Communications Act receives royal OK

Royal assent for the Communications Act means it has just crept into national law before the EU deadline. The Act will be patrolled by the regulatory body soon-to-known-as Ofcom and will implement the various EU Directives that seek to promote competition and protect consumer interests in the communications sector. The EU set a deadline of 25 July for these to be transposed into UK law. ...more

Latest batch of broadband exchanges announced

BT has announced dates that another 20 exchanges will get ADSL broadband connections. The exchanges and the dates on which they will be upgraded are as follows. 24 September: Balby, Bearsden, Boston Spa, Bridport, Conisbrough, Flint, Haddenham, Holmewood, Martock, Metheringham, Middleton On Sea, Milford Haven, Oatlands, Okehampton, Royston, Shaftesbury, Smallfield and Stoke Bishop. ...more

Creative plugs in a USB-based Sound Blaster

Creative has announced the Sound Blaster MP3+, a USB-based sound card. 'No desktop user will have to tolerate poor-sounding motherboard audio any longer,' boasts Craig McHugh, President of Creative. The relatively small device is also aimed at laptop users. ...more

British Computer Society honours UK IT users and industry

2006 BCS IT Professional and Information Management Awards winners announced. The British Computer Society has announced the winners of its 2006 IT industry awards. At an awards ceremony held last night in Central London, the BCS and 1,500 guests gathered to see 300 individuals and organisations competing to win awards across 33 categories. ...more

Symantec records 81 per cent rise in computer vulnerabilities in 2002

A record 2,524 new vulnerabilities in computer systems were discovered in 2002 according to the Internet Security Threat Report from internet security specialists Symantec. These figures show an 81 percent rise on 2001. The increase in new vulnerabilities was driven by a steep rise (84. ...more