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Monday, September 03, 2007
BT - UK’s most popular supplier of broadband
Following the Epitro survey in July that identified BT as having the UK's best performing ADSL broadband service, it's only natural that today, BT should become the UK's first broadband provider to pass the four million customer mark. This significant milestone further strengthens BT Broadbands claim to being the UK's most popular supplier of broadband.
In June 2002, BT Retail could lay claim to just 172,000 broadband customers and it has taken just five years to accelerate this figure to four million...that's one new broadband customer joining BT every 40 seconds or 2000 new customers each day, with the last one million customers joining BT in the last 10 months alone!
BT Retail chief executive Ian Livingston said: “Four million customers is a great achievement in such a short time. Broadband has proved to be one of the most popular new services ever seen. It is already delivering next generation television, inclusive free phone calls in High Definition sound and great value mobile calls. Broadband can provide so many more services than just Internet surfing and it has become central to many people’s lives and businesses. Customers want to take advantage of the potential of broadband and need a high quality, reliable service – that’s why BT is the UK’s most popular broadband service.”
BT Total BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband, general-broadband-news
Friday, July 06, 2007
BT Wi-Fi reaches 35,000 hotspots
With each of the BT Total Broadband services offering 250 inclusive monthly Wi-Fi minutes, it's significant for for those who require mobile broadband access that BT broadband customers can now access BT Wi-Fi via a staggering 35,000 global hotspots.
BT Openzone offers 2000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK and Ireland that are directly managed by BT, along with 13 Wireless Cities.
Chris Bruce, general manager of BT Openzone, comments: “Now in our fifth year, our customers have access to a quarter of the world’s total hotspots to work, talk and play wherever they are and our roaming usage figures demonstrate people are already taking advantage of this across the globe. A consistent user experience ensures it’s easy for anyone to experience the benefits of Wi-Fi, whether they’re in Cape Town airport or a Hilton hotel in Berlin - and our site partners are telling us that it really makes a difference."
BT Total BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband, voip, wifi-broadband, wimax-broadband
Thursday, June 28, 2007
BT Total Broadband offers free digital vault
As more of our lives become digital, so secure and safe digital storage grows in importance so that precious / business critical files and photos cannot be lost at the mercy of unexpected PC hardware failure.
In answer to these growing concerns / needs, BT Total Broadband customers now benefit from an inclusive 5Gb of digital storage and auto backup with all BT Total Broadband products. The auto backup facility is included free of charge for six months with Option 1 and Option 2, whilst with Option 3 the auto backup is a permanent feature.
BT Digital Vault allows BT Total Broadband customers to store all their digital files (movies, music, photographs, files etc) in one secure online digital storage facility, which can thereafter be accessed from any PC.
Emma Sanderson, director of value-added services at BT Retail, said: “Our research has shown that many consumers are not safely storing their precious photos and files, not thinking about it until it is too late and they have lost everything. Now we are making it easy for BT Total Broadband customers to securely store, backup and share their digital valuables in one place online.”
BT Total BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband, general-broadband-news
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Reduce broadband bills with the BT credit card
BT has launched an innovative reward scheme via a unique credit card that offers BT customers an annual discount of up to £75 on their BT telephone / broadband bill. The BT credit card is automatically linked to BT customers telephone / broadband accounts, such that every time the BT credit card is used, a discount is applied at up to 1p per pound spent.
Gavin Patterson, MD of Consumer, BT Retail, said: “The BT Credit Card will be an obvious choice for millions of BT customers. Our research shows that our customers want a competitive credit card which rewards them for everyday spend and gives them automatic discounts on their BT bill for services they regularly use such as the phone and broadband. This is another innovative benefit available to our customers.”Labels: bt-broadband, general-broadband-news
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Top five ADSL broadband providers
Orange has re-entered the top five ADSL broadband providers in the UK,
joining BT broadband, Pipex broadband, Demon broadband and Virgin.net broadband at the top of the table in terms of technical broadband performance.
The fourth quarter Internet Performance Indicator (IPI) Report from Epitiro – the UK’s leading Customer Experience Management (CEM) provider for Internet access services – identifies BT as the best performing broadband provider. BT have held the top position for the last three quarters.
Epitiro’s customer experience monitoring and competitor benchmarking service, monitored the services from the ten largest competing consumer ADSL broadband providers, collecting 622,147 real-time data samples from eleven locations around the UK. This means that from 1st October to 31st December 2006, each broadband service was tested over 60,000 times on average.
“Our testing has shown that in terms of technical performance, BT and Pipex are still maintaining their position in the top five,” said Gavin Johns, Managing Director of Epitiro.
Overall Ranking - Q4 2006
1 - BT broadband
2 - Pipex broadband
3 - Orange broadband
4 - Demon broadband
5 - Virgin broadband
Increasing Speed Through 2006
Epitiro’s research has found that the industry average connection and HTTP download (web browsing) speeds have increased steadily through 2006, with the average consumer ADSL connection speed for the fourth quarter at 5.73 Mbps per second.
“ISPs are increasing their speeds, which is good news for bandwidth-hungry users,” said Epitiro’s Gavin Johns. “Speeds have increased from 3.82 Mbps per second in the third quarter due to new ADSL Max entrants into the ten largest broadband providers. However it’s unlikely that many ADSL Max services will perform at their full capacity of 8Mbps. The speed of broadband service reduces the further the customer’s connection is from their local telephone exchange.”
Individual Category Rankings
Epitiro’s Consumer ADSL IPI Report measures ten performance metrics, averaging performance in each to compile the top five rankings. Plusnet achieved the highest connection speed for the second quarter running. BT offered the fastest HTTP download speed, which normally reflects the speed of general web browsing. BT also provided the fastest FTP downloads from users’ personal webspace. Pipex
provided the fastest FTP upload speed. As well as upload and download connection speeds, ISP-I measures connection reliability and time to connect to ensure the full customer experience is captured.
“A broadband connection isn’t just about speed,” explained Gavin Johns. “The
connection has to be available when you need it and, with the growth of VoIP, Internet gaming and videoconferencing, it has to be able to deal with lots of different online activities.”
Virgin’s services had the lowest packet loss rate. All ISPs experience some packet loss, but a high rate of loss can lead to problems streaming video and audio. Interestingly, the percentage of packet loss - whilst remaining low - more than doubled in the past quarter. Virgin also had the lowest percentage of connection failures in Q4, suggesting that their consumer ADSL customers had the highest degree of uptime of the sample group. Orange broadband provided the fastest ping time, generally desirable to users that require frequent data updates from the Internet back to their computer, such as online gamers.Labels: bt-broadband, general-broadband-news, orange-broadband, pipex-broadband, plusnet-broadband, virgin-broadband, virgin-media-broadband
Thursday, January 18, 2007
New BT broadband packages just for business
BT Business delivers Total Broadband to UK SMEs. BT today announced BT Business Total Broadband, its most complete broadband package, specifically designed just for small businesses.
Powered by business-grade broadband with download speeds of up to 8Mb 1, BT Business customers now get more value for money through a free Broadband Voice additional line offer 2 , which gives customers capped UK and international calls over the internet, and our latest suite of security software, Internet Security Pack, which includes anti-virus and firewall software for all the PCs in the office.
BT Business Total Broadband also gives new Option 2 and 3 customers the freedom to use the internet wirelessly outside of the office with 250 free BT Openzone wireless minutes per month 3. This gives customers access to the internet at any of the 30,000 BT Openzone Wi-Fi hotspots in places such as cafes, hotels and airports in the UK and around the world.
Customers also receive the Business Essentials package, designed to make it easier for SMEs to run their business. The package includes ten Business Email Lite mailboxes and 20MB of Webspace, along with access to BT Workspace Lite, its latest collaboration tool that allows everyone within the company to store, access and share information.
As well as the comprehensive package, BT Business Total Broadband customers have a dedicated UK-based helpdesk that is reached via a free 0800 number.
New Option 3 customers will enjoy over £400 worth of additional value, this includes free access to IT Support Manager, BT Business’ advanced telephone support service, where software and configuration problems can be remedied remotely over the internet.
Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “For business customers in particular, broadband is much more than just being able to send e-mails and having high speed access in the office. By taking advantage of the latest technologies, the internet opens up a world of possibilities for smaller businesses, meaning that teams can be more efficient and work together no matter where they are – whether in the same office, at home or in an airport lounge.
“Customers have told us that they want a broadband package which is designed with their business in mind. By launching our most complete broadband package just for business, we’re giving customers everything they need – business-grade broadband and support, security, collaboration tools and wireless access – which will allow them to concentrate on their business, rather than worrying about the technology.”
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband, business-broadband
Saturday, January 13, 2007
BT reaches 1 million VoIP customers milestone
BT today announced it had gained more than one million registered consumer customers for its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, BT Broadband Talk and BT Softphone, representing more than a third of BT’s consumer broadband base.
BT has reached this key milestone more than six months earlier than projected, having set out in July 2006 a target of achieving a million VoIP customers within twelve months.
Gavin Patterson, managing director of consumer at BT Retail, welcomed the news: “We now have more than a million customer accounts for our VoIP services – and to achieve this in six months is nothing short of spectacular.
“UK consumers are clearly happy to embrace internet telephony when it is straightforward to use and offers great value, and through BT Total Broadband our customers are getting all the benefits that broadband has to offer.”
The June 2006 launch of BT Total Broadband placed internet telephony at the heart of the UK’s most comprehensive, value-packed broadband packages. Following a major revamp, BT unveiled three new VoIP services under the BT Broadband Talk banner, allowing customers to make calls through their PC, a videophone or a phone.
BT Broadband Talk enables customers to use their broadband connections as an extra line, getting inclusive evening and weekend calls to UK* landlines. Customers on BT Broadband Talk get a separate phone number and can choose a high value monthly calling plan alongside calling features such as 1471 and BT Answer. International calls cost from 1.25p per minute plus 3p set up fee and mobile calls from just 5p per minute.
BT Softphone is easy to download, and gives free global PC-to-PC chat at any time of day. It is compatible with BT Broadband Talk through one calling plan and one phone number. All customers of BT’s prior PC-based service, BT Communicator, can now make their calls with BT Softphone.
BT Total BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband, voip
Sunday, January 07, 2007
World-first BT Fusion embraces next-generation Wi-Fi
Deal with Phones4u takes Fusion to the High Street
BT today announced a next generation of BT Fusion Wi-Fi handsets, which will use the company’s growing network of hotspots and Wireless Cities to offer customers thousands of extra places to get great value on their mobiles.
Mobile phone lovers will be able to make guilt-free calls at home or out and about at BT Openzone hotspots and get four minutes talk for the price of one*.
For the first time, BT Fusion will be available to buy on the High Street this Spring in over 400 Phones4u stores across the UK, after the chain signed up to be the partner for the Wi-Fi launch.
BT’s extensive BT Openzone network in the UK and Ireland means that it is in a unique position to offer a truly converged fixed-mobile service.
The company’s plan to build a first phase of 12 Wireless Cities by the end of March next year means that most of the UK’s major city centres will soon offer widespread Wi-Fi coverage and the same four-for-one tariff will cover these locations.
It is expected that the introduction of the Wi-Fi handsets, the Nokia 6136, Motorola A910 and Samsung P200, will boost sales of this innovative mobile service.
Free internet surfing on the Wi-Fi handset is also part of the offer for Fusion customers, who can email or surf the web on their mobiles at home and at BT Openzone hotspots at five times faster speeds than GPRS.
Steve Andrews, BT chief, Mobility and Convergence, said: “Today, Fusion takes another huge step forward with an exciting new evolution offering even more places to get great value mobile calls. These latest free handsets will allow customers the freedom to just make the calls and surf the web via BT broadband without having to think twice.
“It is great sitting on the sofa at home and not having to worry about the cost of a convenient call made from your mobile. It is even better to get the same freedom when you are out and about, maybe in a hotel, at the airport or even shopping in a city centre. It knows where you are and connects automatically to Wi-Fi when you are at home or at a BT Openzone hotspot.
“BT Fusion was the world’s first and we believe it is the best. And because we have a large estate of BT Openzone hotspots and plans for a first phase of 12 Wireless Cities, customers can easily see the opportunity for savings. Our deal with Phones4u will make Fusion available on the High Street for the first time, as well as online and by calling BT. This mobile service is a great example of our convergence strategy to keep customers well connected wherever they are.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband, wifi-broadband
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Survey reveals clothing is merely an option for Brits on the phone
New research from BT Broadband Talk today has lifted the lid on some of the nation’s more unusual talking habits, and has revealed that almost half of Brits regularly talk on the phone when they’re not wearing any clothes!
49 per cent of people questioned as part of the survey admitted that they were happy to talk to friends and family when naked in the privacy of their own home, and this also was the situation where most respondents are pleased that the recipient of their call couldn’t actually see them! British women are much more likely than men to do this, with 57 per cent of females questioned, and 40 per cent of males, regularly making phone calls when naked.
A quarter of people questioned also said that they used phone calls as a way of pretending they were elsewhere – this figure rises among males, 30 per cent of whom regularly use the advantage of not being seen to make the person they are speaking to think they are somewhere else.
The BT Broadband Talk research shows that the majority of Brits are ‘talking multi-taskers’ with 83 per cent of people questioned saying that they carry out other activities while speaking on the phone. Women (86 per cent) are more likely to do this than men (78 per cent) and the research showed a female slant towards carrying out more practical tasks while making phone calls – popular responses from women included preparing food (64 per cent) and ironing (43 per cent). Men, however are more likely to be found watching television (63 per cent) while talking on the phone.
A number of other differences in the talking habits of the opposite sexes were also highlighted by the research. Women are more than twice as likely as men to pick up the phone to speak to their parents, while men are more likely than women to be found speaking to friends of the opposite sex.
Wendy McMillan General Manager, BT Broadband Talk, said: “Talking on the phone is an everyday activity for most people, what’s interesting about this research is the variety of different ways in which we go about it. Some of the facts revealed here might make us think about our phone calls a bit more and start to wonder what the person at the other end of the line is actually doing!”
BT Broadband Talk is an easy way to make and receive calls, all you need is a broadband connection and a normal touchtone phone. Customers simply plug the phone into the broadband enabled router and make and receive calls in the normal way.
With BT Broadband Talk, inclusive evening and weekend calls and great UK landline, mobile and international call rates are available and these apply whether callers are clothed or not. Callers using BT Broadband Talk can enjoy Hi-Definition Sound capability for high quality voice calls (provided both caller and recipient have a broadband connection with BT Home Hub and BT Home Hub Phone or BT Broadband Talk Softphone), as well as benefiting from a second virtual phone line and separate phone number.
BT Broadband Talk Customers can make calls from their computer using BT Softphone or via the BT Videophone.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
BT to smash broadband target
BT will this week break through the ten million broadband barrier, smashing its initial target of five million connections by the end of 2006. That target, viewed as highly ambitious at the time, was set in April 2002 when there were fewer than 150,000 DSL connections. Broadband availability at that time was 66 per cent whereas it is now more than 99.8 per cent.
The ten million wholesale connections are shared between BT Wholesale and Openreach. BT Wholesale supplies services to more than 8.7 million customers (via service providers including BT Retail) whilst Openreach supplies more than 1.3 million lines to customers via local loop unbundlers. Every one of these ten million connections brings revenues to BT.
Broadband has become the fastest growing consumer product in recent years vastly outpacing the growth in televisions, CD players, video recorders or mobile phones. More than 13 million people in the UK (including cable customers) now use the service, making the UK one of the fastest growing markets in the G8. The success of Broadband Britain has resulted in the UK leading Europe in online shopping and ecommerce – a trend that has been evident over the festive season. 1
Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive of BT Group, said: “2007 is beginning with broadband firmly established at the heart of the UK economy, helping businesses to compete and enriching people's lives. The UK now has over 200 service providers making it the most competitive broadband market in the world. That means fantastic choice and value for consumers, and a constant stream of new and innovative applications.”
Broadband over BT’s network is fast outpacing broadband over cable. Whereas three years ago, more than half of all new connections were carried over cable, that percentage had declined to just 11 per cent for the quarter ending September 2006 meaning 89 per cent of new connections use BT’s network.
In an intensely competitive environment BT Retail’s share of the total broadband market (including cable) has remained steady at around 24 per cent. This figure reflects its share of the total market at the end of September 2006 and is exactly the same as it was one year previously. BT Retail now has more than three million broadband customers.
Going forward, broadband speeds are set to increase with the roll out of BT’s 21st Century Network. This will see the speed of broadband increase across the UK and not just in the city centres where local loop unbundlers are focusing their investment. Speeds of up to 24Mb/s will be increasingly available across the UK from January 2008 although actual speeds will depend on a variety of factors including distance from the exchange.
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, December 21, 2006
BT business helps SMEs protect themselves better online
New BT PC Backup and Internet Security Pack launched. Small businesses in the UK can now use their broadband connection to access the latest security software and back-up tools for a low price monthly subscription, with the launch of the new BT PC Backup and Internet Security Pack.
This comes in response to the increase of online security risks, with two-thirds of small and medium-sized companies in the UK having suffered some kind of virus attack, and less than 20 per cent backing up their data remotely, even though 82 per cent admit they could not function without it*.
BT PC Backup is an automated business-grade service that remotely backs up PC data whenever customers connect to the internet, no matter where they are, from a fixed-line or wireless broadband connection.
The PC Backup software detects any changes in files and documents on users’ PCs and ensures that they are saved securely. The data is compressed, so that the average daily backup takes no more than five minutes, and encrypted, to make it secure whilst it is transferred over the internet, before being stored at multiple data centres to give complete protection.
Customers can then access or recover their files from any internet-connected computer with their user ID and security password.
The new Internet Security Pack provides the latest desktop protection against all known threats and includes best-of-breed anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall and content filtering, including pop-up blocking and anti-phishing, all delivered through a single desktop client developed exclusively for BT by Authentium.
Available to all existing and new customers, the simple-to-install software automatically updates, including new virus definitions so that users always have the latest protection.
It also allows business owners to ensure their company is safe, by giving the status of each PC via a simple, intuitive Web-based portal. The service is supported by a 24/7 BT helpdesk.
Chris Lindsay, general manager, broadband and VoIP, at BT Business, said: “ Online security and protecting electronic data is vital for every business, no matter what their size. The trouble is that many small businesses don’t have the budget required to achieve this. As a result, we’ve developed a range of services that offer customers the very latest business-grade security and remote backup for a low monthly fee, which means they can be confident in the knowledge their systems are secure and, should the worst happen, their business data is safe.”Labels: bt-broadband, business-broadband
Thursday, December 14, 2006
BT Fusion now available with Wi-Fi for small businesses
BT today launched BT Fusion Wi-Fi for business, bringing together the benefits of fixed and mobile convergence on one mobile device, with seamless two-way handover between Wi-Fi and GSM.
The new service will give small business customers a range of benefits to increase their productivity and performance, including: high speed access to business applications in Wi-Fi mode at up to five times faster than GPRS, free access to all your fixed and mobile voice messages stored in one place, and call rates as cheap as 5p for 60 minutes from the office and out and about.
Two cutting edge dual-mode Wi-Fi mobile handsets are available from BT immediately, the Nokia 6136 and the Motorola A910. Samsung’s P200 will be added to the range next month.
When combined with BT Business One Plan, BT’s triple-play package for mobile, fixed and broadband, prices start from just £15 a month including the handset, allowing businesses to squeeze extra value from their existing BT broadband line.
In the office, or at BT Openzone hotspots, for up to 60 minutes customers pay 5p for UK fixed line calls, less than the cost of a text; 15p for calls to BT mobiles, and 25p for calls to other UK mobiles. On the move all calls to both fixed and mobile numbers are capped at 25p for up to 60 minutes.
Steve Andrews, managing director of Mobility and Convergence, said: “This is a great day for small businesses. Customers tell us they need communications services that are better, simpler and faster to help them succeed wherever they are working.
“BT Fusion brings together in one service, high speed access to critical business information, free access to all your messages stored in one place and a great value calls package – wherever you are, all on one high quality handset.”
BT’s estate of around 2,000 Openzone hotspots at premium business locations, such as airports, railway stations and hotels, as well as an increasing number of leisure sites, mean that it is in a unique position to offer customers even more places where they can get higher quality, ultra high-speed access and fixed line rates for all their BT Fusion calls.
Additionally, BT’s plans to build a first phase of 12 Wireless Cities by the end of March next year means that most of the UK’s major city centres will soon offer comprehensive, high quality, Wi-Fi coverage with Openzone access.
Andrews said: “We were the first to market in the world with BT Fusion, we’ve already offered UK businesses the first triple-play tailored for their needs and now we are the first to offer them fixed-mobile handsets using Wi-Fi, at home, in the office and out and about with BT Openzone. And we will continue to build on our extensive and growing Wi-Fi network.”
The new groundbreaking service also includes a free 20MB data allowance so that businesses can use their mobiles for more than just phone calls without worry. Customers can use their handsets to access their e-mails, business applications and the mobile internet, in the office and at BT Openzone hotspots at faster speeds than GPRS.
Also available free is Call Minder Multi, BT’s smart messaging service, which combines the customer’s mobile and landline voicemail, giving them only one mailbox to call to pick up all their messages.
Other benefits for Wi-Fi Fusion customers are that they can keep their existing mobile number, receive a single bill and have just one point of contact.Labels: bt-broadband, wifi-broadband
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Go wireless with BT Broadband and Xbox Live
BT and Xbox Live offer ultimate online gaming experience. BT Total Broadband has partnered with Xbox Live® to offer a free Xbox 360™ Wireless Adapter retail price of £59.99 - actual prices may vary) for new BT Total Broadband customers1 who sign up via www.bt.com/xboxoffer, delivering the ultimate wireless gaming experience on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®.
The Xbox 360™ Wireless Adapter allows you to connect your Xbox 360™ wirelessly to BT Total Broadband via the BT Home Hub.
BT Total Broadband customers could benefit from ultra-fast download speeds of up to 8Mb2 enabling gamers to move up to a completely new level of online multi-player gaming – with speeds which allow the game to react as quickly as the players. Gamers will be able to experience exceptional stability with any action delays reduced to an absolute minimum, incredibly smooth 'real time' game play and advanced online gaming features with Xbox Live®.Labels: bt-broadband
Friday, December 01, 2006
BT's NHS broadband network organisation given seal of approval
BT today announced that N3SP, the unit within BT responsible for building and supporting the broadband network for the NHS under the £12.4 billion National Programme for Information Technology, has received one of industry’s top accolades for service management with its accreditation to ISO 20000 - the world’s first standard for IT service management.
ISO 20000 sets out requirements against which an organisation can be assessed for effective IT service management process and performance. It provides an integrated framework for delivering and managing IT services to the customer, encouraging a more service orientated and customer focused organisation.
According to the International Standards Organisation, with up to 80 per cent of information technology budgets of most organisations directly linked to service management processes, the new standard is also expected to lead to costs savings for users as well as increased productivity and improved customer service.
Increasingly customers, particularly those in the public sector, will only consider companies for large IT contracts if they are accredited to this standard. The NHS already insists that for large outsourced contracts its suppliers meet this standard or its predecessor, BS 15000.
Patrick O’Connell, managing director BT Health, said: “We continue to make good progress on our NHS contracts and today’s news that N3SP has been given the seal of approval by gaining ISO 20000 accreditation rounds off a good year. This independent endorsement is an example of our commitment to providing a high standard of service to all our customers.”
Stuart Hill, chief executive of BT N3SP, said: “This standard is important because it provides a baseline against which an organisation can demonstrate its service delivery processes conform to best practices and are performing well.
“This has really been a team effort and we have drawn on the expertise of our people on BT’s other NHS National Programme contracts which have been accredited with ISO 20000 predecessor, BS 15000."
“This globally recognised standard is all about industry-wide best practice and gives our customer the confidence that they have a totally customer focussed supplier. It is a tangible example of how BT Global Services is a true world-class services organisation.”
BT was awarded the £530 million N3 contract in February 2004. It has since created one of Europe’s largest secure virtual private networks. N3SP is an autonomous unit within BT and is supplier agnostic, meaning it provides the NHS with broadband connections at best value from a range of suppliers.
BT has have installed about 16,000 connections and is confident that it will complete the 18,000 roll out by the end of March 2007.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Westminster first of BT's wireless cities
BT today announced a groundbreaking agreement to roll out a feature-rich, high speed wireless broadband network, which will bring benefits for Westminster City Council’s services, mobile workers, the business community and residents.
The Wireless City will be the first for BT of the initial phase of 12 across the UK to roll-out city-wide, taking in the West End shopping area and the heart of Government.
The city council has signed an agreement with Vertex Data Science Ltd, who will work with BT to develop applications running over the wireless broadband network, which will improve the flow of information and services across the city. In addition to the city council’s service, BT will expand the network to offer extensive wireless broadband coverage in most areas of the city in the next couple of years.
Mobile workers, such as environmental health officers, will be able to file reports on the move from their laptop or digital handheld device, or securely access the council intranet remotely.
BT has said it will roll out the first 12 Wireless Cities by the end of March 2007. Westminster is furthest advanced with its plans and roll out of the street-based network, following a successful pilot. The parts of the network which do not support council services will be funded by BT.
Steve Andrews, BT Group, chief of Mobility and Convergence, said: “Westminster has been at the forefront of this project and the city council has enthusiastically grasped the benefits of a Wireless City for the council, businesses community and residents. Flexible working will help them and their large mobile workforce to get the most out of the wireless network.
“The Wireless Cities project is part of our strategy to ensure customers are always best connected, wherever they are and using whatever device they want. When we launch Wi-Fi phones for BT Fusion shortly there will be whole areas of many cities where customers will be able to make calls and access their personal or business applications whilst on the move.”
Councillor Colin Barrow, of Westminster City Council, said: “This will allow us to deliver our goals for community safety by supporting a more flexible and adaptable CCTV network.
“Through wireless technology, Westminster will be a better place to live and work; the council will be more efficient, and be able to keep the streets safer.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
First customers go live on BT's 21st century network
BT made communications history today with the transfer of the first customer lines to its 21st Century Network (21CN), the world’s most advanced next generation network. As planned, BT has started to move customers in the village of Wick, near Cardiff, to the next generation infrastructure. The upgrade, which took place without the need for an engineer visit, new telephone, or a new telephone number, is part of the first phase of the national roll-out of 21CN.
21CN will bring a range of benefits to businesses and consumers over years to come. New voice, data, broadband and multimedia services will be delivered quicker and cheaper than before, including faster broadband. 21CN will also give customers more control over the way they use their services.
The migration of the first customers to 21CN is a landmark event in BT’s next generation network programme. To reach this important milestone BT has re-built around ten per cent of the UK’s core national communications infrastructure, installed 21CN equipment at over 100 sites across the UK, and laid more than 2,300 kilometres of new fibre optic cable in South Wales. BT has also invested more than 1,500 man years in developing new IT systems to support the new network.
Reaching this major milestone has also been the result of pan-industry collaboration through Consult21, a forum which provides a regular open platform for all communications providers to understand and influence BT’s plans for 21CN. This includes the details of the roll-out programme, as it affects hundreds of communications providers across the UK.
Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale and BT board sponsor for the 21CN programme said, “Today marks a symbolic and momentous occasion for BT, the communications industry and for the UK as 21CN, over three years in the making, starts to become real for customers. Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call 130 years ago – we are also making history with the first live UK customer calls using a carrier class, all IP network. Years of research and development, network build and design, rigorous trials and testing, together with open collaboration with the communications industry have culminated in this historic moment. A network transformation on this scale has not been attempted anywhere else in the world – it’s happening now in South Wales, and the rest of the UK will follow over the next few years.”
Following the first phase of customer migrations in Wick, customers in Cardiff, Bridgend and the Pontypridd area will be the next to have their voice and broadband services transferred to 21CN. By the end of summer 2007, around 350,000 customer lines in South Wales are expected to have been migrated to the new infrastructure.
When complete, 21CN will deliver existing and new converged communications services to homes and businesses nationwide. BT believes that the underlying network and the new services it will create, including the first nationwide wholesale broadband service offering planned speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s, will make converged communications faster, more efficient and more cost effective than ever before.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, November 16, 2006
BT makes recommended cash offer for PlusNet plc
BT today announced it has made a recommended cash offer for PlusNet, offering 210p per share, valuing the company at approximately £67m.
The offer for PlusNet fits perfectly with BT’s strategy of providing its customers with the most that broadband can deliver. Broadband is increasingly becoming more than just fast internet access and PlusNet has a strong reputation for both customer service and innovation.
Operating since 1997, PlusNet was listed on the Alternative Investment Market in 2004. It has grown rapidly during the last few years and now has close to 200,000 broadband customers as well as an additional narrowband customer base. If the offer is accepted, PlusNet will retain its brand and distinct identity. It will continue to operate from its base in Sheffield and Lee Strafford will remain its CEO. For the 12 months to 30 June 2006 the company had revenues of £41m, EBITDA of £7.5m and net income of £3.9m.
BT Retail chief executive, Ian Livingston said: “This offer makes great sense for BT. We already provide the UK’s most popular and best-performing ADSL broadband service and this acquisition will ensure that even more people can enjoy our market-leading services. PlusNet’s customers and employees will benefit from the combination of PlusNet’s excellent platform and access to BT’s resources and technology development.”
Lee Strafford, CEO of PlusNet said: “I am pleased to announce BT’s offer this morning. Whilst the PlusNet Directors continue to believe that PlusNet is a high quality business, our sector is consolidating and there are considerable benefits to PlusNet in becoming part of BT. BT recognises the importance of retaining PlusNet’s identity and culture and I believe this will give rise to exciting opportunities for PlusNet, our customers and our employees.”
The directors of the company, having unanimously recommended the offer, have provided irrevocable undertakings to accept BT’s offer.
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband, plusnet-broadband
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Birmingham takes lead in Wi-Fi revolution with BT
BIRMINGHAM today confirmed itself at the forefront of exploiting digital technology by signing an agreement with BT for the creation of a street-based wireless city communications network.
The agreement forms part of the Digital Birmingham initiative, a partnership between Birmingham City Council, and other public, private and voluntary sector organisations who share the ambition to establish Birmingham as the leading European digital city by 2010.
The Wireless Birmingham Wi-Fi network will cover a square mile area of the city centre.
Today’s formal agreement is part of BT’s Wireless Cities initiative, which will see Birmingham leading the way in early 2007, followed by other major UK cities in the first phase of an ongoing programme.
Birmingham’s plans are the most advanced of the cities that signed up for the programme in May.
Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of the City Council, said: “The Wireless Birmingham agreement is a clear demonstration of how well we have worked in partnership with BT – who are making a significant financial investment to establish this network.
“It shows the commitment both sides of the partnership have to ensuring Birmingham is recognised as at the leading edge of digital developments and that the city becomes the first truly sustainable wireless city in conjunction with a private sector partner.
“The project offers endless opportunities and possibilities – not least of which is to enable us to deliver our services in a creative and innovative way. Many cities have plans to implement such wireless networks, but this agreement shows we are serious about competing on a national and international stage when it comes to establishing the technological facilities that today’s world requires.”
BT will fund the city centre network, with the City Council providing access to its street lamp posts in order to create the essential infrastructure.
In a groundbreaking innovation, people with laptops, mobile phones, hand-held computers and gaming devices using Wi-Fi (the industry standard for connecting devices wirelessly to the web) will be able to access information and services from the City Council free of charge through an internet portal.
The portal will give free access over the network to Birmingham-specific information relating to topics such as health, transport, events, and schools, whilst people are out and about in the city centre.
It will also enable the council to provide free wireless access to educational information anywhere within the city centre including the city’s 50,000 higher education students, using the same technology they are familiar with as it is already installed in many schools and colleges.
As well as the free services, people will be able to buy vouchers or subscribe to innovative services such as BT Openzone and Fusion, and a range of new applications and services for consumers and businesses, allowing them to remain contactable, access broadband wirelessly and surf the web whilst on the move.
The City Council will also use the BT Wireless Cities network to pilot a range of pioneering initiatives which will improve the delivery of a range of public services, from the spring. These could include: mobile office devices for Birmingham street wardens, who provide face-to-face assistance and security for the citizens, visitors and business owners of Birmingham; and Wireless CCTV, which will be used for city centre management, security and parking services. On successful completion of a pilot, it is the intention of both parties to formalise an agreement for the future running of the service.
Carefully planned by the project partners, the initial coverage area is to maximise citizen and business benefit by including the professional district, the ICC, NIA and Brindleyplace, Broad Street, the Jewellery Quarter, Eastside, Digbeth, and the main retail areas. Aston Science Park and Millennium Point are also to have coverage from day one.
The development and operational costs of the network will be borne entirely by BT – there is no cost burden on the taxpayer for the provision and management of the network.
Frank Mills, BT’s West Midlands regional director, said: “It is a real testament to how forward-thinking and ambitious Birmingham City Council is in wanting to reap the benefits that a BT Wireless Cities network can bring. This is one of the first of many licensing and applications agreements BT is planning with local authorities around the UK.
“Key to the success of this agreement has been that BT and Birmingham City Council have worked closely together to ensure we’re not just rolling out a network of hotspots, but guaranteeing that the Council has the right applications in place to make wireless public services work for every resident, every council worker, every business owner and every tourist. We believe that partnering with local authorities is the most successful model for creating a true Wireless City and the people of Birmingham will notice a significant difference in the way they can use the network on a range of devices for entertainment, education and communication, even when they’re on the move.”
Birmingham City Council and BT are founder members of the Digital Birmingham partnership which has the ambition to establish Birmingham as the leading European Digital City by 2010.
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband, wifi-broadband
Monday, November 13, 2006
BT outlines new wholesale broadband pricing
BT today revealed how it plans to reduce its wholesale broadband pricing once 1.5m lines have been unbundled. The indicative prices are aimed at offering service providers a cost effective alternative to Local Loop Unbundling (LLU).
The new pricing structure is intended to come into effect from May 2007 - at which point BT believes the UK will have achieved 1.5 million LLU lines – and will be implemented in two stages. The unveiling of the proposals will enable service providers to plan ahead.
From May 2007, service providers will see the rental charge for the most highly used wholesale broadband product – BT IPstream – reduced by 9 per cent, with the price coming down from £8.40 per line per month to £7.63. This price is expected to be reduced further in the second round of changes planned for January 2008.
There will also be further savings for service providers at high density exchanges. The current rebate scheme that applies at 561 of these exchanges is set to be revised to cover 1,016 exchanges. The level of this rebate is also set to increase from £1.10 to £1.24 from May 2007. The rebate reflects the lower cost of providing broadband in these areas.
The increase in the rebate – combined with the lower rental price - will reduce the net monthly rental price (i.e. rental less rebate) in these exchanges from £7.30 to £6.39. This is a reduction of 12.5 per cent. Further increases to the rebate are also planned from January 2008.
Cameron Rejali, BT Wholesale managing director for products and strategy, said: “These pricing proposals will help our ISP customers develop their business plans and compete effectively in the broadband market. The proposed prices better reflect the economies of scale and input costs we face, meaning we can deliver lower average costs to ISPs. The industry has been waiting to hear how we will enable them to compete with the local loop unbundlers and so these proposals should allow them to plan ahead.”
Service providers choosing the BT Datastream product - a simpler service than that provided by the BT IPstream product - are also set to benefit from the revised rebate scheme. The existing rebate of £1.15 for connections to the current 561 exchanges will be extended to the 1,016 designated exchanges. This will effectively reduce the rental charge per end user from £7.05 to £5.90 in those areas from May 2007.
BT Wholesale has started to purchase the LLU product and will consequently be charged for the provision and cessation of a line from Openreach. From May 2007, BT Wholesale intends to reflect these charges through connection and cessation charges for its service provider customers. As a result, the connection charge for BT IPstream and BT Datastream products will come down from £40 (ex VAT) to £34.86 (ex VAT) reflecting the charges from Openreach.
A cessation charge is also set to be introduced where service providers order the termination of service on an end user’s line. This charge of £33.75 (ex VAT) reflects the input costs from Openreach. The cessation charge will not apply when a consumer wants to move from one service provider to another and both service providers use the MAC process. BT’s aim is to encourage more service providers to participate in the MAC process, which is designed to make it simpler for consumers to move from one service provider to another. The cessation charge will also not apply where there are bulk migrations to LLU.
Finally, BT Wholesale also confirmed today it intends to trial Wholesale Broadband Connect in selected exchanges across the UK from Summer 2007. This is a new next generation broadband service created using 21CN. Using ADSL and ADSL2+ technology, it will provide national connectivity enabling communications providers to connect their broadband and data customers to their own networks and services efficiently and cost effectively. With planned speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s, BT Wholesale Broadband Connect is set to be available to almost half the UK from early 2008, with nationwide coverage linked to the rollout of 21CN.
Note: Prices are subject to BT’s ongoing legal and regulatory obligations and commitments and are indicative and could be subject to change prior to formal pricing notification.
Notes
Under the Telecommunications Strategic Review, BT made a commitment that it would not lower the prices of its wholesale broadband offerings until the UK achieved 1.5 million LLU lines.
The pricing proposals are in line with additional commitments made to Ofcom to ensure pricing stability in the broadband marketplace.
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, November 09, 2006
The Walt Disney Company and BT close movie video on demand agreement
Buena Vista International Television (BVITV), the international TV distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company, and BT Plc, announced today that they have concluded a multi-year broadband video-on-demand rental agreement in the UK. This will make available, on-demand, a selection of upcoming, current and library movies from BVITV’s portfolio via BT’s upcoming next-generation TV service, BT Vision. This agreement is in line with The Walt Disney Company's focus on the application of technology to enhance its content and expand its distribution
Through this agreement, BT Vision’s customers will be able to purchase on-demand a selection of current and upcoming features from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films. Titles include the record-breaking global hit ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,’ the Academy Award®-winning ’Memoirs of a Geisha,’ plus comedies ‘The Shaggy Dog’ and ‘Scary Movie 4.’ The agreement also includes a range of library features.
Tom Toumazis, executive vice president and managing director, BVITV EMEA said: “As flexibility and choice of content become increasingly important factors to the entertainment consumer, we’re pleased to be working with BT to offer this strong selection of our movie titles to BT Vision’s customers across the UK, in a convenient range of ways on this exciting new digital service.”
Dan Marks, CEO of BT Vision, said: “We are delighted to announce this agreement with The Walt Disney Company. BT Vision’s film service will be immensely strengthened by our ability to offer current movies from one of the strongest studios and a great selection of titles from Disney’s magnificent catalogue. We look forward to working with Disney to develop and use innovative technology to continue providing our customers with choice, convenience and control over their movie-watching.”
At launch, BT Vision customers will be able to enjoy a vast range of film, music and television programming available on-demand as well as interactive services and all the Freeview channels, all available on the TV, with no compulsory subscription. This unique combination, delivered on a software platform powered by Microsoft and through a set-top box made by Philips, will allow customers choice, control and convenience.
BT Vision has already announced content deals with a range of leading entertainment companies including Dreamworks, i-concerts, Eagle Rock, BBC Worldwide, Paramount, Warner Music Group, National Geographic Channel, HIT Entertainment, Momentum, Universal, Nelvana, SONY BMG, Viacom and Turner Broadcasting; as well as with independents including Lionsgate, Entertainment Rights plc, NBD Television and Wall to Wall Television. BT Vision has also announced 'near-live' FA Premier League matches from the 2007/08 season.
This agreement was concluded by BVITV’s Damian Newton, vice president, Digital Media and Catherine Powell, executive director, Sales, UK & Ireland, working with BT Vision’s Mark Cranwell, director, business affairs and Bobbie Fox, head of film.
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband
BT Broadband breaks the three million barrier
BT Retail today celebrated the arrival of its three millionth broadband customer, confirming the company’s position as the provider of the UK’s most popular and best-performing# ADSL broadband service.
The milestone was passed recently but announced today to accompany BT’s half yearly results. These results revealed BT Retail secured one in four of all new ADSL customers in the period between July and September 2006. The business now has 32 per cent of the total DSL broadband market.
Today’s results also show that new customers are increasingly opting for the most content-rich packages. BT Total Broadband, launched in July 2006, offers consumers a choice of three packages and it was revealed today that nearly 60 per cent of new customers in the quarter chose Options 2 or 3. These include download speeds of up to 8Mb, free internet voice and video calls and a suite of security software all brought together through the revolutionary Home Hub.
The BT Home Hub is a stylish, powerful device, designed to sit at the heart of the digital home. It supports BT’s full range of services including both Total Broadband and Broadband Talk. It connects wirelessly to PCs and other broadband devices and will update automatically to work seamlessly with future services.
Sales of the consumer Hub have now exceeded 350,000 helping to fuel a rise in the use of Voice over IP (VoIP) services. BT now has a base of more than 650,000 residential customers using VoIP services.
Ian Livingston, chief executive of BT Retail, said: “The broadband market is consolidating and customers are increasingly choosing between basic broadband and a total service that can deliver far more. BT believes that customers deserve broadband that makes available a range of new exciting new services.
“The broadband market of the last few months has been similar to a gold rush with companies falling over themselves to offer so called “free” broadband. It is pleasing then to see that more than three million customers share our vision that broadband is far more than a pipe into the home.”
# From April 1 to September 30, 2006, the performance of BT’s broadband service has been independently monitored by Epitiro. BT been the top-rated ADSL consumer broadband provider (compared with AOL, Tiscali, Orange and Pipex), benchmarked by measures including download speed, ping time, upload speed, connection speed, packet loss, DNS time, FTP speed, e-mail time and time to connect.
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband
BT to invest up to €500m on the island of Ireland
BT today outlined plans to invest up to €500m over the next five years to provide Ireland, north and south with a world-leading communications network carrying fixed, mobile, voice, data, video on-demand and broadband services for consumers, small businesses and corporates.
The programme is part of BT’s multi billion ‘21st Century Network’ (21CN) investment in a next generation network, with one of the benefits being access to LLU-based wholesale broadband services with speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s.
BT is developing what promises to be the world’s most advanced communications infrastructure to give increased customer choice and flexibility, and to enable the introduction of new services for all the communications providers more quickly in the future.
Danny McLaughlin, CEO, BT in Ireland, said: “Today’s announcement demonstrates the depth of BT’s commitment to Ireland, north and south, as we create an environment capable of transforming the way we live, work and play. Our investment in 21 CN will be a key component in attracting foreign investment to the island, and in facilitating economic growth through the delivery of innovative products and technical diversity”.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin T.D., said: “This is a strategically significant announcement for Ireland, north and south. BT’s investment will underpin our ability to compete economically on the world stage by having access to state of the art infrastructure. This is good news for the economy and for all citizens.”
Maria Eagle MP, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Investment, said: “This major investment underlines the confidence of BT in the market, and will play an important role in attracting companies keen to benefit from our modern, state-of-the-art communications network. It will build upon the significant investment Government has made in delivering 100% broadband and will certainly be a valuable tool in helping NI businesses compete globally.”
“21CN will replace the complex network and systems infrastructure with a physically simpler and more reliable network, to ensure the delivery of the next generation of converged services faster, more efficiently and more cost-effectively than ever before,” concluded Danny McLaughlin.
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Monday, October 23, 2006
BT launches free virtual vault to protect the nation's digital treasures
Broadband users can now store all their digital valuables online for free with BT’s new Digital Vault.
Users can keep everything from movies, music, emails and address books to photos, documents and presentations in a single secure virtual deposit box – protecting it against PC ‘crashes’, theft or accidental deletion.
Customers can access everything in an instant from any computer connected to the internet, giving them the freedom to look at family snaps, listen to favourite music tracks or watch a video, from anywhere in the world.
Gavin Patterson, managing director of consumer, BT Retail, said: “Millions of us now routinely store our memories, thoughts and valuable content on our PCs. For example, more than half of PC owners now store their photos on their PCs.*
“To lose this information in the event of a ‘crash’ or theft would be devastating. BT Digital Vault offers a, simple and safe solution.”
Personal data is encrypted when transmitted and then stored in a secure data centre so customers can be comfortable in the knowledge that when they are not online everything is being kept safely under digital lock and key.
Although designed to keep personal data away from prying eyes, BT Digital Vault allows users to share their data files. For example, customers can create a photo album slide show in their personal vault, and then send an email to family and friends inviting them to view slide show.
BT Digital Vault Basic, which is free, is ideal for users who want to manually upload, share and remotely access a small number of files. If automatic back up and more storage is required, then customers can choose BT Digital Vault for just £4.99 a month.
The £4.99 a month service provides BT Digital Vault Backup Manager which removes the hassle of backing-up. Customers choose which computer folders they want to back up once, and the Backup Manager will then automatically backup, the files each time they are changed or more files added.
BT Digital Vault is available to everyone and has a 20GB storage capacity so customers can store hundreds of photos, files, music and videos. Anyone signing up before January 8, 2007 gets the first two months free.
BT Digital Vault Basic has been available to BT Total Broadband customers from the start of October, but from today is available free to any customer, irrespective of broadband provider. As an introductory offer, all customers signing up before January 8, 2007will get 2GB storage capacity. From January 9, 2007 new customers signing who do not have BT Total Broadband will get 1GB storage capacity while BT Total Broadband customers will continue to be offered 2GB.
Patterson added: “With broadband increasingly becoming an integral part of our lives more - more of us are moving important parts of our lives online. However, people are often unsure about how to keep their online data safe. The beauty of BT Digital Vault is that it is very safe and very simple to use and from a known, trusted brand like BT. All you need is a broadband connection, your username and password and we do all the rest.
“If you want to share your holiday snaps with a friend, retrieve important files, or backup files on your laptop when you’re away from home, it’s all possible with BT Digital Vault.”
BT broadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
BT invests £1 billion in Scotland's 21st century communications revolution
BT today outlined plans to invest £1 billion over the next five years to provide Scotland with a world-leading communications network designed to carry both today’s and tomorrow’s voice, data, video-on-demand and broadband services.
The first customers in Scotland to be switched over to the next generation network will be in parts of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness, Stirling, Perth and Paisley as well as towns including Dunfermline, Falkirk, Musselburgh and Newton Mearns. The switch-over is planned to start in January 2008 and will be substantially complete by the end of the decade.
BT is developing what promises to be the world’s most advanced communications infrastructure to give increased customer choice and flexibility, and to enable the introduction of new services for all the UK’s communication providers more quickly in the future.
The Scottish programme is part of BT’s multi-billion pound 21st Century Network (21CN) investment in a next generation network, with one of the benefits being access to wholesale broadband services with speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s – triple the fastest speeds currently available for most UK customers.
Brendan Dick, BT’s national manager for Scotland, said: “Our investment in the world’s most advanced communications infrastructure will benefit everyone in Scotland and create an environment capable of transforming everything we do.
“It opens the door to a range of new products and entertainment options being developed by service providers, which customers will be able to enjoy once they are migrated to the new network, building on emerging innovations such as television down your mobile phone and video over broadband.
“As well as providing indigenous businesses with a competitive edge, it will help attract and retain inward investment in Scotland. So today we’re urging business leaders – and consumers – to be prepared to capitalise,” he added.
BT is making 21CN available to communities in more rural parts of the country as well as densely populated towns and cities, and in doing so is the only communications company in the world to bring next generation network services to all people, regardless of where they live.
For example, Crathie and Dufftown will be connected to 21CN voice services in the same phase as large parts of Aberdeen, and the rural community of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull and the islanders of Gigha at the same time as wide areas of Greater Glasgow.
The project will involve the replacement of equipment at 1070 exchanges across Scotland. Eight super exchanges – known as metro nodes and providing routing and signalling for the unified 21CN network for voice, data and video – will be located at strategic points across the country.
More than 2.2 million lines in Scotland – serving business and residential customers of all UK telecommunications operators – will eventually be transferred over to the new network, as part of the biggest transformation the UK communications industry has ever seen.
Today’s announcement follows months of detailed consultation with the UK telecommunications industry.
The programme will enable the delivery of up to 24Mbit/s broadband services to around 50 per cent of the UK from the beginning of 2008. Among them will be around 570,000 customers served by 35 Scottish exchanges. As the 21CN transformation progresses, these services will become available across the rest of the country.
Bt broadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
BT close to completing NHS broadband network
BT today revealed it is close to completing the national broadband network that will support and underpin the National Programme for IT, the £6.2 billion project to update the NHS’s IT systems in England.
More than 15,000 sites in England have now been connected to this private network – known as N3 – meaning the roll-out is 85 per cent on its way to completion. BT believes it will connect all 18,000 sites in England – including hospitals and GP surgeries – by the target date of March 2007.
BT was awarded the £530 million contract for N3 in February 2004 along with the local service provider contract for London and the contract to build the central patient record database known as the "Spine".
BT is making strong progress with all three contracts according to the chief executive of its Global Services division, Andy Green. He said that BT is delivering according to current plans in all three areas and that the company has received hundreds of millions of pounds in contractual payments to date. He also said BT expects to make a profit on the contracts over their lifespan.
He said: "BT is very pleased with the progress it is making on its various NHS contracts. This is a challenging project - and we have learnt lessons along the way - but we are now in good shape.
"N3 is an area where we have made some of the strongest progress. We have quietly created Europe’s largest virtual private network that will connect every NHS site in England, enabling information to travel at great speeds between those sites. We are also rolling out a similar network in Scotland.
"The increasing sophistication of NHS services and procedures means that this high-capacity has never been more essential. Today, it is already benefiting clinicians and patients alike by enabling clinical information to be shared quickly and securely.
"This is an important achievement as N3 underpins the whole programme to modernise the NHS. It’s fair to say that the foundations are now in place for this important programme"
The National Programme for IT is an essential part of the Government’s ten year plan to modernise the NHS. It aims to improve patient care by creating an integrated computerised system to handle all the records for 50 million patients in England and Scotland.
It will benefit patients by speeding up significantly the transmission of clinical data within the NHS. GP surgeries, community pharmacies and hospitals will all benefit from faster, secure access and will be able to share and view large data files, patient records, video links and visual materials such as x-rays and scans.
For example, patients can receive the convenience of local specialist advice and treatment instead of the inconvenience of travelling to specialist centres. The highest quality images and video examinations can be sent to specialists who conduct the diagnosis remotely.
Today around 48 million patients are potentially benefiting from N3 and more than 830,000 NHS employees are able to make use of N3 which not only offers a more secure and efficient service than its predecessor, NHSnet, but is also less expensive to run, saving the NHS on networking costs.
Patrick O’Connell, managing director of BT Health, said: "This is a tremendous achievement for BT and the network providers we have contracted with. We have gained momentum and we are on schedule to hit the end goal of 18,000 connections in England by March 2007."Labels: bt-broadband
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
BT launches Total Broadband
BT today announced BT Total Broadband, the most comprehensive broadband packages yet seen in the UK - available from June 21st. Powered by ultra-fast download speeds of up to 8Mb, BT customers now get more for their money through free internet voice calls, free video calls, and a suite of security software – and all brought together through the revolutionary BT Home Hub. BT Total Broadband even gives freedom to roam outside the home with Wi-fi via free BT Openzone wireless minutes.
The launch of BT’s complete Total Broadband service demonstrates that not all broadband is equal and that simple access through a basic broadband connection is often a false economy, where customers end up paying later for additional features and services. With BT Total Broadband, new customers taking Option 3 get an estimated £370 of value included in the first year.
In addition to enjoying a comprehensive set of features as standard, only BT Total Broadband customers will be able to enjoy BT’s cutting-edge broadband-based offerings. These include the intelligent mobile service, BT Fusion, and BT Vision, the next-generation TV service scheduled for launch in Autumn 2006.
From June 21, new BT customers will get a choice of three simple Options starting from £9.95 a month, all offering ultra-fast download speeds of up to 8Mb and free Evening & Weekend UK* voice calls with BT’s Broadband Talk service.
Ian Livingston, CEO of BT Retail, said, “The broadband experience is about so much more than just having basic access to the internet. Customers want their broadband to offer a range of exciting content and services as standard, without having to pay extra for these features.”
“BT Total Broadband is the complete broadband service. Combined with the BT Home Hub, there is now a simple, powerful way to experience the full range of exciting broadband services at home or when out and about with Wi-fi via BT Openzone.
“Customers will enjoy free voice and video calls, and with helpdesks they can trust and a suite of security software included, can have complete confidence when using the internet. In fact, Total Broadband includes products and services worth over £370 a year for free in its subscription price.”
In addition to free connection charges and 24/7 helpdesk support, BT Total Broadband customers benefit from complete confidence in their broadband with a comprehensive all-in-one security software suite providing online protection and support against identity theft, spam email, pop-ups, viruses and hackers. BT’s helpdesk can even take over your computer to fix problems remotely, or arrange to visit your home.
BT Total Broadband now includes 250 free BT Openzone Wi-fi minutes per month during the minimum term. This gives customers access to the internet at any of the thousands of BT Openzone Wi-fi hotspots in places such as cafes, hotels and airports in the UK and around the world.
The BT Home Hub is a stylish, powerful device, designed to sit at the heart of the digital home. It supports BT’s full range of services including both Total Broadband and Broadband Talk, connecting wirelessly to PCs and other broadband devices. The Home Hub is future-proofed, updating automatically to work seamlessly with future BT Broadband offerings including BT Fusion and BT Vision.
The BT Home Hub is provided free of charge to all new customers taking Total Broadband Options 2 or 3. Option 1 customers can buy it separately for £30.00 online or for £50.00 via the BT call centre. A matching digital cordless phone handset is included with Option 3 or is available to buy separately for £49.99.
BT has upgraded its BT Broadband Talk suite of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) products, and is launching two new services: Broadband Talk Softphone and Broadband Talk Video. Developed at BT’s Adastral Park research laboratories, BT Broadband Talk is one of the most advanced VoIP services on the market and is now available with high-definition sound for delivering crystal clear internet voice and video calls.
BT Broadband Talk combines ease of use with great features and superb value, giving free Evening and Weekend UK* calls, great low international call rates and includes calling features such as 1471 and BT Answer. BT’s new PC-based Softphone, gives free global PC-to-PC chat at any time of day and compatibility with BT Broadband Talk through one calling plan and one phone number.
Finally, BT announced the launch of BT Broadband Talk Video, including the BT Videophone. Customers equipped with a BT Videophone can see the person they are talking to, and the service is compatible with PC users equipped with Softphone and a webcam. Two models of Videophone will be available, starting from £149.99.
Further information: BT broadband
Broadband speed and availability
BT’s Up to 8Mb BT Broadband service uses new ‘rate-adaptive’ ADSL technology to automatically provide and maintain the fastest broadband speed a phone line can physically support. The actual maximum speed depends on a range of factors, including the customer’s proximity to their telephone exchange, the quality and length of any telephone extension lines in their home, and the speed of their computer and modem. So, for example, customers living close to their exchange could get the full 8Mb speed, whilst those living further away might achieve lower maximum speeds of 6Mb, 4Mb, or 2Mb. The Up to 8Mb service is also subject to local availability.
As with all broadband services, actual download speeds will also vary by time of day and will depend on factors such as how busy the internet is, the speed of the internet website or service you are accessing, and whether the connection is being shared with other users.
Extra microfilters as well a range of 8Mb-compatible wired and wireless routers are available for sale from BT by calling 0800 800 150.
* BT Broadband Talk free Evening and Weekend UK calls
Free Local or National calls of up to one hour between 1800 and 0600 evenings and weekends. Excludes calls to the Internet, non-geographic numbers (i.e. 0845 or 0870 numbers), premium rate services, mobiles and the Channel Islands.
** BT Broadband Talk free Video Calls
If you buy a BT Videophone or PC to PC when caller and recipient have BT Softphone and Webcam Offer with purchase of BT Video phone ends 31.01.07. Applies when using a BT Videophone, or BT Softphone with webcam on calls to other BT Videophones and BT Softphones used with Webcams. Excludes video calls to mobiles (3G calls) and voice calls. Requires broadband, BT Broadband Talk Subscription and compatible router or BT Home hub. Terms and Conditions apply.Labels: bt-broadband
Friday, June 09, 2006
BT takes the headache out of I.T. for home and business broadband customers
BT is taking the headache out of home IT with a new dedicated one stop shop advice and support service for broadband customers.
Called BT Home IT Advisor, the new service will give customers a single point of contact with a team of highly trained advisors dedicated to providing comprehensive support for customers’ PCs, networks, applications and up to 20 devices for the ultra-connected home.
The new service can even create a ‘virtual engineer’ in your home by enabling an advisor to securely ‘log on’ to a customers’ computer remotely and troubleshoot a problem, for free if they subscribe.
BT Home IT Advisor is designed to take the hassle and the worry out of using IT in the home. Whether your broadband has stopped working, you have problems setting up a wireless network or removing a virus on your PC – help is a single phone call away.
Emma Sanderson, Director, Value Added Services for BT Retail said: “People are increasingly using broadband in the home to help run their lives – with everything from online banking to keeping their homes secure. Therefore the need to keep everything running smoothly and trouble free is greater than ever before.
“Even when you’ve got the answer to a problem everyone knows how time consuming it can be to have to navigate your way through complex instructions so BT have made it even simpler with our remote engineer access.”
BT Home IT Advisor gives customers the choice between paying a monthly subscription fee and using it as often as they like, or paying a one-off fee for each visit.* The service is available to both BT Broadband customers and those with other broadband providers. The service is available every day of the year.
The service builds on the success of BT’s business IT support service launched in 2004. BT Business IT Support Manager, which currently supports around 22,000 PCs, reported over 98% satisfaction rating with the service in a recent survey.
Business customers wanting help installing their BT Business Broadband can book an engineer to visit their premises and set it up for them.
BT is also piloting a Home IT visit service, expected to launch later this summer, which allows customers to book an engineer to visit them at home to install BT Broadband and connect their computer. An engineer will connect their laptop or PC, install security software and set up their BT wireless router before providing a quick demonstration of how to connect to the internet, send and receive emails, use online help use BT’s voice over IP service Broadband Talk. The engineer can also help set up a wireless network, attach printers or other devices.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Monday, June 05, 2006
Openreach cuts prices to boost LLU market
Openreach today announced the introduction of new pricing which will make it cheaper for communications providers to move their end customers on to unbundled services. LLU operators will benefit from a 27 per cent reduction in the price for migrating their end customers in bulk from BT Wholesale’s broadband products to Openreach’s shared LLU offering. The new price of £25.39 (ex.VAT) will commence on the 1st July and will apply to LLU operators who migrate their existing IPstream or Datastream end-customers to shared LLU in bulk. Openreach also announced the introduction of a new mass migration product to enable LLU operators to migrate their existing Wholesale Line Rental end customers to full LLU on an aggregated basis. This product will be launched at a price of £27.54 (ex VAT) – 21 per cent less than the price for migrating a single user. In addition, LLU Operators will now be able to request a number migration 1 at a price of 49p (ex VAT).
Anne Heal, Managing Director Sales, Products and Marketing, Openreach said, “We are fully committed to making LLU a success. This pricing reduction, along with the introduction of a new mass migration product and the ability to transfer a customer’s telephone number, will make it simpler for customers to move between operators. LLU lines have grown by over 600% in the last year to more than 400,000. This announcement will give industry additional certainty and the confidence to invest in LLU and further stimulate market growth.”
1 Number Migration allows Openreach to migrate the existing end users’ telephone number onto the LLU operator’s network at the LLU operator’s request.Labels: bt-broadband, llu-broadband, wifi-broadband
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
BT broadband running faster for sport relief 2006
BT is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for Sport Relief - an initiative of Comic Relief in association with BBC Sport - by making donations for online sales of BT Broadband packages and for items sold at BT Shop.
For every BT Broadband package ordered online at www.bt.com/broadband/sportrelief before August 31, 2006, BT will donate £30 to Sport Relief. In addition, BT Shop is hoping to raise up to £10,000 for Sport Relief by donating £2 from every BT product sold through the BT Shop website at www.bt.com/shop/sport between June 30 to July 16, 2006.
BT will also be maintaining its long-term support for Comic Relief by providing telephony, call centres and network management for the Sport Relief campaign, plus internal fundraising. BT has supported Comic Relief since its inception in 1985.
Chris Jones, general manager, BT Consumer Indirect Channels said, “BT Broadband is now even faster at speeds of up to 8Mb, and to celebrate we’re giving £30 to Sport Relief for every online order made through www.bt.com/broadband/sportrelief. Whether you’re into downloading music or concerned about what your kids can access online, BT Broadband offers a choice of packages to suit your needs – and now a brilliant charity can benefit too.”
Phil Pinkham, Head of Marketing at BT Home Communications, said, “We sell a wide variety of products through our website - from text compatible Bluetooth home phones, to the latest in videophone technology - helping our customers take full advantage of broadband. We are delighted to encourage customers to support Sport Relief whilst shopping online.”
Sitting at the heart of the Sport Relief campaign is the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile which will see tens of thousands of people simultaneously going the distance at events across the UK on Saturday, July 15. The money raised from Sport Relief 2006 will go to help vulnerable people leading tough lives here at home in the UK, and some of the poorest countries in the world. For more information about Sport Relief or to sign up for the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile visit www.sportrelief.com.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, May 25, 2006
BT wins rights to FA Premier League matches on demand
BT today announced it has won the rights to carry 242 ‘near-live’ FA Premier League football matches per season. The three year deal covers the 2007-8, 2008-9 and 2009-10 seasons. BT has acquired the rights in a joint bid with BSkyB.
This means fans will, for the first time, be able to watch full Premiership matches on their televisions on a pay per view basis - without the need for an upfront television subscription. The matches will be offered via BT Vision, the next-generation TV service due to launch in Autumn 2006.
The successful bid will enable BT Vision customers to enjoy a range of Premiership matches, on demand. The matches will generally be available from 10 pm on kick-off day for a period of fifty hours allowing fans flexibility in terms of when they want to watch the game. It means that BT Vision, which already has access to content from such well known names as BBC Worldwide, Paramount, Endemol, DreamWorks, National Geographic Channel and Warner Music Group, also has one of the most compelling sports-entertainment offers in the UK.
Dan Marks, CEO of BT Vision, said: “We’re delighted to have won this bid. This is a landmark moment for sports viewing in the UK as BT Vision customers will have great control, convenience and choice over the games they want to watch without the need for an upfront subscription. This is a great example of the added value that BT broadband delivers.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, May 18, 2006
BT broadband TV vision
BT today announced a significant new video-on-demand film deal with one of the world’s best-known film companies, DreamWorks SKG, for its next-generation TV-via-broadband service, BT Vision, which it plans to launch in Autumn 2006.
This agreement will bring DreamWorks current movies to BT Vision’s video-on-demand broadband service. At launch, BT Vision customers will be able to enjoy a vast range of film, music and television programming all available on-demand as well as all the Freeview channels, plus interactive and communications and all available on the TV, with no compulsory subscription.
This deal with DreamWorks will provide BT broadband with output from the producers and creators of such critically acclaimed and commercially successful motion pictures as War of the Worlds, and the Shrek franchise. Upon launch, DreamWorks will provide BT Vision with titles such as Steven Spielberg’s Munich; Madagascar; Just Like Heaven, Red Eye and the award winning Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, for its consumers to purchase on an on-demand basis.
This agreement provides BT Vision with popular current films in the pay-per-view window and, through BT’s existing deal with Paramount, an extensive range of older and classic films, all available for consumer purchase on demand.
Dan Marks, CEO of BT Vision, said: “We’re delighted to have completed agreements with one of the world’s greatest movie studios. We look forward to bringing its movies to our customers with the choice, convenience and control that they want.”
Hal Richardson, President Worldwide Television Distribution at Paramount Pictures, the distribution entity for DreamWorks SKG and DreamWorks Animation SKG, said: “We are extremely pleased to conclude this DreamWorks agreement and expand Paramount’s existing relationship with the addition of movies from DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation. We look forward to participating in this exciting new service, and providing both DreamWorks and Paramount pictures to BT Vision video-on-demand consumers.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
BT exceeds 8 Million broadband connections
BT's Preliminary results (Year to March 31, 2006) show net additions of 0.8 million broadband connections during the fourth quarter, whilst during the full year, broadband end users are up 58% to 7.9 million.
Chairman’s statement
Sir Christopher Bland, Chairman, commenting on the full year results, said:
“This is an excellent set of full year results delivered in a competitive and fast-changing environment. Revenues for the full year have grown by 6 per cent; new wave revenues, which grew by 38 per cent to £6.3 billion, now represent around one third of the group’s business. We have continued to transform the business at a fast pace whilst growing our earnings per share before specific items by 8 per cent to 19.5 pence.
“I am pleased to announce a full year dividend of 11.9 pence per share, 14 per cent higher than last year. We are confident in our ability to improve shareholder returns and accelerate the strategic transformation of the business.”
Chief Executive’s statement
Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive, commenting on the fourth quarter results, said:
“This quarter’s results are a terrific set of numbers. They show BT firing on all cylinders, with EBITDA*, revenue and earnings per share* all growing. These results provide further evidence that our strategy of embracing change is working. We have now delivered sixteen consecutive quarters of growth in earnings per share*.
“BT is now a truly global company, delivering services to more than 170 countries with more than 20 per cent of our networked IT services contract wins outside the UK. BT lines now carry 8 million broadband connections and we have started rolling out speeds of up to 8 Mbit/s.
“BT has changed very significantly from 4 years ago, and the transformation is accelerating.”
Extract from Fourth quarter ended March 31, 2006
Revenue was 7 per cent higher at £5,134 million in the quarter with the continued strong growth of new wave revenue more than offsetting the decline in traditional revenue. Underlying revenue, adjusted for the acquisitions of Albacom and Infonet, was 5 per cent higher than last year. EBITDA before specific items and leaver costs showed growth of 0.9 per cent, compared to the decline of 0.6 per cent last quarter. This is the first quarter in the last eleven that has shown positive year on year growth and continues the improving trend of recent quarters. Earnings per share before specific items and leaver costs increased by 8 per cent to 5.7 pence, the sixteenth consecutive quarter of year on year growth.
The strong growth in new wave business has continued and at £1,851 million new wave revenue was 28 per cent higher than last year. New wave revenue is mainly generated from networked IT services, broadband and mobility. Networked IT services revenue grew by 22 per cent to £1,214 million, broadband revenue increased by 44 per cent to £421 million and mobility revenue increased by 41 per cent to £82 million. Excluding Albacom and Infonet, the organic growth in new wave revenue was 23 per cent.
Networked IT services contract wins were £1.1 billion in the fourth quarter and the value of total orders achieved over the last twelve months was £5.4 billion. Of this total more than 20 per cent of the order value was achieved outside the UK.
BT had 7.9 million wholesale broadband connections at March 31, 2006, including 356,000 local loop unbundled lines, an increase of 2.9 million connections year on year, with these connections available at up to 2Mbit/s. Continuing BT’s commitment to delivering higher speed broadband, DSL Max, which offers speeds of up to 8Mbit/s across the UK, was launched on 31 March. BT is offering its wholesale customers DSL Max at no extra cost to the existing 2Mbit/s service. In upgrading more than 5,300 exchanges to support this service, BT is providing the UK market with the highest stable speed broadband service across the widest national footprint in the world.
Revenue from the group’s traditional businesses declined by 3 per cent, continuing recent trends. This reflects regulatory intervention, competition, price reductions and also technological changes that we are using to drive customers from traditional services to new wave services.
Major corporate (UK and international) revenue showed continued strong growth of 14 per cent, with growth in new wave revenue of 24 per cent more than offsetting the decline in traditional services. Excluding the impact of Albacom and Infonet, revenue grew by 9 per cent. There is a continued migration from traditional voice only services to networked IT services and an increase in mobility and broadband revenue. New wave revenue now represents 63 per cent of major corporate revenues.
Revenue from smaller and medium sized (SME) UK businesses declined by 2 per cent. New wave revenue grew by 12 per cent driven by continued growth in broadband and networked IT services. The number of BT Business Plan locations increased by 15 per cent to 513,000 by March 31, 2006. BT Business Plan now covers over 57 per cent of SME call revenues.
Consumer revenue in the fourth quarter was 4 per cent lower, although traditional consumer revenue declined by 10 per cent year on year. This demonstrates a strategic shift towards new wave products with an increase in revenue of 45 per cent in the quarter. New wave revenue now represents 15 per cent of the total.
The underlying 12 month rolling average revenue per consumer household (net of mobile termination charges) of £251 increased by £1 compared to last quarter, with increased broadband volumes more than offsetting lower call revenues. Contracted revenues were 67 per cent of the total, which is 4 percentage points higher than last year.
Wholesale (UK and Global Carrier) revenue increased by 14 per cent. UK Wholesale new wave revenue increased by 44 per cent to £298 million, mainly driven by broadband and managed services.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
BT wireless investment for 12 Cities
BT today announced agreements with six cities to become wireless pioneers as part of its plans to create a first phase of 12 Wireless Cities across the UK. People in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff and Westminster will benefit from huge wireless networks, giving them access to information and services. That could be anything from where to park to what’s on at the local cinema, as well as improved public services, like health monitoring, traffic monitoring and public safety.
BT started the Wireless City rollout in Cardiff, where BT Openzone hotspots have been installed in many locations in the city centre. In Westminster, a dedicated high-bandwidth wireless network is already in place and is now being extended. The first six cities were chosen for their commitment to embracing the possibilities brought by the technology. BT aims to announce deals with many other cities.
In Westminster, where the project is now moving on to its second phase, the pilot results showed that after wireless technology enabled the council to expand the public safety network, residents on housing estates now feel safer walking in their area after dark.
The wireless cities network will bring together the very latest technologies and applications for use by public services, businesses and people. Intel has been working with BT to develop the technology, and is sharing its expertise of developing these services in cities like Philadelphia in the US and was one of the lead organisations involved in the Wireless Westminster project. BT’s strategy is to work with Intel, other leading partners in wireless solutions and local authorities to roll out a wide area of wireless broadband in metropolitan areas. This will be based around wireless broadband in the home, BT Openzone Wi-Fi hotspots, Wireless Cities, and high speed mobile access. The result will be that customers can do anything, anytime, anywhere.
Leisure and business applications, many developed by councils with BT and partners, will be available to a wide range of devices, including the forthcoming Wi-Fi version of BT Fusion and a similar product currently being developed for corporate customers. These handsets will use the wireless broadband network to make calls over broadband at landline rates and provide a rich media experience, such as video calling and access to internet applications and services. Steve Andrews, BT’s chief, Converged Communications Services, said:
“We are delighted to announce the first batch of many wireless agreements. We have been thrilled with the overwhelming response of local authorities and businesses wanting to be part of this wireless revolution. This first phase of 12 cities is just the start. We are already negotiating with many other cities.
“Our networks will make sure customers are connected at all times, but all people will notice is how valuable the services are, such as knowing where to park, access to tourist information and public services.
“The Wireless City initiatives offer wide area wireless broadband access across metropolitan areas, enabling people to use the network on a range of devices for entertainment, education and communication, such as email, video and voice calls, even when they’re on the move.
“BT is at the forefront of deploying wireless broadband today to realise customer benefits, and researching and testing evolving technologies, such as WiMax.
“This is the first key step towards a future of rich, high speed services enabled by new technology.”
BT has one of the widest portfolios of wireless access products and applications in the industry, meeting the needs of local authorities, businesses and consumers.
Gordon Graylish, vice president and GM Intel, EMEA, said: “We are continually looking to drive the adoption of new technology within the market and are delighted to be working with BT to bring the benefits of wireless technology to UK cities.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Monday, May 15, 2006
BT business broadband gets boost
Bringing together up to 8Mb, wireless networking and innovative voice services.
From Wednesday May 17, BT’s Business Broadband will boast ultra-fast download speeds of up to 8Mb1 with a new free hub2 , that is a high-performance VoIP enabled router and wireless access point in one unit.
The new high-speed service, up to four times faster than the maximum speed currently offered by BT Business Broadband, will automatically be provided to new customers. BT will begin contacting existing customers from tomorrow to offer them the opportunity to upgrade to the faster speed.
The Business Broadband Network product has been further improved. In addition to up to 8Mb download speeds, customers can benefit from increased upload speeds of 800Kb and priority traffic routing. This is ideal for customers running larger networks.
The new BT Business Hub gives customers the freedom to share their internet connection, by wireless or Ethernet around the office. Its high-powered wireless technology virtually eliminates wireless “coldspots”.
An added bonus is that, with an optional subscription to BT Business Broadband Voice, the hub gives customers the means to make calls over the internet. Connection to Broadband Voice is free; a saving of £40 and rental is from £14.99 a month for three months, and then £19.993 a month. Broadband Voice gives customers unlimited UK calls4 of up to an hour and fixed to mobile calls for 25p for up to an hour.
Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “BT Business is all about enabling small and medium businesses to bring their technology solutions together, inside and outside the office, providing simple, end to end solutions from one supplier.
“The launch of up to 8Mb broadband with a high performance hub enables small and medium businesses to network their office and make the most of their broadband connection with products and services such as BT Business Voice, Fusion or IT Support Manager.
“When coupled with DataZone5 , businesses can continue to work while away from the office. It gives them access to the internet via fast wire-free connections including Openzone, enabling business to harness the power of technology wherever they choose to be.”
The BT Business Hub includes a built-in business-grade firewall to keep the customer’s network protected at all times. Its Firewall Monitor continuously assesses threats to the customer’s network and automatically downloads updates to protect against new threats.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Monday, May 08, 2006
BT launches internet radio package for schools
Internet Radio For Schools is the latest resource from BT Education, designed to provide primary and secondary school teachers and their pupils with everything they need to know about making internet radio programmes. The resource provides schools with the tools and skills to “podcast” via the web to anyone with access to a computer or MP3 player, such as an iPod. All resources from the BT Education Programme are free.
Internet Radio for Schools has been developed as part of the BT Education Programme and BT’s “Am I Listening?” campaign, which aims to champion the voice of UK young people and provide children with an additional channel through which to be heard and understood. Teachers can find the resource at www.bt.com/education
The educational value of making internet radio programmes is enormous. They provide pupils with the chance to develop their communication skills, explore a subject in depth, gain a practical understanding of the different stages of the production process and work in small highly collaborative teams. Furthermore, radio can provide an outlet for young people to express their opinions.
The pupils’ school benefits as well, since the programmes can provide a valuable way to establish closer links with parents and other important members of the school’s wider community.
Dave Hancock, head of the BT Education Programme, said: “Internet radio projects have proven to be extremely popular with the small number of schools who have so far experimented with this exciting medium. Our research indicated, however, that many teachers were being held back by a lack of basic knowledge of the technology involved. With the launch of this website, that barrier has now been removed and we are looking forward to seeing a boom in how audio is used in the classroom.”
The Internet Radio for Schools website is full of features, all designed to make programme-making as simple and successful as possible, including:
Advice from experts on all the key tasks involved in production planning, studio and location recording and editing. Interview with Nick Clarke, the presenter of World at One and one of the UK’s most admired broadcasters, on how to write scripts, present programmes and interview guests. Instructions on how to download a free software package that will turn a PC in a fully-featured recording and editing studio, plus a series of video tutorials on how to use the software. Downloadable briefing notes, lesson ideas and worksheets.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Friday, May 05, 2006
BT, NTL and AOL slammed in broadband survey
Three of the UK's leading broadband providers have been slammed for being pants, according to research carried out by price comparison website uSwitch.com.
Its survey of 16,000 grown-ups by pollsters YouGov found that BT, NTL and AOL - who between them account for half of all broadband subscribers in the UK - came bottom in seven out of nine categories between them.
In particular, the research found that four in ten BT customers believe the telco doesn't provide value, while a quarter of AOL customers are unhappy with the quality of their connection.
And when it comes to overall customer satisfaction, NTL came bottom of the pile, closely followed by BT.
Further information:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/05/uswitch_survey/Labels: bt-broadband, ntl-broadband
Monday, May 01, 2006
BT’s ultra-fast consumer broadband service now available on all BT broadband options
BT Retail’s nationwide, ultra-fast consumer broadband service – capable of delivering download speeds of up to 8Mb and upload speeds of up to 448kb – is from today(27/04/06) available to new customers choosing any BT Broadband Option.
BT Broadband now boasts a range of broadband options starting from £14.99 per month for the first three months, all offering download speeds of up to 8Mb. BT Broadband customers benefit from free connection charges, a free modem router and 24/7 helpdesk support.
BT Broadband includes a comprehensive, all-in-one security software suite – BT Yahoo! Online Protection – which helps protect customers, their PC’s and their family against online threats. In addition to protection against identity theft, spam email, pop-ups, viruses and hackers on all Options, Norton AntiVirus™ and Norton Personal Firewall™ is also included with BT Broadband Options 2-4.
Further BT Broadband information:
http://bt.broadband-123.co.ukLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, April 27, 2006
BT’s ultra-fast consumer broadband service now available on all BT broadband options
BT Retail’s nationwide, ultra-fast consumer broadband service – capable of delivering download speeds of up to 8Mb and upload speeds of up to 448kb – is from today available to new customers choosing any BT Broadband Option.
BT Broadband now boasts a range of broadband options starting from £14.99 per month for the first three months, all offering download speeds of up to 8Mb. BT Broadband customers benefit from free connection charges, a free modem router and 24/7 helpdesk support.
BT Broadband includes a comprehensive, all-in-one security software suite – BT Yahoo! Online Protection – which helps protect customers, their PC’s and their family against online threats. In addition to protection against identity theft, spam email, pop-ups, viruses and hackers on all Options, Norton AntiVirus™ and Norton Personal Firewall™ is also included with BT Broadband Options 2-4.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
BT launches new ultra-fast consumer broadband service - up to four times faster at no extra cost
BT Retail today takes broadband to another level with the launch of a nationwide, ultra-fast consumer broadband service, capable of delivering download speeds of up to 8Mb and upload speeds of up to 448Kb for no extra cost 1. A cost-cutting broadband and Broadband Talk deal was also unveiled for broadband customers switching to BT.
The new ultra-fast service – up to four times faster than current speeds offered by BT – is available from today to new customers taking BT’s Option 4 broadband package. It will be available to new customers selecting Option 3 from April 11, 2006 and will be offered to new customers choosing Option 1 and Option 2 packages later in Spring 2006.
BT also announced today that customers switching to BT from other broadband providers can now enjoy broadband and inclusive Evening and Weekend UK Broadband Talk calls for just £11.99 for the first three months 2.
Ian Livingston, CEO, BT Retail, said, “We are offering something for everyone, be they new or existing BT customers, or people looking to switch to BT.
“BT’s new, nationwide broadband service delivers the complete package - speeds of up to 8Mb matched by our best ever security features - and is set to take the broadband experience to a whole new level for millions of people.
“With speeds of up to 8Mb, the entire family can now enjoy watching movies, making calls over the internet, online gaming, downloading music and faster web surfing – all at the same time and for no extra cost.”
1. Broadband speed and availability
The new Up to 8Mb BT Broadband service uses new ‘rate-adaptive’ ADSL technology to automatically provide and maintain the fastest broadband speed a phone line can physically support. The actual maximum speed depends on a range of factors, including the customer’s proximity to their telephone exchange, the quality and length of any telephone extension lines in their home, and the speed of their computer and modem. So, for example, customers living close to their exchange could get the full 8Mb speed, whilst those living further away might achieve lower maximum speeds of 6Mb, 4Mb, or 2Mb. The Up to 8Mb service is also subject to local availability.
Maximum upload speeds have also been increased from 256Kb up to a maximum of 448Kb, an increase of 75%.
As with all broadband services, actual download speeds will also vary by time of day and will depend on factors such as how busy the internet is, the speed of the internet website or service you are accessing, and whether the connection is being shared with other users.
2. BT Broadband switcher offer
The offer is £11.99 for 3 months, then £17.99 for BT Broadband Option 1 and BT Broadband Talk (£2 a month for BT Broadband customers). Line rental is not included. The lower price in months 1-3 will appear as a credit on the customers’ first bill. Payment by Direct Debit is required.
This introductory price is available to existing DSL customers’ switching (via MAC code only) online to BT Broadband from another DSL provider only. There is a 12 month minimum term. BT Broadband is subject to availability and survey. Usage allowances apply. Minimum computer specification applies. Conditions apply.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, March 02, 2006
BT beefs up broadband across the UK
BT today confirmed the launch of new higher speed wholesale broadband services across the UK which will maximise the stable line rates available on individual lines up to 8Mbit/s.
Following successful trials, BT confirmed that the BT ADSL Max and BT ADSL Max Premium broadband services will be launched on a national basis from March 31 this year. More than 5300 exchanges are being upgraded to support higher speed broadband, with these exchanges serving more than 99.6 per cent of UK homes and businesses.
This development will allow people to obtain line rates of up to 8Mbit/s, enabling them to get more out of their broadband connection. The ADSL broadband speed that can be supported on an individual line is governed by a wide range of physical factors. BT estimates that 78 per cent of BT phone lines should support broadband at line rates of 4Mbit/s and above, with 6Mbit/s and above available to more than 42 per cent. For those living or working close to their local telephone exchange, line rates of up to the maximum 8Mbit/s should be achievable.
In upgrading more than 5300 exchanges across the UK to support higher speed broadband services, BT is creating the largest geographic footprint possible for higher speed broadband. This furthers BT’s commitment to making broadband available to everybody, in towns, cities and rural areas. UK service providers will have the option to provide higher speed broadband services to their customers almost wherever they happen to live or work.BT Wholesale chief executive Paul Reynolds said: “Thanks to BT’s continued investment in the broadband network, the UK now boasts the highest level of broadband availability in the G8. We’re now building on those efforts in becoming the first operator in the UK to commit to a national service which is capable of broadband speeds of up to 8Mbit/s.
“Our approach in getting the most out of ADSL technology means we get higher speeds to a national footprint as quickly as possible – making sure the opportunities are not just restricted to the urban centres, nor those service providers who operate their own networks. It also provides service providers with the biggest potential market for applications and services demanding higher speeds.”
In addition to faster speeds, BT has deployed new technology to better manage the line stability and customer experience. Higher speed and more reliable broadband services will help ensure that people can run more bandwidth hungry applications, including video, gaming and music downloads at the same time, as well as email and surfing the web. By enhancing broadband throughput, BT ADSL Max will also provide users with greater quality of service for streamed content delivered over broadband, such as video downloads.
The ADSL broadband speed that can be supported on an individual line is dependent on a range of factors, including the length and gauge of the line from the exchange, the number and quality of joints, electromagnetic noise from other lines in a cable or wiring within a customer’s premises, and the modems used.
While the faster broadband speeds will be available to service providers for new orders from March 31, 2006, it will take several months to regrade the total existing end user customer base that service providers wish to be regraded to ADSL Max services. Plans relating to bulk regrades to Max services are being discussed with service providers on an ongoing basis.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
BT help secure customers against identity theft
BT has launched two new services that provide practical online and offline support and advice for BT Broadband customers on preventing, detecting and resolving identity theft.
BT Identity Support, which will now come as standard with BT Broadband options 2, 3 and 4, offers advice on how to reduce the chances of becoming a victim when online or offline, recognises the warning signs of identity theft and gets help and support from the BT Identity Advice Line . The professional advisors at the BT Identity Advice Line are also able to support victims of identity theft in resolving their case, including providing letter templates to help resolve issues with creditors.
The second new service is BT Identity Protection, one of the most comprehensive online insurance and advice packages available today. Customers choosing to take out the policy, which costs from £44.992, are covered for up to £50,000 for the cost of restoring their identity, and receive a personal caseworker, passport and driving license replacement cover. The service also provides credit monitoring so BT can let customers know if it believes someone is trying to steal their identity. Meanwhile, BT has also launched BT Digital Vault, a secure online storage service for any content on a customer’s home computer. If a PC hard disk crashes – perhaps as a result of one of the 100,000 known computer viruses - or if a computer is stolen, Digital Vault ensures that important personal content is not lost – as BT will back-up the data for the customer5.
Gavin Patterson, Group Managing Director Consumer, BT, said: “Identity theft has become a very real threat to all internet users. One in four people in the UK has been a victim of it or knows someone who has3, and our research shows it’s currently costing the UK £1.7 billion each year4.
“It is increasingly important that customers are aware of the online security threats they may face and use the tools they are provided with to ensure they continue to have an enjoyable and safe internet experience. With our new security packages and services, we hope that customers can begin to feel safer and more confident when using their broadband connection,” Patterson concluded.
BT Broadband packages already include a range of security features, such as BT Yahoo! Mail Protection with Anti-Phishing to help protect against online fraud and ID theft, which is automatically updated as new threats emerge. And with BT Yahoo! parental controls, also standard with all BT Broadband packages, parents can have peace of mind that their children are safe as they surf the web.
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Monday, February 13, 2006
BT says UK internet users not doing enough to protect against online ID theft
BT today published a ten-point guide to help prevent internet users becoming victims of the growing threat of online identity theft.
The guide appears in an internet security report published today, written in conjunction with CPP, Get Safe Online, Lloyds TSB, Metropolitan Police and Yahoo! The report highlights the growth of online threats, the current situation and what the future holds.
For instance, 8% of UK PC users fall victim to online fraud and 15% know someone who has been targeted by an internet criminal. However, the report shows that customers are not taking appropriate, available steps to protect themselves - one in ten people questioned, for example, indicated that they would have no qualms about giving their credit card details to an unidentified third party.
“Online identity fraud is a growing and, until now, a silent part of fraud in the UK, which accounted for £1.7 billion last year - £35 per adult per year,” explained Ray Stanton, head of security at BT Global Services. “We want to make sure that people are aware of the threat and are protecting themselves online, so they can enjoy the benefits of the internet.”
“Criminals are always looking for new and easy ways to make money,” explained DCI Stuart Dark at the Metropolitan Police. “Online identity theft and fraud are the latest techniques. By protecting themselves against the growing threat, users are also protecting others, so we urge everyone who uses the internet to follow the ten point guide.”
Follow this link for more information on the ID Security report
http://www.btplc.com/onlineidtheft/onlineidtheft.pdf
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Monday, January 16, 2006
BT boosts small businesses with broadband calls
BT has cut the cost of calling for small businesses by launching an innovative “flat top” calls package that offers BT Business Broadband customers unlimited national and local phone calls (1) from £14.99 a month.
For the flat rate of £14.99 a month for the first three months (2), BT Business Broadband Voice customers will get unlimited local and national phone calls to 01 and 02 numbers. Calls to most UK mobiles will be capped (3) at 25p for up to an hour.
This extension of BT’s voice over internet service is available to both new and existing BT Business Broadband customers, enabling them to have cost effective second and third phone lines with separate phone numbers.
Even though calls are made over broadband, customers can use a standard telephone handset by plugging it into their BT Business Broadband router. And calls can be made and received even when the computer is switched off, unlike many computer-based phone services.
BT’s service includes a full set of business communication features at no extra cost, including advanced call forwarding, three-way calls and call barring, all of which can be managed by the customer online.
Prices for BT Business Broadband start at £19.99 a month (4) and include a free router and free connection (5). Customers who order Single, Share or Network products can also receive £30 cash back when they subscribe to IT Support Manager (6).
This means that customers are just a click away from BT’s popular business IT support service. Its highly trained IT experts are able to securely take control of a customer’s PC and work on it remotely to solve IT headaches. Practically all IT requirements can be covered, including the installation, configuration and repair of operating systems, networks and hardware. IT Support Manager brings to the smallest companies the breadth and depth of IT expertise that has been previously enjoyed only by large companies.
Bill Murphy, managing director, BT Business, said: “This is a tremendous offer that will cut the cost of calling for small businesses. BT Broadband Voice will allow companies to change the way they look at broadband and how they use the phone.
“At BT we are continually developing innovative products and offers to meet the needs of our business customers, but this is the first time we have offered flat rate tariffs on our business phone service.
“Using broadband to make calls means small businesses can make real cost savings and opens up a world of possibilities for collaboration and mobility.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Thursday, December 08, 2005
BT leads the way with next-generation services
BT today announces its plans to introduce a range of next generation services for customers which will help transform how they communicate, are entertained and manage their lives.
Already this morning BT has announced it is to offer content from BBC Worldwide, Paramount and Warner Group with its unique next generation TV services. And, at the company’s Consumer Strategy Day this morning, BT will also promise to deliver other exciting new broadband and voice services for consumers.
International calls made with the PC to regular landlines are already cheaper with BT Communicator than with rivals such as Skype. However, as a Christmas present to its customers, BT will be offering free calls throughout the festive holiday to any landline in 30 different countries.
Meanwhile, the price of Broadband Talk, which allows customers to use a normal phone, rather than the PC, has been slashed by up to 50 per cent to just £2 per month for evening and weekend calls or £7 a month for anytime calls and with BTs top two Broadband packages, evening and weekend calls are completely free.
BT will also introduce an enhanced voice over internet offering in Spring which will be available globally and feature BT’s new high definition sound quality. This sound quality will also be available on BT’s new video phones – also available in Spring - which will allow anyone with a BT broadband line to see their loved ones while they talk.
The broadband heart of the home will be the BT hub. It will enable wireless networking for all the family’s PCs and laptops, next generation TV, voice calls over the internet, five different voice channels that can be used simultaneously so all member of the family can be on the phone to their friends at the same time. It will also enable monitoring services, such as security for the home as well as greater protection for your valuable data such as your photos and MP3s, which can be backed up with BT’s new online storage and back-up service, Digital Vault. Additionally, BT will be able to identify problems with your hub remotely, meaning fewer inconvenient home visits for customers.
Outside the home, BT will be using its leading network of 8,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK to offer innovative opportunities to work and play, such as the recent deal with Nintendo allowing gamers to challenge one another via a Wi-Fi link at BT Openzone hotspots. And BT Fusion, the world’s first mobile which uses broadband to seamlessly change from mobile rates to landline rates at home, will offer customers a wide range of handsets alongside the Motorola v560 and forthcoming Razr. In the second half of next year the next generation of Fusion phones will be Wi-Fi powered which will ensure that customers always stay better connected at great value rates in even more places.
BT is also reporting financial information this morning. BT Retail expects to build on last quarter’s return to profit growth and deliver increased full year profits. BT Retail is also aiming to deliver cost savings of £400-500m over three years by focusing on more cost effective use of online sales, service and billing as well as improved processes that will benefit BT customers whilst reducing costs.
Livingston said: “We will make life simpler and better for our customers. Not only will we be offering them great value communications which enhance their life, but we will be able to offer individual customers the kinds of services which are tailored to their needs”.
“This is an exciting time for our consumer business but an even more exciting time to be a BT customer”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
BT celebrate Xbox 360 with best ever price for BT Wireless Broadband
Take a step into the next generation this Christmas with the Xbox 360 and BT Wireless Broadband. The launch of the must-have games console is marked by a new, best-ever price for BT Wireless Broadband - now available from just £14.99 a month for 3 months, allowing you to enjoy the Xbox 360 around home - there’s never been a better time to enter the world of wireless with BT.
The benefits of BT Wireless Broadband are clear, even for the non-gamers in the house - up to 10 members of one household can log-on simultaneously from different computers around the house. So while the gamer is using Xbox Live to compete against gamers all over the world, other family members can still use the internet for downloading music, working from home or catching up with friends over email. It’s simple to set-up and use so you will be hooked up to broadband internet and to Xbox Live with your new Xbox 360 console in no time at all.
The Xbox 360 can be used in connection with BT Wireless Broadband enabling you to control your music, images, PC and of course play games using Xbox Live - all wirelessly. With all BT packages providing a wireless network of up to 50 square metres, and the Xbox 360 wireless controller offering an expansive 30-foot range, you really do have the freedom to play games in the lounge, bedroom, kitchen or around the home. By using wireless broadband and attaching a storage device (a hard drive memory unit) you will get instant access to Xbox Live Silver, making it possible to engage in voice and text messaging, talk to friends using voice chat, receive video messages from gold level members and download new game trailers, levels, maps, weapons, vehicles and more via the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Customers signing up to a BT Wireless Broadband package from now until 19th February 2005 can also benefit from up to £200 off the price of a laptop of their choice from selected brands via the BT online retail store (full details, terms and conditions can be found at www.bt.com/broadband/wireless). Wireless broadband has never been safer than it is with BT’s new technology that lets you access files on PCs and laptops which are on your network, so you can share music, photos and documents without burning CDs or emailing the information. All packages come with email anti-virus and firewall protection and you will also be given a personal code to access your modem router with BT Broadband, keeping you safe from online crime.
John Petter, Chief Operating Office, BT Retail, said: “BT is very excited to be the first broadband provider to revolutionise the way UK households use the internet at home by offering wireless capabilities as standard, from as little as £14.99 a month, to all new customers. Whether it is the freedom to use your Xbox 360 around the home or an internet solution for more than one computer in the home, we hope that our new, lowest-ever price point, will encourage those considering broadband to purchase now.”
Stephen McGill, UK Head of Marketing says “The Xbox 360 is all about wireless connectivity. From launch there will be wireless controllers and a wireless adapter to enable wireless networking. Consumers can also connect right into Windows Media Centre 2005 PC for the ultimate in digital home entertainment where they can watch & record TV, play your music, and view your photos & videos. This is why BT Wireless Broadband perfectly compliments the system. With its network of up to 50 square metres, gamers can finally free themselves from the bedroom and bring gaming into the lounge or around the home.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
BT cuts LLU prices to stimulate competition
BT today announced that it will be introducing new Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) price reductions to further stimulate competition in the UK broadband market. LLU operators will benefit from a 40 per cent reduction in the price of connecting new broadband customers to BT’s fully unbundled LLU offering.
This follows BT’s commitment to industry in June that it would bring the price of LLU New Provide charges in line with those for Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) and underlines BT’s ongoing commitment to making LLU a success. From 15 December, the price for new provides on the fully unbundled product will be reduced from £168.38 (ex. VAT) to £99.95 (ex. VAT).
BT will also be withdrawing the minimum term rental charges for both its shared and fully unbundled products giving LLU operators the opportunity to pass this benefit on to end-customers.This reduction follows the 70 per cent reduction in total charges for shared LLU introduced by BT Wholesale in September 2004. With the introduction of these price reductions, the UK is now ranked third in Europe on price comparison for LLU.
Steve Robertson, CEO, Openreach said, “These price reductions clearly demonstrate BT’s ongoing commitment to LLU and are designed to create additional certainty and confidence for operators investing in LLU. Openreach has been set up to deliver transparent and equal access for all to our network. We are confident that the price reductions announced today will further boost demand and stimulate competition in the market.”
BT BroadbandLabels: bt-broadband, llu-broadband, wifi-broadband
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