BT released its un-audited financial results as of 31st March, 2008 that shows its retail broadband division has gained more than 150,000 customers during the last quarter. Currently, BT Retail has over 4.4 million broadband customers as against 4.25 million by the end of previous quarter.

According to the report, there are over 12.7 million broadband customers on BT Wholesale network that includes 4.3 million LLU bases customers. This reports nearly 500,000 new connections added during the last quarter, while BT Wholesale has added nearly two million connections for the last twelve months.

As for BT broadband division, its VoD service, BT Vision has shown a spectacular growth with 214,000 customers, adding more than 94,000 customers during the last quarter. BT Home IT support service has now over 41,000 customers, adding 18,000 new customers during the twelve months.

BT Wholesale continued to report decline in its revenue with 12 % decline during the last quarter while its revenue from external sources dipped to £860 million ‘due to a decline of £97 million in low margin transit and premium rate services revenues (PRS), as well as reductions in broadband revenue of £54 million as a result of anticipated price reductions (£24 million) and volume decreases due to continued migrations to LLU (£30 million)’, according to the report.  The gross profit too fell by 13 percent to £380 million, mainly contributed by LLU migrations and price cuts announced lately by the ISP.

Eclipse Internet has launched new broadband packages this week. The new product line will have three broadband options for home users and four broadband packages for businesses. All home broadband packages come with monthly cap so the customers can choose the package that suits their usage. Eclipse has also introduced a new feature that will enable the customers to choose the priority level for various activities like surfing, online gaming, VoIP, P2P and FTP. All Eclipse packages offer 8 MB download and 448 KB upload speeds.

There are three broadband packages for home users – Home Lite, Home Select and Home Pro. With static IP, you also get free web space, email addresses and free virus & spam protection. Except Home Lite, other packages come with 12 month contract and offer free connection and free router. Home Lite broadband package has 18 month contract and also there is one-off connection fee of £47.

Eclipse Home broadband packages

Home Lite
Monthly download limit: 1GB
Contract Length: 18 month
Price: £9.95 per month for first three months and £13.95 thereafter.

Home Select
Monthly download limit: 10GB
Contract Length: 12 month
Price: £17.95

Home Pro
Monthly download limit: 50GB
Contract Length: 12 month
Free wireless router
Price: £29.95

Eclipse Business broadband service includes Business 20, Business 50 and Business Unlimited. The first two packages offer monthly usage allowance of 20GB and 50GB respectively while Business Unlimited is an unlimited broadband package. All packages come with £40 connection fee and offer free 1500 minutes phone calls, unlimited email addresses, 250 MB web space etc. Eclipse Business 20 also offers free 60 ROAM wi-fi minutes and is available at a monthly price of £16.95.

Mark Thomas of Eclipse Internet said:

“We believe these services will provide our customers with an unparalleled online experience. For the first time, broadband users will be able to customise their service to suit their usage – so home workers can optimise their broadband to achieve the best possible connection to their company VPN, for example, while online gamers can prioritise gaming over other applications.

The inclusive usage limits mean customers pay only for what they use, which also allows us to offer much faster broadband than is achievable with unlimited services.

In developing these services we’ve taken account of customer feedback and general online trends, so we’re anticipating a very positive response from the market.”
 

Virgin Media broadband service provider will offer Netgear Wireless-G routers to its broadband customers, according to a report. Here is the full report of Virgin Media wireless router offer:

The new customers who sign up to Virgin Media L or XL broadband service on fiber-optic network, will get the Netgear WGR614 wireless-G router free of cost, while broadband M customers will need to pay one-off £40  connection fee when they sign up.

The non-cable broadband customers who get Virgin broadband on telephone lines, will get ADSL 2+ compatible, DG834G Netgear wireless router free, however, they would have to pay £20 for the wireless accessories like wireless cards (NETGEAR Wireless-G PC Card) and network adapters (Wireless-G USB 2.0 Adapter).

Since Virgin Media’s wirleless router kit also includes an installation CD that features NETGEAR’s Smart Wizard installation guide, the users can setup the wireless with ease.  

About the features of Netgear Wireless-G router: It provides excellent wireless security features. There are NAT and SPI firewall protection combined with WPA-PSK wireless security so it efficiently protects the network from hackers and unauthorized network access.     

The cable broadband ISP, Virgin Media has released its Q1 results for the year 2008 that indicates more than 2% increase in its broadband customer base during the last quarter. Currently, there are 3,781,800 Virgin Media broadband customers as against 3,701,200 by the end of previous quarter.

The report shows that it was its cable broadband division that mainly contributed to the growth in its customer base while its ADSL broadband subscriptions has dwindled by more than 7000 customers during the same quarter. The number of Virgin Media customers who are using its ADSL lines has declined from 287,300 to 279,500.

However, Virgin Media is all set to provide faster connection speeds as it says that the subscription to its 20 MB broadband is significantly rising thanks to the IPTV services like BBC iPlayer.

Statement from Virgin Media:

“Our strategic priorities are to lead the next generation broadband market in speed and quality and to redefine the mid-market TV experience through on-demand. With respect to broadband, our 4Mb to 10Mb upgrade program is underway and we plan to launch 50Mb later this year.

Broadband growth continues and the percentage of customers on our top 20Mb tier continues to grow. We have also significantly enhanced our TV offering with the launch of BBC iPlayer. Both subscriber growth and VOD usage remain strong.”

Till now, O2 Telefonica, which owns Be has been offering its broadband services via the LLU network of latter. The Spanish based parent company is now, all set to expand its reach in the UK with the help of BT Wholesale’s extensive network. A deal between O2 and BT Wholesale has been signed to this effect that will see O2 using the BT network to provide its high speed packages in areas where its LLU network is not available.

This means, O2 broadband packages will be available to most of the areas in the UK. The major difference, however, is the higher cost that the customers have to bear with, when they get O2 broadband via BT’s network. As such, the existing O2 mobile customers will get the usual discount on broadband packages that will have monthly prices starting from £17.50. It should be noted that, currently, O2 customers get the basic package on its LLU lines at a price of £7.50 per month.

O2 has also added business broadband packages on its product line. O2 business broadband packages will offer various benefits like static IP address, business grade service and five licenses with McAfee Internet Security Suite.

Currently, O2 offers three broadband packages with unlimited download limits – O2 Standard, O2 Premium and O2 Ultimate. Both Premium and Ultimate offer faster connection speeds (up to 20 Mbps) using ADSL 2+ technology. O2 offers UK based 24/7 customer support to all its customers. When you sign up with 12 month, O2 offers free wireless router and free connection.
  

PlusNet, UK broadband provider has revamped its broadband products by increasing the monthly usage allowances on its broadband packages. The ISPA’s best consumer ISP of this year has also removed its Option 4 package so its product line will have three consumer broadband packages and a package for online gamers.

According to the report, the usage allowance on Option has been increased to 15 GB from 8 GB. Option 3 package will have 30 GB monthly usage allowance instead of 20GB. There is also similar increase in usage allowance on Pro package, from 10 GB to 15 GB. However there will be no change in prices of these packages, PlusNet further said. The entry level package Option 1 package is not included in the latest revamp will continue to provide 1 GB monthly usage allowance.

Neil Armstrong, Products Manager of PlusNet said:

   “We’ve seen a big increase in streaming since use of iPlayer and other video sites has grown, which is contributing to increasing average broadband usage.

This isn’t a problem as ISPs can handle the growth in traffic. Where the issue lies is in customers being on the wrong package and finding their accounts restricted as they fall foul of hidden ‘fair usage’ policies, or getting surprise bills for additional usage.

The increased usage allowances on our new packages will help customers enjoy even more surfing, music, video and gaming over the web,” continued Armstrong. “Customers need transparency from their ISP, so they can see exactly what they’re getting for their money.”

The winner of ISPA's Best Business ISP Award, Eclipse Internet provider has introduced a valued added service for its business broadband customers. The online service, ‘Expert Advice’ aims at providing more information on the packages and hosting services via live chat, according to the report.

This means, business customers can just visit the website of Eclipse to get advice and additional information that they would like to know about the services to make an informed decision. Eclipse helpdesk will respond to the queries made by the customers on the live chat.

Along with live chat, Eclipse customers can also send their queries to the ISP via emails or talk with the customer service team.

Mark Thomas of Eclipse Internet said:

"Many small businesses want to buy broadband and other internet services online because of the convenience and cost benefits it offers.

However, they sometimes need further information about the benefits of services such as managed server hosting before deciding which is the right product for them.

Our online Expert Advice service provides valuable assistance to these customers, answering their questions immediately, without the need for them to make a phone call or send an email."

When it comes to fast speeds, mobile broadband is quite lagging behind other technologies. However, the latest mobile technologies like HSDPA (3.5G) can provide speeds above 3 Mbps. With handsets enabled with 3G technology, mobile users can get speeds more than 1 Mbps means they can do most of the internet tasks with ease. The downside of the mobile broadband is that you get higher speeds only in areas where you get strong signals. Along with it, the handsets also determine how much speeds you can get.

Despite its lower speeds when compared with ADSL or cable broadband, on average, mobile broadband users in the UK get speeds nearly 1.5 Mbps download speeds and 380 Kbps upload speeds, according to the report from Broadband Expert. When you look at the upload speeds, it is on par with the speeds offered by ADSL. It should be noted that majority of broadband customers subscribe to services that offer download speeds between 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps. As such, mobile broadband customers get speeds that are relatively good and the same report also shows that DSL broadband offers 2.95Mbps on average.
 
As for the speeds offered by mobile broadband providers of the UK, Vodafone offers the best speed (download speed 2.3Mbps). T-mobile and Three offer an average download speed of 1.1 Mbps and 1 Mbps respectively.

The new entrants like O2 broadband provider and Orange are improving their mobile networks to provide competent service even though the report has not given the details on the speeds offered by these providers

Wi-fi theft has been one of the problems that affect wireless broadband customers. Although the wireless routers come with default security key, it takes a little time for the hackers to crack the password and key details. The hackers also operate some dubious sites or send phishing emails that can deceive the users making them to give personal details.

Some of the users of BT Home Hub wireless routers seemed to have such security problems regularly that made BT broadband provider to issue a statement on how to protect their wirless network efficiently by taking some precautions.

The statement which is featured in digital-lifestyles.info seems to reassure the BT customers that BT Home Hub comes with security features that can provide secured internet connection for majoirty of the customers. However, BT has given a few instrutions to its customers that can foolproof their Hub when any such problem arises.

BT statement on Home Hub wireless security

"Customers with enquiries on how to further protect their network will be directed to www.bt.com/help/hub, which gives detail of a number of precautionary actions that can be taken to help increase their on-line security. These include:
Changing the default wireless key and the encryption type from WEP to WPA.
Changing the admin login password of the Hub Manager. Leaving the Hub switched-on at all times, including overnight to benefit from firmware updates as they become available.
Having AV and firewall software installed on all computers.
Being wary of unknown web sites and e-mails from unknown sources, including invalid security certificates."

BT Total Business broadband announced that its business broadband customers can use their BT Business Hub to get wi-fi access after installing software update in their wireless routers. Accordingly, the customers will get the update soon and use their Business Hub just like a Wi-fi hotspot.

However, the customers will be able send and receive business data using a separate connection with prioritized traffic. To enable the Office Hub and separate connection for transfer of business data, BT will bring out new version of BT Office Hub in the next few months.

When the new service is launched, the business broadband customers can use their BT Openzone free minutes which are included in their business broadband packages. The service will also enable BT Total broadband customers and who have subscribed to BT FON wi-fi service to access wi-fi using BT Hub wireless router turned to wi-fi hotspot.

The statement from BT shows that there are over 170,000 customers who have subscribed to their business broadband services which come with three options and provide free wi-fi access with up to 500 BT Openzone free wi-fi minutes. Currently, BT broadband customers get wi-fi access via BT Openzone wi-fi hotspots which are estimated to be over 2,500 in the UK. With the number of BT FON wireless broadband subscribers crossing over 70,000, BT Openzone expects that the new service will boost the sales of wi-fi vouchers as well as help expand its reach to many areas in the UK.

BT Total broadband reintroduced its special offer of free BT Home Hub wireless router for its customers who sign up to its Option 1 package. Earlier, the free offer expired by the end of last month, and the ISP started offering its new White Hub router to the new subscribers of Option 1 package for £30. However, the same offer has been launched again after seeing the overwhelming response from its customers, according to the statement from BT.

Free Home Hub offer will be valid until 16 May and the new subscribers can also take advantage of the reduced monthly prices introduced recently. Accordingly, Option will cost just £7.95 for the first three months and will roll back to normal price thereafter. There are two contracts – 18 month and 24 month and both broadband plans come with the recent reduced monthly prices.

BT Total Option is one of the cheapest broadband packages that also gives various benefits like 250 free wifi minutes and 24/7 free customer support etc. BT has already signed a deal with the Argentinian Wifi hotspots provider Fon to provide wifi access across the UK and its customers can now access the extensive wi-fi network of BT using their laptops.

It should be noted that BT has made its customer service free for its customer by introducing 0800 numbers last month.

BT Total Option 1 offers 8 MB download speeds and 5 GB usage allowance and it is an ideal option for light users who are looking for cost effective broadband packages and other useful features.

The research firm Point Topic recently released statistical data on broadband uptake and the awareness of online security among broadband users in the UK. According to the report, the signing up for broadband bundles is quite exceeding as against the uptake of broadband only offers. As for January 2008, many of the subscribers of stand-alone broadband packages seemed to have switched to bundled offers such as offered by Sky or Virgin Media or Plusnet, showing more than 10 percent decline in the subscription numbers of stand-alone broadband deals. It should be presumed that the subscribers to broadband bundles show a remarkable growth in the same period.

Online security levels that the customers are aware of or how far they seriously consider internet security is quite alarming as most of the internet users who regularly go online do not take sufficient measures to prevent from phishing, spam or virus attacks. Due to the increasingly insecure online conditions, less than one-tenths (8 %) of the customers could say they are totally safe from any sort of online attacks that includes malware or unauthorized access of their PCs.

John Bosnell of Point Topic says:
"78% of consumers have some form of anti-virus software and 53% have a firewall but this is actually a drop over the last 6 months. Our previous survey in the series returned 85% and 56% for users saying they have adopted those precautions,"

When you sign up to broadband, the ISPs usually provide you with some sort of anti-virus protection and spam filters. Most of this software will be a trial version or lacks advanced features that can cent percent protect your PCs from online threats. It is more than important that we should buy good security suite to become completely safe when we go online.

O2 high speed broadband provider has jumped into competition with other mobile broadband providers in the UK with its plan to launch its 3G based mobile broadband package quite soon. According to the report from the ISP, the package will provide download speed up to 1.8 Mbps during the initial launch and it will get upgraded to higher speeds (up to 3.6 Mbps) after a few months.

The marketing director of O2 broadband UK, Sally Cowdry, said:
 “Getting the customer experience right is crucial. We are confident our broadband services complete a great communication experience for our customers however they want to connect to the internet, whether that be at home, on their mobile phone or laptop. Our O2 Mobile Broadband product exclusively allows O2 customers to access the internet wherever* and whenever they want with clear and predictable pricing.”

There will be two mobile broadband plans based on contract length – 18 month and one month. The package, when signed up for 18 month contract will cost £20 per month inclusive of a USB modem. However, those who sign up for one month contract will have to pay one-off setup cost of £119.99 towards the cost of the modem while the monthly price will still remain £20 for these customers. The customers of these plans get 3GB usage per month, however, can go for unlimited wi-fi access dictated by the ISP’s fair usage policy. Using the various mobile broadband technologies such as 3G, GPRS and HSDPA, O2 mobile broadband will provide wi-fi access to its customers within the network of hotspots provider, The Cloud.

The cable broadband provider, Virgin Media is to bring further changes in its traffic management polices that will affect the customers of its three broadband products – broadband M, broadband L and broadband XL. The earlier traffic management policy announced by Virgin Media was taking into account just the downloads made during the peak hours, between 4pm and 9pm. However, the latest policy which will be on trial period and will apply only to the selected locations like Preston, Wigan, Blackpool, Camden, Dalston, Enfield and Haringey, will have additional time for traffic management in two segments when the uploading and downloading of its customers will be monitored.

It has also been made clear that the usage during the different time periods will be treated separately and the customers have strictly adhere to the upload limit and download limit specified for the specific time period. The new traffic policy has also pointed out how much speed will slip when the customers are found to breach the download limit during these hours.

Out of three time segments, the time period between 3pm and 8pm will have the monitoring of the uploads on the lines.

Broadband M
10am - 3pm: Download 900 MB.
4pm - 9pm:  Download 450 MB
3pm - 8pm:  Upload 200 MB
Resultant speeds due to Traffc Shaping: Download 1 Mbps and Upload speeds 128 Kbps. 

Broadband L
10am - 3pm: Download 2400 MB.
4pm - 9pm:  Download 1600 MB
3pm - 8pm:  Upload 700 MB
Resultant speeds due to Traffc Shaping: Download 1 Mbps and Upload speeds 128 Kbps. 

Broadband XL
10am - 3pm: Download 6000 MB.
4pm - 9pm:  Download 3000 MB
3pm - 8pm:  Upload 1400 MB
Resultant speeds due to Traffc Shaping: Download 5 Mbps and Upload speeds 192 Kbps. 

O2 broadband provider has clarified in a statement released recently that its mobile broadband customers could get speeds up to 1.3 Mbps depending on the mobile devices used. What we perceive from its statement that most of O2 mobile broadband users are getting speeds well above 384 Kbps even with devices use mobile technologies other than the latest HSDPA (3.5 G). Since O2 mobile broadband is compatible with HSDPA technology, users can achieve speeds higher than 1 Mbps in areas they could get good signal strength.

The ISP has laos pointed out that its plans to provide higher speeds (7.2 Mbps) on HSDPA devcivces in near future.
“We apologise to those customers who were affected. The issue is simple to fix and we will be doing so this week. If customers still have problems after that, they should call O2 in the normal way."

As for some of the customers who were reported to be getting lower speeds (128 Kbps), there could be errors in the network which the ISP says, that it has been fixing up the problems this week.

Currently, mobile broadband has been offered by providers like Three, Vodafone who give better speeds and it is important that O2 has to provide speeds comparable with the services of its competitors.