A free speed upgrade to 20mbps for BT's broadband customers
suggests that communications minister Stephen Carter's plans for a
universal service running at one-tenth the speed are
unambitious.
BT announced today that following successful trials of ADSL 2+
technology, 4.8 million retail customers will enjoy a free upgrade
from the present maximum download speed of 8mbps to 20mbps, with
upload speeds rising to 1mbps, for £7.78 a month. Business
customers will receive the boost immediately.
BT's main competitor, Virgin Media, which uses a different
technology, is already upgrading its minimum broadband speed to
10mbps and testing 200mbps technologies.
Based on its
21st Century Network (21CN) platform, BT's upgrade will be
available initially from 549 telephone exchanges that serve more
than 10 million (40%) of the UK's homes and businesses. BT plans to
extend coverage to 55% by March 2010 subject to customer
demand.
BT said that a main cause of slow broadband is customers' home
wiring. BT will offer a broadband accelerator that eliminates
electrical interference from telephone extension wiring, improving
broadband speeds and reliability. The devices will be free to
consumers and businesses that are likely to benefit.
As a result, more customers with marginal broadband speeds will
exceed the
2mbps threshold required by Lord Carter, BT said. However it
has asked the government for financial guarantees to roll out
broadband to rural areas.
In a separate move, BT Retail will begin trials of 40mbps
fibre-based broadband in Whitchurch, South Wales, and Muswell Hill,
London, this summer. Openreach is already delivering speeds of up
to 100mbps to customers in the Ebbsfleet Valley in Kent, using
fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) technology.