BT ends 21CN trial and starts migrating live customers

BT has ended its trial of 21CN – and has started migrating live customers over to the new network.

21CN, or 21st Century Network, is BT’s next generation IP (internet protocol) network. It will offer communications from anywhere to any device, and will deliver a range of converged services including voice, data, mobile TV, and video.

The successful 21CN trial linked BT exchanges in central London, Woolwich and Cambridge, carrying over 160 million calls. During the trial the IP system handled 500,000 calls per day, and demonstrated that customers enjoyed the same, if not better, levels of call quality using an all IP network as they would using the existing PSTN network.

350,000 customers in Cardiff and the surrounding area are expected to be migrated onto the new IP network by the end of 2007.

Matt Beal, CTO of BT Wholesale said, “This trial has been hugely significant in informing our plans for the nationwide deployment of 21CN. Its completion demonstrates the tremendous strides that we’ve made together with our strategic vendors and communications provider customers in bringing 21CN from concept to reality for end-customers. From making the world’s first end to end IP test calls using the trial network back in January 2005, we’re now successfully moving the first customers across to 21CN with the network fully live in parts of South Wales. By the end of this year, we will have upgraded 350,000 lines. And in other parts of the country, we’re busy preparing exchanges and upgrading infrastructure to enable national migration from early 2008, starting with broadband.”

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Vodafone aims for Apple iPhone deal

The Apple iPhone goes on sale in the US today – and over here Vodafone is apparently the frontrunner in the race to win sole European rights to dustribute the handset. Orange and T-Mobile are also believed to be fighting for the contract.

The iPhone includes Bluetooth and a touchscreen and is expected to go on sale in the UK at the end of 2007 for around £300 – when many mobile customers, particularly the high-spenders whom operators are always desperate to attract, are expected to switch to the new phone.

Read more in The Times here.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Tiscali subscribers get access to BSkyB programmes

Tiscali and BSkyB have announced that under a new agreement, BSkyB programmes will be available to 1.8 million Tiscali subscribers.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

BSkyB to offer films on demand via internet

BSkyB (Sky) is planning to offer films on demand via the internet, direct to customers’ Sky boxes. The service should be available within 18 months.

People with Sky boxes will be able to connect them to the internet and download films straight to their TVs. The service is likely to be available to Sky Movies customers for free, and to others on a pay per view basis.

Currently films are delivered via the satellite dish – however this has meant Sky has risked being left behind in the race for video and films on demand, as this is really a one-way, delivery technology.  However all Sky boxes have an ethernet port, which means they can be connected to the internet with a modem.
Read more in The Telegraph.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Eclipse broadband goes carbon neutral

Home and business broadband provider Eclipse Internet has announced that it is is now fully carbon neutral.

This is just the first step in Eclipse’s campaign to reduce carbon emissions as the broadband provider works to reduce the environmental impact of its broadband business.

Eclipse measured several areas to work out its carbon footprint, including:

• electricity consumption
• business travel
• deliveries
• commuting by employees (frequently a significant chunk of a company’s carbon footprint but often missed off the carbon footprint calculation)

Eclipse is now working to offset its carbon footprint through investing in:

• wind farm technologies in India
• a methane capture project in Pennsylvania
• a Ugandan forestry project

These projects also help to support the local economies.

Visit Eclipse Internet now.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Ofcom to consult on BSkyB plan to replace free channels with pay TV

Ofcom announced yesterday that it will conduct a public consultation on proposals from BSkyB (Sky) and National Grid Wireless Ltd (NGW) to replace Sky’s free channels with pay TV services on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform.Sky wants to replace its three free-to-air channels with three pay television channels on DTT. Ofcom’s consultation will look at many aspects, incvluding how to ensure effective competition so consumers don’t lose out. During the consultation period, the free channels have to remain on the DTT platform.

Read more on the Ofcom website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

BBC iPlayer beta launches 27 July

The BBC has announced that its on-demand TV service, BBC iPlayer will have a beta launch on 27 July.

iPlayer is a catch-up service – it allows you to download your favourite programmes from all the BBC’s network TV channels over the internet. You will then have up to 30 days to watch your downloaded programme, before it deletes itself.Y ou can also watch without advertising for up to a week after transmission.

The BBC is in talks with several potential distribution partners, including MSN, AOL, Tiscali, Bebo and others. They also aim to develop a version for Apple Macs and Microsoft Vista. Later this year, they expect to be launching a television version with cable entertainment and broadband company Virgin Media.

This July’s beta launch allows numbers of users to increase gradually before the official launch in the autumn. Currently 15,000 users are testing the iPlayer service.

Read the press release on the BBC website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Consumers from ethnic minority groups among most technology aware says Ofcom

Ofcom has published a report which explores how the consumer interests of people from ethnic minority groups are being met in relation to availability, take-up and consumption of TV, telecoms and internet.

The report – Ofcom’s Communications Market Special Report on ethnic minority groups (EMGs) - found that consumers from ethnic minority groups are among the most enthusiastic and technology aware consumers of communications services in the UK. These consumers are:

• more likely to have broadband
• more likely to use and depend on a mobile phone than the rest of the population
• watch less TV – especially traditional channels

And when it comes to telecoms and internet:

• a higher proportion of people from ethnic minority groups have broadband (80%) than the UK average (74%)
• 86% have a fixed-line telephone (89% UK average)
• 83% have a mobile phone (the UK average is 80%)
• 44% rely primarily on their mobile to receive calls than the UK population (31% Uk average).
• 43% are on mobile phone contracts (rather than prepay) than the general UK population (33%)
• 32% spend £71 per month or more on fixed line services, compared to 25% of all UK households.

Find out more on the Ofcom website now.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Digital TV now in 80 percent of UK homes

Research published by Ofcom shows that more than 80% of UK homes now have digital television on the main set. During the first quarter of 2007, 869,000 UK homes acquired digital television for the first time.

Ofcom’s Digital Television Progress Report for the first quarter of 2007 (January-March) shows that:

• Household take-up of digital television now stands at 80.5% (20.4m homes), up from 77.2% the previous quarter
• Freeview is now on the main set in 8.4 million homes (up from 7.7m in the previous quarter)
• There were 8m Sky UK subscribers in the first quarter of 2007.

Find out more on the Ofcom website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder

Half of us cannot live without email

A new ICM poll has found that 50% of 25-34 year-olds couldn’t carry on without their email.

But it’s not just younger people – only 41% of teenagers admitted to relying on their email, but 44% of 35-44 year-olds said that their email is vital to them. And women were just ahead of men in terms of needing their email fix – 41% of all females admitted they would find it hard without email contact, compared to 38% of males.

The suervey was carried out for software firm Nasstar. Charles Black, chief executive of Nasstar plc, said “… 30 and 40-somethings have fitted email into their busy lives as a vital form of communication.  It’s not restricted by time, you can email at in the middle of the night without disturbing anyone.  And now it’s no longer restricted by location. While teenagers are passionate about their mobile phones and texting in particular, the older generations are relying more and more on email because of its use in a business capacity.  Email really works for business people on the go.”

Read more on the Nasstar website.

By Sarah at UK Broadband Finder