BT to begin 256Kbit/sec broadband as an IPStream package

BT is to begin trials of a 256Kbit/sec ADSL product next month. The company has apparently decided to launch the IPStream package after feedback from ISPs showed that there is demand for 'broadband' services that are close to the price of dial-up. Not that much cheaper, however, as indications are that BT will only charge ISPs around 75p less for the 256Kbps product than for 512Kbps. ...more

Microsoft establishes 'interoperability council'

Microsoft has established a group known as the 'Interoperability Customer Executive Council' with the aim of identifying areas for interoperability improvements across its range of products and the overall software industry. Among the founding members are Soci?t? G?n?rale, LexisNexis, Kohl's Department Stores, Denmark's Ministry of Finance, Spain's Generalitat de Catalunya and Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI), and the states of Wisconsin and Delaware The choice of founding members says something about Microsoft's business strategy. Many of the companies are from Europe where the EU has been involved in an increasingly bitter dispute over interoperability issues with Windows Server. ...more

Visualising your days

For those with a busy diary, Visual Day Planner v7.3 is a 'network capable' calendar to help you plan your days. Features include alarms, the entry of recurring events, customisation of fonts and images, and the ability to view your future in a monthly, weekly or daily format. ...more

Russia agrees to shut down AllofMP3.com

Russia has bowed to US demands and agreed to shut down music websites including AllofMP3. In an agreement signed earlier this month but only now made public, Russia has committed to taking action against intellectual property 'piracy' on a number of fronts, including the Internet and disc counterfeiting. The intellectual property rights (IPR) agreement forms apart of a bilateral market access agreement between the two countries that will hasten Russian membership of the World Trade Organisation. ...more

Bulldog broadens 1Mbit broadband

ISP Bulldog is to take up BT Wholesale's IPStream 1000 service, extending the reach of its 1Mbit/sec ADSL services to anyone within range of an enabled exchange. The range, in this instance, is 3.5km - shorter than the 5. ...more