Ofcom Consumer Panel demands-action

Thousands of Internet users are being short-changed by Internet broadband connections that are slower than advertised, Ofcom said on Wednesday.

An independent voice for consumer interest in the communications markets, has-asked Ofcom to take the lead in producing a mandatory code of practice for internet service providers.

The Consumer Panel, which advises communications regulator Ofcom, said there was widespread discontent among computer users that broadband can be frustratingly slow.

> Letter on broadband speeds to Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom (pdf)

About the Panel

The Consumer Panel is made up of part-time members with a balance of expertise in consumer issues in the electronic communications sector. There are members representing the interests of consumers in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England.

Consumer Panel Members are appointed by Ofcom, subject to approval by the Secretaries of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and for Culture, Media and Sport. They are appointed in accordance with Nolan principles for two or three year terms and are eligible for re-appointment. The Consumer Panel is assisted by a small support team.

European Broadband Trends 2007

The European broadband market is growing rapidly. At the end of Q2 2007, there were close to 100 million broadband subscribers in Europe. The five largest markets -- the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy -- also experienced robust growth over the past five years. All five countries now have a per-capita penetration rate of higher than 15 percent.

Recent trends in dynamic markets such as the UK and France indicate future directions of the overall European market. Faced with a competitive broadband market and increasing demand, service providers are aggressively shifting their strategies from basic-broadband access to value-added services.

> LLU (local loop unbundling) was a major driver for competition in the UK.

Thanks to this, several new market entrants, including Carphone Warehouse, Sky and Orange UK, are now giving away broadband access for free to differentiate their core service offerings. In a little over a year, Sky signed up more than one million subscribers.

Value-Added Services

In its most recent quarterly financial report, BT disclosed that it had over 300,000 customers for its Broadband Digital Vault service, which provides secure online digital storage.

To further enhance its VAS portfolio, BT recently announced a potential partnership with Google and FON, a large hotspot community operator; plans to add Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable to its network, enabling video and voice-call capabilities; and engagements with more than 600 startups globally for new innovations.

British Telecom has had some early success with several such offerings. BT noted that its Home IT Advisor service (a digital home management and support service) had 40,000 customers as of May 2007.

Via E-Commerce Times

Broadband Trends - 2007

A new-report has revealed that broadband uptake is on the rise in the UK.

In its latest International Communications Market report, telecoms regulator Ofcom states that more than half of all British households had a broadband connection at the end of last year.

"The report shows that convergence, bundling and the move to digital communications is a powerful global phenomenon," commented Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom.

Broadband upgrade 'could boost businesses'

Proposals that Britain's broadband network should be upgraded to fibre optic connections have the potential to give businesses a boost, it has been suggested.

"It definitely will have an impact on small businesses, especially as the amount of data that we look to transfer increases in size," said Michael Phillips, product director for Broadband Choices.

BT to offer bonded broadband

BT Wholesale is to offer ISPs a service that combines multiple broadband links into a single reliable high-speed pipe, for users that want a better service than ADSL, but don't want to pay for a leased line.

"There's a gap in the market, between a single broadband connection, which is good enough for lots of people, and a leased line which costs £1000 a month," said Keith Collins, sales and marketing director at Sharedband, the startup that is providing BT Wholesale with the bandwidth-bonding software.

Future Broadband

UK is lagging behind in the push for next-generation broadband-networks.

BT has said it is unwilling to fund a £15bn fibre-optic network to every home in the UK, and there are concerns over how such a network would make money.


> Find out more about the technologies that could deliver faster broadband.

Why do we need faster broadband?

Most pundits agree that a new age is dawning where using your broadband connection for a bit of web surfing and sending the odd e-mail has ended in favour of video-dominated applications.

"Britons are displaying an increasingly significant appetite for supplementing their viewing habits online," said Nielsen analyst Alex Burmeister.

Broadband-UK Facts >

• 43% of South-Koreans play online games


• 19% of Brits play online games


• Swedish gamers enjoy speeds of up to 100Mbps

> Why do we need faster broadband?

Big on Broadband

Nearly nine out of 10 connections to the internet in the UK are now made via broadband, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In its latest survey, the organisation found that 88.4 per cent of Britons are using broadband, up by nearly a third from 12 months ago.

Tim Johnson, chief analyst at analyst group Point-Topic said, potential users had been put off by reported problems in getting a broadband connection up and running, and confused by the gap between promised and actual speeds.

> Internet Connectivity First Release - Q3 2007 (Pdf)

Unlimited UK Broadband

Ofcom announced its decision to amend the radio spectrum licence held by UK Broadband Limited.

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PCCW, the largest telecoms provider in Hong Kong where their broadband service is provided to over 950,000 customers.

Thames Valley was the first place in the UK to experience UK Broadband’s service, which offers wireless broadband for the home and office. This wireless broadband access does not need a telephone line or cable connection to operate and the service can be set up in a few minutes, with a plug and play device.

The change allows the company to offer internet-connections to portable or mobile devices.

> Ofcom changes UK Broadband's licence

What is Broadband?

A high-speed, high-capacity transmission medium that can carry signals from multiple independent network carriers. This is done on a single coaxial or fiber-optic cable by establishing different bandwidth channels.

Investopedia Says:
Broadband internet access is much faster than dial-up access.

It is similar to the difference between a brand new sports car and a horse-drawn carriage.