O2 have today revamped their mobile broadband packages, slashing the cost of their basic 18 month and rolling monthly plans, and introducing a new 24 Month 10GB plan designed for heavy users.
A new coverage checker has just been launched over at the O2 site, giving customers a realistic idea of the kind of service they can expect to get at home, at work, at college at the train station, or wherever they will be mostly making use of their mobile broadband.
According to O2 figures, 20% of customers are frustrated at not being able to use mobile broadband, despite coverage checkers telling them otherwise – this is why O2 have decided to roll with a new 50-day money-back guarantee – or ‘Happiness Guarantee’ as O2 are calling it – is also available to O2 mobile customers who have signed up for the product.
O2 are also keen to stress that they are the only mobile broadband provider in the UK to offer customers unlimited Wi-Fi access thanks to a deal struck with The Cloud – O2 Mobile Broadband customers can enjoy unlimited browsing via Wi-Fi at any of The Cloud’s 6,000+ hot spots in the UK.
This news comes just after T-Mobile’s mobile broadband offering was rated the fastest in the country in independent tests.
Posted by Tom on October 31st 2008 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband, O2 Broadband, T-Mobile
Independent tests have resulted in T-Mobile being ranked the provider with the fastest mobile broadband in the UK.
Testing company P3 solutions carried out the study, which looked into the performance of mobile broadband service providers. Tests assessed the level of customer satisfaction regarding broadband speeds during peak hours, and were carried out over the last three months across 16 cities in the UK.
T-Mobile Broadband was found to be the fastest provider for upload and download speeds as well as for web browsing and sending and receiving emails. Accessing websites was about 25% faster with T-Mobile than with its nearest rival, while uploading photos and videos to websites such as Facebook and YouTube was 60% faster than competitors’ upload speeds.
Emin Gurdenli, chief technology officer at T-Mobile UK, said: “These independent tests clearly put T-Mobile’s Mobile Broadband network ahead of the pack. P3’s benchmarking reveals that our programme of continuous improvement and investment in network performance is delivering a richer experience for our fast-growing base of Mobile Broadband users.”
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Posted by Ellie on October 31st 2008 in Broadband, Mobile Broadband, T-Mobile
It was exactly a year and a day ago that Sky proudly declared that they had connected their millionth broadband customer, and celebrated the fact in style by hiring seven professional surfers – one to represent each digit – to take to their boards and surf across Fistral Bay in Newquay.
Sky have recently announced that it has nearly doubled that figure, now boasting a customer base of around 1.8 million, thanks to connecting some nine million more digital TV customers despite current economic conditions.
Chief executive Jeremy Darroch said that Sky had produced “a good set of results in a challenging environment,” citing an interest in its Sky HD+ high definition TV as the prime reason for the growth. This surge in interest has had a spillover effect on the See Speak Surf offering, which sees Sky TV subscribers able to qualify for free broadband – some 20% of customers have reportedly taken up the offer.
Sky said that the “fundamental” reason why customers upgraded to pay-TV was to enjoy a “better choice of quality programming,” including the premium sports packages and entertainment channels such as Sky One.
This all could change however in years to come – Ofcom have recently ruled that Sky should distribute its sports content to rival TV platforms on a wholesale basis, and the word on the street is that the ‘missing channels’ could return to the Virgin Media platform early next year.
Posted by Tom on October 31st 2008 in Broadband, Sky Broadband, Virgin Media
A new study by broadband analysts Point Topic has revealed that up to four million UK homes and businesses will be connected to high speed fibre optic broadband in the next five years. It is estimated that in 2013, 20% of Britain’s 22 million broadband connections will operate under the super fast broadband service. Whilst the shift will have little impact on cable usage in the UK, the number of customers using DSL technology is likely to fall from today’s ratio of 78 percent to a mere 57 per cent, according to the report.
The projections come in the light of new fibre trials from BT and increased pressure to commit to a national fibre-based network.
Tim Johnson, chief analyst at Point Topic, explained “This is probably the first moment when it has been possible to make a plausible forecast for fibre in the UK, based on some real plans and activity”.
He added that BT’s plans to roll out fibre optic broadband to 10 million homes in the UK by 2012 was probably a little optimistic, but predicted there would be “a lot of other players coming into the market too”.
Referring to the benefits of super fast broadband, Johnson said “People will be able to mix video telephony, TV, audio, online games and virtual worlds, all high quality and high resolution, into the total experience they want at that moment. In fact it’s what today’s teenagers are trying to do right now and in a few more years the technology will catch up with them.”
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Posted by Ellie on October 30th 2008 in BT Broadband, Next Gen Broadband, Virgin Media
Be Broadband have recently admitted that they have only ever had to apply restrictions in accordance to their fair usage policy (FUP) in just one incident. Be Broadband, who characterize their users as being heavy users, who frequently play online and download large amounts of information.
“Be is committed to being transparent to its members on in all aspects of its service, including download limits and fair usage policy,” said Be Broadband MD Felix Geyr.
“So far, we have only had to impose our fair usage policy once due to a small proportion of member’s downloading activity affecting the whole network and thus detracting from the level of service available for other Be members.”
This comparatively liberal attitude towards usage policies, is another feather in the cap for Be Broadband, who already have the distinction of providing some of the fastest and most reliable connection speeds in the UK.
Posted by Tom on October 30th 2008 in Be Broadband, Broadband
Vodafone has been told by the Advertising Standards Agency that adverts for its Mobile Broadband service are misleading, and must be changed. The ruling follows complaints by rival ISPs 3 and T-Mobile over two national press adverts which claimed that the service, costing £15 a month, was the “fastest, most reliable mobile broadband in the galaxy”.
Additional advertising copy reads “Leap into hyperdrive. With Vodafone’s mobile broadband you get download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps on your laptop, which is as quick as most home broadband… enjoy mobile broadband that’s light years ahead.”
Unsurprisingly, Vodafone’s rivals were a little peeved at these claims, and lodged a complaint with the ASA, asserting that the mobile giant’s claim that it offers the “fastest” and “most reliable” broadband that is “light years ahead” of its competitors was inaccurate. Vodafone had based its evidence on independent speed trials conducted by the LLC.
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Posted by Ellie on October 30th 2008 in Broadband
The former lead singer of the Undertones, Feargal Sharkey, has today been unveiled as the chief executive of UK music, an umbrella organisation that represents composers and musicians, as well as record labels, managers, publishers, advertisers and producers across the British music industry.
Sharkey’s chief role will be to help eradicate illegal music downloads in the UK, which cost the industry £1 billion each year, by spearheading tough talks with government officials and broadband operators. Illegal downloads are of increasing concern to those in the industry, with the first warning letters from broadband operators due to be sent in a matter of weeks to those thought to be downloading large volumes of music for free.
“I think people do realise once you explain it to them that music isn’t for free. There is a harmful impact and, ironically, the people it most harms are the ones people are most engaged with and have most respect for - the songwriters, composers and musicians. For some reason people don’t make that connection,” said Sharkey last week.
As part of the plan he will also put forward a number of proposals to ensure that talented youngsters continue to contribute to one of Britain’s largest export industries. In one of the initiatives, secondary school pupils throughout the UK will be invited to write and record their own tracks, produce and market a CD and come up with their own record label. Another plan involves channelling funds from unused, dormant bank accounts into building practice rooms and recording studios for youngsters.
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Posted by Ellie on October 27th 2008 in Broadband, Free Broadband
Mobile broadband packages which come with a ‘free’ laptop are set to become a must-have gift this Christmas, overtaking standalone dongles.
Consumers looking to save money or defer the cost of buying new technology are driving sales of mobile broadband pay monthly deals which include a laptop in the price. Networks and electronics retailers such as 3, Vodafone, Carphone Warehouse and PC World are offering free laptops or netbooks on certain mobile phone contracts usually lasting 18 to 24 months, and retailers have experienced a sharp increase in sales of free laptop deals in recent months, by as much as 23% of overall sales since July.
Mobile retailer Phones4U has reported considerable growth since it launched a ‘free’ laptop deal, predicting that such bundles will prove a popular choice this Christmas.
“Since launching laptop-broadband deals on Phones4u.co.uk, we have seen significant sales growth month-on-month and predict that laptop-broadband deals will be top-sellers this Christmas,” stated a Phones 4U spokesman.
A piece in The Guardian this week suggested that 3 and Vodafone currently offer the best deals on mobile broadband-laptop bundles.
However, though deals including a free laptop may seem like an inexpensive option in the run-up to a credit crunch Christmas, they are likely to cost you far more in the long run than if you bought a standalone dongle and laptop separately. The cost of laptops advertised as being ‘free’ is in fact spread over the length of the contract.
For example, a 24 month deal on Vodafone which comes with a ‘free’ Dell Inspiron Mini 9 ultraportable will set you back £25 a month, costing a total of £600 over the two years. Bought on its own, the Mini 9 will cost you around £300. Of course, you get the data contract as well, but with mobile broadband prices set to come down further in the coming months, you may well regret being tied down to a 2 year contract.
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Posted by Ellie on October 27th 2008 in 3 Mobile Broadband, Broadband, Carphone Warehouse, O2 Broadband, Orange Broadband, Vodafone
20,000 families are to be given government grants for computers and broadband access, in the first wave of a government scheme to ensure that every seven to 18-year-old has computer access at home for their school work.
The £300million scheme, announced at the Labour Party Conference earlier this month, will be trialled among pupils from low-income families in Suffolk and Oldham from February. Grants will cover a computer, software, one year’s broadband internet access and three years’ technical support.
Some 150,000 youngsters in Surrey and Oldham will also be offered special cut-price packages from broadband and computer suppliers and high-profile marketing campaigns will show parents the benefits of using computers and the internet.
The scheme was first put forward in January 2007, and a government taskforce set up to look into it.
Schools Minister Jim Knight said that as well as offering funding for poorer families, the scheme will also sell the extensive educational benefits of computer access to parents of all income groups who were not yet convinced. Currently about a million children do not have broadband access at home. Whilst some parents cannot afford it, others have the means but choose not to buy it for their children, he said.
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Posted by Ellie on October 25th 2008 in Broadband, Free Broadband, Next Gen Broadband
Broadband prices across Europe could soar if regulators in Europe insist on “net neutrality” rules that would prevent carriers from charging content providers premium rates to prioritise certain types of web traffic.
A leading think-tank, Copenhagen Economics, has warned that under net neutrality, European consumers could end up paying up to a third more for new broadband platforms as the internet becomes increasingly congested. For example the average monthly broadband subscription rate could rise from €33 ($44) to €44 in Sweden, and from €29 to €39 in Germany. The neutrality model is currently used extensively in the US, but European regulators and industry players have kept clear of this model, arguing that the situation is different because users have a greater choice of network providers.
However, large telecoms companies in Europe are increasingly concerned that changes introduced by the European Parliament into the telecoms package – legislation aimed at overhauling EU telecoms laws - could make straight the way for net neutrality regulation in the years to come.
A new report from the Centre for European Policy Studies due to be published this week says that the net neutrality model would obligate typical users to subsidise heavy downloaders, would discourage service providers to invest in new-generation networks and would encourage content providers to engage in “free-riding”. The report concluded that “mandating net neutrality would not be a desirable option”.
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Posted by Ellie on October 21st 2008 in Broadband, Next Gen Broadband
