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2005

THUS tests next wave of super-fast broadband with aims for national roll-out in autumn 2005

THUS plc today confirmed that it will be working alongside BT Wholesale to trial an 8Mbps ADSL broadband service in the UK.  As one of the leading national telcos, THUS is playing a major part in shaping the future of ADSL by undertaking pilot tests with selected Demon business and consumer subscribers in Greater London and Strathclyde.  THUS will commence testing in April 2005 with an aim to deliver a full range of 8Mbps broadband products to residential, home workers and business users by the end of the year.  

After calls from the public and small businesses for quicker broadband that accommodates bandwidth intensive multi-media technologies such as TV over Internet (IP TV) and Internet video conferencing, THUS is running trials, in conjunction with BT, to ensure that high-speed broadband is delivered smoothly when officially launched later in 2005.  The pilot will support maximum broadband speeds of up to 8Mbps, however speeds received by users will depend on a variety of factors including the distance the subscriber is from a local exchange and the quality of the user’s line.  The trial will also determine whether individual line speeds can be accurately predicted in advance of provisioning so that when signing up to a service, users can be told what speed they can expect to receive. 

Nigel Stevens, product director at THUS, said: “THUS is committed to developing next generation broadband services to meet our customers’ requirements.  By trialling 8Mbps broadband, THUS continues to follow in its tradition as an innovator of Internet services – being the first ISP to trial ADSL services in 2000 and provisioning the first 500 broadband users in the UK under the Demon Internet brand.  Most homes currently have a maximum broadband connection speed of 1Mbps, however once subscribers can connect to more than 2Mbps it opens up a whole new world of possibilities, allowing users to download and stream applications with rich media content.”

Target customers for super-fast broadband will include residential users wanting the additional speed to allow multiple users within the home.  Home workers will also benefit from near office LAN speeds and will be well positioned to deploy new technologies such as video conferencing and VoIP from even the smallest office.  Businesses that have outgrown 2Mbps broadband can also increase speeds to allow for rich media messaging, video conferencing and extra users.  Pricing for 8Mbps ADSL is expected to be similar to current broadband services, with proportional incremental charges for the faster speeds.

“By playing an integral role in trialling 8Mbps ADSL we can ensure that we deliver a fully functional high-speed service ready for roll-out later in 2005.  Conducting trials will also enable THUS to continue to provide broadband services to its customers,” concluded Stevens.