[MobileRatty] tag: ofcom

London To Enjoy FIFA World Cup 2010 in HD Quality

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:20:34 +0000

No team (including England) has already qualified for Word Cup 2010. But with its great performance or unbeaten for the last 6 matches, England continue hyping its team. It’s reported that England team has already booked the best hotel at Cape Town and now the new reports said that London will follow Rooney and friends in HD quality.

Ofcom have looked to London as a location to speed up the Freeview HD services, mainly as it possesses a population that could field a first eleven thousands of times over

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HD, Word Cup

Vonage slams Skype for not following emergency rules

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:32:29 +0000

Vonage lays down the smackdown for Skype's refusal to adhere to Ofcom rules, an independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. Last month, Ofcom introduced rules mandating access to emergency services (999 in the United Kingdom) for VoIP providers whose customers make calls that connect to the public switched service. The rules also specify that caller address information is to be made available to emergency services so that, as far as possible, emergency service operators know where a call is originating from.

Vonage points out that since it started offering services in the UK in 2005 that all Vonage customers have been able to dial 999. Vonage also makes available caller address information (CallerID) to emergency operators.

According to Vonage, "Skype is choosing to flout the new rules by claiming that they do not apply and that they could be harmful to public safety. Skype In and Skype Out services offer their customers calls that connect to the public switched service and are therefore caught by Ofcom's new rules." Vonage added, "Skype's statement that compliance could be harmful to public safety is in Vonage's view an abdication of social responsibility - especially when you consider that the telephone provided by Skype is designed to resemble a regular telephone. To deny consumers the ability to dial 999 is socially irresponsible and potentially very harmful."

Vincent Potier, Managing Director of Vonage UK comments: "This is an absurd position. How can refusing to allow customers to dial 999 in cases of emergency ever be in the interests of public safety? It is Skype that is causing harm to public safety, not Ofcom."

So who's right? Is Vonage simply making a stink to drum up some free publicity by attacking the #1 popular VoIP application? Is Vonage attacking Skype because Skype has millions more customers? Let's examine. First off, Ofcom explained that research revealed that as many as 78% of VoIP users who cannot use their service to call 999 thought they could, or did not know whether they could. As such, Ofcom set out to propose guidelines for 999 to ensure VoIP users were aware if they could or could not dial 999.

Ofcom stated in their rules, requiring only certain types of VoIP service providers to allow users to call 999 by early 2008. In Ofcom's list of VoIP service provider types it would appear that P2P apps, such as Skype is specifically EXCLUDED. However, Skype also falls under another VoIP type, 'VoIP Out' services, which would make them fall under Ofcom guideliness.

In March 2007, Ofcom put in place a code of practice that requires all VoIP providers to make it clear to consumers whether or not their service includes access to emergency services. From this code of practice statement, it does seem clear that Ofcom is asking Skype to at least make it clear to their customers that you cannot dial 999 using SkypeOut and expect emergency services to work.

Let me break out the four main types of VoIP services according to Ofcom's definition:

'Peer-to-peer' services that make and receive calls to other PCs and connected devices (Type 1);
'VoIP Out' services which allow users to make calls to ordinary phone numbers but not receive them (Type 2);
'VoIP In' services which allow users to receive calls from ordinary phone numbers but not make them (Type 3); and
Full-service VoIP which allows users to make and receive calls to and from ordinary phone numbers (Type 4).

Under Ofcom's proposals, providers of types 2 and 4 services would be required to offer access to emergency services. Most Skype users fall under Type 1 (P2P), so in these cases, Skype must at least make it clear to their customers that 999 emergency dialing is not available.

However, many Skype users have SkypeOut accounts and fall under Type 2, which requires providers of type 2 (and 4) services to offer access to emergency services. So it would appear Vonage is right.

Let's start with Type 1 Skype customers (P2P), which is the vast majority of Skype customers. How exactly would Skype go about notifying customers that they don't have emergency dialing? They could issue a popup statement the first time you launch Skype or maybe even the first 10 launches to cover any liability issues that 1 notification wasn't enough. Simple enough to do.

The issue with actually providing 999 access is much trickier. Skype is a mobile application, so even if you specify your home address, you could be in a London cafe when an emergency strikes.

Also, suppose I am a UK citizen but I'm travelling to the U.S. In the U.S. I dial 911 not 999. So if I dial 999 while in the U.S., should Skype still route the emergency call to the U.K. 999 emergency services? Obviously, there are problems with this. You would need to route the emergency call to the closest emergency services center and not across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, each country has their own emergency phone number. Routing a call to the closest emergency center using geocoding (by IP address) could be leveraged, but even that isn't perfect. It still wouldn't send accurate location information and it would could only send the call to a 911 emergency location center with an accuracy of 30+ miles.

VoIP Out services that are mobile (i.e. Skype, Jajah) and that are not fixed (i.e. Vonage, Packet8) need their own classification for Ofcom rules. Skype can't possibly offer 999. Maybe one day technology with solve this problem. While technically Vonage is right when you look at the "letter of the law" with regards to the Ofcom rules, Vonage knows full well Skype can't easily offer 999 services and it seems to me that they're using the battering ram of FUD to scare British citizens into signing up for their services instead.

Tags: 911, 999, emergency calling, emergency services, Ofcom, p2p, skype, voip, vonage

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Ryanair to start offering in-flight mobile calls

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:20:40 +0000

Low cost airline Ryanair is fitting 14 of its 166 aircrafts with miniature mobile phone masts to enable passengers to make and receive calls, texts, and emails via their mobile phones.

As expected, calling from the sky won’t be cheap and it is expected that the costs will go up to 2 GBP per minute (that’s almost $4 per minute!). Plus, in order to actually use your phone in the air, you’ll have to use either O2’s o 3’s services, at least until other mobile operators sign-up.

O2 will charge between 1.65 and 1.99 GBP for making or receiving a call, depending on the destination, while sending an SMS will cost 40 pence.

There are some limitations, though. While people will be able to send unlimited texts and emails during their flight, only six passengers at any one time will be able to make a call. If someone tries to make a call when six other phones are already in use, they will receive a “network busy” message.

The service, which was introduced in partnership with OnAir, will offer Ryanair another revenue stream, and the airline will roll out the service across its entire fleet if it is deemed a success…

[Via: Times Online]

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Congress makes in-flight cellphone calling ban permanent

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:22:22 +0000

Score one for the sensible among us. Cellphone conversations in airborne cabins are now illegal! Call them slow to act, out of touch with reality, greedy politicians, liars, or practically useless civil servants if you want, but Congress comes through for the American public every now and again.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has made permanent the FCC’s and FAA’s ban on in-flight voice calls. Cellphones being used to annoying and obnoxious lengths on airplanes was apparently a scary enough prospect to push Congress to vote on the matter. Congress has been considering this bill to put and in-flight calling ban in to the law-books since April, and we’re finally seeing the results of the legislative body’s back-and-forths on the issue.

Frequent fliers won’t have to worry that their next flight will have them seated next to that obnoxious loud-talker discussing those oh-so-embarrassing personal details with whomever is unfortunate enough to be on the other end of that mobile phone conversation.

Of course, that etiquette-challenged individual will still be free to draw the entire cabin’s ill-will before and after take-off, so make sure to pack that stress-ball for your next flight. For you cellphone chatting asses out there, just know that your collective lack of class and common sense is now illegal - if only in the air. You know who you are…

[Via: AP]

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Ofcom moves forward on in-flight Mobile usage

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:03:48 +0000

Widespread use of mobile phones on passenger aircraft moved a step closer following a ruling by communications regulator Ofcom. It said radio equipment for mobile communications on aircraft (MCA) would be licensed under the 2006 Wireless Telegraphy Act and that licenses would be issued to UK aircraft operators on request. But Ofcom added that EU regulators would have to approve any system as would the European Aviation Safety Agency and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Of course, this is a very contentious issue - my thoughts lie with the policing of it though - surely the technical implications (i.e. does it affect the plane’s systems) are relatively easy to define and reach conclusion on - but what about getting people to follow the strictures?

I would imagine that people won’t be able to call during take-off or landing, and what about how loud they are talking? There are already numerous potential issues around passengers who are behaving inappropriately, but can you imagine trying to get a businessmen who is talking at 200 db on his Blackberry to end the call? Good luck with that one!

Ofcom is also bearing consideration to the cost of such services - since any service will probably need to bounce calls off a satellite, it isn’t going to be cheap - as existing in-flight wired phone services have proven.

For right now, I would say watch this space - calls on flights are pretty much inevitable (there is so much untapped revenue to be made for starters), but how this plays out is going to be very interesting…

[Via: The Press Association/Google]

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T-Mobile Doubles Charges

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:06:34 +0000

T-Mobile rolled out a new set of charges today, and these will come into effect on the 28th of next month. Take note that calls to 0870, 0871, 0844 and 0845 numbers will double in price, while certain plans will see an additional 20p per minute charge. What’s the reasoning behind this move? Well, according to T-Mobile, “To make things clearer for our customers, we have aligned our 08 number charges with local and national calls to follow the latest Ofcom guidelines.” Seems to me as though T-Mobile is passing the buck to Ofcom - after all, the Ofcom ruling states “Ofcom will require mobile and fixed-line providers (including payphones) to charge the same or less for 0870 calls as they do for national-rate calls to geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02). If providers wish to charge more for 0870 calls they will have to make a free-to-caller price pre-announcement at the start of the call.”, and this isn’t even compulsory (!).

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

More: continued here

T-Mobile Doubles Charges

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:44:32 +0000

T-Mobile rolled out a new set of charges today, and these will come into effect on the 28th of next month. Take note that calls to 0870, 0871, 0844 and 0845 numbers will double in price, while certain plans will see an additional 20p per minute charge. What's the reasoning behind this move? Well, according to T-Mobile, "To make things clearer for our customers, we have aligned our 08 number charges with local and national calls to follow the latest Ofcom guidelines." Seems to me as though T-Mobile is passing the buck to Ofcom - after all, the Ofcom ruling states "Ofcom will require mobile and fixed-line providers (including payphones) to charge the same or less for 0870 calls as they do for national-rate calls to geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02). If providers wish to charge more for 0870 calls they will have to make a free-to-caller price pre-announcement at the start of the call.", and this isn't even compulsory (!).

Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones

Ofcom pushes back UK phone spectrum auction

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:07:41 +0000

Ofcom (the UK communications regulator ) has pushed back plans for an auction of radio spectrum due to legal challenges from O2 and T-Mobile.

As you might remember from past postings I have made, there was due to be an auction this September for 2.6 gigahertz and 2010 megahertz spectrum - which could be used for things such as wireless broadband, and mobile multimedia (read Mobile TV) services.

T-Mobile and O2s' objections are that they are not clear what they can do with their existing spectrum, and hence cannot calculate how much of the new spectrum allocation they would need (and hence bid for).

Let's hope this gets sorted out sooner rather than later - with Qualcomm snapping up a chunk of spectrum in the recent auction, further delays mean that newer innovative services will be delayed.

[Via: cellular-news]

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Consumers To Get More Info On Actual ADSL Speeds

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:06:19 +0000

Broadband users who have become frustrated by dodgy advertising touting line speeds of 8MB and upwards should be encouraged by recent news from Ofcom.

As we all know, these sorts of consistent speeds are the stuff of fantasy, making it all but impossible for the consumer to work out exactly how fast a connection with a specific ISP will end up being.

More: continued here

Informa: EU operators hike non-EU roaming rates to offset Eurotariff declines

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:03:33 +0000

In order to compensate for the loss of roaming revenues within Europe since the introduction of the Eurotariff, mobile operators around the continent have raised the price of roaming calls into the European Union as much as 163 percent, according to Informa's analysis which was based on the percentage change in aggregated roaming prices on a country-by-country basis between 2006 and 2008.

European regulators have no legislative powers to regulate the cost of roaming outside their own territories, but apparently they are well aware of the situation and are considering ways of remedying it.

UK regulator Ofcom is working with the European Regulator Group (ERG), which represents the regulators of both EU and non-EU European countries, in "monitoring the situation" regarding the cost of roaming outside the EU. The ERG plans to advise the European Commission at its consultation on the functioning and possible extension of the roaming regulation in early July.

For example, the average price of a call home to Italy made by a subscriber roaming in Russia was 3.67 EUR ($5.74) a minute in 2006, but has risen 25%, to 4.58 EUR, since the Eurotariff came into play. A German mobile user outside the EU has seen a massive 163.7% price increase since 2006 for a call home from Africa.

Author of the report Angela Stainthorpe argues that as roaming traffic growth hasn't kept up with falling tariffs, operators are looking elsewhere to recoup their losses. "Although only 15% of EU roamers are travelling outside the EU, the high per minute rates they pay for the privilege have had a significant impact on roaming strategy. In some cases, countries that were once relatively unimportant to EU operators have now been elevated to prime position purely as a result of their contribution to roaming revenues," she added.

To makes things worse, instead of pushing new services and launching new innovative ways of serving their customers, some operators are increasing their retail prices even as they negotiate lower wholesale ones for themselves. Furthermore, in some cases it seems that in an effort to raise profit margins, larger operators are forcing smaller ones to hand over a bigger chunk of their revenue.

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