Local initiatives provide 18 exchanges with broadband

Eighteen more exchanges have been equipped with broadband, following joint initiatives involving BT and local organisations and authorities. The ActNow scheme, which has been very successful in bringing ADSL to areas of Cornwall that might otherwise have been excluded, has announced that the following seven exchanges will be ready for service on 17 December: Callington, Callingford, Lostwithiel, Mevagissey, St Day, St Just and Three Waters. Elsewhere, partnerships between Regional Development Agencies and BT have led to 11 exchanges in Wales and Leicestershire getting the go-ahead. ...more

Vodafone Live! reaches one million

Vodafone meets one million subscriber target, claiming the 'most successful mobile data service ever launched in Europe'. Vodafone's Live! service has hit the one million mark, ahead of its 31 March deadline, with more than 375,000 subcribers in Germany, 190,000 in Italy and 220,000 in the UK. Sir Christopher Gent, Chief Executive, Vodafone, said: 'To have launched Vodafone live! as a global service and to have reached one million customers in just over five months is a tremendous achievement for the group. ...more

Alta Vista abandons free Net access

The UK venture never got off the ground, it was eventually revealed, and now Alta Vista has terminated its free US Internet access service. The ending of the service follows the downfall of 1stUp.com - another ISP that collaborated with Alta Vista to provide it with custom (1stUp. ...more

HP and Compaq - the internal wrangles continue

HP workers are against the acquisition of Compaq according to a recent poll... ...more

Airbus jumps on board Microsoft's antitrust cause

Airbus has confirmed that it is backing Microsoft's appeal against the recent European Union anti-trust ruling. The Wall Street Journal reports that the aeroplane manufacturer believes that 'it could one day be forced to allow makers of galleys and seats other than its choice to outfit its new plane'. The EU's ruling forces Microsoft to open its Windows operating system to rival software makers in addition to imposing a €97mn fine. ...more