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October 8, 2002 - October 10, 2002

News - October 10,2002

Internet Piracy Slows Music Sales

By:mark.j @ 2:30:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Another report, this time from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), has partly blamed a 9.2% slowdown in global music sales on Internet piracy:

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said world CD sales fell 7 percent while singles and cassettes continued their long-term decline, sliding 17 percent and 31 percent respectively.

In its interim report on Thursday, the IFPI said global music sales fell 11.2 percent in unit terms in the first half. The 9.2 percent figure refers to sales in value terms.


The ZDNet item reports that a weak economy and competition from other entertainment mediums has also helped the decline.

BTO Music Site Hosts Tower Concert

By:mark.j @ 1:46:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

BTOpenworlds music portal, dotmusic, is to hold a series of unique performances at the top of London’s BT Tower and broadcast them live over the Internet:

DOTMUSIC PRESENTS VERTIGO SESSIONS AT THE BT TOWER FEATURING TURIN BRAKES

dotmusic, BT Openworld's music site, today announced that Mercury Music Prize nominees Turin Brakes will kick off its new Vertigo Sessions – a series of unique performances at the top of London landmark, the BT Tower.

The band will perform an exclusive set of new and old material on October 23, for an invited audience of 80 people, 620ft above London as the Tower's famed viewing floor offers a 360-degree panorama of the skyline.

The event will be the first of dotmusic's new series of 'unplugged' Vertigo Sessions and is held in association with the band's record label, Source, and Virgin's music portal, www.the-raft.com. The session will be broadcast live on Xfm's Zoe Ball show and will be shown in full on dotmusic's broadband channel, http://www.dotmusic.com/broadband.

An early supporter of the South London acoustic duo, dotmusic is proud to be hosting this landmark gig in the week that Turin Brakes release the first single, 'Long Distance', from their forthcoming second album, 'Ether Song'. 'Ether Song' is the follow up to the critically acclaimed and double-gold selling 'The Optimist LP', which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001.

Xfm's Zoe Ball will broadcast her entire afternoon radio show from the top of the BT Tower with live selections from Turin Brakes' set and an interview with the band. Film of the entire gig will be free to access after the event on dotmusic via high-quality broadband streams. In the run-up to the session, dotmusic will also launch a Turin Brakes feature including concert footage, an exclusive interview and video, along with a timed-out download of new single 'Long Distance'.

James Poletti, editor of dotmusic, said: "With a limited number of sessions annually, and one of the most unusual venues in which you could wish to experience live music, the dotmusic Vertigo Sessions are set to be some of the most exclusive and exciting gigs in London. With one million broadband connections in the UK, this event sends a clear message that dotmusic is at the heart of a revolution in access to music."

Nildram Reminder - ADSL ISP Migration

By:mark.j @ 1:32:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Nildram has today issued an update reminding people that their special broadband ADSL ISP migration offer, which allows customers to switch from their provider to Nildram for free, is due to end very soon:

Broadband ISP Migration - just 18 days left to move to Nildram for free...

Nildram, one of the leading providers of Broadband Access services in the UK, have today issued a Press Release pointing out that the Broadband ISP Migration Trial is about to end and the formal service launched.

The trial has been very good news for Broadband customers wishing to change their provider and has resulted in a high number of migrations to Nildram in recent months by Broadband users unhappy with their previous service from a number of the larger ISPs.

The trial includes all existing BT IPStream Home & Office and BT IPStream 500 customers and covers all Broadband enabled areas. Any customers wishing to transfer to Nildram will need to check that their existing provider is also on the trial.

During the trail period the administration fee is waived, but when the service is formally released on October 28th the administration fee will be £35 plus VAT - so it's worth getting a Migration Order in quickly in order to avoid having to pay this fee.

As an additional bonus, Nildram have dropped the minimum contract period for their USB service from 12 months down to only 3, so Broadband users who currently have the BT Engineer Installed service with another ISP can convert to the industry leading Nildram service at a special rate of £29.99 and a three-month contract.

Iain Ogilvie, Nildram's marketing manager comments: "The Migration Trial has been a great success for us as it has given second and third generation Broadband users the opportunity to upgrade their Broadband service by transferring to Nildram in a cost effective, straightforward, way. We would, however, like to see more Broadband ISPs actively participate as we believe Broadband consumers should have the freedom to transfer if they believe that their existing service is falling short."


Not surprisingly Nildram isn’t saying which has been the most popular ISP for customers to leave =).

BTOs Try-Before-You-Buy Broadband

By:mark.j @ 1:26:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

UK ISP BTOpenworld has teamed up with Maplin, an electronics retailer, to offer businesses the opportunity of experiencing broadband on the high street before committing to a purchase:

'TRY-BEFORE-YOU-BUY' BUSINESS BROADBAND HITS THE HIGH STREET

BT Openworld, the UK's number one business ISP*, is to offer Small-to-Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to experience broadband on the high street before committing to purchase.

Maplin, the electronics retailer, will offer broadband demonstrations and education in-store to potential business users. Businesses will have the opportunity to see broadband in action, and discuss technical and installation requirements with trained Maplin staff.

With more than 65 retail stores and in excess of 400,000 customers in the UK, Maplin will provide a significant high street presence for BT Openworld. Maplin already supplies internet connectivity hardware off-the-shelf, and BT Openworld's business portfolio will complement this offering.

Tony Harris, president, Business Internet Services at BT Openworld, said: "At a recent series of Broadband Summits conducted by BT Openworld, it was revealed that the greatest barrier to broadband uptake among SMEs was lack of awareness - not cost or availability issues, as commonly believed. The deal with Maplin will provide us with the ideal opportunity to educate the business community, as well as revealing just how easy it is for SMEs and SoHo (small office, home office) workers to take advantage of broadband. We chose Maplin for its outstanding ability to translate technical information into everyday language."

Will Hewitt, product manager - PC Components at Maplin said: "The 'try-before-you-buy' approach is a proven success in the retail market, and we don't expect the broadband experience to be any different. In linking two high-profile brands - Maplin and BT Openworld - we will show small businesses that broadband is affordable, achievable, and more importantly, can deliver genuine increases in efficiency for an organisation, and save money in the long-term."

Customers will be shown the Business 500PLUS product, which runs up to 10 times faster than dial-up internet connections. They will also be able to buy any of the products in the BT Openworld range including Business 1000PLUS and Business 2000PLUS.

The demonstrations will be taking place in eleven stores nationwide to begin with: Belfast, Bradford, Brighton, Cheltenham, Chester, Coventry, Leicester, London Queensway, Sheffield Pinstone Street, Watford and Westcliff.
* Oftel business survey May 2002

Digital Download Day Extended

By:mark.j @ 1:20:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The music industry's token offer of free music track downloads for Internet users, known as Digital Download Day, has been extended to cover the weekend:

The offer - in which fans get £5 worth of free songs - was devised to raise awareness that legitimate download sites provide an alternative to pirate music services.

More than 100,000 tracks by over 6,000 artists have been accessible free of charge from 3 October as part of the event organised by 0D2, the digital music company set up by Peter Gabriel.

The event was due to finish yesterday, but organisers have extended the offer until Sunday 13 October. Around 15,000 people an hour besieged the site on 3 October eager to get the free music.


The Web-User item reports that the reason to the extension is because of the, "phenomenal success of Digital Download Day in the UK."

Gio Internet ISP Borrows PIPEX T&Cs

By:mark.j @ 1:04:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if the UK ISP Gio Internet could now be in trouble after ADSLGuide discovered that their Terms & Conditions (T&C's) appear to have been lifted from none other than PIPEX:

We have also noticed that Gio's terms and conditions and acceptable use policy look very similar to those of Pipex [T&C / AUP] insofar as they involve using the clipboard copy/paste functions followed search & replace. Ironically, Gio's AUP "specifies the actions prohibited by the Public IP Exchange Limited" (for those of you who don't know.. that's what PIPEX stands for) and clause 4.4 of their ADSL terms state "All fees are subject to change from time to time in the event that the Carrier increases its fees to PIPEX".

David Rickards (MD, Pipex) isn't surprised: "Given [Gio's] broadband prices, it looks like they cannot afford their own lawyers! On a serious note, this is not something a professional company would do and we will be discussing this clear copyright breach with our lawyers."

Online Shopping Gets Safer

By:mark.j @ 9:53:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The Times (newspaper) is reporting that a technically minor change to the law could make online shopping a whole lot safer. Businesses must now acknowledge receipt of a consumer’s order before a binding contract is formed.

In the past some customers have placed an order only to have the supply refused, which has caused many to seriously distrust the special offers presented by some Internet stores.

Now it’s all about to change because the new regulation means that such operators must make sure they can supply the goods before accepting the order. It's hoped that the new measure will boost confidence in online trade.

North Yorkshires Broadband Wireless

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

The North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) looks set to get a cash injection of some £12Million in order build a broadband wireless network for connecting council offices, schools and libraries:

Bucks-based MLL Telecom is providing the broadband network to NYCC as part of a managed service, with Alcatel as its technology partner.

As the project develops it should also mean that the county's 25,000 small and medium-sized businesses will also be able to hook up to the service. Eventually, it's hoped home users will also be able to access the broadband network.


The Register also reminds us of a similar agreement between Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and NTL, worth £29Million over 2 years to 2004.

Telewest Touts 1Mbps Broadband

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

Ceasing the chance to ride on the one million broadband user’s publicity wave, Telewest has used the opportunity to promote the success of its own 1Mbps cable modem service:

Around 20,000 of Telewest's broadband customers have upgraded to the 1Mbps product since it was launched, less than four months ago. This is around 10 percent of all Telewest broadband users, and the company believes that this proves that -- contrary to BT's view -- many consumers are prepared to pay more to get faster broadband.

"We firmly believe that there is substantial demand for broadband packages that are faster than 512kbps, as long as the pricing is right," Chad Raube, head of Internet services at Telewest Broadband, told ZDNet UK News on Wednesday.

One reason behind the popularity of Telewest's 1Mbps service is that it costs just £35 per month to users who also sign up for digital TV and telephone services. This is £10 more than Telewest's basic 512kbps product, and only £5 more than 512kbps broadband from Freeserve or BTopenworld, whose service is based on BT Wholesale's ADSL product.


Indeed Telewest is probably correct; although equally so some people would be willing to pay less for a slower derivative of ADSL, if BT were to offer it.

Slower variants ‘may’ also have the advantage of increasing ADSLs coverage, but only if offered directly via BT Wholesale. More @ ZDNet.

Professions Think BT Is Broadband Lazy

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

A survey of 422 members from the Communications Management Association (CMA) has found that roughly nine out of ten people believe BT is slacking on their broadband promise and should do more.

Eight out of ten people also believe that the Government should intervene and try to improve the situation, although that's about as likely as getting a wired ADSL connection in space.

Welsh Broadband Wireless Unveiled

By:mark.j @ 9:19:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if Airwan (Wales) has finally made its broadband wireless ISP service official. The BBC reports that the service was finally unveiled at the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club:

Arwain gives net access to people by passing digital radio signals between computers using aerials.

The technology can enable users to surf the web at high speeds - from public parks, mountaintops, at sea - from remote areas or simply from indoors.

Organised by an eclectic band of geeks, artists and technologists, Arwain - Welsh for leading - has been operating under development in Cardiff since September 2001.


Airwan uses the 802.11b Wi-Fi standard and aims to share and spread paid-for net access freely throughout the community. It's certainly a start and other broadband wireless services appear to be popping up all over the UK.

2 New Exchanges Hit ADSL Trigger

By:mark.j @ 9:05:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

ADSLGuide reports that the Alton (Hampshire) and Rhiwderin (Wales) local exchanges have both hit BTs broadband ADSL pre-registration trigger levels. It also looks as if the following three will follow soon:

Paddock Wood 99%
Wymondham 97%
Ponteland 96%

News - October 9,2002

E-Minister Considers Broadband

By:mark.j @ 2:34:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

There appears to be some discussion going on as to whether or not the UKs e-Commerce minister, Stephen Timms, will connect himself up to broadband and if so, which type?:

The reason he's broadbandless, it seems, is because he's been "very, very busy".

Still, we're told he's currently mulling it over and will make a decision "imminently" about which technology he'll plum for.


Mr Timms, unlike many, has the pleasure of being able to choose from either of the current standards and thus any decision he makes will no doubt cause a stir. Perhaps we should get some monopoly money out and start a pool. More @ The Register.

Liberty Broadband Gets New Funding

By:mark.j @ 1:59:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The broadband wireless ISP Liberty Broadband, which used to be called Tele2, has finally secured some much needed funding from a group of investors under the name of Birmingham Online:

In the next few weeks the company is expected to launch a new community broadband initiative in which groups can set up their own broadband network in areas currently not served by xDSL or cable services.

Liberty Broadband would build the wireless network, supply and install the equipment and train people to run it.

The company claims such a service would be of interest to business parks currently out of reach of conventional broadband technologies, with firms coming together to fund the network.


Unfortunately The Register doesn't make it entirely clear whether or not Liberty will re-open subscriptions to its more residential orientated packagers.

We'll just have to wait and see, although the answer could well be no because of the ISPs new focus on business.

Online Music Swapping On The Rise

By:mark.j @ 1:53:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to the latest research out of Jupiter Media, online P2P file-sharing systems are still contributing to a rise in illegal music swapping.

The problem remains especially prolific among broadband users, whom account for roughly 39% of the total activity:

This compares to just 18% for surfers with a dial-up internet connection. Perhaps even more worrying for the music industry is that 44% of net users admit that they do not want to pay for online music in future.

According to the survey, double the number of people who had used illegal file-sharing sites would be prepared to pay for music compared to those that had never used such services.


The report, as summarise by the BBC News Online site, concludes that ultimately peer-to-peer networks will decline and legitimate services will grow.

Demon Launch New Server Solution

By:mark.j @ 1:45:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The THUS Telecom backed UK ISP Demon Internet has today announced the launch of its new Internet and networking server solution for SMEs:

Demon Launches Cobalt Qube Server Solution for SMEs

THUS plc, through its Demon brand, is offering small and medium sized businesses around the UK a complete turnkey solution to their Internet and local networking needs. Demon is providing the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 (Qube) as part of a complete intranet and Internet server appliance and support package. The package is aimed at companies or branch offices of up to 150 users who are looking to implement or upgrade Internet technologies, including email and web-serving, throughout the organisation. The Qube is supplied pre-configured, ready to connect to Demon Internet services, and comes with a comprehensive 24-hour telephone support package.

The Qube is much easier to implement and maintain than traditional IT solutions. It can work with ADSL, ISDN or leased lines as standard, it's fully compatible with all leading operating systems and is easy to administer through an intuitive user interface. With specialist 24-hour support and rapid unit replacement if required, the service is designed to negate the need for in-house IT skills or a dedicated network administrator. The Qube and initial Demon 12 month support package are available for as little as £1240 (ex VAT), while an ongoing maintenance agreement from Demon can cost as little as £165 (ex VAT).

The Qube from Demon is not restricted to acting as a company's Internet and intranet server, or to the management of email. In addition it provides a 'WebMail' client to allow users access to their email through a standard Web browser from anywhere in the world, Network Address Translation (NAT) to enhance security, the ability to share a single Internet connection with an entire office, and cross-platform file sharing so that Windows and Mac OS users can exchange information. Demon can also configure the Qube to provide a full adaptive firewall and an optional 'Virtual Private Network' (VPN) service. A VPN can provide remote access to the network for employees and a way of sharing information in a very secure and cost effective way with other offices and trading partners.

The UKs Broadband Future = Fibre?

By:mark.j @ 1:42:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Many have long believe that the future of UK broadband lies with fibre, a semi-similar style of cabling as used by NTL and Telewest to deliver TV and fast Internet access.

Sadly most people don't have a cable line and not surprisingly BT and the government would find it to be a serious burden changing from copper wire to fibre.

However yesterday the CEO (Martin Thunman) of a Swedish company, PacketFront, called upon the UK government to start thinking more about the future and fibre lines:

Said Mr Thunman: "The infrastructure in place today is not a long-term solution. We need to start talking about building fibre networks. In the UK, 'broadband' is commonly used to refer to any 'always-on' communications technology that operates faster than 1Mbps – even the heavily promoted ADSL only goes up to 2Mbps.

PacketFront argues that this type of bandwidth is totally inadequate for achieving the technological leadership posited by 'Broadband Britain'.
"

Thunman called on central and regional Government to fund the roll-out of fibre networks and warned that unless the UK took this seriously, it would hit a ceiling and be left behind in the information revolution.


That's right, you guessed it, PacketFront just so happens to be a company that makes and develops solutions which are used in fibre networks.

The Register also notes the government as predictably refusing such a notion, although Mr Thunman is right about one thing, they should indeed start looking further down the road.

BTs NTL & Telewest ASA Complaints

By:mark.j @ 1:21:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to the latest Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) adjudications, BT has lost two of the three complaints it made against cable operators NTL and Telewest regarding their ISP adverts.

Firstly BT failed in its complaint against Telewest regarding the cable operators advert for broadband services, which BT didn't believe took fair account of the differences in installation price between their service and Telewests:

The Authority considered that, because the complainants had not introduced their special offer until after the advertisers' promotion had finished, and because the refundable installation fee was stated clearly in the terms and conditions of the offer, the offer was not misleading.

Then BT threw a couple of bolts at a similar broadband ISP service advert from NTL. The complainants (BT) objected that the comparison in the advert was misleading and unfair, because:

1. the stated comparison misleadingly omitted to include the mandatory cost of the advertisers' line rental and

2. they provided a telephone line and a faster broadband service for less than did the advertisers.


Sadly BT lost point 1, yet managed to have number 2 upheld:

The Authority acknowledged the advertisement quoted prominently the monthly charges for each part of the advertisers' combined package. It nevertheless considered that, because it both compared the prices of Internet services and referred to the advantages of broadband but excluded from the comparison the complainants' broadband Internet service, which was faster than the advertised broadband service and cost less to rent than the advertisers' combined package, the advertisement was misleading.

New ADSL & Unmetered ISP - Wisesurfer

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

The latest UK ISP to offer an unmetered dialup and broadband ADSL service is, according to Net4Nowt, Wisesurfer. Typically the unmetered dialup services are BT only, however it's reported that NTL could be supported come November:

Wise surfer 'ADSL' Home 512K Self install.
Download from the Internet at a speed of 512k and upload at 256K for only £19.50 per month (£60 +VAT activation). Suitable for a stand-alone PC, 'Always-on'. 1 Month contract.

Wise surfer 'Surf Access' - Standard User
This account is for the more active net surfer,and is aimed for users who surf the Internet 60+hours a week. Offering total Un metered freedom for £13.99 per month. Contention is set at 10:1 The account comes complete with the usual Wise surfer unmetered value-added features.

Wise surfer 'Lite Surf' - Lite User
The ideal way to connect to the Internet if you simply need a low-cost way to surf the Web and check your e-mail. Unmetered Wise surfer 'Lite surfer' is ideal. For only £7.49 a month you can connect at whatever time of day you like. This service primarily aimed for 'Lite' users who surf the Internet for average of 6 hours a week. Contention is set at 15:1 The account comes complete with the usual Wise surfer unmetered value-added features.

Wise surfer 'Night Surf' - Night User
This account is for the users who like to surf through the night, or just leave their pc downloading over night. For only £3.95 per month users can have an open connection between 1:00 hrs to 8:00 hrs every day. Night surf is non contended.

Wise surfer 'Surf Access' - Business 24/7
For people who work from home this is an ideal package price at £22.99 for unmetered access 24/7 .Contention is set at 7:1 The account comes complete with the usual Wise surfer unmetered value-added features.

Wise surfer 'Surf Access' - Business
For people who work from home this is an ideal package price at £15.50 for Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm access. Contention is set at 7:1 The account comes complete with the usual Wise surfer umetered value-added features.


It looks as if the ISP is testing out some new pricing schemes, such as £13.99 for 24/7 unmetered with 240+ max (usage) hours per month, which is more than we'd expect for the price.

Wisesurfer also offers a number of 128Kbps ISDN options as well, costing between £18.99 and £59 per month (last one = special quad 256Kbps ISDN).

It remains to be seen whether the ISP will be able to sustain all of these packages, although they're not nearly as unrealistic as those we've seen before.

AlphaPhe ISP Issues Refund Update 3

By:mark.j @ 9:40:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

According to Keith, AlphaPhe, the UK dialup ISP which was forced to suspend its unmetered service, has issued a second update to all of its ex-customers awaiting a much delayed refund:

It has come to our attention that some of our users are concerned about the status of their refunds, we would like to reassure our users that refunds are currently being processed and we will be in touch shortly.

We are sorry for the delay it is purely due to the fact that there are so many refunds to process and we are dealing with them in the order they were received.

We hope to have all refunds completed by the 30/10/2002, however if you feel that you cannot be patient until this time, please send an email with the subject of "Refund Request" including your AlphaPhe.Net UserID to: customer_services@alphaphe.net

The Annual Online Sales Report - 2001

By:mark.j @ 9:35:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The Office of National Statistics has stated that online (Internet) sales in the UK rose by more than 42% during 2001 and accounted for 1% of total sales:

The data, which does not factor in sales from the financial sectors, shows that £18.4bn was transacted via online sources last year, with B2B sales accounting for almost two-thirds of the total spend, at £11.8bn, up 42% on the previous year.

While it's not noted in the netimperative.info item, other preliminary reports suggest that the UK is heading for an equally strong surge in online sales this year.

New Exchange Hits The ADSL Trigger

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

ADSLGuide reports that Pembury has become the latest local exchange to hit its broadband ADSL pre-registration trigger level.

News - October 8,2002

V21 Seven Day Free Trial

By:Keith @ 7:59:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

v21 have tonight sent a mail shot through to ex-members of their dialup service offering a free 7 day trial:

V21.co.uk would like to offer you the opportunity of trying our services for FREE.

That's right...FREE

We now have a huge network capacity to deal with a lot more customers and feel that we can really make a difference to your internet experience.

Our internet packages now come with, as standard

Unlimited PoP3 and Webmail accounts
Unlimited Web space
A fully integrated members area
Chat rooms
Message boards
and more.........

There's just too much to say...why not try us out for a full 7 days FREE with no ties, if you don't like it them simply cancel the account.

What have you got to loose?


The email also contained a signup link to the offer, which we have removed. This is the second email V21 have sent to ex-members or people on their database in the last week, the previous one for free ADSL connection.

Broadband Wireless Humans?

By:mark.j @ 2:34:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Apparently some Japanese scientists are attempting to power a broadband wireless network using the body's own ability to conduct electrical signals:

According to Associated Press reports, researchers at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone have confirmed that data transmission through the body is possible at broadband speeds.

The company did not disclose the strength, possible costs or other details of the electric signals, but said that mobile devices equipped with the technology could communicate with each other and relay data using weak electric signals carried through the body.

They believe that when it is perfected it will be possible to exchange telephone numbers, email addresses and other information by just shaking hands or touching someone.


The VNUNet item is very interesting, yet it comes at a time when people are increasingly concerned about the affects of mobile phones on the human body, thus running a broadband network through one may seem unappealing =).

BugBear Could Set New Virus Record

By:mark.j @ 1:38:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The recently arisen BugBear E-Mail virus (worm) could very well break the most prolific virus record, set by Klez.H, if it continues to hold its current momentum:

Last week, email service provider MessageLabs intercepted 320,000 missives containing the Bugbear attachment, more than the Klez.h virus managed in its first week in April. Klez.h has created the most-ever Internet traffic so far.

Bugbear "seems to be picking up quite a bit in the United States", said Angela Hauge, technical director for MessageLabs. "I would say that it's rampant." On Monday, Bugbear-infected PCs sent out nearly 38,000 emails, according to the company's Web site.

In June, Klez.h hit MessageLabs' millionth message mark, a first for a computer virus, the company said.


It's a pity BugBear and Klez.H weren’t around when that diabolically bad love film, You've Got Mail (ugghh), came out. Things could have been very different =), more @ ZDNet.

3 New Exchanges Hit ADSL Trigger

By:mark.j @ 1:24:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

UPDATE: Bishops Waltham has now also hit the trigger level.

ADSLGuide reports that two new local exchanges, Inverness Culloden and Adwick Le Street, have hit their broadband ADSL pre-registration trigger levels.

It'll be interesting to see how many of the thirteen or so trigger hitting exchanges actually get ADSL enabled; this will be a crucial test for BTs controversial new system.

Nildram Cuts Broadband ADSL Price

By:mark.j @ 1:19:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

UK ISP Nildram has today issued a new press release announcing a cut in the cost of its older broadband ADSL service by £6 to a more respectable £29.99 inc. VAT per month:

Broadband gets a Free Start at Nildram...

Nildram, one of the leading providers of Broadband Access services in the UK, have today announced changes and an addition to their popular Home500 range of Broadband ADSL services that provide even greater value for money.

Nildram's Home500 service has been reduced in price by £6 per month to only £29.99 plus VAT and combined with the former Home500A product. The additional benefit of this is that any existing users of Nildram's Home500A service will automatically be converted to the Home500 product with no change in service, but will have their minimum contract period reduced from 12 months to only 3.

Not content with that, Nildram have also announced a new incentive for potential Broadband customers in the form of a new service which provides free activation, saving £50 plus VAT on initial costs. This new service, Home500 Free Start is available for a limited time and provides a static IP address, a POP3 mailbox, a sub-domain and 100MB of personal webspace all for only £35.99 plus VAT per month. The service is subject to a minimum contract period of 12 months.

Iain Ogilvie, Nildram's marketing manager comments: "We are continually improving and developing our industry leading portfolio of Broadband services and these announcements reinforce our ethos of providing the best value and performance in the marketplace. Improved economies of scale have allowed us, once again, to pass on benefits - both to new, as well as existing customers."

Further Information: http://www.getadsl.co.uk

Orange UK Delays ISP Closure

By:mark.j @ 1:14:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Orange, a UK mobile phone operator, is reported to have delayed the closure of its ISP from October 19th to November 15th 2002, although no reason for the delay is given.

As reported a month ago, the operator is suggesting that existing subscribers either migrate to Freeserve or upgrade to their new GPRS based ISP. More @ The Inquirer.

Official (Oftel) - 1,000,000 Use Broadband

By:mark.j @ 1:07:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The UK telecoms regulator, Oftel, has today officially announced that the number of Internet users on a broadband connection has finally hit the next milestone - 1,000,000!

Don't be too shocked if every man and his dog uses this opportunity for extra publicity:

The UK has reached one million high speed broadband connections, Oftel has announced today. Announcing the news, David Edmonds Director General of Telecommunications said: "Figures from telecoms operators show that the UK has reached one million high speed broadband connections.

This take up shows that consumers recognise the power of broadband to deliver high speed Internet access into their homes. The number of broadband connections has risen from half a million to one million in six months, with new connections running at over 20,000 per week.

Oftel has helped to create the most competitive broadband market in Europe through the huge amount of work we have undertaken in a number of areas.

Broadband is available to consumers through many different service providers using a variety of different networks, resulting in increased choice and lower prices. UK consumers now have access to some of the lowest prices for broadband services in Europe.

There is also a thriving narrowband Internet access market with a wide range of ISPs offering pay-as-you-go and unmetered access packages.
"

Oftel has promoted competition by ensuring access to BT’s network through broadband interconnection arrangements and local loop unbundling.

Network competition exists between ntl, Telewest and BT. BT must make wholesale broadband products available to service providers on the same terms as for its own retail service providers. Over 100 service providers use these products to deliver services to consumers and businesses.

Broadband services are delivered to residential and business customers using a range of technologies including DSL, cable modems, fixed wireless networks and satellite.


The governments E-commerce minister, Stephen Timms, has also welcomed the news. "This is great news for the UK. Today's figures show that people are beginning to really appreciate the benefits of broadband," he said.

AOL Launch Official ADSL Service

By:mark.j @ 9:27:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Jocelyn Cole, Communications Manager for UK ISP AOL, has today informed us that they've finally launched the official details for their new broadband ADSL service.

Not only that, but the service has also made its 2,000,000 UK subscribers mark:

AOL, the UK's leading online interactive services provider, today announced a new £27.99 per month package that offers AOL Broadband's full range of features, innovative multimedia content and ease-of-use for the same price as "no frills" services.

The company also announced that the AOL service in the UK has surpassed the two million member mark, driven by the success of its pioneering flat-rate product, breakthrough marketing campaigns and unmatched member experience. This milestone represents a doubling of AOL's member base in less than two years.

AOL Broadband, which has a one-off charge of £85 for the modem pack, gives UK families the peace of mind of AOL's industry-leading Parental Controls and freephone customer helpline, including technical support. All members can benefit from the dedicated broadband content and "must-have" features such as email and Instant Messenger.

It also brings customers all the usual benefits of a high-speed broadband connection, including being "always-on" and allowing other family members to make telephone calls at the same time that AOL Broadband is in use.

Karen Thomson, chief executive of AOL UK, said: "We know from having two million members that the majority of UK consumers want more than just a basic broadband Internet connection. They want a full range of content, fun, entertainment, communication tools, ease-of-use and quality service in a single, simple package.

Right now, AOL Broadband is the only option with all those attributes - and today we have also taken price out of the buying equation.
"

AOL Broadband brings members exclusive access to a wealth of dedicated multimedia content and services, including many from the AOL Time Warner stable of brands. Over the next two years, AOL's broadband strategy includes the development of additional broadband-specific functionality and unique content, with the goal of providing UK consumers with the best all-round service in the high-speed online services market.

The AOL Broadband service is available to around 65pc of UK households, wherever there is a DSL-broadband enabled exchange. The telephone number checker on http://www.aol.co.uk/broadband can show if a household is able to get the service. AOL continues to negotiate with telecoms providers to expand areas of broadband coverage, as it has done with its market leading flat-rate service.

Today's announcement supports the Government's Broadband Britain initiative to help the UK become one of the leading Internet and e-commerce countries in the G7 group of industrialised nations. AOL Broadband operates at up to 512kbps (kilobits per second), which exceeds the UK Government's definition of a broadband service as one with a minimum data speed of 384kbps.


It’s nice to see one of the more popular (population wise) ISPs using a competitive pricing structure and certainly a welcome change from their £34.99 per month TRIAL price tag.

UK Evening Online Shopping Grows

By:mark.j @ 9:14:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Logging on in the afternoon to do a spot of online shopping is becoming increasingly common to UK Internet users, or so says a new report from Barclaycard:

The report, says Barclaycard, highlights how shopping trends are changing in the UK, with many people using the internet to shop as they have less time to do so in the High Street during working hours.

"People with busy lives often don't have a lunch hour to go shopping or might want to make a big purchase, like a holiday, when they are at home with their partner," the report said.


The report notes that travel and financial service products are the most popular with the industry predicted to be worth £7Billion this year. More @ Europemedia.

RedDSL ISP Launches ADSL Service

By:mark.j @ 9:09:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

The latest UK provider to launch a form of broadband ADSL service is little known ISP RedDSL. Typically the press release explains the service better than we can:

RedDSL opens it's doors for business today and announces it's plans to provide an affordable, efficient, user friendly Broadband service as well as associated hardware to:

• Business users
• Home users
• Gamers

Computer gaming will also feature at www.reddsl.com, RedDSL have teamed up with a number of leading games publishers and hardware manufacturers to provide monthly promotions and incentives for those subscribing to RedDSL. Partners include:

• Thrustmaster
• Hercules
• Novalogic
• JoWooD Productions

Packages all inclusive of a fixed IP address start from as little as £29.99 inc VAT. There are also a variety of business packages available that will enable companies to increase productivity and streamline their telecom budgets.

RedDSL has been established to help drive the upgrade initiative from standard dial up phone connections to the government back broadband initiative of ADSL phone connections that will speed up data transfer. RedDSL has a clear vision to ensure that all homes and businesses have access to an simplistic, affordable, reliable internet service that enables them to talk and surf at the same time, download movies and music files and play games online with family or friends.

The business sector upgrading to RedDSL will also benefit from increased productivity as well as monthly fixed expenditure for telecom services, something that is key in a small business. Moreover, RedDSL are also keen to point out that there are a number of relevant initiatives for businesses considering upgrading including tax relief on establishing and maintaining broadband connections, these initiatives also apply to employers paying for connections at employees homes. Another important aspect for the business user is access to a VPN (Virtual Private Network) enabling them to dial securely into the office server from home, spending more time at home with their families rather than in the office at their desk.


Please note that we removed some of the staff quotes at the end because they weren’t needed, you only need to know about the service itself.

Online e-Voting Trial Take Two - May 2003

By:mark.j @ 9:03:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

Following the semi-success of this years e-voting trial in local elections, the UK government is now calling on councils to conduct similar trials in the next set of local elections during May 2003:

Schemes that allow voting via the Internet, by mobile phone, digital TV, at a touch-screen kiosk or by post will all be welcomed, local government minister Nick Raynsford has indicated.

"This invitation follows on from the success of last May's pilots, when people in many parts of the country had their first real experience of voting electronically and by post," said Raynsford in a statement. "Such was the scale of the programme that the UK is quite rightly regarded as being among the pioneers of electoral modernisation."

The UK government has committed £30m to fund e-voting trials over the next three years, with the intention of holding an e-enabled general election sometime after 2006.


Hopefully the next set of trials will improve upon some of the mistakes made by the last, not that there were that many. More @ ZDNet.

Eclipse ISP Reveals SDSL Pricing

By:mark.j @ 8:57:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

As promised, the UK ISP Eclipse has kindly sent us the pricing information for their new broadband SDSL services:

SDSL Connect 250
256Kbps service with 10:1 contention
£475 set up
£99 per month

SDSL Connect 500
512Kbps service with 10:1 contention
£475 set up
£150 per month

SDSL Connect 1000
1Mbps service with 10:1 contention
£475 set up
£222 per month

SDSL Connect 2000
2 Mbs service with 10:1 contention
£475 set up
£340 per month

Domain services available from £4 per month (includes .co.uk or .com domain, 50Mb webspace and POP3/Multiple POP3/SMTP mail feed)

Typical SDSL router cost is £340

All prices subject to VAT

An Eclipse spokesperson said, 'We have already had interest in the service from companies interested in replacing legacy leased lines or upgrading ISDN connections.'

SMS and Java Services For ISPs

By:mark.j @ 8:55:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE]

It looks as if Freeserve and Tiscali are two UK ISPs looking to take advantage of the new SMS and Java services being developed by London-based mobile gaming firms Amplefuture and Macrospace:

Under the deal, Amplefuture will supply the billing solutions and white-label premium rate mobile entertainment services that it already provides to firms including Freeserve, Virgin Mobile and Tiscali.

Macrospace will contribute its content delivery platform, ProvisionX, while the two companies' technical teams will also collaborate on future SMS and Java gaming developments.

Along with others, the two companies have already worked together to supply Freeserve with downloadable games for the ISP's Java-based service, announced in August, and are also jointly-offering their solution to Opera Telecom and mobile portal M4 Fun.


More @ netimperative.info .

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