Trade and Industry Select Committee backs BT and LLU

The House of Commons's Trade and Industry Select Committee has backed the findings of Ofcom's recent Strategic Review of Telecommunications in the UK. The committee agrees with the regulator's two key findings. Firstly that in the absence of investment in new national networks of exchanges independent of BT, local loop unbundling is the best way to increase competition in the wholesale broadband market. ...more

Microsoft hammers Digital Anvil

Microsoft's continued shift into the games market moved up a notch after it was announced that the company is to acquire Digital Anvil. Digital Anvil has worked with Microsoft since 1997 and has developed games such as Mechwarrior and the Links golf simulation titles. In the acquisition, Microsoft will gain the rights to the up-and-coming space simulator Freelancer and an untitled Xbox game that is currently in development. ...more

Broadband dates for twenty exchanges

A further 20 BT telephone exchanges will be broadband enabled in May. They will be ready for service as follows: Brixworth, Northamptonshire; Goole, Humberside; and Sleaford, Lincolnshire on 7 May. Alresford, Hampshire; Galashiels, Borders; Halstead, Essex; Horseley Fields, West Midlands; Liphook, Hampshire; Netwon Llantwit, Mid Glamorgan; New Mills, Derbyshire; and Thirsk, North Yorkshire on 14 May. ...more

And also today (21-May-2001), for the record...

Here, in brief, are some of the day's other stories. NetBursted Xeons Intel has introduced its latest Xeon processor, which uses its NetBurst architecture. The server processor is actually based on the Pentium 4 and the fastest flavour runs at 1. ...more

US lawmakers target P2P file swappers

US file sharers could face up to ten years in jail, if either two new bills makes it into law, Wired.com reports. The new laws would make it easier to prosecute file swappers by making it illegal to share copyrighted files over a peer-to-peer network. ...more