Archive for February, 2012

All high-speed internet addicts would have a joyous jump on reading the news. Now, you would be receiving the internet signal to your computers through turbo-charged broadband, which assures super-fast connectivity and speed.
The executive councilors of Central Bedfordshire Council are planning to promote the next generation fast broadband services across the county.
Currently, the superfast broadband provides internet connectivity at 25Mbits per second. Although, there are various developments in the broadband services, more than a quarter of business and residential premises would not get internet access by 2015.
According to the new service plan almost 90 per cent of all the business and residential would get an access to superfast broadband.
One of the executive members for corporate resources and Councilor Maurice Jones has stated that the preparations of the local broadband plan are being made as per the suggestions of the business sector, public sector and residents of Central Beds.
He added that that achieving the 90 per cent goal of installing superfast broadband in Central Beds will have various benefits. Mostly the business and public sector would be benefited, and major transformation would be of public services. It would play an important role in the improvement of business efficiency and productivity. It would also help in the growth of rural business and enterprises; as well as strengthen the local economy.
The Local Broadband Plan in Central Bedfordshire would be funded by Central Government partially.

New customers to BT broadband can receive a £50 Sainsbury’s voucher when they join online. This deal is also valid for those taking a full bundle, which includes the TV service. Customers who take these services will also get evening and weekend calls included. This means that any call made to a UK landline, lasting up to an hour, is totally free if dialled between the hours of 7pm – 7am – so it’s perfect for people who aren’t at home during the day to make any calls. On top of this, line rental is very reasonably priced, at just £10 per month.

In terms of broadband, monthly subscriptions start from just £13 per month, however with this new deal customers will only pay £3.50 per month for the first three months of their contract. The full contract lasts for 18 months, so there’s great savings to be made in the first year. Customers can expect a great service for this price too, with 20MB of download speeds, and 10 GB of usage – which is more than enough for those who like to browse, shop and send emails.

Another broadband and call deal includes up to 40 GB of usage for £18 per month, plus line rental, which is reduced to £9 for the first 3 months. Also, Broadband Unlimited is available for £25 per month plus line rental, with the first three months at £20. Anyone who joins online will receive their £50 Sainsbury’s voucher, which is sent out after installation.

Recent research shows that competition in the broadband market has once gain changed significantly, and this change is regarding the number of unbundled lines used in the UK. These lines are what telecommunication and broadband providers – such as Sky or Virgin – use over BT’s traditional copper telephone wires. The number of these lines used has now reached the 8 million mark – which is the highest number to date.

This process – also known as Loop Loop Unbundling – enables providers other than BT to offer customers their phone and broadband services. The number of lines used has increased dramatically since 2005, when the figure stood at 123,000. The massive increase came about after a set of legally-binding undertakings agreed by BT Group and Ofcom. Since then other providers have been able to install their own equipment into the local exchange.

This boost has completely changed the broadband market, with much more Broadband Competition being created. This is fantastic news for customers though, who can make the most of the lower prices and special deals. In fact, the research shows that subscribers are paying far less than what they did back in 2005. It also means that the customer has far more choice when it comes to what kind of broadband they have in their homes.

Research by Ofcom also tells us that there are now well over 20 million households and small businesses with broadband lines across the UK. What’s more, over 70% of these lines are supported by other companies, not BT.

BT broadband customers will now be able to connect from even more public spaces, as it has recently been announced that the number of hotspots here in the UK has reached 3.5 million. This means that over half a million more have been added within the last year, creating more opportunities for customers to get online when they’re away from home.

The 3.5 million hotspots are available to over 6 million customers with the home or business broadband service. The hotspots can be found in many places such as hotels like Thistle and Ramada, eateries like McDonald’s and Starbucks, plus service stations, train stations, airport lounges and numerous city centres. Connecting is easy too, as it is done in just the same way as  you would do at home. This means that it’s one of the biggest Wi-Fi networks in the world, which can be accessed by any  Total Broadband customer. In London there are more than 380,000 hotspots, in Birmingham there are 25,000, and almost 20,000 in places like Sheffield, Edinburgh and Manchester. There are also over 11,00 in Cardiff, Bristol, Brighton and Liverpool.

Another announcement was also made regarding a brand new BT FON app, which is available for home broadband customers. This makes it easier for those with a BlackBerry to login to a hotspot. The new Blackberry app has come about in response to the popularity of Apple and Android Apps, so now more smartphone users will be able to connect. It has already been a massive success too, with over 900,00 people downloading it already.

Internet users wanting access to these hotspots, will need to be a BT Broadband customer. These customers have access to these networks on an unlimited basis. This means that they can use them whenever they need to, without being charged.

A recent Ofcom report has revealed that the UK has experienced a huge jump in broadband speeds. In November last year the average UK residential broadband speed was 7.6Mbit/s. This is quite a significant increase when you look at the previous years results. In the same month in 2010 the speed was reported to be 6.2Mbits/s. The main reason for this surge in speed is being put down to higher speed packages being bought by consumers.

In November 2011 58% of UK residential broadband connections had an average speed of 10Mbit/s, which makes for a huge 48% increase compared to the last readings taken in May 2011. This means that in general, people are opting for much faster broadband packages. This is no surprise when you consider how many broadband providers are promoting their super-fast services, and how far technology has come.

Fibre optic broadband is the latest must-have broadband connection for many households. It works through a glass network rather than through copper telephone wires, giving a very fast connection. Service providers like BT, Sky, and Virgin Media are all offering this type of technology to new and existing customers. Virgin Media for example, have even promised to double customers speeds totally free of charge for the first 18 months if they sign up or switch. BT have also had a huge campaign to promote their Infinity service, with a lot of advertising in the UK. Sky are also promoting their fibre optic service which is to become available this year to homes across the UK.

It seems like we now value a fast and reliable connection for our homes, more than ever before. With more and more people signing up to super-fast broadband speeds, future report figures look set to carry on rising.