 A new word for you - "quadplay". Technically it's only three services but triplay just doesn't sound right. Apparently it is what two thirds of us will be using by 2016:
Research by Strategy Analytics has found that two thirds of households in the UK will be signed up to bundle services for their broadband, phone and entertainment systems by 2016. Currently slightly less than half of all UK homes have two or more services from one supplier and of these most have a double play. This means that they have chosen just two services such as broadband and a landline. 613,000 UK subscribers are expected to have quad-play bundles by the end of this year. It is thought that the popularity of these services will increase over the next few years as more service providers realise that it reduces the numbers of people who swap providers. The research has shown that those who have four or more services are much less likely to change their provider than those who just have two or less.
The director of Product Management at Talk Talk has claimed that UK customers currently benefit from the amount of competition in the UK broadband market. Alex Hollingdale has said that the UK enjoys some of the lowest prices around the world for its services. He was also quick to point out that Talk Talk offers even more savings to householders who are willing to take out an 18 month contract. In fact they could save £230. However it has been pointed out that Ofcom recently announced changes which will prevent service providers from forcing people to stick to long term contracts as it prevent users from switching.
The recent riots in London have forced BT Openreach to issue a "Matters Beyond Our Reasonable Control" status report as they have been subject to disruptions to their services and damage to infrastructure. This has meant that some customers have been left without services such as broadband and home phone lines. In a statement released this week the company has said that they are trying to provide a normal service as far as possible, but they are not willing to take risks with their employees. Work in the evenings would be severely restricted across the country. This could mean that there are 500 to 1000 jobs outstanding each day.
Virgin Media has announced this week that due to infrastructure problems they can no longer offer services to Westminster in London. Customers who have already signed up have been notified that the service will be discontinued in 2012 and that they will need to look for an alternative provider. This will mean that 3,000 customers will be affected, however this is unlikely to significantly impact on the Virgin Media. However some customers have been left angered by the decision. Virgin have explained that Westminster is a conservation area and that building their own network there is very difficult due to planning restrictions. Virgin currently use the existing BT network, but they have plans to introduce next generation broadband and TV services, making the old fibre service obsolete.
After carrying out research among their customers, Zen Internet has found that they have a high level of satisfaction with their subscribers. In fact 94% of those who responded said they would recommend Zen to their friends and family. 85% agreed that the speeds they achieve were as they expected or better. Andrew Saunders from Zen has said that the company offers super fast broadband which is useful for the online business applications in use these days. He says this can lead to reduced costs and more productivity for businesses. He even claims that his own personal download performance improved tenfold when he switched to a fibre to the cabinet network.
† [last update: 11.08.11]
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