Blog Archive - May 2010

Friday, May 29th 2009

For many couch potatoes, the concept of combining video gaming with TV viewing sounds almost too good to be true. However, Sky has revealed plans to do just that.

In a UK first, the digital TV and broadband provider has revealed that owners of broadband-enabled Xbox 360s will be able to access its Sky Player service through the systems later this year.

Under the new deal, owners of the console who already subscribed to Sky's services will be able to access the player through their console, PC or Mac, while Multiroom customers will also be able to get live TV through the systems.

Thursday, May 28th 2009

Mobile broadband connections are becoming increasingly popular with consumers in the UK, but new research has attempted to highlight the best connections available to those who are regularly on the move.

In the test, Broadband Genie used USB dongles from six of the leading mobile web providers and travelled on trains between Cambridge and Bournemouth to see how connections held up.

The providers that offered both the best coverage and were top for downloading content were Virgin Media and Vodafone, while the latter was also one of the most suited to uploading alongside O2.

Wednesday, May 27th 2009

Virgin Media has revealed it is working with a company best known for its mobile phones as part of efforts to create its new ultra-fast broadband services.

At the start of this month, the fibre optic broadband provider revealed it is piloting the deployment of internet speeds of 200MB in Kent, which would be the world's fastest.

However, it has just been revealed that the firm is using a communications solution from Motorola to support the installation of next-generation cable broadband services in the region.

According to the firms, the new platform will allow Virgin to increase the bandwidth of its services, as well as improve security and boost data and video services.

Tuesday, May 26th 2009

Despite the Carphone Warehouse's recent decision to buy Tiscali, it appears that rival providers have not given up hope of attracting subscribers from the home broadband company.

Before it confirmed the deal to add the internet firm's customers to its own TalkTalk internet client base, Carphone Warehouse offered Tiscali customers a £50 incentive to switch their services to its own.

Now, it seems that Plusnet is following in its footsteps by offering the same subscribers the first three months of their contract for free if they choose to move to its services.

Friday, May 22nd 2009

Homes and businesses that receive their broadband and phone services through BT's Openreach will be interested to hear that Ofcom has set new rates that the company can charge providers for access to the network.

Around six million lines in the UK are expected to be affected by the new structure, as it only relates to services offered through copper networking in a process named local loop unbundling.

The use of such lines is designed to offer better value to consumers, so Ofcom established a set of legally-binding undertakings in 2006 for BT to follow.

Under the new changes, an annual charge of £86.

Thursday, May 21st 2009

It is not very often that you see two competitors join forces to fight for a common cause, but BT and 3 have revealed they are doing just that in an effort to cut the cost of calling mobile phones.

The telecoms and broadband providers are calling for high mobile termination rates (MTRs), which can account for up to 80 per cent of the price per minute of calling a mobile from a home phone, to be scrapped.

Figures compiled as part of the Terminate the Rate campaign claimed that UK mobile operators were charged up to £750 million in the payments for allowing fixed-line customers to call their mobile counterparts.

Wednesday, May 20th 2009

People who regularly travel abroad may be interested to hear of Vodafone's plans to launch brand new mobile broadband packages that offer overseas use.

According to reports, the broadband provider is planning to withdraw its current overseas packages from sale and announce the release of updated roaming tariffs in the next few days.

The products set to be removed from sale, which include the £60 a month Euro Travel and £95 a month World Travel bundles, are thought to be the only packages of their kind offered by any leading mobile broadband company.

Tuesday, May 19th 2009

We probably all have an opinion on which broadband provider is the best, but a major awards ceremony taking place later this year is hoping to end all arguments.

The UK Internet Service Providers Association has announced the shortlist for its 11th UK Internet Industry Awards for 2009 and a number of the leading players in the market have been given nods.

Orange dominated with four nominations, in the Best Consumer Fixed Broadband, Best Consumer Mobile Broadband, Best Business Mobile Broadband and Corporate Social Responsibility categories respectively.

Following closely behind is Virgin Media, which is up for three gongs including Best Consumer Customer Service, while O2 also gets a mention in two sections.

Monday, May 18th 2009

While the end of last week saw a number of leading broadband providers release figures highlighting how their subscriber figures have risen, a new poll has suggested they should not rest on their laurels in terms of the customer support they provide.

The latest survey from broadband news site ISPreview UK found that just 36 per cent of people would regard telephone support from their internet provider as any good.

In addition, just 27.5 per cent claimed the company behind their broadband package offers decent email support, while 41.7 per cent claimed website help pages are also generally just average.

Friday, May 15th 2009

The past week has seen a range of broadband providers reveal how their subscriber numbers are continuing to rise. However, another report released recently has shed some light on what UK internet subscribers are using their connection for.

According to research from Nielsen Online, a global information firm active in over 100 countries, the top ten web brands in Britain account for 45 per cent of all time spent online.

These include social networking website Facebook, video site YouTube and news providers including the BBC.

Search engine-related sites including Google and Yahoo! also made the top ten, alongside major technological brands such as Microsoft and Apple.

Thursday, May 14th 2009

While broadband access has become the norm for a number of households across the UK, there are still a lot of people who do not yet have access to such services.

According to the Communications Consumer Panel, 40 per cent of the population do have such services, which is why it to promote and protect the interests of those yet to enjoy web connections as part of its new Work Plan 2009/10 publication.

It intends to do this by ensuring the government makes such people priority in its work to ensure broadband is available throughout the country.

Tuesday, May 12th 2009

As the recession continues to put pressure on the finances of many consumers in the UK, people have been reassessing the amount of money they spend on a variety of products.

However, the good news of those people is that research from BroadbandChoices.co.uk shows they could save over £230 a year by switching their current internet service provider.

The study found that while only ten per cent of broadband users switched to a cheaper deal during last year, many more could benefit from such a move as the average cost of a connection has dropped 37 per cent in the past three years.

Friday, May 8th 2009

Are you aware of your rights as a subscriber to broadband services? While the answer may more than likely be no, it does not necessarily mean that you should start panicking.

This is because the European Union has announced plans to publish new telecoms rules that clarify such issues, particularly the rights that consumers have when signing up to contracts with internet providers.

According to Reuters, new regulations will also call on web-based firms to highlight to consumers when a cookie file, which highlights customised information, is placed on their PC or laptop.

Wednesday, May 6th 2009

Since unveiling its major karaoke-themed advert on primetime Saturday night TV at the weekend, you would be forgiven for thinking that phone and broadband provider T-Mobile UK is in rude health.

However, reports have emerged that the company's owner Deutche Telekom is "under pressure" to either sell or merge the business with a rival company.

According to Marketing Week, the firm's chief financial officer Timotheus Hoettges has said that poor results in recent times mean that T-Mobile either needs to be merged or will go out of business.

He said: "The British market is highly competitive and has comparably low margins.

Tuesday, May 5th 2009

Could Virgin Media be about to open its fibre-optic network up to some of its biggest rivals in the home broadband market? The Guardian appears to think so.

According to the newspaper, the broadband and TV provider believes it could rival BT's existing Openreach network by offering the likes of Tiscali, Sky and O2 a chance to use its existing infrastructure for a fee.

The company also seemingly thinks the move will boost its income, cut costs for consumers and ensure that regulatory bodies do not accuse it of anti-competitive behaviour by keeping access to the network closed.