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.

 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.

 Umm…is it a wine rack? 

Question One: Cheap Broadband – Too Good to be True?

Answer: Invariably, yes.

Why so?

Well, on the face of it, you’re entitled to believe you’ve picked up something of a bargain. Super fast broadband for under a tenner each month? Sounds like a great deal, particularly when you consider some ISPs charge up to three times that amount for what seem like relatively similar products, but…..

Question Two: Is ‘cheap’ a byword for ‘value’?

Answer: According to some I’m sure it is, but in broadband terms, not a chance.

When approaching the purchase of a broadband product, as either a newcomer to the game or a canny veteran about to switch, it’s important to focus not only on the cost of the package, but also how well that package suits your individual needs.

Opt for a cheap entry level package, sit watching i-player all day, then observe in horror as the escalating costs roll in, and wish you were on a more advanced package for just a little extra expense. It’s happened to the best of us, even me.

Question Three: What are the hidden costs I should be looking out for?

Here’s a rundown:

(1) Free laptops. Looks like a great concept on paper, but the mammoth contract lengths mean you could end up paying for your ‘free’ laptop numerous times. Choose a more tailored deal and you could buy yourself a higher spec laptop and still save money.

(2) Downloading beyond your set limit can be very costly, especially when you’re free roaming with a mobile broadband connection. Anything other than a bit of e-mailing and light surfing abroad is a huge no no. For instance, using your dongle in Spain with Vodafone will cost you an extra fiver a day, and for each Mb you use beyond the 15Mb limit, you’ll be charged another fiver. Incidentally, Skype and Instant Messenger aren’t included in the ‘fair usage’ policy, and to use these will cost you…that’s right….five pounds each. Costly isn’t it?

(3) Download penalties in the UK vary between £1.50 and £3.50 per extra GB.

(4) ISPs are often afforded the capacity to offer cheap deals because they connect customers to local loop unbundled networks (LLU). However, if you wish to migrate from an LLU, it may cost you a cease and re-provide cost of £60, or a £125 charge from BT to be reconnected to their service. Effectively, the savings you made are instantly wiped out.

(5) A number of ISPs charge up to 50p a minute for technical support. Thankfully, the BT group has seen sense, and now BT Broadband, Be* Broadband and O2 Broadband all offer free technical support.

(6) Connection and cancellation charges are an inevitability, but some are easier to stomach than others. Having your Sky broadband installed on a weekday rather than the weekend can save you £30! All you need to do is box clever.

(7) Some ISPs send you a free modem, and then charge you for the postage. Therefore, it’s not free. Check first.

Last Question: How do I monitor my downloading activity?

Easy, with the broadbandchoices free download monitor of course!

 Ha ha ha….oh god i’m so in debt

Tuesday May 13th - £9,485.54 in debt…

In a previous life, I worked for a well-known comparison website. On a daily basis, I encouraged hapless consumers that one of the most effective ways to save money on their household bills was to change their suppliers. Or, in a nutshell, “yoooooou gotta SWITCH!”

Regularly changing my own suppliers over the past few years has saved me literally millions of pounds, as you would expect. Well, I haven’t done the sums recently, but I’m led to believe it’s something like that.

However, I’ve been in the same house for the last two years and haven’t bothered changing suppliers in that time. Even after a particularly hideous experience with Toucan’s customer so-called “service”. Now is the time for action.

Energy

I’m currently with Southern Electric, which was the cheapest supplier for me when I moved in. According to Consumer Choices, if I switched to British Gas, I could save £193.90 over the next two years.

Broadband

I pay Toucan £15 a month for this, even though I detest them to the very fibre of my being. As I’ve got a Sky TV package, I could get free (but limited, download-wise) broadband from Sky, saving me £360 over two years. Why haven’t I done this yet? Because I’m a berk.

Home phone

If I switch this to Sky as well, I’ll save £1.75 per month (£42 over two years) on my line rental and get free evening calls as well as the free weekend calls I currently get from my BT Unlimited Weekend Plan.

So, what do you think? Before I start switching away like a lunatic, are there any better deals? Is this a good time to switch suppliers? Any tips…?

Effective, but not terribly practical….

I’m no Girls Aloud expert, all I know is there are five female members (Cheryl Cole nee Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberly Walsh), they’ve had 18 consecutive top ten hits, and they were the last act to officially feature on the now defunct Top of the Pops. That’s all I know. Oh, and ‘Biology’ peaked at a lowly 26 on the Australian charts. That’s really the extent of my knowledge.

However, I do know a Trojan virus when I see one, so this is just a quick note to say be on your guard.

According to systems security experts McAfee, almost 500,000 people have been caught out over the last few days by a booby trapped media file.

The file, which poses as a music track, short video or movie, has been sitting on a number of peer to peer applications, including eDonkey and Limewire. The little rogue has a number of different titles, including ‘girls aloud st trinnians.mp3’, which (as someone who isn’t the least bit interested in Girls Aloud) I obviously wouldn’t be trying to download (*cough*).

However, I might have gone for one of the others. The full list of filenames and aliases this infected file goes under are:

girls aloud st trinnians.mp3

changing times earth wind .mp3

heartbroken fast t2 ft jodie.mp3

meet bambi in kings harem.mp3

paralyized by you.mp3

pull over levert.mp3

If you download one of these files and run the fake codec expecting to hear a song, a bundle of adware and pop-ups will plague you instead, rendering your computer unusable.

So please be careful when you’re file-sharing today. Visit Broadband Choices for tips on how to stay safe online and beef up your firewall. You may also want to take a look at our guide to downloading.

Now, did I mention Nadine Coyle stands at 5’5” in her bare feet?