Bournemouth gets broadband…

Promising super-fast broadband for everyone, Bournemouth has been chosen as the home for the UK’s first “Fibrecity,” because of its superb, err… sewer system!

Yes, Bournemouth will soon be the first city in England to boast the Fibrecity status, and not because of it’s notoriety as a colourful seaside city that comes complete with tacky tourist attractions and over-priced souvenirs.

Oh no, the reason that H2O Networks has chosen Bournemouth over 49 other English cities goes a lot deeper underground than that…

Because of their waste water system, the people of Bournemouth will soon be the privileged residents of a Fibrecity. And all this week, as a welcoming present, every home and business in the Bournemouth Borough Boundary will be invited to connect to the network for free.

The British seaside city, renowned for its seven miles of “golden” sand, will have fibre-optic cables installed into its pipelines, meaning its residents will all soon be able to take advantage of services such as IPTV and home medical monitoring, and businesses will have 22nd Century connectivity at their fingertips.

A typical house in revolutionary Bournemouth will not look misplaced in an episode of The Jetsons.

Work to install the fibre-optic cables, which will cost about £30million and will be entirely funded by H2O Networks, will begin as soon as September, but there will be little, if any disruption to the city, as laying the cables in the sewer system will happen completely underground.

As a cost effective alternative to installing cables aboveground, the project will deliver ultra high bandwidth to all Bournemouth’s businesses and more than 88,000 homes at speeds far exceeding current DSL or cable modem speeds, typically by tens or even hundreds of Mbps. And users will have unlimited access to FTTH (fibre-to-the-home), meaning faster downloads and more communication opportunities.

Brilliant news for the people of Bournemouth, as the normally very expensive installation costs will be reduced because the sewer system is already in place. So providers will be able to reflect these savings in competitively priced service packages.

The estimated completion date for all the cables to be installed is September 2010, buying everyone else enough time to pack up their belongings and relocate to the special city.

Or alternatively, you could wait for the next Fibrecity to be built. But who’s next for the underground treatment? Well, Dundee will be the first Scottish Fibrecity, and after that, the world is H20 Network’s oyster. I’m placing my bet’s that it’ll be a little while before London gets fibre-ised…

Oh, and here’s a little bit of bonus trivia for all of you who were wondering, there are 50 cities in England, and 66 in the whole of the UK. I counted them all myself.

 Steer yourself out of trouble..

Warnings have been circulated today regarding a banking Trojan virus purporting to be a news story about former Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso.

The Trojan virus, disguised as a fabricated news article giving details of a supposed motorway accident involving Spaniard Alonso just outside Bilbao, carries the El Pais newspaper livery. Opening the link attached to this news story unleashes a banking Trojan which, when installed on your computer, will be ready to steal financial details when you log-in to your bank account or make online purchases.

The link promises you an ‘amateur recording’ of the non-existent crash and ensuing blaze, in which Alonso is reported to have perished. Opening this link will only result in the Trojan being speedily downloaded however.

Should you receive an email carrying this information, or see this news item advertised online, please don’t click on the link. It’s a phishing scam.

Unfortunately for Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso is very much alive, well, and preparing for the Hungarian Grand Prix next weekend.

 Genuine Pace

Morrissey would of course counter that headline with a dismissive ‘it makes none’, but his best days are behind him and (as far as I’m aware) he knows very little of the telecoms market. In fact, a more accurate response would perhaps be ‘it makes some, but not as much as you think’.

The fibre-optic driven broadband network capable of supporting 100Mbps speeds that BT have declared to deliver by 2012, would bring the UK broadband infrastructure bang into line with those of such broadband powerhouses as Japan and Korea. That means bang into line with download speeds enjoyed by Japan and Korea in 2008 however; by 2012 it’s highly anticipated many parts of the world will be revelling in 1000Mbps connections.

Will the UK be among this heavenly throng? Highly unlikely, although it’s worth noting Japanese broadband users suffer in much the same way UK users do in relation to broadband advertising. Up to 100Mbps broadband speeds in Japanese ads rarely means you’ll get a consistent 100Mbps connection. Speeds usually fluctuate between the 55 and 95Mbps mark.

Fast forward to 2012. The Smiths have reformed with Slash on lead guitar, Animal from the Muppets on drums and a visibly ‘heavier’ Morrissey finding that troublesome middle eight in ‘William, it was really nothing’ even more testing than usual. On a pertinent note, what will your broadband connection enable you to do?

Well, first and foremost, all the online essentials (emails, media downloads, Facebook housekeeping, shopping, paying bills etc.) should take ten times faster to complete in theory. Obviously a 100Mbps broadband connection isn’t going to make you type faster, but it will make data transfer (particularly involving hefty files) tangibly quicker.

The problem is applications such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube are optimised for 3 to 6Mbps connections, so the actual impact a 100Mbps connection will have on these apps could be negligible or, at worse, destructive. It’s the equivalent of trying to swat a fly with a rocket launcher.

100Mbps connections to the home should see Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) finally become established after years of dithering on the sidelines. Triple-play bundles will be significantly shaken up and redesigned come 2012, with the old phone-TV-broadband model replaced by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), IPTV and broadband. A 100Mbps connection should be able to support 3 HDTV channels running simultaneously, and still leave enough room for a little messenger action on the side.

The big winner will be video conferencing and holographic video capabilities. 100Mbps connections could allow us communication tools only previously fantasised in 60s sci-fi movies; I’m talking interactive holographic video, handheld high-res devices, streaming HD video and real-time mobile video interaction with pause and rewind functionality.

Although everyone wants faster speeds from their broadband connection, the conversion to fibre and 100Mbps speeds could be a bumpy one. Are UK broadband users ready for 4G capabilities? Can they handle 100Mbps? When will they be able to use super-fast broadband to its full potential?

In the future when all’s well, as a certain bequiffed Mancunian might say.

 Right on!

Having entertained statues of John Lennon, art installations sympathetically dedicated to America’s loss during 9/11 and rock concerts by both the Manic Street Preachers and now defunct US supergroup Audioslave, Cuba is about to experience a new phase in 21st century cultural development.

Broadband is coming to Cuba, bueno!

The service will be delivered via undersea fibre optic cable from Venezuela, completely bypassing the US. A 1500 kilometre cable is to be laid connecting Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad to the rest of the world, using La Guaira as the conduit.

Cuba currently relies heavily on high-latency, lo-fidelity satellite access, but this new pipeline with allow for high speed broadband capabilities. With the state loosening its grip on citizens by allowing mobile phones and PCs to be imported for home use, public demand for broadband services is strong.

The clamour for popular culture in Havana, Santa Clara and all the way down to the Bayamo has become fervent. In May 2005, Audioslave played a free show to a crowd of over 50,000 star struck fans in Havana’s sprawling, open air La Tribuna Antimperialista José Martí plaza (loosely translated as ‘The House of Anti-Imperialism’, which surely makes the Milton Keynes Bowl sound pretty meaningless by comparison).

Similarly, the Manic Street Preachers entertained a 5000 strong crowd at the equally brilliantly named ‘Karl Marx Theatre’, where the most expensive seats in the house cost 25 cents (17 pence) each.

CVG Telecom (Corporación Venezolana de Guyana) and ETC (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba) will be implementing the bulk of Cuba’s broadband infrastructure, which aims to improve on the current slow and unreliable dial-up access.

 BT’s ‘High Fibre’ Diet

BT’s declaration to supply super-fast fibre networks to 10 million homes by 2012 has caused much consternation and speculation in the telecoms sector.

A number of major players have backed BT’s incentive, but questioned its motives where market share is concerned.

Will your ISP adopt this new technology, or be left lagging behind? Here’s a round up of how four leading ISPs reacted to the prospect of superfast 100Mb networks, and described their level of participation in this movement.

O2 Broadband

O2 is tentatively considering the option of supplying 100Mb to homes via BT’s proposed fibre network, but needs concrete promises from BT before it gets the cheque book out.

An O2 spokesperson told ZDnet.co.uk the following:

“We need clear and unambiguous regulation in place before we start shelling out huge sums of money.”

Be Broadband

Be Broadband’s Oli White is similarly wary of a BT monopoly, but would be glad to hop on board given the necessary assurances.

He told BroadbandChoices:

“If BT follows the same model as we have in place now it will allow Be to offer more than 20meg broadband to far more than the existing 6% of the population. But if BT is allowed to take advantage of its monopolistic position and prevent ISPs like Be from delivering an exceptional service to customers, it will be a missed opportunity.”

Virgin Media

In terms of delivering super-fast broadband, Virgin Media has a two year head start on BT and will introduce a 50Mb service within the next few months.

Despite the ‘head to head’ nature of its relationship with BT, Virgin Media is, at the very least, backing BT’s intentions. A Virgin Media spokesperson had the following to say:

“We strongly support BT’s call for a stable regulatory environment that rewards both current and future investment. We will continue working closely with Ofcom and the government to achieve this.”

Sky

Sky went on the front foot by challenging Ofcom to maintain the competitive climate in the broadband sector. A Sky spokesman said:

“BT has much to offer but consumers will lose out if the right conditions are not in place to allow other providers to compete effectively.”

Ofcom replied by assuring Sky and other providers it will provide additional regulatory detail following BT’s announcement, based on providing the right incentives for operators to invest. Additionally, Ofcom pledged to publish a more detailed proposal for the regulatory framework in September.

 ”Now then, s-t-o-c-k-i-n-g…..”

Just a quick one today, and something I’ve been dying to do for a while, a top 15 compilation of the best search engine terms used to stumble across the invaluable den of consumerism that is the Consumer Choices blog.

I’m sure most of these people got a little more (or in some cases, less) than they bargained for, but I hope the guy (or girl) who searches for “stocking head” every other day has managed to iron out his (or her) finances, get hooked up with a reliable broadband provider and significantly reduce his (or her) gas bills.

Anyway, feast your eyes on these gems, and for a little game, try to work out which post their search engine term led them to.

I’ve got 12 out of 15 so far.

1. Kate Nash in bare feet
2. Stocking Head
3. Theo Walcott Nude
4. Can men work for Excel Telemedia?
5. Wealthy Nigerian businessman
6. My boyfriend is in need of debt help
7. Hair extension fibre
8. Surfing Howard Halifax
9. Shane Richie no no no
10. Can I get money for my bone marrow?
11. Lidl sun creams
12. Fake IDs in Barry, South Wales
13. Dear sir, I am undressing
14. Review for Tesco trampette
15. Ross Kemp is a fake

 What’s the outlook for mobile broadband?

‘Lies, damned lies and statistics’, a famous phrase coined by Benjamin Disraeli and popularised by Mark Twain to describe how inaccurate arguments can be given undeserved credibility by the inclusion of some persuasive statistics.

Factor in such variables as perspective, motives and spin, and it leaves you wondering just who is telling the truth?

I’ve read two very different angles on the same story today, the take-up rate of mobile broadband services since their introduction to the market late last year.

According to Ofcom, the rapid take up of mobile broadband is likely to accelerate the introduction of super-fast broadband networks in the UK, which is great news. Promising mobile take-up figures will be used as the carrot on a stick to encourage fixed-line operators to invest in next generation infrastructure.

However, over at Point Topic, researchers are concerned by their findings from a mobile broadband survey. Only 3 million broadband users in the UK are free roaming (about 6% of all adults questioned in a mobile broadband survey), with Point Topic suggesting it is only the privileged minority (young, well paid, well educated) who are plugging in their dongles and using their broadband connection on the move.

Based on these relatively underwhelming figures, how can Ofcom use mobile broadband uptake as ammunition to persuade industry figureheads to invest in fibre?

Well, the answer is quite simple, and this is where the damned lies and statistics come in. Despite Point Topic’s research presenting a compelling argument for slow mobile broadband uptake, the mobile broadband sector has actually experienced a period of unprecedented growth since spring 2008.

A recent YouGov report predicts a third of all broadband users will be hooking up via dongles by 2012. Moreover, as ISPs get wise to the mobile broadband growth spurt, faster download speeds, cheaper connections and more freebies/incentives will be established and offered. Mobile broadband will really become a force against the landline when these developments become commonplace.

So both sides are telling the truth, it just depends on whether your cup is half full, or half empty.

 Speed Testers - a rollercoaster ride

Call me lonely, call me an ‘enthusiast’, call me what you like (within reason), but I’ve spent the lion’s share of this morning investigating and evaluating broadband speed testers.

Between 11 and 11:15 AM today, I tested my broadband download speed across 10 different online speed testers. They were all very simple to use, and each captured a reading of my download speed (and in some cases, upload speed) there and then in that moment.

While I ran the speed testers I had no other applications open.

The results were as follows:

As you can see, the range of readings is startling!

In order for this to be a worthy, empirical test, I’d have to isolate each speed tester tool, and take a reading every minute for fifteen minutes using just that tool (thus providing me with 15 separate readings across a quarter-hour period for each speed tester).

Have I got the time to do that? Not just yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar I’m working on it.

So, what are the conclusions I’ve drawn from the data above? Well:

• Taking all the speed test results at face value, and interpreting them in a sensible way as opposed to taking a strict mathematical approach, I seem to be receiving download speeds of around 8.5 Mbps on a weekday morning. Frankly, I’m quite pleased with that.

• Unless drop outs in the service I’m receiving were uncharacteristically severe this morning, some speed test tools are either (a) wildly inaccurate, or (b) designed to make me get infuriated with my ISP and want to switch.

I additionally took the BT speed test, the results of which haven’t been included here. The noteworthy aspect of this test was it informed me (quite categorically, in bold red letters) the maximum download speed my line is capable of is 6.5 Mbps.

Oh really? Try telling that to the broadband expert at Broadband Expert.

Of course, if you want to take an accurate and infallible set of readings, you should use a downloadable speed test tool such as the Broadband Choices speed tester , and monitor your service for at least a month.

For now though, why not flit around online yourself, and see if the range of readings you receive is as varied as mine?

 Dangermouse just out of shot…

Slowly but surely, as possessing a mobile phone becomes mandatory, public phone boxes are being phased out. Taking their place, Wi-Fi broadband boxes that are accessible to all.

Or rather, accessible to all who have a Wi-Fi enabled device, and a pocket full of loose change.

Handlink, a UK based communications manufacturer, has designed a new Wi-Fi access point, designed to let you communicate whilst on the go. Like its predecessor, the phone box, it’s also operated on 10 pence pieces.

Boasting the 802.11b/g Wireless standard (which is, for all you who aren’t broadband boffins, pretty damn quick!), the new box, which is linked to a local broadband provider and bears a canny resemblance to a BT public phone, allows you to connect to the World Wide Web without having a mobile broadband account, providing your laptop is within range.

The kiosk, which basically works on the same pay-per-minute principle as a phone box, takes ten pence pieces in exchange for internet access.

After you’ve fed the machine with your loose change, the Handlink device will print you out a temporary internet pass code that you can use to access the web for a limited amount of time on your laptop, mobile or any 3G gadget.

Depending on how much petty cash you’ve parted with, you’ll have X amount of time to get onto the network and do what you need to do. And just like a parking meter, your time will run down, so if you want to stay a bit longer you’ll have to spend a few more pennies.

The ingenious contraption can be placed anywhere, but is currently being sold to hospitals, coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, train stations and airports, where there is money to be made from fee-based Wi-Fi.

Soon enough though, they will be everywhere, giving the phrase ‘spend a penny’ an entirely new meaning.

But will the idea take off?

A handy alternative to cyber cafes for those who don’t want to pay for hours of internet time when they only want to check their emails, as far as I see it, there is only one real major flaw with coin operated Wi-Fi, and that’s the fact that its coin operated.

In a day and age where using plastic is actively encouraged to pay for everything under the kitchen sink, is a ten pence guzzling Wi-Fi kiosk going to work?

 A BT technician yesterday….

Their words, not mine.

It would seem a certain leading communications provider has enlisted the help of a PR firm from 1998. But let’s not dwell on that. I’m hip to this street jive anyway.

So what does this exciting, youth oriented campaign entail exactly?

Is Tim Westwood going to invite himself over and transform your lousy dial-up connection into a chromed out, warp speed broadband line with one hearty ‘big dogs big dogs here comes another banger’?

No.

Is Xzibit likely to pop round, rifle through your bins, let you know (like a ghetto Gillian McKeith) you’re eating too many ready meals, then turn your PC monitor into a gold plated 72 inch plasma screen with additional taser guns?

Negative.

In actuality, BT plan to ‘pimp’ your broadband in the following way (no rappers or fake MCs involved):

“BT’s Home IT Support service has launched BT Broadband Accelerator, a £90 home visit service to help improve the performance of customers’ computers and speed up their broadband connection.”

Perhaps BT chose to lead with the phrase ‘pimp’ on their press release because it’s only pimps who can afford this service?

However, it gets better:

“Customers are refunded if a 0.5Mb improvement on speed is not achieved.”

That’s more like it. Should you pay for this service and not receive an improvement of 0.5Mb on your connection speed, the £90 fee will be winging its way back to you faster than a fully loaded Nissan Micra.

Let’s face it though, 0.5Mb shouldn’t be too demanding an ask of a trained technician, so it’s unlikely any subscribers to this service will ever see a refund.

I’m yet to read anything in the small print suggesting it will be Starsky and Hutch’s faithful informant Huggy Bear carrying out the repairs, but I’ve still a few pages to go, so I’ll let you know.