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It’s time to Fix Britain’s Internet

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It's time to Fix Britain's Internet

What do almost all broadband providers in Britain have in common…?

They depend on Openreach.

And what’s wrong with that?

Well, Openreach is paid billions (through taxpayer money and part of your bill – whoever that may be with) to maintain the national telecoms network. But even the industry regulator – Ofcom, say it’s not delivering what it should.

How are Openreach not delivering…?

Openreach are part of the BT Group so their budget is set by BT. Sound a little biased….

You’re right!

And;

BT have kept Openreach reliant on copper rather than investing more in pure fibre, like other countries. So we are now lagging behind many other countries, including Lithuania & Kazakhstan.

Plus;

From next season, BT will spend £619m per year on the rights to show football matches, yet BT’s investment in Openreach has been flat since 2008.

So now for the good news;

Earlier this year, Ofcom announced that they wanted to see a better quality of service for providers and consumers alike. They cited the following in their proposal of how to achieve this long-term goal.

  • BT opening up its Openreach cable network to allow greater competition within the industry.

  • Separating Openreach from BT – with it’s own board.

  • Introducing tougher rules on faults, repairs and installations, plus compensation for consumers when things go wrong.

  • Improved broadband coverage for all households & businesses.

A ‘10-point plan for a better Openreach’ has since been published, which whilst supported by all across the industry, has raised concerns over how quickly we will see the benefits of reform.

So now for the better news;

The FCS (Federation of Communication Services) have come together with major players in the industry (including Talk Talk, Sky & Vodaphone) to form a coalition to Fix Britain’s Internet. And we are joining them!

Despite the consumer-y feel, the industry-led campaign is quickly gathering momentum with providers as well as end-users.

This is what they believe:

  • That putting a ‘Separate from BT’ sign on the Openreach logo isn’t enough to deliver the changes we all need to keep up with other countries around the world.

  • The frustrated providers and users of this country deserve to have their voices heard.

So what next…?

You have the power to make a difference;

Ofcom have launched a public consultation about the future of Openreach and whether they should remain part of BT. They want to know what YOU think and have given us all until 4th October 2016 to comment on their plans.

But;

To make a difference and drive real improvements, we need as much support as possible.

It’s easy to show your support; Just complete the simple form to tell Ofcom it’s time to Fix Britain’s Internet and help secure a better connectivity for us all!

The campaign is getting great press coverage – having been featured in The Times, The Independent, The Spectator, The Mirror and on Sky News – it’s got support from MP’s and in the first 4 weeks alone over 22,000 people wrote directly to Ofcom.

So what are you waiting for…?

Help give Britain the internet it deserves!

Corporate Social Responsibility: How it benefits businesses as well as charities

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Corporate Social Responsibility: How it benefits businesses as well as charities

Corporate charity work and partnerships are moving from something that companies do casually on an occasional basis to help groups in their community, into fully-fledged business-critical components.

Traditionally, the thinking has been that businesses volunteering their staff, time or skills to a charity was purely for that organisation’s benefit, but increasingly it is becoming obvious that there are benefits on both sides, with measurable impact and results alongside the likes of fundraising and awareness-building.

As part of this, or possibly because of it, we are seeing more and more businesses taking on formal working arrangements. And with this, an industry advising on the best way to go about working or partnering with charities is springing up, alongside helpful advice from the likes of the Government.

But, as ever, one size rarely fits all. Every charity has different wants and needs so we have found it better to ask what these are, rather than expect a set outcome from them.

As a Milton Keynes business, we are a long-term supporter of local charity Supershoes, which creates custom-painted trainers for children with cancer…..

Supershoes Website

Supershoes often receive donations from corporate sponsors, which are gratefully received, but many of these are looking for tangible outcome that they can measure, such as knowing which child’s Supershoes they have funded.

While this is a great source of income for Supershoes, they also need support covering costs like their fixed overheads. The charity is entirely run by volunteers, but they need a space to work from, as well as basic services such as telephone and broadband.

So here at Boxx, we decided to forgo the letter each month telling us which shoes we had funded and instead help them out with the cost of their utilities, to help them reach as many children as possible. And this is something we intend to continue to do, to support them long-term.

Recently, we also stumbled across another amazing MK-based charity when looking for a conference venue.

The Milton Keynes Community Foundation offer exceptional value for money conferencing facilities as well as huge discounts for charities looking for venues – but most importantly they give back their profits to the local community. We jumped at the chance to use them – and not only did it give us a nice warm fuzzy feeling, but the cakes they served were fab too!

Milton Keynes Community Foundation

So if you’re tempted to volunteer, look around for a charity that fits what you want to do – and then ask how you can best help. The answer might just surprise you!

Pokémon Go and the 4G effect!

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Pokémon Go and the 4G effect!

The latest craze – Pokémon Go – has hit fever pitch. It’s literally everywhere and people of all ages and around the world can’t seem to get enough!

The retro game came back with a vengeance….. Adults are reliving their youth, kids – who let’s face it would usually rather take the car – suddenly want to walk everywhere and complete strangers are united in a common interest, which is a phenomenal outcome for a mere video game.

With retail stores promoting that ‘Pokémon are hiding in stores near you’ and ‘we’ll be releasing Pokémon lures in our stores’, it seems everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/silly_little_man/28293004446/

So what has hooked us all into the new geo-based game….? Well for starters, it’s completely free to play, unlike other games it blends real life with a virtual world and players can easily take to social media to share their Pokémon catching triumphs.

Here at Boxx Towers, we’re just as taken with the new game and a few members of the team, in particular, are racing against each other to complete the levels. So in a bid to embrace the excitement we organised an office Pokémon tournament.

What started out as a little time out from the day-to-day and a chance to win some ‘house points’ in our ongoing team games, quickly became very competitive.

For the 45 minutes each team was allowed out-of-office to catch Pokémon, some took to bicycles, others drove to a local and well known Pokémon ‘hot spot’ and some roped in an expert (aka 10-year-old son) to help!

Gaming aside, Pokémon Go demonstrates the reliance we these days have on data. 4G is now a necessity in all walks of life – and what 10-year-olds now want for themselves!

Whether your need for 4G data is low or high, we have a SIM only mobile package to fit your (and your Pokémon hunting) needs!

5G is coming – and faster than you think!

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5G is coming – and faster than you think!

The fifth generation of mobile networks is coming, offering speeds up to ten times faster than 4G, huge capacity and ultra-low latency.

With this new, much faster world will come a whole range of opportunities for businesses and connected devices, with Gartner forecasting that the number of connected things in use worldwide will reach 20.8 billion by 2020 as the long-promised Internet of Things (IoT) finally comes to fruition.

The IoT will see vast numbers of inanimate devices using the 5G network – driverless cars, for example, robot surgeons and full-scale smart cities.

With the massive capacity that 5G offers above its 4G predecessor, big data will finally come to the fore, and devices and apps that can gather, analyse and store huge amounts of data in real time will reap the benefits.

5G is expected to debut in 2018, with the first commercial networks available around 2020. Firms are already creating 5G ready devices and technologies.

Data is transmitted by radio waves, which are split into bands dedicated to different types of communications, and part of the excitement around 5G stems from the International Telecommunications Union restructuring of the radio network elements used to transmit data, which will solidify connection speeds and reliability.

The main upsides for both users and businesses will be; vastly improved speed and latency, and the combined effect of these on the user experience.

5G is significantly faster than previous generations – a full HD movie can be downloaded in under 10 seconds. Response times of 1 millisecond compared with around 50 for 4G also means that movies can be played before they have downloaded. For the user, these will combine to give the feeling of limitless bandwidth and a connection that is always available.

Any downsides? There will be challenges for developers, businesses and IT departments alike as they look to make the most of the opportunities 5G offers while being alive to the potential issues of dealing with the volume and storage of data that all of the connected devices will create.

Cost is also uncertain, as the technology is still under construction.

But what is certain is that harnessing the power of big data will be critical to making the most of 5G – so get ready!

Networking: Love it or hate it?!

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Networking: Love it or hate it?!

Networking is one of those words that often has a polarising effect on business people – they either jump up and down with excitement and produce a fistful of business cards, or squirm and cower in a corner.

But love it or hate it, good old-fashioned face-to-face networking still has lots to commend it – and is often a valuable source of leads for local companies, as well as free advice and help on all sorts of subjects and the potential for word-of-mouth referrals. We’ve tried lots of local ones including BNI Diamond and Business Buzz to name a few, and got different things out of all of them.

So, what do you need to bear in mind? Here are a few top tips for getting the best out of networking events – and some etiquette tips for good measure!

1) Know why you’re there – What are you hoping to get out of the meeting, and who do you need to talk to to make that happen (Note: standing in the corner and hoping someone will talk to you is not an option. If you’re not confident, fake it – you’re unlikely to be the only nervous newbie in the room)

2) Research the group – Networking groups come in all shapes and sizes, some paid, some not, some for specific sectors, even some where people bring their children along. While that can make for an overwhelming choice, it does mean the odds are high of finding one that’s perfect for you and your needs, so don’t be afraid to ask people you know who’ve been to events for recommendations or just to try a few out until you find the right fit.

3) Have your pitch ready – Many events ask members to give a summary of their business, and people you talk to will be interested in this too. Have something prepared that briefly sums up what you do and the most interesting aspects of your offering without going into huge amounts of detail. The aim here is to get people interested enough to ask you questions or your opinions on related subjects.

4) Listen as well as talk – Asking other people about their businesses and passion can be a great conversation opener and get the talk flowing.

5) Swap details – It’s great to just get to an event and get talking to people, but do remember that the end goal is businesses development, so try and talk to plenty of people, and get their details as well – whether email or business cards. Diary to follow up with them in a few weeks’ time if you think your businesses could help each other.

6) Take plenty of business cards – Having your details to hand if needed is vital so people remember you.

7) Keep it professional – You may meet someone you get on really well with, but don’t forget this is above all a business event, so don’t talk about your personal life too much, and don’t go too crazy on any alcoholic refreshments!

8) Don’t be disheartened – You may not meet many people on your first few attempts, or meet lots of people but get no leads. Don’t give up – just keep going, maybe trying different events, and you will make progress sooner or later!

Nuisance Phone Calls & Texts: What to do!

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Nuisance Phone Calls & Texts: What to do!

Despite the long-standing ability for users to register with the Telephone Preference Service and be taken off marketing call lists, nuisance calls and texts are still a reality of life for most of us.

Whilst registering can help, it takes time for records to be updated and if you are a business, the service has to be regularly renewed. It also does not cover text messages.

So, registering with the TPS aside, what can you do about what Ofcom calls an “irritating and annoying interruption to our daily lives”?

To assist, they’ve put together some pointers on how to reduce the number you get, and what you can do if they are causing you problems.

The first point is the most important – be careful who you give your personal data to. People can only ring you if they have your number – but unfortunately you can’t guarantee that companies you give your number to for one reason, such as a contact for a sale, won’t go bust, get bought out, or sell on their records to other companies at some point. So take care of your information– and that goes for online activity and face-to-face discussions as well.

Where a company requires you to leave contact details, for example for a delivery, make sure you tick the marketing opt-out box to ensure they can’t cold call you with offers. The opt-in boxes are sometimes ticked by default, and often in the small print, so careful reading of everything you sign will help you in the long run.

When you receive a nuisance call, one option is to let the call go to answer phone, in the hope the person calling will get fed up and take you off their list. But if you do answer, you should ask them directly to remove you from their database.

Nuisance calls aren’t always just trying to sell you things, sometimes they’re out to scam you – so never give out personal details, especially relating to your bank or credit cards, unless you’re certain of who you are talking to.

Unfortunately, the problem isn’t restricted to voice calls, as spam texts can also be annoying. If you know the number the text came from, replying with STOP should get you taken off the list.

To report a spam text from a sender you don’t know to your network provider, forward it to 7726 free of charge.

Complaining to the Information Commissioner’s Office also helps take action against the worst offenders as this independent authority was set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promote openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.

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