes per day!
Did you know that currently, the user INM Percentage is:
INM Points / Percentage Of Users
0 INMs 95%
1-5 INMs 2.9%
6-10 INMs 1.0%
11-15 INMs 0.6%
16-20 INMs 0.5%
IRC SERVER INFORMATION
Just to let you all know we now have our own IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Server.
The URL of our irc server is: irc.alphaphe.net
Before you can start to use our IRC server you will need to download an IRC client |
UK Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) Lives
By:mark.j @ 8:45:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] We had thought that the process of opening up BTs many exchanges for use by competitive rivals (LLU) was all but dead; however it now appears that it's very much alive:
A BT spokeswoman said: "At one point there were only one or two companies interested, but about six months ago there was a sudden wave of interest. We are in talks with about 10 companies now."
The current leader is EasyNet, which has more than 500 lines connected and 300 customers signed up. They have equipment in place to serve most of central London, with a continually increasing footprint.
EasyNet's focus is on Symmetrical DSL or SDSL, a product aimed mostly at providing data connections to business users, offering between 2Mbps to 8Mbps connections, rather than ADSL which connects residential users at lower speeds, typically 512Kbps.
The Silicon item goes on to mention the recent deal between Bulldog and BT, which is likely to push things further still.
However it's worth noting that EasyNet also has LLU based ADSL connections up to 8Mbps via line bonding, yet the above item appears to either confuse or overlook this. |
News - July 2,2002
BT Speaks To ISPr - New ADSL Checker
By:mark.j @ 3:04:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] BT certainly seems to be going much further than ever before to defend their new broadband ADSL availability checker service, which has recently come in for some sharp criticism.
A good example of this is ADSLGuide's live public chat with BTs CEO Ben Verwaayen @ 4pm today, a very rare occurrence indeed.
Now Rebecca Webster, BTs Head of Broadband Marketing @ BT Wholesale, has contacted us with her own response to some of the criticism being levelled at the service.
Unfortunately it does little to appease the concerns many may have. Note that the item is in response to a news item we posted after both we and a number of readers reported being unhappy with the new system:
The article describes your trial of BT’s ADSL demand checker commenting that ‘sadly the result wasn’t good’. As BT’s press statement last week outlined, the scheme went live on July 1st and therefore, the initial results are not expected immediately. It will take time for the level of demand to appear on the barometer giving an indication of where demand is most prominent. The pre-registration scheme is an ongoing process.
In response to your further comment ‘indeed we felt it did little to improve over the old system’ – we feel this scheme moves on significantly from the previous checker and are disappointed this is your stated view.
The customer is now asked to interactively register demand through a service provider and is able to see the current levels of demand. When the demand reaches the target for a particular exchange, BT Wholesale will inform service providers who will then have 42 days to convert registrations into advance orders. The results will be posted on bt.com/broadband where the end user will be able to track demand.
Of course the concerns most people have isn't so much to do with the checker. Many fear it'll slow the rollout process down, not least by setting ridiculously high trigger levels for areas that simply can’t compete (demand).
Others are concerned that BT may be trying to spend lengthy periods of time talking about ADSL expansion and yet not do it, digging themselves into a safe haven of administration and political walls design to rebuff criticism.
Then there’s the constant excuse of using alternatives such as Satellite, which are either too expensive or too restrictive. Sadly and no matter what happens, some people will be without broadband ADSL in their area for many years. |
Total UK Homes Online = 10.7 Million
By:mark.j @ 2:36:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] A new government Expenditure and Food Survey has found that 40% (10.7 Million) of UK homes had access to the Internet during Q1-2002, up from 9.8 Million in the previous quarter (Q4 - 2001).
Access figures were likely to have been boosted by households buying computers for Christmas and going online in the New Year, a spokeswoman for National Statistics said.
Among households with the highest incomes, access stood at 80% in March 2002, while only 11% of the lowest-earning homes were online.
Regional variations ran from 48% in London and the South East to 31% in Wales and Northern Ireland. Note that government statistics aren’t always the best to go by. |
123ISP Launches 128Kbps Unmetered
By:mark.j @ 8:56:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The latest resold NeonHippo (NH) ISP to introduced unmetered support for dual channel ISDN access @ 128Kbps is 123ISP, which follows a similar (not the same) service introduction by NH partner Gio Internet:
We have now launched our 128k ISDN Packages for both residential and business users.
All services brandish; 7 email addresses, 10MB of Webspace, 85,000 Newsgroups, National Rate Telephone Support, Email Support, Live Help Forum and access to the online control panel for self-administration of your account. Email/Webspace increase on request.
Our new (128k) services are as follows;
123 Twin Lite;
£17.95 a month.
30:1 Contention Ratio.
125 Hours @ 128k / 250 Hours @ 64k
123 Twin Plus;
£29.95 a month.
15:1 Contention Ratio.
180 Hours @ 128k / 350 Hours @ 64k
123 Twin Business Plus;
£39.95 a month.
7:1 Contention Ratio.
250 Hours @ 128k / 500 Hours @ 64k
The final 'business plus' offer looks to be the most realistic; note that few unmetered services of any kind with a port ratio of 30:1 escape serious engage tones (twin lite), that we know of. |
AlphaPhe ISP Issues Service Update
By:mark.j @ 8:47:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] AlphaPhe.Net">AlphaPhe, the unmetered dialup ISP, has begun issuing a new service update to their customers regarding some new modem port capacity:
During the next 3-4 weeks we will be increasing our modem port capacity to maintain and improve the quality of service provided to our users, in addition, we are currently in discussions with various parties in an attempt to supply unmetered internet access to non-BT line customers.
Whilst the new lines are being installed and additional / alternative access numbers are activated, there may be some intermittent access problems on the 0808 access number(s).
We apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause to our users.
As a gesture of goodwill on our part, in the unlikely event of any prolonged outages we will compensate all of our users with either a FREE extension to their AlphaPhe.Net subscription or an allocation of ABC's.
We will keep you informed of any updates / planned downtime via the 'Network' section of the AlphaPhe.Net website and via email.
Our 0845 access numbers will not be affected by this upgrade.
We hope that our users understand that we are doing this to improve the AlphaPhe.Net service and will be patient with us whilst the work takes place. |
Nildram Support BTs New ADSL Checker
By:mark.j @ 8:43:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Nildram has today become one of the UKs first major ISPs to announce their support for BTs much questioned and recently introduced ADSL demand checker and pre-registration scheme:
Nildram take part in Exchange Pre-Registration Scheme
Nildram, one of the leading providers of Broadband Access services in the UK, have today announced their participation in the new BT Exchange Pre-Registration Scheme.
The scheme has been launched by BT in order to gauge interest and, therefore, the economic viability of enabling exchanges not currently set up to provide Broadband ADSL connections.
Iain Ogilvie, Nildram's marketing manager comments: "Nildram are committed to making Broadband services more widely available across the UK and so we very much welcome this new initiative from BT." "We would encourage anyone in a non-ADSL enabled area that is interested in getting a broadband connection to register their interest via our ADSL website at www.getadsl.co.uk - If there is enough interest from your area, BT may enable their exchange!"
Further information: http://www.getadsl.co.uk |
Ireland Fights For Unmetered Dialup
By:mark.j @ 8:37:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] While broadband ADSL and Cable Modem ISP services may be starting the long walk into Ireland, unmetered dialup offerings still remain somewhat illusive.
Now the campaign / lobby group, Ireland Offline, is to take their fight to the European Commission (EC/EU) for a hearing on 8th July:
The Commission hearings will look at issues such as progress in local loop unbundling and the provision of broadband in Europe. Ireland Offline said that it was its understanding that no official government representative will attend the hearing, although it is expected that the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation will be speaking at the event.
"The ODTR's view of how Ireland is doing in terms of Internet access is likely to be in conflict with the view of Ireland Offline, so we felt that it was important that our members' voices were heard," said the organisation's chairman, David Long.
"For instance, it is quite clear that the number of Internet users in Ireland has stagnated, yet the ODTR still hasn't taken a visionary stance on the introduction of flat-rate Internet access and competitively priced broadband access," commented Long. "Such products are available throughout the EU and even in countries like Iran and Russia, but not in Ireland. How can Ireland become the e-hub of Europe when its citizens are denied these basic services?"
The ElectricNews item notes that most Internet users have to settle for expensive metered dialup access due to a lack of unmetered and the huge cost of ADSL. |
Klez E-Mail Worm (Virus) Still Top
By:mark.j @ 8:29:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] There seems to be no shaking the infamous Klez E-Mail worm from the top spot as the number of infections actually rose during June to 788,137 copies, this compares with 524,507 in May:
Virus infection rates are currently running at around one per 240 emails, which compares to one in 30 infected emails at the heights of the Goner and Love Bug epidemics, MessageLabs reports.
Klez became the worst virus ever in May, and it shows no sign of abating, according to the firm
Other viruses were much less common. The next most common virus, Yaha, was blocked only 67,146 times by MessageLabs during the last four weeks. However Yaha has become a major irritant at Vulture Central because of its capacity to spew hundreds of infectious emails to a single address from infected machines.
The Register notes that Microsoft’s patch for the exploit can be grabbed HERE and we suggest EVERYBODY installs it. |
News - July 1,2002
Broadband Norfolk Campaign Update
By:mark.j @ 3:46:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Nicholas Carter of the Broadband Norfolk Campaign site have let us know of an update to their page.
The group has posted a list of all the exchanges in Norfolk and their status under BTs new demand checker, which came online early during the weekend:
Below is a list of Norfolk's exchanges and whether they have been upgraded or not. Also we have noted exchanges trigger levels and stated if the exchanges are under review.
Acle - ADSL Not Viable
Aylsham - Under Review
Barnham Broom - ADSL Not Viable
Beccles - Triggger Level 400 customer registrations.
Brancaster - ADSL Not Viable
Burgh Castle - ADSL Not Viable
Caister-on-Sea - ADSL Not Viable
Cromer - ADSL Not Viable
Dereham - Trigger Level 400 customer registrations.
Diss - Trigger Level 400 customer registrations.
Downham Market - Under Review
Drayton - Under Review
Fakenham - Under Review
Gorleston - ADSL Available
Great Yarmouth - Trigger Level 350 customer registrations.
Harleston - ADSL Not Viable
Heacham - ADSL Not Viable
Hethersett - Under Review
Hingham - ADSL Not viable
Holt - ADSL Not Viable
Kings Lynn - ADSL Available
Long Stratton - ADSL Not Viable
Martham - ADSL Not Viable
Middleton - ADSL Available
North Walsham - Trigger Level 400 customer registrations.
Norwich City- ADSL Available
Norwich North - ADSL Available
Norwich West - ADSL Available
Ormesby - Under Review
Potter Heigham - ADSL Not Viable
Saint Faith - Under Review
Stalham - ADSL Not Viable
Swaffham - Under Review
Swainsthorpe - ADSL Not Viable
Swanton Abbot - ADSL Not Viable
Thetford - ADSL Available
Tivetshall - ADSL Not Viable
Walsingham - ADSL Not Viable
Watton - ADSL Not Viable
Wroxham - ADSL Not Viable
Wymondham - Under Review |
Official Bulldog / BT SDSL PR
By:mark.j @ 3:36:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Bulldog has today kindly sent us their official press release covering the recently announced deal with BT to supply SDSL business broadband to BT Wholesale markets:
Bulldog Announces Agreement to Supply SDSL Services to BT Wholesale Markets
Broadband services provider, Bulldog Communications, today announced an agreement to supply BT Wholesale Markets with symmetric DSL (SDSL) services via Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). BT Wholesale Markets will market Bulldog’s leading-edge symmetric DSL service to BT Retail as well as its Other Licensed Operator (OLOs) customers. Bulldog’s technology will enable flexible voice and broadband data solutions up to now unavailable in the UK, which will appeal to the SME market.
This breakthrough agreement, the first time in Europe that an incumbent has agreed to purchase DSL services from an LLU operator, is the culmination of months of deep commercial, operational and technical diligence with BT and represents a seal of approval for the Bulldog management team’s proven execution capabilities and world-acknowledged technical leadership.
In order to become a supplier to BT, Bulldog had to meet the exacting selection standards of the elite BT Wholesale Markets Business Partner Programme, and is currently the only LLU partner on BT’s Partner Programme.
This agreement underscores the strength of Bulldog’s business model, which relies on aggregating demand through partners thereby achieving scale economies while simultaneously providing leading-edge technology and high quality products for the service providers’ end-user customers.
The Bulldog trial service was developed with BT Wholesale Markets and BT Retail. The service will support multiple TDM voice channels as well as IP data traffic concurrently over a single copper pair using G.SHDSL technology.
BT Wholesale Markets plans to commercially launch the SDSL service following a successful trial early in Q4 with the first triallist, BT Retail. Services will be available to 60,000 businesses and nearly 600,000 homes connecting customers to over 40 exchanges in central and west London.
Bulldog and BT Wholesale have worked closely together on a number of fronts to develop this creative approach to delivering wholesale broadband services quickly and cost-efficiently. Bulldog’s new-found Partner Programme status is a natural progression of our joint efforts through the LLU process and mutual leadership roles in the DSL Forum . Bulldog’s Director of Technology, Gavin Young, was a founding member of the DSL Forum and is currently its Technical Chairman. BT co-chairs the Operations and Network Management working group within the DSL Forum and is also on the board of directors.
CEO of Bulldog, Richard Greco said: “We are pleased to be selected to BT Wholesale Markets Business Partner Programme. It is a testament to Bulldog’s technical capabilities and proven management expertise that BT, the UK’s broadband leader, has chosen Bulldog to deliver SDSL services for its customers. This agreement reflects a commitment on the part of BT’s senior management to make the LLU process work and to create a truly open and competitive market for the provision of DSL services.” |
Internet Vulnerable To Massive Attack
By:mark.j @ 3:34:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The British network security firm Netcraft has noted a number of recently exposed flaws in popular web server application software, which has, they say, left much of the Internet open to a massive attack:
Microsoft published a trio of security advisories on 12 June related to its Internet Information Server (IIS), and this was followed on 17 June by the publication of a bug in the Apache Web server application that leaves the software open to a buffer overflow attack. Together, Apache and IIS make up nearly 90 percent of active Web servers, according to Netcraft, although it has not yet been conclusively proven that the Apache flaw affects versions running on the Linux and Solaris operating systems.
One of the IIS flaws affects servers with activated HTR scripting -- an obsolete technology that has been replaced by Active Server Pages. Netcraft noted that around half of the IIS sites on the Internet have HTR scripting enabled, meaning they are probably vulnerable to the attack.
"This is more like an isolated event than a trend," said Netcraft director Mike Prettejohn. "This is the first time I can think of that there has been a remotely exploitable Apache vulnerability, and it happened to come within 10 days of this particular Microsoft vulnerability. It has all combined to make the Web pregnant for exploitation."
While informed web-hosts may already be familiar with the problems and working to seal up the gaps, yet not all are and the ZDNet item notes that if a worm were to appear and abuse the exploit then it could be very successful. |
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