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BT under pressure to sort out super-slow broadband installations
We all want super-fast internet in our homes, but for many people that's borderline impossible, because there's no fibre optic infrastructure in their area. When they're told that a connection is finally available, it can also feel like forever before engineers set up the line. If you've ever been in a similar situation, then you might be interested in Ofcom's latest proposals. The regulator is considering new rules that would force Openreach, a BT-owned division that manages UK broadband connections, to react faster to new "leased line" orders from business customers (which includes internet service providers).
Virgin Media blames TV rights auction for rising Sky Sports prices
Virgin Media is still trying to persuade Ofcom to change the way Premier League TV rights are auctioned in the UK. The company filed a complaint with the regulator last September, complaining that the current system -- a limited number of match "bundles" which broadcasters bid for every few years -- is leading to higher prices for the consumer. Ofcom said it would look into the matter, but failed to draw any conclusions before the most recent TV rights auction finished earlier this year. The rivalry between Sky and BT meant that bidding increased to a record £5.1 billion -- £4.2 billion of which was spent by Sky. Now, Virgin Media is telling its TV customers that they'll soon need to pay more for Sky Sports and Sky Movies. From June 1st, these extras will go up by £2 per month and 50p per month respectively, due to increases in the amounts Sky is charging Virgin Media.
UK carriers graciously agree to £100 bill cap for lost and stolen phones
A lost or stolen mobile is bad enough, but things can get considerably worse if whoever picks it up sticks you with a mammoth bill for good measure. Smartphone kill switches or a simple screen lock can save you from such injustice, but hindsight isn't much comfort when your phone's already MIA. That's why all of the UK's major carriers have agreed to a new £100 "liability cap" that could protect you from the worst-case scenario of no phone, huge bill. The "voluntary agreement" -- drafted with government guidance and signed by EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and MVNO Virgin Media -- does come with fine print attached, however. You'll only be eligible for the liability cap, which limits your maximum outlay to £100, if you report your phone lost or stolen to your carrier and the police within 24 hours of it going missing. Contacting your mobile network so they can freeze your account should be top of your to-do list anyway, but is this added level of consumer protection really as awesome as everyone involved would have us believe?
Sky and TalkTalk are itching for Ofcom to break up BT and Openreach
Back in 2006, Ofcom forced BT to set up Openreach, a separate division that manages its network infrastructure across the UK. The agreement struck between the pair was designed to give rival telephone and internet service providers (ISPs) equal access to BT's wide-reaching network of copper and fibre cables, promoting much-needed competition and, as a result, lower prices and better services for the consumer. Now, Sky and TalkTalk are urging Ofcom to split up BT and Openreach once and for all.
Plans are afoot to boost the number of local DAB radio stations in the UK
DAB radio was originally sold as the natural successor to AM and FM radio in the UK, providing better audio quality, easier tuning and extra station information. It's been a mixed bag though, with patchy coverage and many radio stations broadcasting in low bit-rates. The problem partly lies in the UK's infrastructure -- the existing transmitters and data streams lack the capacity to offer so many stations at a higher audio quality. The first commercial, national "multiplex" for DAB radio is already full and while a second is in the works, Ofcom wants to explore how service can be improved at the local level. It goes beyond the UK government's promise to part-fund new transmitters by 2016.
Ofcom declares unused TV spectrum open for business
The switchover to digital delivery of terrestrial TV completed in the UK several years ago, but even before analogue signals were put fully to rest, airwaves regulator Ofcom was thinking about potential uses for these newly liberated slices of spectrum, known as TV white spaces. Ofcom and partners have been conducting tech trials ever since, the most recent of which hooked a few of London Zoo's cutest attractions up with webcams that broadcast over white space frequencies (the streams are still live, by the way). And, with lessons learnt and successes counted, Ofcom has today formally approved TV white space technologies for use. That's not to say Ofcom's done playing its part, though, as it now has the job of managing the airwaves and telling devices how to behave. Regulators gotta regulate, you know?
Virgin Media fails to stop the Premier League's next TV rights auction
Virgin Media really doesn't like the way Premier League TV rights are auctioned in the UK. It's already filed a complaint with Ofcom, which argued that the skyrocketing bids from Sky and BT, coupled with the low number of televised fixtures, is having a knock-on effect for the consumer. In addition, it says it's restricting real competition in the TV market, which only exasperates the problem. Ofcom agreed to look into the matter, but was that good enough for Virgin Media? Not quite. You see, the Premier League is thought to be pushing ahead with its next TV rights auction, which means Ofcom probably won't make a decision until after it's all been tied up. The new bidding is for the 2016-19 seasons, so the concern was that any Ofcom ruling wouldn't take effect for four years. Virgin Media has therefore pushed the regulator to take "interim measures" that would put the auction on hold.
Sky and Virgin Media have a lot to say about how much sport should be on TV
There's never been more sport for Brits to watch on TV. That should be cause for celebration, but there's a problem: broadcasters are fighting for the rights to show different leagues and tournaments, which is locking sports away behind different satellite and internet TV services. Want to watch every Premier League fixture? You'll have to fork out for both BT Sport and Sky Sports, or make do with the highlights on Match of the Day. There's even talk of the rugby Six Nations competition going pay TV only.
UK carriers agree £5 billion coverage improvements to avoid 'national roaming'
Ever since the notion of national roaming first appeared back in June, the UK government and the four major mobile operators have fought over how best to rid Britain of so-called "not-spots." Culture Secretary Sajid Javid wanted to implement a system where customers would be able to switch to an alternative network if their own wasn't available, but carriers argued that it would slow network expansions in rural areas, push up investment costs and potentially pass on that cost to subscribers. However, after months of talks, there's finally some good news to report -- plans for national roaming have now been scrapped, after EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three vowed to pump £5 billion into the UK's mobile infrastructure.
Fewer Brits are using social media, but those who do can't put down their phone
While you might access your Facebook feed or Twitter timeline numerous times a day, as a general rule, social media use in Britain has actually fallen over the last year. In a new research report, UK regulator Ofcom found that the number of people signing on to their favourite social networking sites each week dropped from 65 percent in September 2013 to 56 percent in October 2014. In fact, the UK saw the biggest drop across the nine countries compared in Ofcom's study, which polled 9,000 people across the US, Japan, China and most of the big European nations. As part of its research, the watchdog looked into how Britain ranks against other countries in terms of communication, which includes how many people access social media services, how often they log on and what they want from them. Unsurprisingly, it's the younger users that are driving social in the UK and they're using smartphones to get their fix. According to Ofcom, almost three-quarters of 18 to 24 year-olds used social networks at least once a week, while only just under half of 55 to 64 year-olds did the same (the second biggest difference between age groups in Europe). Those younger users have also helped the UK remain second only to the US for most active mobile social networkers: 40 percent of internet users admitted they open social apps on their phone every day, matching last year's figures. Overall, 64 percent of internet users accessed social networks using their mobile, while 62 percent of respondents admitted they did so on their desktop. But what sites are they accessing? Facebook leads the pack by a significant margin, with 68 percent reach, followed by Twitter's 25 percent share and LinkedIn and Google+ trailing slightly behind with 20 percent.
Brits double their broadband data usage, but speeds are still an issue
Broadband usage is soaring in the UK, but the companies piping it into our homes are still playing catch-up. That's according to Ofcom, which looked into the state of connections across Britain. So how does it all break down? For a start, the average household now uses around 58GB each month (including downloads and uploads), almost double the 30GB of data Brits were moving last year. That increase may have been helped, in part, by an increase in connection speeds. According to the regulator, the UK's average has increased from 18 Mbps to 23 Mbps over the last 12 months. However, that isn't the case for everyone; many Brits are still struggling to get a decent connection in their home.
Ofcom's opening up more spectrum to cope with UK mobile data demands
While Ofcom is busy soliciting opinion on whether it should open up more 4G spectrum to carriers, it's already taking the necessary steps to ease mobile data congestion in the UK. The regulator today announced that it will open up the 700 MHz spectrum, allowing mobile networks to enhance their data services for lower cost. With its longer wavelength, the 700 MHz band is particularly well suited for data. It can travel longer distances without degrading but also penetrate further into buildings, meaning it's useful in both rural and urban environments. It also helps that the UK isn't alone in wanting to utilise the frequency, with France, Sweden and Finland all announcing plans to use band. Ofcom plans to make spectrum available by 2022, but will first need to reallocate digital TV and wireless event communication signals to let carriers tap it for mobile broadband. Luckily, you won't need to do anything until 2019 at the very latest, and even then you'll probably only need to retune your television.
Ofcom's first 4G survey shows that speed isn't everything
All of Britain's major mobile networks have been offering 4G for a while now, but because all have their own infrastructure, speeds and coverage can vary wildly. Each carrier is quick to boast their own statistics, but thanks to Ofcom's first ever 4G research report (which tested networks in five of the biggest UK cities) we're finally able to separate fact from fiction. EE and O2 took first and second place in the all-important average download speed test, reaching 18.4Mbps and 15.6Mbps respectively, while Three claimed victory for the time needed to load a simple webpage. The carrier, which was originally a 3G-only operator and the last to offer its customers 4G connectivity, also took the gold medal for latency, which is crucial for video calls and apps that require fast response times.
National roaming: why mobile operators are fighting the UK government
The concept of national roaming first appeared back in June, when Culture Secretary Sajid Javid began advocating a system that would allow UK mobiles to switch networks in places where the carrier they're supposed to be on offers no signal. The idea is to rid Britain of so-called mobile "not-spots," rural areas where populations are small and coverage is minimal, by coercing the major carriers to share their networks with each other. The government recently launched a consultation to explore ways it can achieve this goal. Operators, however, have been vociferous in their opposition to the plans. What's their excuse?
Ofcom to expand 4G in the UK with new spectrum auction next year
The UK's four main carriers may steadily be building up their 4G coverage, but regulators don't want to leave the future of Britain's superfast networks to chance. UK communications regulator Ofcom today announced that it intends to auction more 4G spectrum late next year (or early 2016), giving operators to opportunity to expand their LTE networks with more high data capacity spectrum. It expects to raise between £50 and £70 million from the sale, which will then line the pockets of the government.
London Zoo's otters now livestreaming to YouTube using leftover TV signals
Like most residents of The Smoke, you probably don't visit tourist attractions like London Zoo unless out-of-towners (or your sprogs) require entertaining. Now, though, you don't even need make the trip to Regent's Park to gawk at some of the zoo's cutest critters, with new livestreams that send footage from several enclosures straight to the screen in your bleak office cubicle. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has teamed up with Google to make this so, in a two-month trial that's testing video broadcasting over TV white spaces (vacant frequencies in the TV spectrum). Live footage from the meerkat, otter and Galapagos tortoise enclosures is being sent over these idle frequencies to a central location, which forwards them on to YouTube (streams embedded after the break). This isn't just so you've got something to stare at during your 15-minute sandwich break, though, as the main aim of the trial is to figure out how white space transmissions could be used by conservationists out in the field.
Ofcom slaps Three with a £250,000 fine for failing to handle customer complaints
While Three is currently the UK's fastest-growing network, it certainly can't rest on its laurels. In fact, it's just been given a sharp wake-up call, after Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, handed the carrier a £250,000 fine over its inadequate handling of customer grievances. According to the watchdog, Three closed complaints before they were fully resolved and was guilty of not logging complaint calls from customers when it should have done. While it now has to hand over a cool quarter of a million to appease Ofcom (which is then absorbed by the Treasury), Three has apparently sorted out its internal processes and is now compliant with regulations -- good news if you enjoy the carrier's unlimited tariffs but weren't so impressed by its customer service.
Three reminds Vodafone patrons they can still cancel their contracts for free
Vodafone decided in May to tell everyone it was committed to never increasing prices mid-contract, and Three was quick to highlight its identical policy -- one that's shared across the industry thanks to Ofcom regulations that state any customer can ditch their contract without penalty should pricing go up during the term. Vodafone then announced that same month it would be upping the cost of charges incurred when going above your monthly allowance of calls, texts and data. While the increases don't technically affect monthly contract pricing, they still meet the Ofcom criteria thats allows customers to exit their contract scot-free. And, with the new overage charges coming into effect on June 28th, anyone that wants to take advantage of the easy out needs to tell Vodafone they're leaving within the next few days.
Ofcom makes switching fibre broadband suppliers cheaper and easier
From July 1st, it could become a whole lot easier for you to switch between superfast broadband suppliers. After setting out its original guidance back in May, communications regulator Ofcom has gained approval from the European Commission to set new targets for BT. Currently, if you switch from one fibre-optic provider to another, Openreach (the company that controls BT's phone and broadband infrastructure) will enforce a £50 connection fee against your new ISP, which can be passed down to you. Ofcom's new rules will cut that wholesale fee down to just £11, shielding you from that value-added cost and allowing new companies to launch their own superfast services for less. Ofcom has also slashed the minimum-term contract between BT and ISPs from one year to just one month, and will force BT to fix line errors within two working days of you notifying them, if weather permits. Those small changes could make a big difference, especially if you're looking for a cheaper short-term broadband supplier.
Ofcom considers slashing fees for fibre broadband switchers
Under new rules put forward by UK communications regulator Ofcom, switching between superfast broadband suppliers could soon become a whole lot cheaper. Currently, if you switch from one fibre-optic provider to another, Openreach (the company that controls BT's phone and broadband infrastructure) will levy a £50 connection fee against your new ISP, which is sometimes passed down to you. Ofcom's new guidance will cut that wholesale fee down to just £11, possibly saving you money and promoting competition by making it easier for new companies to launch their own superfast services. That's just one of many new regulations being put forward to the European Commission. The watchdog also intends to reduce the minimum-term contract for ISPs from one year to just one month (passing subscription benefits to consumers) and wants to force BT to fix phone and broadband issues within two days, but only when weather permits. All of today's regulations will now be sent to the European Commission for review, and we should see the final decision arrive sometime in June.
