Broadband News

May 2006 - July 2007

(31-07-07) - TV downloads criticised - New TV download services could eat away at download limits and leave users struggling with slow connections experts have warned.

(30-07-07) - Virgin Media cements Setanta partnership - Virgin Media launched a new sports portal for fans today, in a deal with Setanta Sports.

(27-07-07) - The results are in - BT released the results of its first financial quarter yesterday, showing a growth in its broadband market share, increased profits and a strengthened position as the UK’s largest ISP.

(26-07-07) - VoIP providers must allow 999 access - Ofcom has voiced concerns that VoIP users could suffer because they can’t call 999 in an emergency and has called on the industry to change this policy by 2008.

(25-07-07) - The rise of the silver surfers - Older web users dispelled any myths that they’re not tech savvy as new research showed that broadband adoption was growing at a faster rate in the over 55 group than the average internet user.

(24-07-07) - AOL teams up with Carphone Warehouse to rival Orange - A free DELL laptop worth over £500 is being offered to AOL customers who sign a two year contract in Carphone Warehouse stores to rival Orange’s similar promotion.

(23-07-07) - Orange offers free laptops - Orange is offering free laptops to customers willing to sign up to a mammoth two year contract in PC World stores.

(20-07-07) - Global tops Which? survey - Global Internet tops the customer satisfaction polls according to consumer watchdog Which? who published the results of its broadband survey this month.

(19-07-07) - Tiscali enters Top 5 - Tiscali, the broadband, home phone and digital TV provider has made it into Epitiro’s top five consumer ADSL broadband providers for the first time.

(18-07-07) - BT's grass roots football - BT Vision is adding a new subscription to its array of services, offering Premier League football matches for only £4 a month.

(17-07-07) - Tiscali’s new money maker - Tiscali has received complaints from customers following the introduction of a new “enhanced error page”.

(16-07-07)- Tiscali in Pipex takeover - Italian broadband giant Tiscali has bought Pipex for £210 million, acquiring its customer base of one million customers, the company has announced.

(13-07-07)- Dial-up’s last stand - Dial-up really is on the way out according to new research which estimates that the dated internet connections could be down to as little as 700,000 by the end of 2008.

(12-07-07)- The online video boom - The internet video market will reach a staggering 1 billion people by 2012 according to a new report, compared with today’s estimated 300 million users.

(11-07-07) - Sky’s Broadband Boom - Sky has announced impressive figures showing that the telecommunications giant gained a huge 259,000 new broadband customers in the last quarter.

(10-07-07) - Bandwidth Guzzlers - The increased popularity of online video content, high-bandwidth applications and telecommunication convergence is stretching existing providers to breaking point industry experts have warned.

(09-07-07) - Sports fans get football on-the-go from Virgin Media - Football fanatics will be able to catch up on the highlights using at new Virgin Media mobile phone and broadband platforms.

(06-07-07) - BT to take over Madasafish - BT has announced that it is to acquire Brightview, the company that owns Madasafish, Global Internet and Waitrose ISP.

(05-07-07) - BSkyB agrees deal with Microsoft - Digital TV broadcaster Sky has teamed up with software giant Microsoft to launch a video-on-demand (VoD) service for Sky Broadband users.

(04-07-07) - Free digital storage - BT has announced that it will be offering customers 5GB of storage on its Digital Vault system for free.

(03-07-07) - Not a happy customer - Hundreds of thousands of broadband customers across the country are left dissatisfied by their broadband providers according to new research published today.

(02-07-07) - High price, slow speed - The UK is paying up to 17 times more for broadband than some of its European neighbours according to a new survey.

(02-07-07) - Zen Internet wins Mac-friendly award - MacWorld magazine has awarded Zen Internet its “Best Mac-Friendly ISP” award - as nominated by MacWorld readers - for its dedication to providing Mac compatible advice and support.

(29-06-07) - Satisfaction Guaranteed - PlusNet is offering new customers a 90 day guarantee allowing them to switch their broadband without the risk of being stuck with a service they’re not happy with for a whole year.

(28-06-07) - Paying for access to you? - We could be heading for a two-tier broadband market where broadband providers increase profits by charging both customers and individual websites according to research published this week.

(27-06-07) - BT Launches Credit Card - BT has announced a new credit card that will let customers save on their broadband and home phone the more they use it.

(26-06-07) - Eclipse goes Green - Broadband provider Eclipse has announced that it is now carbon neutral in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of its broadband business and attract green consumers.

(25-06-07) - Polish Broadband from PlusNet - PlusNet has introduced a Polish language broadband service in a bid to become the provider of choice for the country’s growing Polish community.

(22-06-07) - Mobile VoIP Blocked - Mobile phone companies are trying to deter customers from making calls through internet telephony numbers by blocking numbers and increasing data charges.

(21-06-07) - Mobile Broadband Set to Boom - UK mobile broadband services are about to see massive growth according to the latest research.

(20-06-07) - Tiscali Price Cuts - Tiscali has announced a reduction in the cost of its 1Mb broadband, only a fortnight after telling LLU customers that they could get free line rental on Tiscali bundled packages.

(19-06-07) - Mistaken Migrations? - PlusNet has accused rival ISP TalkTalk of breaking industry rules by “hijacking” customers, and has reportedly called on Ofcom to investigate the issue.

(18-06-07) - Post Office Broadband - Post Office goes into partnership with BT but the announcement is marred by a critical Ofcom report into HomePhone service.

(14-06-07) - London is WiFi Capital - The British capital has pushed ahead of New York to take the title as the “wireless capital of the world” according to a survey published yesterday.

(14-06-07) - The Rise of the Digital Mum - 73 per cent of “digital mums” saying that they can save valuable time by using the internet for daily chores such as shopping and banking.

(13-06-07) - Orange rapped for “unlimited” ads - Orange has been criticised for advertising “unlimited” broadband and home phone calls without mentioning their fair usage policy.

(12-06-07) - Virgin Media ups call costs - Virgin Media has announced that its technical support helpline will become a premium rate line from 1 July with calls going up to 25p a minute.

(12-06-07) - Free Madasafish WiFi Kits - New customers signing up to Madasafish will now receive not only a free wireless (WiFi) router but also a USB dongle allowing them to connect desktops and laptops.

(11-06-07) - Wasting money on the wrong broadband - More than half of UK broadband users are wasting money on high-end internet packages that they just don’t need according to new research by BroadbandChoices.co.uk.

(10-06-07) - Vodafone and Sky News claim VoIP is ‘unsafe’ - Vodafone is telling customers that VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is insecure, according to a report published by The Register.

(06-06-07) - Successful year for TalkTalk? - TalkTalk, the consumer phone and broadband arm of the Carphone Warehouse, has had a successful year according to figures released this week.

(04-06-07) - Complaints soar after Tiscali email crisis - The internet providers’ trade association, ISPA, has registered an increase in consumer complaints about Tiscali, after a technical hitch left some customers unable to send emails for up to two weeks. An ISPA spokesman said the rise in complaints was “not little”.

(01-06-07) - The Diminishing Digital Divide - Gaps in the take-up of digital services that have been dividing the UK nations and regions are closing according to new research by Ofcom.

(29-05-07) - TalkTalk offers free modems with broadband service - TalkTalk, the home phone and broadband arm of Carphone Warehouse, launched a free modem offer for new broadband customers, effective from today.

(25-05-07) - New AOL customers face increased prices - As many as 30% of new AOL broadband customers will face an increased subscription fee in the near future.

(22-05-07) - Post Office to deliver BT broadband - The Post Office is to be BT’s first big customer for its white label managed services, and will be selling its own broadband tariffs in the near future.

(22-05-07) - Silver surfers to be largest group online - So-called ‘silver surfers’ – internet users aged 55 and over – are to become the largest group of web-users, according to a recent report from Hitwise.

(19-05-07) - Pipex in the dog house as Bulldog call centres close - Pipex has announced that it is closing the UK call centres for Bulldog, the broadband provider it bought last year.

(16-05-07) - ADSL speeds up - BT Wholesale is tweaking the settings for customers with broadband at speeds of 250Kbps to 2Mbps, which should lead to speedier downloads. According to a report on ThinkBroadband.com.

(14-05-07) - BT launches Vision campaign - BT is launching a multi-million pound national advertising campaign for its digital TV service, BT Vision.

(10-05-07) - Broadband supplier leaves router open to hacking - A www.BroadbandChoices.co.uk investigation has discovered that remote router maintenance work is leaving the customers of a major broadband supplier exposed to major security risks.

(05-05-07) - Improve labelling of download limits, says ISPA - A survey by Ofcom (2006) showed that 77 per cent of users are unaware of any limits on their package, with many having signed up for an “unlimited” service, or not read their terms and conditions.

(03-05-07) - ITV launching broadband TV - ITV has announced that it will be launching an on-demand broadband TV service to compete with Channel 4 and the BBC.

(01-05-07) - TalkTalk in top five for consumer ADSL - TalkTalk has entered the top five UK performing consumer ADSL providers, according to a new report.

(30-04-07) - BT Direct Debt Charges Hit Broadband Users - ADSL broadband customers could lose out this week, when new BT charges for customers who pay by cash or cheque are introduced on May 1st.

(25-04-07) - Stolen Wireless Arrests - Two people have been arrested in the past month for wireless ‘piggy-backing’. Using someone else's wireless internet connection without permission.

(24-04-07) - Carphone Warehouse set for major expansion - The Carphone Warehouse network is now reaching a record number of households, and is preparing for further global expansion over the next year, according to plans released today.

(20-04-07) - Internet networks will be too slow by 2012 - “Internet networks will be too slow by 2012” warned a new report by the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) this week.

(18-04-07) - Broadband to average £10 a month by 2011 - UK consumers will spend as little as £10 a month on broadband in four years’ time, according to a new study by the Centre for Telecoms Research (CTR).

(16-04-07) - Bundling becoming more important - Around 40 per cent of UK broadband households now take their internet connection with another telecommunications service according to a new report released by Ofcom (2007).

(10-04-07) - BT reducing wholesale broadband prices - BT has confirmed that it will reduce the price of its broadband wholesale products from May 1st 2007.

(06-04-07) - BT Vision - A Vision of the Future? - Updated Article - Bridging the gap between Freeview and paid-for digital TV comes BT Vision, the new video-on-demand service from BT, rumoured to launch nationwide in May.

(03-04-07) - Carphone Warehouse investing in customer service - Carphone Warehouse, the parent company of TalkTalk, has announced that it will be ploughing between £10 million and £15 million into customer service before March 2008.

(30-03-07) - BT drops prices for new customers - BT is dropping introductory prices for its broadband subscriptions, from Thursday March 29th.

(27-03-07) - One in ten web users are victims of fraud - Online fraud has affected one in ten internet users, with victims losing an average of £875 over the last twelve months.

(22-03-07) - BT tops broadband survey results - BT is the UK’s best broadband provider, according to BBC Watchdog’s broadband survey results, released on Wednesday.

(16-03-07) - Virgin Media boosts top speed - Virgin Media has announced that it will be doubling the top speed of its cable broadband service later this year. The speed of its flagship ‘XL’ service will double to 20 Mbps from May.

(13-03-07) - Pipex for Sale? - Pipex Communications, the home phone and internet provider, has hired UBS to sell the company, according to reports. According to this weekend’s Sunday Express, Pipex chairman Peter Dubens is hoping to sell the firm for an equivalent of between 16 and 22 pence per share.

(12-03-07) - Consumers making free calls via broadband - Research released this week has shown that consumers are using their broadband connections to make phone calls, and most of them are doing it for free!

(11-03-07) - Biscit Goes into Administration - Customers of Biscit Broadband were left reeling after the ISP announced that it had been forced to enter into administration after severe financial problems.

(13-03-07) - Consumer Anger at Sky / Virgin War - Customers of BroadbandChoices have voiced their anger after popular Sky channels stopped airing on Virgin Media (formerly ntl:Telewest) at midnight on February 28th after weeks of acrimony between the two companies.

(26-02-07) - Tiscali launches TV service - Tiscali TV, a new TV service from the broadband ISP, launches on March 1st 2007, when over 40,000 current Homechoice subscribers will become Tiscali TV customers.

(20-02-07) -ISPA Awards announced - The annual Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA) Awards were held in London on February 15th, with big wins for Eclipse Internet, ntl: Telewest (now Virgin Media) and Madasafish.

(14-02-07) - Be Roll Out - Be, provider of the UK’s fastest internet service, unbundled its 500th exchange this week, extending its coverage to a third of UK households.

(10-02-07) - 1.5 Million lines unbundled - BT’s local loop unbundling (LLU) service BT Openreach reached 1.5 million unbundled loops this week, allowing more competitor service providers to offer cheaper broadband packages.

(19-01-07) - Sky Launches phone, broadband and tv bundle - Sky has launched a bundle to rival BT’s new digital TV service and the upcoming relaunch of ntl:Telewest as Virgin Media.

(11-01-07) - At Home With Vodafone Broadband - Vodafone has made its bid for a slice of the lucrative UK broadband pie, with its new “At Home” deal for Vodafone mobile customers.

(10-01-07) - VoIP On The Rise - BT has announced its one millionth Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) customer six months ahead of target, indicating a sharp rise in the number of people using the innovative technology to make calls over the internet.

(09-01-07) - BT’s Wi-Fi Takeover - BT has announced plans to bring BT Fusion to the High Street this spring in a move that will see the broadband provider expand its Wi-Fi capabilities.

(05-01-07) - Breaking Broadband Sign up Barriers - BT has announced that it will break the barrier of 10 million customers this week, far outreaching its target of five million customers by the end of 2006.

(18-12-06) - Top 5 Providers Announced - Pipex and PlusNet have ranked among the top five ADSL broadband providers according to a report by Epitiro, a customer experience analyst for internet services.

(08-12-06) - Sky launches Anytime - Sky’s broadband service has been given a makeover and relaunched as Sky Anytime to incorporate their new movie and television downloads service.

(01-12-06) - Wi-fi Health Risk? - Campaigners have called for parents to remove wireless routers from their homes amid claims that the signals are unsafe.

(08-12-06) - Broadband Migration Made Easier - The final decision on the new regulations that could force all internet providers to issue migration access codes (MAC) is expected before Christmas.

(23-11-06) - How much are you downloading? With ever cheaper broadband deals emerging in the market every day, and now with the launch of “free” broadband, how are these providers covering their costs?

(18-11-06) - Virgin Rebirth The unveiling of their new logo marks a major step on the road to ntl:Telewest’s reincarnation as Virgin Media, whose launch is due early next year.

(22-11-06) - Toucan Steps Up - Toucan has finally launched its 8Mb broadband, bringing their customers up to speed.

(16-11-06) - Vodafone Broadband - Vodafone has announced details of its new broadband service, Vodafone at Home, due to be launched in January next year.

(10-11-06) - New broadband network for scotland - BT it to connect 650 homes and businesses in Kingswell using new delivery technology to bring high speed internet access to remote areas.

(August 06) - Sky free broadband - Review of the Sky digital TV and broadband bundles.

(May 06) - BT offers new security levels - News on increase in online fraud and BT's efforts to help internet users stay safe.

(May 06) - Saving a bundle - review of the TalkTalk "free" broadband offer.

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