With Virgin Media expected to announce a launch of 100Mbps broadband to its users before the year is out, BT Openreach have come forward with a new offering that will bring 110Mbps broadband to the country from March 2011. The new product, to be part of Openreach's Generic Ethernet Access (GEA) fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) options, will be available from £258 a year (£21.54 per month) at wholesale cost.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4430···011.html

The Digital Region project is set to cover 97% of South Yorkshire with fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) broadband and offer a guaranteed 25Mbps to homes covered by the network. Barnsley Council has now signed a five year deal worth over £1m that will see council buildings and schools connected into the Digital Region network.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4432···ork.html

FIGURES PUT OUT BY Oxford University show that Britain is continuing to lag behind the rest of the world on broadband quality.

Full story: »www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/new···roadband

With the governments spending review due to be released on Wednesday, setting out the four year plan of how public spending will be focused (cut), it comes as good news that George Osborne has set out plans to help keep investment going to broadband.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4429···ent.html

NEARLY HALF OF all UK broadband users couldn't care less about their connection speeds as long as they work.

Full story: »www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/new···d-speeds

Competition between supermarkets has seen some brand new CD albums appearing for under £10 in a bid to persuade modern consumers to buy music rather than pirate it. Amazon offer albums for as low as £3, well below historical music prices, however this has not yet seen any reduction in piracy levels.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4428···ems.html

Many of us in towns and cities often take broadband for granted, not realising how reliant we all are on this vital communications service. Our lives are often so connected, that a significant part of society arranges their social lives online. Others use the Internet for work, something the government is keen to promote. As of this year, most businesses, including all new businesses, are required to submit VAT returns online.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4420···ant.html

BT have been ordered to lower the fees it charges for access to its LLU broadband services following a pricing error from Ofcom. TalkTalk, supported by Sky, raised the issue which was looked in to by the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Caps implemented in May 2009 by Ofcom were deemed too high according to the Tribunal which ruled on the case yesterday.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4421···ror.html

Plusnet have pledged a price promise on broadband to guarantee that no matter where you live in the country, they will offer the lowest price standalone broadband. The promise only applies to the Plusnet Value Broadband product and covers the total cost of ownership for the connection over the competitors contract length (up to 24 months). This will therefore include any monthly fees and setup costs.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4418···ise.html

UK INTERNET PROVIDER Virgin Media is going to roll out its fibre optic broadband over British Telecom (BT) poles.

Full story: »www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/new···bt-poles

TalkTalk has broken cover as the first major ISP with plans to use BT's faster broadband infrastructure.

Full story: »www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/07···k_fibre/

Ofcom is bringing some new acronyms into the UK broadband lexicon today, VULA - Virtual Unbundled Local Access and PIA - Physical Infrastructure Access. These terms arise from a review of the wholesale local access market and are an attempt to improve the level of competition in Next Generation Broadband, which generally means more options for consumers at lower prices, which will then drive take-up and hopefully push roll-out beyond the projected two-thirds coverage.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4415···and.html

It appears that in an attempt to drive take-up of its Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) solutions, Openreach has decided to extend its special offers until 30th June 2011. The offer means that the connection fee is £35 plus VAT, and the managed install is £12 plus VAT. Their standard prices are £75 and £24 respectively.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4411···ers.html

Ynys Môn (Isle of Anglesey) looks set to benefit from a WiMAX 4G rural broadband solution initially offering broadband at speeds of up to 10Mbps. The i3 Group who are better known for their fibre to the home initiative FibreCity are behind the trial.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4412···ial.html

Another law firm Gallant Macmillan acting on behalf of the record label Ministry of Sound was at London's High Court on Monday seeking to obtain court order revealing the names and addresses of users from Plusnet, Sky, Be.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4408···011.html

Almost a year ago the ambitious project to cover the whole of Swindon with Wi-Fi was announced, and while roll-out is not complete packages ranging between free and £19.99 are available.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4406···ces.html

Following Openreach's launch a month ago of a scheme to allow its ISP customers to nominate exchanges for fibre broadband upgrades, BT Retail has announced it is looking for help from the community at large to help it uncover the areas of highest demand.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4407···vey.html

UK law does not comply with EU law on consent of the interception of data in electronic communications according to the European Commission. After launching an infringement procedure in April 2009, and requesting the UK authorities adjust their laws in October 2009, the Commission has now decided to refer the UK to the European Court of Justice for failing to take action to address the deficiencies in UK law.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4404···les.html

The web 2.0 phenomenon of user generated content means that more users will be looking to upload content to the Internet over their broadband connections. Whilst products are generally advertised based on the headline 'up to' download speeds, upload speeds are often overlooked.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4403···ent.html

Virgin Media have announced the launch of their 3D TV service today just beating Sky to the posts who are launching their 3D Channel on Friday. The Virgin service is available to viewers who have a V HD or V+ HD box, and a suitable 3D TV.

Full story: »www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4399···day.html