Broadband News

August 2007 - January 2008

(31-01-08) - Businesses unhappy over yet another broadband minister - Baroness Shriti Vadera has been named as the UK’s new broadband minister after Stephen Timms moved on to the Department for Work and Pensions.

(30-01-08) - Covert Tiscali migrations - Former Pipex customers who have been experiencing connection problems in recent weeks have been covertly moved to Tiscali’s local loop unbundled network, it has been reported.

(29-01-08) - Speed is the biggest problem for broadband customers - A quarter of all UK broadband customers are unhappy with their internet service, with speed coming top of their list of gripes, according to new research.

(28-01-08) - Virgin Media announces speed upgrades - Cable provider Virgin Media has announced that customers on its 4Mb L broadband package are to be upgraded to speeds of up to 10Mb for free.

(25-01-08) - Council bid to ‘bridge digital divide’ - A Birmingham City Council cabinet member has appealed to broadband providers to reduce the cost of their services in order to make the internet more accessible to low-income households.

(24-01-08) - Best consumer ISP nominations revealed - The nominees for the final category at this year's Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) awards have been revealed at last.

(23-01-08) - Tiscali traffic troubles continue - Despite undoing the software upgrade that caused extreme traffic management during peak hours, Tiscali customers faced another evening of blockages and poor line speed yesterday.

(22-01-08) - 2008 ISPA awards finalists announced - The Internet Service Providers’ Association has announced the finalists for its 10th annual industry awards.

(21-01-08) - One pound in six spent online - Internet spending grew by more than 50 per cent last year, with consumers spending £46.6 billion, according to e-commerce industry body, the Interactive Media in Retail Group.

(18-01-08) - 2.6m customers for Carphone Warehouse - The Carphone Warehouse, owner of major ISPs AOL and TalkTalk has announced a total of 2.6 million broadband connections over the two providers.

(17-01-08) - BT Home IT service a HIT - More than a million minutes of help and advice have been clocked up by BT’s Home IT (HIT) squad since the service was launched a year and a half ago.

(16-01-08) - Broadband complaints soar - Consumer complaints about ISPs have shot up by 43 per cent in 2007 according to the Government advice service Consumer Direct.

(15-01-08) - Internet heroes and villains of 2007 - The Internet Service providers’ Association (ISPA) has announced its internet heroes and villains nominations for 2007.

(14-01-08) - Cable still ruling broadband - The speed test results for December are in and show that cable still tops ADSL when it comes to speed and reliability.

(11-01-08) - Broadband connections near 15 million - UK broadband connections have passed 14,961,000 according to the latest telecommunications market data tables for the third quarter of 2007, released by Ofcom.

(10-01-08) - 100Mb for Kent residents in 2008 - BT today announced that the first residential fibre-optic cable connections will be live in August this year, connecting up to 10,000 homes in Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent.

(09-01-08) - Three joins the free laptop giveaway - Three Mobile Broadband customers can now get a free laptop, continuing the giveaway trend started last year.

(07-01-08) - BT Vision joins forces with the Xbox 360 - Microsoft and BT Vision have announced that from mid-2008 Xbox 360 customers will be able to access the BT Vision television service through their games console.

(04-01-08) - Tiscali to become second ‘quad-play’ provider - Italian broadband provider Tiscali is planning on launching a mobile phone service later this year, making the company the second UK ISP to offer the “quad-play” of broadband, digital television, home phone and mobiles services.

(03-01-08) - Switching worries prevent people saving - While one in four broadband users are planning on switching their contract in 2008, new research shows that many people still can’t be bothered, despite potential savings of up to £141.60.

(02-01-08) - Broadband speeds will lead innovation - Improving the connection speeds and reliability of the UK’s broadband services will “drive innovation” according to the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA).

(31-12-07) - Christmas doesn’t stall the internet - Bargain hunters went online this Christmas in a bid to snap up the best of the January sale bargains according to ISP PlusNet.

(28-12-07) - Ofcom to investigate broadband 'hidden charges' - Having recoded an increase in complaints over “hidden charges” applied to broadband and mobile phone packages, Ofcom has decided to launch an investigation next year.

(24-12-07) - French company chosen to develop 50Mb broadband network - A French company has been chosen to provide a fibre broadband network to 600,000 homes in South Yorkshire, in a project that could precede a nationwide next generation fibre network.

(21-12-07) - 2007s fastest ISPs are named - Sky has been named the most reliable broadband provider overall, as the fastest and most consistent ISPs of 2007 have been named by BroadbandChoices.co.uk.

(17-12-07) - The interest is there will customers pay more for 100Mb? - Internet users are interested in next generation applications that super fast broadband connections would enable, but are divided as to whether or not they would actually want to pay extra for them, according to new research.

(13-12-07) - Rural customers ‘languishing on expensive deals’ - Despite more than three million LLU connections now live in the UK, millions of people living in rural areas are being charged a premium for their broadband service.

(10-12-07) - Tiscali ranks top as broadband satisfaction falls - Tiscali has ranked highest for customer service according to a new report, even as overall satisfaction with broadband providers sees a continued downturn.

(07-12-07) - VoIP providers must allow 999 calls - Ofcom has announced that internet telephony providers must connect 99 calls to the emergency services - though not until September 2008.

(06-12-07) - BT to offer free movie downloads - Movies punctuated with targeted advertisements will be available to download for free from BT’s BT Vision Download Store, in a trial starting this month.

(04-12-07) - Big six need to do more about speed - Virgin Media has been knocked back off the top spot by Tesco Broadband, with its average reliability falling two per cent according to the latest BroadbandChoices.co.uk Speed Tester results.

(03-12-07) - Doubt cast on need for next generation broadband - Both Ofcom and BT have questioned the current need for a fibre network in the UK, following the Government’s summit on next generation broadband last week.

(30-11-07) - Far-reaching broadband project falls behind - A £70 million flagship project to bring fast broadband connections to the furthest outposts of the UK has fallen behind schedule and is running £1.6 million over budget.

(29-11-07) - More people downloading than ever before - but is it legal? - Increasing numbers of people are streaming and downloading music and video content according to new research.

(27-11-07) - Free Sony PlayStation 3 with AOL - Following the success of its “free laptop” offer, customers signing up to AOL Broadband Wireless Plus can now get their hands on a “free” Sony PlayStation 3.

(26-11-07) - Minister pushes for super-fast broadband - Industry leaders are meeting with the Government today to discuss how to go about developing a next generation broadband network in the UK.

(22-11-07) - Ofcom Consumer Panel sets focus for 2008 - The Ofcom Consumer Panel (OCP), which advises the regulator itself, has called on Ofcom to focus on three main areas in 2008.

(21-11-07) - Ofcom reports on consumer experience - Although broadband costs are falling, the number of satisfied consumers is actually falling according to Ofcom’s Consumer Experience report, published yesterday.

(19-11-07) - Switching headaches continue - An alarming 46 per cent of call centre operators gave the wrong advice on the LLU switching process, according to new figures.

(16-11-07) - 50% admit to stealing broadband - More than half of computer users have admitted to illegally accessing someone else’s wifi connection according to new research.

(15-11-07) - Regulators accused of ‘cosying up’ with ISPs - Following up on new EU proposals to create a single telecoms market for the 500 million European consumers, Viviane Reding, EU Telecoms Commissioner issued a warning to national regulators such as Ofcom.

(14-11-07) - Tiscali passes 2m mark but loses TV customers - Italian broadband giant Tiscali announced yesterday that its UK arm has now exceeded two million broadband customers, with 55 per cent connected to one of its 800 unbundled exchanges.

(13-11-07) - Users not doing enough to protect themselves online - A lack of internet security awareness is leaving millions open to online fraud and identity theft according to new research.

(12-11-07) - Brits top for online shopping - Online shoppers in the UK will spend more than double the French or German online Christmas shopper combined, breaking the £500 barrier for the first time.

(09-10-07) - The state of spam - Spam emails continue to rise, now accounting for 70 per cent of total emails according to a Symantec report released today.

(08-10-07) - Providers ‘struggle’ to deal with line tags - Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) numbers are growing, but tags on lines continue to be a problem according to the latest report from the Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator (OTA).

(05-10-07) - Share your broadband for free Wi-Fi access - BT, the country’s biggest broadband provider, has teamed up with Spanish firm Fon to create a UK-wide wireless network built up of home broadband connections.

(04-10-07) - O2 aims to be a “breath of fresh air” for broadband market - Mobile phone provider O2 has finally announced details of its upcoming broadband service, due to be launched on 15 October.

(03-10-07) - Demon nominated in MacUser awards - Demon broadband has been nominated as the “ISP of the year award” in the annual MacUser awards.

(02-10-07) - It’s a Picnic for Sky - Details of Sky’s new “Picnic” brand, offering standalone broadband, TV and home phone have been officially released.

(01-10-07) - UK rated 9th for broadband speeds - The UK has ranked behind Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to come ninth for broadband speed across Europe.

(01-10-07) - One step closer to 100Mb - Street Access - a new service that could offer speeds of up to 100Mb to the street has gone live today.

(28-09-07) - Broadband use up to six hours a week - Almost 90 per cent of home internet users now spend at least six hours on the internet each week according to new research.

(27-09-07) - O2 launches new mobile broadband bolt-on - Two new data packages will be available from Monday, and a third, BlackBerry dedicated package, will also go live the company announced today.

(26-09-07) -Fibre mooted for next generation broadband - Ofcom has today published a consultation paper on the development of next generation broadband access in the UK.

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(25-09-07) - More needed to protect children online - Parents rely too heavily on children doing as they are asked to keep them safe online, according to new research.

(25-09-07) - Orange sets its sights on quadplay bundles - Mobile phone giant Orange has revealed plans to move into the digital TV market, as it announced its new home phone service.

(24-09-07) - BT warms to next generation broadband - Opposition to a fibre network that could provide speeds of up to 100Mb seems to be waning as BT considers Government talks.

(21-09-07) - Broadband campaign gathers pace - More than 1,000 signatures have already been gathered in support of the Crystal Clear Broadband campaign, fighting to get a fairer deal for consumers.

(20-09-07) - PlusNet launches Gamer’s tariff - A new broadband package that uses positive traffic shaping, offers low ping rates and even a free computer game has been launched by PlusNet.

(19-09-07) - Next generation broadband essential to UK - The Government is considering public funding to pave the way for next generation broadband that would bring the UK up to speed with its European neighbours, but seems unclear as to why we really need it.

(18-09-07) - Cable beating ADSL in speed reliability - Overall cable connections are outperforming ADSL according to the latest results from our new Speed Tester software.

(17-09-07) - Crystal Clear Campaign goes live - A movement to force ISPs to advertise a typical speed rather than a maximum speed for broadband packages has gone live, calling for unhappy consumers to rally together.

(14-09-07) - Tiscali reaches 1.5m broadband customers - Italian broadband provider Tiscali has published its results for the first half of the year, announcing a customer boost to over 1.5 million broadband lines.

(13-09-07) - The internet should be censored for security - Internet service providers should block searches for bomb-making instructions, according to the EU’s top security official.

(12-09-07) - Cuts at premium rate call centre - Rumours that Virgin Media has cut staff from its UK-based technical support line, that recently became a premium rate number, have yet to be denied by the company.

(10-09-07) - Unbundling reaches 3m - Local loop unbundling (LLU) has reached three million lines, but the number of dead-on-arrival lines is still far too high, according to new figures.

(07-09-07) - AOL’s reshuffle - AOL has replaced its old broadband packages with two simplified offers and revealed it will be focusing on local loop unbundling (LLU).

(06-09-07) - Online crime every 10 seconds - Around 3.24million cybercrimes were committed last year - the equivalent of one every 10 seconds - according to new research.

(05-09-07) - Broadband users clued up on wireless security - An impressive 78.5 per cent of you are taking security precautions while using wireless broadband (WiFi) at home according to the latest BroadbandChoices.co.uk survey.

(04-09-07) - Tiscali TV goes nationwide - Broadband provider Tiscali yesterday announced that its digital TV service Tiscali TV has rolled out across the country, making it available to almost five million homes across the UK.

(03-09-07) - BT passes 4m mark - BT this weekend connected its four millionth customer, with the last million added in only ten months.

(31-08-07) - Build your own broadband - A new wave of broadband that essentially allow consumers to customise their packages have been introduced by Namesco.

(30-08-07) - Standalone broadband from Sky - Sky is rumoured to be launching a rebranded version of its broadband service as a standalone product for non-TV customers later this year.

(29-08-07) - July speeds are in - The results are in from our July speed tests and Madasafish is the biggest climber, jumping three places into fifth position.

(28-08-07) - TalkTalk improves customer satisfaction - A recent poll has put TalkTalk at the top for customer satisfaction. Point Topic, who ran the research, found that more than 73 per cent of TalkTalk’s customers were planning on retaining their broadband service once their contracts had expired.

(24-08-07) - Women rule the broadband roost - Women have taken the lead in internet use for the first time according to a new report.

(23-08-07) - Broadband costs falling - Broadband is becoming “embedded” in our daily lives, according to a report released today by Ofcom.

(22-08-07) - Broadband thieves face arrest - A man was arrested yesterday for stealing someone’s broadband connection as he sat outside their house using their unsecured wireless signal.

(21-08-07) - Slow 20Mb from Virgin Media - A growing number of Virgin Media customers who have been “upgraded” to 20Mb broadband are finding that their speeds are actually slowing down.

(20-08-07) - Broadband for Gamers - Broadband provider Freedom2Surf has launched a new packaged aimed specifically at gamers that claims to reduce ping by “up to 50 per cent”.

(17-08-07) - Speed drops for the biggest players - The UK’s two biggest broadband providers have both added substantial numbers to their customer bases this year, but as their customers - and revenue - have grown; their delivered speeds have actually fallen.

(16-08-07) - New technologies needed to meet net demands - New ways of increasing broadband capacity so that networks can cope with ever-increasing bandwidth demands must be explored Ofcom has said.

(15-08-07) - Tiscali scores with Setanta - Tiscali this week became the fourth broadband provider to strike a deal with Setanta Sports allowing it to air Premier League football matches.

(14-08-07) - Hidden cost of LLU - The number of unexpected charges faced by customers who sign up to broadband deals based on their headline rates alone, are growing thanks to new technology.

(13-08-07) - ISPs take on BBC iPlayer - Internet Service Providers have called on the BBC to contribute towards funding the extra bandwidth usage that its new iPlayer catch-up service will use.

(10-08-07) - ISPs should police the internet says select committee - Amid growing fears of online fraud, identity theft and internet “grooming” a House of Lords select committee has called on internet service providers to take more responsibility when it comes to internet safety.

(09-08-07) - Ofcom to allow new wireless technologies - Customers wanting to turn their home into a media centre will soon be able to do so without trailing wires around the house.

(08-08-07) - Virgin Media announces 3.5m broadband customers - In a better-than-expected second quarter, Virgin Media has added 51,000 new broadband customers, bringing its total to 3.5 million.

(07-08-07) - Mobile broadband will pass 1bn - Despite new research predicting that mobile broadband users will top one billion by 2012, analysts said that take-up would depend on the technology available.

(06-08-07) - Laptops limited to 100,000 by AOL - AOL has said that demand for its free Dell laptop offer, in conjunction with Carphone Warehouse, “has been huge” but also said it is limited to the first 100,000 customers who pre-register online.

(03-08-07) - TalkTalk and Setanta partner up - TalkTalk has become the latest broadband provider to sign a deal with Setanta in a bid to tempt yet more customers away from Sky.

(02-08-07) - Which? slams broadband speed claims - A leading consumer group today criticised broadband providers after finding a “huge” gap between publicised broadband speeds and what most users get.

(01-08-07) - Speed demons - Tesco Broadband was the shock winner of the BroadbandChoices.co.uk June speed test, while BT didn't do so well, results have shown.

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