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Telewest Broadband to launch
10Mb broadband service
Telewest Broadband to launch 10Mb
broadband service (11/08/05)
Telewest Broadband has today announced
plans to shake-up its blueyonder internet services - with the most significant
speed boosts seen yet - and outlined its capability to go much faster in the
future.
The cable company will roll-out speed upgrades from next month,
on a region-by-region basis and at no extra cost to existing or new customers.
Completion is scheduled for early next year, with the following tiers on offer:
blueyonder broadband
Currently
512Kbp/s (kilobits per second), the entry-level service will become 2Mbp/s
(megabits per second), for the same price of £17.99 per month
blueyonder broadband complete
The standard
1Mb service will become a super-fast 4Mbp/s service, still at £25 per
month
blueyonder broadband elite
The current 2Mb and 4Mb options will be replaced by a flagship 10Mb service,
costing only £35 per month
Upstream speeds will also be increased
to 256Kbp/s for the 2Mb service and to 384Kbp/s for the complete and elite
services.
All the tiers will remain free of usage limitations, following
research* showing consumers' confusion over bandwidth caps. The company
believes its unlimited policy continues to give customers peace of mind and the
ability to get the most out of rich media content.
Unlike faster
services touted by ADSL providers, where the maximum speed of internet access
is dictated by distance from a phone exchange, the new cable services will be
available to every home with access to the company's broadband-enabled
network.
Eric Tveter, president and chief operating officer of Telewest
Broadband, said: "There have been a few ISPs making a fuss about 2Mb services
recently, but that often represents the maximum speed they can offer at the
moment. We're making 2Mb our minimum speed and we'll also be offering a choice
of affordable 4Mb and 10Mb services for more demanding internet
users.
"What's more, our customers will be able to make full use of this
extra bandwidth because we won't be introducing caps and all the new speeds
will be available across the network. With blueyonder services you actually get
what you pay for."
Today's announcement is part of the cable company's
aggressive programme to maintain superiority over competitors. In 2006, with
the deployment of LLU (local loop unbundling), the general increase in internet
access speeds is likely to continue.
Telewest Broadband's advanced fibre
optic network is poised to respond rapidly to developing consumer demands and
competitive moves in the event of a speed-based arms race.
The
bandwidth upgrades planned for September will meet the requirements of most
consumers and the applications and content currently available online. But
plans are already in place to accommodate further speed increases beyond 10Mb
next year, should the market dictate. And with the advent of DOCSIS 3 or
ethernet to the home, cable services of up to 50Mbp/s could be possible in
2007.
Tveter added: "Cable is built for speed and, with the advent of
the digital home, we are capable of satisfying even the most bandwidth-hungry
family."
Telewest
Broadband |
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