BT Is First European To Back ADSL-Lite
Total Telecom
By Phil Jones
10-FEB-98
British Telecom is the first European company to join the Universal ADSL Working Group, the body formed last month by US operators and leading PC industry players to help kick-start broadband services for consumers. BT's involvement in the Group, should help ensure that the extension of digital subscriber line standards to accommodate a splitterless or "lite" low-end capability, will not be entirely dictated by the demands of US market conditions.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿ The formation of the UAWG was announced at ComNet in Washington where Microsoft, Intel and Compaq joined with four of the five regional Bell operating companies and GTE and pledged to develop a standard and deliver products before the end of this year. Although observers say the group's timescale is overly ambitious, most agree that an ADSL version which does not require special equipment to be installed at the customer premises will lead to mass take up of ADSL, possibly as early as 1999.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿ BT clearly want's to be among the early providers of a high-speed to the home service, although it's endorsement of UAWG now sees it involved in several potentially overlapping projects. In November BT announced plans to trial Home Highway, a hybrid ISDN/PSTN service offering upto to 128 kbps, and reiterated plans to commence another major trial of full-rate ADSL services.
ÿÿÿÿÿÿ Rupert Gavin, managing director of BT's Consumer Division, confirmed that these trials will go ahead, and that DSL-Lite would also have a part to play in the company's future planning. "The greater flexibility and ease of installation offered by DSL Lite should make it an exciting addition to our range of interactive, higher bandwidth services. The BT Home Highway product will be launched, as previously announced, during the course of this year, and our ADSL trial is in its early stages."
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