Pink Connect Blog

Posts Tagged ‘broadband’

Original article from BBC

Britons are not getting the broadband services they are being sold, research by the regulator Ofcom suggests.

Its analysis of broadband speeds in the UK shows that, for some services, 97% of consumers do not get the advertised speed.

It also shows a growing gap between the claims ISPs make for broadband and the speed being delivered.

To fix the problem, Ofcom is revamping the code of conduct for ISPs and asking for changes to how broadband is sold.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bailey Classic Cars, the renowned Midlands Mercedes SL Specialists, have chosen Pink Connect to supply Lines, Calls, ADSL and Telephone System for their new Showroom and Workshop facility in Stockwood Worcestershire. “The flexibility of DECT handsets combined with the features of the new NEC System have already shown significant improvements over the previous set up” said Sam Baily, Managing Director. “We were missing sales and hire enquiries because we were speaking with visitors in the workshops or showrooms but now we never miss a call”. You can buy, service or hire a classic Mercedes SL by calling Sam and his team on 0844 414 2116.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT PCPRO

Two members of the House of Lords have launched a scathing attack on BT and Britain’s broadband providers.

In a frank and exclusive interview with PC Pro, the peers call for:

• BT and broadband providers to stop “buck-passing” when it comes to dealing with faults on customers’ lines
• ISPs to deliver a minimum connection speed of 2Mbits/sec, with a minimum level of service stipulated in writing
• The “arrogant” regulator Ofcom to force broadband providers to tell the truth about actual connection speeds

The Lords, who are currently debating the controversial Digital Economy Bill, want Britain’s broadband providers and BT to get their act together. Speaking exclusively to PC Pro, Lord Corbett of Castle Vale said it was unacceptable for customers to be bounced between BT and their broadband provider when it comes to dealing with problems with their internet connection.

“If a customer reports a fault to BT, or any other landline provider, the line provider has got to own that fault or faults until cleared,” Lord Corbett said.

“If the customer reports a broadband fault to their ISP, and the ISP believes the fault to be due to the landline, the ISP has to take ownership of the fault until cleared.”

“The consumer must have a one-stop shop. The buck passing of fault reporting being the responsibility of the customer must stop. How can a non-technical customer expect to be bounced from call centre to call centre?”

Lord Corbett wants broadband customers to be provided with a written minimum-line speed after the initial line-training period has elapsed, so that broadband customers can demand their line is returned to the initial speed after any repairs are made.

Fellow peer Lord Erroll claims many lines have deteriorated beyond the point where they can carry decent internet traffic. “BT, or any other line provider, has a duty to keep the lines up to standard,” he said. “Their bosses are sitting on the fence, hoping for a cash injection. The lines have become unsuitable for internet use, even if they are usable for the telephone.”

Minimum speeds

The Government has pledged to deliver 2Mbits/sec broadband to the whole of the UK by 2012 as part of its universal service commitment, although there’s widespread concern that broadband providers will only deliver “up to 2Mbits/sec lines” that offer only a fraction of the target speed.

Both lords claim that isn’t enough. “BT (or other landline provider) and the broadband provider must deliver and sustain a minimum stated level of service of 2Mbits/sec at the customers’ premises for a modern line,” Lord Corbett said.

“2Mbits/sec delivered to the customers’ house is a bare minimum for a modern line,” Lord Erroll agreed.

No more lies

The peers have also called on Ofcom and the advertising watchdogs to clamp down on the inflated speeds advertised by broadband providers.

“The industry has now passed the time to get its act together and must now be held to account,” said Des Hughes, a researcher and advisor to Lord Corbett.

“This is an industry that appears to wish to change the long-held definitions of words in the Oxford Dictionary. ‘Unlimited’ should be what it says – no small print. In the case of ‘up to 8Mbits/sec’ in relation to speed, it should no longer be allowed, especially when 2Mbits/sec is the current maximum speeed in a known area. The industry should be forced to state the IP throughput that is useable by the customer.”

And Hughes is calling on Ofcom to put the broadband house in order. “Britain’s broadband leaders, Ofcom included, appear to have been arrogant and, to an extent, ambitionless and appear not to be considering the long-term gains from co-ordinating and co-operating.”

Author: Barry Collins ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT PCPRO

ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT TMCNET.COM

Mobile substitution has been a factor in landline voice losses for years.

So service providers are watching for signs of similar behavior in the broadband access market as well. Six percent of U.K. consumers rely completely on a mobile broadband connection, while eight percent of U.K. households use both fixed and mobile broadband access services, according to Ofcom, the U.K. communications regulator.

The percentage of U.K. consumer broadband customers relying completely on mobile, instead of fixed connections, is nowhere near as high as in Austria, where there are more mobile broadband users than fixed users.

Not surprisingly, then, 41 percent of those using mobile broadband consider it to be their main method of Internet connection at home. About 43 percent of mobile broadband users said they have only a mobile broadband connection, so that finding would be expected.

As with broadband in general, mobile broadband is most popular among adults ages 15 to 34 and its use is driven by more affluent demographic groups. Looking just at the 15-to 34-age segment, about 10 percent of users rely solely on mobile broadband.

The mobility trend is more pronounced for voice services, though. Penetration of all communications services, except fixed-line, has increased since 2008, with homes now more likely to have a mobile than a fixed line for voice services.

About 89 percent of homes use mobile phones while fixed line penetration is 87 percent. Personal use of mobile phone remains highest among consumers ages 15 to 44, said Ofcom.

The percentage of adults who live in a household with access to a mobile phone but no landline has increased steadily between 2005 and 2009, from eight percent to 13 percent, driven by the lower socio-economic and low-income groups, Ofcom said.

Bundled services seem to be reducing churn levels and also reducing consumer spend on communications services, Ofcom also noted. Switching levels have remained broadly stable across all communications services, except for buyers of bundled services. Over the past 12 months bundled service customer churn has declined from 24 percent to 13 percent.

The majority of the purchased bundles were either made of a mix of fixed voice and broadband (44 percent) or a mix of fixed voice, broadband and multi-channel TV triple play (34 percent).

The most significant increase has occurred in the take-up of triple play bundles, Ofcom says. The popularity of the triple play offer appears to have largely been a consequence of consumers switching from dial-up broadband and choosing to use either their current or a new multi-channel TV provider for landline, broadband and TV.

As dial-up customers are the most-likely targets for new broadband access sales, so dial-up customers upgrading to broadband also are driving new sales of bundled packages as well.

Consumer spending on communications actually fell in 2008, though, from £68.84 per month in 2007 down to £65.01 in 2008. The five-percent drop largely is attributable to consumer savings from bundles, but also partly is a result of declining voice landline use and lower calling charges for landlines in service, says Ofcom. Mobile calling is taking up the slack, but mobile costs also have been declining steadily since 20004, Ofcom notes.

Spending on mobile services fell by nearly six percent during 2008, despite a six-percent increase in the average number of voice calls per mobile connection. The average price spent per minute on mobile is falling as more voice minutes and SMS messages were included within customer buckets.

Household spending on Internet and broadband services also fell for the second consecutive year in 2008, by six percent. Bundles are the reason, Ofcom said.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE AT TMCNET.COM