BT to boost broadband speeds

BT will boost broadband speeds for consumers over the months as it upgrades 549 exchanges to ADSL 2+.

The internet service provider (ISP) said the upgrade to its 21CN platform will increase service speeds from the current 'up to' 8Mbits/sec to 'up to' 20Mbits/sec. Around 40 per cent of the UK will be upgraded this summer and BT said it plans to reach 55 per cent of customers by March 2010.

The ISP said it is also going to increase upload speeds to up to 1Mbits/sec. Although the upgrade will be free, realistically few people will be able to get near to the full 20Mbits/sec headline speed. According to Thinkbroadband, the reality is that the majority of people will only see an incremental change.

Andrew Ferguson, co-founder of the independent broadband advice site, said: “Around 42 per cent of lines using ADSL2+ will connect at 9.5Mbits/sec or faster and more than three quarters (78 per cent) at 5Mbits/sec or faster. The speed increase is often just an incremental change rather than the headline-grabbing figures given.”

Karine Samaha, BT general manager, Home and Mobile Broadband, agreed, but said in theory people’s speeds should increase proportionately.

“It does depend on how far you live from your local exchange and the wiring in your home. But people will see an increase, for example, from 2Mbits/sec to around 4Mbits/sec.

BT also said that it would be handing out free BT Broadband Accelerators that eliminate electrical interference from telephone extension wiring. This can improve broadband speeds and reliability. The only cost will be £2.50 for postage and packing.

Gavin Patterson, chief executive officer, BT Retail, said: "We believe the true value of broadband is in helping customers enjoy the exciting new services that it makes possible. In line with the Government’s Digital Britain review, we will be making higher speeds more widely available."

However, existing customers will have to sign up for a further 12-month contract to get the upgrade and BT’s fair usage policy, which could throttle speeds for some customers will remain in place, as will download caps for the cheapest two packages of 10GB and 20GB.

In a separate move, BT Retail will begin the first trials of up to 40Mbits/sec super-fast fibre-based broadband in Whitchurch, South Wales, and Muswell Hill, London, this summer. Openreach is already delivering speeds of up to 100Mbits/sec to customers in the Ebbsfleet Valley in Kent, using fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology.