Who is Ewan? | About | Advertise | Contact | Services | Newsletter | Feeds | Shop | All Categories

Posts Tagged ‘broadband’

« Older Entries

Broadband ‘Connected Britain’ Is Rubbish

Monday, January 19th, 2009

I am currently uploading a 120mb MIR Show video at the whopping WHOPPING average speed of 18.5k per second. Fluck all use that ‘cloud’ is when I’m whizzing away at 18.5k/sec.

In fact thinking back about 15 years ago, if I was lucky, I got similar speeds on my 56k modem.

I’m using an 8mb ‘high speed’ British Telecom broadband connection.

If you get a brochure from BT any time soon talking about their 21CN network — the fabled brilliance that will connect us all with gigabyte speeds — please do send it to BT Centre, Newgate Street, with a note attached with words to the effect ’stick it up your arse jumper.’

Can we just do a test here? Across the comments today, there’s been a number of readers giving examples of their slow slow connections (that are meant to be super fast).

Could you please respond telling me what average upload /download speeds you’re getting and what connection you actually are meant to have?

Don’t do one of those broadband speed tests. I want to know real life, real examples. Take a 100mb file and upload it to Vimeo — during the upload it gives you a throughput stat. I’d like to see just how bad (or good) it is.

I know that Ben Smith has a lightning fast Be Unlimited connection in West London.

But in Billericay, Essex, we’ve got shit.

Witness, for example, this comment from Dominic Travers:

I Currently live in Bristol and can get O2/Be ADSL2+, which is exactly what BT aim to have rolled out nation wide by 2011 as the culmination of their 21CN project to make Britain world leaders in IP based communication technology. 15 months ago when I first signed up to the service it was pretty good, 16Mbps down and 1.3Mbps up. For at least the last 6 months the O2 box in my local exchange has been full to bursting and the thoughput can only be described as dismal. I can still get the maximum speeds once a connection is established, but the latency in ordinary browsing the internet is abysmal now I am on the max contention ratio.

If this is as good as UK domestic broadband is going to get we’re doomed.

Rubbish.

Absolute unmitigated rubbish.

We can’t do better than this?

And if we can’t get the sodding FIXED connections working, what hope have we got of making it work whilst mobile?

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Rant | Comments

Vodafone trials 16mbps HSPA+ mobile broadband

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Pretty soon you could be surfing the urban jungle via a 16mbps data connection according to the chaps at Vodafone.

During some HSPA+ 64QAM technology trials, the Vodafone chaps in Spain managed to achieve 16mbps. But it gets better. They’re planning to trial 21mbsp this quarter using HSPA+ MIMO.

Vodafone experts estimate that the technology would be capable of delivering a typical video download experience of more than 13Mbps in good conditions and an average of more than 4 Mbps across a full range of typical cell locations including urban environments. If the trials prove a success, Vodafone plans to make this technology available in selected commercial networks.

Just in case you’re wondering about HSPA+ — it’s the next evolutionary step in the 3G HSPA roadmap. As indicated by the plus sign.

Of course, the new technology — particularly this 64QAM and MIMO gubbins will need a whole new set of broadband dongles and devices. Woo huu. Hopefully this should arrive by the time my 24 month data dongle contract has expired.

Bring it on.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Mobile Data, Vodafone | Comments

** UPDATED ** NokiaWorldWatch: Nokia’s first mobile broadband USB stick – 40 euros ** UPDATED **

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

Announced this week is Nokia’s first ever mobile broadband USB dongle

Crossing both 2.5 and 3G networks its due out soon, with carries to be mentioned in due course.

Specifications/Compatible computer operating systems: -

  • 3G: 850/2100MHz
  • GSM:850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • Microsoft Windows XP
  • Microsoft Windows Vista
  • Mac OS 10.4
  • Mac OS 10.5

Posted by email from MIR Live (posterous)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Mobile | Comments

Mobile broadband wireless routers come to T-Mobile

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Hitting the stores this week is T-Mobile’s answer to 3’s wireless broadband mobile router, the mouth full that is the Mobile Broadband Share Dock

It works the same way as 3’s Huawei D100 Router, only with a less catchy name. The Share Dock plugs into their mobile broadband dongle, then enables surrounding devices to have ‘net access over its WIFI signal.

Seeing as the T-mobile HSDPA network is shared by 3, you’d have thought this product would have been out there first. The D100 has now had over a month or so advantage to gain its foothold in the marketplace.

How they both balance against each other in costs is of an interest. The T-Mobile offering arrives free on an 18 month contract, at £20 per month for connectivity.

On the 3 offering you have to buy the router at £69.99. On top of that still having to get the mobile broadband dongle plus whatever contract suits your needs. T-mobile bundles in with the Mobile Broadband Share Dock their dongle, creating a more rounded package.

The other consideration to take into mind is their fair usage policy. T-mobile has stipulated it will only be a 3GB data allowance, where 3 have a 5GB on a £15 18 month contract to match their D100.

All told over that 18 month period 3’s deal would come to £340, whereas T-mobiles package would be £360. With 3 of course there would have been an extra 36GB possible data allowance all totalled up.

Seeing as they are both using the same network, the clear winner has to come down to the numbers at the end of the day.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Mobile | Comments

O2 to offer 50 day money back guarantee on its mobile broadband

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

So o2 has currently been behind all the other networks when it came to mobile broadband, however it seems they may have pulled the cat out of the bag.

From Mobile Today;

O2 is looking to accelerate sales of its mobile broadband by offering a money-back guarantee amid growing consumer uncertainty regarding speeds and coverage for dongles.The operator, which had been the last of the major networks to unveil a mobile broadband proposition, has been promoting a 50-day service promise.

O2 is offering to cancel the contract within the first 50 days and have the cost of the USB fully refunded if the customer paid for it.

The service has been featured in both its own stores as well as at Carphone Warehouse.

OK we know O2’s 3G coverage is not the best in the UK, however surely that with the 50 day guarantee it does make the proposition of mobile broadband a lot more appealing!?

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Mobile, Operators, o2 | Comments

Cheapest mobile broadband package arrives

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Remembered the heady days of October the first when Virgin entered the mobile broadband market? Now they’ve only gone and launched the cheapest deal in UK at just a fiver a month.

There’s catch, as expected and there always is of course – you need to be on Virgin.

New and existing customers on their service, such as with the L or XL packages are only entitled to this deal.

Their 3G mobile connectivity rocks up in the form of a 1GB data allowance per month over a supplied USB modem, which can be plugged into a laptop, netbook or even a PC.

For £10 a month, users on the ‘M’ Virgin Media cable package can also have broadband internet on the move.

This all runs from the T-Mobile network, with a one off £25 fee offering up to 3.6Mbps speeds on a 12month contract. Going over the allotted gigabyte limit though will set you back a lofty 1.46p per megabyte, just for your info.
A good deal we believe for those already with the company and also great for enticing new customers along.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Mobile | Comments

Vodafone’s ‘lightyears ahead’ broadband claim found misleading

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (“ASA”) has taken the hatchet to Vodafone UK’s mobile broadband advertising.

The ads typically showed a USB broadband stick looking like a rocket jetting into outerspace, with a strapline explaining that Vodafone’s mobile broadband service is ‘light years ahead’ of the competition. The ad also aimed to point out that Vodafone’s service was superior to the competition.

3 and T-Mobile, together with a member of the public, took issue with the ads. The ASA investigated and upheld the complaints.

Naughty Vodafone!

In fairness I tend to find their entire service the most reliable — still — but I note that in the ASA findings, the pointed out that the LCC test (that Voda used to support their claims) found that:

In six out of the 10 regions of the UK tested, one of the other networks had a faster average time to download a web page than Vodafone.

I’m willing to bet that was 3 who was faster…

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Operators | Comments

Virgin Mobile has NO business arsing about with Mobile Broadband

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

I see that Virgin Media/Mobile has launched a Mobile Broadband dongle.

They have NO business doing this.

No business at all.

THIS from a company that charges 0.5 pence per Kb for mobile data to handsets.

THIS from a company that still has ‘SEE ABOVE FOR WAP CHARGES‘ on it’s tariff page.

WAP charges?

Virgin Mobile is stuck in the dark ages. Clearly if you’re using Virgin Mobile, you don’t use the internet on-the-go. Or if you do, you’re a total numbskull.

You can get 3GB on a mobile dongle from Virgin for £15/month.

Pay As You Go will set you back FIVE FLOCKING POUNDS per megabyte. PER MEGABYTE!

Pay Monthly (or all the other bollocks price plans that they offer — Daily Bonus, Pay By Direct Debit, Liberty SIM) is TWO FLOCKING POUNDS per megabyte.

No business. NO BUSINESS whatsoever coming to market with a mobile broadband dongle.

Get your mobile data tariffs sorted first.

THEN come back and we’ll have a chat. Right?

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Operators | Comments

« Older Entries
Powered by Interactive Energy | Sign up to The Application Review newsletter