Tuesday, June 10th 2008
Apple To Launch New iPhone In UK On July 11

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. computer company Apple Inc. (AAPL) said late Monday that it will launch its new iPhone handset, which surfs the internet at higher speeds, in the U.K. on July 11.

"iPhone 3G will be available in the UK through O2 and Carphone Warehouse ( CPW.LN). iPhone 3G will also be sold online through O2 and Carphone Warehouse," Apple said in a statement.

O2 is the U.K. arm of Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica SA (TEF).

Carphone Warehouse said that the iPhone would be stocked in all of its stores - which number over 800.

There will be two versions of the phone available: one with 8 gigabyte memory and one with 16 gigabyte memory, a Carphone Warehouse spokesman said.

On a monthly GBP30-GBP35 mobile phone tariff, the 8 gigabyte iPhone will cost GBP99 while the 16 gigabyte iPhone will cost GBP159. With a monthly phone tariff of over GBP45 the 8 gigabyte iPhone will be free, and the 16 gigabyte version GBP59, and with a monthly tariff of over GBP75 the 16 gigabyte version will be free, spokesmen at the Carphone Warehouse and O2 said.

These are all based on mobile phone tariffs of at least 18 months.

The iPhone will only be available on the O2 network.

Carphone Warehouse and O2 said they couldn't give any indication of sales targets or shipments. Apple wasn't immediately available for comment.

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Thursday, June 5th 2008
Broadband speed: Ofcom introduces code for providers

UK internet service providers will need to give more accurate information about the speed of their broadband services under a new voluntary code published by communications watchdog Ofcom.

Thirty-two internet providers have signed up to the code of practice, which is designed to address consumer concerns about the quality of their broadband connections.

Commenting on the code today, the chair of Ofcom's consumer panel, Anna Bradley, said Ofcom would monitor it and, if providers are not found to be improving the information they give about services, it could become mandatory.

"[The code] addresses the concerns that we raised with Ofcom last year about the mismatch between the speeds that people think they are buying and what they actually get," Bradley added.

"We are delighted to see that Ofcom will be carrying out mystery shopping exercises and we will be looking carefully at the results. If they show that ISPs are not in compliance, it will clearly be time to call for a mandatory code of practice."

ISPs will need to give customers an accurate description of the speed of the broadband service, offer a lower-speed package if speed estimates are inaccurate and must help resolve any technical issues that are slowing up connections.

They will also need to give clear information about the limits of services and tell customers if they breach those limits.

The Internet Service Providers Association welcomed the Ofcom scheme and said it encourages its members to be open and transparent in their communication with customers.

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Monday,15th January 2007
Nortel wins role in BT's 21CN

JANUARY 15, 2007 -- BT (search for BT) has selected Nortel (search for Nortel) as one of two suppliers of carrier Ethernet equipment for its 21st Century Network (search for 21CN). Siemens was the other vendor selected (see "BT selects Siemens SURPASS Carrier Ethernet equipment for 21CN.") BT aims to use the new Ethernet equipment to transport high-bandwidth services--from mission critical business applications to full-streaming video--with new levels of simplicity, quality, and cost-savings. "Today's announcement marks a significant industry turning point," contends Mike Zafirovski, president and chief executive officer of Nortel. "BT is using Ethernet technology in a completely new way to provide an answer to the challenge of simplifying network management, redefining service quality, and reducing costs."

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Monday,15th January 2007
Ovum and BT in war of words

BT has hit back at cricticism of how it adds up the numbers using, or registering, for its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service. Last week BT made much of having a million customers signed up to its VoIP service, claiming it had hit its target six months early. But Ovum analyst Mark Main described the release as "loosely worded". "Yesterday's announcement needs a little dissecting. In the VoIP market the devil is very much in the detail. VoIP is now increasingly bundled by operators and it is hard to analyse precisely how many customers are really using the service in earnest and how many have merely used it a few times - or possibly even never.

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