Broadband News
With a 27in diagonal, Iiyama's ProLite B2712HDS is a strange size for a PC monitor. How does it compare to what else is out there? Read on to find out.
9 Feb 2010 | 1:25 am
Kodak's EasyShare D1030 is a decent sized digital photo frame at a price that doesn't break the bank, but there are a few catches...
9 Feb 2010 | 1:03 am
Canon has just introduced the new EOS 550D consumer DSLR camera and it has set its intentions for the future out quite clearly: video is hugely important.
8 Feb 2010 | 5:31 pm
IXUS 210, 130 and 105, plus PowerShot SX210 IS will all launch in March.
8 Feb 2010 | 5:27 pm
Very generously offers to pay £8,000 of the cost
8 Feb 2010 | 4:36 pm
The company plans to demonstrate an HSPA+ network providing download speeds of 84Mbps, a new record, at Mobile World Congress next week
8 Feb 2010 | 2:48 pm
People of Walmart now counts as filth, apparently
Australia’s drive to protect its own population from the horrors of the internet may be starting to have knock-on effects on the surfing habits of its neighbour, New Zealand - some websites are no longer accessible in NZ via Aussie ISPs.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
8 Feb 2010 | 1:55 pm
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has successfully applied for the so-called '373 patent to be reviewed by the US Patent and Trademark Office
8 Feb 2010 | 1:24 pm
Lenovo has bridged the gap between netbooks and cheap ultra-portable laptops with the cute little ThinkPad X100e, but what makes it a particularly attractive option?
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm
A comfortable and well-designed gaming mouse, but will it give you the edge in first-person shooters?
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
It's thin, it's beautiful to look at, but does this LED-backlit set have the image quality to match?
8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
This photo frame has built-in wireless and will play videos, but is it's quality any good?
7 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am
Is this a decent laptop if you're on a tight budget?
7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
A slimline keyboard and mouse set for those people who like the feel of using a laptop.
7 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am
Mitsubishi's HC3800 is a reasonably priced compact DLP home cinema projector that can output 1080p video. It could be a great option for those with limited space.
6 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
Looking for an uninterruptable powersupply for your home? Look no further than APC's Back-UPS ES 700.
6 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
Mesh's Edge15 Gamer is aimed squarely at those wanting a laptop with bags of power. If that's what you're after, check this one out.
6 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
Parliamentarians and lords want the government to better explain why it is necessary to disconnect unlawful file-sharers, and how the process would work
5 Feb 2010 | 5:43 pm
Volunteer Tour Guide recruitment campaign launched as visitor numbers soar at WW2 code-breaking centre
5 Feb 2010 | 5:02 pm
Wobbly Bridge will be swamped by Trekkies
5 Feb 2010 | 3:11 pm
Symbian Foundation CEO Lee Williams tells ZDNet UK what the open-sourcing process meant for the mobile OS's code base, and talks about tablet plans
5 Feb 2010 | 1:07 pm
Auction giant backs down due to pressure from angry sellers
5 Feb 2010 | 12:48 pm
Flash is not buggy, says Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch
5 Feb 2010 | 12:11 pm
Virgin Mobile's 3.6Mbit/sec service was too pricey, but has its recently released 7.2Mbit/sec service allayed those concerns? Read on to find out.
5 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
Weird name aside, what does the Genius SlimStar 820 Solargizer do to differentiate itself from the crowd?
5 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
The BenQ W600 is one of the cheapest home cinema projectors around, but can it stand up to the competition?
5 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
The Aspire 5739G is another great laptop from Acer, but it's unfortunately bettered by models from other manufacturers.
5 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
The E-PL1 is a cheaper version of the E-P1 that corrects some of the original's drawbacks. Is Olympus onto a winner here?
4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm
Inmarsat space BGAN mobe for 'fractionated' cluster-swarm
Pentagon crazytech chiefs have hit upon a new plan: they will equip future US military satellites with satellite phones. British firm Inmarsat has got the job.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
4 Feb 2010 | 1:27 pm
The Symbian Foundation, which has made all its source code available for free, says the migration to open source was the largest in software history
4 Feb 2010 | 12:37 pm
The controls make it possible to remotely administer ActiveSync-supporting smartphones without needing a dedicated enterprise mobile server
4 Feb 2010 | 12:33 pm
Benchmark test results for the latest Athlon II and Phenom II processors
4 Feb 2010 | 12:32 pm
Nokia owners waste no time in downloading latest version of Ovi Maps - for free
4 Feb 2010 | 11:19 am
Release of 250GB hard disk for Xbox 360 now a near certainty
4 Feb 2010 | 11:04 am
Mozilla has released a version of its popular Firefox web browser for Nokia's N900 smartphone.
4 Feb 2010 | 10:48 am
Graphics cards aren't just for playing games these days and Sapphire's Radeon HD 5450 could be the perfect graphics card for home theatre buffs.
4 Feb 2010 | 5:01 am
Panasonic has put its G-series cameras on a diet; the result is the GF1 and it's a serious bit of kit in a relatively compact body.
4 Feb 2010 | 1:31 am
We look at LG's InTouch Max GW620, the company's first Android smartphone. Does it bring something new and unique to the table? Let's find out.
4 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
'Go fork yourself!'
After removing Google's Android driver code from the Linux kernel, Novell Fellow and Linux developer Greg Kroah-Hartman has argued that the mobile OS is incompatible with the project's main tree.…
Offloading malware protection to the cloud
3 Feb 2010 | 9:23 pm
The operator has admitted that people see its mobile broadband network as slow, and has pledged to boost coverage by October
3 Feb 2010 | 12:16 pm
A partnership between ARM and the German security firm G&D could make it safer to enter usernames and passwords on mobile devices
3 Feb 2010 | 11:38 am
No one's looking at you, alright?
Regulators are mulling assurances from Virgin Media that its planned trial system to monitor the level of illegal filesharing on its network will not harm customers' privacy.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
2 Feb 2010 | 12:38 pm
It seems the recession is over for the global handset market as sales in Q4 2009 grew for the first time since the Q3 2008
2 Feb 2010 | 8:46 am
The Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo will show off a working prototype of an LTE handset in Barcelona in February, phone maker NEC has revealed
1 Feb 2010 | 5:30 pm
If they win the election, the Conservatives plan to extend high-speed broadband across the UK, using the BBC licence fee to pay for it
1 Feb 2010 | 5:20 pm
Tiscali legacy gives aspiring quad-player a blank Canvas
Charles Dunstone, CEO of Carphone Warehouse, hasn't given up on the dream of being a quad-player, after revealing plans to launch TV and mobile TalkTalk services.…
Offloading malware protection to the cloud
1 Feb 2010 | 3:25 pm
Customers on a home phone plan will be able to call Virgin Mobile handsets without charge, in what the company says is a first for the UK
1 Feb 2010 | 12:00 pm
The unified comms company will release its Agito Global Enterprise system in March, adding iPhone support to its portfolio for the first time
1 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am
Berec will advise the EC on areas such as next-generation broadband access, net neutrality and universal service obligations
29 Jan 2010 | 3:51 pm
Smell you later, interactive telly
UK regulator Ofcom has revoked the licence that allowed Teletext to broadcast text-based services alongside the TV signal - ending 17 years of independent interactive TV.…
Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing
29 Jan 2010 | 2:53 pm
Letters being sent to suspected unlawful file-sharers demanding money are not the right approach, the UK's music industry body has said
29 Jan 2010 | 2:27 pm
The smartphone maker has seen its market share rebound slightly, while quarterly operating profits are up 132 percent year-on-year
29 Jan 2010 | 11:02 am
The Department for Work and Pensions expects all UK mobile operators to end charges for calls to its benefits and pensions lines by the end of April
29 Jan 2010 | 8:47 am
One acronym to rule them all
Exclusive The Home Office has created a new unit to oversee a massive increase in surveillance of the internet, The Register has learned, quashing suggestions the plans are on hold until after the election.…
Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing
28 Jan 2010 | 12:02 pm
The networking giant is pitching its telepresence protocol as an open standard in an effort to get more businesses to use the technology
27 Jan 2010 | 3:48 pm
The 2.6GHz spectrum auction, originally scheduled for 2007, is unlikely to happen until next year at the earliest, the independent spectrum broker has said
27 Jan 2010 | 9:26 am
The sincerest form of flattery
Google's Nexus One is following in the iPhone's footsteps. Its 3G connectivity is spotty, and Google is hurrying a patch, just as Apple was forced to do when it introduced the iPhone 3G.…
Offloading malware protection to the cloud
26 Jan 2010 | 10:06 pm
Communications aid agency Télécoms Sans Frontières is giving Haitians the chance to call family and providing broadband networks to emergency efforts
26 Jan 2010 | 4:26 pm
The fibre-optic-based service offers download speeds of 40Mbps and a 'fast lane' to ensure business traffic gets the right of way at busy times
26 Jan 2010 | 2:39 pm
And the record labels can shove their partnerships
TalkTalk boss Charles Dunstone has promised to continue his firm's campaign against laws meant to reduce illegal filesharing under a Conservative government, despite being friend of David Cameron.…
Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing
26 Jan 2010 | 1:46 pm
The companies have linked up on a joint telepresence and video-conferencing offering that is designed to serve as a counterweight to Cisco
26 Jan 2010 | 8:52 am
The telecommunications firm, which has cited a decline in GSM equipment sales, is to cut 500 jobs on top of those it announced last year
25 Jan 2010 | 4:42 pm
Invasion Australia Day censorship protest
It's Australia Day tomorrow, and the country's subjects are using it to mark a week of protests against government plans for compulsory internet censorship.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
25 Jan 2010 | 1:55 pm
The handset maker has joined Kodak in requesting a ban on BlackBerry imports into the US, due to alleged patent infringements
25 Jan 2010 | 1:12 pm
ZDNet UK checks out the features of the latest Ovi Maps, Nokia's turn-by-turn smartphone sat-nav application
22 Jan 2010 | 4:59 pm
Ah well, there's always the post
Hopes that BT's new faster broadband technology might improve peer-to-peer downloads have faded with the firm's confirmation that subscribers will be subject to the same restricitions as those on less expensive tariffs.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
22 Jan 2010 | 3:55 pm
Domain name suspensions to order
Nominet has announced it will suspend the domain name of any .uk website suspected of being involved in criminal activity.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
21 Jan 2010 | 3:01 pm
Legal salvo lands in New York
Baidu has filed suit against its US-based domain registrar after a recent DNS records hack that redirected surfers towards a defaced page, instead of the Chinese search engine.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
20 Jan 2010 | 3:35 pm
Incites hatred, says MP
The Home Office is considering blocking a childrens' website run by the Palestinian group Hamas following suggestions it incites hatred of Jews.…
Offloading malware protection to the cloud
14 Jan 2010 | 12:57 pm
Dispensation granted for 'mere conduits'
The Government has published Regulations that will absolve internet service providers (ISPs) and other digital service providers of responsibility for religion or sexuality-related hate speech transmitted over their networks.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
14 Jan 2010 | 9:56 am
Someone else's fault obviously
Some Virgin customers have been without ADSL services since this morning thanks to a breakdown in authentication, though things should be back to normal now.…
Offloading malware protection to the cloud
13 Jan 2010 | 12:31 pm
The dollar has spoken
Net neutrality is not just the fairest way to organise the internet but the most economically effective, according to two US academics. Their economic analysis of the policy claims that it is the best way to encourage investment in online services.…
The power of collaboration within unified communications
13 Jan 2010 | 11:48 am
Guess who could pay
The government missed its deadline to respond to European allegations arising from the Phorm controversy that UK internet users are not protected against commercial wiretapping.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
12 Jan 2010 | 12:55 pm
'We could do better,' DiBona tells devs
Google open source guru Chris DiBona has acknowledged that the company's freewheeling approach to building a mobile operating system can cause a few headaches for developers, with unfamiliar versions of its Android OS appearing on new phones with little warning. But, he says, that's not developers' main concern - nor Google's.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
7 Jan 2010 | 10:05 pm
City Council instigates shared services for capital
Westminster City Council has begun a procurement for next generation network services that could be taken up around London.…
Offloading malware protection to the cloud
7 Jan 2010 | 7:02 am
Don't you back neutrality?
US Federal Communications Commission commissioner Robert McDowell has raised an eyebrow at Google's request to serve as an administrator of a national database detailing the use of "white-space" spectrum, Mountain View's latest effort to accelerate the deployment of unlicensed broadband devices in the unused TV airwaves.…
The power of collaboration within unified communications
6 Jan 2010 | 8:37 pm
Why should broadband users bail out the music industry?
Internet service providers have grumbled that the anti-piracy measures proposed in the Digital Economy Bill (DEB) could cost consumers up to £500m.…
The power of collaboration within unified communications
29 Dec 2009 | 2:44 pm
Limbers up for record-breaking fibre installations
BT is hoping to complete roll out of its faster broadband network by June 2012, to ensure the framework is finalised in time for the London Olympic Games.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
21 Dec 2009 | 12:03 pm
Just for business use now, alright?
Vodafone will continue selling the HD2, just not to ordinary people like you and I - apparently it's a business phone now.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
15 Dec 2009 | 7:02 am
£30m bridging loan extended to allow deal
Spinvox is set to be taken over by a US speech recognition firm days before it is due to repay a £30m bridging loan, The Times reports.…
Offloading malware protection to the cloud
14 Dec 2009 | 12:41 pm
Wants info on 'accidental' data charges too
US regulators are demanding that Verizon Wireless explain why it's doubling early termination fees for smartphone customers and why subscribers without a data plan are charged for inadvertently accessing its mobile web service.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
5 Dec 2009 | 12:53 am
ACTA factor
Secret trade talks on counterfeiting and copyright threaten to undermine citizens' rights without giving them a voice in negotiations, European internet service providers (ISPs) have warned.…
Case Study: WhatsUp keeps Legoland turnstyles ringing
3 Dec 2009 | 9:50 am
Paint it black, NIMBYs chant
BT has been ordered to move 20 of the bulkier new streetside cabinets planned to power its trial of faster broadband, after they offended aesthetic sensibilities in leafy Muswell Hill, north London.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
2 Dec 2009 | 2:38 pm
No ID, no call
India has blocked service to an estimated 25 million mobile phones lacking valid identity codes over concerns criminal or militant groups could use them to organize attacks.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
1 Dec 2009 | 11:56 pm
A fine mess EU've gotten me into
France Telecom has been hit for €1bn, after the European Court of First Instance rejected its appeal against a ruling that it enjoyed eight years of unfair tax breaks from the French government.…
Web threats: Why conventional protection doesn't work
1 Dec 2009 | 11:51 am
Gets preferential treatment from own company shock
BT chairman Sir Mike Rake has reportedly upset some of his neighbours in the Oxfordshire village of Hambleden, because he's got broadband and they haven't.…
What is your recession sales strategy?
30 Nov 2009 | 11:44 am
Internet users who illegally download copyrighted content could have their connection cut off as part of the Digital Economy Bill unveiled on Friday.
The bill - a major overhaul of the UK's technology legislation - will mean ISPs must send notices to those customers suspected of infringing copyright. They must also hold a record of how many notifications a customer has received and give this data to rights holders.
23 Nov 2009 | 11:23 am
The UK government has confirmed it intends to push ahead with plans to monitor the UK's communications.
Under the Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), the government wants communications service providers to store details of all web communications, including emails and IMs conversations.
11 Nov 2009 | 11:29 am
BT is offering a free taste of superfast broadband to businesses in Glasgow.
The trial is part of the telco's ongoing investment in fibre infrastructure in the UK. Back in 2008 BT announced it would be spending £1.5bn to bring fibre broadband to around 10 million homes and businesses by 2012.
5 Nov 2009 | 4:24 pm
Customers are responsible for their own wi-fi security, according to hotspot operators.
BT Openzone, The Cloud and T-Mobile all recommended wi-fi users adopt VPNs to help protect themselves while using hotspots.
3 Nov 2009 | 11:48 am
The European Commission has called for EU members to speed their switchover to digital television, and therefore in the process free up spectrum, which can then be used for broadband services.
Viviane Reding, information society and media commissioner for the EC, said she wants EU countries to have made the move by 2012.
30 Oct 2009 | 5:15 pm
The European Commission has said the UK government doesn't have adequate communications privacy legislation and must step up its efforts.
The announcement follows complaints by UK citizens and privacy groups over the government's lack of action after telco BT conducted trials of the Phorm behavioural advertising service without getting consent from its customers.
30 Oct 2009 | 2:40 pm
Secretary of state for business, innovation and skills Peter Mandelson has reiterated the government's 'three strikes and you're out' plan to cut off illegal file-sharers' internet access.
Speaking at a cabinet creative industries conference yesterday, the business minister said proposals made back in August will feature in the Digital Economy Bill expected before Parliament in November.
29 Oct 2009 | 12:46 pm
It's never been easy being green, especially when it comes to electricity-hungry IT infrastructure.
And in the midst of a recession, with cost cutting a priority, it's easy to let slide worthy targets such as becoming carbon neutral - especially if the choice is between a project to shrink the carbon footprint of IT and one that could ensure the company makes a profit in these difficult times.
22 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pm
ISP TalkTalk has criticised proposals by the government to cut illegal file-sharers' internet access, on the grounds of wi-fi vulnerability to hacking.
In a blog post last week, Andrew Heaney, TalkTalk's executive director for strategy and regulation, said a test carried out by the ISP found a high percentage of domestic wi-fi connections are at risk from hacking.
19 Oct 2009 | 1:40 pm
BT has announced it is rolling out superfast fibre broadband directly to 2.5 million UK homes and businesses.
FTTP (fibre to the premises) will allow for for download speeds of 100Mbps by 2012, BT said on Friday.
12 Oct 2009 | 11:47 am
Once again, September saw another fresh crop of students head off to university for the first time, on their way to becoming the next generation of IT workers.
But how good are the UK's universities at turning out the skilled professionals that the tech industry needs? According to a silicon.com CIO Jury last month, the answer is not very. Asked if tech graduates are finishing university with the expertise their companies are looking for, only four out of 12 said yes.
6 Oct 2009 | 5:08 pm
BT has revealed more details on its planned brownfield pilots of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband tech.
Fibre broadband is the superfast successor to the current generation of broadband used in the UK, delivered over copper wire. By replacing copper with fibre optic cabling, telcos will be able to provide downstream connectivity of tens or hundreds of Mbps.
2 Oct 2009 | 3:46 pm
In a study of broadband quality and penetration across the world, the UK was ranked 25th out of 66 countries.
The figure was revealed as part of the Broadband Quality Score study, carried out by the Saïd Business School and the University of Oviedo on behalf of Cisco.
2 Oct 2009 | 12:56 pm
O2 is set to start testing LTE (the long-term evolution of the 3G mobile standard) technology in the UK "within the next six months".
The trials of the technology are the first to be carried out by any UK operator. T-Mobile and Orange have said they intend to roll out such networks in the future, however.
1 Oct 2009 | 3:03 pm
By year-end, one in five households worldwide will be wired up to the internet, according to new estimates from Gartner.
The number of households with fixed broadband connections is expected to reach 422 million across the globe this year, a jump of 10.5 per cent over 382 million in 2008, the analyst house said on Friday. This number will further swell to an estimated 580 million by 2013.
28 Sep 2009 | 12:21 pm
BT has announced it will extend its planned coverage of 24Mbps broadband to 75 per cent of the UK by 2011 - up from its previous target of 55 per cent.
The telco currently provides speeds of up to 24Mbps to around 40 per cent of UK homes and businesses. The vast majority of those outside this coverage area can get up to 8Mbps.
28 Sep 2009 | 10:53 am
The proposed fibre tax to pay for next-gen broadband in the UK could be law before the next general election.
Stephen Timms, Minister for Digital Britain and financial secretary to the Treasury, said the government is committed to making its £6 per year tax on landlines law to pay for rolling out next-gen broadband in the UK.
23 Sep 2009 | 6:32 pm
More must be done to convince grey-haired business leaders to embrace web 2.0 developments, a panel of experts has warned.
A panel assembled by the British Computer Society (BCS) were asked to consider whether IT could lead the UK out of recession. But it warned the UK's potential around technology - and thus the potential of IT to drive economic recovery - is being held back by the current crop of business leaders who are failing to 'get IT', and also by the failure of the education system to inspire young people to acquire the skills needed by the industry.
23 Sep 2009 | 6:12 pm
Peter Cochrane video blogs from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where he finds he has more bandwidth than he's had anywhere in North America. So where did all this broadband come from?
23 Sep 2009 | 4:45 pm
BT Openreach has released details of the fees it plans to charge other ISPs for its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) pilot in London.
Access to its Generic Ethernet Access Fibre to The Premises product will cost ISPs between £175 and £255 per annum for each customer line.
23 Sep 2009 | 10:25 am
BT has opened a new high street shop to promote fibre broadband in London's Muswell Hill - the location for one of its two fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) pilots, along with Whitchurch in South Wales.
Residents of London's N10 district are being invited to try the FTTC service for free until January 2010, with the telco targeting its existing broadband customers with letters offering a free taste of fibre.
17 Sep 2009 | 5:37 pm
O2 has announced Joined Up - a service which bundles fixed-line phone, broadband and mobile services in one package, aimed at business customers.
Launching next month, the landline element of Joined Up is the result of a five-year partnership deal between O2 and BT Wholesale.
17 Sep 2009 | 11:29 am
BT is testing a system of broadband technology, currently used in business-class broadband, which could carry higher-speed broadband further from exchanges than was previously thought possible.
The telco said the Broadband Enabling Technology (BET), currently being trialled in Scotland, can take a 1Mbps connection up to 12km both up and downstream, compared to the standard 5km for ADSL.
16 Sep 2009 | 1:43 pm
In an exclusive interview with silicon.com, Canadian author Douglas Coupland reveals his attitudes towards technology and its influence on his zeitgeist-defining books.
Douglas Coupland has been a keen observer of technology's impact on society for almost two decades. Through novels such as Microserfs, which charts the progress of Microsoft employees during the mid-1990s, and JPod, which tells a parallel tale of computer game developers in thrall to Google a decade later, he has consistently associated the development of technology with the progress of society.
8 Sep 2009 | 3:38 pm
Orange and T-Mobile have entered talks to combine their operations in the UK.
Orange, owned by France Telecom, and T-Mobile, parented by Deutsche Telekom, could become a 50:50 joint venture company if the talks are successful.
8 Sep 2009 | 2:36 pm
This week has seen mobile makers Nokia and Sony Ericsson showing off the latest additions to their device line-up.
The handset pictured above is Sony Ericsson's Xperia X2. The smartphone, unveiled yesterday, is a business-focused device and runs on Windows Mobile 6.5.
3 Sep 2009 | 5:32 pm
While August may traditionally be something of a quiet month, there was still a host of interesting stories to keep everyone going during the late summer.
One of the biggest stories in August was the build-up to the launch of Apple's latest Mac operating system, Snow Leopard. silicon.com took a look at what new features and refinements to expect from the newly-launched OS.
1 Sep 2009 | 4:00 pm
BT has sped up the rollout of superfast broadband in one of the UK's major cities.
Some areas of Glasgow, which were due to become part of BT's fibre deployment this year, will now find themselves connected up with superfast broadband by the autumn.
17 Aug 2009 | 3:50 pm
Remember the government's vision for the future for the UK's technological future, Digital Britain?
After publishing the strategy document in June, the government has now revealed the people that will be in charge of turning the document into reality, with the announcement of its Digital Britain Implementation Plan.
17 Aug 2009 | 12:50 pm
BT is to begin its first brownfield pilot of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in the Highams Park area of north-east London.
Previously, the IT and telecommunications giant tested a greenfield deployment FTTH at the new Ebbsfleet development in Kent, but the Highams Park pilot will mark BT's first such deployment in an existing residential area with a copper-based telecoms infrastructure.
7 Aug 2009 | 6:32 pm
Junior minister Stephen Timms is set to assume responsibility for implementing the Digital Britain plan, according to a report in The Guardian.
Timms, currently financial secretary to the Treasury, will replace Stephen Carter as communications minister, the newspaper said on Monday. According to the report, Timms will work across the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Treasury.
4 Aug 2009 | 3:33 pm
Country folk deserve reliable broadband as much as city dwellers, says silicon.com's Nick Heath. So why are rural areas being left behind?
UK industry was brought to its knees by the miners' strikes and power brownouts of the 1970s. Thirty years on, one would think those dark days of outages are a thing of the past.
4 Aug 2009 | 2:02 pm
The BBC is a world leader in developing innovative media technology - so cut it some slack, says Tim Ferguson.
The BBC is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't when it comes to developing new technology and services for UK consumers.
31 Jul 2009 | 6:12 pm
Television broadcaster Five has discussed some of the reasons behind its decision to join Project Canvas, the industry initiative to bring IPTV to the nation's living rooms, to ensure it has a major say in the future of free-to-air TV.
Five today announced it was joining the joint venture, which already includes the BBC, BT and ITV, leaving Channel 4 as the one remaining public service broadcaster not to have signed up to the project.
30 Jul 2009 | 5:49 pm
Compiled at my Singapore hotel upon arrival and despatched to silicon.com on the day of my departure from Changi Airport via a free wi-fi service
Having arrived in Singapore during the late afternoon, I went for a walk to help my body normalise after the flight.
30 Jul 2009 | 12:00 pm
UK TV broadcaster Five has announced it has joined Project Canvas.
Canvas - a BBC, BT and ITV Canvas joint venture announced in December 2008 - will provide UK homes with access to IPTV via a broadband enabled set-top box in much the same way as Freeview and Freesat currently do with digital TV.
30 Jul 2009 | 1:01 am
On Tuesday, Ofcom published the final version of its report into fixed broadband speeds, finding that the average download speed for a UK subscriber has increased since the preliminary results were released in January.
January's preliminary results showed an average speed of 3.6Mbps. That average is now 4.1Mbps but the average 'up to' advertised speed is 7.1Mbps. According to the telecoms regulator, the majority of consumers are happy with the speeds they receive but 26 per cent of those surveyed complained they were not getting the speeds they had expected when they signed up to their ISP.
28 Jul 2009 | 4:46 pm
Mobile WiMax could serve a substantial niche market in the UK but is unlikely to be deployed in any nationwide networks, a member of a key industry group has said.
Bluenowhere, a wholesale wireless network operator, is one of the companies involved in the Mobile WiMax Acceleration Group (M-WAG), which aims to demonstrate business cases for the long-range wireless technology in the UK. Chief executive Harry Aldridge told silicon.com sister site ZDNet UK last week that trials of niche applications had been successful, but the lack of any major operator backing the technology would probably stymie a UK-wide deployment.
23 Jul 2009 | 9:39 am
The humble router is getting a serious makeover, thanks to the Routers of the Future project.
The project - a collaboration between the University of London's design department, Goldsmiths, and ISP TalkTalk - aims to come up with different ways of incorporating the humble router into the home or office, making it more a design feature and less an unloved bit of kit tucked away behind a desk.
22 Jul 2009 | 3:42 pm
In his latest video blog, Peter Cochrane heads to Thailand and investigates the state of broadband while he's there. What does he find? Watch the video to find out
15 Jul 2009 | 4:25 pm
