VoIP News: September 2009

Around 63 per cent of the UK population has access to the infrastructure necessary to use a broadband connection, a new study suggests. The Broadband Forum recently estimated there are currently nearly 18 million active broadband connections in the UK and research organisation Gartner forecasts penetration will increase to 71 per cent within five years. Around 20 per cent of homes around the world will have a broadband connection by the end of this year, the figures from Gartner suggest.

Web users struggling with slow broadband connections in Hereford could find their services improved with the installation of signal boosters on local church steeples. Local IT company Allpay is to set up the transmitters on churches in the region to create a new network that could help improve the use of VoIP hardware in the town that is recognised as having some of the UK's lowest connection speeds, reports the Hereford Times.

The majority of consumers value the reliability of their broadband connection ahead of getting the best financial deal, according to a new survey. Comparison website BroadbandChoices. co.

A new centre has been opened in Belfast to help tackle cyber crime throughout the UK and to ensure the security of data stored electronically by homes and businesses. The Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) cost £30 million to establish at Queen's University and is set to create 80 new jobs, while it is a response to the fact that the vast majority of businesses now use the internet to operate.

An internet service provider that specialises in providing broadband via a satellite link has announced it is lowering some of its costs, meaning more people could access its services. Tariam uses Eutelsat Tooway to operate satellite broadband services under the Homenet brand and customers will be able to access its 2. 4 gigabit (GB) data allowance for £35 a month, while higher allowances of 4GB, 6GB and 12GB are also available, with prices beginning at £45 a month, reports Top 10 Broadband.