BT Openreach Weather Warning

Urgent Updates due to Severe Weather Conditions

Openreach MBORC declaration due to heavy snowfall
This MBORC declaration, due to aspects of recent severe weather, is issued as a special alert to all Communications Providers

Following heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures, Openreach is now declaring a Matter Beyond Our Reasonable Control (MBORC)/force major event in the following Openreach operational areas: 

Highlands
North East Scotland 
Tayside and Fife 
South East Scotland 
West Scotland 
Newcastle and Northumberland 
Tyneside, Durham and Wearside 
Tees Valley 

This declaration is effective from 14.00 Tuesday 30 November 2010. It applies to all activities in the listed areas that are subject to MBORC

Snow Ready

Last December saw temperatures in the UK drop to almost record breaking lows, this year we seem to have started a month earlier, with 2010 recording the coldest November night in Britain since 1985. 

Travel conditions have become perilous, with road closures, rail cancellations and air disruption rife.  In Scotland, Wales and parts of Northern England, drivers are being asked to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary to travel.  Widespread School closures are causing even more havoc up and down the country due to burst water pipes and broken boilers. 

Inevitably, this has a direct affect on day to day business, as employers can not get to work, or have to stay at home unexpectedly to look after the kids.  Today, businesses can take steps to improve their communication and information technology infrastructures to buffer the effect of an outbreak on their daily operations.  This is not necessarily as complicated or expensive as it sounds. 

One of these steps is switching to a business VoIP service, which allows employees full and secure access to the business communications network of their company from their homes. The flexibility and features of this service makes it suitable for all types of organisations, but in particular those that are multi-sited. It allows for employees to be just as efficient when they are outside of the office, as they are in the office. 

To overcome the effects of a national crisis, businesses need to make sure that they have a flexible working policy in place to avoid unexpected downtime, and ensure employees that can’t make it into work can continue working productively from home, or indeed wherever they are.

Satellite Broadband UPDATE

According to Avanti Communications, the Ariane 5 rocket, carrying HYLAS 1, entered orbit precisely on schedule after a “perfect” launch at 18:39 GMT on 26^th November 2010.  The HYLAS spacecraft is designed to deliver dedicated broadband services to remote locations where it is currently not possible to get a fast internet connection. 

A signal from the satellite was picked up almost right away at an antenna sited in India. Controllers will now spend a few weeks positioning the spacecraft correctly in the sky and checking out onboard systems.  HYLAS 1 is the first superfast broadband satellite launched in Europe, Avanti’s second satellite is fully funded and will launch in 2012.

Following Avanti’s success on Friday, it seems that there is now a race to space as it was announced on Monday morning that the financing has been secured for one of the most ambitious commercial space projects of the decade.


O3b Networks, based in Jersey, has raised $1.2bn (£700m) for a series of satellites to support super-fast broadband connections to Africa and other emerging markets.  The spacecraft will act as backhaul, linking the traffic of local telecoms and internet service providers to the global fibre infrastructure.  The first platforms will be ready to go into orbit in the first half of 2013.

Virgin Media take on 3G

Following a 'useful' small-scale, experimental, wi-fi network at this year's V festival, Virgin Media is considering launching a nationwide wi-fi network to compete with BT.

They have been inspired by cable operators in other countries, and have been particularly interested in watching developments in the US.  Virgin Media have admitted it would be a "massive undertaking" and that no firm plans have yet been drawn up as yet.  That said; they are clearly up for the challenge, claiming that they could offer a better alternative to 3G networks for those who want data on the move.

Quote of the Week!

"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order."


Alfred North Whitehead 

Top 5 mobiles (27th November 2010)

1.  Apple iPhone 4 16GB

Released June 2010

In short:  “A phone you will both love and hate; most of the main disadvantages are simply passed from one generation to the next but - whatever iPhone you’re coming from - the Number 4 will tick most of your boxes. Upgraders will be used to the shortcomings, and unbiased observers will have less points to complain against.”

2.  Blackberry Torch

Released August 2010

In Short: “RIM always put the business user first and the BlackBerry Torch 9800 is no different, it is the usual impressively built gadget, the ultimate email machine. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is meant to appeal to the average Joe while making sure the typical corporate user receives the usual high quality service.”

3.  HTC Desire HD

Released Oct 2010

In short: “The innovative fast boot, the complete connectivity set and solid multimedia capabilities round off a great package. HTC might just have a natural bestseller on their hands.”

4.  Nokia N8

Released Oct 2010

In Short: “The N8 is neither impressively slim, nor delicately crafted. Just the opposite actually – it’s a solid tool, a little rough perhaps, but sturdy and reliable.”

5. HTC Wildfire

Released May 2010

In short:  “The right phone for those who like to always stay in touch. The high-end connectivity is all there, along with solid social network integration and browsing. It seems the display and CPU are the only downgrades from the Desire.”

For more information on any of the phones above, including direct comparisons between them all, please call 0800 092 1471

Source: top10.com and gsmarena.com

Broadband Satellite Launches in 5,4,3,2...

The EC has set a target of giving every European citizen access to 30Mbps broadband or more by 2020, and now they are sending a satellite into space to help.

The Hylas spacecraft will be dedicated to delivering broadband services to remote locations such as rural villages where it is currently not possible to get a fast internet connection.

The satellite will be carried into orbit on an Ariane 5 rocket and is expected to lift off from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana at 1539 local time (1839 GMT).

Hylas (or the slightly catchier Highly Adaptable Satellite) is a commercial venture driven by start-up Avanti Communications of London.  The UK government put £40m into the Hylas development programme, in the hope that it will assist them in reaching their target of everyone in Britain having 2Mbps by 2015.

All being well, the 2.6-tonne spacecraft will operate in the Ka radio band and deliver broadband services to some 350,000 subscribers across Europe.

Faster Broadband Speeds in Europe

According to official EC figures, Broadband speeds in Europe have shot up in the last year.

For example, in July 2010, 29% of broadband lines in Europe ran at speeds of at least 10 Mbps, revealed Commission research.  By contrast in July 2009 only 15% of broadband lines were capable of hitting that speed.

The figures clearly show improvement, but the Commission has also warned that a lot of work needs to be done in order to meet Europe-wide targets on access and speed.

"Fast broadband is digital oxygen, essential for Europe's prosperity and well-being," said Neelie Kroes, commissioner for the digital agenda.

The EC has set a target of giving every European citizen access to a speed of 30Mbps or more by 2020.  Furthermore, they want to give half of all the 220 million households in the region access to 100mbps broadband.  Denmark and the Netherlands are streets ahead the rest of us in Europe with high-speed links already available to about 80% of households.

Bagged an Apple bargain

As you know, we love technology here at Adodo, but perhaps not as much as Marco Boglione, an Italian Businessman who has just bought one of the first batch of Apple personal computers for £133,250 ($210,000).


The Apple I was bought over the phone at a Christies Auction by Mr. Boglione.  It came with its original packaging and a signed sales letter from Apple co-founder and current chief executive Steve Jobs. However, it was missing its keyboard, display and power supply.  One of only 200 ever made, the computer originally sold for $666.66 when it was introduced in 1976.


Marco’s brother, Francesco Boglione, was at the auction house on Tuesday, and said his brother had bid for the piece of technology history "because he loves computers". He added; that it was likely that the computer would be restored to working order before joining the collection.


The Apple I's processor works 1,000 times slower than today's Apple iPad and costs £132,821 more!! Mad or passionate, we are undecided about Mr. Boglione, but we take our hats off to you…

The First Data Protection Fines have been issued

Commissioner Christopher Graham was granted the authority to serve financial penalties for data protection breaches in April of this year. Now, Hertfordshire County Council and a private company based in Sheffield are among the first to be issued with fines.



The Council have been fined £100,000 for mistakenly faxing details of a child sex abuse case to a member of the public. A4e was fined £60,000 for accidently losing an unencrypted laptop with the details of thousands of people.


Mr Graham admitted the theft of the laptop was "less shocking" than the council's security breaches but added: "These first monetary penalties send a strong message to all organisations handling personal information - get it wrong and you do substantial harm to individuals and the reputation of your business. You could also be fined up to half a million pounds."


Both organisations have issued statements apologising for their mistakes and offering explanations as to why they failings occurred.

4G Airwaves Auction set for 2012

Ofcom's chief executive Ed Richards has laid out the new timetable for the rollout of next-generation mobile services in the UK, at the FT World Telecoms Conference.



The first half of 2012 will see the airwaves that enable 4G networks being auctioned off to mobile operators. The original auction was earmarked for 2009 but was delayed because of legal action by mobile firms such as O2 and Vodafone.


The auction will see two chunks of the spectrum sold off - the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands. Due to the digital TV switchover, the 800MHz slice has been freed up, which allows mobile signals to travel over greater distances, making it invaluable in the search to find ways of bringing broadband to rural areas.


Due to the litigation last year we are slightly behind other countries in offering services. Germany, for example, auctioned off its digital dividend spectrum and others are planning to do so very soon.

Quote for the Week!

"If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it You just do it one step at a time."

Marian Wright Edelman

Top 5 mobiles (19th November 2010)

1. Apple iPhone 4 16GB

Released June 2010

In short: A phone you will both love and hate; most of the main disadvantages are simply passed from one generation to the next but - whatever iPhone you’re coming from - the Number 4 will tick most of your boxes. Upgraders will be used to the shortcomings, and unbiased observers will have less points to complain against.

2. Nokia N8
Released Oct 2010
In Short: The N8 is neither impressively slim, nor delicately crafted. Just the opposite actually – it’s a solid tool, a little rough perhaps, but sturdy and reliable.

 3. Blackberry Torch
Released August 2010
In Short: RIM always put the business user first and the BlackBerry Torch 9800 is no different, it is the usual impressively built gadget, the ultimate email machine. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is meant to appeal to the average Joe while making sure the typical corporate user receives the usual high quality service.

 4. HTC Desire HD
Released Oct 2010
In short: The innovative fast boot, the complete connectivity set and solid multimedia capabilities round off a great package. HTC might just have a natural bestseller on their hands.

  5. HTC Wildfire
Released May 2010
In short: The right phone for those who like to always stay in touch. The high-end connectivity is all there, along with solid social network integration and browsing. It seems the display and CPU are the only downgrades from the Desire.

 For more information on any of the phones above, including direct comparisons between them all, please call 0800 092 1471

source: gsmarena.com

Britain’s Broadband Blackspots and BT’s response

Brigg, Ancaster, and Grantham are all listed as broadband blackspots in research conducted by broadband comparison website Top10. All three areas in Lincolnshire expect to receive less than 2Mbps. Farningham in Kent was labelled as the worst broadband blackspot in Britain.



For the last few months, BT has been running a project which expires at the end of December to identify the country’s demand for fast broadband. More than 200,000 votes have already been cast across the UK highlighting the areas of greatest demand as BT begins its roll-out of fibre-optic technology.


Caxton in Cambridgeshire and Malvern in Worcestershire will be among the first to benefit from a "vote for fibre" scheme launched by BT as they are the first to have registered more than 1,000 votes. Despite being first though, the two may not be upgraded until early 2012, BT has stated.


The list insinuates a north/south speed divide in broadband blackspots with Farningham and the market town of Holsworthy in Devon the only locations south of London that are on a list.


The government has pledged to offer every home a minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps by 2015, three years later than the date promised by Labour.

Quote for the Week!

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

John F. Kennedy

Planned BT Engineering Works

BTWholesale is carrying out Planned Engineering Works (PEW) on their 21CN platform to increase capacity and resilience which will allow for more edge routers to be connected to the network.

This planned work will result in an outage of up to 6 hours. To minimise the impact on our customers the work will be carried out between Midnight to 6AM.

All broadband end users who are connected will have their service terminated and reconnected on to the Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS) when the PEW begins.
The Target date for the planned works at Stepney Green is 23rd November.





We apologise for any inconvience caused.



The Adodo Live Team

Lest we forget

Remembrance Day 2010

Texting Health Risk

A new health warning has been released this week claiming that teenagers who excessively send text messages off their mobile phones are more likely to drink, smoke and have sex.

The study was produced by Dr Scott Frank, a physician and public health expert at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He surveyed about 4,000 high school students, aged 13 to 18, at 20 local schools on their texting and social media habits. Almost 20% were classified as ‘hyper-texters’, meaning that they send more than 120 text messages on a school day.


The results of the study suggested that taking into account lifestyle factors and income, ‘hyper-texters’ were more likely than other students to have smoked, drunk alcohol, used drugs and had sex.


Similar findings were reported for the one in 10 teenagers who fell into the category of hyper-networking - spending more than three hours of a school day on social networking websites.

Lifetime award for the first laptop designer

British designer, Bill Moggridge, has been given a lifetime achievement award by the Duke of Edinburgh. He topped a list of famous nominees, including fashion designer Dame Viviene Westwood and the creator of the London 2012 Aquatics Centre.



In the early 1980’s Mr. Moggridge designed The Grid Compass computer which is widely credited as the fore-runner for the modern laptop. The machine went on sale in 1982 and had its own operating system called Grid-OS. It’s price meant that its market was limited to specialist buyers such as the US government.


In the same decade, it was used on the space shuttle, offering the astronauts a navigational programme when they were out of reach of earth-bound navigation tools.


Whilst Mr. Moggridge was “astonished” to have received the award, the jury felt his work had been central to how design helped people understand and use technology.


The Prince Philip Designers Prize is Britain's longest-running design award, and was set up by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1959 to encourage entrepreneurship. It is awarded annually to recognise a lifetime contribution to design.

Quote for the Week!

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”

Arnold Bennett

Check in and Check out using your mobile

The Clarion Hotel Stockholm in Sweden is currently running a trial to test a concept that’s been banging about for a while in other parts of the world: using your mobile phone as your room key in a hotel. Using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, the hotel can register your own mobile phone as the item that unlocks your room.

Almost everyone uses some form of smartcard these days, its very rare that you are actually handed a physical key. We either use cards that you slot into a reader, or cards that you simply hold up in front of the scanner to open your door, it is the latter that is being replaced.


The technology allows customers to check-in on-line or over mobile phone, and be sent the “room key” directly to their phone. Thus, customers can by-pass the front desk on arrival and go straight to their rooms. At the end of their stay, guests can repeat the process by checking out with their phone, taking away the need for any human contact.

Get a grip over UK travel congestion

So far, this year’s strikes have affected the trains, the London Underground and air travel, but looking at figures out on the 3rd November, car travel is not a great option either.



According to the figures, Wednesday is the worst day for traffic jams with roads more congested in Britain than any other day of the week. Compared to other European countries we do not perform well either, with UK drivers spending more time in traffic then drivers in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Holland.


The index from traffic information company INRIX, also found that whilst Wednesday was found to be the worst overall for congestion, Monday is the worst for morning congestion. In fact, the worst commuting hour for drivers is 8am to 9am on Mondays, with Friday having the worst evening traffic. The worst traffic bottleneck is a section of the M5 heading towards the M6 at Birmingham, where on a Friday, between 5pm and 6pm, the average speed is only 8mph.


Manchester drivers suffer from jams the most, spending an average of 72 hours a year stuck in traffic, the research suggests.


Work is a core component of a healthy life, but so is a work-life balance. Whatever day you travel on, or whether you are from the North or the South, East or West, there is now technology available that can help staff achieve just that.


Talk to Adodo to find out how 0800 092 1471

Top 5 Mobiles (3rd November 2010)

1. Apple iPhone 4 16GB

Released June 2010

"A phone you will both love and hate; most of the main disadvantages are simply passed from one generation to the next but - whatever iPhone you’re coming from - the Number 4 will tick most of your boxes. Upgraders will be used to the shortcomings, and unbiased observers will have less points to complain against."

2. Nokia N8
Released Oct 2010


"The N8 is neither impressively slim, nor delicately crafted. Just the opposite actually – it’s a solid tool, a little rough perhaps, but sturdy and reliable."

3. HTC Desire HD
Released Oct 2010


Awaiting review

4. Blackberry Torch
Released August 2010


"RIM always put the business user first and the BlackBerry Torch 9800 is no different, it is the usual impressively built gadget, the ultimate email machine. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is meant to appeal to the average Joe while making sure the typical corporate user receives the usual high quality service."

5. Samsung 19000 Galaxy S
Released June 2010


"The Samsung I9000 Galaxy S looks and feels quite sturdy. The general ergonomics are perfectly fine. Some users might find it awkward to handle a screen this size, but you know what you are signing up for right from the start. And the screen quality is worth all the fuss, take our word."

For more information on any of the phones above, including direct comparisons between them all, please call 0800 092 1471

source: gsmarena.com

The Top 5 Mobile Manufacturers

During October, according to industry analysts IDC, the mobile phone market grew 14.6%. Inevitably, smartphones are playing an ever-increasing role in the rise of the mobile market, infact, their estimated market share is expected to grow by over 50% by the end of the year.



There are now two smartphone-only companies in the top 5 phone manufacturers list, as Apple joins RIM with the highest growth rates in the last year. Despite a little trouble following its launch, the iPhone 4 phones have been flying off the shelves, allowing Apple to outsell both BlackBerry and Sony Ericsson phones. Samsung, which is holding the second place, has shipped more phones than ever before in its history. This is in no small part due to the Galaxy S phones and also the Samsung Wave.


LG is holding the third place despite falling shipment numbers and declining profits. They are undergoing a CEO change this quarter. However, in a change of fortune, Sony Ericsson, which has been in the Top 5 for quite a while, dropped off the list. Still on top is the highly experienced Nokia, with their smartphone shipments rising by over 60%.

Wi-Fi on the Underground

BT has announced wi-fi trials at Charing Cross underground station, as they make moves to get mobile phones working on the tube.



It’s a six month trial that will see connectivity introduced to the ticket hall and the Bakerloo and Northern Line platforms. The City of London already has 95% wi-fi coverage.


The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has pledged to make London a huge wi-fi hotspot in time for the 2012 Olympics. Dubbed ‘Project Wi-Fi’, more than half of London’s local councils have signed up to the scheme. The plans include seeing lamp posts and bus stops wi-fi enabled.

A Milestone in Mobile Communications at 17,000ft

Nepalese telecoms firm Ncell, has launched the world’s highest internet service on Mount Everest.  Climbers can now surf the internet and make video calls through a 3G network says TeliaSonera, the Swedish broadband provider, which owns Ncell.

The company has installed eight 3G base stations along the route to Everest base camp.  It is thought that the wireless network will help the thousands of tourists who visit Mount Everest every year. To date, climbers and trekkers have had to rely on satellite phones and a voice-only mobile network.

At present less than one third of Nepal's population have access to telecommunication services.  TeliaSonera have also announced that they will be investing more than $100m (£63m) in the next year to improve mobile coverage in the country.

The World's New Supercomputer

China's Tianhe-1A (Milky Way) has knocked America's XT5 Jaguar off the world’s Supercomputer top spot.

The Jaguar, based at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee can only carry out a mere 1.75 petaflops per second. Each petaflop is the equivalent of 1,000 trillion calculations per second. In comparison the Milky Way is capable of carrying out more than 2.5 thousand trillion calculations a second, making it 47% faster.


To reach such high speeds the machine draws on more than 7,000 graphics processors and 14,000 Intel chips. The machine houses its processors in more than 100 fridge-sized cabinets and together these weigh more than 155 tonnes.


The claim to be the fastest machine on the planet has been ratified by the Top 500 Organisation which maintains a list of the most powerful machines.

Quote for the Week!

“Life can either be accepted or changed.  If it is not accepted, it must be changed.  If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.”

Unknown