ISP Eclipse Internet has said that it will be allowing consumers to sign up for two new cheap cable broadband packages as of April 2010.

The deals will offer download speeds of up to 40Mbps, coupled with maximum upload speeds of 10Mbps and Eclipse is using the same fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology that BT has introduced for its Infinity range.

FTTC is a hybrid of ADSL and fibre optic technology, with the telephone cabinets in residential streets connected via underground cable, whilst consumer properties will still use copper wiring for the final connection.

For the time being, Eclipse will be packaging its FTTC services in order to appeal to business customers, although there is a high possibility that retail consumers will be able to take advantage of the bundles at a lower price point in the future.

Eclipse’s director Clodagh Murphy said that his firm was taking steps to bring next generation broadband technology to as many of its customers as possible. Mr Murphy said that business customers would be able to run VoIP and video conferencing services with ease and also suggested that setting up VPN connectivity for remote working would be possible for smaller businesses.

The two packages on offer, Eclipse Fibre and Eclipse Fibre Pro, will both have a maximum download speed of 40Mbps, although the Pro version will have a 10Mbps maximum upload speeds as opposed to the 2Mbps offered with the cheaper deal.

There will be an installation fee of £75 to cover, but Eclipse is going out on a limb and guaranteeing its customers a minimum download speed of 12Mbps, which is refreshing.

Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager Simon Gerrard commented “Eclipse Internet is offering a compelling reason to compare business broadband packages, particularly if an enterprise is being restricted by the speed of its current connection.”

Virgin Media is believed to be in the process of rethinking its marketing strategies in order to reach a wider audience and to encourage more people to look at its high speed fibre optic broadband deals rather than focusing on BT broadband options instead.

Advertising industry experts at Marketing Week revealed that Virgin Media has talked to the firms that run its many different campaigns and has challenged them to create a new selection of marketing options in order to bolster the public profile of cable broadband.

Broadening the appeal of broadband and making people more aware of the differences between ADSL and cable connections is a sensible idea, particularly now that BT is offering its own Infinity service, which some might assume is essentially the same as the Virgin Media offering, although this is not, in fact, the case.

Along with new ad campaigns, Virgin Media is also likely to overhaul its current line up of broadband deals, although how it will go about this remains unknown. It could well choose to focus on bringing 50Mbps deals down in price, making them more attractive to a wider audience, as the benefits of high download speeds and more consistent connections are key that Virgin Media is slightly underplaying compared to its rivals.

Virgin Media continues to innovate in its offering of broadband bundles that include home phone, digital TV and even mobile service provision along with cable connectivity. Perhaps it will focus on communicating just how convenient this type of bundle offering can be, particularly if value for money is of greater concern than download speeds and monthly data allowances to consumers.

Simple Broadband’s Simon Gerrard said “Virgin Media has always created some interesting advertisements, but perhaps it should take a leaf from Virgin Airlines and follow the classic mantra of ’sex sells’ to drag consumers away from BT broadband options.”

PlusNet is already considered to be one of the best value broadband providers in the UK for home users and now it has a fresh range of packages aimed at small and medium sized businesses who want quality without excessive cost.

The basic package is Business Option One, which has a maximum download speed of 8Mbps and includes a 10GB monthly data allowance coupled with a free wireless router. As with most PlusNet deals there is also unlimited off-peak usage, which might be useful if you are planning on some late night working.

Options Two and Three offer more of the same, including larger data allowances, free VoIP calling, larger webspace for setting up a business site and faster upload speeds if you take the most expensive package.

PlusNet is consistently ranked as one of the best broadband providers in the UK when it comes to value, although it is also recommended for its UK-based customer service teams and its willingness to serve its customers. It has relied on word of mouth rather than expensive advertising campaigns, to grow over the years, which should be seen as a positive.

If you are looking for an alternative to the BT business broadband packages out there then you might want to compare their prices with the new line up for business users from PlusNet.

Simple Broadband’s Communications Manager Simon Gerrard said “Comparing the various business broadband packages on offer is always advisable and can save small businesses considerably. If it is value you are after then PlusNet offers a compelling range which is not compromised in any way by its low price and which offers even better value if you sign up for 24 months.”

A new move by BT, which will see it allowing third party providers access to its network of underground tunnels, could mean that cheap cable broadband from rivals will be on the way.

Fibre optic broadband is set to be the most common form of connection over the coming years as it allows for much faster download speeds than older ADSL technology using copper telephone wiring.

Firms such as TalkTalk have expressed interest in taking advantage of BT’s offer, which will allow them to lay their own high speed networks underground using existing conduits rather than having to spend millions digging their own.

Sky said that the idea of the open access was appealing, although admitted that at this time it had no interest in setting up a cable network of its own.

BT has been partly pushed into the move after it came under pressure from politicians and other industry groups to make the broadband infrastructure of the UK more open to competition. Obviously there is the potential for BT’s Wholesale division, which resells its current networks to third party providers, to lose out in the new plans, but for the consumer it is likely to be a catalyst in the availability of cheap cable broadband across a wider area.

BT will be putting one and a half billion pounds into its own fibre optic network and it will then be able to sell this on to Sky and others in the future. Some believe that the plans laid out by BT are relatively risky, although in general the move has been regarded with optimism.

Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager Simon Gerrard added “Consumers who are crossing their fingers for fibre optic broadband in their area should consider BT’s plans a very positive step indeed. Competition in the cable market can only mean lower prices and higher speeds in the long run.”

A new report into broadband use by small and medium sized enterprises has discovered that nearly half of all small businesses are not making the most out of their broadband connections.

Analysis of numerous small businesses around the UK performed by Business Link has resulted in statistics showing that 45 per cent of small businesses do not have a website or a plan allowing them to market themselves online and bring in new customers.

Two thirds of respondents to a survey conducted by Business Link also said that they were very much in favour of creating and operating their own website. Even the 55 per cent of small businesses that do have their own websites are not taking full advantage of the extras offered by BT business broadband packages and others.

Business Link’s Tony Cattermole said that there was a growing gap between those small and medium businesses who had jumped on the broadband bandwagon and those that had not.

Mr Cattermole also said that the small businesses that really took advantage of all that a broadband connection and a website could offer were able to generate income, contact customers and provide the perfect place in which to advertise new services and products. Since websites are relatively cheap to set up and run, they are also a more efficient tool for marketing and communication for small businesses than traditional means.

Simon Gerrard, Communications Manager at Simple Broadband added that “Business broadband packages offer enterprises a cheap way in which to create their own online presence and creating a website is always an important step for any organisation. If the results of the survey are accurate on a wider scale, then thousands of UK businesses could benefit from comparing business broadband bundles, taking the plunge and catapulting their enterprise to the next level.”

The next general election is due to take place in 2010, with rumours suggesting that it may occur at some point in May. As a result, politicians from all parties are beginning to make promises in an attempt to win votes and the Conservatives have recently announced that they plan to implement fibre optic broadband across the UK by 2017, with download speeds of 100Mbps accessible to a majority of consumers.

George Osborne, who is currently the shadow chancellor, said that his party would use the BBC licence fee to fund the continued growth of fibre optic broadband if it was voted into power. Mr Osborne also said that his party would push for offering fibre optic broadband in remote areas, relying on both private and public funding to ensure that the targets were met.

Mr Osborne compared the roll out of fibre optic broadband to the building of the railways when speaking in an interview on the Andrew Marr show. He said that hundreds of thousands of jobs would be created by better connectivity options, in the same way that the economy grew as a result of rail transport in the 19th century.

A spokesperson for Labour said that the Conservatives were not really proposing anything new with their announcements, but rather affirming their commitment to the government’s existing plans to make 2017 the deadline for universal high speed broadband connectivity. The Lib Dems also raised questions, but were concerned as to how the project would be funded.

Simple Broadband’s Communications Manager, Simon Gerrard, added that “whatever your political allegiances, it is definitely a positive step forward, showing that all of the parties are committed to extending high speed broadband across the UK, expanding upon current BT broadband options.”

Many business broadband providers are beginning to offer their new customers more of an incentive to sign up with attractive package deals and limited term offers to stimulate interest.

Heart Telecom, which provides business broadband and other telecoms services to enterprises in the UK, is one of the providers currently luring new customers with a tempting offer. You can get six months free business broadband from Heart Telecom at the moment, which is certainly worth examining in further detail.

The package offers 8Mbps download speeds and 1Mbps upload speeds, suitable for small businesses and home workers. The package also comes with a dedicated support service located in the UK and no fees to pay for the setup or connection.

Heart Telecom says that the deal can be taken in tandem with a number of its other services, which include business call packages, line rental inclusion and intelligent phone numbers for growing businesses.

Heart Telecom’s MD said that his firm was looking to give businesses a better deal when it comes to broadband. He also said that he believes that other providers should be doing more to make business broadband more affordable.

Heart Telecom manages each new setup so that the transition from your previous provider is as seamless as possible and any interruption to core business activities is minimised.

Simple Broadband’s Communications Manager Simon Gerrard added that “although the recession is officially over, it does not mean that businesses are no longer feeling the financial strain. As such, checking out business broadband deals that offer great value for money is essential. Small business owners and home-working entrepreneurs need broadband to keep connected and to identify opportunities for growth and success and this news from Heart proves that an appropriate service does not need to cost the earth.”

The current line up of BT broadband deals has just seen a super fast addition in the form of the first of its fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) connections, offering up to 40Mbps download speeds and 10Mbps upload speeds.

After trials took place in London and Glasgow, BT has begun to roll out its new fibre optic technology that will still rely on copper telephone wiring for the last mile of provision, but will see fibre optic connections linking the cabinets servicing streets in the UK to the main broadband network.

By 2011 BT plans to make FTTC available to 4 million homes around the UK and the 40Mbps is a significant improvement over the current maximum download speed of 20Mbps that BT offers.

These new fibre optic BT broadband deals are set to cost from £19.99 a month with an 18 month contract, thus requiring longer commitment than other packages on offer. There will also be an installation fee, but BT is willing to waive this if you sign up for a more expensive and comprehensive monthly package.

BT has said that its new fibre services will provide better opportunities for houses with multiple internet users trying to get online simultaneously and will also offer faster downloads and higher quality video streaming.

The cheapest fibre broadband deal from BT will come with a 20GB monthly data allowance, although costlier packages will have unlimited downloads coupled with a fair use policy to watch out for.

BT will not be the only provider offering deals that use the FTTC technology, as it will be offered to third party wholesalers to resell, as is currently the case with ADSL broadband.

Simon Gerrard, Simple Broadband’s Communication Manager noted that “this will produce competition within the market that will ensure that consumers will be able to obtain the best possible deals on next-generation broadband connections”.

£18 million of investment is being allocated to help boost broadband speeds across Northern Ireland for home users and local businesses looking to make the most out of fast broadband connections. The Department of Finance and Personnel has been put in charge of distributing the public funds and it will be pumping most of the money into BT to ensure wider coverage and increased download speeds.

The Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment allocated the significant funding last week and it is said to be part of a government initiative to bridge the investment gap between what the telecoms networks were going to spend and the level of funding that should ensure blanket broadband coverage in Northern Ireland.

The government aims to provide 85 per cent of homes and businesses with BT broadband deals operating at a higher speed and wider availability by the start of 2011 and the £18 million will go towards ensuring that this target is reached.

BT has been commissioned to carry out the necessary upgrades and extensions to the current networks and the good news for residents of Northern Ireland is that both urban and rural areas will be included in the upcoming developments.

Although the initial phase will be completed within the next twelve months in order to meet deadlines, the deal commits BT to continue the roll-out and support of the new network until 2015. BT will still be the owner of the infrastructure, but with the public funding it is committed to ensuring that broadband is made available in areas that it might have dismissed as not financially viable.

Simon Gerrard of Simple Broadband confirmed that “home broadband customers in Northern Ireland will really benefit from the high speed BT broadband deals that will become available once the funding is brought to bear and the work is completed.”

Homes and businesses in and around Oxford Road in Manchester could soon be able to connect to the internet at significantly higher speeds thanks to new plans to install a fibre optic broadband network.

The plans have been announced as part of an effort to instigate regeneration within the area and the organisation Corridor Manchester will be pushing through the installation with support from local businesses and individuals.

The organisation has sought the expertise of Geo Networks to carry out the construction of the fibre optic network and reports suggest that in order to connect the eastern region of the city the firm will make use of the MetroLink tunnels. This will be the first stage of what should hopefully be a relatively rapid process.

Corridor Manchester’s CEO Jack Potter said that broadband speeds were bound to increase in the local area once the work was completed. However, Mr Potter also said that he hoped local home and business users would be able to access an open network and that any limitations inherent in current broadband provision in the area.

The Salford Quays area of Manchester has already received a commitment from BT that will ensure the availability of fibre optic broadband for the MediaCityUK business park. It is hoped that by 2011 home users as well as local firms will be able to access fibre optic broadband on their premises with greatly enhanced BT broadband options.

Simple Broadband’s Simon Gerrard added “many more areas should expect similar schemes to arrive in the coming years, with urban dwellers set to be the first people to be able to take advantage of extended BT broadband options.” Along with the next generation of mobile broadband, fibre optic broadband is going to significantly help the UK to hit the target of universal broadband availability by 2012.