PC help: Can I get cable ADSL?

Q I use NTL for my phone and television, as well as internet access. Why can’t I change ISP? All other ISPs seem to require the user to have a BT line. Surely there’s another way for cable subscribers?
William Whittaker

A Sadly, there isn’t. The problem is caused by the differing networks of cables and wires ISPs use to deliver a broadband service.

NTL and Telewest (now merged as Virgin Media) built a network of fibre optic cables around the UK, which terminate in small cabinets in streets where the network is available. A high-quality copper line then runs from the cabinet to homes that subscribe to cable services.

ADSL services, on the other hand, are generally provided using BT’s national network, with the main fibre cables terminating in local telephone exchanges. By law, any company must be able to access a BT exchange and use a wholesale BT service or install its own broadband equipment there (because BT was once the state-owned telephone company).

Hoever, there is no such law affecting cable companies, and in any case it would be impractical for other providers to try and install equipment in Virgin Media’s cabinets. As a result, to get an ADSL service, you need a line connected to a BT exchange.

You can have both connections. Many homes have an unused BT connection, even if you can’t see a socket. In such cases, reactivation of a line is cheaper, although you will still have to pay line rental to the company that provides your telephone connection.

Different arrangements apply in Hull, as the city’s phone network is owned by a company called Kingston Communications, and is separate from BT.