September 6th, 2009 | Broadband
If you are one of the people who enjoy the Internet and uses it at work and home, you might be surprised to know that about one-third of adults in the UK do not have Internet access at home. In a recent survey by Ofcom, researchers found that some people believed they were too old to learn how to use the Internet; in fact, many people just didn’t feel they needed Internet access. Additionally, many said they were completely disinterested in using the Internet at all. Of those surveyed who were happy without the Internet, most were retired, and many had never even used a computer before. Nevertheless, about 20% of those who are not connected now expect to join the computer generation in the next six months.
While the January interim report from Digital Britain established universal broadband access as a key priority, the government has not found a way to guarantee universal free or low-cost high-speed services. For many people, having broadband service that is fast, reliable and affordable is a major requirement that isn’t always met. For people contemplating getting Internet service, it is important to learn what service is available in their area. There are many different Internet providers with different price plans and options. Many people start the process with their phone companies, but many cable and mobile companies offer service, as well. For the best broadband deals, look online, speak with friends who already have broadband at home, and contact a number of mobile and phone companies.
September 3rd, 2009 | Broadband Providers, Mobile Broadband
According to telecommunications giant Ericsson, more than 4 billion people worldwide will have mobile broadband by 2011. This rapid expansion means there is constant demand to increase access speeds to accommodate more users and multiple applications. One way broadband providers compete for customers is to offer better speeds. However, researchers have found that such promised speeds don’t actually exist. In the UK, the average actual mobile-broadband download speed is rated at 0.9Mbps (millions of bits per second or megabits per second; a measure of bandwidth). This, however, is but one-fourth the rate promised by most broadband providers, according to a June 2009 report by the Epitiro research group. The average advertised speed promised by UK providers was 3.6Mbps.
An upcoming report by Digital Britain is expected to recommend to the government that all of the UK be provided with a minimum mobile broadband speed of 2Mbps. Epitiro surveyed some 1,300 UK mobile-broadband users for activities such as Web surfing, downloading, video streaming, VoIP calling, and online gaming. The providers included O2, 3, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Media and Vodafone. Although the current top advertised mobile broadband speed is “up to 8Mbps”, this is actually available only in large cities and airports with 3G coverage. Nevertheless, speed is a crucial factor, with some providers reportedly testing new top speeds in excess of 14.4Mbps. Meanwhile, the speediest 20 providers tested by Epitiro were rated at 1.8Mbps – which dropped to about 1.4Mbps during the peak evening hours from six to midnight.
August 31st, 2009 | Broadband Comparison, Broadband Deals, Broadband Providers
In layman terms, for people who want Internet access at home there are basically two ways to get it: dial-up and broadband. The main differences are cost and speed. With dial-up service, the Internet moves slowly over your phone line. When you are using the Internet, you can’t speak on the phone. Plus, when you are waiting for an Internet page to connect or for a download to begin, you are paying for it through your phone bill. With broadband, you get faster Internet and you can use the phone at the same time you are using the Internet. If you have tried to phone home while your kids were online, you know what a benefit this is. With most broadband packages, you have unlimited downloads and unlimited usage, so if your kids are downloading games and chatting online with friends, you are paying just one price for both services.
Today, most people receiving Internet service for the first time choose broadband. It’s faster, and with prices being what they are (the cheapest rates are just £5 a month for unlimited Internet access), it makes sense. There are over 100 broadband packages, so it is important to compare features and get the service that best suits you and your family. Some packages include free, unlimited UK phone calls; some provide a wireless router, which is great if you use a laptop at home or more than one computer. Some offer speeds of up to 8Mbps, while some offer up to 24Mbps. With so many options to choose from, call your phone company to check out their best deals or search online under ‘broadband comparison’.
August 28th, 2009 | Broadband Deals, Broadband Providers, Broadband Reviews
TalkTalk entered the fixed-line broadband market as a relative latecomer in 2003, but, since then it has become a leader in its field. It experienced a few minor setbacks along the way (such as when it offered free broadband as an introductory come-on and couldn’t keep up with the flood of interest), but it seems to have settled down in its comfortable position as an industry leader. TalkTalk offers competitive prices for its broadband deals, as any decent broadband comparison will show. Their deals include packages for telephone usage and broadband/ADSL, and TalkTalk’s TurboBoost broadband is one of the best and fastest ADSL hook-ups available.
TalkTalk is a subsidiary of Carphone Warehouse and in the six short years since it entered the broadband market, the company has amassed close to 3 million customers in the UK. This makes it the third-largest broadband provider in the UK, with only Virgin Media and BT ahead of it in subscriptions. (Incidentally, Carphone Warehouse also owns AOL and Tiscali, which technically makes it even bigger than BT and Virgin Media.) TalkTalk’s speedy packages are attractive and most of their customers are connected via an ‘unbundled’ telephone exchange, which means they enjoy better broadband speeds. With the TurboBoost package, TalkTalk customers can now take advantage of even more speed, more download capacity, more call time, and extra minutes on their mobiles. Packages like this – which cost £6.49 a month plus another £4 for the ‘boost’ – are why TalkTalk has reached the Top Three and plans to stay there for the duration.
August 25th, 2009 | Broadband Deals, Broadband Providers, Broadband Reviews
If you’re looking for a company with a solid reputation in the areas of technical support and customer service, O2 may be just what you have in mind. The company is making major inroads in the fixed-line broadband market, offering competitive pricing within the framework of attractive package deals. And if it’s speed you’re interested in, O2 will test your speed after installation to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.
The company’s reputation was built on its impressive mobile phone network, but it quickly shot to the top of the ADSL/fixed-line broadband market when it entered the fray two years ago. O2 offers mobile broadband, as well, and it has built up a user base of close to a half a million satisfied customers in the short time that it has been in the broadband business. More and more customers are choosing to use O2’s wireless router in their homes for convenience and ease. The company’s free and professional customer support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Although O2’s product list is still on the small side – compared to some of the other giants who have been in the ADSL/broadband market longer – it is growing every day in its attempt to play catch-up and reach the one-million-customer mark by next year. Many of the company’s customers register for an O2 package that includes a mobile phone, mobile broadband and fixed-line broadband, with deals that are hard to resist. For instance, if you sign up for O2’s Premium or Pro packages, you can get the first three months of service for free.
August 21st, 2009 | Broadband, Broadband Comparison, Broadband Deals
In the UK, the government has pledged that by the year 2010, all of its households will have the opportunity to connect to the Internet with a broadband speed of 2 Mbps, which is certainly better than the 56K dial-up speed that some people might still be suffering from. But what about others who need something better, something faster? Many sites on the Internet, such as ThinkBroadband.com, are devoted to providing data to inform Internet users of what services and speed various broadband providers can offer. As of this writing, they have a listing of 60 different providers, with ratings, that potential customers can use in determining which company will be able to provide them with what they need.
Although some companies do offer a super-fast broadband connection of 24 Mbps, this is possible only if all circumstances are ideal, such as if your wiring is in mint condition and you don’t live too far from the telephone exchanges of the UK hotspots. When an offer proclaims, “up to 24 Mbps”, what you get in reality could be 15 Mbps, or even less. As of this writing, the fastest broadband speed available in the UK is 50 Mbps, although internationally there are countries that are able to access speeds of 100 Mbps. Your best bet, as far as finding a provider that offers high speed broadband access, is to search the Internet for those sites; for example, broadband finder has done the work of gathering data regarding the many Internet service providers and allows you to compare prices, speeds and service to find the deal that’s the best for you.
August 18th, 2009 | Broadband Equipment, Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is a type of high-speed Internet access used by portable or wireless devices, such as laptop computers, cellphones, USB modems, or other devices using portable modems, including satellite systems. The rapid expansion of broadband use (up to some 400% to more than 60 million users in the US since 2003) has led telecommunications manufacturers to develop international standards. In 2002, the Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers approved the international Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Working Group for this purpose. The goal is to enable worldwide, affordable broadband all the time for private and business users.
Last year in the UK, Digital Britain (established to promote broadband expansion), recommended that the government introduce 100% broadband coverage by 2012. Extending broadband coverage is vital for undeveloped countries, as research has found a direct link between mobile broadband access to information and services and economic development. Improved access to information via broadband also benefits school systems, health care, and government services. To cite just one example, mobile broadband is helping a village health project in Rwanda, where a doctor can consult colleagues on the Internet about which medicines to prescribe.
Broadband just keeps on growing: According to telecommunications giant Ericsson, more than 4 billion people worldwide will have mobile broadband subscriptions by 2011. This is directly related to development, as a 2007 report by the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) found that economic growth was boosted by 1.2 percent for every 10% rise in mobile broadband users.
August 13th, 2009 | Broadband, Broadband Providers, Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband providers in the UK are fiercely competitive and all claim to be the best. This brief survey of the top 5 mobile UK broadband providers reflects the latest industry survey at the beginning of June 2009. All providers offer similar packages ranging in price from £10 to £20, depending on features and length of contract. A performance survey by P3 Solutions during the first quarter of 2009 named T-Mobile Broadband for the third time as the leader for its e-mail reliability, quick uploading speed, and fast Web browsing ability. A similar survey by YouGov ranked T-Mobile first in six categories of customer satisfaction, including network coverage (all broadband users note that service outside 3G areas is slower than dial-up).
Sharing second place were Vodafone Small Business, voted Best Wireless ISP by industry peers at the 2008 UK Internet Industry Awards, and Vodafone. The former offers a free USB modem stick as a deal sweetener, while the latter provides a Dell Inspiron mini notebook. O2 Mobile Broadband was rated third, but customers said that its service staff was reasonable and easy to reach.
Fourth-ranked 3 Mobile Broadband tries to entice customers with a free USB modem, but users report slowdowns when apparently too many people log on at the same time, suggesting a lack of network capacity. Users also complain about poor customer support. Some of fifth-ranked Orange Mobile Broadband’s customers who use laptops report having to reboot in order to activate their USB dongle connection.
August 11th, 2009 | Broadband Deals, Broadband Equipment, Broadband Providers
Today in the UK, there are over 100 broadband packages available from dozens of Internet service providers (ISPs). These ISPs offer a number of options, besides low price and fast speed. Some plans come with free security software, some provide unlimited free phone calls within the UK, some provide a free modem or a free router, and some even offer a free laptop.
Choosing the right broadband provider is often just a question of choosing the right broadband plan. Of course, it is a good idea to speak with neighbours and friends to make sure the companies you are thinking about using offer good service in your area. Also, it is a good idea to learn what extras are offered and to think clearly about which ones you would like. If free phone calls are important, you can look for a plan that offers that. If you will be doing a lot of downloading, you will want faster speed. If you have more than one computer at home, you will want a router so that both computers can be online at the same time.
Once you know what service you need, look online for broadband comparison sites. They will give you the latest deals and can help you make an informed decision. If you are looking for a package with a free router, Pipex, AOL, O2, TalkTalk, Virgin Broadband, and BT all offer plans that include a free router.
August 7th, 2009 | Broadband Providers, Broadband Reviews
The broadband provider that all others are compared to (for better or for worse), is America Online (AOL) – a mega-provider in the UK and around the world. When it comes to fixed-line broadband, AOL is a standard-setter, though many claim it has gotten a bit too big for its britches (a theory that is widely argued). AOL Broadband set the bar when it became the first Internet provider to offer a wireless router as part of its standard package, and its software and other products remain easy to use and simple to install, a big plus in this complex industry.
The one major downside to AOL service is its customer service and technical support. There are no toll-free numbers, nor is service available 24/7, as it is for many other (smaller) broadband providers in the UK. For business broadband users, this isn’t the end of the world (as AOL’s service lines adhere to business hours); for home users in the UK, this can be something of a drawback. Other than the service caveat, however, AOL packages are unparalleled, and even their most basic deals include anti-virus software, spam filters, parent-control functions, and pop-up blockers. AOL has been in business for almost 25 years (launching in the US at first) and its pricing remains competitive and attractive. AOL UK was bought by Carphone Warehouse a few years back, and that company also acquired Tiscali and TalkTalk along the way. AOL’s customers (over 1.7 million in the UK) are a satisfied lot, taking advantage of all this broadband superstar has to offer.