SamKnows

A new report is backing alternative models for putting fast broadband into rural areas, arguing the Digital Britain report’s proposed levy on phone lines may not be enough.

Lord Carter says around ninety per cent of the journalists writing about Digital Britain just aren’t on the same page as him - in fact, he thinks they haven’t read his report at all.

If you’ve not got time to read the full 245 pages of Digital Britain, Samknows.com is here to help you understand what it means for the country’s online future. Because it’s a special occasion we’ve got our first ever interview with Samknows co-founder Alex Salter.

Today’s the day (rumours abound that there may be a slight delay while a BBC Worldwide/Channel 4 Deal is finalised) that Lord Carter’s Digital Britain report comes out. Hurrah, about bloody time too, etc etc. We’ve been speculating about what’s going to be in there and, while not quite going so far as printing Digital

Zen Internet is to introduce a 20Mbps package for both new and existing users. Both business and residential customers will be moved over to the faster service as and when it is available, thought to be at the end of summer.
Using elements of BT’s 21st Century Network and ADSL2+ broadband technology, the 20Mbps package will

If you live in a notspot and were hoping that mobile broadband could be the answer to your prayers, then think again. According to an Epitiro study, the average download speed is closer to 1Mbits/sec, not the supersonic speeds advertised by some of the companies — 7.2 Mbits/sec, anyone?

BT Broadband has told Ministers it can put high-speed broadband within reach of ninety-three per cent of the UK population just by making inexpensive modifications to its current network. The firm’s currently in talks with Lord Carter ahead of the final Digital Britain report being published later this month.

The man in charge of the UK’s biggest ISP says that, when it comes to preventing illegal file-sharing, too much attention is being paid to peer-to-peer networking and the role ISPs can play to stop it. Speaking ahead of the impending final Digital Britain report, Charles Dunstone said “we need to be careful that politicians do not get talked into putting legislation in place that, in the end, ends up looking stupid.”

A number of internet service providers (ISPs) have this week announced that they will take part in BT’s fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) trials. This involves the installation of electronics in roadside cabinets in order to minimise the length of the copper loop.

BT Broadband has announced plans to upgrade the connection speeds of its existing customers - as long as they sign up for another twelve months. The firm’s using ADSL2+ technology that should enable it to more than double the (potential) speed of its network without digging up any roads.

Now then, just how important is the internet connection in your life? According to a recent survey by OFCOM advisory group the Communications Consumer Panel 73 per cent of the 2,000 people polled feel that broadband is right up there alongside water, electricity and other utilities, while 84 per cent agreed that everyone should have

With the term “bandwidth throttling” almost becoming an expletive in the digital age, if you’re going to sling it around you better have a good reason. The BBC’s currently running an online article called “BT accused of iPlayer throttling” - and guess who’s behind the accusation?

We take a look beyond the hype and emotive campaign slogans to see what speed broadband is necessary for everyday activities.

German cable operators association ANGA report a growth of 200,000 new broadband homes during the first quarter of the year, bringing the total number to over 2 million.

Virgin Media’s quarterly figures released today show it is just as susceptible as competitors to the general slowdown in new broadband connections.
For the first three months of 2009 it added 47,300 additional broadband customers to its network, nearly half the 88,400 figure for the corresponding quarter in 2008.
The culprit would appear to be the oft-quoted

We’re running out of cyberspace and will all be suffering net “brownouts” in couple of years time, according to an American technology think-tank (and no, it’s nothing to do with the UK prime minister). Nemertes Research says that, because online video providers like YouTube and BBC iPlayer are taking up increasing amounts of bandwidth, we

Hidden away in the depths of budget detail is a “Digital Britain” snippet:
“The Budget today announces that the Government will pursue Universal Service in broadband at 2 Megabits per second alongside further support to promote broadband take-up and basic digital skills.
The Budget also announces a review of the powers and duties of Ofcom to ensure

Throttling - or “traffic-shaping” as Internet Service Providers like to call it - is the usual route ISPs take to reduce BitTorrent traffic on their networks. But one Israeli ISP, Bezeq International, is taking the opposite approach: speeding up torrent transfers for its customers. It’s hoping that’ll have the same effect.
BitTorrent files are now thought

We all thought we’d left pay-as-you-go Internet behind back when we said goodbye to dial-up connections. But over in the States, if Time Warner Cable (TWC) has its way, what it’s now calling “consumption-based billing” could be making a comeback. But there’s a problem: people just don’t want it.
TWC is having difficulty finding volunteers in

It may have been the first country to get a man on the moon but now America’s playing catch-up in the national broadband stakes. After announcements from the U.K., South Korea and Australia, the U.S. is starting work on its own strategy that could - after an initial year-long period of consultation - bring