ADSL Speeds - When will we match CABLE packages!

[Defiant]

I'm currently on a 1MB pack with pipex, but im sick of not being able to get higher without out paying prohibitive monthly bills for a business version of a 2MB line.

Now its even worse as CABLE has ungraded to 3MB packages for under £50 a month!

I'm cheesed off as ADSL is now beginning to suck due to their low access speeds for high prices. Im paying £34 a month for a product that costs a lot less on the CABLE side.

Does any other ADSL user feel the same ?

[Richie]

Not here cause the nerest place that can get cable is 2 miles away but even then the speeds and reliability suck.

Also, with me downloding anywhere from 2-7gig/day, the cable caps would just be a pain.

[Jiff Lemon]

I've been saying for a while it's going to be cables biggest gain.
ADSL has therotical limit of 8 meg and you'd probably have to be sat on the exchange to get it.
Cable has much higher limits.
Now at the moment the desire for faster connections isn't widespread - Most people are content with 512, however as more and more people want more speed, DSL is going to struggle. Cable companies will up the speeds and watch DSL ISP's squirm.

[Stoo]

The long reach adsl will help a bit (all new exchange kit apparently), but to compete with cable they'd need to do some serious network upgrades, but they won't do because it'd knacker the shareholders short term profits..

[Nick]

Yeah, that's the advantage of ADSL... small villages like mine have been passed by for cable, so I only have the option of ADSL. Gotta say, I'd be dubious about going for it anyways after my experience with Cable and Wireless a few years back.

[[GSV]Trig]

I'm on 600/128, doesnt ADSL offer better up speeds?

[Atomic]

Most ADSL are 512/256...

[Stoo]

apart from mine recently, which is struggling to even reach 14k/sec on uploads at the moment

[Defiant]

BT are experimenting with higher gain levels up to 115db's.

They are talking about releasing 2 and 3mb level packages for use.
Plus allowing longer distances for the entry 512/256 packages, I have heard that they will allow the full 115dbs limit for that. So your talking about a range of 9-11km for the basic package. It seems like they have a new piece of kit or software that allows you to sort out the higher gain issues with the line. I think they where talking about increasing the upload rate as well.

Also this is tit bit is from the grape vine...

Their is talk of business based 8MB connection speeds. For short distance based customers from the exchange. I recon about 2km.

[joshwa]

Not here cause the nerest place that can get cable is 2 miles away but even then the speeds and reliability suck.

Also, with me downloding anywhere from 2-7gig/day, the cable caps would just be a pain.

there are no caps on telewest / blueyonder however, I think there are on NTL cable.

[Defiant]

www.adslguide.org.uk

On Monday 19th April we featured the good news that BT Wholesale is to run trials to see if ADSL can reach out to 10km (original news item is here). From the questions appearing on our forums, and other broadband sites, it has become apparent that ISPs had originally being told of the trial having a 7km limit, this is not the case.

The Milton Keynes Broadband Action Group website contains a very good summary of this issue, "The Service Provider Q&A slipped through the update process from an earlier draft. The trial was initially due to be to 70dB line loss. It was later decided that performance testing on higher line loss lines would provide valuable data - hence no limit for the trial.".

In other words, rather than go for an incremental increase, BT has decided to test really how far the service can reach outside of the labs. If all goes well this should be 99.6% of households connected to an ADSL enabled exchange can receive the basic 0.5Mbps service. Many have asked what is happening with the 1Mbps and 2Mbps services, at this time there is no concrete news, but it appears that the 1Mbps and 2Mbps service limits will be reviewed, and its very likely that 1Mbps service will be given its own limit. It would appear there is a desire within BT Wholesale for 1Mbps to be more widely available, how widely available is speculation until any new limit is released. The Milton Keynes trial will provide lots of useful information that will help in setting new limits for the 1Mbps and 2Mbps services.

[Lee H]

Too be honest, I would love a better upload on my connection as I have a 2 Mb line and yet the upload is very slow compared to this download speed. I do understand that its in BT's interest to cut down bandwidth etc by having a upload speed thats adequate for peoples needs, but wouldn't it be great if they say increased the upload to 512 but then again, they'll hold back and launch it as SDSL and charge the earth for the better upload. BT seems to have the business and gaming industry by the short and curlies. The only way we are to see an increase in upload is to go with a LLU provider such as easynet or bulldog. LLU is only available in certain areas, but if people campaigned like they did for ADSL for LLU status then one day we might have a better upload before the year 2010.

[Stoo]

It'd probably be quicker and cheaper to move

[Jiff Lemon]

See where I live?

Can tell you now that BT are getting a VERY hard time round here

I had to move house to get ADSL (mercifully the house I'm in is within earshot of the exchnange so 2Mbps is easy for me).

However I'm one of the lucky ones!

The council are trialing wireless Broadband, BT are trialing extended reach and yet there's still LOTS of people who can't get BroadBand.

[Flibb]

Well around here telewest broadband are the cable company, and guess what, they dont offer broadband. The only dialup access they offer a fixed price is AOL. So at my parents place they are stuck with that. I have a BT line and ADSL and love it. People knock BT but the cable companys only offer a service to places they can guaratee a profit, BT doesent have that luxury. Consequently they are concentrating on distance rather than speed.

[Defiant]

Well around here telewest broadband are the cable company, and guess what, they dont offer broadband. The only dialup access they offer a fixed price is AOL. So at my parents place they are stuck with that. I have a BT line and ADSL and love it. People knock BT but the cable companys only offer a service to places they can guaratee a profit, BT doesent have that luxury. Consequently they are concentrating on distance rather than speed.

Thats not true, BT only enable exchanges where they are garenteed to make a profit like telewest or ntl. Thats why you have the activation process with BT.