CO11JN

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial check on your postcode indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line speed up to 2Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 7.5Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 6.5Mbps and 8Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 17Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 10Mbps and 19.5Mbps.

The actual stable line speed supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This speed may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained.

If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase.

CO11HQ

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial check on your postcode indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line speed up to 2Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 7.5Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 6.5Mbps and 8Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 17Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 10Mbps and 19.5Mbps.

CO11HN

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial check on your postcode indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line speed up to 2Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 7.5Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 6.5Mbps and 8Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 17Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 10Mbps and 19.5Mbps.

Skype - Cost: Free

Platform/Network: Java-based application that works on 50 popular phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Samsung. Can be used on numerous cellular data networks.

Features: Chatting (including with a group), presence settings (offline, online, do not disturb), and Skype-to-Skype calls (including SkypeIn).

Our Opinion: If your phone is supported, Skype Mobile is a great way to add Skype chatting and calls to it. Though it would be nice if the Skype application weren’t written in Java, as these applications are often sluggish and unstable.

iSkoot - Cost: Modest to expensive

Platform/Network: Mobile handsets such as BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and Palm OS models. Also works on GSM networks.

Based on usage. Because iSkoot is a hybrid VoIP/GSM service, it uses SMS and mobile minutes when making and receiving calls or Skype IM messages.

Features: SkypeIn and Skype-to-Skype calls, Skype IM messages.

Our Opinion: iSkoot is a good option for keeping in touch with your Skype contacts. However, I would look at other software applications that just use data to send Skype SMS and Skype voice traffic.

truphone - Cost - Incoming free calls while on the Truphone network, low per-minute rates while on a GSM network. Outgoing calls are billed at very low per minute rates.

Platform/Network: Nokia handsets

Features: Truphone offers free calls, SMS and voice mail while logged into the Truphone network via Wi-Fi. Otherwise, Truphone forwards calls to your mobile handset and you pay a low per-minute charge.

Our Opinion: With its smart forwarding options, Truphone is particularly useful for international travelers. Whether you’re on Wi-Fi or just your normal GSM network, you can be reached via your Truphone number no matter where you are (charges apply in certain cases, see their site for details). For times when Wi-Fi is not available, Truphone just released Truphone Anywhere, which utilizes local gateways for outgoing calls at low per-minute charges. We have trialed the service by forwarding calls from my Truphone number to our mobile phone and the call quality was fantastic; voices were indistinguishable from any other cell phone call. A Truphone-to-Truphone VoIP call yielded even higher voice quality.

Fring - Cost: Free

Platform/Network: Nokia/Symbian handsets, Widows Mobile, iPhone (pre-release beta)

Features: Allows you to make VoIP calls on any SIP network, Skype or to other Fring users. Additionally, Fring is a multi-protocol IM client that will allow you to chat with your buddies on Skype, MSN, ICQ, Google Talk, Twitter, AIM and Yahoo.

Our Opinion: We have used Fring to make SIP voice calls, and over EDGE the call is choppy and hard to understand. However, Wi-Fi provides enough bandwidth to make Fring calls clear and understandable. I wouldn’t say the quality is fantastic, but it is very comparable to a normal mobile phone call.

Gizmo5 - Cost: Free for VoIP calls, low per-minute charge to call landlines and to SMS to mobiles.

Platform/Network: Nokia Symbian handsets, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Nokia Tablets

Features: Gizmo5 allows you to conduct voice calls to other Gizmo5 users and grants IM conversations with friends on Gizmo5, MSN, AIM, Yahoo and Jabber.

Our Opinion: Gizmo5 is a great competitor to Skype, just not as established or well-known. They have wisely developed their client software for many platforms including numerous mobile phones, and on both Mac and PC. VoIP call quality is stellar when calling between clients, as well as to landline/mobile phones.

According to Leichtman Research Group's latest report, U.S. cable operators have the upper hand over traditional U.S. telecommunications companies.

As the two largest U.S. telcos, namely AT&T and Verizon begin to wind down, cable operators have been growing rapidly with speeds ranging from 20-100 Mbps.

In 2011 cable operators added a total of 2.3 million subscribers, or 75 percent of overall broadband additions. This compares to just 750,000 broadband subscribers added by traditional telcos in 2011.

Even though the U.S. broadband market is arguably becoming saturated, it's clear that consumers continue to like their broadband connections as both cable and telephone providers collectively added 765,000 broadband subscribers in 2011

"Despite a high level of broadband penetration in the U.S., the top broadband providers added 88% as many subscribers in 2011 as in 2010," said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. "At the end of 2011, the top broadband providers in the U.S. cumulatively had over 78.6 million subscribers, an increase of nearly 25 million over the past five years."

Having just upgraded our own offices broadband in Colchester to a new Fibre service, I can see exactly why the market is moving this way.

Main Features of the HTC One X

Processor Nvidia Tegra 3

Clock Speed 1.5 Ghz

Screen Size 4.7 inches

Resolution 720 x 1280

Screen Type super IPS

Thickness 9.3mm

Height x Width 134 x 70

Weight 130 gms

Camera 8mp (secondary 1.3)

Flash LED

1080 Video (HD) Yes

OS ICECREAM (Android 4)

Internal Memory 32mb (not Expandable)

Update on service delivery

In recent weeks the weather issues across the country have resulted in higher than normal fault volumes. This brief provides an update on the current service situation.

Current repair workstack volumes are reducing as we continue to focus on key hot spot areas. In our briefing SER003/11 issued on Friday 16 December 2011, we set out some service targets that we would achieve by close of play Saturday 24 December 2011. This briefing provides an update against those targets.

On repair, we did achieve our target to reduce the total repair workstack to between 13K and 15K. In fact, through the commitment of our teams we actually closed at 10,659 faults on 24 December 2011, of which 2,472 faults arrived that day. Today we have started with just above 16K faults and our teams are working hard to reduce this number.

On provision, our plan was to maintain 20 working days average and have no leadtime greater than 28 working days. We currently stand at an average of 16.2 working days and with no leadtime greater than 28 working days.

This has been a great result for everyone and although we are aware that a number of customers will have still been affected by faults at Christmas this was less than 0.04% of our customer base. Our teams continue to work over the festive period and we continue to operate a Business As Usual service.

The MBORC (Matters Beyond Our Reasonable Control) declaration made on 9 December 2011 remains in place for a small number of faults. We do continue to focus on these to repair them as soon as we possibly can.

Colchester Telecom have developed a system for clients to easily manage their in house telephone system. Its a simple spreadsheet with the basic facts on it but it really does help. Give it a try.

Simply fill in the information (all boxes have a description of whats needed), save and or send to other people within the company who may want to see this at some point.

Its great for disaster recovery planning and could even help you to decide if you have enough capacity for future growth.

Thinking about upgrading your telephone system? Once you have used the attached sheet you may find that you dont need to.

Simply CLICK HERE to download the xl file.

Ofcom records state in Q2 of 2010 33 million ISDN and PSTN business lines are installed in the UK.

No technology has been an overnight success; ISDN took 10 -15 years to be fully accepted in the UK. The service was originally sold as a voice and data offering, the data side soon dropped being far too slow and complicated. It's time to provide customers with an alternative.

Why haven't ISDN carriers started selling SIP? To be fair to the incumbents, if I had invested millions of pounds in buying and million pounds in maintaining ISDN exchanges, I would also be sweating the assets for as long as possible.

To use SIP Trunks you need a good data connection. For sub 10 SIP Trunks ADSL2 and ADSL2+ is a cost effective and reliable service with the same Service Level Agreements (SLA) as PSTN or ISDN. For larger installations EFM is the true alternative to ISDN30,

EFM has two services, one offering up to 10Mb the other up to 20Mb, providing you with the ability to route voice and data over the same circuit. EFM is supplied with a standard SLA of 6 hour response 24/7 with blows the SLA for ISDN out of the water.

SIP is an application running over a data connection. Due to this alone it’s far more flexible than ISDN. Unlike ISDN which has a set amount of features (ETSI standards). SIP features and applications are carrier dependant, So choose your supplier carefully

Data connectivity and more importantly the confidence and understanding for data connections has grown significantly over the 3 years Colchester Telecom have been supplying SIP trunks.

You don’t have to use our data connections; however we do have a range of ADSL and EFM offerings that Colchester Telecom trunks can be configured with SIP account and password or fixed IP addressing.

The choice is yours...

GPRS:Remember Dial up? GPRS is similar to the old dial up speeds i.e. terrible! Expect to get 32 - 48 kbps which is not much good for anything these days.

EDGE: OK for syncronising outlook but forget streaming. Expect to get up to 236.8 kbps

3G:There are two types, HSDPA, which runs at a maximum of 14.4 Mbps; and HSUPA which will get you up to 2 Mbps. The best we have ever experienced was 6.2mb down / 1mb up and that was on Network Three.

WLAN: Stands for Wireless Local Area Network or simply Wi-Fi. The standard at the moment for wifi is 802.11 b/g/n. This means you wifi network could run at anything from 0 - 300mb / second;

b = upto 11mb

g = upto 54mb

n = upto 300mb

Please bear in mind that your broadband speed will ultimately control how quickly you can get on the net so even if you have a 10mb broadband package attached to your WLAN a 300mb wifi connection will make little difference.

Bluetooth: v2.1 with A2DP may be OK for transferring data from laptop to phone and vice versa but a replacement for wifi it is not!

USB: Mobiles phone with a usb connection may be able to access the internet via the device they are coonected to but its hardly mobile!

Colchester Telecom have today signed a new supplier agreement with a leadeing telecoms wholesaler.