Green light for 24Mbit DSL

Broadband links of up to 24Mbits/sec could be available within weeks, following a green light for next-generation ADSL2+ links.

The rollout will be speeded up as a result of ‘local loop unbundling’ – the opening of BT exchanges to rival service providers.

ADSL2+, which will render many current modems out of date, including those combined with routers, was expected to get regulatory approval shortly after we went to press. But an Ofcom spokesman said that even if there was a delay over details it would be a short one.

ADSL2+ uses a wider bandwidth and more efficient modulation to push more data down phones lines originally designed for voice.

Freedom2surf (F2S) says it will offer the service at 14 exchanges as soon as it gets an expected go-ahead from Ofcom – and that 240 exchanges, serving 50 per cent of the UK population, will be enabled by the end of the year.

That does not mean all these people will be able to get 24Mbits/sec links. The range of ADSL2+ is greater than that of ADSL, but data rates with both technologies drop off with range.

Chris Panayis, managing director of F2S, said users within 1.5km of an exchange can expect speeds of between 10Mbits/sec and 24Mbits/sec. ‘But all users should see an increase of speed compared with what they can get with ADSL,’ he said.

F2S is reselling bandwidth provided by Easynet equipment installed at BT local exchanges and is one of several service providers likely to be offering ADSL2+.

Panayis could not give a price for the new services because he did not yet know how much Easynet will be charging. But pricing will almost certainly be along the lines of existing F2S services, for which you pay less if you accept a cap on peak-time usage.

F2S has just launched an 8Mbits/sec service with prices starting at £14.99 with a 2GB-a-month cap – though there is no limit on off-peak downloads.

This follows an industry trend towards charging by volume rather than speed, reflecting the way providers themselves are charged and discouraging promiscuous P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing.

But Panayis says that few users actually exceed the cap with everyday use and for services like video on demand, which become far more viable with the increased speeds, the bandwidth charges may be absorbed into the price of watching the film.

A start-up called Be is also offering a 24Mbits/sec service and you can expect other providers to follow suit.

Useful links:

www.freedom2surf.net
www.bethere.co.uk