Approximately 4 million people in the UK use ADSL with an extra 2 million using a cable connection, meaning 6 million people in the UK have an always-on internet connection. Of these over 1.7 million are subscribed to BT's broadband package, making them the UK's main broadband provider.
Back in August 2000 BT first launched its high-speed internet connection to customers. Initially only available to around one third of UK households and costing £500 a year it was the first step in many to Broadband Britain.
There are currently only 2 ways to connect to ADSL in the UK. Recently a technique called Local Loop Unbundling means you don't need to have a BT phone line, but at the moment only 1% of people on broadband in the UK use this method. The only other way to connect transforms an existing BT phone line into a high-speed digital line. This is only available with a BT phone line though, so even if you don't subscribe to BT's package your ISP still has to pay BT money to maintain and connect your line. Because of this BT has been able to dictate the availability of broadband in the UK for a few years now.
For fear that UK telecoms watchdog Ofcom would break-up the company because they held a monopoly by owning all the phone lines and means to connect to broadband, BT has agreed to offer rival companies access to the "Local Loop", which is the network of telephone lines around the country. By doing this BT could stand to lose many customers as other companies can offer their broadband directly and without having to pay BT expenses.
Since the introduction of ADSL in the UK many potential customers found their local exchanges were simply out of date and the lines too old to be able to handle this new technology. Campaigns run country-wide as BT will only upgrade exchanges if there is adequate interest. ADSL is still not available in many villages and more rural areas of Britain but BT is vastly expanding and upgrading its network to try and cover all the country, Broadband is currently available in more than 96.6% of all UK households.
BT's standard package is 2Mbps with a 1 GB monthly download limit. This means you can only download 1 GB's worth of content, be it WebPages, music or movies, a month. This is more than enough for typical WebPages, but excessive music downloads will result in your account being suspended or limited for the rest of the month. You can upgrade your broadband to a 15 GB monthly limit for a little extra a month. BT also offers Pay As You Go dialup and unlimited dialup contracts.
BT Broadband also offers a variety of packages and upgrades designed to suit every user. You can upgrade to a gaming account to play xbox and PS2 games online, you can setup parental filters for your children, and there's protection against spam, junk mail, pop-ups, virus's and online intruders.
One of the main reasons people will continue to signup to BT is its reliability. They have broken the mould of all ISPs having poor customer service and are incredibly helpful with setting up your connection.
BT are aiming to trail their 8Mbps connection soon, intending it to be in common use by the end of the year. BT's ultimate goal is making broadband available throughout the country, including rural areas.
About The Author:
Neil Shevlin is the owner of UK Cheap Broadband which is a great place to find broadband links, resources and articles.
For more information go to: UK Cheap Broadband
http://www.ukcheapbroadband © Copyright 2005
Please feel free to copy and paste this article and its resource information.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Peer to Peer (P2P) Technology- How it works:Ever wondered how... Read More
The State of Satellite Internet in 2005For those businesses unable... Read More
Consumers understand that when there is more competition in... Read More
Wanadoo 17.99 pounds 1 mbps service getting good reviews.Want a... Read More
The Whois protocol is an information service not unlike the... Read More
Of primary concern to all internet users is their actual... Read More
You've set up your Boingo account, you're hanging out at... Read More
Hospital's and the Medical Professionals associated with them across America... Read More
The coming age of general Broadband use bearing down upon... Read More
Well, the Internet access industry is starting to shake its... Read More
Dial up ISP service is the cheapest choice of any... Read More
Millions of hard-to-find books from five major libraries will soon... Read More
So you're sick and tired of AOL Instant Messenger. You're... Read More
Modern Mass Transit is making it easier for commuters, especially... Read More
The Internet, as most people know it, is history.It just... Read More
Choosing an internet ISP is often a rash and impulsive... Read More
Have you heard of the new Internet? It's called Internet... Read More
Securing your Windows Xp computer is done by achieving two... Read More
There are so many different webmail services on the internet,... Read More
You may have noticed the expansion of consciousness that has... Read More
Broadband is the name given to a high-speed Internet connection... Read More
One of the most controversial topics surrounding web hosting is... Read More
Thanks to the transfer technologies and governments spending on military... Read More
Ka Band VSAT* satellite internet technology has enormous possibilities for... Read More
Are you a dial-up user looking for a faster connection,... Read More
Internet service providers are becoming more and more present as... Read More
Every Internet provider today wants to make it sound like... Read More
Generally speaking, wireless computer connections are reliable. However, nothing is... Read More
Back in 1999 when we beta tested the first wireless... Read More
For anyone trying to get the cheapest internet available, there... Read More
To find the best broadband provider for you takes some... Read More
Recent companies have been advertising wifi hotspot locations that are... Read More
One of the common problems among internet users is testing... Read More
With high-speed Internet access becoming available in more and more... Read More
Recent companies have been advertising wifi hotspot locations that are... Read More
Telecommunication, according to Wikipedia, is the extension of communication over... Read More
You may have noticed the expansion of consciousness that has... Read More
DSL ? which stands for Digital Subscriber Line ? is... Read More
Back in 1999 when we beta tested the first wireless... Read More
One of the common problems among internet users is testing... Read More
Being on the road has its advantages; the freedom is... Read More
Okay, so you are finally tired of those slow dial-up... Read More
The wireless network in my house went haywire. It worked... Read More
Are you a dial-up user looking for a faster connection,... Read More
The State of Satellite Internet in 2005For those businesses unable... Read More
Are you ready to upgrade your residential service to DSL... Read More
Have you heard of the new Internet? It's called Internet... Read More
Millions of hard-to-find books from five major libraries will soon... Read More
So you're sick and tired of AOL Instant Messenger. You're... Read More
We were the first beta testers of a Mobile Command... Read More
One of the most controversial topics surrounding web hosting is... Read More
The revolution is just getting started and will be begin... Read More
Hospital's and the Medical Professionals associated with them across America... Read More
Well, the Internet access industry is starting to shake its... Read More
You've set up your Boingo account, you're hanging out at... Read More
Internet service providers are becoming more and more present as... Read More
There are two measured elements that determine your internet connection... Read More
Of primary concern to all internet users is their actual... Read More
Dial up ISP service is the cheapest choice of any... Read More
There are a number of options available for Business Class... Read More
Getting broadband services getting easy, but research still required.Broadband Internet... Read More
Defining broadband can get complicatedThere are many different takes on... Read More
The Internet Control Message Protocol communicates errors messages between systems... Read More
Modern Mass Transit is making it easier for commuters, especially... Read More
The Internet, as most people know it, is history.It just... Read More
Every Internet provider today wants to make it sound like... Read More
Broadband Internet |