Blogs - TalkTalk

Friday, March 5th 2010

Since its acquisition of Tiscali, big things have been expected from TalkTalk in the broadband market. As it is now technically the biggest residential internet provider in the UK, a lot of industry commentators have been holding out to see what the firm's next plans for expansion could be.

Well, it seems that the next step is just to make its services better. Alex Hollingdale, director of product management at TalkTalk, has revealed in a blog that it is making up to £20 million of upgrades to its backhaul network. Hopes are high that the move will give its customers access to faster and more efficient connections.

Thursday, February 18th 2010

The announcement that broadband provider TalkTalk is now offering free calls to over-65s just for a chat has unsurprisingly raised a few eyebrows.

While many would regard the launch of the free We'll Call You service as a positive step and an effort by the company to show its caring side, a more cynical view is that the firm is simply using the project as a profile-boosting stunt to gain more subscribers.

Another opinion could be that the company is muscling in on areas which are usually the primary concern of charities and social services.

However, Mark Schmid, communications director of TalkTalk, has stated that the company is simply responding to a "need which is not currently being met".

Thursday, January 21st 2010

Broadband provider TalkTalk has enjoyed a successful 12 months or so. Since announcing its acquisition of Tiscali last year, the company has grown to become the UK's largest residential broadband provider and even sponsored one of the UK's biggest TV shows, The X Factor.

However, the company has highlighted its latest ambitions to provide a strong challenge to rival broadband providers.

Charles Dunstone, the chief executive of both TalkTalk and its parent company Carphone Warehouse, has revealed that the firm could launch its own fibre optic broadband service to compete with BT, reports the Financial Times.

Thursday, December 24th 2009

Tiscali customers may have braced themselves for the upheaval of TalkTalk's takeover, but they could be affected more than they realise.

TalkTalk has now said all Tiscali broadband-only subscribers must transfer across to its phone line rental service if they wish to avoid extra charges in the new year.

As ISPreview has reported, customers who do not make the upgrade will face paying an extra £60 per year for web access.

This is because TalkTalk – the telecommunications arm of broadband provider Carphone Warehouse – is raising the monthly cost of its newly-acquired broadband-only deal from £14.99 to £19.99.

Monday, December 14th 2009

What's the most important aspect of broadband? Ask any subscriber at the moment and they are likely to mention speed. Recent figures from TalkTalk highlighted this, as they revealed 70 per cent of people get frustrated when they have to wait over a minute for a webpage to load.

Coincidentally, TalkTalk is one broadband provider that is making moves to ensure their customers are getting the fastest service available. From January 1st, all of the company's subscribers will be offered broadband speeds of up to 24Mbps as standard.

Monday, November 30th 2009

When TalkTalk revealed last month that up to seven million broadband connections could be susceptible to wireless broadband hijacking, a notable conclusion was that this did not mean people actually are taking advantage of such poor security.

However, another study released this week by a rival comparison website has revealed that broadband users across the UK are maybe not the honest bunch that you would presume.

It found that over four million Brits have piggybacked on another broadband user's wireless connection without their knowledge, meaning they can enjoy free access to the web and could even steal identity information.

Friday, November 27th 2009

Earlier this year, the government probably thought they would win lots of backing for committing to make broadband universally available. In addition, it was likely MPs felt plans to introduce fibre optic services would be even more popular.

However, they appear to have hit another wall of criticism in their efforts to bring the world of the internet to the masses.

The rollout of such services was never going to be free, but reports have suggested that the government's proposed broadband tax could have a bigger impact on the public's wallets than originally thought.

It was originally revealed that the levy would be 50p a month on fixed phone lines.

Monday, November 2nd 2009

The government has come under fire for several broadband-related policies recently, but the latest to capture the most attention is its proposed tax on fixed phone lines.

Charles Dunstone, the chief executive of internet provider TalkTalk, has claimed the 50p-a-month rate on fixed phone lines - which would be used to fund the creation of a nationwide fibre optic broadband network – could have a negative impact on the market.

He suggested that such a move would make broadband services too expensive for many low-income households, meaning many may have to give up their connection to the web.

Wednesday, September 30th 2009

With all the recent talk over illegal filesharing and who should foot the bill for tackling the problem, it seems that one major broadband provider has inadvertently revealed its stance on the issue.

Carphone Warehouse chief executive officer Charles Dunstone has revealed that its TalkTalk subsidiary is developing a new range of parental control systems that will allow adults to give certain websites an age rating similar to those seen in cinemas.

The certification process is likely to see sites rated from universal to 18, he told the Financial Times, while he suggested that the process could even help in the fight against the use illegal filesharing technology in the UK.

Monday, August 24th 2009

At the end of last month, figures from Consumer Direct suggested that broadband providers have finally turned a corner in terms of customer satisfaction.

While it was found that the number of complaints received by the body concerning broadband had dropped, a new poll has suggested that we should not take the findings as a sign that providers have upped their game.

The survey by Which? signaled great news for the likes of O2 and Be, which both scored over 80 per cent in terms of customer satisfaction, according to the Daily Telegraph's report.

Tuesday, August 11th 2009

The UK's biggest broadband providers have gone freebie-mad recently and fibre optic firm Virgin Media have become the latest to join the bandwagon.

Its offering of free installation on its broadband services - which could equate to a saving of up to £30 for subscribers who take on its packages - is just the latest in a long line of incentives launch by providers in the past week.

While BT is offering customers connection-boosting iPlates for free, Be Broadband and TalkTalk have also revealed they are offering several months on their services for no charge.

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.

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.

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.