BT today announced a range of new wholesale ADSL products, services
and initiatives it will introduce this year which will extend the
geographical coverage of broadband and expand customer choice.
The main developments, as presented to service providers at BT
Wholesale's Broadband Customer Forum in London, will be:
- autumn trials of a new consumer 1Mbit/s ADSL broadband wholesale
service, with a view to launch by the end of the year
- extending the reach of ADSL broadband, so that even greater
numbers of people connected to upgraded exchanges can get the service
- trigger levels to be published by next Monday, March 31, on a new
batch of 102 exchanges where registered demand is high
- expanding trials of SDSL from the current 22 exchanges to 100,
with a view to launching the service commercially in August this year
Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale, said: "We are making
tremendous progress in broadband on all fronts. We now have more than
750,000 end users, an important milestone on the way to our target of
one million ADSL connections by summer this year.
"Today we are announcing new products in direct response to our
service provider customers' demands. We are also confirming plans to
bring even more people connected to upgraded exchanges within reach of
this fast, always on service from the summer.
"And in the background our innovative demand registration scheme
continues to help us bring broadband to new areas where there is proven
demand - putting a great deal of power directly in the hands of computer
users."
Registration scheme
Since the web-based registration scheme was launched by BT in summer
last year, more than 300,000 customers have recorded their interest in
getting ADSL broadband. So far 35 exchanges have been upgraded as a
direct result of the scheme, and a further 206 have hit the triggers set
and are now in the process of being upgraded by BT. By next Monday,
March 31, a new batch of 102 exchanges where demand has been strong will
have triggers published for the first time.
Extending the reach of ADSL
BT Wholesale is testing the provision of ADSL broadband services over
slightly greater distances from the exchange than at present. The
distance restriction on 512 k bit/s ADSL coverage comes about because of
the reduction in the strength of the signal carried due to electrical
resistance in the cables.
BT's research has now shown that a good quality service can still be
provided when relaxing the limits on this loss in signal strength from
55dB to 60dB. This is roughly equivalent to extending the reach of
broadband from 5.5km from an exchange to about 6km, bringing two thirds
of those customers (about 600,000 households) currently out of reach
into the coverage area. This will mean more than 97 per cent of those
connected to ADSL enabled exchanges will be within reach. The proposed
launch will be in June, subject to final trials.
BT is also considering the introduction of a simple fix that would
end the frustration experienced some people who cannot get broadband
because they are connected to their exchange via optical fibre, which
cannot support ADSL technology. The solution would use copper cables -
some existing, some new - to bypass the fibre. More details will be
published in April, working towards a planned launch in June.
New 256kbit/s and 1Mbit/s consumer services
In direct response to demand from its service provider customers, BT
Wholesale will trial two new consumer ADSL services in the autumn, with
the intention of launching them commercially by the end of the year.
The entry-level ADSL product will give 256kbit/s, and the premium
service 1Mbit/s. Prices and other details will be announced this summer.
SDSL trial and launch
The current trial of SDSL in 22 exchanges will be extended to 100
exchanges by May this year, and a commercial launch of the service is
scheduled for the summer. SDSL typically appeals to small and medium
sized businesses which need to both receive and transmit data at high
speeds.
Note to editors
The attached Appendix lists the 102 exchanges on which trigger levels
are to be set for the first time, to be published by March 31.
