Broadband Bulletin Issue 16 - February/March
2007
Jump To:
This is the last edition of the Broadband Bulletin, as the
Broadband Wales Observatory (BBWO) has completed its project and
closed at the end of March 2007.
The Web site
www.bbwo.org.uk will
be archived, but remain accessible on-line, and ownership will pass
to the e-Wales team.
During the 3 year project the Observatory's successes
include:
- Regularly updating broadband stakeholders in Wales through the
newsletter and its Web site
- Producing regular high quality reports on the state of
broadband in Wales and the rest of the world
- Collecting details of stakeholders in Wales without broadband
to inform them of the RIBS programme
- The production and publication of 24 broadband Case Studies on
the Change, Impact and Benefits of broadband in Wales.
- A Blue Skies Delphi Study on the future broadband
infrastructure requirements for Wales.
The Observatory would like to thank e-Wales for their support
and cordial working relationship and everyone else who has
supported and contributed to the successful conclusion of this
project.
Broadband Wales Unit successfully concludes
five-year programme
The Welsh Assembly Government today celebrated the end of its
five-year Broadband Wales Programme, having achieved its targets of
increasing awareness and adoption of broadband across Wales.
The Programme set out an ambitious vision to create an
advanced and competitive broadband services infrastructure, which
would support and enable a Welsh economy based on knowledge to
thrive and prosper. The Programme has provided affordable access
and take-up of communications infrastructure for businesses, the
public sector, voluntary organisations, individuals and communities
across Wales.
Since the Programme's inception, broadband take-up levels
within Welsh homes and businesses have soared from 6% at the start
of the programme to 43 per cent in 2006, mirroring average UK
take-up levels. Awareness levels have also reached a staggering 96
per cent (2006).
A key milestone for the Programme was delivery of the Regional
Innovative Broadband Support Scheme (RIBS) which ensured that the
exchanges in Wales deemed economically unviable by the
telecommunications industry were enabled for broadband. This
initiative provided around 7,250 households and businesses with
high speed internet access for the first time. The RIBS scheme has
positioned Wales as one of the few countries in the world that can
compete effectively both on a national and international basis
through the existence of advanced infrastructure, essential for
encouraging greater investment in Wales and economic development.
This activity will continue beyond the Programme closure date and
will seek to address those areas of Wales still unable to get
broadband.
Integrated awareness raising campaigns were central to the
Programme's success, and were specifically tailored to reach a
variety of audiences from the over 50s with the Silver Surfer
leaflet and ambassador programme, to award-winning* videos,
bringing to life the benefits of broadband at work or home.
A key initiative, the 'Get Smart – Get Broadband' smart car
roadshow, allowed many regional and rural residents to get hands-on
with broadband for the first time. Other projects included the
Unit's ground-breaking 'phishing' campaign – endorsed by the Welsh
Consumer Council – to help recipients identify Internet fraud,
broadband school packs to encourage broadband in lessons and the
award winning online Journal, which charts the adventures of the
Jones family as they learn to make the most of broadband. For more
information visit www.broadbandforlife.com
Although the Programme closes today, two key activities will
continue which will provide an open access infrastructure for key
business parks in North Wales through the FibreSpeed project and
value for money aggregation of public sector broadband
infrastructure through the Public Sector Broadband Aggregation
project. Both projects are scheduled to award contracts to suitable
suppliers in the summer of 2007.
Andrew Davies, Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and
Networks says: "The Broadband Wales Programme has achieved a huge
amount in its five years and its positive influence will be felt
for a long time to come. The Broadband Wales Programme encouraged
initial interest in broadband and we now need to maintain this
momentum.
"Whilst we are pleased with the successes achieved to date, we
also know that we have to build on the success of the programme to
ensure take-up continues to improve across all parts of the
country. The Welsh Assembly Government will continue the good work
the Broadband Wales Programme has started, developing policies that
will allow the homes and businesses of Wales to harness the
benefits of developing technologies such as broadband to ensure
Wales has a telecommunications network fit for the 21st
Century."
For further information about broadband in Wales visit:
*Broadband consumer video was nominated for Macromedia Site of
the Day in 2004.
Note: – The above article was first released as a press notice
on 30 March 2007.
Guidance to Public
Bodies
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Ofcom have
published advice for public bodies who may be considering the use
of public funds to support the provision of higher speed broadband
networks in particular areas of the UK. This advice is published
at:
Where next for
broadband?
"As other global economies, such as Korea, deploy new fibre
services able to deliver speeds of up to 100 Mbps and as new
bandwidth-heavy services such as IPTV come to market, a new and
equally crucial dilemma is facing government and industry – is
copper nearing the end of its life? Do we need to invest in a next
generation of broadband networks in order to compete in the global
knowledge economy and deliver modern public services?"
Intellect's January Convergence Conversation brought together
key people from across the broadband industry, along with public
sector policy makers, to discuss this thorny and timely
issue.
Broadband to Half a Billion
ABI Research have released a prediction that broadband will
reach almost half a billion subscribers worldwide by 2012.
"The Asia-Pacific region offers a potentially huge market to
tap into," says broadband research analyst Serene Fong, of ABI
Research's Asia bureau. "In terms of statistical benchmarking, the
subscriber base in the Asia-Pacific region will grow substantially
over the next five years, and is expected to outperform other
areas. Much of the Asia-Pacific growth is expected to be fuelled by
the flourishing Chinese broadband market."
Feature: Case
Studies
During September and October 2006, 24 Case Studies were
undertaken across Wales to gain an understanding of the change,
impact and benefits of broadband amongst Business, Voluntary
Organisations and Consumers.
Where possible metrics have been included to show the impact
on profit that broadband has had for each primary unit of
analysis.
Five case studies were featured in the last bulletin.
This month we feature extracts from some of the rest. The
full version of the Case Study Reports are available online
at:
Joel Graphics
Joel Graphics is a small micro enterprise employing Jonathan
Hooper and his wife Helen Hooper. The company offers a complete
graphic design and signage installation service to local businesses
in mid-Wales. The company is based in a small rural village, four
miles outside the University Town of Aberystwyth. The village
doesn't have a shop, bus stop or public telephone.
Initially the business was using a dial-up connection which
was so slow it was hampering the business and affecting its
credibility with both its customers and some of its
suppliers.
"Without broadband my business looked
amateurish..."
The important benefit broadband has brought to the business is
that large image files of up to 3MB can now be transferred between
Joel Graphics and its customers and suppliers.
When the business plan was developed for Joel Graphics, Jon's
main aim was to sell bespoke decals (self adhesive plastic stickers
which stick to metal, glass and wood, etc) on-line. Broadband is
making it feasible to put this plan into action as Jon has been
able to research this business idea on-line and in the New Year
(2007) he plans to develop an eBay shop and his own Web site.
Broadband has also reduced the rural isolation experienced by
Jon and his family as it facilitates shopping on-line and allows
the business and the family to access information and services via
the Internet. Jon and Helen recently used the Internet to order
their passports and source a short break on-line. Helen did her
Christmas shopping via the Internet and their children are now able
to access educational resources on the Web to help with their
school work.
Helen is also planning to set up her own business after
researching her idea on the Internet. She wants to use eBay to sell
her handmade products. Dial-up would never have facilitated this
type of business model.
The two businesses both depend on broadband to provide a
stable infrastructure for business communications. Having
broadband is thus enabling this family to live in a very rural
community and still be economically active.
"The future for Joel Graphics and Helen's business
is selling on-line, which, quite simply, we couldn't do without
broadband."
Druid Enterprises
This Case Study reveals how Druid Enterprises, a learning
design producer based in Anglesey, has benefited from adopting
broadband to connect to the Internet. The business provides a
learning design service to clients who require on-line teaching
packages for their staff. Clients are usually large businesses
(blue chip companies like Unilever, Peugeot, Vodafone, etc) and
also public bodies such as the NHS and local authorities.
The business owner, Mark Williams, used to work for several
larger learning design businesses in Manchester. He decided to go
freelance in 2002 and base himself at his home in Anglesey in order
to spend more time with his family. Being an enthusiastic IT user
he could see the potential of the Internet for remote collaboration
with clients and colleagues.
However, prior to the introduction of broadband, the
technological infrastructure was 'just not good enough'. Connection
to the Internet was via a dial-up modem which gave a maximum
theoretical speed of 56Kbps but, in practice, the actual rate of
data transfer was more like 36Kbps. The work involved the exchange
of storyboards which are screenshot-by-screenshot graphical
representations of the learning packages. Because of the poor
connection speeds only the most rudimentary text-based storyboards
could be successfully sent to colleagues involved in developing the
package, and this proved inadequate. Sending files and the process
of collaboration via telephone and email was time consuming and
tedious. Once the packages were put together the process of bug
testing on-line was unbearably slow due to the connection speed.
The end result of all this was that Mark ended up working away from
home again for extended periods in order to access faster
connection speeds at the offices of companies he was working for as
a sub contractor. His intention of improving his work-life balance
was thwarted by the poor Internet connectivity in Anglesey.
The local telephone exchange was ADSL enabled in 2004 and
immediately the connection speed increased fifteen fold to 512Kbps.
The costs of connecting to the Internet shrunk dramatically, and
finally Mark's vision of being able to work from home became a
reality. Sending media-rich storyboards became possible, which
removed the difficulties that he had previously experienced in
conveying his intentions to the package developers. Collaboration
and feedback, which previously had consumed large amounts of time,
has now become virtually instant with the adoption of instant
messaging programmes and shared whiteboards. The difficulties
experienced previously with bug testing procedures are a thing of
the past as the software moves seamlessly from screen to screen
without endless waits in-between.
All of the above factors have had a beneficial effect on the
profitability of the business estimated at £1,089 per month, but
the impact of broadband goes beyond mere figures. It has
essentially allowed Mark to base his business at home, in a rural
location, far from the urban centres that used to be the obligatory
location for this type of service.
This Case Study therefore demonstrates the power of broadband
to remove trading and communication barriers of distance and time,
whether over a national or global area. It implies that its
adoption will strengthen the potential of the Welsh economy by
making it possible for skilled workers to provide professional
services to clients both within and without Wales.
JD Associates
This case study illustrates the impact of broadband upon a
micro-business in South East Wales. The business, JD Associates, is
owned and managed by sixty year old John Davidson. John may be
described as a recent convert to Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) usage. Undoubtedly, the introduction of broadband
into his business has transformed both his level of interest and
understanding of ICT.
JD Associates was formed in the early 1980s. The business was
started as a result of a perceived gap in the market for a provider
of bespoke training and development. The business initially
specialised in quality management programmes. Latterly, the
business has focused on the provision of Master's level management
education programmes. The market targeted by JD Associates was
manufacturing SMEs in South East Wales. The business survived and
grew gradually during its early years. However, the inauguration of
broadband to JD Associates has led to dramatic changes for the
business.
In 2005, JD Associates changed their dial-up Internet
connection to broadband. The consequences of broadband introduction
are many and varied. The business has not only enhanced its ability
to produce training and education materials, but also improved its
capability to deliver the materials to the market place.
Broadband has transformed the activities of JD Associates.
Internal mechanisms for managing its day-to-day operations have
undoubtedly become more efficient and effective. Both internal and
external communications have been enhanced. However, the greatest
benefit resulting from the introduction of broadband has been the
positive impact on the business' core activity – education and
training. JD Associates have changed from a local provider of
training to an international provider of education and
training.
Access to, and development of, materials for a global market
place, have been made possible solely through broadband
introduction at JD Associates. The business has now moved out of
its home market and has customers across North America, Europe,
Asia, and Africa, and will probably expand into Australia.
NFU Cymru
Welsh agriculture is going through a period of significant
change. The change of emphasis on EU farm support from food
production to environmental benefits, together with the anticipated
end of the current round of farm support in 2013, means that Welsh
farmers need to review their traditional business model.
NFU Cymru represents the interests of Welsh farmers to local,
national and European government. It is important that NFU
Cymru is seen to be operating in an environmentally responsible
manner. It is also important for NFU Cymru to take advantage
of every means of containing costs to keep the farmers' membership
subscription to a reasonable level.
NFU Cymru took the opportunity of introducing a pilot
home-working initiative as part of the initiative to restructure
from an office in South Wales and a second one in North Wales to
one central office at the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth
Wells.
The outcome of this initiative has been very positive, as
Elwyn Gwilym, NFU Cymru administrator commented: "With
the whole re-organisation exercise our main concern was to be able
to maintain the level of service to members but as it turned out
we've improved the level of service
considerably."
The impact of introducing broadband enabled home working has
been felt not only by NFU Cymru itself, but also by the staff and,
most importantly, the members.
For NFU Cymru staff the home working pilot has meant less
fatigue and less stress from commuting across rural mid
Wales.
In addition by eliminating commuting time, home based
employees are able to leave their home environment an hour later
than would previously have been the case, and still be at their
desks half an hour earlier than they would have been. In
effect this equates to NFU Cymru gaining an estimated additional
£8,800 worth of staff time for no extra salary costs while the
staff are getting a 20% reduction in their work directed time with
no effect on their salary. These savings have not been
recognised as benefits of broadband as the policy to introduce home
working was made independently. It is, however, very likely
that the success of the policy has a direct link to the
availability of broadband as without it many of the home workers
would not be able to work efficiently.
In addition, communication both within NFU Cymru and with
their customers (the farmer members) is improved, as it is easier
to contact and communicate with staff through a longer period of
time because there is less time lost to travelling.
Cantre Mobility
As one of the Thomas family businesses, Cantre Mobility
provides a wide range of disability equipment. It also
provides maintenance, repair and safety inspection services, both
to the end users themselves and to the organisation owning the
equipment.
Cantre mobility is run from two sites in Aberaeron and
Carmarthen and the introduction of broadband about 18 months ago
has been only one of a range of changes made to the business.
Prior to broadband becoming available the Aberaeron office was
using an ISDN connection. They had considered using Satellite
broadband but were put off by disappointing reports from people who
had tried this technology.
Broadband has been used to link both sites with a Virtual
Private network effectively to make a single network spread across
both sites. This has facilitated the sharing and
dissemination of information across both sites.
The ability to share information in this way has had a
significant impact on the business, both in terms of direct cost
savings in information retrieval as well as in increased
efficiency.
"Telephone calls between the sites were costing us
enormous amounts of time and money, now we just log in and check
inventory."
Through reductions in time and elimination of rework, one
person can now carry out a task and share the results between
sites. Previously, one person would have to carry out the
same task at each site.
In addition it has also resulted in a marked decrease in the
amount of travelling between sites as administrative tasks can be
carried out equally easily from either one. This has not only
allowed significant time savings but has also eliminated the stress
and fatigue associated with the journey commuting between the two
sites.
High speed 'always on' connections at both sites have also
made it possible to upload Cantre's bespoke Equipment Maintenance
database to an on-line server. This provided simultaneous
live access to both sites. In addition it also strengthened
disaster recovery as in the event of a power cut at one site the
business could continue from the other site rather than stop
completely, as was the case previously.
There are a number of significant benefits to be gained in the
future by all stakeholders of the business from continuing to
develop the use of broadband. These include:
- Providing owner organisations access to equipment maintenance
records to allow them to monitor work done on their equipment -
this would also foster a closer working relationship with
customers.
- Providing engineers with mobile access to the equipment
maintenance records while on site with the equipment would not only
reduce paperwork, but also allow parts to be ordered before the
engineer returned to the office.
- The introduction of a Voice over IP (VoIP) telephony system to
replace the existing PBX system would significantly reduce the cost
of calls between sites and potentially would allow the caller to
use the VoIP system to locate the other person through tracking
their roaming profile on the network.
Overall broadband has had a significantly positive impact both
on the Cantre Mobility business and to the staff that work
there:]
"Broadband has made an absolutely tremendous
difference to our business......phenomenal,
really."
The Church in Wales
Culture, religion and the Welsh language are all important
aspects of everyday life in Wales, with the Church in Wales being a
good example of how all three of these come together. The Church in
Wales was separated from the Church of England in 1920, and
established as an Independent province of the Anglican communion,
defending the use of the Welsh language. The Church consists of 6
dioceses that together cover the whole of Wales, and are made up of
varying numbers of parishes.
The Representative Body (RB) is the legal entity for the
Church in Wales, and is based in Cathedral Road in Cardiff. It is
responsible for the care of the Church's property and the funding
of many of its activities including IT support. The RB had its
first dial-up Internet connection installed in 1998, which
consisted of a number of dial-up accounts and three Integrated
Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines. In 2002 they switched to
broadband, and at present the administrative centre in Cardiff has
4 broadband lines, a Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL)
line and still holds a number of dial-up accounts.
Broadband has enabled significant change in the processes
within the organisation. All staff have access to email and the
Internet, whereas before broadband the number of staff with this
facility was limited. Software downloads and updates are carried
out far more quickly and efficiently, and the sending of emails
with large attachments is no longer an issue.
The creation of a Virtual Private Network has enabled more
effective communication and sharing of information, and access to
the Intranet is a reality for all staff at the RB and in the
diocesan and bishop's offices. Remote diagnostics and problem
solving have also been facilitated by the move to broadband,
significantly reducing travel time and other costs associated with
travelling around Wales to repair problems, as was the case
pre-broadband.
"As an IT department, we couldn't have adopted the
strategy we have without broadband."
SDSL technology is also being utilised in order to improve
access to information for Archdeacons around Wales, again
strengthening relationships within the organisation. A number
of concerns were expressed about broadband, but on the whole the
consensus from the RB and from the diocese is that broadband has
significantly improved the way that they operate as an
organisation.
Broadband has led to many changes in the way that the
Representative Body communicates with dioceses around Wales.
Relationships within the organisation have become stronger and more
effective since the adoption of new technologies. In the future it
is hoped that broadband will continue to improve relationships,
communications and processes throughout the Church in Wales.
TRAC
TRAC, 'Torfaen
Resource and Activity Centre', is a network of 'social action
centres' working in partnership with other public organisations to
serve the South East Valleys area of Torfaen. The overall
responsibility and running of the various TRAC units is the work of
Stuart Ashley, TRAC Coordinator.
In the following case study TRAC demonstrates the advantages
of broadband to organisations falling within the voluntary sector
in Wales. Although not as financially focussed as traditional
businesses, voluntary organisations face severe problems struggling
to survive on what are often unrealistic budgets. Therefore,
time and cost savings resulting from broadband are as essential to
a voluntary organisation such as TRAC as they are to any standard
business.
Before broadband, using the Internet within TRAC was a burden
- an awful, unpredictable service that was so dire it resulted in
Stuart Ashley occasionally being forced to work from home because
he had a broadband connection that was far superior in terms of
both speed and reliability to TRAC's dial-up service.
With the introduction of broadband, communications within TRAC
(internally) and partner voluntary organisations (externally) have
been revolutionised; saving considerable amounts of time and
effort. These benefits can be converted into more efficient
usage of time and resources, resulting in overall cost savings to
the organisations.
In addition, the 'freeing-up' of time has given staff and
volunteers the ability to carry out more Web-based research, and to
improve their own Web skills and knowledge. Consequently, they can
deliver a more improved service overall.
TRAC's switch to broadband has had a much greater beneficial
impact than merely that felt by the organisation and its staff
alone. Because of broadband, networking across the Voluntary
and Local Government sector within Torfaen has greatly improved,
with partner organisations now communicating far more regularly and
with greater ease than before.
Perhaps it is the synergistic value of broadband that is best
illustrated in this Case Study - bringing together organisations
and people within a community - as a way of improving the local
services offered within Torfaen.
Clippers (HG) Ltd
Clippers (HG) Ltd. was offering only a repair and service
facility for animal clipping equipment, returning a modest growth
for a number of years. It had been an objective for some time to
diversify into retailing clipping equipment in addition to their
established revenue stream. The growth of retail had been very
modest until Clippers (HG) established a Web site with an on-line
catalogue about two years ago. The growth that followed coincided
with the adoption of Internet usage by their retail customer base
at a time when exchanges were rapidly being enabled for broadband.
The combination of these two factors has resulted in their trade
pattern changing to 80% retail and turnover increasing in the
region of 1,000% over several years. Different pockets of growth in
on-line sales appeared across the country as exchanges were
enabled, typifying how much easier sourcing goods on-line becomes
with a fast connection.
Ironically, Clippers (HG) have only been using broadband for a
little over two years as their exchange was enabled late. The
eCommerce applications were already in place before the
availability of broadband along with the integration of an on-line
catalogue and accounts system. Although this played an important
part in automating the ever increasing workload, Clippers (HG) knew
that broadband availability was imminent and that it would
significantly improve performances when it did arrive.
Since adoption, broadband has made the whole Internet
experience much more usable for the company. Processing orders,
customer service and on-line banking is far less clunky and prone
to errors than previously. Web site maintenance, a daily activity,
has seen a significant reduction in time and errors, and on-line
purchasing is a much quicker activity when required. It is now
possible for more than one member of staff to use the Internet at
the same time as well as a fax service that makes use of broadband,
adding to improved automation.
In summary, broadband has had its biggest impact in a way that
was perhaps unexpected, through the uptake by their customer base.
Clippers (HG) business strategy had a strong emphasis on automation
but the previous dial-up connectivity was too slow, so when
broadband became available it was a big relief. The importance of
broadband in facilitating growth and maintainability for a micro
business in this instance has been vital.
UK
Consultations
Review of the wholesale broadband access markets
2006/07
Significant developments have taken place in the wholesale
broadband access markets since Ofcom concluded its previous review
in May 2004. Between May 2004 and October 2006, the total number of
broadband subscribers has increased from c.4 million to c.12
million.
At the same time, LLU has developed from a low volume niche
product to one that allows Communications Providers to bypass the
incumbent's wholesale offerings and to instead provide their own.
Increased competitive pressure, particularly from LLU, has resulted
in BT geographically de-averaging its wholesale broadband prices
and in Providers offering retail prices and products that vary by
geography.
Ofcom has attempted to capture these developments in its
approach to reviewing the wholesale broadband access market and
proposing regulatory remedies that are appropriate to the
prevailing market conditions. This consultation document sets this
approach out in detail and Ofcom is keen to hear the views of all
interested parties.
Closes: 13 February 2007
Draft Annual Plan 2007/08
Closes: 20 February 2007
Award of available spectrum: 2500-2690 MHz, 2010-2025
MHz and 2290-2300 MHz
Closes: 9 March 2007
Digital Dividend Review - This document consults on
the proposed approach to the award of the digital dividend spectrum
(470-862MHz)
Closes: 20 March 2007
Regulatory financial reporting obligations on
BT
Ofcom has published proposals to simplify the regulatory
financial report that BT Group plc is required to publish every
year. Ofcom is proposing a shorter and more accessible format
for this report. These changes are designed to deliver a
report which focuses on the key information used by Ofcom and the
industry.
Ofcom expects to implement any changes to the report in time
for the regulated financial statements for 2006-07.
Closes: 23 March 2007
A new approach to public service content in the
digital media age
Closes: 23 March 2007
Self help TV relays and digital
switchover
Closes: 1 March 2007
Award of available spectrum: 10 GHz, 28 GHz, 32 GHz
and 40 GHz: Spectrum packaging and auction design
Closes: 8 February 2007
Protecting consumers from mis-selling of
telecommunications services
Closes: 14 April 2007
This document also considers whether the obligations should
apply only to fixed-line telecommunications services or whether
they should be extended to cover other services, such as broadband
services, cable services, services using Local Loop Unbundling
('LLU') and/or mobile services.
Broadband Demand Drives VoD
With the increased use of higher-bandwidth services offered by
ADSL Max and ADSL2+ within the UK, a number of bandwidth intensive
applications and services such as Video on Demand are being brought
to market, according to the Broadband Benchmark Quarterly Update
for July to September 2006.
During the quarter, Channel 4 launched an on-demand service,
named '4 on demand' or '4oD', that allows viewers to catch up with
their favourite programmes online using VoD. Viewers are able to
download most of the channel's current schedule, including all
home-grown shows commissioned since June 2006, for up to 30 days
after transmission, or choose programmes from its archives.
Each programme will automatically be deleted from users'
computers 48 hours after they first start to watch. Charges for the
service start at 99p per show, with monthly subscriptions planned
for the New Year. As such, Channel 4 has claimed that it is the
first major broadcaster in the world to offer all its home-grown
programming on demand. The 4oD service is available on cable TV and
computers, although only users of PCs running Windows XP and Media
Player 10 and above can use the service.
Furthermore, Channel 5 has also launched its own download
service, 'fivedownload', which allows users to download a limited
amount of the channel's programming for viewing. Viewers are able
to watch the downloaded programmes as many times as they wish for
up to 14 days after downloading it, with each episode available for
the cost of £1.49. The service is available to all broadband users
running Windows Media Player 9 and above.
The BBC Broadband website also has a range of online catch-up
content that allows viewers to catch up on programmes they have
missed.
Internet Connectivity –
Broadband Boom
Nearly eight out of ten connections to the Internet are now
via broadband. That is the headline of the National
Statistics Internet Connectivity report for December 2006. The
statistics are compiled by surveying Internet Service
Providers.
As there is less interest in measuring the dropping number of
dial-up users, now at 20.8 percent, the report is now covering
broadband speeds for the first time.
|
Broadband speed
|
Percentage of broadband connections
|
|
<=2Mbs
|
60.1
|
|
>2Mbs and
<=8Mbs
|
32.5
|
|
>8Mbs
|
2.0
|
|
speed
unknown
|
5.4
|
These statistics cover the UK as a whole; there is no
breakdown available for connections in Wales.
Regulatory Round-up
Ofcom examines the public service potential of
digital media
Ofcom is required under the Communications Act 2003 to secure
the availability throughout the United Kingdom of a wide range of
television and radio services which are both of high quality and
calculated to appeal to a variety of tastes and interests.
Ofcom is also required under the Act to report on the
effectiveness of the existing television public service
broadcasters - BBC, ITV, Channel 4, S4C, five and Teletext - in the
delivery of their Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) obligations;
and to make recommendations for maintaining and strengthening the
quality of PSB for the future.
Ofcom completed its first review of PSB in February 2005. It
showed that, despite continued public support for the current level
of PSB, the existing terrestrial analogue model of
commercially-funded PSB will not survive the transition to digital
and may erode rapidly prior to 2012.
As part of its response, Ofcom suggested there could be a new
Public Service Publisher (PSP), a commissioner of new media content
focussed on meeting public purposes. It would use new distribution
platforms such as broadband, mobile and digital broadcasting to
deliver distinctive, high quality, UK-originated public service
content. The PSP would be a networked, participative new media
organisation in contrast to the traditional broadcasting focus of
the existing PSB model.
Unbundling Update
OTA Update for January 2006
The Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator (OTA)
announced on 2 February 2007 that the number of unbundled lines in
the UK exceeded 1.5 million. This means that half a million
lines have been unbundled in the last three months.
The Telecommunications Adjudicator aims to facilitate swift
implementation of the processes necessary to enable competitors to
gain access to BT's local loop on an equivalent basis to that
enjoyed by BT's own businesses.
Wales Unbundling Data
|
Provider
|
Enabled
|
Pending
|
|
Sky (Easynet)
|
16
|
|
|
Orange (Wanadoo)
|
12
|
|
|
C&W (Bulldog)
|
9
|
|
|
Tiscali
|
4
|
|
|
Carphone Warehouse
|
0
|
63
|
|
O2 (Be Unlimited)
|
0
|
1
|
The Carphone Warehouse enablement dates currently not
known.
|
Chepstow
|
31/05/2007
|
Monmouthshire
|
Market Data Analysis
BT released figures showing they now have over 3.2million
broadband customers. This is the retail figure, not including
customers who purchase broadband through the BT network but sold by
another company.
This means that NTL maintain their position at the top of the
Broadband League having announced 3,223,200 broadband customers
(including Telewest and Virgin.net) in November 2006 compared to
BT's current 3,219,000 broadband customer base.
The Carphone Warehouse released a Third
Quarter trading update on 12/01/2007 stating that it has "2.2m
residential broadband customers with completion of AOL
acquisition."
|
Position
|
Name
|
Number of Connections
|
|
1
|
NTL
|
3,222,000
|
|
2
|
BT
|
3,219,000
|
|
3
|
Carphone Warehouse
|
2,200,000
|
|
4
|
Tiscali
|
1,340,000
|
|
5
|
Orange
|
1,029,000
|
|
6
|
Pipex
|
570,000
|
|
7
|
PlusNet
|
198,000
|
|
8
|
Kingston
|
140,000
|
|
9
|
Thus
|
126,000
|
|
10
|
Sky
|
109,000
|
Virgin Media launched its new websites on 8
February 2007, replacing the old NTL, Telewest, virgin.net and
Virgin Mobile websites with the new brand.
Steve Burch, president and chief executive officer, ntl said:
"Virgin Media will shake up the market by bringing the Virgin
traditions of value-for-money, brilliant customer service and
innovation to the world of entertainment and communications. While
work remains to be done between now and the re-brand, our decision
to announce its name and logo today is a reflection of my
confidence that we're well on the way to creating an organisation
that can live up to this vision by consistently putting the
consumer first."
Useful Links
Broadband Wales Programme
Visit the Broadband Wales Programme website for information on
the benefits that broadband can bring for you
www.wales.gov.uk/broadband
Broadband for Life
RIBS "Not-spots" Registration Scheme
If you still can't get broadband after you have been informed
that your telephone exchange has been enabled, please register your
details at
www.bnrw.org.uk or
www.cadbec.org.uk.
Details of when your exchange is due to be enabled can be
found at
With the closure of the BBWO the scheme will now be maintained
by e-Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Please note every attempt is made to ensure figures published
in this newsletter are the most up to date and accurate figures
publicly available at time of going to press, however, exact
figures may vary.
Thank you for reading the Broadband Bulletin from the
Broadband Wales Observatory (BBWO).
Researched by:
Edited by:
Rhys Gravell
Published by:
Broadband Wales
Observatory
eCommerce Innovation Centre
Cardiff University
Cardiff Business Technology Centre
Senghenydd Road
Cardiff CF24 4AY
Tel: 029 2064 7030
The Broadband Wales Observatory is managed by
the
eCommerce Innovation Centre
at Cardiff University on behalf of e-Wales at the Welsh
Assembly Government.