What's happening with broadband

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Just as AOL announced a cut in their monthly broadband subscription to �27.99, (now the same as BT's 'no frills' service but with all that added AOL content), telecoms watchdog Oftel have announced that one million households have now subscribed to a broadband connection in the UK.

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Finally, it seems, this country is catching up with the high-speed Internet revolution - though it goes without saying that this has been a pretty low-speed operation so far! Some 20,000 households a week are signing up for broadband - that's already 25% more than BT hoped for when they launched new targets for broadband take-up in May.

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However, it's 20% fewer than they need if they're to meet their targets! While the number of broadband subscribers has grown threefold this year it still lags uncomfortably behind the rest of Europe. While 9% of UK households have a high speed connection, as many as 39% of German and 33% of Swedish households do.

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Why are we so far behind

It's an old argument and perhaps with this growing uptake one that can soon be put to bed. But many lay the blame on BT, who for a long time resisted price cuts that would make broadband viable for ordinary people. The involved process of upgrading local exchanges is also taking a long time. Broadband ADSL was launched as long ago as June 1999 but it's still available to no more than 66% of the UK population.

Can I get broadband where I live

Were you on the countryside march Then perhaps not... it's being rolled out in towns and cities first (no-one's suggesting this is an anti-foxhunting plot by the government as far as we know). 1119 local exchanges have so far been adapted; to find out if your's is in or out, go to this BT site where you can also register your interest if your exchange is still unavailable. The more people in your area register, the quicker broadband will be introduced.

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So now BT are fully behind broadband

It's been identified by the company as a big revenue earner in the future as more and more of us rely on mobile phones for voice and txt communication. To get broadband you still need a landline connection.

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BT chief exec Ben Verwaayen promises to have one million broadband customers in the UK by next summer and five million by 2006. To that end they're in the middle of a �10million ad campaign. You'll have noticed popstar Jarvis Cocker and some unruly monsters on the telly, perhaps. Not to mention Nell McAndrew and Christine Hamilton.

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BT price their 'no frills' service at �27 a month. Then there's the imminant direct broadband service, BT Broadband, with a stack of big names mixed together from the high street and small screen, intended to push even more happy surfers towards a high-speed world. A total of 60 content partners are working with BT - from Bamber Gascoigne and Delia Smith to Blockbuster, FHM.com, AtTheRaces and Fox Kids.

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And BT's competitors
BT offer broadband but they, along with Kingston Communications, also supply the network infrastructure to other ISP's (Internet Service Providers) who can in turn sell on to the consumer: you.

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Different packages and different costs can be confusing. ISP giants Tiscali and Freeserve have recently dropped their prices. It all seems like quite a volatile market at the moment - shop around for the best deal. ADSLguide.org.uk (see below) lists most of the UK suppliers.

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Errr, just remind me. What exactly is broadband

It's a high speed, high bandwidth and, in theory, 'always on' connection to the Internet that allows you to surf up to ten times faster than with a regular phoneline connection. Downloads, webcasts, audio and video - all within reach, and no more going off to make a cup of tea while you're waiting for a page to download. The government says it is keen to get more and more of us using broadband.

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Having said that, BT are to charge users who really do keep the service 'always on' (more than 150 hours per month) which makes the Anytime brand a bit redundant!

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And how do I get it

To connect with the most common broadband technology, ADSL, you need the following: a BT phone Line (close to an ADSL enabled exchange), an ADSL modem or router, a micro-filter to adapt your phone socket, and an ISP. Luckily the ISP will help supply most of the other things.

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Links

• What is BT doing to push the expansion of broadband in the UK
• What does ADSL stand for
• What is BT Openworld

• Welcome to Broadband from BT
• ADSLguide.org.uk
  

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