BT Boosts

BT just love their customers - they love them so much they want to give them 20Mbit/s Broadband for nothing!

OK it’s not that simple - after such a long time BT customers are now being given the opportunity to upgrade to the 21CN network which will convert current Broadband to provide speeds up to 20Mbit/s.

However, although the wording has been keenly thought through, most homes and buildings currently getting Broadband through BT won’t really be experiencing much of a boost as download caps and throttling will remain at the same rates!

A Dig At Virgin

The main purpose of the boost seems to be a dig at Virgin Media who have both 20Mbit/s and 50Mbit/s services at much higher costs than BT’s services.

The upgrade was announced by BT’s CEO Gavin Patterson who highlighted the fact that the upgrade was free while other providers like to charge the Earth for their high speed services.

“Unlike other providers, BT is upgrading customers to 20Mb/s for free.� High-speed broadband provides a faster and more reliable service that will transform the way we live, work, learn and play.

“We are already the UK’s largest retailer of broadband and today’s announcement shows that we offer terrific value for money,” said Patterson.

ADSL2+ is set to reach around 10 million premises making up around 40 per cent of the BT network - BT are claiming that around 55 per cent of the BT network will be covered with ADSL2+ by March 2010.

The service has been trailed by around 60,000 customers.� In an attempt to promote the service, BT have announced that they will supply its “BT Broadband Accelerator” - the device is supposed to reduce line interference.

20, not 24…

BT had originally planned to deliver speeds up to 24Mbit/s, however according to BT’s website “we’ve found that only a tiny number of customers can actually get 24Mb”.

If existing customers want to benefit from the boost in speed then they will have to sign up to a new 12-month contract with the provider.

Broadband manager at MoneySupermarket.com, James Parker, has praised the move by BT, claiming that BT are continuing to remain committed to providing great service at reasonable prices.

“This is yet another indication of BT’s commitment to delivering faster broadband to millions of homes across the UK and, although not a cable product, it will go a long way to challenge Virgin Media’s increasing rollout,” said Parker.

“As Internet becomes a necessity and is increasingly turned to for entertainment, it is vital that the development and rollout of broadband keeps the pace.”

What do you think…

Are you impressed with BT’s announcement?� Do you think it’s a bit pointless?� Does the move attract you to join BT to fulfil your broadband needs?� Leave us a comment and let us know…