November 15, 2007
BT Group Plc, which owns Madasafish and Plusnet, is planning to combine the two ISPs' broadband network and infrastructure. Madasafish and Plusnet will retain their individual corporate identities and customer services and technical support will remain separate. The move is designed to help the ISP's develop future services, including fast internet and voice services. Madasafish plans to upgrade its ...
BT to integrate Madasafish and Plusnet broadband
by Jan HarrisBT Group Plc, which owns Madasafish and Plusnet, is planning to combine the two ISPs' broadband network and infrastructure. Madasafish and Plusnet will retain their individual corporate identities and customer services and technical support will remain separate. The move is designed to help the ISP's develop future services, including fast internet and voice services. Madasafish plans to upgrade its ...
Protection for children using the Internet
by Lin FreestoneA game, designed for children aged seven to 10, has been launched by the Council of Europe at the UN Internet Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro. It is available on the Internet in English, with 12 other European languages to follow. The purpose of the game is to warn children of the dangers lurking on the Internet, and to teach ...
November 14, 2007
Major telecoms operators across Europe have criticised European Union plans for a pan-European regulator, and Europe-wide rules which could force companies to change their operational strategy. The European Union media commissioner, Viviane Reding, is proposing the changes in order to increase broadband competition and encourage the development of a consistent approach and more pan-European services. However telecoms operators are concerned that ...
Europe-wide telecoms strategy attacked by operators
by Jan HarrisMajor telecoms operators across Europe have criticised European Union plans for a pan-European regulator, and Europe-wide rules which could force companies to change their operational strategy. The European Union media commissioner, Viviane Reding, is proposing the changes in order to increase broadband competition and encourage the development of a consistent approach and more pan-European services. However telecoms operators are concerned that ...
November 13, 2007
The European Commission has released plans for a single European Union-wide telecoms market from 2010, with a new Europe-wide watchdog. The proposed strategy, which will be discussed by the European Parliament, aims to increase competition in the telecoms market and could require former monopolies to split up their network and operations. Some countries, including Spain and Germany, are expected to ...
Commission plans EU-wide telecoms market
by Jan HarrisThe European Commission has released plans for a single European Union-wide telecoms market from 2010, with a new Europe-wide watchdog. The proposed strategy, which will be discussed by the European Parliament, aims to increase competition in the telecoms market and could require former monopolies to split up their network and operations. Some countries, including Spain and Germany, are expected to ...
Indian government announces global 3G auction
by Lin FreestoneIndia's telecoms minister has announced that the government has decided to release 3G spectrum for broadband wireless access. Auction has been selected for 3G spectrum. International operators hoping to bid for a 3G licence will be subject to security clearance. In total, 30 megahertz of spectrum in the 2.1 gigahertz band will be divided up between at least three operators. ...
November 12, 2007
Mobile telecommunications company, Vodafone Group Plc, will be the first UK operator to upgrade its high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) network to a speed of 7.2Mbps. This is twice as fast as the maximum speed currently offered, which is just 3.6Mbps. Vodafone will upgrade its network to 'super-3G' in December 2007, beating Orange and T-Mobile who have yet to ...
Vodafone upgrades network to super-3G
by Jan HarrisMobile telecommunications company, Vodafone Group Plc, will be the first UK operator to upgrade its high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) network to a speed of 7.2Mbps. This is twice as fast as the maximum speed currently offered, which is just 3.6Mbps. Vodafone will upgrade its network to 'super-3G' in December 2007, beating Orange and T-Mobile who have yet to ...
New payment plans create price war in Macedonia
by Lin FreestoneFollowing the granting of a licence in March 2007, Vip Macedonia, the Croatian mobile unit of Telekom Austria, launched operations in Macedonia in September. The company paid €10m for the licence and has invested a further €50m in developing its network, services, contact centres and a sales distribution network. Prior to Vip's launch, statistics showed that 28% of the population did ...
November 10, 2007
Orange, the main brand of France Telecom, has been awarded dialling codes to provide domestic and international long-distance services in the fast-growing Russian telecoms market. This represents the final step before the granting of a full licence that will allow the operator to begin providing voice and data services. Orange Business Services will be the first global player to enter the ...
Long-distance services in Russia from Orange in 2008
by Lin FreestoneOrange, the main brand of France Telecom, has been awarded dialling codes to provide domestic and international long-distance services in the fast-growing Russian telecoms market. This represents the final step before the granting of a full licence that will allow the operator to begin providing voice and data services. Orange Business Services will be the first global player to enter the ...
November 9, 2007
Nokia and Vodafone have entered into a partnership for Vodafone to provide Nokia's mobile Internet services platform, Ovi, on its handsets in Europe. The Ovi platform, which features music, maps, gaming and social networking capabilities, will be available on Vodafone handsets in 2008, and will run side by side with Vodafone 'Live', to bring customers a wider choice of content. ...
Nokia and Vodafone partner for Internet services
by Jan HarrisNokia and Vodafone have entered into a partnership for Vodafone to provide Nokia's mobile Internet services platform, Ovi, on its handsets in Europe. The Ovi platform, which features music, maps, gaming and social networking capabilities, will be available on Vodafone handsets in 2008, and will run side by side with Vodafone 'Live', to bring customers a wider choice of content. ...
November 8, 2007
Mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, is expanding into the broadband market in Ireland with the launch of TalkTalk, its consumer telephone business, in the country. Carphone Warehouse plans to launch TalkTalk Broadband products before Christmas, to both new and existing TalkTalk customers. The service is designed to be flexible, straightforward and good value for money. Customers will be able to choose ...
Carphone Warehouse enters Irish broadband market
by Jan HarrisMobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, is expanding into the broadband market in Ireland with the launch of TalkTalk, its consumer telephone business, in the country. Carphone Warehouse plans to launch TalkTalk Broadband products before Christmas, to both new and existing TalkTalk customers. The service is designed to be flexible, straightforward and good value for money. Customers will be able to choose ...
5% growth in Europe’s internet audience
by Lin FreestoneA new study from comScore, the Internet monitoring company, reveals that there were 226.7 million unique visitors in the European Internet community in September, an audience that grew 5% year-over-year and was the largest ever recorded. Russia showed the greatest growth, surging 23% to 14.6 million visitors during the period. Spain was next with 18% growth and 14.5 million unique visitors, ...
Release to users of Microsoft’s Windows Live
by Lin FreestoneMicrosoft, the world's largest computer software maker, has launched the second generation of Windows Live services, a lineup of online service tools such as e-mail, photo sharing and Internet phone services. For the first time, users will be able to access and download all available Windows Live services from the Windows Live dashboard online. Previously, users would have to search the ...
BT Italia to become mobile virtual network operator in December
by Lin FreestoneBT Italia’s MVNO service is planned to launch in Italy on 3 December 2007. The new mobile service will complement BT Corporate Fusion, a package combining mobile, VoIP and wi-fi services. BT Corporate Fusion targets small and mid-sized companies as well as large organisations, including public administration. Vodafone which will supply the network backbone and airtime for BT Italia to resell, ...
November 7, 2007
According to a new report from market research firm Point Topic, 20,000 fewer people in the UK registered for new broadband subscriptions in the third quarter of 2007, compared with the previous quarter. UK ISP's gained 470,000 new broadband subscribers in the third quarter compared with 510,000 in the second. Point Topic believes that this is because the number of ...
Point Topic reports drop in UK broadband uptake
by Jan HarrisAccording to a new report from market research firm Point Topic, 20,000 fewer people in the UK registered for new broadband subscriptions in the third quarter of 2007, compared with the previous quarter. UK ISP's gained 470,000 new broadband subscribers in the third quarter compared with 510,000 in the second. Point Topic believes that this is because the number of ...
November 6, 2007
BT has become the first Wi-Fi provider to offer a range of international Wi-Fi vouchers, which allow travellers to make calls and download data from Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. The vouchers provide 500 minutes of Wi-Fi access for £28 in the US and £40 in Europe. This averages out at 5.6p per minute in the US and 8p per ...
BT offers international Wi-Fi vouchers
by Jan HarrisBT has become the first Wi-Fi provider to offer a range of international Wi-Fi vouchers, which allow travellers to make calls and download data from Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. The vouchers provide 500 minutes of Wi-Fi access for £28 in the US and £40 in Europe. This averages out at 5.6p per minute in the US and 8p per ...
November 5, 2007
Vodafone has extended its Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) partnership with BT. BT's mobile business became an MVNO in November 2004, when it started using Vodafone's UK network, rather than O2. O2's parent company, mmO2, was spun off by BT in 2001. An MVNO provides mobile service but does not have its own radio frequency spectrum allocation or infrastructure. The ...
Vodafone and BT extend MVNO agreement
by Jan HarrisVodafone has extended its Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) partnership with BT. BT's mobile business became an MVNO in November 2004, when it started using Vodafone's UK network, rather than O2. O2's parent company, mmO2, was spun off by BT in 2001. An MVNO provides mobile service but does not have its own radio frequency spectrum allocation or infrastructure. The ...
November 3, 2007
Eircom has signed up its 500,000th broadband customer and announced plans to launch a 12Mbps DSL trial in November in Sandyford and across Dublin. Customers are signing up for eircom’s DSL broadband internet service at a rate of approximately 3,000 per week. Eircom is Ireland's largest telecommunications supplier. The company aims to connect more than 900 exchanges, representing 96% of the working ...
eircom connects 500,000th broadband customer
by Lin FreestoneEircom has signed up its 500,000th broadband customer and announced plans to launch a 12Mbps DSL trial in November in Sandyford and across Dublin. Customers are signing up for eircom’s DSL broadband internet service at a rate of approximately 3,000 per week. Eircom is Ireland's largest telecommunications supplier. The company aims to connect more than 900 exchanges, representing 96% of the working ...
November 2, 2007
Communications regulator, Ofcom, is concerned that changes to European telecoms regulations could undermine its position. The European Commission (EC) is releasing new guidelines which strengthen its powers in the industry, and could affect both traditional telecoms firms and VoIP providers. The new rules, which aim to harmonise regulation across Europe, could give the EC the ability to veto decisions made by ...
EU guidelines could undermine Ofcom
by Jan HarrisCommunications regulator, Ofcom, is concerned that changes to European telecoms regulations could undermine its position. The European Commission (EC) is releasing new guidelines which strengthen its powers in the industry, and could affect both traditional telecoms firms and VoIP providers. The new rules, which aim to harmonise regulation across Europe, could give the EC the ability to veto decisions made by ...
Comcast accused of blocking legitimate content
by Lin FreestoneIn the US, an alliance of consumer groups is asking the Federal Communications Commission to prevent Comcast Corporation from interfering with peer-to-peer traffic (P2P). Comcast is largest provider of cable services in the US, and one of the world’s leading communications companies. It is alleged that Comcast has decided to start blocking customers from accessing legitimate content. This has typically included ...
Expansion of Swisscom’s HSPA network
by Lin FreestoneSwisscom, Switzerland's leading telecoms company, is planning to expand its mobile data network, and it is estimated that the company will have invested tens of millions of francs in its mobile broadband network by the middle of 2008. Starting in the middle of November, Swisscom will upgrade its wireless data network with HSPA high speed packet access (HSPA) technology. Once this ...
