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Be to launch 'bonded' 40Mb next month
13 Jan 2010 | 14.22 Europe/London
Be broadband is to launch an up to 40Mb ‘bonded’ ADSL2+ service next month.
The ISP is claiming that uploads speeds should increase to up to 5Mb but is warning that February’s unveiling of the new service will be a soft launch. Bonding two lines together, it warns, may have teething issues, although the service has performed well in trials. Hence, Be is restricting the initial roll out to customers already on its Pro tariff - which offers an up to 24Mb service with a 2.5Mb uplink and static IP address for £22 per month.
However, according to the ISP’s Head of Operations, Tom Williams, the service will be available on any part of the Be network, which currently covers around 70% of BT lines.
£70 to £75 per month?
In a blog announcement yesterday, Williams cautioned that although the eventual price of a bonded connection has yet to be fixed, “it won’t be cheap”.
“It’s taking quite a lot of overhead and resource to bring the product out which is reflected in the price,” he revealed.
“We think the connection fee will be around £85 and the discounted cost for existing members around £50-55 per month. At the moment, you’ll need to order a second BT line of course too.”
So, the eventual service will probably be price around the £70 to £75 per month mark. Williams claims this compares well with other providers and that when fully rolled out it will be a robust service that will not only boost speeds but, being bonded, if one line fails, the other can be fallen back on.
Further details will be made available on launch next month but Be customers can register interest in the new service online in the meantime.
The ISP is claiming that uploads speeds should increase to up to 5Mb but is warning that February’s unveiling of the new service will be a soft launch. Bonding two lines together, it warns, may have teething issues, although the service has performed well in trials. Hence, Be is restricting the initial roll out to customers already on its Pro tariff - which offers an up to 24Mb service with a 2.5Mb uplink and static IP address for £22 per month.
However, according to the ISP’s Head of Operations, Tom Williams, the service will be available on any part of the Be network, which currently covers around 70% of BT lines.
£70 to £75 per month?
In a blog announcement yesterday, Williams cautioned that although the eventual price of a bonded connection has yet to be fixed, “it won’t be cheap”.
“It’s taking quite a lot of overhead and resource to bring the product out which is reflected in the price,” he revealed.
“We think the connection fee will be around £85 and the discounted cost for existing members around £50-55 per month. At the moment, you’ll need to order a second BT line of course too.”
So, the eventual service will probably be price around the £70 to £75 per month mark. Williams claims this compares well with other providers and that when fully rolled out it will be a robust service that will not only boost speeds but, being bonded, if one line fails, the other can be fallen back on.
Further details will be made available on launch next month but Be customers can register interest in the new service online in the meantime.
I admire BE (and others) for making this move, but I despair when ISPs in this day and age have to resort to bonding obsolete copper pairs and customers being charged for two lines when all it needs is fibre. Openretch are certainly milking the cash cow to exhaustion. Contention issues will still remain even with bonded lines. It is about time somebody pulled the wool from the government's eyes. They are so used to spin they don't even see it when the telcos and ofcom dish it out. The BET solution is no solution. Rural areas will be next to get fobbed off with this technology. Just watch. Poor old narrowband slow lane us. Korea subsidised by far sighted government to get 1000 meg for a tenner a month, and we are settling for this crap? (mind you there are millions in rural UK who would kill for 40 meg right now, they are still on dial up)
It wouldn't be so bad if people knew the truth, but the Prime minister doesn't even know he is making us a laughing stock with his talk of Next Gen Access and promising us the earth, when all we are really promised is up to 2meg USC (when possible). Why can't he tell the truth? This country is bankrupt and we are resorting to bonding copper pairs.
13 Jan 2010 | 15.55 Europe/London