• 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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