• Home Hub 5 broadband router is provider ’ s first device offering ‘ superfast 802.11ac Wi-Fi ’
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UNIFIED COMMS FORTNIGHTLY REPORT
BT ’ s new router ‘ capable of speeds up to 1.3Gbps ’
• Home Hub 5 broadband router is provider ’ s first device offering ‘ superfast 802.11ac Wi-Fi ’
By Samantha Tomaszczyk
BT has unveiled the Home Hub 5 , a broadband router capable of Wi-Fi speeds of ‘ up to 1.3Gbps ’.
The router , due to go on sale later this year , is the provider ’ s first device to come with ‘ superfast 802.11ac Wi-Fi ’, which offers speeds of between 433Mbps to 1.3Gbps , it says .
The device will also come with an integrated VDSL modem , which is used to connect computers and telephone lines to a router , so users will no longer need two pieces of equipment .
Home Hub 5 will be included in all of BT ’ s fibre broadband ‘ Infinity ’ packages , which offer internet speeds of up
to 76Mbps , eight times faster than the UK average , the provider claims .
Existing Infinity customers will be able to re-contract with BT to get the Home Hub 5 for free , or purchase it outright for a small fee . BT ’ s copper broadband packages will continue to include the Home Hub 4 , released in May .
BT also confirmed it will “ soon ” offer 300Mbps fibre broadband , initially to 50 areas where FTTP ( fibre to the premises ) infrastructure already exists .
Existing FTTP customers will be able to upgrade to the new fibre service by subscribing to the £ 50 Unlimited package , which is free from traffic management .
BT general manager of consumer broadband David McDonald said : “ The new BT Home Hub 5 and the introduction of 300Mbps FTTP ( fibre to the premises ) show how we are obsessed with providing an amazing broadband experience .
“ BT has always had the edge here , but we are now leaping ahead of the competition . Only BT offers a service that combines dual band , Wi-Fi , no traffic management , market leading network performance and Superfast BT Infinity . BT ’ s unlimited products really are ‘ Totally Unlimited ’, and BT will never do anything to slow these customers down .”
BT Home Hub 5 broadband router – claimed speeds up to 1.3Gbps
Nimans announces 35pc upsurge in demand for leased equipment
Distributor Nimans has seen a 35 per cent increase in demand for leasing telecoms equipment since the start of the year .
According to head of dealer sales Tom Maxwell , the rise is due to a shortage of credit from banks .
Nimans also has a high acceptance rate for leasing applications , Maxwell said . It has seen a 200 per cent increase in leasing in the last two years .
Nimans runs regular training courses and webinars to encourage resellers to offer leasing services , and provides customers with an online ‘ leasing calculator ’ to work out monthly payments .
Maxwell urged more resellers to consider offering a leasing
UK-based network services provider e-know . net has been certified to offer cloud solutions by standards-setting body the Cloud Industry Forum ( CIF ).
E-know . net , based in Telford , has two data centres and provides servers and software as well as services such as remote network access , disaster recovery and IT consultancy .
The CIF code of practice is designed to standardise enterprises offering cloud services , and provide transparency for end users looking to migrate services to the cloud or online .
The code compels cloud service providers to provide information about their service to their customers .
He said : “ A lot of resellers should be leasing but they don ’ t understand the benefits
Maxwell – benefits for resellers
financial situation and assurances regarding the safety of information stored on the platform .
E-know . net managing director Nigel Redwood said : “ The ‘ hard sell ’ of cloud services has largely been done – businesses have quickly come around to the idea of cloud computing and know what it can do for them . But finding a provider and / or service that is fit for purpose remains a challenge , slowing down the pace of adoption and limiting trust in cloud services .
“ That is one of the reasons why the CIF code of practice is a valuable tool for end users , who can look to certified suppliers , safe in the knowledge that they operate in to them and are frightened to broach the subject with their customers . A reseller offering credit is crucial because if they are not then someone else will be .
“ Leasing provides resellers with a stronger cash flow often offsetting the price of the kit against the lease and helping to sell additional products on a regular basis keeping the customer ’ s outgoings the same . It ’ s a lot more palatable for an end user to buy equipment at hundreds of pounds each month instead of a one-off payment of , say , £ 10,000 .”
Nimans typically approves a customer ’ s eligibility for leasing within five to 10 minutes , Maxwell said . Transactions usually take place within 24 hours of application .
Networking firm E-know . net earns Cloud Industry Forum certificate
a fully honest and transparent way . The code of practice is a scheme that we fully support and are very pleased to have achieved the certification .”
Redwood – firm ‘ fit for purpose ’
TalkTalk launches new package ‘ The Big Free ’
TalkTalk has launched ‘ The Big Free ’ package which gives customers three months ’ free access to YouView TV , as well as unlimited broadband and landline calls .
As part of the deal , customers will receive a free YouView box worth £ 299 , allowing them to pause , rewind and record TV , and three months ’ free ‘ TV Starter Boost ’, which includes Sky
Cordless phone manufacturer Gigaset has unveiled the C620A , a handset designed to block nuisance calls .
The C620A has 26 hours ’ talk time and 530 hours ’ standby . It also includes a 55-minute answering machine , 1.8-inch colour display and a phone book with a 250-name capacity .
Users can create a ‘ blacklist ’ of 15 numbers which will be blocked .
The handset , available in single , twin , triple and handset-only variants , will be distributed in the UK by Nimans .
The distributor ’ s purchasing director Andy Winfield said the C620A is a “ significant step forward ” in the fight against nuisance calling .
“ Until recently call blocking channels such as Sky Sports News and usually costs £ 5 per month .
The package also includes unlimited downloads and calls to UK landlines , TalkTalk said .
Line rental of £ 14.95 still applies , but the firm said customers will still save £ 46.50 , and up to £ 114 compared with BT .
The package costs £ 15.50 a month thereafter , in addition to monthly line rental .
YouView TV , unlimited broadband and landline calls all included
New Gigaset handset ‘ blocks nuisance calls ’
was not an in-built function of DECT telephones but this latest development from Gigaset provides resellers with a new weapon to clinch more business ,” he said .
The C620A – ‘ blacklists ’ callers
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