VoIP News: December 2009

A new help service has been launched by Virgin, allowing customers to seek assistance with a range of technology, from broadband services through to gadgets and mobiles. Virgin Digital Help is available for everyone and 140 separate free guides, as well as online and home support, are on offer to help consumers solve an array of technical difficulties. People have the option of chatting to experts free of charge and one-off fixed-cost services will also be one of the available features, while web-enabled devices can even be taken control of by the service's experts and fixed remotely.

Yorkshire-based digital firm Pace is to provide the technology to link sheltered accommodation, apartment blocks and social housing to a new high-speed broadband network. Thales has established the network itself and the Shipley-based Advanced Digital Institute has secured funding for the Pace project, reports the Yorkshire Post. Pace will use its MultiDweller Kit, which is designed to enable more people to access pay television services, and residents in multi-occupancy accommodation across the region will be able to access high-speed broadband through communal television antennae.

Mobilebroadband technology has benefitted 44 per cent of UK businesses in recent months, according to new research from major internet service provider O2. According to the company, 65 per cent of small businesses also believe investment in technology has resulted in greater success, while 16 per cent of all businesses surveyed plan to increase their technology investment in 2010. The technology enables businesses to operate remote working practices, which can help introduce more flexible conditions for employees and can also mean firms can save money on office space.

New measures could be put into place to ensure web users know what level of service they are entitled to when they call help lines operated by internet service providers (ISPs), says Ofcom. The broadband industry regulator may introduce the measures in a bid to improve the experiences of customers calling their ISP for help. Companies could become more transparent in relation to how they are performing for their customers, while users may be provided with more information regarding how problems are resolved and their various rights.

Major internet service provider (ISP) BT has announced it is to speed up its roll-out of next-generation broadband services to ensure it is complete by the time the Olympic Games start in 2012. The ISP announced earlier this year it would be investing £1. 5 billion in fibre optic networks covering 40 per cent of the UK and delivering speeds as high as 100 megabits per second.