Broadband News: December 2007

Email is the preferred way for ISPs to inform customers they are over their fair usage limits and could face extra charges, according to a new poll of UK broadband users. Continue reading…

Telecoms regulator, Ofcom, is set to scrutinise "hidden" charges that may appear in the bills of broadband or mobile phone customers. Continue reading…

Internet users who download films or television series could face suspended services as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) come under pressure to halt the illegal download business. Continue reading…

The BBC is looking to roll out its own broadband network to mitigate the bandwidth problems expected to occur as use of its iPlayer becomes more widespread, it has been reported. Continue reading…

Fair usage limits are rendering super-fast broadband deals a rip off, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

Thales Telecom Services, a division of the French defence and engineering group, has been named the preferred bidder for the construction and maintenance of a fibre-optic network to provide super-fast broadband to 600,000 homes in South Yorkshire, it has been reported. Continue reading…

UK ISP Zen Internet is planning to move to new larger premises next year as part of its expansion drive. Continue reading…

The complexity of voice over Wi-Fi technology and a lack of industry-wide standards are hampering its adoption by businesses, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

Telecomms giant 3’s mobile broadband service is to become more accessible with the launch of a pay as you go version. Continue reading…

Proposals to allow UK broadband users to break contracts with underperforming ISPs have been rejected by the telecommunications watchdog, it has been reported. Continue reading…

The construction of TalkTalk/Carphone Warehouse’s fibre optic network is progressing according to plan, the ISP has announced. Continue reading…

Using power lines to deliver broadband services is set to become more prevalent in the near future, a leading market research firm predicts. Continue reading…

O2 Broadband has signed a deal with Critical Path to enable its mobile customers with broadband connections to access e-mail messages on their handsets faster and easier than before. Continue reading…

Freedom4 has teamed up with Milton Keynes council to launch what it claims is the "first commercial WiMax service". Continue reading…

UK broadband users should be given freedom to break contracts with ISPs who do not deliver the connection speeds promised in their advertising, it has been mooted. Continue reading…

Virgin Media customers were left without internet connections last night, following an outage. Continue reading…

UK broadband providers T-Mobile and 3 have signed a deal to allow them to use each other’s telephone masts, it has been reported. Continue reading…

The BBC is backing calls for a high-speed broadband network for the UK, it has been reported. Continue reading…

O2’s broadband service is the best in the UK, according to surfers polled by a broadband advice site. Continue reading…

Orange has postponed the official launch of its fixed-line broadband TV service, it has been announced. Continue reading…

O2 is to seeking to launch its own TV service to allow it to compete with rival ISPs in the UK residential broadband market, it has been reported. Continue reading…

Take-up of broadband services has soared in Ireland in the last year, new data reveals. Continue reading…

Broadband users are more at risk from security threats online than ever before, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

Virgin Media’s broadband customers have been hit with a phishing scam from fraudsters purporting to represent their ISP, it has been reported. Continue reading…

Orange has signed an agreement to allow it to show films from Metro Goldwyn Meyer (MGM) studios’ vault on its on-demand video service. Continue reading…

Virgin Media’s triple play deal offer represents the best value bundle for use by families throughout the European Union last year, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

UK broadband users may experience slower than expected connection speeds this Christmas, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

TalkTalk has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for misleading claims made about its service. Continue reading…

Tiscali is gearing up for a new advertising campaign focussing on its broadband-based internet TV service. Continue reading…

Nokia has signed a deal to allow its music download customers to use The Cloud’s wireless broadband network across the UK. Continue reading…

Virgin Media has announced plans for a revised traffic management policy for its broadband service to be introduced next year. Continue reading…

UK broadband provider Tiscali has launched a new venture with used car classifieds website Auto Trader, it has been announced. Continue reading…

BT’s moves to open up the broadband market have been a success but more action is needed to foster even greater competition, the communications watchdog has said. Continue reading…

The BBC will publicly launch the iPlayer on Christmas day in a bid to woo the TV watching millions on the day in which shows receive the highest ratings of the year. Continue reading…

Landlines are set to be used chiefly for broadband connections in the near future, marking a sea change in Britons’ communication habits, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

Broadband provider 3 has given its USB modems a fashionable makeover in the form of two limited edition designs. Continue reading…

Customers of broadband provider Be will be able to harness their internet connection to make their home more secure, it has been announced. Continue reading…

Using Britain’s network of sewers would dramatically cut the costs of installing a broadband network capable of delivering super-fast speeds, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

BT will distribute and sell a software suite to rival ISPs that could increase broadband speeds, it has been announced. Continue reading…

Film fans with broadband connections will be able to download movies for free with the launch of a new advertising-funded service of BT. Continue reading…

Customer satisfaction levels in the broadband market have dipped in the last year, it has been revealed. Continue reading…

Smaller broadband providers have once again triumphed in PC Pro’s awards for the best ISPS in the country. Continue reading…

Non-Sky broadband subscribers are now able to download the broadcaster’s shows following the launch of a brand new service. Continue reading…

The disparity between broadband speeds in cities and in rural areas is set to get a lot worse, it has been predicted. Continue reading…

Reliability and customer service are the most important criteria applied by small businesses when choosing a provider, it has been claimed. Continue reading…

The proportion of EU internet users with broadband connections has grown by 12 per cent over the last year, it has been revealed. Continue reading…

The telecommunications watchdog is to auction off unused parts of the radio spectrum for mobile broadband services, it has been announced. Continue reading…

A row has erupted between BT and the government that could derail the domestic broadband revolution and the prospect of faster speeds in the UK, it has been reported. Continue reading…

The number of spam e-mails being received by UK broadband users has doubled in a year, it has been revealed. Continue reading…

The documentary programme Panorama exaggerated claims about health hazards presented by wireless broadband, a BBC consumer affairs unit has found. Continue reading…