Broadband News Archive - June 2008 to September 2008

Addicted to the net (03-09-08) - More than three quarters of Brits say that they cannot live without the internet according to a new YouGov poll for 118118.

Cable leads broadband speeds (02-09-08) - With an average reliability of 50.5 per cent throughout August, cable broadband continues to be far more reliable than ADSL as a whole - which scored an average of only 38.8 per cent.

BT ditches 2GB Digital Vault (01-09-08) - Broadband behemoth BT has announced that it will close its free 2GB Digital Vault service at the end of next month.

Be launches online speed estimator (29-08-08) - Super-fast broadband provider Be Broadband has launched its own online speed tester, in a bid to improve transparency.

Second time lucky for Orange free broadband (28-08-08) - Mobile phone giant Orange has relaunched its ‘free broadband’ offer to any new customers signing up to one of its mobile phone contracts worth at least £30 a month.

UK broadband continues to grow (27-08-08) - This year 16.4 million households had internet access, representing 56 per cent of homes - an increase of 1.2 million on 2007.

Customer service quality - an Ofcom review (22-08-08) - Ofcom has announced a review of its existing, but little known, scheme to assess the quality of telecoms providers’ customer service.

Orange broadband TV trials go national (21-08-08) - Orange has reportedly taken trials of its much-delayed broadband TV service national, and a launch date is expected soon.

O2 wins fastest broadband award (20-08-08) - O2, a relative newcomer to the broadband market, has won two awards for the Fastest Broadband and highest Customer Satisfaction.

Mobile broadband threatens landline internet (19-08-08) - One in eight mobile broadband users have replaced their fixed-line connection with a dongle, or chosen mobile broadband from the start, according to new research.

Free laptop with Orange mobile broadband (18-08-08) - Orange has become the latest ISP to offer a free laptop to new mobile broadband customers.

Communications costs fall (14-08-08) - We spent, on average, seven hours and nine minutes watching TV, on the phone, using the internet or other services, every day last year according to Ofcom’s annual report.

Bundles still cheaper than standalone broadband (13-08-08) - Bundling your broadband with other services is still cheaper than taking broadband on its own according to new, global figures.

3 to double speeds this summer (12-08-08) - In a bid to increase its slice of the mobile broadband market, 3 has revealed that it will be increasing network speeds by the end of the summer.

T-Mobile launches free laptop offer (11-08-08) - Mobile phone giant T-Mobile is giving away free laptops to customers signing up to its mobile broadband service.

Promo deals keep consumers on expensive tariffs (08-08-08) - Promotional deals and introductory offers can play a major role for consumers when choosing a new broadband package, according to a recent survey.

Verbal agreements ‘not enough’ to protect children online (07-08-08) - Research from BroadbandChoices.co.uk has shown that 84 per cent of parents rely on a verbal agreement to ensure their children stay safe online.

Brits sticking with broadband to beat credit crunch (06-08-08) - More than 9 out of 10 internet users see their broadband connection as an essential rather than a luxury, with very few considering ditching their broadband in order to cut back on bills.

Be Broadband launches its 888 promotion (05-08-08) - Be Broadband has announced that customers will now be able to get its Be Value package at a reduced price for the remainder of 2008.

Three ISPs responsible for 65 per cent of illegal downloads (04-08-08) - Just three of the UK’s biggest broadband providers are responsible for 65 per cent of illegal peer-to-peer downloads, according to new research.

Free home broadband from O2 (01-08-08) - O2 today became the first provider to offer a combined home and mobile broadband package; the Complete Broadband Experience.

BT stays on top with 4.5 million customers (31-07-08) - BT added 103,000 new broadband connections in the three months to June 30 2008, holding onto its spot as the UK’s biggest broadband provider.

City-wide wireless to bridge digital divide (30-07-08) - Manchester City council has announced plans to extend its Eastserve wireless broadband service across the whole city - the largest IT project of its kind in Europe.

Internet use is up but fraud fears double (29-07-08) - More than half of people say that the internet has improved their quality of life according to new research.

Virgin Media - 200Mb by 2012 (28-07-08) - Cable provider Virgin Media has revealed that it plans to offer shockingly fast broadband speeds of up to 200Mb by 2012.

‘Big six’ sign internet piracy deal (25-07-08) - The UK’s six biggest broadband providers have signed a deal with the music industry to combat online piracy.

Karoo keeps the top spot in June speed tests (24-07-08) - Once again, Karoo beat the big names to the top spot in the 8Mb speed category - the UK’s most popular broadband packages.

BBC iPlayer tops 10 million views with Virgin Media (23-07-08) - Cable giant Virgin Media has revealed that its customers have watched 10.5 million shows on the BBC iPlayer through its television service.

EC calls for transparency on data roaming charges (22-07-08) - Mobile phone companies providing broadband access need to be clearer about their data charges abroad, the European Commission has said.

Tiscali versus BT: It’s War (21-07-08) - BT and Tiscali have taken their very public spat to a new level.

Channel Five launches broadband TV service (18-07-08) - Channel Five has launched a new broadband catch up service called “Demand Five”, as the last of the major terrestrial channels to offer free, online television.

EU issues Phorm warning to UK Government (17-07-08) - The European Commission has warned that if the UK Government doesn’t deal with the issue of the controversial Phorm advertising system, it will be forced to take the matter to the European Court of Justice.

59 per cent of broadband users have wireless (16-07-08) - More than half of all UK broadband consumers now have a home wireless network, according to new research.

BT to Pioneer New Super-Fast Broadband Movement (15-07-08) - BT announced today an ambitious plan to rollout super-fast fibre networks to 10 million homes by 2012.

Bygone Broadband Britain Bottom of the League (14-07-08) - Despite consumers spending a record £2.7 billion a year on broadband services, the UK is lagging behind the rest of the world in the broadband speed race.

Ofcom Propose to Reshape Complaints Procedures (11-07-08) - Each ISP has its own complaints code of practice, but Ofcom wants these replaced by a single complaints procedure.

Tiscali Furious at Moneysupermarket Misrepresentation (10-07-08) - A report on rural broadband pricing by troubled price comparison site Moneysupermarket has engendered a scathing response from Tiscali.

Half of Brits want internet outside (09-07-08) - Almost half of the UK would like to be able to use the internet wherever they are according to new research from T-Mobile.

Millions paying extra in ‘broadband blackspots’ (08-07-08) - Millions of consumers living in rural areas are being denied access to the best deals, according to new research.

Call for fibre broadband investment (07-07-08) - Calling for more investment in next generation broadband, Ofcom has unveiled a new determination to ensure competition and return on investments in fibre optic broadband.

Less than three million use mobile internet (04-07-08) - Despite a boom in recent months, less than three million people in the UK use internet on the go, according to new research.

Ofcom awards kitemarks to selected price comparison sites (03-07-08) - BroadbandChoices.co.uk today became one of only two price comparison sites to be awarded Ofcom’s new Price Accreditation Scheme kitemark.

Virgin Media in Advertising Rap (02-07-08) - Virgin Media’s ‘Hate to Wait’ campaign has been heavily criticised by the ASA for misleading customers on expected speeds.

Free laptops for poorest families (01-07-08) - The Government is considering giving free laptops to England’s million poorest families in a bid to end the digital divide.

BT threatens illegal downloaders (30-06-08) - The UK’s biggest broadband provider has begun threatening customers that illegally download music via peer-to-peer networks with disconnection.

UK broadband a ‘success story’ (27-06-08) - With more than 500 different providers to choose from and 99 per cent of the UK able to access a broadband line, UK broadband has been branded a “success story” by Ofcom.

Ofcom’s first chairman to step down (26-06-08) - Lord David Currie, the first chairman of Ofcom, will step down next year after almost seven years in the role.

Mobile broadband discount for students (25-06-08) - Natwest is offering students £50 off a 3 mobile broadband connection when they open a new student account.

Broadband summer sale (24-06-08) - Award winning broadband provider PlusNet is offering half price broadband this summer.

Mobile broadband roaming rates dropped (23-06-08) - Following the EU’s reiterated deadline of 1 July for all operators to cut roaming costs in the EU, both O2 and T-Mobile have reduced their rates.

O2 speeds ahead (20-06-08) - Karoo has topped the 8Mb speed category, while O2 and Virgin Media have taken the top spots in the “superfast” and 2Mb categories respectively.

Carphone Warehouse laptop offer details (19-06-08) - Zen High street retailer Carphone Warehouse has released the details of the free laptops available to support its recent move into the wireless broadband market.

Zen Internet wins Which? Best Broadband Provider award (18-06-08) - Zen Internet has taken the top award at this year’s Which? Awards Ceremony, overtaking Waitrose - which won the award last year - as the UK’s Best Broadband Provider.

AOL launches new summer prices (17-06-08) - AOL has reduced the cost of its bundled phone and broadband packages in a bid to boost summer sales.

Vodafone tops mobile broadband speeds (16-06-08) - Vodafone is the fastest, most reliable mobile broadband network according to a recent study.

BT’s fibre trial questioned by experts (13-06-08) - The speeds to be offered by BT’s “super-fast” fibre trial have been criticised by industry experts for being too slow.

‘Successful’ year for Carphone Warehouse (12-06-08) - Carphone Warehouse has hailed a “successful” year with strong annual profits, but remains “cautious” about the year ahead, said the company in its annual results released today.

BT ups its download allowances (11-06-08) - The monthly download allowances on BT’s Total Options 1 and 2 will be increased from next month the UK’s biggest ISP has announced.

Fibre broadband could create a ‘new digital divide’ (10-06-08) - Concerns were raised yesterday that the UK’s digital divide will be “deepened” rather than “demolished” if the roll-out of next generation broadband is based on economic benefits only.

Calls to extend Ofcom code of practice (09-06-08) - Senior figures have been calling for Ofcom’s new voluntary broadband code of practice to be extended to mobile broadband providers.

Virgin Media launches illegal download ‘education campaign’ (06-06-08) - The UK’s cable operator has teamed up with the British Phonographic Industry to launch an “education campaign” to stop customers illegally downloading music, it was announced today.

Voluntary code on broadband speeds (05-06-08) - The way that broadband providers advertise their download speeds is to be regulated under a new voluntary code of practice, published by Ofcom today.

Towns top broadband speeds (04-06-08) - Broadband speeds in London are, on average, nearly twice as fast as those in Wales and Northern Ireland new data has shown.