November 29, 2002 - December 4, 2002
News - December 4,2002
Easynet ISP Adverts Deemed Offensive
By:mark.j @ 9:29:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The popular Internet provider easynet Ltd has been slapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) following objections to two of its advertisements in the Evening Standard:
One featured a photograph of a man being punched in the face by another man and was headlined "When your MD finds out you're spending up to 85% too much on your Internet connection". The other showed a man being punched in the face by a woman and was headlined "When your employees discover that their Internet connection could be 140* times faster". The complainants objected that the advertisements were offensive and condoned violent and anti-social behaviour.
Complaints upheld
The advertisers believed the photographs provoked a strong reaction without trivialising violence. They said they had changed the campaign in response to comments from people in focus groups; pictures of a boxing contest had been replaced with pictures of people in business suits set against a black background that reinforced the business setting and gave the advertisements a surreal, humorous quality.
The advertisers believed the humorous context set the advertisements apart from scenes of real violence seen in the media. They said people in the focus groups had not believed the advertisements condoned violence. The advertisers said they targeted the business sector by placing the advertisements in publications with sophisticated, metropolitan readers who read the publications while commuting to and from work.
The advertisers pointed out that they had not included pictures of men hitting women or of people from racial minorities. The publishers said their readers would find the advertisements humorous. They believed the advertisers were trying to advertise in an eye-catching but responsible way.
The Authority considered that the advertisements would not generally be seen as humorous and that they were likely to cause serious or widespread offence. It also considered that the advertisements would be seen as condoning violence and anti-social behaviour. The Authority asked the advertisers not to repeat the advertisements. |
Wireless ISP SPTen Closes!
By:Anne @ 1:05:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UPDATE: We've just received the following message from somebody proclaiming to be Marc Warman: "Please close the sp10 forum, the service is no longer operational."
We of course do not close forums once a service dies, they stay open for a month or two after so people can remain updated.
SPTens website is telling people that the service is unavailable, which has led to some of our members expressing their fears on our forums.
This ISP looked like it was the answer for those without broadband. Marc Warmans (SPTen MD) website, which was advertising hosting, is also showing signs that something is happening. One of our member’s, sarsat, has posted this on our forums:
I mailed Festival Place and explained Sptens claims and asked if they were true, expecting them to know if they have a free 802.11 network and a 2.4 GHz transceiver. Their reply:
In repy to your recent enquiry we do not have a transmitter in Festival Place and have no future plans at this time to install one.
Rachel Molloy (Marketing)
More on our Forums. |
News - December 3,2002
EU - Tough On Broadband Competition
By:mark.j @ 2:37:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The Financial Times (FT) has apparently seen a draft European Commission (EC) report into the EU telecoms sector.
The report looks at how some countries have failed to open up their markets to competition for broadband services, not surprisingly the UK is listed:
The newspaper names Germany, the UK and Spain as possible contenders for legal action. It's understood the EU's tough line could be due to the failure of local loop unbundling (LLU) to take off in some countries.
Last month the UK's Government-appointed Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) found that LLU has "not had a significant impact on competition" in the UK.
It also found that the number of companies interested in offering services via LLU is now "very limited". At the end of August 2002 just 1,100 lines had been unbundled.
Regular readers may remember the early warnings from this time last year, which could now come to fruition within the next few days. More @ The Register. |
Gov Must Show Broadband Leadership
By:mark.j @ 1:40:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Andrew Davies, the e-minister for Wales, has today suggested that the UK show more broadband leadership and take action to address market failure:
Davies, who is one of the driving forces behind the Broadband Wales Programme, also suggested that the UK government hasn't shown enough leadership in the broadband scene. The Broadband Wales Programme is a five-year, £115m plan aimed at delivering a thriving broadband market in Wales, and has seen considerable success that has put England's efforts in the shade.
"By March 2003, 47% of Welsh schools will have a broadband connection -- primary schools will have a 2Mbps connection, and secondary schools an 8Mbps link. In the NHS, 67% of Welsh GP practices already have a connection of at least 256Kbps," said Davies.
Across Britain, this kind of public sector demand is seen as key to driving broadband success -- as was seen last month when the prime minister, Tony Blair, announced that over £1bn will be spent on broadband for Britain's health, education and criminal justice services.
The ZDNet notes that 12% of homes in Cardiff (Wales) have signed up for ADSL, this compares with a rough average of 5% in the UK. |
Solving The Peer-To-Peer Dilemma
By:mark.j @ 1:33:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Sandvine has today announced a new method of dealing with online person-to-person (P2P) file sharing services, which has recently become is a big problem for UK ISPs, especially broadband providers:
It's no secret that peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing activity threatens to swamp European service providers. Now a new product from network technology company Sandvine offers hope to beleaguered network executives.
Today at Service Provider Europe, Sandvine is launching Peer-To-Peer Policy Management, a carrier-grade hardware/software bundle that helps service providers take control of P2P. Sandvine's unique approach reduces bandwidth costs by re-directing peer-to-peer traffic down a least-cost network path -- without aggravating churn by inconveniencing subscribers, and without the need for content caching.
Popular file sharing programs like KaZaA and Morpheus ignore the logical topology of service provider networks. The result is ad hoc connectivity with P2P clients on other networks. This propensity to push data traffic "off net" drives up Internet transit costs and erodes profitability.
"It's clear that service providers need tools to address the cost and efficiency challenges posed by peer-to-peer activity," said Tom Donnelly, Founder and VP, Marketing and Sales of Sandvine. "Our solution helps service providers grasp the reins of P2P traffic and corral it within their own network."
Sandvine's recently-released study 'The Impact Of Peer-To-Peer' shows that file sharing activity accounts for more than 60% of the traffic on broadband networks. Download it at www.sandvine.co.uk.
FACT SHEET: SANDVINE PEER-TO-PEER POLICY MANAGEMENT
Sandvine Peer-To-Peer Policy Management helps service providers establish policies that direct their subscribers' file-sharing traffic down the least-cost network path.
Sandvine lowers network costs resulting from Peer-To-Peer traffic by logically rearranging the P2P network topology. This patent-pending approach analyzes all P2P searches and ensures that each is redirected to hosts on a lower-cost path before attempting to reach hosts on a higher- cost path.
Benefits:
* Reduces bandwidth costs
* Improves network efficiency
* Enhances value & utilization of existing infrastructure
* Integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure
* Doesn't cache content
* Won't inconvenience subscribers
Features:
* Full support for both the FastTrack and Gnutella protocols
* Dynamic port-hop controller
Specs
* Interfaces: 100/1000 Ethernet
* Capacity: 5000 Concurrent Users
* Dimensions: (H) 1.75", (W) 19", (D) 23"
* Compliance: UL/CSA, FCC, CE
* Clustering: N + 1 Redundancy
Auto-Load Balancing
Services Only P2P Traffic
Connects to WCCP or Content Switching Router
More Information: http://www.sandvine.co.uk/solutions/default.asp |
BTOpenworld ISP Gets Into Online Dating
By:mark.j @ 1:25:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK ISP BTOpenworld has today signed a new deal with uDate, which will help to provide its customers with online matchmaking facilities:
ROMANCE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, WITH BT OPENWORLD
BT Openworld has signed a deal with uDate, providing its customers with online matchmaking facilities just in time for Christmas.
The tie-up with the global online dating agency will enable the ISP's 1.7 million customers to find last minute dates or long-term love on its dating channel. The service will be provided over BT Openworld's popular Lifestyle service from December 2.
uDate already has more than 670,000 UK users and the deal with BT Openworld will enhance its visibility and increase traffic. The deal will last for one year initially.
Martin Clifford, Chief Operating Officer at uDate, said: "We've been advertising with BT Openworld for several months and the campaign has consistently delivered high quality traffic. This deal allows us to build on that relationship and extend our UK distribution further. BT Openworld's customers will be able to access millions of uDate members in the UK and around the world."
Martin Clifford continued: "uDate was set up in 2000 as a dynamic and entertaining way to meet new people over the internet. It's the largest online dating service in the UK and has 13 million members in 100 countries. Our subscribers tell us that the site is very effective in enhancing their social lives."
Nick Hazell, director of communications at BT Openworld, said: "Online dating is really taking off in the UK. This strategic deal with uDate provides a valuable extra service to our customers. BT Openworld is pleased to be working with a company that is such a well established, experienced player in what is an obvious, and rapidly developing, use for the internet. Both
BT Openworld and uDate stand to maximise traffic and revenue from this online dating channel."
You can access the web site at: http://www.btopenworld.com/lifestyle |
Ireland Sets Broadband Deadline
By:mark.j @ 1:19:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Dermot Ahern, Ireland's Communications Minister, has set a new target of bringing affordable broadband to Irish citizens within three years:
The targets for broadband roll-out in Ireland were included in a new government draft policy statement published to coincide with this week's launch of Ireland's new and more powerful Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg.
This three-year target is roughly in line with the plan that the government published in April in its second Action Plan on the Information Society. That document, called "New Connections," also called for affordable broadband in three years, although it was published over six months ago.
The document also includes a provision that is designed to ensure "the widespread availability" of flat-rate dial-up Internet access. "The commission shall make use of its powers under the legislation as appropriate, to bring about agreements among market players for the provision to the public of dial-up Internet access charged at flat-rates," the direction said. This strongly worded aim had been widely expected from the Minister.
More @ The Register. |
Scottish Broadband Boost Favours BT
By:mark.j @ 10:01:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The latest accusation of anti-competitive behaviour against BT follows yesterday’s announcement by The Scottish Executive, which committed an extra £24m to extend broadband across Scotland.
Unfortunately a number of leading operators have claimed that the initiative is heavily biased in favour of BT:
An insider at Thus, who asked not to be named, said: "If you look at the Scottish Enterprise site, it is nothing more than an advert for BT."
Cable operators Telewest and NTL, however, were also unhappy with the government's initiative.
A spokesman for NTL said: "This is all biased against cable operators. They are only talking about ADSL. We already provide broadband via cable. In saying that, we are in the market to compete for a Scottish Executive partnership."
It looks as if BT isn't having such a good day today, more in The Herald Newspaper. |
BT Subscribes Customer To Wrong ISP
By:mark.j @ 9:54:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Apparently a Worcester resident, Tina Weston, has found herself subscribed to BTs 'No Frills' Broadband ADSL service, yet she should have been connected to Demon Internet!
The screw up, which has caused BT to be accused of anti-competitive behaviour - again, came about after Weston tried to subscribe to Demon the first time and failed due to her distance from the exchange.
A number of line tests later and it was confirmed that she could indeed have ADSL, if only it were that simple:
At the beginning of November, Tina's line was converted to ADSL. The snag was that despite requests to have Demon as her ISP she was actually connected to BT Broadband - the no frills, access-only product from BT.
Clearly, this was against her wishes so she spent the next three weeks trying to get the service removed and replaced with Demon's product. This, she was told, couldn't be done. After yet more phone calls and emails, the connection was finally cancelled at the end of November. But when she tried to subscribe to Demon she was told - guess what - that her house was too far from the exchange.
So, despite being able to prove that the line can take ADSL, her requests to have ADSL from Demon have been declined. Had Tina been happy to stick with BT Broadband, she would now have high-speed Net access. But her insistence at sticking with Demon has meant that she is still without broadband.
The Register reports that BT takes the complaint very seriously and is investigating. There may not be an ADSL ISP migration contract between the two, yet that shouldn't have prevented her second attempt. |
Shropshire’s Rural Broadband Drive
By:mark.j @ 9:35:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Analysys, a consultancy firm, is hoping to help bring broadband access to the rural town of Bridgnorth, in Shropshire.
The firm has brokered a deal with operators on behalf of the town by guaranteeing a certain number of users:
Despite figures from Oftel showing 20,000 new broadband users each week, roll-outs concentrate on urban areas, leaving rural populations to rely on ISDN and analogue modems.
"We are accepting tenders for Bridgnorth," said Richard Wilson, consultant at Analysys, which is advising the Advantage West Midlands regional development agency. "We have specified the price and service capability."
Analysys found that 50 business customers would be enough to make a broadband roll-out financially viable. The project will also include pilot schemes in other locations.
The VNUNet item suggests that the scheme could offer hope to other rural areas not on an official upgrade list. |
Telewests Broadband X-Box Live Trial
By:mark.j @ 9:28:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Not surprisingly the UKs second largest cable operator, Telewest, has today issued a new press release announcing its support for Microsoft’s online multiplayer trial - X-Box Live:
Telewest Broadband makes Xbox connection
Telewest Broadband is using feedback from 500 of its blueyonder broadband internet customers to shape a new gaming service that will enable them to make the most of Xbox(tm) Live(tm).
Xbox owners with a broadband internet service can now take part in the European test drive of Microsoft's online games platform. The blueyonder customer trial will develop a fully supportive service, providing a user-friendly connection between the console, PC and cable modem.
Chad Raube, director of internet services at Telewest Broadband, explained: "We want to find the best way to connect the Xbox with our blueyonder broadband internet service. There are currently a number of options and our trial will help develop a one-stop-shop for gaming hardware and support."
"We are going to hook up with up to 500 customers who are taking part in the Xbox Live test drive and provide the additional tools to connect their broadband service to their PC and Xbox at the same time. This trial approach will help ensure that blueyonder delivers the ultimate Xbox Live experience, with speeds up to 1Mbp/s and plug-and-play simplicity."
Telewest Broadband customers can register their interest in the trial today, at http://xbox.blueyonder.co.uk. They will need to meet the following requirements:
* 512k or 1Mb blueyonder broadband internet customer for six months or more
* Own an Xbox console
* Already applied for an Xbox Live test pack from Microsoft – at http://.xbox.com/uk/live
Customers taking part will receive a hardware pack including a hub and cabling, plus an additional IP address and support information. Feedback from the trial will be used to shape the connectivity service prior to the full Xbox Live launch, anticipated in March 2003.
Xbox Live enables broadband internet users to play games online with friends, talk to other players and download current statistics, new levels and characters. Thousands of gamers in the UK, France and Germany have already taken part in early beta trials and experienced the excitement of the only comprehensive online games service dedicated to fast-action, always-connected broadband gaming experiences.
Do please note that unless you’re familiar with the problem, those owning a hacked (chipped) X-Box games console may find themselves banned from using the service. |
Central Commands Virus Report (Nov)
By:mark.j @ 9:22:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Central Command, another provider of PC anti-virus software and computer security services, has followed Sophos and MessageLabs by releasing its monthly (November) infections report:
Central Command Releases Its Dirty Dozen - Top 12 - Viruses For
November 2002
Central Command, a leading provider of PC anti-virus software and computer security services today released its monthly listing of the top twelve viruses reported for November 2002. The report, coined the "Dirty Dozen", is based on the number of virus occurrences confirmed through Central Command's Emergency Virus Response Team.
The table below represents the most prevalent viruses for November
2002, number one being the most frequent.
Ranking - Virus Name - Percentage
1. Worm/Klez.E (incl. G variant) 35.2%
2. W32/Yaha.E 16.2%
3. Worm/BugBear 10.4%
4. W32/Elkern.C 7.5%
5. Worm/Bride.A 4.4%
6. W32/Funlove 4.1%
7. Worm/W32.Sircam 3.4%
8. W32/Nimda 1.8%
9. W32/Magistr.B 1.0%
10. W95/Hybris 0.6%
11. W95/CIH 0.5%
12. Worm/Opasoft.A 0.5%
Others 14.4%
"Long shopping lines and in-laws might not be the only nuisance this holiday season, as Worm/Klez.E and W32/Yaha.E continue to prey on unprotected computer systems," said Steven Sundermeier product manager at Central Command, Inc. Worm/Klez.E accounted for 35.2% of all total infection reports received for November 2002 and W32/Yaha.E 16.2%. "During the winter months, we typically see an increase in the number of new virus submissions. Users should exercise extra caution and anticipate the usual holiday-themed viruses; viruses disguised as festive electronic greeting cards, screensavers and desktop wallpaper."
Worm/Bride.A, an Internet worm that drops the file infector W32/Funlove, is the top new entry to the Dirty Dozen. It is also partially accountable for the high number of W32/Funlove infection reports for the month. Worm/Bride.A arrives with the attachment README.EXE and has already spawned a number of variants.
The above report is almost identical to that recently issued by MessageLabs, yet both are very different to the third one from Sophos. |
Anti-Split BT Speakers Gather Pace
By:mark.j @ 9:13:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Professor Martin Cave of the Warwick Business School in Coventry and an influential authority on the telecoms industry has joined the growing number of people speaking out against splitting up BT.
Mr Cave suggests that there isn't enough evidence to justify such a move, which would be a "high risk gamble":
Speaking on Monday at the FT world Telecommunications Conference in London, Professor Cave said that instead, the government should get tougher on any misbehaviour, and wait for new technologies to erode BT's local loop monopoly.
Breaking up BT has been proposed to prevent the company from gaining unfair advantage due to its ownership of the "local loop" (the telephone lines that reach to homes and offices). However, setting up a separate "LoopCo" to manage the local loop would be difficult to manage as technologies such as fibre, mobile and other wireless networks would blur the boundary, and eventually make the monopoly increasingly irrelevant, said the Professor. He was speaking at a debate on "structural separation" at the conference.
In a separate item not on ZDNet, Philip Nolan, the head of former Irish telecoms monopoly eircom who once worked for British Gas's former network Lattice, has also echoed Mr Cave's comments.
Mr Nolan believes that regardless of whether or not it was the right move, the disruption caused by such a major de-merger would be too much for the telecoms industry to handle. |
Broadband RADSL Reach Extended!
By:mark.j @ 9:03:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] ADSLGuide reports that BTWholesale is planning to extend their broadband RADSL pre-installation threshold from 55dB to 60dB.
This essentially means that more line tests would pass due to higher tolerance, thus extending the typical RADSL reach from 94.5% to 97.5% of the population on any one DSL enabled exchange:
Whilst it appears to be minor tweaking it means that those people who've marginally failed the install tests in the past will have another chance at getting broadband.
In other ADSL news, the Mini DSLAM trial targeted at extremely remote areas is due to have final pricing announced in March 2003.
There's also word that the local exchanges for Bursledon, Ivybridge will soon be enabled. |
News - December 2,2002
FireFly ISP Offers Second X-Mas Deal
By:mark.j @ 4:00:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] That's right, the recently launched SurfAnyTime (SAT) backed UK ISP FireFly has today sent us a new service updating announcing a second Christmas promotion!:
> Existing Users
How about this for a deal, during December, all time spent online between 01:00 - 07:00 7 days per week will not be deducted from your monthly allowance.
If that wasn't enough, ISDN users can bond to 128K during this time for absolutely nothing ! Get the full throughput from that HomeHighway installation and get those big file downloaded in no time!
> New Users
Not only will you benefit from the above incredible deal but we could also save you money ! Users can now signup for our FireFly4 package and get a whole month's access free of charge !
Buy two months, get your third free !
Put this together with our free-time, our free 128K bonding and you'd be hard pushed to find a better deal, anywhere !
This offer ends 31st December 2002 |
70% Of Scotland Gets Broadband By 2003
By:mark.j @ 3:56:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Within roughly 13 months 70% of Scotland should be covered by broadband Internet access:
Up to £24m has been allocated to support business take-up and ensure that by the end of 2003, at least 70% of the population have access to ADSL Broadband. Summarising the impact of the intervention strategy, Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Life Long Learning Iain Gray said:
"By the end of 2003, we aim to take Scotland from the current ADSL coverage figure of around 40% of the population, beyond the current UK figure of 66%, to a level in excess of 70%. We want to do this through a commercial partnership, which will, of course, be subject to State Aid rules.
If we do not intervene, commercial projections indicate that we will not achieve 70% coverage until 2006, which is not acceptable" The Minister announced the initiative at the launch of the Executive’s progress report on "Connecting Scotland: Our Broadband Future" – Making it Happen.
Typically if Scotland can match similar progress to that of the UK during 2002 then there's no reason why 70% shouldn't be considered a realistic target. The full government PR can be read - HERE. |
Chernobyl Virus - The Return
By:mark.j @ 3:51:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] A European antivirus (AV) company has detected a new strain of the once devastating Chernobyl virus (W95/CIH10XX).
Panda Software reports that the new strain, which can render some BIOS chips and even entire motherboards unusable, has so far NOT been seen in the wild:
The variant activates its payload on the 2nd of every month. The original strain, first detected in 1998, activates its payload on the 26th of April, the date of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Another antivirus company, while acknowledging the dangers posed by infection, urged calm. Network Associates Asia-Pacific marketing director Allan Bell says, "...unless the virus is being seen in the wild there is a danger of crying wolf."
Bell says that although this new virus is very dangerous "...the risk factor for a virus must take into account its prevalence. This new variant of the Chernobyl virus does not appear to be in the wild and so the average user is not likely to encounter it".
More @ ZDNet. |
Hutchison3Gs First Video-to-Video Call
By:mark.j @ 9:54:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Hutchison 3G (now known as '3'), the third generation (UTMS) broadband wireless mobile phone operator, has successfully conducted its first person-to-person video call via '3' handsets.
The test was conducted using 3s commercial UTMS (3G) network between Rome and Milan, as well as Rome and London:
This groundbreaking event was the fruit of extensive successful development and testing work by 3 both in Italy and in the UK and was witnessed by an invited audience in Rome. Both companies are in their respective user trial phases, designed to prepare and test 3's suite of products and services ahead of commercial rollout to retail customers in the near future.
The calls were conducted between the Italian Minister of Communications Maurizio Gasparri in Rome, the Editor-in-Chief of the leading Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore Guido Gentili in Milan, and Hutchison Whampoa Group Deputy Chairman Victor Li in London.
Besides live person-to-person video calls, 3 will offer communication, information and entertainment in a wide range of content and services on the move. Further details of 3's forthcoming products and services in Italy and in the UK will be revealed in the coming weeks.
You can read more @ 3G. |
UK Broadband Brings Cultural Changes
By:mark.j @ 9:46:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Experts have said that it's simply not enough to introduce broadband to every school and doctor's surgery etc., you also have to modernise and change the way pupils are taught and patients are treated:
There are great cost savings to be had by putting online the mountain of paperwork, often duplicated, associated with the health service.
But this will require a radical culture change, argued Mike Wilkinson from the Department of Health's head of the Medical Leadership Project.
"Without good leadership the tools and products won't be used," he said at a recent broadband conference. "Medical professional don't talk to each other. There is animosity between groups," he said.
The BBC News Online item notes that the real challenge will be persuading people that broadband is a valuable tool. |
Monthly Virus Report - November 2002
By:mark.j @ 9:35:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] The latest monthly report out of anti-virus firm MessageLabs shows that the number of infections dropped from 1,672,912 in October to 857,453 during November last month.
That's the lowest recorded infection rate sine April 2002 (489,344) this year. The top virus for this period has remained Klez.H, with a surprise second place entrant of Yaha-E, which has taken over from BugBear (third).
Interestingly a similar report from another AV firm, Sophos, put BugBear at the top of the list and the Braid worm second. The current MessageLabs top 10 is as follows:
1. W32/Klez.H-mm
2. W32/Yaha.E-mm
3. W32/BugBear-mm
4. EML/Greeting-Card.E
5. W32/Braid.A-mm
6. W32/SirCam.A-mm
7. EML/Greeting-Card.J
8. W32/Yaha.C-mm
9. W32/Magistr.B-mm
10. W32/Klez.E-mm
 |
News - November 30,2002
Fast24 Launches 128Kbps Unmetered
By:mark.j @ 9:55:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK ISP Fast24 has improved a lot in the past few weeks and has now announced the launch of several new unmetered ISDN (128Kbps!) packages:
PRIMETIME200 PLUS: £15 per month
Fast24 'Primetime200 PLUS' is an unmetered internet package designed for home users that want to be able to access the internet at weekends, and from 4pm until Midnight Weekdays, for up to 200 hours per month without the worry of any call charges (when connecting at 128k ISDN you will use your hours twice as quickly). This service has the added bonus over many competing off-peak services in that it's available from 4pm - so the kids can connect when they get home from school. Outside of the above hours we provide an 0845 lo-call rate (same as a standard local call at present) dial-up internet service. To take advantage of this service you require a standard BT line without restrictions (e.g light user account). The service is NOT available through other telecoms networks.
- Unmetered internet access (no call charges) during the hours of 4pmto Midnight, Monday and Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday.
- Lo-call rate internet access at all other times.
- A Fast24 email address (yourlogin@fast24.co.uk).
- Either 128k or 64k ISDN or up to 56k v.90 modem access at unmetered rates.
- Access to over 30,000 newsgroups.
- 50p per minute technical helpline during the hours of 9am until 7pm, Monday to Friday, and 9 am until 5 pm on Saturdays.
ANYTIME200 PLUS: £17 per month
Fast24 'Anytime200 PLUS' is an unmetered internet service designed for those of you want the freedom to access the internet at any time of the day or night, any day of the week, for up to 200 hours per month at up to 128k ISDN connection speeds (when connecting at 128k ISDN you will use your hours twice as quickly). If you find that you reach your 200-hour per month limit then an 0845 lo-call rate (same charge as a standard local call at present) dial-up internet service is available thereafter. To take advantage of this service, you require a standard BT line without restrictions (e.g light user account). The service is NOT available through other telecoms networks.
- 24*7 Access to the Internet.
- Unmetered internet access for up to 200 hours per month.
- Lo-call rate internet access at all other times.
- A Fast24 email address (yourlogin@fast24.co.uk).
- Either 128k/64k ISDN or up to 56k v.90 modem access at unmetered rates.
- Access to over 30,000 newsgroups.
- 50p per minute technical helpline during the hours of 9am until 7pm Monday to Friday, and 9am until 5pm on Saturdays.
ANYTIME BUSINESS PLUS: £27 per month
Fast24 'Anytime Business PLUS' is an unmetered internet service designed for businesses that want the freedom to access the internet at any time of the day or night, any day of the week, for up to 300 hours per month at connection speeds of up to 128k ISDN (Connecting at 128k ISDN will use your hours twice as quickly). If you find that you reach your 300-hour per month limit then a 0845 lo-call rate (same charge as a standard local call at present) dial-up internet service is available thereafter. To take advantage of this
service, you require a standard BT line without restrictions (e.g light user account). The service is NOT available through other telecoms networks.
- 24*7 Access to the Internet.
- Unmetered internet access for up to 300 hours per month.
- Lo-call rate internet access at all other times.
- A Fast24 email address (yourlogin@fast24.co.uk).
- Up to 128k/64k ISDN or up to 56k v.90 modem access at unmetered rates.
- Access to over 30,000 newsgroups.
- 50p per minute technical helpline during the hours of 9am until 7pm Monday to Friday, and 9am until 5pm on Saturdays.
ALWAYS ON PLUS: £225 per month
Fast24 'Always On PLUS' is an unmetered internet service designed for those of you want the freedom to access the internet at any time of the day or night, any day of the week, for up to 1440 hours per month at connection speeds of up to 128k ISDN (hours will be used twice as quickly when connecting at 128k ISDN). This package is not subject to any fixed disconnection period but is subject to our idle out disconnection policy. To take advantage of this service you require a standard BT line without restrictions (e.g light user account). The service is NOT available through other telecoms networks.
- 24*7 Access to the Internet.
- Unmetered internet access for up to 720 hours per month.
- Lo-call rate internet access at all other times.
- A Fast24 email address (yourlogin@fast24.co.uk).
- Up to 128k/64k ISDN or up to 56k v.90 modem access at unmetered rates.
- Access to over 30,000 newsgroups.
- 50p per minute technical helpline during the hours of 9am until 7pm Monday to Friday and 9am until 5pm Saturdays.
Please note that if you wish to upgrade to any of these services, then you can do so by completing the form at https://www.larknet.co.uk/fast24/accountupdate.html
Curiously the last package states ‘up to 1440 hours’ usage in one line and ‘720’ further down, it’s a little confusing, but they mean to say that you can surf 1440 hours @ 64Kbps and 720 @ 128Kbps.
If anybody ever wondered why those of us outside of a broadband enabled area complain so much then look above =). Typically this not Fast24s fault and if you can’t get ADSL then they’re at least being economically realistic about their packages. |
Affinity Internet Reports Improved Sales
By:mark.j @ 9:34:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Affinity Internet Holdings, which supplies a number of UK ISPs with Internet access services, has reported a significant improvement in sales for the 9 months to 30th September 2002:
The company generated sales of £57.2m in the period, a near-90% improvement on the previous year, which helped it to reduce its EBITDA loss to £4.6m from £17.2m.
Affinity intends to further slash costs, having identified another £1m that can be removed from its bottom line, despite paring expenses by £4m already. Administrative costs weighed in at £12.4m, around £800,000 less than last year, even though its business increased in size.
More @ netimperative.info . |
Demon Internet On Slow Connections
By:mark.j @ 9:31:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK ISP Demon Internet has blamed some of its recent connection and speed problems on the "unpredictable behaviour" of some of its routers:
The ISP said: "Some customers are currently experiencing packet loss and slow connectivity when connecting to our services. This has been caused by the unpredictable behaviour of some of our routers." The ISP is currently working to correct the problems.
We'll keep an eye to see if things improve or not, more @ The Register. |
BT Responds - BTOpenworlds Future
By:mark.j @ 9:28:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] A day or two ago it was reported by NewMediaZero that UK ISP BTOpenworld could well turn itself into a content only operation. Today BTOpenworld has sent us their official response denying that this is the case:
BT Openworld would like to communicate that we have no intention of pulling out of the access market. Our business is thriving and we currently have more than 1.7 million customers, including more than 213,000 broadband customers. In October, we announced that our narrowband services are now EBITDA positive.
We have a clear strategy to continue developing our access service as well as offering a range of new services and applications in areas where we can bring real value to internet users. This year we have launched a number of destination sites including dotmusic and Games Domain, and last week our sports site, Sportal.com, was added to these. We will continue to add more services with new developments, available not only to our customers but also those of other broadband providers.
Ben Verwaayen has made clear his support for BT Openworld¹s activities.
No doubt there will be more such rumours as the months roll by. |
News - November 29,2002
Vispas Special Birthday ISP Promotions
By:mark.j @ 2:43:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK ISP Vispa Internet has today become the latest in a long line of ISPs to offer some form of festive Internet access promotion, this time in celebration of their 4th birthday:
VISPA'S MOTHER OF ALL PROMOTION'S!!
To celebrate Vispa's 4th birthday, we are pulling out all the corks to make this a very special Christmas.
1) Vispa, one of the UK's longest running ISP's and now the 'Best Deal of Month' from Practical Internet magazine is to offer it's 'fixed rate' Connect Anytime at £8.99 for the first month, a saving of over 35% on the first months subscription.
2) Also every user that signs up will receive Vispa's special voucher booklet deal. We have teamed up with lots of big names to save you ££££'s off products and services, ideal for making great saving this Christmas. These include savings from 101cd.com, Black & Decker, Dollond & Aitchison, Grattan Catalogue, Hasbro, Esure, Fitness First, Flybe, Haven, Boozebuster, Virgin Wines, Hays Travel, Littlewoods, Peacocks,
Argos, Yes Car Credit, Scottish Power, Swinton Insurance, Simply.co.uk, Mattel, Dulux, Norwich Union to name just a few. The booklet even has a voucher so you can give to a friend a 25% discount off there first month to Vispa, they will love you for it!
3) That's not all, the final part of the deal is that we will enter every user into our DVD player and 3 top title DVD's prize draw being held in December and January, yet another reason to consider Vispa!
The promotion starting December 1st and running throughout the festive period provides all the normal features you expect. These include unlimited email addresses, 25Mb Webspace, 80,000 Usenet groups, Webmail, Tucows Mirror, Users Account Control System and even an SMS instant messaging service.
Quality is something Vispa prides itself in. During 2002 we have pushed forward this commitment receiving a shelf full of awards and accolades. We now take ports from two suppliers (NTL and BTnet) and a third is being added shortly which has ensured that we always have backup circuits via another carrier, and likewise our own core network is now multi-homed, so if one transit provider is having problems we can switch to ensure our customers are not offline.
To take advantage of this offer, customers can go to http://www.vispa.com/products-anytime.php
See our web site for further details and terms and conditions.
If you require any further details email sales@vispa.net or call 08701 624 888 |
GSM Merges Into Broadband Wireless?
By:mark.j @ 2:38:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Two companies, Invisible Networks and ip.access, have announced a plan to team up in a trial to show how GSM mobile phone base stations can operate off local broadband wireless networks:
Richard Nuttall, chief executive of Invisible Networks, told ZDNet that the trial aims to show mobile phone operators how they can easily improve network coverage in existing black spots.
"Initially, we are targeting mobile operators who are looking to fill in gaps in their service -- places where they don't have good coverage but where local people don't want mobile masts to be built," Nuttall explained.
According to Nuttall, local residents benefit twice over. "First, a mobile mast doesn't have to be built and second, some of the money from their calls go back into the community network," Nuttall explained.
It's an interesting idea, although details remain scarce, yet it's expected to cost an estimated £29.99 per month (£23 if paid per annum). More @ ZDNet. |
BTO Satellite ISP Speed Cap - Update
By:mark.j @ 1:34:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] We've yet to hear back from BTOpenworld regarding the reported speed (bandwidth) cap on their broadband satellite ISP services; however one of our readers (Stephen) may know why the problems are occurring.
The following is a post he highlighted from the BT Satellite forum:
Spoke to a guy at Satlinks who said that the Satellite has been reprogrammed to operate in a new and improved way.
The initial Transmit Bit Rate is 76.8Kbits/sec, but after (I think) 10 seconds or so it switched to a dedicated 153kBit channel - BUT! only if you have the latest software.
If you have the old version of the software this switch doesn't take place and you’re stuck with the 76.7kbits.
I have installed the new software and I have experienced uploads going from the usual 30Kbits right up to 80Kbits - a big improvement. However the new software periodically crashes my windows 2000 setup, I'm in the process of a complete reinstall as the software did not crash on my XP laptop.
Would seem to me that BT, by not issuing the new software shortly after the satellite upgrade (or even telling us about it) is the cause of all this confusion, this change was made weeks ago!
I have been informed that BT will be issuing the new software (star control 2.0.7) soon. Some new users may have the new software already, mine was from a May install (1.0.5).
I was informed that users of the older version of the software are clogging up the new channelling arrangement and performance will be better when everyone is on the new software.
To sum up - all users of the old software *are* capped at 76.8Kbits/sec because they need new software in order to get 153Kbits.
Its been a long journey to find all of this out, because of the complete and utter lack of communication from BT and Gilat I wrongly assumed conspiracy, it turns out to be cock up.
If true then this would be a rather serious error on BTOpenworlds part, but then BT have never been that good at keeping their software updated (*thinks* of the old BTSpeedway ISDN cards from AVM). |
Mozilla v1.2 Web Browser Released
By:mark.j @ 1:21:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] | The popular open source web browser project, Mozilla, has released version 1.2 of its latest software client for public use. However an interim update to fix the mass of reported bugs (v1.2.1?) is expected soon. |
BTs DTV Internet Access Deal
By:mark.j @ 1:17:PM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UPDATE: BT has denied the rumoured deal reported below and as originally mentioned in The Guardian. It has considered the deal, yet no formal agreements exist.
The next-generation of digital terrestrial receiving Freeview set-top boxes could well include Internet access services if a new deal with BT is finalised:
The telecommunications giant is hoping to cash in on the success of BBC-backed digital service Freeview, which offers 30 free channels to viewers for a one-off fee of between £99 and £150.
The next generation of set-top boxes, due to appear on the shelves early next year, will allow users to access the internet and other interactive services. BT is hoping to secure a deal that would enable it to sell internet services to Freeview customers.
The company is keen to protect its telephone market share from further erosion from the cable operators who bundle a handful of basic TV channels with a phone line.
The Guardian reports that more details will be known next year and BT is also planning a broadband upgradeable solution, something which would make it competitive with cable operators.
BT will probably end up making the same mistake as almost everybody else and lock their box to only using a BT ISP - silly. |
UKStamp ISP & Service Problems
By:mark.j @ 9:53:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Those watching our complaints page will know that the UK unmetered dialup ISP, UKStamp, has been having problems with engage tones.
However one of our readers (David) has kindly forwarded on the following response from their support team, which hints at future upgrades:
We are busy during peak times but we maintain our agreed ratio of 6:1 within the agreed terms and conditions.
You should be able to connect at all other times.
We will look to adding more ports to improve the service. |
BTO Turns From ISP Into Content Portal?
By:mark.j @ 9:44:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] BTs CEO Ben Verwaayen has already stringently denied his intention to close UK ISP BTOpenworld at least once this week, yet that doesn't mean to say that the current ISP business will remain.
The latest rumour on the block suggest that rather than continue to offer access services, BTO will become a content-only operation and focus on offering destination sites:
BT CEO Ben Verwaayen has denied it's closing BT Openworld, but told NMA that the business was taking on more of a content-based focus.
'We're a content organiser not a content maker. That's a different skillset,' he said. 'I'm delighted we have capabilities in-house to serve the variation of the market place.'
To support this move, last week BT Openworld launched sports broad-band channel Sportal OnDemand, which offers sport content such as Serie A highlights, news and archive clips, in partnership with Sportev and UKbetting for £4.99 a month.
Turning BTOpenworld into a content operation could prove to be one of the most turbulent ISP transitions in the past two years. More @ NewMediaZero. |
Energis Secures £150m Freeserve Deal
By:mark.j @ 9:37:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Energis, the troubled telecoms supplier, will today announce that it has secured a crucial contract with its largest customer, Freeserve, a UK ISP:
The contract to provide Freeserve with pay as you go and unmetered internet access and network services is worth about £150m per year to Energis and accounts for 20% of the firm's annual revenue.
In July Energis was effectively taken over by its banks after the company ran into financial difficulty. Former Asda boss and conservative MP Archie Norman was placed in the chairman's seat and he was joined a few weeks later by former Freeserve boss John Pluthero as chief executive.
Energis has negotiated a two-year extension to its network hosting agreement with Freeserve, a deal that will now run to November 2005. It has also extended its provision of metered internet access services to the end of 2004.
The Guardian item also notes that Energis is expected to announce the completion of its management board reorganisation. More deals are expected to be revealed during the run up to Christmas. |
i2 ISP Preps Broadband ADSL Service
By:mark.j @ 9:32:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Net4Nowt sends word that UK ISP i2 will be officially launching its broadband ADSL and SDSL services sometime within the next couple of weeks. Their home ADSL offer is as below:
With i2 Networks you also benefit from free Email and Web Mail, free Web Space, static IP address, virus checker and a .uk domain name of your choice**.
To ensure your family can only access web sites that you feel are appropriate we also offer a Family Filter, giving you control on what you and your family can access on the Internet.
Home ADSL - £25.52 Per Month
.uk Domain Name**
10Mb Web Space***
Email - 5 POP Accounts
Web Mail
50:1 Contention Ratio
Wires Only installation
------------------------------
**choose from, .me.uk, .org.uk, .co.uk, .ltd.uk., .plc.uk. subject to availability. terms and conditions apply.
***Web Space is shared with Email, Logs and other files.
Note that the installation charge for all packages is £85. |
Firenet ISP Offers Money-Back ADSL!
By:mark.j @ 9:22:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] UK ISP Firenet has today become the latest service to introduce a festive offer on their broadband ADSL package:
Firenet, are now offering all ISPr readers who require ADSL an offer they cannot refuse, 1 full months refund claim, when they sign up to Firenet, and stay with the service for 3 months. Here is the typical payment scheme:
Total fees paid 3 x 26.50 = £79.50
Minus refund we pay back -£26.50
Total paid after rebate = £53.00
Total paid over 3 months = £17.66 per month Inc Vat
Firenet will also be bringing back the Anytime one month for free offer due to its massive success on the ISPr website. So please email sales@firenet.uk.net if you require to know about any offers that you may wish to take advantage of.
We are also offering Free .co.uk domains, email services and hosting for all ADSL customers for the first year. Please email sales@firenet.uk.net using offer number 212/ispr requesting this after you sign up.
Please note that this latest offer is made independently of ISP Review, it’s not directly linked with us; outside of posting the press release. |
Telewest Cuts Broadband Content
By:mark.j @ 9:15:AM - News Comments - SendNews [HERE] / PrintNews [HERE] Yesterdays’ resignation of Telewests broadband chief, David Docherty, means that the cable operator may now be cutting back on its development of new broadband (cable modem) content:
In a written statement, Telewest said he would not be replaced and the content development team would be folded into its network operations. It will now seek to gain content through third parties such as AOL and the BBC.
A spokesperson for the company, which said earlier this month that it is nearing a deal with its banks to convert most of its £5.3bn debt into equity, denied the move was designed to cut costs, but added it would see some of the nine employees in the team made redundant.
She also denied the move indicated a decreased reliance on content to attract consumers. She said: "This is a pragmatic move. We want to be a gatekeeper for access to our network."
More @ netimperative.info . |
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