Category: Distribution

A teaser story stating that BSkyB will be launching broadband Internet access via a phone line. No details in the story, but I assume it will be marketing tie-up with BT offering Sky viewers ADSL.

Broadbus’s approach to serving video content on-demand is to place content in huge RAM caches which they claim enables them to services many more connections while providing better quality, faster starting delivery. Having looked though the site, their logic appears sound but I haven’t heard or see it in action so cannot vouch for practise of the idea.

It’s encouraging to hear that BT are currently dealing with over 10,000 wholesale orders a week for ADSL. They are also broadband-enabling 100 more exchanges and beefing up the capacity of the 1,000+ current broadband-enabled exchanges. A strange turnaround from their comments and action of six months ago where they were actually blaming the consumer for the failure of broadband take up in the UK.

Another surprise announcement from BT was their intention to launch Direct DSL. A service that will be a slightly cheaper service connecting users directly to the Internet, rather than through an ISP, an idea borrowed from Spanish operator, Telefonica. This is going to be very unpopular with UK ISP’s and it will be interesting to see if OFTEL blocks it.

BT are planning to launch a broadband wireless access service around the UK, with 400 locations available by June 2003 and an additional 4,000 two years later.

IPTV software and services company Myrio and the R&D arm of BT, BTexact, recently carried out a demonstration of video from two sources, a VOD server and the Internet, delivered over VDSL to both thin and thick client STB’s. This is interesting for a number of reasons:- it’s from multiple sources so third parties can supply content, BT are publicly talking about their VDSL testing (which has been quietly happening for sometime now) and the content is going to STB’s (not PCs), so there may be a number of suppliers of viewing platforms.

Bluetooth raised a lot of interest when it was first discussed, this could have been due to PR by the interested parties because since then there’s been very little. The core idea behind it, the WPAN or PAN (Wireless/ Personal Area Network), is an interesting additional method of transferring content to users – if not a little slow in it current 1Mbs guise.

Kodak are creating a rival to Bluetooth. They say it will be based on 802.15, should run up to thirty times Bluetooths 1Mbs, require low-power and be inexpensive.

Reports that the number of BT ADSL users in the UK has doubled – slightly confusing given the price hasn’t officially dropped yet.

Trying to keep some of the spotlight, Telewest announce that they have 107k users – putting them currently about equal with BT. In a move to try and avoid being forgotten, they say they’ll be bringing out a 1Mb service at the newly reduced self-install ADSL price.

Ben Verwaayen, CEO of BT announced the reduction in the wholesale price of ADSL from 1 April to 14.75ukp this morning. They’ve set a target of one million ADSL user by summer 2003 and pledged to improve network performance and quality of service, which is needed.

Reports in the UK Sunday Times that BT will cut its wholesale price to 20ukp, which should lead to retail prices of around 30ukp from the current 40ukp. I’ve heard from someone who is close to top BT management that they might half the price. We’ll should get to know the facts on Tuesday.