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The majority of Brits are disabling government-backed porn filters
Don't be too shocked, but the UK government's porn filter isn't proving very popular. A new report from communications regulator Ofcom reveals that just one in every seven customers are letting the big four UK ISPs guard them from porn and other online nasties. While tiny minorities of users at Virgin Media (four percent), BT (five percent) and Sky (eight percent) opted to keep the filter, TalkTalk ranked as a significant outlier: it reports that 36 percent of customers enabled the government-mandated filters on their home router. TalkTalk puts it down to the fact it pre-ticks the selection box, meaning more customers are likely to keep the option enabled on their account.
ISPs will send warning letters to illegal downloaders from next year
If you're suspected of naughtily downloading copyrighted content, then expect the most savage of punishments: a letter asking you to stop. BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk have signed a deal with the music and movie industries whereby the ISPs will send out "educational" missives to pirates from next year. The deal is the culmination of four years of negotiation between the big four and the lobby groups, the latter of which wanted much stronger action and access to a database of serial torrenters. Thankfully, the internet companies won out, so the odd letter asking you to re-think your ways is the only thing you've got to deal with... for now.
Sky and TalkTalk join forces against BT for faster fibre-optic broadband
If you're a broadband provider like Sky or TalkTalk, one of the only ways you can get around using BT's infrastructure is to build your own. That's exactly what the two companies are intent on doing, after it was announced today that they'll be teaming up to provide faster fibre-optic connections in a number of UK cities. With a little help from network provider CityFibre, they'll begin piping gigabit (1000 Mbps) broadband direct to homes and businesses in York, eliminating the need to rely on BT's Openreach, which serves 300 Mbps connections and means BT gets a cut of Sky and TalkTalk's cash. It's the latest in a number of smaller deals for Sky, after it signalled it would take on Virgin Media by delivering TV, broadband and landline services over fibre connections to some areas of the UK. But what does it mean for you? Well, if you live in a supported area of York, you'll be able to choose Sky or TalkTalk as your fibre-optic broadband supplier from 2015. If you don't reside in the historic city, there are plans to expand the fibre networks to two more cities across the UK. BT will continue to operate its own service regardless. Although Sky and TalkTalk will be partners in the new venture, they'll be competing for customers in those chosen markets, likely driving down the the cost of gigabit broadband in the process.
UK adult content filters inadvertently block online education and medical resources
We've all fallen victim to the pedantic e-mail filter that denies the existence of Scunthorpe and refuses to let you order Shiitake Mushrooms, but the situation just got a whole lot worse in the UK. The country's new nationwide adult content filter has been found to restrict access not just to smut, but also to online educational, medical and emergency resources. The list of "offending" sites runs from BishUK, a site to teach young people about relationships, all the way through to several women's crisis centers being blocked. In response to questions from the BBC, networks like BT and TalkTalk have pledged to make the necessary changes -- although some have questioned if it's right that ISPs have this much say in what parts of the internet are safe or not.
TalkTalk launches a SIM-only mobile plan that costs less than a London pint
With 4G prices keeping LTE in the "luxury goods" bracket for many British mobile users, TalkTalk is trying to hoover up the cost-conscious consumers on the bottom end. The TalkTalk Mobile "Small" plan offers 100 minutes, 250 texts and 100MB of data for just GBP3.50 a month -- with double data if you sign up online. The SIM-only deal (which uses Vodafone's network) requires a 12-month contract, making it cheaper than a beer in most reputable drinking establishments in the capital. Unless it's pound-a-pint night, of course, but in that case, you should be happy to get a round in.
YouView adds World TV Boosts for Afrikaans, Arabic and Japanese
YouView's catch-up programming has remained mostly UK-centric so far, but TalkTalk is adding some diversity with a trio of World TV Boosts. The new Arabic TV, JSTV and kykNET TV packs give viewers a combined 16 channels of Afrikaans, Arabic and Japanese content. While the Boosts aren't cheap at a minimum £10 ($15) per month, they could be vital for ex-pats who want to keep up with news and shows from their home countries.
Huawei runs David Cameron's preferred porn-filtering system, just FYI (updated)
Authorities in the UK have never had quite the same level of anxiety over Huawei that we've witnessed in the US, and they've so far been happy to let the Chinese firm get involved with numerous parts of the country's data infrastructure. As it turns out, the company's control even extends to the "Homesafe" filter used by internet service provider TalkTalk, which David Cameron recently praised during his push for tighter controls on adult content. The BBC discovered that UK-based Huawei employees are able to decide which sites are blocked on TalkTalk's service, and that even users who opt out of Homesafe have their internet usage data routed through Huawei's system. Whether or not this is an issue depends entirely on how much you trust reports of close ties between Huawei and the Chinese government, versus Huawei's claim that these concerns are based on anti-Chinese prejudice rather than evidence. From a purely practical point of view, however, if the mission is to block off huge swathes of the internet, why wouldn't you hire an expert? Update: A representative of Huawei has been in touch to provide the company's side of the story. He said that Huawei doesn't "run" the Homesafe system, but that the system is "supported by Huawei" without Huawei having control over it. He added that Huawei does not decide which sites are blocked, and that the final decision as to what filters are implemented rests with TalkTalk. Meanwhile, the BBC is apparently standing by its story, since it has issued no retraction.
Mobile Miscellany: week of May 27th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, a new addition to the LG L-Series surfaced in Russia, a Lumia 920 was sighted that'd make Oscar the Grouch flip, and TalkTalk added three new devices from Huawei to its roster. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of May 27th, 2013.
YouView reaches 400k UK households, promises Android app and internet channels soon
YouView, the relatively young set-top TV service has managed to establish itself in 400,000 houses, the company revealed today. Its CEO, Richard Halton added that 2.2 million video streams are now being consumed every week. To celebrate all this viewing, it's going to be launching an Android app in the coming weeks, which will remotely control the TV and recordings, essentially catching up to the iOS version already out there. The app will be optimized for several Google-powered handsets, including the Galaxy S2, S3, Ace, Nexus 4 and (perhaps oddly) the HTC One S. However, according to Pocket-Lint, the incoming app will still work on handsets running Android 2.3, just, well, unoptimized. Better still, YouView promises to launch multiple new internet channels (through providers BT and TalkTalk), adding to the 70 broadcast channels available on the box at the moment. It'll likely be ready in time for BT's own sports channel, although YouView mentioned a loosely-defined summer launch. YouView promises that its new internet channels will include the ability to rewind and search for content, behaving almost identically to typical channels. There's no specified channel list just yet, but we're sure TalkTalk and BT will be filling us in on all the details ahead of any launch.
Huawei Ascend G 330 lands on UK shores through TalkTalk
Huawei left us wondering whether the Ascend G 330 would venture beyond mainland Europe with its tempting blend of solid specs and a low price. The smartphone is spreading its wings -- if only just, with a launch on TalkTalk in the UK. When it ships to the carrier in December, the 4-inch, 1GHz dual-core smartphone will be tuned for British audiences with preloaded BBC iPlayer and news apps as well as EA's Sims Freeplay for some casual gaming. Most of the appeal may come from a cheap-as-chips price, as the G 330 will be free on contract for as little as £10 ($16) per month. If you can bear going without an all-out flagship like the Ascend D1 Quad XL, it's a tempting lure.
YouView software update adds surround-sound, faster boot times and grouped recording
Rocking a YouView box? You'll shortly be in line for a software bump that'll give you a few handy tweaks. The update will speed up the device's boot-from-standby time, let you group recordings by series so you can watch 'em box-set style and pump out surround-sound audio if you've got the right gear. It'll also provide a few useful UI tweaks, like offering the option to hide BBC red button prompts, letting you roll live TV backwards by 15 seconds or forwards by 60 seconds. It'll be available on Humax-branded boxes over the next few weeks, followed by the TalkTalk branded units shortly afterward.
UK High Court rules ISPs to block Pirate Bay, forgets it ain't the boss anymore
The High Court has ruled that British ISPs must block web-browsing citizens from accessing the infamous Pirate Bay. The controversial ruling comes just six months after the European Court of Justice (a superior court) declared that companies like Sky and TalkTalk were protected against injunctions to block, filter or monitor internet traffic for that purpose. Virgin Media told the BBC that it would comply, before sensibly adding that censorship measures like this are ineffective in the long term.
Fujitsu to build 1Gbps fiber optic broadband network in the UK, but needs BT to play fair first
Good news for anyone feeling left behind by the broadband revolution just because of their post code: Fujitsu has just announced a joint venture to deliver fiber optic connectivity to neglected rural homes in the UK. Built on hardware provided by Cisco and supported by Virgin Media and TalkTalk, this network will focus on channeling fiber directly to the home, which is said to provide symmetrical 1Gbps bandwidth with up to 10Gbps speeds considered possible down the line. Best news of all, perhaps, is that the cabling will be available on a wholesale basis to all ISPs, not just the ones involved in the project, so the UK may finally get a decent taste of what competition in the internet service space feels like. Alas, there's a key line in the press release that notes the new venture is dependent on BT providing "access to its underground ducts and telegraph poles on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms," which it apparently isn't doing at the moment. Ah well, we're sure they'll sort things out like the mature professionals that they are. Full PR after the break.
Future Routers pass themselves off as common household items: clocks, tables, jellyfish
We see plenty of sweet concept designs 'round here (not to mention some downright bizarre ones) so we're all pretty acquainted with wanting things that we can't have. That said, there are a couple of these Future Routers -- designed by a firm called TalkTalk in conjunction with Goldsmiths, University of London -- that inspire some serious techno-lust. Route O'Clock, for instance, not only keeps tabs on your bandwidth utilization, but it displays the info on the clock face itself -- and looks good doing it. Also quite eye-pleasing is the Hybrid, a model that passes itself off as a hardwood side table. On the slightly more bizarre end of the spectrum is the aptly name Jellyfish, which apparently takes up a lot of space and gives off a creepy blue glow (not one for those of you in one bedroom / studio apartments). Last but not least, the Energy Saver doubles as a key holder, with the dubious benefit of shutting itself off when the last key is picked up. The rationale behind this one is that when everyone leaves the flat, no one will be using the Internets -- we guess these guys have never heard of bit.torrent. Get a better look in the gallery below, and don't forget to check out the video after the break.[Via SlashGear]
Carphone Warehouse sees retail sales rise 13%
Who says everyone has to report bum quarters these days? The Carphone Warehouse -- which is only Europe's largest, most recognizable independent mobile phone retailer -- has just reported that retail sales during its most recent quarter were up 13 percent to just over £1 billion ($1.48 billion). Moreover, its connections were up 3% to 3.7 million and subscription connections rose 3% to 1.3 million, though revenues of its TalkTalk Group were down slightly (2%) to £347 million ($514 million). Still, bigwigs at the firm aren't ignorant to the market, noting that "weaker trading conditions" are likely to continue, and thus, affect future numbers. Still, we'd say these guys deserve a round of golf claps for just breaking into '09 in the black.[Via mocoNews]
