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UK phone masts attacked over bogus 5G coronavirus conspiracies
Unfounded beliefs about 5G are leading to real damage to the UK's telecom network. People have torched cellular towers in multiple parts of the country in attacks possibly linked to debunked conspiracy theories claiming that 5G masts could play a role in spreading COVID-19. On top of this, telecom engineers have been facing verbal and even physical threats for supposedly putting lives at risk by installing 5G infrastructure.
UK internet providers will lift data caps during COVID-19 pandemic
The UK is echoing others in lifting internet restrictions to keep people online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Major telecoms like BT/EE, Openreach and Virgin Media have struck an agreement that will remove "all" data caps on current landline broadband services. Mobile and fixed providers also have to offer "generous" new packages to help people stay connected (particularly the vulnerable), such as data boosts at lower prices and free calls.
Google Stadia is being bundled with BT broadband packages in the UK
Google has partnered with BT, one of the UK's largest internet service providers, to get its video game streaming service in more homes. Starting today, anyone that signs up for a Superfast Fibre 2, Ultrafast Fibre 100 or Ultrafast Fibre 250 package will receive a free Google Stadia Premiere Edition. If you need a refresher, that includes a 'Clearly White' Stadia controller, black Chromecast Ultra, and three months of Stadia Pro, a subscription service that lets you stream a bunch of different games including Destiny 2 in up to 4K resolution and 5.1 surround sound. For reference, the Premiere Edition normally costs £119 in the Google Store.
UK plans to ban sales of locked mobile phones
The UK's communications regulator is proposing a rule to ban carriers from selling phones that are tied to their networks. O2, Sky, Three, Virgin Mobile and some smaller carriers already offer unlocked phones, but Ofcom wants the likes of BT Mobile/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone to do the same. It's also seeking better clarity for customers about whether their handset is locked.
An algorithm is attempting to block drug deals at UK WiFi kiosks
The InLink kiosks installed throughout the UK were meant to replace payphones and provide free calls, ultra-fast WiFi and phone charging. But it wasn't long before they became a hotbed for drug dealing. Rather than do away with the free phone service, British telecom company BT and InLinkUK developed an algorithm to automatically block and disable "antisocial" calls.
Apple may enlist UK telecom giant BT to jumpstart its TV strategy
Apple has been laying the groundwork for its entry into TV services for a while. Now, however, it might recruit one of the UK's largest telecoms to help out. The Daily Telegraph sources have claimed that Apple is in "early discussions" with BT to distribute Apple TV devices to EE broadband customers. Each media hub would come pre-loaded with apps for BT Sport and third-party channels. Apple and BT have both declined to comment, but there are reasons why an alliance would make sense.
UK broadcasters urge the government to create a social media watchdog
A smorgasbord of TV broadcasters, mobile network and internet service providers has urged the UK government to strengthen its oversight of social media companies. In a letter to The Sunday Telegraph, executives from the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, as well as Sky, BT and TalkTalk, called for a new, independent regulator to help tackle fake news, child exploitation, harassment and other growing issues online. "We do not think it is realistic or appropriate to expect internet and social media companies to make all the judgment calls about what content is and is not acceptable, without any independent oversight," the collective wrote.
New rules are killing deceptive broadband ads in the UK
Nearly every telecom in the UK has reduced advertised broadband speeds thanks to new rules, according to consumer watchdog Which?. Until recently, telecoms were allowed to brag about peak speeds that were available to only one in ten users. Last year, however, the Advertising Standards Association (ASA) ordered them to show average speeds available to half of all customers at peak hours. As a result, the cheapest packages now show speeds of 10 or 11 Mbps, rather than "up to 17 Mbps" -- a 41 percent drop.
34 major tech companies are uniting to fight cyberattacks
Cyberattacks are a global issue that can cause havoc regardless of who's involved, and key members of the tech industry are uniting in a bid to fight these attacks. A group of 34 companies has signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, an agreement promising to defend customers around the world from hacks regardless of where they take place or who the perpetrator might be. They're promising to boost defenses for customers (including users' capacity to defend themselves), establish more partnerships to share threats and vulnerabilities, and -- importantly -- refuse to assist governments in launching cyberattacks.
Facebook has big plans to bring internet to more people in rural areas
Over the past few years, Facebook has been rolling out several initiatives to bring free and cost-reducing internet to people in underdeveloped areas all around the world. That includes things like Terragraph, a millimeter-wave wireless technology that not only serves connectivity but does so in speedy form -- it runs on the same frequency as the one being tested by operators for proposed 5G cellular networks. Then there are others such as the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), a collaboration between tech industry firms to accelerate the development of internet infrastructure in rural areas. OpenCellular, meanwhile, is a low-power base station optimized for underserved regions across the globe. In order for all of these projects to be successful, though, Facebook can't do it alone.
Amazon set to bid for Premier League streaming rights
When the English Football Association opens the bidding for Premier League broadcasting rights in February, it may see keen interest from a significant but not-so-unexpected source: Amazon. Bloomberg reports that the online retailer is preparing to bid for matches next month, likely providing traditional UK broadcasters Sky and BT with some much-needed competition over the next three years.
Three and EE lose High Court fight over 5G spectrum auction
Ofcom has fended off two legal challenges that threatened to delay the UK's next mobile spectrum auction. Three and BT-owned EE had filed separate complaints over a proposed bidding war that was scheduled to take place later this year. Three argues that Ofcom should be stricter with its spectrum caps, limiting EE's spending power and potential allocation, while BT believes that there should be no restrictions whatsoever. The High Court disagreed with both today, believing that Ofcom had done its homework and properly modelled how different caps would affect the outcome of the bid and, subsequently, consumer choice in the UK.
The UK decides 10 Mbps broadband should be a legal right
Over the past decade, the UK government has attempted to lock in a basic level of broadband service across Britain. The idea is that by 2020, members of the public will have the legal right to request speeds of at least 10 Mbps from their ISP, whether they happen to live in a big city or in the countryside. It's all part of the government's Universal Service Obligation (USO), which was laid out in the Digital Economy Act passed earlier this year. Ministers originally considered adopting BT's voluntary offer, which would have seen it spend up to £600 million giving 1.4 million rural residents access to speeds of at least 10 Mbps. However, in a statement today, the government confirmed that it now will go down the regulatory route as it provides "sufficient certainty and the legal enforceability that is required to ensure high speed broadband access for the whole of the UK by 2020."
Sky and BT agree to share their top TV channels
After years of "on and off" negotiations, BT and Sky have agreed to share their most popular TV channels. The deal means that Sky's Now TV streaming service will soon be available on BT's set-top box. BT will sell the various passes directly to consumers — so if you subscribe to both, you won't have to worry about separate bills anymore. On the flip-side, BT has agreed to give Sky "wholesale supply" of BT Sport. It will allow Sky to sell these channels standalone or as part of larger Sky TV packages. BT Sport will also be available on Sky Go and Now TV's Roku-in-disguise boxes.
UK ISPs will automatically compensate customers for shoddy service
A poor level of customer service shown by your broadband or landline provider is like a late train. You know you could probably argue your way into some nominal refund, but it just seems more trouble than it's worth. The issue with that is there's no incentive to ensure the train runs on time, so earlier this year, Ofcom floated the idea that telecoms providers should compensate customers for poor service automatically, no complaints necessary. Today the regulator announced that BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet -- which cover 90 percent of broadband and landline customers between them -- have "agreed" to be part of such a scheme.
BT is increasing its broadband prices in January, again
It's far from unusual for the cost of subscription services, from Netflix to your mobile tariff, to increase from time to time, particularly to reflect inflation. BT doesn't seem too concerned with what's usual, though. After increasing prices in July last year, and again this past April, BT has said the next round of hikes will go into effect on January 7th, 2018. That's three price rises in just 18 months.
BT is slashing the price of line rental for landline-only customers
A BT landline costs £19 per month, and that's without any kind of free calls package added on top. The cost is easy to ignore when it's absorbed into a TV and broadband package for £38.49 per month, but customers that only have a landline end up paying over half that price for just the one, essential utility. From April 2018, however, landline-only customers on BT -- of which there are around a million -- will start paying just £12 per month for line rental. That £7 per month price cut equates to a saving of £84 per year, and you can thank telecoms regulator Ofcom for that.
EE says it'll also sue Ofcom to mould 5G spectrum auction as it sees fit
It seems a couple of UK carriers would rather tie the impending 5G spectrum auction up in litigation than let any of their competitors get their own way. Following in the footsteps of Three, EE's now threatening its own legal challenge against Ofcom in an attempt to get the regulator to release more spectrum earmarked for 5G services this time around, rather than holding separate auctions for different slices of the airwaves further down the road.
BT to remove half of the UK's remaining telephone boxes
With the majority of Britons now carrying a smartphone in their pocket, demand for static, boring telephone boxes has dwindled. A small number of them have been repurposed, turned into tiny offices, WiFi hotspots and charging kiosks, but many of them remain derelict. This week, BT announced that it will do something about that, confirming that it will remove half of the UK's remaining telephone boxes in order to focus on the units that people actually use.
BT Sport will air Gfinity esports, just like BBC Three
Gfinity is on a roll. The British esports organiser has partnered with BT Sport to broadcast its Elite Series tournament in the UK. The company inked a near-identical deal with BBC Three last week, ensuring the high-stakes competition — which spans Street Fighter V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rocket League — is shown live on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. BT will be covering the action on BT Sport 3, starting at 9:30pm tonight (August 1st). The partnership runs until September 3rd, when the finals wrap up at Gfinity's glitzy esports arena in London.
