3 has just launched a new 30 day rolling SIM-only mobile broadband deal which costs £15 a month provides 5GB data, and access to the net at top speeds of 3.6Mbps.

This is perfect for those who don’t want to commit to a long-term contract, but will want to be able to connect at odd months throughout the year, and get better value for money that Pay As You Go. As with SIM-only plans seen on mobile phones, customer only need to give 30 days notice to cancel the contract, so there’s no long term obligation.

This SIM-only mobile broadband package can also be bought with a USB modem, for those who don’t have a spare dongle lying around. The Huawei MF627, E156g and E1550 are all available for £19.99 each.

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Orange have pulled out of plans to buy up the catch-up TV service that went by the working titled of Project Kangaroo. France Telecom, Orange’s parent company had this to say in the following statement:

“We can confirm that we are not pursuing our interest in the catch-up TV service Kangaroo. After in-depth due diligence, we concluded that it was unlikely that an outcome which benefited France Telecom’s Orange operations would be met.”

The ill-fated Project Kangaroo is a collaboration between the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and was conceived as a kind of merger of the BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and 4oD video on demand platforms. First of all it was blocked from going ahead by the Competition Commission, which ruled that it would be too much of a threat to competition in the IPTV market, currently only occupied by BT Vision and Tiscali TV.

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Welcome back! Over the last couple of months we’ve been busy working behind the scenes here at Broadband Finder, giving the site a massive overhaul, adding new features, broadband providers, and a new coat of paint. It’s now even easier to compare the prices and speeds of all of the broadband packages available to you, thanks to the new and improved comparison table, and search for the broadband package that’s best suited to you with our new Advanced Search option.

Whether you’re looking for a broadband solution for the home, your business or you’re after a mobile broadband solution, you’ll be able to easily find the right deal for you here on any of the relevant comparison tables.

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Vodafone and O2 have agreed on a deal which will see the two mobile operators merging their mobile networks, in order to improve mobile phone reception across the country, and, more importantly, improve the availability and quality of mobile broadband services.

Matthew Key, chief executive of O2 owners Telefonica Europe said: “This goes some way to ‘future proofing’ the network,” adding that “the current economic situation was a catalyst.”

The merging of the networks will see the operators saving hundreds of millions of pounds over the next few years, and could, in theory, lead to the eventual rollout of mobile broadband services comparable to fixed-line connections in terms of speed and reliability, in accordance with Lord Carter’s Digital Britain proposals.

This follows in the footsteps of a deal done in December 2007 between 3 and T-Mobile. The two operators share HSDPA networks and are starting to decommission masts, with T-Mobile already noticing savings, costs, freeing up money that can be invested.

In Spain, a joint venture between Vodafone and Orange saw the two providers able to bring much faster services to rural areas, by reducing the number of base stations needed, thereby reducing the cost of running and maintenance.

Virgin Media came out on top in a recent survey on mobile broadband products by independent consumer group Which? who tested each of the provider’s products to see if the much advertised plug and play aspect of mobile broadband set up really was as easy as that.

Providers were tested on usability, customer service, ease of set up, speed and connection, and how easy it was to cancel.

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The future’s fast for broadband, fixed-line and mobile network Orange, who have today launched a trial of a new forthcoming 20Mbps service on their broadband network. Customers on the Orange network were randomly selected to take part in the trials, which begin today; Orange are thought to be monitoring things such as downloading and web browsing habits to get an idea of how the average Orange Broadband customer behaves, and how to tinker the new service to cope with the demand, before offering 20Mbps speeds across the remainder of their network.

In a press release Asif Aziz, Director of Broadband and Home Orange UK said:

“This trial is an important step in enabling us to offer up to 20 Meg home broadband to consumers across our network. It is also testament to our ongoing commitment to evolve our fixed broadband service and ensure we offer customers a truly reliable user experience.

“The move follows the largest set of improvements to the company’s fixed line broadband service to date.”

This falls in line with Orange’s plan announced last year to address criticisms of the speed and reliability of their service, by investing heavily in improving their current connections.

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Broadband Comparison site Broadband.co.uk have released the results of their anecdotal speed tests for January 2009, which sees Virgin Media sitting pretty atop the pile with an average download speed of 6.018Mbps - a speed and position no doubt bolstered by the recent launch of the premium Size: XXL 50Mbps service.

Sitting just behind Virgin in second place is O2, owners of Be Broadband’s ADSL2+ infrastructure, with a top average download speed of 5.319Mbps. Third place is Sky Broadband, with a top downstream average of 3.521Mbps.

The three ISPs offer theoretical maximum download speeds of 50Mbps, 20Mbps (or 24, if you’re with Be) and 16Mbps respectively.

Market leaders BT were nowhere to be seen in the upper echelons of the speed test, lurking second to last with a top average download speed of 2.331Mbps, just about AOL’s 2.011Mbps.

In the upload speed stakes, O2 performed considerably better than Virgin, with a top average of 0.734, well above the cable group’s 0.466Mbps.

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Combined mobile and fixed-line broadband packages are becoming increasingly popular with consumers who want broadband access both at home and on the move.

Orange has now thrown down the gauntlet with the new combination Orange Home and Mobile Broadband package. Going for £20 a month, the bundle provides customers with up to 8Mbps ASDL broadband, a free wireless router and free evening and weekend calls via a landline, along with mobile broadband at up to 3.6Mbps with a 3GB monthly bandwidth allowance and a free USB dongle.

Unfortunately the offer isn’t open to everyone. You have to be living in one of Orange’s Local Loop Unbundled (LLU) areas to benefit from the deal, which is available on an 18 month contract. The deal is likely to persuade Orange’s rivals to reduce their prices. Currently Vodafone and O2, for example, charge £15 a month for mobile broadband alone.

Asif Aziz, Director of Broadband and Home for Orange said “We believe these new offers not only complement our existing fixed and mobile broadband service range, but also provide flexible alternatives to meet the needs of today’s 21st century customer - who quite rightly demands a premium service at the same time as best value for money.”

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The Grande Fromage of TalkTalk and AOL owners Carphone Warehouse, Charles Dunstone has launched a “formal review of the group’s corporate structure” which could lead to the breakup of its telecoms division, which could potentially see TalkTalk becoming a fully independent ISP.

However, it is more than likely that usual suspects Sky, Vodafone, Orange, BT and the gang will be offered the chance to bid for the customer bases of both TalkTalk and AOL beforehand – TalkTalk is believed to account for some £1bn of Carphone Warehouse’s current £1.3bn valuation.

The BestBuy deal is said to be taking its toll on the group, and Dunstone is reportedly considering splitting the group in half, allowing for easier management of the retail arm of Carphone Warehouse.

“We recognise, however, that the structure of the Group may now no longer be appropriate for the optimal development of the two businesses,” said Dunstone. “The Board has therefore initiated a formal review of the Group’s corporate structure and capital requirements, which may lead to a separation of the two businesses. In this instance I would remain closely involved with both companies.”

This is a bit of an about turn for the company which, earlier this year, was thought to be the favourite to buy up the UK arm of Tiscali’s home broadband customers, a move which would have seen Carphone become the biggest ISP in the country. Now Sky are thought to be in negotiations to buy up Tiscali’s UK operations instead.

Orange have again decided to out the kibosh on their IPTV plans, instead preferring to funnel cash into consolidating their position as the sixth largest broadband provider in the UK by improving their existing services, and investing in setting up their own network, independent of BT. This should see Orange be able to exercise a greater degree of control over their connections, allowing them to provide a better service.

Orange UK big cheese Tom Alexander said that the company is going to focus on “delivering a better quality of service” following on from complaints and criticisms about poor speed and customer relations.

The IPTV service will now be indefinitely postponed, despite successful trials being held across the UK, and content distribution deals signed with the likes of Disney which would see Orange being able to sell films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and High School Musical to broadband subscribers on an on-demand basis.

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