Read a book with your laptop thrumming. It can feel like trying to read in the middle of a party where everyone is shouting

BT and TalkTalk were this week refused the right to appeal after their challenge to the Digital Economy Act was thrown out earlier this year.

Telecoms giant BT today announced it is to step up the roll-out of its superfast broadband, making it available to an additional one million homes and businesses by the end of next year.

Orange has been named as the worst-performing network for mobile broadband in the UK in a study commissioned by the telecoms watchdog.

BT has teamed up with Orange's parent, Everything Everywhere, to carry out the first live trials of next-generation mobile broadband in Britain.

MPs today piled pressure on telecoms regulator Ofcom to expand superfast mobile broadband to 98% of the UK.

BT posted a bumper 71 per cent boost in profits and slashed its pensions deficit during its past financial year, although the group did not predict a return to growth until 2013.

Telecoms group BT reported a 71% rise in profits today after more than £1 billion of cost savings helped it overcome a 4% drop in revenues.