NEWS UK small businesses may be able to look forward to cheaper broadband prices in 2006, after BT announced significant wholesale price cuts.
BT is cutting the cost of its wholesale SDSL services by 30 per cent. These products are resold to individual firms by ISPs but high prices and limited availability have combined to restrict take-up.
SDSL provides two-way high-speed internet access. It is aimed at small firms and branch offices that want to upload large amounts of data, such as those who host their own email servers and websites. It could also appeal to those who run applications which involve both sending and receiving significant amounts of information, such as videoconferencing.
BT said in a statement: "The lower prices for symmetric broadband will make the service a more attractive option for a wider cross-section of UK broadband users."
Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK
Comments
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1. anonymous
Great if you can get SDSL. Our exchange isn't even on the list of ones that are going to be upgraded.
We've been ADSL enabled for ages and we are just outside south london. Just a little too far outside to get SDSL it seems.
2. Simon
Are we now going to see the same mistakes made with SDSL as were made with ADSL ?
I am convinced that had the price of ADSL not been continually slashed, we would now have a much wider range or offerings (based on local loop unbundling) - including some that were significantly different, and also including SDSL.
By slashing the price, the potential business models of most alternatives were destroyed and so we got lumbered with the unimaginative and restrictive range of offerings that BT have decided to allow.
I fear the same will happen with SDSL and alternative offerings will be a long time coming.