Tiscali complaints upheld

2008-12-03 | Category: Broadband
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld three complaints about the internet service provider (ISP) Tiscali.In the first upheld complaint, rival ISP TalkTalk complained to the ASA that an advert in the press which claimed that a Tiscali deal offered "up to 8Mb broadband" was misleading.It argued that most customers would not see speeds of 8Mb and the qualifying text "Top speeds vary significantly..." was not prominent enough.In its adjudication, the ASA said the advert would have been acceptable "if the qualification 'Top speeds vary significantly'... had appeared in the body copy instead of the small print"."However, because the qualification had not appeared in the body copy... we considered it was insufficiently prominent and the claim 'up to 8 Mb Broadband'... was therefore misleading."Tiscali is now displaying the qualification in the body of the advert.In addition to the three complaints that were upheld, two were not.Apple has also just fallen foul of the ASA because of advertised internet speeds.An advert for its iPhone 3G showed web pages downloading in about a second, which the ASA felt did not mirror its actual speeds.

VoIP solutions' advantages

2008-12-03 | Category: General VoIP
The advantages to businesses of deploying VoIP solutions have been listed by a technology website.An article on TMCnet.com describes how VoIP solutions began in the 1990s and entered the mainstream - in homes and businesses - at the start of the 2000s.It was when people began to realise how much money they could save with VoIP that they began deploying it on en masse, according to the website. "[The] low cost of VoIP international calling plans is always and undeniably the most prominent reason why people are looking towards installing or switching over to these services," it said.Additionally, VoIP providers generally do not charge for installing the service or for setting up extra features, such as three-way conference calling, caller ID, call waiting and call history."Because VoIP international calling plans are extremely customers oriented and keep on inducing various advantageous plans, this technology has taken the whole world for a storm," the article concluded.

Mobile broadband user allowance 'doubles'

2008-12-03 | Category: Broadband
The average user allowance given by European mobilebroadband providers has more than doubled in the last year, new research has indicated.According to a study by Tariff Consultancy, the average allowance is at 3.9GB, up from 1.8GB 12 months ago.Additionally, the cost of mobilebroadband is also dropping, by four per cent over the same period - although in the UK it fell by 35 per cent.Margrit Sessions, Tariff Consultancy managing director, said: "Although mobilebroadband pricing has continued to decline overall, the most striking feature has been the continued increase in monthly user allowances which have more than doubled in the course of a year."The report also claimed that there are 20 providers across Europe which give their customers 'unlimited' allowances.However, a study in October by YouGov found that almost nine out of ten (86 per cent) broadband customers do not understand the limits on their service.The head of communications at uSwitch.com, Tim Wolfenden, blamed providers who advertise their products as 'unlimited' when they actually do have limits.

Telecoms 'to gain from downturn'

2008-12-02 | Category: Telephony technology
The telecoms industry is not only in a good position to survive the global economic downturn but may actually gain from it, according to an analyst.Sharifah Amirah, from Frost & Sullivan, explained that businesses will want to "minimise risk and improve operational efficiency" as pessimism over the economy continues.She said that telecoms businesses' mid-term focus should be on value-added services and new distribution strategies, which "will be key to growth"."While focus will be very much on surviving the next couple of years, sights on further horizons should still be retained," she added.However, Ms Amirah said that for telecoms firms to succeed in the long run, three "key themes" should be looked at - "mobility, content and bandwidth".She concluded by pointing out that the government has announced it will invest in digital infrastructure to help the economy - which should provide an excellent opportunity for the telecoms industry.