OfCom | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 18 Dec 2019 16:16:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png OfCom | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Ofcom proposes ban on network locked smartphone sales in UK https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/ofcom-proposes-ban-on-network-locked-smartphone-sales-in-uk/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/ofcom-proposes-ban-on-network-locked-smartphone-sales-in-uk/#respond Wed, 18 Dec 2019 11:41:52 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=442339 Over the years, most major mobile networks have tried to keep customers tied to their business by selling ‘locked' smartphones. While your device can be unlocked for another network if you call up and ask, Ofcom wants to make the switching process easier for UK customers and is considering new rules preventing locked phones from …

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Over the years, most major mobile networks have tried to keep customers tied to their business by selling ‘locked' smartphones. While your device can be unlocked for another network if you call up and ask, Ofcom wants to make the switching process easier for UK customers and is considering new rules preventing locked phones from being sold in the first place.

While networks like O2, Sky, Three and Virgin sell unlocked devices, others like EE, Vodafone and Tesco Mobile don't. According to Ofcom's own research, a third of people decide against switching networks due to the process of getting their device unlocked, which also sometimes comes with a service charge. Beyond that, “nearly half of customers who try to unlock their phone find it difficult”, sometimes due to delays, or being given an unlock code that does not work.

With that in mind, Ofcom is “proposing to ban mobile companies from selling locked phones, allowing people to move to a different network with their existing handset, hassle-free”. This follows earlier rule changes that pave the way for mobile customers to switch providers by sending a free text message.

Ofcom Consumer Group Director, Lindsey Fussell, expanded on this in a press release, saying: “Switching mobile provider can be really frustrating. By freeing mobile users from locked handsets, our plans would save people time, effort and money – and help them unlock a better deal.”

There will be a process involved before this rule comes into place. Ofcom will be collecting feedback from consumers and mobile network providers, then eventually, a date for this change will be set.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Hopefully we get an update on this newly proposed rule change in 2020. So far though, it sounds like a good idea. Locked smartphones are such an outdated concept at this point anyway and needlessly complicates the process of switching providers.

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What’s Holding up 5G in the UK? https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/andrej-kovacevic/whats-holding-up-5g-in-the-uk/ Thu, 16 May 2019 07:00:15 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=413179 If you're into technology, there's a good chance that you're waiting with bated breath for every shred of news that may give you a hint about when you'll be able to get your hands on the next-generation of 5G wireless devices. If you live in the UK, there are already some smartphones coming to the …

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If you're into technology, there's a good chance that you're waiting with bated breath for every shred of news that may give you a hint about when you'll be able to get your hands on the next-generation of 5G wireless devices. If you live in the UK, there are already some smartphones coming to the market that include the wireless technology. This includes the Huawei Mate X 5G, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G. The problem is that nobody seems to be able to pin down exactly when you'll have a real, widespread 5G cellular network to connect those devices to.

The reason for that is the fact that the major wireless operators in the UK are finding that the path to deploying their next-generation networks is far from clear in many parts of the country. There are many factors at play here, including governmental red tape, local resistance to new infrastructure and a workforce crunch that is making it hard for carriers to staff up on their deployments. For residents and anyone else interested in the current state of 5G deployments in the UK, here's an overview to answer the question: What's holding up 5G in the UK?

Attack of the NIMBYs

One of the greatest advantages of the new 5G standard is the fact that it may be used to extend true high-speed internet access to places that have traditionally been under-served by fixed broadband providers. That means it holds the promise of finally ending a pervasive service gap in rural areas, and could even help to alleviate what appears to be a nationwide epidemic of poor internet access speeds. The problem that wireless carriers are having is that some of the citizens in the areas that would benefit most from the availability of 5G networks are putting up a fight regarding placement of new, sometimes larger, transmission towers and equipment. The problem even extends into city centres, where installation crews are often met by protests when they show up to install transmission masts to support 5G service.

A Lack of Qualified Staff

Right now, the UK is also going through the tightest labour market that anyone has seen in a generation, and that too is hampering efforts to roll out 5G networks around the country. As it turns out, the lack of labour is causing all kinds of delays in the installation of the fibre optic systems that will serve as the backhaul data network for the coming 5G networks. In addition, carriers are also having to turn to online IT training programs to meet the demand for qualified staff, which is expected to remain high. Without proper support staff in place, it's going to be impossible to maintain the new high-tech equipment that makes 5G possible, and it appears that some carriers are beginning to recognise that and delay their plans.

Trouble Across the Spectrum

Last, but certainly not least, a major squabble has broken out over the way that the UK's technology regulators, OFCOM, plans to auction off the wireless frequencies that will power next-generation 5G networks. At issue is the fact that OFCOM is planning to bundle the 700MHz and 3.6GHz frequency ranges together for sale to interested providers. That has caused Vodafone, one of the UK's largest wireless providers to cry foul, arguing that holding the auction in that manner is going to splinter the 5G service market all over the country. They claim that because the two frequencies are used for very different purposes, selling them together could allow a single provider to buy spectrum they don't need just to deny it to their competition. That could mean that one company's 5G network would excel at long-distance coverage, while another did at high-density applications, and neither would have the opportunity to build out a proper network that could do both. UK mobile network, Three, has also taken issue with the 5G spectrum auction in the past.

What it All Means

Put simply, all of the problems that the UK's wireless carriers seem to be encountering add up to some serious headaches. First, they must find the skilled labour it takes to deploy their 5G networks in the first place, then they need to find a way to get the local citizenry to get out of the way and let them do the work. On top of that, any delay in the spectrum auction process could make it more likely that carriers will have to resort to a patchwork of technologies to create their new networks, rather than adopting a more unified standard that will stand the test of time.

So far, the major carriers are still insisting that it's full steam ahead when it comes to 5G in the UK. For example, EE still plans to have 5G service up and running in certain parts of 16 cities by the end of 2019. Vodafone has also announced plans to begin rolling out 5G across seven cities beginning in July. Other major UK carriers all have plans to do similar small-scale 5G rollouts within the next 12 months.

While there are some plans in place, it is clear that the UK’s initial 5G rollout has become less than ambitious, after all, ‘parts’ of 16 cities is far from universal coverage. With providers already stretched thin as it is, it wouldn't take much to create a delay. So, for right now, the ultimate answer to the question of what's holding up 5G in the UK is simple: lots of little things adding up to big problems. For citizens of the UK, that means it's wait and see when it comes to 5G for the foreseeable future.

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Survey Reveals Misery in UK Broadband Market – But Help is Coming https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/andrej-kovacevic/survey-reveals-misery-in-uk-broadband-market-but-help-is-coming/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/andrej-kovacevic/survey-reveals-misery-in-uk-broadband-market-but-help-is-coming/#respond Fri, 29 Mar 2019 07:31:07 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=408390 When it comes to internet service providers (ISPs), most users aren't exactly in love with their available choices. In the UK, that sentiment is even stronger than it is in most other places. According to a biannual survey by consumer ratings publication Which?, it appears that most of the most well-known British ISPs are failing …

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When it comes to internet service providers (ISPs), most users aren't exactly in love with their available choices. In the UK, that sentiment is even stronger than it is in most other places. According to a biannual survey by consumer ratings publication Which?, it appears that most of the most well-known British ISPs are failing miserably in living up to their customers' expectations. The complaints against the ISPs ranged from poor quality of service all the way to accusations of predatory price gouging – and the only trait that seemed to unite users of all stripes was their general dissatisfaction with whatever ISP they currently rely on.

A Lack of Choice

The reason that the results of this user survey are so important is that it comes at a time when the big four broadband providers – BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media – supply more than nine in ten households with broadband services. That means the uniformly poor quality of service on offer is an issue that's sure to touch almost every home and business in the whole of the UK. It also means even in areas where there is plenty of choice in providers, there's little hope of finding an ISP that will be an improvement over whatever service is currently in use.

The Results, Explained

According to the survey, two of the big providers, TalkTalk and Sky, performed the worst overall. Both providers achieved only a 50% customer satisfaction rate, which was actually an improvement on their previous results on an earlier survey (48% and 47%, respectively). The two other major providers didn't fare much better, either. Here's a deeper look at the results for the big providers:

● TalkTalk – 50% customer satisfaction rate

The most frequent complaints about the provider were about poor customer service and tech support. Also, 27% of respondents reported experiencing poor connection speeds within the prior twelve months.

● Sky – 50% customer satisfaction rate

Much like TalkTalk, 22% of responding Sky users reported experiencing poor connection speeds in the prior twelve months. Making matters worse, an astounding 67% of sky customers indicated they were interested in leaving the provider, pointing to even deeper issues looming for the ISP.

● BT – 51% customer satisfaction rate

Escaping the bottom on the list by one percentage point, BT still received some poor feedback from its customers. Most complained that prices were too high, and thought the service was a poor value. With 20% of users reporting poor connection speeds within the last twelve months, their feelings are no surprise.

● Virgin Media – 58% customer satisfaction rate

Although Virgin Media posted better results than the other major providers, their score was still nothing to celebrate. More than half (54%) of Virgin Media's subscribers were unhappy about recent price increases, and an alarming 17% reported losing their service entirely for hours or days in the previous twelve months.

Regulators are Beginning to Take Notice

The good news for consumers is that the UK's communications regulators, Ofcom, seems to be looking into ways to remedy the current situation in the nation's broadband market. They note that over half of UK homes could have faster broadband service than they now do, without paying any more in service fees. They believe the problem lies in poor communications surrounding expected speeds, prices and service contracts, and have proposed rules meant to help consumers understand their options. At the same time, they're initiating a review of how the major providers price their offerings and how they deliver services to existing customers. In the meantime, regulators are urging everyone to compare the best broadband deals in their area – and to not be afraid to switch providers if they're not satisfied.

Looking Forward

For beleaguered Britons who currently struggle with their local broadband providers, there is a bit of good news to cling to, despite the current sorry state of affairs in the marketplace. It's that the government appears to be fast-tracking fibre optic and 5G network rollouts, which should do much to alleviate the poor performance that seems to be endemic among the big four providers that rely on BT's aging copper networks. Until then, if the results of this latest survey are any indication, the best advice anyone can give to users suffering from unsatisfactory internet service is to hang in there – there's a light at the end of the (fibre) tunnel.

KitGuru Says: With digital streaming services continuing to rise, the demand for better broadband is growing. Right now, it seems that a lot of UK customers are left unsatisfied. What ISP do you use? Have you had issues with the service? 

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Ofcom investigates EE and Vodafone over inaccurate network coverage information https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-investigates-ee-and-vodafone-over-inaccurate-network-coverage-information/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-investigates-ee-and-vodafone-over-inaccurate-network-coverage-information/#respond Wed, 03 Oct 2018 11:19:57 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=389312 Ofcom is cracking down on UK telecom practices once again, this time taking aim at EE and Vodafone over allegations of inaccurate data coverage information. These inaccurate statistics seem to primarily be affecting those who live in rural areas. Ofcom launched its investigation earlier this week and aims to figure out if Vodafone or EE …

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Ofcom is cracking down on UK telecom practices once again, this time taking aim at EE and Vodafone over allegations of inaccurate data coverage information. These inaccurate statistics seem to primarily be affecting those who live in rural areas.

Ofcom launched its investigation earlier this week and aims to figure out if Vodafone or EE are failing to provide customers with accurate coverage information upon request. For EE, Ofcom is specifically looking at EE for potentially overestimating 3G coverage in rural areas. Vodafone has the opposite issue, with the network apparently underestimating its 4G coverage in some areas.


Image via EE. 

EE has already taken the feedback from Ofcom on board and has made minor changes to its predicted data coverage for a “very small number” of specific areas. Vodafone has also adjusted its data to “reflect the signal customers actually receive” on their phones.

As usual, both networks could end up receiving sanctions in some form, although given that changes have already been implemented based on Ofcom's feedback, this situation will likely just go away quietly.

KitGuru Says: A lot of people rely on network coverage maps when considering changing to a new provider, so ensuring that information is accurate is a high priority. Have any of you had issues with network coverage in areas where it should be good? 

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TalkTalk still has the most dissatisfied broadband customers in the UK https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/talktalk-still-has-the-most-dissatisfied-broadband-customers-in-the-uk/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/talktalk-still-has-the-most-dissatisfied-broadband-customers-in-the-uk/#respond Fri, 20 Jul 2018 10:06:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=380477 On the surface, UK broadband provider TalkTalk is doing rather well. It grew its customer base by a net 80,000 in the first quarter of FY19, pushing above 2.1 million subscribers in total. Not everyone is happy to be with the company, however, as Ofcom outs that the company is still the most complained about …

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On the surface, UK broadband provider TalkTalk is doing rather well. It grew its customer base by a net 80,000 in the first quarter of FY19, pushing above 2.1 million subscribers in total. Not everyone is happy to be with the company, however, as Ofcom outs that the company is still the most complained about provider in Britain.

The average ratio of grievances in the broadband industry sits around 16 complaints per 100,000 customers. While BT broadband and the BT-owned Plusnet breach this barrier with 23 and 20 complaints respectively, TalkTalk takes the crown at a whopping 29 complaints per 100,000 customers. Conversely, Sky sits with just 5 complaints in the first quarter of 2018.

“While these historical numbers by Ofcom are disappointing, it doesn't reflect the current customer experience,” claims a TalkTalk representative. “The most recent data shows a significant reduction in complaint numbers, customer satisfaction is on the rise and we've seen more customers than ever staying with us this year.”

Reports of TalkTalk’s complaints are similarly bad concerning its landline service, with an average of 20 complaints per 100,000 customers in the first quarter. TalkTalk’s mobile platform fared much better with just 5 complaints in comparison to Virgin Mobile’s 11, iD Mobile’s 10, Vodafone’s 9 and BT’s 8. Ironically, TalkTalk has already announced last September that it is set to bow out of the mobile scene in order to refocus its efforts on its internet roots.

“It's frustrating enough when things go wrong, without having to put up with poor customer service as well,” explains Ofcom's director of consumer policy, Jane Rumble. “So it's encouraging to see complaint numbers falling in some areas, and we want to see this continue. Anyone fed up with their provider can easily shop around and see if there's a better service out there for them.”

Although TalkTalk boast an additional 67,000 subscribers to its part-fibre broadband, it will be allocating £1.5 billion on its full fibre efforts to bring gigabit connections to 3 million premises in the UK. In the meantime, the company’s headline revenues rose to £382m year-on-year, an increase of approximately 4.1 percent. Still, the company has a long way to go in order to restore customer faith.

KitGuru Says: I’ve personally been with TalkTalk in the past and sadly cannot say a good word about the services, from intermittent connections at off-peak times to poor customer service interaction in addressing the problems. Hopefully the company has improved in the three years since I was with them, however Ofcom seems to think otherwise. Have you had any bad broadband experiences?

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Three percent of the UK are still suffering from poor broadband speeds https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/three-percent-of-the-uk-are-still-suffering-from-poor-broadband-speeds/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/three-percent-of-the-uk-are-still-suffering-from-poor-broadband-speeds/#respond Wed, 02 May 2018 11:41:19 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=372300 The UK government is working with internet service providers (ISPs) to ensure that all UK residents will get a minimum of 10Mbps by 2020. While it seems to be making progress on this, Ofcom's latest Connected Nations report shows that 3 percent, equivalent to 925,000 homes and businesses, still suffer from subpar speeds. This is …

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The UK government is working with internet service providers (ISPs) to ensure that all UK residents will get a minimum of 10Mbps by 2020. While it seems to be making progress on this, Ofcom's latest Connected Nations report shows that 3 percent, equivalent to 925,000 homes and businesses, still suffer from subpar speeds.

This is a significant drop from the 1.6 million estimated to be suffering from internet below 10Mbps back in May 2017, which subsequently fell to 1.1 million by the end of the year, however it shows that the UK government has quite a way to go in order to hit its new goal with its current pacing.

“There have been further improvements in the availability of broadband services across the UK. However, more needs to be done to provide consumers with access to decent broadband,” Ofcom stated in the report. “There are still too many people in the UK who cannot get a decent broadband connection.”

Now, Ofcom states that 27.2 million homes and businesses, or 95 percent of UK homes and businesses have access to ‘superfast’ broadband at 24Mbps download speed, which is an increase of 4 percent since December 2017.

Ultrafast services, defined as access to at least 300Mbps, have also seen an increase in coverage, primarily thanks to Virgin Media’s latest network overhauls and BT's efforts. 13.2 million UK premises, or 45 percent of homes and businesses can now receive these services, up from 10.6 million, or 36 percent in May 2017.

Even further up the scale, 1 million homes are now able to utilise a connection of 1Gbps thanks to their access to full-fibre connections. “While there has been progress in making superfast services available to over nine out of ten properties, greater investment is needed to build full-fibre networks,” Ofcom explained.

Discuss on our Facebook page, or over on Twitter.

KitGuru Says: While it’s a commendable effort to be giving the public basic internet access at a semi-acceptable speed, 10Mbps is increasingly outdated as the years go by, hence the investment in such high-end full-fibre connections. As 2020 rolls around, it will be interesting to see whether 10Mbps is still acceptable. What internet speed do you have?

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Ofcom’s 5G spectrum auction is under way with Vodafone and O2 leading the charge https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/damien-cox/ofcoms-5g-spectrum-auction-is-finally-under-way-in-the-uk-with-vodafone-and-o2-leading-the-charge/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/damien-cox/ofcoms-5g-spectrum-auction-is-finally-under-way-in-the-uk-with-vodafone-and-o2-leading-the-charge/#respond Fri, 06 Apr 2018 13:36:08 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369528 After a lengthy delay caused by UK network Three challenging Ofcom’s 5G limitation, the auction for 4G and 5G spectrum finally went under way this week. Ofcom has since posted the results of the principle stage, with Vodafone and O2 taking away the biggest cuts. Five major companies competed for 40MHz of the 2.3GHz band, …

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After a lengthy delay caused by UK network Three challenging Ofcom’s 5G limitation, the auction for 4G and 5G spectrum finally went under way this week. Ofcom has since posted the results of the principle stage, with Vodafone and O2 taking away the biggest cuts.

Five major companies competed for 40MHz of the 2.3GHz band, currently used for 4G services and 150MHz of the brand new 3.4GHz spectrum which will be used for 5G. This was comprised of Vodafone, O2, EE, Three and Airspan Spectrum Holdings Limited. Hull-based fixed wireless ISP Connexin was also expected to take part but dropped out at the last minute.

Vodafone walked away with the biggest cut of the 3.4GHz band, spending just over £378 million on 50MHz. O2 was also a big spender, shedding nearly £318 million for 40MHz while also investing around £206m on all 40MHz of the 2.3GHz spectrum.

EE also took 40MHz of the 5G spectrum, spending a little less than competition at £303m. Despite its unsuccessful protests, Three managed to walk away with 20MHz of the 3.5GHz spectrum as the company gears up for 5G, which makes the company fare a little better than Airspan Spectrum Holdings Limited, which walked away with nothing from either band.

O2 is one of the biggest winners at this stage, as CCS Insight telecoms analyst Kester Mann notes that the network “needed the spectrum the most.” Vodafone’s investment has inevitably placed them at the forefront of 5G, “re-enforcing its renewed commitment to the market following several years in the doldrums.”

With the principle stage complete, Ofcom is now moving onto the assignment stage, which is the last in the bidding stages of the auction. During this period, the winners of the principle stage will bid to “determine where in the frequency bands their new spectrum will be located.”

While this is great news for any mobile internet enthusiast, the 5G auction brought in just £1.355 billion for the treasury, while 3G and 4G auctions brought in a whopping £22 billion and £2.2 billion respectively. Even though companies might lose their competitive edge by falling behind on the latest and fastest spectrum, many already have access to airwaves from previous auctions.

Either way, “This is good news for everyone who uses their mobile phone to access the internet,” according to Ofcom’s director Philip Marnick. As a nation we’re using ever more mobile data on smartphones and mobile devices. Releasing these airwaves will make it quicker and easier to get online on the move. It will also allow companies to prepare for 5G mobile, paving the way for a range of smart, connected devices.”

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: In some instances, 4G is already better than some of the standard WiFi provided in the UK, making 5G all the more exciting. It’ll likely be a while before it is adopted fully into the market, but with the auction finally under way, operators can put the new band to good use as soon as possible. Are you looking forward to 5G connectivity?

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Ofcom’s new rules will force ISPs to guarantee minimum speeds for customers https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcoms-new-rules-will-force-isps-to-guarantee-minimum-speeds-for-customers/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcoms-new-rules-will-force-isps-to-guarantee-minimum-speeds-for-customers/#respond Thu, 01 Mar 2018 12:52:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=365525 In recent months, Ofcom has been taking UK internet providers to task in order to force them into providing a better service. That won't be slowing down this year, with Ofcom announcing its new code of practice this week, which will require UK ISPs to give customers a minimum speed guarantee. Late last year, Ofcom …

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In recent months, Ofcom has been taking UK internet providers to task in order to force them into providing a better service. That won't be slowing down this year, with Ofcom announcing its new code of practice this week, which will require UK ISPs to give customers a minimum speed guarantee.

Late last year, Ofcom introduced a new rule to get broadband providers to automatically compensate customers when their connection goes down for an extended period of time. Now, another rule is being put into place, this time focusing on ISP speed advertising practices. Many internet providers already advertise ‘top speeds' but rarely give customers a minimum speed figure. From March next year, UK ISPs will be required to give a minimum speed guarantee for broadband services. If a customer's speed drops below that number, then Ofcom will give the ISP one month to improve performance and if they can't do it, the customer will be able to leave the service free of any penalties.

The right to walk away from a service package will also include landline and TV packages. So if you have the full Sky broadband, TV and landline bundle and your broadband is shoddy, then you'll be able to leave the full service.

Minimum speed guarantees will be based on realistic peak times, like 8AM to 10PM and 12AM to 2PM. Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom's consumer group director said that this move will “close the gap between the broadband speeds people are sold, and what they actually receive”. The hope is that this will give customers more confidence in what they are buying and have the protection in place to walk away if the service doesn't perform as advertised.

KitGuru Says: Rules like this are important to have, as they protect consumers and force companies to stay vigilant and keep on top of their services. Do many of you have issues with your current broadband provider? What kind of speeds do you currently get?

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Auction for UK’s 5G spectrum set for April after Three’s fails legal challenge against Ofcom https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/damien-cox/auction-for-uks-5g-spectrum-set-for-april-after-threes-fails-legal-challenge-against-ofcom/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/damien-cox/auction-for-uks-5g-spectrum-set-for-april-after-threes-fails-legal-challenge-against-ofcom/#respond Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:58:10 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=364171 Last year, UK mobile network provider Three attempted to reduce Ofcom’s limitation on the amount of the 5G spectrum that could be purchased to 30 percent. It seems the legal action has now failed, with the auction set to go ahead in April with an imposed cap of 37 percent. Three’s reasoning behind wanting the …

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Last year, UK mobile network provider Three attempted to reduce Ofcom’s limitation on the amount of the 5G spectrum that could be purchased to 30 percent. It seems the legal action has now failed, with the auction set to go ahead in April with an imposed cap of 37 percent.

Three’s reasoning behind wanting the stricter cap was out of fear that the smallest of the four mobile operators in Britain would be squeezed out of a large portion of the spectrum by titans such as BT. As it stands, BT owns a whopping 45 percent of the airwaves, by far the largest share between all competitors.

The operator was keen to stress that it was right to appeal as the decisions made have gained the company “clarity” on the auction rules and that this “has not caused any delay to the delivery of 5G services to UK consumers.” Unfortunately, the company still sees the 37 percent cap as “too high if the policy objective is to have a competitive four player market” and would “like to see it set at a lower level in the future.”

While a larger company, O2 actually controls a smaller portion of the spectrum than Three and is adamant that the auction should proceed with no more delays. Luckily, Ofcom has announced that it will be pushing ahead with things in April with no more hiccups.

“The Court of Appeal has very firmly rejected Three’s application for permission to appeal on all grounds,” states an Ofcom spokesperson. “We welcome this decision, and will now press ahead with releasing these important airwaves. This new capacity will allow mobile companies to offer more reliable reception, and to prepare for future 5G services.”

KitGuru Says: Any further delays would have undoubtedly impacted on consumers getting their hands on 5G devices, so it’s good to see things moving at high speeds. As it stands, my 4G is faster than most home networks I tend to come across, so it will be interesting to see how 5G changes the game. Are you excited for 5G devices?

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UK ISPs will automatically pay customers back when connections go down under new rules https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/uk-isps-will-automatically-pay-customers-back-when-connections-go-down-under-new-rules/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/uk-isps-will-automatically-pay-customers-back-when-connections-go-down-under-new-rules/#comments Fri, 10 Nov 2017 12:32:21 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=353862 Back in March, Ofcom proposed some new ideas to hold UK-based internet providers accountable for poor service. Under its proposal, ISPs would be required to give customers automatic compensation for loss of connection, slow repairs and missed engineering appointments. Now, it several major ISPs, including BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk, have agreed to be …

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Back in March, Ofcom proposed some new ideas to hold UK-based internet providers accountable for poor service. Under its proposal, ISPs would be required to give customers automatic compensation for loss of connection, slow repairs and missed engineering appointments. Now, it several major ISPs, including BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk, have agreed to be part of this new scheme.

When combined, BT, TalkTalk, Sky, Virgin Media and Zen Internet cover around 90 percent of broadband and landline customers in the UK. Under this new scheme, these ISPs will automatically compensate customers when broadband or landline connections go down and aren't revived within two working days. If a service goes down for longer than this, then customers will receive £8 credit per day until it is fixed.

In addition, if an engineer doesn't turn up to an appointment or cancels less than 24 hours before, then you will get £25 back. If one of the included ISPs says that your broadband or landline will be connected on a specific day and misses that date, then you'll get £5 for each day you aren't connected, including the missed starting date.

This automatic compensation scheme for ISPs/telecom providers will take a while to get up and running though. Ofcom has set up a 15-month implementation period before it comes into effect. Once it is all in place, Ofcom will be keeping an eye on things to ensure it is working. There will be an official review one year after the scheme goes live to collect customer feedback and ensure the system is working as it should.

KitGuru Says: As more and more people rely on their internet connection for work, education and entertainment, ISPs need to work harder to ensure a consistently reliable service. With this new automatic compensation system in place, failures will result in a hit to their bank account, which is a great way of holding them accountable. This will also make it easier on customer service, as customers will no longer need to call up to try and squeeze out some money off their next bill. 

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Three UK steps up legal action against Ofcom’s 5G limitation https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/damien-cox/three-uk-steps-up-legal-action-against-ofcoms-5g-limitation/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/damien-cox/three-uk-steps-up-legal-action-against-ofcoms-5g-limitation/#respond Wed, 06 Sep 2017 16:25:03 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=346095 Back in July, Ofcom imposed a new limitation restricting the amount of the 5G spectrum that mobile providers can buy to 37 percent. A lot has snowballed since then, with UK mobile companies Three gearing up a legal challenge to Ofcom’s decision and Vodafone saying this legal action will “unnecessarily delay” the process. Ofcom’s cap …

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Back in July, Ofcom imposed a new limitation restricting the amount of the 5G spectrum that mobile providers can buy to 37 percent. A lot has snowballed since then, with UK mobile companies Three gearing up a legal challenge to Ofcom’s decision and Vodafone saying this legal action will “unnecessarily delay” the process.

Ofcom’s cap is to avoid a monopoly or duopoly on the 5G signal, as BT and Vodafone currently own 45 and 28 percent of the current spectrum respectively. Three, however, originally called for a 30 percent cap and deems 37 percent a “kick in the teeth for all consumers.”

The threat of legal action came not long after Ofcom’s announcement of the new imposition and has since resulted in the mobile provider launching a judicial review that is expected to last at least 3 months. All of this is on the basis that Ofcom is “damaging competition, restricting choice and pushing prices up for the very consumers that it is meant to protect.” Three claims that Ofcom’s plans could result in BT maintaining a share of over 39 percent until as late as 2020.

“We confirm that we have filed a judicial review before the UK courts in relation to the competition measures that will apply in the upcoming spectrum auction,” said a spokesperson for Three. “It is absolutely vital that the regulator gets this auction right for the long-term benefit of all consumers.”

Vodafone has since retorted to Three stepping up its legal action in a statement with The Financial Times, saying that it will “unnecessarily delay” the process which is in turn worse for consumers.

“This is not in the interest of consumers and will undermine the UK's efforts to be a leading digital economy,” a Vodafone spokesperson said.

“It is very regrettable that the auction will now be delayed by this litigation, which will harm consumers, businesses and ultimately the UK economy,” added an Ofcom spokesperson. “It is now crucial that companies don't drag their feet, so the case can be heard as soon as possible.”

On top of Vodafone’s response is the expectation that EE will act on its legal threat against Three last month. “We have made the difficult decision to challenge the proposed structure of the next auction of mobile spectrum. We need to protect our customers' mobile experience, and help build the platform for the UK to have the highest quality 5G networks.”

KitGuru Says: Despite seeming justified in its wants for fair competition, Three’s motivation is more aligned with its inability to outbid competition as it tries to push past its fourth-place position. This delay will inevitably affect all other consumers with all companies including its own.

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Three fined £1.9m over flawed handling of emergency service calls https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/three-fined-1-9m-over-flawed-handling-of-emergency-service-calls/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/three-fined-1-9m-over-flawed-handling-of-emergency-service-calls/#respond Mon, 19 Jun 2017 16:13:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=338376 Mobile network Three has been hit with a £1.9 million fine after Ofcom uncovered weaknesses in how the network handles emergency calls. According to Ofcom, Three's network wasn't fit to deliver all emergency calls, with loss of service reports coming in from customers across the country. The fine was passed down on Friday the 16th …

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Mobile network Three has been hit with a £1.9 million fine after Ofcom uncovered weaknesses in how the network handles emergency calls. According to Ofcom, Three's network wasn't fit to deliver all emergency calls, with loss of service reports coming in from customers across the country.

The fine was passed down on Friday the 16th of June, with Ofcom saying that Three “broke an important rule designed to ensure everyone can contact the emergency services at all times”. This rule is considered to be a top priority for public health and safety. According to Ofcom's investigation, Three suffered a loss of service in Kent, Hampshire and some parts of London back in October 2016. These calls all had to pass through one data centre in order to reach emergency services, thus giving the network to a single point of failure. These calls should have automatically diverted via backup routes.

Image source: Ofcom

To rectify this issue, Three is adding an extra back-up route to carry emergency calls. However, since this vulnerability existed in the first place, Three was in breach of the requirement to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency services, so the £1.9m fine will need to be paid. The fine would have been larger but since the network co-operated in the investigation, it was reduced by 30 percent.

In the end, this fine is intended to serve as a warning to other networks to ensure their emergency service call handling is all in check.

KitGuru Says: Emergency service calls are obviously hugely important, so there needs to be tough rules in place there. Hopefully this will lead to other networks double checking their infrastructure too.

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Ofcom wants to let you break up with your mobile provider with a text message https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-to-let-you-break-up-with-your-mobile-provider-with-a-text-message/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-to-let-you-break-up-with-your-mobile-provider-with-a-text-message/#comments Fri, 19 May 2017 18:06:35 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=334915 There comes a time in most people's lives where we need to debate switching mobile providers, whether its due to poor signal, or a lack of upgrade deals. However, the call to ditch your provider can often be awkward and filled with salesmen trying their best to change your mind. So, in an effort to …

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There comes a time in most people's lives where we need to debate switching mobile providers, whether its due to poor signal, or a lack of upgrade deals. However, the call to ditch your provider can often be awkward and filled with salesmen trying their best to change your mind. So, in an effort to make breaking up with your provider easier in the future, Ofcom wants to implement a text messaging system.

Ofcom recognises that switching mobile providers can be a long and irritating process, claiming that at least 2.5 million British citizens faced at least one major issue while attempting to switch. With that in mind, Ofcom is now proposing a ‘text to switch' plan that would allow customers to cancel their service with a simple text message.

After sending the text, customers would receive a unique code to pass on to their new network of choice in order to get the ball rolling within one working day. This process would apply whether the customer was taking their current number with them or not.

This process would avoid customers paying for their old service while switching to their new one. It would also save network providers up to £10 million per year. Now, this is still a proposal for now and Ofcom is keeping consultations open until the 30th of June. However, a final decision should be made during the second half of this year.

KitGuru Says: I had some major problems while trying to leave my old mobile network last year, so being able to avoid the hassle with a simple text sounds like the perfect scenario. This is the sort of system I would like to see put into place but it all depends, after all, no final decisions have been made just yet.

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BT fined £42 million for late broadband installations https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/bt-fined-42-million-for-late-broadband-installations/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/bt-fined-42-million-for-late-broadband-installations/#respond Mon, 27 Mar 2017 09:43:36 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=327206 It looks like Ofcom and BT are still slugging out out as this week, the telecoms regulator hit BT with a £42 million fine and ordered the company to set aside £300 million to compensate competing ISPs, which have been held back by slow upgrades and BT/Openreach's failure to meet deadlines. Over the last few …

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It looks like Ofcom and BT are still slugging out out as this week, the telecoms regulator hit BT with a £42 million fine and ordered the company to set aside £300 million to compensate competing ISPs, which have been held back by slow upgrades and BT/Openreach's failure to meet deadlines. Over the last few years, it has been BT's responsibility to rollout copper and fibre lines across the UK. However, the upgrades so far have been mismanaged and slow, which has had a negative effect on other UK-based ISPs, which rely on the Openreach infrastructure.

BT and Openreach are also being legally separated due to slow upgrades. This whole case was initially prompted by complaints from other ISPs, who claimed BT was breaching contract terms by failing to deliver on time. It turns out that Ofcom agreed with this, so now BT is going to have to shell out a lot of cash.

Speaking about the fine, Ofcom's investigations director, Gaucho Rasmussen said: “These high-speed lines are a vital part of this country’s digital backbone. Millions of people rely on BT’s network for the phone and broadband services they use every day. We found BT broke our rules by failing to pay other telecoms companies proper compensation when these services were not provided on time. The size of our fine reflects how important these rules are to protect competition and, ultimately, consumers and businesses.”

This investigation opened up back in November 2015 after complaints were received from providers like Vodafone and TalkTalk, who said that BT had failed to compensate for late deliveries of Ethernet services. BT's contract requires compensation to be paid to companies purchasing these lines wholesale but the company failed to do so.

There is some wiggle room for deadline extensions but Ofcom found that BT retroactively extended deadlines after missing deliveries on multiple occasions over a sustained period, which harmed other telecoms services as well as consumers. As a result of this BT is now being fined and will have to compensate ISPs for the late installations and delays in service.

BT is obliged, under Ofcom’s rules, to install Ethernet services to its wholesale customers (providers such as Vodafone and TalkTalk), in accordance with its contracts, and to make compensation payments for late delivery. BT’s contracts require it to deliver Ethernet services within 30 working days, or pay compensation to the company affected.

This news followed shortly after Ofcom's proposal to force ISPs to automatically compensate customers for service downtime, late repairs and installations.

KitGuru Says: BT has a lot of power in the UK as most competing ISPs rely on BT and Openreach to supply their own services. Hopefully this fine and separation of Openreach will lead to better service going forward.

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Ofcom wants UK ISPs to automatically pay customers back whenever connections go down https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-uk-isps-to-automatically-pay-customers-back-whenever-connections-go-down/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-uk-isps-to-automatically-pay-customers-back-whenever-connections-go-down/#comments Fri, 24 Mar 2017 13:02:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=326855 It looks like Ofcom has some new ideas in mind for UK-based internet providers as this week, the regulator put forward a new proposal under which ISPs would be required to give customers compensation for loss of connection, slow repairs and missed engineering appointments. The proposal, which is bound to upset UK ISPs, would essentially force …

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It looks like Ofcom has some new ideas in mind for UK-based internet providers as this week, the regulator put forward a new proposal under which ISPs would be required to give customers compensation for loss of connection, slow repairs and missed engineering appointments.

The proposal, which is bound to upset UK ISPs, would essentially force providers into offering a better service and timely repairs by hitting them where it hurts- the wallet. Ofcom's current proposal calls for broadband issues to be fixed within two working days. If this is not achieved, then ISPs would need to pay the customer back £10 for each calendar day that the service is down.

Ofcom is also proposing a £6 per day fine for late line installations for new customers. Finally, the biggest kicker is £30 to be paid back to the customer if an engineer misses an appointment or cancels with less than 24 hours notice.

Speaking about the new proposal, Lindsey Fussell, the consumer group director said: “We're proposing new rules to force providers to pay money back to customers automatically, whenever repairs or installations don't happen on time or when people wait for an engineer who doesn't turn up”.

“When a customer's landline or broadband goes wrong, it is frustrating enough without having to fight tooth and nail to get fair compensation from the provider”.

The main goal with this proposal would be to force ISPs to work harder to ensure a stable service and provide ample punishment when providers don't meet customer needs within a timely manner. However, it is worth noting that this is just a proposal for now, so it could be a while before these rules come into play, if the proposal even gets that far.

In the meantime, Ofcom will be holding a consultation until early June, during which it will talk with ISPs. After this period, the proposal could possibly be amended.

KitGuru Says: UK ISPs will often take advantage of customers and don't always provide the level of service they should. This is a growing problem these days as more people rely on having an internet connection for education, work and entertainment. If these new rules are put into place, ISPs will have to work harder to ensure a quality service, which can only be a good thing for the consumer. 

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BT and Openreach are being legally separated https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/bt-and-openreach-are-being-legally-separated/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/bt-and-openreach-are-being-legally-separated/#comments Fri, 10 Mar 2017 11:41:43 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=324722 Over the years, BT has often come under fire for its operation of Openreach, the backbone of the UK's internet infrastructure. Upgrades to the lines have been slow and other ISPs who rely on OpenReach have also accused BT of providing a poor service. Now, after a lengthy regulatory battle, BT has finally agreed to …

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Over the years, BT has often come under fire for its operation of Openreach, the backbone of the UK's internet infrastructure. Upgrades to the lines have been slow and other ISPs who rely on OpenReach have also accused BT of providing a poor service. Now, after a lengthy regulatory battle, BT has finally agreed to spin off Openreach into its own separate company.

OfCom suggested that BT and Openreach be split up back in 2016 and while BT did attempt to keep Openreach under its control, none of those proposals ended up working out. As Reuters reports, the new deal will turn Openreach into a legally separate company with its own brand, free of the BT logo. Around 32,000 staff members will be moved over to the new company, which will also have a new board of directors.

OfCom has been trying to get BT to invest more money into upgrading its infrastructure to Fibre for some time now in an effort to catch up with other European countries. Perhaps now that Openreach is spinning off, it will get to work on upgrading the infrastructure at a faster rate. However, it is important to note that the BT Group still owns the Openreach network.

KitGuru Says: Openreach might be spinning off into its own company but it will still fall under the BT Group umbrella. That said, hopefully this change works out for the best and result in a faster fibre rollout.

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Ofcom wants to force BT to lower landline prices, claims millions are unfairly charged https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-to-force-bt-to-lower-landline-prices-claims-millions-are-unfairly-charged/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-to-force-bt-to-lower-landline-prices-claims-millions-are-unfairly-charged/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2017 15:28:36 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=323461 It looks like Ofcom still has a score to settle with BT, with the regulator today revealing that it believes more than two million BT landline customers are getting a bad deal on their contracts, proposing that bills be lowered by at least five pounds per month for those affected. Ofcom came to this conclusion …

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It looks like Ofcom still has a score to settle with BT, with the regulator today revealing that it believes more than two million BT landline customers are getting a bad deal on their contracts, proposing that bills be lowered by at least five pounds per month for those affected. Ofcom came to this conclusion after conducting a review of the overall market, finding that prices in some cases have been unfairly hiked by between 25 and 49 percent for some loyal customers.

These price rises have occurred despite the fact that the price for wholesale landline services has fallen by around 26 percent in recent years, meaning these services are cheaper than ever for companies like BT to offer. As a result, Ofcom wants customers on standalone landline contracts to have additional protection, cutting bills down by around £60 per year. This price cut would not affect landline prices sold as part of a bundle though, it is purely for those who only pay for line rental.


Image credit: PA

Speaking about these changes, Sharon White, Ofcom chief executive gave the following statement: “Line rental has been going up, even as providers' costs come down. This hurts people who rely on their landline the most, and are less likely to shop around for a better deal. We think that's unacceptable, so we plan to cut BT's charge for customers who take only a landline, to ensure that vulnerable customers get the value they deserve”.

Aside from that Ofcom also wants to put in place new rules that would prevent BT from raising its landline prices beyond the point of inflation. This may also result in competitors lowering prices, making the market a fairer place for consumers as a whole. For now though, these changes are all just proposals and won't be put into action for a little while. In the meantime, Ofcom is open to public feedback on its potential rule changes.

KitGuru Says: Ofcom has been focussing heavily on BT's practises over the last year or so, with changes proposed to OpenReach as well as BT's other services. Do you guys think BT's line rental prices need to come down a bit? 

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Ofcom fines EE £2.7 million for overcharging thousands of customers https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-fines-ee-after-overcharging-thousands-of-customers/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-fines-ee-after-overcharging-thousands-of-customers/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2017 15:37:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=318032 Ofcom has been clamping down on mobile networks recently. A few months back the regulator fined Vodafone for poor customer support and now, its attention has turned to EE, which has now been fined £2.7 million after overcharging over 40,000 customers. An investigation led by Ofcom has found that EE “broke a fundamental billing rule …

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Ofcom has been clamping down on mobile networks recently. A few months back the regulator fined Vodafone for poor customer support and now, its attention has turned to EE, which has now been fined £2.7 million after overcharging over 40,000 customers.

An investigation led by Ofcom has found that EE “broke a fundamental billing rule on two separate occasions”. EE's first mistake was charging customers calling the EE ‘150' service number while roaming within Europe. The network charged customers the US service rate, rather than the much lower EU one. In total, this led to customers collectively overpaying £245,700 in total.

img_0055-1.jpg
Image Credit: Alt Pics.

The second mistake was that despite making it free for customers to text or call the EE ‘150' number within the EU back in November 2015, the network continued to charge charge 7,674 customers up until January 2016. In this instance, customers were collectively overcharged by around £2,200. However, Ofcom does note that on this occasion, EE did issue full refunds to those affected.

Speaking on the issue, Ofcom's consumer group director, Lindsey Fussell, noted that “EE didn't take enough care” while ensuring it was charging customers the correct amount. “This ended up costing customers thousands of pounds, which is completely unacceptable”. It looks like Ofcom wants this to prove as a warning to other networks in the future too, stating that “any company that breaks Ofcom's rules should expect similar consequences”.

EE has agreed to take full responsibility for these mistakes and will be ensuring all overcharged customers do get their refunds. The company will also need to pay out £2.7 million to settle with the FTC.

KitGuru Says: Dealing with mobile networks can be frustrating at the best of times but hopefully this intervention from Ofcom will lead to fewer mistakes on EE's end going forward. Are any of you currently using EE? Have you had any issues with them?

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Ofcom wants to split up BT and Openreach https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-to-split-up-bt-and-openreach/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/ofcom-wants-to-split-up-bt-and-openreach/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:05:17 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=313387 Back in July, UK communications regulator Ofcom set its sights on BT and ordered the ISP to make itself more independent from Openreach. At first, BT complied and said that it would work on addressing these complaints but in the time since then, little has been done, forcing Ofcom to kick things up a notch …

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Back in July, UK communications regulator Ofcom set its sights on BT and ordered the ISP to make itself more independent from Openreach. At first, BT complied and said that it would work on addressing these complaints but in the time since then, little has been done, forcing Ofcom to kick things up a notch and could force a legal split of BT and Openreach.

Today, Ofcom has said that Openreach and BT should be split apart over competitive concerns. In a statement, Ofcom has said that “formal notification to require legal separation” of BT and Openreach after the former failed to address previous concerns voluntarily.

open-reach

“We are disappointed that BT has not yet come forward with proposals that meet our competition concerns. Some progress has been made, but this has not been enough, and action is required now to deliver better outcomes for phone and broadband users.”

“Our proposal requires Openreach to become a distinct company with its own Board. This would comprise a majority of non-executive directors, including the Chair, who are not affiliated with BT. Openreach would be guaranteed greater independence to make decisions on strategic investments, with a duty to treat all of its customers equally.”

This decision comes down to the fact that BT operates its own retail outlet in addition to Openreach. This gives BT an incentive to favour its own retail business when making strategic decisions, rather than Openreach, which other ISPs in the UK rely on to connect customers to the web. These include some of BT's biggest competitors like Sky and TalkTalk. If Openreach is split off from BT, it would have greater control over things like infrastructure upgrade plans and rollouts, which would benefit many ISPs, not just BT.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While we are still some ways off from BT and Openreach being split apart, it is clear that Ofcom wants this outcome in the long run. If successful, this could have quite the impact on UK Internet providers going forward. Do you guys think BT should no longer be in control of Openreach?

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OfCom forces BT to open up its cable network to competitors https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ofcom-forces-bt-to-open-up-its-cable-network-to-competitors/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/ofcom-forces-bt-to-open-up-its-cable-network-to-competitors/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2016 09:00:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=285273 Amid threats that it could still force BT to break up its businesses if it doesn't play ball, industry regulator OfCom is forcing the British Telecom firm to open up its copper wire and fibre network for more companies to take advantage of. The idea is to offer a more comprehensive and competitive line up …

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Amid threats that it could still force BT to break up its businesses if it doesn't play ball, industry regulator OfCom is forcing the British Telecom firm to open up its copper wire and fibre network for more companies to take advantage of. The idea is to offer a more comprehensive and competitive line up of products and services to consumers than is currently available.

OpenReach is a BT subsidiary that operates its entire cable system, controlling roll out, infrastructure and developments somewhat separately from BT and enjoys a near complete monopoly on it throughout the UK. This has prompted regulators and other businesses to call for it to be split-off from BT, but OfCom is now settling for it to be put at arms length from its parent firm.

It is also looking to make it possible for other firms to lay their own cables within OpenReach's underground cable ducts and along OpenReach telegraph poles (as per the BBC). Budget management may be changed too, with a drive to give OpenReach more independence with less oversight from the BT Group.

openreach

Source: Wikimedia

OfCom warned that the current climate of internet access in the UK was creating a digital divide, where certain parts had supremely fast internet access, while even relatively built up areas like some parts of London, still languished on outdated connections. Its most recent report suggested around eight per cent of all British households and businesses could not even access 10Mbps connections.

The regulator even described connections at a minimum of that speed to be a basic human right.

KitGuru Says: While it's probably harder to argue that internet access is a human right – even though some have ruled it that in the past – BT has had a strangle hold on expanding internet access for quite some time. Do you think it should be forced to split off OpenReach?

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Wales and the north west have the worst broadband in UK https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/jon-martindale/wales-and-the-north-west-have-the-worst-broadband-in-uk/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/jon-martindale/wales-and-the-north-west-have-the-worst-broadband-in-uk/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2016 11:05:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=283322 Although the UK has always lagged behind other nations when it comes to average download speeds, there are areas where it is better than others. London of course enjoys some of the highest speeds in the country, but what about the worst? If you live in Wales, big chunks of the south west or the …

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Although the UK has always lagged behind other nations when it comes to average download speeds, there are areas where it is better than others. London of course enjoys some of the highest speeds in the country, but what about the worst? If you live in Wales, big chunks of the south west or the north west, you're probably languishing compared to the rest.

The average connection speed in areas like the capital, Middlesbrough and Bournemouth is upwards of 45Mbps, with other cities like Birmingham, Nottingham and Liverpool also enjoying high connection speeds. However if you move into more rural areas like Devon, mid and western wales and specifically around the Lake District, the average is a much less impressive 17Mbps.

ukbroadband

Source: James Titcomb

These figures come from Ofcom's Connect Nations 2015 report (via Telegraph), which paints the overall national average speed as just under 30Mbps, even though some areas have access to connection rates as high as 200Mbps.

Because many areas in the UK, even built up ones still have sub-standard connection speeds, the report has prompted a number of MPs to petition for BT to be separated from its OpenReach platform in order to facilitate a faster roll out of high-speed services around the country.

The government has previously pledged to make sure everyone in the UK can connect at upwards of 24Mbps by 2020, with several hundred thousand homes equipped for 300-500Mbps by the end of that year.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What's the connection speed like in your area? We only received access to fiber in the last few months, but even with a pricey plan it's still sub 50Mbps. 

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ATVOD is no more, OfCom to take over regulation duties https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/atvod-is-no-more-ofcom-to-take-over-regulation-duties/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/atvod-is-no-more-ofcom-to-take-over-regulation-duties/#respond Wed, 14 Oct 2015 16:29:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=271774 Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD), the regulatory body for on demand TV platforms in the UK, like 4OD, BBC iPlayer and the ITV player, is set to close after just five years of operation. It's regulatory responsibilities, which lately have seen the organisation go after porn site operators, will be folded into OfCom, with …

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Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD), the regulatory body for on demand TV platforms in the UK, like 4OD, BBC iPlayer and the ITV player, is set to close after just five years of operation. It's regulatory responsibilities, which lately have seen the organisation go after porn site operators, will be folded into OfCom, with that regulatory body seeing its power extended to include streaming content as well as potentially “tv-like” websites too.

Originally set up in 2010, ATVOD's purpose was supposed to be constrained to monitoring and policing on-demand content. However in the last 12 months, perhaps sensing that it wasn't useful enough to continue independent operation, it extended its own mandate and started going after pornography producers in the UK. It made a point of championing pornography filters and shutting down dominatrix directory sites.

Its reasoning at the time was that these services were “TV-like,” though it seemed telling that it targeted small time content producers rather than services like Netflix or Amazon with its ire.

atvod2
But life under ATVOD was so happy. What happened?

Whatever function ATVOD was performing though, it was clearly decided that it wasn't worth the money it was using – around half a million a year according to Sex and Censorship.

“Our task now is to make sure that our service to consumers and service providers remains of the highest standard during the remaining months of 2015 and to work closely with Ofcom to manage a smooth and seamless transition. We will do this with the professionalism stakeholders have come to expect of ATVOD over the past few years,” said ATVOD chair Ruth Evans.

So from 2016 onwards, OfCom will handle all on-demand streaming regulation too. The question is, will it too extend its own responsibilities and attempt to crack down on certain websites it deems immoral?

KitGuru Says: While I have more faith in OfCom than ATVOD, OfCom has a lot more financial and government backing than ATVOD ever did. If it did decide to go after websites, there could be some real trouble. 

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BT: US telecom companies stifle competition https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/bt-us-telecom-companies-stifle-competition/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/bt-us-telecom-companies-stifle-competition/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2015 09:47:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=264641 Breaking America is difficult, whether you're a pop star or a giant telecoms company, apparently. UK based BT has called on U.S. regulators to change the current laws on the sale of network usage, making it possible for different companies to access each other's network at a regulated price. As it stands, BT and other …

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Breaking America is difficult, whether you're a pop star or a giant telecoms company, apparently. UK based BT has called on U.S. regulators to change the current laws on the sale of network usage, making it possible for different companies to access each other's network at a regulated price. As it stands, BT and other firms have to charge their customers much more than AT&T and Verizon, which together own more than 80  per cent of U.S. telephone and broadband lines throughout the country.

That's quite different from how it is in the UK, where companies like BT have to allow other companies to access its networks at a reasonable rate that makes it possible for them to compete on price. That's why the scene is often much more competitive – though geographical differences also play a big part in the different business landscapes.

basburger
Bas Burger is a rad name though. We'll give him that. 

That's something Bas Burger, head of BT's Americas unit wants to change though. He also wants U.S. companies to have to provide a guaranteed level of service to networks used by competitors, thereby making it possible for them to leave outages for longer periods of time on lines used by companies like BT, often meaning the service is worse when using companies other than the network owners.

This is perhaps an ironic claim however, since as Reuters points out, BT is currently being investigated by OfCom following complaints from other network providers that it has abused its position as the owner of most lines in Britain. The regulator is also considering breaking it up into smaller companies to make the playing field more even.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There are a lot of elements about the telecoms industry that seem inherently unfair, though Britain does at least seem to have a healthier level of competition than the U.S. South Park's nipple tweaking cable episode showed us that.

Image source: BT

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UK web users happy to give away personal data https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-web-users-happy-to-give-away-personal-data/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-web-users-happy-to-give-away-personal-data/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 11:11:36 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249024 The debate over internet privacy is one that's going to rage for years to come thanks to the continued back and forth tug of war between the likes of politicians, lobby groups and whistle blowers like Edward Snowden. However, in the eyes of the public it seems that that debate is mostly over. According to …

The post UK web users happy to give away personal data first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The debate over internet privacy is one that's going to rage for years to come thanks to the continued back and forth tug of war between the likes of politicians, lobby groups and whistle blowers like Edward Snowden. However, in the eyes of the public it seems that that debate is mostly over. According to a survey conducted by OfCom, over two thirds of all web users in the UK don't mind sites using or recording their personal data.

For most that extended to simple information like browsing habits, software use and any public comments they made on social networks. The reason given usually relates to people feeling that they would benefit somehow or be given an improved service by handing over their data.

ofcomsurvey
Despite tablet usage expanding, smartphones have grown the most in recent years

However not everyone was quite so gung ho with their data. Just over 30 per cent said they were particularly irked by the idea of having their information recorded online and almost a quarter of all those surveyed said they would never use a credit card online for fear of the details being stolen. A further 25 per cent said they wouldn't put their mobile phone number into a site either, for fear that it would be used to spam them with sales calls and texts.

Perhaps the most worrying statistic however, is that as many as 60 per cent of those quizzed thought that they should be protected from offensive or inappropriate content online.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While there's no problem with using third party filtering tools if you choose to, personal and familial responsibilities are the most important factor in protecting yourself and loved ones online.

Image source: Phil Campbell/Flickr

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Three confirms plan to buy O2 for over £10 billion https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/three-confirms-plan-to-buy-o2-for-over-10-billion/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/three-confirms-plan-to-buy-o2-for-over-10-billion/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 14:56:46 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=232219 Hutchinson Whampoa, the parent company of UK mobile network, Three,  has confirmed that it is hosting “executive negotiations” with Telefonica to acquire O2 for £10.25 billion. This news comes just a few days after rumors of a potential purchase began to fly around. In a statement from Hutchinson, a company spokesperson said that these negotiations …

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Hutchinson Whampoa, the parent company of UK mobile network, Three,  has confirmed that it is hosting “executive negotiations” with Telefonica to acquire O2 for £10.25 billion. This news comes just a few days after rumors of a potential purchase began to fly around.

In a statement from Hutchinson, a company spokesperson said that these negotiations will take place over a few weeks: “Hutchison Whampoa, parent company of UK telecom operator Three UK, announced that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with Telefónica over a period of several weeks for the potential acquisition of Telefónica's UK subsidiary, O2 UK.”

o2_logo_600x400

The deal would involve £9.25 billion in cash along with deferred interest payments of up to £1 billion. Sky and TalkTalk were also previously reported to have been looking to acquire the O2 mobile network in an attempt to compete in the mobile market.

However, if Three were to purchase O2 it would suddenly become the largest network in the UK and as a result, this acquisition will likely be opposed by other networks as well as anti-trust watch dogs. O2 was previously due to be purchased by BT last year but the company opted to acquire EE instead.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: If O2 were to be acquired by Three then it would become the biggest network in the UK, overtaking EE. This will likely raise some anti-competitive concerns as the UK market would have a significantly reduced number of major mobile networks available.

Source: The Inquirer

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Number of UK homes with a TV falls for the first time https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/number-of-uk-homes-with-a-tv-falls-for-the-first-time/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/number-of-uk-homes-with-a-tv-falls-for-the-first-time/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2014 18:02:28 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=225342 The number of UK homes with a TV has fallen for the first time ever due to the rise in alternatives like tablets, which offer apps like 4OD, BBC Iplayer and Netflix to watch shows online. Ofcom has confirmed that after years of consistent growth, the number of houses with a TV fell from 26.33 …

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The number of UK homes with a TV has fallen for the first time ever due to the rise in alternatives like tablets, which offer apps like 4OD, BBC Iplayer and Netflix to watch shows online. Ofcom has confirmed that after years of consistent growth, the number of houses with a TV fell from 26.33 million at the end of 2012 to 26.02 million at the end of last year.

According to the media regulator, almost one million homes have a broadband connection but no TV, making it likely that other online services are in use. Catch-up TV content is growing, becoming popular on tablets, smartphones, PCs and games consoles.

Netflix-TV-Shows-Dramas3

In the Ofcom report, the regulator cites BBC figures which show that in July, 47 per cent of BBC iPlayer requests for content came from tablets or mobiles, which is almost twice what if was in October 2012. “The way consumers interact with their TV, phone and broadband is changing as fast as technology is evolving”, said Ed Richards, the chief executive of Ofcom.

Additionally, the average UK household is using 77 per cent more data this year than they were in 2012, using up the equivalent of 35 movies per month.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Live TV services are becoming less relevant these days, particularly now that most content is readily available online shortly after it airs. How many of you guys still watch live TV? How long do you guys think it will take for media companies to shift content purely to internet based platforms? 

Source: The Guardian

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Youtubers warned by Ad Standards to flag promo videos https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/youtubers-warned-by-ad-standards-to-flag-promo-videos/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/youtubers-warned-by-ad-standards-to-flag-promo-videos/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2014 10:00:44 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=223594 Along with all of the GamerGate furore that has engulfed the world of games journalism in the past few months, Youtube Let's Players have been catching flak too, for not making promotional videos obvious enough. Sure they might have put a disclaimer in the description, but when the content in the videos isn't immediately dissimilar …

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Along with all of the GamerGate furore that has engulfed the world of games journalism in the past few months, Youtube Let's Players have been catching flak too, for not making promotional videos obvious enough. Sure they might have put a disclaimer in the description, but when the content in the videos isn't immediately dissimilar to the usual non-promotional ones, it's morally a bit of a grey area. Well no longer, as the Advertising Standards Agency has now weighed in and said that there is nothing grey about it, Youtubers must make adverts and promotional videos clear to the viewing audience, or it would have to get involved.

While a number of Youtubers have been accused by their fans of pandering to advertisers, often with regards to game promotion, the ones that earned the ASA's attention were to do with Oreo biscuits, which several channels were paid to advertise in June. Most of them however only placed a small disclaimer at the base of the videos' (hidden) description. This isn't good enough it said.

lick
Apparently these guys are part of the problem

The ASA's Lynsay Taffe, told the BBC: “Brands and vloggers now have to make it very clear, before you click on a video, that it's a promotional video.”

Moving forward the ASA will be taking a much keener interest in Youtube videos, product placement and promotional videos. If any popular channels are found not to be complying by making it obvious that that's what's going on, it could very well initiate some of its sanctions against the Youtubers.

Some of those involve having search engines de-index search listings, as well as naming and shaming them in public and if that doesn't get the message across, the ASA can even call in its big brother, OfCom, to weigh in on things.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you guys think about Youtubers being paid to advertise content or products? 

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OfCom to expand wireless broadband spectrum https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/ofcom-to-expand-wireless-broadband-spectrum/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/ofcom-to-expand-wireless-broadband-spectrum/#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2014 12:41:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=222377 Despite BT's continued roll out of fibre broadband and pledges from many of the country's ISPs to deliver high-speed internet to more rural locations, there are some parts of the UK which are still woefully behind the technological trend. Often the reason is a small local population or the area being difficult to develop in, …

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Despite BT's continued roll out of fibre broadband and pledges from many of the country's ISPs to deliver high-speed internet to more rural locations, there are some parts of the UK which are still woefully behind the technological trend. Often the reason is a small local population or the area being difficult to develop in, but wireless internet easily hurdles both of those. This is why by 2020, OfCom is hoping to open up a different frequency band to expand the UK's mobile broadband offerings.

The spectrum in question is the 700MHz one used currently for digital TV, though the watchdog has said that the transition will not affect current terrestrial TV users. The only downside to it is that the earliest it will become available to consumers and businesses is 2018, but potentially as late as 2020.

thevillage
Some communities may still be too remote however

As the Telegraph points out, one of the best aspects of the 700MHz band and the reason why it will be a boon to those in rural areas perhaps more so than previous frequency expansions, is that it's far better at passing through walls and travelling over long distances.

“This decision ensures that we are making the raw materials available with which investors and companies can build the services which will support the digital economy of the future,” said Ed Richard, OfCom's chief executive. “More spectrum will be available for mobile broadband where demand is especially high, but the UK will retain a competitive terrestrial television platform as well.”

Of course even if this spectrum opens up 4G speeds for those in remote areas, it will still be a long shot from the bandwidth of those equipped with fibre. However 4G bandwidth is at least enough for high-speed basic web function and even more advanced tasks like HD video streaming.

KitGuru Says: I live in a reasonably remote area, but even I'm getting fibre by the end of the year. Using wireless internet for some of the most remote area seems likely to make the most sense, as no one wants to lay cable for a financial loss.

Image source : Buena Vista

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Watch London Zoo’s animals live on Youtube https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/watch-london-zoos-animals-live-on-youtube/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/watch-london-zoos-animals-live-on-youtube/#respond Fri, 10 Oct 2014 08:17:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=216014 Considering how much of the internet is consumed by animal pictures, videos and GIFs (the unholy marriage of the former two) it seems ridiculous that someone didn't think of this already. Now though, thanks to a partnership between London Zoo and Google, you can view live video streams of some of its animals, including the …

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Considering how much of the internet is consumed by animal pictures, videos and GIFs (the unholy marriage of the former two) it seems ridiculous that someone didn't think of this already. Now though, thanks to a partnership between London Zoo and Google, you can view live video streams of some of its animals, including the meerkats, otters and Galapagos tortoises.

What's doubly interesting about this news though, is that the streams for these enclosures are being broadcasted using “white space,” unused gaps in the broadcast signals of TV and radio. This is of course gives the streams quite a lot of bandwidth to work with and some serious strength, allowing it to cover huge distances without difficulty.

meerkat
Admittedly not every second is action packed

However this might not be a permanent technological solution/phenomenon, as OfCom is currently figuring out what it wants to see done with the extra bandwidth and is conducting trials throughout the country; this is one of them. As The Telegraph explains, other potential uses include giving remote locations fast wireless internet, or new networks for machine to machine communication.

A decision on what to do with the white space going forward will be made over the next year, with plans to roll out a more permanent use in 2015.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWD8dTxxEAg#'] [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG0nFMgXaio'] [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzhEirbGnFE']

KitGuru Says: This seems like a pretty cool use of the space spectrum, but even if this isn't a permanent solution, live feeds on zoos and wildlife parks seems like a good idea, especially with some adverts thrown in. It could be a nice extra earner for these places and seems unlikely to cut into real visitor numbers. 

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Is your mobile provider the worst for calls? https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/is-your-mobile-provider-the-worst-for-calls/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/jon-martindale/is-your-mobile-provider-the-worst-for-calls/#respond Wed, 13 Aug 2014 08:37:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=207116 Mobile phone coverage in the UK might be a lot better now than it was ten years ago, but if you don't live in one of the major cities, making sure your home have enough bars to receive and make calls is an important consideration. That's why OfCom has recently completed a large study to …

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Mobile phone coverage in the UK might be a lot better now than it was ten years ago, but if you don't live in one of the major cities, making sure your home have enough bars to receive and make calls is an important consideration. That's why OfCom has recently completed a large study to find out which are the best and worst mobile providers in the country in terms of call quality and reception. Which do you guys think came out on top?

ofcomchart

The network with the greatest coverage and the highest success rate overall, in rural and in urban areas, was Everything Everywhere (EE). Considering it is technically made up of two giant networks, Orange and T-Mobile, it's perhaps expected that it would come out on top. However it's interesting to note that Vodafone is by far and away the least effective mobile network, especially when it comes to rural areas, where it's success rate with calls dropped to under 80 per cent.

All networks managed to get over a 95 per cent success rate in urban areas, but everyone bar EE failed to break through the 90 per cent barrier in more remote regions.

It's impressive to note also, that Three performed very well, considering it's the smallest of the networks by some margin.

Ofcom's reason for the research was said to be in an attempt to highlight where improvements can be made: “Improving mobile quality of service for consumers is a priority area for Ofcom. Today’s research is part of a plan to help support initiatives to improve mobile coverage in the UK, and provide consumers with quality information on mobile reception.”

Ofcom previously released a list of plans it had to upgrade Britain's mobile infrastructure, including for near universal 4g coverage, improving existing 3g networks and making sure quality of service was bettered through more informed consumers, which is where research like this comes in.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: How does your mobile provider rank on the cart?

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