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Project Canvas is the working title for a project to provide a full television service and more via the internet. Whilst each television channel presently offers some form of “watch again” and live streaming, project canvass aims to offer a unified service with live television, video-on-demand, and internet connectivity. So, for example, you may watch a news bulletin and by clicking on a button, be able to access further information about the country or person involved.
The canvas main partners are the BBC, BT, ITV, Channel 4, TalkTalk and Arqiva. Channel 5 was involved but pulled out on the 9 July 2010 pending a review of its digital platform strategy.
The main downside of project canvas is that it relies on fast broadband to deliver. With reliable broadband access being patchy throughout the UK, the potential audience for project canvas may be restricted. The ambition for project canvas to take freeview to the next level may therefore be some way off. However, there will be considerable pressure for the project to be a success and with BT being involved we could see a rapid increase in the provision of reliable broadband lines to avoid loss of clients to satellite broadband.
With this potential improvement in broadband access comes the ability to take advantage of cheap phone calls via the internet. Services such as VoIP rely on good broadband connections. Businesses can then benefit from SaaS (software as a service) services such as virtual switchboards. These operate in the same way as a manual switchboard but because they operate via the internet they are a fraction of the cost.
Businesses using virtual switchboards can take advantage of the normal switchboard services such as call divert, call queuing, messages and interactive selections. You also get some great extras such as answerphone messages bring stored electronically and accessed via the web or forwarded by e-mail. You can also programme your virtual switchboards to switch automatically to answerphone or to another office at set times. All this for a fraction of the cost of buying a manual switchboard.
Anything which helps drive forward fast reliable broadband will therefore help businesses to save costs and become more efficient. If project canvas manages this then we are in favour and with youtube also being involved in the project, our free television viewing choices may also become more interesting next year.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Monday, 30 August 2010
The rise of social media
According to a recent Ofcom report, we are all spending more time watching TV and using mobiles and other communication devices. In fact, on average we spend 45% of our waking hours on these activities. As you would expect, the statistics vary across gender and age categories with men spending an hour a day more on social media activities than women. Overall the 18-24 age group lead the way although the over 50s are catching up fast.
Whilst TV at just under 4 hours per day accounts for a major proportion of our time, social media communications are catching up fast, partly driven by the increased use of smart phones.
This Ofcom report coincides with a worldwide survey by Gartner which reported that in the second quarter of 2010, worldwide sales of mobile devices increased by 13.8% over the same period in 2009. Smart phone sales accounted for a massive 19% of overall sales, with smart phone sales increasing by 50% over the same period last year. The Ofcom report backs this up, reporting that just over a quarter of all people in the UK now have a smart phone which they are actively using to send texts and e-mails and surf the net.
The good news for all is that both the Gartner and Ofcom reports concluded that although sales are up, prices are being driven down due to competition and currency fluctuations. In the UK, consumers are also benefiting from the availability of bundled services, taking combinations of phone, internet and TV in the same package. The take up on these tends to be higher in the cities with the rural population having less access to fast broadband, 3G phone signals and choice of suppliers.
Whilst the Ofcom report concentrated on individuals, businesses too are benefiting from the availability of bundled services. The take up of combined services such as VoIP phones, virtual switchboards and call recording is increasing steadily as businesses realise the benefits that the internet and broadband can bring.
One perhaps surprising statistic to come out of the Ofcom survey is the amount that we multi-task, looking at television, sending texts and chatting on social networks at the same time. Here the 18-24 age group lead the way, managing to pack 9.5 hours of media into 6.5 hours of real time. With social networking accounting for nearly a quarter of all time spent on the internet the once predicted fear of the computer bringing social isolation may be a thing of the past.
Whilst TV at just under 4 hours per day accounts for a major proportion of our time, social media communications are catching up fast, partly driven by the increased use of smart phones.
This Ofcom report coincides with a worldwide survey by Gartner which reported that in the second quarter of 2010, worldwide sales of mobile devices increased by 13.8% over the same period in 2009. Smart phone sales accounted for a massive 19% of overall sales, with smart phone sales increasing by 50% over the same period last year. The Ofcom report backs this up, reporting that just over a quarter of all people in the UK now have a smart phone which they are actively using to send texts and e-mails and surf the net.
The good news for all is that both the Gartner and Ofcom reports concluded that although sales are up, prices are being driven down due to competition and currency fluctuations. In the UK, consumers are also benefiting from the availability of bundled services, taking combinations of phone, internet and TV in the same package. The take up on these tends to be higher in the cities with the rural population having less access to fast broadband, 3G phone signals and choice of suppliers.
Whilst the Ofcom report concentrated on individuals, businesses too are benefiting from the availability of bundled services. The take up of combined services such as VoIP phones, virtual switchboards and call recording is increasing steadily as businesses realise the benefits that the internet and broadband can bring.
One perhaps surprising statistic to come out of the Ofcom survey is the amount that we multi-task, looking at television, sending texts and chatting on social networks at the same time. Here the 18-24 age group lead the way, managing to pack 9.5 hours of media into 6.5 hours of real time. With social networking accounting for nearly a quarter of all time spent on the internet the once predicted fear of the computer bringing social isolation may be a thing of the past.
Thursday, 26 August 2010
TalkTalk Costs More More
Phone and broadband service provider TalkTalk has attracted some critical attention from the media and industry experts alike with a set of new monthly line rental charges due to start on 1 October, 2010.
But is this an attempt by TalkTalk to squeeze their customers a wee bit more, or is it a bit more complicated than that?
The Guardian trumpeted the fact that the TalkTalk monthly tariffs for landline phones are rising by some 5%, moving up from £11.49 to £12.04.
What’s more, to call in the daytime is increasing from 5.8 pence to 6.4 pence, and switching charges for those moving house and choosing to take their landline with them, are going up by over 50%, from £29.99 to £49.99. This would appear to penalise customer loyalty, as well as being a serious cost to the user.
With over five million users in the UK, TalkTalk is a major provider of
telecommunications services and has followed the lead of British Telecom, who have also raised rental charges. In July, the BT monthly line rental charge went up 50p to £12.04.
And for TalkTalk customers late with their payments, the cost will now be £10, not the previous £7.50.
A TalkTalk spokesperson was keen to point out that the company still provides: “...the best value home and phone broadband services in the UK.”
Industry watchers were quick to lament the price increases, saying that once one company started getting away with such hikes – in this case BT – then others would surely follow. They pointed out that this was also TalkTalk’s second round of price increases this year.
And with the imminent rise in VAT, there will be some heavy increases for landline phone customers over the coming year.
But for many industry experts, the move by BT and TalkTalk is purely defensive. As mobiles continue to eat away at the former dominance of the landline, profits from this side of the business will increasingly be under pressure. For now, the only answer that the big providers have is to keep their landline prices on an upward trajectory.
The big money is being made in the mobile market, but the providers cannot yet turn their backs on the landline.
Consumers are being advised to keep their wits about them and look out for ways of protecting their landline deal.
But is this an attempt by TalkTalk to squeeze their customers a wee bit more, or is it a bit more complicated than that?
The Guardian trumpeted the fact that the TalkTalk monthly tariffs for landline phones are rising by some 5%, moving up from £11.49 to £12.04.
What’s more, to call in the daytime is increasing from 5.8 pence to 6.4 pence, and switching charges for those moving house and choosing to take their landline with them, are going up by over 50%, from £29.99 to £49.99. This would appear to penalise customer loyalty, as well as being a serious cost to the user.
With over five million users in the UK, TalkTalk is a major provider of
telecommunications services and has followed the lead of British Telecom, who have also raised rental charges. In July, the BT monthly line rental charge went up 50p to £12.04.
And for TalkTalk customers late with their payments, the cost will now be £10, not the previous £7.50.
A TalkTalk spokesperson was keen to point out that the company still provides: “...the best value home and phone broadband services in the UK.”
Industry watchers were quick to lament the price increases, saying that once one company started getting away with such hikes – in this case BT – then others would surely follow. They pointed out that this was also TalkTalk’s second round of price increases this year.
And with the imminent rise in VAT, there will be some heavy increases for landline phone customers over the coming year.
But for many industry experts, the move by BT and TalkTalk is purely defensive. As mobiles continue to eat away at the former dominance of the landline, profits from this side of the business will increasingly be under pressure. For now, the only answer that the big providers have is to keep their landline prices on an upward trajectory.
The big money is being made in the mobile market, but the providers cannot yet turn their backs on the landline.
Consumers are being advised to keep their wits about them and look out for ways of protecting their landline deal.
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