May 10, 2002 - May 15, 2002
News - May 15,2002
EU SPAM Ruling Delayed - AGAIN
By:mark.j @ 2:52:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Not for the first time, the European Parliament has delayed its decision on junk mail (SPAM) legislation. Its Citizens Rights Committee has failed to reach an agreement with the European Telecoms Council of Ministers over which approach to adopt:
The committee thinks the decision should be passed on to member states yet the Telecoms Council favours a harmonised, Europe-wide policy of soft-opt in, which will allow companies to market to existing clients as long they are promoting similar products as before.
Over the past few months, differences of opinion have also arisen on other issues concerning electronic marketing, including the use of cookies by websites to gain personal data on users.
If a compromise is not reached by 30 May, and the Parliament votes then for passing the buck to member states, it is expected that another lengthy conciliation process will follow before any legislation governing junk mail is put in place.
The netimperative.info item also notes that a lack of harmonisation across European countries could undermine any new controls. |
MS Directors Leave Telewest Board
By:mark.j @ 2:47:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Microsoft has withdrawn three of its directors from Telewest board as part of a review of its position in the heavily indebted firm.
Microsoft, which owns 23.6% of Telewest and has the right to appoint three board members, told Henry Vigil, Salman Ullah and Dennis Durkin to stand down: "At present we believe that we will be in a better position to manage our relationship with, and investment in, Telewest without board representation," Microsoft said.
Telewest is saddled with £5.3 Billion of debt, amassed during the telecoms and media acquisition frenzy, while its shares have collapsed on fears that it may have to do an "NTL" - handing over control to its bondholders.
Microsoft's move lopped another 5% off the stock in morning trade to 8.55p, valuing the firm at just more than £270 Million.
Media tycoon John Malone's Liberty Media is Telewest's other main shareholder, with a quarter of the firm, and the U.S.-based cable group is widely expected to bid for all of Telewest eventually as part of its plans for European expansion.
"Microsoft expects to continue to evaluate Telewest on an ongoing basis and, in that regard, will continue to consider, among other things, purchasing or selling Telewest securities or engaging in possible strategic transactions involving Telewest," the statement said.
Microsoft said it had no current plans to change its position, but might do so at any time. |
Netscape Web Browser v6.2.3
By:mark.j @ 10:35:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] | The latest update to the AOL owned Netscape web browsing software (v6.2.3) is now out and can be downloaded HERE. |
UK - Multiplayer Gaming On The Rise
By:mark.j @ 8:58:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] New research from NetValue has found that online Multiplayer gaming is on the increase with 3.5 million people visiting online game sites during March 2002:
The figure shows an increase of a million from the previous year and represents 22% of the online population.
Nearly a quarter of all web users in Spain accessed games site putting it at the top of the European list.
The UK was second, France came third, with Denmark fourth, Germany fifth, Norway sixth, Sweden seventh and Italy came eighth with around 10% of web users visiting gaming sites.
Unfortunately Ananova's item appears to have confused the high frequency of UK residents visiting gaming orientated websites with multiplayer itself.
That's not to say multiplayer isn't on the rise because it quite clearly is, you only need to see the growing number of games, servers and players directly to know that. |
Telewest Confirm New Services
By:mark.j @ 8:48:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] DigitalSpy is reporting that Telewest has finally confirmed the existence of its new broadband based interactive services. This is mostly related to interactive TV programs such as big brother 3 etc.:
David Hobday, sales and marketing director for Telewest Broadband, explained: "The TV is more fun than ever before and now it's the viewers who are in control. Broadband TV is bursting with things to do - and gets viewers closer to the action at live events.
And unlike Sky Digital and BT, Broadband TV with Telewest doesn't tie up your telephone line." |
C&W Reveal Full Year Loss
By:mark.j @ 8:44:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] No surprises here, Cable & Wireless (C&W) are reporting a full-year loss as corporate customers cut spending on telecommunications services:
The company revealed a £4.72 billion pre-tax loss compared with a previous profit of £3.63 billion. Stripping out one-off costs, C&W made a £61 million profit.
Sales fell to £5.91 billion compared with £8.10 billion previously.
The company declared a final dividend of 3.5 pence, making a total dividend of 16.5 pence.
More @ Ananova. |
Oftels May 2002 ADSL Fact Sheet
By:mark.j @ 8:41:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide is reporting that Oftels 'May 2002' edition of their broadband ADSL fact sheet has been released HERE.
The sheet notes that 1,015 exchanges were enabled by the end of April last month and also mentions BTs new wholesale broadband satellite ISP service. Key parts are as follows:
Kingston:
All of Kingston’s exchanges in the Hull area are now enabled to deliver ADSL.
2. Take up (as at end of April):
BT: ~200,000
Kingston: ~11,000
3. Developments
Satellite Trial: BT has announced plans to trial a high-speed Internet satellite service from 31 May 2002. The one-to-many service will allow Service Providers to reach customers who are out of range of normal ADSL services. The service will provide download speeds of up to 256kbits/s via a satellite dish, with higher speeds of up to 4Mbit/s available on demand.
Increased exchange roll-out: BT announced plans on 8 April to enable a further 100 exchanges to deliver broadband services by the end of May. This should increase BT’s broadband coverage to around two thirds of UK households. BT is also reviewing a further 500 exchanges, which may be next to be upgraded.
BT Central Plus: BT launched Central Plus on 10 May 2002, following a trial that started on 11 March. BT Central Plus is an enhancement to the BT IPStream portfolio, that allows Service Providers to connect their End Users directly to the Internet. The product will be sold in blocks of 5,000 ports, with a connection charge of £50,000 and annual rental charge of £165,000.
BT IP Stream Service Provider transfer pilot: BT is developing a new process to allow consumers to transfer between service providers without the need for their service to be ceased and re-provided, as is required at present. BT is currently piloting this process and a full launch of the service is due to follow if the pilot is successful. For the period of the pilot, BT will not be levying a charge for transferring consumers between service providers.
BT IPStream 500 withdrawal: BT has announced that it plans to withdraw its IPStream 500 product from new supply in August 2002. BT plans to support existing IPStream 500 users for at least a year, though plans to migrate them to IPStream Home thereafter.
It looks as if BTs new wholesale satellite service will be somewhat of a let down, it appears to be another one-way style option, although that has yet to be confirmed. We'll know more soon. |
News - May 14,2002
Gio Delay AnyTime Unmetered Service
By:mark.j @ 3:48:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Unfortunately last weeks delay to the launch of Gio Internet’s new 128Kbps ISDN unmetered service has also affected the introduction of their new AnyTime packages:
Due to the technical problems on the 128K we had to push back the Anytime services. The Anytime services should be availble sometime next week along with 128K
Many apologies to those who have been waiting patiently. |
Just Say NO! - The Naked ADSL Protest
By:mark.j @ 3:44:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Remember yesterdays Get Edenbridge ADSL campaign? Well apparently some people seemed to be more than a little keen and wanted to help by staging a naked demonstration.
However the campaign leader, Steve Boxley, has rejected the plans with a firm, "Definitely not." Do people really want broadband so much that they’d choose to expose themselves? We can only hope so =).. |
IT'S ALIVE! - The Broadband Fridge
By:mark.j @ 3:37:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] No we're not joking; by October 2002 you'll be able remote control and talk to your fridge by hooking it up to the Internet with a range of other home i-appliances:
LG Electronics believes it will be the first to market globally with its range of Internet home appliances, including fridge, microwave, washing machine and air conditioning system, rolling them out in the UK and Mexico a month ahead of its Australian November schedule.
The Internet fridge, for example -- which LG believes will become the focal point in the home -- incorporates a 15-inch LCD touchscreen, built-in microphone, music player to download online tracks, a digital camera, video phone and electronic diary. You can program it to do the house keeping for you, for example, listing goods that need to be replenished, then you can control it remotely via your PC or mobile phone to send the order through to an online grocery supplier.
The i-appliances, which run slightly slower off a standard Net connection and require ADSL broadband home connection ideally, will be available from a select group of LG-partnered retailers.
It's all very wonderful, yet it's also a hacker’s heaven. More @ ZDNet. |
PIPEX - Donate Old Modem For ADSL
By:mark.j @ 3:22:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] PIPEXs latest scheme asks you to donate your old dial-up modem to charity and get a brand new Fujitsu FDX310 ADSL Modem in exchange.
Of course the obvious catch is that a DSL modem is completely useless without an ADSL connection, hmm so who could possibly provide that then? Nope we don't know either =), on with the PR..:
PIPEX - Now That's Xtreme Broadband
So, you've decided to sign up to PIPEX Xtreme Solo and take advantage of the free set-up offer. You know you need a new ADSL modem and you're wondering what to do with your old dial-up modem. Well, PIPEX has the perfect solution!
From 14 May 2002 until 13 June 2002, any customer subscribing to the Xtreme Solo service, costing just £23.44 inc VAT a month, is invited to send their old external dial-up modem, plus power supply and cables, to PIPEX and exchange it for a brand new Fujitsu FDX310 ADSL modem worth £94! Couple that with PIPEX's free set-up offer worth £58.75 and what are you waiting for?
Customers can rest assured that their old modem will find a good home as PIPEX has arranged to send them to Computer Aid International, where they will be recycled for use by education and community organisations in some of the poorest countries in the world. Further information on this charity's excellent work can be found at http://www.computer-aid.org.
Jaf Shah, Fundraising and Marketing Manager at Computer Aid International is delighted that PIPEX has chosen to work with the charity on this campaign. "It's good to see a company such as PIPEX taking a responsible attitude to recycling. The modems they are donating will be used alongside refurbished Computer Aid International Pentium computers and supplied to schools and community organisations in developing countries. This contribution will help to bridge the growing digital divide between developed and developing countries and extend equality of educational opportunity to disadvantaged groups in developing countries."
David Rickards, PIPEX MD commented, "It's clear that ADSL broadband connections are fast becoming the preferred way to connect to the Internet. But with the installation of shiny new ADSL modems, many tens of thousands of dial-up modems could soon become redundant. Now, with the PIPEX Modem Xchange Programme, customers have the option to swap their old dial-up modem for a brand new Fujusti ADSL modem free of charge and, at the same time, PIPEX in partnership with Computer Aid International have arranged to recycle the dial-up modems for use within developing countries, enabling us and our customers to do our bit for a green (and purple striped) planet."
He concluded, "We're very excited about this initiative. At a stroke, we've made it even easier for customers to join Broadband Britain - we already pay the customer's set-up fee of £58.75 and now we even provide the modem free of charge. All the customer has to do is pay the low monthly fee of £23.44 - one of the most affordable in the UK today. Why pay more when you simply don't need to?"
Speaking on behalf of BT Wholesale, Bruce Stanford, Director of Broadband was also enthusiastic "We're very pleased to see that PIPEX continues to actively look at innovative and practical ways of encouraging broadband take-up in the UK. This initiative not only demonstrates their commitment to Broadband Britain but with their recycled modem programme the initiative will also help others in need. We believe initiatives such as these should be applauded."
To take advantage of this extraordinary offer, customers should visit http://www.solo.pipex.net/modem-xchange/ , sign-up to the Xtreme Solo service and print off the PIPEX Modem Xchange Voucher. This should be completed and sent to PIPEX, together with a fully working external modem and accessories. PIPEX will then send out the new ADSL modem.
To qualify, customers must have subscribed to the PIPEX Xtreme Solo service between 14 May 2002 and 13 June 2002. Full Terms and Conditions of the offer are detailed on the voucher.
PIPEX will continue to campaign for more affordable broadband helping even more customers discover the joys of a broadband connection.
For the record a DSL modem on its own isn’t completely useless, we found they can be used as an effective weapon against relatives asking you out for another one of those dread ‘family’ lunches.
Oh and no, giving the modem back to yourself is NOT classified as a being for a legitimate charity =), no matter what the genius in the corner says. |
New Broadband Satellite ISP - SatDrive
By:mark.j @ 3:08:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] It would appear as if yet another new broadband Satellite ISP, SatDrive, is to have a go at the affordable access angle (£14.99 inc. VAT per month):
SATDRIVE HERALDS END TO UK’S DIGITAL DIVIDE
SatDrive today unveiled its new Internet service for the whole of the UK as part of a wider pan-European roll-out.
SatDrive is an ‘asymmetric broadband’ service – very fast in the download direction from the Internet. It uses an ordinary phone or ISDN line for communication back into the Internet. It has several ‘always on’ features such as email, streaming TV/Radio and web-page updates that do not need the phone line to be used.
What makes SatDrive different and affordable is ‘Bandwidth-on-Demand’. Most broadband services attempt to provide the user with a pre-determined bandwidth. SatDrive’s users are provided with on-screen speed controls. They can select speeds of up to 8Mbits/s whenever needed – and then change down to slower speeds as soon as the downloaded information has arrived. This variable-rate service means that users only pay for what they use.
SatDrive’s service has four other features that keep the base-line subscription down to less than £15 per month.
ISP Independent – There is no need to change your ISP or email Address. For users without an existing ISP relationship it can also be used via SatDrive’s UK local access number.
Always-On email – the user does not have to call up the Internet to download emails – they arrive automatically if the computer is left switched on.
Easy to buy – no sales people, no brochures, no junk mail, no line surveys, no delays – just a simple website through which the service can be purchased.
Very simple tariffs – a choice of monthly pre-pay covering pre-agreed download volumes of Megabytes of data and maximum speeds, or a fully variable rate starting at £14.99 per month plus usage charges for downloaded information at speeds above 128Kbit/s. Use in ‘first gear’ up to 128Kbit/s – about 4 times the average modem speed – is included in the standard monthly charge.
SatDrive is available in two forms – with a PCI card for insertion into a standard PC or with a USB box for connection to any computer including lap-tops. The installation package for a PC includes hardware, software, dish installation, cable and the first month’s rental for £399.
Launching the SatDrive website, Owen Lambkin, managing director of ISSL, said, “Some people may think that our greatest achievement is to make high-speed Internet available and affordable anywhere in the country. I disagree. The real difference is in our bandwidth-on-demand flexibility. Why try to deliver high-speed all of the time when most users only want this capacity for just a few minutes or seconds during an Internet session? We have also made it very easy to buy and very easy to keep track of how much it costs. We can now provide people a viable alternative to ADSL or cable and with a service that is both affordable and attractive.”
Pre-registration for the service – with virtually no publicity until today – has already exceeded 10,000 potential customers. ‘We are’, said Owen Lambkin, ‘in no doubt about the pent up frustration of would-be broadband users – especially in rural areas where there are no other affordable alternatives.”
Despite all the hype above, this is nothing new, bandwidth and speed on demand is a function of many such one-way services. IPviaSAT offer something very similar, although the above is one of the cheapest services we’ve seen.
Sadly there's not much information on the website and so we're unsure as to whether there's a download limit or not, something common with other offers.
The service itself uses the popular (many ISPs using it) Eutelsat Satellite and comes in PCI and USB versions. The maximum download speed of 8Mbits/s is only available with the PCI Card package; USB has a maximum of 4Mbits/s. |
Road Tax To Raise Broadband Cost?
By:mark.j @ 2:53:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Unlike ADSL, some broadband technologies such as NTLs Cable Modem service require a house to be connected using fibre optics. This method needs a cable to be placed under the road and to a home.
Some MPs now fear that a new £500 daily charge for occupying roads when installing equipment could mean a hike in the cost of broadband:
The Department of Transport, Local Government and The Regions (DTLR) recently launched two pilot schemes under which gas, water, electricity and cable companies will face the daily charge. The initiative -- called "lane rental" -- is an attempt to reduce traffic delays, and the government has indicated that if it successful it will be rolled out across the UK.
A number of MPs are understood to be very concerned that this could seriously damage the take-up of broadband, as it would significantly increase installation costs and consequently put off many companies from upgrading to a high-speed Internet connection.
Richard Allen MP, who represents Sheffield Hallam, believes that telecoms companies are being unfairly blamed for traffic disruption.
The ZDNet item points out that the lane rental pilot schemes are due to be reviewed after the end of May 2004, hopefully something can be done before then. Obviously none of this will affect ADSL because it uses existing copper wires. |
PS2 & GameCube Broadband Access
By:mark.j @ 2:42:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] This is more of an update to yesterday’s item concerning broadband Internet access on the PlayStation2 and GameCube game consoles. Firstly we have some more details on the PS2's kit:
Sony will make available an Ethernet broadband adapter to consumers in August, for about £30, in line with the release of new games that support network play. The first such online game, Final Fantasy XI, is due out next week.
VNUNet has followed the above netimperative.info item by covering Nintendo's GameCube console:
The company will start selling a new adapter for broadband connection and a modem for dial-up connectivity for its GameCube console. Both should cost around £20 and will go on sale this autumn.
The first two games on offer will be Nintendo's versions I and II of the defunct Dreamcast offering Phantasy Star Online.
The new online options will work with most internet service providers, the company said, indicating that it is working with games developers to add online functionality to their software.
Clearly Nintendo seems to be using its head a little more by not solely concentrating on broadband and allowing those outside of coverage to get online via a normal modem.
It's also good to hear that you'll be able to select your own ISP, making that unmetered service even more useful. We'll do our best to try both PS2 and GC technologies as soon as they're available. |
Pope Gives Internet His Blessing
By:mark.j @ 8:33:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The Pope (John Paul II) has given the Internet his blessing after proclaiming it to be a valuable way of spreading the word of God:
"We should enter this increasingly sophisticated communications network with realism and confidence," the Pope told thousands of pilgrims gathered on St Peter's Square in Rome.
Earlier this year, the 81 year-old head of the Roman Catholic Church called for controls on the internet to prevent "depravity" flooding cyberspace.
But on Sunday, the pontiff said: "We shouldn't be afraid to put to sea in the vast ocean of information. If we do so, the good news can reach the hearts of the men and women of the new millennium."
Unfortunately we've no idea whether the Pope is able to get an ADSL connection installed or not, he probably doesn't even have unmetered, hence the reason why nobody has seen him online much =). More @ Web-User. |
Manchester NTL Customers & Public IPs
By:mark.j @ 8:26:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] DigitalSpy is reporting that customers on ntl:home's Manchester based broadband services and with private IP addresses will soon be switched over to public IPs:
The switchover will resolve problems caused by customers receiving a private IP, making activities such as peer-to-peer file sharing and multiplayer gaming easier.
The broadband team explained to us: "On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning this week, the STB Broadband Team will be cutting over the new platform in Manchester enabling 128k customers who have previoulsy had Private IP addresses to get Public IP addresses.
This is the final site to receive this cutover. Anybody online at 0200 should perform an IP release - renew in order to get their new address. Private IP addresses will no longer be assigned." |
New UK Cyber Crime Warnings
By:mark.j @ 8:22:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Once again online businesses in the UK are being urged to step up defences against cyber crime; otherwise many could be in danger of closing:
The British Chambers of Commerce warns credit card fraud, viruses and various forms of hacking are costing companies millions of pounds a year.
The business group is meeting police leaders to try to raise awareness across industry about the threat of online fraud. It hopes to draw up an action plan to help firms tackle "cyber crime".
More @ Ananova. |
News - May 13,2002
Benson Group Gains VIA NET ADSL
By:mark.j @ 3:41:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] VIA NET.WORKS UK is designing and implementing a managed Virtual Private Network (VPN) based on ADSL and leased line technologies for Benson, a construction services company.
Note that we’ve cut a lot of the usual company propaganda out of this PR and tried to leave the more interesting technical aspects:
Fast-growing Benson Group upgrades network with VIA NET.WORKS' ADSL-based VPN
13 May 2002, Reading, UK - VIA NET.WORKS UK, a leading provider of single-source managed Internet services for business, is designing and implementing a managed Virtual Private Network (VPN) based on ADSL and leased line technologies for construction services company, Benson Group. The independent construction company has grown rapidly from a turnover of £14 million in 1998 to over £100 million in 2001. The Group instigated trials with VIA to replace its Kilostream connections with an ADSL-based IPSec VPN in September 2001. This upgrade project will increase Benson's overall network capacity by up to 400% in some areas of the business with scope for significant continued expansion of the Group's Construction, Interior Fit out and Property Services divisions. The VPN will connect 250 users across seven regional offices and potentially provide remote access for up to 250 users per regional area office.
VIA NET.WORKS' Professional Services team installed 256Kbps leased lines for Benson's Reigate and London City offices and a 2Mbps ADSL connection for the London Victoria office. The group's remaining four offices in Hatfield, Southampton, Newbury and Birmingham will have ADSL connections installed over the next 6 months. During initial trials, ADSL reliability was highlighted as an issue and Benson decided to back up each ADSL connection with an ISDN link.
VPN client access for staff working from home or at clients' sites across the UK will enable secure remote connections to the Group's network at local call rates. "With the VPN solution, we can now offer every employee the facility of remote access," said Piggott. "We estimate the cost savings utilising VPN technology to be considerable across the group as a whole". Piggott has created an Intranet site that provides an easy-to-use interface for staff to access e-mail, files located on the Group's servers and network printers using IP Printing.
Jeff Meulman, Managing Director, VIA NET.WORKS UK, said, "With broadband connection costs coming down, we are helping businesses to take advantage of ADSL technologies for wide-area communications. Benson has the vision to become one of the first companies to implement an ADSL-based VPN in the UK, but there will be many more companies joining them as they realise the cost benefits." |
Quik Internet Launch New Unmetered
By:mark.j @ 3:30:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The previously less than attractive unmetered BT Surftime dialup ISP offerings from Quik Internet have today been given an overhaul with the introduction of some new unmetered packages.
While the standard 24/7 unmetered dialup seems ridiculously expensive @ £25 +vat per month (that’s on a 15:1 contention – yuk!), there’s also a new dual channel (128Kbps) ISDN package at a more realistic £35 PM:
Quik Internet Launch New Unmetered Packages
On Monday 13th May, Quik Internet launch their new and much improved Unmetered Access packages into the marketplace. They offer a far more streamlined approach in utilising your Business Unmetered Connection.
The new packages allow connection up to speeds of 128K and include our Standard Business Account (Domain Name, 5 pop boxes, email aliases, 20mb of Hosting space for your website). The packages are run at a maximum of 15:1 contention with a 2 hour cut off and 15 min idle timeout. Packages are priced at £35 + vat per month for 128K access and £25 + vat per month for 64K access.
David Mitchell of Quik Internet explains “we recognised that in the marketplace there are issues surrounding business use of Unmetered connections, the main problem was that if you were not in an ADSL enabled area the fastest speed you could get was 64K. Most ISP’s have not offered the 128K service except through the standard 0845 local dial up connection which costs businesses a lot of money to run and maintain.” He continued, “Quik Internet feel that there is a need for a Business ISP to offer a 128K Unmetered Access service for businesses who are not in an ADSL enabled area, but require the quality of a business service, together with the savings made on internet call charges”.
So far the take up of the new service has been brisk and they expect the new service to become popular with businesses UK wide. Visit our website for further details www.quikinternet.co.uk or email sales@quikinternet.co.uk
It’s not clear whether Quik is still using BTSurftime for the service delivery, although if they are then there’s no ‘obvious’ mention.
Thankfully the 128Kbps offer is more realistically priced, although it’s hard to see how the normal 24/7 package can compete with the largely cheaper and less restrictive competition. |
UK Nildram ISP Improves Support
By:mark.j @ 2:40:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] There seems to be no escaping the endless stream of Nildram press releases, never the less their latest one relates to improvements with their Customer Support service:
From today, Nildram Support will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing 77 additional hours of support per week to customers. In addition, the team has been expanded and improved systems implemented to ensure even higher levels of customer care.
As part of this upgrade Nildram are taking the opportunity to centralise its call distribution, ensuring that all calls are routed to the first available support person as quickly as possible. An inherent problem with providing a real time interactive service, such as Internet access, to thousands of people, is that when a problem occurs it can easily affect a lot of customers for a short period. This can lead to a high level of calls to the Helpdesk and a resultant overflow.
As a first step towards facilitating this centralised call distribution, Nildram have implemented a new Support number 0870 094 6000. Calls are charged at normal national rate and the number is available to use immediately.
Martin Jowett, Nildram's sales and marketing director comments: "Customer service is a corner stone of the Nildram ethos, at some point we all need help but typically need it immediately and don't wish to wait to long to speak to an expert, Nildram will continue to invest in the people, training and systems to deliver Industry leading service to all its customers."
He continues: "Nildram have established a reputation for our high levels of support and customer care and are very pleased to be able to announce these improvements at this time. We continue to strive to meet our customers needs by adding Internet literate technicians to our Customer Support team, our aim is to answer our callers questions first time where ever possible, ensuring they get the best form the services we provide them." |
BT Eyes Energis's German Arm
By:mark.j @ 2:35:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] BT appears to be interested in Ision, the failed German arm of troubled UK telecoms and networking group Energis:
Energis pulled the plug on its German offering on Friday - taking a £500m hit in the process - but undeterred by Energis' failure to make it work, insiders, quoted in the Observer, say BT is looking to snap up the division's assets at a bargain price.
The Silicon news follows last week’s revelation that Energis is fast approaching the sale of its UK business following talks with investors. |
Sony Banks On PlayStation2 Broadband
By:mark.j @ 8:36:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Microsoft has so far been the only game console maker to include Ethernet broadband compatible hardware within its console, although options from Nintendo (GC) and Sony (PS2) have never been far behind.
Sony has now confirmed its intentions to tie growth with future broadband options:
Chief executive Nobuyuki Idei at the meeting told analysts that the company also sees future strength derived from broadband services, or high-speed delivery of content over the Internet and other communications lines.
"Sony as a group must work together as a single entity to create an appealing broadband environment," he said. "I am confident Sony can become a leading global technology company in the broadband age."
The growth of broadband, which could allow people to buy or otherwise see or hear personalised versions of Sony's content, which includes films, music and games, is seen as a key means of spurring demand around the world. Idei sees broadband reaching "critical mass" by the year 2005 worldwide -- far sooner in countries such as Japan, Korea and Singapore.
Note that 2005 is also the year in which Sony is reported to complete its next-generation PlayStation 3 console, although that could mean 2006/2007 for those of us in Europe.
This also makes it unclear as to whether such a solution will ever arrive for existing PS2 owners; Internet access software is already late. More @ ZDNet. |
Edenbridge (Kent) Campaign For ADSL!
By:mark.j @ 8:20:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] This is what we like to see, independent people doing their best to get some kind of broadband Internet access enabled in their local area. The latest campaign to show its face is known as 'Get Edenbridge ADSL' and is run by a local resident, Steve Boxley:
Edenbridge campaign to enable High Speed Internet Access (ADSL)
After a thriving commuter town in Kent (Edenbridge) being overlooked for the last two years by British Telecom as a viable exchange to upgrade for ADSL (high speed internet access), a local resident, Steve Boxley, has decided to take action and start a campaign.
The purpose of the campaign is to empower the local community to persuade British Telecom to upgrade the exchange. A new website has been launched to help promote the campaign http://www.GetEdenbridgeADSL.co.uk along with leaflets being distributed to local businesses and residents. The local MP (Sir John Stanley) has also been informed, and is expected to lend his support.
Please contact Steve Boxley for further information.
Luckily for Edenbridge they're already on a short list of exchanges to be enabled by the end of June 2002, although that in itself doesn't guarantee ADSL, hopefully this will. |
World of ADSL Launch Speed Checker
By:mark.j @ 8:11:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Andrew Quinn from the World of ADSL website has informed us that they've done what ADSLGuide already did and introduced their own broadband speed checker.
The checker is based around Macromedia Flash technology and should show you the speed of your ADSL connection in real time. You can try it out HERE, although we were unable to get it to work as nothing showed in the window - blank. |
UPDATE:Freeserve's NTL Broadband Access
By:mark.j @ 8:04:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UPDATE: DigitalSpy managed to get some information on the subject and apparently Freeserve will just be reselling NTLs 512Kbps Cable Modem offer - nothing special then.
Freeserve's CEO, John Pluthero, said: "This agreement gives Freeserve unrivalled options for the distribution and availability of Freeserve Broadband, complementing what we already have in place for DSL.
Consumers in NTL’s broadband cable franchises are now free to choose Freeserve Broadband as part of bundles with cable telephony and TV packages. Plus, we now have a way of capturing existing Freeserve customers in NTL broadband areas with our own fast-speed cable offer."
The French Wanadoo owned UK broadband and unmetered dialup ISP, Freeserve, is to provide broadband access to customers of the country's largest cable operator, NTL.
NTL claims it’s the first time a British ISP and broadband cable network operator had worked together to develop a wholesale broadband cable service. NTL also said it now had more than 200,000 broadband customers.
It's not entirely clear how the arrangement will work, although from the wording Freeserve looks set to offer a derivative of NTLs own Cable Modem service via their network. We can't work out whether that's a good thing or not =). |
Cable & Wireless Chairman To Go
By:mark.j @ 7:48:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Reports have indicated that Sir Ralph Robbins, the Cable & Wireless (C&W) Chairman, could step down following the growing concern over the company’s poor performance:
A downturn in the lossmaking web-hosting business has driven the company's shares to their lowest level in more than a decade, says the Financial Times.
In February, C&W said revenues at C&W Global were expected to fall 10% in the year to March 31.
There have also been calls for a break-up of the company, heightening speculation as to the motives of Franklin Resources, which is C&W's largest shareholder with a 9.02% stake.
More @ Ananova. |
News - May 12,2002
ISP Review Weekly Update
By:mark.j @ 9:30:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] I'm not entirely sure where to start this week, the combination of bills, annual tax calculations, work and loosing one of my pet cats has left mild feelings of depression in the air. That said and ISPr has done somewhat better.
Aside from the new search engine, which can now be accessed from the 'Archives' page, we've also purchased a new Poll service for the front page. It's more reliable than the current one and easier to maintain, although it won't be installed just yet due to other work.
The future 'Reader ISP Reviews' system has also been continuing; I even got a chance to see it working. So far it looks very good, although I've had to ask the author to tone the output down because it had move too far from my original/clean design.
The best news this week has been the fact that the final forum upgrade software is now out and from today we'll be working on the official upgrade. Please note that it'll take a week or two to add our own layout and custom features before the public upgrade. |
BT To Cut 2,200 BTIgnite Jobs
By:mark.j @ 8:42:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] BTs loss-making IT services division, Ignite, looks set to loose a further 2,200 jobs according to the 'Independent' newspaper. Thankfully it's not all bad news because 1,200 sales and marketing staff are to be hired:
It is understood that BT has hired the human resources consultancy Reach to help with the cuts, which will all be on a voluntary basis. Around half of the redundancies will be in the UK. They come on top of the 5,000 already announced across the group.
Ignite, which employs 17,000 and has offices in the UK, continental Europe and the US, was singled out by chief executive Ben Verwaayen last month as a business that needed to pull its socks up.
Unfortunately BTs retail ISP division, Openworld, could be in for some problems of its own:
The City is also expected to scrutinise the progress of BT's loss-making internet division, Openworld. The business, run by Alison Ritchie, is viewed as having established a head start in offering broadband internet services. But there are worries that it overlaps with Ignite in providing corporate internet services and with BT Retail, which plans to launch its own broadband package in September.
It'll be interesting to see how BT handles the Openworld situation; it could easily work against them. The BT Broadband product is hardly going to live up to its ambition and supposedly 'uncompetitive' (with ISPs) nature if BT needs to damage its ISP service to run it. |
News - May 11,2002
World Telecoms Day
By:mark.j @ 8:40:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) next Friday (17th May) is World Telecommunication Day; unfortunately nobody seems to care:
Just in case you didn't know, the theme for the day is "ICT for all: empowering people to cross the Digital Divide".
It seems Friday 17 May is an excellent opportunity to launch "public campaigns and advocacy activities in favour of equal access to ICT for all those who find themselves at an information disadvantage".
In particular, the ITU suggests that we "measure and take stock of the situation concerning ICT access, and in particular, with respect to women in rural areas".
A shortage of access for women in rural areas? It's not based on gender you know, unless the rollout of broadband services has become sexist – shock revelation mode = on. The Register points out that neither Oftel nor BT have any plans for the event. |
BT Face Broadband Grilling
By:mark.j @ 8:28:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] BT looks set to face a grilling over its broadband strategy when they announce their annual results on Thursday next week.
BTs Chief Executive, Ben Verwaayen, who took up the post in January 2002, will want to maintain the market's restored faith in BT since the former monopoly cut its debt in half and adopted a more domestic focus under his leadership.
Broadband Internet access is supposedly at the heart of BT's plan for growth as its core retail unit struggles with pressure on its market share from cable in the traditional fixed home phone line market.
BT claims to get roughly 10,000 orders a week for its new £14.75 per month wholesale ADSL product. The operator will effectively be delivering a maiden set of annual results in its current shape, having transformed itself from a global fixed-line and wireless player.
Analysts expect the group to report pre-tax profits in the range of £900Million to £1.25Billion, according to Multex Global Estimates, but the forecasts will not be comparable to the £2.1Billion of pre-tax profit before goodwill and exceptional items posted in 2000/01. |
EcosseTel ISP Issues Service Update
By:mark.j @ 8:18:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The EcosseTel telecoms and ISP (Vroom2) group isn't exactly known for its customer communication, which many users would tell you is rather less than satisfactory, yet they've still managed to issue a new update:
VERY IMPORTANT - WITHDRAWAL OF 143 PREFIX AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW DIAL IN NUMBERS
We have now withdrawn our old 143 dial in prefix number following the end of our one year contract with Viatel. You should ensure that you are dialling in on one of our two unmetered numbers. Despite having announced that we were withdrawing our 143 prefix over three months ago a large number of customers have not reset their connection.
There are now two numbers you can use either 08089933145 or 186980800800356. It is important that your dial up software dials one of these numbers exactly. We will not be responsible if your computer dials a chargeable number, so make sure that your computer dials one of these numbers EXACTLY. You can use either number, but try the 0808 number first.
Outside of that they also mention the introduction of 500 extra unmetered FRIACO ports for their dialup ISP service. The full update can be read HERE. |
BT Quits BSykB To Refocus On BTO
By:mark.j @ 8:09:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] In an effort to re-focus back onto the iTV offerings of ISP arm BTOpenworld, BT has sold its shares in BSkyB and left the interactive TV venture set up by the two companies:
BT said that it had sold 9.5m shares in British Interactive Broadcasting (BiB), worth £70m, back to BSkyB, as the broadcaster prepared to publish its latest set of results.
Last May, BT announced that it was exercising its option to sell its 19.9% holding in BiB, while BSkyB also bought out the other shareholders in the venture, UK bank HSBC Holdings and Japan's Matsushita, at the same time.
More @ netimperative.info . |
News - May 10,2002
South-East & Broadband Satellite Grants
By:mark.j @ 3:11:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The BBC is reporting that the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is to offer south eastern rural areas 300 grants to help pay the annual bill for high-speed satellite net access.
Apparently some level of training will also be offered to help get the best out of the technology. It's all part of a larger plan to turn the pockets of broadband net links spread across the south-east into a cohesive network:
Despite being the centre of Britain's technology industry, some parts of the south-east are poorly served by internet firms.
"The south-east has the third highest number of people in the country lacking internet connections," said Anthony Dunnett, chief executive of the South East England Development Agency, (Seeda).
In an attempt to improve the situation, Seeda is providing grants of up to £1,066 to 300 organisations to help them get broadband via satellite.
Unfortunately a single grant would only just manage to cover the hardware cost of some broadband satellite ISP services and what good is that if the monthly fee is still a rip off? Keep trying.. |
Star Internet - The UK Success Story
By:mark.j @ 2:54:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The chances are that many of you won't have heard of Star Internet, until now, yet despite this the ISP is today claiming to be a UK success story as it announces profitability.
The service that likes to attack ‘short-sighted ISP business models’ and call itself 'the UK’s largest independent ISP' (What?) has issued the following press release:
Star Internet a UK success story as it announces profitability
Star Internet, the UK’s largest independent ISP, announces today that it has delivered on the first stage of its business strategy, several months earlier then expected, by becoming one of the very few ISP’s in the world to make a profit.
Star is now profitable at the bottom line, cash generative and, unlike so many of its competitors, substantially debt free. As a recurring revenue business Star expects to build upon this and to strengthen further its financial position in 2002. The company expects to report profits in the region of £1 million on revenues of £23 million for the year ending 31 July 2002.
Star Internet is part of the Star Technology Group, one of the largest privately-owned technology groups in the UK with cash resources in excess of £13 million. Its move into profitability coupled with these considerable cash resources mean that Star represents a safe haven for customers in this period of turmoil within the industry, which has seen numerous Internet companies around the world filing for bankruptcy.
Ben White, CEO at Star Internet commented, “Since its inception in 1995 Star Internet has grown stronger year on year by continually offering its customers excellent levels of service and innovative products and services that add value to their basic connectivity.
That may sound relatively obvious, but many of our competitors have fallen by the way side because they lost sight of what they were trying to achieve and sold poorly supported bandwidth at any cost.
We have stayed in the ISP game by sticking to a solid business model and adhering to traditional business values. Although the ISP market place is much leaner than it once was, Star’s profitability still makes it unique amongst its peer group. The age of Internet hype has come and gone, ISP’s now have to be realistic about their own long-term objectives and the services that they provide to their customers.”
The move into profitability is seen by Star as a validation of its business model, which the company believes has been underpinned by a number of factors not necessarily associated with the Internet industry. Consistently high quality customer service means that Star retains 98% of its customer base – now standing at over 4,000 - and the calibre of its development team has led to a number of ‘world firsts’ in the industry.
We’re not entirely sure how Star Internet is supposed to have become the UK’s largest independent ISP because we’ve never even seen them with the top players before (Freeserve, BTO, AOL etc.). |
C&W Buys Guernsey Telecom
By:mark.j @ 2:41:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Cable & Wireless (C&W) is to pay £22.5Million to buy Guernsey’s phone operator, Guernsey Telecoms:
The takeover is expected to be completed within a month, provided it gains regulatory approval. If the deal goes ahead, Guernsey Telecoms will be managed as part of Cable & Wireless Regional.
Guernsey Telecoms was established in 1896, as a trading board of the States of Guernsey.
More @ Ananova. |
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