07/04/2008 (www.ISPreview.co.uk) – The latest survey of 1000 ISPreview.co.uk readers, an independent UK information website covering Internet Service Providers, has revealed strong demand among consumers for faster broadband services capable of offering speeds up to and beyond 20Mbps. Nearly 80% of respondents felt that there was demand for such a service, with just 10.6% saying “no” and the rest remaining undecided.
The result suggests that ISP who fail to keep pace with the latest technologies risk being left behind as customers seek to migrate onto faster alternatives. Some 50.7% expect to upgrade their packages to 20Mbps+ when it becomes available, with 22.8% remaining undecided, 16.2% saying “no” and 10.3% using it already.
Mark Jackson, Editor-in-Chief of ISPreview.co.uk, said, “This news will be encouraging to those providers that have already adopted or intend to adopt ‘up to’ 20Mbps+ services in the near future. However, it is important we don’t forget that the vast majority of broadband services are ‘best efforts’ based, sharing limited bandwidth between many users.”
“Most existing ‘up to’ 8Mbps products have historically failed to deliver the headline rate to customers, frequently falling well below what they advertise. Likewise the problems of interference, line length and ISP side restrictions are unlikely to vanish as this latest generation of broadband emerges throughout 2008. We expect to see similar problems and even more consumer anger as the distance between what is advertised and what can be delivered continues to widen.”
BT will begin the first major phase of its nationwide Wholesale Broadband Connect (WBC) rollout this month, which uses ADSL2+ technology to deliver maximum speeds of ‘up to’ 24Mbps via supporting ISPs. 82 exchanges are expected to be live by 30th April 2008, reaching a total of 868 by 19th May next year. The slower paced rollout may at least give ISPs more time to adapt than they had with the previous 8Mbps generation.
“The industry should not let this latest speed boost cloud the debate over next-generation broadband services. Existing infrastructure has already shown its limitations with current services, and most of those receiving an ‘up to’ 24Mbps product will not be able to achieve even close to the headline rate. Indeed those living furthest from their exchange may see almost no appreciable difference,” concludes Jackson.
