(4 March 2006 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: British Telecom (BT) confirmed the launch of new higher speed wholesale broadband services across the UK, which will maximise the stable line rates available on individual lines up to 8Mbit/s.

Following successful trials, BT confirmed that the BT ADSL Max and BT ADSL Max Premium broadband services will be launched on a national basis from 31 March this year. More than 5300 exchanges are being upgraded to support higher speed broadband, with these exchanges serving more than 99.6 per cent of UK homes and businesses.

This development will allow people to obtain line rates of up to 8Mbit/s, enabling them to get more out of their broadband connection. The ADSL broadband speed that can be supported on an individual line is governed by a wide range of physical factors.

BT estimates that 78 per cent of BT phone lines should support broadband at line rates of 4Mbit/s and above, with 6Mbit/s and above available to more than 42 per cent. For those living or working close to their local telephone exchange, line rates of up to the maximum 8Mbit/s should be achievable.

In upgrading more than 5300 exchanges across the UK to support higher speed broadband services, BT is creating the largest geographic footprint possible for higher speed broadband.

This furthers BT’s commitment to making broadband available to everybody, in towns, cities and rural areas. UK service providers will have the option to provide higher speed broadband services to their customers almost wherever they happen to live or work.

BT Wholesale chief executive Paul Reynolds said, “Thanks to BT’s continued investment in the broadband network, the UK now boasts the highest level of broadband availability in the G8. We’re now building on those efforts in becoming the first operator in the UK to commit to a national service which is capable of broadband speeds of up to 8Mbit/s.”

“Our approach in getting the most out of ADSL technology means we get higher speeds to a national footprint as quickly as possible – making sure the opportunities are not just restricted to the urban centres, nor those service providers who operate their own networks. It also provides service providers with the biggest potential market for applications and services demanding higher speeds,” he added.

In addition to faster speeds, BT has deployed new technology to better manage the line stability and customer experience. Higher speed and more reliable broadband services will help ensure that people can run more bandwidth hungry applications, including video, gaming and music downloads at the same time, as well as email and surfing the web. By enhancing broadband throughput, BT ADSL Max will also provide users with greater quality of service for streamed content delivered over broadband, such as video downloads.

The ADSL broadband speed that can be supported on an individual line is dependent on a range of factors, including the length and gauge of the line from the exchange, the number and quality of joints, electromagnetic noise from other lines in a cable or wiring within a customer’s premises, and the modems used.

While the faster broadband speeds will be available to service providers for new orders from 31 March, it will take several months to regrade the total existing end user customer base that service providers wish to be regraded to ADSL Max services. Plans relating to bulk regrades to Max services are being discussed with service providers on an ongoing basis.

BT’s line checker at www.bt.com/broadband is being updated to show the expected speeds available for individual lines. This will be available for all exchanges upgraded for the ADSL Max products from 31 March, with those exchanges involved in the trials already showing the expected speeds possible.