Topic: Good news for would-be BB users

[Clive]

http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?196082

[Clive]

BT announced on Monday that a further 20 local exchanges have been added to its broadband rollout programme after hitting their pre-registration trigger levels.

ADSL should be available from each of the local exchanges by the end of May at the latest. In each case, sufficient local residents registered interest in getting broadband -- via BT's registration scheme -- to persuade the telco that it was commercially viable to upgrade the local exchange

Three exchanges -- Brixworth, Goole, and Sleaford -- have been given an activation date of 7 May.

Newtown, New Mills, Halstead, Thirsk, Alresford, Liphook, Horsely Fields and Galashiels should all be activated by 14 May.

North Shore, Totnes, Wargrave, Oakham, Headley Down, Southwell, Tavistock and Irvine Oldtown are all pencilled in for 21 May, with the Loose exchange of Kent bringing up the rear with an activation date of 28 May.

The highest trigger level achieved was Newtown's 450 broadband pre-registrations.

These latest 20 exchanges takes to 158 the number that have hit their trigger levels since the broadband registration scheme was launched -- of which 23 are already upgraded and offering ADSL.

According to a BT Wholesale spokesman, a further 25 exchanges are within 10 percent of their trigger level and are expected to reach it "in the near future".

[Clive]

Long-range broadband 'will not be slower'
13:42 Monday 24th February 2003
Graeme Wearden  


BT believes it can increase ADSL's range without slashing its bandwidth, meaning that another 600,000 homes should be able to get a 512Kbps service after all
A longer-range broadband product being developed by BT will be just as fast as its existing consumer ADSL service, contrary to earlier suggestions from the telco.

This 'extended reach' ADSL is being trialled by just 10 people, but a larger trial is expected to begin in late March.
 
By increasing the distance over which ADSL will work, BT hopes to reduce the number of households that cannot get broadband -- even though their local exchange has been upgraded -- because they live too far away from the exchange.

Up to 6 percent of households in ADSL-enabled areas suffer from this problem. Technical limitations mean that today's 512Kbps ADSL won't work properly if the line loss on a telephone line is greater than 55dB -- equivalent to a line length of about 5.5km.

According to BT, this 'extended reach' broadband will halve the number of households whose line quality is too poor for ADSL to work.

"We are conducting internal trials, looking to extend the maximum line loss permitted from 55dB to 60dB. The impact of this would be to increase ADSL coverage in enabled areas from today's 94 percent to 97 percent," a BT Wholesale spokesman told ZDNet UK News on Monday.

Before BT launched rate-adaptive DSL, the maximum line loss allowed was 41dB, a maximum line length of just 3.5km.

BT had said last week that this forthcoming extended reach ADSL would run at 256Kbps rather than 512Kbps, a statement reported by ZDNet UK.

However, BT has now said that this is not the case, and that it hopes to raise the maximum line loss without dropping the bandwidth.

This confusion within BT seems to have arisen because BT Wholesale is also developing a 256Kbps ADSL product. This, though, is at a very early stage. According to BT, some Internet service providers would like to be able to offer a cheaper and slower broadband product, so it is investigating whether such a service is commercially and technically feasible.

[Simon]

This confusion within BT seems to have arisen because BT Wholesale is also developing a 256Kbps ADSL product. This, though, is at a very early stage. According to BT, some Internet service providers would like to be able to offer a cheaper and slower broadband product, so it is investigating whether such a service is commercially and technically feasible.

So perhaps a glimpse ahead could even see the enlightning prospect of 56Kbps ADSL for all!!    

[Hitch]

Well being as all the exchanges are already enabled and just need turning on i say its all a con.

You lot should watch, watchdog in the next few weeks.. you may get a shock!

[Simon]

Why, are you going to be on, Hitch?  

[Clive]

Latest BB Exchange News:

Ready for service on 28 May
Blythe Bridge, Staffs; Breadsall, Derbys; Diss, Norfolk; Frinton-on-Sea, Essex; Hednesford, Staffs; Lark Lane, Merseyside; Rockferry, Merseyside.

Ready for service on 4 June
Clandon,Surrey; Clydach, West Glamorgan; Cotgrave, Notts; Cupar Crossgates; Daubhill, Greater Manchester; South Queensfery, Edinburgh; Hoylake, Merseyside; Iver, Bucks; Padiham, Lancs; Penkridge, Staffs; Ribbleton, Lancs; Rye, East Sussex; Whittlesey, Cambs; Wombwell, South Yorks.

Ready for service on 11 June
Draycott, Derbyshire; Pontadawe, West Glamorgan.

Ready for service on 18 June
Pontadulais, West Glamorgan.

Ready for service on 25 June
Rhos on Sea, Clwyd; Brixham, Devon.

[Adept]

Ready for service on 18 June
Pontadulais, West Glamorgan.

5-miles away! I suppose its getting closer.

Now where can I get a 5-mile reel of Cat-5

[Sandra]

How about a longer range wireless connection Adept,a friend of mine said you can get them to work over quite a few miles  

[Adept]

Maybe where it's resonably flat Sandra. Don't forget where I live there are a few bumps in the land

[Simon]

You'll just have to move Sean!  

[Adept]

You wouldn't say that if you'd ever been to Pontardulais Simon  

[Gemini]

Yes Adept, same problem as me bumps and lumps.(Not that I'm intending to be personal  )  I've just joined a local action group for bb in the dales, don't hold out much hope but it will never come from BT.

[Sandra]

I know someone who can get you some nitro cheap if you want to remove some mountains Adept  
Or better still tell the US that youve seen Bin Laden and some of his men in the mountains near you.They will remove them for free  

[Adept]

Yes Adept, same problem as me bumps and lumps.(Not that I'm intending to be personal  )

Gemini, I bet your lumps and bumps are much nicer to look at than mine




(Wales has had a lot of mining you know )




Sandra, wouldn't it be better to tell George's boys that I saw Bin Laden in Newcastle? They may have a chance of levelling some mountains in South Wales then