Lost in the Apple Flood #3: UK Broadband Speeds

Ian Fogg | October 15, 2005, 06:15 AM

• PlusNet and Easynet announced that PlusNet will offer ADSL2+ services based on Easynet's DSL LLU infrastructure (in addition to their existing BT-Wholesale based products). ADSL2+ will deliver speeds of up to 20Mbps (perhaps even 24Mbps), provided that the copper line is good enough quality.
• BT Wholesale announced the next step in their 8Mbps 'line max' services. A beta trial will go live this autumn but commercial services will not be launched until Spring next year. Compared with most of Europe, this will be quite late.
• The UK telecoms adjudicator reported today that he was disappointed with the progress made in LLU. This is hardly news to any of the LLU ISPs, but will put additional pressure on the new BT Openreach division which is charged with delivering 'equivalent' access to the copper loop for all providers.

Bottom line: Broadband speeds are about to surge in the UK, but those speeds are taking longer to arrive as a mass market product than many would like. ISPs involved in LLU are suffering additional customer service costs due to the imperfect LLU process. Consumers will have more choice of broadband product in the future but also more potential for confusion.