Broadband News: March 2007

Top 10 Broadband March review.

30th March 2007

In the world of broadband there never seems to be a dull moment, and March 2007 proved no different. Here at Top 10 we like to keep an eye on all the news and report back to you all the important and interesting stories.

February’s main story was the Virgin/BSkyB battle, which continued Continue reading…

BT Total Broadband price slash

29th March 2007

From this morning (29th March 2007), BT have slashed their prices to give customers a better deal. The cuts have been widespread amongst their 3 options, with Option 1 only costing a meagre £8.95 a month. Continue reading…

UK now has the fifth largest broadband population in the world

28th March 2007

Internet usage is on the up in the UK with 12 million subscribers to broadband in 2006 alone. This is due to cheap, widely available broadband connectivity and increased spending power, thus helping the rise in subscribers.

Informa in May last year put the UK as the most digital country in Western Europe, but Continue reading…

So who are the Top 10 broadband companies by market share?

27th March 2007

We often talk about the big players in the broadband market, but do we actually know who the biggest are, and how much of the market they actually hold?

Well we at Top 10 Broadband would like to illuminate the figures so that you can see who is the biggest and who possesses the weight to throw around. Continue reading…

New Ofcom figure reveals twice as many broadband complaints

26th March 2007

As published on our news website on the 8th March 2007, Ofcom announced that almost 27,000 people had complained to Ofcom about their broadband service. However Ofcom have now come back and stated that it is almost double this original number, with 51,004 complaints between 1st January and 23rd October 2006. Continue reading…

Virgin Media in Pipex takeover rumours

26th March 2007

Fresh news over the weekend has speculated that Virgin Media (currently the largest broadband provider in the country) is going to buy out Pipex for about £470m, possibly this week.

If the move goes ahead, Virgin Media will add Pipex’s 570,000 customers to its current 3.3m customers, however this may place Virgin Media in hot water with the competition commission body over its market share. Continue reading…

Watchdog fails to look on the Brightview

23rd March 2007

After the BBC Watchdog report on Wednesday 21st March was published, three of Brightview’s ISPs (Global, Waitrose and Madasafish) appeared in the top 4 of the proportional satisfaction survey.

Global appeared at the top with 95% satisfaction, with Waitrose and Madasafish placed second and forth respectively both with satisfaction levels over 90%. Continue reading…

Orange gets bitten by Watchdog

23rd March 2007

Orange gets bitten by Watchdog

At 8pm Wednesday 21st March the eagerly expected results from the BBC Watchdog report were televised. Watchdog specifies that this is not a statistical summary of the whole population’s views but a snapshot from the 50,000 people who voted. It is important to know Continue reading…

Top 10 Broadband welcomes UK Online

20th March 2007

UK Online is now on Top 10 Broadband and you can see their offers in our deal comparison. UK Online have re-launched their affiliate marketing program and are looking to increase their market share.

UK Online have four packages and have reduced the price of two of their products available on unbundled exchanges. They have also removed the connection fee for these two products (a saving of £25) for users who sign up before the close of April 2007. Continue reading…

Are all broadband providers Apple Mac compatible?

19th March 2007

So you’ve got yourself an Apple Mac and you want to get connected to broadband internet. Are all providers compatible? Do you need any extra software? Well here at Top 10 Broadband we aim to resolve your queries.

In theory all providers should be compatible with Apple Mac’s however some providers take more effort for Mac users. The broadband itself is no problem; however Continue reading…

BT Wholesale to pick up the Biscit pieces

19th March 2007

BT announced on the 16th March that they are going to step in and help Biscit broadband customers, after Biscit Internet recently went into administration.

From Monday 19th March (today), Biscit Internet customers (and there are around 6500 of them) can call a special helpline at BT Wholesale to obtain a Migration Authorisation Code (MAC). This will enable Continue reading…

80% of UK homes to have broadband by 2010

16th March 2007

New research has indicated that by 2010 four out of five homes will have broadband, especially as the increase of IPTV is expected. The research undertaken by the Centre for Telecoms Research Ltd, believes that increased knowledge of services (and demand for IPTV) means Continue reading…

If Toucan do it, anyone can do it

16th March 2007

Following pressure from customers, the media and particularly uSwitch, Toucan on Wednesday agreed to stop advertising ‘unlimited broadband’.

The term ‘unlimited broadband has caused Continue reading…

Virgin Media doubles their speed for only £2 more

16th March 2007

Virgin have announced that in May this year (2007), they are expanding their XL package from 10Mb/s to 20Mb/s. Rumours had been circulating for quite a while, however it is now confirmed that this will happen in May. This is a drive to attract new customers, particularly after the ongoing fiasco between them and Sky. Although Continue reading…

Customers have reached their limit

14th March 2007

Many customers are getting frustrated at the moment with many more being mislead about the service they are being provided by ISPs. Many broadband providers are offering ‘unlimited broadband’ so users can download as much content as they wish. However Continue reading…

Sale of Pipex in the pipeline?

13th March 2007

Pipex has been quick to respond to media speculation over the continuing rumour that the ISP is to be taken over.

Pipex have stated that they have appointed an asset management company and the investment bank UBS to show Pipex the options they have in the future. However Pipex have confirmed Continue reading…

Big guns being outdrawn

13th March 2007

According to data taken from almost 5,000 people, the smaller ISPs are performing better, with the likes of Be Broadband, Eclipse and Namesco averaging 9 out of 10 for customer satisfaction. These scores are based on reliability, speed, billing, technical service and customer satisfaction. Continue reading…

Talk Talk customers still waiting?

12th March 2007

Since its big £21 broadband and landline service launch in April 2006 Talk Talk has left many customers frustrated and some customers have even made claims at the small court.

The information taken from Continue reading…

Oh How The Biscit Crumbles!

9th March 2007

On the 5th of March it was revealed that Biscit, the London based ISP has gone into administration. This comes shortly after the resignation of their CEO Hugh Paterson.
Many attempts at trying to reach senior staff at Biscit have been fruitless, as matters seem to go from bad to worse for the ISP. Continue reading…

Ofcom complaints throw interesting results

8th March 2007

Ofcom announced that from the 1st January to 23rd October, 26,926 separate complaints or ‘expressions of dissatisfaction’ were logged against Broadband providers. Ofcom stress that this figure is the total number of complaints received and that not all would be upheld. Continue reading…

Skype stays king as consumers avoid paying for VoIP

7th March 2007

The appeal of free phone calls massively overshadows the usage of paid for VoIP, according to a new survey by Point Topic.

Of the results taken Continue reading…

BT Broadband voted No.1 ISP by Epitero

7th March 2007

For an amazing third time running, BT Total Broadband has been voted the no.1 UK broadband provider.

BT came out best for speed and reliability and was the overall winner – apparently by quite a long way. Continue reading…

Wires come out on top according to Ofcom

6th March 2007

According to a recent study by Ofcom wireless broadband is just not ‘cutting it’ as it cannot compete on technology or cost grounds against optical fibre systems. Continue reading…

Compare-UK-Broadband rebrands to Broadband Finder

6th March 2007

One of the leading broadband comparison sites ‘Compare-UK-Broadband’ has rebranded to Broadband Finder, so we thought we would take this moment to take a look at some of the broadband comparison sites currently on the market.

One of the major players is uSwitch, who have discovered Continue reading…

Broadband ISPs struggling with Vista

5th March 2007

PC users using Windows Vista, are struggling to connect to the internet with some ISPs as the broadband installation discs are proving difficult to read. Vista seems to be struggling with Virgin Media, Tiscali and Orange along with many others, as the installation discs do not seem to be compatible with the Vista operating system. Continue reading…

Top 10 Broadband’s February News Review

2nd March 2007

Well what a month it’s been in the world of broadband. There’s been new legislation, new technology and big arguments to settle. There was Ofcom’s new regulations on MAC codes, the launch of IPTV and Virgin Media’s and BSkyB’s now notorious disagreement. Continue reading…

Virgin Media say goodbye Sky

1st March 2007

This morning it was confirmed that Virgin Media has removed some of the BSkyB channels from its service after a bitter feud over TV rights. Virgin Media have accused BSkyB of raising their prices too high, with BSkyB claiming that the rises are justified. Continue reading…

Virgin to double its cable broadband speed to 20Mb/s by June 2007

1st March 2007

On the 28th February 2007 Virgin Media announced their intentions to double their top-tier cable broadband service, currently at 10Mb/s to 20Mb/s. The upgrade is aimed to be completed by June 2007 on condition that Continue reading…