Blog Archive - June 2010

Tuesday, June 30th 2009

It has appeared recently that if any sector is ripe for knocking at the moment, it is the broadband market. Fresh from criticism for not meeting consumer demands in surveys by ISPreview.co.uk and uSwitch, another poll has put the foot into the UK's internet providers.

This time it is a study by OnePoll.com that is raising concerns, as its survey of 5,000 people concluded that BT offers the worst customer service in Britain and twice as bad as second-placed British Gas.

According to the Daily Mail, the top five was dominated by web service providers, with Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone all earning a place.

Monday, June 29th 2009

The sight of two fierce rival broadband providers becoming one is seemingly an increasingly common one. Earlier this year, Tiscali was merged into The Carphone Warehouse's TalkTalk operations in a major £236 million deal.

Now, two more providers appear to be exchanging similar glances, with Vodafone reportedly eyeing up a move for T-Mobile UK.

According to the Financial Times, the latter's parent company Deutsche Telekom is looking to dispose of the company and has even called in advisory firm JPMorgan to take a look at the options for its future.

Thursday, June 25th 2009

Could a Formula One racing legend be single-handedly responsible for evidence that the use of online TV services is on the rise in the UK?

It certainly appears so, as the excitement that emerged as part of Top Gear's grand unveiling of its mysterious test driver The Stig as Michael Schumacher has translated strongly into the world of broadband usage.

According to internet service provider Plusnet, it experienced a record level of iPlayer streaming traffic between 22:00 and 23:00 BST on Sunday (21st June).

What could have caused such a spike? Well, the broadband firm thinks there is only one reason.

Wednesday, June 24th 2009

If a recent poll published by ISPreview.co.uk yesterday is to be believed, broadband services in the UK are not fast enough to meet the needs of a number of consumers. Earlier this month, a study by uSwitch suggested similar findings, which means it appears there is a long way to go until consumers are satisfied with their service.

However, against seemingly all of the odds, one expert has come out in support of UK broadband services and claimed they are not actually the nightmare some perceive them to be.

According to Stephen Hearnden, director of telecommunications and technology at Intellect, Britain is not well behind other global powers in terms of its online competitiveness.

Tuesday, June 23rd 2009

Will broadband users ever be satisfied with the speed of their web connections? Despite many now regarding access to the internet as a necessity - and download speeds constantly being on the rise - it appears not.

The latest survey to highlight general negativity about internet access has been published by news provider ISPreview.co.uk, which claims that over 58 per cent of web users are unsatisfied with the connection they receive from their provider.

Over half of those polled were found to be subscribed to services of around 8Mbps, with the next most popular speed being 2Mbps. A lucky few (3.1 per cent) were found to be subscribing to speeds of over 50Mbps.

Monday, June 22nd 2009

Rising demand for broadband access appears to have been music to the ears of the pop singles charts in the recent times, as the decision to count downloads as part of the countdown has seen sales of tracks rise.

However, it seems that the youth of today will no longer need to actually download their favourite N-Dubz and Tinchy Stryder tracks in order to have their say on the music ranked as the most popular in the UK.

Martin Talbot, the managing director of the Official Charts Company, has claimed that the Top 40 will soon have to take the popularity of tracks on streaming services like Spotify or We7 into account if the rankings are to be a true reflection of songs people are listening to.

Thursday, June 18th 2009

For those of us who have ever suffered the misfortune of a dodgy web connection, the idea of having our broadband services beamed down via satellite may not sound so reliable.

However, satellite operator Eutelstat has claimed the opposite and even suggested that it could hold the key to the government's plans to rollout universal broadband services across the UK.

According to the company, its Tooway service - which was launched in April this year - already offers download speeds of 2Mbps, the proposed connection set to be available everywhere by 2012 if the new Digital Britain report launched earlier this week can be believed.

In addition, the firm also has plans to up the pace of its services to 3.

Wednesday, June 17th 2009

It is difficult to suggest that the government has anything other than good intentions in relation to its plans to introduce universal broadband by 2012.

However, the announcement of the Digital Britain plans yesterday (June 16th) emphasised that the chance to have access to high-speed web services anywhere in the UK does not come without a price.

More specifically, those who receive their home phone and internet services via fixed copper lines will be footing the bill through a levy of 50p per month, which will contribute towards an investment fund to guarantee broadband networks are available everywhere.

Other notable aspects of the report include the government's plans to tackle illegal file-sharing.

Tuesday, June 16th 2009

Could music fans who choose to download music illegally soon face the chop from their internet service provider?

Hidden away in Virgin Media's recent announcement on its new unlimited music download subscription deal with record label Universal Music was the revelation that the company is also planning to take a stand on online piracy.

Part of the agreement between the pair will see them put their heads together on strategies designed to protect the "intellectual property" of the music giant - which is home to a number of successful acts such as Girls Aloud, The Feeling and Amy Winehouse - and cut the illegal distribution of its tracks.

Thursday, June 11th 2009

Do the UK's mobile broadband providers need to up their game in terms of connection speed? New research has suggested that could well be the case.

The study by Epitiro saw services from leading operators including 3, O2, Orange and T-Mobile tested on a range of activities that web users get up to, including downloading music, general surfing and internet gaming.

It found that consumers with dongles only receive 24 per cent of the advertised download speed from many providers, with the average rate not even reaching 1Mbps.

The research also revealed that web browsing was 34 per cent slower than on equivalent fixed line services.

Wednesday, June 10th 2009

A new study has suggested that the number of people with internet access in the UK is set to rise in the near future.

The Ofcom report found that one in five people without home internet access are planning to sign up to deals in the next six months or so, which means 70 per cent of UK adults will have the internet at home by the end of this year.

However, there were more worrying findings, with those who do not have web connections split into two groups: the self excluded and the financially excluded.

The former category was found to be mostly made up of old or retired people who have never used computers and feel they do not need the internet.

Tuesday, June 9th 2009

Digital TV provider Virgin Media is planning to rethink the way it offers both web and programming content through its electronic programming guide (EPG).

At the recent Driving Digital Content seminar in London, the company has revealed the new guide is in the pipeline as the firm considers how to improve the presentation of both on-demand and linear broadcast material.

A new proof-of-concept design was showcased at the event and highlighted the use of a scrolling bar-style EPG that would replace the more commonly-used time and broadcaster grid format.

Monday, June 8th 2009

While downloading video and music for free over the internet may be illegal, the government is not set to launch a major crackdown on the issue, it has been suggested.

According to reports, the upcoming Digital Britain report created for Westminster by Lord Carter is not set to include proposals that would see the UK's broadband providers disconnect those who illegally share files over the web.

However, that does not mean that such people will be getting away with using their connections in such a way.

According to the BBC, the finished report - which is due later this month - will call on internet providers to limit or restrict the quality of connection that those who regularly download illegally have access to.

Wednesday, June 3rd 2009

Broadband has become an essential part of day-to-day living for a number people, new research has revealed.

According to research by the Communications Consumer Panel, 73 per cent of people would describe their access to the internet at home as "essential" or "important", with many valuing it more than mobile and home phone services and digital TV.

The public also feel that the internet is only going to become more important to people across the globe, with 84 per cent claiming it should be possible for people to get connections in their properties no matter where they live. A similar amount also went so far as to claim people have a right to home broadband access.

Tuesday, June 2nd 2009

While we all often get frustrated when our internet takes an age to load one page, new figures have suggested that the speed of household connections has never been better.

The study by Broadband.co.uk has revealed that the average speed available during May was 4.25Mbps, which is a small increase on the figure recorded for the previous month.

Virgin Media was found to be the top-performing provider overall, with a download speed of 5.87Mbps. The news comes less than a week after the company's mobile broadband was praised in a study by Broadband Genie.