« ADSL and broadband internet connectivity »

Posted 14/03/2000 4:17pm by Tim Richardson

The Register Guide to Flat Fee ISPs

Confused about which ISPs are offering all-you-can-eat Net access in Britain? Then gorge yourself on The Register's guide to unmetered / flat-fee ISPs.

If we've missed any out, please send the details to Tim Richardson and we'll sort it out.

AltaVista
-- announced March 2000 that it was to offer unmetered access to the Net. Alleged to cost £30 to join plus a £10-a -year renewal fee. Service won't be launched until early summer 2000. Yet to announce telco provider.

I'll copy the full details in a day or so, but the bottom line is a maximum of 500,000 subscribers, taking about 60,000 a month on a first come, first served basic.

AOL
-- subscription-based die-hards, AOL has the most to lose unless unmetered access becomes widespread in Britain. In September 1999 cut the cost of dial-up daytime Net access to just 1p a minute in a move to establish the service as something for the whole family. Charges £9.99 a month subscription. Free trial currently being advertised offers ten hours subscription and toll-free access. Failed to introduce unmetered access despite trialling different 0800 packages last year.

Rolled out ADSL last year statement and fighting fronts in Europe. REALLY angry with BT over their inflexible grip on the local looop. These guys want unmetered access more than even you, believe me!

Breathe
-- announced March 2000, will swap a one-off payment of £50 for unmetered access to the Net. Service swings into action on Monday 3rd April in partnership with Toys R' US and the radio station, Kiss FM.

Never heard of it! More when I've had a mooch - Paul.
Follow this link to the BBC news report on it.
"The UK internet service providers, Breathe and LineOne, have joined the race to grab customers by offering free web access. For a one-off set-up fee of £50 ($80), Breathe is promising internet connection for life, free from subscription fees and call charges..."

July 2000 update
They pulled the plug on the offer - because people are abusing it by staying on 24/7 - like they paid for. And boot off 500 people. According to a statement :-

"When we said unmetered we didn't mean that people could leave their PCs on seven days a week, 24 hours a day," he says. "I guess we have to be clearer on communication. There is a spirit to this agreement and it is quite plain that six hours a day is a maximum."

Full story is at: ZDNET

BT Internet
-- offers unmetered access to the Net weekends and weekday evening for £9.99 a month.

Apparently "evening" ends at 12 midnight. They must be scared of all this folk logging on at 4 in the morning for a quick surf before work... Part of BT - nuff said...
AND, he adds with a certain level of exasperation in his voice after chatting to them, apparently they don't support domains (ie www.ackadia.com), have no support for Frontpage™ or CGI extensions and the gentleman I spoke to didn't have a clue why 0800 reverts to local rate on the stroke of midnight. Daytime (12midnight!!! - 6pm) calls are at local rates. Obviously, unlike Telewest and AOL, BT can't afford to offer daytime access at 1p / minute.

Here's some additional blurb from their site...
* Get FREE Cyber Patrol from BT Internet
* BT Internet annual accounts come with unlimited e-mail addresses
* Join us and you get a massive 2GB of Web space - annual accounts only

The last bit is nice, mind. IF I could get ADSL I could back up my data to their server.
Anyway, if your tempted to register call them on 0800 800 001

All in all unless you need 2Gb of server space I'd say they have nothing of value to offer and to vote with your feet.
*Blows raspberry* at BT and reaches for the phone to dial Telewest...
AND REGRETS IT!!! Telewest wear stetsons, IMHO!

REALLY REALLY ANNOYED AT ALL TELCO's NOW!
I waited all this time while those ( ) running BT put off and put off and put off unmetered access and finally went over to Telewest who LIED OUTRIGHT about the availability of it's own unmetered offering. Then, after I sighed a one year contract with said westerner BT say, OK, yes you can have it. Pha! A pox on the lot of them!

Back with avengeance!

I am so happy to be back with BT, for all I call them!
Basically, Telewest have explained the "misunderstanding" about saying I could have their Internet package - which they can't offer it, nor give a date - and I was able to void the contract without penalties.

They really weren't happy about it and I had to threaten to sue them at one point, put in the end they agreed. They had it on there system, confirming my order of the Internet package, and repeatedly offering to send it out, but not.
Anyway, all cleared up and I'm well rid, I think.


June 2000
Think I'll turn this into a soap, it would be more believable. I've ranted a lot about this on my NEWS sections, but these buggers take the biscuit.   If they really wanted to other unmetered access, they could do it at the drop of a hat...

That simple. Agree to offer it, a tiny tiny tiny change to the network amounting to literally minutes of real work (years of internal politics doesn't count) and it's done, access to an ISP OF YOUR CHOICE for £20 a month all in. Problem is, as ever, they feel the need to tie you into THEIR network. Had it up the "here" with the lot of them - and the sissy government for allowing it and the British public for being soft enough to put up with the beggers...

[ www.callnet0800.net ] CallNet 0800
-- claims to offer 24/7 "no catch" access to the Net, but launch late last year was dogged with problems. ISP began accepting new customers in February 2000. CallNet 0800 users have to fork out £19.99 for a CallNet Telecom dialler, which automatically routes all phone calls via CallNet's network. This cost is offset with £20 worth of free phone calls.

Been there, done that, told 'em to get stuffed. This was "the real thing" free, gratis, nada. Please give us your credit card details to subscribe. Free is free (the dialler cost is a new thing), so when they asked for card details...

And, of course, they joined the rush to start charging for the service (for which you kindly gave them your card details in advance)...

CallNet scraps unmetered access

Claranet
-- two dial-up tariffs for consideration. For £6.99, Net calls are charged at 1p a day or night. Also offers offpeak access to the Net for £49.99 a month -- but this is looking very expensive now. This offer could be under review following recent announcements.

Not been over for a while, I'll have to see... The below is correct at 21.3.2000

Enjoy unlimited off-peak Internet access with ClaraNET. All you will pay is an all-in monthly fee of £49.99, covering both your Internet access and all your off-peak Internet calls.
Freetime Unlimited comes with:

• Unlimited evening and weekend Internet calls
• Unlimited Internet access
• Unlimited e-mail addresses (anything@username.clara.co.uk)
• 50Mb Webspace
• Unrestricted newsgroup coverage
• 24 hour technical support at local call rates
• To qualify for this account you must have a BT phone line.

Eve SHAM Micros
Not an ISP, but if you're in the market for a new PC, these (were) a respectable company, with a turnover in excess of £60 million a year to boot.
I'm out of the trade game now, but I think I still have an account manager there!

In there current advertising (April 2000) they offer "UNCONDITIONAL free Internet access

AND IT'S A LIE

Call a shovel a shovel I say
I have copies of all the relevent advertising and was helping a number of people - including my Aunty - take them to task. The adverts promise free, no holds, unconditional 0800 access IF YOU BUY A COMPUTER WITH them.
THIS IS A LIE. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE...
And the truth is this, they offer you an account with one of CallNet0800's divisions - and refuse to honour it unless you give them credit card details - in advance - for monthly billing.
I can't put my disgust in words for this once reputable company
THIS IS THE TRUTH, is essence they give you Callnet0800's number and tell you to open an account with them. This deal isn't exclusive to EveSHAM, it open to anyone that bothers to contact Callnet / F1Racing etc.
When you pull them up about it they - like Telewest below - just fob you off or say, just send the system back. That's not the point, they have made an offer they had no intention of offering
Expect some bad press shortly - 'cos I like my Aunty and I'm REALLY annoyed at them over this. She however, like other people I recommended them too, has gone ballistic...

At BT's "offer" - which you can't actually have - that would be a saving of £420 a year.
Actually, I could buy one, sell it second hand at a profit and keep the 0800 access. Nice!
Or I could if it wasn't a confidence trick...

Excite

According to Reuters   Excite are looking At Flat-Rate UK Net Access -
Follow that link to an apology!   :   "We're sorry, but this story is not currently available."

That was then, this is now.
Teaming up with 'The Free Internet Group' the service will cost £50 for the first year and £20 thereafter. Due to network restrictions, the contract declares that access to high-bandwidth servers - notably games and MP3 sites - wil result in termination of membership. On the upside, it does support single ISDN at 64kb/s.
Out of interest, did you know BT ownes 50% of Excite UK...

[ www.freedomi.com ] Freedomi
Promised 0800 last year, we're still waiting...

Freeserve (now Wanadoo)
-- announced in March 2000 that it is to offer flat-fee access to the Net. Users can either pay £6.99 a month to receive off-peak unmetered access to the Net courtesy of BT's SurfTime package. This will be available in May. Alternatively, users who spend more than £10 a month routing their voice calls via Energis will receive unmetered 24/7 access to the Net. Registration to the service is restricted to 10,000 people a week. Only on offer to existing Freeserve users initially.

Shall have to see, but as BT's offer isn't cast in stone, expect setbacks - those B's are slippier than any eel, even if they do manage to shift the blame to Oftel as often as not.

Again subject to the whims of said monopoly, Freeserve will also be offering 24/7 ADSL.

As a current update, subject to them upgrading there services, they are currently taking 10,000 subscribers a months as part of the BT Surftime thing. You pay BT £20 and they £10 and you get 24/7 Internet access.

[ www.greatxscape.com ] GreatXscape
-- limited toll-free Net access but users have to switch telcos to TelNet. Retail partners include Beaverbrooks, Allsports and Kookai. Service launched in August 1999.

Can't remember, I'll have to go see.

IC 24
Another free ISP offering free calls at certain times "Every Sunday between 9.00am and 5.00pm until the end of the year (1990) you can surf the net FREE. You don't need to change your phone number or sign a contract just follow the simple instructions "here" (dead link)

The offer is still open - perhaps it will be expanded.. I'll have to have a look.

LineOne (now Tiscali)
-- teamed up with discount telco, Quip! to provide 24/7 access to the Net. Full 24/7 offer announced March 2000. Users have to spend £20 on a dialler but need only make £5 worth of telephone calls to get 24/7 toll-free access. Users also get discounted national and international voice calls. Limited toll-free access using the same combined telephony/Internet access first offered in December 1999 ahead of the official launch in January 2000.

Shall have to see. I have an account this these (and many others) but I don't use it much.

I make no choices as I've not followed it through yet, but:-

Just what you've been waiting for....
* no more Internet phone bills
* no more monthly subscription fee
* no more usage charge
[ www.lineone.net ] LineOne.net

July 200
Lineone too are a casualty of the "begger this, we can't afford it, pull the plug crowd...
Now Tiscali

ntl
-- the cable company won the backing of PM Tony Blair when it announced the launch of its unmetered package in March 2000. The service will be available to ntl and BT customers throughout Britain from 17 April. Users will be able to access the service via their PC and, later this year, via their TV. The service is toll free and subscription free. Outside ntl's areas, users have to make a one-off £10 payment for a telephone adapter and must spend at least £10 a month on non-Net voice calls to get toll-free 24/7 access.

Can't say I've looked much, apart from their CableModem roll-out which started in Guildford last year. Selfish, but I'm not in their catchment area...

[ www.plusnet.net ] Plusnet
One of the few ISP's bothering with BT's Surftime offer.

The deal is - for BT customers - you pay BT £19.99 a month and these guys another £9.99 and you get Internet access all day, every day for the price (24/7).

Naturally, all mod cons are included - unlimited e-mail, CGI access, reporting tools.   ADSL to follow, subject to the whims of BT.

[ www.redhotant.co.uk ] Red Hot Ant
, Don't bother!

Users pay a one-off joining fee of £30.00 and then an annual renewable fee of between £20 to £60 for unmetered 24/7 Net access, BUT, accordingly to reports I've read, if you are "abusing" it by actually connecting for too long :
"..then watch out, we will catch up with you and terminate your account," they say.

Screaming Net
-- one of the first, if not the first, to exploit the telephony/Internet model of offering unmetered access to the Net. To take advantage of off-peak unmetered access users must switch telcos to LocalTel. Users also get discount of some calls. It has yet to respond to 24/7 Net access packages but since it has just been acquired by World Online, expect things to happen. Service launched in May 1999.
The deal costs £14.95 a month if your interested.

Originally sponsored by Tempo, but I believe that soured after a feature or so on Watchdog was rather less than complimentary. By all accounts they have their house in order now. I must admit I was VERY interested when it was offered, but I passed for three solid reasons.

• Firstly I had a business line and their deal with BT, rules, whatever, precluded me.
• Secondly, a very highly placed contact in BT assured me ADSL really would go live this September (1999) after the previously releases (going back to 1997) slipped. Oh how we laughed when it was put back to September 2000 - maybe. Not!
• Lastly, and far more worryingly was when I asked about their "QOS policy"* - and no-one had a clue what I was talking about!

* Quality of Service. This is a term commonly used by ISP's to cover cover modem-user ratios, uptimes and a host of other things. And at the time, as I reported way back when, they didn't have a clue!

Can't say I've followed them much since then.

Strayduck - A Telinco company
Another free ISP. Works along the lines of 0800 access for one week in three, racking up access time in the other two weeks. Press reports at the time seemed to like it!

I used them for a while until a Windows crash did something queer and I lost all the hours I'd racked up the previous fortnight. I was so miffed I've not been back since.

SupaNet
-- this subsidiary of Time Computers is recruiting 1,000 people to take part in a 24/7 unmetered access trial. Announced in March 2000, it will pay £10 to everyone talking part.

To quote Sir James Goldsmith:   "If you see a bandwagon, it's too late."

Duh, 1,000 places, 20 million people who would sell their gran to get this. Call me cynical, but I think their current champion would say "That's illogical, Jim"
Unless, that is, this is a publicity thing, in which case the cost is peanuts, a tiny tiny fraction of the millions they spend on advertising every year - and guaranteed to generate countless page hits.

21.3.2000
Let's reinforce the last statement. The website locks you into the site, you can only exit by closing your browser. Am I cynical? And you wonder why! Tell me I'm wrong...   Nuff said.

Telewest
-- the UK's number two cable operator offers unlimited Net access from just £10 per month. Unlike ntl, only available to Telewest customers. Users have to spend £10 a month on phone calls to qualify. Called SurfUnlimited, operated through the ISP 'Cable Internet' (BlueYonder now).
ONLY IT'S NOT AVAILABLE, HAS'NT BEEN SINCE SINCE MARCH - AND HAVE NO DATE FOR IT, EVERY ONE GIVEN HAVING SLIPPED...

They also begin their Cable Modem roll-out this month (see below) and I'm in the catchment area :-) - BUT THAT'S NOT AVAILABLE EITHER
Unlike my present provider (BT) who WON'T even guarantee which YEAR our exchange will be upgraded. ((Update - perhaps September for the Northwest area))
The really daft thing is this town is supposed to have one of the most modern exchanges in the country, due in part to large companies like Pilkington Glass, though I'm told the roll-out is based on ther level of interest..


Apparently Telewest CEO Tony Illsley said the February launch of this unmetered dial-up internet access package had led to a doubling of its internet customer base*
(* In just over two weeks!).

I spoke to one of their managers today (30.03.2000) and, due to the level of interest, they are having to limit new subscriptions to 50,000 per month - per catchment area. A few months of this, coupled with the other cable companies MIGHT wake up BT enough to realise it's REMAINING customers have had enough. It will be too late by then, I think.

Remembers a £34,000 bill just for the installation of 3 T1's
Goes through long list of constant delays, setbacks and outrageous prices in head

Finally *Blows Raspberry* at BT and reaches for the phone to transfer account to Telewest...

Call Telewest on 0500 500 100 or speak to their Outbound Telesales Team on 01942 746 052

To any BT direcors (and shareholders!!!) wandering past, I haven't jumped ship to Telewest because I *want* as much the fact you are too big, too slow and far, far to arrogant to listen to your customers. Unruly children indeed!

OW I'M REALLY ANNOYED

I REALLY REALLY HATE BEING LIED TO AND CONNED BY TELCO'S
I made SEVERAL prior calls, including to managers at Telewest and everyone single one - every one - said I could be connected, with 0800 internet, on the 18th April. At every day, when the software never arrived, I'd call again - and be fobbed off. Oh it's a computer fault, it's in the post. Till I actually cancelled my BT line and signed the contract with them, then it was a different story

No-one would return my calls and I was finally told by head office that I couldn't actually have Internet access with them until the 20th of May. BT all over again. I WILL be seeking legal advice to claim the difference back. I believe Telewest will owe me £460 by then - unless I connect in the day at £0.03 a minute...

*SPITS*

COWBOYS!

Back with avengeance!
I am so happy to be back with BT, for all I call them!
Basically, Telewest have explained the "misunderstanding" about saying I could have their Internet package - which they can't offer it, nor give a date - and I was able to void the contract without penalties.

They really weren't happy about it and I had to threaten to sue them at one point, put in the end they agreed. They had in on there system, confirming availability of the Internet package, and repeatedly othering to send it out, but not.
Anyway, all cleared up and I'm well rid, I think.

[ www.tiny-online.net ] Tiny Online
Another one that appears set of swallowing BT's bait? Anyway, due for launch next month £30 gets you 24/7 access and a tenner should get you unmetered access off-peak. Odds suggest they follow Evesham Micros (see above) and offer it bundled with some of their PC lines.

TINY'S UNMETERED INTERNET ACCESS MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE
It's just a shame that Tiny doesn't know it yet.
Go read the article!!!

Tiny's Unmetered Internet Access Makes First Appearance
23 March - DN Wire -- It's just a shame that Tiny doesn't know it yet.

Yesterday Tiny announced it will be introducing full, unlimited and unmetered Internet access, all day, every day for a monthly fee of less than £30.

Sound too good to be true? It does to Tiny Online's technical support line, which charges callers 50p per minute for receiving concise and accurate information.

A senior member of staff claimed that he "was not aware of this at all. As far as we're aware he'd have been notified."

The scheme is due to roll out in a week, which doesn't leave much time for Colin Greene, Tiny Online's General Manager, to update his staff.

Once up and running, all of Tiny Online's 400,000 subscribers will be able to use the scheme and there will be no bar on new subscribers. There will be no advertising tied in to make revenue (and irritate users), and the service will be available across the whole UK. Feedback and comments to Hugh Poynton

U-Net

I've included these not because they offer anything (though they are finally following ADSL) but because they DON'T. Generally, I'm ascerbic enough to say if they aren't planning for the eventuality on unmetered access, it's their downfall. However, I've been with them for years and I'm a bit miffed at the options I face.

• Either I dump an otherwise excellent ISP
• Or I pay for two ISP's, which is silly.

Let's see what the market dictates.
I'd just as soon go home to Canada and have done but that not possible at the moment :-(

Virgin
I believe Virgin are about to launch an unmetered service shortly. Details to follow.

The X-Stream Network
Update June 2000
I believe their service may have been upgraded. I'm still having a horrible time connecting but a few people have told be they are gettting through regularly now.

-- launched an 0800 trial early 1999. In January 2000 decided to extend trial "indefinitely". ISP admitted that service has been bogged down with too many users. ®

Update 21th April 2,000
The service is a joke! You can't get through for an engaged tone. This has been true every night for the last month. I'm not buying it that there are THAT many other insomniacs in this poxy country desperate to avoid BT's stranglehold monopoly charges...

"Bogged down" loosely translates to:
  If you set the alarm for 3am ever night for a month you MIGHT get a slot...
In the past month I've tried to connect on the 0800 number, often at ungodly hours in the morning (a curse of having a body clock set to Western Pacific!). To be honest mind, I tend to get fed up after 10 or 20 minutes of trying: at the end of the day I'd rather pay those vultures at BT than waste time like that. In all this time - and well over a thousand attempts at every possible hour of the day, I've only got though once - and that at 3am

All I can say is it is a complete and utter waste of time and energy.
IF they were genuine about the 0800 access then, after all this time, they would have substantially, or even partially updated the network. As this does not appear to be the same, my personal feeling is that it is a tacky marketing stunt to get money out of advertisers

Zoom
enters the free net fray...
One off charge of £10 (refundable as a clothes voucher) and agreement to spend £20 a month on their site. Can't be bad - £5 a month for unmetered access (Reading this BT?) - and you get kit for the price. I believe sponsors / advertisers are largely clothes related - Top Shop, Evans etc. Can't hurt to look - as I will later tonight...

We shall see. BBC coverage: Zoom enters the free net fray...

[ www.08004u.co.uk ] 0800 4u
Not sure if these are still trading. I covered them November 20th, last year but I seem to remember something going sour. I'll have to check.

[ www.0800freedom.com ] 0800 Freedom
I don't even remember registering for this one! Here's what popped up in my in-box:

Thank you for waiting for our TRULY FREE Internet service to go live. All we ask is for a little more patience and that you save your money by resisting other ISPs who offer supposedly free access for just a little bit longer, our offer will be much better. We have been busy developing the site to give you the very best in content and services and we're nearly there. We'll be contacting you over the next few weeks about our live date, so thanks once again for being the first users in the UK to experience TRULY FREE Internet - we're worth the wait!

[ www.24-7freecall.com ] 24-7Freecall
-- recently launched 24/7 unmetered access trial. Costs £24.70 a month. No other details available.

? Better go see! Whatever happened to FreedomI?

Actually, after visiting these guys, I do remember them. No details today, but when they originally announced the offer they was something to the effect the anyone paying a year up front would get it back when the floated on the stock exchange. I'm following up on these now. The offers priced OK, I guess

[ www.4unet.co.uk ] 4unet
-- different branding of CallNet0800 operated by mobile phone entrepreneur John Caudwell.

? Better go see!

Don't like the site. That's as far as I'm going!

Couldn't resist copying the comments from the NTK crew to the bottom of the page :-)

Ooh ooh! Free Net access from everybody! What could *possibly* be the catch? Well, since we're now bored of being gung-ho about the imminent Net revolution (see our slightly embarassing gushing over CallNet0800 earlier this year, and almost every newspaper this week), we're now collecting TANSTAAFLs on the next bound in Britain's leap into the Net swamp. So far, we've spotted that:

• a) Altavista cut you off after five minutes of inactivity (which rather limits the "always on" feature that makes this such a good idea,
• b) NTL won't let you stay on for more than two hours (see (a)), and
• c) BT Net, in preparation for seeing their entire network fall over from the demand, are now using private address spaces for their dial-ins, creating all kinds of freaky problems when you try and use non-Web services. Did we mention the complete lack of business plans for all of these until BT finally relents on holding the local loop? Or have we said that before?

The Register Guide to ADSL in Britain

Britain's march towards broadband services is gathering pace. Up and down the country different service providers and their guinea pigs are trialling Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology before rolling out the services commercially later this year.

ADSL provides super fast Net access that's always on and charged at a fixed price. Many Net users assume that, with speeds 20 times faster than conventional modems, ADSL will bring an end to the world wide wait - and herald a new age of amazing multimedia services.

But, so far, trials have been delayed due to "technical glitches" and some installations have been put on hold. What's more, there's continued scepticism among some ISPs that contention ratios are too high, which could slow services down to a crawl. And although few will admit it publicly, the relationship between BT and some of the service providers has not always been wholly amicable.

That aside, by the end of March 2000, BT will - it says - have installed ADSL kit in 400 of its exchanges across Britain and kitted out a further 100 by summer 2000. Combined, this investment in ADSL technology will cover 35 per cent of Britain's population, enabling 8.5 million homes and businesses to join the broadband revolution.

The exchanges upgraded to handle ADSL include: Aylesbury, Birmingham, Belfast, Cambridge, Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Newcastle, although many more are earmarked to be upgraded. During summer 2000 BT plans to provide additional exchanges up and down the country.

So what's on offer?
BT, the monster telco, is providing ADSL as a wholesale service from its own exchanges - well, at least until the local loop is unbundled in July 2001. Until then it is up to service providers to offer the service to consumers and businesses using BT's ADSL services. Final pricings for these services have yet to be released. The four core products on offer are:

BT DataStream
Aimed at service providers and other operators who want to develop their own IP transport services over BT's core ATM network. It is suitable for ISPs with at least 150 users.

BT IPStream
Aimed at service providers who want to provide access to their content and applications. Unlike BT DataStream, it includes the IP layer. It carries no end user restrictions.

BT Highway
Essentially the same as BT IPStream, but allows organisations to connect remote workers or satellite offices to the Corporate Intranet.

BT VideoStream
Aimed at service providers who want to deliver high volume, mass-market video-based interactive applications on demand to the TV.

Although some 30 service providers are currently trialling ADSL - or have signalled their interest to trial the technology - two thirds of them have asked not to be named. Listed below are just some of those currently experimenting with ADSL. The list isn't comprehensive or complete, but it does give an indication about what's happening among providers.


If you represent a service provider and fancy being included in the list - or would like to update your entry - please send the details to Tim Richardson, here at The Register and we'll sort it out.

The ADSL players -- well, some of them at least

AOL UK
Trialling ADSL among employees but hoping to extend this to customers "imminently". Had hoped to offer ADSL services sooner but claims the timetable has slipped somewhat. Most likely to offer DataStream product. Hopes to launch full service late summer/early autumn 2000. Looking to engage in partnerships with other content providers, but to be honest, content is one thing AOL isn't short of. No pricing information available yet.

Hint. AOL users in America, Canada (and I think parts of Europe) have had broadband access to the giant ISP for some time - Who ya gonna blame? Blasted Telecom.

BT ADSL   See also:   BT Broadband
Plans to offer business ADSL services by the end of June 2000 swiftly followed by a retail option. The business service will be more fully featured with different speeds to the home service, which is initially fixed at 512Kbps. The business service will be available at speeds of up to 2Mbps, which is up to 40 times faster than current modems. No price announcements as yet.

MMmmm.
Get that gag...
MMMmmm Mmm MMMMmmm
OK, OK, I won't say it! (Paul), But
Mmmm mmmm

Concentric
Has 50 places available on its business trial and 25 on its domestic trial. The trials are free to users, although the company expects prices for the product to start form £50 a month once it becomes available commercially. Plans to offer service from 1 July 2000. Claims its parent company's expertise in DSL (Concentric has 20 per cent of DSL SME market in the US) puts it at an advantage. Currently working on a number of content deals.

Not visited them in a while, but from memory, home users needed bother asking as Concentric are heavily business orientated.

Demon Internet
Servicing 500 users as part of BT's ADSL trials although not all are up and running yet. The trial is extensive and taking place in 13 towns and cites throughout the UK. Demon is offering IPStream for home users or Datastream for business users. The trial is being offered at 2Mbps downstream and 256Kbps upstream. The trial reportedly started January 2000 and was expected to go on until March 2000, although it seems this now well behind schedule. Triallists pay £35 a month (plus VAT) during the trial. Demon said that upon completion of the trial, it will offer participants three months service free of charge.

I'd love to try the service but, from a personal point of view, I can't stand Demon as whenever I've had to sort problems (for other business users) I've found their support team is less than helpful, to say the least.
(Paul).

See also The Register - Delays mar Demon ADSL trials
"Demon's trial of BT's ADSL service is suffering severe delays due to cancelled installations and faulty services.

Sources close to the trial claim that of the 500 people supposed to be hooked up to the trial, only ten per cent have so far been connected. Of the 50 kits installed, 17 don't work.

It's understood that at least one user has lost the use of his BT phone line completely - and standard BT engineers won't touch it because it's an ADSL line.

Last Friday BT cancelled all but one of the 30-something installations that were due for last Monday. Such a last minute change to scheduled installations appears to be a less-than-isolated incident.

Demon is reported to be holding back on arranging further BT installation appointments until it gets assurances from BT that it has the capacity to do so without cancelling them at the last minute."

Doh! Notwithstanding my thoughts on Demon, this appears to be further evidence of BT's incompetence and extreme lack of enthusiasm for ADSL. If they don't want to touch it, let others into their exchanges... What ho! Damage profits? Not bl**dy likely...
(Paul)

Freeserve
Officially launched its ADSL trial in February 2000 - three months later than scheduled. 150 people taking part in Manchester and London. Full service to be rolled out in summer 2000. Content providers include ITN, Virgin Records and @Jakarta, although others are in the pipeline. Trial price is £49.99 for 512Kbps access.

Hull-based telecoms firm Kingston Communications has been trialling ADSL in its home area.

Madasafish
This Scottish-based youth/lifestyle-oriented service has already received 800 applications even though there are only 100 places available on its trial. The company hopes to finalise the names of those taking part by the end of March 2000. Those who aren't picked may receive a blessing in disguise - the company is looking to charge £120-150 per month for the service, although a spokesman did say the fee was "open to negotiation".

Never 'eard of 'em!

Nildram
Buckinghamshire-based service provider starts taking online orders for ADSL from 1 April 2000, and telephone orders from 1 May, for installation during June 2000. No pricing information available.

One of the first ISP's in the country to show an interest in the technology. Deeply upset by the constant set-backs too, I can tell you!

.

[ Telewest ]
Better known as a cableco, currently involved in an ADSL trial in the Croydon area for businesses and consumers. The trial was launched in February 2000 and the cableco is looking at ADSL as a way to expand its customer base outside its franchise areas.

I have it on good authority they are playing with the technology in the Liverpool area too. (Paul).

See also The Register - Telewest has bandwidth 'coming out of its ears'
"Blueyonder is set to offer unmetered access to broadband services from £50 a month including a host of multimedia services such as live video, online betting and video advertising. Nice."

Telewest CE Tony Illsley said: "Blueyonder today is what a lot of us thought the Internet would be until we tried it.

A spokesman for Telewest said Blueyonder would not suffer the same network problems that have plagued SurfUnlimited.   "It's on a completely different network," he said, "and we've got bandwidth coming out of our ears." ®


See also BBC news   Highlights include:

The firm is launching its broadband service, called Blueyonder for £50 a month, starting in homes its cables pass in the south-east of England.

Selling points:

• Always connected - like a TV
• Download times cut by 90% (512kb/s download, 128kb/s upload)
• Better quality video
• Video e-mails
• Live traffic reports
• No waiting for pages to load
• Digital broadband, with connection speeds 10 times faster than existing internet use, will be competing head on with ADSL, which vastly expands the capabilities of copper telephone wires.
• Both services promise always-on connections to the internet and, among other things, allow phone calls to be made while users are online.

Drawbacks:

• Cost: £600 per year
• Limited availability
• Extremely limited broadband content

UUNet (Now under MCI)
Trialling BT's Datastream product, looking specifically to target the business sector. Trial will continue during Q2 and Q3 2000. Aiming to roll out product for business users Q4 2000. No pricing information available as yet.

Videonetwork
With a fully commercial offering already in operation, VideoNetworks is in a unique position in that it is not trialling the ADSL service. Instead, it will be one of the few service providers to offer ADSL once the kit is installed and ready to go. The reason for its apparent keenness is that it's been working on the technology and service for the last eight years. Prices for its video-on-demand service range between £5.99 and £12.99. Internet access costs have yet to be released. Installation costs £40 but the set top box is free. ®

Virgin
Virgin have trialled ADSL for a year or so now and are about to annouce details of their ADSL service.