Welcome:   Orange/T-Mobile Merger on Hold

As the Orange and T-Mobile merger gets torn through by lawyers, businesses say that they would move to get better broadband:

Virgin media has announced their introduction of a new set top box for those wanting HD. The V HD Box will be available to new or current customers for a one off payment of £49 plus an installation charge. The box is claimed to be more energy efficient than previous models and repairs will be undertaken by Virgin, as they retain ownership of the box. Cindy Rose form Virgin has said that the box will be perfect for those who want to enjoy HD without having to pay an extra monthly charge.


The Federation of Small Businesses has found that business owners would be willing to relocate if they could get better internet access. Of the 1300 small businesses questioned 24% were dissatisfied with their broadband and 63% of these said it was due to the speed. 17% said they didn't like the provider's price structure and 13% complained about the service given to them from the provider. 13% of those who were unhappy would consider moving to get better speeds. Just 14% of businesses could say they were very satisfied with their broadband.


Ofcom have announced that new protection will be available to broadband customers from March 18. New rules will mean that subscribers cannot be sold bundle products which are later moved to another provider without their consent. This practise is known as "slamming". Any providers found guilty of doing this will be fined. Ed Richards from Ofcom commented that consumers should not be subjected to this type of mis-selling and they will not hesitate in taking action against any company found guilty of not following the new rules.


Broadband users in Wales can now look forward to an improved service following the news that BT plans to upgrade broadband speeds for those who use exchanges at Cardiff and Taff Wells. BT have said they will provide speeds of up to 40Mbps and will allow residents to pick from the best providers. Ann Benyon from BT has said that the new upgrade was essential for ensuring that Wales benefited from the introduction of super-fast broadband.


Following a consultation period with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the government have said they will sell spectrum in order to improve mobile broadband services. They have directed Ofcom to release more spectrum to be put up for auction. Any company which wants to bid for the spectrum must ensure that they are able to cover 99% of the country. The government have said that the release will speed up the use of next generation mobile broadband and benefit more people across the country.


Competition concerns have caused a delay to the merger of Orange and T-Mobile. Both Vodafone and O2 may be taking action action against the merger and terms have been placed on the union, forcing them to sell parts of its spectrum. They have agreed to do so as long as the 15MHz of spectrum go to just one bidder. O2 and Vodafone have said that this condition of sale is unfair and the purchase of spectrum should be on flexible terms to encourage competition. Experts have suggested that this argument could delay the merger while regulatory bodies check to ensure no competition rules are broken.


It has emerged that an amendment to the Digital Bill related to complaints has been thrown out by the House of Lords. The amendment called for Ofcom to establish a scheme to handle complaints and disputes. According to reports, the amendment was not up for discussion once it was thrown out.


Research by Point Topic has shown that Conservative plans for broadband may adversely affect their main constituencies. They say that they will hold off on subsidising rural broadband plans and scrap the 50p tax which would have funded the move to high speed broadband. The conservatives are hoping that private business will pay for the expansion of the broadband network. Point Topic found that of the 253 seats which will require subsidies to get broadband, just 138 of them could be held by the Conservatives. This indicates that the issue of broadband could be a deal breaker. † [last update: 18.03.10]

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