AOL Broadband

The Carphone Warehouse announced that it would purchase the UK business of AOL on 10 October 2006 for £370m,{{cite news | url= http://media.aol.co.uk/ukpress_view.cfm?release_num=55254646 | title= Carphone Warehouse to acquire Time Warner's AOL Internet access business in the UK for £370 million | work= AOL UK Press Release | date= 2006-10-11 | access-date= 2006-10-27 | archive-date= 2021-01-19 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210119023851/http://media.aol.co.uk/ukpress_view.cfm?release_num=55254646 | url-status= dead }}{{cite news | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6039740.stm | title= Carphone Warehouse buying AOL UK |work=BBC News | date= 2006-10-11 | access-date=2006-10-11}}{{Cite web|title=Why did Carphone Warehouse buy AOL UK's "access" business!?|url=https://techcrunch.com/2006/10/12/why-did-carphone-warehouse-buy-aol-uks-access-business/|access-date=2021-09-11|website=TechCrunch|date=12 October 2006|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Press {{!}}|first=Associated|date=2007-01-02|title=Carphone Warehouse completes acquisition of AOL U.K. business|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/01/02/carphone-warehouse-completes-acquisition-of-aol-u-k-business/|access-date=2021-09-11|website=The Mercury News|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Carphone Warehouse buys AOL UK internet-access business for £370m|url=https://hexus.net/business/news/telcos/6989-carphone-warehouse-buys-aol-uk-internet-access-business-370m/|access-date=2021-09-11|website=HEXUS|date=12 October 2006 }}{{Cite news|title=AOL broadband customers face dilemma after Talk Talk takeover|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/aol-broadband-customers-face-dilemma-after-talk-talk-takeover-gssvnpd3qvk|access-date=2021-09-11|issn=0140-0460}} making it the third largest broadband provider, with over 2 million customers, and the largest LLU Operator with more than 150,000 LLU customers.{{cite news | url= http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/i/2842.html | title= State of the nation – Local Loop Unbundling | work= thinkbroadband.com | date=2006-10-26 | access-date=2006-10-28}}The exact figure for LLU customers is not in the public domain, hence 150,000 is the estimated minimum. {{cite news | url= http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/i/2813.html | title= Carphone Warehouse with 421,000 live broadband users | work= thinkbroadband.com | date=2006-10-26 | access-date=2006-10-31}}

The acquisition process completed on 9 December 2006. A press release stated that AOL UK Audience business will remain a separate organization and brand with a revenue sharing agreement. The AOL UK Access business (broadband) was changed to AOL Broadband. The deal included an agreement to continue customers access to the AOL portal content.[http://www.aolbroadband.co.uk/pages/productPages/acquisition/aboutUs.jsp Learn about AOL Broadband - The Broadband Experts] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209052653/http://www.aolbroadband.co.uk/pages/productPages/acquisition/aboutUs.jsp |date=February 9, 2010 }} AOL Broadband

AOL began consulting on job cuts in 2006. The Times reported that the company expected to cut a total of 500 UK jobs by Christmas.{{cite news | url= http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9076-2400252.html | title= AOL staff cuts follow its sale to Carphone Warehouse

|work=The Times | date=2006-10-12 | access-date=2006-11-03| location=London| first=Elizabeth| last=Judge}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In line with legal requirements, AOL UK (now AOL Broadband) notified the DTI that redundancies are planned. The Press Gazette stated "The company has informed the DTI that it is possible that it will make more than 100 redundancies".{{cite news | url= http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/article/011106/aol_strike_threat | title= Journalists fear cuts at AOL | work= The Press Gazette | date=2006-11-01 | access-date=2006-11-07}}{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

On 1 November 2006, it was made public that Karen Thompson, AOL UK CEO and President AOL Europe, had resigned and had been succeeded by Carlo d'Asaro Biondo (previously CEO of AOL France). Thompson was part of the team responsible for launching AOL UK in 1996.{{cite news | url= https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/01/aol_europe_new_president | title= AOL Europe gets new head | work= The Register | date=2006-11-01 | access-date=2006-11-01}}

It was made public on 14 December 2006 that Carlo d'Asaro Biondo had resigned after six weeks in his new role. Philip Rowley (the chairman of AOL Europe) has taken over on a temporary basis. The Guardian states: the management turmoil has put the European operation in "freefall" and created a "massive vacuum", according to one AOL insider. The same article estimates that 5,000 AOL jobs are to go worldwide (25% of staff) with a significant number from AOL UK.{{cite news | url= http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1972196,00.html | title= AOL Europe loses another chief |work=The Guardian | date=2006-12-14 | access-date=2006-12-15| location=London| first=Mark| last=Sweney}}

In January 2007 AOL UK was rebranded as AOL Broadband.

In an early press statement, The Carphone Warehouse stated they had "no plans to change the service in any way at all," but, since January, all those who used P2P applications heavily had their downstream bandwidth limited to 50 kbit/s during peak times (18:00–24:00, Sunday to Thursday).{{cite web | title = How will I know if I exceed what is deemed acceptable usage? | publisher = AOL UK | url = http://help.aol.co.uk/how-will-i-know-if-i/article/20070129060009990011?n=collection&p=At%20what%20usage%20level%20would%20the%20fair%20use%20policy%20be%20applied?%20help_portal&c=help_portal | access-date = 2007-04-20 }}{{dead link|date=September 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

During the third quarter of 2007, AOL Broadband caused a stir by offering a free laptop computer (and eventually a free PlayStation 3) to all new customers signing up for a 24-month contract with its AOL Broadband Wireless Plus broadband package.

Services are provided by TalkTalk Group under the AOL Broadband brand.{{cite web|url=http://help.aol.co.uk/help_uk/documentLink.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=28044 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419121407/http://help.aol.co.uk/help_uk/documentLink.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=28044 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-19 |title=AOL Broadband Agreement |date=2013 |publisher=TalkTalk Group |access-date=9 March 2013 }}

In April 2013 AOL Broadband was 'rated worst for broadband problems' by Which? Magazine.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.which.co.uk/technology/broadband/aol-rated-worst-for-broadband-problems|title=AOL rated worst for broadband problems|date=2013|publisher=Which?|access-date=14 April 2013|archive-date=14 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614052831/http://blogs.which.co.uk/technology/broadband/aol-rated-worst-for-broadband-problems/|url-status=dead}}

By April 2014, AOL Broadband was no longer available for new customers. Potential new customers are directed to the TalkTalk website for broadband packages.{{Cite web|url=http://aolbroadband.co.uk/ |title=AOL Broadband |date=2014-05-16 |access-date=2016-09-03 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516222345/http://aolbroadband.co.uk/ |archive-date=2014-05-16 }}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20100208214000/http://www.aolbroadband.co.uk:80/}}

{{Telecommunications industry in the United Kingdom}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aol Broadband}}

Category:TalkTalk Group

Category:Former internet service providers of the United Kingdom

Category:AOL