'Digital Dividend' Plan

Ofcom has released details of its plans for awarding the spectrum that will be freed up by the switch to digital TV in 2012.

Ed Richards, CEO of Ofcom, said in a statement: "The digital-dividend will be one of the most significant and valuable spectrum releases in the UK for 20 years. Our approach is designed to maximise these considerable benefits for UK citizens and consumers as a whole.

"We can expect the benefits of the digital dividend to include more choice, fresh competition and technological innovation."

The regulator said it has identified several potential uses for the latest spectrum windfall -- which it believes will add £5bn to £10bn to the UK economy over a 20-year period -- including high-speed mobile broadband, mobile TV and local TV stations.

Via BusinessWeek

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.

Tiscali Ranks Highest

Tiscali ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction among eight of the leading broadband Internet service providers (ISPs) in the UK, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 UK Broadband Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study.

“The 2007 study finds that call waiting times continue to increase when customers contact their ISP, with customers now waiting an average of 17 minutes before initially speaking with a representative,” said Caspar Tearle, director of service industries research at J.D. Power and Associates.

Related Links:
> BT comes last for broadband satisfaction ZDNet UK
> Tiscali tops satisfaction survey IT PRO

> Computer Business Review - IT Week - BBC News

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)

UK Broadband Market - Introduction

Background: Broadband is the technology that allows ‘always on’ access to electronic communications at much faster speeds than have been available with traditional ‘dial-up’ internet connections.

Broadband has been seen as a vital component of the ‘knowledge economy’ that the Government has emphasised so strongly, and is also seen as a driver of economic growth and competitiveness.

In its written submission, the DTI cites evidence that suggests that the use of broadband could result in productivity savings of £3.5 billion and £1.2 billion cost savings for SMEs in Britain.

For businesses, broadband can transform the relationship between a company’s employees, and between a company and its suppliers or customers. For domestic users, broadband opens up a range of leisure possibilities such as on-line gaming, and film and music downloads. It also allows easier on-line shopping/banking and has the potential to enable access to information.

The Government has set targets for both the competitiveness and the extensiveness of the UK broadband market. However, in the short term there may be a trade-off, focussing on rolling out broadband may be at the expense of competition.

For take-up of broadband to rise in the UK, potential users need to be convinced of the benefits that they can gain from it. This will require a continued increase in the quality of the goods, services and products.

Content cannot be entirely separated from infrastructure matters and, to ensure that this content continues to develop, the speeds that constitute broadband will have to steadily improve as well.

The Government’s role is to facilitate the roll-out of broadband so that it is available to those who can benefit and to make certain that the regulatory framework ensures that commercial decisions by private companies are aligned with the wider economic and social needs of the country.

> Source: Trade & Industry Committee, UK BB Market, 2nd Report of Session 2003-2004.